Former national security adviser John Bolton admitted to illegally retaining classified information under a plea agreement tied to records used while preparing his 2020 memoir.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to a felony count of illegally retaining classified information, entering a plea agreement that would resolve most of the criminal case brought over his handling of sensitive national security records while writing his 2020 memoir, “The Room Where It Happened.”

Bolton appeared in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he admitted guilt to one count of illegal retention of classified information. While entering the plea, Bolton said he was “sorry” for his actions.

The agreement, which requires approval from U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, would reduce the 18-count case filed against Bolton in October 2025, according to The New York Times.

People familiar with the deal said Bolton will pay a fine of about $2.25 million. He faces a maximum prison sentence of five years, though the court will determine the final punishment. The agreement could allow him to avoid prison.

Federal prosecutors accused Bolton of unlawfully retaining and transmitting classified national defense information through handwritten diary-style notes he compiled while serving as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser. Those notes later served as source material for Bolton’s memoir, which described internal White House deliberations and criticized Trump after the two publicly split.

The October indictment alleged that Bolton improperly shared more than 1,000 pages of notes containing national defense information with family members through his personal email account and a messaging application.

Prosecutors said some entries showed Bolton knew he was recording classified material. One note began, “The intel briefer said,” while another stated, “While in the Situation Room, I learned.”

The government also alleged that Bolton’s personal email account was later compromised by an individual linked to the Iranian government, raising additional national security concerns.

Court filings state, “A representative for Bolton notified the U.S. government of the hack in or about July 2021,” but “did not tell the U.S. government that the account contained national defense information, including classified information, that Bolton had placed in the account from his time as national security adviser.”

Prosecutors said the suspected hacker attempted to extort Bolton after gaining access to the account.

“I do not think you would be interested in the F.B.I. being aware of the leaked content of John’s email (some of which have been attached),” one message said.

“This could be the biggest scandal since Hillary’s emails were leaked, but this time on the G.O.P. side! Contact me before it’s too late,” a later message said.

Bolton, 77, served as Trump’s national security adviser from April 2018 until September 2019. The two split after foreign policy disagreements involving Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran. Bolton later became one of Trump’s most prominent Republican critics.

His memoir triggered a legal fight in 2020 when the Trump administration sought to block publication, arguing the book contained classified information and had not completed the government’s prepublication review process.

A federal judge declined to stop the book’s release because copies had already been distributed, but warned that Bolton had likely exposed himself to legal consequences by moving forward without final written authorization.

The Justice Department later opened a criminal investigation into whether Bolton mishandled classified information. That inquiry led to the 2025 indictment charging him with eight counts of unlawfully transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of unlawfully retaining it.

Bolton pleaded not guilty after surrendering to authorities in October 2025. His attorneys argued at the time that he had committed no crime and described the prosecution as politically motivated.

The guilty plea marks a major turn in the case, with Bolton now admitting to one felony count while the court considers whether to approve the agreement and determine his sentence.