Ex-national security adviser John Bolton pleads guilty in classified information case
Jun 26, 2026, 9:11 AM | Updated: 9:17 am
FILE - National security adviser John Bolton, March 5, 2019, at the White House .(Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press)
(Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press)
Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to illegally retaining classified information, sealing a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid a prison term.
Bolton, who became an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump after serving in the Republican’s first administration, is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 28.
Also, Vice President JD Vance said Thursday the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon would have been a blip in today’s news cycle, and he drew parallels between Nixon and Trump — arguing that both were targeted by “deep state” forces. “If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story. The idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy,” Vance said.
Here’s the latest:
Other Trump adversaries have been charged with federal crimes during his second term
While some of those cases have collapsed under judicial scrutiny and amid claims of political retribution, Bolton didn’t mount a vigorous defense against his charges before cutting a deal.
FBI agents searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office last August, but the investigation began before Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
Bolton was charged with 18 counts of either retaining or disseminating classified information
That included diary-like notes he shared with relatives as he wrote a memoir about his career in government.
Bolton served for more than a year in Trump’s first administration before getting pushed out in 2019. He later published a book called “The Room Where it Happened” that presented an unflattering portrait of Trump’s leadership.
The Trump administration fought unsuccessfully to block the book’s release, claiming it contained classified information that could jeopardize national security. Trump derided Bolton as a “crazy” warmonger who would have led the country into “World War Six.”
Bolton’s indictment focused on notes he shared with his wife and daughter rather than the contents of his book. After sending one document, Bolton wrote in a message to his relatives, “None of which we talk about!!!” In response, one of his relatives wrote, “Shhhhh,” prosecutors said.
This story will be updated.
