John Bolton Accepts Plea Deal in Documents Case

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton to Plead Guilty in Classified Documents Case

John Bolton, a former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, is set to accept a plea deal in connection with the handling of classified documents. According to reports, Bolton intends to plead guilty to one count of illegal retention of sensitive national security documents and has agreed to pay a fine exceeding $2 million.

Bolton was indicted by the Department of Justice in October on 18 counts related to his alleged mishandling and sharing of classified information. Investigators stated that Bolton sent over 1,000 pages of “diary-like entries” to two relatives, some containing material classified as “top secret”. It was also charged that Bolton failed to provide full details regarding a cyberattack involving the hacking of his personal email account.

Bolton maintained that he had notified the FBI about the breach and pointed out that charges were never filed against him before Trump returned to office on January 20, 2025. He initially pleaded not guilty when arraigned in October 2025.

A former ambassador to the United Nations under George W Bush, Bolton was a key figure in US foreign policy during his tenure as national security adviser from 2018 to 2019. Critics have noted that he amplified disproven claims about Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and had links to al-Qaeda.

Bolton’s memoir, published in 2020, detailed his time in Trump’s White House, portraying the president as being unfit for office. The book was also at the center of a dispute over classified information, with Trump seeking to block its release.

The Department of Justice has charged several other Trump critics, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, under the Espionage Act. However, some of these charges have been dropped or are facing legal challenges.

Source: Al Jazeera