Former National Security Adviser John Bolton is set to plead guilty to mishandling classified materials, CNN reported Thursday citing anonymous sources.
Bolton has agreed to pay a fine of more than $2 million and will plead guilty to a single count of illegal retention of sensitive national security documents, one of CNN’s three anonymous sources told the outlet. On this count, Bolton can face a prison sentence of up to 60 months.
In October 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Bolton on 18 counts in connection to the former Trump administration official’s alleged mishandling of classified information.
Bolton, widely known as a proponent of hawkish foreign policy, served as President Donald Trump’s national security chief from April 2018 to September 2019, before publicly falling out with and becoming a notable detractor of the president.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].