John Bolton Pleads Guilty to Hoarding National Defense Information, Faces Up to Five Years in Prison

Former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to illegally retaining national defense information, bringing a dramatic end to his classified documents case.

Bolton, 77, entered the guilty plea during a brief hearing in federal court outside Washington after reaching an agreement with prosecutors. Asked by the judge whether he was guilty, the longtime Republican foreign policy figure replied, “I am, Your Honor, and sorry for it.”

The single count carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. However, U.S. Attorney Kelly Hayes said after the hearing that the Justice Department will recommend a five-year prison sentence.

Bolton, a longtime Iran hawk and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was originally indicted by a federal grand jury last October on 18 felony counts alleging he illegally retained and transmitted sensitive national defense information after leaving government service.

Federal investigators raided Bolton’s Maryland home and his Washington office on Aug. 22, 2025, recovering documents concerning weapons of mass destruction, internal U.S. strategy discussions, classified travel memoranda, and materials related to the U.S. mission to the United Nations.

According to prosecutors, Bolton used email accounts and encrypted messaging applications to transmit documents classified up to the “Top Secret” level, including intelligence involving potential future U.S. military operations, foreign adversaries, and sensitive diplomatic matters.

Prosecutors also alleged Bolton sent more than 1,000 pages of diary-style notes and policy assessments from his personal AOL email account to two individuals who did not possess the required security clearances. Those recipients are widely believed to have been his wife and daughter.

The plea agreement spares Bolton from standing trial on the remaining charges, which collectively could have resulted in a substantially longer prison sentence if he had been convicted.

This story is developing…

BREAKING: President Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton is pleading guilty to 1 of the 18 counts against him in his classified documents case, facing a possible 5-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $2.25 million. pic.twitter.com/fr6WhHhGzA

— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 26, 2026

BREAKING: Former National Security Advisor John Bolton pleads guilty to 1 of 18 counts in classified documents indictment, faces possible 5-year prison sentence and $2.25 million fine https://t.co/cK3UtlvyBP

— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 26, 2026