Former National Security Advisor John Bolton Set to Plead Guilty Over Sensitive Document Mishandling

Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton is set to plead guilty to one count of illegal retention of sensitive national security documents and will pay a fine exceeding $2 million as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors. The agreement reduces the number of charges against Bolton from eighteen counts to just one, stemming from his alleged mishandling of classified information during his tenure in the Trump administration.

The case against Bolton began after an FBI investigation was triggered by suspected Iranian hackers breaching Bolton’s email account and uncovering diary entries that detailed his day-to-day activities while serving as national security advisor. Prosecutors accused him of retaining more than a thousand pages of documents containing top-secret information at his home, which is prohibited under federal law.

While the plea deal focuses on the retention of classified materials, prosecutors had initially charged Bolton with both transmission and retention of sensitive information. They alleged that he shared these documents through personal email accounts with unauthorized individuals, though this aspect has been dropped from the charges as part of the agreement. A hearing for Bolton’s guilty plea is scheduled for June 26.

The case against Bolton has drawn significant attention due to his high-profile position and ties to former President Donald Trump, who had long called for legal action against Bolton over classified information contained in his memoirs published in 2020. The outcome of this case could set a precedent for how officials handle sensitive documents after leaving government service.