Overview
- On Friday, June 26, 2026, former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty to one felony count of illegally retaining classified national defense information, resolving an 18-count indictment.
- Bolton agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine, forfeit his federal pension under the Hiss Act, submit to a national-security debriefing and complete 100 hours of community service.
- The plea recommends a sentencing range from probation up to five years and schedules final sentencing for Oct. 28, 2026, giving Bolton the option to withdraw the plea if the judge imposes a harsher sentence or a larger fine than the deal allows.
- Prosecutors said their case focused on diary-like notes that contained high-level classified material which Bolton shared with his wife and daughter, with authorities saying his personal email was later compromised by a hacker believed linked to Iran.
- The probe began before President Trump’s 2025 return to office and was handled by career federal prosecutors, a fact cited by sources to distinguish this prosecution from other recent DOJ cases that have drawn claims of political motivation.