John Bolton, who once served as national security adviser to President Donald Trump and has since emerged as one of his most vocal critics, is expected to appear in federal court Friday to enter a guilty plea on charges related to the mishandling of classified information.
According to sources who previously spoke with Reuters, Bolton reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that sets his potential sentence anywhere from no jail time to a maximum of five years in prison, with a judge making the final determination. The deal also requires Bolton to pay a fine of $2.25 million.
Prosecutors allege that Bolton passed along sensitive government information to two family members, potentially for use in a book he was working on. The information reportedly included notes from intelligence briefings and details from meetings with top government officials and foreign heads of state. Bolton had previously pleaded not guilty to 18 criminal counts filed against him last year.
Bolton held the national security adviser position during Trump’s first term in the White House. His case is among a number of prosecutions brought by Trump’s Justice Department against notable political opponents — a pattern that critics say has blurred the traditionally firm line between law enforcement and partisan politics.
Notably, the investigation into Bolton differs from some other cases targeting Trump critics in that it was launched before Trump returned to power in 2025 and carried the support of career federal prosecutors, rather than being initiated by political appointees.
