Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former National Security Adviser John Bolton arrives for a plea hearing in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland in Greenbelt, Maryland, on June 26, 2026.
Al Drago | Getty Images
John Bolton, who served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, pleaded guilty Friday morning in federal court in Maryland to one criminal charge of possessing national defense information.
Bolton could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and a $2.25 million fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 28th.
MS Now reported that when Judge Theodore Chuang asked Mr Bolton on Friday if he intended to plead guilty, Mr Bolton replied: “Your Honor, that’s right. I’m sorry.”
Portions of the hearing in Greenbelt U.S. District Court were blocked due to national security concerns.
Bolton, a longtime critic of President Trump, was indicted by a grand jury in October on eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of possessing national defense information.
Once Bolton is sentenced, the remaining charges will be dropped, prosecutors said.
FBI agents raided Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, and his office in Washington, D.C., on August 22 as part of the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into him.
Bolton served as President Trump’s national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019.
Mr. Bolton is one of three of Mr. Trump’s highest-profile opponents to be indicted on federal criminal charges since Mr. Trump re-entered the White House for a non-consecutive second term in January 2025.
The other two are former FBI Director James Comey and New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
Comey was charged with false statements and obstruction in connection with nearly five years of Senate testimony. James was charged with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a mortgage he obtained to purchase a three-bedroom home in Virginia.
In November, a judge dismissed both cases against Comey and James, ruling that Trump’s hand-picked appointments of top prosecutors in the case were invalid.
On April 28, Comey was re-indicted in federal court in North Carolina on charges that he threatened President Trump’s life after posting a photo of a seashell with the word “8647” written on it on Instagram.
Comey and James have denied wrongdoing and said they were targeted by the Justice Department because of their opposition to President Trump.
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