Published June 4, 2026
According to US media, John Bolton, who served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, plans to take a plea deal in a case related to his handling of classified documents.
Bolton, now a prominent Trump critic, is reportedly planning to plead guilty to one count of illegally storing classified national security documents and has agreed to pay a fine of more than $2 million.
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CNN first reported the story on Thursday. Al Jazeera could not immediately confirm details.
The former Trump official-turned-enemy was indicted by the Justice Department in October.
He is one of several Trump critics being indicted by federal law enforcement, and his indictment was announced at about the same time as former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Mr. Bolton was charged with 18 offenses under the Espionage Act related to the alleged improper handling and sharing of classified information.
Investigators say Bolton sent more than 1,000 pages of “diary-like content” to two of his relatives, including material that was classified as “top secret.”
In addition, Mr. Bolton was accused of failing to provide full details about a cyberattack that included the hacking of his personal email account, which may have resulted in the disclosure of sensitive information.
Mr. Bolton maintained that he fully notified the FBI of the violation. He also pointed out that despite a review of the case, Trump had never been indicted until he returned to office on January 20, 2025.
At his first arraignment on October 17, 2025, he pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Bolton, a longtime foreign policy hawk, was a major supporter of the U.S. invasion of Iraq when he served as ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush.
Critics note that Mr. Bolton has amplified disproven claims that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is developing weapons of mass destruction and has ties to al-Qaeda.
He also served as President Trump’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, during which time he had repeated clashes with the first-term president.
Bolton’s scathing 2020 memoir detailed his time in the Trump White House, portraying the president as lacking basic knowledge of geography and world affairs and unfit for public office.
President Trump has repeatedly accused the book of containing classified information. He also tried to block the book’s publication, arguing for years that Bolton should be arrested for its contents.
Bolton has criticized President Trump’s response to the ongoing U.S.-Israel war against Iran, which began on February 28, even though he has long advocated regime change in Iran.
Trump has long threatened his critics and political opponents with lawsuits and criminal charges, and critics say he has used his second term to launch a campaign of retaliation against his perceived rivals.
But some of his efforts face legal hurdles. In November, the charges against Mr. Comey and Mr. James were dropped after it was found that the prosecutor who led the case was unconstitutionally appointed.
But the Justice Department indicted Comey again in April over social media posts it said were threats against Trump.
The social media post featured seashells arranged to spell out “86 47.” The number “86” is a slang term meaning “to nix,” and “47” refers to Trump, the 47th president of the United States.
Legal experts have questioned the strength of the lawsuit, given the ambiguity of the message and constitutional free speech protections. The number 86 is often used in the restaurant industry to cancel or remove something, but it’s not necessarily a call to violence.
President Trump has long called for the prosecution of Comey after he led an investigation into possible collusion between the 2016 presidential campaign and Russian election interference efforts.
In September, President Trump posted a message on social media urging the U.S. attorney general to prosecute Comey and James. The message was criticized as an attack on the Justice Department’s prosecutorial independence, a long-standing norm.
“We have a great case, and many lawyers and legal experts say so,” Trump wrote. “We cannot delay it any longer. This will damage our reputation and credibility.”
He added: “Justice must be served now!!!”
