Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has reached a plea agreement in a case involving the handling of classified documents, US media reported on May 8.
Bolton, now a leading critic of President Donald Trump, is expected to plead guilty to one count of unlawfully retaining sensitive national security documents and has agreed to pay a fine of more than $2 million.
CNN, citing sources, reported that the agreement was reached on May 8, making Bolton's case one of the first to reach a resolution among a series of lawsuits against Trump's opponents. Al Jazeera has not been able to independently verify the details.
Bolton was indicted by the US Department of Justice in October last year on 18 counts under the Espionage Act related to allegations of mishandling and sharing classified information. Investigators said Bolton sent more than 1,000 pages of “diaries” to two relatives, some of which contained material classified as “top secret.”
In addition, he was charged with failing to provide full information about a cyberattack targeting his personal email account, which could have exposed classified information. Bolton maintained that he had fully informed the FBI about the incident and pointed out that no charges were filed before Trump returned to the White House on January 20, 2025.
Bolton had previously pleaded not guilty at his initial court appearance on October 17, 2025.
John Bolton is a veteran foreign policy hawk who strongly supported the US invasion of Iraq while serving as ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush. He served as Trump's national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, a tenure marked by frequent clashes with the president. His 2020 memoir described Trump as unfit for office, lacking basic knowledge of geography and world affairs.
Trump repeatedly claimed the book contained classified information and sought to block its publication, arguing that Bolton should be arrested for its content. The president has threatened critics and political opponents with lawsuits and criminal charges, drawing accusations of using his second term to retaliate against adversaries.
Some of Trump's efforts have faced legal hurdles. In November last year, indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James were dismissed after the prosecutor overseeing the cases was found to have been unconstitutionally appointed. However, the Department of Justice indicted Comey for a second time in April over a social media post deemed threatening to Trump.
