Bolton to pay $2.25M, faces up to five years in prison for retention of classified information

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative file photo — Former White House national security adviser John Bolton arrives at his house following its search by the FBI, in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., August 22, 2025. REUTERS/Tasos Katopodis

By Steve Holland, Andrew Goudsward and Jana Winter (Reuters)

John Bolton, a prominent critic of U.S. President Donald Trump who once served as his national security adviser, will pay a fine of $2.25 million to settle charges of mishandling classified documents, three sources said on Thursday.

Bolton will plead guilty to one count of retaining classified information based on his diary entries at a court hearing on June 26, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He could face up to five years in prison. The news was first reported by CNN.

Bolton is accused of sharing sensitive information with two of his relatives for possible use in a book he was writing, including notes on intelligence briefings and meetings with senior government officials and foreign leaders. He pleaded not guilty to 18 criminal charges last year.

The Justice Department and a Bolton spokesperson declined to comment.

Bolton served as White House national security adviser during Trump's first term before emerging as one of the president's most vocal critics. He described Trump as unfit to serve as president in a memoir.

One source familiar with the settlement, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the plea deal alleges no wrongdoing with regard to Bolton's book, but that Bolton was acknowledging that he made a mistake.

 (Reporting by Steve Holland, Jana Winter, Andrew Goudsward, Bhargav Acharya, Ismail Shakil, Nathan Layne, Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff and Luc Cohen; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Daphne Psaledakis, Doina Chiacu and Bill Berkrot // REUTERS)