John Bolton will reportedly plead guilty over mishandling classified documents

John Bolton, the former US national security adviser who left Donald Trump’s first administration and became a staunch critic of the US president, will reportedly plead guilty over mishandling classified documents.

The US Department of Justice filed federal charges against Bolton in October 2025, one of a string of Trump critics against whom it secured criminal charges in a matter of weeks.

Trump claimed at the time he was not aware of charges against Bolton, but that his former adviser was a “bad guy”.

Bolton intends to plead guilty to one count of illegal retention of sensitive national security documents and has also agreed to pay a more than $2m fine, CNN was first to report on Thursday. AP and the New York Times also reported that Bolton had reached a provisional deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to mishandling classified information.

Court records showed that Bolton will appear in court to enter a new plea in the case on 26 June.

More details soon …