John Bolton, who served during part of President Donald Trump’s first term as his national security adviser, but later turned against the Republican leader, has reached a plea bargain in his case over mishandling national secrets.

Bolton, 77, will plead guilty to a single count of illegal retention of sensitive national security papers, according to a report at CNN.

He had been indicted on 18 counts relating to mishandling classified material, according to the Daily Mail.

The agreement includes a fine of about $2 million, the report said. And, the possible sentence could included a prison term.

🚨 JOHN BOLTON to plead GUILTY to illegally retaining classified documents

He and his mustache will have to pay a $2.25 MILLION, and faces up to 60 MONTHS in prison

This traitor is getting what he deserves. pic.twitter.com/Eie3R0Yjlj

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 4, 2026

BREAKING: John Bolton is set to plead guilty over his mishandling of classified documents.

The former Trump national security adviser will plead guilty to retaining classified information after his home and office were raided last year on August 22. pic.twitter.com/RPmUBgJ9PM

— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 4, 2026

He had been accused of allegedly keeping classified documents at his home in Bethesda, Maryland.

Prosecutors have claimed he had “more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities.”

And he was accused of using a personal email to share sensitive materials with two people who were not authorized to see it.

Court documents say he’s to appear for a hearing on June 26.

Bolton famously took issue with Trump administration work regarding North Korea and Afghanistan, and summarily was fired over those disputes.

He quickly assembled a tell-all book about his work in the Trump administration, turning highly criticial of the president.

“Washed up creepster John Bolton is a lowlife who should be in jail, money seized, for disseminating, for profit, highly classified information,” was Trump’s response, the report said.

Bolton is one of a number of officials who have publicly lashed out, sometimes even bringing court cases, against Trump only to end up facing charges themselves. Others include New York Attorney General Letitia James, Democrat Sen. Adama Schiff, ex-FBI chief James Comey and more.

One report said the two people who were exposed to the secret information were Bolton’s wife and daughter.

Bob Unruh

Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is currently a news editor for the WND News Center, and also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Read more of Bob Unruh's articles here.