Ex-Trump adviser John Bolton expected to plead guilty to retaining national security information

Trump administrationEx-Trump adviser John Bolton expected to plead guilty to retaining national security informationBolton served as White House national security adviser during Trump’s first term. Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Former national security adviser John Bolton is expected to plead guilty to a charge of retaining classified information at his arraignment today.Liselotte Sabroe / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 26, 2026, 8:56 AM EDTBy Rebecca ShabadFormer national security adviser John Bolton is expected to plead guilty in federal court on Friday to one count of retaining national security information. Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.Bolton, who served as White House national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term and has since been a frequent critic of the president, will appear Friday morning for a re-arraignment in Greenbelt, Maryland. NBC News reported in early June that Bolton planned to plead guilty in the case. Two sources familiar with the matter said at the time that Bolton faces a potential sentence of probation to 60 months in prison, and according to one of the sources, he also agreed to pay $2.25 million in restitution. CNN was first to report the plea deal.Bolton described the national security information that he retained as an electronic diary entry that he shared with two members of his family. Judge Theodore D. Chuang, an appointee of then-President Barack Obama, will have up to 90 days to sentence him.Bolton was originally indicted in October 2025, charged with eight counts of transmission of national defense information and 10 counts of retention of national defense information.He pleaded not guilty to the charges and faced up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine per count, and three years of special release.Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said at the time that his client didn’t break...