Former White House national security adviser John Bolton arrives at the US District Court for the District of Maryland, in Greenbelt, Maryland, US, June 26, 2026. [Tom Brenner/Reuters]By AP and ReutersPublished On 26 Jun 202626 Jun 2026John Bolton, a prominent critic of US President Donald Trump who once served as his national security adviser, has pleaded guilty to unlawfully retaining classified information during a federal court hearing in Maryland.
Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday in a case related to the sharing of documents with two 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.
Bolton, who served as national security adviser during Trump’s first term , is one of several noteworthy political opponents who have faced prosecution by Trump’s Department of Justice, erasing longstanding norms that had separated law enforcement efforts from partisan considerations.
However, unlike other cases brought against Trump critics, the Bolton investigation began before Trump returned to office in 2025 and had the backing of career federal prosecutors.
