{"id":2619430,"date":"2026-06-26T08:47:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T12:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-bolton-to-plead-guilty-to-mishandling-classified-documents\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T08:49:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T12:49:44","slug":"john-bolton-to-plead-guilty-to-mishandling-classified-documents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-bolton-to-plead-guilty-to-mishandling-classified-documents\/","title":{"rendered":"John Bolton to plead guilty to mishandling classified documents"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjohn-bolton-to-plead-guilty-to-mishandling-classified-documents%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2619430&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-to-pardon-gen-michael-flynn-per-report\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President ... to Pardon Gen. Michael Flynn, Per Report\">national security adviser<\/a> John Bolton is expected to plead guilty in a Maryland federal court to mishandling classified information as part of a plea deal. He faces charges of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >illegally retaining sensitive documents<\/a> and paying a $2.25 million fine. Bolton, who served from 2018 to 2019, was investigated over the mishandling of classified material spanning two administrations, after hackers revealed that he kept highly classified journal entries and personal notes, some shared with his family via personal email accounts.He was indicted in October 2025 for possessing, transmitting, and distributing classified documents categorized as &#8220;secret&#8221; and &#8220;top secret,&#8221; including over 1,000 pages of personal records. Bolton has been a frequent critic of Trump, writing a memoir about his tenure and publicly exchanging barbs with the former president, who also criticized Bolton, describing him as a &#8220;lowlife&#8221; and accusing him of wanting to go to war indiscriminately. Trump remarked that Bolton was involved in creating problems related to war and accused him of criminal behavior for mishandling classified information.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former national security adviser <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-bolton\/\">John Bolton<\/a> is expected to plead guilty to mishandling classified information in a federal court in Maryland on Friday. The move comes as part of a plea deal agreed to earlier this month, as the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> previously <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4594886\/john-bolton-plea-deal-classified-documents-case\/\">reported<\/a>. Bolton is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/john-bolton-expected-plead-guilty-mishandling-classified-information\/story?id=134224305\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/john-bolton-expected-plead-guilty-mishandling-classified-information\/story?id=134224305\">expected to plead guilty<\/a> to one count of illegally retaining sensitive documents and pay a $2.25 million fine, according to multiple sources. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bolton\u2019s violations come after he served as national security adviser from 2018 to 2019. The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3850532\/what-to-know-trump-charges-john-bolton\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3850532\/what-to-know-trump-charges-john-bolton\/\">investigation of his mishandling<\/a> of classified information spanned two presidential administrations, starting in the first Trump administration and lasting into the Biden administration, after hackers, believed to be Iranian, accessed Bolton\u2019s email account, revealing that Bolton wrote private journal entries that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-continues-stonewalling-congress-on-classified-docs\/\" title=\"Biden Administration Continues Stonewalling Congress on Classified Docs\">contained highly classified information<\/a> while he was national security adviser. The <em>New York Times<\/em> reported he could possibly face time in prison for his actions.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4624001\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-2028-dsa-new-york\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s 2028 options grow after socialist wins in New York<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4626222\/john-bolton-plead-guilty-court-today-mishandling-classified-documents\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>John Bolton, former national security adviser, to plead guilty in court today to mishandling classified documents<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4625862\/trump-house-gop-blockade-save-america-act\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump tells House GOP hard-liners to end blockade over flagship voter ID bill<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A grand jury indicted Bolton in October 2025 for the discovery of his journal entries, private notes, and other classified material from his time as national security adviser. He was <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4594886\/john-bolton-plea-deal-classified-documents-case\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">accused<\/a> of illegally possessing and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-bolton-former-national-security-adviser-to-plead-guilty-in-court-today-to-mishandling-classified-documents\/\" title=\"..., former ..., to ... in ... to ... classified documents\">transmitting classified national defense information<\/a>, sharing over 1,000 pages of his personal records over a personal email account to unauthorized people who are believed to be family members, specifically his wife and daughter. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was charged with eight counts of transmission and 10 counts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/contractor-who-allegedly-leaked-information-to-washington-post-indicted-on-six-counts\/\" title=\"Contractor who allegedly leaked ... to Washington Post ... on six counts\">retaining classified national defense information<\/a>. The classified materials he possessed and distributed were reportedly categorized at the \u201csecret\u201d and \u201ctop secret\u201d levels, according to multiple sources.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bolton\u2019s time in the Trump administration was short-lived, but he has feuded with the president throughout Trump\u2019s two separate terms. Bolton wrote a book, <em>The Room Where It Happened, <\/em>in 2020 about his time as national security adviser during Trump\u2019s first term. Trump criticized Bolton and accused him of violating laws for allegedly disclosing classified information in the book.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since his time at the NSA, Bolton has been a regular critic of Trump, offering commentary on a variety of things stemming from his mannerisms, temperament, and policy decisions. Trump has also criticized Bolton, calling him a \u201clowlife\u201d and questioning his intelligence. He also claimed <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=40yvGhPf6oo\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=40yvGhPf6oo\">Bolton wanted to \u201cgo to war with everybody.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWell, I was never much of a fan of John Bolton,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/rachel-maddow-show\/maddowblog\/trump-doesnt-do-himself-any-favors-with-new-comments-on-john-boltons-criminal-case#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWell%2C%20I%20was%20never%20much,in%20terms%20of%20other%20things.\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/rachel-maddow-show\/maddowblog\/trump-doesnt-do-himself-any-favors-with-new-comments-on-john-boltons-criminal-case#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWell%2C%20I%20was%20never%20much,in%20terms%20of%20other%20things.\">Trump said<\/a> earlier in June. \u201cI never thought he was a smart person, that he was a radical right in terms of war, not in terms of other things. He was. He wanted to go to war with anybody that opened their mouth, anybody that talked, and I used him for a purpose, you know.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe was involved with [George W. Bush], and he created a lot of problems, but he always wanted to kill people in war, and that was okay for me, as long as I didn\u2019t listen to him, which I never did,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe\u2019s a, he\u2019s a bad guy, John Bolton, he\u2019s a dirty guy, and we caught him, and then we caught him, and you know, he wrote a book,\u201d Trump said. \u201cYou look at all the information he took, I mean, if you look at that case, it\u2019s a great honor to have helped from the standpoint of encouragement.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Bolton to plead guilty to mishandling classified info in Maryland<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2677,"featured_media":2619431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/AP22222534006577.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[32575,41448,44998,15894,81771],"class_list":["post-2619430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-classified-documents","tag-government-scandal","tag-john-bolton","tag-mishandling","tag-pleading-guilty"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/AP22222534006577.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2677"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2619430"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2619434,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619430\/revisions\/2619434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2619431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2619430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2619430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2619430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}