Ex-Trump advisor John Bolton pleads guilty to retaining national defense information

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John Bolton is one of several foes of President Donald Trump who has been indicted since Trump regained the White House.

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John Bolton pleaded guilty to one criminal count of retaining national defense information in Maryland federal court.
Bolton served as national security advisor to President Donald Trump during Trump’s first term in the White House.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former National Security Advisor John Bolton arrives for a plea hearing at U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on June 26, 2026 in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Al Drago | Getty Images

John Bolton, a former national security advisor to President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty in Maryland federal court on Friday morning to one criminal count of retaining national defense information.

Bolton, for years, has been a staunch critic of Trump.

Bolton was indicted in October by a grand jury on eight counts of transmission of national defense information and 10 counts of retention of national defense information.

FBI agents raided Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, and his office in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 22 as part of the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation of him.

Bolton served as Trump’s national security advisor from April 2018 through September 2019.

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