Former National Security Adviser John Bolton is set to plead guilty to mishandling classified materials, CNN reported Thursday citing anonymous sources.

Bolton has agreed to pay a fine of more than $2 million and will plead guilty to a single count of illegal retention of sensitive national security documents, one of CNN’s three anonymous sources told the outlet. On this count, Bolton can face a prison sentence of up to 60 months.

The video player is currently playing an ad.In October 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Bolton on 18 counts in connection to the former Trump administration official’s alleged mishandling of classified information.

Bolton, widely known as a proponent of hawkish foreign policy, served as President Donald Trump’s national security chief from April 2018 to September 2019, before publicly falling out with and becoming a notable detractor of the president.