Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified documents.

Bolton, now a prominent critic of ​the US president, pleaded guilty ‌on Friday to a single count of illegally retaining ⁠classified ​information during ​a federal court hearing ⁠in ⁠Maryland.

The 77-year-old told the judge: "I'm sorry for it."

His plea agreement with the Justice Department may enable him to avoid time in jail, but that will be decided by District Judge Theodore Chuang at sentencing, which is set for 28 October.

The plea agreement recommends limiting any prison sentence to five years, and will also see Bolton pay a $2.25m (£1.7m) fine.

He can withdraw his guilty plea if the judge imposes a longer prison sentence or a larger fine.

Bolton had previously accused Mr Trump of attempting to "intimidate his opponents" after being criminally indicted.

How we got here

Bolton was charged last October with 18 counts of either retaining or disseminating classified information, including diary-like notes that he shared with relatives as he wrote a memoir about his time in government.

FBI agents searched Bolton's Maryland home and Washington DC office last August. However, the investigation began before Mr Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

He had served for more than a year in President Trump's first administration before he was pushed out in 2019.

The following year, he published a book called "The Room Where it Happened" that presented an unflattering portrait of Mr Trump's leadership.

The Trump administration fought unsuccessfully to have the book's release blocked, claiming it contained classified information that could jeopardise national security.

Prosecutors said on Friday that no classified information was published in Bolton's ​book. Instead, Bolton's indictment focused on notes that he allegedly shared with his wife and daughter rather than the contents of the book.

After sending one document, Bolton wrote in a message to his relatives: "None of which we talk about!" In response, one of his relatives wrote, "Shhhhh," prosecutors said.

He originally pleaded not guilty to 18 criminal charges last year.