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Gone quiet · last update Jun 26, 2026 / John Bolton

The classified documents case against John Bolton

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

John Bolton, President Donald Trump's national security adviser in his first term and later a vocal critic, was in October 2025 on 18 counts of keeping top secret records at home and sharing classified information, after the FBI searched his home and office that August.[1][2][3] He pleaded not guilty, then in June 2026 pleaded guilty to one count under a plea deal.[4][5][6]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

He pleaded not guilty, then in June 2026 pleaded guilty to one count under a plea deal.[4][5][6]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-08-18 (UTC): 28%, 54 of 191 tracked outlets (14 left, 24 center, 16 right)Week of 2025-08-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-01 (UTC): 5%, 9 of 177 tracked outlets (2 left, 3 center, 4 right)Week of 2025-09-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-22 (UTC): 6%, 12 of 189 tracked outlets (2 left, 3 center, 7 right)Week of 2025-09-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-13 (UTC): 32%, 58 of 182 tracked outlets (16 left, 28 center, 14 right)Week of 2025-10-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): 19%, 35 of 186 tracked outlets (7 left, 15 center, 13 right)Week of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): 11%, 44 of 415 tracked outlets (15 left, 18 center, 11 right)Week of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRight

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings.We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 5 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (6 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Jun 22, 202615181144 of 41511%
Jun 1, 20267151335 of 18619%
Oct 13, 202516281458 of 18232%
Sep 22, 202523712 of 1896%
Sep 1, 20252349 of 1775%
Aug 18, 202514241654 of 19128%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Jun 26, 2026 · first reported · Headline from East Idaho News

    Former Trump adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling sensitive documents

Background

The FBI's court-authorized searches in August 2025 were part of a renewed investigation into whether Bolton had disclosed classified information,[3] and investigators examined the unauthorized removal and retention of classified records.[7] Agents seized documents labeled secret, confidential and classified, including some about weapons of mass destruction.[8] In October a federal in Maryland charged Bolton, 76, with 18 counts,[2][1] and he pleaded not guilty.[4]

In June 2026 Bolton reached a plea deal,[5] and on June 26 he pleaded guilty to one count.[6][9] The case was seen as a big win for Trump, who had gone after Bolton.[9]

Supporting stories (9)
  1. Ex-Trump national security adviser Bolton charged in probe of mishandling of classified information
  2. John Bolton Indicted Over Classified Material
  3. FBI searches home of ex-Trump national security adviser John Bolton
  4. John Bolton pleads not guilty to mishandling classified information in US
  5. John Bolton set to plead guilty in classified documents case: report
  6. Ex-national security adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to illegally retaining classified information
  7. FBI seized phones, computer equipment, folders during search of Bolton’s home, records show
  8. FBI Says It Found Classified Documents in John Bolton's O...
  9. Former Trump adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling sensitive documents

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 9 recorded updates

June 2026

  1. Former Trump adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling sensitive documentsHeadline from New Jersey Monitor · 8 outlets
  2. Ex-national security adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to illegally retaining classified informationHeadline from MyNorthwest · 41 outlets
  3. John Bolton set to plead guilty in classified documents case: reportHeadline from New York Post · 38 outlets

October 2025

  1. John Bolton pleads not guilty to mishandling classified information in USHeadline from Al Jazeera · 14 outlets
  2. Ex-Trump national security adviser Bolton charged in probe of mishandling of classified informationHeadline from WTOP Washington DC · 18 outlets
  3. John Bolton Indicted Over Classified MaterialHeadline from The American Conservative · 44 outlets

September 2025

  1. FBI Says It Found Classified Documents in John Bolton's O...Headline from Newsweek · 12 outlets
  2. FBI seized phones, computer equipment, folders during search of Bolton’s home, records showHeadline from WTOP Washington DC · 10 outlets

August 2025

  1. FBI searches home of ex-Trump national security adviser John BoltonHeadline from WMUR · 58 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →