John Bolton, US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser during his first term and later one of his most prominent critics, is expected to plead guilty to mishandling classified documents, according to three CNN sources familiar with the matter.One source said that Bolton intends to plead guilty to a crime related to illegally retaining sensitive national security documents, and agreed to pay a fine of more than $2 million.According to federal sentencing guidelines, conviction on this charge carries a potential prison sentence of zero to 60 months.A hearing has been scheduled for June 26, court records show.The plea agreement represents a significant development in the case that was filed against Bolton earlier this year in Maryland.
Prosecutors accused him of improperly keeping classified materials, including memos documenting his time in Trump’s first administration.Bolton, who served as national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, was originally charged with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of retaining national defense information.Prosecutors alleged that he shared more than 1,000 pages detailing his daily activities at the White House through his personal email account with two unauthorized people, with the recipients reportedly being his wife and daughter.
However, these alleged transmissions are not part of the charge to which Bolton is expected to plead guilty.The case has drawn particular attention because of Bolton’s controversial relationship with Trump. After leaving the administration, Bolton published a memoir in 2020 that was highly critical of the president. Trump has repeatedly claimed that Bolton should face criminal consequences, claiming the book contains classified information.Investigations into the memos began during Trump’s first term, when the Justice Department opened criminal and civil investigations in 2020. Those investigations were closed within a year.The issue resurfaced during the Biden administration after suspected Iranian hackers hacked into Bolton’s email account. During this investigation, FBI agents reportedly discovered diary entries containing top-secret information from his time as National Security Advisor, leading to a renewed investigation and, ultimately, criminal charges.Despite Bolton’s status as a longtime Trump critic, people familiar with the matter previously told CNN that the case continued to receive support from career prosecutors and investigators, setting it apart from some other investigations involving Trump’s political opponents.