John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, will plead guilty to mishandling classified information after reaching a tentative deal with federal prosecutors, according to two people familiar with the matter. The charges stem from allegations that he wrongly handled information while writing a book about his time in the Trump administration, in which he criticized the president.
The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet finalized in court filings, said the plea deal would reduce the number of counts he faces from 18 to a single count of retaining sensitive information – and not documents. Bolton has agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine, the person said. A judge could still sentence Bolton to prison, should the deal hold, though other similar cases did not include jail time.
A rearraignment, which typically signals a plea deal, is scheduled for June 26.
Representatives for the Justice Department declined to comment.
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Federal prosecutors in Maryland first charged Bolton for allegedly keeping diary entries from the first Trump administration in his home.
One of the people familiar with the matter told NOTUS that Bolton kept a private diary that was not provided to anyone else, and when a draft of his book was “properly reviewed,” revisions were made to safeguard sensitive information.
NBC News reported that Bolton described the national security information in question as an electronic diary entry that he shared with two family members.
Bolton was charged in October with eight counts of transmission of national defense information and 10 counts of retention of national defense information, all in violation of the Espionage Act. He pleaded not guilty in February.
Once a Trump ally, Bolton became a Trump adversary after he was fired in 2019. Bolton’s memoir portrayed Trump as a misinformed person with poor leadership and decision-making skills.
The case against Bolton was filed weeks after prosecutors secured indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both Trump foes.
Even after the plea deal in Bolton’s case was confirmed, one of the people familiar with the matter maintained that the case itself is retribution, a part of the president’s efforts to target those who he believes harmed him.
The DOJ opened criminal and civil investigations into Bolton’s book during Trump’s first term, but the investigation was closed less than a year later.
This story was updated to include the DOJ’s response.
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