John Bolton Expected to Plead Guilty to Mishandling Classified Documents

John Bolton (File photo)

John Bolton, US President Donald Trump's national security adviser, during his 1st 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.

Bolton plans to plead guilty to one felony count of illegally retaining sensitive national security documents and has agreed to pay a fine exceeding $2 million, one of the sources said.

According to federal sentencing guidelines, a conviction on the charge carries a potential prison sentence ranging from zero to 60 months.

Court records show a hearing has been scheduled for June 26.

The plea agreement marks a significant development in a case that was brought against Bolton earlier this year in Maryland.

Prosecutors accused him of improperly retaining classified material, including diary entries documenting his time in the first Trump 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 day-to-day activities in the White House through his personal email account with two unauthorised individuals, which were reported that the recipients were his wife and daughter.

However, those 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 contentious relationship with Trump.

After leaving the administration, Bolton published a 2020 memoir that was sharply critical of the president.

Trump repeatedly argued that Bolton should face criminal consequences, claiming the book contained classified information.

Investigations into the memoir began during Trump's first term, when the Justice Department opened both criminal and civil inquiries in 2020.

Those investigations were closed within a year.

The matter resurfaced during the Biden administration after suspected Iranian hackers breached Bolton's email account.

During that investigation, FBI agents reportedly discovered diary-style entries containing highly classified information from his tenure as national security adviser, leading to a renewed inquiry 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, distinguishing it from some other investigations involving Trump's political adversaries.