John Bolton, former national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term, is set to plead guilty to one felony count of illegal retention of sensitive national security information. According to multiple sources, this plea deal includes paying a fine exceeding $2 million and dismisses other charges against him. A hearing is scheduled to formalize the agreement.
Bolton was initially indicted on numerous counts involving the handling and transmission of classified information. Prosecutors accused him of improperly retaining diary entries and transmitting over a thousand pages of sensitive material through his personal email to unauthorized recipients, reportedly his wife and daughter. However, the plea deal focuses solely on the illegal retention charge and excludes allegations related to the transmission or sharing of classified documents.
This resolution follows months of legal proceedings since Bolton’s indictment last October on 18 counts — including eight for transmission and ten for retention of national defense information. The plea deal’s acceptance eliminates the majority of these charges, leaving Bolton vulnerable only to the single felony count and the financial penalty. Reports suggest Bolton’s willingness to pay the fine might aim to avoid prison time. He has previously dismissed the charges as politically motivated, drawing parallels between President Trump’s tactics against him and historical authoritarian misuse of justice departments.