Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton is expected to plead guilty Friday to one count of retaining classified information and will agree to pay a $2.25 million fine.
Bolton, now a staunch critic of Mr. Trump, was indicted last year on 18 counts related to his handling of sensitive government information that prosecutors said he shared with two relatives in “diary-like” entries over a seven-year span for possible use in a book he was writing. He had pleaded not guilty in October.
He is expected to submit the plea agreement at a hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland, one source told CBS News earlier this month. The docket in his case describes the proceeding as a “re-arraignment.” The plea deal will require approval from the judge. The sentencing range for the single count is zero to 60 months of incarceration, the source said.
The sources said the plea deal does not allege any wrongdoing by Bolton in connection with the publication of his book, nor is he accused of taking home any classified records or sharing them with the media or foreign adversaries. They said he intends to accept responsibility for what he did.
A federal grand jury indicted Bolton in mid-October on eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of retaining national defense information. Prosecutors claimed that from April 2018 to August 2025, Bolton shared more than 1,000 pages about his daily activities while working in the White House for Mr. Trump with two unidentified relatives, some of which contained classified information. The indictment also alleged that Bolton kept documents, writings and notes related to the national defense, including information that was classified, in his home in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The Justice Department alleged in court papers that Bolton’s “diary-like” pages were typed transcriptions of handwritten notes that were then sent to his two relatives through a commercial, non-governmental messaging app. Prosecutors said Bolton also used personal email accounts, like those from AOL and Google, to email classified information to the family members.
Bolton is expected to appear before U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang.
