John Bolton, the former US national security adviser who transitioned from serving in Donald Trump’s first administration to becoming one of his most vocal detractors, has reached an agreement to enter a guilty plea on a single charge of keeping national defense information, two individuals acquainted with the situation said on Thursday, according to NBC News.
Under the terms negotiated with federal prosecutors, Bolton is scheduled for a new arraignment on June 26, after which the presiding judge will have a maximum of 90 days to issue a penalty, the individuals stated. The legal outcome for Bolton could span anywhere from probation to a 5-year prison sentence, and he has also committed to paying $2.25 million in financial restitution, according to one of the individuals.
The prosecution's case stems from an electronic diary entry wherein Bolton detailed the sensitive national security data and subsequently sent it to two family members.
“So there’s no allegation that he took home any classified documents or that he leaked any documents or that he shared any documents with foreign adversaries," one of the sources remarked.
The development marks a total reversal from October, when Bolton initially entered a not guilty plea following his arrest. At that time, a Maryland federal grand jury handed down an indictment featuring 10 counts of illegally retaining defense data and eight counts of transmitting it. An associate close to Bolton informed NBC News that the decision to alter his plea was motivated by patriotism.
Last August, FBI agents executed search warrants at Bolton’s Maryland residence and his Washington, D.C. office. According to court records, agents seized multiple documents labeled “secret," “confidential," and “classified," including materials related to weapons of mass destruction.
Bolton served for 17 months as Trump’s National Security Adviser during Trump’s first term in office, before he was fired in September of 2019.
The two have been at odds since then. Bolton has published a 592-page book in which he takes frequent shots at Trump, describing him as “erratic" and “foolish" and claiming he behaved “irrationally" and “bizarrely".
The Justice Department sued to bar the book’s publication, claiming it contains classified information and that Bolton violated a non-disclosure agreement by writing the book. However, a federal US judge later ruled that Bolton can move forward in publishing the book.
Trump, for his part, has frequently denigrated his former adviser, branding him a “war mongering fool" and a “lowlife dummy".