(AFP) – John Bolton, who served as Donald Trump’s national security advisor before becoming an outspoken critic of the US president, plans to plead guilty to one count of retaining classified documents, US media reported on Thursday. The 77-year-old veteran diplomat is expected to enter the guilty plea at a hearing in federal district court in Maryland on June 26, CNN and other outlets said.
Bolton, one of several Trump foes to be hit with criminal charges since the Republican president returned to the White House, was indicted in October on 18 counts of transmitting and retaining top secret national defense information. CNN said Bolton will plead guilty to one felony count of illegal retention of sensitive national security information, which carries a sentence of up to 60 months in prison. He will also pay a fine of more than $2 million. The plea agreement will need to be approved by a judge.
Bolton was accused of sharing classified files by email with two “unauthorized individuals” who have not been identified but are believed to be his wife and daughter. The material was allegedly later used in a book that Bolton wrote, “The Room Where It Happened,” that was highly critical of the Trump administration. Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security advisor during his first term, frequently appears on television news shows and in print to condemn the man he has called “unfit to be president.”
Trump has repeatedly lashed out at his former aide and withdrew his security detail shortly after returning to the White House in January of last year. The Trump Justice Department has sought to bring cases against other prominent critics of the president, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI director James Comey. Comey was indicted in April for allegedly threatening Trump’s life, five months after a previous case against the ex-FBI chief was thrown out.
The indictment by a grand jury in North Carolina stems from an Instagram post Comey made that showed the numbers “86 47” spelled out in seashells on a beach. Trump has alleged that “86” was slang for kill and “47” was a reference to his being the 47th president. Unlike the James and Comey cases, however, the investigation into Bolton’s alleged mishandling of classified material began during the administration of former president Joe Biden.
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