Former National Security Adviser John R. Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to keeping classified information stemming from his work during the first Trump administration.
Mr. Bolton’s plea would end a criminal case opened in October that accused him of sharing classified information with family members in the form of diary entries that helped him write a 2020 memoir about his career in government.
Mr. Bolton, 77, is facing 10 counts of retention of national defense information and eight counts of transmission of the national defense information prior to the plea being made public.
The deal would allow Mr. Bolton to avoid federal prison, but he would still be on the hook for a $2 million fine, according to several reports. A judge will ultimately decide whether Mr. Bolton will spend time behind bars.
Mr. Bolton worked as the White House national security adviser from 2018-19 before his relationship with President Trump soured.
Mr. Bolton’s hawkish stance on Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan put him at odds with Mr. Trump, who was open to giving less aggressive forms of diplomacy a chance during his first term.
Mr. Trump blasted his former advisor’s memoir because he said it contained classified information — something federal prosecutors largely agreed had merit.
The FBI opened a case in 2021 under President Biden after Mr. Bolton’s email was breached in a cyberattack, and officials soon discovered his personal notes that were allegedly shared with his wife and daughter.
