John Bolton expected to plead guilty in classified documents case, sources confirm

Trump's former advisor turned critic had reached a deal with prosecutors, two people said. John Bolton expected to plead guilty in classified documents case Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Former Trump national security advisor John Bolton appears against a blue background while sitting on a panel. John Bolton expected to plead guilty in classified documents case, sources confirm John Bolton, a onetime national security advisor to Donald Trump who evolved into one of his most prominent critics, has reached a deal to plead guilty in his federal classified documents case, according to two people familiar with the matter. Federal prosecutors indicted Bolton last year on 18 counts related to improper handling of classified material. Bolton initially pleaded not guilty. He will plead guilty to one count of retention of national defence information and will pay a $2.25m fine, both people said, requesting anonymity to discuss the not-yet-public deal. Bolton is expected to enter his plea at a re-arraignment hearing on 26 June. A spokesman for the US attorney's office in Maryland, the division handling the case, noted the hearing date to the BBC but did not comment further. The justice department declined to comment. The agreement would have to be approved by a judge before being finalized. The plea deal also recommends no jail time, according to one person familiar with the agreement, but it would fall to a judge at a separate sentencing hearing to decide a sentence. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 60 months in prison. The justice department charged Bolton last October, accusing him of putting the public at risk by allegedly mishandling classified documents, some designated as top secret or sensitive compartmented information, during and after his stint as Trump's national security advisor between April 2018 and September 2019. Some of those documents related to "diary-like" entries from his time as national security advisor, which contained national defence information classified up to the top secret level, the indictment alleged. Bolton was accused of transmitting some of these materials to two relatives, as he wrote his book about his time as national security advisor. The single charge to which Bolton will plead guilty relates to the diary-like entries, the individuals familiar with his plea deal told the BBC. Bolton's indictment came on the heels of other high profile criminal cases brought against Trump critics, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Bolton has spoken critically of Trump since leaving his first administration, and wrote a book that contained criticism of the president. Trump has suggested that Bolton should go to jail. But former federal prosecutors and other legal experts told the BBC that Bolton's case stood apart from prosecution of other Trump critics due to the evidence gathered by prosecutors. But former federal prosecutors and other legal experts told the BBC that from prosecution of other Trump critics due to the evidence gathered by prosecutors. "The ambassador has admitted to what he has done," one of the people familiar with Bolton's plea deal told the BBC. Bolton also understood that if he continued to fight the case, "other classified information might have been released in his defence" and he did not want to "damage" the United States, the person said. "Unlike others, he's stood up and said he takes responsibility," the person added. Former national security adviser John Bolton arrives at court on Friday. Why John Bolton case is more serious than those against other Trump critics Brandy Melville's move has caused uproar among some young women who frequent its stores, with one calling it a "devastating news". Hundreds of the Hollywood icon's personal possessions have been put up for auction in California. The lower chamber of Congress passed a measure that seeks to halt further military action, in a vote seen as largely symbolic. If confirmed by the Senate, Trump's former personal lawyer would become the administration's number one prosecutor. In the 215-208 vote, four Republicans joined Democrats to pass the measure, which is largely symbolic. The bill to fund immigration agencies has been delayed by opposition to Trump's 'anti-weaponisation fund'. Israel's PM laughed off reports of friction, but he has tested the patience of other US presidents. The $1.8bn fund would have paid people the Trump administration decided were unjustly and politically targeted.