John Bolton agrees to plead guilty in classified documents case

Former Trump national security advisor John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information contained in a private diary entry, two people familiar with the matter told MS NOW.

The plea deal calls for up to 60 months in jail and a $2.25 million fine.  It would resolve a massive indictment that threatened Bolton with millions of dollars in legal fees and decades in prison.

Bolton is not admitting to leaking classified information to the media or to a foreign government. The only people who are exposed to the state secrets were his wife and daughter, according to the sources.

News of the guilty plea was first reported by CNN.

The court docket in Bolton’s case contains a notice of a change of plea. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.