John Bolton expected to plead guilty to retaining classified information

Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton is expected to plead guilty Friday to one count of retaining classified information and will agree to pay a $2.25 million fine. Bolton, now a staunch critic of Mr. Trump, was indicted last year on 18 counts related to his handling of sensitive government information that prosecutors said he shared with two relatives in "diary-like" entries over a seven-year span for possible use in a book he was writing. He had pleaded not guilty in October. He is expected to submit the plea agreement at a hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland, one source told CBS News earlier this month . The docket in his case describes the proceeding as a "re-arraignment." The plea deal will require approval from the judge. The sentencing range for the single count is zero to 60 months of incarceration, the source said. The sources said the plea deal does not allege any wrongdoing by Bolton in connection with the publication of his book, nor is he accused of taking home any classified records or sharing them with the media or foreign adversaries. They said he intends to accept responsibility for what he did. A federal grand jury indicted Bolton in mid-October on eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of retaining national defense information. Prosecutors claimed that from April 2018 to August 2025, Bolton shared more than 1,000 pages about his daily activities while working in the White House for Mr. …