John Bolton, a former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Maryland today to a single criminal count of retaining national defense information.
In U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Judge Theodore Chuang asked Bolton whether he intended to plead guilty. Bolton replied, "I am, your honor, and I'm sorry for that," according to MS Now. Portions of the proceedings were closed to the public at the court because of concerns tied to national security.
The plea exposes Bolton to a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a potential fine of up to $2.25 million under the statute governing the offense. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 28.
The current plea resolves a broader federal indictment returned last October. That grand jury charge sheet included eight counts alleging transmission of national defense information and 10 counts alleging retention of national defense information. Prosecutors have indicated the additional counts listed in that indictment will be dismissed when Bolton is sentenced on the count to which he has pleaded guilty.
As part of the Department of Justice's criminal investigation, FBI agents executed searches on Aug. 22 at Bolton's residence in Bethesda, Maryland, and at his office in Washington, D.C. Those searches were described in court filings tied to the investigation.
Bolton served as national security adviser from April 2018 through September 2019. In public life following his government service, he has at times been an outspoken critic of President Trump.
Legal posture and next steps
The court has set a date for sentencing, at which prosecutors plan to dismiss the remaining charges in the indictment. Because portions of the hearing were closed for national security reasons, some details of the proceedings were not available to the public.
This matter remains subject to the court's calendar and filings, and Bolton will appear before the court on Oct. 28 for the imposition of sentence on the admitted count.