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Former National Security Adviser John Bolton, a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, has reached a plea deal in the criminal case over his handling of classified information, a person familiar with the deal told USA TODAY.Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to one count of retaining national security information, the person said. If a judge accepts the deal, Bolton will pay a $2.25 million fine and may serve anywhere from no time behind bars to five years in prison.The Justice Department declined to comment and referred USA TODAY to the docket for Bolton's criminal case, which states that he will have a "rearraignment" on June 26, but doesn't provide details on a plea agreement. Bolton was initially arraigned – a legal process in which a judge formally informs defendants of the charges they face – in October.Lawyers for Bolton didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.CNN was first to report news of the plea deal.What was Bolton accused of?In the initial indictment against him, Bolton was accused of improperly keeping documents, writings, and notes related to national defense, including some information that was classified as top secret. Information he allegedly kept included intelligence about future attacks by foreign adversaries and about covert actions that the U.S. government was either planning or had already conducted.Bolton was initially also accused of illegally transmitting national defense information.Specifically, the indictment alleged Bolton sent two people he referred to as his "editors" – per media reports, they were his wife and daughter – classified information in "diary-like entries" on a nongovernmental messaging app. Some of the entries appear to have been used for his subsequent book, "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir."Bolton will not be pleading guilty to transmitting national defense information, the person familiar with the plea deal said.(This story has been updated with additional information.)
