John Bolton Pleads Guilty to Mishandling Classified Information

Former Trump Adviser Bolton Accepts Guilty Plea

President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to one count of illegal retention of national security information. Bolton entered his plea to the single felony count in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, before U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang. When asked if he was guilty, Bolton responded to Chuang: "I am, your honor, I'm sorry for it."

What Bolton Did

While he served as Trump's national security adviser between April 2018 and September 2019, Bolton included "highly sensitive classified information" in documents that he described as diary entries. The documents contained information classified up to the Top Secret level. Prosecutors said Bolton sent the documents to two family members via private email accounts and a messaging platform. Bolton used personal accounts to send classified information to family members who were unauthorized to access such information, including a personal email account that was later hacked by a cyber actor allegedly linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Terms of the Deal

Bolton pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized retention of national defense information out of the 18 with which he was initially charged. According to terms of the plea agreement outlined by prosecutors in court, the government will not seek a sentence of more than 60 months and Bolton has agreed to forfeit approximately $2.2 million to resolve the case. Bolton has also agreed to serve 100 hours of community service and is forfeiting any retirement pay tied to his time in federal service. Judge Chuang set Bolton's sentencing hearing for Oct. 28.

Political Implications

The guilty plea makes Bolton thus far the only successfully prosecuted case in Trump's campaign of retribution against those he perceives to be his political enemies. Bolton had previously said he believed this case was motivated by Trump's desire for revenge for his past criticism of the president. It's an accusation the administration has also faced for its attempts to prosecute other Trump critics.