Ex-Trump adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling classified documents
✓John Bolton, a former national security adviser to Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified security information as part of notes he compiled for a book.
Bolton, now a prominent critic of the US president, was indicted on 18 counts related to improper handling of classified material, and initially pleaded not guilty.
On Friday, he admitted to a single charge of illegal retention of classified information. The documents he retained included diary entries containing national defence information, some of it classified at the top secret level.
Bolton faces a prison sentence of up to five years and has agreed to pay $2.25m (£1.7m) in fine, prosecutors said.
Bolton will also debrief national security officials on the classified information he illegally retained as well as perform 100 hours of community service, the BBC's US partner CBS News reported.
After the judge read the allegations against Bolton in court on Friday, including about sending diary entries with sensitive information to his family members, Bolton said the accusations were accurate.
"I did your honor," Bolton said about whether he committed the actions at hand today. He added he was "sorry for it."
He is set to be sentenced on 28 October, US media report.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, US Attorney Kelly Hayes said Bolton knew how to handle classified information and with whom he could share it.
"He also knew the damage to national security that could be caused by mishandling that sensitive information," she said. "Nevertheless, as Mr Bolton just admitted, he put our national security at grave risk in violation of the law."
In a statement, Bolton's lawyer Abbe Lowell said his client did "what real leaders do".
"He took responsibility for a mistake he made, thereby saving the government resources to pursue a case that could expose additional sensitive information," Lowell said. "By contrast, President Trump thumbed his nose at the classified information laws, took actual classified documents to his Florida mansion, interfered with the investigation of that conduct, and has never accepted any accountability for his conduct."
Trump was charged in 2023 with illegally retaining classified defence information, but the case was later dismissed after he was re-elected.
Bolton was fired from Trump's first administration in 2019. His 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, recounted his time working under Trump, portraying him as a president who was ill-informed about geopolitics.
The White House filed a lawsuit to block publication of the book, arguing that it contained classified information and had not been properly vetted. A judge denied the request and the book was released days later.
The US Department of Justice then opened an investigation into whether Bolton had mishandled classified information by disclosing parts of it in the book.
He was also accused of transmitting some of the classified materials from his time as national security adviser to two relatives.
Bolton has continued to be critical of the president in the time since. Trump, in return, has suggested that Bolton should go to jail and called him a "sleazebag".
The indictment said that at one point a hacker gained access to Bolton's account, where documents were stored and sent an apparent threat to cause "the biggest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".
Bolton's indictment came on the heels of other high-profile criminal cases brought against Trump critics, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
But former federal prosecutors and other legal experts told the BBC that Bolton's case stood apart from prosecution of other Trump critics due to the evidence gathered by prosecutors.
"The ambassador has admitted to what he has done," one of the people familiar with Bolton's plea deal told the BBC.
Bolton also understood that if he continued to fight the case, "other classified information might have been released in his defence" and he did not want to "damage" the United States, the person said.
The decision to charge such a high-ranking official for mishandling classified documents is "rare" but not unprecedented, said Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
"Cases that involve classified information present challenges to prosecute, but they can and are brought against both low-level and high-level officials, from time to time," she said.
Before joining the Trump administration, Bolton served as George W Bush's UN ambassador. He was also among the former officials critical of Trump who had their Secret Service protection stripped in January.
Kayla Epstein and Ana Faguy contributed to this report
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
John Bolton, who served as national security adviser in Trump's first administration, pleaded guilty on Friday to illegally retaining classified information. The classified material—including diary entries marked at top-secret level—was compiled while Bolton wrote his 2020 memoir. Bolton admitted to sharing some of this material with family members. As part of his plea agreement, he will pay $2.25 million in fines, perform 100 hours of community service, and debrief national security officials on the retained information. He faces sentencing on 28 October with a potential prison sentence of up to five years. US prosecutors noted Bolton knew proper handling procedures and the security risks involved. Bolton's lawyer stated his client's guilty plea was responsible action that protected the government from further exposure of classified material. The case emerged after the Justice Department investigated whether Bolton's memoir contained improperly disclosed classified information—a concern the White House had raised before the book's publication in 2020.
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
John Bolton, a former national security adviser to Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified security information as part of notes he compiled for a book.
Bolton, now a prominent critic of the US president, was indicted on 18 counts related to improper handling of classified material, and initially pleaded not guilty.
On Friday, he admitted to a single charge of illegal retention of classified information. The documents he retained included diary entries containing national defence information, some of it classified at the top secret level.
Bolton faces a prison sentence of up to five years and has agreed to pay $2.25m (£1.7m) in fine, prosecutors said.
Bolton will also debrief national security officials on the classified information he illegally retained as well as perform 100 hours of community service, the BBC's US partner CBS News reported.
After the judge read the allegations against Bolton in court on Friday, including about sending diary entries with sensitive information to his family members, Bolton said the accusations were accurate.
"I did your honor," Bolton said about whether he committed the actions at hand today. He added he was "sorry for it."
He is set to be sentenced on 28 October, US media report.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, US Attorney Kelly Hayes said Bolton knew how to handle classified information and with whom he could share it.
"He also knew the damage to national security that could be caused by mishandling that sensitive information," she said. "Nevertheless, as Mr Bolton just admitted, he put our national security at grave risk in violation of the law."
In a statement, Bolton's lawyer Abbe Lowell said his client did "what real leaders do".
"He took responsibility for a mistake he made, thereby saving the government resources to pursue a case that could expose additional sensitive information," Lowell said. "By contrast, President Trump thumbed his nose at the classified information laws, took actual classified documents to his Florida mansion, interfered with the investigation of that conduct, and has never accepted any accountability for his conduct."
Trump was charged in 2023 with illegally retaining classified defence information, but the case was later dismissed after he was re-elected.
Bolton was fired from Trump's first administration in 2019. His 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, recounted his time working under Trump, portraying him as a president who was ill-informed about geopolitics.
The White House filed a lawsuit to block publication of the book, arguing that it contained classified information and had not been properly vetted. A judge denied the request and the book was released days later.
The US Department of Justice then opened an investigation into whether Bolton had mishandled classified information by disclosing parts of it in the book.
He was also accused of transmitting some of the classified materials from his time as national security adviser to two relatives.
Bolton has continued to be critical of the president in the time since. Trump, in return, has suggested that Bolton should go to jail and called him a "sleazebag".
The indictment said that at one point a hacker gained access to Bolton's account, where documents were stored and sent an apparent threat to cause "the biggest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".
Bolton's indictment came on the heels of other high-profile criminal cases brought against Trump critics, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
But former federal prosecutors and other legal experts told the BBC that Bolton's case stood apart from prosecution of other Trump critics due to the evidence gathered by prosecutors.
"The ambassador has admitted to what he has done," one of the people familiar with Bolton's plea deal told the BBC.
Bolton also understood that if he continued to fight the case, "other classified information might have been released in his defence" and he did not want to "damage" the United States, the person said.
The decision to charge such a high-ranking official for mishandling classified documents is "rare" but not unprecedented, said Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
"Cases that involve classified information present challenges to prosecute, but they can and are brought against both low-level and high-level officials, from time to time," she said.
Before joining the Trump administration, Bolton served as George W Bush's UN ambassador. He was also among the former officials critical of Trump who had their Secret Service protection stripped in January.
Kayla Epstein and Ana Faguy contributed to this report
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
John Bolton pleaded guilty to one count of illegal retention of classified information The classified material included diary entries containing top-secret national defence information Bolton transmitted some classified material to family members He faces up to five years in prison, a $2.25 million fine, and 100 hours of community service Sentencing is scheduled for 28 October Bolton will debrief national security officials on the classified information he retained US Attorney Kelly Hayes stated Bolton knew the proper handling procedures and understood the national security risks Bolton's lawyer characterised the guilty plea as what 'real leaders do' Bolton's lawyer contrasted Bolton's accountability with Trump's handling of classified documents, suggesting Trump showed lack of accountability Trump was charged in 2023 with illegally retaining classified defence information, but the case was dismissed after his re-election Legal experts told the BBC that Bolton's case stands apart from prosecutions of other Trump critics due to the strength of evidence Bolton was fired from Trump's administration in 2019 and has since been critical of Trump
Read the full story at BBC ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
- John Bolton, former Trump national security adviser, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal retention of classified information used in his 2020 memoir
- Bolton admitted to retaining diary entries with top-secret national defence information and transmitting classified material to family members
- He faces up to five years in prison, $2.25m fine, 100 hours community service, and will debrief national security officials; sentencing set for 28 October
- Bolton's case involved classified material mishandled during his book publication process; Trump faced similar charges but his case was dismissed after his re-election
- Legal experts noted Bolton's prosecution stands apart from other Trump critic cases due to the strength of prosecutorial evidence