John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, arrived at federal court looking grim before acknowledging that he unlawfully kept sensitive national security material.
On Friday, Bolton entered a guilty plea to one count of retaining classified information, marking a major development in the criminal case and potentially reducing his exposure to a lengthy prison term.
As part of the agreement, Bolton could face as much as 60 months, or five years, in prison. The deal also leaves open the possibility of a fine of up to $2.25 million and 100 hours of community service.
Prosecutors said Bolton “abused his position of trust” while serving as White House national security adviser by providing about 1,000 pages of classified material, described as “diaries,” to his wife and daughter.
According to the government, Bolton later kept national defense-related documents at his residence in Montgomery County, Maryland, after his departure from the White House.
When asked whether he agreed with prosecutors’ account, Bolton requested a brief moment to consult with his attorney before answering: “Yes, your honor, the summary is accurate.”
Bolton pleaded guilty to Count 12 of the federal indictment, which charged him with retaining national intelligence information.
The plea agreement represents a substantial reduction from the maximum punishment Bolton might have faced had the case proceeded to trial. He was indicted last fall on 18 counts and, if convicted on all charges, could have faced decades in prison.
He is accused of sending more than 1,000 ‘diary-like’ entries to his wife and daughter during a period between 2018 and 2019, including classified information and information from intelligence briefings and meetings with foreign officials.
Bolton is accused of sending more than 1,000 ‘diary-like’ entries to his wife and daughter during a period between 2018 and 2019. He appeared in court in Maryland on Friday alongside his attorneys
Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to a single charge of retaining classified information
The re-arraignment comes after Bolton entered a ‘not guilty’ plea on all charges last fall, saying in a statement at the time that he was the ‘latest target’ of political weaponization at the Justice Department.
Since taking office for a second term, Trump’s administration has opened federal criminal investigations into some of his most outspoken political foes, including former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and former Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
But the investigation into Bolton’s actions differed significantly from other cases the administration has brought against the President’s perceived political foes.
The investigation into Bolton’s handling of classified materials moved forward in part during the Biden administration, and career prosecutors in the US attorney’s office signed off on the charges – a contrast to the cases against Comey and James, which were brought by Trump’s former attorney, Lindsey Halligan.
As part of the plea, Bolton agreed to participate in a debrief with the national security community and the Justice Department, which he confirmed Friday.
Speaking to reporters after the arraignment, US Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly Hayes, stressed the seriousness of the case. The information Bolton pleaded guilty to storing, she said, was at the ‘highest classification levels.’
‘As Mr. Bolton admitted, he shared more than 1,000 pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor, including information related to the national defense, with two individuals who neither had the security clearances nor the need to know that information,’ Hayes said.
‘The document in Count 12, for example, revealed intelligence about an adversary’s plans for an attack conducted against US forces in another country,’ she added.
‘It contained human intelligence using sensitive sources and methods, and it discussed a covert action program.’
US Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly Hayes stressed the seriousness of the case
The plea deal is a significant reduction from the maximum penalty he could have faced if his case went to trial
The Friday morning FBI raid on the home of ex-National Security Advisor John Bolton was linked to allegations he used a private email server to send sensitive, classified documents
Bolton, who has since turned against Donald Trump after being fired from the White House in his first term, was home at the time of the 7:00 a.m. raid on his D.C.-area house in August, according to a source familiar
Hayes’s remarks shed fresh light on the nature of the classified documents in question – and the very real harm they could have caused if they fell into the wrong hands.
Prosecutors noted earlier in court that one of Bolton’s personal devices was the victim of a hack by an Iranian-linked group at some point between 2019 and 2021, prompting him to notify government authorities about the breach.
At the time, they said, Bolton failed to notify federal investigators about the classified material he knowingly stored on the device in question.
Bolton appeared in court last year for his original arraignment and was ordered released by a magistrate judge on the condition that he remain in the continental United States and surrender his passport.
Trump has slammed his former aide as a ‘lowlife’ and ‘not a smart guy.’
‘He doesn’t talk, he’s like a very quiet person except on television and then he can say something bad about Trump. He’ll always do that. But he doesn’t talk, he’s very quiet,’ Trump told reporters.
