Former U.S. national security advisor John Bolton pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information on Friday, bringing to a close a years-long investigation of one of the leading foreign policy hands of the Trump and Bush administrations.
Bolton appeared in federal court in Maryland to enter his guilty plea, telling the judge he was “sorry” for what he had done.
Prosecutors alleged that during his time as national security advisor during the first Trump administration, Bolton wrote “highly sensitive classified information” in his personal diary, including the military plans of foreign adversaries and details of covert U.S. actions in foreign countries, and that he retained that information at his home and shared it with family members.
“John Bolton held a position of extraordinary public trust as the country’s top national security advisor, and he betrayed that trust, jeopardizing our nation’s security,” stated Hayden O’Byrne, acting deputy assistant attorney general of the national security division at the Department of Justice.
Bolton, who also served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush, became a vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump after leaving office, including for the federal indictment over Trump’s own alleged mishandling of classified information.
After Bolton’s arrest, he accused Trump of pursuing a retaliatory political prosecution against him, though the initial investigation began during the Biden administration.
The former national security advisor has also long been a target of Iran, including in an alleged assassination plot, over his advocacy for overthrowing the regime.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Iran successfully hacked Bolton’s personal email account, and that although he reported the hack to authorities, he did not inform them that he had used his private email to send classified information.
Bolton’s guilty plea on one felony charge of willfully retaining classified information resolves all 18 counts against him, and he is due to be sentenced in October. He faces up to 60 months in prison and has agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine.
