John R. Bolton, a former top advice-giver to President Trump who became one of his most blunt faultfinders, pleaded guilty on Friday to ill-treating classified information in a case that could land him in prison for up to five years.
By Catholics for Catholics
John R. Bolton, a former top advice-giver to President Trump who became one of his most blunt faultfinders, pleaded guilty on Friday to ill-treating classified information in a case that could land him in prison for up to five years.
Appearing in Federal District Court in Greenbelt, Md., Bolton conceded to a single charge of illegal retention of classified information over notes he compiled for a book that berated Trump, according to a story by The New York Post.
“I’m sorry for it,” he told Judge Theodore Chuang, who set a sentencing date for Oct. 28.
Bolton, 77, considered an Iran hawk and former US ambassador to the United Nations, copped to the charge during a nearly hour-long hearing in federal court just outside Washington. A court clerk later read the count out loud and asked Bolton, who was decked in a dark suit and striped tie, to formally enter his plea — which he did by saying “guilty” in a firm tone.
The charge against Bolton comes with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, but Kelly Hayes, the US Attorney explained to reporters after the hearing that the Justice Department was asking for a five-year sentence and three years of supervised release as part of a plea agreement that will also force Bolton to pay a $2.25 million fine.
🚨Former U.S. National Security Advisor John R. Bolton, II PLEADS GUILTY to Violating the Espionage Act: Sent Top Secret Information on Personal Account Allegedly Hacked by Iranians
— National Security Division, U.S. Dept of Justice (@DOJNatSec) June 26, 2026
“John Bolton held a position of extraordinary public trust as the country’s top National Security… pic.twitter.com/lpECKoouQ2
“As Mr. Bolton just admitted, he put our national security at grave risk in violation of the law,” Hayes said of the 77-year-old former White House official. “No one is above the law.”
“The national defense information at issue in this case was classified at the highest classification levels,” Hayes added, claiming that it “revealed intelligence about an adversary’s plans for an attack conducted against US forces in another country; it contained human intelligence using sensitive sources; and it discussed a covert action program.”
Save and Share This Catholic Patriotic Minute!
