Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling classified US files
John Bolton, US President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser who has since become one of Trump’s harshest critics, pleaded guilty in federal court to mishandling classified information and faces up to five years in prison.
“I’m sorry about that,” Bolton told US District Judge Theodore D Chuang during the hearing.
Reuters had previously reported that Bolton would plead guilty under a deal with prosecutors that included a sentencing range from no jail time to up to five years behind bars, with the final sentence determined by a judge.
As part of the agreement, Bolton agreed to pay a fine of US$2.25 million ($3.26 million).
Bolton, 77, must pay half of that payment within five days of sentencing and the full payment within 90 days of sentencing.
He also pledged to provide up to 100 hours of community service and meet with intelligence and Justice Department officials for information.
Bolton will also lose his state pension.
Chuang’s sentencing is scheduled for October.
Bolton is accused of sharing sensitive information, including intelligence briefings and notes from meetings with senior government officials and foreign leaders, with two relatives for possible use in a memoir he wrote.
He pleaded not guilty to 18 charges brought against him last year.
The book details Bolton’s tenure as national security adviser during Trump’s first term.
In the book, Bolton sparked a public row by saying the president was unfit for office.
But prosecutors said Friday that no classified information was published in Bolton’s book, The Room Where It Happened.
Authorities said Bolton’s personal email was hacked by someone believed to have ties to Iran, and prosecutors reiterated that on Friday.
The investigation into Bolton began before Trump returns to office in 2025 and has the support of career federal prosecutors under President Joe Biden.
