President Donald Trump‘s former national security adviser John Bolton walked into federal court with a very stern expression before admitting to stealing national security secrets.
He pleaded guilty on Friday to a single charge of retaining classified information – a significant update in his criminal case, and one that may help him avoid a lengthy jail sentence.
Under the terms of the deal, Bolton could serve up to 60 months, or 5 years, in prison in exchange for his guilty plea. He will also be required to pay a fine of $2.25 million and serve 100 hours of community service.
Prosecutors said Friday that Bolton ‘abused his position of trust’ as former White House national security adviser by sharing roughly 1,000 pages of classified information in the form of ‘diaries’ with his wife and daughter.
Bolton then retained the documents related to national defense at his home in Montgomery County, Maryland, after leaving the White House.
Asked if agreed with that version of events, Bolton asked to have a moment with his counsel before responding: ‘Yes, your honor, the summary is accurate.’
Bolton pleaded guilty to Count 12 of his federal criminal indictment, which accused him of retaining national intelligence information.
The plea deal is a significant reduction from the maximum penalty he could have faced if his case went to trial. Bolton was indicted last fall on 18 counts and, if convicted, could have faced decades behind bars.
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.
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 U.S. 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.
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.