Former National Security Adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized possession of a national defense document. This guilty plea was part of a plea agreement that will see prosecutors dismiss the remaining 17 counts at sentencing.
Trump’s Response
President Donald Trump responded to the news, stating that Bolton is a ‘terrible person’ and a ‘lunatic’ who only wanted to start trouble and wars. Trump also expressed hope that Bolton will be dealt with harshly.
Bolton, 77, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 28 and faces a $2.25 million fine, up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, up to 100 hours of community service, and will lose his federal retirement pension.
Investigation Details
According to prosecutors, Bolton unlawfully kept classified national defense information after leaving government service, including documents classified as top secret. Authorities alleged he kept more than 1,000 pages of notes detailing his day-to-day activities as national security adviser and shared portions of that material with two family members using a personal email account.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the investigation demonstrated that Bolton knowingly mishandled classified information. Bolton’s defense attorneys have said that they hope he will avoid jail time.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
