John Bolton, who previously served as the national security advisor under President Donald Trump, entered a guilty plea in a Maryland federal court on Friday morning for one count of unlawfully retaining national defense information.
Bolton is subject to a maximum sentence of five years in prison along with a potential fine of $2.25 million. His sentencing is scheduled for October 28.
When Judge Theodore Chuang inquired if Bolton wished to plead guilty, Bolton responded, “I am, your honor, and I’m sorry for that,” as per MS Now.
A segment of the hearing held in the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt was sealed due to concerns regarding national security.
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Bolton was indicted 8 charges
Bolton, a long-time critic of Trump, was indicted in October by a grand jury on eight charges related to the transmission of national defense information and ten charges concerning the retention of national defense information.
According to prosecutors, the remaining charges in the indictment will be dismissed at the time of Bolton’s sentencing.
On August 22, FBI agents conducted a raid on Bolton’s residence in Bethesda, Maryland, as well as his office in Washington, D.C., as part of the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation into his activities.
Bolton held the position of national security advisor to Trump from April 2018 until September 2019.
Who is John Bolton? A look at his career
Bolton is among three prominent adversaries of Trump who have faced federal criminal charges since Trump resumed his presidency for a second non-consecutive term in January 2025.
The other two individuals are former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Comey was accused of making a false statement and obstructing justice related to testimony he provided to the Senate nearly five years ago. James was indicted on allegations of bank fraud and providing false information to a financial institution regarding a mortgage she secured to purchase a three-bedroom residence in Virginia.
In November, a judge dismissed both cases against Comey and James, determining that the lead prosecutor in these matters, who was appointed by Trump, had been improperly appointed.
Comey faced another indictment on April 28 in a federal court in North Carolina for allegedly threatening Trump’s life by sharing an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to spell out “8647.”
Both Comey and James have refuted any allegations of misconduct, asserting that they were targeted by the Department of Justice due to their opposition to Trump.
