John Bolton pleads guilty to unlawful possession of classified materials, faces up to five years in prison and a $2.25 million fine

John Bolton, the former U.S. national security adviser, has been found guilty of unlawful possession of classified information linked to personal notes he had used in preparing a book. In connection with the case, he faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $2.25 million.

In court, Bolton admitted to a single charge, although he had initially faced 18 charges related to the improper handling of classified materials. Among the documents in question were diary notes containing national defense information, some of which were classified as top secret.

Under the agreement reached with prosecutors, he has accepted responsibility for his actions and will be sentenced on October 28. In addition to the fine, Bolton will also complete 100 hours of community service and report to national security authorities regarding the materials he had kept unlawfully.

During the court hearing, he acknowledged that the charges against him were true and expressed remorse for what he had done. “I did it,” Bolton said in the courtroom.

Prosecutors stressed that Bolton was fully aware of the rules for handling classified information and that his conduct had put national security at risk. According to U.S. Attorney Kelly Hayes, he had improperly shared and stored sensitive data, including sending some notes to his family members.

Abbe Lowell, Bolton’s lawyer, said his client had accepted responsibility for a mistake and that the agreement had avoided a longer trial, which could have brought more sensitive material to light. He also criticized the way similar cases had been handled in the previous U.S. administration.

President Donald Trump also reacted on social media, saying he hoped Bolton “would be treated harshly.” Earlier, he had described the former adviser as “a fraud.”

Since leaving the administration in 2019, Bolton has emerged as a well-known critic of Trump. He later described his experience in the book “The Room Where It Happened,” which became part of the investigation into the use of classified information.