On Friday, President Trump took the opportunity to mock former national security adviser John Bolton after Bolton admitted to mishandling classified defense documents.
Earlier in the day, Bolton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, to one count of unauthorized possession of national defense documents. This plea was part of a deal that entails prosecutors dropping the remaining 17 charges at sentencing.
Following the guilty plea, Trump reacted swiftly. The two have had a contentious relationship since their public fallout in 2019, largely driven by Bolton’s critical memoir and differences in foreign policy.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump referred to Bolton as “a very stupid, unbalanced and immature former representative of the United States.” He further criticized Bolton for being a “horrible person” who sought to create chaos and conflict.
Bolton, who is 77, is set to be sentenced on October 28. Under his plea agreement, he faces a hefty fine of $2.25 million, possible prison time up to five years, three years of supervised release, and around 100 hours of community service. Additionally, he will lose his federal pension.
His defense team hopes he can avoid actual prison time.
Prosecutors allege that after leaving office, Bolton kept classified national defense information, including top-secret documents. They assert that he stored more than 1,000 pages of memos detailing his activities as national security adviser, sharing some contents with family members through his personal email.
The documents reportedly contained sensitive information regarding covert operations, intelligence sources, and foreign military threats.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the investigation confirmed Bolton’s intentional mishandling of classified information. He emphasized that Bolton knowingly used a personal account to transmit confidential material and improperly stored documents at home, violating federal law.
Despite claims that the investigation was retaliatory, Patel maintained it was conducted with diligence by the FBI professionals involved, leading to Bolton’s guilty plea.
Bolton served as Trump’s National Security Adviser from April 2018 to September 2019. There was disagreement over his departure; Trump claimed he fired Bolton, while Bolton insisted he resigned.
The tension between the two worsened after the release of Bolton’s 2020 memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” which was highly critical of Trump’s presidency. The Trump administration attempted, but failed, to suppress its publication, arguing it contained classified information.
Bolton faced no charges related to allegations concerning classified information in his memoir.
His attorney, Abby Rowell, defended the decision to plead guilty, stating it represented accountability. She noted that Bolton accepted responsibility for his actions, which saved governmental resources that could have been used in a more extensive case involving classified material.
Rowell contrasted Bolton’s situation with Trump’s, asserting that while Bolton kept a diary of classified information for historical purposes, Trump allegedly mishandled classified documents for personal gain.
