John Bolton faces up to 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to mishandling classified information

John Bolton faces up to 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to mishandling classified information

GREENBELT, Md. - President Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to a single count of hoarding national defense information while working in the White House, leaving the 77-year-old facing up to five years in federal prison.

Responding to the judge's inquiry about whether he was guilty, Bolton said: "I am, Your Honor, and sorry for it."

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, but US Attorney Kelly Hayes clarified to reporters following the hearing that the Justice Department was asking for a five-year sentence and three years of supervised release as part of a plea agreement that will also force Bolton to pay a $2.25 million fine.

"As Mr. Bolton just admitted, he put our national security at grave risk in violation of the law," Hayes said. "No one is above the law."

The ex-Trump official's plea makes his case the first in a series brought by the 47th president's Department of Justice against political adversaries - including former FBI Director James Comey and New York State Attorney General Letitia James - that has resulted in a conviction. Bolton has been a frequent critic of Trump since his departure from the 45th president's administration in September 2019.

Friday's guilty plea by Bolton wraps up a long-running investigation that began near the end of Trump's first term and that FBI sources previously told The Post was mysteriously "shelved" during the administration of President Joe Biden.

Bolton's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement: "Today, Ambassador Bolton did what real leaders do. He took responsibility for a mistake he made." He added: "Ambassador Bolton, whose offense was only keeping a diary which contained classified information, kept a record to preserve history, but Donald Trump kept secrets to serve himself."