Ex-national security adviser John Bolton will plead guilty in classified information case: AP source

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information under a deal with the Justice Department that could allow him to avoid prison time, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The deal would resolve a criminal case filed in October that charged Bolton with 18 counts of either retaining or disseminating classified information, including diary-like notes from his time in government that officials say he shared with his family members as he was preparing a memoir about his time in office.

Under the agreement, Bolton would also face a $2.25 million fine, said the person, who insisted on anonymity to discuss a deal that had not been made public. Any prison sentence would be capped at five years, but the agreement allows for him to avoid time behind bars, though the punishment will ultimately be up to a judge.

The case against Bolton, filed weeks after prosecutors secured indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, unfolded against the backdrop of concerns that the Justice Department was using its law enforcement powers to pursue perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump. The investigation burst into public view last August when FBI agents served search warrants at his Maryland hone and Washington office, but it had been well underway by the time Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/ex-national-security-adviser-john-144633682.html

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Meanwhile Trump had boxes full of document in the shitter at Mierde A Lardo.

[eppur_se_muova]

1. So if Bolton could get up to five years, how many can Trmp get ?

Enough to keep him behind bars until his 250th ?

[BaronChocula]

2. Ha ha ha!

Arrogant rat. True tragedy that makes me laugh.

[Jacson6]

3. WOT?!!

[hamsterjill]

4. This pisses me off.

n/t

[eggplant]

5. Remember when Bolton was the loon?

Such a quaint time. I miss those days.

[Polybius]

7. He still is

He never met a war that he didn't like, unless he was expected to fight in it.

[eggplant]

8. He was a total war monger, true, but at least he wasn't an idiot.

These assholes can't even monger properly.

[Polybius]

9. True, he's smarter than Trump

And Bush for that matter.

[comradebillyboy]

6. A rare instance where Trump's DOJ actually has

solid legal case.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

10. MaddowBlog-Trump doesn't do himself any favors with new comments on John Bolton's criminal case

The president, unprompted, boasted that he “helped” with the case against his former national security adviser “from the standpoint of encouragement.”

I think both points can be true:
- John Bolton broke the law and mishandled classified docs
- Trump’s weaponized DOJ went after Bolton in the first place because the president told it to

Trump effectively admitted the latter point today, saying he “helped” with the case.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-06-05T19:41:08.737Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-doesnt-do-himself-any-favors-with-new-comments-on-john-boltons-criminal-case

This week, Bolton shifted gears: As part of plea agreement with prosecutors, he’s prepared to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information contained in a private diary entry.

The president, who made no effort to hide his contempt for Bolton, initially had nothing to say publicly about Thursday’s developments, until a reporter broached the subject Friday afternoon during a brief Q&A on Air Force One.

Trump: “I was never much of a fan of John Bolton… He wanted to go to war with anybody that opened their mouths, anybody that talked… but he always wanted to kill people in war and that was okay for me as long as I didn't listen to it, which I never did.”

— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) 2026-06-05T18:15:38.766Z

...There’s a lot to digest in his minute-long answer, but three elements I think are especially important.

First, nine different people (and counting) have served as Trump’s White House national security adviser — more than any other president since the office was created in 1955 — but Bolton had the longest tenure, lasting roughly a year and a half. If Trump “never” liked, trusted, respected or listened to his longest-serving national security adviser, that says at least as much about the president as it does about Bolton.

Second, let’s not brush past the fact that Bolton is poised to plead guilty to, of all things, mishandling classified information. Trump might find that worthy of celebration, but it’s worth emphasizing that the president faced plenty of allegations of mishandling classified information himself, making this a rather awkward line of attack.

Finally, I couldn’t help but notice that the president, unprompted, boasted that he “helped” with the Bolton case “from the standpoint of encouragement.”

In other words, Trump, by his own admission, encouraged his team to go after a critic, who was ultimately charged and who will soon take a plea deal. (“We caught him,” the president said.)....

In October, when Bolton was first charged, The New York Times noted, “While the Bolton indictment contains an expansive evidentiary explanation, it remains unclear if the offenses outlined would have warranted an indictment — much less fast-tracked charges — if Trump had not publicly singled out Bolton for punishment.”

Eight months later, that sentence resonates for a reason

Bolton retained his own diaries. This is a weak case compared to what trump did. I would not be surprised to see the judge comment on this in sentencing.