Ex-Trump adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling national security information

Former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to mishandling sensitive national security information related to his work during the first Trump administration

Former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to mishandling sensitive national security information related to his work during the first Trump administration.

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Bolton, who served as White House national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term and has since been a frequent critic of the president, appeared Friday morning for a re-arraignment in Greenbelt, Maryland, before Judge Theodore D. Chuang, an appointee of then-President Barack Obama.

Bolton pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized retention of national defense information out of the 18 he was initially charged with. He faces a prison sentence of up to 60 months and has agreed to pay $2.25 million, prosecutors said. He is set to be sentenced Oct. 28.