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Ex-Trump adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling classified documents
Key takeaways
- Bolton, now a prominent critic of the US president, was indicted on 18 counts related to improper handling of classified material, and initially pleaded not guilty.
- On Friday, he admitted to a single charge of illegal retention of classified information.
- Bolton faces a prison sentence of up to five years and has agreed to pay $2.25m (£1.7m) in fine, prosecutors said.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Published26 June 2026, 15:21 BSTUpdated 28 minutes ago John Bolton, a former national security adviser to Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified security information as part of notes he compiled for a book.
Bolton, now a prominent critic of the US president, was indicted on 18 counts related to improper handling of classified material, and initially pleaded not guilty.
On Friday, he admitted to a single charge of illegal retention of classified information. The documents he retained included diary entries containing national defence information, some of it classified at the top secret level.
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