John Bolton takes aim at Trump in statement as details of his plea deal are released
Bolton was originally charged with 18 counts after being accused of sharing sensitive information with two relatives for possible use in a memoir he was writing, including notes on intelligence briefings and meetings with senior government officials and foreign leaders (Reuters)
Former Trump adviser John Bolton has blasted the president in a statement after his guilty plea in a classified information case.
“Today, Ambassador Bolton did what real leaders do. He took responsibility for a mistake he made, thereby saving the government resources to pursue a case that could expose additional sensitive information,” Abbe Lowell, Bolton’s attorney, said after the court hearing.
“By contrast, President Trump thumbed his nose at the classified information laws, took actual classified documents to his Florida mansion, interfered with the investigation of that conduct, and has never accepted any accountability for his conduct,” the statement continued. “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.”
Bolton, 77, pleaded guilty Friday to a single count of unlawfully retaining classified information in a plea deal that could see him avoid jail time. Prosecutors have proposed a sentencing range from no prison time to five years behind bars, with the final sentence to be determined by a judge.
Bolton agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine as part of the deal and he must make half that payment within five days of sentencing, and the full payment within 90 days of sentencing. He also agreed to up to 100 hours of community service and to meet with intelligence and Justice Department officials for a debriefing. Bolton will also forfeit his government pension.
