New York Post

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.

Bolton, an Iran hawk and former US ambassador to the United Nations, copped to the charge during a nearly hour-long hearing in federal court just outside Washington, responding to US District Judge Theodore Chuang’s inquiry about whether he was guilty: “I am, Your Honor, and sorry for it.”

A court clerk later read the count aloud and asked Bolton, clad in a dark suit and striped tie, to formally enter his plea — which he did by saying “Guilty” in a resolute tone.

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 of the 77-year-old former White House official. “No one is above the law.”

“The national defense information at issue in this case was classified at the highest classification levels,” Hayes added, claiming that it “revealed intelligence about an adversary’s plans for an attack conducted against US forces in another country; it contained human intelligence using sensitive sources; and it discussed a covert action program.”

Sentencing was set for Oct. 28, with Chuang noting that Bolton would not be eligible for parole before releasing him.