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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Michael Kunzelman

Ex-national security adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to illegally retaining classified information

John Bolton - (Copyright 2026 the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)

Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to illegally retaining classified information, sealing a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid a prison term.

Bolton, who became an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump after serving in the Republican’s first administration, is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 28 by U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Greenbelt, Maryland.

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