Trump comments on Bolton's guilty plea for retaining classified documents

President Donald Trump expressed his desire for former national security adviser John Bolton to be treated 'harshly' following Bolton's guilty plea for unlawfully retaining classified information. Trump made these remarks on Truth Social, describing Bolton as 'a very dumb, unbalanced, and unskilled former representative of the United States.' Bolton pleaded guilty in a federal court in Maryland to one count of retaining classified information, which was part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors. He had been indicted on 18 counts related to the mishandling of sensitive national security records after leaving the Trump administration. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland stated that Bolton kept over 1,000 pages of classified information in personal diary entries shared with family members via email. A hacker with ties to Iran accessed his personal email account containing this classified information. Bolton faces up to five years in prison and a $2.25 million fine, with sentencing scheduled for October 28.