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.
Bolton, 77, of Bethesda, Maryland, pleaded guilty to a single count of illegally retaining national defense information, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. His plea agreement with the Justice Department may enable him to avoid time behind bars, but the judge ultimately will decide his punishment.
The plea agreement recommends capping any prison sentence at five years, but the judge isn’t bound by that part of the deal. Bolton, who also agreed to pay a fine of $2.25 million, can withdraw his guilty plea if the judge imposes a longer prison sentence or a larger fine.
While Bolton was already on Trump's list of political enemies, I'm not sure his guilty plea is that significant. That's because Bolton has long been viewed as a neoconservative and GOP establishment figure who only turned against Trump because he opposed Trump's "America First" foreign policy, skepticism of NATO, and efforts to pursue diplomacy with North Korea during his first term. That said Bolton has consistently favored military intervention, making him fundamentally at odds with Trump's reluctance to start new wars in term one. Although Bolton became a favorite among some on the Left, the msm and with Never Trump conservatives after breaking with Trump, most continued to view him primarily as a war hawk and now he can add convicted felon to his resume.
RELATED: ‘Get the Noose’: Glenn Greenwald Goes Off On John Bolton’s Past Jab At Edward Snowden
No comments:
Post a Comment