US former NSA pleads guilty to retaining classified info

Greenbelt: Former Trump administration national secu­rity adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty to illegally retaining classified information under a plea deal that could spare him a jail term.

Bolton, 77, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, to one count of illegally retaining national defence information. He faces a maximum 10-year sentence and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct 28. The plea agreement recommends capping any prison term at five years, though the judge is not bound by it.

Bolton agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine, forfeit his federal retirement pay, perform up to 100 hours of community service and submit to a debriefing with intelligence officials. “I’m sorry for it,” he told the court. Prosecutors said Bolton knowingly mishandled classified material, including diary-style notes shared with rela­ti­v­es. Charged last Oct on 18 cou­nts, he admitted retaining sensitive information that prosecutors said put US nati­o­nal security at grave risk. —AP