John Bolton pleads guilty to 1 count of mishandling classified information

 President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to one count of illegal retention of national security information. 

Bolton entered his plea to the single felony count in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, before U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang.

The guilty plea makes Bolton thus far the only successfully prosecuted case in Trump's campaign of retribution against those he perceives to be his political enemies.

President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to one count of illegal retention of national security information. 

Bolton entered his plea to the single felony count in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, before U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang.

The guilty plea makes Bolton thus far the only successfully prosecuted case in Trump's campaign of retribution against those he perceives to be his political enemies.Bolton had faced 18 counts of unlawful transmission and retention of national defense information for allegedly sharing notes with his wife and daughter -- some of which contained information classified as high as "Top Secret" -- during his time serving in the first Trump administration.

Bolton changed his plea to guilty with respect to count 12 of his indictment. 

Sitting in court Friday alongside his attorney Abbe Lowell, Bolton answered a series of questions from Judge Chuang acknowledging his rights and his voluntary decision to plead guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

When asked if he was pleading guilty because he is, in fact, guilty, Bolton responded to Chuang: "I am, your honor, I'm sorry for it."

Judge Chuang set Bolton’s sentencing hearing for Oct. 28. 

According to terms of the plea agreement outlined by prosecutors in court, the government will not seek a sentence of more than 60 months and Bolton has agreed to forfeit approximately $2.2 million to resolve the case.

Judge Chuang will ultimately have final discretion over how much time Bolton could serve, if any. Bolton also agreed to serve 100 hours of community service and is forfeiting any retirement pay tied to his time in federal service. 

The count he pleaded guilty to involves keeping classified national security information in diaries, according to sources. Bolton was expected to maintain that he did not take documents with classification markings out of government offices. 

"Mr. Bolton knew how to handle classified information, where it should be stored, how it should be stored, and with whom he could share that information," U.S. Attorney Kelly Hayes told reporters outside court following Bolton's guilty plea. "He also knew the damage to national security that could be caused by mishandling that sensitive information. Nevertheless, as Mr. Bolton just admitted, he put our national security at grave risk in violation of the law." Hayes said the specific count Bolton pleaded guilty to involved Bolton's unlawful retention of intelligence about an adversary's plans for an attack conducted against U.S. forces in another country. 

"It contained human intelligence using sensitive sources and methods, and it discussed a covert action program," Hayes said. 

Bolton, who was national security adviser for part of the first Trump administration, was indicted by a grand jury in October 2025 on charges that he allegedly unlawfully transmitted and retained classified documents.

The indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury in Maryland, charged Bolton with eight counts of unlawful transmission of national defense information as well as 10 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information. 

Prosecutors had accused Bolton of using a non-government personal email account and messaging application to transmit to two unauthorized family members at least eight documents that contained information classified at levels ranging from "Secret" to "Top Secret."

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Ex-Trump official John Bolton pleads guilty to 1 of 18 counts in classified docs indictment

 Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to only one count of an 18-count indictment, but he will not be sentenced today.

During a hearing at the federal district court in Greenbelt, Maryland, Bolton pleaded guilty to the twelfth count, alleging he had unauthorized possession of a document related to national defense.

The count typically has a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars, but both sides agreed that five years will be the most prison time that can be imposed.

A prosecutor from the Department of Justice told Judge Theodore Chuang that Bolton also faces a fine of $2.25 million, half of which should be paid within 5 days, a required debrief with a U.S. intelligence committee, three years of supervised release and up to 100 hours of community service. Bolton agreed that he would not get an annuity or retirement from his federal service.

FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JOHN BOLTON TO PLEAD GUILTY TO RETAINING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION: SOURCES

By pleading guilty, he waived his right to appeal the sentence and conviction. However, Bolton will be allowed to withdraw his guilty pleas before sentencing. That window will close once the sentencing phase concludes. 

Chuang has up to 90 days to hand down a sentence, according to NBC News.

Bolton has been given a much shorter time frame, 100 hours, to remediate the improper disclosure of classified information.

The judge also informed Bolton that he is not required to give him a sentence within the guidelines range.

Authorities first raided Bolton's home and office in August of last year. He was indicted inAccording to the indictment, the documents Bolton illegally kept revealed intelligence about future attacks by an adversarial group in another country. Prosecutors said the documents also contained information about a liaison partner sharing sensitive information with the U.S. intelligence community, as well as intelligence that a foreign adversary was planning a missile launch in the future.

Many of the documents were labeled "TOP SECRET," according to prosecutors.

"From on or about April 9, 2018, through at least on or about August 22, 2025, BOLTON abused his position as National Security Advisor by sharing more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor — including information relating to the national defense which was classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level—with two unauthorized individuals," the indictment read.

"BOLTON also unlawfully retained documents, writings, and notes relating to the national defense, including information classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level, in his home in Montgomery County, Maryland," it continued.

Bolton served as Trump's National Security Adviser during his first administration from 2018 to 2019.

At the time, Trump said he fired Bolton over strong policy disagreements, but Bolton claimed he resigned of his own accord.

Trump seeking $11 billion to help farmers with fuel and fertilizer costs

 

he Brief 

• • President Donald Trump is requesting billions in funding to support farmers and manage fuel and fertilizer expenses. 
  • So far, the Trump administration has given billions to farmers this year.
  • The agriculture industry has been affected by costs and shipping disruptions connected to the ongoing Iran conflict. 

President Donald Trump has requested Congress to approve over $11 billion in more funding for farmers experiencing high fuel and fertilizer costs amid the Iran war. 

The new funding would add to $12 billion in support the Trump administration has already distributed to farmers in 2026.

RELATED: Supreme Court rules Trump administration can revive restrictive immigration policy

According to Reuters, farm and industry organizations have stated that the funding was important to assisting farmers preparing for spring planting, but inadequate to make them whole. 

This year, fuel and fertilizer costs have spiked because of shipping disruptions from the Middle East related to the ongoing Iran conflict. 

$11 billion funding requests for farmers, fuel, and fertilizer costs

By the numbers:

Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, signed the funding request which seeks $10 billion of the money to be distributed to specialty crop farmers for crops planted this

 

Can Democratic veterans running for Congress reclaim the patriotism narrative from the GOP?

Some of the military veterans running for Congress as Democrats in the 2026 midterms see themselves as part of the party's push to showcase itself as patriotic amid polling showing Democrats broadly feeling less proud of the country than Republicans. 

An Ipsos poll conducted earlier this year found 63% of Republicans saying that the phrase "I feel proud to be an American" described them extremely well, compared to just 14% of Democrats. The same poll found 65% of Republicans saying the phrase "there's no place I'd rather live than the U.S." described them extremely well, compared to 19% of Democrats.

One caveat: the discrepancy between Democrats and Republicans in the poll could be explained in part by Democratic opposition to the White House and its policies.

But those military veteran Democrats are campaigning in part on saying that patriotism isn't partisan, or that critiquing the government can itself come from having pride in the country and wanting it to improve."I think that's kind of silly to think that patriotism belongs to one particular party," said Nancy Lacore, a retired vice admiral and former Chief of Navy Reserve running for Congress in South Carolina after having been removed from her position by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in 2025.

"In my mind, patriotism isn't about, like, 'Oh, I got the biggest flag' or 'I'm cheering the loudest at events.' To me, patriotism is grounded in service, that you love your country enough to try to make it better, serve your country, strengthen it, uphold the Constitution."

'The most patriotic duty you have is to question'

In Florida's 13th Congressional District, Leela Gray, a retired Army brigadier general, is one of the Democrats running for the chance to flip a seat held by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. Gray told ABC News, "I served in uniform for 30 years. I had no idea if people were an independent or a Republican or a Democrat. It didn't matter. What mattered was, could you trust the person next to you?" 

Over in Kansas, two former service members are among the Democrats competing in a crowded field to unseat incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall.

State Sen. Patrick Schmidt is a former naval intelligence officer based in Topeka who still serves in the Army Reserve. He told ABC News he rejects the premise that Democrats need to "reclaim" patriotism: "We're all trying to figure out how do we communicate with more people, how do we meet more people, but I think I reject the idea that we've lost the plot."

"We stopped talking about the things that make America great, and being a patriot doesn't mean that you can't criticize this country. In fact, the most patriotic duty you have is to question, to make things better," Taylor said in an interview.

'I love this country'

In New Jersey's toss-up 7th District, Rebecca Bennett won the Democratic nomination in early June to take on GOP Rep. Tom Kean. Bennett is a former Navy helicopter pilot and served for over a decade and also worked as a test pilot and served in the Air National Guard. 

She said she does not shy away from any themes of patriotism: "I am a patriot. I love this country. It's why I joined the military. It's why I'm doing this now. And I explicitly say that in my stump [speech] every time when I'm talking to people.

Democratic veterans running for Congress also point to their military bona fides when discussing the Iran war and how it's driven up prices.

Matt Maasdam, a retired Navy SEAL and onetime military aide to former President Barack Obama who is running in a swing district in Michigan, told ABC News, "As somebody who watched Baghdad and Kabul roads get fixed while I was overseas, I want to see Michigan's roads get fixed. If we don't have money to spend on health care and education in America, why are we spending billions of dollars dropping bombs on the other side of the world?

"

Maasdam is a candidate in Michigan's 7th District Democratic primary in which the winner will take on incumbent GOP Rep. Tom Barrett. Barrett, himself a former Army helicopter pilot, has voted in Congress to rein in President Donald Trump's powers to conduct the Iran war.

Jason Cabel Roe, a spokesperson for Barrett's campaign, told ABC News, "Tom Barrett wasn't elected to Congress because of his service in the Army, he was elected because he has deep ties to the 7th District, and faces the same struggles as thousands of other families living in the district." 

Will it work?

Running a large set of veteran candidates is something of a reprisal of a strategy that worked before for the Democratic Party, like in the 2018 midterms when former Navy helicopter pilot Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and former CIA case officer Abigail Spanberger in Virginia flipped GOP-held seats. Both went on to be elected governor in their respective states.

The strategy isn't foolproof by any means, even in intra-party Democratic primaries. For instance, in Texas' 9th Congressional District, former astronaut and Air Force fighter pilot Terry Virts lost in the Democratic primary in March. In Kentucky, former Marine Corps fighter pilot Amy McGrath -- who was the party's nominee for a Senate seat in 2020 -- lost in the state's Democratic Senate primary in May.

Are Democrats intentionally prioritizing or recruiting veterans this cycle because of the gulf between the parties on patriotism? 

Venezuela earthquakes live updates: Death toll rises to at least 589, with thousands injured, acting president says

 

At least 589 people were killed and more than 2,900 were injured as a pair of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, officials said on Friday.

The two quakes -- a 7.2 magnitude one followed just seconds later by a 7.5 -- struck the coast of Venezuela, knocking down buildings in Caracas, the capital, and sending residents racing into the street.

Responders are undertaking "intensive rescue operations" on Thursday, searching for people thought to be under the rubble, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said.

Key HeadlinesAt least 589 dead, 2,980 injured in dual quakes, acting president says

At least 589 people were killed and another 2,980 were injured in the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela late on Wednesday, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said in an update on Friday, according to state media.

According to the EFE news agency, at least 18 foreign nationals were among those who were killed in the quakes. The victims reportedly included nine people from Portugal, three from Spain, two from Brazil, two from China and two from Chile.

The country's health minister told state media late on Thursday that at least 4,300 people were injured. It was not immediately clear why the figure Rodriguez gave on Friday was lower.

-ABC News' Jamie Dorrington, Herminia Fernandez and Kevin Shalvey

Death toll rises to at least 235 with at least 4,300 injured: Health minister

The death toll from the pair of powerful earthquakes that rocked Venezuela on Wednesday has risen to at least 235, according to the country's health minister, who spoke on state media.

At least 4,300 people were injured, according to the latest figures provided by the official.

Death toll rises to at least 235 with at least 4,300 injured: Health minister

The death toll from the pair of powerful earthquakes that rocked Venezuela on Wednesday has risen to at least 235, according to the country's health minister, who spoke on state media.

At least 4,300 people were injured, according to the latest figures provided by the official.

US 'surging' military assets to assist in Venezuela

U.S. Southern Command said it is "surging" military forces in the region to assist in earthquake relief efforts.

Two U.S. Navy ships and aircraft in the Caribbean have been assigned to support the U.S. quake relief operations in Venezuela that are being led by the State Department, the command said.

The amphibious ships USS Fort Lauderdale and the littoral combat ships USS Billings are being moved closer to Venezuela to provide assistance.