{"id":2619794,"date":"2026-06-26T23:14:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T03:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-hopes-john-bolton-is-treated-harshly-after-pleading-guilty\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T23:15:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T03:15:04","slug":"trump-hopes-john-bolton-is-treated-harshly-after-pleading-guilty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-hopes-john-bolton-is-treated-harshly-after-pleading-guilty\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump hopes John Bolton is treated &#8216;harshly&#8217; after pleading guilty"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-hopes-john-bolton-is-treated-harshly-after-pleading-guilty%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2619794&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Donald Trump expressed his desire for harsh treatment of his former national security adviser, John Bolton, after Bolton pleaded guilty to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/information-is-being-selectively-leaked-former-federal-prosecutor-blasts-special-counsel-jack-smith-for-media-leaks-to-hurt-pres-trump\/\" title=\"Former federal prosecutor criticizes Special Counsel Jack Smith for selectively leaking information to the media to harm President ....\">unlawfully <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-probing-classified-docs-at-biden-center-from-when-he-was-vp\/\" title=\"DOJ Probing Classified Docs at Biden Center From When He Was VP\">retaining classified information<\/a><\/a>. Trump criticized Bolton publicly, calling him &#8220;dumb,&#8221; &#8220;unbalanced,&#8221; and a troublemaker motivated by wars and destruction. Bolton&#8217;s guilty plea occurred in Maryland federal court and involved mishandling over 1,000 pages of secret and top-secret documents, which he shared with family members via email. He also admitted to keeping classified information on his personal devices, later accessed by a hacker with ties to Iran. Bolton, who was indicted on multiple counts last fall, faces up to five years in prison and a $2.25 million fine, with sentencing scheduled for October 28. Prior to this, Bolton had been a critic of Trump and authored a memoir criticizing his foreign policy.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> said on Friday he wants his former national security adviser, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-bolton\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1384\">John Bolton<\/a>, to be treated \u201charshly\u201d after the latter pleaded guilty to unlawfully retaining classified information.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJohn Bolton, a very dumb, unbalanced, and unskilled former representative of the United States of America, just pleads guilty!\u201d Trump <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116819418021640869\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116819418021640869\">posted<\/a> on Truth Social. \u201cHe is a terrible person, a lunatic who only wanted to start trouble and wars, and who was a needless pusher of death and destruction wherever he went.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4627566\/trump-new-passport-design-america-250\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump reveals new passport design featuring his portrait with warning<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4627007\/trump-communism-biggest-threat-facing-america\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump says communism is the biggest threat facing America on eve of 250th birthday<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4626912\/trump-says-democrat-leaders-schumer-too-afraid-to-fight-socialist-insurgency\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump says top Democrats like Schumer are too \u2018afraid\u2019 to fight socialist insurgency<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHopefully, he will be dealt with harshly!\u201d the president concluded.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The statement came hours after Bolton entered his guilty plea at a federal court in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maryland\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"49\">Maryland<\/a>. The criminal case stemmed from his mishandling of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-bolton-pleads-guilty-to-one-count-of-mishandling-classified-information\/\" title=\"... to one count of mishandling ...\">sensitive national security records<\/a> after leaving the first Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was never much of a fan of John Bolton,\u201d Trump said earlier this month. \u201cHe\u2019s a bad guy, John Bolton, he\u2019s a dirty guy, and we caught him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bolton had originally been indicted last fall on 18 counts related to his transmission and retention of national defense information. He ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of retaining classified information as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/national-security\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8754\">national security<\/a> official, as alleged by the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the District of Maryland, kept over 1,000 pages of \u201csecret\u201d and \u201ctop secret\u201d information in private diary entries that he shared with two family members via email. A hacker with ties to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a> later obtained access to his personal email account filled with classified information.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am sorry for it,\u201d he said in confessing his actions to U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang earlier Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4626251\/john-bolton-pleads-guilty-mishandling-classified-information\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4626251\/john-bolton-pleads-guilty-mishandling-classified-information\/\">JOHN BOLTON PLEADS GUILTY TO ONE COUNT OF MISHANDLING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the plea agreement, Bolton faces up to five years in prison and has to pay $2.25 million. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 28.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following his dismissal as national security adviser in 2019, Bolton became highly critical of Trump. He devoted that energy to a 2020 memoir focused on Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >unconventional foreign policy approach<\/a>, titled <em>The Room Where It Happened<\/em>. Before working for Trump, Bolton served as U.S. ambassador to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-nations\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"110\">United Nations<\/a> from 2005 to 2006 under then-President George W. Bush.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump calls Bolton&#8217;s guilty plea &#8220;harsh treatment<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2619795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-collage-j2qjp425k-1782528778536-e1782528954526.jpg?1782514546&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32750,44998,33118,3634],"class_list":["post-2619794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-guilty-plea","tag-john-bolton","tag-legal-proceedings","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-collage-j2qjp425k-1782528778536-e1782528954526.jpg?1782514546&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2619794"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2619798,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619794\/revisions\/2619798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2619795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2619794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2619794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2619794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}