Ex-Trump adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling classified documents

John Bolton, a former national security adviser to Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified security information as part of notes he compiled for a book. Bolton, now a prominent critic of the US president, was indicted on 18 counts related to improper handling of classified material, and initially pleaded not guilty. On Friday, he admitted to a single charge of illegal retention of classified information. The documents he retained included diary entries containing national defence information, some of it classified at the top secret level. Bolton faces a prison sentence of up to five years and has agreed to pay $2.25m (£1.7m) in fine, prosecutors said. Bolton will also debrief national security officials on the classified information he illegally retained as well as perform 100 hours of community service, the BBC's US partner CBS News reported. After the judge read the allegations against Bolton in court on Friday, including about sending diary entries with sensitive information to his family members, Bolton said the accusations were accurate. "I did your honor," Bolton said about whether he committed the actions at hand today. He added he was "sorry for it." He is set to be sentenced on 28 October, US media report. Speaking to reporters after the hearing, US Attorney Kelly Hayes said Bolton knew how to handle classified information and with whom he could share it. …