John Bolton Begs for Probation for Classified Docs Guilty Plea — but Feds Want Much, Much More
By Bob HogeRemember when mishandling classified documents was a big deal?
Donald Trump was accused of doing it following his first presidential term, so Biden’s Department of Justice sent a heavily armed FBI squad to raid his residence, Mar-a-Lago, and sift through Melania’s lingerie drawer.
But when then-President Joe Biden was accused of doing almost exactly the same thing as Trump, Special Counsel Robert Hur refused to press charges because he was concerned a jury wouldn’t convict what he called a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
Now former National Security Advisor during Trump’s first term, John Bolton — who has since turned into a TDS-riddled never-Trumper — is arguing that even though he pleaded guilty in June to “willfully retaining national defense information” and sharing it with his wife and daughter as he prepared to write his memoir, he should only get probation because he “has lived an exemplary life—one dedicated to public service, family, honor, and love of country.”
I’m guessing that if he were a prosecutor, he'd eat mosquito larvae rather than let Trump off for similar reasons.
The Department of Justice and Bolton filed dueling legal briefs in recent days, with Bolton requesting leniency and the DOJ demanding that the former advisor serve five years in the slammer because he “systematically exposed this nation’s most sensitive of secrets to cyber theft.”
Independent journalist Catherine Herridge reports on the DOJ’s allegations:
ANALYSIS: @TheJusticeDept BOLTON SENTENCING MEMO RECOMMENDS PRISON - 'A sentence of 60 months imprisonment, with a three-year term of supervised release, and the agreed-upon (2.25M) fine is sufficient, but not greater than necessary, to satisfy the goals of sentencing' - 'Defendant Bolton has gambled with the national security of the United States. He has exposed his country to harm..' - 'Over the course of 17 months, Mr. Bolton systematically exposed this nation’s most sensitive of secrets to cyber theft...' - 'Given his decades of experience with classified information, Mr. Bolton’s actions...demonstrate aggravated, willful conduct.' - 'And unlike many cases involving violations of 18 U.S.C. § 793, this Court does need not to speculate whether harm to national security ultimately materialized..' KEY ARGUMENT: "Mr. Bolton’s ongoing exposure of real-time classified national defense information, by transmission over unsecure, non-governmental communications jeopardized the most sensitive information held by the United States." MY NOTES: @HillaryClinton's unsecured personal server used for State Dept. business also contained intelligence at the highest classification levels. Then Director @comey argued in 2016 no reasonable prosecutor would bring the case because they lacked evidence of intent. Critics disagreed and said Clinton's purchase of the server confirmed her intent to take records outside secure government systems for sensitive and classified information. DOJ BOTTOM LINE: "Mr. Bolton’s sentence should send the message that senior federal officials like him are not above the law; they must follow the same rules, regulations, and laws as everyone else." NOTE: Separate Post Analyzes Sentencing Memo From Bolton's Legal Team Read DOJ 37 page memo after the jump:
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) November 2, 2026
Her summation of the DOJ's arguments is long, but here are some salient points:
'Defendant Bolton has gambled with the national security of the United States. He has exposed his country to harm..'
'Over the course of 17 months, Mr. Bolton systematically exposed this nation’s most sensitive of secrets to cyber theft...'
'Given his decades of experience with classified information, Mr. Bolton’s actions...demonstrate aggravated, willful conduct.'
'And unlike many cases involving violations of 18 U.S.C. § 793, this Court does need not to speculate whether harm to national security ultimately materialized..'
KEY ARGUMENT: "Mr. Bolton’s ongoing exposure of real-time classified national defense information, by transmission over unsecure, non-governmental communications jeopardized the most sensitive information held by the United States."
Bolton’s team has different ideas. Here’s the opening paragraph of his response. He may have made mistakes, but he’s actually a saint, you see:
For five decades John Bolton has lived an exemplary life—one dedicated to public service, family, honor, and love of country. He and his family have sacrificed their time together and even their security to support Ambassador Bolton’s desire to serve his country and make it and the world a safer place. ...
Against this backdrop and all Ambassador Bolton has done, he stands before the Court deeply remorseful and having taken full responsibility for his lapse in judgment in mishandling classified information kept in his personal diary, shared only with his wife and daughter.
🚨JUST FILED🚨 John Bolton’s legal team is asking a judge to sentence him to probation in his classified documents case. “After a lifetime of illustrious service and good works, Ambassador Bolton should never have to fear he will die in prison.” Bolton is facing up to five years in prison and is expected to be sentenced on December 4, 2026. Bolton has agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine.
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) October 31, 2026
Bolton is facing up to five years in prison and is expected to be sentenced on December 4, 2026.
Bolton has agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine.
So many rabid Trump haters like former FBI Director James Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and California Gov. Gavin Newsom act holier-than-thou and above it all while relentlessly attacking the president. When you get a look into their own closets, however, they turn out to be quite messy.
If Trump had pled guilty to sharing national security secrets with his wife and daughter, you can be quite sure that Bolton wouldn’t be showing up with his new friends on CNN to argue that he should only get probation.
It’s funny how their morals change, depending on which side they’re supporting at the moment.
 |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐