President Donald Trump unleashed a blistering attack on his former national security adviser John Bolton late Friday, hours after Bolton entered a guilty plea for improperly retaining classified materials from his time in the White House. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called for a severe sentence, writing, “Hopefully, he will be dealt with harshly!”
Bolton, who served as national security adviser during the first year of the Trump administration, pleaded guilty to charges related to mishandling sensitive government documents. The indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury in 2025, included 18 counts tied to the retention and disclosure of classified information.
According to court documents, the charges stem from Bolton’s sharing of over 1,000 pages of notes through his personal email and a messaging app with family members who lacked security clearances. The materials were later used in his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, which offered a critical account of his tenure in the administration.
Trump did not hold back in his criticism, describing Bolton as “a very dumb, unbalanced, and unskilled former representative of the United States of America.” He further characterized his one-time adviser as “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.”
The guilty plea marks a dramatic turn for Bolton, who has become one of Trump’s most vocal conservative critics since leaving the administration. Their feud has intensified as Bolton has spoken out against Trump’s foreign policy decisions, particularly regarding Iran and North Korea. In a related development, Trump also hit Iran over a recent drone attack, underscoring the ongoing tensions that Bolton once helped shape.
Bolton’s legal troubles have added a new layer to the political drama surrounding the former adviser. The case highlights the administration’s aggressive stance on leaks and mishandling of classified information, even as Trump himself has faced scrutiny over his own handling of documents. The president’s call for a harsh sentence aligns with his broader push for stricter enforcement of security laws.
Political analysts note that Bolton’s guilty plea could have implications beyond his personal fate. It serves as a warning to other former officials who might consider sharing sensitive materials, particularly those who have become critics of the administration. The case also comes as Trump continues to target political opponents, including in his recent warnings about socialist primary wins in New York City.
Bolton’s sentencing is expected in the coming months. Meanwhile, the former national security adviser has maintained that his actions were not intended to harm national security, but prosecutors have argued that the mishandling of classified documents was reckless and violated federal law. The case has drawn attention to the broader challenges of balancing transparency with security in the post-Trump era.
