Trump calls Bolton "lunatic" after former national security adviser pleads guilty

Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty to illegally retaining classified information, prompting President Donald Trump to launch a scathing attack on his former aide, calling him a "lunatic" and urging that he be punished severely.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "John Bolton, a very dumb, unbalanced, and unskilled former representative of the United States of America, just pleads guilty!" Caliber.Az reports. 

He continued: "He 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. Hopefully, he will be dealt with harshly!"

Bolton entered the guilty plea during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, admitting to illegally retaining classified information from his time in Trump's White House.

Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Bolton pleaded guilty to a single felony count of willfully retaining classified information, despite originally being charged in an 18-count indictment filed last October.

The offence carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. However, under the agreement, Bolton, 77, may withdraw his guilty plea and proceed to trial if the judge decides to impose a sentence of more than five years. He also agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine.

Prosecutors accused Bolton of storing top-secret information in private emails and chat messages and sharing some of the material with members of his family.

By Sabina Mammadli