John Bolton, the former national security adviser to Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty to unauthorised disclosure of classified information. The plea, entered in a Washington D.C. federal court this morning, confirms what sources have long whispered: the man who once held the keys to America's deepest secrets sold them for a book deal.
According to documents obtained by this desk, Bolton admitted to sharing sensitive intelligence with his publisher and co-author, including details of conversations with foreign leaders and internal White House deliberations. The charges stem from his 2020 memoir 'The Room Where It Happened,' which the Justice Department says contained material that could cause 'exceptionally grave damage' to national security.
But the fallout doesn't end at America's shores. Whitehall has issued an urgent advisory to Five Eyes partners warning that Bolton's betrayal could have compromised intelligence-sharing protocols. A senior British intelligence source told me: 'If Bolton spilled those beans, we have to assume everything he touched is compromised. We're telling allies to review their operational security.'
Bolton's plea is a rare victory for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which has struggled to prosecute former officials who profit from classified information. The case, however, raises troubling questions about accountability at the highest levels. Bolton faces up to 10 years in prison, though his cooperation deal suggests a lighter sentence in exchange for naming names.
The guilty plea comes as a relief to some in Westminster who feared the UK's intelligence relationship with the US had been fatally undermined by Trump's chaotic tenure. 'There's been a chill in the air since 2016,' a retired MI6 officer confided. 'This won't help, but at least it's out in the open.'
What remains unclear is whether Bolton's plea will spark a wider investigation into other former officials who have cashed in on their security clearances. Sources close to the Justice Department confirm that at least three other memoirs by former Trump aides are under review for potential leaks.
For now, the message from both sides of the Atlantic is clear: if you trade secrets for profit, you will face consequences. Whether that deterrence holds remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the intelligence community's trust is not easily rebuilt.
