On Thursday night, both ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News framed the news of former National Security Advisor John Bolton's guilty plea on charges related to mishandling classified documents as an example of successful legal retribution against President Trump’s perceived enemies. NBC even failed to mention how the investigation into Bolton began under the Biden Administration's control of the Department of Justice.
ABC anchor David Muir called Bolton one of Trump’s “harshest critics” before he turned it over to chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas, who claimed “retribution”:
He was a prime target of President Trump's retribution campaign. And tonight, sources tell ABC News Trump's former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, is planning to plead guilty to mishandling classified information.
MAKE IT MAKE SENSE: @ABCWorldNews claims Bolton investigation started during the Biden admin and handled by career AUSAs is tRuMp rEtRiBuTiOn11!!11!1
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) June 5, 2026
DAVID MUIR: Tonight, sources now telling ABC News that President Trump's former National Security Adviser and one of his harshest… pic.twitter.com/RfhUelRTIx
He then gave more details on Bolton’s indictment after he played a clip of Trump calling Bolton a “sleazebag”:
Bolton was indicted on 18 counts in October of 2025, accused of sharing classified information with members of his family in the course of writing a book. His home, raided by the FBI.
Tonight, sources tell us Bolton will plead guilty to one count of illegal retention of national security information and will acknowledge he stored sensitive information in his personal diaries. He's agreed to pay a fine of $2.25 million and could face up to five years in prison.
Thomas returned to note Bolton “has been an unsparing critic of the President,” and played a soundbite from 2020 where Bolton said Trump was “unfit for office.”
At the end of the report, Thomas finally mentioned that the case against Bolton began during the Biden DOJ by career prosecutors, not the conservative retribution type:
The investigation into Bolton began during the Biden administration. The case against him was brought by career DOJ prosecutors, not newly appointed allies of the president.
On Thursday's NBC Nightly News, John Bolton's guilty plea in his classified documents case was the lead story of the night, as the show leaned heavily into the idea of the case as retribution.
— Nick (@nspin310) June 5, 2026
However, there was no mention of the Bolton investigation's start in the Biden DOJ. pic.twitter.com/uMdhfzSVyA
On NBC Nightly News, the Bolton guilty plea was the lead story of the night, as the show leaned heavily into the idea of the case as retribution, with visual comparisons to cases against those like New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey:
TOM LLAMAS: Good evening. Great to have you tonight. We begin with the first legal victory against one of President Trump's perceived enemies. John Bolton, one of his strongest critics, now facing up to five years in prison and a $2 million fine.
Bolton was national security adviser during Trump's first term. Then became a fierce opponent of the president. Now, sources tell NBC News he plans to plead guilty to one count of retaining national security information. For a year and a half now, the Justice Department has been pursuing cases against the people you see here. Those the president believes have wronged him. Most either failed to get an indictment, were thrown out, or stalled, until now.
NBC White House reporter Garrett Haake continued the frame of the Bolton case as retribution as he called the former Trump advisor “a fierce critic,” and played a soundbite from Bolton on ABC’s This Week: “I think it is a retribution presidency.”
The transcripts from ABC and NBC are below. Click "expand":
ABC World News Tonight
June 4, 2026
6:42:23 PM Eastern
DAVID MUIR: Tonight, sources now telling ABC News that President Trump's former National Security Adviser and one of his harshest critics, John Bolton, has now agreed to plead guilty to mishandling of classified information. Here's our Chief Justice Correspondent, Pierre Thomas now.
PIERRE THOMAS: He was a prime target of President Trump's retribution campaign. And tonight, sources tell ABC News Trump's former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, is planning to plead guilty to mishandling classified information.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I'm not a fan of John Bolton. I thought he was a sleazebag, actually.
THOMAS: Bolton was indicted on 18 counts in October of 2025, accused of sharing classified information with members of his family in the course of writing a book. His home, raided by the FBI.
Tonight, sources tell us Bolton will plead guilty to one count of illegal retention of national security information and will acknowledge he stored sensitive information in his personal diaries. He's agreed to pay a fine of $2.25 million and could face up to five years in prison.
Bolton has been an unsparing critic of the president.
JOHN BOLTON: I don't think he's fit for office.
THOMAS: President Trump himself was charged with mishandling classified information when he left office. That case later dismissed.
The investigation into Bolton began during the Biden administration. The case against him was brought by career DOJ prosecutors, not newly appointed allies of the president.
Bolton is expected to enter his guilty plea on June 26th. If he had been convicted on all 18 counts, he could have faced decades in prison. David. He plans to ask for probation, which will be up a judge to decide.
MUIR: Pierre Thomas, live in Washington. Pierre, thanks.
(...)
NBC Nightly News
June 4, 2026
6:32:17 PM Eastern
TOM LLAMAS: Good evening. Great to have you tonight. We begin with the first legal victory against one of President Trump's perceived enemies. John Bolton, one of his strongest critics, now facing up to five years in prison and a $2 million fine.
Bolton was national security adviser during Trump's first term. Then became a fierce opponent of the president. Now, sources tell NBC News he plans to plead guilty to one count of retaining national security information. For a year and a half now, the Justice Department has been pursuing cases against the people you see here. Those the president believes have wronged him. Most either failed to get an indictment, were thrown out, or stalled, until now.
And we have new reporting tonight on the man the president just announced he'll nominate to lead the Justice Department. His former personal attorney Todd Blanche, who in just a few weeks as acting attorney general has already jump-started investigations against the president's enemies. Garrett Haake is covering it all tonight from the White House.
GARRETT HAAKE: Tonight, a major reversal for a former top Trump official charged with mishandling classified information. Two sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News, President Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton will now plead guilty to one count of retaining national security information in a deal with federal prosecutors. Bolton, a fierce critic of the president -
JOHN BOLTON [On ABC’s This Week in August 2025]: I think it is a retribution presidency.
HAAKE: - Will now pay more than $2 million in restitution and faces up to five years in prison. President Trump had blasted Bolton after his October indictment.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I think he's a bad guy. Yeah, he's a bad guy. Too bad.
HAAKE: The plea deal marks a first legal victory in the administration's multifaceted campaign against Trump critics. And comes after President Trump announced he'll nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, once his personal defense attorney, to become the permanent AG.
TRUMP: Todd is very popular. He's doing great.
HAAKE: That announcement meeting with stiff opposition from Democrats.
SEN. PETER WELCH (D-VT): Todd Blanche should not be attorney general. He is the personal attorney of the president.
HAAKE: But Republicans predicting he'll make it through a confirmation battle.
SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): He's honest, ethical. I think he'll do the job.
HAAKE: And amid bipartisan pushback to his pick of housing chief Bill Pulte to be acting Director of National Intelligence, the President saying today that posting will be temporary.
TRUMP: It's not a permanent position. We're looking at - we're interviewing people right now.
LLAMAS: Garrett Haake joins us live from the white house. Garrett, President Trump is also making news on another renovation project he has going on in Washington. This one involving the Lincoln Memorial?
HAAKE: Yeah, Tom, the president says he next plans to build a pedestrian bridge that would allow people to walk from the Lincoln Memorial down to the Potomac River. It would cross over those roads you see there behind the memorial. A major construction project in the heart of D.C., and it comes on the day the president has been touting the completion of a plan to rebuild, reseal, and repaint the reflecting pool on the memorial’s other side. Tom?
LLAMAS: Several projects happening now. Alright, Garrett, we thank you for that.
(...)
