John Bolton, Donald Trump’s former national security advisor during his first term, became this Thursday, October 16, the third personality accused by the US president since his return to the White House.
John Bolton, 76, was charged by a jury in Maryland, near Washington, with 18 counts of disclosing or withholding national defense documents, according to the indictment.
“He’s a bad guy, it’s a shame. But that’s the way things are,” the Republican president reacted, when he was questioned about this accusation by journalists at the White House.
Donald Trump repeatedly expressed during the election campaign his desire, once back in power, to take revenge on all those whom he considers personal enemies.
John Bolton’s indictment follows that of former FBI Director James Comey and New York State Attorney General Letitia James. It was preceded in August by an FBI search of John Bolton’s home and office.
This search was motivated by suspected violations of the Espionage Act, including “the retention and disclosure of classified or national defense information,” according to court documents released in September. These largely redacted documents concern the hacking of John Bolton’s personal email by “a foreign entity.”
“Political retaliation”
In June 2020, John Bolton published a scathing book about his 17 months as national security adviser to Donald Trump, whom he described as “unfit” to lead the United States. The White House had tried in vain to block the publication of this book in court, citing in particular national security imperatives.
In September, Donald Trump publicly pressured his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and expressed surprise on his Truth Social platform that James Comey, Letitia James, and another of his pet peeves, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, had not yet been indicted.
After pressuring the attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia to resign, implicitly reproaching him for his lack of zeal in initiating this procedure, the Republican president immediately replaced him in this strategic position with White House advisor Lindsey Halligan.
It was the latter who personally initiated the process that led to the indictment of James Comey on September 25 and then of Letitia James on October 9.
The former FBI director pleaded not guilty to obstructing a parliamentary commission of inquiry and making false statements to Congress in September 2020. His lawyer announced that he would file motions to dismiss the charges, arguing that they were motivated by a desire for revenge.
Letitia James, accused of making false statements in a mortgage application, denounced “political retaliation” by Donald Trump, whom she had fined almost $500 million in February 2024.
Source: BFM TV
