Trump hates being the target of lawfare, but he sure knows how to wield it against anyone who crosses him. That’s the story of John Bolton, his former national security adviser, who is agreeing to a plea deal essentially for the sin of writing a critical book about his time advising Mr. Trump.
The President has been determined to seek revenge against Mr. Bolton, who wrote his well-regarded memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” based on his 17 months running the National Security Council in Mr. Trump’s first term. Mr. Trump first tried and failed to block publication, then went to court to confiscate the royalties. He lost that fight, too. But on Mr. Trump’s return to office, his Justice Department charged Mr. Bolton with a coercive 18-count indictment for keeping diary notes on a home computer that included “national defense information.”
Bolton has now decided to plead guilty to a single felony count for retaining classified information. He will pay a $2.5 million fine, which is best understood as an attempt to deny Bolton the earnings from the book.
Like most similar defendants, he had little choice other than to negotiate a plea. A trial could cost as much as $3 million in legal fees and carry the risk of a harsher punishment. He is 77 years old, and a guilty verdict could have meant a de facto life sentence. Mr. Trump’s prosecutors threatened more charges if Mr. Bolton didn’t submit to a plea. After a life devoted to public service or writing for think tanks, he isn’t a wealthy man.
Especially troubling and truly vindictive, therefore, is Justice's continued insistence that Bolton go to prison. The concession prosecutors have made is that they won’t ask for a sentence longer than five years. Bolton will instead ask the court for probation, which is far more suitable for the single offense, but a judge will decide.
Now picture those boxes of national security docs in the Mar-A-Lago bathroom to prove just how much Trump really cares about national security.
https://bsky.app/profile/wessmith123.bsky.social/post/3mnhunl2wsc25
