Even supposing the federal investigation into former nationwide safety advisor John Bolton’s alleged mishandling of categorised info was began throughout the Biden administration, MSNBC’s Morning Joe advised on Friday that the DOJ below President Trump following by means of was yet one more case of focused political prosecution.
This got here a day after Bolton was indicted on 18 counts for knowingly misusing nationwide protection info.
Justice and intelligence correspondent Ken Dilanian relayed Bolton is unlikely to be harmless: “And the indictment says that Bolton used language that made clear he knew he was speaking about delicate info. Issues like, ‘The intel briefer mentioned,’ or ‘when within the State of affairs Room, I realized.’”
However Dilanian questioned the rationale behind Trump’s DOJ choosing the case up after Workforce Biden dropped it. By some means, it wasn’t political for the Bidenites to depart Bolton alone to assault Trump by means of an election season, however now it is political to indict below Trump. Dilanian claimed Workforce Biden was attempting to maintain Iran from understanding that it had penetrated their intelligence:
Co-host Jonathan Lemire picked up on Dilanian’s query with one other angle, suggesting there have been much more deserving targets on the market who have been passively pardoned:
Ah, sure. That traditional subject of carelessly dealing with delicate information to the purpose of enemies stealing it. This was like CNN claiming lots of people would possibly commit mortgage fraud. However they do not.
MSNBC needed it each methods: they couldn’t ignore the legitimacy of the case, however insisted upon villainizing Trump to please its viewers within the course of.
Washington Put up columnist David Ignatius made an odd self-contradiction when contrasting the case with these towards James Comey and Letitia James:
Monetary Instances editor Edward Luce pointed to the problem of classification as one other means for Trump goal enemies: “I believe it is truthful to say […] there’s an over-classification downside in Washington. And that every little thing if every little thing is assessed […] then nothing is assessed. And due to this fact it offers a vengeful actor, like President Trump, monumental scope to simply choose and select who to take revenge on.”
Luce might have used this argument to underline “vengeful actors” had “monumental scope” to go after Trump on the identical subject.
As Dilanian reported, Bolton was not ignorant or foolhardy in regards to the nature of the knowledge of which he had entry. And the truth that Iran was capable of steal info he improperly dealt with confirmed it wasn’t a easy and forgivable mistake.
The transcript is beneath. Click on “increase” learn:
MSNBC’s Morning Joe
October 17, 2025
6:04:16 a.m. EST
(…)
JONATHAN LEMIRE: So, Ken, folks I’ve talked to say, look, that is nonetheless a broad sample of retribution. There may be nonetheless an actual — there’s nonetheless nice concern how the President is breaking — shattering norms and directing his DOJ, both particularly or simply by, , naming villains, if you’ll. Naming foes and others sort of get the trace to who they go after. However the John Bolton case was described to me is a little bit completely different than Comey and James. There’s a little bit extra of a there, there. Stroll us by means of what about this specific matter.
KEN DILANIAN: Good morning, Jonathan. Good morning, guys. You are completely proper. I believe it is so much completely different, truly, that is what my sources are telling me, than these different instances which seem like largely with out advantage.
This one, although, arose within the Biden administration. And it is a very critical and detailed indictment. It says that John Bolton derived secrets and techniques from his time as nationwide safety adviser, assembled them as a result of he was writing a e-book, despatched them over unclassified electronic mail and messaging apps to his spouse and daughter. We have recognized the 2 folks as his spouse and daughter. After which that info was hacked by the federal government of Iran. A minimum of a kind of electronic mail accounts was hacked. And so the federal government of Iran obtained a few of these state secrets and techniques in keeping with this indictment.
And the indictment says that Bolton used language that made clear he knew he was speaking about delicate info. Issues like, “The intel briefer mentioned,” or “when within the State of affairs Room, I realized.”
So that is, this — and these prices, as you mentioned, carry ten years every so he might spend the remainder of his life in jail, in concept, if convicted on these prices. However let me let you know what the protection may very well be right here.
I ought to add that — and this case has been — this case is being prosecuted by profession prosecutors, revered folks, in contrast to the Comey and the James case, which was averted by each profession prosecutor within the Division and pursued solely by Donald Trump’s political appointee. This one has gone by means of regular channels as we perceive it.
However let me clarify some potential mitigating circumstances right here. Heaps of people that have jobs the place they see categorised info write books. And so they ship that — the manuscript by means of a publication evaluate, for instance, in the event you’re a CIA officer. And oftentimes these reviewers will say, “Sorry, you possibly can’t say that. It was categorised. We’re maintaining that out of the e-book.” Nicely, that info was categorised. It went over an unclassified electronic mail system. These folks do not get prosecuted for doing that.
So what’s at subject right here will not be paperwork marked categorised, which was the case within the Donald Trump indictment. These have been — this was info that John Bolton gathered and wrote down in diaries and despatched that the FBI and the CIA and different folks have decided contained nationwide protection info. And if you have a look at the descriptions within the indictment, it is fairly clear that a few of it in all probability did.
However the query right here is, the place is the road for people who find themselves writing books if — John Bolton did undergo the publication evaluate course of right here. Now, there’s allegations that he ignored a number of the ideas from folks about what to depart out of the e-book. However there is a lawyer named Mark Zaid who represents lots of people who write books, and what he was saying final night time is that if you are going to prosecute John Bolton, you bought to prosecute lots of different individuals who wrote books and had doubtlessly categorised info on their electronic mail programs, which was then not noted of the books, however which was truly delicate.
And the opposite factor is Abbe Lowell, John Bolton’s lawyer, is saying right here that this was not categorised. These have been — this was info that he stored for diaries. And he mentioned that the FBI has identified about this for a very long time. And that is true. This arose within the Biden administration. And what — however what appears to be the case is that they didn’t know the extent of what was in no less than one among his electronic mail accounts till they found that Iran — they found the fabric that Iran had hacked by means of a U.S. intelligence penetration of Iran. That is in keeping with my reporting.
And that is one of many causes this case did not go ahead within the Biden administration, as a result of officers have been involved about revealing that penetration. The Trump administration has made a special calculation. They’re okay with revealing it. They’ve revealed it now to the Iranians. So no matter penetration they’d is now shut down. That is how badly they needed to prosecute John Bolton. And that is the place you possibly can ask questions on whether or not this case ought to have gone ahead, guys.
LEMIRE: Actually vital reporting there. MSNBC justice and intelligence correspondent Ken Dilanian. Ken, thanks as all the time.
And Mika, the Ken makes the nice level right here. There may be, , we see that is — there are variations between Comey and James instances and this one. These are profession prosecutors. That is an investigation that is been happening for a very long time. There does appear to be, no less than per the indictment, some proof of wrongdoing. But it surely’s about selective prosecution. It is the concept, like, that is one thing that lots of people in Washington who’ve excessive stage jobs, entry to categorised info must cope with. However but it’s simply Bolton, a Trump critic, who’s the one dealing with, doubtlessly now, felony prices.
(…)
6:10:28 a.m. EST
KATTY KAY: Yeah. I imply, I believe as judicial watchers, David Ignatius, , attempting to make out — work out what — how vital these indictments are, you possibly can have a look at it from a purely partisan perspective and say, “If you’re a critic of the President, then you are going to be indicted.” And in the event you’re a Republican, you are going to have a look at this and say, “Nicely, the Democrats used lawfare as nicely towards President Trump.” And the 2 sides appear simply very set of their positions on this one. It is outstanding to me how everybody — I talked to Republicans they usually say, “Nicely, you guys did this earlier than, so we’re simply doing what you probably did.” Is it price trying on the, sort of, particular person indictments, or ought to we be trying on the greater image right here?
DAVID IGNATIUS: I believe it is a case that reveals us that you just do want to take a look at the main points. Two issues may be true directly. That is a part of Trump’s sample of revenge towards enemies. In that means, it is just like the instances towards James Comey and Letitia James that have been introduced. But it surely’s completely different within the sense that, as Ken Dilanian was saying in his reporting the actual fact sample is completely different. These different instances actually are so skinny, legal professionals virtually chortle at them.
That is not the case right here. There are robust questions of legislation. It is a course of that many individuals who serve in authorities after which need go on to jot down memoirs use. They take their diaries, and their diaries have all types of delicate issues in them, they usually use these diaries to jot down the books. So, I believe that is it is a critical case.
The one factor that I believe is indeniable is that John Bolton is a goal now in an investigation that was thought-about by the Biden administration after which dropped, as a result of Donald Trump sees him as an enemy. He is on the enemies record —
KAY: Which is the purpose that Wall Avenue Journal is making.
IGNATIUS: — and now we transfer into this prosecution. So, it is completely different from the Comey and James instances on one stage. However on one other stage, it isn’t completely different in any respect. These are enemies.
EUGENE ROBINSON: That is precisely proper. There’s a sample. You can’t ignore the sample that in the event you crossed Donald Trump in some very public means, then you definately’re weak, he considers you weak. I level out a few issues. Primary, John Bolton has by no means been confused with a Democrat, proper? I imply, nobody would name him a Democrat. He isn’t. He by no means has been.
And quantity two, there’s this query of diaries. I imply, it’s it’s true, as Bolton’s lawyer mentioned, that each one these excessive rating officers, or lots of them no less than, do hold diaries to type of file what they did. And sure, they do it with an eye fixed towards writing books finally, possibly simply with an eye fixed towards historical past that may be revealed some day. So, that is the a part of the indictment I do not get. I imply, look, you simply did a biography of —
KAY: Of someone who stored diaries.
ROBINSON: — one of many best American public servants. Had been their diaries? You recognize, did some Zbigniew Brzezinski have diaries? And may he have been prosecuted for them?
EDWARD LUCE: He — nicely he, like Bolton, stored diaries, wrote a memoir, and acquired that memoir cleared. Bolton’s memoir was cleared from —
ROBINSON: Was cleared.
LUCE: Yeah.
ROBINSON: Precisely.
LUCE: So, I imply, that is why it was printed. In any other case it would not. It could have been pulped after which republished with the lacking bits. However that did not occur.
I imply, I went to see John Bolton in his downtown D.C. places of work just a few days in the past to speak about, , prospects. And he confirmed me the, type of, the room of submitting cupboards the place he retains all his paperwork. And he described how the FBI had been, type of, going by means of them with a toothpick.
I believe it is truthful to say, because the late, nice American Senator — Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan mentioned, that there is an over-classification downside in Washington. And that every little thing if every little thing is assessed, together with like breakfast menus and stuff, then nothing is assessed. And due to this fact it offers a vengeful actor, like President Trump, monumental scope to simply choose and select who to take revenge on.
