Nothing sticks to John Bolton |
So let me get this straight. Top Iran critic, former Trump National Security Advisor, John Bolton, has successfully cut a deal on spying-related charges with the US government for $2.25 million and to have any prison time capped at five years max – after Iran got ahold of a treasure trove of top secret intelligence thanks to him? And is confident that a judge would just go along with it?
On Friday, a federal grand jury’s initial 18 charges against Bolton for unlawful transmission and retention of national defense information under the Espionage Act were whittled down to a guilty plea on a single count of illegal retention – which the feds have apparently agreed to blow off in exchange for a couple of million dollars from Bolton and maybe a little bit of prison time... or not. Don’t try this at home, kids. Unless you’re sufficiently connected to the permanent neocon Washington establishment.
It’s now up to a judge, sometime later this Fall, to decide whether Bolton will even have to do any hard time that normally accompanies such a conviction. But the plea deal is an attempt to largely put that judge in front of a fait accompli.
Look, I hate to kick a guy when he’s down. Because it’s clear that Bolton’s career has really suffered. He’s still all over every major news network despite – or maybe because of – this plea having been announced earlier this month and now finalized. Or maybe it’s his predictable willingness to slam his former boss, Trump, although Trump’s screwups........