Even though the federal investigation into former nationwide safety advisor John Bolton’s alleged mishandling of categorized info was began through the Biden administration, MSNBC’s Morning Joe instructed on Friday that the DOJ underneath President Trump following by was 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 Scenario Room, I discovered.’”
However Dilanian questioned the rationale behind Trump’s DOJ selecting the case up after Crew Biden dropped it. Someway, it wasn’t political for the Bidenites to depart Bolton alone to assault Trump by an election season, however now it is political to indict underneath Trump. Dilanian claimed Crew Biden was making an attempt to maintain Iran from figuring out 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 had been passively pardoned:
Ah, sure. That basic situation of carelessly dealing with delicate information to the purpose of enemies stealing it. This was like CNN claiming lots of people may 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 Submit columnist David Ignatius made an odd self-contradiction when contrasting the case with these in opposition to James Comey and Letitia James:
Monetary Instances editor Edward Luce pointed to the problem of classification as one other manner for Trump goal enemies: “I believe it is truthful to say […] there’s an over-classification downside in Washington. And that every thing if every thing is classed […] then nothing is classed. And due to this fact it provides a vengeful actor, like President Trump, monumental scope to only 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 situation.
As Dilanian reported, Bolton was not ignorant or foolhardy in regards to the nature of the data of which he had entry. And the truth that Iran was in a position to 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’s nonetheless an actual — there’s nonetheless nice concern how the President is breaking — shattering norms and directing his DOJ, both particularly or simply by, you realize, naming villains, if you’ll. Naming foes and others type of get the trace to who they go after. However the John Bolton case was described to me is just a little totally different than Comey and James. There’s just a little extra of a there, there. Stroll us by what you realize about this explicit matter.
KEN DILANIAN: Good morning, Jonathan. Good morning, guys. You are completely proper. I believe it is lots totally different, really, that is what my sources are telling me, than these different circumstances which seem like largely with out advantage.
This one, although, arose within the Biden administration. And this can be a very severe 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 e 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. Not less than a type of e mail accounts was hacked. And so the federal government of Iran obtained a few of these state secrets and techniques in line 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 Scenario Room, I discovered.”
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 idea, if convicted on these prices. However let me inform you what the protection could possibly be right here.
I ought to add that — and this case has been — this case is being prosecuted by profession prosecutors, revered folks, not like the Comey and the James case, which was prevented by each profession prosecutor within the Division and pursued solely by Donald Trump’s political appointee. This one has gone by 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 categorized info write books. And so they ship that — the manuscript by a publication assessment, for instance, should you’re a CIA officer. And oftentimes these reviewers will say, “Sorry, you may’t say that. It was categorized. We’re conserving that out of the e book.” Nicely, that info was categorized. It went over an unclassified e mail system. These folks do not get prosecuted for doing that.
So what’s at situation right here should not paperwork marked categorized, which was the case within the Donald Trump indictment. These had 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 take 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 assessment course of right here. Now, there’s allegations that he ignored among the recommendations 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 evening is that if you are going to prosecute John Bolton, you bought to prosecute quite a lot of different individuals who wrote books and had doubtlessly categorized info on their e mail methods, which was then not noted of the books, however which was really delicate.
And the opposite factor is Abbe Lowell, John Bolton’s lawyer, is saying right here that this was not categorized. These had been — this was info that he saved for diaries. And he mentioned that the FBI has recognized 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 at the least considered one of his e mail accounts till they found that Iran — they found the fabric that Iran had hacked by a U.S. intelligence penetration of Iran. That is in line 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 had been involved about revealing that penetration. The Trump administration has made a unique calculation. They’re okay with revealing it. They’ve revealed it now to the Iranians. So no matter penetration that they had is now shut down. That is how badly they needed to prosecute John Bolton. And that is the place you may ask questions on whether or not this case ought to have gone ahead, guys.
LEMIRE: Actually necessary reporting there. MSNBC justice and intelligence correspondent Ken Dilanian. Ken, thanks as at all times.
And Mika, the Ken makes the nice level right here. There’s, you realize, we see that is — there are variations between Comey and James circumstances and this one. These are profession prosecutors. That is an investigation that is been occurring for a very long time. There does appear to be, at the least 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 categorized info should cope with. However but it’s simply Bolton, a Trump critic, who’s the one dealing with, doubtlessly now, prison prices.
(…)
6:10:28 a.m. EST
KATTY KAY: Yeah. I imply, I believe as judicial watchers, David Ignatius, you realize, making an attempt to make out — determine what — how necessary these indictments are, you can take a look at it from a purely partisan viewpoint and say, “In case you are a critic of the President, then you are going to be indicted.” And should you’re a Republican, you are going to take a look at this and say, “Nicely, the Democrats used lawfare as nicely in opposition to President Trump.” And the 2 sides appear simply very set of their positions on this one. It is exceptional 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 value wanting on the, type of, particular person indictments, or ought to we be wanting on the greater image right here?
DAVID IGNATIUS: I believe this can be a case that reveals us that you simply do want to have a look at the small print. Two issues may be true directly. That is a part of Trump’s sample of revenge in opposition to enemies. In that manner, it is just like the circumstances in opposition to James Comey and Letitia James that had been introduced. But it surely’s totally different within the sense that, as Ken Dilanian was saying in his reporting the actual fact sample is totally different. These different circumstances actually are so skinny, legal professionals nearly chuckle at them.
That is not the case right here. There are robust questions of regulation. It is a course of that many individuals who serve in authorities after which need go on to put in writing memoirs use. They take their diaries, and their diaries have every kind of delicate issues in them, they usually use these diaries to put in writing the books. So, I believe that is this can be a severe case.
The one factor that I believe is indeniable is that John Bolton is a goal now in an investigation that was thought of by the Biden administration after which dropped, as a result of Donald Trump sees him as an enemy. He is on the enemies checklist —
KAY: Which is the purpose that Wall Avenue Journal is making.
IGNATIUS: — and now we transfer into this prosecution. So, it is totally different from the Comey and James circumstances on one stage. However on one other stage, it is not totally different in any respect. These are enemies.
EUGENE ROBINSON: That is precisely proper. There’s a sample. You can not ignore the sample that should you crossed Donald Trump in some very public manner, 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 is not. 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 every one these excessive rating officers, or a lot of them at the least, do maintain diaries to kind of report what they did. And sure, they do it with an eye fixed towards writing books finally, perhaps 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 saved diaries.
ROBINSON: — one of many biggest American public servants. Had been their diaries? You realize, did some Zbigniew Brzezinski have diaries? And may he have been prosecuted for them?
EDWARD LUCE: He — nicely he, like Bolton, saved diaries, wrote a memoir, and received 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 revealed. 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, you realize, prospects. And he confirmed me the, kind of, the room of submitting cupboards the place he retains all his paperwork. And he described how the FBI had been, kind of, going by 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 thing if every thing is classed, together with like breakfast menus and stuff, then nothing is classed. And due to this fact it provides a vengeful actor, like President Trump, monumental scope to only choose and select who to take revenge on.
