MS NOW’s Dilanian: Bolton Cut A Deal Because He Believes He Was Treated Unfairly, It Would Have Cost Millions To Go To Trial
MS NOW justice and intelligence reporter Ken Dilanian reacts to former Ambassador John Bolton pleading guilty to retaining classified information in a private diary. From Friday’s edition of “Morning Joe” on MS NOW:
JONATHAN LEMIRE, HOST: Ken, let’s get your thoughts on this. To Michael’s point, this one’s always been a little different in the broad category of Trump retribution cases. So talk to us about Bolton, but whether you think there are any signs we should be looking out for, especially in the light of the Pulte appointment, of other cases coming down the pipe. KEN DILANIAN, MS NOW JUSTICE AND INTELLIGENCE REPORTER: Oh, there are plenty of other cases coming down the pike. We’re working on various stories about different figures as we speak, Jonathan. In terms of Bolton, though, you know, my intelligence community sources have always said there’s a there there. This was a serious breach. And the ranking Democrat on the Intel Committee, Jim Himes, said on our air yesterday, look, this wasn’t really a retribution case. This was a bad breach. And part of it was there’s no allegation that John Bolton leaked classified information to the media or gave it to a foreign government, but it was in his email. He was preparing to write a memoir. His wife and daughter saw it, his emails were also hacked by an actor linked to the government of Iran. And so there may have been some serious damage there. And to add to what Michael was saying, you know, one reason he got a deal because John Bolton believes he was treated unfairly. Even if he was acquitted after a trial, it would have cost him millions and millions of dollars. And that is part of the pressure that a federal defendant is under. The federal government has unlimited resources. They raided his house. They raided his office. They charged him with 18 counts. He was facing decades in prison. And so he’s decided to fold his tent here. And it’s really interesting. I mean, the range of penalties here from no jail time to five years is significant. So it’ll be really interesting to see, A, what the justice department says in a sentencing memo about the conduct and then what the judge ultimately does here. But either way, it’s a $ 2.25 million fine. So a significant penalty for John Bolton.
