Former National Security Advisor John Bolton is now the third prominent opponent of President Donald Trump to face criminal charges in as many weeks. But one former federal prosecutor is highlighting one key difference between Bolton's case and the other two cases against Trump's political adversaries.
A grand jury in Greenbelt, Maryland on Thursday returned an 18-count indictment of Bolton on alleged transmission and retention of national defense information. With the indictment, Bolton joins former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) as Trump opponents who have now been targeted by his Department of Justice.
However, During a Thursday appearance on MSNBC, Andrew Weissmann – who was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York — said that there's one key difference between Bolton and others: That he was an "insider." He argued that his charges in particular communicate an ominous signal to everyone else in government.
"This is sending amessage. Don't do it. Because inthe future this can be theresult," Weissmann said. "If you don't want toget indicted, put your headdown and don't do your job."
"Now,I think it's particularlysignificant with respect to nowindicting somebody who was aninsider, and I think that's thereason that you have thisindictment," Weissmann continued. "... One of thethings that it accomplishes bydoing this, by attacking ... people who used to beinside is to say, 'do not speakill of Donald Trump. Do not goout and and say anything thatis derogatory, particularly ifyou are on the inside. Youmust be loyal.'"
Weissmann noted that Trump spoke about the indictments in front of Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel, who all were "silent" while the president "violate[d] all sorts of norms."
"And Ithink that is sort of the wayyou can tie this all together,in terms of what this presidentis trying to accomplish and thelasting harm to our countrybecause of the message it sendsabout what can happen going forward to hold people to account," he added.
Watch the segment below: