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The Wall Street Journal has raised concerns that following the indictment of former national security adviser John Bolton, President Trump may target additional political adversaries.
In a Thursday editorial, the Journal described opposing Trump as a “perilous business” and noted that even working for him can present significant risks.
“There’s little doubt that the underlying motivation for this prosecution is retribution,” the editorial stated. “The President has had Mr. Bolton in his sights since 2020, especially after Mr. Bolton released his book, prompting Trump to demand his prosecution.”
Federal prosecutors allege that Bolton distributed over a thousand pages of personal diary-like entries to two family members and held onto documents, writings, and notes concerning national defense matters.
This indictment follows similar legal actions against high-profile Trump critics, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Both were indicted by Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s former personal attorney, whom he recently appointed as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Trump criticized Bolton after federal agents raided his home and this week called him a “bad guy.” But the president said he had not reviewed the indictment against his former national security adviser.
“Mr. Bolton will get his day in court, and we look forward to his defense. In our experience he is a patriot who would do nothing to compromise national security,” the Journal wrote. “He never leaked classified information to us. If Mr. Bolton had praised Mr. Trump in his book, it’s safe to say he wouldn’t have been indicted.”