Donald Trump’s growing list of adversaries facing federal charges now includes former National Security Advisor John Bolton, marking the third such indictment to date.
Although the accusations against Bolton might carry more weight than those aimed at ex-FBI Director Jim Comey and New York Attorney General Tish James—cases lacking substantive grounds—the underlying drive in these proceedings echoes Trump’s long-standing rallying cry of “Lock Them Up!” It’s evident he is leveraging the Department of Justice to fulfill this agenda.
The principle established by the Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution is clear: neither kings nor presidents hold unchecked power. Yet it seems Trump and his allies within the DOJ are unconcerned with these historical safeguards.
For those inclined to trust federal prosecutors, a word of caution: skepticism is warranted. The administration wants this indictment of Bolton to be viewed as a routine legal proceeding, signaling that sufficient evidence exists to justify the charges and that the alleged crimes are serious enough to merit federal attention. Unfortunately, such integrity in the process appears to be compromised.
When questioned about Bolton’s case, Trump resorted to his usual tactic of feigning ignorance, suggesting that the charges seemed justified without admitting direct involvement. This leaves us with two unsettling possibilities: either Trump is lying, a behavior he frequently exhibits when it serves his interests, or he genuinely lacks awareness of the actions within his administration. The latter is plausible given his apparent disinterest in the intricacies of governance, preferring the spotlight and leaving decision-making to his cadre of supporters and ideologues.
On the other hand, it’s also perfectly plausible that he really did not know, just as he does not seem to know a good deal of what happens in his whacky administration. Trump personally has never been all that interested in the nuts and bolts of management or policy or government. He likes to speak to the cameras and see himself on television, but as for the daily decision-making, he mostly seems content to toss it over to the group of grifters and ideologues that populate his government.
We would not be surprised if an immoral operator like Kash Patel atop the FBI took this sort of step without Trump‘s knowledge, hoping to impress the old man by helpfully pursuing his “lock them up” agenda.
Either way, the pattern here is clear. Those who have too publicly or forcefully criticized Trump or his administration are clear targets for political retribution in the form of weaponized justice, no actual wrongdoing needed. Whatever pretext the administration needs to invent, it will do so in order to punish these political transgressors and send a message to the rest.
There’s no reason to think this will stop, with Bolton now, at least until there are tangible repercussions for engaging in this autocratic targeting. These are not cases that are designed to win — any respectable federal judge will laugh them out of court, and we’re hoping they do so quickly — but designed to intimidate.
For this, we need a political solution, which by all rights should be oversight action by Congress. This Congress, under control by Trump sycophants, is not going to do it. Perhaps the next one will. In the meantime, these charges should be dismissed with prejudice, and these critics should keep speaking.
