In a bold comparison, John Bolton likened President Donald Trump to the infamous head of Stalin’s secret police, following Trump’s indictment on accusations of mishandling classified documents. This development unfolded after Bolton, who served as a National Security Advisor, found himself at the center of controversy over allegedly sending sensitive information via his personal AOL account. If convicted, Bolton could face a decade in prison.
Reacting to the charges, Bolton described them as a retaliatory move, asserting that they stem from his outspoken criticisms of Trump after his stint in the administration. He argued that the legal actions were more about silencing dissent than about justice.
“Trump’s actions remind me of Stalin’s notorious secret police chief, who famously said, ‘Show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime,'” Bolton remarked, drawing a parallel to Stalin’s oppressive regime known for its brutal suppression of dissent through mass arrests, torture, and executions.
Bolton expressed that the charges are not merely focused on him or his diaries but represent a broader campaign to intimidate opponents and control narratives about Trump’s behavior. This, he suggests, is an attempt to monopolize the discourse surrounding his presidency.
Under Joseph Stalin’s brutal rule of the Soviet Regime, his notorious secret police agency were responsible for mass arrests, torture, and execution of his critics.
‘These charges are not just about his focus on me or my diaries, but his intensive effort to intimidate his opponents, to ensure that he alone determines what is said about his conduct,’ Bolton said.
‘Dissent and disagreement are foundational to America’s constitutional system, and vitally important to our freedom.’
Bolton has vowed to defend his ‘lawful conduct and to expose his [Trump’s] abuse of power.’
He hit out at the allegations on Thursday, branding thet legal effort against him as an act of ‘retribution’ for speaking out publicly against Trump after working for him briefly in the first administration (pictured, Trump and Bolton in 2018)
Trump maintains he wasn’t aware of the indictment, but Bolton insists it is an act of ‘retribution’ by the president
According to the indictment, Bolton is alleged to have sent out diary notes via email about his daily activities while he was national security adviser. Two of the people who received those emails did not have security clearance, and the emails contained ‘national defense information’ and details classified as ‘top secret.’
Bolton’s emails were later hacked by someone with links to the Iranian government, according to the indictment. Bolton reported the hack to the FBI.
The indictment comes two months after FBI agents raided Bolton’s Washington, D.C. office and suburban Maryland home.
The FBI was looking for possible violations of the Espionage Act, a law that dates back to 1917 and makes unauthorized possession of national security documents illegal.
At Bolton’s D.C. office, federal agents discovered documents marked ‘confidential’ that referenced weapons of mass destruction, according to unsealed court records.
At his Maryland home, agents seized two cell phones, documents in folders labeled ‘Trump I-IV’ and a binder labeled ‘statements and reflections to Allied Strikes,’ the court records also showed.
Despite Bolton blaming Trump, the president claimed on Thursday he was unaware of the grand jury indictment until it happened.
‘I didn’t know that, you’re telling me for the first time, but I think he’s a bad person,’ Trump told a reporter who asked a question about the indictment in the Oval Office.
Under Joseph Stalin’s brutal rule of the Soviet Regime, his notorious secret police agency were responsible for mass arrests, torture, and execution of his critics.
Bolton waves to the press on the day his house was raided by FBI agents in August
‘I think he’s a bad guy, yeah, he’s a bad guy. Too bad, but that’s the way it goes.’
Bolton was tapped as Trump’s third national security adviser during his first term after previously serving as President George W. Bush’s ambassador to the United Nations.
After leaving the Trump White House, Bolton became a prominent critic of the president, calling him ‘stunningly uninformed’ in his memoir, which the administration had tried to block.
Trump indicated early on in his second term that Bolton would be a top target in his vengeance campaign.
Just a day after his swearing-in, Trump had Bolton’s Secret Service detail pulled.
Bolton said in his Thursday statement he devoted ‘four decades’ of his life ‘to America’s foreign policy and national security.’
‘I would never compromise those goals. I tried to do that during my tenure in the first Trump Administration but resigned when it became impossible to do so.
‘Donald Trump’s retribution against me began then.’
FBI agents remove boxes from the Washington, D.C. office of former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton on August 22
Bolton said he was merely ‘the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies.’
Last month Trump appeared to publicly order Attorney General Pam Bondi to ramp up prosecution of his political enemies, naming former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff.
Days later, Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury over charges related to making false statements to Congress.
Trump fired Comey in 2017 amid the Russia probe, which the president has labeled a ‘hoax.’
Last week, James was indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia on one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution.
James had previously brought fraud charges against the president and his company.
