John Bolton, former national security adviser during Donald Trump’s first administration, has been criminally indicted on federal charges of allegedly mishandling classified information. The charges include eight counts of transmission of national defense information (NDI) and ten counts of unlawful retention of NDI.

Bolton is accused of illegally transmitting top secret U.S. defense information via his personal email and other messaging apps — charges that Bolton vehemently denies, and which eerily echo Trump’s past accusations against Hillary Clinton — that could result in a sentence of decades in prison if he were to be convicted on all charges. At his age, that would be tantamount to a life sentence.

Specifically, the indictment states:

“These documents revealed intelligence about future attacks, foreign adversaries, and foreign-policy relations.” [Ana Faguy and Aoife Walsh, BBC, October 16, 2025.]

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi — Trump’s willing enforcer of his relentless attacks on his critics and perceived enemies — said in a statement that “No one is above the law.” [Id.]

What I find most difficult to comprehend is how the Trump team can possibly fail to see the irony — indeed, the completely transparent hypocrisy — in their every move and every word.

Do they really think we have forgotten the 40 counts of the indictment against Trump after he left office in January of 2021 with boxes of classified government documents that were later found at his Florida residence? He was charged separately under the Espionage Act for each of 32 documents; eight additional charges included making false statements and engaging in a conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Despite special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of the case, it was dismissed in 2024 by Judge Aileen Cannon — a Trump appointee — who ruled that Smith’s appointment had been unconstitutional.

Trump — the original Mr. Teflon — walked. But “no one is above the law.”

He and his minions also conveniently ignore the events of this past March, when The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly included in a classified Signal group chat regarding detailed preparations for military operations against Houthi forces in Yemen. The call included, among other top members of the administration, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz — Waltz being the person named as the coordinator of the call.

In fact, it happened twice. Was anyone charged, fired, or even reprimanded? No, they were not . . . because they were Trump’s people. But again, “no one is above the law.”

In fact, Hegseth’s comments to the press included this:

“Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that.” He called Jeffrey Goldberg “a deceitful and highly discredited, so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again. . . . This is the guy that pedals [sic] in garbage. This is what he does.” [Megan Forrester, ABC News, April 22, 2025.]

That, of course, would be in contrast to Hegseth’s own illustrious career at Fox News.

*. *. *

“No one is above the law.” At least, that’s how it’s supposed to be, and how it always has been in this country . . . until recently. But it seems that now “the law” is whatever the guy at the top of the ladder says it is. And “no one” means anyone but him and his chosen few.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/17/25