Trump reacts to indictment of ex-adviser turned critic John Bolton: 'He's a bad person'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump gave his reaction to the news of the indictment of his former adviser turned critic, John Bolton, making him the third critic of the POTUS to face criminal charges in recent weeks.

The 76-year-old served in Trump’s first administration between 2018 and 2019 and has been an ardent critic of the former president since he left the White House.

Donald Trump calls John Bolton 'bad person'

During the interaction with the press on Thursday, October 16, a reporter asked Donald Trump, "John Bolton was just indicted by a grand jury. Do you have a reaction to that?"

The POTUS replied, "I didn't know that. You're telling me for the first time! I think he's a bad person. Too bad, that’s the way it goes, right?"

A federal grand jury indicted former national security adviser John Bolton on Thursday. The former Trump advisor was indicted in federal court in Maryland, where prosecutors have been investigating whether he improperly retained classified materials after he departed from the first Trump administration.

Interestingly, the indictment charges Bolton with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of retaining such information.

Meanwhile, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James are the two other prominent Trump adversaries to face charges in recent weeks.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement after Bolton's indictment, "There is one tier of justice for all Americans. Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardizes our national security will be held accountable. No one is above the law."

Moreover, FBI Director Kash Patel mentioned that Bolton was charged after the bureau's "investigation revealed that John Bolton allegedly transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house in direct violation of federal law."

However, Bolton denied any wrongdoing and said that the indictment was politically motivated.

John Bolton compares Trump to 'Stalin's head of secret police' after indictment

John Bolton compared Donald Trump to 'Stalin's head of secret police' after his indictment on Thursday.

He slammed the allegations and branded the legal effort against him as an act of "retribution" for speaking out publicly against Trump after working for him in the first administration.

Bolton said of the charges, "Then came Trump 2, who embodies what Joseph Stalin’s head of secret police once said, 'You show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.'"

Interestingly, under Joseph Stalin's brutal rule of the Soviet Regime, his secret police agency was 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 added.

He also mentioned, "Dissent and disagreement are foundational to America’s constitutional system, and vitally important to our freedom."

Moreover, Bolton has vowed to defend his "lawful conduct and to expose his [Trump's] abuse of power."

As per the indictment, Bolton is alleged to have sent out diary notes via email about his daily activities while he was national security adviser.

Meanwhile, 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".

Notably, the indictment took place two months after FBI agents raided Bolton's Washington, DC, office and suburban Maryland home.