John Bolton, who served as U.S. National Security Advisor under Donald Trump, says Trump should not be immune to felony charges simply because he is a former president and is running for office yet again.
During an interview with CNN’s Abby D. Phillip Tuesday, Bolton said “everybody has to be held to the same standard” in regards to criminal charges.
“Some of his rivals who are running against him in the 2024 field are basically saying that he shouldn’t be tried at all, just because he is a former president and just because he is a candidate,” Phillip said. “What do you think about that?”
“I think that disqualifies those people from being president,” Bolton replied. “I think I would say the same for any of them who think he should be pardoned.”
Watch the full video below (video courtesy of @Acyn on Twitter):
Some of Trump’s opponents in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, like Francis Suarez, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, have said they would consider pardoning Trump should they be elected president. Trump is facing 37 felony charges for allegedly mishandling and refusing to give up classified documents.
“Part of the equal application of the law is that everybody has to be held to the same standard,” Bolton continued. “When it comes to national security information, I can’t think of a higher duty for the president, a higher example of leadership to set for everybody below him in the executive branch who deals with classified information, than to handle it carefully — which Trump has flouted. He did it for four years in office, he’s done it since then.”
“I think there’s something to be said to show to people that you’re held to high standards because everybody else is, including the president. And when you fail to uphold those standards, you pay the penalty,” Bolton concluded.
