MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace sounded off on the indictment of former national security adviser John Bolton, accusing the president of using the federal government as a way to take down his adversaries.
During Thursday’s episode of “Deadline: White House,” Wallace and her guests — including former chief of staff at Homeland Security Miles Taylor, New York Times’ Justice Department reporter Glenn Thrush and former Justice Department official Andrew Weissmann — weighed in after receiving confirmation that Bolton was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to the handling of classified national defense information.
His indictment followed the charges brought against fellow Trump critics, former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James in recent weeks.
As Wallace kicked off the report, the newswoman highlighted the many times Bolton publicly criticized the president, including an instance where he claimed Trump wasn’t “fit for office.”
“We’re talking about the treatment of critics through the prism of the rule of law, because Donald Trump has now crossed that rubicon,” she said of the three indictments. “The list of enemies is so long that, if we’re in month nine and he’s checked off three, where are we heading?”
Wallace’s guests were feeling equally wary in the wake of the update, with Weissmann suggesting the legal moves served as warnings to those who may “speak ill of Donald Trump” or even bring legal action against the president.
“This is sending a message [of] ‘Don’t do it,’ because in the future, this can be the result,” Weissmann said of those following in the shoes of Bolton, James and Comey. “If you don’t want to get indicted, put your head down and don’t do your job.”
Weissmann noted that the underlying message for insiders was abundantly clear, too: “Do not go out and say anything that is derogatory, particularly if you are on the inside. You must be loyal.”
Watch the full discussion in the video above.
“Deadline: White House” airs weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on MSNBC.
