The editorial board of Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal has called out President Donald Trump, 80, for his treatment of a former adviser, saying his behavior smacks of “raw vindictiveness.”
John Bolton, who was Trump’s national security adviser in his first term, has long been on a list of Americans targeted for assassination by Iran, the Journal said.
As tensions escalate between the United States and Iran, Trump has repeatedly talked about how he is Iran’s number one enemy and the target of assassination plots.
After Trump was reportedly forced to switch from his new Qatar-gifted Air Force One to the older model to fly out of Ankara, Turkey, due to security concerns, he told reporters the threats to him were from Iran.
“They want to take out the U.S. leader—me,” Trump said. “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”
The Journal wanted to know why Trump had taken away the protection details from other Iran targets, like Bolton.
“How about a little concern, then, about Iran’s threats to kill his former national security adviser, John Bolton?” the Journal wrote.
The paper pointed out that Bolton has been targeted by Iran, along with Trump’s first-term Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the State Department’s main deputy for Iran policy in the first term, Brian Hook.
“The Biden administration was concerned enough that it provided the trio with protection details,” the editorial board wrote. “But after taking office a second time, Mr. Trump pulled that protection from all three. This was raw vindictiveness, since we doubt Iran has given up on killing them.”
Bolton, who is being prosecuted for mishandling classified documents by the Trump administration, pleaded guilty to avoid additional charges and is facing a $2.25 million fine and up to five years in prison in a move that the Journal describes as “a penalty far beyond.”
Not pulling any punches of their own, the editorial writers argue that were Bolton to be murdered in jail, that would be on Trump’s hands.
“A jail term of any length runs the risk of assassination. It wouldn’t take much for Iranians to bribe an inmate, or threaten relatives of an inmate or guard, to have Mr. Bolton killed while he’s in custody. Prisons are notoriously insecure,” the paper said.
“If Mr. Bolton is killed in prison, the president and his Justice Department will be partly responsible.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is not the first time the Journal’s editorial board has criticized Trump’s behavior. While Murdoch is a famously conservative, sensationalist, hands-on media mogul, his relationship with Trump has had its ups and downs.
Currently, Trump is suing the Journal for $10 billion over an Epstein birthday card story the president claims Murdoch promised he’d kill. An earlier version of the suit was thrown out, but Trump—big on suing media opponents—refiled it.
