


Former national security adviser John Bolton blasted the 34 felony count indictment lodged against former President Donald Trump, saying it was distressing and "weaker" than he feared it would be.
"Speaking as someone who very strongly does not want Donald Trump to get the Republican presidential nomination, I'm extraordinarily distressed by this document," Bolton told CNN. "I think this is even weaker than I feared it would be."
JOHN BOLTON SAYS TRUMP INDICTMENT COULD SERVE AS 'ROCKET FUEL' FOR 2024 CAMPAIGN
On Tuesday, Trump was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to 34 counts, including for falsifying business records, in what was alleged by prosecutors as a "catch and kill" scheme that flouted election laws in 2016.
Bolton echoed critics of the indictment who suggested Trump's lawyers should push for a motion to dismiss.
"I think it's easily subject to being dismissed or a quick acquittal for Trump," Bolton added.
He previously warned that if Trump gets acquitted of charges, it could provide "rocket fuel" for his 2024 campaign.
Based on the unsealed indictment, the case revolves around three people to whom Trump and some in his orbit allegedly funneled hush money payments, including a Trump Tower doorman, porn star Stormy Daniels, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg suggested the hush money payments amounted to an in-kind campaign contribution and that Trump and his associates falsified records about reimbursement schemes for those payments to conceal criminal activity.
Trump has vehemently denied wrongdoing and said, "Radical left lunatics want to interfere with our elections by using law enforcement." He is due back in court in December for a hearing.
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Bolton has long criticized Trump since departing his administration and even mused about mounting a 2024 GOP primary challenge against him. A handful of other Trump critics similarly raised questions about the viability of the indictment, which marks the first time a sitting or former president was criminally charged.
"It's disappointment. I think everyone was hoping we would see more about the direction that they intend to take this prosecution. What is the legal theory that ties that very solid misdemeanor case, 34 counts of misdemeanors, to the intent to conceal another crime, which is what makes it a felony?" former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told CNN. "It simply isn't there."