Radio Recap – Sec. of State Pompeo Calls John Bolton “a Traitor”

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Jordan Sekulow

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June 19, 2020

3 min read

Public Policy

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had some strong words for former National Security Adviser John Bolton.

On today’s Jay Sekulow Live, we discussed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s strong words about former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s book. The Secretary of State called Ambassador Bolton a “traitor.”

Secretary Pompeo issued perhaps one of the most strongly worded statements in history by a Secretary of State about a former government official. Secretary Pompeo’s statement was titled, “I Was in the Room Too.” The statement then said the following:

I’ve not read the book, but from the excerpts I’ve seen published, John Bolton is spreading a number of lies, fully-spun half-truths, and outright falsehoods.

It is both sad and dangerous that John Bolton’s final public role is that of a traitor who damaged America by violating his sacred trust with its people. To our friends around the world: you know that President Donald Trump's America is a force for good in the world.

That is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s public final role “that of a traitor who damaged America.”

My dad, Jay Sekulow, made the following point when he said:

These are obviously very strong words by the Secretary of State. Traitor is a legally defined term, one that turns on their country, harms their country intentionally. So he’s obviously very upset about the allegations that are in John Bolton’s book that involve him.

I understand why he’d be upset because it appears – I haven’t read it so I don’t know what’s in it – but it appears that there’s a lot of information that is in this book, according to the pleadings that have been filed, that violate national security. Individuals that violate the national security of the United States of America – that can be treasonous activity. Now, that’s for a court to determine. Again, what Secretary Pompeo said there is, to be clear as lawyers in our outside capacity that litigated the impeachment and had to deal with the book on the periphery, those are very strongly worded statements. Treason is a very high legal bar also.

ACLJ Senior Counsel Andy Ekonomou shared his thoughts when he said:

Treason is a high legal bar. Treason against the United States is a capital offense. I mean to call somebody a traitor means that you have violated the sacred trust of the people of the United States by selling them out to foreign enemies that could actually undermine the Republic. As I said, it is a capital offense and the Secretary of State has come out guns a blazing calling him a traitor. I don’t think he’s wrong, as a matter of fact, because this Bolton is an opportunist and an avenger who has taken the position of National Security Adviser and has twisted it for monetary gain.

The full broadcast is complete with more discussion by our team of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement regarding the Bolton book as well as an analysis of the ramifications.

Watch the full broadcast below.