The Fate of John Bolton: Trump Doesn't Just Pick Who's Prosecuted — Now He Picks Your Prison, Too

Ambassador John Bolton pled guilty last week to mishandling classified information, and the plea includes a stipulation that if he receives prison, the term is no more than five years.  On paper, this agreement reads like a win. But the plea isn't the paper that matters most, because the same week Bolton signed his plea, Acting U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche quietly issued a policy formalizing something no DOJ has ever done: proclaimed express authority to override the Bureau of Prisons and personally decide where an inmate will serve their sentence.    Therefore, the wall between prosecution and punishment is now officially obliterated.  Trump doesn't just decide who gets charged. Now, through Todd Blanche, he decides where you rot. Only the sentencing judge has the power to save him from this possible fate, by imposing a non-custodial sentence.  The only question now is --  will he do it?   IN THIS EPISODE: Why Biden's DOJ had four years to prosecute Bolton and didn't; Compare and contrast Trumps (alleged) crimes and Bolton's; Grading Bolton's plea agreement; Introducing Todd Blanche's new BOP designation change notice; Why the order could result in "pay for play" like the pardon and clemency process; Connecting the order to Ghislaine Maxwell's camp placement; The one sentencing move that could shield a defendant from vindictive BOP placement; Reading Abbe Lowell's press release and Bolton's "service to country" framing – a good lesson in narrative structure LINK: RECENT CHANGE TO BOP PLACEMENT POLICY: