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John Bolton: Patrick Kennedy Could Be Prosecuted for Attempted Bribery

October 18, 2016

Former George W. Bush administration member John Bolton said Tuesday that senior State Department official Patrick Kennedy could be prosecuted for attempted bribery after his reported offer of a quid pro quo to the FBI over declassifying one of Hillary Clinton’s emails.

According to newly released FBI notes from the Clinton email investigation, Kennedy "pressured" an unnamed FBI official into declassifying one of Clinton’s private server emails. He offered a deal where the department would approve FBI agents being placed in countries where they were currently forbidden. However, they ultimately did not strike such an agreement.

Bolton, in a clip flagged by The Right Scoop, called the allegation "extraordinarily serious," noting the quid pro quo not taking place did not make the conversation any less wrong.

"Attempted bribery is just as much a crime as actual bribery," he said.

Bolton compared the saga to former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who went to prison over a variety of corruption charges regarding bribes he solicited over filling Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat.

"What Patrick Kennedy was trading here was slots for the FBI in American embassies overseas," Bolton said. "It may not sound like much, but in the bureaucracy, that was golden, too. So, in a way, Patrick Kennedy is the Rod Blagojevich of Hillary Clinton’s State Department."

Fox News host Bill Hemmer asked Bolton, an attorney, whether he could win a case against Kennedy in court.

"This is attempted bribery. Absolutely," Bolton said. "It is inconceivable to me that a State Department official could do this. You can’t change the classification of information, whether it’s a document or some other tangible form, for any reason other than a chance in the circumstances that gave rise to the classification in the first place. Patrick Kennedy was doing a political task for Hillary Clinton, trading on government information and government resources."

Bolton also called for Kennedy’s firing. However, the State Department said Monday it would not remove Kennedy.

State Department spokesman John Kirby strongly denied the allegations in a round of media appearances Tuesday morning. The State Department and FBI offered denials on Monday as well of any quid pro quo discussion.