5 June—We can’t help but be disappointed in John Bolton, who just copped a plea for mishandling classified documents. As a former national security advisor—even Donald Trump’s and not for very long—he certainly should have known better than to share classified information with his wife and daughter (or anyone else), who evidently were helping him with his 2020 memoir. Evidently complacency, ego, and arrogance got the better of him. He of all people should have had the smarts to not leave a paper or digital trail.

Presumably the profits from Bolton’s best-selling memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” for which Simon & Schuster gave him a $2 million advance as well as undisclosed royalties which likely have doubled that, will go to pay his $2.25 million fine. Despite pressure Trump is certain to bring on the sentencing court, Bolton is unlikely to serve any hard time. And the Democrat president who’s elected in 2028 may even grant Bolton a full pardon even though he’s a hardcore Republican.

We’re also disappointed in former New Britain mayor and aborted Republican gubernatorial candidate Erin Stewart, but less and less surprised as her self-dealing offenses keep piling up. She, too, should have known better, but evidently complacency, ego, and arrogance also got the better of her. We wonder if her father, who had been a four-term New Britain mayor, knew what his daughter with a decidedly promising future was up to. Sad story.

The FBI, such as it may be these days, is said to be investigating Erin Stewart’s alleged malfeasance. If she should be prosecuted by the feds and convicted for any of her offenses, Trump could pardon her, as he’s pardoned so many other criminal politicians. In that case, we shouldn’t be at all surprised to see New Britain’s former GOP youthful super star tapped by Donald Trump for a position in his famously corrupt administration.

And we’re still waiting for Trump to offer disgraced congressional con man George Santos (only the sixth U.S. representative to be expelled from the House), whose prison sentence he magnanimously commuted along with remitting the young grifter’s obligation to pay restitution and fines, a lucrative seat in his corrupt, chaotic cabinet . . .