The response to former President Trump’s indictment has been cautious from most of his GOP rivals, but certain veterans of his administration have taken a more assertive approach.

Bill Barr, who served as Trump’s attorney general, expressed that Trump would face significant consequences if even half of the alleged behavior in the indictment were proven true.

Barr later criticized Trump and his allies’ defenses as “farcical” and accused the former president of engaging in obstruction and deception, The Hill reports.

John Bolton, Trump’s national security advisor from 2018 to 2019, described the indictment as “devastating” and believed it should mark the end of Trump’s political career.

Meanwhile, former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly conveyed to the Washington Post that Trump was deeply fearful of the circumstances he now faces, noting that he had never faced accountability before.

Despite growing alienation from Trump in recent years, Barr, Bolton, and Kelly differ from “Never Trump” figures like former Representatives Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) in their backgrounds and perspectives.

Written by staff