Former national security adviser John Bolton said he was unimpressed by the low price the Iranian military offered for his assassination, joking that he was “embarrassed” by the $300,000 price tag.
Bolton was asked about the failed contract killing plot in an interview Wednesday at CNN’s Situation Room.
“Well, the low price confuses me. I thought she would be taller. But I think it could be a currency issue or something,” Bolton joked.
Bolton added that he “roughly understands what the threat is” but said he knew nothing about the case against Shahram Poursafi, 45, a member of Iran’s notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The US Justice Department announced on Wednesday that it charged Poursafi, 45, with assaulting former President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, possibly in retaliation for the US assassination of IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.
Poursafi is accused of providing and attempting to provide material support to a transnational murder conspiracy and using an interstate commercial facility to carry out a murder for hire. He remains free.
Bolton stepped down from the Trump administration in September 2019 but praised Soleimani’s assassination when he tweeted that he hoped “this is the first step towards regime change in Tehran.”
Starting in October 2021, Poursafi tried to hire someone in the United States in exchange for $300,000 in Bolton, according to the US Department of Justice.
The people Poursafi hired turned out to be FBI informants, also known as Confidential Human Resources (CHS).
As part of the conspiracy, Poursafi allegedly suggested that the CHS commit the murder “by car”, gave them the address of a former Trump aide’s office, and said he had a habit of walking alone.
Poursafi also allegedly told would-be assassins that he had a “second job” for which he was paying them $1 million.
An unnamed source told CNN that the “second job” targeted former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who worked during the airstrike that killed Soleimani and pushed Iran to seek retribution on the US, who served in the Trump administration.
It is alleged that Pompeo has been under habeas corpus since leaving office due to an alleged death threat from Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani on Wednesday dismissed the new US Justice Department revelations as “ridiculous allegations” and issued a vague warning on behalf of the Iranian government that any action against Iranian citizens would be “subject to international law.”
If found guilty on both federal charges, Poursafi faces up to 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Post time: Aug-12-2022