Secretary of State Mike Pompeo compared former national security adviser John Bolton to Edward Snowden.
In a Monday night interview on Hannity, Pompeo alleged that Bolton’s new book, which members of the Trump administration have claimed contains classified information, makes him “not dissimilar” from the former CIA contractor who leaked a trove of documents about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs.
During the interview, the secretary of state reiterated claims made by others within the administration that Bolton’s book includes lies and that the former national security adviser viewed himself as more important than others during his time at the White House.
“It was a really difficult situation where John Bolton thought he was more important than the president of the United States and the American people,” Pompeo said, adding, “Frankly, the information he has released puts criminal liability squarely on him.”
“We all saw what’s happened when people leak classified information like Edward Snowden,” he added. “What John Bolton did here is not dissimilar from that, and while we’ll leave open for the Justice Department to take its action, this kind of information getting out — it presents real risk and real harm to the United States of America.”
Pompeo has previously accused Bolton of being a “traitor” to the U.S. over the book.
Bolton made several major accusations against Trump in his book, including claims that the president asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to help his reelection campaign. The Department of Justice attempted to stop the release of Bolton’s book by filing a restraining order, but the court did not grant the restriction.
[Related: ‘Should be in jail’: Trump compares ‘washed up Creepster’ John Bolton to Hillary Clinton]
