John Bolton Jokes That $300,000 Bounty For His Murder Was ‘Too Low’

Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton joked on Wednesday that the Iranian plot to pay an individual $300,000 to carry out his assassination was a “low price.”

“The suspect put a $300,000 price tag on your head,” CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked his guest, Bolton, on The Situation Room. “What goes through your mind, ambassador, hearing the details of this plot, as explained today in great detail by the U.S. Justice Department?”

“Well, I was embarrassed at the low price,” Bolton responded. “I would have thought it would have been higher. But I guess maybe it was the exchange rate problem or something.”

The Justice Department said on Wednesday that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member. Shahram Poursafi tried to pay someone to kill Bolton in Washington or Maryland, presumably in retaliation for the assassination of Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.

“The Justice Department has the solemn duty to defend our citizens from hostile governments who seek to hurt or kill them,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This is not the first time we have uncovered Iranian plots to exact revenge against individuals on U.S. soil and we will work tirelessly to expose and disrupt every one of these efforts.”

Bolton responded with a statement of his own thanking the Justice Department and the FBI for keeping him safe.

“I wish to thank the Justice Dept for initiating the criminal proceeding unsealed today; the FBI for its diligence in discovering and tracking the Iranian regime’s criminal threat to American citizens; and the Secret Service for providing protection against Tehran’s efforts,” he wrote.

“While much cannot be said publicly right now, one point is indisputable: Iran’s rulers are liars, terrorists, and enemies of the United States,” Bolton added. “Their radical, anti-American objectives are unchanged; their commitments are worthless; and their global threat is growing.”