Prosecutor couldn't charge Adam Schiff — so she went after John Bolton instead: report

President Donald Trump's Justice Department has been pressuring an acting U.S. attorney to indict Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) even though she hasn't been able to make a legitimate case for it, according to a report.

Writing for MSNBC.com on Thursday, Carol Leonnig, Vaughn Hillyard, Ken Dilanian, and Lisa Rubin collaborated on a report revealing that Kelly O. Hayes, a career prosecutor in Maryland, was specifically pressured by Ed Martin, who is running the "weaponization task force" investigations.

"She has chosen to move forward with a case she feels has merit and that will also be welcomed by the White House: to prosecute Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton on charges related to mishandling classified information," MSNBC reported, citing its sources. "Hayes has told colleagues she believes some charges against Bolton are reasonable and warranted, a case involving mishandling of classified information that began under the Biden administration."

The Maryland office has conducted interviews with witnesses as part of the grand jury, alleging that he committed bank fraud by purchasing a second home in Maryland. She feared being fired after stating that the facts simply aren't there to bring a case against Schiff, according to sources speaking to MSNBC.

Schiff, according to Leonnig, is much higher on the list of people that Trump wants to target.

"And this what we learned in our reporting in the last several days was that this U.S. attorney, holding on to her job, trying to navigate this painful period while Trump is deciding who gets charged with a crime, regardless of the facts, she has been basically concluding, let's keep moving forward with Bolton because this case has merit," said Leonnig.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor has been "not slow walking, but not rushing to give the final conclusion of her office, which is quickly circling around the conclusion that there are no facts to bring the Adam Schiff criminal case."

Leonnig said that it's going to be "very disappointing" to several Trump appointees.