John Bolton is not a good man. But he doesn’t have to be to understand, with blinding precision, that the FBI’s raid on his home today is a shocking escalation of the Trump administration’s eagerness to use the powers of law enforcement to go after its perceived enemies.
It’s important to note that the raid, which was approved by a federal judge, could end up discovering some sort of illegal activity by Bolton. But even if that happens, there is hardly anything that can remove the appearance that the investigation is dripping with vengeance.
Why? Because President Donald Trump despises Bolton, who went from being his former national security adviser to a vocal critic of Trump’s foreign policy. Their mutual disdain was once again on display the other week, with Bolton blasting Trump’s negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In turn, Trump called Bolton “really dumb.”
But even more than Trump, it’s FBI Director Kash Patel who might be most amped up right now.
Patel notoriously included Bolton in a book appendix that listed “Members of the Executive Branch Deep State.” Patel also personally blames Bolton for delaying his hiring in the first Trump administration. So, it came as no surprise that just as FBI agents were entering Bolton’s Maryland home this morning, Patel posted this.
Nope, no surprise there. But wild, ominous, and indicative of an authoritarian police state hellbent on revenge? Yes.
—Inae Oh
