The Raids on Bolton's house is another dead canary in the coal mine

Based on a CNBC report by Dan Mangan, FBI agents conducted simultaneous raids on John Bolton's Maryland home and Washington D.C. office last week. Officials described as part of a "national security investigation in search of classified records."

Ten FBI agents carried boxes from Bolton's M Street office, and the home raid began at 7 a.m. Each raid had a court-authorized search warrant.

Funny how this adminstration is using classified records as an excuse after all those found in Mar-a-Lago.

Bolton's critical stance on trump-putin relations

The timing and context of these raids reveal concerning fascist undertones. Bolton, who served as Trump's national security advisor from 2018-2019, has since vocally critisized him. He has recently criticized the president about Trump's recent meetings with Vladimir Putin about ending the Ukraine war.

Just days before the raid, Trump publicly attacked Bolton on Truth Social, calling him a "fired loser" and criticizing his opposition to the Putin meetings.

Authoritarian raidds as a coordinated federal effort

Public messaging campaign

The authoritarian implications become more apparent when examining the leadership responses. FBI Director Kash Patel tweeted "NO ONE is above the law" while his agents were conducting the raids, with Attorney General Pam Bondi retweeting this with "America's safety isn't negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always." According to The New York Post, Patel himself ordered the investigation into Bolton.

Of course their boss has been indicted on many counts. So o o e but Trump. Oh, and all those folks on the unsecure chat about military planing. Rich isn't it.

A pattern of intimidation

Adding to these concerns, Trump had already canceled Bolton's Secret Service protection detail after taking office in January 2025, despite known Iranian assassination plots against the former advisor. When asked about the raids, Trump claimed ignorance but called Bolton a "lowlife," demonstrating his continued hostility toward his former aide.

Retaliation, pure and simple

A person close to Bolton characterized the raids as "retribution, pure and simple" in response to Bolton's criticism of the Trump administration. This includes his book "The Room Where it Happened." This interpretation gains credibility given the pattern of Trump targeting critics and the fact that while the investigation allegedly began during the Biden administration, it was revived and executed under Trump's current term with his handpicked FBI leadership.

Weaponizing federal law enforcement

The simultaneous nature of the raids, the public messaging from Trump's appointees, and the timing following Bolton's criticism of Trump's Russia policy all point to what appears to be the weaponization of federal law enforcement against a prominent administration critic. The coordinated response from multiple Trump appointees suggests this action was designed not just as an investigation, but as a public demonstration of consequences for opposing the administration.

When seen with the actions of ICE, it's pretty obvious where Trump wants this to go. And it's not pretty for those of us who believe in a democratic and just society.

Non in cactus futuri.