David Axelrod, the Obama-era White House chief strategist, weighed in on the FBI raid of John Bolton’s house Friday, arguing the move will “send a message” to critics of the Trump administration.
“I think this is not just an attempt to, or could be, an attempt to silence John Bolton, but also to send a message to other critics of the administration that the full weight of the administration, including the Justice Department, will fall on you if you displease the president,” Axelrod said on CNN.
The ongoing feud between President Trump and Bolton, who served as his national security adviser during his first term, has prompted some critics to argue Friday morning’s raid of his home and office was a retributive act.
“And the fact that the FBI director, you know, goes online and tweets about this or whatever, whatever form of posting he did, the fact that the vice president of the U.S. jumps on that, suggests that this is a politically motivated gesture,” Axelrod continued.
As news of the raids emerged Friday morning, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on the social platform X, “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission,” but did not name anyone.
Many administration officials reposted the post, including Vice President Vance and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who added, “Public corruption will not be tolerated.”
After Bolton was ousted from the White House during Trump’s first term, he became a strong and vocal critic of the president as tensions rose between the two men. In recent weeks, Bolton has frequently criticized the president’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine war.
In 2020, Bolton published a tell-all book titled “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir.” It was highly critical to Trump and prompted suspicions from the president that Bolton mishandled classified records.
Trump said Friday about Bolton: “He’s not a smart guy. But he could be a very unpatriotic guy. We’re going to find out. I know nothing about it. I just saw it this morning, they did a raid.”
The FBI confirmed “court-authorized law enforcement activity” at Bolton’s home near Washington, D.C., related to the handling of classified information.
Almost immediately upon returning to the White House this year, Trump revoked Bolton’s security clearance and his Secret Service protection.
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