David Axelrod, a former chief strategist for then-President Obama, weighed in on the FBI raid of John Bolton’s house earlier on Friday, arguing the administration’s move will “send a message” to critics.
“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 on Friday.
The ongoing feud between President Trump and Bolton, his former national security adviser, has prompted some critics to argue the aid 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.
The director of the FBI, Kash Patel, posted on the social media platform X Friday morning, “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.”
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 remained 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.” The book was highly critical to Trump and prompted suspicions from the president that Bolton mishandled classified records.
Trump said on Friday about Bolton that, “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 that there was a “court-authorized law enforcement activity” in the Bolton home, near Washington, D.C., related to the handling of classified information.
Almost immediately upon returning to the White House this winter, Trump revoked Bolton’s security clearance and Secret Service protection.
