Is Retribution Now the American Way?

A Saturday Prompt

FBI agents outside John Bolton’s house in Bethesda, Maryland yesterday. (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

I’m no fan of John Bolton, but I am a fan of justice. My default assumption when the FBI raided Bolton’s house and office yesterday morning was that this is an act of retribution carried out by Trump’s weaponized Department of Justice. Bolton, Trump’s third National Security Advisor in his first term, has been a fierce critic who called his former boss “erratic” and “stunningly uninformed” in a 2020 memoir that Trump tried to block from publication.

It’s ironic that the reason given for the raid was a search for classified documents. FBI Director Kash Patel gleefully announced this raid by posting “NO ONE is above the law…FBI agents on mission.” His deputy director, Dan Bongino, also joined in: “Public corruption will not be tolerated.”

Oh, sure.

We already learned how serious this bunch is about corruption and justice when Trump recklessly stuffed Mar-a-Lago with classified documents taken from the White House. Trump’s operatives worked aggressively to ensure he would not be held criminally accountable, with particular thanks to Trump supporter Judge Aileen Cannon.

Speaking of corruption and justice, this raid was carried out on the same day that a transcript was released of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell’s interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, formerly Trump’s personal attorney. No one should be surprised that this known liar told Blanche, “I never witnessed the president in any inappropriate setting in any way. The president was never inappropriate with anybody in the times that I was with him. He was a gentleman in all respects…I like him, and I’ve always liked him.” It was only a matter of days before Maxwell was moved to a minimum security facility with new freedoms—an unprecedented change for a sex offender.

In the last two weeks, meanwhile, Trump has become increasingly angry with Bolton. He had already stripped his security clearances and security detail. Bolton’s comments to The Atlantic that Putin’s visit on American soil meant that the the Russian president had “already won” triggered Trump to whine on Truth Social about “unfair media” which was “constantly quoting fired losers and really dumb people like John Bolton.” Days later Trump complained again about “stupid people” who made his effort to end the war “much harder.”

As expected, Vice President JD Vance denied yesterday that the raid was an act of retribution while Trump claimed he was unaware of any investigation. But Vance’s choice of words in his interview with NBC yesterday is telling. “We’re in the very early stages of an ongoing investigation into John Bolton,” he said, adding, “If there’s no crime here, we’re not going to prosecute it. If there is a crime here, of course, Ambassador Bolton will get his day in court.”

Notice the “we” here? Under this regime, the Department of Justice is no longer an independent agency, but a vehicle to serve Trump. Its tools and powers are crudely exploited to harass and frighten perceived enemies—or worse—and send a message to anyone else who would dare criticize the dear leader. Bolton joins a growing list of people under federal investigation that already includes former FBI director James Comey, former CIA director John Brennan, former Homeland Security official Miles Taylor and the courageous whistleblower and former senior White House adviser and military veteran Alexander Vindman. All of them were among some 60 names listed by Kash Patel in his 2023 book, American Gangsters, who he insisted “weaponized” the government.

While Trump feigned ignorance of the investigation yesterday, he didn’t hesitate to lob new attacks at Bolton, telling reporters Bolton was “sort of a lowlife” and “could be a very unpatriotic guy—we’re going to find out.”

Sadly, all of this was knowable, made clear by Trump in a March 2023 speech several months after he announced his plan to run for a second term. “I am your warrior, I am your justice,” he told a Conservative Political Action Committee crowd. “And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution.” He also pledged to “demolish the deep state” and “liberate America from these villains and scoundrels once and for all,” referring to the “political class that hates America,” “globalists,” the “fake news media” and others.

For anyone who doubted that this malignant man was really serious about acting out his sadistic, deep-seated desire for vengeance, here we are. He’s put together a team of miscreants—rubber-stamped by Senate Republicans, largely unfettered by checks and balances—more than happy to fulfill Trump’s dark desires and target his critics. They want to isolate the targeted opponents from everyone who still believes in an independent judiciary and rejects corruption in order to make it harder for the public to dissent with collective force.

So: Is retribution now the American way? Is our only option to sit back and watch the list of enemies facing federal prosecution grow? Do you believe that we Americans still have the collective power to oppose this abuse? Should this be a focus of public demonstrations? Can Trump’s claim that anyone who disagrees with him is “unpatriotic” motivate us to prove what patriotism really means?

Let’s never forget the statement about free speech by President Theodore Roosevelt that was published in 1918 near the end of WWI: “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country.”

As always, I look forward to reading your thoughts and the opportunity for this community to learn from each other. Please do be respectful in your comments. Trolling will not be tolerated.

America, America depends on reader support. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber for $50 a year or just $5 a month, if you’re not already. This helps sustain and expand our work, keeps nearly all the content free for everyone and gives you full access to the community conversations.