John Bolton is an asshole

[Pototan]

However, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[BoRaGard]

1. Calling 1-800-psychic hottline

to see if I can get a clue on what this OP is about...

[Ocelot II]

3. The FBI was sent to search Bolton's home for "classified" materials.

[doc03]

10. All they have to do is plant one of Trump's classified documents in their search. I can't stand

Bolton but he is just a test case for raiding Democrats.

[PatSeg]

18. Yes, clearly Trump has an enemies list

and no one is safe from his vengeance. I think he craves revenge even more than money and power.

I can just picture him plotting for four years about who he would take down and how.

[BoRaGard]

17. Thank you

It helps to understand the cause of a rant -- otherwise floating in context free space.

[Pototan]

8. I apologize for watching the news (NT).

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. The flaw is not watching the news, but not providing context.

Your statement is an implied slam against the poster that they did not happen to be watching the same news channel as you at the same time.

[Pototan]

14. My response was to the poster's

sarcastic "Psychic" text.

Maybe I'm too presumptuous to think that everyone on DU is watching the news. I get news channels from all over the world, and everyone has this story.

[Americanme]

15. I didn't watch the news today

But I had my truck radio on during my drive home from work, the Bolton raid was the top story. I knew what your post was about.

[Chemical Bill]

20. Even if I hadn't heard of the raid...

I would not have scratched my head at your post.

[Ocelot II]

2. That he is. But sending the FBI to search his house is an act of pure retribution

that is being undertaken for no reason other than his criticism of Trump. It's unlikely that anything will come of it - his book was vetted for classified info before he was allowed to publish it - but the point of all this isn't criminal prosecution but revenge, harassment and intimidation, and to warn others that they'd better not say bad things about Dear Leader or they'll get the same treatment.

[Pototan]

5. Hence, the enemy of my enemy...

is my friend. Until Bolton's public criticism of Trump, I wouldn't have an ounce of sympathy for Bolton.

Now, I find myself rooting for him.

[Ocelot II]

6. Bingo. Not even Bolton deserves this kind of shit.

[BeyondGeography]

4. He is a not unserious principled asshole

He’s right on Ukraine, which I appreciate.

He has red lines that prevent him from being a total suck up to power.

He also has a sense of humor.

He’s also a lot of other things. I’m not about to cuddle up to him but these times have taught me to recognize people on the other side who are less than completely unbearable.

[Pototan]

7. Agreed

[Ocelot II]

9. The fact that he is not unserious and principled and had lines he wouldn't cross

is what led him to criticize Trump in the first place. Trump wants only the unserious and unprincipled in his administration, and Patel is exactly those things.

[malaise]

11. THIS

Rec

[Pototan]

29. Thanks

[yardwork]

13. Bolton is not and never will be my friend.

I can abhor Trump's illegal behavior without getting misty eyed about slightly less horrible people.

I also still loathe W. And Liz Cheney and her dad.

My list of people I dislike just grows. So far nobody has left the "strongly dislike" group and been allowed into "like and admire."

[MurrayDelph]

19. I agree

"The enemy of my enemy" should, at best, be considered a temporary ally, who is likely to turn on you once your usefulness is over.

[leftstreet]

16. Lock Him Up n/t

[markodochartaigh]

21. In my opinion the issue isn't Bolton.

The issue is the weaponization of justice.

If a murderer is charged with a robbery that they did not commit, it is an injustice. They should be charged with murder.

I don't agree with Bolton on almost anything but seeing him targeted for who he is rather than what he has done makes me even more worried about the state of justice in the US.

[Pototan]

25. My point

[mainer]

22. He's an asshole but he's not a traitor

We can give him that much. He wouldn’t betray his country.

[Polybius]

23. He kinda did though

With his support of war crimes in the Iraq War.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

24. MaddowBlog-FBI searches home of former national security adviser John Bolton, a frequent Trump target

It’s extraordinary to see the FBI target a prominent presidential critic, suspecting him of the same wrongdoing that led to a Trump criminal indictment.

After Bolton told the public that Trump is “unfit to be president”:
- Trump tried to block his book from being published
- Trump canceled his security detail
- Trump revoked his security clearance
- and now the FBI has raided his house www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-08-22T12:37:56.418Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/fbi-raids-home-former-national-security-advisor-john-bolton-frequent-t-rcna226507

The escalation has now reached new heights. NBC News reported:

The FBI raided former national security adviser John Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, on Friday as part of a ‘national security investigation in search of classified records,’ a source familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News. ... In a post on X early Friday, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote, ‘NO ONE is above the law... @FBI agents on mission.’

.....What’s more, before Bolton’s book was released in 2020, Team Trump’s lawyers went to court in the hopes of derailing its publication. That effort failed and the book became a bestseller.

Three months later, Trump’s Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into whether Bolton disclosed classified information when he published his memoir. A former career official with the National Security Council later said in a court filing that Team Trump opened the criminal investigation into Bolton based on false pretenses......

That said, at face value, it’s nothing short of extraordinary to see the FBI, led by a hyperpartisan Trump loyalist, search the home of a prominent presidential critic — suspecting him of the same wrongdoing that led to one of Trump’s criminal indictments.

[Iggo]

26. Always has been.

Still ain’t right, though.

(And he’ll never be my friend.)

[Vinca]

27. Bolton was just this week's episode of the show. It's highly unlikely he would have any classified

stuff at his house, but it was retribution time and he'll no doubt have to pay lawyers along the way. It would be funny if it landed in court, though. They could open K$H Patel's book and show the judge the "enemy's list." Case closed.

[Pototan]

28. I hope that

ends up being the case. As I said, I'm no fan of John Bolton, but if you hate Trump, I have some sympathy for you.