The stunning early morning raid by the FBI on former Donald Trump national security advisor John Bolton’s home on Friday left the MSNBC “Morning Joe” panel almost speechless.
Approximately 45 minutes after Montgomery County Police blocked off the road to Bolton’s home and stated they were there in support of the FBI, MSNBC's Jonathan Lemire broke from regular programming to announce the move reportedly ordered by FBI Director Kash Patel.
“FBI agents have raided former Trump national security adviser John Bolton's Washington, D.C. area home early this morning,” the grim Lemire reported. “A source familiar with the matter tells NBC News that the FBI agents raided Bolton's home in Bethesda, Maryland, this morning as part of a national security investigation in search of classified records. The FBI has not commented, but in a seemingly related post just made on X, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote moments ago, 'No one is above the law. FBI agents on mission.'"
After saying of Trump, “We certainly know this is a president who has promised retribution,” he asked former Sen. Claire McCaskill (R-MO) for her reaction.
“Yeah, this is chilling, it really is,” she conceded. "Listen, John Bolton and I disagreed on many things back in the days when I was serving in public office. But I don't think very many people that know John Bolton would argue that his beliefs weren't intellectually sound. You could disagree with him and that he gave a lot to this country in terms of time and his intellect and his work ethic and... clearly this is retribution. Clearly this is using the FBI in a way that not only tarnishes the FBI, but it tarnishes our country."
Former Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson contributed, “I agree with Claire. I find it difficult, if not impossible, to believe that there's some reason to arrest John Bolton on national security grounds. I found plenty of reason to disagree with John Bolton's positions, with his prescriptions for foreign policy over the years but this seems to be just blatant, bald-faced retribution, because Donald Trump doesn't like him and sees him as having, you know, betrayed him and so he gets arrested.”
“It is it is chilling, it is disgraceful and I doubt, frankly –– how many months into the second trump administration are we? I doubt this is the last time we're going to see this sort of thing,” he added.
MSNBC contributor Katty Kay agreed with Robinson and stated, “It's hard to believe that John Bolton has anything in his home that could incriminate him in some way. But it's also quite possible to think that he is not the last of people that the president would like to see punished in some way for what he sees as disloyalty.”
You can watch below or at the link.