'You cannot ignore this, America': Experts warn citizens about Trump admin's latest move

Social media users reacted to the early morning FBI raid on former national security adviser John Bolton's home.

Federal agents searched the Bethesda, Maryland, home of the prominent critic of President Donald Trump around 7 a.m., while Bolton was away, as part of a probe into his handling of classified materials and possible leaks of those documents to the news media, according to a source familiar with the matter.

FBI Director Kash Patel wrote, "NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission," as the search was underway, and Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino also appeared to refer to the Bolton raid while agents were at his home.

"America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always," Bondi wrote early Friday.

“Public corruption will not be tolerated,” Bongino added.

Bolton himself tweeted out fresh criticism of Trump's handling of the Russia-Ukraine war while his house was searched, saying Vladimir Putin had no intention of giving up the invasion, but he said meetings between the countries' representatives "will continue because Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize."

The raid triggered widespread concern and outrage as Trump seemingly carries out his promised revenge tour.

"You cannot ignore this, America," warned Miles Taylor, another former Trump official-turned-critic. "Our Republic is being used as a revenge machine."

"The Bolton raid should chill you," said Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman who accepted a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden after serving on the Jan. 6 committee.

"Regarding Bolton raid: the FBI with Trump had requested for a year that he give them the classified info they knew he had," Kinzinger added. "This is pure intimidation on Bolton. But there will be no conviction… it’s the raid that is the message."

"You do not have to like John Bolton to see this for what it is," posted Rolling Stone's Asawin Suebsaeng.

"No one likes John Bolton but this is about intimidating the president’s critics," agreed writer Molly Jong-Fast.

"Please don’t make me be Team Free John Bolton," added law professor Anthony Michael Kreis. "But I think that’s where we are headed.

"The Bolton raid is about fear," said The Nation's David Corn. "Cross Trump at your peril. The biggest love in his life is revenge."

"John Bolton refused to testify at Trump's impeachment, preferring to sacrifice national security to make money with his book," reminded author Sarah Kendzior. "He could have helped bring accountability and erode the mafia state, enduring that Trump and his cohort could not return. He did not, so now the mafia state comes for him."

"You should be mad about the FBI raiding John Bolton’s house not because you love John Bolton but because you’re opposed to Trump using the FBI to intimidate his critics," posted historian Kevin Kruse.

"I want more details on Bolton," added national security lawyer Bradley Moss. "If this is tied to the 2020 book saga, give me a break. You really want to revive that mess? If Bolton still had classified materials still in his possession though, he dug his own grave."

"So, fascism came for John Bolton," said popular Bluesky user Stonekettle. "God is an iron."

"Is there a Nobel Prize for running a country like a second-tier mob boss?" asked HuffPost's S.V. Daté. "The irony here is that Bolton has consistently been saying that Trump critics who accused him of trying to end American democracy were overstating the threat."

"During his confirmation hearings, Kash Patel denied that his list of members of the Deep State constituted an 'enemies list,'" pointed out CNN's Aaron Blake. "Seven months later, at least 5 of the 60 names have faced investigations: John Bolton, John Brennan, James Comey, Miles Taylor, Alexander Vindman."