Trump’s FBI Raid of John Bolton’s Home Looks Like a “Five-Alarm Fire”

But Moss also notes that it’s not clear why the FBI didn’t arrange with Bolton’s lawyer to collect any documents in a far less dramatic way. Did Bolton refuse to turn over classified documents, as (you may recall) Trump did? Maybe. But if not, Moss says, then the dramatic raid could constitute a serious abuse of power even if there’s some basis for action. (Obviously if there’s no basis at all then it’s even worse, but the court authorization suggests there may be something here.)

“If this is all just a political show to embarrass Bolton on something he would otherwise have cooperated on, it’s a rank abuse of power and one more step toward complete capture of law enforcement by Trump,” Moss told me. “This is pretty darn close to a five-alarm fire if it’s what we fear it is.”

Whatever happens with Bolton, we should keep focused on the unmistakable broader pattern. Trump is dramatically escalating his use of law enforcement and the military on many fronts to target critics and consolidate power. He’s vowing to dispatch the military into more U.S. cities. Internal administration memos are charting out plans for more militarization within the homeland. MAGA movement leaders are openly declaring that the specter of state violence will be used to intimidate voters in urban strongholds. And Trump’s manufacturing of fake pretexts for all of it is growing bolder and more unconstrained. Do we get to call it fascism yet?