But no one can say definitively whether today’s raid is due to Bolton’s status as critic, Bolton’s bad judgment or malfeasance, or nothing at all.
This morning, Donald Trump claimed he knew nothing about the raid on the Maryland home of his former National Security Adviser John Bolton. “I’m not a fan of John Bolton,” Trump said, calling him a “lowlife.” In that respect he agrees with many Democrats: After Trump fired Bolton, in 2019, Representative Adam Schiff of California (now a senator) said that one “should question John Bolton’s patriotism,” and Representative Nancy Pelosi called him a “disgrace.” In January, Trump pulled Bolton’s security detail, which had been in place due to credible threats by the Iranian government, which is also not a fan of John Bolton. Bolton’s neighbor Gerald Rogell told The New York Times that Bolton was “unfriendly.” He added, dryly and a little gratuitously, “John Bolton is not our favorite person.” If a terrible accident befalls Bolton, one should not rule out a Murder on the Orient Express scenario. Who did it? Maybe everyone.
