Trump's Enemies List Is Now the Docket

The raid on John Bolton’s home proves Trump isn’t bluffing. Retribution isn’t rhetoric; it’s the new operating system of American power, and no critic is safe.

Guest article by Michael Cohen. Get more by following him on Substack by clicking here.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about President Trump—and God knows I’ve learned it the hard way—it’s that he never forgets a grudge. He nurses it, feeds it, waters it like a plant until it blooms into a weapon. Retribution isn’t just a theme for him; it’s a religion. He campaigned on it, he promised it, and now he’s delivering. And the American people, whether they like it or not, are witnessing what it looks like when the full power of the presidency is bent not toward governance or justice, but toward settling scores.

Look at the list of Trump’s political enemies and then look at the headlines. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who dared to hold Trump accountable for his business fraud, is suddenly under the microscope of the Department of Justice. Coincidence? Please. Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney who brought criminal charges against him, is now the subject of “investigations” that seem tailor-made to discredit and neutralize him. Adam Schiff, Trump’s arch-nemesis during the impeachment saga, has his own federal heat coming down on him. The pattern is so obvious it’s insulting that they expect us to believe these are independent legal inquiries.

And then there’s today’s shocker. Earlier, reports broke that FBI agents raided the home of John Bolton. Yes, John Bolton, the Monopoly man, mustachioed hawk who once stood by Trump’s side before breaking with him in spectacular fashion. Let’s not kid ourselves: Trump has despised Bolton for years. He called him a “dope,” a “moron,” and worse behind closed doors. Their relationship fell apart completely when Bolton released his tell-all book after leaving the administration. That book, filled with embarrassing stories about Trump’s incompetence and recklessness, drew Trump’s fury like moths to a flame. Lawsuits flew. Accusations were hurled. Trump even tried to block publication on “national security grounds.” The courts let it through, but Trump never let it go.

Now, suddenly, there’s a criminal inquiry into Bolton regarding whether his book revealed classified information or whether he’s still holding onto government documents. Sound familiar? It should. This is Trump’s playbook, page one. Cast the enemy as a threat to national security. Use the classification system as a cudgel. Use your weaponized DOJ to investigate, raid, and ultimately indict. Then sit back and claim vindication when charges are filed.

I don’t know yet what the agents found in Bolton’s home, but I’ll tell you this much: Trump will make sure they “find” something. Maybe it’s emails. Maybe it’s printouts. Maybe it’s a stray briefing document in an old desk drawer. Maybe it’s nothing at all, but the narrative will be crafted just the same. The theory will be that Bolton mishandled classified material, just like Trump’s Justice Department once argued against whistleblower Reality Winner, who spent years behind bars for leaking a single document about Russian election interference. If they could bury her on one single document, you’d better believe they can and will bury Bolton.

This isn’t about protecting state secrets. This is about Trump ticking names off his enemies list, one by one, with the glee of a mob boss crossing off debts collected. When he stood on stage and promised “I am your retribution,” too many Americans treated it like campaign theater. But this is real. Retribution is now federal policy.

What should terrify every citizen isn’t whether Bolton is guilty or innocent—though God knows I suspect this is equally political vendetta coupled with legitimate inquiry. What’s terrifying is the precedent. We are living through the weaponization of the justice system not to defend democracy, but to dismantle it. Once you normalize going after political opponents with criminal investigations, you’ve crossed a line that’s almost impossible to walk back. Today it’s Bolton, Bragg, Schiff, and James. Tomorrow it could be anyone who dares to challenge Trump’s authority. Judges. Journalists. Ordinary citizens who refuse to bow to his narrative. Trust me, I know this all too well.

I also know this playbook better than most, because for a decade, I helped him write it. I helped him bully, sue, and smear those he saw as enemies. I rationalized it. I told myself it was just business. But it was never business. It was always personal. That’s how Trump operates. The law, the courts, the government itself—they’re just tools in his toolbox of vengeance. And right now, he’s using his presidential tools to shape America into a place where dissent equals danger.

The raid on Bolton’s home should wake us all up. Because even if you dislike Bolton, as I do, even if you think he’s a pompous war hawk who deserves whatever comes his way, understand this: it’s not about him. It’s about what comes next. Trump doesn’t stop once he starts. Retribution isn’t a chapter. It’s the whole book. And unless this country figures out how to close it, we may all find ourselves characters in the story—whether we wanted to be or not.

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