This morning, the FBI raided the home of John Bolton, the mustachioed hawk and former national security adviser during the first Trump administration. Bolton, some say, never met the prospect of a foreign war that he didn’t want to dive into headfirst. Now an enemy of MAGA, one who essentially cheered when President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago was raided over Trump’s retention of classified documents, is being raided over suspicions concerning his own retention of classified documents.

“NO ONE is above the law,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media as the raid was carried out, and reposted by FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino with the caption, “Public corruption will not be tolerated.”

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One problem?

We don’t know if Bolton is guilty of anything yet. We must also beware of the temptation to seek vengeance that is blind to actual wrongdoing, especially given the Trump administration’s clear disregard for those who have actually broken federal laws. NO ONE is above the law, unless you’re Facebook friends with the president, such as the suddenly-MAGA-adoring Chrisley family.

As usual, the narrative machine wants us to skip right over the question of guilt and head straight into the tribal end zone dance. MAGA supporters are already popping champagne at the news that one of their sworn enemies is being dragged through the mud, while Bolton’s newly-found allies across the aisle are either suddenly quiet or quietly terrified that the next knock at the door could be for them.

The urge to indulge in schadenfreude is real, but if you step back from the partisan glee for a moment, there’s a bigger and far more dangerous question we need to ask: Is this another example of the same weaponization of our justice system that we rightly deplored under the Biden administration, and if so, is such a weaponization somehow acceptable if the weapon is being wielded against “the other side”?

Let’s not pretend that the FBI has been anything but a political weapon since its inception. From J. Edgar Hoover’s blackmail files to modern-day raids, it has always been the government’s iron fist in a tailored suit. Often, in pursuit of true justice, but often not so much. It was wrong when it targeted Civil Rights leaders, it was wrong when it targeted Trump, and it could be wrong now, depending on whether or not Bolton turns out to have boxes of “classified” documents in his basement.

But we cannot forget that a justice system driven by vengeance is not justice. When the law is applied based on who you are, who you voted for, and whether you have the current president, Republican or Democrat, on speed dial, then the law ceases to be a system of order and becomes nothing more than a tool of control. Yes, some people do break the law, and yes, those people should face consequences. But our selective enforcement of the law isn’t about right and wrong — it’s about power. Trump has pardoned people who broke federal law. Former President Joe Biden famously pardoned his crack-smoking, gun-wielding, money-laundering son, and even closed the very investigation that Bolton is now confronting.

None of that changes the fact that we must still ask whether this is about protecting classified documents or more about punishing enemies and rewarding friends. The people cheering today because Bolton is in the hot seat should ask themselves what happens when the system turns back on MAGA. Because one day it will. That’s the nature of a weaponized bureaucracy — it doesn’t care about ideology, only about obedience.

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Bolton may be guilty. He may be innocent. But until we decide that the rule of law means the same thing for everyone, raids like this aren’t proof of justice. They’re demonstrations of power, and that should terrify every single one of us.

Ian is a syndicated columnist. Follow him on X (@ighaworth) or Substack.