"It's Payback Time": With Acquittal Certain, Trump Plots Revenge on Bolton, Impeachment Enemies

[demmiblue]

With Senate Republicans on track to acquit Donald Trump on Wednesday, Washington is bracing for what an unshackled Trump does next. Republicans briefed on Trump’s thinking believe that the president is out for revenge against his adversaries. “It’s payback time,” a prominent Republican told me last week. “He has an enemies list that is growing by the day,” another source said. Names that came up in my conversations with Republicans included Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, Mitt Romney, and John Bolton. “Trump’s playbook is simple: go after people who crossed him during impeachment.”

Several sources said Bolton is at the top of the list. Trump’s relationship with Bolton was badly damaged by the time Bolton left the White House in September. Trump has since blamed his former national security adviser for leaking details of his forthcoming memoir that nearly derailed the impeachment trial by pressuring Republicans to call witnesses. In the book Bolton reportedly alleges Trump told him directly that Ukraine aid was tied to Ukraine announcing investigations into the Bidens (Bolton has denied being a source of the leak).

The campaign against Bolton has already begun. On January 23, the White House sent a cease and desist letter to Bolton’s lawyer demanding that Bolton’s publisher, Simon & Schuster, not release the book in March without removal of certain information. Trump intends to ratchet up the pressure, and some Republicans close to the White House fear how far Trump will take things after he’s gotten off for a second time (Trump famously made his July 25 call to Volodymyr Zelensky the day after Robert Mueller testified before Congress.) “Trump has been calling people and telling them to go after Bolton,” a source briefed on the private conversations said. The source added that Trump wants Bolton to be criminally investigated. A person familiar with Trump’s thinking said Trump believes Bolton might have mishandled classified information. According to a former official, the White House is planning to leak White House emails from Bolton that purportedly allege Bolton abused his position at the National Security Council. The official said that West Wing officials have discussed releasing emails “showing [Bolton] was doing pay-to-play,” the official said. A person close to Bolton dismissed the story. “John plays things straight,” the person said.

The White House declined to comment.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/02/trump-plots-revenge-on-bolton-impeachment-enemies

Link to tweet

[Hovelander]

1. Yeah, no authoritarian instinct at all there.

Link to tweet

?s=20

[The_Counsel]

2. You Know, There's an Easy Solution to This...

...but of course, GOP-ers gotta "GOP," so I guess not.

[Iliyah]

3. Schiff, Nadler, Nancy P and others . . .

including the Democratic staffers. But I'll say this, again, this will backfire. As to Bolton and Parnas, they have enough evidence on t-rump and his cronies, including Republican congresscritters to where these congresscritters do not want him to go forward, especially in an election year.

[Zoonart]

8. I agree.

This is where all malignant narcissists go wrong; absolutely convinced
of their own invincibility, they at last go too far.

[Walleye]

4. I read that trump lives for revenge.

It’s his whole life, the only thing he really cares about. Barr will be busy trying frame everyone involved. Ugly, Un-American

[underpants]

13. Punching down

He’s done it his whole life. When he’d take a little old lady’s house, for instance, he publicly derides them, insults them, makes sure the last word is his. He thinks it intimidates people. It’s what his father taught him.

[Mike 03]

5. Bolton has a lot of power, so this will be scary and interesting.

We'll see what happens when Trump tries to destroy someone with more political capital than himself.

Just the idea of Trump retaliating against his "enemies" is frightening. Will the DOJ be the proxy?

[JustAnotherGen]

6. That's why I tweeted

In response to his tweet about the whistleblower -

#ImTheWhistleBlower

[Hovelander]

9. A more fun Spartacus hashtag to laugh to keep from crying

#WeAreAllRand'sNeighbor

Even half of Rand's lung was fed up with him, after all.

[Maraya1969]

7. I so with Bolton would go on Rachael TONIGHT!

[Autumn]

10. This is what the republicans wanted and it looks like they will get it. It's a matter of time before

he goes after them.

[Zolorp]

11. He'll have Barr arrest Bolton, just watch.

He will be confined by himself in a cell, no room mate.

A despondent Bolton will then hang himself in his cell.

All security cameras in the vicinity will have failed.

There will have been no suicide watch.

[ChicagoRonin]

12. Bolton is despicable, but he's no dummy

In no way do I think he's a friend to Democrats or democracy, and he was on the authoritarian presidency bandwagon long before the current occupant. But I think he had very specific ideas of how it was supposed to go down, and I think he feels betrayed by Trump's approach (if not aghast at his incompetency).

And he's a political survivor. His career predates all the yahoos in the Freedom Caucus and then some. I could be wrong. He's not a young man, so there's always the possibility he's underestimating his enemies and might get outfoxed. But methinks he might have a well-prepared political dagger or two lying in wait.

[Jade Fox]

14. We are at war with this man

and anyone who supports him.

I'm guessing the pantywaist Republicans who have gone along with protecting Trump have no idea what they have gotten themselves in to.

To all who oppose the Trump juggernaut: Aim high and take no prisoners.

[kentuck]

15. He's attempting to shut down any further investigations.

All hat and no cattle.

[bdamomma]

16. tRump will not win this one.

threatening people??? This too will blow up in his face.

[Hovelander]

17. Not if they follow the playbook of

Erdogan, Orban, etc.

In fact, people seem ripe for exactly that recipe to succeed.

[bdamomma]

18. Welcome to DU!

some people but not all people.

[Hovelander]

19. Let's be thankful for that, but the hour is late.

Thanks for the welcome!

Adam Schiff made me cry and woke me up, so I decided I can't stay silent.

[Arazi]

20. Susan Collins and the GOP will apologize to Adam Schiff right??

I mean, they were so outraged that Adam Schiff even dared to mention Trump's vindictiveness during the impeachment trial and now that there's proof they'll apologize?

Heads on pikes sounds like exactly what #Traitor threatened then and plans now