ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl conceded that he did not know what evidence the FBI might have had prior to executing a raid on the home and office of John Bolton, who had previously served as President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser — but then proceeded to paint the law enforcement action as an act of “retribution” on Trump’s part.

“We don’t know what evidence the DOJ has against John Bolton. But we do know that he is the latest Trump critic to be targeted by his administration,” Karl said of Friday’s events.

WATCH:

“We don’t know what evidence the DOJ has against John Bolton. But we do know that he is the latest Trump critic to be targeted by his administration.” @JonKarl reports on President Trump’s promised “retribution” against political enemies. https://t.co/x5qomsiCQa pic.twitter.com/JWICYLBK0i

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 24, 2025

“In a minute, we’ll get to the stunning developments coming into the weekend with FBI agents swarming around the home and office of former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton, but first the context,” Karl said. “This didn’t happen in a vacuum.”

“John Bolton is on a long list of Trump critics who are not facing the wrath of President Trump and his Justice Department,” he continued. “Trump himself has suggested that dozens of his enemies, real and perceived, belong in prison.”

Karl went on to list a number of people Trump has said should go to prison — many of whom were named in recent documents pertaining to the Russian collusion hoax — such as former President Barack Obama and former FBI Director James Comey.

He also mentioned Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Attorney General Letitia James (D-NY), both of whom are already being investigated by DOJ attorney Ed Martin, and claimed that those investigations were also retaliatory efforts on behalf of President Trump.

Karl then complained that an outsized percentage of the high-ranking military officers who had been fired under the Trump administration had been women — a move that he said left the military without even one female active duty four-star general — but made no effort to explain why that was necessarily a bad thing.

“President Trump promised retribution against his political enemies,” Karl declared. “And there is no doubt that he is serious about keeping that promise.”

Karl then pivoted to the raid on Bolton’s home — which, according to the Justice Department, was part of an investigation into Bolton’s handling of classified information — and repeatedly suggested that it was simply more evidence that Trump was attacking and punishing his political enemies.

CNN anchor Dana Bash brought in House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for a Sunday morning interview on “State of the Union,” and he spent most of his time declaring President Donald Trump’s recent actions and policy positions to be racially motivated.

Jeffries was particularly concerned with Trump’s efforts to reframe a number of exhibits that are part of the Smithsonian Museums in the nation’s capital — exhibits that Trump said work overtime to paint the United States in a less than flattering light.

Jeffries claimed that Trump was “behaving like a racial arsonist” and attempting to whitewash America’s history with regard to slavery.

“It’s extraordinary that he would make such a historically ignorant statement,” Jeffries complained, adding, “The Smithsonian should continue to hold the line and make sure that this very painful part of American history is not erased.”

WATCH:

House Democratic Leader @hakeemjeffries reacts to Trump’s review of the Smithsonian museums: Donald Trump is “behaving like a racial arsonist. ” pic.twitter.com/vJcH32CSFQ

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) August 24, 2025

From The White House website:

The exhibits marked by the Trump administration as part of the problem were not the ones that directly addressed slavery — but rather those that attacked “white culture “The National Museum of African American History and Culture debuted a series to educate people on “a society that privileges white people and whiteness” — defining so-called “white dominant culture“ as “ways white people and their traditions, attitudes, and ways of life have been normalized over time” and portraying “the nuclear family,” “work ethic,” and “intellect” as white qualities rooted in racism.

Jeffries also pivoted to race when the discussion turned to the recent redistricting fight in Texas, blaming Trump — who supported the new map — and claiming that the Republican-driven map was also rooted in racism.

“This is a racial, partisan gerrymander ordered by Donald Trump as part of an effort to rig the midterm elections,” he claimed.

.@HakeemJeffries on what’s happening on Texas redistricting: “this is a racial, partisan gerrymander ordered by Donald Trump as part of an effort to rig the midterm elections.” pic.twitter.com/jG30xxrDKK

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) August 24, 2025