Sunday shows preview: Bolton raid raises retribution fears; Trump intensifies crime crackdown

The Trump administration spent the week on the defensive, rejecting allegations of political retribution and criminal coverups, all while launching an assault on crime in the nation’s capital. 

On Friday, the FBI raided former national security adviser John Bolton’s home in search of classified records. The unexpected visit from law enforcement left some questioning the motive behind the investigation into a former staffer for President Trump. 

Bolton has spent the last few weeks slamming the president’s foreign policy initiatives by highlighting his shortcomings in efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump said he had no idea that federal officers raided Bolton’s home near Washington and cornered him at his office but told reporters his former adviser was “not a smart guy” and could be “unpatriotic.”

Vice President Vance took a different route, stating nothing about the investigation was focused on retribution but instead was motivated by “national interest.”

“I suspect that if the media and the American people let this case actually unfold, if they let the investigation unfold, as it's currently doing, they're going to find out that what we're doing is being very deliberate and being very driven by the national interest, and by the law here and that's as it should be,” Vance told MSNBC’s Kristen Welker of “Meet the Press” in a Friday interview. 

Executive officials do not typically speak on matters at the Justice Department or FBI out of respect for their political independence.

The full segment will air on Sunday and Vance is likely to expound on whether or not executive involvement fueled the FBI’s probe and pressure on Bolton.

Former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus is expected to appear on ABC’s “This Week” to discuss the intertwining of a classified records investigation. 

Petraeus may hit on FBI Director Kash Patel’s book entitled “Government Gangsters” where Bolton and others are listed as the political enemies of President Trump. The career intelligence specialist can hit on biases that may potentially influence a case against someone like Bolton.

While Trump has said there’s no hostility towards Bolton, tension between Democrats and Republicans heightened this week on numerous occasions, including the Texas State House’s approval of five additional congressional seats ahead of midterm elections. 

Democrats fled the state for 15 days and slept inside the House chamber, hoping to prevent the vote, which will likely add to the GOP majority in Congress. 

While their efforts drew national attention, they also served as a time to spotlight happenings under the Trump administration in cities throughout the country. 

National Guardsmen from five states deployed to Washington, D.C., have begun scouring neighborhoods in search of crime and encouraging local police to detain suspects tied to wrongdoing. 

Local leaders have protested the arrival of hundreds of soldiers who have swept through the streets and neighborhoods with vigor fueled by the president. 

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged residents to elect more Democrats to Congress to help block the “authoritarian push" undertaken by the Trump administration.

However, this week the president signaled that Washington would not be the only city overtaken by federal forces.

Trump said there were “African American ladies, beautiful ladies,” urging him to intervene in Chicago, despite the city’s record-low crime rates.

“We’re going to make our cities very, very safe,” Trump added. “Chicago’s a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent and we’ll straighten that one out probably next. That will be our next one after this. And it won’t even be tough.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) warned against the deployment of National Guardsmen, as seen in California earlier this year. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) may discuss concerns for the city during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Threats both at home and abroad have riddled the Trump administration and its proxies as hopes to stop the Russia-Ukraine conflict await bilateral and trilateral meetings. 

While White House officials have remained in touch with Russia’s diplomats and Ukraine’s defense heads, progress has still yet to be achieved.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov may hit on what the Kremlin would require to take strides to end the war in Ukraine with more urgency during his interview slated to air on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) are expected to run down their respective party’s view of pathways to peace during Sunday appearances on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Over a thousand miles across the Black Sea, citizens in Gaza remain landlocked and starved of food as reported by human watch groups. 

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said more than half a million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are facing “destruction and death” after declaring famine in the region on Friday. 

UNICEF Chief Catherine Russell will hit on what people across the globe can do to help and current conditions on the ground during a CBS “Face the Nation” interview.

These topics and more will be featured on this week’s Sunday shows. Please see the full list of guests below:

NewsNation “The Hill Sunday:” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.); Former Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.); Jonathan Rauch, Governance Studies Program, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

MSNBC’s “Meet the Press:” Vice President JD Vance; Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov; Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)

ABC’s “This Week:” Former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus; Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ®

CNN’s “State of the Union:” Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D)

CBS’ “Face the Nation:” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), UNICEF Chief Catherine Russell

Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures:” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.); Acting U.S. New Jersey Attorney Alina Habba; Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (I); European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde

Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday:” Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.); Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.)