Reporter: We’re going to get back to that in just a second, but here’s live pictures of what we believe is John Bolton returning home. We had a picture of this SUV leaving his office a short time ago, and now it looks like it’s made its way, with about a 30-minute trip, to his home.And there’s the ambassador coming up, briefcase in hand, waving to the assembled media, and going inside the front door of the home. We will see—it doesn’t look like it at this point—if he decides to come out and talk.
I mean, John Bolton does talk to the media an awful lot, but he has chosen to remain silent at this point.Nicole Parker is with us, and Nicole, it looks as though this investigation, at least the search of Bolton’s home and his office, has wrapped up. What do you expect might be in the boxes that came out at the hands of FBI agents, and where does this go next?
Nicole Parker: Well, based on standard procedure, when the FBI raids a location like this, especially in a high-profile investigation, they’re typically looking for things like documents, devices, anything that could contain communications, classified or sensitive information. Now, from what we could observe, it appeared that the agents were carrying several boxes out, which could contain a variety of material—anything from paper files to electronic devices.
It’s too soon to say what exactly they found, but given the scale of the operation, we can assume they had probable cause to look for very specific information related to the case at hand.
Reporter: And the next steps here, Nicole, do you expect to see any statements or legal actions immediately following this, or will this be more of a longer-term process?
Nicole Parker: Typically after something like this, you might expect some legal filings or responses from Bolton’s attorneys. But more often than not, it’s a waiting game. The FBI and prosecutors will now review and analyze everything they’ve collected, which could take weeks, maybe even longer. If they find what they believe is incriminating evidence, that’s when you’ll start to see formal charges or an indictment. Until then, though, I think both sides will remain fairly quiet from a legal standpoint. But we do know that Bolton is someone who frequently addresses the media regardless, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he eventually gives some kind of statement.