Bolton Raided

The home and office of former national security advisor John Bolton were searched by the FBI last week. Bolton was in his office at the time of the search but was not taken into custody and has not been charged with a crime. Law enforcement officials did not immediately disclose the nature of the investigation that led to the search, but multiple reports suggest it is related to the handling of classified information.

Analysis and eternal perspective: A federal judge must find “probable cause” of a crime to authorize the involuntary search of a private home or business. This standard is meant to strike a balance between the privacy rights of citizens and the criminal investigation duties of law enforcement. This balance is especially important when the target of an investigation is at odds with law enforcement leadership (as is currently the case with Bolton, who has public disagreements with President Trump).

There are two relevant simultaneous truths we have discussed before, and they are difficult to apply together in the real world: 1) Nobody is above the law, and 2) Nobody is below the law. In other words, even the most powerful people must abide by and be subject to the law, and everyone—including both the powerful and the disfavored—must be afforded the same protections of and from the law. If this careful balance goes askew in either direction, chaos and lawlessness takes over.

One of our regular reminders here at The Equipped is Proverbs 18:17: “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.”

You very likely have zero knowledge about whether John Bolton is guilty or innocent. Likewise, you have no visibility into whether the motives of law enforcement are pure or tainted. You do, however, have the ability to avoid pre-judging either question and—to the extent you choose to follow this story at all—commit to a fair evaluation of the facts on both sides before coming to even an internal conclusion on the merits.

The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.