If it's Friday, in my exclusive interview, Vice President J.D. Vance defends the FBI's searches of President Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton's home and office, as the president lashes out at Bolton but claims he knows nothing about the search.

Plus, my interviews with top officials in Ukraine and Russia, as Russia's foreign minister tells me exclusively that there is no meeting plan between Putin and Zelensky and a key Ukrainian minister saying, President Zelensky is willing to discuss trading land for peace.

And new developments in the Jeffrey Epstein saga as the Justice Department releases audio tapes of its interview with convicted Epstein associate, Elaine Maxwell, and starts handing over material to congressional investigators.

Music Welcome to Meet the Press Now.

I'm Kristen Welker in Washington, where we are following multiple breaking news stories, beginning

with the FBI searching the home, a former top Trump national security advisor turned

vocal Trump critic John Bolton.

The FBI entered Ambassador Bolton's Maryland home early this morning as part of what a source familiar with the matter calls a national security investigation related to the handling of classified materials and the use of classified documents and leaks to the news media.

That search extended to Bolton's office in downtown

Washington, where agents were seen leaving with boxes. The FBI describing both scenes as, quote,

court authorized activity, meaning a judge likely signed off on the searches. Ambassador Bolton

was seen returning to his home this afternoon. A source close to him believes the raid was in response to his frequent criticism of the Trump

administration, including in his book, The Room Where It Happened.

It's retribution, pure and simple, the source said.

Earlier today, I sat down exclusively with Vice President J.D. Vance, who denied the investigation

was politically motivated, offering the administration's most extensive comments yet about the

incident. Take a listen. I do want to start with some breaking news. We've learned that the FBI is

searching the home of former ambassador John Bolton, his office as well.

Sure.

Can you tell me why is the FBI raiding Ambassador Bolton's home and office? And did the White House

get a heads up? Well, so we're in the very early stages of an ongoing investigation into John

Bolton. I will say we're going to let that investigation proceed. What I can't tell you is that unlike the Biden DOJ and the Biden FBI, our law enforcement agencies are going to be driven by

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