Buckingham Palace reportedly ‘BLINDSIDED’ by arrest of Meghan Markle’s father

E. GLOBAL AI ARMS RACE. SANDRA? >> Sandra: MADISON, THANK YOU. FOR THAT. JOHN? >> John: ALL RIGHT. THEN THERE'S THIS. BUCKINGHAM PALACE BLIND SIDED BY. THE ARREST OF THOMAS MARKLE IN. FLORIDA TODAY. HE IS THE ESTRANGED FATHER OF. FORMER BRITISH ROYAL MEGHAN. MARKLE. JUST MADE HIS FIRST COURT. APPEARANCE. MARKLE FACES A FEDERAL CHARGE. AFTER INVESTIGATORS ALLEGEDLY. FOUND CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE. MATERIAL IN TWO LOS ANGELES AREA. STOAGE UNITS THAT HE RENTED.

WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE HERE. LET ME START WITH YOU. THE IDEA BUCKINGHAM PALACE WAS. BLINDSIDED? RUMORS HAVE BEEN SWIRLING FOR. YEARS. >> THEY WEREN'T BLIND SIDED. I KNOW FOR A FACT THEY READ THE. NEWSPAPER EVERY MORNING. IT'S CLEAR THE WAY THIS WAS. GOING. VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. HE IS AN OLD MAN. HE'S NOT VERY WELL. FBI AREN'T WASTING ANY TIME IN. DOING THISIS.

I HAVE SOME SYMPATHY FOR MEGHAN. MARKLE. IT'S OBVIOUS NOW WHY SHE WANTS. TO DISTANCE HERSELF FROM HER. FATHER. THAT SAID, ALL OF THIS COULD. HAVE COME OUT IN THE OPEN SEVEN. YEARS AGO. >> John: YEAH. >> IF IT HAD BEEN TOLD TO THE. FBI NOT THE DAILY MAIL. IT'S BEEN KNOWN ABOUT FOR A VERY. LONG TIME. >> John: BILL, WHAT ARE THE. CHARGES AGAINST HIM? I WAS INTRIGUED TO FIND THIS. CONSPIRACY IS ACTUALLY GLOBAL. IT INVOLVES THE PHILIPPINE,

TAMPA AND LOS ANGELES. >> YEAH. THIS WAS A HANDOFF FROM THE. PHILIPPINE AUTHORITIES TO THE. FBI HERE IN THE U.S. HE LIVES IN TAMPA. TAMPA GAVE THE LEAD TO US TWO. WEEKS AGO. WE FOUND TWO STORAGE LOCKERS. THAT BELONGED TO HIM VERY. QUICKLY. WE CONDUCTED SEARCHES WITHIN THE. LAST TWO W WEEKS. WE RECOVERED OVER 70 SUSPECTED. IMAGES OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY. AND WHAT'S DISTURBING, WE. DISCOVERED HE IS IN THE IMAGES. WITH THE CHILDREN.

T IT LOOKS LIKE HE WAS ALSO. PRODUCING IT. ON THESE CASES WE MOVE QUICKLY. WE HAD HIM ARRESTED ON A SINGLE. COUNT OF POSSESSION OF CHILD. PORNOGRAPHY. I SUSPECT WHEN WE PRESENT THIS. TO THE GRAND JURY, YOU'LL SEE. MORE CHARGES THAN JUST THAT. >> John: MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE. CASE, BILL, IS THAT BRITISH. POLICE PRESENTED A LETTER TO. MEGHAN MARKLE IN 2018, 2019. OUTLINING THESE ALLEGATIONS, YET. THE BRITISH POLICE DIDN'T PURSUE. IT. STPWHAOEU WHY?

>> I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT. YOU'LL HAVE TO ASK THEM. WE LEARNED ABOUT THIS LITERALLY. LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN WE. GOT A TIP THAT HE OWNED STORAGE. LOCKERS HERE IN L.A. I THINK THE FBI HAS MOVED. REMARKABLY QUICKLY UNDER. DIRECTOR PATEL. HE MADE THIS A PRIORITY THAT HE. GO AFTER THESE TYPE OF CASES. WITHIN WEEKS OF HAVING THIS IN. OUR POSSESSION, THIS. INFORMATION, WE MOVED ON IT. HE'S UNDER ARREST AS OF THIS. MORNING. SO I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THE U.K., BUT I WILL SPEAK FOR THE UNITED. STATES. WE DO NOT SIT ON THESE CASES.

WE MOVE QUICKLY. >> John: THIS HANDS RIGHT ON THE. DOOR STEP OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN? >> IT'S BEEN A ROCKY YEAR FOR. THE ROYAL FAMILY. IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. IMAGINE IF THIS HAD BEEN KNOWN. AT THE TIME OF THE WEDDING WITH. HARRY, ALL OF THE FALLOUT OF THE. MEXIT SAGA, THEIR MOVE BACK. ALL OF THIS GIVES IT A VERY, VERY DARK EDGE. AS THE FBI WAS SAYING IT IS.

REMARKABLE THE BRITISH POLICE. FAILED. THEY HAD TO REFER THEMSELVES TO. THEIR OWN INDEPENDENCE POLICE. WATCH DOGS. I SUSPECT HEADS WILL ROLL. >> John: WHAT ARE THE BRITISH. POLICE SAYING? >> THEY ARE SAYING THEY DIDN'T. RECEIVE A LELETTER. FIRST THEY SAID THERE WAS. CONFUSION AROUND THE TIME. THEY SAID CLEAR FAILURES HAVE. BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE FACT THEY. DIDN'T NOTIFY AMERICAN LAW. ENFORCEMENT ABOUT WHAT THEY. FOUND. THERE'S NOW AN INDEPENDENT PROBE. INTO THE POLICE HANDLING OF.

THAT. IT'S NOT LOOKING GOOD FOR. WHOEVER WAS IN CHARGE AT THE. TIME. >> John: BILL THOMAS 82 YEARS. OLD. MAXIMUM PENALTY FOR POSSESSION. OF THIS IS 20 YEARS. IT'S CONCEIVABLE THAT HE MAY. SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE IN. JAIL. >> YEAH, NO, THAT'S VERY. POSSIBLE, VERY LIKELY. I THINK IT'S VERY APPROPRIATE. BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE. NUMBER OF VICTIMS HERE, IT'S. MULTIPLE VICTIMS. VERY YOUNG CHILDREN. WHAT'S REALLY SAD HERE IS IT. APPEARS HE WENT TO THE. PHILIPPINES TO ENGAGE IN WHAT WE.

REFER TO AS SEX TOURISM WHERE. THEY GO EXPLOIT KIDS FROM VERY. VULNERABLE AND POVERTY AREAS. SO, NO. HE DESERVES TO SIT IN PRISON IF. CONVICTED. >> John: ONE CLARIFICATION. THE ALLEGED CRIMES DID NOT OCCUR. IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT THE. POSSESSION OF THE MATERIAL WAS. IN THE UNITED STATES, CORRECT? >> IT IS A CRIME TO POSSESS THIS. MATERIAL. SO THIS CRIME DID OCCUCUR IN TH. UNITED STATES. BUT THE IMAGES APPEAR TO HAVE. BEEN TAKEN IN THE PHILIPPINES. WITH THE CHILDREN.

>> John: ALL RIGHT. BILL SALEY THANKS FOR BEING WITH. US. HARRY COLE, THANK YOU.