FBI visits congressional candidate Robert Hyde’s home, business

The FBI visited the home and business of Connecticut congressional candidate Robert Hyde early Thursday just days after he became the latest figure embroiled in the Ukraine scandal, news reports said.

A senior law enforcement official confirmed to NBC News and CNN that investigators visited Hyde’s home in Weatogue and his landscaping business in Avon, which also serves as headquarters for his House campaign, in the wake of the released texts that suggested Hyde was monitoring former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.

Authorities reportedly did not answer CNN’s questions about the candidate’s location and reasons they wanted to talk to him. 

A spokesperson for the FBI field office in New Haven, Conn., confirmed to The Hill that the FBI visited Hyde’s residence and business earlier Thursday.

“There is no further information that can be shared at this time,” the spokesperson said.

Hyde’s messages were revealed in a chunk of evidence provided by Rudy Giuliani’s associate Lev Parnas to the House for the impeachment investigation. The congressional candidate aiming to unseat Rep. Jahana Hayes (D) had written “they will let me know when she is on the move” and detailed the ambassador’s locations and security levels. 

The congressional candidate has told NBC News that he was drunk when he sent the message. 

Parnas, who was indicted on campaign law violations in October, described Hyde in his Wednesday interview with Rachel Maddow as a “weird” character and said he doubted that he was actually tracking the ambassador. 

“Well, I don’t believe it’s true,” Parnas said. “I think he was either drunk or he was trying to make himself bigger than he was, so I didn’t take it seriously.”