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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Israel Finds Body Of Second Hostage Nar Gaza Hospital; More Blasts Near Israel-Gaza Border; Fleeing Families Say They Can Find No Safe Shelter In Gaza; Police: "Multiple Victims" In Shooting At New Hampshire Hospital; House Ethics Chairman Introduces Santos Expulsion Resolution; FBI Searches Home Of A Second Mayor Adams Aide And A Former Turkish Airlines Executive. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired November 17, 2023 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:13]

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: But he had the maturity and the understanding to know that he had nothing to be ashamed of.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: So much courage. Wow.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Nima, thank you for being with us about your report. And be sure to our viewers to tune in, an all new episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER", that's one whole hour, one whole story, airs Sunday at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific, only on CNN.

And THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER starts now.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: A hostage being held by Hamas is celebrating her ninth birthday today. Happy birthday, Emily, wherever you are.

THE LEAD starts right now.

Meanwhile, disturbing finds inside Gaza, the remains of a hostage, the second such discovery this week as Israeli forces comb areas around the Al-Shifa Hospital and uncover evidence of a hidden terrorist operation run by Hamas.

Plus, in the 2024 race, age still a problem. Perhaps a bigger problem for President Joe Biden as voters in a key primary state weigh in in a brand new CNN poll.

And I will be joined by a different Republican who says that he was also once given unwanted hostile physical attention from then Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

(MUSIC)

TAPPER: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

We're going to start with our world lead as Israel continues its siege of Gaza's largest hospitals, its forces have found the body they report of a second Israeli hostage near the Al-Shifa medical complex. This is 19-year-old Noa Marciano. She was a corporal in the Israel Defense Forces. She was kidnapped by Hamas during the terrorist attacks on October 7. Hamas confirmed her death earlier this week. They claim she was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel denies it. We have no way of knowing the truth.

The body of a 65-year-old Yehudit Waiss was found yesterday around the same area. It's not clear if the two women were found together.

With those two and the discovery of part of the skull of Shani Louk who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 3rd, that's at the least the third victim of kidnapping whose remains have been found since October 7.

Today, we're also getting new insight into the negotiations to free at least some of the hostages believed to be currently held by Hamas which we believe is more than 230 innocent civilians in total. Sources say Hamas has demanded had Israel stop flying drones over Gaza as part of a larger military pause. Sources caution that Israel is not likely to accept the request since Israel uses the drones to track the movement of Hamas operatives.

Today, it is one of the birthdays of one of the hostages. It's her ninth birthday, Emily Hand. She's one of the faces featured on this new billboard in Times Square. Her dad Thomas was in New York City to watch the reveal of the billboard this morning. He told CNN that he is praying she will be home by the end of the year.

I want to bring in CNN's Nic Robertson. He's live in Sderot, Israel, just east of the Gaza border.

And, Nic, let's start with the latest on the ground. While Israeli forces are raiding the Al-Shifa hospital for a third day in a row, we are hearing some really dire conditions for patients in the hospital.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, and I think that conditions across the northern part of Gaza behind us must be quite dire for some people at the moment as well because they say that because we've just been hearing a huge barrage of outgoing artillery tank fire from behind us seeing some explosions on the horizon behind us. It feels as if this area of Gaza is getting some intense military activity tonight. That's some more of the detonations. We think that's outgoing tank fire. Looking over my soldier there, we can't see very much, but we have been picking up the occasional flash on the horizon there.

This is some of the intense fire that we've been seeing just -- yeah, this is some of the intense fire we've heard in the past few days from here. I think those big booms you're hearing, that's outgoing tank fire from not far away. But it's accompanied by -- you're going to see there, some very, very big explosions illuminating, looking at the geography of where we're at right now, that is over towards the Mediterranean coast, right at the northern and western tip of Gaza. That would be sort of the area perhaps working down towards the Al- Shati refugee camp.

[16:05:02] These detonations, by the way, are shaking the floor I'm standing on about five miles away. We're talking there as well -- I'll talk about the hospital. The Al-Shifa hospital, Shifa Hospital there, doctors there have been speaking with the Qatar-based al Jazeera network. We have not been able to reach them because phone lines are so badly disrupted in Gaza right now, because of a lack of fuel.

But the doctor was telling the al Jazeera network that patients have been dying in the ICU there because they've been running out of oxygen, running out of fuel. He said that promise deliveries, the IDF delivering some food for the people. He said about 7,000, including patients still in the hospital, displaced people there as well, 650 children. I think they said many, many children still in the hospital. The amount of food he said that's arriving is insufficient for them.

He described the situation where there is no water, and no electricity, and some main buildings inside the hospital there, Jake. But I think as you can hear, the fighting is not just around the Al- Shifa hospital, which is probably about six miles in this direction. It's way up in the north end of Gaza as well tonight.

TAPPER: And, Nic, you spoke earlier today of the family of Yehudit Waiss. She's one of the hostages whose body, whose corpse was found near Al-Shifa hospital. What did they have to say?

ROBERTSON: Yeah, I spoke to her middle son. She had -- she has had five sons -- Omar, the middle son, I spoke to him, he told me of the pain and suffering and loss. We spoke about his father, Shmyhal, who was in the kibbutz, Be'eri with his mother, when she was kidnapped. He had gone out to try to defend and secure her.

This is such a heavy set of strikes going on.

He had been going out to try and defend her, keep her safe, and he disappeared. While the IDF found his body ten days later. And Omer told me that it just today, the family had come out 30 days of mourning for his father, only to get this news about his mother. This is what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMER WAISS, SON OF DECEASED HOSTAGE YEHUDIT WAISS (through translator): Yesterday, we were heartbroken for the second time, in a stronger way, when they told us about father, there was still hope that mother would return. And yesterday, we were told that we would not see your mother and grandmother again. What keeps us going is our family, a big, close knit family. Thanks to mom and dad who took care of us, and kept us, that we will be united and strong together. Our strength is our unity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And he told me as well that the most important thing right now -- too late for his mother he said -- but the important thing is to bring other families back. So this firefight that we are watching here now, this is intensifying. It looks like a flare is added up in the sky, but I'm seeing fire raining down from what I can't see, but I would imagine is possibly a helicopter.

We've seen Apache helicopters -- Apache helicopters working in this area of Gaza this evening. We've seen multiple flashes over there in the northwestern side of Gaza. This to me is hard to understand because I was in the area close to that, and it already looked just two days ago, three days ago, already bombed out, deserted, no civilians. It created the impression there is no military, Hamas no longer there.

So, when you see -- when I see the IDF, clearly going back, and having these heavy strikes in these similar areas, it's just a reminder, three weeks into this ground incursion, these are some of the biggest flashes I think I've certainly seen here from explosions. Three weeks into this ground incursion, the northern tip of Gaza is still being cleared of Hamas.

The level of fire that is coming in here tonight, it is quite, quite intense. Perhaps some of the most intense we have seen in several days. The sky here being absolutely illuminated by these multiple flashes. You see the flares coming down, but the horizon is just being brightly lit by these red and yellow explosions, these detonations, a loud shaking where we are -- just look at them, all across the long length of the horizon there.

We're looking at a battlefront there that must be, I would say, several miles long, judging from where I am standing. I see smoke on the ground as well. This has been -- this level of firepower that we've seen like this, it is what the IDF uses when it is moving in on a new battle line. It lays down a huge barrage of fire like this ahead of the troops on the ground, so that they can't get booby trapped, so they can't get attacked.

[16:10:08]

And they just are blasting an area with intense fire, so that the ground forces can move in behind. This scene, potentially indicative here of the IDF trying to gain a firmer and stronger control of another part, more neighborhoods, in the northern end of Gaza. But the horizon that is being illuminated, several miles of active battlefront there, Jake, just look at these live pictures you're seeing. I've never seen anything like this in the last few days.

TAPPER: Nic, to the degree that you can, what area of Gaza might this be happening in?

ROBERTSON: Our best analysis at the moment is that this is the northern part of Gaza. It is probably behind Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia. These kind of neighborhoods, possibly the northern end of al-Shati refugee camp. As we know, the IDF has control of the coastline, and perhaps a mile or so coming in from the coastline. So that must be just a little inland of western, northwestern part of Gaza.

So, our estimation, this balcony I'm standing, shaking right now, our estimation, is these towns and villages in the northern area of Gaza, sort of down to the al-Shati refugee camp, which is a few miles north of Gaza City, where we know the truths are in, we know there and Gaza City. We know they have controlled deep -- five miles into Gaza, way south, way to the left, as you look at these pictures, way south of where you're seeing these explosions now, just a couple of days ago.

So, this appears to be the IDF cementing, trying to cement its control of some of the more central territory within the northern end of the Gaza Strip.

TAPPER: I mean, I know it's difficult to tell, but to the degree that you can, are all munitions we are seeing here IDF munitions? Or is Hamas returning fire, as much as you can tell?

ROBERTSON: I am not hearing any small armed gunfire. I'm not seeing any rockets coming out. That's the only thing we ever see of Hamas, the gunfire and rocket fire. So at the moment, my estimation is everything we are looking at here's idea of fire, going on to suspected Hamas positions inside of Gaza.

Some of this is tank fire. Those, I can hear the outgoing rounds of tank fire. But also, we would expect that some of the big explosions we are seeing are probably artillery being fired from ships at sea, and I am seeing artillery fired from ships at sea because we are not hearing artillery that is on the land around us here in Sderot.

We're not hearing artillery around us here firing out. So, this is what we believe is happening at the moment, without having confirmation, of course, from the IDF.

TAPPER: From the very beginning of this war, on October 7th, the IDF was announcing, telling the Palestinians to go south, to get out of the north. Is that where Hamas was mainly based, in northern Gaza?

ROBERTSON: They certainly had concentrations in the north, one of the reasons they had concentrations in the north was because they fire a lot of their rockets from the north, because that would give them a better chance of hitting their targets inside of Israel, because, it's a shorter distance. The longer the Hamas rockets are in the air, that gives the IDF a greater opportunity to shoot them down. So, Hamas would put their rockets at the north end of Gaza, to have a better chance of finding that, therefore, their infrastructure here was bigger.

TAPPER: All right, Nic Robertson, stay with me. We're going to come back to you in a second.

I want to bring in, right now, CNN national security analyst, Beth Sanner, who was a former deputy director of national intelligence.

And, Beth, you've been watching this. Nick says this is more military action than he has seen in northern Gaza in days. What do you make of all of this?

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, we have been expecting an expansion of the ground operation by the IDF, and so, I think that they are just ready at this point, to go ahead and push forward, having moved out, or allow the movement of, you know, most of the civilians, not all, but most civilians out of those areas. [16:15:00]

And, at the same time, we are seeing, you know, the warnings of the expansion in the south, around Khan Younis. So, you know, they are narrowing down I think, where they think these main concentrations are, and starting to really lay some ground fire pressure, as his groundwork spans because they're under a lot of pressure from the international community to get going and from their own population.

TAPPER: I'm also seeing that there was a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza on the greater Tel Aviv area, this is at least according to "The Haaretz" newspaper. Some of this might be, some may be a response, or retaliatory response to Hamas firing rockets on Israeli population centers, which we should note, has been going on for, since long before October 7th. Israel has been living under Hamas rocket fire for years.

SANNER: But I think today -- yeah, as you mentioned, Jake, I think today the barrage against Tel Aviv was, you know, on the high end of what has been seen in recent days, weeks. So, I mean, there's definitely, they're going to try to pinpoint where that came from, but I do think this is probably a broader thing that's underway, in addition to that. That's my guess.

TAPPER: This is also happening as we're learning details about hostage negotiations between the United States and Israel, and Hamas, being mediated by Qatar, which has diplomatic relations with Hamas. I mean, a bunch of members of Hamas live in Qatar at some fancy hotels there.

Sources tell CNN that the sides are all still trying to result several key points of a possible deal, including how many hostages might be released, how long a pause in fighting, how long it would last. Would this, whatever is going on right now, whatever kinetic action is going on right now, with that complicate those efforts, or is it really kind of irrelevant?

SANNER: Well, I think everything complicates the efforts, right? You know, I think that the IDF is prioritizing the destruction of Hamas. They are worried about the hostages, but, I think, you know, their mission number one is to proceed, and to proceed as quickly as possible, you know, with caveats there. But, at the same time, today we also heard a little bit letting up on getting more humanitarian aid in. In addition to fuel trucks, there is also another statement about allowing, at a lower level officials saying allowing unlimited numbers of humanitarian trucks to come in, as long as the U.N. provided those lists.

So maybe, you know, as they continue this ground offensive, and it stepped up, they will have to let the pressure also, the pressure valve off a little bit more, in terms of allowing humanitarian aid, in terms of creating this balance, in these negotiations for the hostage releases.

TAPPER: All right. Beth Sanner, thanks so much. We're continuing to watch his military action near the Israel, Gaza border. We're going to squeeze in a quick break. But we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:22:09]

TAPPER: We've been watching live images of intense strikes over northern Gaza on the ground there. The United Nations is warning the, quote, massive outbreaks of infectious disease and hunger seem inevitable in Gaza, where many are now forced to drink clearly contaminated water and raw sewage is flowing through the streets.

CNN's Nada Bashir gives us a closer look now at how families in Gaza are scraping together whatever they can to survive. A warning, some of what you are about to see could be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: In the central Gazan city of Deir al Balah, heavily bombarded by Israeli airstrikes for weeks now, the Naji (ph) family is forced to live amid the ruins of what once was their home. Khalid (ph) and his wife were rescued from beneath the rubble. Miraculously, they survived.

But now, with nowhere to go, this family must make do with what little they have left.

When we saw the catastrophe before us, we try to find shelter at a school, or anywhere safe. But it was already too crowded, Khalid says. There wasn't anywhere safe to go here. As you can see, it has been raining, and there is no aid getting in. I just want somewhere to shelter my family, my children.

The U.N. has warned that some 70 percent of people in Gaza are now forced to drink contaminated water. Raw sewage is said to be flowing through the streets in some areas.

And while the Israeli government says it will now allow to fuel tankers a day to enter Gaza to support water and sewage systems, the entire strip is said to be facing the immediate possibility of starvation, according to the U.N. World Food Programme.

There is no electricity, and no running water here. As temperatures drop, this family has no choice but to sleep in the cold. Khalid's daughter says she put this sheet of nylon to protect her from the wind and rain at night. These blankets, all the family has left to keep them warm. The rest of their belongings tangled and buried amidst scorched, blackened rubble.

Across northern and central Gaza, scenes of destruction are all that remain. Civilians told to evacuate southwards, the Israeli military says it is targeting Hamas, and allowing for evacuation corridors. But even in the south, there is no escape from this punishing war.

The ruins you see here are homes in the southern city of Khan Younis. Amid the destruction, members of the Abu Zanad (ph) family standing helpless. Loved ones, still buried under the rubble. Every second of every minute, there's another massacre, Khani (ph)

says. Where are the humanitarian ceasefires? Displaced people, women and children, our family members, are here, buried underneath this home.

[16:25:04]

They escape the massacres and war in northern Gaza. They told us the south would be safe. On the grounds of southern Gaza's Nasr Hospital, another funeral prayer is held, closed with a message of peace amid unfathomable loss.

With fears growing of an expanded ground incursion, said to be targeting Hamas in the south, after Israeli forces dropped leaflets near Khan Younis, warning people to move to known shelters on Thursday. But with some 1.5 million people already displaced, there is nowhere safe to turn.

And as each hour takes by, there is only more uncertainty, and more tragedy.

The wounded rushed to the hospitals crowded halls. Children, battered and bloody, sharing whatever space is left in this panic filled emergency room, but as doctors in the south race to rescue the wounded, survivors further north, just like Khalid and his family, struggled to come to terms with this now shattered reality.

Khalid says neighbors thought he was dead when they pulled him from the rubble. Now he says, he wishes he too had been killed in the airstrike. In Gaza, only the dead are at peace.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASHIR (on camera): Look, Jake, we have been hearing from the U.S.'s humanitarian office, calling for a longer pauses invited to allow for crucial, essential humanitarian aid to get into the Gaza Strip. As we saw in Nic's reporting there, we are still seeing heavy bombardment across northern and central Gaza, even tonight, heavy bombardment, also ongoing across southern Gaza, too.

And now, as there are beginning to be indications that we may well see a further spread of this ground incursion to southern Gaza, there is huge concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation, huge worries from U.N. agencies, and other aid groups, that this situation facing Gazan civilians, who are already displaced, could begin to get much, much worse -- Jake.

TAPPER: Nada Beshear, thank you so much.

The remains of the peace activist previously believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas have been found in her home.

Seventy-four-year-old Vivian Silver, a Canadian Israeli, was murdered in her home in Kibbutz Be'eri on October. Silver cofounded the group Women Waged Peace, after the war in Gaza broke out in 2014. She also served on the board of B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization. Hundreds of family, friends, and fellow activists of all faiths gathered in kibbutz Gezer Thursday, at a memorial service, honoring Silver.

Her son Yonatan said, quote, it is not only me who has been orphaned. Your many friends were orphaned. The country that you adopted at a young age, and a movement was orphaned, a peace movement.

May Vivian's memory be a blessing.

And we also have breaking news this hour. Police in New Hampshire say there were multiple victims involved in a shooting at New Hampshire state hospital in Concord. This is just coming in. We're back with more in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:32:41]

TAPPER: We're following breaking news for you now. New Hampshire state police say there are multiple victims after a shooting at a hospital in Concord.

I want to bring in CNN's Polo Sandoval, in studio here with me.

Polo, what are you learning?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I wish you could tell you more at this point. This is a situation that was just confirmed by authorities about 15 or 20 minutes ago. What we know according to New Hampshire state police, the statement they posted on social media a short while ago, is that troopers are responding to a shooting that took place at New Hampshire state hospital, as we're trying to get that right now that statement that was just posted.

Troopers are currently investigating a shooting at New Hampshire state hospital in Concord. There are multiple victims. Additional updates will be released when it's available. I can tell you right now, on its website, the facility says it is an acute psychiatric hospital, that it assists patients with mental illness, also provides in-patient services as well.

It's about 60 or 70 miles away from Boston, which is where some of these aerial pictures are actually coming from, Jake, as we're able to look at, it will be able to see a large, significant police presence that includes state troopers, various ambulances there as well. So, again, New Hampshire state police, at this point, confirming just a few moments ago, that this is a -- excuse me, that is shooting that took place, at New Hampshire state hospital in Concord, multiple victims, and again, these pictures, taken just moments ago, showing a large, and significant police presence, as we're trying to make those phone calls right now, Jake, and get you more information. For now, this is all we can confirm from authorities.

TAPPER: All right. All we can do, share the limited information we have in any given moment. Take you so much, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Thanks, Jake.

TAPPER: Thank you so much.

We will obviously continue to follow the situation in New Hampshire, and bring you the facts as we learn.

We are also standing by to see President Biden leaving California after that high stakes meeting with Chinese leader, Xi Jinping.

We're going to squeeze in a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:38:38]

TAPPER: Embattled congressman and serial fabulist George Santos could see his congressional career cut short.

Today, the House Ethics Committee chairman, a Republican, introduced a resolution to expel Santos, and a growing number of lawmakers are saying they are ready to vote to send him packing this afternoon. An investigation by the Ethics Committee found Santos, quote, sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal, financial profit, unquote.

Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger served 12 years in the House as a Republican representing Illinois. He's the author of the new book, "Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country".

And he joins us now.

Congratulations on the book, Congressman. Good to see you.

ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey, thanks. It's been fun. It's been fun. Thanks.

TAPPER: So, in your book, you say that the George Santos story marked an especially low moment for Republican candidate for Congress. So what was your reaction to the report from the House Ethics Committee?

KINZINGER: I mean, it was awful. I -- you know, look, at least, this is going to sound jaded to say, but at least in past ethics things, you've seen members of Congress at least make an effort to hide it, to like wash the money, or launder it. He basically was taking payments way beyond what people should be giving to a campaign, converting it directly to his personal bank account, and paying for OnlyFans, and also, you know, Botox.

[16:40:05]

It's just like he wasn't even trying to hide it. It was -- it was so egregious that I think it would be almost impossible -- you know, I know these Republicans, it would be almost impossible for them to say, well, majority is so tight, that we need to keep him around. I mean, the reality is, if the majority is tight, it'll be tight with or without him. I think they're going to have to get rid of him. TAPPER: In the book, you write that 9/11 was a call to your

generation. You write, quote, I thought we faced a challenge to our values that could be reduced to a single question. Is it important to get ahead, or is it important to do what is right, unquote.

What do you think your generation -- how do you think your generation is answering that question? Is it important to get ahead, or is it important to do what's right? Not your generation writ large, but your generation in Congress?

KINZINGER: Yeah, I mean, look, it's sad. It's become -- it's important to like just stay in power, not to do what's right. I mean, every one of these -- well, the vast majority, almost every one of these, I know them. You know, I have had conversations with most of these people in the last five years, these Republicans and Congress.

I have at least heard from a good number of them, like, what we're doing, you know, I wish Donald Trump would go away, or I wish we could talk about spending, and not just talk about the personality of one man. But it's like they're constantly going over this personal moral red line.

So, I think -- I would say the current generation of members of Congress, particularly on my side of the aisle are fabling. It's become about being famous, about rage for fund raising, which is frightening because at some point you've got to dial rage down, or rage gets out of control. And we're kind of at that point where it's about to get out of control because you just feed the beast constantly. And eventually, the beast snaps back at you.

TAPPER: An interesting part of your book. You write that you feel like you bear some responsibility for January 6, because, quote, I was a participant in, and witness to the GOP's gradual descent into a dysfunctional, and destructive force in our politics, unquote.

How do you think that you -- you compromised your values, and were part of the dissent of the GOP?

KINZINGER: Well, I think it's important to talk about it. And, you know, look, I -- I was one of the most outspoken against Donald Trump. But there were times where I'm like, I should say something, but I wouldn't say it.

You know, looking now at the forest, instead of the trees, when you're actually in it, you're like, wow, I can look at that and see how the GOP was slipping. Times that I didn't speak out against it.

I voted against the first impeachment, and that was basically sheer cowardice because I didn't want, I knew I would lose my job after the first impeachment. And so, I found a reason, I found an excuse, a nuance, which was the speed that Nancy Pelosi tried to put the impeachment through. I seized on that as a way to vote against it.

So, look, I'm comfortable, able to look at myself in the mirror, and say, I'm fighting the good fight. But it's important to announce, look, there were times where I was proxy to this, and there were times where I enabled this. And that's what we have to have people give them license to admit, so they can come around on the other side, and help fight against the monster that was either created, or in some cases, that they helped create.

TAPPER: You're a combat veteran. You served in the Air Force in Iraq, in Afghanistan. You write that you've watched, quote, many politicians speak and behave as if Congress itself were a battlefield, and if -- as if they hadn't been elected not to serve the public and protect the Constitution, but to score points for their side, no matter the cost, unquote.

This week, a Republican lawmaker accused former Speaker McCarthy of giving him a sucker elbow to his kidneys. In the book, you write about two physical altercations with McCarthy. Not really altercations, but times where he kind of -- well, tell us what happened.

KINZINGER: Yes, so twice. So, imagine just -- I'm just standing in the back of the House, leaning over that gold railing, just watching what's going on, talking to people who walk by. I get wham, I get shoulder checked. I've never had that happen on the floor of the House. And I turned and Kevin McCarthy has already passed me.

And my initial reaction was like, oh, we used to be -- we're friends, and I was like, we haven't been friends in the year. That was serious.

And then like three weeks later, we're passing each other, basically on that same walkway on the House, he leans over, and shoulder checks me again. Like when you're in fourth grade. It was just like, what a child.

And the interesting thing is, what are the chances that I write about this in a book, it comes out, he does it to this guy from Tennessee, and then he saying, like, it was an accident. Like that is never happened to me from anybody else.

Kevin McCarthy has compromised his values so much that he's lashing out now on the people that are calling him out. And honestly, I hope he gets help. I think he needs to, because his identity was wrapped up in being a speaker.

And I was a threat to that in January 6. And others are a threat to that now. They've actually taken it away.

So, he's -- he's an angry man.

[16:45:01]

And, you know, when you lash out physically in this job, it goes to show something is broken.

TAPPER: House Speaker Mike Johnson just announced that he's going to publicly release all Capitol Hill security footage from January 6th, as long as it does not contain any sensitive security information. This seems an obvious move to please the far right wing members of the House Republican conference.

What's your reaction to that?

KINZINGER: Well, the problem is, 40,000 hours -- you know, people are watching 40,000 hours. They're going to get snippets that can be taken out of context, like they already have been, from certain news outlets, and, so, -- keep in mind, Tucker Carlson is how the stuff for a year. He did one or two shows on some minor things, and then it went crickets.

So I think it's going to be pretty hard to look at what's going, on and say, that was an FBI insurrection, or that was Antifa, or that was method actors. It's like, well, Donald Trump called them all heroes now. So which is? It is at the FBI? Or are these heroes that Donald Trump is going to pardon?

The thing I worry about, is fine, people can see, it because you're going to see what I saw. It's horrific. But they're going to be parts that are cherry-picked by Alex Jones, and some others, that unfortunately will be -- you'll see out in the ether now.

TAPPER: There's been a real rise in antisemitism as of late. Both on the left, we see college campuses, professors and some student organizations. And I'm not talking about criticism of Israel. That's, you know, Netanyahu, the IDF, criticism of that is fine. But you know, celebrating what happened on October 7th and the like.

We have also seen some real rise in antisemitism on the right. I'm talking about Elon Musk, and the voices. Conservative media voices, embracing white -- this white replacement theory, white genocide. All of it supposedly Jews are pushing all the buttons and levers.

What's your response to this?

KINZINGER: Well, first off, it's the horseshoe theory. It's the far left, and far-right, are actually the same people. They don't know it, but they're the same people fighting the same battle. You know, I mean, if anybody is still advertising on Twitter, or X, I don't know why they would. The CEO is clearly antisemitic. He doesn't even hide it anymore, feeds that impulse of people.

And I'll tell you, the Democrats, and let -- take this from someone who lived through a version of this in my party, you've got to tamp down on this kind of -- there is some pro-Hamas sympathy out there. You've got to tamp down on that because I remember when a certain guy, Dana Rohrabacher, was the only pro-Russian sympathizer in the GOP. Everybody told, I'm ignore Dana, he's a one-off. And now, the vast majority of the GOP seems to be sympathetic to Russia.

We've got to kick -- you've got to kick this in the grave. You have to stand, not worry about political implications of, you know, Hamas supporters, just tell the truth.

This is a real -- antisemitism is on a serious rise. I don't understand why. I don't understand why it has been, quote/unquote, the Jews that have been behind every problem in the world. But this has got to be tackled seriously. And if anybody is still advertising on platforms that promote

antisemitism, you have to stop. In college campuses have got to get aggressive about cracking down on antisemitism on their campuses, as aggressive as they would be about like anti-Muslim behavior.

TAPPER: Adam Kinzinger, thank you so much. Good luck with the book, sir, good to se you.

KINZINGER: You bet.

TAPPER: His book, "Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country" -- it's out now, check it out. It's a great read.

Busy afternoon, we're standing by for Air Force One to be wheels up from San Francisco after President Biden's meeting with Xi Jinping, and other leaders of Pacific Rim nations.

In New York, CNN is learning new information about the federal investigation into the city's Democratic mayor, Eric Adams. And the homes of aides raided by the FBI.

Stay with us.

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[16:53:22]

TAPPER: In our law and justice lead, two new names are coming to light as part of the criminal investigation into Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams campaign fundraising. A source confirms to CNN that another one of Adams aides had her home raided by the FBI as well. This is "The New York Times" is identifying a former Turkish airlines official, whose home was also searched.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is here.

And, Brynn, this makes three people with ties to Mayor Adams, whose homes have been raided. First we know of is Adams' chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, who are the other two?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Well, if you remember, our teams reported that on that day, November 2nd, a dozen people's homes were searched. Adams was asked about this earlier this week when he held a news conference, and it wouldn't give any details. So, it's no surprise some of these names are starting to trickle out.

But the answer to your question, one of those names is Rana Abbasova. Now, she works in the administration's international affairs office as a director. And she also has been without him since he was mayor, when he was Brooklyn borough president. In this role, she sort of acts as a liaison between foreign dignitaries, does the vetting process and so, she -- you know, there's questions at sort of what sort of relationships she has made while in his administration.

Now, Jake, if you're one of those people who are following this story closely, you may remember, when this investigation came to light not too long ago, there was, you know, a statement that was put out by the mayor's office saying someone had acted inappropriately in their office. That is her.

She apparently got wind about this happening to her. She was nervous she was going to be part of this investigation. She was put only from this office. So, that is higher.

The second person is Cenk Ocal. Now, he worked as you mentioned, for Turkish Airlines. He was also part of the mayor's transition team when he came into being mayor of New York City.

Now, all of this circles, all the leaves to Turkey, that is what we know from sources, federal investigators are looking into the mayor, and his campaign's relationships with Turkey officials in Turkey, and also Turkish American officials here, whether or not he was receiving illegal funds through his campaign, and whether or not he was currying favors for Turkish officials, when it comes to the opening of the Turkish consulate here in New York City.

Now, when he had this news conference on Monday, he did address some of these allegations, no one has been accused of wrongdoing, it's very important to point that out. But he did address some of these questions. I want you to hear some of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D), NEW YORK: I did not speak to any of the individuals in the FDNY. I did not circumvent the commissioner, the commissioner was the person that I asked. Can you look into this? And that was all I spoke with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: So, that's addressing the Turkish consulate questions that are circulating, about what's being investigated here. But as far as campaign donations that he has received, are allegedly -- which is being investigated, he says there are no straw donors in his administration, no quid pro. So, he's addressed these questions.

However, he hasn't really given enough answers, a lot of what he's saying, we're cooperating with the investigation. So, we're seeing what this leads, no surprise that we're hearing about these names coming out though.

TAPPER: All right, interesting stuff.

GINGRAS: Stay on it.

TAPPER: Brynn Gingras, thank you so much.

New details on the breaking news, that shooting in a hospital in New Hampshire. We're told the suspect is dead. We're told also there are multiple victims who have more right after this quick break. Stay with us.

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