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Police Report Released Detailing Sexual Assault Charges against Trump Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth; J.D. Vance Accompanying Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Nominee Matt Gaetz through Senate on Capitol Hill. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired November 21, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: And do you know where most of the Colorado River water goes to? Over half goes to cow food, hay. It's used to irrigate out west all of our winter vegetables. But there's real tension between big cities who needs to cut, California. The irrigation districts there have some of the earliest water rights, so they have more power than the others.

And the big red flag, or the wild card here is who Donald Trump appoints as Bureau of Reclamation. If he puts a loyalist in charge of all that water out there, that could complicate the politics. The Biden administration hoping to get something done, but a real Hail Mary because some of these players in these seven states and the tribes that are involved may wait for the Trump administration, may think they get a better hand that way. But it's fascinating, the politics around water out there.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And scary, because there's only so much of that resource, and it could really change what happens in the entire country.

WEIR: Absolutely, absolutely.

SIDNER: Bill Weir, it's always a pleasure.

WEIR: Good to see you.

SIDNER: Appreciate it.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, new graphic details from the police report at the center of a sexual assault allegation against President-elect Trump's Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth.

A man in custody this morning. The FBI says he was planning a bomb attack at the New York Stock Exchange. They have new details on how they found him.

And a teenager is in the hospital after contracting bird flu. What scientists say this means for how the virus could spread in humans.

I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner, and Kate, don't call her gate-lice (ph), Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SIDNER: Breaking overnight, disturbing details, a new jolt to President-elect Donald Trump's defense secretary pick, as "Politico" puts it this morning. For the first time, we are now seeing the police report at the center of a sexual assault allegation against Pete Hegseth. With Hegseth's nomination already facing scrutiny, the report, in graphic detail, now reveals conflicting accounts of what happened in a hotel room seven years ago.

Sara Murray has been poring through the 22 pages of this police report, and you lead us off this morning. What are the details that you are hearing, knowing that they are pretty disturbing.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is disturbing. And, you know, this police report really does give conflicting accounts of what happened this evening in October of 2017, in California, surrounding a Republican women's conference. And I want to get to the woman's account first. She's referred to as Jane Doe in this police report. She says she encountered Hegseth at this conference. He was giving off a creeper vibe. She says she ends up in a strange hotel room, and when she's there, Hegseth took her phone from her hands, and he blocked the door with his body. She went on to say she remembered saying no, a lot.

Now there was a lot she couldn't recall, and she said she believed something may have been slipped into her drink, although there were other witnesses who said when they saw her she did not seem to be overly intoxicated.

There were also conflicting accounts from witnesses at this conference about an interaction that this woman had with Hegseth at a bar at the hotel. One person said that Hegseth was hitting on another woman, and Jane Doe arrived to be a, quote, "crotch blocker" to stop him from hitting on this other lady. A different conference attendee said it appeared that Jane Doe and another woman were flirting with Hegseth.

At any rate, a few days after this incident took place in the hotel room, Jane Doe does go to seek medical attention. She gets a rape kit. She tells the hospital that she's not sure if there was any penetration, but she believes that she was sexually assaulted, and then a nurse there reports it to authorities.

Now, this is a very different account than what Pete Hegseth gave to authorities. He describes an evening of consensual sexual intercourse. He says that this woman, Jane Doe, ends up in his hotel room. He found it kind of odd that she stuck around, but they became intimate. And he tells authorities there was always conversation and always consensual conduct. He said that he and Jane Doe discussed that she was married, and she said she would tell her husband she had fallen asleep on the couch in someone else's room. He also told authorities she showed early signs of regret, although he didn't describe what that means now.

Now, Timothy Parlatore, an attorney for Hegseth, said that "This police report confirms what I've said all along, that the incident was fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false, which is why no charges were filed."

Now, we do have to note the police report does not say that these allegations are false. It is true that there are no charges that were filed in this case, and there is other evidence that could help shed light on what happened. There's surveillance video. There's a memo from the district attorney's office that would kind of outline why they decided not to bring charges in this case. Those have not been released, and we don't expect them to be released. Authorities have cited state law saying that they're going to remain private.

[08:05:03]

We should also note that earlier Parlatore, the Hegseth attorney, did say that his client paid a settlement, an undisclosed sum, to this woman, and there was a confidentiality clause as part of this. The woman did not comment to CNN when we contacted her last week. She did break down in tears.

SIDNER: Sara Murray a lot of complications there, a lot of different sides of that story, but the details disturbing in and of themselves. Appreciate it.

Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we are standing by, Sara, today to see Pete Hegseth on Capitol Hill with J.D. Vance at his side. We're also standing by to see what key Republican senators think about his nomination after they hear from him and also see the new details about the alleged sexual assault that he denies happened.

CNN's Alayna Treene has new reporting on this today for us. She's back with us. Alayna, what are you learning?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, first of all, I think today is really a key test, both for Hegseth, who of course, is going to be confronted with a lot of what Sara just laid out. A lot of Republicans in the Senate who are going to be vital to ensuring whether or not Hegseth can get confirmed, they're really going to have to see whether or not they are comfortable with having him serve as the head of the Department of Defense. So it's a big test for him.

It's also a big test, of course, though, for J.D. Vance J.D. Vance. He has been tasked directly by Donald Trump to bring some of these controversial nominees, or potential nominees and appointees, to the Hill to have these meetings with these key senators. And really, whether or not Donald Trump can get his preferred cabinet picks confirmed is really going to be a test of J.D. Vance's influence. And what we've learned in some of our new reporting today is that Donald Trump has directly asked J.D. Vance to kind of be his point person on Capitol Hill. Yes, he has others who are going to be officially named as the liaison to Congress, but J.D. Vance has been someone that he has asked directly to, one, help him with these cabinet picks, but also to ensure that they stand behind him on a lot of his agenda.

Donald Trump firmly believes that he has a mandate that he was given, other people question if that's true, because he had won the popular vote and because of the results of the election, and he wants J.D. Vance to make sure that now that they have majorities in the House and the Senate, that they move forward with what Donald Trump wants to do and don't get in Donald Trump's way. So this is a test of that. And we also saw that, of course, yesterday when Vance kind of paraded Matt Gaetz through the Senate halls as well for these important meetings.

And all to say, as well, I think when it really comes down to it, there's a lot of questions about whether some of these nominees, whether Matt Gaetz or Hegseth could kind of be viewed as the sacrificial lamb. I've heard some people argue that perhaps they are being used as a distraction so that Donald Trump can fill the rest of his cabinet.

When I talk to those close to Donald Trump, they tell me that that is not the case. He really wants, particularly with Matt Gaetz, to be his attorney general. He wants Pete Hegseth to serve at the Department of Defense. And so I think this is going to be a huge test for them today, and really how we see senators and Republicans respond to how these meetings go.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it's also just -- it's also just a dangerous game to play, a risky game to play if you go along the line of putting someone in, thinking they might not get through, they could be the sacrificial lamb, just with the positions were talking about and cabinet level positions, it's just dangerous, if you really don't want to get them in and you're OK seeing them, seeing how it plays out.

It's good to see you, Alayna. Thank you. John?

BERMAN: All right. With us now, CNN senior vice president and Washington bureau chief David Chalian. I left out Legion of Honor member and Tony Award nominee. David, thank you so much for being with us.

First, what do you think that these allegations mean for Hegseth's nomination, the status of that nomination?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Listen, I think there are a couple of questions that get raised here. I don't know, we don't know the answer to the status of the nomination, John. We certainly have not seen senators come out, and Republican senators say officially, I'm a no vote no matter what. So I don't think we know what the outcome of the nomination will be.

But I do think we know a couple of things. One, the reporting suggests that the Trump transition team was sort of blindsided by this, had no idea that this allegation was out there and existed. And so that's not a good place to start when you already have the president-elect and his team with the nomination out there unaware of this information coming out. So it begs the question, is there other stuff out there or is this it? And can this be managed? That's one.

But two, I don't think this story is necessarily done. I mean, Sara told you in the reporting some things are going to, due to state law, remain private. We now have this police report. It is not unlikely that we're going to get more details of this as this nomination process moves forward. And whether or not those details make it more difficult for senators to support the president-elect's choice here remains to be seen. But it's not going to be an easy road, obviously.

[08:10:06]

BERMAN: No. And again, the Trump team apparently blindsided by this. And it brings up the issue of transparency, which is being criticized by some from the right. I mean, "The Wall Street Journal" yesterday published an op ed on Pete Hegseth saying it was unfortunate that the Trump team didn't know about that. And today they have a new editorial about Matt Gaetz, the attorney general nominee, saying the Senate has every right to demand to see the report on Matt Gaetz before confirming his nomination. "It's one thing to keep sordid details private when a lawmaker accused of misbehavior is chastened enough to resign and go back to private life. This looks more like an effort to dodge accountability by getting a promotion." The Rupert Murdoch owned "Wall Street Journal", David.

CHALIAN: Yes, I think this editorial today on Matt Gaetz from "The Wall Street Journal" editorial board is fascinating because basically it's a memo to Republican senators. Also in this editorial, John, it says to the senators, the president-elect has every right to put his trust in whomever he wants to serve in these roles, but that, the editorial board reminds senators it is their duty to decide on behalf of the American people if these people should be trusted in these roles.

And so I think we are going to get to a really interesting political conundrum for Republican senators real fast here, John, because President-elect Trump obviously had a very decisive victory. He has wind at his back as he moves into his second term as president of the United States. And there is a new a majority of 53 Republican senators in the Senate. The question is, are we at the very outset of this administration going to see just Republicans fall in line and give President-elect Trump the team that he wants irrespective of any of this, or are we going to see these Republican senators set at the outset, basically say to President-elect Trump, we have a role to play here, too. And it doesn't mean as a co-equal branch that we are always going to be completely aligned with you. And I think watching how that dynamic plays out is going to define sort of the Republican party era of Trump 2.0.

BERMAN: What's the risk for these Republican senators, David?

CHALIAN: Oh, it's such a good question, John, because you see already on the right in some grassroots corners, like Charlie Kirk, you know, of Turning Point, who was so consequential in helping to organize especially younger conservative voters for President-elect Trump, he's already threatening, he says, we're going to organize primaries against Republicans who don't support Matt Gaetz but who gave their vote to confirm Merrick Garland. That's going to be an instant -- so you're going to see these crosscurrents inside the Republican Party about the pressure from the outside being brought to bear on Republican senators. And yet, you see Matt Gaetz and J.D. Vance trying to work the inside game right now of trying to persuade and bring the senators on board. So this has a many more beats to go. BERMAN: David Chalian, our new Washington bureau chief. It's my first chance to say congratulations to you on TV. So psyched for you. So psyched for us. And thanks for being with us this morning.

CHALIAN: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Sara?

SIDNER: All right, ahead of strong words from the incoming Trump administration, Los Angeles taking steps to protect immigrant families and members of the LGBTQ community.

Also new this morning, the FBI says they stopped a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange. What we know about the plans.

And, "Hey Google, search monopoly." The U.S. government wants to break up the massive company. How it could impact your Internet experience.

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[08:18:29]

BOLDUAN: New this morning, the FBI says they've arrested and charged a Florida man and they did this on Wednesday. And they also, in doing so, foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange. This was first reported by the website Court Watch.

Investigators first got a tip in February. They say that the 30-year- old was storing what they called bomb making schematics in a storage unit. They later found sketches and other electronics that could be used for building explosive devices. The FBI also says that he told undercover agents that he wanted to detonate a bomb at the Stock Exchange the week before Thanksgiving.

According to court documents, the man also told them this. "The Stock Exchange we want to hit that, because it will wake people up." Also saying that the Stock Exchange was the target in order to, "reboot" the US government.

Joining us right now is the former deputy director of the FBI and CNN senior law enforcement analyst, Andrew McCabe. It's good to see you, Andy. Thanks for coming in.

When I was reading through this, this is exactly how the FBI is supposed to operate. Plot discovered, investigated, and foiled before it can be carried out.

What went right here? What stands out to you?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN, SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Kate, this is a really a classic example of the sort of work that the FBI has done, really, for the last 20 years, in the post 9/11 period, focused on uncovering potential threats here in the United States and then doing whatever is necessary to first make an assessment as to whether or not that subject has the intent and capability to actually carry out an attack and hurt people, and then collect the evidence necessary to charge him with a crime.

That is our only way of disrupting these plots before they happen. And that's exactly what you saw here. There's an enormous -- as you read the indictment or the affidavit that accompanies it, there is enormous amount of work that went into this. They executed search warrants, interviewed the subject multiple times, they used confidential sources to collect more information from him.

Ultimately, they ran an undercover operation to really press on whether or not this guy was intending to carry out the sort of things that he was talking about. And ultimately, they determined he was and made the arrest that we learned about yesterday.

[08:20:43]

BOLDUAN: Yes, and also, it was the use of the undercover agents. I mean, what he told the agents how open he seemed to be at some point with the undercover agents, how important is that discovery when you're talking about trying to discover the intent and ultimately foil a plot?

MCCABE: So, it's absolutely essential to building the case, right? You need to collect evidence of intent if you're going to charge someone with a crime. Every crime is a combination of intent and action and so, you've got to see that person taking those actions like purchasing the precursor materials, in this case, buying the tools that it took to build the bomb.

He actually constructed the detonation device, or at least the outlines of the detonation device in the presence of the undercover agents.

But it's also key to making this assessment as to whether or not this person truly presents a threat. And at every step in this process, this subject showed the FBI that he was organized in the way he was thinking about this.

He had some experience in doing extensive research on building these items. He was able to build the detonators for them when provided with the requisite kind of underlying elements. He had a plan. He recorded a video that he wanted to put on television after the bomb went off.

So, this guy checked every box along the way and ultimately the Bureau decided I believe correctly here, that he needed to be disrupted before anybody got hurt.

BOLDUAN: While I got you. There's some new reporting from NBC I wanted to ask you about, and pick your brain about, kind of a new twist in these burglaries we've reported about the homes of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce being burglarized.

Here's a reporting that the FBI is working with local law enforcement agencies to determine whether a recent spate of burglaries at homes of professional sports stars are connected to a transnational crime ring, such as one from South America and they kind of go through. You've got Mahomes, you've got Kelce. Their homes were hit in October. Other reporting that Milwaukee Bucks' forward Bobby Portis he had posted on social media. His house was burglarized just the day before in September and Minnesota Timberwolves guard, his home was burglarized, he said as well.

What do you think of this?

MCCABE: Yes, it's really amazing, and it kind of highlights one of the historic strengths of the Bureau here, right? Much of the FBI's criminal investigative jurisdiction is built on this concept of interstate commerce, right? That's how the Bureau gets the authority to investigate things that otherwise wouldn't rise to the level of federal crimes. If they are conducted across state lines, that's how we get our authority. And that's where the bureau comes from.

We decided we needed a kind of federal police force to address criminal activities when state authorities would stop at the border and criminals would essentially flee into other states. That seems to be what's happening here. It's the Bureau's unique capability to see and penetrate criminal activity, not just across states, but across, of course, international borders as well.

These robberies appear to be -- they're so similar in nature. The target selection is so specific and so similar in nature that the Bureau is likely concluding that there's some sort of interstate or international group that's responsible for them, and they're providing that assistance to local law enforcement.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it really is wild. Andy, thank you so much. It's good to see you -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, ahead, in just a few minutes, the father of an accused school shooter goes back to court to face murder charges.

And the new effort in LA to protect immigrant families before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Those stories and more ahead.

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[08:29:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this morning a new law solidifying Los Angeles as a sanctuary city for immigrants and LGBTQ youth has been passed by the city council.

The city moved swiftly to get this adopted ahead of Donald Trump's new term, they say to protect against the mass deportations he has promised.

With us now is Los Angeles City councilman who introduced the ordinance, Hugo Soto-Martinez.

Councilman, thanks so much for being with us. You're the one who introduced this. Why? HUGO SOTO-MARTINEZ, LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: Well, I think it's important that we think about what does Los Angeles mean. And you know, my own parents came here undocumented. They were street vendors for a very long time.

We were able to buy a home and become citizens and I think when we think about why this law is in place, is to protect people like that, protect people that many of us know who are in this country, and they just happen to be undocumented.

It's about keeping families together and giving them the safety that they need regardless of who they are.

BERMAN: One of the things that Republicans say is no, this is for people who are in the United States who committed crimes. Why would you want to protect them?

SOTO-MARTINEZ: No, look, I think that the Republican Party is always going to try to fear monger, speak to our lowest selves, our emotional brain, our reptilian brain to try to sway people away from the real issues and the reality is, is that this president is driven by hate and divisiveness for his own personal interest.

But we know that these are the hard-working folks that pick our crops, they cook our food, they are our nannies. They're essential to our economy and that's what were really talking about, protecting those folks.

[08:30:33]