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Former FBI Chief James Comey Indicted After Pressure From Trump; Hegseth Summons Top Military Officers For Unexplained Meeting; Prosecutor: ICE Facility Shooter Had "Hatred For Federal Government." Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired September 26, 2025 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:30:30]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Breaking this morning President Trump putting himself squarely in the middle of the indictment of former FBI director James Comey.

The president wrote, "Whether you like corrupt James Comey or not -- and I can't imagine too many people liking him -- he lied. It is not a complex lie. It's a very simple but important one. There is no way he can explain his way out of it."

Comey was indicted on one count of making a false statement and one count of obstruction of a congressional proceeding. It all goes back to 2020 testimony that had to do with both the Russian meddling investigation and also potentially the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. We're not sure which one because there's not a lot of information, frankly, in the two-page indictment.

It came after one U.S. attorney was fired after believing there was insufficient evidence to indict. And the president's handpicked replacement Lindsey Halligan presented the case herself despite objections from career prosecutors.

In a video posted online Comey said, "I'm innocent."

Let's get right to CNN Kevin Liptak at the White House this morning which, frankly, has a lot to say -- an unusual amount to say about an investigation and federal indictment.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and the president has made his animus towards James Comey known for years now, so it's probably no surprise that he is seizing on this, this morning.

You know, you mentioned the Truth Social post that the president just put out within the last 30 minutes or so. I also think it's notable that he's pointing out that the judge assigned in this case was appointed by Joe Biden, saying that Comey is "off to a good start" but trying to lay out some of the parameters of the prosecution here, saying that Comey lied. That he left himself zero margin of error on a big, important answer, and that it was a very serious and far-reaching lie for which a very big price must be paid. So really, wading very deeply into some of the details here.

And that's interesting because about seven hours before this indictment came out we heard from the president in the Oval Office essentially trying to put some distance between himself and this case. Listen to the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're going to make a determination. I'm not making that determination. I will -- I think I'd be allowed to get involved if I want but I don't really choose to do so. I can only say that Comey is a bad person. He's a sick person. I think he's a sick guy, actually. He did terrible things at the FBI. And -- but I don't know. I have no idea what's going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So you hear the president there saying he doesn't want to be involved.

I think in reality it's been pretty clear that this is all happening under the shadow of the president's demands for retribution. You know, one, he fired the U.S. attorney after he declined to bring charges in the case. Two, he berated Pam Bondi, saying she was acting too slowly and that it was damaging his credibility. And three, he appointed Lindsey Halligan, who is a loyalist who has never prosecuted a case before this, into this position.

None of these actions were happening quietly, you know. This was not some hidden hand behind the scenes. The president was doing all of this out in public, which I think gives you a sense of just how unbound the president feels in this moment.

He has stocked the upper levels of the Justice Department with loyalists. He's essentially done away with some of the safeguards that protected political interference in that agency. Here at the White House aides no longer really try and contain the president's impulses. And Congress and the Supreme Court have essentially gone to the wayside. So this, in effect, is a culmination of all of that.

But in another viewpoint, this is kind of just the beginning, you know. The president has a long list of his perceived enemies. He's been pretty clear that his appetite is sort of unlimited in bounds of retribution. So I think the big question could be this morning is who might be next.

BERMAN: That is definitely a big question this morning. And these new posts from the president, as you correctly point out, betray a great knowledge of the details here, which he more or less denied just a few hours ago.

Kevin Liptak at the White House this morning. Thank you very much -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's continue the conversation. Joining us now, Republican strategist Melik Abdul. Also, CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Paul Begala. Thank you, gentlemen, for being here.

[07:35:00]

I want to start with what we just got from President Trump posting on this indictment -- following this indictment, saying, "Whether you like corrupt -- as he calls him -- James Comey or not -- and I can't imagine too many people liking him -- he lied." And it ends with "He knew exactly what he was saying," and that this is "a very serious and far reaching lie for which a very big price must be paid." Those are his words.

I do want to remind you that was posted after the indictment and this was posted before the indictment. Just six days before the indictment he posted a message, basically, to the A.G. Pam Bondi in which he said, "I just -- I have reviewed over 30 statements and postings that essentially same old story as last time. All talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam "Shifty" Schiff, Leticia (sic)? They're all guilty as hell but nothing is being done."

Melik, can this be looked at in any other way than a politically motivated move with the president telling the DOJ what he wants it to do and the DOJ complying?

MELIK ABDUL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, Sara, first of all, what better way to start the day than with you and, of course, Paul.

Now, from the president's perspective, of course, there are some politics behind -- there are some politics in this. But this is something that Republicans, especially many on our side, have felt for quite sometime when it come -- when it came to James Comey.

I don't think that the indictment itself is political because a grand jury is responsible for their indictment. They could have very well decided there wasn't enough evidence to actually move towards an indictment.

But this weaponization, as many people now are saying -- this weaponization of the Justice Department is similar to how many Republicans, including me, felt about how the law was weaponized against Donald Trump -- those 34 counts. It's not that the federal government charged Donald Trump with any type of election crime. The Federal Election Commission did not charge him with a crime, or they didn't even fine him for it.

They did do that when it came to Hillary Clinton, charging her -- I think of fining her about over $100,000 for what she did back when she was running for office.

So this happens all the time. I'm not a fan of weaponization on either side but, yes, Donald Trump -- he's going to do what he's going to do about this regardless.

SIDNER: Paul what do you make of Melik's argument that, look, it was weaponized against Donald Trump? Donald Trump has always been saying oh, this is a witch hunt, right, when it comes to the DOJ. And now the shoe is on the other foot.

What is this going to do to the DOJ in general, and how do you see it?

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: This is of a piece. First, I have to say for the record Donald Trump should not be giving Jim Comey an indictment. He should be giving him a fruit basket.

Comey swung the election to Trump and away from Hillary by very unethically involving himself and reopening the email investigation of Hillary 11 days before the election because he found some emails that were duplicates of emails he already had.

So as a Clinton guy, I can't stand Comey either. But what Donald Trump has done is made him a martyr. He's -- just the same way he did with Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel's ratings are through the roof, and he is hilarious and I think everybody should watch him.

But he's now making Comey -- for a guy like me who can't stand him, I'm appalled at this indictment because it's of a piece, OK?

Back in April -- April -- months ago PRI did a poll and 52 percent -- the majority of Americans described Donald -- agreed with the statement "Donald Trump is a dangerous dictator." And even I thought well, that's a little much.

Well now, six months later, look at what he is doing. He is using the power of the federal government on his command to persecute and prosecute his political opponents. He is cracking down on the free press at every turn. He's suing news organizations. He's now got his Pentagon trying to regulate what free reporters in a free country and a free press can report. He has intimidated law firms and universities because he doesn't like their politics.

I mean, he's canceled, of course, the most -- now most popular comedian in America. Fortunately, Disney brought him back.

So this is a piece. This is a four-alarm fire for our democracy. This is not just the Manhattan D.A. not controlled by any federal agency bringing charges against Trump -- which by the way, a jury found him guilty of. This is an all-out assault on our freedom and our democracy. Most Americans think Mr. Trump is a dangerous dictator and today I have to say I agree.

SIDNER: Melik, I do want to move on to another issue, and that is this new reporting that we have, and others have that Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of U.S. generals and senior military officers to come to Virginia on Tuesday. Many of them saying they have no idea what this is about. They are concerned for their jobs -- that this might be what -- a mass firing event or that there is going to be some sort of nefarious issue that comes up during all of this. We don't know exactly what it is.

Do you have concerns about this because all of them saying this is a highly unusual -- never mind the security that it's going to take to have all of these folks in the same place? ABDUL: I don't have really much concern about this because at the end of the day I assume that this is something that the defense secretary did regularly. Apparently, it's not. So maybe it is unusual, but he is the head of the Department of Defense -- well, War. So I don't think that there is a problem with him meeting with military generals.

And as far as the security apparatus -- I mean, we've been to many -- there have been many events where Donald Trump has been around world leaders and others, so I don't think there even that is a concern.

What is it? Yes, a lot of us are speculating what the intent of the meeting is, and I don't even know if we'll know the answer by the end of the day. But no, I don't have a problem with the department -- with the secretary of war meeting with his own generals. I don't see that it's an issue there.

SIDNER: Paul, your thoughts?

BEGALA: Well, he's dragging them in from all over the world. This has never happened before. We have -- I worked in the government. Believe me, we have very secure videoconferencing so that the defense secretary can and should talk with our generals.

This -- I really worry in the context of everything else that President Trump has completely politicized the Justice Department. I worry now he seeks to politicize the military, which is our most prized and respected institution in America. I don't think he's going to succeed but I really worry.

But one of the first things that Pete Hegseth did when he hopped off that sofa at "FOX & FRIENDS" and took over the Pentagon -- he fired a bunch of Judge Advocate Generals as well as generals and admirals who were in command positions. The JAGs are our military lawyers. Why do you fire most of the top military lawyers? Well, Pete said -- he said we don't want them getting in the way of anything we do. Oh my God, what are you talking about? We still are supposed to be a nation of laws.

So I really, really worry. I don't know what this meeting is about. Frankly, I don't have any faith in Pete Hegseth and I -- but I think he's proved to be a clown and buffoon. But now it might be something darker and more dangerous.

SIDNER: Paul Begala Melik Abdul, thank you, gentlemen -- appreciate it -- John.

BEGALA: Thanks, Sara.

ABDUL: Great to see you.

BERMAN: Breaking overnight still new tariffs announced by the president. Starting October 1, all imported kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities face a 50 percent tariff. Upholstered furniture will be 30 percent. Those are on top of the Trump tariffs already in.

Now, you know, furniture prices are up 4.7 percent in the last year, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics says if you narrow that to living room and dining room furniture those items cost nearly 10 percent more than they did this time last year. The president says he's imposing the tariffs because other countries are flooding the U.S. market.

He also announced a 25 percent tariff on big trucks and a 100 percent tariff on all patented and branded pharmaceuticals unless these foreign companies have started construction on manufacturing plants in the U.S. The tax would not apply to generic drugs -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this. Millions of Amazon customers could soon be getting a refund. Amazon just settled with the Federal Trade Commission and is set to pay a historic penalty -- $2.5 billion. It's all over Amazon's Prime subscription service. And the FTC essentially has accused Amazon of tricking customers.

CNN's Matt Egan has all the details. What are you learning about this penalty, this settlement if you will, and what it means for customers?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, Kate. Look, this is one of the biggest settlements in FTC history and yet critics say it's not nearly big enough. I think --

BOLDUAN: Oh, really?

EGAN: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: Wow.

EGAN: As you mentioned, Amazon has been accused by the FTC of tricking tens of millions of Americans into signing up to the Prime membership program and then making it almost impossible to cancel that program.

Now, Amazon is not admitting to any wrongdoing --

BOLDUAN: Right.

EGAN: -- but just days into the trial they are agreeing to pay this $1 billion civil penalty. This is the biggest ever for a case involving a -- an FTC rule violation. They're also agreeing to this $1.5 billion worth of customer refunds.

So I know everyone is wondering are they eligible for the refunds? Well, the FTC estimates that 35 million Prime customers are going to be eligible. And this will be for people who signed up for Prime between June of 2019 and this past June. And this applies to customers who say that they unintentionally enrolled in Prime. They unsuccessfully tried to get out Prime, or both. And they can get up to $51.00.

Now, the settlement also requires Amazon to take a number of other steps. For example, they have to have a clear button on the website to decline Prime membership. They also can't have a button that says something like "No, I don't want free shipping." They've got to also pay for a third party -- an independent monitor to make sure that they are living up to this agreement.

[07:40:08]

Now what's interesting here Kate is that this is really a rare instance of a case that began under the Biden administration --

BOLDUAN: Um-hum.

EGAN: -- and it's ending in this settlement under the Trump administration. And Trump-appointed FTC officials -- they praised this settlement. They called it a "monumental win for millions of Americans." And they say it shows that the Trump administration is willing to fight back when companies are cheating customers.

But some Democrats say it doesn't go far enough. Senator Elizabeth Warren called it slap on the wrist. She said it's just less than one percent of Amazon's revenue last year. And Lina Khan, the Biden- appointed former chair of the FTC --

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

EGAN: -- she says that this is just a "...drop in the bucket for Amazon and no doubt a big relief for the executives who knowingly harmed their customers."

One last thing. Amazon -- they put out a statement.

BOLDUAN: Yeah.

EGAN: They say they've always followed the law and that this settlement will let the company move forward and focus on innovating for customers.

BOLDUAN: All right. Very interesting, though.

Thank you so much, Matt. I really appreciate it.

EGAN: Thanks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: And for us a first hint at a motive in the deadly attack on a Dallas ICE facility. What we have now learned about a handwritten -- handwritten notes left by the suspect.

And how about this for your winter plans -- skiing down Mount Everest. The history-making moment that you will see.

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[07:50:35]

BERMAN: All right. This morning CNN learning new details about a highly unusual meeting called by Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth. He has ordered hundreds of senior military officers stationed around the world to meet in Virginia next Tuesday. The Pentagon is not saying why this is happening, but President Trump offered maybe a little bit of a hint.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: You act like this is a bad thing. Isn't it nice that people are coming from all over the world to be with us? They're going to be talking about the newest weapons, et cetera, et cetera. But I think it's great when generals and top people want to come to the United States to be with now-called Secretary of War.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right. With us now is CNN military analyst and retired Major General James "Spider" Marks. Spider, great to see you.

How unusual is this?

MAJOR GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST, HEAD OF GEOPOLITICAL STRATEGY, ACADEMY SECURITIES : Yeah, this is unprecedented. I mean, even as we were gearing up for World War II and all the challenges that we had at the time -- I think we had the 20th- largest military in the world. All the other -- all those potential combatants and enemy forces were much larger and much better prepared. There was not a -- what I would call a "Come to Jesus" kind of a meeting back then. And there certainly hasn't been a requirement to do that subsequently.

So this is unprecedented. And I -- really, to be quite honest with you, none of us know what this is really for.

BERMAN: Right. And one of the reasons there wasn't anything like that prior to World War II is because all the -- all the officers -- the senior officers were doing stuff.

MARKS: We were busy.

BERMAN: Right.

MARKS: We were busy.

BERMAN: In theory, many of the people being called in now are fairly busy.

MARKS: Incredibly busy. And I -- and I think when you look at the numbers that are coming in it was --initially the narrative was it -- everybody is coming in to this meeting.

BERMAN: Yeah.

MARKS: Certainly, commanders that are in the field that are underway, deployments that are exstant, those that are about to start, they won't be interrupted. There will be senior flag officers, both admirals and generals, that will remain in charge. They'll send their subordinate to go to this meeting.

So there's no readiness issue. The point here is there is no readiness issue in terms of our overall military posture globally. It's going to be A-OK.

BERMAN: So you heard what the president said it sort of was, but how much sense does that make? And I -- we're just speculating, but what do you think it could be?

MARKS: Well, it's not -- I mean, as the president said, everybody gets together again.

BERMAN: Yeah.

MARKS: Kind of unusual gathering of --

BERMAN: Yeah.

MARKS: -- upwards of, what, 600-700 dudes.

BERMAN: Yeah.

MARKS: All of us kind of know each other fairly well. There will be a lot of introductions. That's not the point.

The issue really is what is the objective --

BERMAN: Right.

MARKS: -- of this meeting. What is the subject and the verb that we're going to try to accomplish? Is it a pat on the back? Operational tempo is up. There's a lot going on. Are we in a pre-war situation so I want your input in terms of how we don't get into expanded conflicts? Is it a we're going to expand our engagement in what we're doing in Europe? Our Indo-Pac remains a high priority, if not the priority. We're going to make sure China doesn't get adventurous and decides to invade Taiwan.

So these could be the topics. I simply do not know.

BERMAN: Every general officer I've ever met absolutely respects the civilian control over the U.S. military. Every general officer I've ever met also is really headstrong.

MARKS: Sure.

BERMAN: Spider, I mean, you all have been in the business a long time. You make decisions. You think you know what's best.

I mean, so talk to me about that dynamic with all these generals who have been at this for 20, 30 years being called in by Sec. Hegseth. How are they going to feel?

MARKS: Well, he is the Secretary of Defense -- the Secretary of War -- I think we've made that transition. They get that. Irrespective of the age differential or experience differential they are understand and we've all lived this tension. So at the end of the day both are professional and you hope --

BERMAN: Yeah.

MARKS: -- both of these are professional entities, and so you engage in a way that says as a flag officer -- general officer -- do you want -- Mr. Secretary, do you want my input because I have some thoughts on everything you're asking me to consider? I think I'd like to provide that input. Would you like that? And if the answer is no, I want you to be quiet and sit down, OK. The next step is, is this a legal order or is this an illegal? And if it's a legal order we'll execute, and I might try to modify it.

That's the kind of tension that always --

BERMAN: But it's OK if he says he doesn't want their input, but what will they be thinking?

[07:55:00]

MARKS: Oh, it's a -- yeah, it's incredibly insulting. I mean, as you described --

BERMAN: Yeah.

MARKS: -- this is a room -- let's be frank. This is a room full of egos. These individuals have achieved this rank not because it was just simply given to them but the hard, heavy lifting over the course of their career and they've got the scar tissue. You want to be able to share the experiences. You want to be able to provide some boundaries. So when you're told to be quiet -- not saying that this will happen but if you're told to be quiet, that's a stay-do not stay kind of a moment.

BERMAN: General, always great to see you. Thanks for coming in.

MARKS: Thank you, John.

BERMAN: Great to see you in person.

MARKS: Thank you.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. It was great to hear from him.

So the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas. That at least applies to their drug-detecting animals. A couple of suspects were being questioned about drugs and when they said that they did not want their pockets checked this happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLICE OFFICER: That's cool. I have a narcotics-smelling horse right here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: You catch that now? So he says they have a narcotics-smelling -- sniffing horse. So the horse couldn't actually sniff out drugs, but the suspect sure believed it and obviously, as you can say -- you see he took off and then a chase or a gallop ensued. The suspect was eventually caught.

All right. Katie Couric, one of the country's most beloved journalists, is using her reach to get a little awkward and have a little fun. Said another way, bringing together a mad lib of topics -- your colon, denim, and Sydney Sweeney, playing off what is likely to be the most talked about ad of the year -- Sweeney's ad with American Eagle. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE COURIC, JOURNALIST: Speaking of genes, did you know that the majority of people who develop colon cancer are not genetically predisposed to the disease? That's why doctors recommend everyone 45 and older get checked. Mine are televised.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can your camera crew back off, please?

COURIC: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Couric has been a longtime advocate for colon cancer screening after her husband died from the disease at just 42. This is the new ad campaign that Couric is launching. It's part of the Lead from Behind campaign from the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

She famously, as she mentioned, televised her own colonoscopy for the "TODAY" show years ago. She accompanied Jimmy Kimmel for his own screening in 2018, and she inspired Ryan Reynolds to do the same. And Ryan and Katie have teamed up for this new PSA. That is one good thing and one awkward and amazing Katie Couric moment.

Take a look at this. A heart-stopping run down the world's highest peak. A Polish mountaineer became the first person ever to ski down Mount Everest without using supplemental oxygen. Video shows this 37- year-old getting in some wild turns in some deep Himalayan snow after his 16-hour climb in what is called the "Death Zone." Poland's prime minister posted online -- posted online and calling it proof that the sky is no limit. I guess so -- J.B.

BERMAN: You could combine that with a colonoscopy and you'd really have something.

BOLDUAN: I mean, get the party started.

BERMAN: All right.

This morning new information on the deadly shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas. Investigators say the gunman left behind handwritten notes showing what they say is hatred for the federal government and hinting that ICE staff were his targets. The three people actually shot were detainees. One is dead; two others injured. Investigators say they also found other evidence showing the attack was planned.

Let's get right to CNN's Ed Lavandera live in Dallas this morning with the very latest. What are we learning, Ed? ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, John.

Well, we got some of the most extensive comments about what motivated the attack on the ICE facility here in Dallas from federal investigators and the U.S. attorney yesterday. And in that they really point toward what you referenced there -- a collection of notes. There were a number of search warrants carried out at two residences -- one in a far north Dallas suburb and another property in Oklahoma.

And investigators say they found these handwritten notes. One of them saying that this suspect, 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, believed that ICE agents were "collecting a dirty paycheck." Also expressed a hatred for the federal government, as well as some indication that this was extensively planned, purchasing the firearm used in the attack back in August, as well as going through various websites and trying to learn about the Department of Homeland Security facilities not just here in the Dallas area but other parts of the country as well.

And one of the overarching themes that they -- the investigators pointed to is that this suspect wanted to create a climate of fear and terror for these ICE agents, saying that he had hoped that they would always be wondering if there was a sniper kind of lurking around essentially. And that is why investigators say this was a pure act of terror.

BERMAN: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH ROTHROCK, FBI DALLAS SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: The clearest indication of motivation are his own words.