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Judges Slam DOJ For Halligan; Mark Greenblatt Is Interviewed About Signal-Gate; D.C. Pipe Bomber Believed 2020 Election Was Stolen; Numbers On Jimmy Kimmel Google Searches; Tim Ream Is Interviewed About The World Cup Draw. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired December 05, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The cases against James Comey and Letitia James. Cases that Donald Trump really wanted. What has happened in court since then is this judge is finding it was that Lindsey Halligan, the prosecutor, who took those cases through the grand jury previously and was serving as the U.S. attorney, a judge had found last Monday she's not the U.S. attorney. She needed to be Senate confirmed or approved by the judges has not been and thus she just doesn't have that power as the top prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Since then, there are at least three judges that I have found, along with reporter Devin Cole here. We have been able to pull court transcripts from this week. Three different judges are telling the prosecutors from that office in the Eastern District of Virginia that Lindsey Halligan, she is just not the U.S. attorney. Her name should not be on court filings, especially guilty pleas and indictments. And yet, the U.S. attorney's office, and the Justice Department, they insist they believe she is still the U.S. attorney and so they are keeping to put her name on the filings. Two judges crossed out her name this week on different court proceedings of other criminal defendants. Another judge put an asterisk next to it on several different indictments. And they're saying that the law in the district is that she is not the U.S. attorney. A real standoff and a conundrum for the prosecutors there. What are they to do but follow their bosses and then appear in court and have to answer these questions before judges?

I mentioned the falling action of these cases. We are also in a moment where the Justice Department wants to try and re-indict Comey and Letitia James. Yesterday, a grand jury sitting in Norfolk, Virginia, refused to indict James, to re-indict James on mortgage fraud claims that the Justice Department previously made, that had been dismissed. They want to try and revive that case. Were unsuccessful yesterday. Quite a bit of drama in this district that the Justice Department says is still led by Lindsey Halligan.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: I mean, I'm glad you're tracking it and can explain it so well because it is like head spinning. On documents. Not on documents. Take it off. Don't take it off. Put it up. Go to the grand jury. No, don't go to the grand jury. My -- what a -- I mean, a mess. And on huge issues like hugely impactful legal matters.

POLANTZ: (INAUDIBLE).

BOLDUAN: It's great to see you, Katelyn. Thank you so much. Thank God for her, John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: That was exactly my reaction is, thank God we have someone as good as Katelyn paying attention to this because my brain just exploded.

All right, a look this morning at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarding a plane to California. A look maybe at Pete Hegseth boarding a train to -- a plane to California. His trip comes as the Trump administration -- there he is. I told you we were going to get a look at it. And there it is. Hegseth and the administration face growing scrutiny for strikes on alleged drug boats.

Also, there is this new Pentagon inspector general report about the secretary's use of the messaging app Signal to discuss highly sensitive military plans. It found that the information that Hegseth shared risked endangering U.S. troops.

With us now is Mark Greenblatt, the former inspector general for the Department of Interior. He was terminated from that position by the president in January.

So great to have you here, Counselor.

I just want to read just one clip from this, this report that, "the secretary's actions created a risk to operational security that could have resulted in failed U.S. mission objectives and potential harm to U.S. pilots." Yet, Secretary Hegseth says that this report totally exonerates him.

How accurate is his assessment?

MARK GREENBLATT, FORMER INTERIOR DEPARTMENT INSPECTOR GENERAL FIRED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yes, so this is a good news, bad news story for the American people. And at the end of the day, it's pretty damning for Secretary Hegseth. As you just said, the report found that he should not have shared that information, that it was clarified -- classified. And he made this spontaneous decision to declassify it and send it by text over his personal phone and using a commercial app. That -- the I.G. faulted him for that, and yet he claimed a total exoneration. It's hard to square with the facts that they found in the OIG report here.

BERMAN: You said it was a bad news, good news. What's the good news?

GREENBLATT: So, the good news, I would say, is that in the face of the administration's long term decimation of the inspector general community is that we have the DOD office of inspector general standing up and conducting hard-hitting oversight. And that's exactly what the American people need right here, right now.

And so, I think that's the good news story here, is that the American people know that they have, you know, someone on the inside of these federal agencies fighting for them, watching their tax dollars and ferreting out waste, fraud and abuse.

BERMAN: How unusual is it -- Secretary Hegseth did not sit for an interview for this.

[09:35:01]

He released some kind of a written statement. How unusual is it for a principle person in an investigation not to answer questions?

GREENBLATT: Its highly unusual and very problematic from my perspective. The folks in the DOD I.G. need to interview witnesses, look at them face to face, assess their credibility, be able to ask follow-up questions, probe theories and test the witness' memory. Those are integral parts of a -- of a witness engagement. And to forego an interview and only have a written statement, you don't have the opportunity to cross-examine them, ask follow up questions. It's very unusual and very problematic.

I had the exact same thing when I was the inspector general at the Department of the Interior, and we refused to accept the written statement as a -- as credible evidence, frankly. So, this is highly unusual and problematic from my perspective.

BERMAN: Yes, and you read a report like this with way different eyes than we laypeople do. Could you tell how hard it was for this acting inspector general to do this investigation, or how hard the Pentagon made it for them?

GREENBLATT: Well, they, as you said, Pete Hegseth refused to sit for an interview. He refused to turn over his personal phone, which is where the messages were coming from, which is another very problematic aspect of the evidence here. The acting I.G. was in a very difficult situation there. You have firings regularly of I.G.s. The White House is firing I.G.s and removing acting I.G.s for conducting their regular oversight operations. And that is a daunting task. And I credit the DOD OIG for standing up and just doing the right thing for the American people. We have a mantra in the I.G. community that we do our work. We conduct fair, objective, independent oversight without fear or favor. And that -- I think they lived up to that in conducting this oversight.

BERMAN: Mark Greenblatt, I got to say, it is really instructive to be able to look at this through your eyes with all your expertise. So, thank you so much for coming on this morning.

GREENBLATT: Thank you.

BERMAN: Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we have some breaking news for you now about the accused D.C. pipe bomber. We heard just last hour from Evan Perez that he learned that he'd been talking to investigators about the alleged crime, and now they may have learned some details of why he put those pipe bombs in front of the RNC and DNC headquarters in Washington, D.C.

CNN's Evan Perez is with me now.

What are you learning? The latest breaking news that you're hearing now.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sara. Look, the deputy director of the FBI, Dan Bongino, who really has been a big force for trying to solve this case, he said on Fox News last night that they had interviewed the suspect, the young man who had been arrested on this case, at length over the last 24 hours. And what we've learned is that among the statements that he has made is that he believed the 2020 election was stolen. And so that appears to be the first statement that has been made in this case that might give an indication of a -- of a motive, of why he may have placed these bombs in those locations. You remember the two bombs were found at the RNC building, in an alley behind the RNC building, and at the DNC building. Both of those just a couple blocks away from the Capitol.

And for the last five years, Sara, you know that this has been certainly a fixation of a lot of conspiracies as to whether this was something connected to the riot, because you remember when they found these bombs, the crowd had just begun surging and breaking through some of the cordons at the U.S. Capitol, just a few blocks away. So, the question was, was it connected to the riot and to the conspiracy theories that the president had been pushing forward to overturn the election? Well, now we know that the suspect has at least told the investigators in this case that part of what was going on at the time in 2020 was that he believed that the 2020 election was stolen, which is something that President Donald Trump was pushing at that time.

Now, we don't know what else he has said as part of those interviews. Certainly we're going to learn a lot more perhaps today when we -- when we -- when he appears in court. And perhaps we'll see additional charges that will come forward from the Justice Department, from prosecutors. But certainly more to come on this.

SIDNER: Yes, I mean, it -- great reporting from you, Evan.

And just to reiterate, the breaking news is about the accused D.C. pipe bomber and that sources telling you that he told the FBI that he believed the 2020 election was stolen.

There are so many questions to be asked in this case, but they have arrested someone.

PEREZ: Right.

SIDNER: That was the biggest news until you got this new detail.

[09:40:01]

Evan Perez, thank you so much.

There's lots more breaking news to discuss, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: So, overnight, late night host Jimmy Kimmel issued a note of gratitude to an unlikely individual.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": According to Google, for the year 2025, I was the third most trending person in the world.

I just want to say, I couldn't have done this -- none of this would ever have happened without the support of loyal viewers, like President Trump, who has done so much this year to raise awareness of our show. Thank you, Mr. President, for making me number three in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, there you have it, Jimmy Kimmel, the third highest Google search person in the world.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is here.

That's pretty good, right?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: I think it's pretty gosh darn good. I mean, look, we're not just talking about the United States here. We're talking about the entire world. Jimmy Kimmel had the third highest increases of searches of any person. As I said back during this controversy in September, if Donald Trump's main prerogative was to increase Jimmy Kimmel's celebrity, he has absolutely done so. This is solely because of Donald Trump. He has lifted Jimmy Kimmel to new heights.

BERMAN: And it's not just Google searches as a metric that shows this.

ENTEN: No, it's not. I mean you can look at the actual ratings. Kimmel shows with three plus million TV viewers. Five years pre-suspension, there were zero. Zero shows in which "Jimmy Kimmel Live" had more than three million viewers on television. Since the suspension, it's three.

[09:45:02]

You go on to YouTube. The YouTube views, up 50 percent since Jimmy Kimmel's suspension.

So, it's not just that Donald Trump has made Jimmy Kimmel more famous. He has given him more viewers on television, and he has given him more viewers on YouTube. He has made Jimmy Kimmel a lot, a lot of money.

BERMAN: All right, how about a comparison between Jimmy Kimmel and President Trump?

ENTEN: Yes, OK. So, you know, we see the TV viewers. You know, I'm reminded of the movie "Private Parts" with Howard Stern. Essentially the idea of, you know, a hate listen is as good as a like listen. In fact, those who hate you will actually watch you more. But in this particular case, it's not just people tuning in because

they hated Jimmy Kimmel, they were tuning in because they really liked Jimmy Kimmel. Net favorable view. I've got Kimmel and Trump on the board. Trump comes in on the net favorability rating at minus 14 points. Look at Jimmy Kimmel, considerably more popular at plus seven points. Politicians these days can only dream of being as popular as Jimmy Kimmel is. And he crushes Donald Trump in the popularity department.

BERMAN: So, Donald Trump calls for all kinds of late night hosts for their shows to be canceled. Certainly would like to see Jimmy Kimmel's show canceled. What are the prediction markets? What are bettors saying about whether that will happen?

ENTEN: Yes, where -- where -- where do people who put their money where their mouth is? What a turnaround from three months ago for Jimmy Kimmel. The chance of a cancellation in 2025 for "Jimmy Kimmel Live." Back on September 18th, it was 60 percent. Now it's just three percent. There is no talk of Jimmy Kimmel getting canceled anymore. No talk of his show getting canceled. All that has happened to Jimmy Kimmel, when Donald Trump went after him, is he's become more famous, he's gotten more viewers and he's become more popular than Donald Trump ever wished him to be.

BERMAN: That may be why he's smiling.

ENTEN: That's a -- that's a smiling guy. That's a smiling guy. There we go. Uh, uh, uh, uh, let's see if I can get.

BERMAN: It's not going to happen. There you go.

ENTEN: I got it. I did it.

BERMAN: All right, we're going to end on that note of success.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:50:30]

BOLDUAN: So, for men in Tampa, Florida, are now behind bars, accused of carrying out a series of highly coordinated mall break-ins stretching across the southeast. They were allegedly part of a multi- state burglary ring responsible for stealing sneakers to the tune of a near -- to the tune of nearly $1 million. In at least one instance, detectives say that the crew spent seven hours inside a Champ store hoisting 400 to 500 pairs of shoes through a rooftop hole. Investigators dubbed the search for these men Operation Stolen Soles.

So, what do you think when you need calm and serenity? Well, Pantone, the self-described global color authority, says that calm and serenity are what is exactly how you can describe their 2026 color of the year, Cloud Dancer. This is it. Yes, a shade of white with an equal balance, Pantone says. A precise shade of white with an equal balance of color -- cool, rather, and warm undertones. Pantone officials say it represents new beginnings and fresh starts. Let the debate begin on that one.

Art lovers and partygoers are gathering in Miami Beach to kick off Art Basel. The annual art fair is featuring nearly 300 artists and galleries from dozens of countries. One installation is getting quite a bit of attention. It involves wandering robot dogs with the realistic looking heads of tech billionaires and artists like Andy Warhol. The robot dogs are constantly taking photos as part of this installation, and the point, the artist says, when it comes to the tech titans, it's quite fascinating, actually. He says -- the way he put it is, "we're increasingly seeing the world around -- increasingly seeing the world through the lens of how they would like us to see it, because they control these very powerful algorithms." Fascinating.

Sara.

SIDNER: Fascinating, and I'm sorry, but really creepy. I'm sorry. Forgive me, but to each his own when it comes to art, but it's creeping me out.

You know what's not creeping me out? This is going to be fun. The world's biggest soccer party kicking off in just a couple hours at the Kennedy Center. The 2026 men's World Cup draw will be heavy on star power. John Berman might even be there. Sports legends Shaq, Tom Brady, Aaron Judge and Wayne Gretzky all going to be on stage. The president is expected to speak. The World Cup will be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada. And we have a special guest here with me now, not just John Berman, who is required to work here, but Tim Ream, who has another full-time job, the captain for the U.S. men's national team.

It is such a pleasure to have you here.

And we have an interloper here, because John had to be a part -- he had to be a part of this. He knows, I think, everything about you and was fanboying -- sorry to embarrass you -- in the back.

For the first time, is -- this going to be -- happen on U.S. soil in 30 years. What does it mean to you and the team to be on home turf?

TIM REAM, CAPTAIN, U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM: It's exciting. It's -- imagine a Super Bowl being played every single day for a month. But not just one Super Bowl. Multiple Super Bowls across the country. It is -- it's an exciting time. And the team is ready to go. We're excited. And now with the draw here, it feels real. It feels on our doorstep. And we're ready to -- ready to get after it.

BERMAN: And for non-fans, what this means is you, today, find out who you play in the group stage. There will be three other teams. You're going to play each of those teams. Any -- who do you want to play? Who don't you want to play?

SIDNER: Let's start with.

REAM: I don't think there's anybody that you do or you don't want to play. I think when you go into a tournament, you have to play, you know, whoever's in front of you. You have to play the game. And we're excited to find out who we play, because then the real preparation is there. It's on our doorstep. We're thinking about how tangible these games are coming up. And we're not worried. We're not, you know, we're not anxious on who it's going to be or, you know, if it's the best team in the world, or someone who's very small. We're just excited to be a part of it. And, yes, we're excited to get going.

SIDNER: OK, I hate to bring up this fact, but I think you're the only player on the team that was old enough to be around when the first game, the first time FIFA World Cup came to the United States.

REAM: Yes.

SIDNER: Look, you're still a young man. You're in your 30s, right?

REAM: Yes.

SIDNER: But how do you prepare yourself? What are your secrets to keeping yourself at this extreme, top-level athleticism? I'm just trying to learn. I'm trying to take -- this is a selfish question.

REAM: We would -- honestly, we would be here all day. I can't go through everything.

SIDNER: What?

REAM: It takes a lot. It does. And it starts -- it starts -- you know, with me, it started really young, knowing what was good for me, what wasn't. Sleep is a -- is a -- is a big thing.

[09:55:07]

SIDNER: Well, I failed on that.

REAM: I'm into Pilates. Pilates has helped me -- helped me quite a bit.

BERMAN: I can tell you have great core strength.

REAM: Yes. But I -- listen, it's the enjoyment. It's the fun factor. It's still, you know, I still love what I do every single day. And it's something that I continue to enjoy. And that keeps me feeling young and feeling like I can -- I can run around with the 20 somethings.

BERMAN: Fun fact.

SIDNER: You do. And you do it well. That's the thing.

BERMAN: When the World Cup was in the United States in 1994, I went to the Argentina-Nigeria game.

SIDNER: Of course you id.

BERMAN: And it was Diego Maradona's last game for Argentina before he was suspended for drugs. But I saw it. It was great. It was thrilling to see. SIDNER: You bring the controversy, John.

BERMAN: For people who don't know, Tim Ream is a great central defender for the United States, a terrific passer, you know, from the back. I'm going ask one geeky soccer question here.

SIDNER: I knew it was coming. That's why you're here, John. That's why you're here.

BERMAN: The U.S. has started playing in a back three instead of a back four. And it started to give the team real success, it seems. How has that made a difference? And, of course, all the news junkies are like, what? But how has that made a difference over the last few months?

REAM: Well, we've been able to adjust on the fly. And I think it gives a little bit more solidity with having three central defenders. But we're also still able to, with one of those guys, able to play as a -- as a more natural right back. So, we can -- we can switch from four to three to five depending on what we see in the game.

And I think it just helps with, you know, being more solid. You know, being more together. Being closer. Being more compact. And that has really, you know, really, really helped us in the last couple months.

BOLDUAN: I was going to suggest that.

BERMAN: It was Kate's question, actually.

BOLDUAN: Right, no, in terms of strategy. I mean, you know --

SIDNER: You're all into it.

You do have something in common. He's a Pilates master, I'm pretty sure.

BOLDUAN: Oh.

SIDNER: And she is also --

REAM: Not a master.

SIDNER: OK, well, she is kind of at master level.

REAM: OK.

SIDNER: You might actually beat him in Pilates.

BOLDUAN: We're going to find out in the commercial break.

SIDNER: I'm just saying.

BOLDUAN: We can tell you that straight up soccer star.

SIDNER: I don't know if you've seen, but she's really amazing.

BOLDUAN: We'll see what happens, OK. BERMAN: Thanks for coming in. It's an honor to be you. Best of luck.

SIDNER: No, really.

REAM: I appreciate it. I appreciate it. Thanks.

BOLDUAN: No kidding. Very exciting.

Thank you all so much for joining us. We're going to take a break and do some Pilates.

SIDNER: Yes.

BOLDUAN: This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "SIT ROOM" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)