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Bondi Testifies Before House Judiciary in Contentious Hearing; "Dawson's Creek" Star James Van Der Beek has Died; FBI Searches Foothills Near Nancy Guthrie's Tucson Home; TMZ: New Note Demands Bitcoin for Info on Guthrie's Kidnapper 3-3:30p ET
Aired February 11, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We start this hour continuing to follow the latest developments out of Capitol Hill, where Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee. Very contentious moments. She's been asked about recent shootings in Minnesota as a result of the immigration crackdown there by the Trump administration, also her Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files. Some really tense moments.
Just a few minutes ago, Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett was questioning the Attorney General and apparently walked out. We're going to bring you that footage in just a moment, but let's go ahead and listen in live.
REP. DEREK SCHMIDT (R-KS): UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... and the justice of deportation on the back end. So, I'm going to do something that's been rare here today, General. I want to ask you about public policy. Donald Trump won't be president forever. I would like to lock in some of these gains we have made in public safety. Should we be exploring the idea, for example, of beefing up 287(g) partnerships or maybe replicating that so that state prosecutors can work more closely with federal prosecutors to get deportation orders as well as state convictions?
PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Absolutely.
SCHMIDT: In terms of sanctuary jurisdictions, when a sanctuary jurisdiction says as a matter of politics, go pound sand to the feds, we won't honor your detainer. So, they release those people I'm talking about into their communities. And those people commit another crime of property or violence against citizens. Should those citizens have some type of civil redress against the jurisdiction that as a matter of public policy, turn those people lose who created the new victims?
BONDI: And Congressman, it's risking the lives of all -- all of -- all of the citizens of that jurisdiction.
SCHMIDT: And you've been sued a lot, or the administration has, by folks who don't like your policies. BONDI: Hundreds of times.
SCHMIDT: You've won many of those.
BONDI: Yes.
SCHMIDT: Isn't it the case that the law says under Rule 65 that when you win those and there's a wrongfully entered injunction that there's supposed to be a monetary remedy for that, so there's a cost?
BONDI: Yes.
SCHMIDT: And didn't the President direct you and other agency heads to start seeking bonds in those cases?
BONDI: Yes.
SCHMIDT: And should we beef up the law in that area by codifying that requirement going forward?
BONDI: I would love to discuss that with you.
SCHMIDT: Thank you, General. Thank you for being here.
BONDI: Thank you.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): The gentleman yields back. Well done. Some of the questions he raised, we plan on taking up in a markup in a couple weeks on the whole sanctuary jurisdiction issue. With that, I recognize the gentleman from Texas.
REP. BRANDON GILL (R-TX): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Madam Attorney General, for -- for taking the time to -- to speak with us. We certainly really appreciate it. I've got a series of questions for you that we can get through pretty -- pretty quickly, I think.
Can you tell me, is -- is it true that the Biden-Harris DOJ raided President Trump's home?
BONDI: They did.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ allow Jack Smith to spy on over a dozen Republican members of Congress?
BONDI: Absolutely.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ seize the phone of a sitting Republican congressman?
BONDI: Yes.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ and Jack Smith pay at least $20,000 to confidential human sources to provide information on President Trump?
BONDI: At least.
GILL: At least. Did the Biden-Harris DOJ and FBI fail to apprehend the suspect who placed pipe bombs near the Capitol ahead of January 6th?
BONDI: Yes.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ target parents as domestic terrorists?
BONDI: Absolutely.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ target pro-life Catholics going so far as to interview a priest and a choir director?
BONDI: Yes.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ send FBI SWAT teams to arrest pro-life advocates with no criminal histories?
BONDI: Yes.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ use the FACE Act to target pro-life advocates while it allowed anti-life agitators to vandalize, destroy and firebomb pregnancy resource centers and churches?
BONDI: Multiple times, I believe.
GILL: Multiple times. Did the Biden-Harris DOJ ever determine who leaked the Dobbs decision?
BONDI: I can't discuss that. No. No -- under Biden -- no, under Biden- Harris.
GILL: Got it.
BONDI: No.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ and -- and FBI target whistleblowers for revealing waste, fraud and abuse within the Department to Congress?
BONDI: Not to my knowledge.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ refuse to say whether it coordinated with Alvin Bragg, Fani Willis and Letitia James in their lawfare against President Trump?
BONDI: They refused.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ slow walk the criminal investigation and prosecution of Hunter Biden?
BONDI: That's an understatement, in my opinion.
GILL: Yep. Did the Biden-Harris DOJ determine who brought cocaine into the Biden White House?
[15:05:04]
BONDI: They did not. GILL: They did not. Did the Biden-Harris DOJ cover up the extent ...
BONDI: Well, as far as we know, they did not.
GILL: Right. Right. That's right. Did the Biden-Harris DOJ cover up the extent of the Russia collusion hoax?
BONDI: Absolutely, in my opinion. Yes.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ, excuse me, seek leniency from a federal court for an IRS contractor who leaked sensitive tax information on over 7,600 Americans, including President Trump?
BONDI: Yes.
GILL: Did the Biden-Harris DOJ sue Texas because the state wanted to secure its own southern border?
BONDI: Yes.
GILL: And finally, did the Biden-Harris DOJ attack SpaceX for hiring too many Americans?
BONDI: I believe they did. Unbelievable.
GILL: It -- it is unbelievable. And I -- I appreciate that a lot of this is -- is being cleaned up under your leadership.
BONDI: Thank you.
GILL: So, thank you for returning the DOJ back to its core focus, which is on the rule of law. And I think that we see the results of that. I've got a -- a similar questions for you. How have -- over the past year since President Trump has been in office, how have murders trended in the United States?
BONDI: Since President Trump has -- has been in office, the murder rate has dropped to a historic 20 percent drop in the national murder rate, lowest since 1900.
GILL: Twenty percent drop in one year. That's incredible, isn't it?
BONDI: And that's thanks to the incredible men and women of law enforcement, FBI, DEA, ATF, everyone working together to solve violent crime, along with our sheriffs, our local law enforcement, working as a team throughout this country, and our great state and federal prosecutors.
GILL: Yep. And how have robberies trended? Have they gone, even if they've just gone down?
BONDI: Robberies -- all violent crime -- all violent crime -- violent crime has decreased as well as robberies.
GILL: So, murders, violent crime. The country is more safe now, it's fair to say, would you agree, than it was a year and a half ago under Joe Biden?
BONDI: Absolutely. And Director Patel is working tirelessly to catch those, I'm sure you've been seeing, on the most wanted list. He and Deputy Director Bongino from day one said, we're going to get the most wanted list. And that's what's been happening, working hand in hand with -- with all of our agencies.
GILL: Yep. And I want to thank you for that. Thank you for the work you've been doing to refocus the DOJ again --
BONDI: Thank you.
GILL: -- on doing your core job. We're -- we're very happy with it and I'll yield the remainder of my time to the chairman.
BONDI: Thank you.
JORDAN: I appreciate the gentleman.
I -- I would just say earlier, one of the Democrats said, they said, who -- who -- who are you, who you are and I -- I think you're that -- the Attorney General, who I think on the first day disbanded the FIDF, first day on the job, rescinded the memo that required spying on parents that Mr. Garland had issued, and set up the "Weaponization Working Group." I think he did that all on day one.
BONDI: On day one.
JORDAN: Not to mention, you're the first Justice Department that's put in place, as we've talked about earlier, this -- this Deputy Attorney General for combating fraud. So, we -- we appreciate that. And, of course, all the things that mister -- Mr. Gill pointed out with the crime stats that have went down.
So, our last question of the day, but not the least, is the gentleman -- oh, I'm sorry. We're going to have two more. We got Mr. Onder and then Mr. Baumgartner. So, Mr. Baumgartner, you -- well, let's go that way. Since you're here, you're ready to go. Mr. Baumgartner, and then we'll come back to Mr. Onder.
REP. MICHAEL BAUMGARTNER (R-WA): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Attorney General Bondi.
You know, being a freshman on this committee ...
SANCHEZ: We're going to dip out of this congressional hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi appearing before the House Judiciary Committee. A lot of contentious moments. Plenty more coming, I imagine. There are still two legislators who have yet to ask the Attorney General questions. She's been asked about everything from the immigration crackdown and the shooting of two American citizens by federal agents to her handling of the Epstein files with Epstein survivors in the room.
As I said, we're going to take a quick break. We'll keep monitoring this, and we'll be right back. \\ Also breaking today, that -- another story that we'll keep following, the death of James Van Der Beek. The actor passing away at 48 years old. More details coming up.
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SANCHEZ: Turning back to our tragic breaking news today, the death of 48-year-old actor James Van Der Beek.
KEILAR: Yes, Van Der Beek leaves behind his wife and six children, and of course, countless fans. He had been fighting colorectal cancer.
Let's talk about this now with Dr. Elizabeth Comen, medical oncologist at NYU's Langone Hospital, and entertainment journalist Segun Oduolowu.
And I want to begin with Dr. Comen, who -- I mean, this is so upsetting, I will just say, for so many people. He's so young, and that is really a testament to what he was battling. Can you talk to us about how dangerous this cancer is that claimed his life?
DR. ELIZABETH COMEN, MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST, NYU LANGONE HOSPITAL: Yes, I mean, it's tragic for all of us. He's a cultural icon. And one of the things that we know is that colon cancer rates are increasing among younger people in the United States. And he was such an incredible advocate for understanding the symptoms of the disease, and that screening for colon cancer can save lives.
SANCHEZ: Doctor, it -- it was notable that he initially brushed off his symptoms, thinking that he just needed to change his diet. I imagine that is something common that you find among patients, that -- that folks don't realize that it's more serious than perhaps a change in diet. Can you talk about that?
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COMEN: Yes, and I think it's really common. I mean, in his instance, my understanding is what he described as a change in his bowel habits. And he really advocated for patients talking to their doctor for any change in their bowel habits, or sometimes patients brush off or maybe dismissed for blood in their stool. And we know that that can be an important sign of colon cancer. And we always want patients to bring those concerns to us. Not just changes in bowel habits, but blood in stool, new fatigue, iron deficiency, anemia. These are critical factors that may impact an early cancer diagnosis.
KEILAR: And Segun, where do we begin? I mean, this is an icon of the '90s and I know this is hitting a lot of people today.
SEGUN ODUOLOWU, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: It is. You know, the doctor mentioned him being a cultural icon. For a lot of people, "Dawson's Creek" was their version of Friends, right? They grew up with the characters, the Michelle Williams, the, you know, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, like that -- that cast of characters were -- were -- were their age. And so, we grew up with James Van Der Beek. A lot of people remember him from "Varsity Blues" and you know, the -- the line, "I don't want your life" being so iconic as he says it to Jon Voight.
So, Hollywood is looking at this as, oh my goodness, we've lost another one. And I want to say another one because Boris and I are the only men that are on the screen right now. And we both know that men of a certain age, we are told when you reach somewhere in your 40s, you should go and get your colon checked.
We've lost Chadwick Boseman way too early to colorectal cancer. We have now lost James Van Der Beek at 48 before he reaches 50.
I am imploring men out there, and Boris, you can lead the charge as well, that how many more examples do we need of superstars around us passing away far too young for men to get to the doctor and we have one on screen.
SANCHEZ: Segun, that is such an important message to put out there and I'm -- I'm glad you're -- you're bringing it to the forefront now, especially as we have a -- a doctor with us to bolster that. Stepping into how he handled the situation, I do want to get your thoughts on the grace that he showed as he fought this diagnosis and -- and also bringing people in, talking about his faith, very transparently questioning his own self-worth at times, Segun.
ODUOLOWU: Yes, in the press and in the media, James was very self- deprecating. You would interview him and he would kind of brush aside his stardom. He and his wife and their six children left L.A. to live a much more quiet life in Texas. And the speed at which this disease claimed his life is -- is quite startling. He was diagnosed in 2023 in late August and only announced it in 2024, becoming an advocate.
And -- and as you said, questioning, you know, the questions that most people have, like, why me? I'm a star, I'm fit. But again, telling people, listen, it doesn't matter if you're fit. It doesn't matter, you know, what you may or may not believe, you need to go and get checked out. And because of his kind of eschewing the Hollywood mystique and going to Texas, he leaned on his faith.
You can even hear it in what his wife said, please respect our privacy as we choose to grieve on our own. He led a quiet life out of that Hollywood spotlight. And that's how I'm going to remember him. I'm remembering him as someone who kind of forged their own path, but chose to handle it their own way while still telling people, look, if it can happen to me, it can happen to you.
KEILAR: Yes, as a family man and, you know, not just someone who left his mark on Hollywood, right? You know, Doctor, I wonder, because I think part of his legacy really is going to be a lot of people going in to get checked because they're going to say, I -- I saw what happened, I -- I -- I need to do something.
COMEN: Yes.
KEILAR: And I think that that really is a tremendous legacy. COMEN: Absolutely, and I think, you know, Hollywood is not immune to
being human and he is human just like all of us. And I think one of the important messages, I hope he gets across in -- in all of this, is that screening should start at age 45, even if you have no symptoms at all. And, of course, if you have a family history of colon cancer or an inherited genetic mutation that may increase your risk of colon cancer, you may need to start earlier than age 45 with colonoscopies.
And there are other tests as well, such as stool-based tests that you can talk to your doctor about if colonoscopies aren't available to you.
KEILAR: Yes, I'm going to be honest. I'm 45, I have not scheduled my colonoscopy. I have a friend who has been getting on me to do it. I'm going to do it. Anyone who's there at that threshold needs to be thinking about doing it, as you said, doctor, especially if they have risk factors in their family.
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Segun Oduolowu, thank you so much for being with us. Dr. Elizabeth Comen, thank you so much. Really appreciate your insights. As we remember, James Van Der Beek, passing away today at 48 years old. We'll be right back.
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SANCHEZ: So, FBI agents are back around the Tucson home of Nancy Guthrie and some images we're about to show you show the scene less than a mile from that house. As we understand it, officers are now canvassing, knocking on doors, talking to neighbors, also searching roadways and the nearby foothills. And sources indicate they're looking for any items the person captured on this doorbell camera may have left behind on the day Nancy Guthrie disappeared nearly two weeks ago.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department reports it's received 18,000 calls about the 84-year-old's disappearance since February 1st. More than 4,000 of those in the last 24 hours after this new footage was released. Let's get some perspective now with Charles Ramsey. He's a CNN law enforcement analyst, former Washington, D.C. police chief, and former Philadelphia police commissioner.
Chief, thanks so much for being with us. What is your reaction to this new TMZ note that indicates that someone wrote into them via email saying that in exchange for one Bitcoin, they would provide information about a person of interest in the case, the person who's behind this kidnapping? In part, just to give viewers some context, it's notable because there's already this $50,000 reward out there from the FBI.
CHIEF CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, and, you know, obviously the FBI is going to take everything very seriously. This letter and any other information that they get, they'll follow up on all the tips that are coming in. But we're also at a point now where it's very unfortunate that you do have people that take advantage of a situation like this. I don't know if this particular person is legitimate or not, but I would not be surprised if this turns out to be someone who has no association with this particular case at all. As you mentioned, $50,000 is already out there.
So, for roughly $16,000, he's -- they're saying that they would offer information. So, I mean, personally, I'd be a bit skeptical, but you have to take it seriously, because you don't know when you're going to get that one tip that's going to lead you to the right person.
SANCHEZ: Yes, it wouldn't be the first time, in this case specifically, that investigators were made aware of a note that ultimately wound up having nothing to do with the actual disappearance of -- of Nancy Guthrie. I also wanted to ask you, Chief, about the person that was detained last night. The Pima County Sheriff's Department had a subject that they got during a traffic stop. Apparently they searched his vehicles and -- and his home. He was detained for several hours, but then ultimately released. How do investigators decide who to look into? We should note they've not released any information about why this specific person was detained.
RAMSEY: And that's the important part of this. I mean, why? I mean, what was it about this individual? I mean, a traffic stop could have just been over a taillight or something, but why this person? Why would you not only search a car, but search a home as well?
And so, I don't know what probable cause they -- they had in order to lead to that. I guess that information will come out eventually. This person says he didn't even realize that Nancy Guthrie was missing, which highlights another problem. Everyone doesn't watch cable news or local news. People get their news from a variety of different sources. And when you're putting out information, you have to hit it hard. Social media, you know, podcasts, regular media, all these kinds of things, if what -- if what they're saying is true, that they didn't even know that this had taken place with the kind of coverage that it's been getting on all the networks.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
RAMSEY: But why they stopped this person, why they took it a step further, I have absolutely no idea, but there had to be something there.
SANCHEZ: Yes, this person whose name is Carlos has done multiple interviews since then. And one of the things that I found interesting that he told reporters was that they didn't actually question him. He -- he wasn't asked questions. It seems that they did a search of, again, some of his vehicles, his home, but they didn't actually sit him down and start interrogating him. Is that typical? Does that tell you that they have perhaps some kind of physical evidence that is leading their investigation right now? Maybe they were looking for something that's related to that footage that we saw.
RAMSEY: Well, I mean, if they had physical evidence, I would imagine he'd still be in custody. Certainly, he would have been interrogated. There's no question about that. So, I have no idea why he wasn't questioned. If they had enough to be able to not only search his car, but also his home, they had to have some reason to believe that he was involved somehow, but then they released him.
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And if they did so without even questioning him, then I'm -- I'm clueless as to why they would do that.
