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Severe Winter Weather Affecting Large Parts Of U.S.; Interview with Buffalo, New York, Mayor Byron Brown; Flights Canceled Across U.S. Due To Winter Weather; House January 6th Committee Releases Report Blaming Former President Trump For Insurrection; Attorney For Former President Trump Is Interviewed On Defense Against Charges That Former President Trump Incited January 6th Insurrection; Incoming GOP Congressman George Santos Accused Of Lying About Educational And Family Background; U.S. Economy Grew Faster In Third Quarter Of 2022 Than Previously Estimated. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired December 24, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Also we want to go to Santa. He's on the move this Christmas Eve, of course. He has to be going pretty quickly. He's delivering presents to the kids all across the globe despite these insanely cold temperatures.

And in case you're wondering when he'll come to your house or how close he is now, right now it looks like Santa is near Saudi Arabia. NORAD, or the North American Aerospace Defense Command has been tracking Santa since 1955. To keep tabs on where he is, you can go to NORADSanta.org.

Thank you so much for joining us. And I do want to give a special shoutout to Heather (ph), Sherry (ph), Annie, Hayan (ph), Alissa (ph), David (ph) Marshal (ph), our director, and Heather (ph) again. Heather (ph) keeps me sane. She makes sure that I don't completely go crazy on the air. Thank you to you all. It takes a team to make this show work.

CNN Newsroom continues with Paula Reid coming up.

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You are live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Paula Reid in Washington.

A Christmas Eve storm for the ages. We are tracking the very latest on the severe weather impacting millions across the U.S. At least 16 storm-related deaths have been reported, including two in Erie County, New York, in what may be the area's worst winter storm since the famous 1977 Buffalo blizzard. Jefferson County, New York, is experiencing life-threatening blizzard conditions, banning travel, and declaring a state of emergency.

Jaw dropping subzero temperatures are freezing huge swaths of the country. More than 100 million people remain under windchill alerts. Some cities including Atlanta and Philadelphia are facing their coldest Christmas ever. And nearly two million people are without power. Power companies in Ohio, Kentucky, and Memphis are asking residents to reduce their power usage to avoid widespread outages. People hoping to travel home for Christmas have been met with

frustration for three consecutive days now. Road travel in some areas is completely just dangerous. And today alone, more than 2,000 flights have been canceled, 5,000 delayed.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is in the CNN weather Center. But let's begin with CNN's Polo Sandoval in Buffalo, New York. Polo, the storm there has been unrelenting. I can see you're in the middle of it. What exactly are you seeing right now on the ground? What can you see on the ground in those kinds of conditions?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So Paula, if I top talking for maybe two seconds you might feel those winds. They kick up and they go back. It really is incredible what we have been experiencing here for well over 24 hours. These wind-whipped snow piles that you see all over the street.

Here, obviously, you see this street cutting through parts of downtown Buffalo. This is drivable, however, authorities are hoping that people will stay off the streets because for the rest of today, into tonight, they want to make sure that first responders are able to get around. You see, what we heard from Erie County officials earlier this morning, they said that they are still frustrated that people are still going out and driving.

We haven't seen a whole lot on these city streets. However, they are saying that they're still seeing that on interstates. Reminder, there is still a travel and a driving ban today that will be in place the rest of today. They're going to reassess for tomorrow. But the goal there is not only to keep the streets clear, but to motivate people to simple stay indoors, saying the safest place because of the frigid temperatures, is still at home.

Now in terms of what may be hundreds of people that are still stranded in their vehicles along the highways, they are asking people actually remain in their vehicles if they are fairly safe there and make a phone call to authorities, not 911, but a nonemergency line, unless it is an emergency, of course, and at least flag themselves for authorities to potential get rescued. But even that is going to take a while.

But again, a reminder that as you see millions of Americans throughout parts of the northeast and other parts of the country as well affected by this, Buffalo, according to authorities here, has been ground zero. It is and it likely will be ground zero for the rest of today.

REID: Yikes. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much for that report. Stay safe.

All right, we want to talk right now to Buffalo's mayor in a moment. But before we get to him, we're going to go to the CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. She has the latest forecast. Allison, what is the storm going to do next?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So the real thing is, the next thing is finally getting some warmer temperatures back in here over the next 24 to 48 hours. But at least in the short-term, we are still going to be dealing with the frigid temperatures and that lake-effect snow. In fact, a lot of that snow is still going to linger into the early morning hours of Christmas Day.

[14:05:04]

Right now, you've got some heavy bands across areas of Michigan, northeastern Ohio, and especially across upstate New York. Take a look. This is a live look at Watertown, New York. Again, you've got some snowplows out there. They're doing their best to try to clear the roads. The problem is you have also got additional snowfall coming down. So they no sooner clear it then it covers itself back up again.

But the good news is once we get through Sunday we will finally start to see an end to the lake-effect snow in a lot of these areas. But we also have a new system that will be diving down from Canada across portions of the Midwest and into the mid-Mississippi Valley.

That is going to bring additional snow on top of what we've already had, because keep in mind, any snow that's fallen in the last 48 hours in that region, it's too cold to melt. So that is going to still stay on the ground.

Most of the areas likely picking up an additional two to six inches of snow on top of what they have had. The exception to that will be right off of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario where as much as one to two feet of additional snow is still possible.

Now, we talked about the rebound in temperatures. It's beginning today in some spots. Take, for example, Denver, Dallas, and New Orleans, finally getting their temperatures back above that freezing mark starting today. For the rest of the country, however, especially east of the Mississippi, places like St. Louis, Cincinnati, Washington, D.C., it's likely going to be Monday at the earliest before those temperatures get back above freezing.

But by the middle to the end of the upcoming week, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, not only are temperatures warming, but they're actually going to get above average for a change. So we'll start to see a lot more of those temperatures begin to tick back up.

But for Christmas Day itself, we are looking at a white Christmas for a lot of areas across the northern tier of the U.S. But those temperatures getting warmer. Denver looking at a nearly a high of 50 degrees on Christmas Day.

Dallas, very similar conditions. Even Atlanta finally getting back above that freezing mark, just barely. But we will finally get back above the freezing mark there and many other cities to do the same as we go through the upcoming week.

REID: A very white Christmas, but some relief in sight. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much for that report.

Erie County is under a state of emergency and a travel ban as heavy snow continues to fall at the rate of three to four inches per hour. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown joins me now by phone. Mayor, travel impossible with the snow and wind gusting up to 60 miles per hour. Still, people have gotten on the road. And the National Guard has been called up to help rescue hundreds of them. Can you give us an idea of exactly how many people have been stranded in their cars?

MAYOR BYRON BROWN, BUFFALO, NEW YORK: Into last night we rescued 65 stranded motorists. I'm told that there are more 200 stranded vehicles in Buffalo right now as we speak. We have emergency first responders, police, fire trying to rescue people from their cars.

We've also partnered with a snowmobile club trying to get people rescued from cars as well. Just recently discovered a fatality, person down on the sidewalk that had passed away. So there is also one fatality in the city of Buffalo. And sadly, when all is said and done, we are expecting more fatalities in the city.

REID: A grim but very likely prediction. So are people getting the message? Are they staying home? Obviously, Christmas is tomorrow. Is the message getting through to people. Is the problem getting worse? Or does it appear to be letting up?

BROWN: Some people obviously did not get the message. But our main priority is the health and safety of our community and emergency first responders. We don't want to leave anybody out in blizzard conditions. We have seen wind gusts as high as 79 miles an hour.

Temperatures with the windchill get as low as minus 22 degrees. So this is a serious blizzard. Everything that has been predicted we are getting hit with in Buffalo. And Buffalo definitely has been ground zero for this storm in west New York.

REID: Yes, the pictures we're seeing right now as we talk to you are just incredible. And we are wondering that in the hardest hit areas in the county, we're told up to two-thirds of the emergency response vehicles are stuck. What's the latest with the response fleet?

BROWN: Yes, we have had police officers in four-wheel-drive vehicles get stuck, fire trucks get stuck. In some cases, we've seen plows get stuck.

[14:10:01]

National Grid, our power company here in this part of the state not be able to do power restoration because trucks can't get down the street. We have dozens of trees down, power lines down as well as street were lights down. The prediction is when it's all said and done, there will be hundreds of trees that come down and are lost. And I'm speaking to you right now from my home without any power and have not had power in my home since early evening yesterday.

REID: So it sounds like -- how is the electric grid doing overall to keep up with the demand for power and heat. You don't have power. How is the rest of the community doing?

BROWN: It's not really a demand issue. But there are over 20,000 without power in the city of Buffalo. With the harsh weather conditions we're seeing, very difficult to get that power restored. Bucket trucks certainly can't go up safely. Drifting and blowing snow, it is a very difficult situation for the power company to restore power at this time.

We have gotten calls for people on ventilators, people who have oxygen. We tried to work with police and fire in getting some of those people -- and public works, getting some of those people transported to area hospitals.

REID: And another risk that a lot of people don't take into account are the risks that natural gas and carbon monoxide can back up into homes when snow blocks a furnace or dryer vents. We have seen reports of this happening. What can you tell people about that risk?

BROWN: We are telling people to clear vents, to not have generators operating in the home, not to have natural gas heaters operating in the home. There's the carbon monoxide threat, there's the fire threat. We're recommending that people clear vents of snow so that they don't have carbon monoxide backup in the home. And when power is restored, people have to be very careful with their furnaces to make sure they're working properly. Again, there's a carbon monoxide threat there as well.

So a lot of things to be concerned about. Flooding is also a concern. We're seeing flooding at our waterfront parks, flooding at some of the residences that are on or near the waterfront in the city of Buffalo. We are even concerned about our water system, concerned about lake safe, which is almost like a freshwater tidal wave that could have backed up into our water treatment plant. Fortunately, that has not happened. We have been monitoring that very carefully, and our water is in good shape.

REID: Well, I'm glad to hear at least your water is in good shape. Mayor, thank you so much for joining us. Clearly you have a lot of work to do. I hope you and your community continue to stay safe during this storm. Thanks again for joining us.

BROWN: Thank you very much, and go, Bills!

(LAUGHTER)

REID: Not even going there.

A power grid operator for 13 states is asking the public to conserve power, warning of potential rolling blackouts. This organization serves about 65 million people. They're advising consumers to set thermostats lower than usual and to postpone using major electronic appliances like stoves and dishwashers.

Michael Bryson is the senior vice president of operations for PJM Interconnection. Thanks so much for joining us with this important information. What happens, though, if your customers don't follow these steps?

MICHAEL BRYSON, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, PJM: Yes. So, as you pointed out, we have 65 million customers. And given the very cold weather and given the holiday season, we just really want customers to do their best to try to reduce energy usage as much as possible. It might be just turning a couple lights off in rooms or postponing major appliances to later in the evening and things like that. And even those little gestures go a long way across a system as big as ours.

REID: You are asking people to hold off on using stoves and dishwashers during a time where families have spent a lot of money on groceries and to travel to cook large holiday meals.

[14:15:00]

What do you say to people who are like, hey, wait a second. Why do I have to do this? I just spent all of this money. Am I going to let this food go to waste?

BRYSON: Yes, and I think we have seen customers have responded today. Earlier today we had peak load that we saw we were able to meet. And I think it was largely due to customer responses. We are asking customers to pay attention to that between now and noon tomorrow.

That is really the conservation timeframe we're using. And hopefully people will still be able to enjoy their Christmas holiday, but help out with some of the conservation efforts to keep us from really having to take more severe measures, potentially rotating customer outages, which is something we are trying to prevent. And conversation helps a lot.

REID: So when can you expect customers to be able to return to normal, normal everyday power usage?

BRYSON: We're thinking tomorrow afternoon should be fine. And many customers will be unaffected by this. But the customers that do have the opportunity to take some measures, that will be very helpful because we have seen it work.

REID: And I don't know if we said this in the introduction, but can you just clarify, how does someone know if this applies to them? What is the area? How can they find out.

BRYSON: Sure. So PJM is 13 states and the District of Columbia. We go from the New York border, down into North Carolina, out to Chicago, and down to Tennessee.

REID: Michael Bryson, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate you sharing that important information with us.

BRYSON: Thank you.

REID: Well, holiday travel disruptions are piling up as this brutal winter storm pummels parts of this country during one of the busiest travel times of the year. Already today more than 2,000 flights have been canceled or delayed, adding to the thousands impacted yesterday.

Travelers at Chicago's O'Hare, Denver International, and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson are bearing the brunt of it. I am joined now by Brian Kelly, he's the founder of Thepointsguy.com. Brian, thanks for joining us. What advice do you have for anyone who might be heading home or heading out today. Is your advice just don't do it?

BRIAN KELLY, FOUNDER, THEPOINTSGUY.COM: Well, where possible. Travel can be dangerous to so many parts of the country right now. But if you absolutely have to travel, you need to be proactive. Even if you're in sunny Los Angeles, there is a chance that your flight might be delayed or canceled because it's coming from an impacted area. So always download the airline app and sign up for push alerts.

But I also recommend Flight Aware. You can download their app, track your flight. And often they will alert you about a delay or cancellation before the airline. And even if your flight is not canceled, I highly recommend packing snacks and food.

I have friends who waited for three hours after landing at Nashville yesterday because the ground crews can't be out in the frigid temps. So pack your patience and just know that it's going to be tough traveling this weekend.

REID: Pack your patience, definitely always good advice going to the airport, but especially now. What do you say to travelers who must get home for Christmas if they are facing delays or cancellations? What do they do? They've downloaded the app. They're monitoring Flight Aware. What do they go from there once they know there is a cancellation or a delay?

KELLY: So as a savvy traveler, this is what I would do. Even if the airline says, sorry, there's nothing until Monday, don't take no for an answer. So I use a service called Expert Flyer. And you can actually set alerts. So even if the flight later today is sold out right now, a lot of people who are supposed to connect onto the flight are probably not going to make it. So availability opens up constantly throughout the day. So Expert Flyer will actually show when there is a ticket available for sale.

And what you can do, the minute you get that alert, you can book that seat before anyone else. Also, when the airlines cancel or delay your flights, you absolutely by law are owed a refund. Never, ever take a voucher. The airlines will say, don't worry, you can use that credit for a year.

But an airline credit is way worse than cold hard cash. So even if your airline can't get you there, rebook yourself using your frequent flyer miles on a different airline and just keep checking. And also make sure the airline adds you to the standby list at a very minimum for that flight.

REID: That's a great point. So when do you think we could see maybe some of this ease up a little bit on travelers?

KELLY: It's already easing up. Yesterday was bad with 6,000 cancellations. Today is much better, probably at about half that. But the frigid temps are around for the next couple of days. So that is what is going to be causing a lot of missed connections. So it's going to be bad. But I think by the middle of the week, things should get back to normal for the most part. And I just want to say, it's the holiday. Never be mean to airline

employees. Trust me, they want your flight -- they want you out of their face. I see so many people obviously frustrated because they want to get home. Trust me, the airline employees, they want you out of there more than you want to be.

[14:20:03]

REID: Absolutely. You're all in it together. Looking forward to 2023, what are you seeing in terms of travel predictions? Are you seeing that it's likely going to be a trend of another surge in travel after people have largely been stuck at home for a few years now?

KELLY: Absolutely. One of the biggest trends we're seeing, China is opening up. And what that is going to mean is Chinese tourists are one of the biggest blocks, and they've relatively been at home for the last couple of years. There's huge demand in China.

So unfortunately, what this means for prices and demand globally is we're going to see a lot more competition and unfortunately prices probably increase. So that's why I tell people book travel now for spring, summer, even next fall, especially using your frequent flyer miles. So I don't see any signs of travel really slowing down. Of course, the economy, if we dip into a bad recession with mass layoffs, that could be a different story. But travel is looking pretty robust for 2023.

REID: Interest. Well, if you're confident in your savings or your job, it sounds like, Brian, your advice is, if you're stuck in there in the snowstorm, maybe plan a trip to somewhere warmer this spring or summer, something to look forward to. Brian, thanks so much for all the great tips. Appreciate it.

KELLY: Thanks for having me.

And frightening moments for shoppers after a gunman opened fire at the Mall of America last night. Video posted to social media shows the moment gunshots went off in the background.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, babe, did you find the purse that you want?

(GUNSHOTS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: A 19-year-old man was killed in the shooting. A bystander was also grazed by a bullet but is expected to be OK. Authorities say the shooting happened after a group of about five to nine males got in an altercation inside a Nordstrom. Several players for the New York Giants were among the crowd scrambling for safety. The team is in town to play the Minnesota Vikings today. All the players were accounted for. The Mall of America is the largest shopping center in the U.S. with more than 500 stores and dozens of attractions. And the January 6th report is out, and the committee points the blame

squarely at former President Trump. A lawyer for Trump joins me live next.

And as we go to break, a live look at the Vatican where Pope Francis is leading Christmas Eve mass.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:25]

REID: This just into CNN. An Arizona judge is rejecting Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake's lawsuit to overturn the results of the election she lost. That judge now affirms Democrat Katie Hobbs won the election and will be the next governor of Arizona. Lake lost by about 17,000 votes and sued in Maricopa County court in an attempt to get November's election overturned. That trail ended on Thursday. Lake says she will appeal.

The House select committee that investigated the January 6th insurrection has released another batch of more than 40 witness interview transcripts. One indicates White House staffers drafted a press release after then Attorney General Bill Barr publicly refuted President Trump's claims that the election was rigged. It ended with, "Anybody that thinks there wasn't massive fraud in 2020 should be fired." The statement, though, was never released and the attorney general was not fired.

In another transcript, former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell said "The numbers we saw on election night simply didn't jibe with common sense." Powell claimed that, quote, "math geniuses" told her Biden's victory was statistically impossible.

Trump nearly appointed Powell as special counsel to investigate her baseless theories. She was eventually pushed off of the legal team. But Trump's White House counsel told the January 6th committee that it would have been a disaster if Trump had made Powell a special counsel.

The newly released transcripts come after the January 6th report was finally released and placed the blame squarely on former President Trump.

Now, joining us now is one of the former president's attorneys, Timothy Parlatore. Tim, thank you so much for joining us. Now, to the clear, the former president, he has a lot of different legal issues. But you represent him in the Justice Department's investigations into January 6th, and the Mar-a-Lago investigation as well.

And we really appreciate you being here. The committee has had a lot to say this week, your client has had a lot to say this week. But let's talk a little bit about the defense strategy going forward.

TIMOTHY PARLATORE, TRUMP LAWYER: Sure.

REID: Earlier this week, the beginning of the week, the committee referred your client to the Justice Department on four different criminal charges, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement, and insurrection. What is your response to that?

PARLATORE: I mean, the referral itself is pretty much worthless. The Department of Justice doesn't have to follow it. There's been an existing investigation that we have been dealing with for quite some time. And really what this does, if anything it just politicizes the process.

They've outlined a few charges here, all of which are completely legally insufficient. And so we kind of look at it as it's political noise, but it doesn't really have any effect as of right now on our defense. Where it will come in to have an effect is in looking at all the underlying documentation that the committee had because a lot of that is going to be very helpful to us.

REID: You're absolutely correct. It is a lower bar for the committee to put forth these referrals than it is for the Justice Department to charge or ultimately prosecute. But we know here, even though these referrals are symbolic, the Justice Department is investigating this.

And we also know that Special Counsel Jack Smith has requested all of the evidence that the committee has gathered and will also receive this 845-page report which ultimately concludes that the central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, who many others followed. None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him. So what is your client's defense to that conclusion?

PARLATORE: Well, I mean, that conclusion is a little bit silly to me because this is a committee that began as every investigator should never do. They started with a conclusion, and then they tried to build evidence that would support that. Now, ultimately, if there wasn't an election that was contested, then there wouldn't have been a rally, none of this would have happened, that is correct. But to try and place blame on somebody who specifically took steps to avoid violence and specifically told people not to be violent is a little bit disingenuous at best.

Sorry. Well, we look at this report as, really, the report itself is not of much value. It's written by politicians for political purpose. The only thing that's really going to have value here is the underlying evidence, what has been included, and more importantly, what has been excluded.

[14:30:04]

REID: Let's look at some of the evidence that they laid out in support of their conclusion, because they don't just focus on January 6th. They go all the way back before Election Day. And they argue that this plan to refute and disrupt the election results, they argue that it was, quote, premeditated. They point to emails from a conservative watchdog group in the White House, saying just refute the election no matter what happens.

They specifically point to the pressure campaign on states. They say there were over 200 contacts by the former president and his associates on states. They point to Trump's multiple contacts with the RNC chairwoman to ensure that allies were deputized to push this false elector claim.

They also talk about how the former president was in touch with John Eastman when he was drafting that memo that is really at the center of the pressure campaign on the former vice president. So what evidence is it you would have, or you believe the committee would have, to refute this roadmap that they have laid out to try to support this conclusion?

PARLATORE: Sure. Everything that you just described, it can be seen in the light of trying to overturn an election. But it also can be seen in the light of attempting to make sure that the election results are correct. And you have to assume for a second, he's been told that there's fraud in the election. There are certain things that show that there were inconsistencies, fraud, and irregularities, and those things need to be looked into.

The people that are supposed to look into that is law enforcement, whether it be the FBI or states specifically. So would there be pressure on states to go back and investigate to figure out whether the results are, in fact, accurate? Absolutely. That's what we would expect the president to do if he was presented with evidence that the results were inaccurate.

So the fact that there is this contact, the fact that there are multiple requests to investigate, that's not incriminating at all. In fact, that's something that you expect the chief executive to do because he is constitutionally required to make sure that the laws of the United States are faithfully executed.

The gap that they are going to have is they are trying to make the logical leap to say he knew that the results were accurate and he was trying to push a false narrative they were inaccurate and trying to get people to falsely flip the result.

And that there's not going to be any evidence for because that's not true. And ultimately, whether there was fraud, whether that fraud was enough to overturn the election, that is something that needed to be done through an investigation, which is exactly what he was pushing for this whole time.

REID: But the committee argues that the former president was not a, quote, passive consumers of the lies, that they anticipated this defense that argued that he was listening to his attorneys, and then they presented clips of some of his top advisers who say they told him that there was no election fraud. So how will you rebut that evidence?

Because it sounds like I wasn't necessarily that he was just being told that there was election fraud. He was also being told that there was not. He even questioned some of his lawyers, for example, Sidney Powell, Hope Hicks I believe is the one who testified saying that he would cover the phone while she was talking and be like, look, this sounds crazy, doesn't it. It appeared that even he was skeptical of some of the advice that he was being given. PARLATORE: Sure. And that's the thing is that he's being given advice

by multiple people. People are telling him differing stories. Some of those people are telling him stories that they are supporting with all sorts of spreadsheets and presentations. And other people, like Bill Barr, are saying, oh, there's nothing there. We are not even going to bother investigating it.

And had Bill Barr instead said, you know what, I'm going to show you that Sidney Powell is completely full of it, I'm going to send out a few FBI agents and we're going to show you that, that probably would have resolved the issue.

But the fact that you had some people who were saying that this is true, some people who were saying that it's not true, and nobody is doing a comprehensive investigation to actually show what really happened, it's that failure and that refusal to actually go forward and conclusively prove it one way or the other, that's where the ambiguity comes in and where the questions come in.

REID: I will note that the attorney general, former attorney general Bill Barr, he told the committee that he does not believe that Trump ever had any interest in what the actual facts are. But I want to move on to Jack Smith, the special counsel who is now handling these investigations.

PARLATORE: Sure.

REID: Have you had any interaction or communication with the special counsel directly, Mr. Smith?

PARLATORE: Directly, no, not yet.

REID: When it comes to the January 6th investigation specifically, would you let your client, the former president, sit down with Smith's investigators for an interview, if you really believe that he has -- there is another side of this, that there is a story to tell.

PARLATORE: Well, that's something that you have to make a decision on based on an individual basis. We're certainly not at that point in this investigation where we would even consider that.

[14:35:02]

That would be something to do later on down the road. It is definitely a situation, as with all investigations, where I want to see where they go. But I also want to be active in the investigation and communicate with them and try to show them the other side.

Now, does that mean, have the client himself sit down, or does that mean have the attorneys sit down and show other evidence, encourage them to interview other witnesses, show them other documents perhaps, and also show them problems with the evidence that they have collected thus far. That is something that we would definitely do.

It's something I would try to do in any investigation because when you have a situation like this, it's far better for the prosecutors and the defense to come together and to try and make sure that we're getting it right instead of going down a path of charging something that wouldn't be supported and then going through all of the circus of litigating that.

REID: All right, we have been wrapped five times. But I'm going to ask you one more question really quickly on Mar-a-Lago.

PARLATORE: Sure.

REID: Are you confident that all the records with classified markings have now been located and turned over to the government? Because I know this has been kind of an ongoing process, handing over boxes, subpoenas, the search. Are you confident at this point on behalf of your client that everything has been located at this point?

PARLATORE: I am. We had a professional search team go through all possible locations that reasonably could have documents. We went through several locations that really we thought couldn't conceivably have them. But the DOJ asked us so we did it anyway. Everything that found has been turned over. So I'm pretty confident that is a dead issue at this point.

REID: All right, Tim, we really appreciate you coming on to present your client's side of these ongoing investigations. Thanks so much for joining us.

PARLATORE: Thank you for having me, Paula.

REID: And still to come, incoming GOP Congressman George Santos hasn't even been sworn into Congress yet, but he is already facing growing backlash amid discrepancies in his resume and biography. What CNN has now uncovered about his claim that his family fled the holocaust. You're live in the CNN Newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:42]

REID: Incoming GOP Congressman George Santos is under fire for discrepancies in his resume. A CNN review found that his biography at times listed education at Baruch College and New York University, earning degrees in finance and economics. However, neither NYU nor Baruch have any record of his attending.

Santos also claimed he ran his own charity called "Friends of Pets United." But no such organization exists in the IRS's searchable database. And now, CNN has discovered yet another discrepancy in Santos's biography. This one regarding claims that his grandparents fled the holocaust. CNN's Jessica Dean has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Incoming Congressman George Santos finally acknowledging the growing scrutiny surrounding many apparent discrepancies in his biography, tweeting, quote, "I have my story to tell, and it will be told next week." One part of the New York Republican's background now in question, his

family history.

GEORGE SANTOS, (R) NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT: My grandparents survived the holocaust.

I'm very proud of my Jewish. I'm very proud of my grandparents' story. My grandfather fleeing Ukraine, fleeing Stalin's persecution, going to Belgium, finding refuge there, marrying my grandmother, then fleeing Hitler, going to Brazil.

DEAN: But those claims are contradicted by sources reviewed by CNN's K-File, including family trees, record on Jewish refugees, and interviews with multiple genealogists.

SANTOS: As I always joke, I'm Jew-ish.

(LAUGHTER)

SANTOS: I come from a Jewish family. My mother is Jewish. I grew up and I was raised Roman Catholic.

DEAN: Megan Smoleneck, an author and professional genealogist who helped research Santos family tree at CNN's request, said in an email, quote, "There is no sign of Jewish and/or Ukrainian heritage and no indication of name changes along the way."

SANTOS: Today I live that American dream.

DEAN: It's the latest development since "The New York Times" first reported and CNN confirmed that Santos may have misrepresented parts of his resume regarding his college education and employment history, saying he attended schools and worked at companies that have no records of his attendance or employment. While some are calling for an investigation and potential consequences.

DANIEL GOLDMAN, (D) NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN-ELECT: This is what is clearly a serial effort to defraud voters in his district. And if George Santos did that, and he certainly appears to have made false statements in his disclosure forms to the FEC, I think it is worth the U.S. Attorneys' Office to look into this.

DEAN: On Capitol Hill Thursday, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy refused to answer any questions about what may happen to Santos or if anything should be done.

Santos is part of a very slim four-seat majority Republicans will hold when they take over the House in January.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

REID: Our thanks to Jessica Dean for that report.

And with me now to discuss is Rabbi Joshua Stanton, a senior fellow at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. Rabbi, thank you so much for joining me to discuss this. What is your reaction to Santos claiming that his grandparents fled the holocaust when multiple genealogists are telling CNN there is no proof of that?

RABBI JOSHUA STANTON, SENIOR FELLOW, NATIONAL JEWISH CENTER FOR LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP: My consideration for him as a leader and public figure makes me want to call him out. But as a Jewish leader I actually want to call him in. I was speaking with my colleague Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, and what he said I think is right on, that the moment when we start challenging who is Jewish or Jewish enough, when we start challenging who suffered enough during the holocaust, we go to a very toxic place.

My own family is really complicated with its history in Europe during World War II. They grandparents grew up as Lutherans in Berlin and then they fled eventually to the United States, lost a huge number of family members, and found their way back to Judaism without formally converting. Where does that leave me? Am I, as a rabbi, Jewish enough? And so much as a I do think that there are issues of public credibility, potentially issues of misrepresentation, if he lied on his FEC forms, that's an issue of public concern.

[14:45:07]

I'm really loathe to call him out for representations that he is making about Jewish heritage. I would never appear with Representative-elect Santos at a press conference. I would never issue a press release with him.

But if he ever wanted to come and talk about his Jewish heritage, if he ever wanted to study, if he ever wanted to engage in the reflective process that he so evidently needs, if he ever needs pastoral care, and my goodness, I do hope that he is seeking care from any number of professionals, including religious leaders, I would be here for that.

So I think it's really painful, it's really complicated, and I'm loathe to condemn him without knowing more. It is hard to prove a negative that his family did not suffer during the holocaust. And until we know more, I think it could be really problematic to call him out for it.

REID: That is a very empathetic and kind response to this story. I want to read to you what Santos tweeted about this. He said, quote, "I have my story to tell, and it will be told next week. I want to ensure everyone that I will address your questions." So what would you like to hear from him if and when he does take questions?

STANTON: So Jewish tradition holds leaders to a far higher standard than typical folks. And I do think that there is a high ethical standard to which he must be held. He needs to address whether or not he has lied to the public in a systematic way. He needs to address so many details and so many discrepancies in his resume, in his background, evidently in his FEC forms. Perhaps it is time for an apology.

And that is the public side. The private side, I so hope that he is seeking treatment in some form or fashion, because if indeed he misrepresented his history, those are not the reactions of a happy, well person. Those are the actions of someone who needs support. And the same goes for every good rabbi there is a good therapist.

I am blessed to have a great therapist and to be very pro therapy. And my unofficial opinion is that he needs help, and he needs help right now. And so the public needs to hold him to account. And those who are close to him need to get him support immediately because he is somebody in a very sad, very dark, and potentially very dangerous spot.

REID: Rabbi Joshua Stanton, thank you so much for joining us with your insight and your empathy in this unusual situation. Thank you.

STANTON: Thank you.

REID: And coming up, inside the signs of resiliency in the U.S. economy. You're live in the CNN Newsroom.

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[14:51:04]

REID: After months of biting inflation, recession worries, and a Federal Reserve raising interest rates, there are signs the U.S. economy is still remarkably resilient. CNN's Christine Romans reports.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Paula, consumer confidence rebounded, rising to eight-month highs, and consumers' expectations about inflation improved, and evidence grows that inflation is starting to peak. The Fed's favorite inflation indicator, the PCE Price Index, grew at the slowest annual rate in more than a year. And gas prices are down 50 cents over the past month, likely helping people feel a little better about where the overall economy is headed.

It's coming from a strong base. In the third quarter, the U.S. economy grew much faster than probably thought, 3.2 percent, better than the 2.9 percent estimate from a month ago. It's a strong recovery from a stall in the economy in the first half. At the same time, layoffs remain historically low.

First time claims for unemployment benefits in the latest week were below the 2019 average, remarkable considering the Federal Reserve raised rates seven times this year to slow the economy.

You can feel it in the housing market slowing under the weight of higher mortgage rates. Home sales slowed for the 10th consecutive month, the longest such stretch on record going back to 1999. And you can see the Fed's aggressive tightening in the stock market. The S&P 500 is down for December and headed for the first negative year since 2018, and the worst year since the financial crisis of 2008. Paula?

REID: Well, 16 people are dead as this storm slams the eastern U.S. This is a live look at Interstate 90 in Buffalo, New York. Ahead, the latest on the dangerous conditions and the strain on power grids. You're live in the CNN Newsroom.

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REID: Now to something you don't see every day. A doorbell camera in Alaska caught a moose dropping its antlers. The moose shook like a dog and its massive antlers crashed to the ground. Moose antlers can weigh up to 60 pounds and shedding them allows the animals to store more energy during the winter. The homeowners now have quite the new decor for their home, two giant moose antlers. That's amazing. I love those stories.

Coming up, the deadly winter storm continues to slam the U.S. Subzero temps and blizzard conditions proving dangerous. A live report from Buffalo, next. You're live in the CNN Newsroom.

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