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Erin Burnett Outfront

Trump Does About-Face On Epstein In The Face Of Massive GOP Revolt; ICE's New Target; Comey Case In Trouble. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired November 17, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:25]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Breaking news, Trump's mind-boggling 180 on Jeffrey Epstein, now saying he'll sign into law a bill that forces the release of Epstein files after fighting it tooth and nail for months. But will those Epstein files actually see the light of day?

Plus, breaking news, new video into OUTFRONT tonight of what just happened at a Charlotte laundromat when federal agents showed up. The latest city to be targeted in the top. Sheriff in Charlotte is OUTFRONT tonight.

And the DOJ's James Comey case on really thin ice. A judge tonight finding evidence of possible government misconduct. Former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb says he's never seen anything like it. He'll be here.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett on this Monday.

OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, Trump throws his hands up in defeat tonight, telling reporters that when it comes to the Epstein files, he'll sign the bill for their release. Now, if you think that -- that you're living in some alternative universe, it's understandable. This is one of the most mind-boggling 180s ever.

Trump just this weekend saying that Republicans are stupid, his word, stupid to fall into the trap of voting for the bill. And in a lengthy post, he tore into his onetime most loyal of loyal allies, Marjorie Taylor Greene. Of her, he said, "Wacky Marjorie traitor brown. Remember Greene turns to brown where there is rot involved.

Why is she a traitor to our country? Well, she was voting for the release of the Epstein files.

And this is just a taste of it. Trump has nonstop for months fought members of his own party to block the release of the Justice Department's files on the convicted sex offender. The White House explicitly said it was a hostile act, in fact, against Trump's administration to vote for the files release. And Trump has called Republican Thomas Massie, who has been leading

the charge to release the files, quote/unquote, "loser", as well as weak and pathetic. But for the first time ever, and this is hugely significant, actually, Republicans abandoned Trump en masse, en masse. It was clear that they were going to vote for the files release and against Trump. There's no way to put it any differently. That was what was going to happen.

He said all those things about people who were going to vote for the bill, and they were going to do it anyway. And that forced his hand. He decided to go along with it.

So today, the person whose name appears more than any other single person in the latest email dump from Epstein, according to Congressman Garcia -- well, here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I want -- we have nothing to do with Epstein. The Democrats do. All of his friends were Democrats. You look at this, Reid Hoffman, you look at Larry Summers, Bill Clinton, they went to his island all the time. And many others, all Democrats, some of the people that we mentioned are being looked at very seriously for their relationship to Jeffrey Epstein.

But they were with them all the time. I wasn't. I wasn't at all. It's really a Democrat problem. The Democrats were Epstein's friends, all of them. And it's a hoax. The whole thing is a hoax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Of course, none of that adds up. It was all Democrats. And this is all about Democrats then? Well, then he'd be thrilled to have the files out all the way along, right? I mean, again, it's mind- boggling, sort of the twisted lack of logic here, but just one fact check there, of course, to state the obvious, it is not just Democrats who were Epstein's friends.

Trump was a close friend of Epstein. In fact, several people over many months have come here to explain that they were actually best friends.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were best friends.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were best friends.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was his best friend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Our KFILE unearthed photos that confirm, well, closeness over the years Epstein attended Donald Trump's wedding to Marla Maples. In this photo, Epstein's entering the Plaza Hotel for the wedding.

That same year, 1993, Trump and his kids, Eric and Ivanka, are seen with Epstein at the opening of the Harley Davidson Cafe in New York. And of course, there's that crude drawing bearing Trump's signature in Epstein's 50th birthday book.

And then there's actually just Trump's words himself, which are, you know, very different than what he said today. Back in 2002, he told "New York Magazine", I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It's even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are in the younger side, no doubt it. Jeffrey enjoys his social life.

Now, Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but if he follows through on his word that he will sign the bill to release the Epstein files, and if -- and this is the biggest if -- so, I put it in all caps to make sure that we emphasize this.

[19:05:09]

If the files are unredacted when it comes to the men who knew Epstein and interacted with him, we will learn more about Epstein's social life and his sex trafficking operation. Details that up until now have been kept secret.

Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT live outside the White House.

And, Kristen, you know, politics is a sordid business, and were used to people flip flopping or whatever word you want to use. But in terms of what Trump has done in the Epstein files, this has got to be one of the biggest 180s in history.

What are you learning from your sources about what's going on here?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, well, Erin, a lot of it is what you said. On Friday, it became clear to Donald Trump, he had heard from Speaker Johnson. He had heard from other lawmakers. He had heard from his own advisers that this was going to pass in the House, not only going to come to a vote, but going to pass and largely going to pass by a huge margin.

Now, the question would be what was going to happen in the Senate, and the White House had to make a decision, President Trump included, of how much they were going to fight this. Were they then going to try to whip votes on the Senate floor? And it seemed to become untenable to President Trump and to the White House, because this was going to happen. This was happening right in front of them and unfolding.

You saw interview after interview of Republican lawmakers saying that they wanted the release of these Epstein files. Now, what I'm hearing today is that this one goes all the way through to these documents being released. It's not just President Trump saying that he will sign this bill if it comes to his desk, but also that the White House does not have plans to stop the Department of Justice from releasing any of these files.

Now, one thing to make clear here, there's still a lot of things that have to happen. It's not just going to the senate. It's not just getting signed by President Trump. One, President Trump and the Department of Justice have now opened up

a whole new investigation. So, what does that mean for the southern district of New York? What does it mean for these potential documents?

Are they going to turn them over, or are they going to say, for example, they can't because it's an ongoing investigation, that that's evidence in a new investigation is the Department of Justice going to pull out the stops or pull out the brakes on any of the names, as you mentioned, in terms of redactions. There are some legal concerns about both victims and potentially some of you said associates of Jeffrey Epstein's who weren't actually accused of wrongdoing. So, what are they going to do as well?

So, we still have a lot of questions here. It's not just President Trump blanket saying, let's get this through. Let's release this information. What's actually going to be released that's still up in the air.

BURNETT: Yeah, very much up in the air. I mean, so many question marks for the bill itself. Maybe just a starting point. Kristen, thank you so much. With all those new details from the White House.

All right. My panel with me to start our coverage.

Arick, I want to start with you. Many viewers are familiar with you at this point. You have been on you represent 11 Epstein victims. And obviously, tomorrow's vote looks like it's going to be a landslide. It became pretty clear there might only be one Republican holding out after, by the way, for months there were four Republicans who, even as late as this weekend at great with personal nastiness from Trump, were standing up to release these files. That was it.

Now suddenly, it's -- it appears that it could be unanimous or close to it. What's the feeling among survivors tonight?

ARICK FUDALI, ATTORNEY REPRESENTING 11 EPSTEIN ACCUSERS: I would probably best describe it as cautious optimism. You know, in this whole entire decades and decades long saga with Jeffrey Epstein, every time something good seems to happen for the survivors, something bad happens then, and they don't get the true justice they deserved.

In 2008, he was finally arrested. He's finally caught, and then he's given a sweetheart deal and allowed to continue to abuse. When he's finally arrested under federal custody, in 2019, he is somehow allowed to kill himself while he was supposed to be being watched.

BURNETT: Yeah.

FUDALI: Then, of course, Ghislaine maxwell. She's finally convicted. One person, finally convicted, finally sent to prison, and the survivors think, okay, some measure of justice and now we have to deal with, you know, she's in a minimum security resort playing with puppies, from what I hear.

BURNETT: Right. FUDALI: So, there's a lot of cautious optimism where because every time there's one step forward, it's like eight steps back. Certainly, an almost unanimous vote would be a real push for momentum, a real push for optimism. But with the survivors and the special treatment that Jeffrey Epstein seems to be getting even beyond the grave, were still sort of waiting until we see the fully unredacted documents.

BURNETT: Well, and the Ghislaine Maxwell part of it, of course, is crucial. Right? She gets an interview with Trump's deputy attorney general and then right afterwards is put into this prison facility. This basically a prison resort as it goes. There would be no justification for it given her conviction.

David, I'm curious what you think of the situation that were in, though, right? You have over the weekend, Trump posting a screed about Thomas Massie insulting him for getting remarried, right? Just it became so personally nasty. All because he's voting for release of the Epstein files.

And then today, Trump has to throw in the towel and say, okay, because almost every Republican was going to turn against him.

[19:10:03]

What is the significance of this?

DAVID AXELROD, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Erin, sometimes you, you make a U-turn when you realize you're driving right into oncoming traffic. That's the situation that Trump was in.

It was done, and he -- the one thing that he can't countenance is being repudiated by his own party. So, he had to get on the other side of this. And I imagine that Mike Johnson really wanted him to get on the other side of it, so that all these other Republicans who were loyal to Trump didn't get caught walking the plank on this, which is highly unpopular among their constituents.

So, the question really is what happens? What happens now? I do wonder why this issue of these Democrats should be, and, you know, banks and so on should be investigated came up three days ago, and you do wonder if that's another dilatory tactic.

But one thing's for sure, if this comes out with a near majority of the House, you cannot expect the Senate not to act on it. Thune has said, we don't know if we're going to take it up. They're going to have to take it up.

BURNETT: I mean, it is and it is stunning. I mean, Tara, when you just think about it. Right? You talk about Marjorie Taylor Greene, remember, green turns to brown when there's rot involved. I mean, all these horrific things he was saying just this weekend to prevent this vote.

And, Tara, then it gets to the question, as Arick just said, if the files actually come out and if they come out unredacted, that we can actually say -- see what they mean. So, when it comes to that, you have done such incredible reporting over the years, Trump's commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, happened to live next door to Epstein for years.

And in a recent interview talked about the whole situation and said he believes Epstein taped men in his, quote/unquote, massage room.

Here's Howard Lutnick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD LUTNICK, U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY: That's what his M.O. was, you know. Get a massage, get a massage. And what happened in that massage room I assume, was on video. This guy was the greatest blackmailer ever, blackmailed people. That's how he had money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Tara, are there videos and photos in these documents?

TARA PALMERI, REPORTED EXTENSIVELY ON EPSTEIN AND MAXWELL: I have been told by a source within the FBI that yes, there are videos. There are photographs I know from Virginia Giuffre, working with her on "The Broken Jeffrey Epstein" podcast, she told me that she went into the FBI to try to identify her body with men. And she could not identify her body, but the fact that they even have naked -- bodies of naked women to be identified is a sign that, yes, they are sitting on troves and troves of photographic video evidence.

And, you know, they have more than that. They even have depositions. If you take the words of the witnesses -- of the victims seriously and you look at them as evidence, but as we know, you know, Kash Patel has not read through the testimonies from these victims, which they hold on to right now. Alex Acosta didn't read through them before he created this sweetheart deal.

This administration does not value the testimony of the victims as a form of evidence. And I wonder how much of that will actually be released in the Epstein files. So I'm very -- I'm very dubious that Pam Bondi, who's over overseeing the Department of Justice, will actually release the files in their entirety. I think it's going to be a lot of blank pages.

BURNETT: I mean, Arick, I guess that's the question. Are there going to be a lot of blank pages? And are we actually going to see these videos? I mean, you know, you could easily see them saying, well, because these people haven't been charged, whatever men who, you know, sounds like what Lutnick saying may indeed have happened. I don't know, it certainly sounds like that from what Tara saying, it's very possible.

Is there any chance we're really going to see all of that after all of this?

FUDALI: I certainly hope so. And of course, you know, I think everyone agrees the victims, the survivors' names and identities need to be protected, but -- BURNETT: Yes, they should be redacted unless any of them would choose

not to.

FUDALI: Absolutely. But beyond that, I really hope that this is -- will actually show who was, you know, abetting, who was aiding, who was facilitating Jeffrey Epstein's abuse. He didn't do it alone. He had a lot of enablers, had a lot of facilitators.

And perhaps from what we've heard, perhaps he had sort of co abusers who were abusing along with him. It is imperative that we find that out. All the survivors and I've spoken to a lot of them in the past couple of weeks, my clients, what they want is they want just exposure, they want accountability and they want closure. They want an end to this chapter that's been going on for decades and decades.

So, I truly hope that once these files, if and when they are released, that it is that they're fully released, that there are no redactions, you know, hiding the men who may have facilitated the abusers that they're fully released. And the American people really get to see what went on there.

BURNETT: David, do you think that just given knowing the DOJ and how these things work, that there is a real chance that we will see the full Epstein files, including video with the men's names not redacted?

[19:15:06]

AXELROD: Well, history is a little discouraging here. There's been an effort for the full year to try and keep that from happening. And whatever is in there, that the president is concerned about is still in there. He pulled out all the stops to try and get Republicans not to pass this resolution. He's clearly angry about it as those texts or those posts that you shared show.

You know, I guess I'm hoping for the victims that that the answer is yes, but history is not very encouraging here.

BURNETT: Tara, do you think we will see them?

PALMERI: I think we'll see a very highly redacted version of them if anything. And I think they will drag this out for as long as possible. The Senate is where bill goes to die, as we all know. If it ends up on the desk of the president, he signs it. He controls the Department of Justice, as we know. He sees them very much as an extension of his powers of the president.

So, I think we will see what President Trump wants. And I think they may use the reopening of other investigations targeting Democrats as a reason to withhold giving the files over. So, I have tempered my, you know --

BURNETT: Well, there are now ongoing investigations that they can -- that they can absolutely cite. And Trump has used that before, even when it came to releasing his own taxes, right, citing an audit as a reason to -- of course, he wanted full transparency, but had to wait until the audit was finished. Thank you all very much. I appreciate you.

And next, I'm going to speak to Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace. Nancy Mace has not wavered in her support for the Epstein victims. Those four Republicans who stood firm for all those months wanting the truth to get out there, she is one of them, and she is next.

Plus, breaking news, new video just in of people rushing into a Charlotte laundromat as federal agents arrive. We're going to show you exactly what happened next.

And tonight, a major blow to Trump's hand-picked prosecutor, a judge blasting Lindsey Halligan's case against James Comey. Ty Cobb is up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:20:24]

BURNETT: The breaking news. The House is expected to vote on legislation that would force the release of all files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and that vote is set to happen in less than 24 hours, something that a few months ago seemed categorically impossible. Well, one Republican congressman tonight predicting something almost unheard of in Washington. He says 100 percent of lawmakers are going to vote to release. That is an incredible thing.

There were only four Republicans willing to do so for the past few months, and now it could be all of them. Survivors of Epstein's abuse are expected to be on the Hill tomorrow ahead of the vote, pushing for full transparency.

One of the loudest voices who have stood, who has stood firm with them from the beginning is South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace. She is herself a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence. She has spoken about that.

Back in September, she met privately with several Epstein victims. She left that meeting as you see her there, visibly shaken, very emotional.

And she is OUTFRONT with me now, Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace.

And, Congresswoman, I appreciate your time tonight, a night, frankly, that I would imagine even a month ago or two months ago, maybe you weren't sure if this would ever happen. Certainly, maybe to think of a unanimous Republican vote that would have seemed crazy.

But here we are, hours away from the House passing this bill, possibly unanimously. How big of a moment is this?

REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): This is enormous for every woman, underage girl, child who has been abused in this country. And it's not just the last few months. I mean, a year, five years, ten years. This has been going on for decades. And these women have never seen justice. Just like most women in this country who never get to have their day

in court, who never get to face their abuser, and to see them put in prison. And so, for me, this is really -- it's an emotional day right now. I'm meeting with some more Epstein survivors tomorrow. This is really bigger than Jeffrey Epstein.

This is a very symbolic vote to me, for every woman and girl across the country who's been abused, that they represent us. This is us. This is us getting our justice. For a moment, just a brief moment in time, we get to have our say. We get to have our voice, and we get to say it all across the country, all across the world, through the vessel of the Jeffrey Epstein victims.

And I can't think of anything more important to me as a woman who has been working as a survivor and working with other survivors. This is historic for all of us.

BURNETT: I know it is an emotional night for you. I'm sure it will be tomorrow. It surely cannot all -- can only try to imagine what it will feel like. And you said that you will be with victims tomorrow as well.

What has it been like for you to hear their stories? I mean, I have talked to congresswoman to several of them who have specifically brought up their meetings that they've had with you, as well as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, they have talked about those meetings. And you three, specifically as women, as being incredibly meaningful for them.

MACE: Well, we all three as Republican women, conservative women stood up, stood strong and supported them. And I have to tell you, meeting with them was very emotional. I had to leave the meeting. The first meeting I ever had with the victims early. It hit too close to home for me as a survivor was too raw, and I was able to do it a few weeks later. I'm doing it again tomorrow.

But these are -- these are real women. They have real stories. They have real lives. They have real devastation that is never ending.

This is the kind of thing that lasts -- lasts a lifetime.

[19:25:00]

And I -- and I don't know that they'll ever heal. I mean, there are many of us out there in the world today that were never going to heal from the abuse that we have. And in fact, just tonight, I'm responding to the allegation that my own abuser is going to file to try to restrain me from speaking the truth, from restraining my First Amendment. This is what happens to victims, to survivors, those who abuse us. They want to silence us.

And I got to tell you, the more women that speak up and the more women that refuse to sit down and shut up, the better off our daughters are going to be. And that's what this is about.

BURNETT: So over these past months, of course, you have been on a very lonely island, right?

MACE: Yes.

BURNETT: It has been you, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Congresswoman Boebert, and Congressman Massie. Okay. And it has just been a few of you. The president has made it very clear he did not want these Epstein files to be released.

All through the weekend, he was amplifying that. He was stepping it up. And now suddenly today, obviously, this this change urging Republicans to go ahead and vote for it, saying he will sign it.

Do you know what changed for him? Why he changed his mind?

MACE: I don't. And I don't -- I don't speak for the president. I do share his frustration over the allegations. And this is being used as a political wedge for Democrats to attack him. I don't like that.

I don't like the idea of politicizing rape and sexual assault or sex trafficking. I don't like that at all. This could have been done years ago, and it wasn't. This could have been done decades ago, and it wasn't.

There are a lot of people along the way to blame, and he's not one of them. Ten days ago, I called up the president on his personal cell phone. There was a young woman out of Virginia who needed brain surgery. He didn't know her. I didn't know her. We just knew she needed help.

He didn't ask her political affiliation. He didn't ask anything. He just said, does she need it? I said yes, 12 hours later, she had approval for the brain surgery that she needed.

A few hours after that, I had a constituent who was stuck in a prison in Bosnia because she lost her passport. I again called up the president's team, the White House. Within hours, that young woman was rescued out of a Bosnian prison.

What I know about President Trump is that when I've called him, he's answered my calls. He's delivered when I needed help. For young women across the country.

BURNETT: All right, now, I'm curious, as no stories I think are telling, especially given that there's been times where at least what he said about you has been fraught. And that is a moment that we're in now.

I mean, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, like you write on that lonely island, she stood up for the release of the Epstein files. She says she's now facing death threats after Trump called her a traitor and a lunatic for her stance on wanting to release the files. Today, he was asked about those threats that Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is receiving. And I wanted to play for you his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't think her life is in danger. I don't think -- frankly, I don't think anybody cares about her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Do you think he should be talking like that?

MACE: Well, look, we all have the ability to say what we want to say. We have the First Amendment and whatever beef that the two of them have together. That is between the two of them.

I saw Marjorie tonight. She looked good. She sounded good. I'm glad that the president is on board with everyone voting to release the Epstein files. This is huge and historic.

We could have done this under President Biden, but Democrats chose not to do that. And I have to tell you, I mean, in the wake of Charlie Kirk, we all take all these threats seriously. I get a dozen a day for just looking, just being on TV or just voting on an issue.

So, it's something that we do have to take seriously as well. But this is going to be historic.

And the thing that I'm really frustrated with, with the media right now is that they want to focus on President Trump, and they're not telling the stories of these women who risked it all their careers, their livelihood, their futures to come forward. The courage that it took. Those are the stories we should be telling right now, not the clickbait of what Trump said or he said/she said.

I want to hear their stories, because getting this kind of justice, getting this kind of thing, this evidence to come out, voting on it, it's never happened before. And I have to tell you, I'm in my own --

BURNETT: Well, I am proud that on this program we've had at every victim of Jeffrey Epstein that was willing to speak. But the president of United States did say over the weekend that only a very bad or stupid Republican would fall into the trap of voting for the release of the files.

MACE: And he's come around, and that's an important thing.

BURNETT: But the facts are the facts that he did not want these files to come out.

MACE: But Biden wouldn't do anything, but he -- but the Trump has come around and Biden never came around. Biden never gave these women a chance. And that's the story you all aren't telling. When I went through my --

BURNETT: They had an investigation to Ghislaine Maxwell, which resulted in her being put in prison, and then she was moved to a minimum security prison in a residential neighborhood after meeting --

MACE: I watched Maxwell in front of the Oversight Committee, I want to take her on. I want all the facts. I want to have my time with her to get to the bottom of this. But as a survivor, I will tell you, I've been through the system. The

system at the federal, state and local level is fundamentally broken, and these are the things that we want to fix. I've talked to the Epstein victims about how we do trauma informed investigations. That's not happening.

[19:30:00]

Victims who come forward -- they're sued, they're smeared, they're defamed in the press. And that kind of thing has to stop, because that's why women don't come forward. Because the way were treated in the media domain, the public domain and social media.

BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate your taking the time to come on, Congresswoman Mace.

MACE: Thank you.

BURNETT: And I think it is fair for anyone watching to acknowledge that. Had you and your three colleagues not stood up the way you stood up, we wouldn't be where we are with this vote. So, thank you very much. I appreciate your time.

MACE: That's correct. Thank you very much. Thank you.

BURNETT: And next, new video showing the moment that federal agents arrive outside a laundromat in Charlotte, people rushing to get away, the county sheriff next to tell us exactly what is happening there tonight.

Plus, as the criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey dead. Ty Cobb says it is after a judge raises questions tonight about possible government misconduct.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:35:00]

BURNETT: Breaking news, we have new video showing you this here. This shows what happened the moment federal agents arrived in the parking lot of a Charlotte laundromat. You see people running to escape. Moments later, a federal agent runs toward the door, then walks away as Charlotte becomes the latest target in President Trump's immigration crackdown. DHS says at least 130 people were arrested in an operation that they have named Charlotte's Web.

Omar Jimenez begins our coverage OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the new reality in Charlotte, North Carolina, as Border Patrol agents led by top Border Patrol official Greg Bovino fan out across the city enforcing a crackdown on illegal immigration.

DANTE ANDERSON (D), MAYOR PRO TEMPORE, CHARLOTTE: Our citizens are left to look at what has occurred in other cities as a bellwether to what might occur here.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): One of those cities is Chicago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out of here. Go, go!

JIMENEZ: This is happening in the southwest side of Chicago. You see, the community response here to what our federal immigration enforcement trying to get them out of this neighborhood.

Those in the federal government will say they're just endangering these agents as they try to do their jobs here. But clearly, the tactics they've employed to this point have made neighborhoods and people feel like they need to show that they're not welcome here.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Others have taken less confrontational tactics.

MARCIELA, CHICAGO RAPID RESPONSE WORKER: We know that they're black Escalades, but if we had license plates, that would help, too.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Like Marciela, who volunteers as rapid response fielding calls to show up and document she didn't want to show her face over fear of retaliation.

MARCIELA: We have showed up to cars that have their windows smashed, where a vehicle has been abandoned, or there is a family member in distress. The tactics being used are a lot more severe.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): And the impact in Chicago's immigrant communities is unmistakable, including in Little Village, a majority Latino neighborhood.

JOSE "LOUIE" LUIS LOPEZ, OWNER, LOS CANDILES RESTAURANT: Best description would be like another pandemic, really, as far as seeing the numbers just every week. Part of our clientele from our neighborhood, you know, they're frightened to come out right now.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Jose Luis Lopez's restaurant started with his late parents decades ago. In this moment, his receipts tell a story.

LOPEZ: This is five, two, three, four. Four and five is nine.

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

LOPEZ: I mean, and it's 11.

JIMENEZ: Yeah, yeah.

LOPEZ: You know, we should be around 20 to 25.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Even outside Chicago, there have been protests for months at an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois.

DERRICK NASH, BROADVIEW, IL RESIDENT: It was some days where I had to grab some popcorn. Like, God, it's crazy.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Derrick Nash says agents chased people into his yard, and some days ended in tear gas, affecting his family, including an asthmatic teenager.

NASH: I thought he was about to die. He was foaming at the mouth. And I'm like, oh my god, what am I going to do?

JIMENEZ: And just to be clear, you all were just in your house.

NASH: Yeah.

MARCIELA: Seeing what has been happening in L.A., a lot of us are -- at least myself was kind of waiting, like, when is that type of aggressiveness and escalation going to start happening in Chicago?

JIMENEZ (voice-over): And now, Charlotte residents say they're bracing for the same.

Manuel Betancur, an American citizen, closed his bakery for just the second time in 28 years after watching border patrol agents tackle people outside his business.

MANUEL "MANOLO" BETANCUR, OWNER, MANOLO'S BAKERY: That could be myself, my wife or my kids. I feel this is more just like intimidation and trying to scare us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ (on camera): And already in North Carolina, like Illinois, we're seeing the Democratic governor criticize the tactics being used in his state tactics, by the way, that DHS is proud of. You don't have to look far on the DHS or Gregory Bovino social media to see that. They've claimed they're making America's cities safer.

But when you go into some of these communities, it's not so much the mission. It's the tactics that at points have included detaining U.S. citizens that have contributed to this climate of fear that so many people told us about in Chicago, a climate they were bracing for because of Los Angeles, and a climate that could serve as a preview for Charlotte -- Erin.

BURNETT: Omar, thank you very much.

OUTFRONT now, the Mecklenburg County sheriff, Garry McFadden, that county does. Excuse me. I just swallowed wrong, Sheriff. I apologize also includes Charlotte.

I appreciate your time, Sheriff.

So now, with this crackdown spreading beyond Charlotte, now into other parts of Mecklenburg county, right. Which is all part of the metro area where you are, can you tell us what is happening right now?

SHERIFF GARRY MCFADDEN, MECKLENBURG COUNTY, NC, WHICH INCLUDES CHARLOTTE: Well, thank you all for having me. The issue is fear, anxiety, and uncertainty.

And that is what has set in over the entire county. We just wish that we had better communication, better cooperation and better collaboration. And we have to separate the two of ICE and the border patrol.

[19:40:00]

We had a great conversation with ICE on the 17th of October that we talked about what they could do, and operate around, in and around the courthouse, but now we have two different agencies working within the city limits and the county limits of Mecklenburg County. So, it is difficult, a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety, and also uncertain because everyone is asking me when are they going to leave? And I told them I did not have that answer because I have not talked to anyone from border patrol.

BURNETT: It is sort of incredible, though, to think about the fact that, you know, you're the county sheriff, right? And you don't know -- you didn't know they were coming. You don't know when they're leaving, that they're not communicating.

I mean, our Dianne Gallagher, you just heard part of the piece they're reporting. But Dianne Gallagher has been talking to community members, including this laundromat owner. I played the video from a moment ago. He's been keeping doors locked. A baker closed his store, and they say they're doing that to protect their customers. I just want to play for you, Sheriff, a bit of what they told Dianne.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID REBOLLOSO, LAUNDROMAT OWNER: Nobody's coming out of their apartments. You know, people are calling me asking if I could go pick up their laundry for them, you know, because they're afraid to leave their homes.

BETANCUR: I saw these guys, you know, and great dark SUVs, no marks, jumping and taking people down on the streets. Just people that look like me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Sheriff, what are your officers hearing from residents?

MCFADDEN: Well, I can tell you what my officers told me just prior to coming here. We actually go to the schools, and we have a very aggressive community engagement unit. So, imagine going to a elementary school and 300 kids did not attend school today because it's from a Black and Latino neighborhood.

So, imagine 300 kids have not attended, but were only talking about one school, so we're not sure what happened around the rest of the county. But I know the school that my officers went to, my community engagement school, our community initiative, they have 300 to 500 kids, did not attend school today. So that's it.

I went to have breakfast today because I knew it was going to be a long day. And at the restaurant they told me it would be a long wait. Why? Because several of their employees did not show up for work and they do not know when they're going to show up for work. So, the fear, the anxiety, and with no end in mind has brought a lot

of doubt of what this is going to be like. And everyone said that its going to make it safer. What? I don't think you can make someplace safer when you are in fear of your life. Fear in being retaliated against or fear of deportation.

So we would have liked to have the conversation with the Border Patrol while they're here. They still got a couple of days, I guess, that we could have this conversation, and were looking forward to it.

We've had the conversation with ICE, and why am I saying that? Because once you give me communication, collaboration and we understand what each other wants, I'm going to give you that credit.

So, on October 17th, we had that conversation. I'm just looking for that same conversation from the Border Patrol.

We are law enforcement. At least respect me enough to come and have a conversation with me while you're operating in my county. No matter what you say that you're doing or how you're doing it, just give us the respect to have that conversation, as law enforcement officers.

BURNETT: Sheriff, I'm grateful for your time. Thank you so much.

MCFADDEN: Thank you all.

BURNETT: Powerful.

Well, next, a blistering rebuke. Trump's DOJ hand-picked prosecutor slammed by a federal judge accused of profound missteps in the case against James Comey. Why Ty Cobb thinks the case is dead and what he thinks about whether we'll ever see those Epstein files.

And then tonight, a new CNN investigation reveals Trump's cuts. What they are doing in the battle against AIDS and HIV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:48:01]

BURNETT: Breaking news, the Justice Department's case against James Comey in serious jeopardy this hour. A federal judge coming out and raising concerns that the whole case could be tainted by profound missteps and government misconduct by Trump's handpicked prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan.

Halligan was, of course, Trump's personal attorney, who had never prosecuted a case before her role with the Justice Department. The judge is now ordering the DOJ to turn over grand jury records.

Ty Cobb is OUTFRONT now. He is the former Trump White House lawyer.

And, Ty, always grateful for your time.

So when you hear what the judge raised today in terms of the questions, do you think the DOJ's case against Comey is dead? TY COBB, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE LAWYER: I do. I think it's dead for

two reasons. First, I think it's dead because the illegal appointment that is before another judge, Judge Curry. But U.S. Magistrate Judge Fitzpatrick's opinion today will be taught in law schools for 50 years as the epitome of prosecutorial misconduct.

BURNETT: So, when we know the reason, this could be right, that they -- the prosecutor who signed off on it was not actually formally and officially the prosecutor and no one else did. And so, the whole thing might go up in smoke. That's Lindsey Halligan.

Is she specifically to blame for this case falling apart?

COBB: She, in large part, yes. But this opinion today is -- I mean, it's really extraordinary misconduct at this level is, you know, almost never seen. And, the judge was not solely focused on Ms. Halligan, but focused on the FBI's wholesale abuse of the Fourth Amendment. And they're rummaging around in privileged information and mishandling of the privileged information.

You know, that alone would be a basis to exclude evidence. But it's also a basis, given how intentional it was, as the judge noted given the fact that the FBI general counsel and the agent who went into the grand jury were both informed prior to the grand jury appearance that they had they had been exposed to serious, privileged information, and they used that to shape their presentation to the grand jury.

[19:50:07]

That's fundamentally wrong. But also on the on the Halligan point, her time in the grand jury is extraordinary. She told the grand jury basically that Comey didn't have a Fifth Amendment right at trial to refuse to testify and therefore he would be able to, you know, give his explanation as to, as to the as to the events and, and counter the governments evidence, which the judge noted appropriately was burden shifting.

And moreover, she told the grand jury in an extraordinary statement that not to worry about the record with which they had been presented, because the government had better evidence at trial. That's like saying, please indict this person because we don't have time to indict innocent people. It's just way, way, way out of bounds. And frankly, it would be a basis to have her disbarred. And because Pam Bondi twice affirmed the legitimacy of her presentation. It would be a basis to have Bondi disbarred as well.

BURNETT: Stunning. I -- which is really stunning. I mean, we know Halligan, of course, had not prosecuted a case before this, but to say, as you put it, in black and white, what the implications of that could be both for her and Pam Bondi is stunning. I want to ask you one other thing, Ty.

COBB: Well, Erin --

BURNETT: Yeah. Go ahead. COBB: Erin, if you don't mind, there is one extraordinary,

extraordinary event here, which is there's a missing two hours and 20 minutes, which puts Rosemary Woods --

BURNETT: In the grand jury.

COBB: -- 17 minutes. Yes. And keep in mind that that included the rejection of the governments initial indictment and the submission of a second indictment. You know, there's no record of that. And the judge makes the point. It's impossible to believe that that there isn't -- that there weren't communications between her and the grand jury.

Where are they?

BURNETT: Yeah, I think where are the missing tapes?

All right, Ty, on the Epstein files. You know, Trump obviously has done this complete 180. Right? And over the weekend, I mean, he went out with a bang, right? I mean, he fought and fought and fought and he upped the decibel level and the derogatory level against Massey, Marjorie Taylor Greene until the very last second. Then he realized it was going to be the most epic, you know, turn against him by his own party ever. And so now suddenly, he's on board with the release.

Okay, that is one thing. And actually, seeing the files and perhaps the videos is a very different thing. So, are we going to see them?

COBB: I don't think so. I think this is really a canard on his part. I think he and Bondi have determined that they'll try to use the Trump ordered, quote, "investigation", end quote, of Democrats, but not Republicans, as he stated, involving Clinton and others as a bar to producing anything.

I think it will be a long time before we ever see anything. Although there are certain documents that could be easily produced. And if Trump wanted the documents produced, he could produce them tonight. You know, he doesn't have to wait.

BURNETT: Right, there doesn't need to be a bill. Yeah.

COBB: This is silly. Yeah, this is -- this is -- this is silly. And really, this is Trump. This is Trump. You know, at his narcissistic worst because it's just the mere fact he cant abide being on the losing side. He could not abide the wholesale repudiation that was headed his way tomorrow when hundreds of Republicans defected and voted to reveal these documents. So he's like the, you know, he's like the confederate soldier in the trench with, you know, dead Union soldiers on Appomattox Day, you know, trying on their uniforms so he can say he was on the winning side. It's sick.

BURNETT: Ty, thank you my pleasure.

All right. And next, a new CNN investigation shedding new light on what the healthcare cuts are going to mean. More lives at risk will explain exactly who. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:56:42]

BURNETT: Tonight, a CNN investigation revealing the impact President Trump's USAID cuts are having on the battle against AIDS and HIV.

Donie O'Sullivan reports from South Africa, home to the most HIV cases in the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: We'll follow you. You lead the way.

Thank you.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): This is Odwa Mbane.

ODWA MBANE, SOUTH AFRICAN TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER: Our trans communities, they come from different parts of -- of the world.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): She's showing us around what was a clinic for trans people in Central Johannesburg.

O'SULLIVAN: And so this is all gone away.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): The clinic was funded by USAID, and it was a lifeline for more than 1,000 transgender people until it was forced to shut down after President Trump closed the aid agency earlier this year. As soon as Trump was inaugurated, basically as soon as he came back into office.

MBANE: Within like a week, he just decided that he wants nothing to do, especially with LGBTQI+ people and more especially his transgender community.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Odwa is a trans woman who worked at the clinic. She's also HIV positive and depended on the clinic for care.

O'SULLIVAN: You were smiling. This place means a lot to you.

MBANE: Yeah, it means a lot. Even with my community as well, because that's where they would feel like they are at a safe space.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): The South African government has stepped in to try to fill the gap in care for people living with HIV that was created when USAID shut down. But stigma against LGBTQ people is still getting in the way of care.

O'SULLIVAN: Hi, everybody.

TINY, SOUTH AFRICAN LIVING WITH HIV: If you go to the government clinics, there's a lot of gossiping, especially if you are gay or if you are -- if you are trans or if you are gay, believe me, you won't survive. O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): This is Tiny. He's been living with HIV for

14 years and for care he relied on a USAID-funded clinic.

TINY: I was very disappointed with what I did. My biggest fear is for now, so many people are in danger and I'm scared that so many people can die without medication

SIVE MJINDI, PROJECT COORDINATOR, OUT LGBT WELLBEING: America was so influential, so powerful and taking the world forward.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Sive Mjindi worked with USAID supported groups. He says without proper access to care, there were fears here of a rise in HIV cases.

MJINDI: And so it kind of really drew a picture of just going back in time to when HIV and AIDS was still unknown about it was all of a sudden, like, you go from one day, everybody accessing healthcare, living great lives just within like a week or two, that script completely flips.

O'SULLIVAN: And I see what I guess was a USAID sign, advertising services is now just been reduced to a tablecloth.

MJINDI: Once it was a flag flying high. Actually, a proud call for people to come on through. And well, now the reality is what it is.

TINY: My message to Donald Trump -- Mr. Trump, please, you must have mercy. Please help us. Please just give us medication. We still want to survive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: Thank you so much to Donie O'Sullivan for that. And don't miss Donnie's full report on "THE WHOLE STORY: MisinfoNation: White Genocide" now streaming on the CNN app.

Thanks so much for joining us.

"AC360" starts now.