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Comey Pleads Not Guilty, Trial Date Set For Jan. 5; Troops Amass Near Chicago And Portland Ahead Of Court Showdown; Trump: Illinois Governor, Chicago Mayor Should Be Imprisoned; Arrest Made In Deadly Pacific Palisades Fire. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired October 08, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

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DANA BASH, CNN HOST, INSIDE POLITICS: Today on Inside Politics, from top cop to defendant. Former FBI Director James Comey in court this morning, pled not guilty to federal charges, pushed and celebrated by President Trump. We have new details on how Comey's lawyers plan to use the president's own words to try to dismiss the case altogether.

Plus, Trump versus the Windy City. We'll break down the president's new threat to imprison Chicago leaders as National Guard troops are prepping just outside the city limits. And to hold or to fold. The former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be here to talk about the Democrats' shutdown strategy and how it's impacting you.

I'm Dana Bash. Let's go behind the headlines at Inside Politics.

We begin with the former FBI Director James Comey, making his first court appearance in the extraordinary prosecution of one of President Trump's perceived top political enemies. Inside this Alexandria, Virginia courthouse, Comey pled not guilty to providing false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

And the judge set a preliminary trial date for January 5, 2026. That Comey is being charged. It all comes after an unmistakable pressure campaign from President Trump on his attorney general. He fired the prosecutor, running the investigation and installed a loyalist there instead, Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche, though insists, none of that affected the indictment.

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TODD BLANCHE, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: We completely got rid of the weaponization that took place over the past four years in this Department of Justice. And now we are applying the law equally to everybody, and that means rooting out corruption. Of course, it does. And so, yes. Mr. Comey will be -- will be arraigned today in federal court in Virginia, like thousands of individuals in this country every year who are charged with committing crimes, and he's being treated exactly like every other individual in his position.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: I'm joined by a terrific panel here. Elliot Williams, start with you. Every other person in his position. Has there been another person in his position?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yeah, no, not quite. And I think regardless of where this all goes. Jim Comey has a completely plausible route to trying to get the indictment thrown out because of these questions we're talking about here. The president's own state. The president unabashed about this point in social media, in live speeches about the desire to see Jim Comey arrested, apprehended, charged with a crime.

BASH: And that's, no question. If you were Comey's attorney, that would be the number one thing.

WILLIAMS: And they've -- and they've already said they're going to do so, but you would file for a motion to dismiss for selective or malicious prosecution, and there's no question. Now, they don't necessarily win it, but they definitely have a claim for it by the president's own words.

BASH: David?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR & WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: I mean, again, you make the point. We don't know how this case is going to go out, right? Obviously, a grand jury saw enough reasonable cause, I guess, to issue an indictment. This will go through the process. That to me is separate and apart from very -- clearly, this is a political prosecution.

I mean, there that's not in doubt. The president in public has made clear. He ordered his attorney general in public to get this indictment secured and get this prosecution going. He has said what he thinks of Jim Comey as a person, and he thinks he's a terrible person. So, those two things can exist at the same time, and they do.

We just -- we don't know. We shouldn't prejudge what the outcome of this case is. Obviously, Comey has expressed his innocence, and he has pled not guilty here. But we should -- that should not limit the real concern about how the president has gone about this.

WILLIAMS: And moreover -- and to the very important point that, yes, it made it past a grand jury. You know, 13 Americans thought that there was at least probable cause to believe a crime that was committed. But I want to make it clear. Number one, that's not the standard for convicting someone. It's much higher than that. And number two, career prosecutors in the office in writing made their concerns known that they did not think they could or should proceed with the prosecution here because they felt that the evidence--

[12:05:00]

BASH: They had to import prosecutors to help--

WILLIAMS: From another state. BASH: From another state, which tells you a lot. Just to kind of underscore what you both are saying about the politics here and it being very public. Ed Martin, who was the president's first choice for the job of U.S. attorney in the rocket docket in the Eastern District of Virginia.

He put on social media a photo of himself with the person who is there, Lisa Halligan, who is going to be prosecuting the case. And she was -- is one of many former Trump personal attorneys who he has put in a position where she can do things that he wants her to do.

So now you're seeing it. And the text of Ed Martin's tweet is, good morning, America. How are you? There's so many sort of plot lines in here. One of the ones that I'll just pull out is, this is a guy who is -- it's one of the few examples of Republicans in the Senate pushing back. Saying, no, no, we don't want somebody who -- because he's known as very partisan, very MAGA and was involved in and around January 6. And he is reminding people that the two of them, even though he doesn't have the job, the two of them are consulting and simpatico.

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right, there. And again, it's worth reminding viewers that this is not normal, right? You would not usually have the president's allies, making this many public statements about an investigation that's supposed to be under the Justice Department, which historically would be independent. And it's another example of how that independence has been completely eroded.

This is also one example here of Trump's taking of the Justice Department and weaponizing it against his political enemies. It's not just a case against Jim Comey, which again, we don't know how this trial will end up. But we have his public statements showing that there is political motivation here but also opening mortgage fraud allegations up to go after other political enemies, whether that be Letitia James right, as well.

BASH: And we have a list, we can put up as you're speaking of the very long list, and it's not exhaustive of the people who he is talking about--

WILLIAMS: One important point that we should also not forget here is that the president, any president, is entitled to his people. He is entitled to appointments of individuals who will carry out his policy aims and goals. Democrats do it, Republicans do it. And quite frankly, that's healthy for government.

This is something different. This is not the normal left to right and back sway of political appointments. And what you are seeing here is the installation of loyalists in a gross breach of the norms that have existed in this country between the Justice Department and the White House since Watergate.

MARIANNA SOTOMAYOR, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yeah. I think also you all mentioned how this is public, right? I am sure if a lot of those people that you just listed don't already have lawyers. If they do have the lawyers, those lawyers are going to be watching every step of this, including those pictures that are being posted on social media.

Who is talking to who? What are the arguments being made publicly? Why? Because this is really the first example of this political retribution tour that Trump has been talking about since the campaign. He listed out all of his enemies. How will his Department of Justice go after other people? I think there's going to be a lot of lessons learned, despite me not knowing how this is going to play out.

BASH: They are definitely watching this. You spend a lot of time on Capitol Hill. It's just an opportune time to say something that we say on repeat, but this is a good time to underscore it. The sound of silence from Republicans on the notion of prosecuting a former FBI director.

SOTOMAYOR: Absolutely. I mean, you're totally right. No one's talking about it. I mean, Democrats are, but Republicans are so silent about this. And it's not the first issue that they're pretty quiet about as of late. You know, you ask them anything, they somehow start pivoting to the shutdown, or, you know, what they're considering front of mind. But it is astonishing that the Republican Party, at large, including those who privately are critical, are not going out there and saying anything about what's happening right now.

CHALIAN: I think it's really important that Marianna pointed out the retribution pledge on the campaign, because I think that gets out also, remember, and I'm not suggesting he's justified or not in feeling this. I'm just saying like, he is so aggrieved from what he believes the president and his supporters that he was the victim of the weaponization of the Justice Department.

And when we get, like you said, this is not left and right, and this is so out of the normal bounds. And yet, my fear for the country is that that blindfold over justice is being ripped off, and that we are going to enter this, this period of time where it's sort of like the politicization of something that is not supposed to be political.

WILLIAMS: And it's not just the prosecution of a former FBI director. If he broke the law, then absolutely, he ought to be prosecuted for it. But number one, you had career prosecutors saying that, look, we don't see the evidence here. And number two, the president is on the record, targeting a number of individuals who are personal opponents of his. That is not normal in the United States of America.

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BASH: We have to sneak in a quick break. Thank you for being here and giving us your expertise and giving all of us who considered law school some lawyer envy. Coming up. While James Comey was arraigned in federal court, President Trump called for jail time for two other political foes, as the president prepares to send National Guard troops into Chicago.

Plus, breaking news in California. Authorities have charged a man in connection with the wildfires that tore through the Pacific Palisades back in January, doing devastating damage. We're going to have the breaking details. Don't go anywhere. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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BASH: National Guard troops are amassing just outside of Chicago and Portland. Texas' National Guard's men have been seen at training facilities outside of Chicago with deployments into the city possible. As soon as today, judges in both Illinois and Oregon will hear arguments tomorrow on whether the deployments are legal.

Also in Chicago, immigration agents have been particularly aggressive in rounding up suspected illegal immigrants. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson just spoke to my colleague Pamela Brown. And he said, they are no longer allowed to use city property in those ICE operations.

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Brandon Johnson: They know, public property that the city owns, ICE cannot prepare its weapons on school parking lots. ICE cannot prepare to disappear families in the parking lots of libraries. That's not what these public accommodations are for.

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BASH: But the Trump administration, the person who is in-charge of operations in Chicago, told my colleague Priscilla Alvarez in an exclusive report that he's not bound by the mayor's orders.

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GREGORY BOVINO, CHIEF PATROL AGENT, EL CENTRO SECTOR: We go anywhere where that threat is, and if they're going to create a sanctuary, I just said that another sanctuary behind signs. We'll go behind those signs and ensure that it's not a sanctuary. What a pipe dream that Mayor Johnson has filled the heads of his -- of some of his constituents with what a pipe dream that is. We're going anywhere we need to go.

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BASH: And my smart reporters are back. As on, you can feel the standoff all the way from Chicago and even Portland here. You can see what's happening from all these miles away?

KANNO-YOUNGS: Yeah, absolutely. This started out right with a deployment to Washington, D.C. It was at one point isolated here, and the president does have more power in D.C. than other cities, but now we're seeing it spread here, two Democratic cities, and you know, you have the federal government, the Trump administration.

As they make these deployments, they're trying to put pressure on Democratic leaders and make it a situation where it's just about crime and whether or not you support additional resources with crime. The same time, Democratic leaders are saying, sometimes these deployments are not a panacea to drive down crime, they can actually escalate tensions more broadly.

You also have criticism that this is about the president asserting control over these cities as well with these deployments. And really, it's a flash point, each one of these deployments over, as you said, a battle between these democratic cities and the federal government and the Trump administration.

BASH: So, what's going on with the federal troops and what's going on with ICE agents? We just have because there's a lot going on, but people need to understand, they're very much connected. And the ICE raids are escalating in what is considered a sanctuary city. Let's just start with Chicago. And the federal troops are there, they say, to protect the ICE agents, but also if there are protests.

So, that's why there's such a tinderbox there. And in the meantime, a match was lit by the president of the United States. This morning, posting on social media, Chicago mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers. Governor Pritzker also. I just want to reiterate. This is the president of the United States saying that the mayor of Chicago and the governor of Illinois should be in jail. They both responded.

The Chicago Mayor Johnson said, this is not the first time Trump has tried to have a black man unjustly arrested. I'm not going anywhere. And Governor Pritzker, I will not back down. Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path of full-blown authoritarianism?

SOTOMAYOR: We've all hinted at or discussed the unprecedented moments. I mean hearing president of the United States just for no reason, besides, it seems his own thinking that these Democrats are not listening to him -- listening to him, so that's why they should go to jail, is not normal.

First and foremost, you know, I think of this, and I just keep thinking about how Trump has always cared about optics, his entire career. This is even before he was in politics. And it's been interesting to hear Democrats, particularly some in Congress from those areas, saying now to protesters, don't feed into the optics that he wants to create.

The image displayed to people who don't live in those areas that, you know, Portland, Chicago, are just up in flames, and people are fighting each other. That's not what is happening every day. Wasn't what was happening here in D.C. when the National Guard was deployed. And one of the Congresswomen, she's a freshman. Maxine Dexter said, do not feed into that quote war narrative because it could only incite him even further.

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BASH: David?

CHALIAN: Yeah. I'm so glad you highlight what the president put on social media, because I feel like sometimes, we're just like, oh, there's Trump being Trump, and like, you know, but like, that is wild. I mean, that is a wild thing for the president United States to call for the jailing of a governor of a mayor with no justification for that, or reason or evidence or anything like that.

So that is sort of beyond the pale. And I know we are so accustomed over the last 10 years to his outlandish rhetoric, but that is worth calling out as you did. I do, think you know, and the president loves to cite the crime statistics and get into -- there is crime in Chicago. There's no doubt about it. Like, it's a problem that the local officials should always be working on to keep their citizens safe. Again, Donald Trump wants to conflate ICE enforcement and a desired goal for deportations with crime.

As you said, like, he wants to put all this in one bucket as a fear tactic for voters. And I think it is really important, incumbent upon us who report on this stuff day by day, but incumbent on these officials to tell the stories of what is actually happening on the streets. And not to diminish the crime problem, but to also call out what is not a crime problem and what is due to the fact that now there's this unwanted National Guard presence or ICE, stepped up ICE enforcement.

KANNO-YOUNGS: I mean, there's a blueprint here as well. You know, in 2020 there was, you know, there were disruptive protests outside this federal building, right? And then Trump sent federal agents. This is back in 2020, and actually test escalation did -- tensions did rise at that point. And then it was within days of that deployment.

You saw those photos from that -- from those protests in ads, in campaign ads, so that the Trump administration put out framing himself as a law-and-order president. So absolutely, there's the reality on the ground. Crime is an issue. Residents care about that. But also, we can't separate that from the political strategy that has repeated itself throughout this with these deployments, to take photos from the deployments and then frame himself as a strong man.

BASH: Let's look at something the Department of Homeland Security put on Instagram. This was late yesterday. Bag it, tag it. Take it down. Talk about imagery. And again, look. I mean, we have to be careful not to play into it. But we also want our viewers who aren't following dhs.gov on their social media feeds to see what is happening.

I also, David, you talk about this a lot, having all things can be true, which I think is happening here. And the other thing that is true is immigration is the number one issue in Donald Trump's mind, and certainly in Stephen Miller and other senior officials' mind, and crime is something that they think they can win on. And the more that they talk about this, the less they hope people are focused on the fact that it's really hard to buy food in the grocery store still.

CHALIAN: This goes back to Donald Trump doing everything in public and just saying it for us, so you don't have to decode. Just a few weeks ago, he said in front of the cameras. The 2026 midterms will be about crime and immigration. Yes, that's what he hopes it to be about, and he's going to try to center the conversation in that way. We'll see if voters think that's what it's about. BASH: Yeah. Voters are still, you know, going to the grocery store and trying to feed their families. We've got breaking news on the horrific fires that tore through Los Angeles back in January. Today, a man is under arrest. That's next.

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BASH: Breaking news, out of California. Right now, officials are giving an update after announcing an arrest in the deadly Palisades fire. A 29-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly igniting the fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

CNN's Josh Campbell has more from Los Angeles. Josh?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Dana. A significant development in this month's long investigation, a law enforcement source told me this morning, they had made an arrest. And as you mentioned, authorities just now laying out their case. Some of the details that they found, as they were taking this person Jonathan Rinderknecht into custody. He lived in Florida, and it was actually ATF agents as well as investigators from the L.A. Fire Department and the LAPD that flew there to Florida to take him into custody.

Take a listen here at some of the evidence that authorities say that they uncovered in this investigation, including some things that he searched for online.

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BILL ESSAYLI, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY: The allegations in the affidavit are supported by digital evidence, including the defendant's ChatGPT prompt of a dystopian painting, showing in part, a born a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it. The allegations are further supported by the defendant's cell phone, his false statements to law enforcement and his behavior during the Lockman fire, which the defendant is charged with maliciously starting shortly after midnight on New Year's Day of this year, and which eventually became the Palisades fire.

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CAMPBELL: Now, we are working to determine whether this suspect has an attorney. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, Dana.

BASH: All right. Josh, thank you so much for that.