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NYPD Says, Police Believe Suspect In CEO Shooting Left New York City; Judge Tosses Top Charge In New York City Subway Chokehold Case; New Filings Show Musk Spent At Least $260 Million to Elect Trump; Trump: Still Confident In Pete Hegseth; Syrian Rebel Leader: Goal Is To Overthrow President Bashar Al-Assad. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired December 06, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now, breaking news, police now believe the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, has left New York City. The NYPD commissioner, Jessica Tisch, just spoke with CNN. We're going to tell you what it all means for this investigation.

Also breaking, the jury in the trial of a man who killed a fellow New York subway rider with a chokehold deadlocks, leading the judge to drop the top charge in the case. We'll have details on the deliberations and the lesser charge Daniel Penney still faces.

Also tonight, a CNN exclusive, our interview with the leader of the Syrian rebel group behind the surprise offensive that's reignited the country's civil war and has imperiled the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

First up tonight in The Situation Room, the hunt for the CEO killer expands more than 48 hours after the brazen shooting. Investigators now have reason to believe the suspect in the case has left New York City.

Let's get more from our Senior Crime and Justice Correspondent Shimon Prokupecz. Shimon, why do authorities now think he may have left town?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, in our first interview with the police commissioner and the chief of detectives, it was the first time they have sat down to talk about this investigation. They spoke to me and they tell me that they now believe the suspect has left New York City and that this investigation is now expanding.

I am standing in the very spot where police believe they caught one of the very last images of this suspect. It was here on the corner of West 86th Street and Columbus, where they believed that the suspect got in a cab and then drove to a bus station. Take a listen to some of what they told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH KENNY, NYPD CHIEF OF DETECTIVES: We have him in a taxi cab. And the taxi cab takes him up to 178th Street and Broadway, which, as we know, is a Port Authority bus center. Those buses are interstate buses. That's why we believe he may have left New York City.

We have a video of him entering the Port Authority bus terminal. We don't have any video of him exiting, so we believe he may have gotten on a bus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PROKUPECZ: And so the other thing here, Wolf, that they tell me is that photo, that video of the suspect that was captured with his mask off was the money shot. It has provided them with a lot of clues. The key though now is that they are trying to find the bicycle that he was on. He was last seen on it here at this corner and the backpack. Take a listen to them talking about that now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMISSIONER JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK POLICE: We still have not found the backpack. And so we're doing a full sweep of Central Park to find that backpack, which we believe he dropped in Central Park.

KENNY: The backpack itself, we were hoping, would have other items in it that maybe he had forgotten to discard, but also we would want to process that forensically for fingerprints and for DNA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PROKUPECZ: And, Wolf, there is a lot of evidence, they tell me, that they have in this case, including DNA and a fingerprint. And all of that is being analyzed by the medical examiner's office. As this manhunt expands, they're continuing to search. They're also asking people all across the country to take a look at the photos that they have released, and if they see this individual to call them, to call 911, to call their tip line.

So, this manhunt is growing as they continue their criminal investigation here. Certainly, they are continuing to search and try and identify the suspect.

BLITZER: A massive manhunt underway right now. Shimon Prokupecz, excellent reporting. Thank you very, very much. I want to get some analysis right now from our law enforcement experts, and, John Miller, I'll start with you. How much more challenging is this manhunt now that police have reason to believe that the suspect actually fled New York City?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: They're doing that based on the idea that they have video of him arriving at the Port Authority bus terminal on the 24th, and now they have video of him leaving from a Port Authority bus station in Washington Heights as he's leaving the city, and they don't have video of him coming back out. [18:05:00]

So, their assumption is he got on a bus the way he came, but they don't know what bus yet, and they don't know where it's going.

BLITZER: Josh Skule, you're an expert in this area, former FBI. You heard the police track the suspect to the Port Authority bus station, as we just heard ourselves. The Atlanta police are now helping in this search. How do investigators now tackle this interstate manhunt?

JOSH SKULE, FORMER FBI EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR INTELLIGENCE: Well, as John said, there's a load of information that NYPD is going through. They certainly have reason to believe that the Atlanta P.D., which has been reported, is involved. They have a specific reason to have the Atlanta P.D. in.

I'd also say that NYPD is probably working with several other federal partners to include the Marshals and the FBI, helping them track down additional leads and move information across the country very, very fast.

BLITZER: Casey Jordan, the criminologist, is with us as well. Casey, tracking the suspect's movements, taking a Greyhound Bus to New York City to begin with, staying in New York for about ten days, going in and out of a very busy hostel staying up in the upper west side of New York, even flirting with the clerk at that hostel, what does that all tell you about this man and it's possible motive?

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: Well, we know that this was very well planned. And I wouldn't even be surprised if in those ten days he did a series of dry runs, if you will, like practice, taking that bicycle, you know, so-called case the alleys around the Hilton Hotel. Where could he hide a bike? Where would he get rid of a backpack? Where would he get rid of the bike? We haven't been able to find that either.

And, really, it shows a tremendous amount of premeditation calculation, deliberation, and he's a very intelligent young man. I mean, yes, maybe he slipped up with the dropping the water bottle, with the phone. And even now we don't know if those are plants. But the real issue now is where has he gone? I mean, we know he went to that terminal and we know that he probably is on a bus.

But the rage that instigated this horrific murder really is going to come back to the fact that he is on revenge, probably more against the insurance industry, maybe UnitedHealthcare specifically, more than the man. It was very symbolic, the shooting of this CEO, as he walked into a shareholders meeting, and people are talking about it.

So, make no mistake, wherever he is now, he is watching the news. He is watching the internet. He's getting people's responses and we need to be very careful not to feed that and make him think that he has been successful.

BLITZER: All right. John Miller, I want to go to you. You're getting some new information as well. MILLER: So, we have breaking news. Police have re-searched that area of Central Park looking for the backpack that the suspect was shown leaving the murder scene with and riding into a park on the bicycle with and then riding out of the park without. On their second search tonight, moments ago, they recovered that backpack.

Now, what's in the backpack? What evidence will it offer? Can they exploit DNA from it? Will it have a hair that can be matched later? What are the contents of that backpack? Does it contain the semiautomatic 9 millimeter silenced pistol that is the murder weapon? We don't know that and neither do police.

Once they located where it was between some boulders just south of the Central Park carousel, the famous merry-go-round that is just north of 59th Street, they froze that area. They bagged it. It's going to be taken to the NYPD lab and handled by their scientific people so that any evidence that is there can be preserved and they will not open it until it's under the control of those techs and lab people from the crime scene unit and the laboratory division in Queens.

BLITZER: So, let me get Josh Skule to weigh in on the breaking news. How significant, potentially, the discovery of the backpack in the Central Park, how significant do you think this is, Josh?

SKULE: Well, I think, Wolf, it's to be determined. It depends on what's in the backpack and what type of evidence they can get out of the backpack, as well as DNA evidence, hair, trace fibers, those types of things.

But I would also say that the area around the backpack will be significant and they're going to process that. They're going to look to see, can they match up shoe print? Is there some other evidence that the subject left behind? Because you can never have too much evidence in a prosecution, in a case of this magnitude.

BLITZER: So, Casey, are you more optimistic now that this individual is going to be found?

JORDAN: I am now that we have the backpack. That's incredibly good news. I am -- of course, we don't know what's in it and we want to find that out in the coming hours or days. But if the pistol is in there, and we have no reason to believe that it wouldn't be, because it hasn't been found otherwise, that will be an incredibly good clue.

[18:10:06]

I mean, can we trace it back to this point of purchase if it was purchased recently? Will we have some video of the person purchasing it? Are there serial numbers? You know, are there more bullets more ammunitions? Is there a notebook? Is there a message? Did he expect that we would eventually find it?

So, I am kind of on pins and needles waiting for that evidence to, you know, be revealed over the coming hours and days. It will tell us a lot more about his frame of mind as well, because keep in mind, having the DNA from the water bottle isn't worth much unless we have some DNA on file. If he's never committed a crime before, and we have no reason to have his DNA on file, then we're just going to have to look, you know, at familial DNA through things like, you know, ancestry.com and, you know, 23andMe to see if we can figure out who could be related to this suspect.

So, this is a really great development that we've just found out in the last few minutes.

BLITZER: And I assume he deliberately tried to hide or leave his backpack in Central Park someplace, John. How important would it be to the overall case if the gun is found to be inside this now discovered backpack?

MILLER: It could be tremendously important, and on a couple of levels. Number one, it gets that dangerous weapon off the streets. It would have been a terrible tragedy or dangerous, if somebody else had found that backpack, opened it and then come into possession of a semiautomatic weapon with a silencer. But from an evidentiary standpoint, and, you know, when we see him at that homicide scene aiming that gun, we also see he's wearing what appears to be rubber gloves, like surgical gloves.

So, it may yield DNA, it may yield a print, or because of his caution, it may yield nothing. But what it will give investigators is a ballistic match from that weapon in that backpack to the shell casings that are found on the scene. Ties the gun to the murder, the video, you know, shows the suspect with the gun, shows the suspect with the backpack. The backpack is recovered on the route he used to flee.

And what we're getting here is a picture of someone who invested enough to buy this bike, apparently, in New York, as a getaway device, because he didn't bring it up on a bus from, you know, down south, you know, obtained this weapon. If the weapon is in the backpack, the idea that he discarded it and left the backpack, switched to his black backpack that had his personal things and got out of dodge (ph) show someone who was willing to spend money to accomplish this mission and then willing to ditch all of that stuff at his own expense because the mission was done for him.

BLITZER: All right. Everybody stand by. We're going to stay on top of the breaking news that we're following right now. Lots more coming up. You're in The Situation Room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BLITZER: All right, let's get some more analysis from our law enforcement experts on the breaking news we're following right now, CNN learning that the NYPD has found what they believe is the suspect's backpack.

I want to bring in the former Baltimore police commissioner, Michael Harrison. Michael, thank you so much for joining us.

Just how crucial will that evidence potentially be for finding the suspect?

MICHAEL HARRISON, FORMER BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: I think, first of all, thank you for having me. I think it is very crucial, especially that it was found this fast and equally as important as finding it. I think it's important to note that it's important that we know his frame of mind that he actually left it somewhere, that he was in the frame of mind to discard all these pieces of evidence. The backpack might be most important because it could contain the weapon and other things that remain to be known.

So, I think it's not just as not just important that NYPD found it, but to think about this person's frame of mind for having discarded it, and I think it's very important, those two things coupled together gives me hope that they will find this person in the near future.

BLITZER: John, you used to work at the NYPD. You know how the NYPD operates. Lay out for us how the NYPD is now going to use this evidence, this backpack, for their overall investigation.

MILLER: Well, I agree with my good friend, Mike, which is, it's a sign that he was shedding evidence so that it couldn't be tied to him if he was stopped anywhere along the way of his escape, which goes to Mike's other point, they're going to take that to the NYPD's lab in Jamaica, Queens. It's packaged up in a bag where it is contained. It's been out in the elements for more than 24 hours. It eluded police on the first day of the search, but they expanded that search today and came up with it.

So, the first thing they're going to do is they're going to get in those Tyvek suits so that they're not contaminating it with anything from themselves. They're going to be working with gloves. And they're going to try and extract everything they can. Is there a hair that fell on that backpack from the suspect or someone else? They're going to get those tweezers and put that in a bag.

When they open the backpack, they're going to remove what's in there with gloves. They're going to photograph it. They're going to document it. Before it's opened, while it's being emptied, they're going to go over what's inside and figure out what can we extract from that. Is there touch DNA, skin cell DNA? Is there a water bottle in there he might have taken a drink from? Is there, you know, a package of mints? Is there a loaded nine millimeter semiautomatic pistol with a silencer on it? That's a treasure trove of evidence depending on what they find when they open it.

[18:20:00]

BLITZER: Casey, for all the signs that the suspect was carefully planning this deadly attack, how do you read him actually leaving behind in Central Park his backpack what could be clearly a crucial mistake?

JORDAN: A crucial mistake, but I'm not underestimating the intelligence of this particular suspect. Again, so much planning went into this. So, although it seems relatively unlikely, we cannot rule out that he planned on us finding the backpack, that he left contra- indicators in there, things that would throw the investigation off. I mean, you just don't know the level of planning and sophistication he put into this. I mean, it even occurs to me that the water bottle they found that they believe that he dropped, he could have pulled that out of the garbage at the Starbucks before he left there. It might have somebody else's DNA on it.

So, he hid the backpack. That was pretty smart because he knows that video is going to capture him. It's far less likely that we would catch him, you know, if he has the same backpack on, it was a very distinctive backpack. But we have to just slow down and say, we can't wait to see what's in the backpack, but never forget that he may have counted on police finding that. And it's really great that they did, but never rule out the fact that he could have put contra-indicators, fake evidence, planted evidence, red herrings in the backpack.

BLITZER: Are you more optimistic now, Commissioner Harrison, that this suspect will be found, whether he's left New York moving towards your hometown of Baltimore or someplace else on the East Coast?

HARRISON: Well, just knowing the sophistication of police investigations, the talent and skills within NYPD state officials, state police agencies, federal agencies, all working together in a synchronized way with the information we have, the evidence that has been found, the things we anticipate because we now have a timeline showing what happened leading up to this and now somewhat of a timeline post shooting of where he could have gone what he could have done.

I think we have enough information to make us confident that there will be more information, more evidence found. And with all of the agencies working together, which we have seen happen before, we're confident that there will be some type of resolution to this at some point.

BLITZER: Yes, let's hope it happens soon. Guys, thank you very, very much.

Coming up, we're going to have more on all the breaking news, police in New York recovering a backpack, a potentially crucial piece of evidence in the hunt for the CEO killer.

And there's other breaking news out of New York right now, dramatic developments tonight in a manslaughter trial involving a high-profile death in the city subway system.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

BLITZER: The breaking news we're following this hour, police in New York City are examining a backpack found in Central Park, one of many crucial leads in the manhunt for the gunman who shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, 50 years old.

CNN's Brian Todd is taking a closer look at other infamous manhunts and how to compare. Brian, this case has some striking similarities but also some key differences.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Wolf. Each case really unique and fascinating on its own, but what they all had in common, like this case in New York, is that they've kept the American public in rapt attention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice over): An intense manhunt, consuming the public's attention, putting increasing pressure on the police, a script with many similar dramatic chapters in American history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These kinds of investigations have a kind of a snowball effect in terms of people being interested in it.

TODD: April 15th, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs explode near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring hundreds. A terrified city is placed on lockdown. The perpetrators slip away, but --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The perpetrators were identified very early on due to lots of cameras that were present.

TODD: A relentless manhunt was underway for two brothers, Tamerlan and Jahar Tsarnaev. Later that week, after they killed an MIT police officer and committed a carjacking, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a violent confrontation with police. His younger brother remained on the loose.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My message to the suspect is to give himself up, to stop any further violence towards anyone.

TODD: A day after his brother was killed, a wounded Jahar Tsarnaev was captured hiding inside a boat in a backyard in Watertown, Massachusetts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a clear view of a boat that seems to be shrink-wrapped in some plastic where they are focusing their lights on and we can hear officers yelling.

TODD: October 2002, the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area is paralyzed by a series of random sniper attacks. Over three weeks, ten people are killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People were getting shot at gas stations. They were just -- anywhere you would go out in public, everyone was on edge, because am I the next victim?

TODD: In late October, John Allen Muhammad and his 17-year-old criminal protege, Lee Boyd Malvo, were apprehended at a rest stop in Maryland. Muhammad was later executed. Malvo remains in prison. Two manhunts for two notorious killers each played out over a period of years.

After he planted a deadly bomb in Atlanta's Centennial Park during the 1996 Olympics, and after police initially suspected the wrong man, Eric Rudolph planted bombs at abortion clinics in Georgia and Alabama. He wasn't captured until 2003.

Over the course of 17 years, Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, mailed or hand delivered bombs across the U.S. that killed three people.

[18:30:06]

He was captured in 1996 after his brother tipped off law enforcement. Both Rudolph and Kaczynski had eluded capture by hiding and surviving in the wilderness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can find ways to live off of the land, especially if they're experienced, right? Rudolph was experienced.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Some notorious manhunts have been resolved when relatives of the suspects came forward to give law enforcement crucial information that led to their capture, as what occurred in the Unabomber case. Analysts say that could happen in the current New York manhunt, but that could depend on whether this suspect might have tried to avenge a relative who may have had a bad experience with UnitedHealthcare. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Brian Todd, bringing back a lot of memories with all those cases, thank you very much.

Also breaking tonight, the judge overseeing the trial of Daniel Penny, the ex-Marine who killed Jordan Neely with a chokehold aboard the New York subway last year, has dismissed the top manslaughter charge in the case after the jury repeatedly deadlocked. And that clears the way for the jury to deliberate a lesser charge of the case.

Joining us now Attorney and Legal Affairs Commentator Areva Martin. Areva, thanks for joining us. This today was a major development. What does this mean for the case?

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Well, this is an extraordinary turn of events, Wolf, in a case that has captured the attention of the nation. This case has always been about was Daniel Penny engaging in self-defense or defense of others or was this a senseless killing of Jordan Neely?

And the main charge, the more serious charge of manslaughter was dismissed today by the judge, allowing the jurors on Monday to move forward with the criminally negligent homicide charge only, which is a lesser offense, obviously less serious, only carries a maximum of four years in prison, versus the manslaughter charge that carried 15 years. We saw the defense attorney vigorously fighting to have a mistrial declared and the prosecutor fighting back saying, no, the judge can dismiss the more serious charge and allow the lesser charge -- jurors to continue deliberating with respect to that lesser charge.

BLITZER: So, Areva, if the jury was as they were deadlocked on the manslaughter charge, what is the likelihood you think they could come to a unanimous decision on the other charge of criminally negligent homicide? MARTIN: I think that's going to be tough, Wolf, given what we've seen thus far. This jury has been deliberating for more than 20 hours. They've asked at least ten questions to the judge. They seem to be really hung up on this question of what's reasonable conduct and we know that during voir dire for this trial, a lot of questions ask about conduct on trains. And we know New Yorkers are split some believing that the conduct of Daniel Penny was appropriate and others believing that this was a senseless killing of Mr. Neely.

So, I'm not so certain that even with respect to the lesser charge that this jury is going to get to a unanimous decision. They've had a difficult time so far getting there.

BLITZER: Arevaa, what do you say to the argument that prosecutors in this case overstepped with the initial manslaughter charge?

MARTIN: I think based on the evidence that they had, Wolf, that the charge was appropriate. Seemingly, there were different accounts about what happened on that train. You did have that one witness that held Mr. Neely's feet saying that he told Daniel penny that, you know, we have him under control. You can stop with the chokehold and that Daniel Penny continued to keep him in that chokehold. So, that seemingly suggested that the conduct of Daniel Penny was inappropriate and could rise to the level of manslaughter.

But, clearly, there's been a lot of conflicting testimony presented at trial that does suggest that perhaps there was an overcharge. But I think at the time, the evidence definitely supported the charges that were made by the district attorney's office.

BLITZER: Areva Martin, as usual, thanks very much for your analysis.

Coming up, new questions tonight over the role and influence of Elon Musk, as documents now show he spent a quarter of a billion dollars to put Donald Trump back in the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:00]

BLITZER: New filings with the Federal Election Commission show billionaire Trump backer Elon Musk poured at least $260 million into the president-elect's campaign. Musk, who received substantial federal contracts, also sits on Trump's new Government Efficiency Commission.

For more on this important story, I want to bring in Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Texas. Congresswoman, thanks very much.

Do you have concerns about potential conflicts of interest involving Elon Musk and this incoming administration?

REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX): I have concerns about the actual conflicts. I mean, what you just laid out was a prima facie showing of the fact that he should absolutely be conflicted out. The only thing that you left out is how much he's actually getting in government contracts or how much the federal government in general is just paying him for various things that have to do with our space launches and things like that.

And so, you know, the fact that he played such a pivotal role in getting Donald Trump elected and then is now going to go into the administration while not saying a word about his contracts and saying, you know what, I want to do this on behalf of the American people, I am going to waive any and all monies that the federal government would pay me, because it's kind of like I'm paying myself.

BLITZER: Is there anything that the Congress can do about this?

CROCKETT: I mean, theoretically, we can try, but do I think anything can happen? Absolutely not. Trump has a trifecta in addition to the fact that we --

BLITZER: Trifecta, meaning the House, the Senate, and the White House?

CROCKETT: Right. Not to mention, what is DOGE, right?

[18:40:01]

Like this is --

BLITZER: The Department of Government Efficiency, D-O-G-E, that's what they're calling it.

CROCKETT: No. I know. But I'm just saying, like this is -- we're in unchartered territory. This is not something that has already been standing and things like that. So, what can we do? Who knows? But what will we do? Most likely nothing.

BLITZER: As you know, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene will chair a new subcommittee actually working with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Do you see areas where you can work with them?

CROCKETT: Work with them? Listen, I will tell you this. As someone who sits on the Oversight Committee, our job is to make sure that we are getting rid of waste, fraud, and abuse as it relates to taxpayer dollars. And so that is what we do all the time. We are always supposed to examine not just one specific area but the entirety of government. Our jurisdiction is wide spread. I mean, we are over everything.

So, yes, I think that there's always room to say, is this something that we need? Is this something that we can do more efficiently? We're constantly having these conversations. So, if they want to be serious about this, if they want to do the work that we typically do on Oversight, then absolutely.

BLITZER: As you know, your colleague, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, will face off against Gerry Connolly to lead you and other Democrats on the Oversight Committee. Who do you want as the top Democrat on this critically important panel?

CROCKETT: Well, I'm not here to endorse anyone. But what I will tell you is that both of these persons are amazing. We have such a close knit team when it comes to the Oversight Committee. That is why when you think about this year and when you think about kind of some of the biggest stories in the most viral moments, it's actually come out of Oversight. It is because we are like a family.

And I can tell you whether it's AOC or whether it's Connolly that ends up winning that seat, I can tell you that we will be ready and we will be working together, and we will have a strong, fierce leader.

BLITZER: As you correctly point out, the Oversight Committee is a really important, powerful committee that oversees so much of the government.

In his first post-election speech, former President Barack Obama is calling on Democrats to engage with those they disagree with and look for ways to compromise. Listen and watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Pluralism is not a good thing is not about holding hands and singing kumbaya. It is not about abandoning your convictions. It is about recognizing that in a democracy, power comes from forging alliances and building coalitions and making room in those coalitions, not only for the woke, but also for the waking.

Purity tests are not a recipe for long-term success.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Do you think this is a road map that Democrats like you can follow?

CROCKETT: I think that it takes two to tango. That's what I think. And so, you know, here's the reality. There are some of what I would consider to be the real Republicans that are left. And any governing that we've seen out of the 118th Congress, it has come because it has had to be those real Republicans that have decided, you know what, we will talk to the Democrats and we will get to a place in which we are governing for the American people.

If the real Republicans in the building want to stand up and want to work, then absolutely. But I can tell you that MAGA has consistently been trying to tear down our institution. First, it was physically when it came to January 6th. And then when we look at the things that they're talking about, they're talking about things such as getting rid of Social Security now. They want to tear us apart from within. They want to get rid of government.

When you have a Vivek Ramaswamy, who was going to lead, co-lead DOGE, talking about getting rid of 70 percent of the people that work for the federal government, those are people that are trying to tear us apart. Anybody that wants to preserve this amazing institution and only make it better, I can tell you that any day of the week, the Democrats are ready to work.

BLITZER: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Texas, thanks very much for coming in.

CROCKETT: Good to see you.

BLITZER: I appreciate it very much. Just ahead, there's more breaking news coming into The Situation Room, new comments just in from Donald Trump himself on his embattled pick to lead the Pentagon. We're talking about Pete Hegseth.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:48:30]

BLITZER: Breaking news, President-elect Trump just sat down for his first network television interview since winning back the White House.

Listen to what he what Trump told NBC News about his embattled pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: It looks like Pete is doing well now. I mean, people were a little bit concerned. He's a young guy with a tremendous track record actually. He went to Princeton and went to Harvard. He was a good student at both but he loves the military. And I think people are starting to see it.

So we'll be working on his nomination, along with a lot of others.

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Since you bring him up, do you still have confidence in Pete Hegseth?

TRUMP: Yes, I do. I really do. He's a very smart guy.

I've known him through Fox, but I've known him for a long time and he's basically a military guy. I mean, every time I talk to him, all he wants to talk about is the military. He's a military guy.

WELKER: Have you gotten assurances from senators that he's going to be confirmed?

TRUMP: No.

WELKER: Do you think he can make it?

TRUMP: No, no. I think he will, yeah. Ive had a lot of senators call me up saying he's fantastic.

WELKER: You don't drink yourself.

TRUMP: No.

WELKER: You've talked about how devastating drinking can be.

TRUMP: Yeah.

WELKER: How concerned are you that the person who you picked for this top job at the Defense Department, at least according to those who've worked with him, has struggled with drinking.

TRUMP: But I've spoken to people that know him very well, and they say he does not have a drinking problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, lets get some reaction from CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings and Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross.

Scott, what's your reaction to what I just heard Trump basically being confident that Pete Hegseth can be confirmed?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, he was confident. So a vote of confidence in his guy, but also realistic. You know, he didn't say he's been assured that he will be confirmed. So it tells me that he's got some realism here, that there's still a process that they're going through. Hegseth has some work to do.

But I think early this week a lot of folks were thinking Hegseth was going to be gone by today. And I think he's in better shape today than he was when we started this week. The PR offensive to get back on track, I think, is working and having Trump come out tonight and strongly say, this is my guy. He loves the military. It's a good thing.

BLITZER: Alicia, what do you think? What's your reaction to what we just heard from Trump?

AMESHIA CROSS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think Trump's going to Trump. At the end of the day, he's somebody who's never going to accept defeat. But there has been a lot of conversations with Senate members. We know that from Pete Hegseth's mom. We know it from Donald Trump himself.

He's not going to be someone who has a negative thing to say about his pick, having lost Matt Gaetz. He doesn't want to lose this one. And I think that he is also acknowledging the fact that there are still some senators who need to be moved. He is -- he knows what the playing field looks like but he's also not going to shoot down his own pick.

BLITZER: Yeah, we'll see what happens on that front.

Scott, Hegseth just posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, just a little while ago. He said this. I just had another substantive conversation with Senator Ernst. I appreciate her sincere commitment to defense policy and I look forward to meeting with her again next week.

How do you read that?

JENNINGS: Well, I read it that Joni Ernst is very important. I mean he needs third party validation, right? And obviously, she's somebody with a vote. So she's more important than most.

A lot of people, some anonymously, many anonymously, have come out and attacked him. He needs on the record, public third party, credible validation that his candidacy to run this is good and on solid ground. If he can get her, it would be huge. And so I think strategically, it's smart to keep working Joni Ernst, because she's respected, people listen to her and if she is convinced, that'll tell you something about where the Senate might be headed.

BLITZER: Very significant. Let's see what happens on that front.

At least so far, Ameshia, no GOP Republican senator has publicly come out against Pete Hegseth does that suggest to you that he could be on track to win Senate confirmation?

CROSS: Not really. I think that it suggests more that they do not want to be the target of MAGA ire or President-elect Donald Trump. There have been whispers, obviously, but nobody has come out on record. I think that that's more strategic on their part. They don't want to be threatened with primaries. They don't want to be threatened in general. They recognize that you know, the MAGA coalition is strong and I think that they are going to vote with their conscience. They're also going to go through the confirmation hearing and ask the questions that are necessary.

BLITZER: We'll see what happens. It could be a tight vote. Well watch it very closely.

Ameshia and Scott -- guys, thank you very, very much.

Coming up, an exclusive interview from inside Syria. CNN talking with the man leading the effort to try to topple the country's brutal dictator, the President Bashar al-Assad. And we'll see what happens next if that happens.

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[18:57:22]

BLITZER: We're following breaking news on the reignited civil war in Syria, where rebel forces have just taken control of a key city in southwestern Syria as they inch closer and closer to the capital of Damascus.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has our report from inside Aleppo, the country's second largest city, also under rebel control now.

She's the first western journalist in Aleppo since its capture by rebel forces.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the Bassel roundabout, named after the deceased brother of the Syrian president, Bashar al- Assad, and one of the first things that people did when rebel forces took over the city of Aleppo was toppled the statue of Bassel, a symbol of the Assad regime.

This is an area where there were fierce battles with regime forces and since then, in the past few days, there's been an airstrike that killed many people. You can still see the aftermath of that, the blood on the floor here.

And speaking to people in the city, this is what they fear. They fear that there will be more Russian and Syrian regime airstrikes that they will be back for the city of Aleppo.

Speaking to people here, you get this sense of joy and relief to see the regime of Bashar al-Assad gone but also there's this apprehension and anxiety, fear of what might be coming. People don't really know what to expect from these rebel forces who've taken over Aleppo.

But most people that we've spoken to say that their biggest fear is what the regime and its allies are going to do a real fear of going back to the bloody days of the civil war in Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Jomana Karadsheh also sat down for an exclusive interview with the leader of the Syrian rebel group behind this truly stunning offensive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARADSHEH: Once an al Qaeda leader, your group has had affiliations with al-Qaeda with ISIS and now you are projecting this image of a moderate leader and a moderate group.

What is HTS right now?

ABU MOHAMMAD AL-JOLANI, LEADER OF HTS (through translator): Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is one of the factions in the region, just like all the others. Now, we're talking about a larger project. We're talking about building Syria. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is merely one detail of this dialogue, and it may dissolve at any time. It's not an end in itself, but a means to perform a task confronting this regime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Our special thanks to Jomana Karadsheh for her exclusive and courageous reporting from inside Syria.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. Thanks very much for watching.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.