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The Situation Room

NYPD Says, Fingerprints, Shell Casings Tie Mangione To Shooting Scene; FBI Director Chris Wray Announces Plan To Resign; Business Move To Up Security For Top Execs; Anonymous "Diddy" Accuser Speaks Out On Alleged Abuse; Syrians Coming To Grips With Uncertainty After Historic Rebellion. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired December 11, 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 are claiming two major forensic breakthroughs in the CEO murder investigation. The NYPD now says Luigi Mangione's fingerprints match those found on evidence near the crime scene and that the gun found on Mangione matches shell casings recovered from the shooting.

Also breaking, the FBI director announces his resignation, Chris Wray stepping down at the end of President Biden's term as President-elect Donald Trump looks to replace him with a fierce loyalist, Kash Patel.

And this hour, we'll share a CNN exclusive. For the first time, one of the alleged victims of Sean Diddy Combs is detailing his claims that the music mogul drugged and sexually assaulted him.

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, significant new developments in the murder investigation of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Police now say fingerprints and shell casings from the scene of the shooting all point toward the suspect, Luigi Mangione.

Let's bring in CNN's Shimon Prokupecz. He's in New York with details. Shimon, we're also learning more about Mangione, what, losing contact with his family and his friends in the months leading up to the shooting.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, in the months and really even the weeks just before the shooting. And what we're learning from law enforcement sources, Wolf, is that on November 18th, when his mother reported him missing to the San Francisco police, she told him that she had been calling him repeatedly and that he wasn't answering his phone, he wasn't picking up, but also significantly was that his voicemail was full and that she was not able to leave a message, not able to make contact with him since July 1st, Wolf. That is what she told police, that for months, she had been trying to reach her son and she was unable to reach him, believing that he was working at a place in San Francisco. She called the San Francisco Police asking for help. Now, what she also told police was that there was no reason for her to feel that he was going to do any kind of harm to himself or to anyone else. And it's unclear, Wolf, at this point, what other actions the police took. But this is significant because it shows that for months and months, he had sort of gone quiet. No one was able to get a hold of him and his family was so concerned they finally went to the police trying to get help. What happened after that is simply unclear at this point, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, very, very unclear. We're also learning, Shimon, more about what was written in Mangione's spiral notebook, right?

PROKUPECZ: Yes. So, this is a multiple page spiral notebook with handwritten notes, allegedly made by Luigi Mangione. And in it, Wolf, it's been described by sources to CNN as a to-do list as he prepared for this shooting.

This is what we're being told by law enforcement sources. It describes a motive. It talks about how -- the reason he wanted to do, allegedly, the shooting was because he wanted it to be targeted. He wanted it to be precise, and he didn't want to risk innocent people. There was talk about potentially a bomb, we're told by sources. But he was concerned, allegedly, that he would harm innocents.

The other thing, Wolf, in this spiral notebook, we're told, is that he said that he wanted to, quote, whack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean counter convention. And police believe that that was the convention that he was at, the conference that he was at, Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, here in New York City at the Hilton Hotel.

So, all of this for law enforcement is certainly painting a wider picture, putting this puzzle together with all the evidence they have now gathered, Wolf.

BLITZER: Very interesting, indeed. Shimon Prokupecz, thank you very much.

I want to bring in our legal and law enforcement experts for some analysis. Chief Ramsey, let me start with you. Mangione's fingerprints, and excuse me, and gun both pin him to the actual scene of the crime. Just how crucial is that evidence for the case?

[18:05:00]

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, it's very crucial. I mean, this is the first scientific evidence now that they have. They have the firearm, they have a fingerprint. There is still DNA that is yet to be tested but they're able to put him at the crime scene. So, that is crucial. Right now, they're working very closely with the district attorney's office to really carefully, you know, build this case, making sure that all the evidence, everything that they need is right there for a successful prosecution.

BLITZER: Candice DeLong is with us as well. She's a former FBI profiler. Candice, you just heard about Mangione's spiral notebook. As a former FBI profiler, what picture does this paint for you about him and his psyche?

CANDICE DELONG, FORMER FBI PROFILER: It is not at all unusual for people committing certain types of crime, including murder, to write down their thoughts, to write down their plan. Regarding what I think was going on with him is, considering his history, his past, his incredible line of successful academics and sports. He had a circle of friends. He was admired and respected. And then he does this, I mean, he -- and he gets a graduate degree, a master's degree from an Ivy League school. And then this happens. He kind of goes off the rails.

And because of my background as a psychiatric nurse, what that makes me think of is this fact, a lot of mental illnesses, minor, moderate, and severe, emerge in the late teens and early to mid 20s. And it seemed like this Luigi had everything going for him, and then almost became another person and did something very much out of character.

BLITZER: Yes, it certainly seemed like another person than he was growing up.

Areva Martin, you're our legal commentator. Taken together, taking all this together, all this new evidence against Mangione, how does he mount a credible defense? Can he claim insanity?

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Well, it's going to be very difficult, Wolf, to make a credible defense given the overwhelming amount of evidence that has been assembled by law enforcement in this case. We have the forensic evidence. We have the gun being matched to the casings from the gun. We have the fingerprints. We have this manifesto of sorts, as you will. We even have what police believe to be an admission from him. So, it's going to be very difficult.

Although what his lawyer is saying that they're going to fight extradition and that, according to him, he hasn't seen any evidence that ties Mangione to The murder of the CEO. But, clearly, there is a mound of evidence that's going to be difficult for this defendant to overcome.

BLITZER: You're absolutely right. Candice, it's pretty striking that Mangione's mother hadn't heard from him since July and didn't report him actually missing until November. What's your read on that?

DELONG: Well, of course, I don't know what their behavior with each other was like prior to that, but obviously not hearing from him concerned her enough to go to the police. It occurred to me -- and she's not the only one, close friends, and also said he kind of dropped off the radar for a while, not prior to last week. And that it occurred to me that is probably when he went, for lack of a better term, radio silent with so many people that were important to him was when he decided that he was going to do this, and he just didn't want to talk with anyone.

BLITZER: Yes, he certainly didn't. Chief Ramsey, how does that new timeline from Mangione's mother fit into the investigation into his background and potentially his motive? RAMSEY: Well, I mean, all these things fit and that's what detectives are doing now. They're trying to piece together the complete picture. And I think they're probably pretty close to doing that now, that they've interviewed friends and they've interviewed relatives. They've obviously reviewed hundreds of hours of video there in New York, all the evidence that's been collected so far.

So, all of that leads to a picture beginning when he first arrived in New York ten days prior to the actual murder, all of that is going to be a part of what they're building now that will be presented in court during trial.

BLITZER: Yes, it certainly will be. Areva, I also want your thoughts on this case really striking a nerve with Americans out there and sparking so much anger online against the healthcare industry in our country.

[18:10:06]

How significant of a challenge will the court of public opinion be for the prosecutors?

MARTIN: That's a great question, Wolf. Obviously, this was a brazen act of violence. And with all the video camera and the other evidence that the prosecutors will bring to bear, you still have the question of jurors and how will jurors perceive this defendant and all the evidence against him? We are seeing on social media memes and posts applauding his conduct, applauding the violence against this healthcare CEO, and even, you know, painting the defendant here as some kind of hero. So all of that, of course, will come into play as prosecutors try to pick a jury, if this matter does proceed to trial.

BLITZER: Yep, a good point. To everyone, thank you very much. We're going to have much more coming up on the investigation, including moves by major corporations right now to up security for executives following online support for the suspect.

But, first, the breaking news from the FBI, the director, Christopher Wray, saying he'll leave before Donald Trump takes office on January 20th. We'll talk with one of his previous deputies, the former FBI acting director, Andrew McCabe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BLITZER: Breaking news we're following, the FBI director, Chris Wray, has just announced he's stepping down before President elect Donald Trump takes office next month.

Let's get straight to our Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez. He's got details. Evan, give us the latest.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this is an extraordinary decision by the FBI director. FBI directors are supposed to serve a ten-year term. Congress designed that in the wake of the Watergate scandal as a way to insulate the FBI director from politics. But, obviously, Donald Trump has made clear, as recently as this weekend, that he plans to change the leadership of the FBI. And so Chris Wray really took those hints obviously and made the decision that it was better for him to resign when the new president takes office at the end of this administration. And he made that announcement speaking to an all-hands meeting for the FBI, FBI employees, this afternoon. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the Bureau deeper into the fray while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important in how we do our work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: And you can hear there from the FBI Director, Wolf, you know, part of his consideration here was to get out of the way because he could see in recent days there were a lot of attacks coming from Republicans in Congress who were making it clear that they wanted to pave the way for Kash Patel, who Donald Trump has already announced is his pick for FBI director.

BLITZER: What impact, if any, Evan, will this have on Trump's controversial pick to run the FBI, Kash Patel?

PEREZ: Well, it paves the way for Patel to be able to take office immediately, if that's what Republicans do. Now, under the FBI transition plan or succession plan, the deputy director, Paula Bate, would normally take over as the acting director once Chris Wray leaves office. But Bate is also planning to retire in early 2025, Wolf. So, really, what this does is it paves the way for the FBI to have an entire leadership change when Donald Trump takes office in early -- in January, obviously.

And so we anticipate, and you can see there, Patel making the rounds in Congress. He's been talking to senators ahead of his what we expect to be a confirmation process. And right now, you can see that a lot of them are falling into line. They're already saying that they plan to support his nomination. So, it appears that he's going to have an easier time, certainly, than some other picks by Donald Trump.

BLITZER: Evan Perez, thanks very much for that update.

Let's discuss this and more with our senior law enforcement analyst, the former FBI deputy director, Andrew McCabe. Andrew, thanks so much for joining us.

So, do you think Christopher Wray should have stayed on and forced Trump to actually fire him?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Wolf, I will say that I think Christopher Wray served ably as FBI director. I didn't agree with every decision he made, but I think he led the Bureau well during a very hard time to do that. I understand he has his own reasons for making this decision. I think that there is a very, very important principle to be maintained here, and that is the principle of the FBI's independence. And I think that under the circumstances, to me, my opinion, the best way to do that would have been to stay in his position until the new president came in and decided to take whatever steps he wanted to take. In other words, let the president-elect be the anomaly. Let the president-elect be the person who goes on record having undermined this principle of the independence of the FBI.

This is something that we have treasured for the last 50 years. It is the very core of the post-Watergate FBI reforms. It's essential to the FBI's culture and its understanding of itself and its role in this country the fact that it remains independent from the day to day political will of the presidency. So, I think that's an important principle to defend, and I think it would have been done better had he stayed on the job.

BLITZER: Interesting. Andrew, as you know, Wray is a lifelong Republican and was picked to lead the FBI by Trump. What does this say to you that he is now a disliked figure with Trump and many Republicans?

[18:20:02]

MCCABE: I think it's a fairly common ending for people who, certainly in the first Trump term, took roles assigned to them or given to them, that they were nominated for by then-President Trump and then ultimately fell out of favor because they failed to prove to President Trump that their first and only priority was personal loyalty to him. That is the only currency of a Trump administration. It is personal loyalty to President Trump.

The position of FBI director, however, and every other major federal position, you don't swear an oath loyalty to the president. You swear an oath of loyalty to the Constitution. So, if you're committed to doing that, and I'm convinced that Christopher Wray was, it is only a matter of time before you provoke the president's ire and end up fired.

BLITZER: You know, Kash Patel, Andrew, Trump's pick to replace Wray as head of the FBI, has accused you of committing crimes during your time at the FBI. Do you have any concerns at all that he would target you if he's confirmed?

MCCABE: I am not concerned about Kash Patel and whatever it is he thinks of me. Those meaningless statements that Kash Patel has made on podcasts and other places mean nothing to me. What worries me about Kash Patel is what he will do to the FBI and to the men and women who serve there, and how his lack of preparation, his lack of understanding and his apparent zeal to go in and burn the place down will make America less safe. America needs a professional, competent, capable FBI, and I am not confident that Kash Patel can lead such an organization.

BLITZER: Andrew McCabe, thanks as usual for joining us.

MCCABE: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: And coming up, major corporations now upping security for top executives in the wake of online support for the suspect in the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. We'll discuss with the leading voice in the world of big business, the investor and entrepreneur, Kevin O'Leary, is standing by live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

BLITZER: The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has exposed simmering anger at corporate America with some even sympathizing with the suspect, Luigi Mangione.

Brian Todd is joining us right now. Brian, all of this is deeply troubling for corporations worried about the security of their top executives.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Wolf. And the security posture for top corporations has changed dramatically since the shooting. And that's happening at the same time that support for the suspect has grown so much that it's translated into marketing opportunities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice over): A banner hangs on a Baltimore overpass reading deny, defend, depose. Those words, which police found on shell casings near where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down, are now appearing on merchandise for sale online. The phrase could be linked to a 2010 book critical of the healthcare industry, titled Delay, Deny, Defend, which has risen to number two on Amazon's nonfiction bestsellers list.

CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN POLITICS AND ECONOMIC COMMENTATOR: It's just shocking to me that we have seen this level of public outpouring of support for what is essentially a cold blooded public execution.

TODD: Amazon has been trying to pull that merchandise from its website for violating company rules, a source tells CNN. But items with that phrase remain on sale on eBay, which tells CNN the phrase itself doesn't violate the company's rules, but items that glorify or incite violence do.

Tonight, this is all part of a growing backlash against corporate America, and specifically the healthcare industry, in the wake of the shooting.

ARTHUR CAPLAN, BIOETHICS PROFESSOR, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: For many, many years, people have become increasingly frustrated with private insurance, too many denials of requests for care for themselves or their loved ones.

TODD: But it's not just health care providers feeling the heat. Following the capture of suspect Luigi Mangione at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and the reporting that an employee there had called police, the restaurant's pages on Google and Yelp have been flooded with negative reviews. Mangione's fans on social media have exploded.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our hero, our vigilante.

CAPLAN: He is a natural magnet to attract deep, deep, deep, deep complaints about a broken private healthcare system.

TODD: And Mangione's attorney says people have even come forward to offer help paying his legal bills.

TOM DICKEY, LUIGI MANGIONE'S ATTORNEY: Obviously, my client appreciates the support that he has, but I don't know, I just -- I'd have to look in, but it just doesn't sit right with me, really.

TODD: Outside the New York Stock Exchange, posters were put up praising Thompson's murder, with a red X across his picture. Other posters singled out another executive. The NYPD, in an intelligence report, says it believes Thompson's murder was a, quote, symbolic take down and could inspire others to commit violence against business leaders.

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: The threats that are facing corporate leaders today are significant because they are the face of the organization.

TODD: UnitedHealthcare now has security fencing around its headquarters. CNN is reporting that many corporations are now scrambling to protect their senior executives as police warned them of elevated threats.

RAMPELL: I think that there are people out there who hope that this will scare companies into submission. I just think that's foolish. It will certainly scare them into hiring more security.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): One prominent corporate security firm told CNN that within the first 36 hours of the shooting of Brian Thompson, they received 70 requests from companies for added security for executives.

[18:30:02]

A top official of that security firm telling us it is a huge wake up call, that the mood changed dramatically in a very short period of time. Wolf?

BLITZER: Very worrisome, indeed. Brian Todd, thanks for that report.

Let's discuss what's going on with Kevin O'Leary. He's an investor on the television show, Shark Tank, and the chairman of O'Leary Ventures. Kevin, thanks so much for joining us.

You said this outrage towards health insurance companies should be a major wakeup call for them. But if their incentives are to grow their profits sometimes at the expense of people's health, do you trust them to meaningfully reform?

KEVIN O'LEARY, SHARK TANK INVESTOR: I think they have to. I mean, this is quite a backlash. This is the power of social media. Corporations saw this first in the Anheuser Busch Bud Light case, where they lost $6 billion worth of market cap in six weeks. They'd never seen that before. This is occurring because people are frustrated with the appeal process in all health insurance.

And so what the executives have to do at UnitedHealth and frankly the whole industry is appeal to reality and say, look, it's on us now. We understand you're unhappy. I mean, this murder, this assassination is horrific. There's nothing good to be said about that, and there's lots of problems with it. But at the end of the day, what it's leading to is the frustration of the users of healthcare. And everybody's affected by healthcare.

They should be coming out now saying, look, we get it, we have families, too, we're people, we have children, we care about what you think about, and we're going to automate this process and make it better or do whatever they have to do. But when you appeal a case, it's not a delay situation. And if you have a valid claim, you get paid out. That's what insurance is supposed to do. But putting a fence around headquarters, hiring more security guards, that's all bad imagery, Wolf. It's all bad, and it's not the right answer.

BLITZER: As you probably know, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that about one in five insured adults dealt with healthcare claims being denied last year. People are sharing stories online of their claims being denied for surgeries, cancer treatments, and major health issues. What do you say to them?

O'LEARY: Well, there's probably valid reasons to deny, but if it's set up so that you just can't appeal it in a way that is cost effective because you can't afford to hire a lawyer, particularly at the expense of surgery, it doesn't matter.

At this point, social media is now the jury, and it doesn't like what it sees. So, if you're an executive, you know, in interim management, UnitedHealth corp or any other health company, you got to read the room, Wolf. You got to read the room and realize right now that the public is turning against you. They are your customers and they don't like it.

Now, this poor man lost his life, horrific, but if anything good is going to come of this, it's going to be policy change, because you've basically got people lighting up their torches, just like in the Frankenstein story, and going to the castle, and they're going to burn it down. And you got to hear that.

So, if you're an executive saying, get me more security guards, wrong answer. That's just wrong. If you don't understand what you have to do now, to get in front of this thing and say, look, it's on us, we hear you, we hear you, we hear you, and we're people too. We'll solve this problem, here's how we're going to do it.

This goes back to the Tylenol case. You got to get in front of it. And so far, I've seen no reaction. It's a bad thing, Wolf, bad. So, if you're out there and you're an executive, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

BLITZER: The suspected CEO killer, Luigi Mangione, has the same type of upbringing as so many corporate executives. He's from a prominent family. He went to an Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania. He worked in tech. What do you make of that?

O'LEARY: Mental illness at play. It has to be. No one person 3D prints with a polymer tactical weapon. And, by the way, that story in itself is very disturbing. I mean, to actually use a weapon like this, 3D printed, if that's the case, and use it effectively while you're walking, those that shoot pistols competitively know how hard that is to do. With a silencer on, which makes it even less effective, I mean, this is a stunning story in itself. But if he is not insane now, he will be after he spends the first six years in solitary confinement. It's a horrifically bad story for his family.

This poor man, and I think law enforcement has found their perp, as they like to say, is in for a horrific ride. It's just -- this populism around him is not right, first of all, but it's what we pay. You know, there's this concept of lunatic fringe. If you want to have freedom of speech on social media, you got to deal with this kind of stuff, which is 2.5, 3 percent of people doing this, but it's wrong.

But for this poor man, there's no question in my mind, there's a mental illness here.

[18:35:03]

He was estranged from his family for months, and then he does this. This makes no sense. But I don't know what to say. You know, I feel compassion for his family, but I don't endorse what he did. This is just wrong. He will pay a horrific price in his life for this. And that's just the way it is.

BLITZER: Kevin O'Leary, good to have you in The Situation Room. Thank you very much for joining us.

O'LEARY: Take care.

BLITZER: And just ahead, we'll get back to the breaking news on FBI Director Chris Wray, his resignation setting up a certain confirmation battle over his replacement. We'll discuss that with someone who has a vote in that process, Republican Senator Kevin Cramer. As you see, he's standing by live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: More now on the breaking news, the FBI director, Chris Wray, resigning at the end of President Biden's term next month.

[18:40:00]

Let's bring in Republican Senator Kevin Cramer. Senator, thanks so much for joining us. Donald Trump has picked loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Do you agree with Trump that Kash Patel is, quote, the most qualified nominee to lead the FBI in the agency's history?

SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): Well, I don't know enough about the agency's history to know who all the directors are, whether Kash is the most qualified one in history, but he's certainly qualified in my view. In fact, I think he's an excellent pick. Given his background, given his ability to see the FBI through the lens of an overseer and being loyal to Donald Trump, there's nothing wrong with that, but more importantly, being loyal to the rule of law, which hopefully we can return to the FBI now.

BLITZER: You said earlier today that Kash Patel will root out corruption at the FBI. I want to play a bit of what he's said in the past. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KASH PATEL, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE ACTING DEFENSE SECRETARY: And shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopening the next day as a museum of the deep state.

We're going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. We're going to come after you. Whether it's criminally or civilly, we'll figure that out. But, yes, we're putting you all on notice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, Senator, why does this give you confidence he will act impartially as the FBI director?

CRAMER: Well, because it is the job of the FBI director to oversee an agency that roots out evil, that roots out the illegal activity. It's starting with the FBI itself, by the way. I don't find it partisan to want to get to the root of how is it that the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago early in the morning with guns out looking for documents that if they knew existed, all they had to do was ask for them or get a subpoena and go get them in a peaceful way in cooperation with the president and his lawyers or the FBI that got involved in suppressing information in the Hunter Biden laptop story, which was really election interference.

These are serious problems for an agency whose job is to uphold and enforce the laws of the United States. If somebody doesn't investigate them, then they're derelict in their duty.

BLITZER: But as you know, Senator, I assume, you know, this they repeatedly -- the FBI repeatedly asked for those top secret sensitive compartmented information documents, the most highly sensitive documents around. They repeatedly asked that they be returned and their requests were repeatedly denied.

CRAMER: There's no question that there were legal activities taking place back and forth in negotiation, but there was no need to arm a bunch of FBI agents to the teeth, put on bulletproof vests, show up in their SWAT outfits, and raid Mar-a-Lago. It shows an indignity of the whole thing. And, by the way, here we are today with the whole case being dismissed.

And I think it's a major reason why the American people said on Election Day, you know what? It's not going to happen again. And I think it's one of the biggest reasons Donald Trump is reelected as president of the United States, and now, of course, going forward with a growing approval rating as people see the way he's handling this transition.

BLITZER: But you know those documents, as I pointed out, were among the most sensitive in the U.S. intelligence community, and many of them were simply lying around various locations in Mar-a-Lago, where all sorts of foreign visitors were showing up. If those documents got into the hands of U.S. adversaries, they could easily compromise U.S. sources and methods and endanger those U.S. sources out there if they got into the wrong hands. Does that not worry you?

CRAMER: I don't think former presidents or former vice presidents like Joe Biden should take classified documents out of the White House, but I would remind people that the president does have the authority to declassify documents. The vice president does not. But Vice President Joe Biden took documents and left them in his garage, unlocked, and he got no prosecution, no charges but justice turns a different way when it comes to Donald Trump.

Again, I think it's that injustice that the American people have seen and said, you know what, I don't trust these guys anymore. I'm going to go with the disruptor.

BLITZER: Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, thanks for joining us.

CRAMER: Always a pleasure, thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: And coming up, an exclusive interview, one of the people accusing Sean Diddy Combs of sexual assault is talking to CNN in this first ever interview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:48:34]

BLITZER: An alleged victim of Sean "Diddy" Combs is speaking out about his encounter with the producer, which he claims led to a sexual assault nearly 20 years ago.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has our exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACCUSER: I was screaming, I was telling him to stop. It was incredibly painful. He was acting like it was nothing.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Telling his story for the first time exclusively to CNN. ACCUSER: It was animalistic. It was brutal.

WAGMEISTER: One of Sean "Diddy" Combs' accusers describes his allegations of being drugged and sodomized in the back of a vehicle by the disgraced music mogul.

Choosing to keep his identity hidden, John Doe says Combs assaulted him in 2007 while he was working security at one of Combs' white parties in the Hamptons.

Sean Combs himself offered you a drink, is that correct?

ACCUSER: Correct.

WAGMEISTER: Okay, so this didn't come from staff or someone holding a tray of drinks. It came from him directly.

ACCUSER: Correct. The effects were so far beyond what two drinks would have been. It felt like the effects of maybe 15 drinks. To the point where I couldn't even stand any longer.

WAGMEISTER: And then what happened?

ACCUSER: Sadly, Sean Combs was waiting in the wings. He knew that this was going to happen to me, and he was waiting. He was acting like a concerned person at first in order to get my trust.

[18:50:02]

And once I was in a helpless position and he was sure that he was in a position of power, then he took advantage of the situation. He held me down and sodomized me.

WAGMEISTER: Doe is seeking punitive damages. In a civil suit filed in October, Doe said he told his supervisor at the security firm what allegedly happened to him that night. He says he was then blacklisted and had to find another job.

Did you tell your wife at the time?

ACCUSER: No. I was too ashamed.

WAGMEISTER: Have you told anyone other than your manager at the security firm at the time?

ACCUSER: No, I was at that time. It just seemed so out of bounds. It seemed so crazy back then that it didn't even seem believable. I thought people would just think I was crazy.

SEAN "DIDDY 'COOMBS, DISGRACED MUSIC MOGUL: Just wanted to spread the love.

WAGMEISTER: Combs' white parties were a Hollywood sensation with an ultra exclusive guest list of A-list celebrities and executives from film, music and fashion.

CONAN O'BRIEN, TV HOST/COMEDIAN: You're a legendary for the parties that you throw. You throw a great party.

COOMBS: I'm a legend, baby, for a whole bunch of things.

WAGMEISTER: He dubbed himself the modern day Gatsby.

COOMBS: If you don't have what they need, they're going to leave.

O'BRIEN: Right.

COOMBS: Got to keep them there.

O'BRIEN: Right.

COOMBS: You need locks on the doors.

WAGMEISTER: Combs is currently incarcerated in Brooklyn after he was indicted on three federal charges earlier this year. He's been denied bail three times. He pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, and is awaiting a criminal trial that could put him behind bars for life.

A torrent of civil lawsuits against Combs began surfacing after his then girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, filed the first complaint against him in November of 2023. He initially denied her claims and said she was looking for a, quote, payday.

But earlier this year, CNN published hotel surveillance video from 2016 where Combs appeared to grab, shove, drag and kick Ventura.

ACCUSER: I saw the beatings he did to that, the beating he did to that poor woman. And I was mortified. That was really terrible. I wondered maybe if I had come forward, maybe if I had been braver, that maybe I could have stopped it. He used his celebrity to just keep victimizing over and over.

WAGMEISTER: Combs is now facing more than 30 suits from accusers, including John Doe's.

Representatives for Combs have denied all allegations. Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone, adult or minor, man or woman, they said in a statement. His lawyers did not respond to the specific allegations in John Doe's case when approached by CNN, but addressed inconsistencies in Doe's October legal filing and his interview with CNN.

What are you hoping to accomplish? What does justice look like to you?

ACCUSER: Nothing could give me back the person I was before that evening. Nothing -- nothing could change that. I would love to see him spend the rest of his life in prison, because that's where he belongs where he can't hurt anybody else.

He's going to live a very lonely, miserable life, I hope. And if nothing else, he's not going to be able to victimize anybody else. And that's all that matters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WAGMEISTER: Wolf, as you heard in that piece, Combs's lawyers have denied all allegations. They say that he has never sexually assaulted anyone.

Now, when John Doe originally filed his lawsuit back in October, I reached out. They issued a blanket denial, but they didn't respond to his specific allegations in his complaint.

After our interview. I reached out again and gave them the opportunity to respond to those specific allegations. They did not, but they did point out that there were numerous inconsistencies between our interview with John Doe and his original complaint that was filed in October.

In the original complaint, he said that these alleged incidents happened in 2006. In our interview, he said it was 2007. Well, Wolf, after our interview, his attorneys re-filed an amended complaint and acknowledged that there were mistakes when they initially filed.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Wagmeister, thanks very much for that report.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:58:38]

BLITZER: Tonight, CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is in Damascus, where residents are coming to grips with the uncertainty of the country's historic rebellion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Across Syria, we're seeing scenes like this. Military vehicles left abandoned on the sides of roads and highways.

And if you look around here, you see these troops shed their military uniforms, you see combat boots, you see their belongings everywhere.

And perhaps giving us an indication of how this collapse happened is it appears these soldiers fled fast.

In this location at least, we're not seeing any signs of them putting up a fight.

Seventy-two-year-old Bashir Saman (ph) is here with his son and his grandchildren. Did you ever imagine that this day would come its really no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. At least in my few years left in my life, I'm afraid of one thing.

KARADSHEH: What?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That someone will come up and say this is candid camera.

KARADSHEH: You still can't believe it happened, can you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I still feel like I have -- like I'm still watched or something like, is there a camera anywhere or something?

KARADSHEH: We're seeing a lot of people stopping here for photos, climbing on the tanks, people bringing their children, telling us that this is history and they want their children to witness it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we Syrian people are free! Thank God we will always be free. We got rid of the criminal dog Assad and his tyranny. Say "Bashar is a dog".

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Bashar is a dog!

KARADSHEH: Syrians still can't believe what they're seeing. The long feared security apparatus and military just melted away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Jomana Karadsheh, thanks for that report.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.