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DOJ Talking With Epstein Accomplice About Potential Meeting; Investigation Underway After Video Shows Officers Punch Driver; Israeli Tanks Roll into Gaza Area for First Time Since War Began. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired July 22, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, the Justice Department is in talks with Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's longtime girlfriend and accomplice, and it's coming as calls for transparency over the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files grow louder in the halls of Congress.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, cell phone video shows Florida officers pulling a man from his car and punching him in the face during a traffic stop. How authorities are defending their actions.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

We begin with breaking news. The U.S. Justice Department is saying it has reached out to Ghislaine Maxwell's legal team and requested a meeting with her. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls.

CNN's Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez is joining us right now. What are you learning about this? What are you hearing, Evan?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Justice Department says that they're now going to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell to try to see whether that she knows any more information that could lead to possible prosecutions. This really just, you know, extends this story and this what really has been a debacle for the Justice Department for the administration and the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.

I'll read you just what Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, his statement that was posted on X this morning. And it says, you know, he wants to -- you know, I have communicated -- he wants to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers. And he says, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she be willing to speak with prosecutors from the department. I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days. Until now, no administration on behalf of the government has inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now. In response, Maxwell's attorney, David Marcus says, I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.

Now, a couple of things that we should clarify here, the idea that from Blanche's statement, Wolf, the idea that FBI agents and that prosecutors, some -- this case began, of course, during the Trump administration, the first Trump administration, the idea that they didn't ask questions and didn't seek to find out whether there are additional people who could be charged with crimes, that is just not true. I mean, we've covered this over the years.

And so we expect obviously that this meeting will happen in the next few days, Wolf, and we'll see whether this finally puts this story to rest for the administration.

BLITZER: All right. Evan Perez reporting for us, Evan, thank you very, very much. Pamela?

BROWN: And, Wolf, the calls among Republicans to release the Epstein files are not going away, but Speaker Mike Johnson is standing firm against a House vote on this issue anytime soon. Some lawmakers want to go even further. Senator Josh Hawley telling CNN he wants a hearing on Capitol Hill. Here's what two other GOP lawmakers told CNN's Manu Raju.

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REP. WARREN DAVIDSON (R-OH): We are led to believe there are going to be some prosecutions. If we're going to prosecute, we assume there's going to be convictions. And I think that's really the disconnect. So, I think it really takes a hearing and then we'll see what happens after that.

SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-AL): I think everybody wants to know the truth at the end of the day. But, you know, if your name was on that list and you didn't do anything, you wouldn't want it be released that your name was on there because then you look like you're guilty. You got to make sure that, you know, that if a list is released, that the names on there are absolutely 100 percent.

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BROWN: All right. Let's go to CNN Congressional Correspondent Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill.

Lauren, these calls among Republicans are getting louder and louder it seems, including some of the president's most loyal supporters. What are you learning this morning?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pam. And it's having a real impact on the house's ability to do its legislative business, in part because right now the House Rules Committee, which is in charge of getting out of their committee any bills that are going to the floor that they want to pass with just Republican votes, it has been stymied because there are Democrats who are calling for additional amendment votes on releasing these Epstein files.

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Democrats warning last night that they wanted to bring forward basically the Massie petition to release these files, and Republicans adjourned that committee and have not come back. That means that House Republicans cannot put on the floor this week a series of controversial immigration bills that they were hoping would put Democrats in a tough spot right before that month-long August recess.

And Virginia Fox, who is the chairwoman of that committee, just told reporters a short time ago that she doesn't know if that committee is going to come back or not. That means that the House of Representatives could leave midweek this week, go home for their month-long August recess, and not return until September to deal with this issue once again.

But many Republicans are warning it's probably not an issue that's going to go away, even if lawmakers are away from Washington for the next month. Here they are.

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REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): We will get phase two of the Epstein files because we'll get, I believe, every Democrat and at least a dozen Republicans who want transparency and justice.

REP. DON BACON (R-NE): So, I doubt there's something there, but I'd rather just put it out there and put sunlight on it.

REP. RALPH NORMAN (R-SC): You know, with the Massie discharge petition, it has got some teeth to it and it will pass.

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I can tell you for the past, gosh, more than a week. The highest volume of calls into my office have been about Epstein. People want the information.

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FOX: Now, Mass Thomas Massie's resolution isn't expected to ripen until lawmakers return during that September recess, but that could force the speaker's hand on this issue. And like we noted, there are already almost a dozen Republicans who are signaling that they could support that resolution, if all Democrats vote with them, that would be enough to pass it.

Now, Majority Leader John Thune and the Senate has made clear he doesn't want to deal with this issue on the floor of that body, but, obviously, this puts the speaker back in a very difficult position. Pam?

BROWN: Yes, it certainly does. Lauren Fox, thank you so much. Wolf?

BLITZER: And as calls grow for the Epstein files to be made public, the Trump administration is releasing FBI records on a revered American hero, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. More than 240,000 pages about the FBI surveillance of the civil rights icon were released yesterday, that despite opposition from the King family. In a statement, his two living children say in part this, quote, as the children of Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, his tragic death has been an intensely personal grief. We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint and respect for our family's continuing grief., close quote.

Meanwhile, new this morning, very disturbing footage of a traffic stop in Jacksonville, Florida. It happened back in February, but the footage is just now going viral across social media. The driver, William McNeil Jr., is shown asking police officers why he was pulled over. They tell him his headlights are off and he's not wearing a seatbelt. Some of our viewers might find this footage that you're about to see very disturbing, as things escalate quickly. Watch this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're still required to have headlights on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where -- can you pull that law up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huh?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you pull that law up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. When you step out of the car, I will.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you pull -- can you call your supervisor?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huh?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you call your supervisor?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Go for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exit the vehicle now. Exit the vehicle. Show me your hands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here. I'm here. What is your reason, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Step out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your reason?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Step out now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. No, don't --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your hands behind your behind.

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BLITZER: CNN's Isabel Rosales has more details on this story for us. Isabel, what are the two sides saying right now after that confrontation? ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, certainly very different accounts of what happened on February the 19th that's now at the center of this active and internal investigation at the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. The 22-year-old William McNeil Jr. is now represented by famed civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, and they're saying, hey, the video doesn't lie here. McNeil was simply exercising his constitutional rights and he was beat for it.

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He was pulled over for simply not having headlights on. And then when he called for a supervisor, things escalated.

Now, we just spoke to Ben Crump who was calling on these officers to be terminated. Here's what else he's saying. In a statement, he said, what happened to William McNeil Jr. is a disturbing reminder that even the most basic rights, like asking why you've been pulled over, can be met with violence for black Americans. William was calm and compliant. And then he went on to say that William McNeil wasn't a threat to anyone. He was calmly exercising his constitutional rights and they beat him for it.

Now, the sheriff's office has also released body camera video showing that McNeil refused to step out of the car, refused to hand over his registration, proof of insurance and his license and instead closed the door, lock the car and ask for a supervisor. And it was noted at the press conference too from the sheriff's office that McNeil was told repeatedly that he would be arrested and to step out, and then he continued to refuse, and that is when the window was broken.

Now, the Sheriff, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, he says that this viral cell phone video doesn't fully capture what happened on that day, and he noted that the state attorney's office has found that no officers violated any criminal laws. Here's what else he had to say.

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SHERIFF T.K. WATERS, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: Yes, there absolutely was force used by the arresting officers, and yes, that force is ugly, but as I've said many times before, the reality is that all force, all violence is ugly. And just because force is ugly does not mean it's unlawful or contrary to policy.

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ROSALES: Now, this arresting officers ha, has been stripped of his law enforcement authority pending the outcome of this investigation, also, Wolf, noting that William McNeil's has been charged with several charges, including resisting a police officer and possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana. Wolf?

BLITZER: And that video is so disturbing indeed. Isabel Rosales, thank you very, very much.

There's more news that's happening right now as well. We're seeing the first signs of Israeli ground forces moving into parts of Central Gaza where they haven't really been since the war started. They have avoided Deir al Balah previously over concerns that hostages may be held in that area. Even as Israeli tanks roll across the enclave, Hamas says it's, quote, and I'm quoting now, exerting all efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal with Israel.

Let's go to CNN's Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi right now. Paula, you're watching all of this unfold. What impact could this new ground defensive by the Israelis have on these peace talks?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we certainly heard from Israel in the past that they believe that their military action is what convinces Hamas to agree to a ceasefire. We haven't seen evidence of that at this point though as there still is no deal. But this military operation itself, we understand, from Israel Army Radio, that there's one brigade operating in this area in Central Gaza that they could be there several weeks. The IDF itself not commenting on this. And we also hear from the World Health Organization that their main warehouse in Deir al Balah and also the staff residents was struck. They say that some of the men working for WHO were handcuffed, stripped, and interrogated on the spot.

Now, there are concerns of what this means for the civilians on the ground. There have been evacuation orders in place, but the U.N. -- the top human rights chief has said the operation will invariably lead to further civilian deaths.

And this comes as we are also hearing more reports of people dying of starvation in Gaza, 15, including four children according to the Ministry of Health. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi for us watching all of this, Paula, thank you very much. Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Wolf. Happening now, dangerous heat will blanket parts of the south today and the scorching temperatures won't let up for at least a few days. Memphis could see a heat index of 115 degrees.

Let's bring in CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek, what's driving this heat and who will feel the worst of it?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right, Pam, so here it is. The reason for this heat is this heat dome that's built in from the Gulf Coast states that's stretching as far north as the Upper Midwest, and that's really driving this heat for over 60 million Americans. Under these heat alerts, you could see all the way from the Gulf stretching northward into Madison, Wisconsin, incredible.

Of course, it has to do with the humidity, the amount of moisture in the air and it is going to be oppressive across the central portions of the U.S. going forward, breaking the 100-degree mark for consecutive days in the windy city, Chicago.

But I want to point you to a part of the country that will be feeling the heat most oppressively, right? We're talking about the corn belt of Middle America. We're talking about the Upper Midwest. And, yes, it's that time of the year again the corn across this area actually sweats, just like humans do. It produces this bead of sweat on its stalk.

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And when it evaporates that sweat, it increases the humidity in and around the corn. So, the corn sweat increases the humidity. It makes it feel more oppressive, more hot across the corn belt of America.

And I'll leave you with this, Pam, it's incredible, did you know that one acre of corn can actually produce 4,000 gallons of sweat into the atmosphere? That's enough to fill your swimming pool in less than a week. Wow.

BROWN: Wow. Learn something new every day. And I also just had no idea of corn sweats.

BLITZER: Yes.

BROWN: We learn a lot from you, Derek Van Dam.

VAN DAM: It does. It's a new thing.

BROWN: All right, thank you. Wolf?

BLITZER: Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert is back on late night and making it clear he's not going to step away quietly.

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STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT: Over the weekend, it sunk in that they're killing off our show, but they made one mistake. They left me alive,

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BROWN: The late show host receiving a hero's welcome for his first broadcast since CBS's shocking decision to cancel his show and not shying away from the president over the drama around this decision.

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COLBERT: On Friday, Donald Trump posted, I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.

How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go (BLEEP) yourself.

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BLITZER: The star-studded audience included fellow late night host Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, as well as Adam Sandler and the Happy Gilmore 2 cast. And even Colbert's fellow Daily Show alums, Jon Stewart and John Oliver, Stewart didn't pull any punches at all when slamming CBS's decision on his show. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, HOST, THE DAILY SHOW: If you believe as corporations or as networks, you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king's radar, A, why will anyone watch you? And you are (BLEEP) wrong.

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BROWN: CBS is blaming the show's demise on declining ad revenue. Colbert has hosted the late show since 2015, taking over for David Letterman. And we should note, it's top rated. It was just nominated for an Emmy. And as you know, Wolf, I was on the Colbert Show a few months ago. And it was such a wonderful experience. He made me feel so welcome, even though I was really nervous.

BLITZER: But you did a great job.

BROWN: Oh, thank you.

BLITZER: It was a very good performance.

BROWN: Well, we wish him the, the very best. He obviously has a huge following.

BLITZER: Yes, he does.

BROWN: And still ahead, a Situation Room interview, where one-on-one with Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and pro- Palestinian activist, detained for 104 days in an ICE facility.

BLITZER: And next, Hunter Biden speaking out, the profanity-laced tirade as he rips Democrats who called on his father to drop out after that CNN presidential debate.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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BROWN: Well, this morning, we are awaiting a major decision on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man that the Trump administration says was supported by mistake to his native, El Salvador, who was here in the U.S. illegally.

A Supreme Court order forced his return to the U.S., but he has been jailed ever since on human smuggling charges. A federal judge could release Abrego Garcia, but now his attorneys are asking that he remain in jail to prevent immigration officials from deporting him again, though they said that it would not be to El Salvador.

Joining us now is Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat who met with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador and advocated for his return. Senator, thank you for being here with us. What do you think about Abrego Garcia's attorney's request to keep him in jail to prevent deportation?

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): Well, Pamela, it's good to be with you and from the beginning we've seen the Trump administration engage in a gross violation of due process of the constitutional rights of Abrego Garcia. And now we have this very unusual situation where you have a lower court federal judge who said he should be released on bail on the criminal charges that were just brought against him because he does not pose any threat to the safety of others around him.

But you have right now, as the judge -- another judge considers that, you have Abrego Garcia's lawyer saying, let's keep him in confinement a little longer, because they're afraid as soon as he gets out on that charge that the Trump administration immigration folks will snatch him up and deport him.

So, I am glad that we have federal judges reviewing these cases, something that the Trump administration originally tried to avoid when they shipped him off to El Salvador.

BROWN: Abrego Garcia, as you know, entered the U.S. illegally nearly 15 years ago. Would you support his deportation if he went through the legal process and was afforded that due process?

VAN HOLLEN: I support whatever decision is made as a result of due process, constitutional due process. As we've seen in the Tennessee case, there have been questions about these new charges levied by the Trump administration. It was reported that one of the prosecutors, career prosecutors in that office quit. And most of the speculation is that he thought this was a wrongful additional charge. As you know, the witnesses in that case include somebody who had been detained in Louisiana on very serious charges, in fact, had been convicted of felonies.

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They let him out of jail instead of deporting him, gave him a work permit in exchange for his testimony.

So, look, I'm going to let the judges sort all of this out. He needs to have due process. I'm glad that this is in the courts rather than him being in the gulag in El Salvador.

BROWN: And I just want to note I did reach out to that now former official who worked in the Tennessee U.S. Attorney's Office, and he and he responded saying he did not want to comment.

I'd like to shift topics to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This morning, the Palestinian Health Ministry says 15 people have died of starvation just in the last 24 hours, and that includes four children. The foreign ministers of 25 western nations have slammed Israel for the, quote, drip feeding of aid into Gaza, as they call it, while Israel maintains a blockade to prevent Hamas from intercepting the aid, which is what Israel says. Is the U.S. applying enough pressure on Israel to prevent more civilian deaths?

VAN HOLLEN: No, not at all. And the United States did not sign onto that document that you just mentioned. It was signed by many, many of our allies in major countries around the world.

No, the Trump administration has been totally AWOL. They should be calling on the Netanyahu government to immediately allow food into starving people. People are dying of starvation. People who are crowding around to get food have been shot by the IDF. That's the World Food Programme. Cindy McCain and others have documented what's happening. So, we've not heard a peep, Pamela, from the Trump administration calling upon the Netanyahu government to comply with international humanitarian law and let more food into starving people.

BROWN: Do you believe Israel has committed war crimes?

VAN HOLLEN: There have been war crimes committed in Gaza. There's no doubt about it. As to the individual culpability, I have said in the past that people like Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, based on their statements of intent and actions, have, in my view, committed war crimes. Others may have committed war crimes, but it is absolutely a violation of international law to prohibit food from getting in to starving people.

And the United States is complicit in this. I mean, the United States is now spending $30 million to fund this private group supported by private mercenary contractors instead of allowing the international aid humanitarian organizations to provide food into Gaza. And it's absolutely sickening that the United States government is complicit in what's happening.

BROWN: I want to ask you about something else. We have a wide range of topics today. I want to ask you about Hunter Biden because he's now speaking out about the 2024 election and he really unleashed an obscenity-filled tirade against prominent Democrats who called on his father to quit the race after that disastrous performance at the CNN presidential debate. Let's listen.

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HUNTER BIDEN, SON OF FORMER PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: George Clooney is not a (BLEEP) actor. He is a (BLEEP), like I don't know what he is. He's a brand.

James Carville who hasn't run a race in 40 (BLEEP) years, and David Axelrod, who had one success in his political life, and that was Barack Obama. And that was because of Barack Obama, not because of (BLEEP) David Axelrod.

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BROWN: So, Senator, you have been a longtime ally of Joe Biden. Your reaction to his son saying the president was the victim of vultures and should have stayed in the race.

VAN HOLLEN: So, Pamela, I don't think you're going to be surprised to hear this. I really am not spending a lot of time looking in the rearview mirror. We've got a crisis in our democracy from the assaults of the Trump administration. I understand the personal pain that Hunter Biden has experienced on all sorts of fronts but I don't think it's constructive right now to engage in this backward-looking, finger-pointing when our Constitution, our democracy is under threat, while Donald Trump's policies are raising prices on American families, when they just passed a bill to provide tax breaks to billionaires while cutting funds for people's healthcare. That's what I'm really focused on, getting that story out wildly and clearly.

BROWN: Senator Chris Van Hollen, thank you.

VAN HOLLEN: Thank you.

BROWN: Wolf?

BLITZER: And coming up a shocking federal investigation that nightmares are made of one organ donation group try to take organs from more than two dozen people who may not have even been dead. Now, lawmakers want answers. That's next.

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