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Interview With Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT); Swalwell Accuser Speaks Out; Israel-Lebanon Talks. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired April 14, 2026 - 11:00   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 HOST: Happening now, breaking news: critical conversations, Israeli and Lebanese diplomats in Washington pushing for a cease-fire. Could the U.S. and Iran be next to the table?

And speaking out first on CNN. I sit down with one of the women accusing Swalwell of sexual misconduct allegations that he denies. Why she decided to go public.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And released from jail, the husband of the missing American woman in the Bahamas now out of custody without charges. We're hearing from him for the first time.

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.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BLITZER: And let's begin this hour with the breaking news.

Right now, direct talks are under way to end the Israeli conflict with Iran's proxy group Hezbollah in Lebanon. The U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is joining ambassadors to the United States from both Israel and Lebanon over at the State Department right now. It will be the first public meeting of senior officials from Israel and Lebanon in more than 40 years.

Hezbollah, the target of Israel's mission in Lebanon, has called on Beirut to reject the talks.

BROWN: And, at the same time, sources tell CNN that the Trump administration is considering a second round of in-person peace talks with Iran. People familiar with the talks say President Trump is open to resuming negotiations with Iran if he believes Iran is ready to accept his demands.

Iranian state media says Tehran has not made a decision to meet again.

So let's go live now to Jennifer Hansler at the State Department. Jennifer, what are you learning about these talks getting under way

there?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Well, Wolf and Pam, we expect these talks to kick off any minute now.

Just in the past 10 minutes, both the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the U.S. arrived here at the State Department. These are the officials who will be leading their respective delegations in these historic and high-stakes talks.

Now, this is not expected to be a one-and-done negotiations, but perhaps the start of future talks to ultimately lead to some sort of peace deal between these two neighboring countries.

What we have learned from a Lebanese official this morning is that their ambassador is going to present a framework for future talks, which would include the disarming of Hezbollah, as well as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.

Israel, for its part, says it is a security concern on its northern border, and they also want to see the disarming of Hezbollah. Hezbollah, which, of course, is the key party in this, who is not here at the table, has said they will reject any sort of agreement that comes out of these U.S.-mediated talks.

Now, it is significant here, guys, that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is participating in the U.S. delegation in these talks. He will be joined by his State Department counselor Michael Needham, as well as the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon.

The stakes here are incredibly high, and the rest of the world is watching. We saw a statement from some 17 countries that was released this morning calling for de-escalation in this conflict. They are saying that they want to see an end to the exchange of violence between the two sides, between Hezbollah and Israel, especially as Israel has continued to strike civilian infrastructure in Lebanon, including in Beirut, so a lot at stake here, guys.

BROWN: Absolutely. I know you will keep us posted.

Jennifer Hansler, thank you so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I want to go live to CNN's Jeremy Diamond, who is joining us live from Tel Aviv right now.

Jeremy, what are the goals that Israel and Lebanon will pursue in these talks? What are you hearing?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, both sides have quite different goals. And, really, getting over the initial obstacle of what they can agree to in order to allow for those more substantive negotiations over the disarming of Hezbollah will be the real test today.

And that is because Lebanon will in these negotiations be seeking a cease-fire with Israel, seeking that Israel stop the bombardment of Lebanon that it has been carrying out for weeks, as Hezbollah has been firing rockets on Israel, in order for these negotiations to actually proceed on the substance of the talks about disarming Hezbollah.

Israel, for its part, including through the Israeli prime minister himself, has rejected the notion of a cease-fire at all. The prime minister has made a big point in recent days about saying that the fighting is ongoing in Lebanon and that Israel is not going to stop in order to allow space for these negotiations to take place, with Israeli officials saying any negotiations with Lebanon will be held under fire.

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But this is nonetheless quite a historic set of negotiations that we're going to see today, the highest-level talks between Israel and Lebanon that have happened in 40 years. We did see some previous negotiations between Israel and Lebanon back in December that took place in Southern Lebanon.

But now these are happening at the ambassadorial level. And, ultimately, it is going to be a question of what they can agree to in order to move forward with the discussions, because Israel does appear to have already scaled back somewhat some of its strikes inside of Lebanon. We haven't seen them hit the Lebanese capital of Beirut, for example, since last Thursday.

And so the question is, will the Lebanese government accept some kind of major scaling down of military operations in Lebanon, but not a total cease-fire, in order to proceed with those negotiations? That's exactly what's going to be discussed in that room today -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for us, thank you very, very much.

BROWN: Wolf, happening now: Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell says he is planning to resign from Congress following explosive allegations of sexual misconduct first reported by my team and me last Friday.

And we should note that Swalwell has denied these allegations, but he has admitted to errors in judgment, said he apologized to his wife as well.

In a CNN exclusive, four women detailed sexual misconduct by the California congressman, including a former staffer who says he raped her. In her first sit-down interview with me, one of Swalwell's accusers tells me that the congressman sent her unsolicited sexual photos, including a photo of his genitals.

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ALLY SAMMARCO, SWALWELL ACCUSER: He thought that he was untouchable. He didn't care what he was putting out there. He thought that all of these women would stay loyal to him. BROWN (voice-over): Ally Sammarco never wanted to go public with her

interactions with Congressman Eric Swalwell, but now she sees it as the only way for him to face accountability.

SAMMARCO: I don't take any pride really in this. I feel like it was the right thing for me to do. I had to do it. And I give a lot of credit to the women that spoke out and told their stories, as horrible it was for them to recollect them. I'm so proud of them for doing that. And I felt like I needed to speak up to validate their experiences.

BROWN: She first met Swalwell in 2021.

SAMMARCO: I followed him on Twitter for a long time. I was an admirer of his. I thought he was a great politician, an up-and-coming politician. And I truly never thought he would respond. He had over a million followers.

And not only did he respond. He responded very quickly. And he was very eager to talk to me. And that took me by surprise. He asked me to come to the Capitol to meet him and meet his staff. And he would introduce me to people that would help. I went to the Capitol, and I didn't meet anybody but him.

We went into his office and he closed the door. And it was just the two of us. We talked for 20 minutes. And then, after that, I left and he sent me a text message saying: "could you feel the tension in the room between us?"

So, from there, the messages shifted to much more personal, much more inappropriate and crossing a line.

BROWN: But he eventually started to text her late at night. In one screenshot she shared with CNN, Swalwell mused if he should -- quote -- "pour a nightcap" and referred to her as -- quote -- "the bad angel tempting me."

And, in another, he asked for her Snapchat information. That app, often used because of its disappearing message function, was where she said their conversations became inappropriate.

(on camera): Tell me more about the unsolicited photos he sent you.

SAMMARCO: Yes, so the messages gradually became more inappropriate and they became later into the night, times that nobody should be talking to a congressman or congressman should be talking to a young girl.

And he would say things like: "What are you doing? What are you wearing? Send me a photo of what you're doing right now." And then, eventually, one night, we were talking and he just sent me a photo of his genitals.

BROWN: Unsolicited.

SAMMARCO: Unsolicited, yes. And I thought he could help me. I felt like, again, I had just made a

huge connection who was interested in helping me. And if I were to push him away in any way, he might not. He might just stop talking to me altogether.

BROWN (voice-over): Swalwell denies allegations of sexual misconduct and, in the case of another woman, rape. He announced Monday he plans to resign from Congress and has already suspended his campaign for California governor.

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He said in a statement -- quote -- "I will fight the serious, false allegations made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make."

(on camera): Tell me about the power imbalance and what it felt like.

SAMMARCO: It felt huge, insurmountable. He was a national politician who at one point even ran for president. And I was someone just starting in my career.

I didn't think that this was someone who would put themselves out there in a way that could be exposed. So, I trusted him. I trusted that, even though he's saying something that feels a little off, that he knows what he's doing.

BROWN: Now he's dropped out of the race and he's resigned from Congress. What do you say to that?

SAMMARCO: Because Eric Swalwell ran for governor, that doesn't mean he's immune from the consequences of his actions. He never should have ran for governor to begin with knowing what he knows. And nobody else is responsible for what happened to him. Eric Swalwell is responsible for Eric Swalwell, not the media and definitely not the women.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Excellent reporting, Pamela.

Quick question. How old was she then and how old is she now?

BROWN: She was 24 then. Now she's in her late 20s, I believe 28. And, of course, this was at a time -- this was 2021. So Congressman Swalwell was married with kids.

I have reached out to him again. Of course, we have reached out multiple times. And I have not heard a response back. But, certainly, it takes a lot of courage to come out there. She's the first woman to publicly identify herself. And that's a big deal.

BLITZER: You have got to give her a lot of credit.

BROWN: Yes, for sure.

BLITZER: Yes, for sure. BROWN: All right, still ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM:

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not OK, by any means.

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BROWN: Christians are condemning Trump's Jesus post. The president says he thought it was a doctor, but he's not backing down from his feud with the pope. Is that what we need from a wartime president?

I will ask Republican Congressman and former Navy SEAL Commander Ryan Zinke.

BLITZER: And an ICE arrest now under investigation. This video went viral big time, an American man arrested in freezing temperatures by ICE only wearing shorts and Crocs. Why it's now being investigated as a possible kidnapping.

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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BLITZER: There's breaking news in the Iran war, a source now telling CNN that members of the Trump administration are internally discussing details for a potential second in-person meeting with Iranian officials after talks fell apart in Pakistan over the weekend.

It's not clear whether the meeting will materialize before the very fragile cease-fire between the countries expires next week. And Iranian state media reporting that there is still no agreement to hold another round of negotiations.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Joining us now is Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke of Montana. He serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is a former Navy SEAL Team Six commander.

Nice to have you on, Congressman.

REP. RYAN ZINKE (R-MT): Great to be here, as always.

BROWN: I know you -- always nice to have you as a guest here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

So, do you support the Trump team's efforts here to continue talks with Iran or should they be wary, given Iran's unwillingness to consider U.S. demands over the weekend?

ZINKE: You know, I always support dialogue.

I -- but I don't think we can move on the core position. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. They cannot possess material to make a nuclear weapon, and they can't have an arsenal of evil. And they have to open up the Strait of Hormuz. I think those are our issues that we're not going to move on, but there's a lot of things we can move on.

Look, the regime change, obviously, the first echelon of the regime change is gone. The first and second echelon of the military leadership has gone. They have lost their navy, except the small boats. They are not ships. They're attack boats. They're very similar to a 34-foot, but capable of destruction.

But they still have some capability. The drones are always an issue. But I think peace and dialogue is always the preferred option.

BLITZER: As you know, Congressman, the U.S. is currently blockading Iranian ports. How will that convince Iran to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway?

ZINKE: Well, follow the money.

And, certainly, if we're successful in blockading, I think that's a leverage point. One or two mines can make a really bad day for a tanker. And we just talked about the small attack boats. They're not ships, per se. But they have capability and they are designed to swarm. They certainly have capability as far as a 50-cal and anti-ship missiles.

And if they swarm them and come out it would be tenuous out there to protect it.

BROWN: And another important issue, Congressman, that we have been reporting here on CNN, two of your colleagues in the House, Congressman, Democrat, Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales, a Republican, announced yesterday that they were resigning from Congress after allegations of inappropriate sexual relationships with staffers.

What is your reaction to that?

ZINKE: I saw your piece recently on Swalwell, and it was heart- wrenching.

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Congress should have a higher standard of excellence. But when you have members taking advantage, members that are -- and the allegation seems to be credible. With a member from Texas, he admitted it. So I don't think there's any place in Congress.

And I think you have to protect the institution. And the institution is more important than an individual member. It should be. But when you have a member that breaks the code, that crosses the line, I think there should be consequences, and the consequences need to be real and quick.

BROWN: How pervasive is this in Congress? And what more can be done to ensure that lawmakers abide by the same rules and standards as everyone else?

ZINKE: I don't think it's persuasive or...

BROWN: Pervasive.

ZINKE: ... pervasive, but it's there, because we had George Santos. We had Swalwell. We have had members out there that have been accused and resigned.

But I think a penalty that is expulsion, quick, I think that's -- to protect the institution, I think, is important. America should have confidence in those elected officials. But when you breach that confidence, then I think the institution suffers.

BLITZER: While I have you, Congressman, on another sensitive issue, President Trump, as you know, has repeatedly attacked Pope Leo over the pope's criticism of this war.

The president also recently deleted this post, take a look at it, from his social media account depicting him as Jesus, later saying it was meant to portray him as a doctor.

Here's how some Christian voters responded. Watch this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody else posted that, A.I. or somebody. President Trump didn't post that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know if he has a Christian mentor, a spiritual mentor. He definitely needs one. This is not OK, by any means.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: You will remember, of course, Congressman, that, last year, President Trump even posted an image of himself as the pope.

Are the president's feud and those posts appropriate, given everything that's going on right now?

ZINKE: Well, I am Catholic. So it hurts, because I can think of a lot of people that might be close to Jesus, and I don't think President Trump is one of them.

But I think His Holiness should focus on the trinity, and the president should focus on national security and issues of policy. But there's a line there. So I'm hoping it mends, because it's important to mend, not only as a Catholic, as a Christian, but as a nation.

I think to have a battle between His Holiness and the president of the United States, I think it's unhealthy, and, quite frankly, I think it was an errant pitch.

BLITZER: The House speaker, Mike Johnson, of course, just told reporters that he spoke to President Trump after he saw that Jesus post and told him that it wasn't -- quote -- "being received in the same way he intended it." That's what the speaker said.

Was that the right move on the -- Speaker Johnson's part?

ZINKE: I think to express concern with it, certainly. I'm glad the president took it down. He took it down. Usually, he doubles up. This one, he did not.

He took it down, appropriately so. But, then again, I think they need to focus on, His Holiness, on the trinity and the morality and issues of the church. I think the president should focus on national security and policy and leave this debate back and forth alone and walk away.

BLITZER: And, of course, you're a Catholic, but isn't it appropriate for Pope Leo, the first American pope, to speak about his desire for peace, as opposed to war?

ZINKE: Absolutely, because what would Jesus do? Jesus wasn't a warmonger, obviously. And I think peace and dialogue is what we should all pursue.

BLITZER: That's what he's been doing, Pope Leo.

ZINKE: Yes.

And then the -- Pope Francis was commenting on science and climate change. But, again, I think, as a leader of the Catholic Church, there's a lot of issues in the Catholic Church. So, focus on the trinity and bringing humanity up. But, then again, His Holiness, you have to believe that it was divine selection and he represents millions and millions of Catholics that look for him as the moral guide.

BLITZER: Congressman Ryan Zinke of Montana, as usual, thanks very much for coming in.

ZINKE: Always a pleasure.

BROWN: Thank you.

BLITZER: You've got a great state over there.

BROWN: Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

All right, now we have some video of Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting with officials as they have talks about Israel and Lebanon. Let's listen in.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) a cease-fire soon between Lebanon and Israel?

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for being here today. We're very honored to be joined by the two countries that the United

States wants to have strong -- well, have strong relations with. And we're obviously very happy to serve this facilitating role.

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This is a historic opportunity. We understand we're working against decades of history and complexities that have led us to this unique moment. And the opportunity here, I know you some of you were shouting questions about cease-fire.

This is a lot more than just about that. This is about bringing a permanent end to 20 or 30 years of Hezbollah's influence in this part of the world, and the -- not just the damage it's inflicted on Israel, the damage it's inflicted on the Lebanese people.

We have to remember the Lebanese people are victims of Hezbollah. The Lebanese people are victims of Iranian aggression. And this needs to stop. And so our hopes here -- and I know this will be a process, OK?

This -- all of the complexities of this matter are not going to be resolved in the next six hours, but we can begin to move forward and create the framework where something can happen, something very positive, something very permanent, so that the people of Lebanon can have the kind of future they deserve and so that the people of Israel can live without fear and be struck by rocket attacks from a terrorist proxy of Iran.

So, that is the hope here today. That is what we are beginning to work. We are joined by excellent people who will be in a position to obviously take this back to their respective capitals.

This is a process, not an event. This is more than just one day. This will take time, but we believe it's worth this endeavor. And it's a historic gathering that we hope to build on. And the hope today is that we can outline the framework upon which a permanent and lasting peace can be developed, so that, as I said, the people of Israel can live in peace and the people of Lebanon can live not just in peace, but the prosperity and security that they deserve, OK?

Thank you.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, press. Go out the back door.

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BLITZER: All right, so there you have the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, holding this very important, historic meeting between the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, and the Lebanese ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad.

And it was very interesting. You see those three flags behind Marco Rubio, the U.S. flag, the Israeli flag, and the Lebanese flag. And as important as it is to get some sort of deal to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, I think it's also so critical there's an opportunity, if that happens, for the Israelis and the Lebanese to establish full diplomatic relations, a peace agreement.

And I'm sure that's what Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, would like to see happen.

BROWN: Yes, certainly.

And, as you noted, it is historic. It goes back 40 years, right? And so it's significant this is happening at the Department of State, and we will continue to monitor it as these talks continue.

We will be right back.

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