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Bolton Pleads Guilty To Retaining National Security Info; Now: Lawmakers Grill Billionaire Leon Black Over Epstein Ties; Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN), Is Interviewed About Iranian Drone Hit Vessel In Strait Of Hormuz. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired June 26, 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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[11:01:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news. Rescuers racing right now to try to find survivors. We're going to take you inside the desperate search to find people trapped in the rubble after two deadly earthquakes hit Venezuela.

And later, Iran lashes out, calling a joint statement by the U.S. and its Arab Gulf allies, "irresponsible and provocative." This comes just hours after a U.S. official says an Iranian drone hit a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

BLITZER: And we begin this hour with the breaking news. A man once entrusted with the nation's top secrets has just entered a guilty plea to mishandling those top secrets. President Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, admits to mishandling very sensitive national security information. He served in Trump's first term, but turned into an outspoken critic.

Bolton has accused the president of targeting him for political retaliation. CNN crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz is just outside the federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, just a few miles from here in the nation's capital. Katelyn, tell us more about Bolton's plea.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, quite a significant offense that Bolton is saying he is guilty of retaining classified information in notes that he was taking while he was national security adviser for the first Trump White House, and then keeping those notes in unsecured ways. Ultimately, the FBI learned about this because John Bolton said his e-mail was hacked, and then they found that he had 1,000 pages of documents that he had transcribed into his notes as diary entries sent to his wife and daughter, and then kept printouts of them in his Maryland home. That is what is amounting to the plea here. It's one felony criminal charge. It's for retention of classified information. Bolton in court, he said that he was guilty. He understood. And then he said, "I'm sorry for it." That's going to be key very much so at his sentencing. Here's a little bit more from the U.S. attorney Kelly Hayes. She's the U.S. attorney for Maryland, secured this conviction of John Bolton today. She described a little bit more about how the Justice Department learned of this case.

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KELLY HAYES, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND: One of the reasons why there are so many safeguards protecting national defense information is so that this sensitive information does not fall into the hands of our enemies. And that is exactly what happened here. A cyber actor believed to be associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran hacked Mr. Bolton's personal e-mail account and gained unauthorized access to some of the classified and national defense information in that account.

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POLANTZ: Now, John Bolton's attorney, Abbe Lowell, he sent us a statement after this plea hearing saying that John Bolton has agreed to take responsibility. He's done what leaders should do, drawing a contrast between Donald Trump and his own classified documents mishandling case of which he was never found guilty. Abbe Lowell is trying to make a difference there between Bolton and Trump.

But make no mistake, this is a very significant day for the Trump administration and the Justice Department to secure a conviction like this against John Bolton, the former national security advisor. One thing to add here, though, is that he's not totally out of helping the government. He does agree to give 100 hours in community service to help the Justice Department remediate any national security spills they might have. Back to you.

[11:05:01]

BLITZER: Lots to unfold. All right, Katelyn Polantz, thanks very, very much.

And there's other breaking news we're following right now. The billionaire Leon Black is up on Capitol Hill right now facing a grilling from lawmakers over his decades-long ties to Jeffrey Epstein. This is his arrival just in the last hour to the House Oversight Committee. Congressional documents show Black paid Epstein a total of about $170 million over several years. Here's what the Oversight Committee chairman said just moments ago about Black's upcoming testimony. Listen.

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REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY), OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE CHAIR: Of all the witnesses that have come thus far, this one has the potential to be the most groundbreaking deposition, in my opinion. There's a lot of concerning things in the documents. There are a lot of statements from the survivors that are very concerning as well, with respect to Mr. Black.

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BLITZER: Meanwhile, Axios is now reporting that a federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to release more unredacted records from the Epstein files or explain why they need to remain sealed. CNN's senior national enterprise correspondent MJ Lee is here with me in The Situation Room. MJ, what are lawmakers hoping to learn, first of all, from Leon Black?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon Black has been in, Wolf, with the House Oversight Committee for just about two hours now. Of course, the committee has been bringing in numerous people from Epstein's orbit to try to figure out what they knew and didn't know about Epstein's crimes.

According to a copy of Black's opening remarks, we know that he unequivocally told lawmakers that, one, he didn't know anything about Epstein's crimes and, two, that he himself never abused women. This is a part of what he said. He said, I have never abused a woman. I have never been with an underage woman. I have never engaged in sex trafficking. I have never paid Epstein for access to women. I was never blackmailed by Epstein. I was not involved with or had knowledge of any of Epstein's heinous conduct.

Now, Wolf, Black is one of so many individuals who continue to have a relationship with Epstein even after he was convicted in 2008 in Florida of soliciting prostitution from a minor. And we know from his opening remarks that he tried to explain that to lawmakers today as well, saying, I feel terrible for Epstein's victims. I want to say clearly that I did not know about this nefarious activity until Epstein was charged with trafficking in July 2019. Then he goes on to say, I did know that Epstein pleaded guilty in June 2008 to state charges relating to prostitution involving a minor. Epstein told me that it was an isolated incident resulting from a fake I.D. Five years after his conviction I gave Epstein a second chance, as did many others. I wish I had not.

The recent release of the Epstein files by the Justice Department has also raised some serious allegations against Leon Black. For example, one woman told the FBI, Wolf, that Black had abused her, and this was during a massage that Epstein allegedly told this woman to give to Black. Now, one other woman told the FBI in 2020 that Black had raped her six years prior. She said that she went to Epstein's home in Florida with Black.

Black has also been accused of rape in three separate lawsuits. He has denied all of these allegations, and we know that Black planned on telling lawmakers that all of this amounts to baseless speculation, lies, and misrepresentations. And he's going to say, you know, this has affected my life. I have received death threats. My family is feeling unsafe. He even said that for the first time in his life, he has had to hire bodyguards because of fear about his safety.

BLITZER: Really? All right, a lot's going on. Thanks very much, MJ Lee, reporting for us. We're also following the very sad breaking news in Venezuela, where officials say more than 500 people have been killed after a pair of major earthquakes, and right now rescue workers are digging through the rubble to try to find survivors. Officials say nearly 3,000 people have been injured, and a warning to our viewers, CNN has obtained heartbreaking video of a woman calling out for her father after those quakes. Watch this.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).

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BLITZER: She's crying, papa, papa.

Right now, countries from all around the world are sending aid to Venezuela. The United States is deploying elite rescue teams, medical resources, humanitarian assistance, and $150 million in aid. You can find out how you can help. Go to cnn.com/impact.

And we're also following the breaking news out of China. A small aircraft has crashed into Beijing's CITIC Tower. It's the tallest building in the city. This video appears to show the aircraft falling to the ground. According to the plane's registration code, it appears to be a light sport aircraft, and data from the flight radar 24 appears to show the aircraft deviating from its flight path. We're going to bring you more information as we get it.

[11:10:24]

And still ahead, the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk is back in court. What the judge is deciding about death penalty.

And millions of students could soon be forced to read the Bible in school. The major curriculum change up for a vote today in Texas. Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

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[11:15:10]

BLITZER: Happening now, new questions are emerging right now about the status of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran, despite some recent progress. Iran today is slamming a joint statement from the U.S. and its Gulf Arab allies that criticized Tehran's regional activities, labeling it, "irresponsible." A U.S. official says Iran struck a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, pausing evacuations of stranded seafarers, and showcasing Tehran's ability to limit movement in that critical waterway.

Joining us now is Republican Congressman David Kustoff of Tennessee. He's the co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. This vessel attack is the first reported since the U.S. and Iran agreed last week to try to work towards a peace deal. Do you have confidence that the Trump administration will be able to guarantee free movement in the Strait of Hormuz anytime soon?

REP. DAVID KUSTOFF (R-TN): Wolf, thank you for having me this morning. Look, first of all, the agreement that President Trump negotiated with the Iranians, I applaud him because I think it's thoughtful and I think it's reasoned, and to bring the Iranians to the table to negotiate.

The issue is we know that the history of the Iranians in terms of negotiations and in terms of them keeping their agreement, and obviously you decided the incident that you've cited. I would hope for the Iranians' sake that they live up to their end of the agreement for these 60 days, because President Trump has threatened and promised that if they don't, that we'll resume bombing activity.

So you'd like to think that that is a one-off. I will say that from a positive standpoint, we've seen the price of oil decrease to around $70 a barrel or below and relief at the gas pump. That is all good, but the Iranians must live up to their end of the agreement.

BLITZER: All of this is coming, as you know, Congressman, on the heels of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to the Middle East where he tried to sell some skeptical Arab Gulf allies on the Iran agreement, but he skipped Israel. Should he have met, stopped off at Israel on his way back and met with Prime Minister Netanyahu as well? What do you think?

KUSTOFF: I think that with Secretary Rubio and all the diplomats with the United States and all the officials, we are in constant contact with the Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu. I know you've reported quite a bit. The phone calls that President Trump and Netanyahu have almost on a daily basis or a near-daily basis, I think that what Secretary Rubio was doing was obviously trying to set the stage for what these next 60 days lay in store and what happens after those 60 days.

There will be plenty of time to go back and visit with the Israelis, but the Trump administration does a really good job, obviously, of staying in contact with the Israelis and with all these other Arab partners who are so important, Wolf, to making sure that this agreement follows suit after the expiration of 60 days.

BLITZER: We're talking about Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar. These are very, very important Gulf Arab allies of the U.S. As you know, Congressman, Secretary Rubio has also tried to separate the Israel-Lebanon talks from the U.S.-Iran negotiations, but Iran insists the two issues are directly intertwined. There are now reports that Israel launched airstrikes on targets, Hezbollah targets, in southern Lebanon. What's your message to the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu right now?

KUSTOFF: I think Israel has to do what Israel has to do in order to keep itself safe and secure. I'd like to make sure that the Iranians instruct all their proxies, including Hezbollah, to cease. This is a great opportunity for everybody in that region to strike a different chord and a new path. And as you were, Wolf, talking a moment ago about UAE and Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, you think about the realignment politically of those countries in these last several months.

Iran has struck at all of them, and they are becoming more aligned with us and, frankly, more aligned with Israel. I think the goal for the United States, the goal for the Israelis, the goal for Iran, and everybody else is peace. Let's make peace work. So hopefully the Iranians will have some control over their proxies, including Hezbollah, and let's give this 60-day agreement a chance to work.

[11:20:18]

BLITZER: Congressman David Kustoff, thanks as usual for joining us. Appreciate it very much.

KUSTOFF: Thank you, sir.

BLITZER: And coming up, a dangerously close. The FAA is now looking into this viral video as a Boeing 777 came just feet from the ground. Look at this.

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[11:25:00]

BLITZER: There's breaking news we're following. We just got a ruling in a court hearing for the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk last year. Let's go to CNN's senior correspondent Josh Campbell. Josh, what more are we learning from this hearing? What about this ruling?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, the hearing's still underway, the ruling came literally just seconds ago as we were coming out of break here. I'll set this up. What the defendant here, Tyler Robinson, his attorneys, had alleged was that the prosecutor in the case had violated an order from the judge saying that neither side could speak to the media, and this all centered around a filing that the defense had in this case, essentially trying to characterize a ballistics report from the ATF about the gun that was allegedly used by Robinson to shoot conservative activist, Charlie Kirk.

What the defense was saying is that the ATF determined that the bullet that was fired did not match the gun. What the prosecutor said is that that was highly misleading, and he was trying to correct the record. He had talked to different media outlets, basically saying that when the ATF says they can't connect a bullet to a gun, that doesn't mean it was fired. It just means they don't know. It was those sets of statements that caused the defense to try to hold the prosecutor in contempt.

The ruling came down just now. The prosecution, Christopher Ballard, the state prosecutor, is now held in civil contempt the judge ruling. What Robinson's side has asked was that a remedy for all of this, with the prosecutor speaking to the press against the judge's order, is that the judge remove the death penalty from the table, to take that off the table here as a remedy for those statements to the media. The judge is saying he's not going to do that. The death penalty is still on the table in this case. However, the judge, and we're still waiting for the final ruling and all the remedies that he's going to consider. One thing he did say, though, is that he will consider expanding the jury pool, possibly whenever it gets around to that part of this trial, to add additional questions to jurors that both the defense and the prosecutors can ask prospective jurors during their initial voir dire process. And it's all an attempt to try to determine were you influenced by what you may have seen in the media about this case.

So really a significant development here for both sides. The prosecutor, again, has been held in civil contempt, but the main thing that Tyler Robinson's team was trying to do to remove the death penalty, Wolf, that is now still on the table. So the prosecution will continue. Of course, we'll have to wait and see whether there are any other penalties that the judge will assess on the prosecutor here.

BLITZER: We'll see what happens. All right, our senior correspondent, Josh Campbell, thank you very, very much.

Still ahead, a twist in the trial of the man charged with starting the deadly Palisades fires by the whole case potentially could be dismissed.

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