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DOJ Rebuffs Judge's Request for AG Blanche to Confirm Anti- Weaponization Fund is Stopped; Interview with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): U.S.-Iran Talks Delayed After Israel-Hezbollah Clashes Strain Truce; Trump Speaks During Event Unveiling New Air Force One; Trump Awards Medal of Honor to 3 Vietnam and Afghanistan Veterans. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired June 19, 2026 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... over what's happened, the death of this young man, but they believe that their industry can continue to operate and that in fact, it does so safely. They point out the fact that this has never happened. We've never had a fatality involving a rider in more than 100 years.

They've also put in place several measures to improve conditions for the horses. For example, Boris, horses have mandatory vacation here in New York City. That was part of what was put in place a few years ago when they tried to ban the industry then.

And then of course they say, this is the livelihood and the jobs of hundreds of people that would be without employment if the industry were to be banned. Lastly, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has indicated that he is supportive of banning the industry doing away with the carriage horses, but how they get there and what to do about the union jobs is going to be part of that debate -- Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Gloria Pazmino live for us in Manhattan. Thank you so much.

As we await President Trump, CNN has also learned that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a renewed ceasefire after a day of deadly strikes threatened to derail U.S. and Iran peace talks.

We've got the latest in just moments.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: In some breaking news, the Justice Department is pushing back against a judge's request that it supply a court declaration form from, excuse me, senior administration officials that would confirm that the so-called anti-weaponization fund is not moving forward. I want to bring in CNN's Katelyn Polantz, who joins us now. So what is the significance of this?

What more are you learning? KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Omar, the Justice Department, they just don't want to have to put anything else in writing about their plans or no plans that they may have to move forward on paying people that Donald Trump believes were the objects of weaponization by previous justice departments. That could include January 6 rioters. Last week, there was a federal judge that said, if you really are not moving forward with this $1.8 billion planned payout to people who have supported Donald Trump, put it in writing under penalty of perjury. She wanted that by today. The Justice Department, though, they're hitting back and they're saying in the judicial equivalent -- and this is some technical terms -- they're saying, you can't make us, essentially.

Omar, they write here, such declarations are unnecessary, and the compelled testimony of senior officials from the executive branch implicates serious separation of powers concerns.

So they're telling this federal judge, Leonie Brinkema, in the federal court in Alexandria, that they are not going to have cabinet members, including the acting attorney, Todd Blanche, put in a sworn statement that the anti-weaponization fund is moving forward. They're saying that their court filings alone are enough for the judge to look at to say they don't have plans to move forward. Although there's a lot of inquiry about, doesn't the president still want this fund and these payouts to people, including January 6 rioters?

Is there some other plan to make something like that happen? The Justice Department just isn't willing to go there, though, under penalty of perjury.

JIMENEZ: Another chapter in the saga. Katelyn Polantz, appreciate the reporting -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Let's discuss this and other issues with Illinois Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. He's a member of the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for being with us.

So on this news that the DOJ is rebuffing the judge's request for a court declaration on the anti-weaponization fund, do you think a court declaration is necessary?

REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-IL), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Yes, and I think that the fact that they refuse means that this thing is not dead. This anti-weaponization fund is not dead, even though pretty much Republicans and Democrats across the spectrum want it to be dead.

SANCHEZ: Well, you're urging Senate Majority Leader John Thune not to confirm now acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as AG. I mean, do you think this is a make or break issue? Because Congress had an opportunity to address this.

Your colleagues in the Senate did just a few weeks ago, and they deny this amendment move forward that essentially struck the idea of an anti-weaponization fund.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Yes, I think it is one of those make or break issues. The other one being the whole handling of this ghastly sex trafficking ring perpetrated by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Blanche basically handled this whole matter.

He was the one that prevented the full disclosure of the files. He's the one that actually gave Ghislaine Maxwell a platform to kind of proclaim her bogus claims of innocence. And I believe that he's just not fit to be Attorney General.

He is the president's personal lawyer, and that's not the same as being Attorney General for the United States.

SANCHEZ: If there is widespread bipartisan support for nipping this weaponization fund in the bud, why not have Congress act in a bipartisan fashion and just send a statement to the White House about checks and balances and about where it stands regarding payments to January 6th rioters?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, I think it has to be more than a statement. I think that it might need to be a legislation that becomes law. Because at this point, I just don't think that the president gets it.

He doesn't understand or he doesn't want to understand that I think not only do Republicans and Democrats in Congress oppose it, but the American people oppose this. They don't want any money going to people who fomented this insurrection on January 6th, 2021.

[15:40:00]

SANCHEZ: Yes, and my question was more about the bipartisan support because there have been Republican members of Congress that have not wanted to answer directly about their support for this. Your sense is that there is enough support to pass some kind of legislation to block it?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Yes, there's actually a bill in the House that would be a -- it's now, I think, going to be a discharge petition, yet another discharge petition to get it to come to the floor. And I think it's going to have renewed support, especially after these antics that we see today.

SANCHEZ: Congressman, I also wanted to get your thoughts on the situation with Iran. Technical talks were set to begin today. They didn't kick off as planned.

But the 60 day window for negotiations is now open. I wonder what you think needs to happen in order for this framework to succeed.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, I think that there has to be a serious negotiation. But I have to just say that this initial framework is very problematic to me because not only does it give this sanctions relief, it doesn't talk about enrichment or ballistic missiles or support for proxies by Iran. But it basically sanctions Iran's control, de facto control of the Strait of Hormuz.

And so I fear that we're going to see tolling and will ultimately, as Americans, pay some kind of gas tax to the Iranians of all people because of this situation. So I just don't like this this whole framework. And it's the product of an illegal and unconstitutional war, which the American people opposed from the start.

And now we see that we're probably worse off now than we were before the start of this conflict.

SANCHEZ: If hostilities did not yield to Iran allowing free flow through the Strait, what do you think the U.S. needs to do now to secure that? How far should they go if they're not going to offer sanctions relief?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, look, I think that this is one of those things where we have to work with our friends, partners and allies and even potential adversaries like China to come to the table to put pressure on Iran, because that's the only way, in my opinion, that they're going to give in on any of these potential demands. Acting alone, if Donald Trump is going to be negotiating through tweets and Truth Social, then we're doomed. And this ceasefire is just going to erupt into more conflict.

And this is going to become yet another kind of never ending war in the Middle East.

SANCHEZ: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, we have to leave the conversation there. Always appreciate your time and perspective.

KRISHNAMOORTHI: Thank you so much.

SANCHEZ: Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

[15:45:00]

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JIMENEZ: I want to get you all to Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington, D.C., where the president is speaking to unveil a new presidential aircraft. Let's get you there now.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, thank you very much. And before we begin on the plane, this is a brand new hangar, because, as you probably have learned, these planes are much bigger. The other plane was about 35 years old.

And it was time. And the president of the United States, numerous of them, would land. And they'd be standing next to one of the new 747s.

And the biggest difference is the difference in size. It's like virtually double the size. And actually, on a runway, it looks even more so.

And I said to myself, you know, these countries, they have a lot of respect for us, a lot. And yet, they have a plane that's much better and much newer. It's a little ridiculous out there.

And we have our signal. And we have our beautiful American flag. And we put the wave in it, as you know. We've always gone with a straight little noodle. And I never loved that. Now we have a wavy, beautiful flag.

We're waving it proudly because our country is doing so well. Our country is doing so well. Those ships are flowing out of the Hormuz Strait like nobody's ever seen before, actually.

There were a lot of them, about 700 of them. And they're pouring out. The oil is all over the place.

You're going to see oil drop so low. I hope the companies are happy about it. But we have a lot of victories.

We had a great victory in Venezuela, where we're now doing really well with the government. The big companies are all in there, the oil companies. They're building rigs.

And we've paid for that war. Many, many times over, we're running it. And again, we have a fantastic relationship with the people of Venezuela.

Venezuela has become a happy country because they have never made the money that they're making now. We take some, and they take some. But I just want to thank the general for the job, Razin Caine.

I liked his name right away. I had Razin Caine. And he does.

He raises cane, and he's very quiet about it. But he knows how to win. I knew that a long time ago.

I said, if I ever get back here, I know the guy I'm going to put in charge of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And I got my man. So thank you, General.

Great job. We're proud of you. And all of the people.

I mean, we have the greatest military anywhere in the world. And you saw that in Iran, where in one week, virtually, we knocked out their entire Navy, their entire Air Force, their anti-missile weapons, their radar. We knocked out everything.

[15:50:00]

Now, some of the fake news would say, oh, we didn't do it fast enough. We took about a week. We're a little spoiled by Venezuela. But equal. I would say equal.

And now we have an agreement that was signed last night. And it's 60 days. They have to make a deal.

Otherwise, we will do things that won't make them happy. But I don't think it's going to get to that. I think it's going to be very good.

Remember, if we do that, then all of a sudden, you're not going to have the oil flowing out of the Strait too quickly. Because people that own billion-dollar ships don't love missiles flying over them, don't love mines all over the water. And this is going to be amazing, what's happening now, because we have the greatest economy that we've ever had.

We have $19.2 trillion coming into our country from other countries and people. But a lot of other countries are coming in, including Qatar, who was so nice in providing it. We were at a little bit of a logjam.

We're waiting for the, I call them the normal 747s. And I asked the emir if we could use the brand new 747 that he got when we first heard about it, 800 hours. 800 hours for an airplane is essentially -- I think, Troy, you could say, that's a brand new plane.

And I said, we'd like to use it for a little while, because the planes are pretty old. Our planes are old. See, a normal president wouldn't do this.

A normal president wants to stay away from aircraft. We don't want to order any aircraft so that everybody thinks, but our country has to be represented properly. That includes with, we have the greatest military in the world, we have the greatest aircraft anywhere in the world, military fighters and bombers.

And the B-2 bomber, you saw what that did. And we should have a plane. And we're going to have, as you know, we ordered two for a long time ago, they ordered.

And they're coming in. And the hangar was built for the large plane. The other plane is such a difference in size.

But there will never be one like this. This is very unique. This is considered the world's most luxurious plane ...

JIMENEZ: And we're going to continue to monitor President Trump's remarks there. But I want to get to an interview that we have, where one, three American war heroes have finally received the nation's highest military honor. President Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to retired Marine Major James Capers for extraordinary heroism in Vietnam.

Army Major Nicholas Dockery also received the medal for his gallantry that went above and beyond the call of duty in Afghanistan. And then the president also presented a case medal to the son of the late Marine Colonel John Ripley. Capers, though, had to wait the longest for his medal.

The first Black enlisted Marine to earn a battlefield commission, he waited almost six decades to be recognized for his actions leading a reconnaissance platoon in Vietnam.

Joining me are Army veteran Curtez Riggs, founder -- excuse me, executive at Recurrent Military, and Special Forces veteran Ruben Ayala, co-producer of the docuseries "Black Ops" and co-author of the book, "Follow Me, Leadership Lessons from the Shadows That Shape Extraordinary Leaders." Really appreciate you both being here. Curtis, I just want to start with you. Major Capers just got this Medal of Honor for heroic actions in South Vietnam back in 1967. Why did it take so long for him to get this recognition?

CURTEZ RIGGS, ARMY VETERAN AND FOUNDER, THE MILITARY INFLUENCER CONFERENCE: So I can't give you a definitive answer on why it took so long, but I'll start by saying it took 58 years of his story to continue circulating amongst advocates, friends, key leaders across the Department of Defense. Finally, it got to a point where it received bipartisan support, and now we're in a position where yesterday we finally were able to highlight his accomplishments, and he received his laurels, which was the Medal of Honor.

JIMENEZ: And Ruben, I mean, just to see that after so many years of waiting, and I know that's something that you really highlight in the docuseries as well, can you just tell us more about Major Capers and the story you tell about him?

RUBEN AYALA, SPECIAL FORCES VETERAN AND CO-FOUNDER, BLK OPS: Yes, absolutely. For us, it was key to really focus on the human journey for Major Capers. Getting a chance to meet him almost three years ago and taking that opportunity to go to his house and learn what he did in those period of 58 years, and for us, being able to document that, meet so many people along that journey, and really helped us craft a solid team that can help us get the Medal of Honor over the line, because that's really a tough task for anybody.

JIMENEZ: Yes, I mean, and Curtez, you were talking sort of about the story kind of sometimes needs to keep circulating so people understand the gravity and why this is actually needed in the way that it is. You know, this happened at the White House yesterday.

[15:55:00]

Here we are on Juneteenth, and look, I don't know how exactly everything was planned here, but how much significance do you see him in finally getting this honor at 88 years old, on the eve of Juneteenth, knowing how difficult it was for a lot of Black veterans at the time coming back home after serving in places like Vietnam?

RIGGS: Well, if we could just think back to his history of service as a Black American, as a Black service member, I'm sure that his journey wasn't easy. So the significance of him receiving the Medal of Honor right before Juneteenth, it just goes to show that recognition is sometimes delayed, but once it's received, it's definitely recognized. So for us, we just want to continue telling his stories, and across the board, everything that we do is about telling stories.

From recurrent military and the brands that we use to tell stories, with the Black Ops Foundation, and everything that we do, we're all about telling stories and highlighting those underrepresented individuals who've done phenomenal things. They just don't have a voice to get their story out in front of the people who need to hear it.

JIMENEZ: And Ruben, you tell those untold stories of many Black special ops veterans. What do you see as the through line in those stories?

AYALA: The through line is the human journey, and that's the bottom line. One thing that we -- and when I say we, our team, what we decided early on when we decided to do a documentary, we didn't want to focus on war stories. I think those are pretty proliferate.

You can go on any YouTube channel, on podcasts, and people are talking about their exploits down range. We really wanted to focus on what does it take for somebody to go into a field that is really elite, and then what they do afterwards, and that's what we really focused on.

JIMENEZ: It's incredible the work that you guys did. Really appreciate you being here. Curtez Riggs, Ruben Ayala, thank you.

RIGGS: Thank you.

AYALA: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: Appreciate it. All right, "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts after a quick break.

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