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CNN This Morning

Trump Picks Ally Pam Bondi for Attorney General; Russia Hits Ukraine with New Ballistic Missile; Possible Record-Breaking Rain in Northern California. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired November 22, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It's Friday, November 22. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING.

[05:59:19]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM BONDI, FORMER FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: The prosecutors will be prosecuted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Waiting in the wings. Donald Trump taps his second attorney general pick after Matt Gaetz bows out.

And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire everybody involved. And we need to overhaul DOJ and the FBI.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Overhauling the FBI.

Trump's plans to shake up that agency in his second term.

And Vladimir Putin's message to the West. Russia launching a new missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

And later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've seen it around here a lot of times. I've never seen it this bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Record rainfall, more to come. The punishing storm inching its way across the Northwest.

Six a.m. here on the East Coast. It is snowing in New York City. Did we just, like, skip Fall entirely and go straight to winter? Totally wild.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.

All right, let's meet the person that Donald Trump wants to be the next attorney general, different than it was yesterday. No. Not him. It's not Matt Gaetz.

Matt Gaetz is out, one week after resigning his seat in Congress to go after that role in Trump's cabinet. When he announced his withdrawal, Gaetz said his nomination because a, quote, "needly protracted Washington scuffle," end quote. Is that what it was?

More importantly, he didn't have the support of enough Republican senators to win confirmation. According to reporting in "The New York Times," Gaetz concluded that at least four Republican senators were not going to support his nomination: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and the newly elected John Curtis of Utah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): It was made clear that there's not a path, and if there's not a path, you -- you just -- you just spend a lot of political capital for a losing cause. And it wouldn't have been worth it.

I know enough people that were a hell no in the -- in the conference to know that the path would have been very, very difficult, if possible. And I doubt it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Donald Trump wasted no time moving to his second choice for attorney general in the last eight days, going from a Florida man to a Florida woman: former Florida state attorney general Pam Bondi.

Bondi has become a Trump loyalist. It goes back to the first administration. She served as a lawyer and adviser for Trump during his impeachment.

She also pushed Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONDI: We are still on the ground in Pennsylvania. I'm here right now, and we are not going anywhere until they declare that we won Pennsylvania.

We know that ballots have been dumped. There were ballots that were found early on. We've heard that people were receiving ballots that -- that were dead. You know, the thing that's happening all over --

STEVE DOOCY, CO-HOST, NEWS NEWS'S "FOX AND FRIENDS": Were they legal ballots? BONDI: It is about the integrity of this election. And every vote, as

mayor Giuliani said, in every state must be counted fairly.

We need to fix this. We need to remedy -- remedy this now, because we've won Pennsylvania. And we want every vote to be counted in a fair way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: And here's what Bondi said about the department that she now hopes to lead just last August.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONDI: The prosecutors will be prosecuted. The bad ones. The investigators will be investigated. Because the deep state last term for President Trump, they were hiding in the shadows but now they have a spotlight on them. And they can all be investigated. And the house needs to be cleaned out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right. Our panel is here: Molly Ball, senior political correspondent for "The Wall Street Journal"; Dana Milbank, political columnist for "The Washington Post"; Kate Bedingfield, CNN political commentator, former Biden White House communications director; and Brad Todd, CNN political commentator, Republican strategist.

Welcome to all of you. Thank you so much for being here.

Brad, you know, I think you said it here first, a couple of days ago, that there was no way Matt Gaetz was going to go through. And clearly, there were probably way more than just four people who were going to oppose this nomination.

BRAD TODD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Eight, 12, 14. I mean, I think he had a real problem, and it was obvious to everyone. And I think they knew that when they nominated Matt Gaetz.

Matt Gaetz now hopes to get out of the ethics report coming out in the House. He gets to go home, having proven he's close to Donald Trump. Maybe mount a run for governor of Florida.

So, in the end, everyone may get a consolation prize. You know, maybe like "The Price is Right," you take something home.

HUNT: Pam Bondi, Molly Ball, has been on the political scene. I first covered her when she flew around with Mitt Romney in campaigning in Florida. I think those of us who -- you know, we were texting each other about this development last night, because not necessarily something that had been expected.

But, I mean, to Brad's point, she compared to Matt Gaetz, that comparison is -- you know, they're worlds apart, even if there might be people who would raise questions about her nomination. MOLLY BALL, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL":

Well, and although she has those, as you say, more establishment bonafides than a Matt Gaetz, she also is someone who has been a Trump loyalist. Right?

She was very early to endorse him in 2016, when a lot of people in Florida were on board with other candidates, when Trump was viewed much more skeptically.

And she's been loyal to him throughout. You know, defending him in the impeachment, as you noted before.

So, I think she is viewed as someone who can sort of bridge the traditional Republican establishment and sort of MAGA world, because she obviously has been very loyal to Trump. And -- but she has more traditional experience, particularly compared to someone like Matt Gaetz, who had barely practiced law.

The fact that she has actually been a state attorney general for two terms, that she has done the more traditional, you know, has prosecutorial experience and that sort of thing, I think is going to really warm the hearts of a lot of Republican senators who were having so much heartburn over Matt Gaetz and who didn't, who frankly didn't know where to start with him.

You know, was it -- was it the lack of qualifications that was most disturbing? Was it the ethics stuff? Was it other stuff? Was it his, you know?

HUNT: By ethics stuff, you mean possibly having sex with a minor? All of that, possibly multiple occasions?

BALL: Yes.

HUNT: Yes. Dana.

DANA MILBANK, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, look, I don't want to attribute any strategy to the president-elect here. But it is kind of genius to put Matt Gaetz out there as sort of a stalking horse. And anybody you put up after that is going to look reasonable.

So, I think -- I think a little bit of that is what's happening here.

I mean, overall, he's set up -- it's largely a vanity project, right? It's a -- it's an administration full of loyalists. It's a lot of FOX News contributors.

So, in a vacuum I think we'd be saying, wow. I mean, none of these guys seem to have any particular relevant experience for the job.

But, you know, I mean, as somebody who's worried about what the Trump administration may be doing, I'm saying, well, thank God for that, because there's not necessarily a whole lot of competence.

TODD: But he should get loyalists. He should. Right? No president doesn't go for loyalists.

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, sure. I mean, you kind of -- you kind of segued into what I was going to say, which is that, yes, she absolutely benefits from not being Matt Gaetz. I mean, you want to follow the person who, you know, went down in flames, you know, that you're just -- you're going to benefit by comparison.

But I don't think we should lose sight of the fact. I mean, she is an ardent 2020 -- she was an ardent 2020 election denier. I mean, there are still fundamental questions about whether somebody being appointed to run the Justice Department should be somebody who's willing to just blatantly lie on behalf of the president.

And so, you know, yes, obviously, Matt Gaetz's character flaws, shall we say, and complete lack of experience for the job makes her look better by comparison. But she is still somebody who has been willing to just lie when Trump asked her to. And that's -- I think that should be of concern to people.

HUNT: Brad, I take your point about loyalty. I mean, every president.

BEDINGFIELD: Of course.

HUNT: Yes, you know, of course, wants to appoint -- and that's kind -- that's how it works, right?

But is there a difference, in your view, between loyalty and fealty? And is there a difference on this specific job of attorney general, where there is supposed to be some presumed independence in terms of --

TODD: Wait a minute, though. I mean, Pam Bondi has been the attorney general of one of the largest states in the country, one of the most -- and Florida is an active state in multi-state litigation. Like, she has a long track record here. She's --

HUNT: I'm not trying to raise a question about her experience. I'm asking the question about, in this particular role, and how loyalty -- does it then go to fealty, and how does that play out?

TODD: I think every Republican senator, all 53, expect the attorney general to go to the Department of Justice and make heads roll.

I mean, Republicans do not think this agency currently is functioning in a nonpartisan, neutral way. And justice must be neutral.

So, I think that absolutely hope that Pam Bondi goes over there and does what Donald Trump wants, which is to clean house.

HUNT: So, you expect she'll be confirmed?

TODD: Yes, I do.

HUNT: All right. Coming up here on CNN THIS MORNING, we touched on it a little bit, but we're going to have a longer conversation about what is next for Matt Gaetz. Is it another position in Trump's administration? Will he run for governor? Can he just go back to Congress? We'll discuss.

Plus, a major upset. A three-term Democrat concedes his Senate race in Pennsylvania.

And the flood threat in California. Not over just yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saw the water rising a bit. Started to freak out, so we put some bags out just in time.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "I don't intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress to pursue the position of attorney general in the Trump administration." Signed sincerely, Matt Gaetz, member of Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Well, that happened fast. Matt Gaetz quickly resigned from his House seat after President-elect Trump named him as his pick for A.G.

That is, he is not being considered for that anymore, and his future is now unclear. Axios reports, quote, "Gaetz's potential path back to Congress is a legal gray area," according to government experts.

While Politico reports that, if Gaetz does want to return, the Hill seems prepared to punt that decision to DeSantis and Florida's secretary of state, Cord Byrd.

And that House Ethics report looking into Gaetz's alleged sexual misconduct? Members are torn on the fate of that, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHAEL GUEST (R-MI): I think that this should end the discussion of whether or not the Ethics Committee should continue to move forward in this matter.

REP. GLENN IVEY (D-MD): There's certainly precedent for releasing Ethics Committee reports after someone has retired from the Congress. There's even precedent for releasing it after someone has passed away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: So, Brad, you mentioned this at the -- at the top of the show.

First of all, there is precedent for the Ethics Committee to release a report after members have left. They've done it before. They could do it again. But what do you think Gaetz's actual future is? Everyone was trying to

read the tea leaves. This was Ginger Gaetz, who is Matt Gaetz's wife. She put up this, saying, "The end of an era." You know, retweeting him, the speculation being that that meant that, you know, he's not going to come back to Congress.

What are the options for Gaetz going forward?

TODD: Well, I think if he comes back to the Congress, the ethics charges will be renewed. And this time, fact finding will not take too long, because the facts have already been found.

So, I don't think he wants to do that. I think it's a sword of Damocles hanging over him.

So, I think he'll go back to Florida. There's an open governor seat coming. He's now got national name recognition. He's got a national email list to try to fundraise from. He's a power base. His dad's still in the state Senate.

I think that's what you'll see him do. I think you'll see him go back to Florida, give speeches. Maybe he goes in the administration in some non-confirmable position to bide some time for a year, but I don't think he's coming back to the Congress.

HUNT: Dana, do you think with -- without the backing from, you know, the Ethics Committee -- Republicans on the Ethics Committee basically listened to Trump and Speaker Johnson and said, OK, yes, yes, fine. We'll bury this report.

[06:15:10]

Do you think, in the absence of Trump, like, pushing for him, that they'll say, well, actually, you know, maybe this should be -- maybe we do like, not like Gaetz so much, that this should be public?

MILBANK: I don't think I can think of any figure who's as unpopular within his own party on Capitol Hill as Matt Gaetz is. So, I -- it wouldn't surprise me at all to see them put that sort of thing out.

And, I mean, I know technically, yes, he could go back to Congress. I don't think that suits him. And man, there's 220 Republicans who really don't want to see that.

So, I think Brad's right. You know, he's already, you know -- a year or two ago he was talking about the governor's run. Yes. And maybe he can have a little sinecure in the administration until then.

BEDINGFIELD: But can I just say also, if he goes and runs for governor, there will be opponents digging up oppo, trying to get their hands on that report, and putting it out there. I mean, just -- just because he goes and runs for governor doesn't make him immune from the political ramifications of people who will be gunning to take him down in that race.

And I would -- I would imagine that, even if the report is not officially released, it will make its way into the bloodstream if he's running for governor.

HUNT: Well, and Molly, this goes back to this question about, you know, Donald Trump has broken so many rules and maintained support from voters, despite a whole range of conduct that, in the past, people would have assumed would be disqualifying.

This does raise the question to me, is -- do those rules still only apply to Donald Trump? Right? Because here we have someone who has, you know, allegations that are obviously extraordinarily troubling, and he seems to be paying a price for it, in a way that perhaps Trump himself would not.

BALL: Yes. No, I think that's the only way that that there might be a sort of downside for Gaetz out of this episode.

I mean, for the most part, you know, people I've talked to say he can write his own ticket in MAGA world, right? He's shown himself to be extremely loyal to Trump. He's shown himself to be willing to, you know, put himself out there and put himself up for -- for this position and take a lot of heat for it.

If he wanted a position in the administration, it's likely he could find something. As -- as Dana said, he's been talking about running for governor for some time and has been expected to enter that field.

But it's likely to be a crowded field. And I think, to -- to Kate's point, he's not going to be the only Republican in that primary. He has made a lot of enemies, mostly in Washington, but some in Florida, as well.

And -- and because it's such a strong red state now, there's just a lot of Republicans and a lot of Trump-loving Republicans who see themselves as potential candidates for that office. So, it's not going to be a clean shot for him in any way.

And the fact that this has all been now aired out in public, whether or not that report comes out, I think it just has -- has -- has made it a much bigger story than it might otherwise have been.

You know, had -- had this episode never happened. Yes. Everyone would know. Oh, he was, you know, investigated by the Ethics Committee or whatever. But -- but I don't think there would be quite as much focus on it or as much public knowledge about what exactly he was charged with.

HUNT: He wouldn't have penetrated our consciousness.

BALL: Yes.

HUNT: No pun intended.

Yikes. All right. Sorry. It's a family program.

Coming up next on CNN THIS MORNING, Donald Trump gearing up for his next fight. Michael Smerconish is here to discuss Trump's second administration and the team he's been assembling. Plus, a severe escalation. How will Ukraine respond after Russia tests out a new missile on the Eastern front? We're live in Kyiv after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:22:43]

HUNT: Welcome back.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling Russia's latest attack a severe escalation of war.

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(MISSILE EXPLOSION)

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HUNT: Russian President Vladimir Putin says the new non-nuclear missile targeted at the Dnipro region on Thursday came in response to Ukraine firing American missiles into Russia earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military objects of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our objects. And in the event of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond just as decisively and in kind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is live for us in Kyiv.

Nick, the Ukrainian military claimed -- had claimed earlier that the weapon used by the Russians was an ICBM. And of course, that raised serious alarm in the West.

You're in the field. Explain what we're seeing and what's happening there.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, I mean, it's important not to get caught up on how you would classify a weapon that does appear to have not been used or seen by many Western officials until yesterday.

What is clear at this point, from the speech from the Kremlin head, is that he called this the Oreshkin, the -- sorry, the Oreshnik, the hazelnut, and said this was a new non-nuclear hypersonic missile.

Western officials have pointed out the fact that it's clear, from the visuals you can see, that this used multiple separate warheads that came from one particular missile. And MIRV are multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles. You can see in the video the multiple different strikes that came from

this one singular device. That sort of mechanism is normally associated with a nuclear payload but wasn't used in this case.

And indeed, the range over which it was fired would probably classify as a medium-range ballistic missile, even though it's probably able to fly a further distance.

What we've heard from Ukrainian defense officials today: their intelligence calling this the Kedder (ph) missile and making a fairly similar conclusion.

But I think the underlying message here was the Kremlin trying to show that they have new tools in their arsenal, tools that you might normally associate with nuclear payloads; and that they're able and willing to use them now in a conflict like this.

[06:25:03]

And most importantly, the message from the Kremlin head: these can evade all Western air defenses and, of course, air defenses here in Ukraine, as well.

Hearing from the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, today, he has called this a response to western escalation that he called reckless escalation -- escalation. Both sides accusing the other of recklessness here.

And now, the use of an extraordinary new weapon, it seems, by the Kremlin, trying to send a signal. Whether that's heard, whether that dampens tensions. Highly unlikely. Casey.

HUNT: All right. Nick Paton Walsh for us, live in Kyiv. Nick, always grateful to have you. Thanks very much for being there.

All right. Time now for weather. Parts of California, the Pacific Northwest, facing potentially record-breaking rainfall and flooding. Whiteout conditions with nearly two feet of mountain snow also there.

Let's get to our meteorologist. Our weatherman, Derek van Dam. Derek, it's back. The polar bear. This is the best Friday video we have all day. What are you seeing?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Who doesn't want to start their weekend off on this note? Right? A polar bear playing around in the first snow of the season. Chicagoites, they got to enjoy it today. Yesterday, as well. Three inches of snow for them at O'Hare.

You have to go back to March of this year for their last measurable snowfall. So, it's been some time.

Now, this is the storm system responsible for bringing the snowfall to parts of the Midwest. It's now bringing snow to the Catskills and the higher elevations of central Pennsylvania.

But remember that little fire that we talked about in Northern New Jersey, the Jennings Creek Fire that sent smoke billowing into New York City? Unfortunately, killed a firefighter, as well.

Well, there are elevations here that are reporting over a half a foot of snowfall. So Mother Nature doing its best to help quell and extinguish that flame. Ninety percent containment; likely be completely contained by the weekend.

This is the evolution of the storm system. It will bring rainfall to the coastal areas of New England. Temperatures are actually going to warm up, so any snow that falls on the ground, it's going to melt by the end of the weekend. Hate to be the bearer of bad news.

Here's the atmospheric river over the West Coast. Look at these rainfall totals into California. Nearly a foot and a half.

And Mama Mia, Kasie, we've got problems here. Vineyards in Sonoma County have been flooded by this rain. Not good.

HUNT: That's depressing.

VAN DAM: It is.

HUNT: Let's bring back the polar bear.

VAN DAM: I don't want to see my wine prices go up. Bring back the polar bear. Yes. How do I get to that video?

HUNT: All right. Well, I hope those -- our thoughts with those farmers who have vineyards --

VAN DAM: For sure.

HUNT: -- who are going to have a tough road ahead.

Derek van Dam for us this morning.

VAN DAM: That's true.

HUNT: Derek, thank you. Have a good weekend.

VAN DAM: All right.

HUNT: All right. Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, it's a case that dominated headlines. In our morning roundup, actor Jussie Smollett's guilty verdict in a hate crime hoax thrown out.

Plus, Donald Trump's potential shakeup of the FBI.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopening the next day as a museum of the deep state.

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