Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Sources: Search Warrants Executed In New York; Trump's Trip Back To Washington; Netanyahu Takes Stand In His Corruption Trial. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired December 13, 2024 - 05:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:30:06]

KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: All right. 5:30 A.M. here on the East Coast. Live look at Dallas, Texas, where it is 4:30 A.M. Central Time.

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

Developing this morning, pushing for answers. Sources tell CNN that authorities in New York have executed at least three search warrants in the case against suspected CEO killer, Luigi Mangione.

At least two of the warrants include the backpack found in Central Park and the burner phone found near the crime scene.

ABC News reports the Manhattan District Attorney's Office is already presenting evidence to a grand jury. Investigators are working to piece together a motive. The words delay, deny, depose, written on the bullets match the title of a book criticizing the insurance industry. Although a UnitedHealthcare spokesperson says Mangione was not a member.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH KENNY, NYPD CHIEF OF DETECTIVES: We have no indication that he was ever a client of United Healthcare, but he does make mention that it is the fifth largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest healthcare organization in America. So that's possibly why he targeted that company.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Joining us now is Joey Jackson CNN legal analyst, criminal defense attorney. Joey, good morning to you.

So, apparently, we're learning that neither Mangione nor his mother were members of UnitedHealthcare. How do you read this piece of information and how will it help investigators understand his motive?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: And so I think, Kasie, the first thing to talk about -- good morning to you -- is in terms of prosecutions, you don't have to establish motive generally. And what do I mean? All you have to establish is that a person committed a crime. Now that does not mean that a panel of 12 jurors do not want to know. Inquiring minds always want to know how and why did you do this, right? What was the essence, the purpose, the basis for which you would engage in this activity?

But in general terms, you do not have to establish what the purpose was or what your philosophy was.

In this case, potentially, you could be looking at authorities wanting to know that to see whether he committed an act of terrorism, right? Whether you're coercing a civilian population for purposes of espousing a particular point of view.

And so potentially, that's the basis or reason. It could simply be that they, as investigators, want to do a thorough job, and in addition to finding the physical evidence they found already matching him to the scene, whether it be the fingerprints on the water bottle and the alley he went into, the wrapper that they found, the -- a cereal bar with his fingerprint, other significant and compelling evidence of manifesto that they just want to build the case.

In terms of the healthcare issue, you know, he didn't have to be insured by UnitedHealthcare, nor did a family member. He is the -- was noted by the authority, right, New York police department, New York City police department, really not only in terms of a corporate point of view and his dislike of the corporate situation, but specifically the healthcare industry and why he targeted it.

So I don't think that, you know, simply going after the face of an industry, whether you're insured or not, the fact that you're not insured doesn't minimize what you did or otherwise take away from the essence of what you did or really why you did it.

HUNT: Joey, can we also talk briefly about the grand jury that has apparently been convened to look at this evidence in New York? What will the process be there and how quickly do you expect them to act?

JACKSON: So what happens, Kasie, is that a grand jury is a body of people who don't find guilt beyond the reasonable doubt. The body of people consists of 23. A simple majority need to be convinced that, A, there's reason to believe that a crime was committed and, B, that you committed it, right? A simple majority.

The standards of proof are not, again, beyond reasonable doubt. You could hear hearsay and other evidence. And if a majority of those grand jurors, right, that is of the 23 grand jurors, 12 conclude that there's reason to believe here, you get indicted. They issue a true bill.

[05:35:06]

When you go to a grand jury, it not -- a judge is not there as we look at the fake licenses, et cetera, that Luigi Mangione had. So a judge is not there. It's simply controlled by prosecutors. And they admit all types of evidence. What evidence did we find? Where did we find it? Where did it come from? Was it the evidence in Pennsylvania when he was caught? Is it the evidence in New York?

Ultimately, after that's wrapped up, they issue an indictment. In terms of the speed of it, remember, we're dealing with the issue of extradition. That is, he's in Pennsylvania now. They're looking to bring him to New York. He's fighting that. That in itself is going to be a 30, 45-day process. So there's no rush in which to indict him. So it'll happen well before that timeframe for sure.

HUNT: All right. Joey Jackson for us this morning. Sir, always grateful to have you on the show. Thanks very much for being here.

JACKSON: Thanks, Kasie.

HUNT: All right. Let's turn out of this story. Donald Trump named "Time's" Person of the Year. As part of the announcement, he was honored at the New York Stock Exchange, where he rang the opening bell yesterday. It's just the latest stop on his journey back to Washington as he prepares to be sworn in as president in just over a month.

Already in D.C., some of Trump's top picks for his next administration lobbying for support from senators ahead of confirmation hearings. And it seems to be working for at least one of Trump's picks, Pete Hegseth, who Trump wants to lead the Pentagon, despite allegations he has faced of misconduct.

"NOTUS" reporting this, quote, sources in and around Trump world and on the Hill had said that if Hegseth could just survive through last week, then he would make it to a confirmation hearing. But that was a grind. There has also been an external pressure campaign over the last week to get Hegseth confirmed, led by Donald Trump Jr., the president- elect's eldest son and one of his top advisers. Charlie Kirk from Turning Point USA and Matthew Boyle and the whole team at Breitbart. A source close to Trumpworld said.

One Republican senator responding to the so-called pressure campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): The approach is going to be everybody toe the line. Everybody line up. We got you here. And if you want to survive, you better be good. Don't get on Santa's naughty list here because we will primary you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Because we will primary you.

Joining us now, political reporter for NOTUS, Reese Gorman. Reese, good morning to you.

REESE GORMAN, NOTUS POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning.

HUNT: So this pressure campaign seems to be working for Hegseth at this writing.

GORMAN: Hundred percent. I mean you've seen that really, I mean, Joni Ernst last week, who was really kind of the main kind of person that they were really trying to pressure. She was kind of the most vocal person that was out there kind of talking about her skepticism towards Hegseth, not that she opposed it, just that she was going to do the advice and consent, but she wasn't backing him very strongly like a lot of the other senators were. So that was a lot of the pressure campaign.

I know as I mentioned, I mean Breitbart, for example, they got the attorney general in Iowa to write an op-ed for them basically saying that everyone should be supporting Trump's nominees. And that was seen as kind of a not-so-subtle jab at Joni Ernst to kind of get her over the line and sources that we were talking to throughout reporting this story, it's really just like that was the thing. Like they thought that after losing Matt Gaetz, that if they did lose Pete Hegseth, that senators would be emboldened and be like, oh, we can take down all of Trump's nominees.

And so they really, J.D. Vance, for example, was like, we can't just give up on Pete Hegseth because it's getting hard right now. We have to push through. We have to get them confirmed because if they just started kind of pulling back to the slightest bit of pressure, then senators would be too emboldened and then Trump would not get all of his nominees through.

HUNT: Well, and some of it, honestly, it's just a question of getting him to the hearing, right? Getting him that far.

Now, in the hearing, do you -- do you get the sense that if any of these nominees have a really bad or difficult hearing, there might be Republicans who would push back?

GORMAN: I think a hundred percent for sure. I do get the sense that they're talking about. They do take their advice and consent role very seriously. And now there are some that are going to support anyone who Trump puts forth just because that's who they are. That's kind of their role. They see themselves kind of more devoted to Trump than to the Senate office.

But the best -- there are some of them that -- I mean, Lisa Murkowski, for example, was just talking up there. She is someone who truly, I mean, I think that if someone doesn't have a good confirmation hearing, she could probably be convinced not to vote for somebody because she's -- I mean, she voted to impeach Donald Trump. I mean --

HUNT: Right.

GORMAN: -- she does not care.

HUNT: Well, and her own political situation's a little different because of the way that they run elections in Alaska. But she and Susan Collins widely presumed to be two that could vote against these controversial nominees. The question is that they then need at least two more.

GORMAN: Yeah. HUNT: Right? And there's some serious questions now about Mitch McConnell. He obviously reportedly took a fall at the Capitol. But he was another one that people think about, especially around national security nominees. You noted Ernst. She had been quoted as saying, you know, how do I get this to stop --

GORMAN: Yes.

HUNT: -- this campaign that you're talking about? So they really need more than four, really, no?

GORMAN: They do, for sure. I mean, and a lot of these people who would usually be the people, I mean, Mitt Romney would be someone that would usually vote against some of these nominees. He's no longer going to be there.

[05:40:07]

And so you're going to have to see that a lot of these senators that are in there now are very aligned with Trump.

Now the person that's replacing John Curtis is a moderate. He is kind of more of the Romney kind of angle. He doesn't necessarily hate Trump as much as Romney does, but he is more of a moderate so there is kind of concern from senators that I'm talking to at people within Trump that John Curtis could also be one of these people that could possibly vote against a nominee. But they're just trying to win over everybody.

And to Lisa Murkowski's point, there is the fear that if you do vote against one of Trump's nominees or even express some skepticism, they're going to be faced with a primary.

HUNT: Yes.

GORMAN: And for some people, that is their whole race. It's just the primary.

HUNT: For sure. All right. Reese Gorman for us on this Friday. Reese, thank you.

GORMAN: Thanks for having me.

HUNT: I appreciate it.

All right. Coming up here on CNN THIS MORNING, a new documentary called The Bibi Files. It contains leaked footage from the Israeli prime minister's corruption investigation. The Oscar-winning filmmaker, Alex Gibney, joins us next.

Plus, plenty of rain and no touchdowns. The Rams and the 49ers swamped in San Francisco at the head in sports.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:38]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, what can you say to Bibi?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For Bibi? Shame on you. Shame on you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The whole story of this trial is just made-up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Corruption is a very tricky words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Dueling protests outside the district court in Tel Aviv this week where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made history by becoming the country's first sitting prime minister to testify in his own defense at a criminal trial.

His charges include bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, all stemming from allegations that Netanyahu conducted favors in exchange for lavish gifts and favorable media coverage.

My next guest produced a new film documenting the decades-long corruption investigation into Netanyahu and how the longtime leader achieved his grip over the Israeli government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When people serve for too long --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gets into their head.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The indictment made independent on the extreme right in Israel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's now captive to their wings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put all Israel in the turmoil.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Netanyahu is the architect of chaos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He tried to kill the system.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody is above the law.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right. Joining us now is Alex Gibney, the producer of the new documentary, The Bibi Files. Alex, good morning. Thank you for being here.

ALEX GIBNEY, AMERICAN FILM DIRECTOR: Good morning. Thank you for having me.

HUNT: So I'd love it if you could talk a little bit about what you learned in putting this film together and how considering everything, you know, everything you've worked on, you view what we saw from Bibi on the stand as this trial has gotten underway in Israel.

GIBNEY: Well, of course, I didn't see him on the stand. That's not being televised, but we know -- we know from reports what he's saying, more or less.

And look, what I got in this would be in 2023 were police interrogation videotapes, which were what led to the indictment of Benjamin Netanyahu for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. And there are a fascinating insight into the Netanyahu behind the screen, the one who is not stage managed.

Not only that, but the role that his wife, Sara, and his son, Yair, play in a kind of a shadow government. And they, in fact, show a kind of appalling contempt for the rule of law and government. And the sense of entitlement, all three of them show, sort of the idea of Laetitia Seymour, the state is me. There is no distance between who I am and the state, and yet there is a great deal of distance.

And I think the most compelling aspect of this story is that in trying to allude these charges and being held to account for this, he formed an alliance with extreme right-wing figures, namely a man named Ben- Gvir and another man named Smotrich, who one security person in the film calls Jewish Terrorists.

And these people are hardcore right-wingers that Netanyahu never would have been seen associating with five years ago. They've steered him in a very rightward direction. And I would argue now that we have this war in Gaza, which is creating appalling casualties. He is extending that war and also probably resisting deals in terms of bringing the hostages back in order to continue to stay out of prison.

HUNT: How do you think the events of recent months will impact the trial and the public in Israel and their view of whether he should be held accountable for these things that you show? Because obviously he's -- it's been a very tumultuous time and you obviously point out that he has made this right-wing Alliance he has come under a lot of pressure from hostage families.

[05:50:04]

But on the other hand, you know, recently they did the Israeli forces decimated Hezbollah, the Assad regime has fallen. I'm just really interested to know kind of your perspective on how any of that may affect the outcome here.

GIBNEY: Well, obviously, Netanyahu wraps himself in the mantle of unofficial commander in chief. And even rolling into the trial itself, he was saying, how dare you, you know, bring me out of the office where I'm conducting these wars on all these different fronts in order to face these rather, you know, tawdry charges? I mean, that's the mantle he always wraps himself in.

And I think in Israel, of course, the nation is very divided as ours is. And there's some people who say, none of that matters. He let him conduct the war, and many people are saying, no, no, no. He's extending the war precisely because he's trying to refuse to be held to account for these charges.

So I think there's a lot of divided public opinion in Israel about this.

HUNT: Yes, really, really fascinating. The documentary -- the family piece of this documentary that you've put together is also, as somewhat, you know, I've covered a number of, or at least I traveled to Israel with a U.S. presidential candidate, and you can see even then, and this was years ago, the influence that Mrs. Netanyahu, so to speak, has.

It really, just really fascinating dynamics, highly recommend the documentary. It's called "BiBi Files," now streaming.

Alex Gibney, thank you very much for being here.

GIBNEY: Thank you so much.

HUNT: All right. Time now for sports. The 49ers linebacker quit on the team mid-game during their loss to the Rams last night. Andy Scholes has this morning's CNN Sports Update. Andy, good morning.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Kasie.

This is something you don't see very often. You know, the 49ers, they have lots of injuries on defense, and last night they needed veteran linebacker De'Vondre Campbell to go into the game, but he said, no, I'm good. Campbell refusing to enter the game in the third quarter, and then in the fourth quarter he walked to the locker room with a towel over his head.

Campbell had started 12 of the team's 13 games coming into this one. Afterwards, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Campbell told him, he didn't want to play.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLE SHANAHAN SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS HEAD COACH: Somebody who doesn't want to play football, it's pretty simple. I mean, I think our team and myself, we know how we feel about that, so I don't think we need to talk about him anymore.

GEORGE KITTLE, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS TIGHT END: All right, it's more of a one person making a, I think Mooney said, it's a selfish decision. And I'm with Mooney on that. And I've never been around anybody that's ever done that. And I hope I'm never around anybody that does that again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. Shanahan when asked if Campbell will be released said, we'll figure out something.

Now as for the game, just four days after scoring 44 points and a win over the Bills, the Rams failed to score a touchdown, but they still won the game. Fourth quarter tied at six, Matthew Stafford, big play here to Puka Nacua. That was good for 51 yards.

Rams would kick a go-ahead field goal. Then later in the quarter, the Niners were driving to try to tie it or take the lead, but Brock Purdy throwing the interception there. Rams would hold on to win 12 to 6.

All right. North Carolina, meanwhile, officially introducing Bill Belichick as their new head coach. Now, when Belichick was very young, his dad was an assistant for the Tar Heels. And the 72-year-old says he's thrilled to be back in Chapel Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BELICHICK, NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH: It's great to come back home to Carolina. And, you know, back in an environment that I really grew up in.

You know, when you're little, you don't remember everything. Obviously, I was too young to remember a lot of things from Carolina. But as I grew up, you know, you hear the same story over and over and over again. And so one story I always heard was Billy's first words were, beat Duke.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: It's going to take some getting used to Bill Belichick in college football.

All right. But the Mets also introducing Juan Soto yesterday after signing into that record 15 year, $765 million deal. Soto said, there were five teams interested in him at the end. And this was not just a Mets over Yankees decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN SOTO, NEW YORK METS OUTFIELDER: That was one of the things that opened my eyes more was that, how hungry they are for -- to win a championship and to want to make a dynasty in New York Mets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And you know, Kasie, the subway series Mets-Yankee, it's always good. It's going to be a little bit better this coming season. The Mets, they play at the Yankees May 16th for the first time. I imagine those fans are going to have something to say to Soto in that one.

HUNT: Yes. I have to say, I always find these months the longest in sports because I love baseball season so much. So I'm excited to see it. Thanks, Andy.

SCHOLES: Yes. All right.

HUNT: I appreciate it. Have a good weekend. SCHOLES: You too.

HUNT: All right. Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, in the first hour, that's how long Donald Trump says it will take him to begin pardoning many convicted January 6th rioters.

[05:55:06]

Plus, lights in the skies. Residents and lawmakers left searching for answers over what's behind the mysterious drones hovering over New Jersey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been a little frustrated. There hasn't been enough transparency letting people know what's happening. It's allowing a lot of potentially misinformation to spread or at least fear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNT: It's Friday, December 13th. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not being told the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Who owns the drones? They're still swarming the skies over New Jersey and no one is saying who's behind them.

And.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to be acting very quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Donald Trump, day one, the president-elect's top priorities, including pardons for January 6th rioters.

Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNY: We have no indication that he was ever a client of UnitedHealthcare.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: The CEO assassination twist. Why would the chief suspect commit murder --