Return to Transcripts main page

Quest Means Business

Justice Department: One Million More Potential Epstein Documents Discovered; Zelenskyy: We are Holding On, We Support One Another; Pope Leo Leads Mass on Christmas Eve at St. Peter's Basilica

Aired December 24, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:31]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Welcome to the show. U.S. markets have closed early for Christmas Eve. Here are the stories we are following

today.

The U.S. Justice Department says it has uncovered more than a million documents potentially related to the Epstein case. Ukraine's President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy signals a new willingness to make concessions for peace with Russia and Pope Leo celebrates his first Christmas Eve as the leader

of the Catholic Church.

Live from Atlanta. It is Wednesday, the 24th of December. I am Salma Abdelaziz and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.

Good afternoon.

We begin with breaking news. The U.S. Justice Department says it has just discovered one million more documents that could potentially be related to

the Jeffrey Epstein case. The Department issued a statement saying lawyers are working around the clock to review these documents and make any legally

required redactions, a process that it admits may take a few more weeks.

Now, the deadline to release all of the materials came and went last Friday. Reaction from the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee was

swift. Congressman Robert Garcia released a statement that says: "The White House is openly engaged in a cover protecting Epstein's co-conspirators and

the powerful men who abused women and girls. It is outrageous that the DOJ has illegally withheld over one million documents from the public."

Now to talk about all of this with us is our Kevin Liptak. He has been following the President during this holiday season and joins us from West

Palm Beach in Florida.

I mean, Kevin, I just have to start with I can't get my head around this. How can one million more documents be found? Where were they? And this is

past deadline. Can you explain this to me?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, it is astounding and what the Justice Department said is that they came from the U.S. Attorney's

Office in the Southern District of New York and this was the office that had been prosecuting Epstein. It was also prosecuting his accomplice,

Ghislaine Maxwell.

And so what these documents seem to be from is those sort of proceedings that occurred, you know, when Jeffrey Epstein was still alive and when they

were prosecuting Maxwell as well, but it is an astounding figure. And remember, we just heard on Sunday from Todd Blanche, who is the number two

at the Justice Department, that even at that point they still had a million documents to get through.

They had, you know, 200 lawyers pouring through them and redacting them, and so, the task for the Justice Department, you know, is clearly a

monumental one.

We got a little glimpse of that as well yesterday when we reported that there was a senior Justice Department official who e-mailed career

prosecutors in Florida, in the Southern District of Florida, asking them to work through the holiday stretch on some of these redactions, sort of

acknowledging that this was going to be an all-hands on deck effort to try and get these documents redacted and released, you know, well past now the

deadline.

And so that is what is underway here, but, you know, it all kind of I think builds to a picture here of a Justice Department really scrambling to get

their arms around this.

You know, they did have 30 days from when Congress passed this law to the deadline, which occurred on Friday to get all of these documents out. When

you talk to officials there, they say that that was just not nearly enough time to pour through the material that they had, and it has led to

frustration, certainly, in Congress, you hear talk from some of the lawmakers who co-sponsored this bill about potentially bringing Pam Bondi,

the Attorney General, up for contempt.

It has also led to a degree of frustration at The White House because they want this out. You know, they don't want this drip, drip, drip of documents

and having to react to them every couple of days, and so it doesn't make anyone, I think, pleased at how this process has been going -- Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: I want to talk a little bit more about The White House's position, because you just brought that up. You said they don't want this

drip, drip, drip, but at the same time, when the last batch was released, we saw that The White House seemed to be downplaying it, even questioning

the authenticity of some of the documents.

What is President Trump's position going to be here going forward when you're talking about a million more documents, potentially a million that

were already on the plate? How is he going to position himself on this?

[16:05:06]

LIPTAK: Well, it seems like it depends on who is in the documents, doesn't it? Because on Friday, when the most interesting material related to Bill

Clinton, you didn't hear anyone in The White House downplaying it. Instead, they sort of amplified it, tweeting out photos of Bill Clinton in a hot

tub. It was exactly the opposite when the most interesting material was about President Trump.

And at that point, you saw the Justice Department do something quite extraordinary, which was to use their own social media accounts to kind of

go to bat for him, and even in one case, which was the case of that sort of disgusting letter that was supposedly written from Jeffrey Epstein, from

prison, out and out, say that it was false.

And so the strategy seems to depend on who is actually in some of these documents. You know, there is, I think, a degree of frustration at The

White House that this is all sort of obscuring what the President is doing. There are some corners of The White House who think that the Justice

Department has whiffed all of this, to use the word that Susie Wiles used, the chief-of-staff to describe how this has been playing out for the last

several months.

But I think when you talk to officials, they are very acutely aware that this is something they're going to have to keep dealing with for at least

the foreseeable future.

ABDELAZIZ: I mean, just a mind boggling story, one million more documents potentially related to Jeffrey Epstein now found a DOJ that is scrambling,

a White House that is scrambling. Thank you so much, Kevin, for walking us through all of that.

Thank you.

Now, the Kremlin has not yet responded to what appears to be a new willingness by Ukraine to make a major concession in order to end the

conflict there.

In a meeting with reporters on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the territorial disputes in Donetsk and signaled a compromise on

an issue that has derailed peace talks, but he still had strong words about Russia when he delivered this message of hope to the Ukrainian people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): On Christmas Eve, the Russians once again showed us who they really are -- massive

shelling, hundreds of Shahed drones, ballistic missiles, Kinzhal missiles - - everything was used.

This is how godless people strike. This is what those who have absolutely nothing in common with Christianity or with anything human do, but we are

holding on. We support one another, and today we pray for everyone on the front line to return alive for everyone in captivity, to return home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: The offer Mr. Zelenskyy is suggesting, would, in effect, create a demilitarized zone. But as CNN's Nada Bashir reports, it comes with a

condition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, in a new sign of potential progress in mediation efforts between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr

Zelenskyy has signaled his willingness to make concessions on several key negotiation points, including, crucially, on withdrawing troops from parts

of the Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control.

In a meeting with reporters, Zelenskyy outlined the possibility of a Ukrainian withdrawal from parts of Donetsk, including fortified cities such

as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, cities which currently stand in the way of any potential Russian advance deeper into the heart of Ukraine.

In return, Russia would be expected to also withdraw its forces from parts of Ukraine, effectively ceding control of an equivalent amount of territory

and effectively establishing a demilitarized zone.

The proposed withdrawal comes as part of a broader 20-point peace plan, hammered out by the U.S. and European allies. In addition to concessions on

territory, Ukraine is also asking for guarantees when it comes to its security and economic recovery through concrete commitments from the U.S.

as well as European and NATO states.

The diplomatic development comes after a fresh round of talks to end the war wrapped up in Miami over the weekend, where Ukrainian and Russian

officials met separately with a U.S. delegation.

While Ukrainian officials and the lead U.S. negotiator described the talks as, "productive and constructive." Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov would

not give any specific details. However, he did tell reporters that Moscow would formulate its next steps and continue to maintain contact in the near

future through existing channels.

Nada Bashir, CNN in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: A fire and explosion tore through a nursing home on the outskirts of Philadelphia today, killing two people. Twenty people were

hospitalized with injuries, one is in critical condition.

Now the Governor of Pennsylvania says bystanders, local responders and nursing staff rushed to get the residents to safety. The Fire Chief says

that the cause is under investigation, but officials believe that it was a gas leak.

Now, crews from the local utility company responded to reports of a gas odor and were on site when the explosion happened.

Still to come tonight, Pope Leo prepares to celebrate his first Christmas as leader of the Catholic Church. We are live in Rome with his message of

peace.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:12:12]

ABDELAZIZ: Returning to our breaking news, the U.S. Justice Department says it has just discovered one million more documents that could potentially be

related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Now, we are pleased to be joined now by our former federal prosecutor, Naeem Rahmani. He is the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers. Thank you

so much, first of all, for speaking to us on Christmas Eve.

I just cannot get my head around the discovery somehow, of one million more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein after the deadline. Could this

potentially be a legal issue for the DOJ? Is also the delayed release a legal issue for the DOJ? Can you explain to me the impact of this

discovery?

NEAMA RAHMANI, PRESIDENT, WEST COAST TRIAL LAWYERS: Salma, you can't make this stuff up. This is nothing less than a botched rollout by the

Department of Justice.

First, they missed the deadline. Now, apparently, they found one million more documents that were previously unaccounted for by the U.S. Attorney's

Office in the Southern District of New York. And now the DOJ is essentially begging its lawyers to work over the Christmas holiday to review these

documents and to make any appropriate redactions required by law.

Let's be frank. The Department of Justice promised to make the Epstein files public before the Epstein Files Transparency Act. These were promises

made by the Attorney General of the United States and the Director of the FBI. Now you have a congressional law that required the full production to

be made by December 19th. Obviously, they have missed that deadline. Now they're slowly rolling out documents, but it does appear that it is going

to take weeks.

And the question is, will we get all the documents in their unredacted form with only three exceptions, those are documents identifying victims of sex

abuse, depicting sex crimes, essentially child pornography, or that are affecting pending criminal investigations. Anything short of that, that has

to have already been produced. So I wouldn't be surprised if House Democrats end up filing a lawsuit sometime next week to compel the full

production of Epstein files.

ABDELAZIZ: So you are saying, yes, it is a legal problem and they could potentially face action from the House Democrats.

Now, my other question is how are they going to preempt this in some way? And by that, I am speaking specifically about the redactions, because

there's been a lot of controversy, as you just mentioned, some saying it has been too redacted and names were taken out, especially those co-

conspirators; others saying not redacted enough. Is the DOJ going to handle these redactions differently with these new documents?

RAHMANI: I think they feel the pressure, and by they, I mean officials at the Department of Justice. So whether it is contempt proceedings in

Congress or some litigation, I think ultimately, a judge is going to have to sort through these redactions to confirm that the DOJ is following the

law.

[16:15:13]

And that's what the Judiciary is there for, to resolve disputes between the legislature and the executive.

So within 15 days of that December 19th deadline, the Department of Justice was to provide a log identifying the documents that were withheld or

redacted, and the legal basis for that. That's going to allow someone to potentially challenge those redactions.

And, you know, obviously, we can see that some grand jury materials have been withheld. Well, judges have ruled that under the Act, they are not to

be withheld. They're not sealed, they're not public. So that seems like an excessive redaction.

You see the name of Assistant United States Attorneys, federal prosecutors. Those are redacted. There doesn't seem to be any legal basis for that as

well under existing federal law or the Act. So I do think a judge is going to have to sort through this, because this rollout, in terms of the timing

and the redactions, it just raises more questions.

The whole purpose of the Act was to restore public trust in our government and for transparency, and the fact that we have so many documents withheld,

so many documents redacted, and now, apparently a million documents that were just found, that raises more questions than answers.

ABDELAZIZ: Absolutely. I mean, such an extraordinary story, all of these twists and turns.

Thank you so much for breaking down what could happen next for us.

Now, Pope Leo is celebrating his first Christmas Eve as the leader of the Catholic Church. He called for peace in his official greeting earlier and

right now, the Pope is leading the traditional Midnight Mass as you can see there inside St. Peter's Basilica, which is just getting underway.

Tomorrow, he will do something that no Pope has done in more than 30 years. Our Vatican correspondent, Chris Lamb is standing by to explain all that

for us.

Chris, thank you so much for being out there in the rain on this Christmas Eve. Just start by telling me about the atmosphere around you and really

what the Pope is trying to convey today.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Salma, there is really quite a celebratory atmosphere here in St. Peter's, despite the really bad

weather, as you can see, it is raining and it has been nonstop.

There has been a big crowd outside the Basilica who have gathered to follow the mass on the big screens behind me, and Pope Leo came out just before

the mass got underway to greet them and said he admired their courage for coming out in the rain to follow the service.

The mass has just got underway. The bells of St. Peter's are ringing out as the church is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and the liturgy started

with the Pope going up to a statue or a figure of the infant Jesus and children from across the world placing flowers around that figure, children

from all parts of the world, including from Ukraine.

And Pope Leo is expected during these Christmas celebrations to emphasize peace. He has already called on Russia to observe a 24-hour Christmas

ceasefire during this period and we are expecting him to emphasize that on Christmas Day when he gives his message to the world from the balcony of

St. Peter's, as you mentioned, he is going to do something that no Pope has done since 1994, which is to celebrate a mass on Christmas Day morning.

I think that's a sign that Pope Leo is the youngest pope for a number of decades, his predecessors were a bit older than him when they were elected

and Leo is obviously taking on more than Pope Benedict and Pope Francis at this time and that is seen in this service he will lead also on Christmas

Day morning after the midnight mass taking place right now -- Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: Christopher Lamb in the Vatican, we are watching live pictures there from St. Peter's Basilica, as you were describing that to us. Thank

you so much.

Now, still to come tonight, the Cotswolds is a quaint region in Southwest England, is now making its home more to Americans with all sorts of

celebrities and athletes moving there. We will show you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:21:34]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back.

I am Salma Abdelaziz.

Here are the international headlines we are watching today.

The U.S. Justice Department says it has just discovered one million more documents that could potentially be related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

The department issued a statement saying lawyers are working around the clock to review the documents and make any legally required redactions, a

process it admits may take a few more weeks. Now, the deadline to release all of those materials came and went last Friday.

The Kremlin has not yet responded to what appears to be a new willingness by Ukraine to make a major concession in order to end the war. President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has laid out what he calls an acceptable compromise for withdrawing from areas in the Donetsk region that are not currently

occupied by Russian forces. Control of territory has been a major sticking point in negotiations.

And Pope Leo is calling for a Christmas of peace in his official holiday greeting. The first U.S. born pontiff is ringing in his first Christmas

since his election by calling for a ceasefire in Russia's war on Ukraine. He is leading a mass at St. Peter's Basilica right now outside the Vatican,

and is showcasing more than a hundred nativity scenes from around the world.

Exchanges closed early today on Wall Street ahead of the Christmas holiday. Let's take a look at the markets. Green across the board, the Dow was up

290 points. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ also nudged up, one reason for the boost, Nike is starting to claw back from a big decline. Apple CEO

announced that he bought almost $3 million worth in shares, even though the sports brand revealed some weakness in China.

Now, some new residents are discovering the charm of the English countryside, despite the terrible weather.

Our Anna Cooban has more on the growing number of Americans who are choosing to call the Cotswold in England home for a long list of reasons.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: I'm here in the Cotswolds, it is a region in the west of England, and it is a

quintessential slice of English country life, and despite the really gray, drizzly weather here today, this part of the world has become a big draw

for Americans buying properties and starting new lives here. So I've turned up to find out why.

DEBRA DREW, COTSWOLD RESIDENT: I think the Americans have quite a romantic notion about the Cotswolds because of the honey-colored stone and the

cottages. I think they think everyone in England lives in a stone cottage.

COOBAN: Thinking it is all like this.

DREW: Yes, and it is always sunny.

COOBAN: And tell me, there is this trend of more and more Americans moving to the Cotswolds recently. Is this something you've noticed?

DREW: Oh my gosh! Yes, it is in the press here every day. I think the Brits are quite interested in the fleeing Americans.

COOBAN (voice over): The Cotswolds is a protected area of natural beauty. It is about a hundred miles west of London, hop on a train and you're there

in a couple of hours. That proximity combined, of course, with those famous rolling hills, makes it a magnet for lots of famous people.

For centuries, the region was at the center of Britain's wool trade. Today, it is sprinkled with many well-known names.

[16:25:10]

Kate Moss has had a place there since the early 2000. Here is David Beckham digging up vegetables on his Cotswolds' estate.

But in 2024, U.S. comedian, Ellen DeGeneres really helped put the region on the map for Americans when she moved there with wife, Portia de Rossi.

HARRY GLADWIN, BUYING AGENT, THE BUYING SOLUTION: Over the last 12 to 18 months, we've seen about 30 percent increase in the number of Americans

registering with us, wanting help with their purchases, but it is not a cheap part of the world to buy in. There is a premium because it is an

incredibly popular location.

Really, you could look at anything from a smaller cottage for around a million pounds through to sky is the limit.

COOBAN: Hi, guys.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello! How are you?

COOBAN: I am well. How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anything for you today?

COOBAN: Yes, please. Thank you so much.

LAUREN NEELY, COTSWOLD RESIDENT: It has been a 15-year dream in the making. My husband and I fell in love with the U.K. way of life. We love the

weather. We love the architecture and the history, even the food. It looks quite a bit like home. I am from Pennsylvania, so it is not that different

as far as rolling, gentle hills, fertile land.

COOBAN: The Cotswolds has quite a reputation in the U.K. for being very well-to-do. Has that been what you've experienced? How does the reality

compare with the impression?

NEELY: I think the impression is correct. These homes are much bigger than they look from the lanes and they're very private. That being said, well-

to-do means the people have wonderful etiquette. They're very inclusive, they have wonderful manners. Yes. Everyone has just been so friendly and so

gracious. Everyone is very down to earth.

They have a dog, they take walks, they come to the local pub. They're just people.

COOBAN: Painswick feels like I went to bed and woke up in the middle of a Christmas Hallmark movie. The stoned walls and the architecture, it just

feels like comfort in a time when the world needs more of that.

NEELY: So we moved here in May and it has been a dream.

COOBAN (voice over): You know, I think I understand what all the fuss is about now. Ana Cooban, CNN, the Cotswolds.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: U.S. President Donald Trump is all set to participate in a Christmas Eve tradition. For 70 years, U.S. and Canadian military members

who work for NORAD have been tracking the progress of Santa as he flies across the globe. They take phone calls from children who want to know

where Santa is at any given moment.

And this year, President Trump is going to spend some time manning those phones. He is due to start his shift in just a few minutes.

Now for a Christmas message that is out of this world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Greetings to Planet Earth, all of our friends and family from Expedition 74 aboard the International Space Station, flying high

above, thinking of you during this holiday season.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: As you heard there, astronauts aboard the International Space Station are wishing everyone on Earth a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday

season.

Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in Atlanta. Happy holidays.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:30:00]

END