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Trump Pardons Todd and Julie Chrisley; SpaceX Lose Contact with Starship; GOP Won't Install Jan. 6 Plaque Honoring Police. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 24, 2025 - 10:30   ET

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


[10:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: A famous reality TV couple known for their lavish lifestyle are receiving a get out of jail free card courtesy of President Trump.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: And that's a terrible thing. It's a terrible thing. But it's a great thing because your parents are going to be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow. Well, they were given a pretty harsh treatment based on what I'm hearing, pretty harsh treatment.

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BLITZER: Todd and Julie Chrisley were convicted back in 2022 on a number of charges related to defrauding banks of more than $30 million. They are best known for their reality TV show. "Chrisley Knows Best," which showcase their lives as real estate entrepreneurs in Atlanta.

Joining us now is CNN White House Reporter Alayna Treene. She's over at the White House for us. Alayna, President Trump is now pardoning the couple. How did all this come about?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, Wolf, this is something actually the president and some of his top officials have been talking about for a few weeks now, and part of that is because Savannah Chrisley, the couple's daughter, has really launched this intense lobby effort -- lobbying effort of her own over the past several months. I'd note that she was one of a prominent supporter of the presidents throughout his 2024 campaign. She spoke publicly at the Republican National Convention.

And then, just over a week ago, she actually took that lobbying effort to Laura Trump, the president's daughter-in-law. She went on Fox News on Laura Trump's program and essentially told her that she believed her parents were being improperly prosecuted because they are such big reality television stars. Of course, that series showcased really their lavish lifestyle. One moment from that interview between Savannah Chrisley and Laura Trump that stood out to me is that Savannah Chrisley said she believes her parents had been referred to as the Trumps of the South. And so, that's part of why this really got on President Donald Trump's radar in the first place.

And one thing to note as well is if you -- in that video that you played, you could notice there that Alice Johnson was standing just off to the side while the president was phoning the Chrisleys family. I'd remind you that she was someone that the president parted during his first term. She's now referred to kind of internally at the White House as the president's pardon czar.

And I'd remind you as well that her pardoning came about after an intense lobbying campaign from another reality television star Kim Kardashian and others. But all of this comes as we've really seen the president kind of expand to use his pardon in clemency power a lot in recent weeks.

Just Monday, he also pardoned Scott Jenkins, a local -- a former local sheriff. From Virginia, someone who had been convicted on bribery charges and other things. He was also a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump's. And I'd remind you as well that apart from all of the pardons we saw during the president's first term, he's also been using it a lot this term as well. Earlier this year, he pardoned roughly 1,600 people who were involved on January 6th. And so, again, kind of a big move in the pardon world for Donald Trump. Wolf.

BLITZER: Very big move. All right. Alayna Treene at the White House for us, thank you very much. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's SpaceX losing control of its mega rocket Starship on reentry during its latest unmanned test flight. This was the third test flight for Starship this year. Listen.

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CROWD: Five, four, three, two, one.

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BLITZER: Starship likely disintegrated over the Indian Ocean. The spacecraft made it farther into its flight path than previous attempts. Joining us now, CNN Space and Defense Analyst Kristin Fisher. Kristin, walk us through what happened.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE ANALYST: Well, Wolf, you know, it was a successful launch at the beginning, right? You had the booster do what it was supposed to do, get Starship up into orbit. And Starship did make it further along than it had in the previous two test flights, Flight 7 and Flight 8.

[10:35:00]

But about 30 minutes into the mission there was a propellant leak, some kind of leak inside Starship, and that is what caused Starship's third rapid unscheduled disassembly, or RUD, as SpaceX calls it. We would call that just an explosion.

And so, it made it better than the previous two test flights. That's good. That's progress. But did not achieve its ultimate objectives, which was to deploy some test payloads and to test out those all- important heat shield tiles on the belly of Starship. See if it can survive those really hot temperatures on reentry, Wolf.

BLITZER: It's really good. It was unmanned that Starship.

FISHER: Of course.

BLITZER: Because it makes --

FISHER: This is still a test program, nowhere near close to putting astronauts or even real payloads, real satellites on board.

BLITZER: Elon Musk posted on social media yesterday this, let me quote, "Launch cadence for next three flights will be faster at approximately one every three to four weeks. Is that realistic, Kristin?

FISHER: It is realistic in the sense that SpaceX has been pushing the federal government, the FAA in particular, to give them their launch licenses faster and faster. And now, with the advent of the Trump administration, they have been getting those green lights from the FAA at a more rapid pace. They have other Starships, other super heavy boosters in the barn, in the factory ready to go.

So, yes, it's possible for SpaceX to keep up with cadence, but will those Starships survive longer than this most recent Starship did? That's the big question.

BLITZER: So, what's next for Starship?

FISHER: Wolf, this is the rocket that is supposed to get NASA astronauts back to the moon for the first time since the end of the Apollo program back in 1972. This is the spacecraft that is supposed to allow the United States to beat China back to the moon in this second space race.

So, if SpaceX and Elon Musk can't get this spacecraft working it means that China could beat the U.S. back to the moon. I mean, that is what's at stake here. NASA has invested a lot of money in this vehicle as well. And so, there's a lot of geopolitical implications on the line here as well.

Yes, this is a test program. What SpaceX is doing, I mean, no other company or country in the world can do what SpaceX is doing even during a failed mission. But at the end of the day, the NASA and the U.S. government has put its money and its hopes, pinned its hopes, on SpaceX that it would be able to deliver on beating China back to the moon. So, that's what's at stake here.

BLITZER: Right now, they're nowhere near ready to -- especially to have people on that spacecraft heading towards either the moon or the Mars.

FISHER: I don't want to get on that spacecraft. Do you?

BLITZER: I don't either. No. Kristin Fisher, thank you very, very much for that update. And just ahead, there's more news. U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger standing by to join us here in this Situation Room. I'll get his thoughts on the state of security and political threats here in the nation's capital as he gets ready to retire after nearly half a century in law enforcement.

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[10:40:00]

BLITZER: More than four years after the deadly January 6th Capitol riot, a plaque honoring law enforcement's actions on that day is still waiting to be installed and displayed up in the U.S. Capitol, despite a law requiring it to be installed two years ago. The Bronze Memorial declares that "officers' heroism will never be forgotten," direct quote. Democrats and Congress accuse Republicans of standing in the way of it being displayed.

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REP. JAMIES RASKIN (D-MD): The plaque exists. We've got the plaque. It's been produced. And yet, the speaker of the house refuses to put the plaque up. Let's put up the plaque to honor these officers. Not a single member of the majority has given us one reason why this plaque, which is completed, has not been hung in the capital of the United States.

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BLITZER: The House speaker, Mike Johnson, previously told CNN -- he told CNN this when asked why the plaque has still hasn't been displayed. And I'm quoting him now, "I honestly don't know. Not on my radar right now," end quote. And he didn't respond to the Washington Post inquiry about it last week.

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger is joining us right now. He was selected to leave the force after January 6th. And he's retiring this Friday after nearly 50 years in law enforcement. Chief Major, thanks so much for joining us. Why do you think this memorial hasn't been displayed yet?

CHIEF TOM MANGER, U.S. CAPITAL POLICE: Well, it's like so many things here, it just has become a very politically divisive issue. And my hope is that both sides can, you know, find some middle ground to find a way to honor those officers that were here on the 6th, and I think there's ways that it can be done. But at this point, I think that it's such a divisive issue that I don't imagine there's any discussions even going on.

BLITZER: It would simply honor all those Capitol Police who were risking their own lives to deal with the insurrection on January 6th. And you've heard lawmakers spread wild conspiracy theories about January 6th. As some claim, the FBI actually instigated the entire attack. President Trump has even called it a day of love, his words. How does this impact the morale of the Capitol police?

[10:45:00]

MANGER: Well, I will tell you that my cops, many of them, were here on January 6th. They don't need anybody to tell them what happened or what it was because they were here and they experienced it. And so, they know the truth. They know what happened on January 6th, and they know what -- how bravely they responded.

Yes, they were woefully understaffed, and there were other failures that day, but the men and women of the Capitol Police did not fail that day. Their courage was on full display.

BLITZER: Earlier this year, Chief, the president granted sweeping clemency to all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in that Capitol attack. What's your reaction to that?

MANGER: Well, the -- it certainly impacted the morale of the -- of law enforcement, not only here in Washington, D.C. where so many agencies showed up to respond on that day. But I think it sent a message throughout our nation that to police officers that, you know, if you are responding to a divisive issue, you know, and whether it's abortion, immigration, you name it, if you're responding to some sort of demonstration that you hope that your work, which is fair and just, and you're just trying to maintain good peace and order is not politicized at some point later on.

BLITZER: I remember anchoring our coverage on CNN during that day, and it was hard for me to believe this was actually happening here in the nation's capital in the United States of America. People were attacking the U.S. Capitol.

You've said part of what drove you to take the job of police chief was watching the attack on the Capitol yourself. What were some of the biggest challenges when you took office?

MANGER: Well, I think that I had the advantage of over a dozen after- action reports that pointed out the failures, whether it was equipment failures, staffing failures, operational planning failures, training failures, you name it. I mean, there was a laundry list of things that needed to be improved.

So, when I got here, I had a list already waiting for me, and all I had to do was prioritize that list. And we knocked off all of those issues one by one. And I'm very pleased to say that of the more than 100 recommendations that were on the inspector general's list of things that needed to be addressed, we have addressed 100 percent of them.

BLITZER: Threats against U.S. lawmakers up on Capitol Hill unfortunately are becoming increasingly bigger and bigger, more numerous. Back in 2017, the number was around 4,000. Last year, it more than doubled to over 9,000. In this environment of misinformation, government distrust, and political toxicity, are you concerned that it's potentially going to get even worse?

MANGER: I sure pray that it doesn't, but I'm a realist and it could. I mean, it has been steadily increasing over the years. I mean, this is really a reflection on how politically divided our country is right now. And people feel very strongly, very passionately about that some -- many issues in our country. And I think that what is different for me is, you know, the level of civility, the ability for, you know, opposing sides to be able to have some sort of discourse that is helpful, that is respectful of both sides. And I think we've gotten away from that as a country.

And so, that contributes to my fear that this may still -- the number of threats against members of Congress may still grow. We're doing everything we can to stop that in terms of the -- making members of Congress more safe, not only here on the on Capitol campus, but while they're traveling, while they're in their home districts. We're putting measures in place to ensure their safety so that hopefully that number of threats is reduced.

BLITZER: U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, thank you so much for your service over these many, many years, and thanks for joining us today.

MANGER: Thank you.

BLITZER: And coming up, the former FBI director James Comey standing by to join us live here in the Situation Room as the bureau plans to reopen a handful of cases. We'll get his thoughts on that and more. That's coming up.

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[10:50:00]

BLITZER: The stage is now almost set for the finals on the hardwood and the ice. The Indiana Pacers now have a commanding 3 to 1 lead over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals. And the Edmondson Oilers are one win from a Stanley Cup birth after last night's victory over the Dallas Stars. Who better to break it all down for us than CNN's Andy Scholes. Andy, let's start in Indianapolis.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Wolf, I tell you what, you know, it's not looking good for the New York Knicks. Only 13 teams have ever come back from a three one deficit in the NBA playoffs. Knicks have never done it. Certainly, seems like we're heading towards a Pacers-Thunder NBA finals that, you know, Knicks' fans, including Ben Stiller and Timothy Chalamet, made the trip to Indy hoping to see them leave tied 2-2, but instead of a win, they got to see just a masterpiece by Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacer star scoring 32 points to go along with 15 assists and 12 rebounds and zero turnovers. Haliburton was the first player in playoff history to have a 30, 15, 10 triple-double without its turnover.

[10:55:00]

And just every time the Knicks tried to claw back into this game, the Pacers always had an answer. Final score was 130-121. Pacers now have commanding 3-1 lead.

And the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Oilers also grabbing that 3-1 lead in the series with the Stars. And it was 40-year-old Corey Perry here with the go-ahead goal in the second period. This is his 20th season, still going strong. He's now got six goals this postseason. Edmonton would get two empty netters. They'd win 4 to 1 now win away from another trip to the Stanley Cup final.

All right. And finally, Coco Gauff's opening round match at the French Open had a bit of a delay because she forgot all her rackets. Coco got all the way to the court. She opened her bag and then she realized she didn't have them. A ball boy then ran to the back to get them a couple minutes later. Coco jokingly blamed her coach after her straight sets win for not putting them in her bag. But then, later, she posted to Instagram a napkin with a pre-match to-do list. Tie shoes, check. Pack clothes, check. Arrange fruit salad, check. Put tennis rackets in bag, and, Wolf, she did not check that one off.

You would think she's carried that bag millions of times she would know what it feels like with rackets in it, but she said she had drinks, snacks, all kinds of other things. Just didn't realize it.

BLITZER: All right. Andy Scholes, thank you very much for that update. Coming up, international students here in the United States in limbo as the Trump administration goes after Harvard University. I'll speak to a soon to be a graduate about his concerns. All that and a lot more coming up right here in The Situation.

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