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The Situation Room

Interview With Rep. James Comer (R-KY); New Pictures of Trump and Epstein Emerge; Bryan Kohberger Sentencing. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired July 23, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Happening now, breaking news: Idaho murder sentencing. In moments, Bryan Kohberger will be in court after pleading guilty to killing four college students. The victims' families will address him directly before he is sentenced.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BLITZER: And we start this hour with the breaking news in Idaho. The sentencing hearing for Bryan Kohberger is under way. He's the man responsible for the gruesome murders of four, four University of Idaho students back in 2022.

We're also expecting to hear directly from the families of the victims as they address their killer. And we could even hear directly from Kohberger himself.

CNN's Jean Casarez is joining us live. She's outside the courthouse in Boise, Idaho. She's been following the hearing for us. And attorney and legal commentator Areva Martin is here as well.

Jean, let me go to you first.

You're on the scene in Boise, Idaho. Give us a sense of where things stand so far.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are just minutes away from this beginning. And it is such a serious day. It is such a formal day, because this is the sentencing of Bryan Kohberger.

He has pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder. The sentences will be served consecutively. However, one of the big moments of today is, for the past 2.5-plus years, the family members of the victims have substantially stayed quiet. We haven't heard from them. This is their day. They will be able to stand up in court. They will be able to get victim impact statements of what this has

done to their lives, losing their loved one, four young people that were just about to begin their adulthood. They will also talk about their loved one that is no longer with us, what their life could have been, what they could have done.

Now, here's something we don't know. We have got to watch for this because the judge will tell them how to speak. Will they have to direct it to the court? Or can they turn and speak to Bryan Kohberger himself? I have seen it both ways in courts. It will be very interesting, but it will be so emotional.

The attorneys will also speak at points, we believe, but then will be a pivotal moment. We don't know about this either. Will Bryan Kohberger speak? The judge will turn to him at one point -- more times than not, it's near the end, before the sentencing -- and ask him if he has words to say.

This is the moment. In fact, Mr. Goncalves, as he was just going in -- that is Kaylee Goncalves' father -- said that he hopes enough pressure has been put on Kohberger that he's got to say what he did, why he did. Why did he go up to that third floor? This plea deal was very simple. He just signed the dotted line. There were no conditions at all that he had to apologize or he had to explain why he picked that house, why he went up to that top floor of that house.

So those are questions that we may never know, but that moment in court, he can explain it all. It is his choice. One more thing I want to tell you. The two surviving roommates, Dylan and Bethany, one of which was face-to-face with Kohberger as he was leaving the home that night, they are victims because he pleaded guilty to burglary, the entering, breaking and entering of a home with the intent to commit a felony therein.

They were in that home. And that felony, of course, was murder, but they are crime victims themselves and they have the ability to speak in court. We do not know if they are going to go face-to-face, Dylan especially, with the one that she saw that night in 2022.

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BLITZER: Jean Casarez, thank you very much for that update.

Areva, Kohberger will have the chance to directly address the court today. Is this something he is likely to do? What do you think?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Based on what we have seen, Wolf, I don't expect him to say very much. He has been very quiet about these murders.

And what the public wants to know as well as these victims' families, is why, the motive. We have not heard anything from law enforcement, from Kohberger, from his attorneys, or from anyone, Wolf, about why this man chose this house, chose these four students, acted in the way that he did on the night when he murdered these four college students. And that is the lingering question. And based on everything we have seen today, I am doubtful, Wolf, that we will get any more information or be better informed about the motive for the heinous crimes committed.

BLITZER: Areva, Kohberger is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole, and he's waiving his right to an appeal. Is there a chance the judge in this case might not approve this guilty plea deal?

MARTIN: Well, absolutely, Wolf, the judge has the final say, and prosecutors and defense attorneys have an opportunity to come together to make the kind of deal that we see in this case, the kind of plea deal.

But, ultimately, it is the judge's discretion. It is the judge's decision about sentencing. So, although it appears to be pretty buttoned up and appears to be inevitable that the death penalty is off the table and that Kohberger will serve these four consecutive life sentences, plus 10 for the burglary, obviously, the judge could upend that plea deal and could decide that Kohberger needs to face a different kind of sentencing.

But, from all indications, the prosecution appears pretty confident that the judge is going to accept the plea that has been entered. And important to note, Wolf, that half of the victims' families are not in favor of this deal and believe that this case should have proceeded to trial, where they could have learned more information about the murder of their loved ones.

BLITZER: Interesting. All right, Areva Martin, thank you very, very much, Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, new this morning, new CNN reporting of video and photos that shed light on President Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein. They were all unearthed by KFILE's Andrew Kaczynski and his team.

BLITZER: And this is then-citizen Trump and Jeffrey Epstein back in 1999. This video, by the way, has never been seen in this context before.

It shows Trump talking to Epstein just before models hit the runway at the Victoria's Secret fashion show in New York City. First lady Melania Trump before married to the future president can be seen there as well. I should point out that allegations that Epstein sexually abused underage girls didn't surface until 2005, many years after this video was shot.

BROWN: So this is Jeffrey Epstein attending Trump's wedding to Marla Maples in New York City in December of 1993. And in this photo, you can see Epstein entering the Plaza Hotel for the wedding.

Now, although we have known that Trump and Epstein were friends during this time period, this is the first time it has been reported that Trump actually invited Epstein to his wedding. BLITZER: And there is this one as well from a few months earlier.

This is Donald Trump with two of his children talking to Jeffrey Epstein at the opening of the Harley-Davidson Cafe in New York in October 1993. You can see Ivanka there as well. She would have been just about to turn 12 years old, again, all taken years before allegations surfaced against Epstein, but they show the depth of the connections between these two men.

BROWN: And we should note that CNN did reach out to President Trump presenting him with questions about these pictures, and he said, "You have got to be kidding me," and then hung up.

So I want to make sure we include that here.

Joining us now in THE SITUATION ROOM is Republican Congressman James Comer of Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

Congressman, thank you so much for being here with us.

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): My pleasure.

BROWN: So you just saw us lay out everything.

As President Trump tries to distance himself from Epstein, what questions do you have, if any, when you look at those pictures?

COMER: Well, I don't think he's trying to distance himself. I think everyone knows that Epstein was a -- very active in social circles. Not only did he attend the Trump wedding. He attended Chelsea Clinton's wedding too as well, I believe, with Bill and Hillary's daughter.

So this is a guy that ran in big circles. And, as Wolf pointed out, those pictures were taken before people knew about the sex scandals. I do believe it's good to note that President Trump has said he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago once he learned about the crimes that were being committed by Epstein.

And I don't think he's distancing himself. I think that this is something that he's been surprised has taken on so much interest by the American people. And, hopefully, with the actions of my Oversight Committee and now with the Department of Justice, we will finally learn what exactly the government has on Epstein.

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BROWN: Yes, and just in -- Ghislaine Maxwell, the girlfriend, went to Chelsea Clinton's wedding, not Jeffrey Epstein.

COMER: OK, OK.

BROWN: But -- so just to follow up on that, President Trump, for his part, I mean, he -- I think it was just last week, he said people in his own party, Republicans who want more information, are weaklings.

What do you say to that? COMER: I don't know about that.

But I can tell you this. With my House Oversight Committee, the overwhelming majority of the members on the committee -- we have 26 Republicans -- and I would say at least 20 of the Republicans want to know if there are Epstein files. They want to know what the government has. They want to know what the grand jury had sealed.

They want to know, if Maxwell wants to talk, what she has to say. So that's why yesterday my committee moved to make a motion to issue a subpoena. And I will say today on your show I'm going to sign that subpoena in a few hours.

BROWN: In a few hours from now, you will sign it. And then what happens from there?

COMER: Well, she will be subpoenaed. She's obviously represented by council. So the attorneys on the House Oversight Committee will communicate with the attorneys for Maxwell. And we will see if she's requiring any kind of terms to meet.

Obviously, with respect to if she's wanting a pardon or any type of immunity, that's off the table, because I don't think any Republican would support that. She's been convicted of some very serious crimes. And she's going to have to be held accountable for those crimes.

But she has said publicly she wants to talk. So we're going to hopefully have an opportunity to let her talk. And this will be a deposition that will be conducted by the Republicans and Democrats on the Oversight Committee. We have staff attorneys that are skilled and experienced in depositions.

So they will take the lead, but obviously other members will be welcome to attend. And I'm sure we will have to do this deposition in the prison where she is.

BROWN: You and other lawmakers, as you noted, you are calling on the administration to release the Epstein files.

COMER: Yes.

BROWN: I just want to play this sampling of your fellow House Republicans talking about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RALPH NORMAN (R-SC): It's not going to die down. No, if you assume that, the public decides that anyway. I don't assume anything, particularly with this. You had -- this transcends politics.

REP. KEITH SELF (R-TX): Seventy-nine percent of the American public wants some sort of transparency.

REP. ERIC BURLISON (R-MO): It's the number one phone call that we get by far. It's probably 500 to one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So how do you respond to House Speaker Johnson starting the August recess early to avoid forcing the Justice Department to release the Epstein files?

COMER: I don't know why -- that's why we're starting early. Look, Mike Johnson has...

BROWN: You don't think that has anything to do with it?

COMER: No. No, I don't. I think -- but you can ask...

BROWN: OK. Have you talked to him about all this?

COMER: No, I have not talked to Mike Johnson about this.

BROWN: OK.

COMER: But, look, we have accomplished a lot. We passed the One Big Beautiful Bill. We passed a rescissions bill. It's very difficult to make cuts in Washington, but somehow we have finally come together.

And Mike Johnson has to deal with a lot of difficult personalities in our conference. I don't think that's any secret. But with respect to the Epstein files, you had Ralph Norman on there. You had Congressman Self. I forget who the other one was -- oh, Eric Burlison, who's on my committee.

But what they said is exactly right. When we go home, the public wants to know who are on -- who all is on the Epstein list, if there's an Epstein list. Now...

BROWN: And you don't -- do they not believe DOJ when it said there is no client list? Do you not believe that? Or where do you -- where are you on that?

(CROSSTALK)

COMER: Most Republicans have a huge distrust of the Department of Justice, regardless of...

BROWN: Even though they're Trump's...

COMER: Well, I think we have more confidence than we did when Merrick Garland was there. But at the end of the day, this is something, if there's nothing there, but release what you have, because you have something. There is something there.

BROWN: Do you trust Trump's DOJ on this?

COMER: I trust Pam Bondi and I trust the president. I trust the president. The president says he's going to release the documents. I take him at his word. If he does, if, when we come back in September, the documents aren't released, I can see Congress taking additional action. There's bipartisan support in Washington to find out exactly what the

government has on Epstein. And that is a direct result of what Ralph Norman said in that clip. Our constituents want to know. They want to know, was the government involved? Was the government spying? Did the government know that young girls were being sex-trafficked on this island and yet they did nothing? Were they trying to blackmail people?

I mean, these are all conspiracy theories that are out there. Now, President Trump has said that those are just conspiracy theories, and they may be. They may be. But I think transparency is always a solution when you have an issue like this. And I'm confident that the Trump administration and Pam Bondi will be transparent.

In the meantime, our Oversight Committee's going to try to get a deposition out of Maxwell, if at all possible.

BROWN: And I want to talk a little bit more about transparency, because when you were on in December, we were talking about Trump's business dealings.

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And this is what you said about transparency in that back then.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMER: I think, as long as President Trump is transparent, I think the American people will give him a pass on his business activity. But if it ever comes out that they have got secret deals or whatever, then that could potentially be a problem, obviously, moving down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So you said that back then. And I'm just wondering where you stand now, now that we're six months in, right, especially with crypto. He has launched crypto ventures.

COMER: Right.

BROWN: His family has made hundreds of millions of dollars. He's held private dinners and hasn't released a list of who has been at that dinner.

Do you -- would you like to see some more transparency or understand more about who's investing and who has holdings and what business they could have before the White House?

COMER: Well, what President Trump's done with crypto, we all know. Now, we can debate whether we like it or not. Some people -- I get a lot of calls from CNN viewers saying, you should investigate Trump for his business.

Well, we know he's involved in the crypto business.

BROWN: Do you know who has holdings and investors and...

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: ... before the White House?

COMER: I think that a lot of what the people that attended that dinner, we know who those people were. I don't think President Trump's...

BROWN: We do know? OK.

(CROSSTALK)

COMER: I don't think President Trump is trying to hide the fact that he's in the crypto business. Donald Trump Jr. rang the bell on Wall Street the other day. He's got a new firearms business.

I mean, they're doing this transparently. Now, there's debate whether or not you should like it or not. But President Trump campaigned...

BROWN: So you're not going to look further into it, is basically what I hear. OK.

COMER: Well, if something emerges that was a secret deal, I think we would look into it.

The president has to fill out financial disclosure forms. If something is missing from the financial disclosure forms, then there's a -- then I could see us looking into that. But everything he's doing, we know about. He talks about. He tweets about. He campaigned as a business guy. There's some people that don't like that.

But at the end of the day, he's been transparent about it, unlike the previous president, who said he didn't take money from China and then we subpoenaed the bank records, and here they are.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: We have got to leave it there, because, actually, I think we have something going on with the Bryan Kohberger case.

COMER: OK.

BROWN: Chairman Comer, thank you very much.

COMER: Thank you all.

BLITZER: I want to go to Boise, Idaho, Pamela, because some of the witnesses are now appearing there, including some of the friends who survived this brutal murder of four college students at the University of Idaho by Bryan Kohberger. And his plea deal is now being reviewed.

Let's listen in.

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EMILY ALANDT, FRIEND OF VICTIMS: And she would have been America's sweetheart. Ethan was the sweetest, most genuine guy. He was always smiling and always making other people smile too. Ethan was the kind of person you wanted around. He was so kind and easy to talk to and just so fun. And the way he cared for Xana was truly something to admire, and really was proof that storybook love and true romances really do exist.

It was not only obvious to me, but everyone that was around Ethan and Xana, that they were absolute soul mates. Maddie was not only one of my best friends, but she was the older sister I would have always wanted. There was no one I looked up to or admired more than Maddie.

She was truly a ray of sunshine and everyone was drawn to her. She was so kind, loving, funny, fun and passionate. She had the sweetest soul and wanted nothing but the best for everyone and to love and show love to everyone. She took me under her wing and always made me feel so safe and included and, above all, loved and valued.

She never failed to make me laugh or put a smile on my face. Still, to this day, I am beyond grateful that she chose me to be her sorority little. And I think God every day that I not only got to know her, but had her as one of my best friends.

Honestly, I cannot pinpoint one favorite memory with Maddie because I have so many and this would be a very long read if I did. But if some little memories with her that I cherish is when the two of us made a nice dinner and split some wine or when we would binge-watch "Jersey Shore" or "Summer House," when we came up with a whole dance routine on Halloween and dance and sing all night like no one was watching, all the late-night walks home from going out and just little shopping trips and so much more.

I am beyond blessed that I had the chance to know each and every one of them. They changed my life in ways I would have never put into words. I hope that they are remembered for who they are and not what happened to them, because who they are were so beautiful and they deserve to be remembered in the highest way.

My heart breaks every time I go to text one of them or how badly I wish I could see and hang out with them. And then I remember I cannot and will never be able to again. But I still talk to them in my prayers every single night, and I always will.

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I wish, more than anything, I could hug them one last time. And I wish I could tell them how much I love them. And even though I cannot, I still tell them every night I will keep living for them as long as I am lucky enough to still be here. And they were all truly one of a kind. And they will be in our hearts forever and always.

JUDGE STEVEN HIPPLER, ADA COUNTY, IDAHO, JUDICIAL COURT: Thank you. And please convey to Bethany my appreciation for her courage. And I hope that she heals.

Next is Dylan Mortensen. We're asking for some accommodations for Ms. Mortensen and that she be allowed to sit in my seat. HIPPLER: Sure.

Dylan, just take your time, all right?

DYLAN MORTENSEN, SURVIVOR: Sorry.

Thank you, Your Honor.

What happened that night changed everything. Because of him, four beautiful, genuine, compassionate people were taken from this world for no reason. He didn't just take their lives. He took the light they carried into every room. He took away how they made everyone feel safe, loved, and full of joy.

He took away the ability for me to tell them that I love them and that I'm so proud of them. He took away who they were becoming and the futures they were going to have. He took away birthdays, graduations, celebrations, and all the memories that we were supposed to make. All of it is gone.

And all the people who loved them are just left to carry that weight forever. He didn't just take them from the world. He took them from me, my friends, my people who felt like my home, the people I looked up to and adored more than anyone. He took away my ability to trust the world around me.

What -- he shattered me in places I didn't know could break. I was barely 19 when he did this. We had just celebrated my birthday at the end of September. I should have been figuring out who I was. I should have been having the college experience and starting to establish my future. Instead, I was forced to learn how to survive the unimaginable.

I couldn't be alone. I had to sleep in my mom's bed because I was too terrified to close my eyes, terrified that, if I blinked, someone might be there. I made escape plans everywhere I went. If something happens, how do I get out? What can I use to defend myself? Who can help?

And then there are the panic attacks, the kind that slam into me like a tsunami out of nowhere. I can't breathe. I can't think. I can't stop shaking. All I can do is scream because the emotional pain and the grief is too much to handle. My chest feels like it's caving in.

Sometimes, I drop to the floor with my heart racing convinced something is very wrong. It's far beyond anxiety. It's my body reliving everything over and over again. My nervous system never got the message that it is over. And it won't let me forget what he did to them.

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People call me strong. They say I'm a survivor, but I don't see what my new reality looks like. They don't see the hypervigilance, the exhaustion, the way I scan every room I enter, the way I flinch at sudden sounds. They don't know how heavy it is to carry so much pain and still be expected to keep going.

And that's because of him. He stole parts of me I may never get back. He stole -- he took the version of me who didn't constantly ask, what if that happens again? What if next time I don't survive?

He may have shattered parts of me, but I'm still putting myself back together piece by piece. I'm learning how to live in this new version of life. It is not easy. It hurts, but I'm still trying, still trying. And I'm not trying just for me. I'm trying for them, my friends.

About a year ago, I had a dream about them. I got to say goodbye. I told them I won't be able to see you again, so I need to tell you goodbye. They all kept asking why. And all I could say was, I can't tell you, but I have to.

When I woke up, I felt shattered and heartbroken, but also strangely grateful, like maybe in some way that dream gave us the goodbye we never got. Still, no dream can replace them and no goodbye will ever feel finished. He is a hollow vessel, something less than human, a body without empathy, without remorse.

He chose destruction. He chose evil. He feels nothing. He tried to take everything from me, my friends, my safety, my identity, my future. He took their lives, but I will continue trying to be like them to make them proud. Living is how I honor them. Speaking today is to help me find some sort of justice for them.

And I will never let him take that from me. He may have taken so much from me, but he will never get to take my voice. He will never take the memories I had with them. He will never erase the love we shared, the laughs we had, or the way they made me feel seen and whole. Those things are mine. They are sacred, and he will never touch them.

I get to feel sadness. I get to feel rage. I get to feel joy even when it's hard. I get to feel love even when it hurts. I get to live. And while I will still live with this pain, at least I get to live my life. He will stay here, empty, forgotten, and powerless.

HIPPLER: Dylan, thank you so much for your courage. I appreciate it.

BLITZER: We're, of course, going to continue to watch this hearing, this very emotional, powerful hearing.

But I just want to remind our viewers, we're talking about Bryan Kohberger, who has pled guilty now to murdering these four young students at the University of Idaho. And here are the pictures and their names and ages. And let me just pay tribute to them, because they were all so wonderful, by all accounts.

Ethan Chapin, Ethan Chapin was the boyfriend of Xana Kernodle, 20 years old. Ethan Chapin was 20 years old as well, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21 years old. Take a look at these four beautiful young students who were simply in their off-campus apartment when he came in and murdered all four of them.

BROWN: All right, let's go back into it. SCOTT LARAMIE, STEPFATHER OF MADISON MOGEN: ... Karen Laramie. I will

read this victim impact statement on behalf of Karen and myself.

Maddie was our gift, life, our purpose, and our hope. Maddie quickly became Karen's joy, identity, and purpose in life. I joined Maddie's family, Maddie's life when she was 2.5 years old. The experience transformed me into a life of joy, love, and family.

Maddie was bright, beautiful, kind, empathic. She listened carefully to others and was observant, seeing and caring about the hearts and the minds of all she encountered. She loved music and music festivals.