responsible for the vicious attack on alexey navalny's chief of staff the investigative reporter, christo grozev, who exposed the plot to kill navalny with novichok, joins me now with his new reporting. let's go out front and good evening. >> i'm erin burnett and outfront tonight, the breaking news trump rejected the judge in the mar-a-lago classified documents case tonight, denying trump specifically, one of his key arguments pushing to dismiss the entire case a trump was there in person today, and the stakes were high. >> it's a >> setback for trump from a judge that he had pointed and has heavily praised i'm very proud to have appointed her, but she very smart and very strong and loves our country >> it is unclear when you hear that and you know, of course, he did a pointer is unclear if judge cannon will end up saving trump from a trial before the election? so many of her rulings at this case thus far have gone in his favor and she was tight-lipped today about when the trial will start. it is still officially scheduled for may 20, although she has said that date is not going to happen. >> an

exclusive guests, the director of the oscar winning film, navalny and investigative reporter christo grozev. and breaking news alaska fishermen discovered another possible spike the balloon. there are about to give it to the fbi. is it from china let's go outfront >> and good evening. i'm erin burnett outfront tonight. fani willis back in the courtroom, the fulton county district attorney making a surprise appearance as trump allies are making their closing arguments, trying to get her kicked off. the election interference case in a heated hearing willis, his lawyers accused trump's team of harassment and embarrassment. >> a >> fishing expedition to get her removed from the case because of allegations that her relationship with the top prosecutor created a conflict of interest and misused taxpayer money i want to make clear to the court i do. the >> law in georgia >> suggest and it's very clear that we can demonstrate an appearance of a conflict of interest, and that is sufficient. >> what you have the appearance of impropriety under forensic misconduct, the law in georgia is clear. that's

now, navalny's close friend, the investigative reporter christo grozev, he exposed the plot to kill navalny with novichok on that airplane. he is on putin's wanted list now, also with me, daniel roher, the director of the oscar winning cnn film, navalny i am glad to see both of you, although not under the circumstances, were talking tonight >> christo, you >> had to watch your friend laid to rest today and to see his face the images were incredibly moving. >> what >> what stuck with you the most >> well, i think it was the closure of the disposed of disbelief, but i heard this from many, many bresson who spoke up on bbc radio settles with them the important moments today was two-fold. one was they finally realized that they both still not where it was in fact lost, become a very tense. they saw him that at the second thing that everybody felt was the hope is not because what everybody oh would happen, people would come in their thousands or tens of thousands did happen. and this means that here is not there forever. and that can be there can be stated with people can follow. alex days to ow

world issues, and how to solve certain crises and at this dinner, hillary clinton spoke with christo grozev of the online investigators helen cat and it was there that they came up with the idea informally to talk about the potential swap deal to release alexey navalny's from prison. now, the shuttling back and forth took place for two years and the various constructions of how the deal came about, the constellations, who would it? oh, how many prisoners would involve americans took place over a period of time. but after the dinner, hillary clinton took it to her friend and former colleague, who is now the national security adviser, jake sullivan, who then ran it up the chain to the state department. all of this based on conversations that we've had with sources who've told us that over the course of those two years, back, channels then between towards the kremlin were trying to be made, contact was trying to be made to the russian president. but as one source told us, everybody who tried to communicate the message, quote, unquote chickened out at the last minute, which is then rosemary whe