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Two U.S. Citizens Released from North Korea; President Obama Nominates Loretta Lynch for Attorney General

Aired November 08, 2014 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Pamela Brown, great to have you with us. It is a busy Saturday. We're following two big breaking stories at this hour.

We just learned two U.S. citizens just released from North Korea, Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller, now heading home.

And any moment from now President Obama expected to officially name Loretta Lynch as his nominee for Attorney General. We're keeping an eye on the White House and, of course, we will bring that announcement as soon as it happens.

But first, that breaking news out of North Korea. The last two Americans held in the reclusive country have just been released. Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller are now headed back home to the U.S. The North Korean government had accused both men of committing hostile acts and sentenced them to hard labor. Their release today comes as the complete surprise to many around the world. But to their families it is certainly a huge relief.

Let's get you a timeline of Kenneth Bae's timeline in North Korean custody. December 2012, U.S. announces Kenneth Bae has been detained in North Korea for more than a month. In April 2013, North Korea's Supreme Court sentenced Bae to 15 years of hard labor for hostile acts against the country. And in January of this year, Bae released a statement admitting to a quote, "serious crime" against North Korea. But we know that the country has a long history of forcing false confessions. And then in February the State Department was announced that Bae was moved to a hospital -- from a hospital to a labor camp.

We do have complete team coverage of this breaking story. Will Ripley is on the phone from Tokyo. Will -- you actually interviewed some of the prisoners in North Korea not too long ago. Tell us about that and what that experience was like.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Right Pamela, yes. It was just other two months ago that we were inside North Korea on a completely unrelated assignment. We had requested to speak with the three detained Americans but were told by the North Korean government repeatedly that that would be impossible.

But on our last day of shooting we were whisked away from our location about two hours outside of Pyongyang, put in a van, not told where we were going ore who we were speaking with until we got to the front door of a hotel and conference center in a part of the city that foreigners are not normally allowed.

And that's when we were told that we were going to be speaking with the three detained Americans. We have five minutes with each of them. And we could only ask about certain topics that had been agreed upon ahead of time. We were warned that if we went over the five minutes or strayed beyond those topics then we potentially might not be on our flight out of Pyongyang the next day.

And then that was it, we walked in. And met Jeffrey Fowle, the American who was released first out of this group of three and then we met Matthew Miller and we met Kenneth Bae. And each of them had very specific talking points. They all talked about the fact that they were being treated humanely and that they missed their families and they felt their situation was getting very desperate.

And most importantly to the North Korean government, they wanted help from the United States. They wanted the United States to send a high level envoy to North Korea to help secure their release. So it appeared that the North Korean government used the opportunity of having a CNN crew in country to put these men in front of the cameras and send out this message.

And now here we are, just over two months later, one is already home, Jeffrey Fowle is home with his family. And Miller and Bae are headed home to be reunited with theirs.

BROWN: And we learned that the intelligence chief here in the U.S., James Clapper, was the envoy, you pointed out there who helped secure their release.

Let's talk more about this. Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. joins us now. Bill you've actually been over to North Korea, what do you think this move signals as far as North Korea's standpoint on everything? Is this a positive sign to you that we could see some more overtures?

BILL RICHARDSON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (via telephone): I do believe it is a positive sign. I think there are two reasons that the North Koreans did this. One, they are catching a lot of grief on human rights ground within the United Nations system -- some countries wanting to take them to the International Criminal Court.

And secondly, they are sending a signal to the United States that "we're ready to talk". The issue is, were they released with any conditions? I don't think so but possibly.

The Administration is saying to the North Korean, "Ok we're ready to talk to you also." That is unclear. But it appears that it is a good move by the North Koreans to try to restart the American-North Korean relationship, which has been in a real deep freeze.

BROWN: Right. And a U.S. official telling our Elise Labott that there was no quid pro quo involved with this, basically insinuating that the North Koreans didn't ask for anything in return. But Bill it's hard to imagine North Korea not wanting to get something from this -- not asking for something in return. What do you think was behind this? Why now?

RICHARDSON: Well I think what's behind it is that the new leader, Kim Jong-Un, has realized that his policy the last year of trying to isolate the U.S., harsh rhetoric, conflicts with the South Koreans -- that that doesn't seem to be working. That -- the good news is that he made this decision. No decision like this is made without the top leader.

And that he's made now two decisions. The first is the release a month ago of Miller and now these two new releases. That it is without conditions, basically. The first condition on the first prisoner was an airplane that would get him out and this one appears to be without conditions although it is interesting that Director Clapper and the intelligence agencies of the U.S. have had some kind of role. Think they are bringing them back the two Americans to the U.S.

So maybe a new channel has been opened up with the North Koreans other than the diplomatic State Department channel and that's good because we want -- we don't know enough about this new leader and this new regime.

But this is a good sign and these families have suffered enough especially Kenneth Bae's family. He's been there two years. Now he's out -- that's good news. And it's good news also because we were able to get that American out of the prison in Baja, Andrew Tahmooressi. So a good week for human rights releases of Americans.

BROWN: And especially for Kenneth Bae who we know just from talking to his family and from what we've learned there that he is in poor health. So you can imagine how relieved his family is.

I want to ask you Bill because as we mentioned you've been over to North Korea and you have helped negotiate. Walk us through what is it like inside that country? And what do you think had to happen to negotiate these Americans' release?

RICHARDSON: Well, when you negotiate with the North Korean, you know, they don't think like we do. They don't say quid pro quo. They are convinced of their right of position and it's a cultive personality. So everything has to go through their dear leader -- whoever is the maximum leader.

So this time in the past they have wanted high level envoys, a splash, a former president to get a prisoner out. They have changed their tactics now. So this is the new style of the new leader. And it's interesting.

The good news will be if we can sit down with the North Koreans and get them to reduce their nuclear weapons, their missiles. They are going to put up a big price for that -- food, humanitarian assistance, energy assistance. But you know, when you go in there, you don't know where they are coming from because it all emanates from their dear leader. And they are convinced of the totality and goodness of their position.

So it is not like a normal diplomatic negotiation. You are in there kind of in the dark. And although I've had some success with them, there have been some instances where you don't know where they are coming from and you sit there and wait a And they frustrate you. But eventually -- this is good news and possibly this took a long time but deserves credit. The administration deserves credit for getting this done.

BROWN: Absolutely. Bill Richardson, thank you so much for coming on and sharing your perspective.

RICHARDSON: Thank you.

BROWN: I want to turn now to Erin McPike, she joins me live now from the White House. Erin, as we know James Clapper, the chief intelligence officer in the U.S., was the envoy sent to help with the release of these Americans. Can you tell us any more about that and why he was the one selected to go over.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't know why it was him just yet. We do know that he was scheduled for a speech in New York on Wednesday that was canceled due to scheduling conflicts. Obviously now we know why.

The Twitter traffic as soon as this initial statement came out, lots of questions arose about did Clapper himself actually go into North Korea. And we now know from a State Department official that yes he did. He went as a presidential envoy to secure the release. We also know the Obama administration notified American allies in the region that Clapper was going specifically for the release for no other purposes.

And also Pamela, we know that the administration talked to congressional leaders, members of Congress telling them that Clapper was going over for this purpose. But that is a big deal that congressional leaders were notified. They are not always notified of some of these missions ahead of time but in this case they were -- Pamela.

BROWN: And I know that there were a lot of questions raised when Clapper canceled the event in New York this past week. And now I think we have a better understanding of why that is.

Thank you so much Erin McPike at the White House.

I want to turn now to Elise Labott, who has some new reporting for us at this hour. Elise, what can you tell us about the release of these Americans?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well Pam, we understand that this kind of came out of the blue, a few sources close to the operation told me that basically the North Koreans called up the administration. What channel that took place with I don't know. But basically said send a cabinet level official and come get Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller. And the administration spoke about it and decided that James Clapper would be the one to go. Obviously he's someone in the national security architecture but not necessarily the secretary of state that would be someone who would be negotiating -- that would be seen in a negotiating or diplomacy role with North Korea.

I'm told that DNA Clapper 0went there. He was prepared to listen to the North Koreans, what they had to say on the nuclear issue or anything else. But he did not do any type of negotiating. There was no quid pro quo.

When asked whether this is going to have any opening with the North Korean regime, these officials say look, we're very glad that the North Koreans took this step and let them go. But there are a lot of other things they need to do if they want a better relationship with the international community. Including resolving their nuclear issue, including human rights -- human rights reports just came out last week detailing horrible abuses by the regime and calling for their referral to the International Criminal Court.

But you did hear Secretary Kerry after Jeffrey Fowle was released say North Koreans would be taking an extraordinary step if they want a better relationship with the world to let these gentlemen go. So now we go back to basically square one before there were no Americans being held there and that is the issue that the international community has with North Korea. And that is their nuclear program for the most part.

BROWN: Right. And as we know North Korea has been on a charm offensive lately as you've been reporting on that. Elise Labott, thank you so much for your insight there and you're reporting.

And I want to turn now to CNN chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto. He joins me live on the phone.

Jim, until he is -- as we know Jeffrey Fowle was released from North Korea several weeks ago and now the last two Americans. What do you think is behind this? Why do you think they waited until now to release the last two Americans.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is another chapter in this up and down relationship with North Korea, a regime that's unpredictable -- violent and one week will launch missiles or have an exchange of artillery with our South Korea; and the next week will make a diplomatic gesture like this, the release of Jeffrey Fowle a couple of weeks and now the remaining two Americans.

It is a mercurial regime, it's strained relationship. And you know, you cannot underestimate the importance and the weight of American's top spy, the director of National Intelligence James Clapper, traveling to North Korea to take these men home. In the weird alchemy of North Korean politics, while there is no quid pro quo, the arrival of America's spy chief there gives the regime a feeling of power, a feeling of respect, a feeling of being on a par with the U.S. That's a get for them to have the top American go there. And this is a regime that it's all about its propaganda and public profile and how they sell that public profile at home. And I can imagine they will treat this at home as a propaganda victory.

BROWN: And Jim as we know Kenneth Bae has had poor health and we've heard that from his family. How do you think that played into his release today?

SCIUTTO: It's hard to say with this government because they will make a release like this and you don't know that in a month's time there may be another American taken in. You know, this has been going on for years. Americans will be captured there under different circumstances. They will be held for some time and they will be released. But, you know, as much of a moment of celebration this is and it truly is remarkable that in a span of a couple weeks you have all three Americans released.

We shouldn't discount out that in the next weeks or month that another American might be taken under false pretenses. It's the way this regime works. And often times, for them to get something in return, whether they need more economic relief from China et cetera. It's just such -- and I've been watching this country for 20 years. It's just such a strange place to watch. And when you think things have turned for the better oftentimes they'll take another turn for the negative afterwards.

BROWN: Right. Unpredictable. All right Jim Sciutto, thank you so much.

And we're continuing to follow both breaking stories. More on the two Americans just released from North Korea.

And we are also just moments away from President Obama's announcement on the Attorney General's nominee. Stay with us.

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BROWN: We are following two big breaking news stories at this hour if you're just joining.

President Obama about to announce his Attorney-General. But first, the last two Americans held in the reclusive country of North Korea have just been released. Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller are now headed back home to the U.S. The North Korean government had accused both men of committing hostile acts and sentenced them to hard labor. Their release today comes as complete surprise to many around the world. But to their families it's certainly a huge relief.

CNN justice correspondent Evan Perez joins us now from Washington, D.C. Evan, I think we probably both shared the same reaction when we received this news release from the director of national intelligence that the two Americans were coming home from North Korea. How much of a surprise was this?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a complete surprise. I mean these negotiations apparently were going on for the past few months now and they picked up pace more recently I'm told by an administration official.

This past Wednesday Jim Clapper was supposed to be at an event in New York at the Council on Foreign Relations and he canceled that at the last minute. And I'm told that one reason he canceled was the details of this trip were being finalized. And then he led this delegation that went to Pyongyang and was basically just there to pick up these two Americans.

I'm told that the administration made clear that there was not going to be any quid pro quo for the release of these two Americans. But Clapper was there to have some discussions with North Koreans if they wanted to have them. He was willing to listen on various issues including the nuclear program. As you know Pamela, this has been a point of contention between the North Koreans and the United States.

And so now he's on his way back with these two Americans and I'm sure it's been an excruciating wait for these two families to have their loved ones back home.

BROWN: Well, Evan Perez, thank you.

Now I want to turn to Will Ripley who actually interviewed these American prisoners in North Korea. Will, I'm curious what your perspective was then and now. Do you think the fact that they allowed you in to interview them was sort of setting the stage for their release?

RIPLEY: It was as we look now, Pamela. You know, the fact these two men are now on their way home just two months after we spoke to them it shows the North Korean government at that time really was ready to play ball. They were ready to talk to the United States government and try to work out some sort of a deal for their release.

You think about the case of Jeffrey Fowle where they requested that an American plane, a government plane fly to Pyongyang to take Jeffrey Fowle home. And now we saw that scenario play out again just within the last few hours in this part of the world.

And it also goes to show, Pamela, just as with us where we had no warning, we were on a separate shoot, two hours from Pyongyang. We were put in a van and sent to go talk to these men. I can guarantee you that these men in Pyongyang had no warning that they were going to be released. It is the type of thing you see over and over again with North Korea. Things happen all of a sudden.

Where as they could have very well been sleeping, been woken up and said ok, you have a few minutes and then you're on your way home. So it just goes to show this is how this government operates. There may be a lot of discussions happening behind the scenes that we are not aware of. But things can happen quickly. They can change quickly. North Korea highly unpredictable -- Pamela.

BROWN: Absolutely. And I'm curious to know what it was like talking to Kenneth Bae in particular because we knew that he was in poor health according to his family and from news reports. And some are saying that they released him because they don't want an American dying on their watch. What kind of health was he in from your view?

RIPLEY: It was certainly startling to see him in person after seeing pictures of him, video of him on television. He'd last lost a considerable amount of weight. His hair was falling out. He actually had just been released from a hospital when we met with him in a nondescript hotel and conference center in Pyongyang. And he spoke about his deteriorating health and the fact that eight hours a day working, agricultural work at the labor camp, six days a week was really taking a toll on and there was a lot of fear that that would have to continue. His sentence was 15 years.

Matthew Miller was afraid that that would be his fate as well as with Jeffrey Fowle. And all three of those men, in addition to pleading with the United States government to help secure their release, they also, each of them made a point to convey that they were being treated humanely. It seemed as if the North Korean government -- it was very important for them to show that these Americans were not being held under the kind of conditions that the United Nations has accused that government of holding many of its political prisoners in these camps where they have almost no food, they're tortured, sometimes executed.

North Korea wanted send a message and they viewed CNN being in North Korea and these three Americans as an opportunity to send that kind of message to the world.

BROWN: Wow. And to think how surprised we all were to find out this news, imagine how the families felt of those two Americans? They must be elated. Do you know when they will be home, when they'll be reunited with their families by chance?

RIPLEY: Well if the case of Jeffrey Fowle is any indication it will probably happen pretty quickly. He was debriefed for a very short amount of time. He went from Pyongyang to Guam before flying home to Ohio. So while we don't yet know the exact itinerary for Miller and for Bae, we can imagine that there will be some sort of discussions that they'll have with the United States government, certainly in the case of Kenneth Bae.

There's a lot of questions that the United States will have for him given that he has been held in North Korea the longest of any of those Americans. You are talking about two years. And I'm sure that there are many people who are curious what kind of insights he was able to glean from that experience.

But number one, I think the priority for these men and for the U.S. government is to get them back home safely to their families.

BROWN: And as we know they are on their way back home right now. We will stay on top of this story. I'm curious, Will, because you have a unique perspective that not many people can offer because you have actually been inside of the country, inside of North Korea. You have actually dealt with officials there.

Bring us inside. What is it like interacting with them? What do you think it was like dealing with them with the release of these Americans? Try to give us your perspective if you would. RIPLEY: Well, certainly. There are many things about North Korea that make it a place unique in the world. From the moment we stepped off our plane, getting onto the runway in Pyongyang. It almost felt like we were stepping back in time. You're looking at buildings that were built at a time when North Korea was getting a lot of assistance from Russia.

So these are Soviet-style buildings that are decaying in many cases. The city is trying to do some upkeep. We saw workers out on the runway trying to patch it up. Throughout the city many of the roads were in disrepair. The city goes black at night because there is no electricity. And yet all of the people who you interact with there they repeatedly talk about their allegiance to the government and their allegiance to the leader, Kim Jong-Un and the Kim family which rules that country with an iron fist.

It is a mentally exhausting place to be Pamela, because you can never truly relax there. You always wonder is someone watching or is someone listening.

BROWN: Right. Very unpredictable place. Thank you so much Will Ripley.

I want to go straight to Erin McPike. She has more on the President's announcement today of the Attorney General nominee -- Erin.

MCPIKE: Pamela that's right.

It's Loretta Lynch who has been twice been a U.S. attorney in New York. She's been confirmed by the Senate twice, both in 2000 and again in 2010. Now this was a rather hastily arranged press conference today. It was supposed to be a little bit earlier this hour. It's now been delayed a couple of times to the bottom of the hour.

As you know President Obama is leaving for Asia tonight. But they wanted to get this nomination out there quickly. We have heard from several Republican senators who have said that they are willing to give Lynch a thorough and fair vetting but they want to do it after the new Congress convenes in February though the Obama Administration wants her to be moved quickly through the process, wants to get her confirmed quickly.

We can tell you that she doesn't have ties to President Obama. She is not a controversial pick like some of his other choices could have been including Don Verrilli, the solicitor general or Thomas Perez who is also in the President's cabinet. But the White House in choosing her thinks she can move quickly through this process. But again Republicans want to wait for another couple of months -- Pamela.

BROWN: Right. And as we know she's already been confirmed twice by the Senate. She's been the U.S. attorney two different times in the Brooklyn office.

I'm curious Erin because yesterday CNN was first to announce this, who the President's pick would likely be. And then Josh Earnest came out said he hasn't made a decision yet. And then now we find out he is announcing it today so let's take a listen to President Obama who's taken the podium.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nice to see everybody.

Good morning. As president I rely on my cabinet every day to make sure that we are not just getting the job done but we're making progress for the American people. And in a country that is built on the rule of law, there are few offices more important than that of Attorney General.

The Attorney General is the people's lawyer. As our nation's chief law enforcement officer, the person in this position is responsible for enforcing our federal laws, including protecting our civil rights. Working with the remarkable men and women of the Justice Department, the Attorney General oversees the vast portfolio of cases, including counterterrorism, voting rights, public corruption, white collar crime, judicial recommendations and policy reviews -- all of which impact on the lives of every American and shape the life of our nation.

As I said back in September when he decided to step down, I am enormously grateful to Eric Holder for his outstanding service in this position. He is one of the longest serving Attorney Generals in American history and one of our finest. Eric brought to this job a belief that justice isn't just an abstract theory but a living, breathing principle.

It is about how laws interact with the daily lives of our people, whether we can make an honest living, whether we can provide for our families, whether we feel safe in our own communities and welcome in our own country, whether the words that the founders set to paper 238 years ago, apply to every one of us in our time. So thanks to Eric, our nation is safer and freer and more Americans regardless of race or religion or gender or creed or sexual orientation or disability receive fair and equal treatment under the law.

I couldn't be prouder of Eric. And I couldn't be prouder that today I can announce somebody who shares that fierce commitment to equal justice under the law as my nominee for the next Attorney General, U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch.

I also, by the way, want to thank the chair of the Senate judiciary committee, Patrick Leahy for being here on a Saturday to show his support.

It is pretty hard to be more qualified for this job than Loretta. Throughout her 30-year career, she has distinguished herself as tough, as fair, an independent lawyer who has twice headed one of the most prominent U.S. attorney's offices in the country.

She has spent years in the trenches as a prosecutor, aggressively fighting terrorism, financial fraud, cybercrime, all while vigorously defending civil rights. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Loretta Rose as the assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York to chief of the Long Island Office, chief assistant U.S. attorney, and U.S. attorney.

She successfully prosecuted the terrorist who plotted to bomb the Federal Reserve Bank and the New York City subway. She has boldly gone after public corruption and bringing charges against public officials in both parties.

She's helped secure billions in settlements from the biggest banks accused of fraud and jail some of New York's most violent and notorious mobsters and gang members.

And one of her proudest achievements was the civil rights prosecution of the officers involved in the brutal assault of the Haitian immigrant, Admiral (inaudible).

Loretta might be the only lawyer in America who battles mobsters and drug lords and terrorist, and still has the reputation for being a charming people person.

And that's probably because Loretta doesn't look to make headlines. She wants to make a difference. She is not about splash. She is about substance. I could not be more confident that Loretta will bring her signature intelligence and passion and commitment to our key priorities including important reforms in our criminal justice system.

She has consistently proven her leadership and earned the trust and respect of those she serves. Since 2010 she's been a member of the Committee of the U.S. attorneys across the nation, who advice the attorney general on matters of policy.

And she has served as chair of that committee since 2013. So it's no wonder that the Senate unanimously confirmed her to be the head of the U.S. attorney's office in two separate situations, once under President Clinton and once under my administration.

It's my hope that the Senate will confirm her a third time without delay. Every stage in her career, Loretta has followed the principle of fairness, equality and justice that she absorbed as a young girl.

She's born in Greensboro, North Carolina. The year before black students there sat down at a whites-only lunch counter helping to spark a movement to change the course of this country.

And daughter of a school librarian and a Baptist minister which meant that she knew when to be quiet. It's a little intimidating, being the daughter of a librarian and a minister.

But Loretta road on her father's shoulders to his church where students would meet to organize anti-segregation boycotts. She was inspired by stories about her grandfather (inaudible) in the 1930s who helped folks in his community who got in trouble with the law and had no recourse under the Jim Crow system. I know that if he were here today, he would be just as proud as her as I'm sure her husband, Steven is. I want to thank Steven, Loretta's stepson, Ryan, her stepdaughter, Kia and her other family members who came here today. We appreciate you guys agreeing to share her with the American people a little bit longer.

Loretta spent her life fighting for fair and equal justice that is the foundation of our democracy. I can think of no better public servant to be our next attorney general. Let me introduce to you Ms. Loretta Lynch.

LORETTA LYNCH, ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE: Thank you, everyone, and thank you first of all, Mr. President for that kind introduction, and most importantly thank you for your faith in me and asking me to succeed an attorney general whom I admire and to lead the department that I love.

No one gets to that place, this room, this podium, this moment by themselves. I also must thank Attorney General Eric Holder for your support and your friendship over the years as well as by leading by example and always, always pushing this department to live up to its name.

And I want to thank Chairman Leahy, senior officials of the Department of the Justice and members of the cabinet for being here today. To my colleagues in the U.S. attorney community and throughout the department on who I lean every day, I thank you all of you as well for your support both now and all the work that we have ahead.

And to my beloved office, the Eastern District of New York, my professional home. You have twice now given me the privilege of being able to serve you and to focus on nothing, nothing but the protection of the people. It has been a joy. It has been an honor.

And I will carry you with me wherever I go. And of course, to my wonderful family, several only whom are here with me today. All of whom are always with me in love and support. Most especially my parents who could not be here today but are watching, whose ever thought and sacrifice has always been for their children.

They have supported me in all of my endeavors as I strive to live up to their example of service. The Department of Justice is the only cabinet department named for an ideal and this is actually appropriate. Because our worth is boast aspirational and grounded in gritty reality.

It is both ennobling and both profoundly challenging. Today I stand before you so thrilled and frankly so humbled to have the opportunity to lead this group of wonderful people who work all day and well into the night to make that ideal a manifest reality, all as part of their steadfast protection of the citizens of this country.

Mr. President, thank you again for the faith you that placed in me. I pledge today to you and to the American people that if I have the honor of being confirmed by the Senate, I will wake up every morning with the protection of the American people my first thought. And I will work every day to safeguard our citizens, our liberties, our rights, and this great nation, which has given so much to me and my family. I thank you again, Mr. President and Mr. Attorney General and all of you for being here.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, I think it is a wonderful day for them and their families and obviously we are very grateful for their safe return. And I appreciate the director doing a great job on what was obviously a challenging mission.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: There we heard from President Obama, introducing his new attorney general nominee, Loretta Lynch, the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn at the Eastern District there in New York.

There he said that this is someone that is pretty hard to be more qualified for this job than Loretta, he says. This is the first African-American female attorney general that is nominated and also the first U.S. attorney to make the leap to attorney general in nearly two centuries, pretty incredible for Loretta Lynch.

I'm bringing in Jeffrey Toobin, our legal analyst, to discuss this a little bit more. Jeffrey, this is a woman who has really stayed under the radar. She's done tremendous work, but as one person said, more of a work horse than a show horse, very low profile.

Why do you think she rose to the top and was able to beat out the others, who the president was considering for this job?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST (via telephone): Well, you know, I have to start with a bit of a bias here and just confess at the outset that Loretta Lynch and I were new prosecutors together in January of 1990 with offices down the hall from each other in the U.S. Attorney's Office when we were both junior prosecutors.

So I have watched her as a colleague and as a journalist for almost 25 years. And it is true. She is not a well-known figure even in New York City, much less in the country.

But she has done this very demanding job as U.S. attorney, which supervises law enforcement, federal law enforcement for Brooklyn, Queen and Long Island, for two terms. And she's done a very good job.

She has done a very wide range of cases from organized crime cases to terrorism to civil rights. Certainly lots of gang and narcotics cases. And she has a very good reputation within the law enforcement community, but very little known outside that world.

And that is good in that she has very few enemies. But it is perhaps less good because I think people know less about where she stands on the policy issues that an attorney general has to deal with.

BROWN: And let's talk about that with Sunny Hostin. She joins me now. She also knows Loretta Lynch. Sunny, I was speaking on the phone with someone last night who knows her very well, actually used to work for her and he was saying that she's dignified, thoughtful, listens to all sides. You always walk away from a meeting with her and even if she doesn't agree with you, you still feel like your voice was heard. But he did say something that could work against them is the fact that she is not a Washington insider and that there is a huge learning curve. Do you think that could help or hurt her in this new role?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST (via telephone): You know, I think it will help her quite frankly. And in the interest of full disclosure, I like Jeff Toobin know Loretta Lynch. I've had the privilege of meeting her several times and also actually interviewing with her.

And I will tell you my impression, especially during the interview of someone who is already a federal prosecutor, who is thinking about moving offices. She spared no detail. She did not treat me in any insider way. She asked tough questions. She was probing. She was gracious.

So I think that someone like that who doesn't, you know, do anyone any favors and is just a fair person and a person can a good temperament doesn't need to be a Washington insider. I think that is someone who will be well served by not being a Washington insider.

Let's face it. This is a very non-controversial nomination. She is a career prosecutor. She is a prosecutor's prosecutor. She is gracious. She is from the south, from Greensboro, North Carolina and has just incredible experience across board and the issues that an attorney general would have to deal with like terrorism, and organized crime and financial crime.

She's a child of the civil rights movement. So I think when President Obama said it is pretty hard to be more qualified than Loretta Lynch, that is just absolutely true. It is really a masterful nomination.

And the fact that she was unanimously confirmed by the Senate twice says to me that this really should be a nomination that sails through the Senate at this point.

BROWN: And we're still waiting to find out if she will be going through the nomination process, through the current Senate or the new Senate with the Republican majority still waiting to find out about that.

I want to bring in my colleague, who also covers the Justice Department and who first broke the story yesterday. We first learned from Evan Perez that she would be the nominee, Loretta Lynch, and now as we hear the president announcing it.

Evan, I'm curious to hear from you. She is going to serve presumably through the end of the president's term a couple of years. What kinds of challenges do you think she will face especially considering she's parachuting into some big issues including the Ferguson case potentially -- Evan.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: That's a one of the first things that will probably be on her desk, Pamela. You know, the attorney general is probably going to stick around until February is perhaps when we're looking at the vote.

At least that is the hope they can get a vote for her by February and Loretta Lynch will be faced with this investigation, which is still ongoing on how to reform the Ferguson Police Department and also whether to bring any civil rights charges down there.

And that is going to be something that she already has some experience. As you mentioned before she was involved in overseeing the case against the New York City Police officers who were charged with brutalizing (inaudible) back in the 90s.

So she has some experience in that. The big question will be what Republicans will be seeking to try to get, you know, for this nomination. Whether or not they will demand, you know, they have all kind of battles with the president over documents in unrelated cases.

For example, the IRS investigation and whether or not they will demand more on that stuff as part of in exchange to try to get this nominee threw very quickly.

BROWN: And I'm curious Evan because we know holder is leaving behind a legacy of dealing with civil rights issues, being smart on crime, going after banks. How do you think the priorities could shift in the Justice Department with Loretta Lynch at the helm?

PEREZ: I think one reason why they picked Loretta Lynch is because they wanted to try to make sure that there was some continuity on some of those priorities, Pam. I think the attorney general -- these things are very close to his heart.

He is very close with the president. And I think one of the things that he was advising the president is to try to figure a way to make sure that there was some continuation of those priorities.

Loretta Lynch comes from a place where, you know, she's also going to be very much focused on reforming sentencing laws. And also on these questions of, you know, reducing the prison population and so on.

But at the same time I think she'll also want to set up her own legacy and her own priorities. And so it is going to be interesting to see where she chooses to make that. She comes with a lot of experience in doing financial fraud cases and also public corruption.

So we'll see what she chooses is going to be her priority. I'm sure she wants to be her own person at the same time. And as you have just mentioned she's very understated and also insists on being called Loretta because, you know, she just tries to be like an average person.

But she is a very impressive lady, very impressive, very popular inside the department even if she is not well known around the country.

BROWN: Right. And as the president said, she is a charming people person. I've had the pleasure of meeting her and she is really unassuming, low profile. And I've heard so many positive things about her, Evan. I'm curious if you have seen or heard any drawbacks or anything that might work against her as she's going through the confirmation process?

PEREZ: Well, you know, that is going to be a tough one for the Republican majority that takes over in January. They are going to want to dig into her background obviously. She was just confirmed in 2010 on a voice vote. So there was no controversy at all over her nomination.

They do want to spend some time they say looking into her background to make sure that there is nothing that they find objectionable. But they also, Pamela, as you know want to make sure Eric Holder gets out of there.

He's not their favorite person here in Washington. So there is a little incentive to get the current attorney general out of office and get this new person in.

BROWN: All right, I have to ask this, Evan. So you broke the news yesterday that this is going to be the president's nominee. We heard Josh Ernest come out and say that the president hasn't made the decision yet and then all of a sudden today he holds this press conference. What do you make of all of this?

PEREZ: Well, you know, I'm told, I got a few annoyed e-mails over the period of yesterday. And I was told the plan was to do this after the Asia trip in a week. But obviously once we broke the story and once everybody else, all the other reporters were pushing the White House to just, you know, come out with it.

The decision was made they were going to rush Loretta down here to do this event. Also the other thing that made it a little complicated, the Attorney General Eric Holder was on his way back from a European trip so they scrambled to put this ceremony together.

They were a little annoyed at me because they said that they wanted to do this not on a Saturday, but perhaps on a day when there would be more attention to it.

BROWN: Way to go, Evan. Great reporting there. We appreciate it. We're going to of course continue following the story. Stay with us, Evan and all the others who have helped us talk about Loretta Lynch. We're following the story, breaking news out of North Korea as well. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

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BROWN: We want to stay with that breaking news now, President Obama's nominee for attorney general, Loretta Lynch. Sara Ganim joins us now live in Brooklyn, where Loretta Lynch is a U.S. attorney.

Sarah, when the announcement was made today and even yesterday when CNN broke this story, I think a lot of people were surprised to hear about Loretta Lynch. They had never heard of her before. What can you tell us about her? SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pamela, I can tell you that that's absolutely true. Her friends and colleagues here say that, you know, she was quietly building a very solid reputation in Washington. She wasn't really that well known in New York, in the state of New York. You know, she's in Brooklyn, in the eastern district of the state, and most of the well-known cases in the state are in Manhattan.

The U.S. attorney general there, but we do know she's been a prosecutor here for more than three decades. But she has southern roots. She was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, and went to Harvard and Harvard Law school.

And then she actually served two terms here as U.S. attorney general, both under President Clinton and under President Obama, really rose through the ranks in one of the busiest offices in the United States, U.S. Attorney General Office of the United States.

Her colleagues here in the state say that that's really admirable. That she quietly rose through the ranks. They say there's no one better here in the state of New York to take over this job, succeeding Attorney General Eric Holder. You know, some of the more interesting points to look for, she has prosecuted a lot of narcotics cases here in New York.

We know that the previous, Eric Holder, had backed off some of the lower-level narcotics cases and Pamela, just so our viewers know, I actually have lost you so I'm not sure if you can still hear me.

BROWN: OK. We do hear you. We're going to come back to you.

GANIM: Let me know when you want me to wrap up. But I want to touch on the fact that she has civil rights background, which comes in handy, as you noted earlier, with future cases that are coming up in Ferguson, Missouri.

Other civil rights cases across the country that we've been talking about a lot in the media right now, and also, you know, friends and colleagues say that her strong advisory on a number of topics.

You heard President Obama talk about some of the other cases that she prosecuted that will come in handy in this post, very high-profile post, succeeding someone who was a very close friend of President Obama -- Pam.

BROWN: Sara Ganim, on the ground there in Brooklyn. Thank you so much for that. We're following more breaking news right after this.

But first, Veterans Day is just a few days away from now, and the nation is preparing to honor the men and women who serve our country. In today's "American Journey" is an act of valor in the middle of a deadly shooting at a U.S. military base. Poppy Harlow has the story.

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POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you feeling today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm feeling a lot better than I was a few months ago.

HARLOW (voice-over): A few months ago, New York native, Army Major Patrick Miller and his wife, Ashley, were living in Texas after being assigned to Fort Hood, following two previous deployments to Iraq. But on Wednesday, April 2nd, his life instantly changed.

PATRICK MILLER, SHOT BY FORT HOOD GUNMAN: Sitting in the office and all of a sudden, you just hear bang, bang, bang, six, seven gunshots and right away, you know what that is, but you can't believe it.

HARLOW: Also hard to believe, because just a few years earlier, Fort Hood experienced one of the worst military base shootings in history, leaving 13 dead. On this day, what Patrick heard was an army specialist on a shooting spree. Never one to run away from trouble, Patrick ran towards it.

MILLER: After the gunshots, I just immediately got up and started yelling, telling everyone to get down, you know, hide, lock the doors, and I went out in the hallway, just kind of peeked out in the hallway, and there was this specialist walking down the hall towards me. I looked at him, and I was like, what are you doing? I was like, get out of the hallway.

HARLOW (on camera): You didn't think that was the shooter?

MILLER: Didn't know. Because when you see somebody in the same uniform as you, with the same American flag on their right shoulder, my thought is, you know, protect them.

HARLOW: You tried to protect the man that would then shoot you?

MILLER: Correct. Yes. How ironic? But -- so he started running towards me and this is all within a three or four-second span. And as he was running, I remember vividly thinking, OK, he's going to come into my office, he wants to come in my office for protection. And he literally ran right up closer than you and I are, and shot me point- blank with a .45 in the stomach.

HARLOW (voice-over): Patrick was shot just 2 in inches below his heart.

MILLER: After he shot me, he's trying to reload, so I pushed him as hard as I could, shut the door, locked it, and then I just grabbed my phone, started calling 911 with one hand, putting pressure on it with the other.

HARLOW (on camera): As you're shot, you're trying to save all these people and calling 911?

MILLER: Yes, ma'am. Adrenaline is a heck of a thing. Like I said, because honestly, and Ashley doesn't like hearing this, but I didn't know how long I was going to live.

HARLOW: You thought you might die?

MILLER: I did. I absolutely did. HARLOW (voice-over): Patrick knew his chances of survival diminished each moment he waited for help to come to him. So instead, he went to it by climbing out of his office window.

(on camera): When was that moment when you first got to see each other after this?

ASHLEY MILLER, PATRICK'S WIFE: He had just gotten back from surgery, he was intubated. He had an open wound.

HARLOW (voice-over): He underwent two surgeries in the next 24 hours and recently had a third. But through it all, he never lost his will to fight.

(on camera): People call you a hero. How does that make you feel?

MILLER: I've said this before, but in my eyes and I've always felt this, that the true heroes are the ones who never made it here. Sergeant First Class Daniel Ferguson, Carlos Zany, and Timothy Owens, who all perished on April 2nd are heroes in my eyes. HARLOW: What has this taught you?

MILLER: Appreciate every day, every minute of every day, and everything and everyone. And that sounds so cliche, but it's so true. Just don't sweat the small stuff and live your life to the fullest and do everything you can to make a difference.

HARLOW: Poppy Harlow, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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