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Governor Beebe Pardons; Celebration of Ten Years of IAVA; Elvis Painting Sold for Nearly $82 Million; Threatening Letter to Dr. Martin Luther King Revealed

Aired November 13, 2014 - 15:30   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: He is changed. It's been 11 years. He has no other offenses. Do you see this as special treatment?

DARREN KAVINOKY, ATTORNEY: Well, it doesn't necessarily mean special treatment. The problem is the appearance of impropriety is, really, the political problem for the governor or the outgoing governor. You know, we are talking about a drug offense that happened a significant period of time ago and no offenses since. So this doesn't necessarily smack of just cronyism and favoritism. Although, I would have been a little bit more suspicious had he addressed the letter dear dad instead of dear Mr. Governor? But it really is the appearance of impropriety that I think is troubling to people. They are looking at this, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, if you were to take the Beebe last name out of it, and you know, say this was someone else with similar offenses from x number of years ago, would that individual have a chance of being pardoned?

KAVINOKY: Well, I think this is exactly where people need to focus their attention. Fundamentally, I don't have a problem with people being pardoned if they meet the criteria. And this is something that I frequently advocating for. Usually, I'm on the other side of this argument asking that my clients be pardoned.

But really what we need to look at here if we're members of the community who have concerns about integrity of the process is to make sure this is something that is being applied equally. That people who are similarly situated are in fact receiving the benefit.

But let's not kid ourselves. When there is outgoing governors or outgoing presidents, usually, there's a big pardon fest. It's very much how the game of politics is routinely played. So, it's not at all shocking to me that as a political official leaving office, that there's a flurry of pardon activity that happens and the only thing that does make this unusual is the similarity of last name.

BALDWIN: Dad and son. Darren Kavinoky, thank you so much. Great to have you on.

KAVINOKY: You got, Brooke. Good seeing you.

BALDWIN: Thank you. Now to this. This reported new recording from the leader of ISIS out

today after reports initially, you know, recently that he was badly injured or even killed in an airstrike. Is this just another sign the U.S. strategy in Iraq and Syria is failing? We'll pose that question to two men whose opinions most definitely matter, two Iraq war veterans. We want to talk about veterans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Got a little breaking news earlier. We heard from our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr that there has now been this third strike on the Khorasan group. Remember, that is the Al-Qaeda cell that the U.S. has been targeting for the last couple months and we just sort of all worried about targeting specifically a key operative leader of the Khorasan group.

Did the U.S. hit this individual or not? That is yet to be seen. But you have that happening and then you have this with regard to ISIS. This failure, this is according to the purported leader of the Islamic state, this is the Islamic militant group ISIS. There was an audio message after it was posted today in which he calls the U.S. led mission to eliminate ISIS weak, powerless, almost seeming to dare the U.S. into a combat role that we quote "send ground forces to their death and destruction." his words.

He is not the only one to question the U.S. effort especially as reports suggest a power alliance is building along terror groups in this region and now the senior U.S. official tells CNN that President Obama has asked his team to rethink their policies toward Syria posing this. Should toppling the Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad come before destroying ISIS in Iraq?

Just threw a lot at you. But I have two veterans next to me who would love to hear their opinions. We have Paul Rieckhoff, who then serving in Iraq. Paul, founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, IAVA, a phenomenal organization, the first and largest organization for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and Derek Coy, marine sergeant and volunteer at the IAVA.

And so tonight is a big night. I know you are sitting here in suits. But I'm imagining tuxes later for the big heroes gala, eighth year for the gala. Ten years of IAVA. So just congratulations to you for everything you've accomplished.

But before we get into really the mission of IAVA, let's here from both of you, Paul, you first. Just on hearing this message from this purported leader of ISIS sort of, you know, almost daring the U.S. He mentioned specifically the 1,500 additional troops that Obama mentioned a couple days ago, daring the U.S. to throw down.

PAUL RIECKHOFF, FOUNDER/CEO, IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA: Right. Well, I think he just underscores that we're still very a country at war. You know, our community, 2.8 million Iraq and Afghanistan Vets have been serving over and over again, 1,500 of them are now going into Iraq. And it's really been the way we have been operating for over a decade now. You know, our families are home watching the news and they are

concerned. But I think it's just a testament to tenacity and the expertise of the American military. And it should remind all Americans a couple days after Veterans Day the toll that it takes, you know. We've been at this for a long time. There are still very bad, dangerous enemies out there that America will have to deal with. And thankfully, we have brave American men and women like Derek and so many others that are on the front lines literally around the world now.

BALDWIN: Thankfully. Just in talking to veterans and I would love to hear your opinion. You have these brave men and women who have gone, who have fought, who have served for our country in Iraq and here we are again with a familiar enemy. How do you feel about this entire effort?

SGT. DEREK COY, FORMER MARINE SERGEANT: Well, the thing that we see is that no matter what common place, veterans are ready to do a job anywhere we need. So I feel like that's not what we need to be focusing on. It's what happened when they get home. Because we see what happens with the decade of two wars going on happens. It takes its toll on these young women and men. So everyone else is seeing war. They, you know, being the war drawn, we are looking at what will happen to vets when they come home.

BALDWIN: So, you are not focusing on what the U.S. is doing right, what the U.S. is doing wrong over there.

COY: I mean, we can certainly discuss that and there's so many nuances that we could be here all day. But the one thing is we have an amazing military. That is something that is undisputed, one of the best ever. So that's something that we don't focus on too much or we don't really need to.

BALDWIN: Let me stay with you because you talk about, you know, let's focus on when you come home. And I am wondering, what is the biggest realization or surprise once you had finished serving overseas, you come home, you live here in the New York area. What was that?

COY: I mean, a complete 180. You go from an organization where everyone has your back. You need something. You go to one person and he tells you where to get answers. Everyone has kind of that unity and camaraderie that is prevalent among military. You get out and you are that one veteran in school like (INAUDIBLE). You are that one person who is trying to readjust when not too many other people know what's going on in your life. So it's hard to talk about it. It is hard to have good dialogue about how we can improve it. And you come back and you feel alone. And that is the one thing you probably what you don't feel when you're in the military like you by yourself.

BALDWIN: Wow.

RIECKHOFF: That's why organization like ours exists. We want to rebuild that camaraderie, rebuild that unity. Let people know they're not alone. You know, Veterans Day was two days ago. We have events going on across the country all week long. Seattle, Portland, Houston, Washington D.C. We had over half a million people on the mall. We want all veterans to know you're not alone. There's an organization that can help you. IAVA is that organization. Come to our Web site. Join us and keep serving. Keep serving in your community and be around your brothers and sisters and know that there's a bright future ahead of you.

That's the message we also want to send, Brooke. And it has been a lot of bad news stories out there about veterans. Our hash tag all week is vets rising. We want to show there are great veterans out there doing good things like Derek Coy who use the GI bill. There are leaders in the community and are continuing to lead at home.

BALDWIN: Here's the thing I wanted to talk about. I was just even -- I was coming off a plane yesterday and to give Delta kudos. It was the cover story of their Delta Sky magazine. It was about employing vets and they were talking about LinkedIn. I know you guys are honoring the UBER CEO. We want to get in those specifics.

But I'm curious for you. Because the numbers, I have pulled the numbers, unemployment among U.S. veterans both from Iraq and Afghanistan, at least the numbers I thought dropped from 10 percent to 7.2 percent in one year. That was from fall of 2013 to fall of 2014.

How are you getting some of these companies onboard because there still exists sadly this stigma from some of these organizations, I don't want to hire these guys and gals because of x, y and z they would have gone through and that's just wrong.

RIECKHOFF: Yes. Well, I think we show them value of a veteran. You know, you see a guy like this or so many of our other veterans that understand they're not a charity. They're an investment. They are hard working.

BALDWIN: They are not a charity, an investment.

RIECKHOFF: Yes. They are the best investment America can make, you know. They are dynamic, they are hard working, they are great with technology, they work well in teams, they have got great values.

BALDWIN: How was that been you coming back.

COY: It's been amazing. I mean, it is night and day from when I got out of the military. That is when I found IAVA because those resources are out there. I was able to link up with IAVA and they gave me training on how to write a resume and translate my skills as a marine into what the civilian sector is looking for, how to dress, how to go to an interview and just carry yourself in a way that's marketable. And marines, airmen, soldiers, when they come home, they are used to being in the military where they have a uniform worn one way and adapting is what we are trying to promote. Because once we get the resources that we need, we are back to taking over and lead from the front and take care of each other.

BALDWIN: Before IAVA happened for you, though, like what was your biggest struggle? COY: Being alone. I didn't know there were not only other there that

were dealing with what I was dealing with. I came back from Iraq with post-traumatic stress and it was something that it took me a long time to not only recognize that I had it, but also to seek out help because the military does a great job of letting you know how amazing you are. You come back from war and you feel like you're ten feet tall and bulletproof and you get out. You don't want to admit, you know, I'm having a few problems. They are out struggling right now. I think, maybe, my other veterans right. And I know what I'm going through so a lot us don't talk to each other about these things. And it promotes a lot of the problem that we have. So really, being able to identify the problem and ask for help is what IAVA is tremendously doing.

RIECKHOFF: Tonight is about celebrating that. You know, here in New York we are going to honor Admiral Mullen (ph), an incredible leader for our community. And Travis Kalanick, the CEO of Uber. Uber is going to hire 50,000 young veterans coming home and military families to put them to work. They understand that if you want to support the troops, hire them. And Uber is an innovative company, they are entrepreneurial and that's what our veterans are all about. We want folks if they can make it to New York, there are still tickets available. Go to IAVA.org. If you are somewhere else, you can stream it online and you can be part of the celebration tonight, a celebration of service and ten years of dedication for IAVA and veterans like Derek.

BALDWIN: We were at a veteran event in New York last week. And I tell you, there were not many dry eyes when you saw this one young man and his wife and what was almost amounted to be at excess skeleton, right, (INAUDIBLE), walking off the stage with his wife. And I though the best question that was asked of him was how can we help you? You know, it's easy to write a check. And we can write checks. But to you, what can we, nonveterans, we're all related to someone who is, but how can we help you?

COY: I think really understand the issues. A lot of people come home and civilians think I have a yellow ribbon and I support troops and I will do anything I can for them.

BALDWIN: It's not enough.

COY: So, for a lot don't know that we have issues with the VA. They think we have free healthcare and education. There are problems with a lot of things that we have set up. So really, understanding the issues and not thinking like, he's going to come home and be like Rambo and I can't hire him. Relied to veterans are amazing assets. And like Paul says, invest in us and we will give back tenfold.

RIECKHOFF: And get involve. You know, make every day veterans day. That's our goal. It is tremendous energy around the country all week. We have to keep that up every week ahead and for the years to come.

BALDWIN: You guys are phenomenal.

RIECKHOFF: You're phenomenal. Thank you. We appreciate you.

BALDWIN: Thank you so much. We appreciate everything you have done and continue to do. Thank you.

RIECKHOFF: Thank you.

BALDWIN: We will move along. Evil, vicious, a colossal fraud that is how the FBI described Martin Luther King, Jr. Did you know this back in the '60s? This is so-called suicide leader sent to him nearly 50 years ago. Now, that full letter, not redacted, has been discovered and the historian that found it joins me live.

Plus, any Andy Warhol fans out there. Put him together with Elvis, and what do you get? We will tell in just a moment. A lot of zeros, that's my hint. You are going hear this coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: An Elvis painting sold for nearly $82 million. Let me show you the triple Elvis. Andy Warhol, 1963 painting here. Squint your eyes. Depicting Elvis as a cowboy in Andy Warhol style in triplicate. So you have triple Elvis. It sold to this anonymous bidder last night at Christie's auction and pop art featuring celebrity images, definitely on a money making world fetching some sky high prices. (INAUDIBLE).

Joining me now, this is correspondent Alison Kosik.

And so, a cool 82 mil.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: A cool 82 mil. You don't have that spend out of painting, do you? It's not just one Warhol but two Warhol. That's Christies, that record amount that it pulled in last night.

Let me give you the figure, $852 million total for its auction. But let me run down with just those two iconic painting, what someone shelled out for those. So, once again, $82 million for that triple Elvis. And then the other one coming in at a close second was $70 million. That was actually one about Marlon Brando. It is called the four Marlons. There it is. There we go. So this is actually a publicity photo of Marlon Brando, that Warhol painted in 1966.

It was really a big night for this auction house. A quarter of the art sold last night sold for $10 million.

BALDWIN: Who are these people that -- are these anonymous buyers?

KOSIK: People who got a lot of money. But you know, a lot of people would, of course, buy these because they have pride in having these kinds of iconic art in their homes. But a lot of it is about the investment, too.

Let me give you case in point. Let me throw up a graphic here for you and show you what I mean. Back in 2005, Julian's auction house in Beverly Hill's sold that purple skirt you see in Marilyn Monroe, sold it $1500 to somebody. Somebody went ahead and sold it. And then the auction have picked it up again and resold it in 2012. Look at that investment. If you would held on that thing, that's how much you would have made. So it shows that it is a really a true investment.

And there's a lot of interest in using art and other things that you can buy at an auction house as an investment. Because for one, many people who have a lot of money, they were burned during the time when we felt stocks really take plunge during the recession.

Also, it's also pretty liquid to have these kinds of things, more liquid than real estate. So there is an investment opportunity here if you have the money.

BALDWIN: No Warhol's in my apartment.

KOSIK: None here either.

BALDWIN: OK. Alison Kosik, thank you very much.

You have just 34 days. That's a threat that someone in the FBI made to Martin Luther King Jr. nearly five decades ago. It was a threat in the form of a letter, it's typed letter. And the message for the civil right leader was clear, kill yourself.

Coming up, we will talk to the historian who did uncover that letter in the national archives and it is fascinating. This whole fact story, that is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Dr. Martin Luther King, he got a scathing letter that he should kill himself, that he should commit suicide. Were the letter off there would reveal King's extramarital affairs. Well now, we know who wrote this anonymous letter. The FBI's then director J. Edgar Hoover. His letter denounces Dr. King's quoted abnormal beast. This gives the civil rights icon a deadline, 34 days, to be precise before quote "your filthy abnormal fragile itself is bared to the nation." The word "evil" appears six times in this letter. You are looking at here. Typos, misspelling, they are sprinkle throughout. Dr. King received these threatening letter just a couple of months before he went to win the Nobel peace prize.

And my next guest is the historian who authenticated this letter. She's going founded. She is Yale University's Beverly Gage. She joins me now.

And Beverly, when I read about this story this morning, I thought, my goodness. I mean, can we just begin with, so you are doing research. This is over the summer. You are doing research for this biography on J. Edgar Hoover. And you, what, are searching for books or archives?

BEVERLY GAGE, PROFESSOR, YALE UNIVERSITY: Right. I'm writing a biography of J. Edgar Hoover. And I spent a lot of time going through old FBI files. And so, I was at the National Archives this summer with my research assistant and we were going through what is known as Hoover's official and confidential files, which were sort of his secret files on big public figures that he kept in his office. So his really special files. They had just been given over to the national archives. They have

come out in various forms over the years. But this was a newly reprocessed set of those files. And we didn't know what we would find and then we happened upon this letter.

BALDWIN: So you happened upon this letter. There had been different iterations of the letter that had been redacted. And this is we can see as clear as day, the misspellings, the talk of, you know, Dr. King's sex life, et cetera. I mean, you read the whole thing. What really is the thrust of it?

GAGE: Well, the thrust of it, you had little inklings on this over the years from versions that have come out, that they have been partly blacked out. So, it wasn't clear what the whole letter was really about. The gist of it is that it is an extremely threatening letter aimed at that Dr. King that mostly goes into a lot of pretty graphic accusatory language about his extramarital sexual activities and threatens him with exposure.

And then the letter sort of end says, King, you've got to take action. You know what you have to do. And Martin Luther King interpreted that as an attempt to get him to kill himself to remove himself from public life.

BALDWIN: So, you are the expert here, Beverly. You are the one writing this biography on J. Edgar Hoover. Why? Why was he writing this? Was this message for Dr. King? What was it an issue of jealousy that he was a fast-rising soon to be iconic man in the civil rights movement or was he truly irked at his extracurricular activity?

GAGE: I think it was all of those things, really. So they had actually been wiretapping King and bugging his hotel rooms for at least a year before this letter was sent. And they had been wiretapping several of his associates, some who had been involved in the communist party at some point. So Hoover, in particular, was not particularly fond of civil rights activists to really was not fond of people who were palling around with communists.

And Martin Luther King had also come out on several occasions and criticized the FBI itself for failing to enforce civil rights law. That was, for J. Edgar Hoover was by war, the worst thing you could possibly do and almost anyone who criticized the FBI sort of ended up on Hoover's enemy list in one way or another, though not everyone got a letter like this one.

BALDWIN: Such a fascinating bizarre piece of history in the 60s. having by have you. You write in "The New York Times" piece, this so- called suicide letter occupies unique place in U.S. intelligence history, the most notorious and embarrassing example of Hoover's FBI run amuck. And you mentioned how the current FBI director, James Comey, sitting on his desk in current day, actually, has a copy of the King wiretap because, why?

GAGE: Well, he views it, and I think rightly so, as a kind of cautionary note about how overconfidence in the intelligence agency is a sense that you're fighting a righteous fight might actually lead you in some pretty questionable directions sometimes. So I think it's a cautionary note for all of us, really.

BALDWIN: From 1964. It's interesting you bring up in the piece how this would play out in the current day of 2014. That's for another conversation.

Beverly Gage, best of luck to you in writing this whole thing, an absolutely fascinating discovery. Appreciate you coming on with me from Yale University today. Thank you.

GAGE: Thanks.

BALDWIN: And that is it for me. I'm Brooke Baldwin here in New York. We will see you same time, same place tomorrow.

In the meantime, let's go to Washington. "The LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.