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Police Capture Quadruple Murder Suspect; Biker Gang Targets Texas Police; ISIS Seizes Syria's Last Entry into Iraq; Grand Jury Indicts 6 Baltimore Officers; Interview with Representative Robert Pittenger; Benghazi E-mails to be Released? Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired May 22, 2015 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Killer linked to the horrific slaying of a prominent D.C. family is now behind bars. A massive manhunt ending where it began. Overnight police arrested this man, 34-year-old Daron Wint, along with five suspected accomplices.

Wint is accused of torturing and killing a husband and wife, their 10- year-old son, and the family's housekeeper. Authorities were able to track him down in New York but when they got to New York, he was already on the run. It was back in Washington where that crime was committed that police closed in on the suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CMDR. ROBERT FERNANDEZ, U.S. MARSHALS CAPITOL AREA REGIONAL FUGITIVE TASK FORCE: We also called Prince George's County, Maryland Police Department and they had a helicopter in the air in five minutes. Once we reached the location in D.C. where we felt we could take him down, then we did a vehicle pin maneuver on both vehicles and were able the arrest everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Tom Foreman is covering this for us this morning. He's in Washington.

Good morning.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. There's a great sense of relief in this neighborhood after this arrest was made. Really a textbook case by police as they got on this guy's tail and they stayed after him all the way up to New York right back down here. And the way they described it really just played out the way many police departments would want to. A quick close in. A clean capture along with five other people who -- it's not clear what their involvement may be at this point. And he should be in court early this afternoon.

I mentioned the relief here. The family of Savvas Savopoulos, his wife, his 10-year-old son, and of course the housekeeper here as well, Vera Figueroa, who was killed in all of this, the family issued a statement saying, " While it does not abate our pain, we hope that it begins to restore a sense of calm and security to our neighborhood and to our city. We are blessed to live in a community comprised of close circles of friends who have supported us and grieved with us."

It's very important, Carol, to remember that in all of this, there are two teenage daughters who were away at boarding school, who lost their whole family in this house behind me here, and who must also be relieved to know that the killer or the suspected killer has been arrested at this point, and yet they must deal with a tremendous amount of grief right now.

Now all of that said, this man, Daron Wint, is going to be in court early this afternoon and already a former attorney of his has been speaking out saying oh no, he could not possibly be the one who committed this crime. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBIN FICKER, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR SUSPECT: I know him to be a kind, gentle non-aggressive person. Someone you wouldn't mind your grandmother going to lunch with. He's not the guy that did this. I've met with him many times. I've observed hundreds of thousands of people in my life and completed 30,000 cases in court.

When I'm sitting across from a person for hours at a time, I can tell that they are kind and gentle. He was not a mean, aggressive person at all. He was a young man finding his way. A student at Prince George's Community College. He tried to get into the Marines. He was patriotic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: Of course, Carol, you can compare the comments of his former attorney with the long history that he's had of run-ins with the law before this and the police confidence that they have the right man right now, and make your own decisions about that -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, I talked just a little bit ago with Mr. Ficker. He says there's been a rush to judgment here. He says just because this guy's DNA might have been found on a piece of pizza doesn't mean he's guilty necessarily.

FOREMAN: Of course. I mean, that's true of any case out there. But it also doesn't negate the fact that he does have a long history of problems with the law, run-ins with the law, and run-ins that were related in some cases to aggressive and threatening behavior. Those are also facts in this case at this point despite what his former attorney may say.

COSTELLO: And again, we don't know what else police found in that house. They're not releasing that kind of information. We only know about this slice of pizza.

Tom Foreman, reporting live from Northwest Washington. Thanks so much.

Police could be the next target for a biker gang that was involved in a deadly Texas shootout. Officials issuing a bulletin saying members of the Bandidos are looking to retaliate against troopers and other officials possibly with car bombs.

CNN's Alina Machado has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, this new threat warns of possible plots targeting high-ranking law enforcement officials with car bombs and it even mentions possibly targeting their families.

The Texas Department of Public Safety issued a warning saying that certain Bandidos members are giving the group C-4 explosives and grenades to be used to retaliate against police for the deadly shootout that happened here over the weekend. The bulletin does name some specific locations namely the McLean County Jail here in Waco as well as several cities in Texas, Houston, El Paso and Austin, to name a few.

Now this bulletin is based on unsubstantiated information from an informant who claims to have obtained it from the Bandidos as well as from another group called the Black Widows. Police here in Waco, Texas, say they are aware of this new threat. They have already been on alert following the shooting. What they would not say is what, if anything, they will be doing differently to protect themselves -- Carol.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[10:05:17] COSTELLO: Alina Machado, reporting.

In the Middle East, ISIS militants gobble up more territory. The breathtaking gains further solidified this week with the capture of Syria's city Palmyra and the Iraqi city of Ramadi. And just hours ago we learned that ISIS fighters seized control of Syria's last crossing into Iraq.

Also new this morning dramatic images capturing the plight of refugees. Just outside of Baghdad a massive swirling sandstorm brings a halt to their long trek from Ramadi and it's seized by ISIS fighters.

And just a couple of days after the official fall of Palmyra in Syria, ISIS fighters have extended their control around the ancient city. Government troops have pulled out and according to an international watchdog group, ISIS now controls more than half of Syria. And it's captured territory in nearly all the nation's provinces.

Now this breathtaking gains by ISIS are adding to criticism that the White House is simply not doing enough. This morning a top Obama critic says it's time to put boots on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Not massive American troops. But it is additional American troops. Do you that 75 --

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": How many? Seriously, how many? What number are you talking?

MCCAIN: I would say -- I would say 10,000.

CAMEROTA: OK. And how --

MCCAIN: And -- but they've got to be on the ground. And they've got to be on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK, 10,000 troops on the ground. Is it a good idea?

Let's ask that of retired Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt. He served as deputy director for coalition forces in Iraq. He was also the U.S. military spokesman during the initial Iraq invasion.

Welcome, sir.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Hi.

COSTELLO: Do you agree with Senator McCain?

KIMMITT: Well, I think Senator McCain makes a very good point. But I -- it's also important to note that we have 3,000 troops on the ground right now that are not -- because of policy constraints are not being allowed to be used in the best manner possible. So I agree that we do need some additional troops but more importantly the troops that we do have on the ground need to be able to be part of the fight rather than hunker down in the international zone.

COSTELLO: So what do you mean by policy restraints? Because our mission there is to train Iraqi forces and to assist them. Do you think that those troops should fight alongside Iraqi forces?

KIMMITT: If we're going to advise and assist and train, we've got to make sure that our troops are allowed to work alongside them outside of the training areas. What we have seen for U.S. forces over the years throughout the world, and when you put an American special operations team alongside a local battalion, it provides the backbone and the leadership assistance so that when things get bad they can turn to a battle hardened American officer, and that officer is going to say, don't worry, we're going to get through this.

It is my personal belief that if we'd had those kind of advisers down at the battalion and company levels which our policy currently prohibits, if they had been there in these recent fights, my belief is that the Iraqi Security Forces would have held.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, let me ask you this question because President Obama doesn't think we're losing against ISIS. In your mind what's the answer to that question? Are we losing? Are we holding? I mean, what are we doing?

KIMMITT: I think in Syria ISIS is winning. I think in Iraq, ISIS is advancing. I don't think we're losing in Iraq. But it is certainly the case that they are advancing. COSTELLO: Well, let me read you what else President Obama said

because he said that to the "Atlantic." He says, "We're not losing to ISIS." And he went on to say, "I know that there are some in Republican corners who have suggested that I've overlearned the mistake of Iraq and that in fact just because the 2003 invasion did not go well doesn't argue that we shouldn't go back in. And one lesson that I think is important to draw from what happened is, is that if the Iraqis themselves are not willing or capable to arrive at the political accommodations necessary to govern, if they are not willing to fight for security of their own country, we cannot do that for them."

In other words, they got to do it themselves. We can't do it for them. Do you agree?

KIMMITT: Well, I certainly do. But I do think the problem was 2003. I think the problem was 2011 when this president withdrew all American forces from Iraq. The fact is for the past three years the Iraqis stopped training. A small contingent of American forces say, as John McCain says, 10,000, which was the plan, could have maintained the readiness, the leadership and the training, and I think had we been able to negotiate a status of forces agreement then we would not be in the situation we are right now.

COSTELLO: But, sir, those forces in 2003 were supposedly training these Iraqi forces. Obviously either it didn't stick or it didn't work or we don't know what we're doing when it comes to training Iraqi forces. Which is it?

KIMMITT: I think it's exactly as you said. When we stopped training -- in 2011, the Iraqi Security Forces were in very, very good shape. They hadn't seen a battlefield defeat in months.

[10:10:07] When we stopped providing the advisory and assistance mission after 2011, it didn't stick. We weren't there to continue to remind them to train, to conduct multilevel operations and as a result they became the best checkpoint army in the Middle East. And when a year ago ISIL came across the border they weren't prepared.

A small investment by American troops after 2011 in my view would have prevented the situation we're seeing right now.

COSTELLO: But if Iraqi Forces don't have the will to protect their own country and just be, what, checkpoint security guards, can you really instill that as an American troop?

KIMMITT: You sure can. And that's exactly what we do around the world. Our White Special Forces A teams, you take 10 men, you put it in a 600-man battalion, and it provides a catalyst and the experience to make sure that these units will stand and fight.

It's a small investment. It's been proven over the years. For the last 50 years since we've had White Special Forces and we need to consider a policy change that allows us to put those types of forces down into the Iraqi battalions and not keep them up at brigade and divisional level. It will make a difference. COSTELLO: So we put this contingent into Iraq to train force there is

and we train these moderate Syrian rebels to fight, too. Do we put more troops there, too, in advisory roles and how many?

KIMMITT: Well, Syria is in a completely different situation. At this point we're not even certain who we're dealing with there. We are just beginning the training elements over in Syria. But in Iraq we've had long standing relationship with the Iraqi Security Forces. These are the types of operations that prove so successful from 2006 to 2011. A small investment in American troops working side by side with the Iraqis made all the difference in the battlefield.

The current policy prohibits that. We ought to loosen up the policy to get back to that same type of training and assisting and working side by side with the Iraqi Forces that we stopped in 2011.

COSTELLO: Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, thanks so much for your insight. I appreciate it.

KIMMITT: Sure. Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a grand jury indicts six Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray. So what happens next?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:15:59] COSTELLO: In Baltimore, six police officers will be arraigned on July 2nd in a case that sparked nationwide attention. A grand jury has now indicted those officers in the death of Freddie Gray. As you know the young man died last month one week after he was arrested. He apparently suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury while he was being transported in a police van.

CNN national correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us now with more.

Good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Well, the attorneys for the Gray family, they are satisfied. The family is quite frankly relieved and the community of West Baltimore feels that it is finally going to hear the frustrations and the fear within the community about the Baltimore Police Department through this case against these six police officers.

Now the number of charges against all six remains the same with the most serious one, second-degree depraved heart murder for officer Caesar Goodson who drove that police van. That is still intact. What is interesting, Carol, is some of the lesser charges have changed. The -- the charges of second-degree assault and false imprisonment for three officers were dropped, replaced with six charges of reckless endangerment.

So what does this mean? It means the prosecution's case much less focused on whether those three police officers on their bikes who initially chased Gray and tackled him had falsely arrested Gray or had probable cause to arrest him because he had a concealed knife. It now has much more to do with how Gray was treated in that police van between the stops and the fact that no one gave him medical aid when he was clearly suffering.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARILYN J. MOSBY, BALTIMORE CITY STATE'S ATTORNEY: Additional information has been discovered and, as is often the case, during an ongoing investigation, charges can and should be revised based upon the evidence.

These past two weeks, my team has been presenting evidence to a grand jury that just today returned indictments against all six officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So what is she talking about here? The state's attorney, Mosby. She didn't say what that evidence specifically was but it could very well have been the concealed knife that the attorneys representing at least two of the police officers filed a motion to see that was found on Gray when he was initially apprehended.

There was a lot of debate, Carol, over whether the knife was legal to carry under state or city law, what kind of knife it was. But it's very possible that the grand jury saw the knife, determined it wasn't possible for the officers to figure out all of that during their initial encounter with Gray and that ultimately didn't matter, that the problem with the six police officers is they failed to respond to Gray's suffering.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Suzanne Malveaux, many thanks to you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, is this ancient city the newest funding source for ISIS? We'll talk to a lawmaker who's trying to choke off ISIS' cash flow next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:22:14] COSTELLO: ISIS makes gains, seizing more territory including cities in Iraq and Syria just within the last few days. But that war machine also devours vast resources.

Our next guest wants to choke off the money supply to ISIS. Robert Pittenger is a Republican congressman from North Carolina. He's also the vice chairman of the bipartisan task force to investigate terrorism financing.

Welcome, sir.

REP. ROBERT PITTENGER (R), NORTH CAROLINA: Thank you, Carol. Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning. So ISIS has looted banks, they've seized weapons, they're not relying on conventional funding like other terror groups. So how do you stop it? PITTENGER: Well, they've been very strategic in their planning. Very

effective. This latest gaining that they've had at Palmyra and taking antiquities is a strategic use of their efforts to be able to sell these antiquities over the black market. They did the same thing in Mosul, taking the antiquities there from the museum, and frankly they'll go wherever that they can find resources. They rob banks, taken money. They've of course sold oil -- illicit sale of oil across the border. They've used every means possible. They are very efficient, they're very effective in what they do.

COSTELLO: Well, some have suggested that when ISIS moves on these historical landmarks that somebody should help protect them from ISIS. Should that happen? Should there be military intervention there?

PITTENGER: Well, I think there should be. I mean, it's strategic in that it's a source of funding. You know, it takes funding to support the caliphate. They have taken over governance of a large vast of land, half of Syria today, large percentage of Iraq, and as a result they have to govern and provide resources and services to the people there. They also need to fund an army. So in every manner that we can intercept and prevent their capacity to gain funding is what we should be about.

For example, we have continually have trucks of oil going across the border into Turkey and being able to sell that all under the black market. We are working together with our allies through the FATF, the Financial Action Task Force. I was with them two weeks ago in Paris. There's 34 countries who are involved in that task force. And there is about 40 recommendations that they all subscribe to, to seek to deter and intercept the funding.

(CROSSTALK)

PITTENGER: We have -- we are working --

COSTELLO: Have any of those recommendations put into -- been put into place yet? I mean, have you managed to choke off any funding to ISIS?

PITTENGER: Absolutely. (INAUDIBLE) in the Treasury has worked diligently with our allies across the world to seek to intercept this. However, it continues. It's like water. It flows downhill. It finds a way to go. And they strategically think of what they need to do in terms of trade base laundering and other means to find these resources and to convert it into cash as needed.

[10:25:15] They need medical supplies, they need food, they need other resources to fight their war. So any way that they can work through the mafia, criminal effects, we've discussed that a lot yesterday in our task force, and the nexus between the criminal elements and the terrorist groups are continuing to grow. These people are not backyard criminals. They are very knowledgeable and very capable.

COSTELLO: Representative Robert Pittenger, thank you so much for joining me this morning. I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, thousands of Hillary Clinton's e-mails about Benghazi will soon be made public. Will we -- will we find out what was really going through her mind after that attack? We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

The Obama administration's handling of the Benghazi attack could soon get renewed scrutiny as the State Department prepares to release the first set of e-mails set and received by Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state.

CNN's Chris Frates is tracking developments for us in Washington.

Good morning, Chris.

CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. So the State Department is being a little cagey this morning on the timing. But we believe it could be as early as today. That would not be a surprise.