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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield

Former Miss USA Contestant Tells Trump He Committed "The Worst Exploitation"; What Problems Led To The New York Prison Break?; Greece On The Financial Brink, Facing Austerity Vote This Weekend. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired July 03, 2015 - 12:30   ET

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

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[12:30:00] DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists.

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ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN HOST: That's what started Donald Trump's firestorm. Comments about immigrants from Mexico and its people that were at once controversial and offensive.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't help but be offended, you know. Nobody should be able to speak like that of a nation, of a group of people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just hope our neighbors, our friends back in the USA realize how dangerous simple thinking like that can be.

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BANFIELD: The remarks have already cost Donald Trump some of his business partnerships, big ones -- NBC, Macy's and Serta mattresses have broken ties and temporarily Trump was without a T.V. home for his Miss USA pageant when Univision dumped out. But it's been picked up by a smaller network.

Now a former Miss USA contestant is reaching out to Trump on Instagram and telling him he committed "the worst exploitation" with his remarks.

Earlier today, Marybel Gonzalez spoke to CNN about her message to Trump and her hopes for the pageant.

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MARYBEL GONZALEZ, FORMER MISS USA CONTESTANT: This is something that's bigger than me. I think that this is something that I wanted to do to address discrimination and to address the dangerous rhetoric that Donald Trump is utilizing. He is running for presidential candidacy and I think it's extremely dangerous to generalize a population and attribute such hateful comments to them.

I think that it is important, yes, to address international relations and to address your policies on immigration that has been done for years.

However, people are not going to subscribe to discrimination and hateful comments and especially not at the expense of a population of a nation and of a culture.

I think that this is a critical time to re-evaluate the association that the Miss Universe Organization has with Donald Trump. I think that Miss Universe Organization aligns itself with diversity and they celebrate women from different cultures and different backgrounds. I think that the values are not in accordance with one another, what Donald Trump represents and what Miss Universe Organization represents.

I think that the spirit of the pageant will continue. There's a long- standing tradition and I hope that it does despite all of the recent controversy. And I think that it's a critical time to re-evaluate where the pageant is headed. But I really do hope to see that this tradition continues.

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BANFIELD: Joining me now is reputation management consultant Mike Paul.

Mike, that is a former Miss USA contestant who ended up in the top ten of that pageant. She is the former Miss Colorado. She is one of his flock.

MIKE PAUL, REPUTATION MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT: That's right.

BANFIELD: He bullies anybody who speaks ill of him. He bullied NBC, he bullied Univision, he bullied Macy's, he bullied just about every reporter who dares to challenge him, how do you bully one of your own?

PAUL: Well you bully one of your own, when you're not thinking of them. At the things you suppose to be doing is thinking of all the stakeholders that surrounds your brand. And you personally from a reputation perspective, Donald Trump is not even thinking of his own family right now.

You know, I have a friend who married one of his sons. I'm sure one of the things she's thinking is, you know, when my parents call me and say this is my father-in-law, how do I deal with the question like that?

This goes very deep and it's one of the things that you need to be focused on when you're thinking of it from a reputation management system. BANFIELD: He doubles down, he triples down. Yesterday I think we said he quintupled down as well with the attacks. He doesn't back down when people challenge him and call him out on things like "rapist" which is an ugly, ugly label to hang around anyone's neck.

But how are you going to challenge her? Like I said, she's one of his. She's one of his proteges. So how do you challenge her with what she is saying because she's nailing it?

PAUL: Well he doesn't care. That's the easy answer. He's only thinking from his perspective. He's not thinking of it from a reputation perspective. He's not thinking of it from a brand management perspective. He obviously isn't doing that analysis when he's saying these things.

I think he has political advisors saying there are some messages that you need to get out of New York, you got to get out of a liberal New York, you got to have more of a Arizonian perspective in your speech. And it's not working for him because --

BANFIELD: So you don't think he'll take to Twitter and trash Marybel because that's what he does to everybody else.

PAUL: Well if he does that he knows now after getting smacked a few times this week very heavily that that would be a mistake. Let's see if he does so.

BANFIELD: I'll ask you just quickly. What would it take for Donald Trump to actually fail because so many others who have come before him who have uttered, say, the "N" word, I'm thinking of Paula Deen or have said other things in misstep have basically tumbled quickly to their demise with the aid of the Schadenfreude of America. But what would it take for someone like Donald to have that same effect?

[12:35:02] PAUL: Excellent question. I think there's three important points. If you were my client I'll be saying you need to live with humility. That is the opposite of what he's leading with. Before you get in to crisis management you need to be dealing with ego management.

And I'd also be telling him there's a huge difference between an image and a reputation. A reputation is built with bricks, truth, honesty, humility, accountability, consistency and transparency.

He's not hitting any of those. He doesn't really care about any of those. And the most important is there isn't a work life and a political life and a personal life, there's only one life and you're supposed to be living it with integrity and he's doing the opposite of that.

I'd also be telling him he needs to be focused on his family. You're making these decisions in a tunnel, you're not thinking about your most important stakeholders, those that you love the most. And he's hurting them on a daily basis.

BANFIELD: We'll watch to see how he reacts or if he does at all to this, you know, former Miss USA contestant who is beautifully articulate about what she thinks, whether he'll respond.

Mike, nice to see you again.

PAUL: Nice to see you, too.

BANFIELD: And happy 4th.

PAUL: Thanks, Ash.

BANFIELD: Coming up next, was it lack security or much, much more that led to the New York prison break? And where could it happen next? Is corruption and collusion with prison inmates a much bigger problem across the country than anyone imagined?

You're going to hear about it, next.

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BANFIELD: The corruption scandal uncovered by the daring prison escape in New York is far from unique.

Allegations of sex and contraband, oil paintings for favors, almost sounds like an episode of oranges the new black. But this is real life.

Convicted murderers Richard Matt and David Sweat claim that they were able to convince a prison worker Joyce Mitchell to do their bidding for them and now she is charged with helping them breakout and even alleged to have had a sexual relationship with at least one of them, possibly both. It's a frighteningly familiar story.

[12:40:08] In fact an investigation in Baltimore has revealed a prison essentially run by the inmates it seems, using sex as coercion. Here's CNN's Randi Kaye

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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Before a sweeping investigation in to the Baltimore City detention center, the inmates seem to be running the place.

A deadly gang called the Black Guerrilla Family lorded over an empire of drugs and contraband in the jail, all at the direction of their leader, inmate Tavon White.

IAN DUNCAN, THE BALTIMORE SUN: Tavon White is wiretapped as part of the investigation and there's kind of quote that's really stood out where he said, this is my jail something along the lines of, you know, his word is law.

KAYE: So, how was White and his gang able to gain such a strangle hold on the entire system?

Largely through seducing it's female correctional officers into sexual relationships.

According to the government, White even fathered five children with four different officers, all while behind bars.

DUNCAN: The sexual dynamic of the corruption was really important. And what the FBI thinks is that, that was the way to establish power for these women, to build these relationships, to re strengthen these bonds, they really had a playbook for how to use sex essentially to ensure their dominant.

KAYE: This is one of those guards according to the government.

Tiffany Linder, seen here eight months into her pregnancy, got into an argument with another guard, who was also pregnant with White's baby.

According to court document, she said, "Did he tell you we was having a son? Do you know about our baby?"

The other pregnant guard responded, "Don't give a -- about that baby, that's ya'll baby not mine. We having one too. So what?"

Two of the pregnant guards allegedly even got tattoos of Tavon's name.

Up until this scandal broke wide open back in 2013, 75 percent of the jail's 6,500 corrections officers were women and according to one inmate who was a witness for the government, up to three quarters of those female guards where involved in "Contraband smuggling and or having sexual relationships with inmates."

That all begun to unravel when the FBI and other law enforcement begun to investigate.

DUNCAN: They were able to tap the contraband cellphones that the gang members were using to build up a picture of the network who was connected to who, who Tavon White had control over and build their case that way.

KAYE: The head of Maryland's Corrections Department accepted responsibility when charges were first brought and said, people will be held accountable, according to the Washington Post.

More than 40 people were charged with racketeering related charges, including Tavon White, he pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. And this past February was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

24 correctional officers were also found guilty including Tiffany Linder, and three other women who allegedly were impregnated by White.

Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

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BANFIELD: Smuggled hacksaws, oil paintings, alleged liaisons, is outlandish and out of control at the Clinton's Correctional facility. And Dannemora may have been, but one thing, it was not is unique.

Going to look for some answers into this problem that's going right across the country when we come back.

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[12:47:07] BANFIELD: That prison escape from Clinton Correctional Facility has given the public rare and uncomfortable look at prison culture and how it can corrupt the people who are holding the keys.

I want to take to a few of the issues that the escape raised.

Joyce Mitchell, a prison worker arrested and charged with helping Matt and Sweat escaped. Allegations from Sweat of widespread drug use in the prison and tightening security to stop the illegal contraband like they hacksaw blade allegedly smuggled to the two escapees and apparently a big heroine problem too.

How do you change that culture among correction's officers often motivated by greed and willing to take that massive risk and break the law?

Edward Gavin is the Former Deputy Warden for New York City Department of Correction.

So the question I was pondering is that are they low paid, are they're annoyed and frustrated with their lode in life. And then along comes a $300 ticket on a pack of cigarettes dangled ahead of them and they think, why not?

EDWARD GAVIN, FORMER DEPUTY WARDEN, N.Y. DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS: Well, when you look at what the Correction Officer Gene Palmer said, he said that being a correction officer was not a really good job. You'd become bold, you become an alcoholic. You get divorce and you might kill yourself. And he said that on public radio. And to me, him saying that, that was --

BANFIELD: He was pretty highly paid, wasn't he?

GAVIN: Well I did some research. I'm a private investigator. I went on see through New York. And in 2014, he earned $92,761. So it seems like a pretty decent salary.

BANFIELD: So the guy who wrote this book Corruption Officer From Jail Guard to Perpetrator Inside Rikers. You know, he said that it started with the pack cigarettes, he had this low paying $28,000 year job. He graduated to, you know, smuggling in cocaine for something close with $1,500 I think for an ounce half an ounce actually. And ultimately he was cut and then make turn them in and he was caught on video. And he said that the temptations are just too huge for these officers.

But then I ask myself, well how is that any different than a lot of other jobs out there that maybe aren't as high paying to turn to a life of crime? Is there something about our vetting process of guards? Are we setting the bar too low in hiring these guards?

GAVIN: In some cases, I think the Applicant Investigation Unit could probably do a better job.

I mean what I'm looking for, you know, the hiring practice. You want to look at whether or not people have had bankruptcies, leans and judgments. Because typically, you know, I've learned as a private investigator, people had go bankrupt are more often, more likely not to engage in, you know, other criminal activity because, you know, they need money.

BANFIELD: Yeah, what about just the notion that it's a simple background check that, you know, you can get almost any job with the background check but this is different than any job.

GAVIN: No. No. I mean -- we carry firearms they -- we run what we call a criminal history and rap sheet. And that goes through NCIC, the National Crime Information Center, the FBI and the state police so.

[12:50:02] BANFIELD: And is that same for every jail and prison across the county?

GAVIN: I can speak --

BANFIELD: Because there were reports that it's really easy get these jobs.

GAVIN: -- I can speak for every jail and prison across the country. But I'm sure, you know, most people have to submit to a fingerprint check and it goes through NCIC.

BANFIELD: And now it seems to be so fascinating is the notion of cell phones being more valuable than drugs, than cigarettes, than alcohol, than just about anything else that you can get in a prison.

GAVIN: Well, absolutely. And I think in the State of California, they have -- I think it's the largest state prison system in the world. They had that problem where staff were bringing in cell phones to inmates. But they actually had to make a new penal law offense for that. I don't think we've done that in New York because once they've determined all the correction officers were bringing in the phones, well how do you charge them if there's no penal law offense for that?

BANFIELD: Yes.

GAVIN: So you see what I mean? So we probably need to make that a penal law violation or a crime in the state of New York.

BANFIELD: I would say put a few more bricks around the cells. (Inaudible) in the rough buildings where I can't get cell service that I would think in a prison? That would be an easy fix.

GAVIN: Yeah, but then you want to be able to prosecute the criminal activity.

BANFIELD: Yeah. The other notion real quickly is that those cell phones are leading to easier contraband. I mean they're talking about people flying drones now to do drops over prisons of contraband and that the cell phone is the actual coordination device to pick up that drop. So you don't even need those guards to do the smuggling anymore. GAVIN: It wouldn't surprise me. As a matter of fact, this month's edition of P.I. magazine, it talks just about that. About drones and the use of drones and the implications are going to be far reaching in just about any -- anything you can think of, any endeavor.

BANFIELD: Amazing. Well, Ed, it's great of you to come in again. I appreciate it. Ed Gavin, happy fourth.

GAVIN: Thank you.

BANFIELD: Thanks for coming on the holiday. I appreciate it.

GAVIN: My pleasure.

BANFIELD: Coming up next.

Anger and uncertainty in Greece. Ahead of this weekend's big vote on what to do about their financial mess in that country. Believe it, they are on the brink. They can't get money unless it's just a quick trip to the ATM -- if there's even money in the ATM. So what do you think they'll vote? That's ahead.

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[12:55:43] BANFIELD: This is a pretty simple concept. Don't spend more money than you have, right? But it's exactly what Greece has been doing for a long time. And while the Greek economic situation is a bit more complicated than that, how to fix it is what Heads of State and the largest financial institution in Europe are desperately trying to figure out right now.

All the while as these people on your screen, Greeks are paying an enormous price.

Richard Quest is among them. He joins us live from Athens where there's a massive rally happening right now. And in fact a series of rallies, I think you're at the "no" rally and there are "yes" rallies elsewhere. But Richard make it make sense for Americans, what exactly are the Greek people on Sunday voting "yes" or "no" too. And what will it mean?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Essentially Ashleigh, what they are voting for is whether they are going to accept the European proposals which would be more austerity on harder times or reject those proposals and hopefully negotiate a better deal. But some say, if they reject the proposals then they could be out of the single currency, the Euro.

Ashleigh, whichever the detail, this is something Americans particularly on a July 4th weekend can understand. The "yes" campaign with its rally just a mile or two from me. The "no" campaign with the prime minister about to address this rally in the Main Square both sides fighting for what they believe is the economic financial, political, the very heart and future of Greece.

BANFIELD: So Richard, is it clear to the Greek people how significant this vote is? I mean, is it - is there a clear path for them to understand what "yes" would them, what "no" would mean for them. And do they even care what it would be in for us?

QUEST: They care in a wider sense. It's the "yes" they understand quite clearly. It's more hardship, it's more misery but it's in many ways the less risky option. No, the prime ministers says, "Vote no, on the worst won't happen." The other campaign say "Vote no, and you risk of being out of the Eurozone and out of the European Union."

So the "no" in many ways is the risky option. But Ashleigh, everybody I speak to, says fundamentally at the end of the day "yes" or "no" Greece has many more hard times coming its way. But the very reason you said. You can't spend more than your earn and decades of doing that have brought the financial chickens home to roost.

BANFIELD: All right, our Richard Quest following a story for us, be careful because I saw someone go after you the other day, so be careful out there. Things get aggressive out on the street.

Our Richard Quest lives in Athens for us.

I've got some amazing thing I want to show right now.

The Solar Impulse II, look at that wingspan. Just a little over a half hour ago. This Solar Powered plane landed in Hawaii after completing a flight from China without using a single drop of fuel. Look at the majesty of that thing coming in for a landing. Solar Impulse didn't have to make a weather diversion to Japan along the way completing the roughly 22,000 mile trip this morning.

Next destination for this plane and of the two pilots after the Hawaiian stop is, wait for it, America, Arizona, to be exact. It's around the world trip to prove Solar Power good, gas maybe not so good. But wow that is something to be hold, that wingspan just unbelievable. And yes, you guessed it, covered with solar panels. Congratulations folks.

Lots more online too, if you want to read up on that on cnn.com, fascinating stuff too.

Thanks for watching everybody. I hope you have wonderful fourth holiday.

My colleague Brianna Keilar is going to take it from here.

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