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Oregon Armed Activists; Clinton on Stump. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired January 04, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Brooke Baldwin starts right now.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Wolf Blitzer, thank you so much. Great to be with all of you. Happy New Year. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Here's what we're watching and waiting for. Any moment now we should be hearing from leaders of the armed group who have now officially taken over this federal wildlife building in southeastern Oregon. This is all happening in Harney County at this national wildlife refuge. This group of anti-government protesters, they broke in and they've essentially hunkered down and occupied this building after a rally in support of two ranchers Saturday.

Now those ranchers here, we're talking about Dwight and Steven Hammond, this father/son, they are set to surrender federal authorities at any moment now to serve time in prison for arson. The father and son were convicted of setting fires which then encroached upon federal land.

We should also point out that the Hammonds are distancing themselves from these armed protesters. Still, one group leader tells CNN's Sara Sidner, they are prepared to occupy the federal building for days, for weeks, maybe even years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMMON BUNDY, ARMED PROTESTER: We're going to stay here until we have secured the land and the resources back to the people of Harney County and where they can get back to ranching, get back to logging, get back to using these lands without feeling fear and intimidation.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what about armed resistance? Are you willing to have a gun battle with the federal government?

BUNDY: I hope it does not come to that. I hope that it does not come to that.

SIDNER: But you're willing?

BUNDY: Well, if -- if they -- the only reason why that would happen is because they, again, are the aggressors. We are threatening nobody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let me bring in my colleague, Paul Vercammen, live there in Oregon. And, Paul, I know you know this, but just to let everyone else know,

we're watching and waiting for some of these members of this militia group, these armed protesters, to give a news conference. We'll bring that to everyone live.

Meantime, talk to me about this non-response response on behalf of law enforcement. What's going on?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you look around me, there is not a single local state or federal law enforcement officer anywhere near here. So it doesn't really constitute a standoff. And, in fact, the Fish and Wildlife Service had said that they're going to leave this reserve unoccupied. And what have they occupied. Let's put this in context, Brooke. This is basically a single story visitors center and a store. And from what we understand, they just walked in, without forced entry, or found keys. So it wasn't like they broke in. So there is no, as we said, standoff per se. And we're waiting to get clarity from the demonstrators when they come up here in just a short time to address the media and explain just what their strategy is from here on out.

They, of course, as you've pointed out, splintered off from a protest on Saturday. And I'll tell you, Brooke, in talking to a lot of the townspeople, they're frustrated. They support those ranchers who got in all that hot water with the feds for the arson but they don't support taking this wildlife (ph) reserve and they don't like the idea that this has gone so far as to close schools in the area.

BALDWIN: Paul Vercammen, we will stay in close contact. Want to hear from some of these folks and find out what it is they want, what are their demands? We'll talk to you shortly.

Meantime, let's move along and say this, today it begins. Today it begins, the official start of the election year. And for the first time in this presidential race, Bill Clinton on the stump today, by himself, for his wife, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. And while he made zero mention of Donald Trump by name, the former president seemed to be responding to Trump and specifically Trump's plan to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The third thing the election's about is how we're going to keep America safe and still keep it America, preserve our individual liberties and our reputation for being an open country, our belief in diversity, and our understanding that one of our great meal tickets in the next 20 years is going to be, there's somebody here from everywhere else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Mr. Trump, however, has made it clear that he will be using Bill Clinton's name as many times as he would like. Trump explained to Chris Cuomo earlier on "New Day" today why the 42nd president's past improprieties are fair game with regard to his wife's campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voice-over): Well, it's very simple, they, during the course of the debate, and -- and many other times, she was talking about -- she used the word sexist. I'm sexist. And she was using very sort of derogatory terms. I said how the hell can she do that when she's got one of the great women abusers of all time sitting at her house waiting for her to come home for dinner. I guess maybe -- maybe that (INAUDIBLE). I don't know.

CHRIS CUOMO, ANCHOR, CNN'S "NEW DAY": Why do you call him one of the great women abusers of all time when in the past you've said that the impeachment process against him didn't make sense. You said Monica Lewinsky didn't make sense.

TRUMP: I had to because I was under (INAUDIBLE) because again, again, as -- Chris, as a businessman, I got along with everybody. So it was always important to defend people when I was -- it was important for me to get along with the Clintons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:05:13] BALDWIN: All right, we want to follow up on that in just a second and talk to Jeff Zeleny.

But let's go back to Oregon. We're about to hear from some of these protesters, armed protesters, who have been holding down -- hunkering down in this federal building there in Oregon over this whole land dispute and these two ranchers. Let's dip in.

AMMON BUNDY, ARMED PROTESTER: Caring enough to report on these matters. And I hope that we can be of informal to you and give you information that will satisfy your -- your needs for now to report.

I would like to just give some housekeeping items and that is many of you have asked us for what is our name and other than just citizens that care and feel like it's time that we make a stand to protect our human rights, we didn't really know what to say. But we felt that we'd give ourselves a name, at least so that we -- we could be reported that way and we could be more organized in that effort and that would be Citizens for Constitutional Freedom.

Our purpose, as we have shown, is to restore and defend the Constitution. That each person in this country can be protected by it and that prosperity can continue.

We love our country. We love the people in it. We know that we are struggling to be able to know what to do as a nation. And -- and many times -- in many ways we are -- we are dividing. And we hope that we can restore those things and that we can unite as a people in protecting individuals. That we will not forget about how important each person is and how that person has the right to -- to live here in this -- on this earth and has the right to live in liberty, and has the right to own property, and to be able to reap the fruits of their labors.

As many of you may know, this effort, if you will, started by understanding that a ranching family here in Harney County has been put under duress by our -- by multiple federal agencies. That those agencies have desired for many years to acquire their ranch and that this -- the Hammond family have refused to sell it because they want to pass on the ranching heritage to -- to their children, and to their grandchildren. And because of that refusal to sell their ranch, these federal agencies began an attack on this -- this family. They have, the Hammond family, has experienced their private waters being fenced off by federal agencies, even after the state of Oregon ruled that it was their waters. They have been restricted from their private property through the refuge here going to their private properties through road closures and fences and gates, even after it was determined that the road was owned by the county of Harney.

They have, again, have multiple times refused the purchase of it, and -- and because of that, have been prosecuted for actions that ranchers have done for -- for over 100 years in this county and for -- in this -- in this valley, and for protecting their private property. And these things are what this is about. That -- that because we have allowed our federal government to step outside the bounds of the Constitution, they have be -- come down upon the people and are prosecuting them now directly. They are coming down into the states and taking over the land and the resources, putting the people into duress, putting -- putting the people into poverty, and putting entire counties and entire states into undue obedience.

[14:10:04] I have asked that Shawna Cox (ph) read you what we have titled "the notice redress of grievance." And to give you a little background, we have spent several weeks, two months to be exact, in petitioning the state and the local county representatives to stand for the Hammonds against these unconstitutional actions. And we have done this through petitions. We have done this through contacts, by e- mails. We know that the sheriff has received thousands of e-mails. We also know that the county representatives and the state representatives have received thousands of e-mails, and to no avail that they have been ignored to the point where they have not even responded back at all.

I myself, and along with many other organizations and influential people, have contacted these representatives, and the county sheriff, asking them to get involved, and all we have been asking from the very beginning is that they do -- they put together an evidential hearing board to look at the evidences, look at the, um, the accusations that are set forth and to look at the abuses that the Hammonds have been experiencing. And they have refused in every case.

"The notice redress of grievance" was our final attempt to get them to act, and this was a legal notice that was delivered to the county sheriff and the county representatives and state representatives. And I'm going to ask Shawna Cox if she will read this.

SHAWNA COX: Thanks, Ammon.

QUESTION: Who you're with and where you're from, please.

QUESTION: Spell your name.

COX: My name is Shawna Cox. S-h-a-w-n-a, last name Cox, c-o-x. And I am just an individual with -- a patriot, an American, in support.

QUESTION: Step up to the mics.

COX: Yes. Sorry.

"The notice redress of grievance." We, the people, United Individuals of these States United, Coalition of Western States, Pacific Patriot Network, Bundy family and supporters, Oregon Oathkeepers, the Idaho 3 Percent, the Central Oregon Constitutional Guard, the Oregon Tactical, the Oregon Bearded Bastards, the Liberty Watch Washington, Nevada Committee for Full Statehood, Rural Heritage --

BALDWIN: All right, we're going to pull away from this and let me just take five good steps back just to try to help everyone understand what exactly is happening here in Oregon. These are different members. Apparently they have now named themselves. So the groups is Citizens for Constitutional Freedom. These are the protesters, armed protesters. There's a whole other conversation I think we're going to have later on really what we should be calling these people in Oregon who have essentially hunkered down. It's not a standoff against law enforcement because to have a standoff you have to have another side. Law enforcement is not there apparently on site.

But this goes back to an age-old grievance in this part of the country over federal land and some ranchers feel that these policies are intrusive and overreaching and this is all back to this father and son who, by the way, will be reporting to prison in the next couple of hours, by 5:00 Eastern. But it's -- but it's -- it's this huge issue at hand. Let me just bring someone in who can really help us understand this. Kainan Jordan joins me live, lives in this area, understands these issues, know the father/son ranchers who, by the way, have really distanced themselves from the folks we just saw step in front of that microphone.

So, Mr. Jordan, thank you so much for joining me. And you can just sort of help all of us understand what's at stake. But my first question is, who are these people who have -- from what I understand, these aren't locals. You know, these are folks who have come from all over the country, not connected directly to what's happening where you live. Who are they?

KAINAN JORDAN, LIVES NEAR TAKEOVER OF FEDERAL BUILDING: Well, I don't think a lot of us know. The person that was just on announced a bunch of different names of the militia groups that came. But, yes, they're -- they're not from here. There are some people who did march in the rally that are local, and there are some people who support what Ammon Bundy is doing.

But I think the majority of the people here are concerned about the Hammond situation. They're sympathetic to it. They feel like the punishment is, you know, worse than the crime. The militia is a different issue. There was a lot of sentiment here that they didn't want them to come. Some of the militia members have been here for weeks, and that's made the community pretty nervous because we don't really have a reference for what could come of this, other than the Bundy situation, and nobody wants anything like that. [14:15:16] BALDWIN: Right, which was not good, and that was just a

couple of years ago. But the fact that these militia members, these protesters, they are armed, and the fact that, according to our crews there on the ground, Kainan, there is no law enforcement there. I know apparently the FBI or the federal government is definitely monitoring this, but you living there and not even understanding who these people are, does that worry you?

JORDAN: It worries me to a certain extent. I think it worries a lot of people perhaps even more. The schools have been closed for this week and I don't think -- I mean because there's not law enforcement out there, because there's not a lot of news crews out there, we don't really know what's going on. And I can't speak for law enforcement, but I think because it's in such a remote, rural area, that it's -- no one's in imminent danger. So I think they want to take it carefully.

BALDWIN: Kainan Jordan, thank you so much. We've got crews on the ground. We'll check in with them to understand what is happening and what the next steps could be. I appreciate you.

Let's move on. Next, a possible game changer in the war against ISIS. Saudi Arabia cutting all ties with Iran as protesters set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Could this escalate into some sort of military conflict? We'll explore that.

Also, is this masked terrorist the new face, right here, of ISIS? A chilling new video surfaces with a warning to the west.

You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:10] BALDWIN: Breaking news just into us here at CNN. The body of country music singer Craig Strickland has just been found. The front man for the country rock band Backroad Anthem vanished back on Sunday, December 27th, after going on a duck hunting trip with his friend during this severe winter storm. His friend, at the time, sending this ominous tweet with the words "in case we don't come back." His friend's body was found days after he went missing after the boat they were in capsized. The family of the 29-year-old singer has now been notified.

All right, so before we were in break, we were talking about Bill Clinton and how he was out on the trail today in New Hampshire. This is a big deal. It's his first solo campaign appearance, obviously, on behalf of his wife. But after stumping at that podium, Clinton got another chance to hit Donald Trump back. I want you to listen to this exchange the former president had with a crew from ABC News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I -- if I may, Mr. President. Donald Trump says your past is fair game. I've got to ask you, you keep coming up on the trail with him, is this fair game?

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: (INAUDIBLE) The Republicans have to decide who they want to nominate. I'm trying to tell the Democrats in the county why I think Hillary would be the best president. And I think there's always an attempt to take the election away from the people, so I'm just going to give it to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: All right, so that was what that news crew got with regard to anything Trump, Republicans, otherwise.

Let's bring in CNN political commentator Michael Smerconish, who hosts "Smerconish" on CNN Saturday mornings, and chief political correspondent Dana Bash.

Great to see both of you. Happy New Year. Happy election year.

Michael Smerconish, to you here. I mean listening to Bill Clinton when he was speaking there at that college in New Hampshire, you know, didn't mention the "t" word, as in Donald Trump. We were wondering how he would do that. And you heard his sort of vague-ish response there to that reporter from ABC. I mean are you surprised he didn't have sharper elbows, say anything more forceful with regard to Trump?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, I think that the dance is not to utter his name if that can be avoided.

BALDWIN: Yes.

SMERCONISH: But to keep him very much in the camera lens. I think it's good for Trump and I think it's good for Clinton. And here's how. Every time we talk about Hillary and Donald Trump in the same breath, we're cementing this perception that Trump wants us to cement, that he ultimately is the Republican nominee and that you can see the two of them on the same stage. We're not talking about Hillary and Marco or Hillary and Jeb, right? From the Clinton perspective, I think they probably enjoy this as well because he's the one she'd most want to run against.

BALDWIN: I was about to say precisely that, Dana. I mean this is -- they would salivate at the idea, right, of Hillary Clinton going up against Donald Trump if he were to be the nominee. Are you surprised -- we had talked about this last week -- whether or not, you know, Clinton, once he's out and about, says anything or nothing.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, yes, I think that we know that the Clinton campaign thinks that they probably have the best shot, or one of the best shots against Donald Trump when it comes to the Republican field. However, you know, watching kind of the way Bill Clinton is approaching this during his speech earlier today in New Hampshire, it became really clear that he wasn't going there at all because he -- he's -- you know, he's taking this at 20,000 or 30,000 feet, the way really only Bill Clinton can do. Playing politics but wrapping it in this incredible, you know, policy prescription on behalf of his wife, in a way that, you know, again, we really don't see anybody else doing.

And also, when it comes to Trump, Brooke, it's very hard for Bill Clinton to kind of go there on the specific issues that Trump is talking about, which is his own personal philandering and his own past when it comes to his sexual experiences.

BALDWIN: Yes. Yes.

BASH: That's very hard for Bill Clinton to do because the second he utters anything relating to that, that's what takes up all the oxygen on the campaign trail.

BALDWIN: Gets played on loop.

As far as Trump, the Trump camp today, we know they released their first big TV ad of the campaign. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The politicians can pretend it's something else, but Donald Trump calls it "radical Islamic terrorism." That's why he's calling for a temporary shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until we can figure out what's going on. He'll quickly cut the head off ISIS and take their oil and he'll stop illegal immigration by building a war on our southern border that Mexico will pay for.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will make America great again!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:25:05] BALDWIN: Every Michael Smerconish buzz word used on screen for the base, everything.

SMERCONISH: Well, it's worked so far, right? I mean I'm sitting here watching and I'm thinking, this is Chauncey Gardner (ph) kind of stuff. There's no there there. But this is what has got him where he is. What does it mean, I'm going to cut off the head of ISIS? I mean what precisely does that mean? And yet there's been no demand for any specificity thus far in the campaign.

BALDWIN: (INAUDIBLE).

BASH: There has been a demand, just not a lot of -- just not a lot of answers, as you know, Michael. You know we -- everybody's been trying from six ways 'til Sunday to get the answers to the specifics from him. And not just him, from other candidates as well. And this, I think, history will show 2016 will go down as sort of the year as the year of vaguery. I mean it is true. It is -- it is -- simply doesn't appear to be required so far by voters to get these specifics. And that is why the message you just played, Brooke, something so simple yet so stark and exaggerated has been working.

BALDWIN: So you have that. Then let's move along to Ted Cruz/Marco Rubio, you know, back and forth. We know that Cruz's super PAC, they -- you know, he's in Iowa for a whole week and he is portraying Marco Rubio as distracted and not at all up to the challenge of being, you know, commander in chief. Here is this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ON SCREEN TEXT: The world is in need of leadership.

ISIS plotting to kill Americans.

America facing a refugee crisis.

America's enemies advancing.

What would Marco Rubio's leadership look like?

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, I know I have a debate, but I've got to get this fantasy football thing right, OK?

ON SCREEN TEXT: Tell Marco Rubio: America can't afford to gamble with its safety.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep the Promise I is responsible for the content of this advertising.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Ooh. I guess, Dana, the -- I see you shaking your head -- the back and forth we saw on that debate stage in Vegas continuing on now in ads.

BASH: It does. And look, just to put it in context, the Rubio sound bite you just saw there saying I've got to get this fantasy --

BALDWIN: Fantasy football.

BASH: That was -- that was a joke that his campaign put out before a debate about how he prepares for a debate, not how he prepares to be president, just to be fair. But, look, what Ted Cruz's super PAC is trying to do is again go at what Marco Rubio thinks is one of his biggest strengths, the fact that he understands foreign policy, understands national security, that he's kind of a deep person on those issues. And Rubio went after Cruz himself personally today. He said when he was up in New Hampshire, Brooke, that you can't stop ISIS with a filibuster. I mean there's only one person you're talking about when you say that.

BALDWIN: Rhymes with Sed Sruz. Michael Smerconish and Dana Bash, thank you both so much. Someone else taking on Ted Cruz in an ad, we'll be talking to Senator Santorum next hour. Thank you two so much. We watch Michael Smerconish, of course, every Saturday, 9:00 a.m. right here on CNN.

Coming up next, violence in Iran. The Saudi embassy there attacked after Saudi Arabia executed 47 people, including an Iranian cleric, and now Saudi Arabia canceling all flights to Iran. Could this be closer to a military conflict here? We'll explore that with Christiane Amanpour.

Also, at this moment, President Obama discussing his options on gun with Attorney General Loretta Lynch. When it comes to executive action here, how far can the president go?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)