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Stories of People Who Survived Attack on Pulse Nightclub; Latest into the Shooting Investigation. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired June 16, 2016 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:00] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. We're live once again tonight from Orlando Florida were over the next two hours we're going to continue to listen to the stories of people who survived the attack on the Pulse Nightclub four nights ago and continue to try to give a voice to those that fell silent that terrible night.
Tonight, we'll hear from people who were struggling with the fact that they made it out when their friends did not. We're going to hear from a man who lost his husband two weeks before their anniversary. We'll hear from the examiner who went inside the scene of devastation to find lights go flashing happy with foods still on the tables, drinks on the bar as if time itself had stopped.
So many of the victims were young, just starting out so much life ahead of them. Tonight, we're going to bring you the story of the youngest, a woman who at first actually got out of the club and then voluntarily went back into the club when she realized her friend and her cousin were still inside it and make out a second time.
We begin tonight though with the latest in the investigation which is focused right now on calls the shooter made during the incident, what his wife may have known about his plans.
Our Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto is joining me here and Senior Investigative Correspondent Drew Griffin. Both have new information.
Jim, let's start with you. What are you learning?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So early on after the attack, the wife told investigators that she knew in general terms that he was considering carrying out jihadist attack and she dissuaded now. She is telling investigators that she feared the day that he left their home and went on to carry out this horrific shooting, that he might be doing something violent ...
COOPER: That day?
SCIUTTO: ... that day and possibly on the Pulse Nightclub. So that much more specific fears in advance of that attack coupled with the fact that we know she visited some of these sites with him before. We also learned today that she went with him to buy ammo on at least one occasion that's adding evidence that she knew something. She should have told cops before. COOPER: And let us be clear, she is saying she had been to Pulse Nightclub. She thought that day it might be that day and might be the Pulse Nightclub and she didn't tell anybody?
SCIUTTO: She didn't tell anybody. They haven't decided to charge her, but they're going to the Grand Jury with it.
COOPER: Drew, I mean you've been learning more about the wife. What did you learn?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: We now know that she was at least home Sunday morning, Anderson, when local police went knocked on her condominium door and told her about the shooting and her husband's involvement in that attack. The local police would not say if she seemed surprised, if she was aware of the shooting, or if she even know her husband's whereabouts at that time. They turned that all over to the FBI.
As for her husband, we have been learning a great, great deal about his ability to use those deadly weapons. He's as a security guard, we now know that he took yearly proficiency exams and shooting at the shooting range, Anderson. Year after year he would score very high marks, at one point, a near perfect which could explain this deadly ability he had to carry out this massacre. Anderson?
COOPER: And Jim, what are we learning about the phone calls made by killer ...
SCIUTTO: We know ...
COOPER: ... during the attack?
SCIUTTO: ... we now know he made three, at least three phone calls the night of attack. We already knew that he called 911 claimed this for ISIS. We now know he also called friend that night to say goodbye in effect, but he called a local television station. Producer picks up the phone to make sure in effect they knew the attack was underway and to identify himself as the shooter.
But even beyond that, I spoke with the survivor today who was in the bathroom and overheard his phone calls as he was speaking. In them as well, he said that he was not the only attacker. He said there were snipers outside and a suicide bomber hiding inside. And that was not true, but he was clearly trying to spark for your -- and perhaps keep first responders from getting inside. I didn't know.
COOPER: I did I talked to survivor who was in I believe the same bathroom where the phone call was made and heard him saying as well that there were multiple people involved which obviously, you know, questions have been raised why the police wait so long to finally go on the final assault. That is obviously one of the possibilities. They did not know how many people they were dealing with.
SCIUTTO: Exactly.
COOPER: And by the way, before going in, have authorities been able to recover information from the phone? Do we know?
SCIUTTO: They have the phone but the phone was found in a puddle of blood sadly they should attack and water because as they busted through that wall to get into the bathroom, they broke the water pipe and that of course damaged the phone. It hasn't destroyed the phone. They've been able to get metadata just from cell phone towers and that kind of thing, but that does not give you the full contents of those conversations and text messages they're still trying to get it.
COOPER: Drew, anything else we should know about tonight?
GRIFFIN: I don't think so. We're talking to the father tonight. In one postscript, we told him about his son's body in the morgue in Orlando. He didn't know. He didn't know he should contact the morgue. He said he's going to do that now. And again, he insists he knew nothing. He didn't know his son was radicalized. He didn't think his son was politicized in any way. And he says he had no idea that his son may or may not have been gay. Anderson?
COOPER: You know, and we just learned today about this phone call that was made by the killer during the attack to a producer that Jim mentioned. We actually have some down from that producer talking about that conversation. Let's play that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[00:05:03] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was at 2:45 when I just received the phone call of someone claiming to be the Orlando shooter. I answered the phone as I was in News 13. This is that Matt. And on the other hand, I heard, "You know about the shooting?" And I said, "Yeah, I'm getting the information. I'm receiving some calls right now and he cut me off and said I'm the shooter. And I didn't know what to say. You know, it was no alarming to say the least.
He sounded really calm on the phone and he started saying that he did it for the Islamic State. He did it for ISIS.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Drew, I mean it's so, you know, we heard from him saying it's -- the guy sounded calm on the phone. I thought to survivors who were in the bathrooms, again, they said he sounded calm. That one time after he shot somebody point-blank, one of the survivors heard him kind of let out a laugh that the survivor describes as just kind of pure evil. It's incredible that he could remain calm in the midst of all of this.
GRIFFIN: I would say so. And combine that skill to remain calm, if you would call it a skill, along with his proficiency and firearms and you can see how methodically he could go through a big crowded nightclub like this. But what doesn't match, Anderson, is what we're hearing from his past.
He had outbursts in his past. We know from his first wife, he may have been violent towards her. He had a violent vocal outburst when he was guarding the St. Lucie Courthouse here which is why the FBI interrogated him during 2013. And we even believe he was involved in some kind of an outburst at a law enforcement Academy which he was kicked out of in 2007.
So we know all along the line there were these outbursts of violent reactions and yet somehow I would say he'd slip through the cracks. Certainly the family didn't notify anybody about this.
COOPER: Yeah. A lot more that's still to learn. Drew, thanks very much, Jim, as well.
Joining us now CNN National Security Analyst and Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, Juliette Kayyem and also CNN Legal Analyst and Criminal Defense Attorney, Mark O'Mara who of course famously defended George Zimmerman, has long history of working in the state.
Juliette, I mean again were learning more and more bits and pieces as we always do?
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: And complicated and complex and there's no single solution. There's no eureka moment. He had many motivations, all of them hatred. And I think we have to just sort of recognize that. There's not going to be a moment that says, "It was ISIS, it was ISIS. It was al-Qaeda, it was Hezbollah, it was anti-gay attitude.
And I think that's why a lot of people like me who are national security really also focusing on the means and the methodology on the gun issue because, look, we're never going to be able to stop all bad ideologies from being bad. But what we can also do -- I'm not saying ignore that issue, but also figure out ways that we can minimize the damage that they can do. That's why this gun issue is really part of counterterrorism.
COOPER: Mark O'Mara, just from a legal standpoint, if the wife knew about, you know, I think there's going to be an attack today. I think it may be Pulse Nightclub. We've been to this nightclub before. We bought ammunition together before." What responsibility does she have to come for? Is she -- can see be charged?
MARK O'MARA, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: What we put back to stay, anything as little as missed prison over felony which means I know about it ...
COOPER: Missed?
O'MARA: ... missed prison over felony -- which means I know about it, I didn't do enough to stop it. But we can also all feel at the other side of the spectrum, because the conspiracy committed in that first-degree murder takes knowledge of the act may have added any act in furtherance of it.
If I drive you to a bank and you rob the bank, I'm guilty of conspiracy. I'm just as guilty as you are. So she could be going way up that spectrum into the real responsibility for 49 murders. If in fact they can show as she was aware of it and she did anything in furtherance of it. COOPER: If it wasn't specific knowledge of what the target was or specific knowledge of when it was, can she claim ignorance?
O'MARA: It's pushed. She's going to try -- the problem is willful blindness.
COOPER: Oh.
O'MARA: If she tries to argue, "I didn't know enough" or "I wasn't fully aware", that's where all the forensic evidence, the text messages, the back and forth, the cellphone calls that they've made, the GPS coordinates of the car that's going to show where she was and where the car was. All of that information is going to be very, very relevant. That's why I think the FBI's taken so much time to do this methodically as they are the best at to make sure this is done right. Not just to get her necessarily but to have a template for the next one.
COOPER: Right. All right. Juliette, thank you so much, Mark O'Mara as well.
There is so much -- so many moving pieces in this to cover right now. The Orlando Police did and are continuing to do their jobs under extraordinarily difficult circumstances of the crime scene's largest mass murder in this country's history.
[00:10:00] We're getting a lot of support from the community from other police departments. Officers from Aurora, Colorado posted a message of support to them online today, another police department that knows what it is like to serve the community a time of chaos.
Certainly, joining me right now is Orlando Police Chief John Mina. Chief, thank you so much for being with us. I appreciate you taking your time.
CHIEF JOHN MINA, OLANDO POLICE DEPARTMENT: Thank you for having me.
COOPER: What do you -- what's the most important thing you want people to know right now about this investigation, about what you're going through?
MINA: The most important thing to remember is those first officers on the scene and our SWAT officers saved many, many lives.
COOPER: Let me -- there have been a lot of questions. People trying to figure out exactly what happened. Obviously, investigation is still going on. There's still teams on the ground. There was a three hours or so window. Can you explain the thinking on the ground about waiting to go in, what the initial encounter between -- because, as he tried to come out and that's when there was engagement with an officer as mine have seen.
MINA: That's correct. So we had an extra duty off-duty police officer working with full uniform. He responded to the shots fired right away, exchanged gunfire with the suspect. Our officer ...
COOPER: Pretty much right away?
MINA: ... right away.
COOPER: Yeah.
MINA: So our officer was outgunned. He only had a handgun. The suspect had a long gun, a rifle. He waited for backup. As soon as enough arriving officers responded with enough backup and there were three or four of them I believe, they made entry into the club right away within minutes ...
COOPER: And that's standard procedure now since Columbine?
MINA: Active shooter training ...
COOPER: Right.
MINA: ... we go in right away ...
COOPER: Right, OK.
MINA: ... as soon as you have enough backups. So they went in right away, exchanged gunfire with the suspect within these first few minutes and that is important because this caused the suspect to stop shooting and retreat to the bathroom where he was now isolated and contained. From that point on until 5:00 in the morning, there were no shots fired.
COOPER: That's -- so that's really interesting because I've talked to a number people who were in the bathroom, heard him on the phone. That is where he was making those phone calls. So he -- you're saying he went into the bathroom because he was forced into the bathroom essentially by the shots from the officers?
MINA: Absolutely, sir. Officers went in there, exchanged gunfire with him, forced him to retreat, and basically become a barricaded gunman in the bathroom. So during that time while he was in the bathroom, our officers were saving people, getting injured people out getting many, many people out the door.
COOPER: So there were officers -- anyone who believes there weren't police already inside helping people during those three hours, that's a misperception? There were officers inside in that those other rooms helping people get out?
MINA: Correct. Our offices were inside from the very beginning helping to get people out. Now once it became contained, we knew this is going to be a big situation. We called our SWAT team. SWAT team came right away and surrounded -- we started -- so the SWAT team started replacing patrol officers on the scene.
Immediately, we knew what we have. We started setting up for an explosive breach in the bathroom where we knew there were about 15 other people in the opposing bathroom from the suspect.
COOPER: Was there ever a belief -- because I know, I have been reading FBI studies on, you know, they've done extensive studies on all active shooter situation since Columbine -- was there ever a belief that this was a possible hostage negotiation situation because it seems like in a lot of active shooter situations, that's no longer a belief that it is actually -- you can actually negotiate more?
MINA: Well, in this instance, this started out as an active shooter and then turned in to a hostage situation. And our negotiators were able to talk with him.
COOPER: They were.
MINA: They were able to talk with him at some point in that while he was in the bathroom contained and isolated. And like I said there were no shots fired during that time.
COOPER: Do you know -- and maybe you can't say -- but do you know was he making any specific demands?
MINA: Yeah. I don't want to talk about that ...
COOPER: OK, no, no.
MINA: ... given the FBI's investigation, but here's the important thing to remember. We had information both from him and from other people in that club that at that time people were going to start putting on bomb vests and there was a time when given a 15 minutes, our SWAT officers had already set up for explosive breach, and we believe further loss of life was imminent. And that is when I made the decision to do the explosive breach and get those people out of there.
COOPER: You were the one who made that decision?
MINA: Yes.
COOPER: That must have been a tough call?
MINA: It was a tough call. It was a very tough call knowing to put those officers' lives in danger and possibly other people inside the club in danger. But that's what we trained for, that's what we trained for since 9/11. I knew the officers were ready for it and we've trained many, many times. And I thought they performed spectacularly.
COOPER: Did -- I know -- I talked to one guy who was in with the handicap stalls who said he heard the guy saying that -- making claims -- he wasn't sure if it was on a phone call or just saying out loud that there were multiple shooters, there were multiple people involved in different locations. Was that part of your concern? I mean were you 100 percent sure there was only one guy inside there when you went in?
MINA: Yeah. We believe there was only one person inside. And, you know, they train for the worst but we believed there was only one shooter inside.
COOPER: And you mentioned the fear of ballistic vest, was that -- or a bomb vest ...
[00:15:00] MINA: Right.
COOPER: ... and I didn't hear fully what you said. Were you saying that you're afraid people were going to start putting them on, like he was going to put them on people, or he was wearing them himself?
MINA: Correct. That he actually -- I was saying that he was wearing some type of vest and would not elaborate.
COOPER: Yes, sir.
MINA: And we had information that he was going to put explosive vests on four people and then blow the place up in 15 minutes. About that time, we're already set with our explosive breach and that's when we made the decision then.
COOPER: And the four people were -- they weren't confederates of his? They were victims?
MINA: Absolutely.
COOPER: They are ...
MINA: Innocent people.
COOPER: In a situation like this, obviously in -- after every kind of incident like this you do a reassessment and you pass that on to other police departments around the country so they can train. Is there anything you think at this point, you know, that in the future can help other police forces around the country?
MINA: Yeah.
COOPER: Because, everyone is different, every other kind of these situations is different.
MINA: Absolutely.
COOPER: You look after Mumbai, New York City police and Washington D.C. police trained on Mumbai. The learned how to do it. I'm wondering if in this will this be a new training scenario for police forces in the country?
MINA: It could be because this was a very different scenario than anything we've ever faced in the United States. So absolutely when we get all the debriefs done, we're going to pass that information along to all our brothers, just the law enforcement officers, so we know how to respond to this in the future.
COOPER: Did -- he clearly knew that club well. I mean it's a dark club. He's got a rifle, he's got a pistols. He clearly knew the layout of that club.
MINA: You know, I'm not really sure if he knew the layout or not.
COOPER: OK. Well, Chief, I appreciate your time and really appreciate all you've done. And thank you.
MINA: Thank you.
COOPER: Thank you for talking about it. Pleased very much.
MINA: Thank you.
COOPER: Chief Mina. For each of the 49 people killed, there is a story of course. Family and friends left suffering with their loss. One of those lives, Eric Ivan Ortiz Rivera, just 36 years old. I'm going to speak with his husband coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:20:06] COOPER: On the aftermath of the devastation here in Orlando, we want to keep obviously the focus on the lives that were cut short far too soon. Right now, we want to learn more about Eric Ivan Ortiz Rivera. He was just 36 years old. Eric should be celebrating his one year wedding anniversary, 11 days from now. We're very sorry that that is not going to happen, but so grateful that Eric's husband, Ivan Dominguez is with me tonight to tell us a little bit about their life together.
Thank you so much for your time.
IVAN DOMINGUEZ, HUSBAND WAS KILLED IN OLANDO SHOOTING: No, thank you.
COOPER: So sorry to be here under these circumstances. Tell me about your husband.
DOMINGUEZ: He was a wonderful person.
COOPER: How did you guys meet?
DOMINGUEZ: We met at the nightclub in -- back in 2007.
COOPER: What was it about him that drew you?
DOMINGUEZ: It was a -- we met through a friend, really good friend. His name is Leo that introduced us. What was really funny, we got here at the same time on the same year that I got here from Panama in 2007.
COOPER: And he came from Puerto Rico?
DOMINGUEZ: Exactly, in 2007.
COOPER: Right.
DOMINGUEZ: So we started in a really good friendship until then we decided to, you know, date and then we got married.
COOPER: You've been friends since when? 2007?
DOMINGUEZ: Exactly.
COOPER: OK. So you've been friends for a long time ...
DOMINGUEZ: Yes, exactly.
COOPER: ... before you actually started to date.
DOMINGUEZ: So actually I can -- we're very close. We were really close. I've known him very well.
COOPER: What was that decision to get married? Was that -- what was that like? When did you know he was the one you wanted to marry?
DOMINGUEZ: You know, everything it started with friendship. So we decided to get together and spend life together. And it occurs because that was in June 26, 2015 and we went into the courthouse and we got married. And when we got out, we went to social media to share with everybody.
COOPER: Yeah.
DOMINGUEZ: And in that moment, the 50 states that legalized exactly ...
COOPER: Right then.
DOMINGUEZ: ... that same day.
COOPER: Wow.
DOMINGUEZ: It was really an honor to for us to get married in that specific day.
COOPER: You guys, great timing.
DOMINGUEZ: It was a big coincidence.
COOPER: Yeah.
DOMINGUEZ: Yeah, and we didn't know.
COOPER: You had no idea what was going to happen that day?
DOMINGUEZ: Exactly.
COOPER: You wanted to thank -- there's been such an outpouring of support.
DOMINGUEZ: Yes.
COOPER: It's such an outpouring and from, you know, police, medical personnel, you wanted to thank people.
DOMINGUEZ: I wanted to thank everybody that has been really helpful with us and that have reached out to us and make sure we're OK, and helping with everything, what we need from the government, all these associations that are willing to help when somebody needs them in this specific strategy because it was a big thing, you know. So the police department, fire department, the FBI, everybody that has been here for us ...
COOPER: How are you so strong right now?
DOMINGUEZ: Because I believe in a positive energy and I believe that he is helping me to go through all this.
COOPER: You're still waking?
DOMINGUEZ: Absolutely. Yes. I have been having long days everyday since day one when I was looking for him that Sunday. I left my apartment at 8:00 a.m. and I found him. I can say because I looked for him all day -- in the afternoon.
COOPER: You spend the whole day looking for him to find out what happen?
DOMINGUEZ: Yes, exactly. Yes. So I feel like he has given me, you know, the opportunity to handle this and go away and just I have to. I have to.
COOPER: And you want to know about this wonderful man that he was?
DOMINGUEZ: Yes, he was always wonderful person, willing to help everybody, putting everybody first and then him in the second place. He was so much support for everything for me and in all the means. He was a good worker. Actually his job has been wonderful too. He used to work at Party City and I just talked yesterday with a H.R. director how wonderful employee Eric was.
COOPER: And I know ...
DOMINGUEZ: And they were really devastated too because there's a big lost for the company too.
COOPER: I'm glad. I know your family's come and his family as well. So I just wish you the best in the days ahead and I'm so sorry for your loss.
DOMINGUEZ: Thank you so much.
COOPER: Thank you so much.
DOMINGUEZ: Thank you. OK.
COOPER: Ivan Dominguez. Last night I talked to Florida's Attorney General Pam Bondi. Today on a radio show, she stitched some shots with me over that interview.
Just ahead, we're actually going to show you what she said. And we're kind of going to go through her point by point. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:28:31] COOPER: Welcome back. Now, 360 follow about an interview I did with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi yesterday on CNN.
Now as a rule, I think it's important that reporters not become part of the story. I do not get into feuds with other cable news anchors or professional politicians. This broadcasting, especially in this awful tragedy we'd try to keep the focus on where it should be on the victims and survivors and the loved ones they left behind.
But today, the Attorney General went on a radio show and made some claims about our interview that are just factually incorrect. Now she is either mistaken or she is not telling the truth.
Talking about my interview with her yesterday, here's part of what she said on WOR New York talk radio station today.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
PAM BONDI, FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: So we've been dealing with price gouging issues, with potential scams about people trying to donate to legitimate charities. So that's what they told us they wanted to talk about. And we felt like Anderson Cooper had a huge audience help people yesterday. Sowe went over there, we went on, we were going to talk about -- the interview was supposed to be about helping victim's families not creating more anger, and havoc, and hatred yesterday. Yesterday was about unity, about bringing people together, about helping these people.
Before we went live, I said, Anderson, these are all the issues we need to help people with. And He said, "OK, that's great." We started off with just maybe a couple minutes if that about the scams, the potential scams that people all over the world want donate and just they need to make sure these websites are legitimate.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
[00:30:09] COOPER: Now, Attorney General Bondi is correct when she says we spoke just before we went on of the air live. As I do with most guests, I asked them as a courtesy what they want talk about. So I asked her what she wanted to talk about. She mentioned possible scams that arise in the wake of tragedies, shady funeral home, she mentioned gofundme pages that her office were trying to verify as legit.
Now that is important, I said to her, "Great. Let's talk about it." In fact, I said, "Let's start with that. Let's lead off the interview without that. That's what I will start it with."
She warned me she had no actual specifics about any scams but I still said we would discuss it. And that is exactly what we did. So that's the only reason that whole topic ever came up in our discussion. But it's not true for her say that she was booked to talk about scams in the first place.
Now, you might ask how I know this. I know this because here are the pre-interview notes compiled by a CNN producer based on what Bondi's own office said she could possibly discuss. And nowhere in these notes were scams mentioned. In fact, right here her office says that she could talk about the investigation process but she couldn't get into any specifics beyond what the FBI had already said. She could say it was critical for law enforcement to be allowed to do their job properly and to avoid missteps.
She also said that she could talk about the fact that she is meeting with victims' families and trying to help them but that she also said she would not talk about gun control, or any issues surrounding gun controls. So that's all in the notes.
So instead of following what her office suggested, I chose to ask her about comments she herself publicly has made on numerous other television show appearances in just the last few days. She has been on a lot of T.V. comments which seem contradictory to her record in dealing with gays and lesbians in the state.
So now, another of the Attorney General's complaints how CNN presented the interview. Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BONDI: When he posted the clip, he cut out the entire first portion that discussed people donating to legitimate sites.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COOPER: Now again for the record, the interview aired live and unedited in the 2:00 p.m. Eastern hour yesterday on CNN. Everyone watching across the country and watching around the world saw and heard Pam Bondi say exactly what she said in real time just as she said it.
She's apparently there referring to a clip that was posted shortly after online over at CNN.com, a clip which focused just on our discussion about the public statements in her past record.
Now, I don't control what's posted online. I'm here on the ground. I'm told they routinely shorten interviews online for time. Frankly, I wish they had posted the whole thing immediately, which they did, by the way. Later in the day yesterday and is now online for you to watch in its entirety, including the vague comments about possible scams and making sure you donate to a reputable organization. All of which are important.
But let's be real here. Miss Bondi's big complaint seems to be that I asked in the first place in the wake of a massacre that targeted gay and lesbian citizens about her new statements about the gay community and about her old ones.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BONDI: I was extremely disappointed in that and it just wasn't the time nor the place for that yesterday because all it did was encourage anger and hate and family who were trying to help to probably not trust my office and the 14 advocates we brought in who are helping -- trying to help them get compensation to bury their loved ones.
And of course I have been getting, you know, horrible hatred e-mail and texts now based on Anderson's story. So that was just sad because he had a real opportunity to bring our country together yesterday and talk about what's right and what's good instead of story filled with anger.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COOPER: A story filled with anger. So for the record, my interview was not filled with any anger. I was respectful before the interview. I was respectful during interview. And I was respectful after the interview.
I don't know Pam Bondi personally. She seemed like a nice person actually. I don't think she has hate in her heart. But what I think doesn't matter. It's my job to hold people accountable.
And if on Sunday, a politician is talking about love and embracing "our LGBT community", I don't think it's unfair to look at their record and see if they have actually ever spoken that way publicly before which I've never heard her say.
The fact is Attorney General Bondi signed off on the 2014 Federal Court Brief that claimed married gay people would, "impose significant public harm". Harm. She spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money, gay and straight taxpayers money, trying to keep gays and lesbians from getting the right to marry.
Now look, good people can and do disagree on that issue. Everyone has a right to their own opinion. Thank goodness.
But Miss Bondi is championing right now her efforts to help survivors, but the very right which allows gay spouses to bury their dead loved ones, that's a right, that would not exist if Miss Bondi had had her way. I think it's fair to ask her about that. There is an irony in that.
[00:35:00] I don't believe anyone should send an angry and mean messages to her or anyone else. But that isn't what I have seen here these last few days. What I have seen here among gays and lesbians here, it's not hate, and it's not anger. I've seen love and I've seen unity.
Now, as I mentioned, one of Miss Bondi's issues was the fact that when the interview first was posted on CNN.com for a couple hours, part of the bit about the charity scams was cut out. She wanted the whole interview seen, so it was reposted in its entirety yesterday and it's still on there right now.
Just to oblige her again because what she said was you should either take the whole thing off or put it on its entirety. It's on there in its entirety and has been since yesterday. But just so everybody can see the whole interview in its entirety, here it is again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: I want to bring in Pam Bondi the Florida Attorney General to talk about what's happening here on the ground. I know there's a lot you can't talk about the investigation. So, I'm not going to press you on that.
You've been meeting with family members ...
BONDI: I have.
COOPER: ... what are you hearing from them? And I know you're concerned also about scams. Like victim's family has been scammed?
BONDI: Yeah. Yes. You know, we have so many great Americans out there who want to donate, who are doing, you know, they're watching us on T.V. They're seeing you give the names of these victims.
And then, people want to help and want to give. But please, go to legitimate disaster relief organizations. Right now we don't know what's legitimate and what's not.
COOPER: There's hundreds of websites popping up.
BONDI: Hundreds.
COOPER: You're worried about some fake ones?
BONDI: Hundreds. Hundreds.
COOPER: All right.
BONDI: So please. Also, our legitimate disaster relief ones, some of the scam artists will change one letter in the name and come up with that. So people who think they're helping all of these victims and their families ...
COOPER: Right.
BONDI: ... are in fact helping scammers. So please don't stop giving ...
COOPER: Right.
BONDI: ... to the public, but just be vigilant in how you do it.
COOPER: I want to ask you, I saw you the other day saying that anyone who attacks the LGBT community. our LGBT community, you said will be gone after with the full extent of the law.
BONDI: Exactly right.
COOPER: I talked to a lot of gay and lesbian people here yesterday who are not fans of yours and who said that they thought you were being a hypocrite, that you for years have fought -- you basically gone after gay people said that in court that gay people simply by fighting for marriage equality were trying to do harm to the people of Florida. "To induce public harm", I believe was the term you used in court. Do you really think you are a champion of the gay community?
BONDI: Let me tell you, I -- when I was sworn in as attorney general, I put my hand on the Bible and was sworn to uphold the constitution of the State of Florida. That's not a law. That was voted into our state constitution by the voters of Florida. That's what I was defending. It had nothing to do -- I never said I don't like the gay people. That's ridiculous.
COOPER: But you did say -- but do you worry about using language accusing gay people trying to do harm to the people of Florida ...
BONDI: That ...
COOPER: ... when -- doesn't that send a message to some people who might have bad ideas in mind?
BONDI: Anderson, I don't believe gay people could do harm to the state of Florida. We're human beings ...
COOPER: But you argued that in court.
BONDI: My lawyer argued a case defending what the Supreme Court allowed voters to put in our state constitution ...
COOPER: Correct. But you were arguing the gay marriage -- if there was a marriage, if there were same-sex marriage that would do harm to the people Florida as Floridians have cited.
BONDI: That it was constitutional to put that in this -- in constitution.
COOPER: Are you saying that you did not believe it would do harm to Florida?
BONDI: Of course not. Of course not. Gay people -- no, I've never said that. I ...
COOPER: But you ...
BONDI: ... those words never come out ...
COOPER: ... but that is specifically what you were arguing in court.
BONDI: You know, no. No, what we argued was it was in the Constitution State of Florida. Let me give you an example, medical marijuana. A 12-year-old could get it if it passed. We took that to the Supreme Court because of that our language -- hold on -- but if that passed I would defend that as well because it is my job to defend what's in the constitution of the State of Florida.
COOPER: The ...
BONDI: That's what it was about.
COOPER: The hotline that you've been talking about on television which allows family members and spouses of the dead to get information ...
BONDI: Yes.
COOPER: ... which is incredibly important and I appreciate you talking about on the air, had there been no gay marriage, had there been no same-sex marriage, you do realize that spouses -- there would be no spouses, that boyfriends and girlfriends of the dead would not be able get information and would not be able to call you if his in the hospital care?
BONDI: Well, and that's ...
COOPER: Isn't there a sick irony in that?
BONDI: Well, yeah, and let me tell you something, let me take this step farther. People are right now who are partners and aren't married officially are able to get information. So we're trying to assist them in getting information. Because, early on ...
COOPER: But isn't there a sick irony ...
BONDI: ... we only had 24 people ...
COOPER: ... that you for years were fighting that very idea?
BONDI: I was defending the constitution of what's over 69 percent of the voters ...
COOPER: Correct.
BONDI: ... within the constitution.
COOPER: But there's, you know, the courts -- the federal courts said that's not the constitution and you ...
BONDI: Right.
COOPER: ... continue to fight it.
BONDI: No. That's why we rushed it to get it to the U.S. Supreme Court because we needed ...
COOPER: Well, before there was the Supreme Court, there was a federal judge ...
BONDI: ... finality.
COOPER: ... and you continued to fight it after the federal judge ruled. In effect, you spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money fighting it.
BONDI: Well, Anderson, we rushed to get it to the Supreme Court. You know what today's about? Human beings.
COOPER: Right.
BONDI: Today's about victims.
[00:40:00] COOPER: It's about gay and lesbian victims.
BONDI: We are here -- it sure is. LGBT ...
COOPER: Right.
BONDI: ... it's about ...
COOPER: I'm just wondering ...
BONDI: ... it's about Florida ...
COOPER: ... is it hypocritical to portray yourself as a champion of the gay community when -- I'm just reflecting a lot of gay people have told me.
BONDI: I'm not ...
COOPER: they don't see you as that.
BONDI: Anderson, I'm not portraying myself as anything other than trying to help human beings ...
COOPER: Right.
BONDI: ... who have lost their lives, who are right behind us right now in hospital beds, who have family members who aren't getting the services they need. This morning, you know what I've been doing, trying to fight with a funeral home for overcharging family members ...
COOPER: That's sickening.
BONDI: ... to bury their loved ones. I'm not championing anything other than Floridians. That's what this is about. We're about human beings.
COOPER: Right.
BONDI: And this is about who need help, this is about family members who need services.
COOPER: It's just that I will say ...
BONDI: That's what this is about.
COOPER: ... I have never really seen you talk about gays and lesbians and transgender people in a positive way until now. I read your Twitter history for the last year and I saw you tweeting about, you know, National Dog Month and National Shelter Dog Appreciation Day or Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. You know, it is Gay Pride Month, you've never tweeted about Gay Pride Month, I mean ...
BONDI: Well, actually, if you look at my website now, we have hands clasp together, all different colors, rainbow hands. COOPER: So you just put that out now?
BONDI: Yeah, I did.
COOPER: Right.
BONDI: After this horrible tragedy, absolutely.
COOPER: Right.
BONDI: The only thing I am championing are human being whose lives were lost ...
COOPER: So that's your message ...
BONDI: ... in terror.
COOPER: ... to gay and lesbian people her, because again, I'm just telling you what people have been telling me to ask you. Moving forward, do you see yourself as being a vocal champion for gay and lesbian citizens in the state?
BONDI: They are citizens just like anyone else, of course. I -- my goodness, Anderson, we've had 49 people murdered simply because they were in a bar at the wrong time.
COOPER: Right.
BONDI: It's horrible.
COOPER: Yeah.
BONDI: I'm a career prosecutor. These family members are devastated.
COOPER: Well, it was good here.
BONDI: These surviving ...
COOPER: Yeah.
BONDI: ... victims are devastated.
COOPER: Because I know, I got ....
BONDI: That's what this is about.
COOPER: ... right. I know a lot of gay and lesbian people in the state want to feel that people represent them, represent everybody in the state. I mean.
BONDI: We're human beings.
COOPER: Right.
BONDI: And that's what this is about.
COOPER: Well, I appreciate you talking to us.
BONDI: That's what this is about. Thank you.
COOPER: thank you. Thank you so much. Thanks for all you're doing on behalf of the victims.
BONDI: Thank you.
COOPER: Thanks. Pam Bondi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: So that was the whole interview in its entirety. You can make up your own minds.
Just ahead, the Orlando terror attacks being felt on the campaign trail.
And of course, in Washington D.C. Senate Democrats are filibustering the four tax on gun control while Donald Trump breaking ranks with his party and possibly the NRA over the issue. We'll have more on that.
And far from all that, the victims of Pulse shooting being remembered and more and more of their stories ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:46:39] COOPER: Well, this is how thw tragedy in Orlando is playing out in Washington tonight. They are live pictures you're seeing from the Senate floor. The filibuster launched today by Democratic Senator Chris Murphy to try to force action on gun control reforms. He wants to expand universal background checks and make it illegal for people on terror watch list and no-fly list to buy guns. Democrats about hold the floors as long as it takes.
As this was unfolding, Donald Trump today signaled his support for banning people on the no-fly list from buying guns. He's planning to meet with the NRA about it and they've endorsed him as you probably know. Now, Trump also kept up his fiery rhetoric about what the country needs to do to prevent more terror attacks.
Phil Mattingly tonight reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's going to happen again and again and again because we're not doing what we have to be doing.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump raising serious concerns on the campaign trail today in the wake of the devastating attack in an Orlando gay club.
TRUMP: We have to maybe check. respectfully the mosques and we have to check other places because this is a problem that if we don't solve it, it's going to eat our country alive. MATTINGLY: Attacking Hillary Clinton and again swinging back at President Obama's broadside of his foreign policy ...
TRUMP: He gives a speech yesterday, a long speech that at the end of it nobody knew what the hell he was talking about.
MATTINGLY: ... after this retort Tuesday night.
TRUMP: And I watched President Obama today, and he was more angry at me than he was at the shooter.
MATTINGLY: Trump is also calling for a meeting with the NRA discussed barring individuals on the terror watch list from gun purchases. The NRA says it would welcome the meeting but the group says its position on the issue has not changed and continues to support Republican legislation would expand the ability of law enforcement to block such sales, this, as many GOP leaders in recent days have taken pains to distance themselves from the presumptive GOP nominee.
Trump faces bigger problems, the U.S. voters. A new ABC Washington Post survey showing Trump with a 70 percent unfavorable mark compared with a 55 percent unfavorable rating for Clinton. A new Bloomberg National Poll shows 55 percent of respondents would never support the New York billionaire, while 43 percent say the same of the former secretary of state.
And Trump is trailing Clinton by 12 points. Clinton seizing on new momentum hammered Trump again today during a national security event in Virginia.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: So not one of Donald Trump's reckless ideas would have saved a single light in Orlando. It's just more evident that he is temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be commander-in-chief.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That's Phil Mattingly reporting. Joining me now is CNN Political Analyst and New York Times Presidential Campaign Correspondent Maggie Haberman. Maggie, thanks very much for joining us.
So, neither Trump or Clinton is letting up on this whether it's national security more broadly, or gun control. In particular, they both clearly think they have the correct argument. Does this one -- do you see them just continuing to get more heated? I mean we've got a long way to go.
MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: yeah, I think they were going to have a daily focus on is as you say, there is a schism. Democrats are approaching this as as a gun-control argument and a terror argument, but primarily gun-control at the moment. Republicans are doing the opposite, or doing something different in talking about national security and talking about terrorism.
[00:50:05] Trump has obviously done it in very specific terms. I do think it is important to notice the difference between what Congressional Republicans had been talking about in terms of this issue and what Trump has been talking about.
Trump has talked about it, you know, extending his ban on Muslim immigrants. He is now sort of doing it by geography, but he's also talked about sort of aggressive profiling of Muslims who are already in the country. That is different than what were seeing a lot of Republicans talking about. They are talking into the broader terms about being more vigilant but not supporting what he is doing.
COOPER: And the idea that Trump is putting out there that he is a better candidate for gay and lesbian Americans than Hillary Clinton. At one point today, he said at a rally that people should ask the gays. The fact that he says -- I mean I guess the gays raised some eyebrows but where do you think this is coming from? Does he see that he has an avenue here to pick up a lot of support of gay and lesbian Americans?
HABERMAN: I mean I think two things. I think in terms of the gays, he has a history -- and my colleague Jonathan Martin and I have written about this -- of framing every demographic group as though which is assertive, archaic language from the 1980s in New York, which is when he came of age politically.
But in terms of how he sees this as this playing out for him, look, he does have -- and I've written about this-prior to this campaign, where he has been vocal about gay marriage and being against it, but he does have a history of tolerance in terms of the LGBT community.
COOPER: Right.
HABERMAN: He was, you know, open about the North Carolina Transgender Bathroom Law, much to the surprise and chagrin of some Republicans. But what he is doing now is trying to push a wedge between the LGBT community and Muslims, which is a characteristic that has been seen in a lot of European far right politicians and he is adhering to that playbook.
I think that he is genuine when he talks about his history in terms of employing gay people in terms of Mar-a-Lago, his club, been pretty -- the first reportedly to admit an openly gay couple. This is a little bit different what he is talking about right now.
COOPER: Maggie Haberman, appreciate it. Thanks very much.
Up next, we remember the youngest victim of the Orlando mass shootings, just 18 years old, celebrating her high school graduation with a night out dancing with friends. Her family shares what happened early Sunday morning when we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:56:18] Look it may sound cliche to some to say that 49 lives were cut short by a hate-filled gunman but that's exactly what happened here in Orlando in Sunday morning.
There's really no more accurate way to put it.
Most of the victims who died were under the age of 40, young men and women full of dreams and full of plans, some just taking their first steps even into adulthood.
The youngest victim Akyra Murray was 18 years old. Her future waiting to be written, she'd already accomplished a lot and went to the Pulse to celebrate, her first visit to a night club.
Tonight, we have a much fuller picture of the final hours of her life and the selfless choice that her family says cost her, her life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Playing possum that's how Akyra Murray her cousin Tiara Parker and friend Patience Carter said they survived Saturday night.
TIARA PARKER, COUSIN OF AKYRA MURRAY: He came in. You could hear the loading the gun.
COOPER: Playing possum or pretending to be dead waiting, hoping, praying that could get out at Pulse Night Club to get out alive. Akyra's cousin Tiara were recounting the night to NPR.
PARKER: God, I'm like, please get us out of here. Like, were too young for this.
COOPER: It's started out as a weekend of celebration, Akyra graduating from High School in Philadelphia just last week heading to Orlando to visit her brother there. She picked Pulse because she was under 21 and wanted to find a place to have a good time and dance.
ALBERT MURRAY, FATHER OF AKYRA MURRAY: I didn't want her to go but she's kept begging, "Dad, take me there." I was saying to myself like "It's your vacation."
COOPER: And then 2:06 a.m. frantic text messages from Akyra's cousin. "Please come get us now, please, they shooting." Akyra's parents racing back to the nightclub where they dropped off their daughter off just hours before.
NATALIE MURRAY, MOTHER OF AKYRA MURRAY: At this point, it was low boost and it must have been about 190 down the road. I turned the 35 minutes run into about 17 minutes.
COOPER: Inside the club a chaos. Akyra manages to escape but realizing she's left her cousin Tiara and friend Patience behind goes back inside. All three girls managed to hide inside the handicap stall with 15 to 20 others huddled nearly stocked on top of one another. The gunman walks in and she says in what seemed like a miracle his gun jammed.
PARKER: And as I looked at each other, we can bomb rush from out of here.
COOPER: She says it was too late however the killer uses another gun and opens fire. Akyra is sho in the arm, her cousin Tiara in the side and the Patience in both legs. Tiara recounts the moment to NPR.
PARKER: I never thought that I would have somebody's brain fragments in my fingernails, blood clots and stuff all over the place.
COOPER: And then at 2:12 a.m. a phone call from Akyra to her mom.
N. MURRAY: About 10 minutes in and we got a phone call from my daughter, "Mommy, please hurry, they're shooting, they're shooting. I'm hit, I'm hit in the arm."
COOPER: But Akyra's parents are still miles away, they need to call the police.
N. MURRAY: She's like, "I'm bleeding so bad, mommy, please help me, please help me call the cops, please." And I'm just like "Baby, I need the GPS for the phone. I need to call the cops, I need to disconnect with you."
COOPER: The three girls lay for hours playing dead, a pool of blood surrounds them, trying to be as quite as possible, using Mors code of taps and signal to communicate with one another.
PARKER: It just kind of with the 27 and suddenly I just kept tapping each other.
COOPER: But Akyra was bleeding badly in need of medical care, soon no longer responds to Mors code.
PARKER: So, I was tapping her and she wasn't responding right back.
COOPER: Just after 5:00 a.m. authorities finally punched through the wall and killed the gunman, dragging hostages to safety. Akyra's parents can do nothing but wait for news. Midday Monday, some 36 hours later they received word. Akyra is dead.
A. MURRAY: I've heard her gone, I just keep seeing her face.
COOPER: Akyra Monet Murray, superstar basketball player, honor student, hero to her friends.
[1:00:00] She is the youngest victim ...
