Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Baton Rouge Police Killings; Republican National Convention. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired July 18, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:20] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Berman, live in Baton Rouge.

Source now saying that a videotape proves the attack on police officers here was, quote, "planned and meticulous." In minutes we're expecting a news conference from Baton Rouge authorities. Their first since yesterday. We could learn a great deal of new information. Three officers killed, three others hurt, including one still clinging to life.

After weeks here of protests against Baton Rouge police for the death of Alton Sterling, now many people bringing flowers for police. The community and the nation pleading for the bloodshed to stop, including Hillary Clinton not long ago at the NAACP convention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: This madness has to stop. Watching the news from Baton Rouge yesterday, my heart broke. Not just for those officers and their grieving families, but for all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The slain officers were husbands and fathers. Forty-one-year- old Marine Corps and Army veteran Matthew Gerald, he had two children. Forty-five-year-old Brad Garafola was the father of four. And 32-year- old Montrell Jackson, he had a new baby boy just four months old.

With me now to discuss, Christopher Tyson, a Baton Rouge native, who's an associate professor at Louisiana State University Law Center. I'm going to start with CNN's senior investigative correspondent, though, Drew Griffin.

Drew, give us the latest on the investigation into this killer who drove some 800 miles from Kansas City to be here.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Right. And it seems like police now know really the motive behind this. This guy apparently came with a plan. He was coming to hunt down Baton Rouge police officers, as disgusting as that sounds. It was an ambush killing. What they want to know now is, was he involved with anything else? We

know that he claimed to be a black separatist. He was involved with many hate groups online. Did any of those people have relations with him? And once he was in Baton Rouge, how long was he here? Did he have any contact with any people here?

The chief has said, yes, we are talking with people who did converse with him. We don't know what that means. We don't know if that's just a hotel operator, some place he stayed or if there was actual contact with any of the protesters that have been involved in the peaceful Alton Sterling protests.

We can tell you from our own investigation, we haven't found a single person involved in those protests who recognized him, who saw him hanging around, who talked to him or who had any contact with him. So we're not quite sure. We're anticipating that we might get some more information from the police. But the working assumption is, this guy, Kansas City, enraged by police brutality in his own mind, decided to come down here and kill Baton Rouge police officers.

BERMAN: Already enraged by some things, apparently, by the trail he left on social media.

I talked to the mayor earlier today who told me that he knew, they now believe that this man was here for at least a few nights prior to the shooting here on Sunday. And the mayor also told me it was his gut, his gut, he didn't have any proof about an hour and a half ago, but it was his gut that someone here in Baton Rouge, a local, was connected to this man.

GRIFFIN: Well, that's a gut of a politician. The detectives are out there trying to find people who actually did have any contact with him. We're not getting any indication that that took place in terms of any kind of planning or aid, but it's primarily because they're pretty tight-lipped here right now.

BERMAN: Tight lipped. They made clear after that news conference yesterday they weren't going to talk until today. The new news conference just a little bit more than an hour from now where we should get some new information.

Drew, stand by.

Professor, I want to talk to you about the atmosphere here in Baton Rouge, because the last two weeks was difficult already. Already before what happened on Sunday.

CHRISTOPHER TYSON, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, LSU LAW CENTER: Indeed. Our hearts are heavy. We've spent the last two weeks under an international microscope and now that intensifies is this grief, this grieving process takes on an entirely different and tragic dimension. So this is unlike anything we've experienced before as a community and we're grieving but we're doing so together.

BERMAN: The killer, not from Baton Rouge. The killer came here apparently to exploit whatever situation was on the ground here to commit whatever heinous acts he was going to do, but not local.

TYSON: Not local. And we've seen peaceful demonstrations over the last few weeks. We've seen conversations begin to take place between law enforcement and the community as they should and as they hopefully will continue to do so. So to have somebody come into our community, our space, and violate those bonds, those relationships, and exploit this moment is - is so tragic and something that I think no one in this community saw coming and no one would ever sanction.

[14:05:05] BERMAN: Disrespecting the conversation of what's happening to say the least.

TYSON: Exactly.

BERMAN: More than that.

I was speaking to the head of the Police Officers' Association of Louisiana, who told me right now that his officers around the state are having to balance now the need for their own safety with the need to do their jobs. He essentially said, when you get that 911 call, you've got to think, how am I going to approach this to guarantee that I will go home after?

TYSON: Certainly. And our hearts are with those men and women who everyday put their lives on the lines and who we understand take on a very serious responsibility. They do so valiantly and courageously and we want to support them in this moment.

BERMAN: It is so difficult for them, so difficult for this entire community.

Professor Christopher Tyson, Drew Griffin, stand by.

Again, as we said, this news conference now less than an hour away where we could find out a great deal more information about what happened here, how it happened and the timeline.

In the meantime, let's go to Brooke Baldwin in Cleveland, the site of the Republican National Convention, now underway.

Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: I know we'll see you here later this week, John Berman. Thank you so much.

Great to be here in Cleveland, Ohio. I'm Brooke Baldwin. It's a Monday. You can already feel the excitement kicking up here inside the Quicken Loans Arena. Not too long ago, when the Cleveland Cavaliers got the big win, now Mr. Trump hoping - hoping for the same thing. Live pictures here.

This is the opening, though against this backdrop of racial tensions in this country and hours before he takes the stage, Donald Trump has said something today that has some folks in this country concerned. He called into Fox News this morning. When he was asked about President Obama's response to the deadly police shootings that John Berman was just reporting on in Baton Rouge and also in Dallas and this is what Mr. Trump said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE (voice-over): So I watched the president and sometimes the words are, OK, but you - you just look at the - the body language. There's something going on. Look, there's something going on and the words are not often OK, by the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does that mean, "there's something going on"?

TRUMP: There's - there's just bad feeling and a lot of bad feeling about him. I see it, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: All right, let's begin there. I have Bakari Sellers sitting here with me in Cleveland, Democratic commentator and Hillary Clinton supporter. Andre Bauer is here with me as well, Republican commentator and Donald Trump support. And also Lisa Boothe is here, Republican strategist and contributor to "The Washington Examiner."

And so great to be with all of you in Cleveland. But let's do, Andre, begin with what Mr. Trump just said, "something going on." What was he saying?

ANDRE BAUER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I couldn't hear your question.

BALDWIN: My question is, when you just heard Mr. Trump call into Fox News this morning and they were asking about what had happened to Baton Rouge and beyond, and he was saying - he was questioning the president's body language and he was reiterating, something's going on and they were asking him, well, what does that mean? And that's my question to you as a Trump supporter.

BAUER: You know, I don't know. And even as a Trump supporter, I wish he'd continue with his message and actually not get bogged down in whatever the president's doing. He's not going to be the president in a very short time and Donald Trump probably is going to be. So I want him to continue to get more presidential and explain his vision and not worry about what the president's doing any more.

BALDWIN: You can understand why people are questioning that, especially after some of what he said in the wake of the - the Orlando massacre at the nightclub, perhaps questioning police officers. It's what he's not saying, I think, that's generating some buzz.

Let me ask you. Do you - that's just what some folks are coming forward and questioning.

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN COMMENTATOR: I think that Donald Trump, after you've had Orlando, after you've had Nice, after you've had these crises and our country has failed every single time. And I think that his statement this morning was ham-handed. I think his statement this morning was cowardly. He did the same thing by -

BALDWIN: How do you mean? Why?

SELLERS: Because he did the same thing by alluding to the fact that Barack Obama may be a Muslim, or Barack Obama may be - may be somehow tied to Islamic - to Islamic religion.

BALDWIN: But he's not saying that.

SELLERS: He's doing - but he's doing the same thing here by saying that something's going on. His body language is showing that somehow he condones what's going on when these cops are getting slain in the street. And that's not's what's going on. If Donald Trump has something to say, then he should just flat out say it. But even more importantly, Donald Trump has - he's actually very articulate and attempting to show that the world is delving into chaos. But what Donald -

BALDWIN: it's divided. He's said it's divided and - and he's right.

SELLERS: But what Donald Trump has never done - what he's never been able to do, is show that he's the person that can unify this country. And right now we don't need the divisive rhetoric. The country deserves better than that. And if Donald Trump wants to be president of the United States, then he needs to actually stand up and show he can be a leader.

BALDWIN: Let me turn to you, Lisa, because we know tonight, of all the different nights, there are different themes. Tonight is "make America safer again." He said say that there was a leadership vacuum in this country. He did say in the wake of these horrendous attacks that there is a - our country's divided. What does he need to say to Andre's point to stay on message and be specific?

LISA BOOTHE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think saying "there's something going on," I think we're doing a lot of speculation. I think you've given it more thought than he probably did in just making that - that simple statement.

SELLERS: That - that's sad, though.

BOOTHE: Well, no, I mean it's just - it's a one off. I mean what - that doesn't mean anything.

[14:10:01] But, look, ultimately, I think what Donald Trump is trying to do, which we heard him say, I'm the law and order candidate. I think when Americans look around, they see chaos, whether it's on the world stage with the rise of ISIS, or even in America with racial tensions at an all-time high and the majority of Americans think they're just going to get worse, saying he's a law and order candidate, talking about trying to bring the country together, trying to, you know, restore some order to the country. And, further, I think it also cuts the lawlessness of Hillary Clinton with her private e- mail server and private e-mail and this feeling that Americans have that she thinks she's above the law.

BALDWIN: Yes, that has been a criticism over and over of Hillary Clinton. It will be interesting to see also what she says, right, while we're all here in Cleveland, as her - as the Democratic National Convention is next week.

Let me ask all of you to stick around because we're having an important conversation about race in this country. I was just in Nice yesterday and we have to talk terror and about what happened there and what could continue to happen because that is something that he addressed in that "60 Minutes" interview.

Let me tell you this, right now, here in Cleveland, protests are underway outside of this arena. Crowds are speaking out against and also on behalf of Donald Trump. So we'll paint the picture as far as what's happening outside and what could continue on through the rest of the week here.

Also ahead, the fascinating moment when Donald Trump jumped in to answer questions in that "60 Minutes" interview as - this was the first time that - now that Mike Pence was announced as his running mate, the two have sat together and gave the interview to Lesley Stahl. We'll walk through some of that.

And also ahead, just a reminder, very, very shortly we will be hearing from police in Louisiana holding a news conference with regard to that attack against the Baton Rouge police officers, could be offering up some new details on that investigation and also the motives of the shooter.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. John Berman joining me as well these next two hours. We're here in Cleveland, in Baton Rouge. You're watching CNN's special live coverage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:50] BALDWIN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN on this Monday afternoon. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We are live in Cleveland, Ohio. The Republican National Convention officially underway. The gavel fell just about an hour fifteen ago by RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, gaveled into session at 1:00 Eastern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: This convention will come to order.

Delegates and alternate, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Before we begin -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And we are here perched inside our booth, one of many within this mega convention hall at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena. It is here where Donald Trump and his family, his running mate Mike Pence and other Republican heavyweights will gather over the course of the next four days. Could be some surprises, some celebrities. We shall watch and see.

Let's get straight to our senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta, who is not too far from me inside this convention hall.

Jim Acosta, day one. Tell me who's speaking tonight.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's a very interesting lineup. As you know, Brooke, today's theme is "make America safe again." And perhaps it's safe to let your wife go first because Donald Trump is having his wife, Melania Trump, speak tonight. And in a very unprecedented move, Donald Trump is going to be here in Cleveland to introduce Melania to this crowd of delegates here. It's sort of an unusual step that Donald Trump is taking. You usually hear from the presumptive GOP nominee and then official GOP nominee later on in the week.

But, you know, one thing we're going to have to be watching for tonight, Brooke, is whether Donald Trump turns this into what we saw on Saturday. Remember, on Saturday, when he introduced Governor Mike Pence as his running mate, that introduction went on for 28 minutes and included whole chunks of Donald Trump's standard stump speech, from Hillary Clinton, to the Iraq War, veterans issues and so on. And so we will be watching for that tonight.

There are other speakers on hand. Lieutenant Michael Flynn, who, of course - Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, who was, of course, on his vice presidential short list, and there's going to be a tribute to former presidential candidate Bob Dole, who will be sitting, I'm told, in Trump's VIP box tonight. So a big tribute to Bob Dole as well.

And, Brooke, you know, this is a very big moment for Donald Trump. He wants to lead the country, but the house of Lincoln is a house divided. The Republican Party is just not on the same page here. Part of the reason why you're seeing Melania Trump and his children introducing Donald Trump to the world is because he doesn't have people like former President George W. Bush, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and on and on. John Kasich, the governor of this state, is going to be skipping this convention, we're told, because of this divide inside the Republican Party. But we're told by - talking to people inside the Trump campaign, the theme all this week will be law and order. You look at those events in Baton Rouge, Nice, Turkey and so on, that is something that Donald Trump and the speakers here will be going back to time and again, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Jim Acosta, thank you, my friend.

ACOSTA: You bet.

BALDWIN: We'll check back in with you.

Meanwhile, as Jim mentioned, you know, Donald Trump's letting his wife go first, although we could be seeing him introducing her. Melania Trump, you know, she's about to step from the sidelines into the spotlight as tonight's headliner. The Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, tells CNN she wants to help get voters, you know, get to know her husband better by talking more about his personal side. And CNN's Anderson Cooper actually sat down with her as she openly talked about her husband and how she is ready to be first lady.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You know, your husband had been criticized for - for - sometimes for his tone on the campaign trail. One of the things he's said to me is that, as president, you know, campaigning is one thing, as president he would have a different tone if he was actually in the White House. Do you think he can have a different tone?

MELANIA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S WIFE: Yes.

COOPER: Can (ph) he have another side?

TRUMP: Yes. He can have a different tone. He really can have a different tone because to build the empire and the business that he built, you cannot always use that kind of a tone and he can really change. I know him and he could really change the words and the tone, and - but, you know, he is who he is and you could see he's following and people agree with him because they're tired of Washington and politicians in Washington, that they don't do much. And he's a doer. He does things and he's not just talking it, he will have things done for the states, for the America, for American people.

[14:20:26] COOPER: And when you hear, you know, people saying he's racist, hearing him saying he's anti-immigrant, what -

TRUMP: No, he's not. He's not racist. He's not anti-immigrant. He wants to keep America safe. He wants to have illegal immigrants taken care of that they will not be in the country, that they don't pay taxes, that they are criminals and that they're not good for the America. He wants - he was talking about the illegal immigration, not about everybody.

COOPER: If your husband is elected president, I think you would be the second foreign-born first lady. I think John Quincy Adams' wife. It hasn't happened in a long time.

TRUMP: Yes.

COOPER: John Quincy Adams' wife was born overseas.

TRUMP: A long time ago.

COOPER: Yes.

Have you thought about what you'd - being a first lady, what it would mean?

TRUMP: We are in 21st century. I will be me. I will be different than any other first ladies. I will - I will help women. I will help children. They are our future. They need our guidance and help. And also I'm involved in many, many charities already, so I will choose one or two that they're very dear to me and work on that.

COOPER: When you say "help women and children," do you have a sense of how or in what way? TRUMP: Well, I don't have - I have (INAUDIBLE) ideas I have, but let's

see what happens. I take it day by day. We don't know what will happen and we will see so then we could talk.

COOPER: I saw in a - the interview you did in 2000 when your husband was thinking about running with this reform party, you said you'd sort of be a traditional first lady. You named Betty Ford, Jacqueline Kennedy. Is that sort of the model you're still thinking of?

TRUMP: Well, they - I see around that they compare me to Jackie Kennedy. It's an honor. But, of course, we're in 21st century and I will be different. And she had a great style and she did a lot of good stuff. But this is different time now. We have a different problems that we need to take care of and we will focus on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: All right, let me bring my panel back in, Andre Bauer, Bakari Sellers and Lisa Boothe.

And so let's begin, since we just heard from Melania, let me turn to you. You know, so as far as the range of speakers, it's everyone from Melania Trump, to Scott Baio, to Antonio Sabato Jr., who, by the way, is going to be on in a few minutes, to, you know, Rudy Giuliani and Marco Rubio via video conference, to, you know, Paul Ryan. And people could be cynical when you look at some of his selections, but isn't that how he rose to fame being unorthodox?

BOOTHE: Well, and then also I think that, look, like we all live in the political world, right, so we judge Donald Trump or people judge Donald Trump collectively in the political world because he doesn't say things in the way that Hillary Clinton does. He's not reading a teleprompter. He's not scripted. But, honestly, that's how Americans speak. And I think that's why he is so popular with Americans is because the reality is, people want to hear real talk and they look at Hillary Clinton, and they look at the fact she's on every side of every single issue. She's been a politician for decades, right? This is the way she's lived her life. And you look at polling in key states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida and you've got 70 something percent of Americans who say that the system is broken and they want radical change.

And Donald Trump comes from outside of the system. He's talking about issues in thing - in ways and in manners that they care about. And you even look at the issue of trade, which even though it's unorthodox and Republican talk, to look at an issue like that, but you're talking about a majority of Americans in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Ohio and Florida, sorry, Florida, and you've got a majority of Americans who believe what Donald Trump has been saying, that it's taking jobs away from Americans. So Donald Trump is speaking about issues in a manner in which Americans affiliate -

BALDWIN: It resonates. You're saying it resonates.

BOOTHE: Resonates, yes.

BALDWIN: Whether it's issues or what some of these speakers -

BOOTHE: About issues they care about.

BALDWIN: You know, we have to talk about this "60 Minutes" interview, and I'm turning to both of you. What - what one headline from "The Washington Post," when they were writing it up, it jumped out at me. It was - the headline was, Donald Trump's interview with "60 Minutes" was eye-opening, also Mike Pence was there."

SELLERS: Well, it's ironic because you just laid out all of these points about Donald Trump being this authentic persona that Americans are gravitating towards, which he does read off teleprompters now that he's in a general election. But Mike Pence is the polar opposite. Mike Pence was for NAFTA. Mike Pence thinks that TPP was the gold standard. Mike Pence praised Hillary Clinton for his - for the invasion into Libya. Mike Pence voted for the war in Iraq.

[14:25:04] So here you have these two people and it was a really, really chilly relationship. If that was an arranged marriage, it's probably not going to make it past the phase of annulment. So I -

BALDWIN: Well, if it was an arranged marriage, though, you have a lot of, you know, Paul Ryan Republicans who are cheering it on, which could lead for an awesome week for Donald Trump because finally sort of this coalescing of a very fractured party.

On that, though, actually, and I'm going to pin you down as a Trump supporter, though, because to your point, you know, in the "60 Minutes" interview, Lesley Stahl, who was excellent, was asking about terror in Syria and then she pivoted to, "well, Governor Pence, you know, you voted, like Hillary Clinton, for the war in Iraq." Here's what - here's what happened there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: That was a war that we shouldn't have done because Iraq did not knock down - excuse me, Iraq didn't have weapon -

LESLEY STAHL, HOST, "60 MINUTES": Your running mate voted for it.

TRUMP: I don't care.

STAHL: What do you mean you don't care that he voted for it?

TRUMP: It's a long time ago and he voted that way and he - they were also misled. A lot of information was given to people.

STAHL: But you've harped on this.

TRUMP: But I was against the war in Iraq from the beginning.

STAHL: Yes, but you've used that vote that - of Hillary's that was the same as Governor Pence's -

TRUMP: Just like many people - STAHL: As the example of her bad judgment. You've said that -

TRUMP: Many people have and, frankly, I'm one of the few that was right on Iraq?

STAHL: Yes, but what about he -

TRUMP: He's entitled to make a mistake every once in a while.

STAHL: But she's not? OK, come one.

TRUMP: But she's not. No, she's not.

STAHL: Got it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: He's allowed to make a mistake every so often but she's not. I mean how is that fair, Andre?

BAUER: Well, a couple points.

BALDWIN: Yes.

BAUER: Number one, if you go back to the '80s when Lee Atwater (ph) talked about creating the big tent, bringing new folks in, that's exactly what's happening. It's not a room filled with politicians anymore. It's average, hardworking folks that are fed up with the system and refreshed by someone that doesn't have absolute every talking point that's perfect. When you pick someone like Mike Pence, he showed that he didn't have to have a yes, sir, no, sir, man that agreed with him on every issue. A CEO brings in people to give him different perspective, a different viewpoint. And that's exactly what Donald Trump's done. He's found someone that can help him get things done in Washington, someone that's governed, but someone that may have a different vantage point and I think Mike Pence will find his stride. Yes, he didn't find it in that interview, but it will come in time.

BALDWIN: You agree? You agree, though, that it was -

BAUER: That it was awkward. There was no question.

SELLERS: It was rough.

BALDWIN: It was a little awkward and the bit about the Iraq War.

BAUER: But that was - that was their first dance. There will be many more to come.

BALDWIN: OK. OK. They'll be dancing all week. We'll be watching -

BOOTHE: They'll be doing the tango soon.

BALDWIN: We'll be watching every single move.

Thank you all so much for being with me. Appreciate it here. BOOTHE: Thank you, Brooke.

And now, coming up from Cleveland, we'll take you back to Baton Rouge. After that shooting, police across the nation, including here in Cleveland, they're on edge, and understandably so. Cleveland's police union, one of the leaders here, says, you know, this is the last thing they need, folks near the Republican Convention here armed. We will look at the debate over whether or not this should be allowed because here in this state open carry is OK and there are calls to make this suspended for the week, although the governor says, no, it's not legal.

Also ahead, guns are just one worry for the police here. Protesters are another. You know, thousands and thousands of them in this city perhaps injecting a different kind of chaos to this convention. We'll take you outside this arena and see what's happening on this Monday afternoon. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)