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Florida Mail Facility May Offer Clues on Bomb Maker; Trump Lays Blame for Mail Bombs on Media Coverage. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired October 26, 2018 - 07:00   ET

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


JOE BIDEN (D), FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATE: We have to turn off the heat machine. People want us to be more civil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[07:00:07] ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY.

The manhunt for a serial bomber is intensifying this morning. CNN has learned that all ten package bombs were mailed through the U.S. Postal Service. At least some of them went through a processing center near Miami. Investigators are pouring over these intercepted mail bombs in hopes of finding DNA, like hair, or fingerprints to catch the bombmaker.

One of their key questions: why did none of the devices detonate? Officials do warn there could be more bombs still out there.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So as investigators chasing leads all night, the president, it seems, was up all night, too. So did he, A, express concern for the people who received these bombs; B, talk about the investigation; C, offer support for those involved in the investigation? How about option D: he attacked the media.

The president going after the media again tonight. Our sources tell us the president simply can't get past the media coverage of his rhetoric and the divisive tone he has set in the country over the last several months. He is very much focused on that and continues and intends to continue to focus on that.

Also, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen not in Washington yesterday, focused on the FBI investigation into these serial bombs, but at the border, talking about this caravan still thousands of miles away.

Let's talk about the very latest in the investigation. We're going to begin our coverage with Rosa Flores, who is outside the post office facility in Opa-locka, Florida -- Rosa.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning.

CNN learning this morning not only that some of these packages originated in Florida but also that some of the packages were processed in the distribution center that you see behind me.

From talking to some of the employees that work at this mail distribution center, I can tell you that they say that there's at least 20 inspectors inside following clues, and also that they had what is called a service talk about the serial bombs. What that is, it's a meeting where all of the employees learned about the packages. They were show photographs of these packages, and they were told to be on the lookout for these packages and to be careful.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES (voice-over): The nationwide manhunt for the person or persons who sent at least ten explosive devices to people vilified by President Trump now focused on South Florida; specifically, this postal facility near Miami, where law enforcement tell CNN several of the packages were processed. Local police calling in their bomb squad and K-9 units to help in the investigation.

KIRSTJEN NIELSON, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: There were some leads. I think the FBI is tracking them all down, wherever they take them.

FLORES: On Thursday, three packages containing potential bombs were discovered, including two addressed to former vice president Joe Biden that were intercepted at separate postal facilities in Delaware.

JOE BIDEN (D), FORMER VIE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People want us to be more civil.

I hope this has been enough of a shock wave for people to say, "OK, enough is enough."

FLORES: Hours earlier, this package was found addressed to another Trump critic, actor Robert De Niro, at his Tribeca production office after a retired police officer noticed the package and notified authorities.

JAMES O'NEILL, COMMISSIONER, NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT: This package that he saw yesterday was almost exactly like the package that they were showing on TV, and they took affirmative steps to call us to make sure we could take it away safely.

FLORES: Law enforcement sources tell CNN they believe that all ten devices went through the U.S. postal system, including the package ultimately delivered to CNN by a private courier and the device placed in businessman and Democratic donor George Soros's mailbox. Many of the packages have no visible postmarks, which is making it more difficult to pinpoint where and when the packages were sent.

Another key question puzzling authorities: Why none of the bombs detonated, raising questions about the skill and motive of the bomb maker or makers. Outside experts tell CNN that the lack of a triggering mechanism suggests the bombs were never meant to explode.

RAY LOPEZ, FORMER FBI: I think they were meant to be found, and again, just to deliver the message of fear and terror and to, you know, garnish attention. FLORES: Still, authorities urging the public to be vigilant.

BILL SWEENEY, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE, FBI-NEW YORK: These devices should be considered dangerous.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES: Authorities are calling this domestic terrorism. We have learned from the FBI that all of the bombs were transported to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia. That's where investigators are hoping to get a break, perhaps a fingerprint on a piece of tape or DNA inside one of those package but at this point, Alisyn and John, no suspect, no motive.

CAMEROTA: OK, Rosa. Thank you very much for all of that background.

Let's bring in CNN crime and justice reporter Shimon Prokupecz; CNN counterterrorism analyst Phil Mudd; and CNN law enforcement analyst Josh Campbell.

[07:00:03] OK, Shimon, you were on the set with us yesterday, working the phones as all of this was unfolding, some of it was unfolding. So do investigators have any leads today?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: So you know, I'm still working the phones. I've been doing it all night.

I think there's been some progress in the investigation. Certainly, just the tone from investigators, in talking to folks, there's a lot of optimism about where they are right now. Certainly, having all of these devices, I think, what Rosa there said.

There's probably more than we -- we just don't know a lot about what kind of forensic evidence they have been able to gather off of these devices, whether there's DNA, fingerprints.

But, you know, I think there's optimism among law enforcement that we could see something happening here soon.

It's very significant they know where these packages, at least, came through with this site that -- where Rosa Flores is at. And the other thing I'm told is that there's a heavy focus on the South Florida area right now by investigators in trying to determine if the person who is responsible for this lives in that area.

BERMAN: OK, Phil. So you have South Florida now. Shimon telling us there seems to be a very keen interest in that; it's real. You have this postal facility, and you've been telling us that the post office doesn't deliver mail, they track it. So what's happening?

PHIL MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM: If you look, we know one piece of this, if you look at the postal piece. Think of this as sort of overlaying bits of evidence. The FBI knows something else, whether they did or did not find DNA in those packages. I'd want to know whether the Secret Service has a list of persons of interest who correspond with the area of service, overlock the facility. So it's almost like a kaleidoscope. And I'm with Shimon on this: I suspect the authorities are making progress here, slowly but surely. When you take those layers -- DNA, the fact that the package transited at Opa-locka, the face that maybe they have persons of interest who have made threats in the past. It all slowly comes into focus, and then you're sitting there at 10 or 11 in the morning, and someone walks in and says, "Game on. We've got them." That is the best feeling. You've got to love that.

CAMEROTA: It's so true, Phil. I worked at "America's Most Wanted" for five years, as I'm always happy to talk about, and --

BERMAN: So you're just like Phil Mudd.

CAMEROTA: Yes, because when that phone call comes, and it says, "We've got him," there is a -- such a feeling of justice. And there is a feeling of great police work.

And I, like you, and you, are optimistic that, with all of these clues, that we'll be getting that phone call sooner than later.

BERMAN: Maybe today.

CAMEROTA: But here's what I want to ask you, Josh. You know, I think that the president is sort of depicting this as not a national emergency. There's a serial bomber on the loose, but the bombs are only going to the people that he has -- that the president has criticized, so it's not for regular Americans.

But I think -- and you correct me if I'm wrong -- that that doesn't count the track of these bombs along the way and all of the average people who are not Robert De Niro who have to -- in the mail rooms, along the U.S. Postal Service, that have to come into contact with this dangerous material.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: The lack of messaging from the White House, in my judgement, on a serious public safety issue here is pretty staggering.

If you think about it, from a law enforcement perspective, and just backing up and looking at the last two years, we've seen the FBI dragged into all kinds of scenarios and inappropriately used. Here's the time where the White House should be calling, you know, the FBI and really pushing that message and saying, "Look, this is a national emergency. We need law enforcement and all-hands-on deck. This is a serious issue, whether you are right, left, wherever you fall into the political spectrum. Folks need to understand that there are consequences to your actions and consequences to their words."

We're not hearing that messaging. We're not hearing that kind of leadership come out. And again, you know, this is a type of instance where you would want a president, a commander-in-chief directing law enforcement, all resources available, to really get to the bottom of this.

Because if you think about it, this is exactly -- what we've been talking about, this is an attempted assassination of two former presidents of the United States, along with a host of other officials. It's just strange to hear the press conferences we've seen emanating from New York City instead of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

BERMAN: And along those lines, Phil, I was unused to your level of optimism a moment ago, on any subject.

CAMEROTA: It was disconcerting.

CAMPBELL: Yes, that's bizarre.

BERMAN: But -- but what Josh is saying is true, and it is. I mean, there is still a would-be serial bomber out there who is watching this who knows that this hunt is going on, and I imagine, probably getting more and not less dangerous.

MUDD: Sure. I mean, the thing that people keep focusing on is devices. You don't talk about the mindset.

When you're dealing with a mound of threat information, let's say 1,000 people who are saying things on Facebook or Twitter that are threatening. The question you have is which one of these people might ever consider doing something?

So forget about whether these devices were or were not designed to detonate. What they tell me is someone is willing to take a step beyond a threat to take action. Taking action doesn't happen often in threat cases. This is a one in ten thousand.

The action indicates that, if this person stays around, they've already decided to cross the bar. They'll do it again.

CAMEROTA: So Josh, is this something that generally, in other administrations, the homeland security secretary would be involved in and would be -- I don't know -- briefing with FBI agents or would be at least putting out public statements, because we've heard once from Secretary Nielsen, and she tweeted the FBI helpline, so the hotline. So it's FBI -- 1-800-call-FBI.

[07:10:11] So she has not been as engaged in this as she is with the so-called caravan that is still 2,000 miles away, roughly, in another country and won't be here, if ever, for many, many weeks.

CAMPBELL: Yes. You know, it's fascinating. When the public sees these press conferences, and we've been through a number of these, whether you're media, law enforcement, intelligence. Anytime something happens, there's a press conference, and we typically see law enforcement and we see politicians.

And people always wonder, "What are the politicians doing there? Why are they standing at the microphone during a breaking news situation?" The reason they're there is because they are our leaders. They set the tone and the messaging, and you know, I remember this from being in the FBI. We actually call upon the politicians to say, "Look, you need to front this; you need to be the face of this, because the American people need to understand that you take this seriously, that this is important to you."

We don't see that here when it comes to the bombing. We don't see the politicians, absent our New York officials here, actually standing up. In fact, we see them picking and choosing which issues actually care to -- are important to them, as you mentioned, the caravan. Again, it says a lot about their priorities.

BERMAN: In the picture we had up on the screen there, if we can put it back up, and just so people can see what it is, it is the secretary of homeland security, Kirstjen Nielsen. Where is she? Well, A, FOX News. B, on the border, and she's talking about, I think, some border construction of a fence that was --

CAMEROTA: And the caravan. They're very, very focused on that.

BERMAN: That's the picture that the administration wants you to see. It's not a picture of the secretary of homeland security in New York and Washington talking about these bombs.

CAMPBELL: Can I add one thing to that, John, too? So we know from our CNN reporting that a very senior counterterrorism official told us that, despite what the president is saying about the caravan, there is no threat currently to the southern border from ISIS or from Middle Eastern terrorists. We know that, which runs counter to what they're saying.

Again, these are coming from officials. Yet, that's the message that we continue to see. They're focusing their priority on this one issue, on one hand.

On the other, we have a serial bomber on the loose. The American people need that confidence from our leaders, that their leaders take it seriously. We're not seeing that.

CAMEROTA: It's also interesting, Phil, the numbers have already dwindled on the caravan. They were -- I mean, according to our reporting, at one time, it was up to 7,000. Now it's down it's down to 3,500. So who knows if they will be able to make it.

They're averaging about 20 miles a day on foot. They are 1,500 miles away from the border. So the idea that the Department of Homeland Security, that this is their top priority, it just seems like they could wait a few weeks to -- if this -- if their hair's going to be on fire.

MUDD: Well, it sells. And I'll tell you -- I'll explain why. I mean, obviously, it sells to people who say, "I'm afraid of immigrants flood in the country." The statistics you showed earlier this morning, that's just not true.

The president signed legislation recently on the opioid crisis, that I read it was really interesting and really significant. We're going to have 60, 70,000 people in this country die from an opioid crisis, from overdoses. We don't talk about it, because it doesn't sell. It's not a politically-divisive issue that politicians want to talk about. So we talk about a couple thousand people coming, potentially, across

the border in Texas, while we sit here and say, "Well, except that at the border, immigration is incredibly down." Why do we talk about that? Because it sells. We ought to be talking about opioids. We should.

CAMEROTA: I agree with you. In fact, we are talking to the White House about opioids, because we, too, think that that is a real national emergency that we should be talking about more every day, certainly more than something that's happening 2,000 miles away right now.

MUDD: Do you realize this is the only country in the advanced west where life expectancy is declining? And we're talking about a few thousand people getting near the border? Who cares?

BERMAN: Let's tell you what did happen overnight. The president, we understand, is contemplating putting out an executive order, closing the border, stopping the asylum process, and he's also already ordered 80,000 troops in a supporting role to the border there.

Again, the timing on this is clear: the president wants the pictures and the focus politically to be on the immigration issue, not perhaps, on the serial bombing.

You know, I want Shimon to get one more fact, if we can, on where this investigation is at this moment. The ten bombs that were delivered, all seem to have been put in the mail Monday or Tuesday. Do authorities think that there are more out there?

PROKUPECZ: I would say right now, I think there's some level of confidence that there aren't any more out there. The postal inspectors yesterday at the press conference that was held here in New York said that they had several hours -- they said 12 hours or so since they -- really, since yesterday morning. They have not found any new packages.

I think there is a level of confidence now that there won't be any more. There haven't been any this morning, and there really haven't been any new suspicious packages of this nature that were delivered or that they have found yesterday.

So there is some level of confidence, relief perhaps, that maybe there won't be any more.

Look, I think what we don't know, really, is that there has been -- I do think there has been some significant developments in this investigation. We don't know about them. The police, the FBI are not telling us about it. But you know the fact that they are focusing in south Florida. They have a lot of clues and a lot of new leads that maybe we'll hear about later today.

[17:15:09] BERMAN: Sounds like Shimon is telling us stand by for news.

CAMEROTA: I think he's telling us to stand by. BERMAN: Don't go far, Shimon. Don't go far.

Shimon, Phil, thanks very much. Josh, as well. Great to have you here.

So as we said, the president could have talked about the investigation overnight. He could have talked about the people who received these bombs. What did he choose to talk about, to write about in the wee hours of the morning?

Abby Phillip live at the White House for us.

Abby, tell us.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, John.

President Trump at 3 in the morning seemed to be focused on one particular aspect of this whole conversation about these bombs that have been mailed to political figures throughout the country and also to CNN's building in New York. He's focused on the media. He's blaming the media for creating in what, in his words, an angry environment in the country.

Now, as the president has spent the last couple of days talking to his aides, talking to his friends by phone about this situation, he's focused in on his treatment in the eyes of the media. He's saying he's being treated unfairly. He's being blamed unfairly for the situation as it's unfolding throughout the country.

And he's tweeting as much. He's been tweeting since yesterday that the media is responsible and also blaming him for not acting presidential enough in light of this environment.

What we are also hearing, though, is that White House aides are backing him up on this. They have no intention of changing the tone or urging him to change his tone on this. And even though at a campaign rally and at the White House in the immediate aftermath of these revelations the president called for unity, it seems very much he has shifted to another tactic.

He is more concerned that he is being unfairly targeted, especially in the days leading up to the midterm elections, by the media for this -- this bomb scare as it's been unfolding throughout the country.

Later today he's heading out on the campaign trail. These are venues where President Trump is typically at his most unscripted, and it will be interesting to see whether or not he goes back to the teleprompter or continues to be -- to be focused on what we know, according to our sources, is on his mind, which is his treatment by the media -- John and Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: We'll be willing to take that bet with you, Abby, if you want to know which way the rally is going to go. Thank you very much.

So why is President Trump going after the media instead of focusing on this manhunt for a serial bomber? All that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:21:31] BERMAN: All right. We've been talking a lot about the apparent domestic terrorism in the United States: ten bombs sent to a variety of different sources.

We've been talking about the president's response to this, a 3 a.m. tweet not talking about the investigation, not expressing sympathy for the victims but going after the media.

Also, the president overnight, we learned, considering issuing an executive order to close the southern border to some of these migrants coming up in Mexico from Central America.

I want to talk about this in a little bit of a different way. Joining us now, CNN political commentators Bakari Sellers, a Democrat; Scott Jennings, a Republican.

Gentlemen, I've been trying to get you on all week to talk about the elections, but this breaking news keeps getting in the way. And I think it's interesting now where we are 11 days out. Instead of arguing about should he or shouldn't he on the executive order, or should he or shouldn't he on the tweets, I want to talk about what it means and what it tells you about the election going forward.

So, Bakari, to you: the focus on immigration. The president clearly wants to focus on the caravan. That's perhaps why they leaked overnight they're considering this executive order. Do Democrats feel, 11 days before the election, that the president has traction on that issue?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Not at all. I think the Democrats are quite confident that this midterm election, although we are putting forth issues, is going to be a referendum on Donald Trump. It's been that way.

And while Donald Trump continuously wants to have a conversation about a caravan that is over 1,000 miles away, these individuals are walking, and they're seeking asylum leaving violence and crime- riddling countries, coming to the United States, we have an issue of domestic terrorism in this country.

And so I think that what voters are going to pay attention to and what Democrats are going to highlight is when we need presidential leadership, Donald Trump fails.

The fact is simply this. Whenever there is an instance where we have to have moral clarity -- after Charlottesville, Helsinki, and now this incident here -- Donald Trump fails the country. He doesn't just fail Democrats; he fails Democrats and Republicans and all Americans in between.

And so I think that that's going to be the message going forward in November, and I think that Donald Trump is having trouble getting himself out of this box. BERMAN: Is he having trouble, Scott, or do you believe the talk about

this executive order will effectively shift the focus back where he wants it to be?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, I don't think the focus of the news is going to shift until who sent the bombs and why they did it.

Obviously, there's been some thought that maybe there are leads and maybe we're going to get some actual real information about the motivations of what is clearly a very deranged person. But until that happens, I think there's going to be intense focus on that.

I don't think it's out of line for the administration to be considering a range of options to deal with a looming issue. It's not an immediate issue, but it is looming. It could be looming over the next couple of weeks. I'm not surprised they're telling the American people that we have a range of options. It's a fluid situation, and we're considering a number of different things. I think that's a responsible way to handle it.

Obviously, immigration's been a motivating issue for the president. He thinks it works for him. He thinks Republicans care about it deeply, and I've seen a lot of polling from a lot of geographic jurisdictions around the country. And that's true: Republicans do care about illegal immigration as much today as they did in 2016.

BERMAN: All right. So what about the president's focus on the media over the last, I would say, 36 hours. He made that statement from the White House about the investigation, saying that whoever did this will be caught.

[17:25:00] Since then, it's been a bit of a different message, including, Scott, overnight this attack on the media. Politically for him, you know, I know he likes going after the media. I know he praised Greg Gianforte the other day for the body-slamming. But now, after these bombs have been sent, is this getting in more delicate territory for him?

JENNINGS: Well, I think the president feels like a lot of people are rushing to get in front of television cameras and immediately link everything they don't like about his style and tactics with the motivations of someone we don't who did it; we don't know why they did it. And I would be upset about that, too.

I also think that people are rightfully upset about the folks who are going out and claiming to know for sure that it's a false flag operation.

My advice to everybody who wants to get in front of a TV camera right now is you don't know anything, so don't speculate. You can't tell me that this person was motivated by the president, and you can't tell me that this was a false flag operation.

So I think right now what the president wants is to not be blamed for something when we literally have no idea who and why. BLITZER: Bakari, I want to shift focus to Florida. Politico has got

a really interesting story about what's going on there. We've been watching the very close governor's race and very close Senate race.

Politico claims that the White House is concerned. And let me read you a direct quote: "The White House is planning a political rescue mission in Florida, fearing a wipeout in a key swing state next month that could damage President Donald Trump's re-election hopes."

A wipeout seems a little far, Bakari. I know you want things to go Democrats' way in Florida. Is it really looking like a wipeout?

SELLERS: you know, we -- Democrats have learned their lessons about polls. I can tell you that much. So I'm not sure that we are looking for a wipeout.

But Democrats are doing something that I'm not sure Republicans are paying attention to, per se. That is we're focusing on governor's mansions. And whether or not we're talking about Wisconsin with Scott Walker or Florida, where this article is focused with Andrew Gillum, we're looking at seriously motivating voters out to the polls, because we know how important these governor's mansions are.

And right now, Bill Nelson in the United States Senate and Andrew Gillum are running one hell of a race.

And I think that Donald Trump thinks that, with his brand of politics, he can go out and help Congressman DeSantis win this race, then he's fooling himself. Congressman DeSantis has dug himself a hole so deep that he can't see out the top of it. And it's due to his own mouth. He can't get out of the way of himself.

And so Andrew Gillum is running one hell of a race, but Democrats do not believe polls. I'm advising everybody that I know not to believe that some wave is going to come and mysteriously lift us up. You have to go out and vote.

And we've seen even in South Carolina, all the way down to Florida, you think about Georgia, we've seen Democrats come out in numbers that are unprecedented, because people are not taking this election lightly.

So if Donald Trump wants to go to Florida, please go. Please go to Florida, Donald Trump. You're not helping anyone by your appearance being there. I think that Donald Trump has a false sense of self, and that's going to show in the state of Florida.

BERMAN: Clearly, he has helped and he has campaigned in some places around the country. I suppose, Scott, there is a legitimate question if his presence will be helpful in Florida. What do you think?

JENNINGS: I think he's helpful in Florida. This a midterm election. It's a base turnout election. They need Republicans to turn out. The president is the best motivator of Republicans.

The Republican Party is right to be concerned about the races in Florida. The polling has shown a steady lead for Gillum, although smaller lately in some cases, but certainly, a steady lead.

And it's a Senate race that Republicans have been bullish on all cycle, but some of the public polling has shown Nelson ahead. Now, the Rick Scott campaign for Senate says their internal polling has them up. One of the things about this midterm, and I think Bakari would agree with this, is because enthusiasm is so high in both parties, it's really hard to model it and figure out who's going to turn out. It's not the same kind of, necessarily, of a mid- term turnout matrix.

So right now, I agree with Bakari. I don't trust any polling, because you just don't know who's going to show up. It could be historically different than what you normally get.

BERMAN: Look, I trust the polling, because you can look at how they model it, and you can see what that means. But you need to look at the full range there and really think about it very carefully.

Scott, I just want to ask you one last question. We saw Kirstjen Nielsen, the secretary of homeland security. She's been on FOX News talking about the border. Given the fact that there is, apparently, still a serial bomber on the loose, do you think -- you've worked in the White House before. Do you think we need to see her engaged in that investigation?

JENNINGS: I think we need to see the FBI engaged. I think we need to see the Secret Service. If I was a president, I would meet with the head of the Secret Service to reassure the American people that our protectees are safe. Obviously, some of these folks weren't under their protection.

I think the federal government can walk and chew gum at the same time. Sometime over the next couple of days, when we learn more details, I'd love to see the president convene DHS, DOJ, the Secret Service and give the American people an update and the confidence to know that we have a handle on this and that the people that we're protecting are not in danger and that we have the capability of stopping bombs and finding people who would send them. I think that would be a great meeting to convene here as we learn more about the bomber and why he did it.