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Jeffrey Epstein Has Died by Suicide; El Paso Suspect Said He was Targeting Mexicans; Walmart Facing Backlash over Gun Policies after Shootings; Securing the 2020 Elections. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired August 10, 2019 - 11:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:10] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. It's 11:00 on the East Coast.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with breaking news out of New York.

Jeffrey Epstein, the multimillionaire financier turned accused sex trafficker is dead. Sources telling CNN that he was discovered in his jail cell early this morning and that authorities believe he hung himself. He was take to a local hospital where he died of cardiac arrest.

The 66-year-old was being held on multiple federal charges, which he pled not guilty to in July. The indictment accused him in part of soliciting sex from girls as young as 14 years old. He faced up to 45 years behind bars if found guilty.

CNN correspondent Polo Sandoval is following the story. So Polo -- what do we know at this point about this apparent suicide, especially after officials say he attempted suicide in July?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know Fred -- that's certainly going to be an incident that's going to be under investigation. They're really going to take a closer look at what happened two weeks ago, right.

At this point what we know according to multiple sources is that Epstein was discovered in his cell here and then rushed to a nearby hospital where he died. This would have been around 6:30 this morning.

Two sources now saying that he died by suicide, particularly that he hanged himself. Investigators now trying to find out exactly how this happened. As you point out, about two weeks ago is when investigators or authorities here discovered him in his cell with some marks on his neck. He had claimed that he had been assaulted.

So again, investigators never really went as far as to confirm whether or not they were self-inflicted or the result of some assault.

Days later he was seen in a federal courtroom, and he appeared to be unfazed. His neck appeared to be unremarkable, so I think this will certainly be part of this investigation, right, is to look back on what happened in the weeks or days leading up to today's discovery.

But what I can certainly tell you is that certainly this will lead to many, many questions as to how this could have happened. He had been on suicide watch. We're trying to confirm whether or not he was actually still being supervised under those conditions this morning when this happened.

But of course being such a notable case here and a high profile case, there's certainly many people who are now asking exactly how this happened -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And so Polo -- are officials revealing anything about when someone is on suicide watch at that particular facility, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, what defines that you know? What is usually stripped of the cell? What kind of conditions does that inmate usually encounter to be on suicide watch so as something like this does not happen?

SANDOVAL: Well, in previous cases, Fred -- I think what we've seen in other court documents that these kinds of conditions usually call for an inmate being held in fairly simple conditions here. Most importantly constantly under observation, prison personnel basically watch the inmate 24 hours a day, especially if you have any reason to believe that he or she poses a danger to himself.

And so that will certainly be one of the key questions here, is whether or not prison staff were actually watching Epstein overnight before they made that discovery this morning.

WHITFIELD: And Polo -- this coming less than 24 hours after, you know, hundreds of pages of court documents were unsealed in a New York federal court alleging new sexual abuse claims against Epstein. Is it presumed that he knew about the release of those documents?

SANDOVAL: It's very possible, although we should also mention that oftentimes many of these inmates, especially if they're being held at this particular facility in lower Manhattan, they're usually not exposed to that kind of coverage from the outside world. It is -- they're very contained circumstances that they find themselves in. So it certainly is possible, but at the same time it really did just happen in the last 24 hours when these documents were unsealed, providing even more information or really a fresher look at this ongoing investigation and the allegations. But of course this is all tied to these charges that he pleaded not guilty to just last month.

WHITFIELD: Polo Sandoval -- thank you so much. We'll check back with you.

So moments ago we heard from "Miami Herald" investigative reporter Julie K. Brown whose reporting broke open this story of Epstein's alleged sex ring. She says his death may actually move the case forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JULIE K. BROWN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, "MIAMI HERALD" (via telephone): There's other records that they can get, you know. They did a search warrant at his home, and they probably have other witnesses who, especially now quite frankly.

[11:04:55] You know, all this time a lot of people who knew what he was doing were afraid to talk. They were really afraid of him. And so the question now becomes how many of those people are really going to stand up now and finally say, you know, I know he did this, and I was a witness to it, and I was just afraid to talk in the past.

So in some ways, it might open up the case even more because there will be people that maybe will not be as afraid to talk now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk more now about the investigation, its potential, and this apparent suicide.

CNN law enforcement analyst James Gagliano and CNN legal analyst Paul Callan with me now.

So James -- you first. You know, what typically does it mean to be on suicide watch at MCC?

JAMES GAGLIANO, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Fred, 25 years in law enforcement, it takes a lot to surprise me. I am done. 20 of my years in New York city -- (INAUDIBLE) talking to folks that were there (INAUDIBLE) --

WHITFIELD: I thought maybe it was just my ear piece, but none of us can hear you really clearly. So we're going to try and reconnect.

So Paul -- let me ask you. You know, what's your familiarity with the Metropolitan Correctional Center, MCC, you know? And what safeguards are in place when someone is on suicide watch? Because again, Epstein, according to officials, there were marks on his neck a month ago. And it wasn't quite clear whether it was an attempted suicide or whether something else had happened, but we do know that he was on suicide watch.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, you know, as Jimmy was trying to express through his problematic microphone there, this -- I've had a lot of experience also with clients in MCC. And this is supposed to be one of the most important federal prisons really in the United States because this is where people await trial in the southern district of New York -- terrorists, El Chapo, cartel heads, you know, so many high profile defendants are in that facility at any given point in time that you expect security not only to be stiff, but also when somebody tries to commit suicide, they should be under 24-hour watch by prison authorities.

And this is an egregious lapse of security in what's supposed to be a very important federal facility. so I think heads are going to roll because this happened. It's really an egregious breach of adequate security. WHITFIELD: So reportedly in about the 6:00 a.m. hour, he was found,

you know, unresponsive, and then he was pronounced dead at the hospital once -- once he was transported.

So I think James Gagliano is back with us now. James -- perhaps we can hear you with more clarity. Give me a point of view from your experience, knowing what kind of precautions are in place at the Metropolitan Correctional Center when someone is on suicide watch.

What does that usually mean? What is kept away from that individual? What do they have access to?

GAGLIANO (via telephone): Great question, Fred, and just to add on to what my colleague Paul Callan was saying, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, just like the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn is a place where folks that are arrested on federal charges in the New York City area, where they are held in a pretrial capacity.

Now, I've spent many, many, many years going down there to either drop prisoners off for holding or to interview prisoners or participate in proffers, meaning somebody decides they want to cooperate. We went over there with the southern district of New York attorneys or the eastern district in New York.

For this to happen, this to Paul's point is incomprehensible that a man like this at this high profile level, now the people that you have to fear suicide watch most of are the folks that have the most to lose -- meaning very rich people, prominent people, public figures. Those are the folks that you're most concerned about. And in this instance he was placed on suicide watch.

Now, suicide watch means no shoe laces, no belts. They provide a video camera that sits inside the cell so that an officer on duty can watch what's going on inside the cell 24/7. I am blown away that this could happen.

WHITFIELD: What about sheets? Officials -- officials are reporting to us that he hung himself.

GAGLIANO: Absolutely. And that is a concern, and sometimes in instances like that they may provide a woolen blanket or something else that can't be ripped into strips, which is how many jail suicides happen.

[11:09:59] Fred -- this is something that you would expect or anticipate in a small jail in some small locality where they just don't have enough corrections officers or police officers to give you a 24/7 oversight of that inmate in that cell --

(CROSSTALKING)

WHITFIELD: But again, you mentioned videos likely, video surveillance in a cell that he might be in, so if there was a blanket or sheet, et cetera, there would be constant watch of his behavior. And you talk about shredding or tearing up, you know, sheets or blankets, that takes time -- GAGLIANO: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: -- and someone should have been able to observe that if that's the means in which this happened?

GAGLIANO: Fred, the only place inside that facility to my knowledge that is not covered by video surveillance or possibly -- I'm going to say possibly -- the private conference rooms where attorneys are allowed to meet with their -- the defendants that they are representing, those are not monitored by audio, and I don't believe they're monitored by video.

Every other place inside that facility has a camera on it and especially in a cell like this where you have a high profile defendant who has already tried to take his own life.

WHITFIELD: So Paul -- you know, this case is sizable as James was underscoring there. We're talking about an alleged sex ring that spans so many years. We're talking about prominent names that may have been in some capacity involved, their alleged nondisclosure agreements.

We're talking about young ladies as young as age 14, you know, that were wrapped up in this, some of whom have testified. These federal documents that were released less than 24 hours ago.

What does his death do to any movement of, you know, rectifying this case in any shape or form?

CALLAN: Well, you know, Fred, I think that you may actually see an increase in lawsuits being filed against now his estate, which will replace him as the defendant in this case.

I say this because as the reporter from the "Miami Herald" mentioned earlier, the fear factor is always important in a case like this. A lot of his alleged victims have claimed that they were fearful, that he being such a rich individual had the means to go after them and destroy them if they brought complaints against him. That's gone now.

And in New York, for instance, there's recently been a change in the law that really allows child victims of sex abuse to file lawsuits even though the statute of limitations had expired in criminal cases.

So I think with those two factors in mind, a lot of additional victims, if they're out there, now is the time that they will come forward to meet with attorneys and file actions against him. So this case, Fred, is going to live on for many, many years, especially given that dump of documents we just saw a couple of days ago from federal court indicating a lot of other celebrities and high profile people are referred to in those documents.

So I think a lot of people are going to be worried about those documents as reporters sort through them.

(CROSSTALKING)

WHITFIELD: Yes. And prominent names, most of whom have denied any kind of involvement.

So James and Paul -- just moments ago, Lisa Bloom who's the attorney -- an attorney representing some of Epstein's accusers tweeted this saying "Predator Jeffrey Epstein killed himself. On behalf of the victims I represent, we would have preferred he lived to face justice. Our civil cases can still proceed against his estate. Victims deserve to be made whole for the lifelong damage he caused. We are just getting started."

So Paul -- your response to that? You mentioned that it could -- it could indeed, you know, be pursued against his estate, but without Epstein here, isn't that complicated?

(CROSSTALKING)

CALLAN: Yes, and I'd have to tell you, Fred, it's interesting because even if he had not committed suicide and was available to testify in the civil litigation, most likely he would have just asserted the Fifth Amendment and would not have given those lawyers any additional information to use against him.

So this really is not going to change the viability of civil lawsuits against Jeffrey Epstein. The thing lawyers representing these victims will be worried about is what is the size of the Epstein estate? It's been very mysterious as to how he managed to accumulate all of the wealth necessary to buy the jet planes and the flashy apartments in different cities.

So now we're going to, I think, also to get an inside look at what he is really worth or, you know, is he an empty suit who just managed to move money around.

(CROSSTALKING)

WHITFIELD: Right.

Paul Callan, James Gagliano -- thank you so much to both of you. Appreciate it. We'll touch base with you again.

CALLAN: Take care.

GAGLIANO: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, new details about the mass shooting at the El Paso Walmart. Police say the suspect now says his targets were Mexicans.

[11:15:01] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

A Nevada man is behind bars this morning accused of plotting to bomb a Las Vegas synagogue and a gay club. 23-year-old Conor Climo is charged with one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. The criminal complaint links Climo to a white supremacist group and says police found bomb making plans when they searched his Las Vegas home on Thursday. They also found a notebook with several hand drawn schematics for a timed explosive device.

CNN affiliate KTNV profiled Climo back in 2016 when he began patrolling a neighborhood with a military style rifle and long knife, and prosecutors say news reports like this one prompted the investigation. Climo was not arrested or charged back then.

CNN has reached out to Climo and his representatives for a response on this new charge.

And we have shocking new video of the moments right after the attack in El Paso, Texas. But we do want to warn you that you might find these images upsetting.

Cell phone video shows a Walmart parking lot just after last weekend's shooting. You can hear some people calling for help as they lay on the ground while others are running from the scene.

[11:20:03] Meantime, an arrest affidavit reveals the man accused of killing 22 people and wounding 24 others told police that he was deliberately targeting Mexicans.

CNN national correspondent Natasha Chen is in El Paso with us. And Natasha -- also right now we're seeing live pictures of a march taking place and right out in front is Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, also resident of El Paso. Tell us more about what's happening.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so I am actually walking right in front of this banner right now that you're seeing. That is Beto O'Rourke, of course, in front holding the banner. And next to him two people over to his left is a man whose daughter is currently still in the hospital injured from that shooting.

So a lot of people here also holding crosses as you see -- 22 crosses representing the people who were killed in this incident.

So this group is currently marching from a downtown park all the way to the courthouse where we expect that more people will be speaking, including Beto O'Rourke. The speakers so far have been talking a lot about unity, about this frustration of racism and hatred in their community and how they want to stand against this.

They're also talking about gun legislation reform, and they also mentioned the Mississippi ICE raids showing that this is a moment for them to demonstrate unity in front of the country. And so we are following them now all the way to the courthouse -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Natasha Chen -- we'll check back with you. Thank you so much. Live pictures out of El Paso, Texas right now, one week after that horrible massacre.

So the man who caused panic terror at a Missouri Walmart when he walked in heavily-armed tells police that it was all part of a social experiment. We'll explain when we come back.

[11:21:55] (COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Just days after 22 people were killed in an El Paso, Texas Walmart, a 20-year-old man entered a Missouri Walmart wearing tactical gear and carrying guns while recording customers causing widespread panic. He told police that he didn't intend to scare anyone and was conducting a social experiment to determine if Walmart honored the Second Amendment. He was apprehended by an off-duty firefighter and charged with making a terrorist threat.

And now after numerous incidents at Walmarts nationwide, the retailer is facing backlash over their policies.

Here's CNN's Alexandra Field.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two deadly shootings in just one week at Walmart. "My heart aches," writes Walmart CEO Doug McMillon. First a shooting on July 30th that claimed two lives at a Walmart in South Haven, Mississippi. Then the massacre at a store in El Paso.

Days later panic sets in at a Walmart in Missouri when a heavily armed man walks in wearing full body armor. This time no shots are fired.

The company is facing questions. Will America's largest retailer continue to be one of the world's biggest gun sellers? At the end of the deadly week, Walmart rolled out new guidelines instructing employees not to show violent movies in the entertainment section, and banning displays of violent video games. The games themselves are still for sale and so are guns.

PAUL LAMONICA, REPORTER: They don't break down just how much revenue they generate from ammunition and firearms, but it's a business that obviously, you know, does well enough for them that they want to stick with it.

FIELD: Top competitors Target and Amazon don't sell firearms.

LAMONICA: Walmart's in a fierce battle with a lot of other retailers around the country, and they don't want to lose customers if they don't have to.

FIELD: Walmart markets its firearms for hunting and fishing, it no longer sells handguns outside of Alaska. It stopped selling assault rifles in 2015 following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook and a spate of others.

After the tragedy in Parkland, Walmart raised the minimum age to buy a gun to 21 and pulled toys resembling assault weapons. But a backlash is brewing. There are new calls for the retailer to do more.

SENATOR ELIZABE3TH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, I think it would be more effective if instead of taking down pictures of guns they actually stopped selling guns.

THOMAS MARSHALL, WALMART EMPLOYEE: What we're asking really is our main reach is that we would like Walmart to stop the sale of all firearms and ammunition. FIELD: This week a Walmart employee sent an e-mail urging thousands

of workers to strike. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted his support writing, "Walmart should respect the voices of its workers who are calling on the company to stop selling guns."

The gun used in the shooting in El Paso is not sold in Walmart stores, but in the wake of a devastating week, Walmart's CEO says "We will work to understand the many important issues that arise from El Paso and South Haven as well as those that have been raised in the broader national discussion around gun violence.

Alexandra Field, CNN -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The issue of guns is front and center one week after two deadly mass shootings. 2020 candidates are talking about that today.

[11:28:52] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

One week since the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio which left both cities and a nation reeling in shock. And today that issue is front and center at the -- as the 2020 candidates gather for a gun control forum in Iowa. "Every Town for Gun Safety", that's the name of the organization founded after the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. It is hosting a town hall where 16 of the 2020 Democratic candidates will speak. The message? Enough is enough.

Next hour, Senator Elizabeth Warren will speak. And today she released a sweeping new gun control plan if she is elected president.

Joining me right now David Swerdlick who is an assistant editor with the "Washington Post" and a CNN political commentator. Also with me is analyst Margaret Talev. Thank you so much to both of you for joining.

So -- David, let me begin with you.

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Sure.

WHITFIELD: You know, the Democrats are clearly focused on new gun control legislation in the aftermath of these two mass shootings, which really has left the nation quite numb, but does it appear, you know, this time that these candidates have the momentum to try to get any laws passed in congress?

SWERDLICK: Good morning -- Fred.

so I think these candidates have momentum to convince their own voters in this primary, but to get something through this Congress seems like a really uphill climb. First of all, Democrats don't control the White House or the Senate. The senate has gone to recess. The Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell doesn't show any

indications of bringing the Senate back to work on gun control. and who knows if this issue will be front and center for the public by the time the Senate comes back a couple of weeks from now.

President Trump has said a couple of times publicly that he sort of favors doing some kind of gun control legislation, but it's also been reported that he's met with the NRA and that he hasn't specified what exactly he's for. And I don't think Republicans will act until they know what exactly he's for.

WHITFIELD: And it had been conveyed, right, by way of the President, NRA, that they really didn't have it in them, you know, for any kind of real change.

So Margaret, you know, the President has been, you know, promising gun control. He's done it a few times. This most recently, he said meaningful background checks is something, you know, to consider.

[11:34:59] By reaching out to the NRA president Wayne Lapierre, do we feel any more confident, you know, that there will be some real movement or change as a result of what happened?

MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, Fred, yesterday the President's remarks before his departure were extensive and would be seen as quite remarkable and perhaps a transition point with any other president. I think with President Trump, it's not yet clear whether he'll be using the same language three weeks from now, a month from now when Congress is back.

but if you just take at face value what he said, he spoke extensively about his view that there had been a turning point inside the Senate, that there was not just a space but a demand for reasonable background check legislation. And he talked about some other side issues, those red flag legislation, and the idea of changing laws where sort of a record or warning sheet about perhaps a high school student would be expunged when they were 18 saying maybe that's not appropriate for guns.

I think it's true, though, we still don't know whether that's going to translate into action. We haven't seen the details of what he's proposing. It's not clear whether the White House is going to draft that legislative package. So it's really too soon to say that there's any clear road map.

But on the political front, on the 2020 front, it is clear that Democrats have used this to change the dynamic inside that presidential primary. We're seeing it in Iowa this weekend. Candidates have gone really from going after one another to unifying around the subject.

And both at an event last night and then today at the Soap Box forum, you're going to hear candidate after candidate kind of lay out their own prescription. So it is certainly going to be an issue in 2020. But whether there will be any legislative action before next year's general election I think it's just not yet clear. WHITFIELD: Ok. So --

SWERDLICK: Fred -- can I follow up on that word "meaningful" for a second that you and Margaret were talking about?

(CROSSTALKING)

WHITFIELD: Yes,. in fact, David -- let's hear the President. You know, for those who didn't get a chance to hear him yesterday when he used that language. This is the President yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had good talk with Wayne and I like Wayne. And you know, you know they supported me very early, far earlier than anybody thought possible, especially me not being a politician.

There has been no president that feels more strongly about the Second Amendment than I do. However, we need meaningful background checks so that sick people don't get guns.

I think in the end -- I think in the end Wayne and the NRA will either be there or maybe we'll be a little bit more neutral. And that would be ok too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So David -- now what do you think?

SWERDLICK: So that "meaningful" there to me sounds like a Republican code word, a Republican talking point. Probably one that's come up in some of these discussions that the President has had with Republicans on the Hill and with the NRA.

For a long time there have been lots of bills on the Hill, the candidates have lots of gun control bills that involve background checks or banning assault style weapons or the like.

Cory booker has the bill where he wants to license gun ownership, but when a Republican says "meaningful", what they're indicating and hinting at is that an argument is going to follow saying essentially that, look, since the weapons used in these latest shootings were obtained legally, how could a background check have prevented it. How could a waiting period have prevented it if in fact these people could have obtained these guns legally anyway.

And I think the challenge for Democrats where they've been very unsuccessful messaging on this issue is to go back to Republicans and essentially say, ok, then, what would you do as far as legislation and press the meaning of "meaningful gun control" legislation.

The President on this case has signaled in the past that he wants to do something, but he's been reeled back in by members of his own party and by the NRA. WHITFIELD: And Margaret, I mean, Mitch McConnell, you know, his most

recent recorded, you know, comments differ quite a bit from what the President was saying. And doesn't Mitch McConnell already have some legislation that he's kind of sitting on that there, you know, is this feeling that the President would veto it anyway?

So you know, it sounds like a lot of double talk, a lot of double speak.

TALEV: Yes, there is a real effort now to understand whether anything has actually changed or whether anything's actually going to happen or whether this is just politics and short-term politics at that.

There is of course, legislation that was House passed and not yet in the Senate. But for McConnell, there are a couple of calculations, and one is that this is still an issue that divides his caucus.

There are many Senate Republicans who are not interested in taking up a gun control package right now heading into election season, and others who feel that they'd like to go on the record in support of something like background checks. And not to be too simplistic, but to a large extent this falls along suburban versus or more ex-urban (ph) or rural lines.

[11:40:05] SWERDLICK: Right.

TALEV: And so for McConnell the calculation in part, at least the political calculation is, does he need to do this in order to save Republican control of the Senate, or would going along with any legislation and putting anything up for a vote divide and erode the party or hurt the President's base standing. So there's a heavy political component to the calculations on this both for the President and for the Senate leader.

WHITFIELD: All right. Margaret Talev, David Swerdlick -- thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

SWERDLICK: Thanks -- Fred.

And former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is the founder of Every Town for Gun Safety. We made reference to that earlier, helping to lead the forums going on in Iowa. Well, Bloomberg will be joining my colleague Anna Cabrera for a live interview today at 3:00 p.m.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back to our breaking news.

Multimillion sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide this morning in a New York jail. He was awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking.

[11:45:00] And we're now getting reaction from an attorney representing multiple accusers of Jeffrey Epstein. I want to get to CNN's Kara Scannell now. What more is the attorney saying?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka -- we're hearing from Brad Edwards who's an attorney who has represented dozens of women who have accused Jeffrey Epstein of abusing them sexually back when they were minors, some as young as 14 years old.

So a number of lawyers representing a lot of these accusers are starting to react to the news of Jeffrey Epstein's suicide.

Here's what Brad Edwards had to say. He said "The fact that Jeffrey Epstein was able to commit the selfish act of taking his own life as his world of abuse, exploitation and corruption unraveled is unfortunate yet predictable. While we engaged in contentious legal battles for more than a decade, this is not the ending anyone was looking for. The victims deserve to see Epstein held accountable and he owed it to everyone he hurt to accept responsibility for all of the pain he caused."

Now Edwards said once Jeffrey Epstein was charged here in New York that numerous new accusers had come forward, so they were still hearing from victims who had been afraid to speak out. And Brad Edwards said that he hopes that more victims will continue to speak out now that Epstein is dead.

He's saying that there is still justice that they can get for themselves. He said he's going to continue to pursue justice.

A number of attorneys have said that they're still going to pursue in their civil cases against Epstein's estate. And another attorney who represents a number of victims, (INAUDIBLE) she came out with a statement, too, you know, also expressing, you know, sort of frustration that Epstein is dead for the sake of the victims. But she said "We hope the government will continue to investigate and will focus on those who participated and facilitated Epstein's horrific sex trafficking scheme for so many years."

So, you know, the lawyers for these victims are speaking out today. They're saying that they still want justice to be done for the victims whether that's in a civil context or in the instance that this investigation, the criminal investigation against Epstein, continue because what we have seen through so many of these allegations that came out in the civil suits and, in fact, in this criminal case that was brought by Florida prosecutors in 2008 that Epstein did work with other individuals. And there's the possibility that prosecutors could continue to go after them as part of this sex trafficking operation -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Kara Scannell -- thank you so much, Kara. Appreciate it.

Hackers are in Las Vegas right now learning the ins and outs of electronic voting machines, but this is actually good according to so many experts. They could actually help secure the 2020 election.

[11:47:38] (COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

How vulnerable are America's voting machines? At the hacker convention Def Con in Las Vegas this weekend, hackers are actually pulling apart the machines to show how easy it could be to disrupt democracy. The ultimate goal? To make them more secure.

CNN's Donie O'Sullivan is there and here -- tell us more.

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER: Hey - Fred.

You can think of these hackers as the good guys. They're trying to expose the flaws in these machines before the bad guys get to it. And we met some of them yesterday. Here's what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL STUPAK, SENIOR ADVISER, CAMBRIDGE GLOBAL ADVISERS: Defcon Voting Village is the only third party independent assessment team of voting machines, as far as we know, in the entire world. So people come here to really kick the wheels, figure out exactly how these machines work. What the vulnerabilities are so we can make more secure elections.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a million different ways to interact with this thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exploring what's going on.

RACHEL TOBAC, CEO, SOCIALPROOF SECURITY: This is the AccuLoad CSX (ph). It's used in 18 different states, eight of which are swing states.

It's going to start rebooting. And you're going to see that it's having trouble rebooting because there's no card reader. And now you have full admin access on this machine. You can disrupt the election. You can disrupt people's confidence in the election.

When you think about admin access, you can think about like keys to the castle. When you have admin access you own the machine. You can get it to do what you want it to do. So you can imagine that being very nefarious.

HARRI HURSTI, ORGANIZER, DEFCON VOTING VILLAGE: The U.S. election is so complex that we humans cannot do a manual count. We ARE dishonest and we are error prone. So we have to use machines. While we know that the machines are hackable, so now the question is we use the machine and now we verify the results by doing a risk-limiting audit.

And this is where you know that the machine didn't cheat. But you cannot trust the machine as a white paper ballot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'SULLIVAN: So you can see there, Fred, that a hacker was able to play around with one of the machines. The voting machine manufacturers will say that this is not as realistic environment as real voting scenarios where hackers might not get unlimited access to the machines.

Regardless of that, lawmakers are taking notice of what's happening here. We spoke to Senator Wyden who dropped by the Voting Village yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: Today the Trump administration took off with a horrible, you know, idea. Basically what they want to say is they're going to create a speech police. And I got to tell you, I bet you scores of conservatives are turning over in their graves right now listening to all of these big government approaches.

O'SULLIVAN: Ultimately, as you've read and what's been reported on this executive order, is it constitutional? And do you think --

(CROSSTALKING)

WYDEN: I don't think it's constitutional. And I will do everything in my power as a senator who has really focused on these issues extensively over the years to block it. I don't think it's constitutional.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'SLLIVAN: So, Fred -- Senator Wyden there watching the voting machines here yesterday but also talking about what CNN reported on a proposed executive order on the Trump administration looking to police social media platforms.

Wyden there thinking obviously that it is a very bad idea and one that he calls speech police.

[11:54:54] WHITFIELD: And so Donie -- what's the response to those who are worried that the hacker, you know, Defcon convention might give someone with bad intentions some ideas?

O'SULLIVAN: You know, I think in speaking to the organizers here, they were actually able to get some of these voting machines, the voting machines that are being used here are actually also being used in U.S. states right now. They were actually able to purchase some of these machines on eBay. So the point that they're trying to make here is that if a bad guy really wants to get to these machines, they'll be able to get to it.

And what they're trying to do here is try to raise awareness. Obviously, they've gotten the attention of Senator Wyden and others who have travelled to Vegas to see what's up. But they say that, you know, what they're doing here is an overall good highlighting the vulnerabilities, highlighting what can be done so the government can get to fix it before the 2020 election.

WHITFIELD: All right. Some urging of some safeguards. All right. Donie O'Sullivan in Las Vegas -- thanks so much. All right. We're also following breaking news this morning out of New York. Jeffrey Epstein dies by suicide while incarcerated in New York. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:04] WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. And thank you so much for being with me.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We're following this breaking news out of New York. Jeffrey Epstein--