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Protests Across U.S. After Decision in Taylor Case; No Officers to Face Charges in Death of Breonna Taylor; Trump Refuses to Commit to Peaceful Transfer of Power; Trump Says He May Overrule FDA on Vaccine Guidelines. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired September 24, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world, you are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, protesters take to the streets across the U.S. after a grand jury decides not to charge Louisville police officers directly with the death of Breonna Taylor.
A potential test of American democracy. President Donald Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses the November election.
And playing politics. President Trump saying he may overrule the health officials when it comes to vaccine guidelines undermining public trust in the agency in the midst of the pandemic.
Good to have you with us. Well, a wave of protests and unrest across America after the announcement that no police officers would face charges in the death last March of Breonna Taylor during a botched drug raid. And here you see a massive police presence as protesters converge on downtown Seattle in Washington. In Los Angeles, a large group of demonstrators blocked traffic near downtown.
Similar scenes played out in many major U.S. cities after a Kentucky grand jury decided not to indict three officers in Taylor's death. Although one former officer was indicted for wanton endangering for firing shots that struck a neighboring residence.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shots fired. Shots fired.
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CHURCH: In Louisville, Kentucky, where Taylor was killed, two police officers were shot and wounded when protests there turned violent. A suspect is in custody. The interim police chief gave this account of the officer's injuries. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT SCHROEDER, INTERIM CHIEF, LMPD: Shots rang out and two of our officers were shot. Both officers are currently undergoing treatment at university hospital. One is alert and stable. The other officer is currently undergoing surgery and stable.
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CHURCH: And CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is in Louisville with more on the unrest we've seen throughout the night.
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SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Tense moments tonight in Louisville. The police still out here enforcing the curfew for several hours now after two of their officers were shot during -- protester during a march by protesters here in downtown Louisville. Police say those two officers are expected to be OK.
They do have a person in custody moments after the shooting, a lot of it captured on social media. And the police even live streaming some of those moments. And you can hear the gunshots, police saying one of their officers was down.
The curfew went into effect at 9:00. There have been over 40 arrests. All of this happening after the grand jury decision here. Many people very upset by what the grand jurors decided, what the Attorney General announced today. And the tension here remains as police still out here on the streets.
Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, Louisville, Kentucky.
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CHURCH: And CNN's Jason Carroll has more on the grand jury's decision that reignited protests in Louisville and across the country.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not only Breonna Taylor. It can happen to anyone.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After months of protests and anticipation, a Kentucky grand jury indicted one officer in the police operation resulting in Breonna Taylor's death.
Former Detective Brett Hankison faces three charges of wanton endangerment in the first degree. Two other officers who responded that night with gunfire, Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, were investigated, but do not face any criminal charges.
DANIEL CAMERON (R), KENTUCKY ATTORNEY GENERAL: According to Kentucky law, the use of force by Mattingly and Cosgrove was justified to protect themselves.
CARROLL: The charges against Hankison are in relation to shots he fired that ripped through a neighboring apartment.
CAMERON: Based on the evidence there is nothing conclusive to say that Detective Hankison, any of his bullets hit Ms. Taylor.
CARROLL: In the months following Taylor's death, there has been much speculation surrounding the details of what happened the night on March 13 when police showed up serving a no-knock warrant.
The attorney general says evidence shows Officers Mattingly and Cosgrove knocked and identified themselves before breaching Taylor's door, and he says there is an independent witness to corroborate their account.
But Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, disputes the claim. Walker says he didn't hear police announce themselves and thought someone was trying to break in, so he fired a shot. Police have said that shot hit Mattingly in the leg.
KENNETH WALKER, BOYFRIEND OF BREONNA TAYLOR: All of a sudden, someone started beating on the door. They refused to answer when we yelled, who is it? Fifteen minutes later, Breonna was dead from a hail of police gunfire.
CARROLL: The attorney general says an FBI analysis determined the shot that killed Taylor came from Cosgrove.
CAMERON: The fatal shot was fired by Detective Cosgrove.
CARROLL: Mattingly's attorney says -- The justice system worked. The death of Breonna Taylor is a tragedy, but these officers did not act in a reckless or unprofessional manner. They did their duty, performed their roles as law enforcement officers, and, above all, did not break the law.
The long-awaited announcement sparking immediate anger in the streets of Louisville, the attorney general asking for understanding.
CAMERON: There will be celebrities, influencers, and activists who, having never lived in Kentucky, will try to tell us how to feel, suggesting they understand the facts of this case and that they know our community and the commonwealth better than we do. But they don't.
CARROLL: In the months since Taylor's death, her mother has wanted just one thing.
TAMIKA PALMER, MOTHER OF BREONNA TAYLOR: Criminal charges. They all four willingly committed a crime, so I don't think it is enough that one person should have to pay for it. It was a group effort, so...
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, Louisville, Kentucky.
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CHURCH: U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted his support for the two wounded police officers.
He wrote, praying for the two police officers that were shot tonight in Louisville, Kentucky. The federal government stands behind you and is ready to help.
But he only addressed the Breonna Taylor case indirectly. Take a listen.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Justice is not often easy. It does not fit the mold of public opinion and it does not conform to shifting standards. It answers only to the facts and to the law. If we simply act on emotion or outrage, there is no justice. Mob justice is no justice. Justice sought by violence is not justice. It just becomes revenge.
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CHURCH: Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, who faces President Trump at the polls in less than six weeks, said he is praying for the wounded officers to recover. He also addressed the wave of unrest in the wake of the grand jury's decision.
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JOE BIDEN, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: One thing I want to make clear, protesting makes a lot of sense. It's clear people should be in the streets. But no violence. No violence. My heart goes out to Breonna Taylor's mom. The last thing she needs is to see is violence in the streets. Protest peacefully, no violence.
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CHURCH: So let's talk now with CNN law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey. He's also the former Philadelphia police commissioner. Thank you, sir, for talking with us.
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It's quite all right.
CHURCH: So, no officers have been directly charged in Breonna Taylor's death, but one officer was charged with wanton endangerment while two others involved were not indicted. What is your reaction to that outcome?
RAMSEY: Well, based on the information provided by the attorney general in this afternoon's press conference, I actually agree with the grand jury's decision. I do believe the one officer should have been charged. What he did was reckless and certainly criminal. The other two officers, however, that were actually making entry into the apartment, I agree they should not have been charged criminally.
The one officer was shot as he entered the apartment by Mr. Walker who fired the first shot. And they were justified in returning fire. It's unfortunate. It's tragic that Breonna Taylor lost her life. It's tragic that anyone would have lost their life in a situation like this. But at the same time, when the officers were fired upon, to think that they would not be justified in returning fire, I think is not very sound.
Obviously, it's not OK just to, you know, shoot people and so forth. You have to remember, there was a settlement made by the city to the family of Breonna Taylor of $12 million.
CHURCH: Right.
RAMSEY: Which again, does not bring her back, but finally criminal charges against those two officers under the circumstances, I think would have not been appropriate.
CHURCH: And sir, the Kentucky attorney general we mentioned, says this was not a no-knock warrant despite a dozen witnesses saying they did not hear them announced that they were police.
RAMSEY: Right.
CHURCH: And when people called 911 about the shooting, they said to send the police. So, they apparently were not aware that officers were already at the scene. What does that reveal to you?
RAMSEY: Well, there was one person that said he did here the police announce their office. Even Mr. Walker said that they knocked at the door, even having said that, it was a no-knock warrant. They didn't have to knock at all. But they did knock. They did announce themselves based on the information that we have.
Now, you have to remember that the whole point of knocking and announcing is for the people inside the apartment that you are about to enter, not for all the neighbors that may or may not have been within earshot of hearing what was going on. Many were asleep. This was after midnight. They were awakened by gunshots so they would not have heard it to begin with.
So, that's going to be a point of controversy. I wasn't there. I don't know whether or not they knocked and announced. But there was insufficient evidence to prove that they did not.
CHURCH: And there are calls for the evidence to be released to the public. How likely is that and what do you think should be done about these officers?
RAMSEY: Well, there is a pending trial, but I do believe as much as possible, should be released to the public. Because this is going to be problematic the longer that information is held confidential.
I think one of the biggest areas that need to be explored is the area of the search warrant itself. Now none of the officers that executed the search warrant applied for the search warrant. That was done by a different detective. But how fresh was that information? What led them to that apartment to begin with? Was this a confidential informant? Was this the result of an investigation? What made them believe that there was either evidence of a crime that had been committed or instruments of a crime that would be present in the apartment at that particular point in time?
Now I've heard that they did have some information back in January. This was March. It has to be fresh information in order for the search warrant to really be on solid ground. But a judge did sign it. So, I don't know. I haven't read the complaint for search warrant. So, I don't have particular information about it one way or the other. But I think it's very important to know. Because why were they there to begin with?
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What was it about her, about her apartment that tied her to any criminal activity?
CHURCH: Yes. Still a lot of questions to be answered. Charles Ramsey, many thanks.
RAMSEY: Thank you.
CHURCH: And since her death in March, many celebrities have called for justice in the Breonna Taylor case, and now many of them are voicing their anger. Activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick reacted to the decision. Tweeting --
The white supremacist institution of policing that stole Breonna Taylor's life from us must be abolished for the safety and well-being of our people.
One of many tweets from NBA superstar LeBron James read in part --
The most disrespected person on earth is the black woman. I promise you I will do my best to change this as much as I can and even more.
Hollywood actor, George Clooney, a native of Kentucky also reacted. He said, quote --
I was taught in the schools and churches of Kentucky what is right and what is wrong. I am ashamed of this decision.
And director Ava DuVernay had this to say.
God bless Breonna's family and all who knew and loved her. Her tragic death compounded by the violence of silence and inaction by the city she called home is more than any of them should have to endure.
And still to come, there are growing concerns President Donald Trump might not be willing to leave the White House if he loses the election. We'll hear the stunning statement he made about that. That's next.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: With just 40 days to go before the U.S. presidential election, President Donald Trump made a stunning remark. He refused to say if he will accept the will of the American people and commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses. Take a listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, real quickly, win, lose or draw in this election, will you commit here today for a peaceful transferal of power after the election? And there has been rioting in Louisville, there's been rioting in many cities across this country, red and -- your so-called red and blue states. Will you commit to making sure that there is a peaceful transferal of power after the election?
TRUMP: Well, we're going to have to see what happens. You know that. I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots in the ballots are disaster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand that. People are rioting. Do you commit to making sure that there is a peaceful transferal power?
We want to have -- get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very -- we'll have a very peaceful -- there won't be a transfer, frankly. They'll be a continuation. The ballots are out of control. You know it. And you know who does it better than anybody else? Democrats know it better than anybody else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
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CHURCH: Well, President Trump's election opponent, Democratic candidate Joe Biden is weighing in on President Trump's comments calling them irrational.
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BIDEN: What country are we in? I'm being facetious. I said, what country are we in? Look, guys, he says the most irrational things. I don't know what to say about it, but it doesn't surprise me.
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CHURCH: Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says one way or another a peaceful transition of power will happen. Speaking with CNN's Erin Burnett the New York Senator said the American people will ensure democracy is preserved through their votes on election day.
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SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: President Trump is not a dictator, and the American people will not allow him to be one. This man has no, no honesty, honor, values or faith in the American system. He doesn't deserve to be president. And hopefully he will learn his lesson.
But the way I see it playing out is the American people are wedded to democracy. We believe in democracy and the kind of thing Trump is talking about just will not happen. One way or another, there will be a peaceful transition of power, and President Trump will not get his wish.
One thing I say to the American people vote, vote early, and the best way to prevent Donald Trump from messing around with election is defeat him in a landslide.
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CHURCH: And Republican Senator Mitt Romney is sharing his feelings as well online. Comparing the situation who political turmoil in Europe. The Utah Senator tweeted --
Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power, without that there is Belarus. Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable.
Well, President Trump has previously said his political rival, Joe Biden, will only win in November if the election is rigged. He's also suggested it's likely the results of the election will be contested all the way to the Supreme Court. CNN White House correspondent John Harwood looks at the potential scenarios arising from Mr. Trump's rhetoric.
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JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The peaceful transfer of power is the hallmark of American democracy. It is characterized every transition we've had. Even when Richard Nixon in 1974 became the first president forced to resign his office, peaceful transition of power at that time.
And so, the idea that the President is raising the specter of resisting that at a time when -- you look at American cities during protests, you have what look like armed militias patrolling in Louisville tonight where there were demonstrations. We saw it in Portland. We saw it in Kenosha. That's dangerous and people could lose their lives because of this loose talk from the President.
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Now do I think the President actually intends to try to resist the transfer of power if he loses the election as polls indicate he will? I doubt it. He's full of it most of the time with his rhetoric. And there's no particular evidence that he's bold or brave enough to try something like that. Nevertheless, that doesn't make it any less dangerous and it's why Mitt Romney condemned that rhetoric tonight.
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CHURCH: CNN White House correspondent John Harwood reporting there. President Trump is threatening to overrule U.S. drug regulators over a
coronavirus vaccine. We will explain why he says they are the ones playing politics.
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CHURCH: President Trump is accusing the U.S. Food & Drug Administration of playing politics when it comes to stricter guidelines for approving a coronavirus vaccine, and he's threatening to overrule the FDA.
Its commissioner on Wednesday made a commitment to America vowing the FDA will not authorize or approve a vaccine that we would not feel comfortable giving to our families. And he says the FDA will not bow to any political pressure. The agency is considering new rules that likely will push any vaccine approval past election day. And that's not what President Trump wants to hear. He has repeatedly said the vaccine could be ready by November 3rd.
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TRUMP: It sounded to me as something extremely political. Why would they do this? When we come back with these great results. And I think you'll have the great results. Why would we be denying it? We're going to look at it. We're going to take a look at it and ultimately the White House has to approve it.
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CNN's Erica Hill has the latest on the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.
