Return to Transcripts main page

At This Hour

Takedown in an Airplane Aisle; Netanyahu Pushing Israelis to Vote; Secret Service Director Grilled on Capitol Hill; Interview with Rep. Mark Meadows; 49ers Rising Star Retires from NFL. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired March 17, 2015 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

<11:00:11> KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Takedown in an aisle of an airplane. Passengers jump to action when a man runs toward the cockpit screaming jihad. We have a firsthand look at what really happened from someone who was there.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Here we are again. That's what one not so happy member of Congress said to the head of the Secret Service who is being grilled right now over the latest string of scandals within that agency. Can this man make it right? We're listening to this hearing.

BOLDUAN: Why would a 24-year-old pro football player with a big future ahead of him walk away from the game? The surprising choice he made. Will others follow his lead?

BERMAN: Hello, everyone. Good to see you. I'm John Berman.

BOLDUAN: AND I'm Kate Bolduan. Thanks for joining us, everyone.

Happening right now, the head of the Secret Service facing tough questions over the agency's most recent mishap. You're looking at pictures from Capitol Hill as this hearing is ongoing right now. The director of the Secret Service, Joe Clancy, he's before a House committee this morning, supposed to be talking about funding, if you will. He's not talking about that. They're talking about what really happened earlier this month outside the White House that led to two top agents being suspended.

BERMAN: Those agents are accused of disrupting a bomb investigation after a night of drinking. Now the director admitted that he found out about the incident through an anonymous report and then only days later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're in charge.

JOSEPH CLANCY, SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an administrative problem you've got among other things. Why did you not get word from your subordinates about this incident for five or six days?

CLANCY: Yes, sir. Not knowing all of the facts -- first of all, you're right, Mr. Chairman. There's no -- at the least the description of these events, I should have still been informed of what transpired that evening. Any time you have a senior level on the president's detail who is alleged to have even come through a secure area as he did that evening, I should have been informed. We're following up on that and there will be accountability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Just a small taste. This has really turned into a grilling on Capitol Hill.

Let's bring in Michelle Kosinski at the White House. Michelle?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, as expected and rightly so. The Secret Service didn't know about this, now admittedly, the director, for five days after it happened. It leaked out to the press a week after the fact. And the Secret Service has virtually said nothing about what really transpired that night.

So we've been waiting to hear these tough, tough questions from members of Congress. And what we got out of it, not a whole lot of detail. The cause of course, the director says it's under investigation and it's pretty much out of his hands. He says it's now with the Inspector General's office. We knew that.

But what he said was interesting was that he indicated he clearly does not believe the events as originally reported. These were drunk agents careening around in this car, that they crashed through a crime scene investigation, slammed into a barrier. He said that when he started asking around to his staff, nobody knew about it. He said there was no chatter about this. And that if that incident happened as initially reported, he thinks surely there would have been. Also he says he saw the videotape, the surveillance video that showed agents driving extremely slowly, that they nudged a barrel out of the way to get to their first checkpoint and that the whole night seemed to pass without incident.

So that raises the question still of what exactly happened that night. Clearly there are two very different narratives going on here.

BERMAN: The fact that he also said the president and family are safe, but the mere fact he had to say that, Michelle, I think, shows the spotlight this agency is under.

Michelle Kosinski at the White House. Thanks so much.

This morning another big story we're watching. New details on terrifying moments inside a United Airlines flight from Washington to Denver. We're going to show you the scene inside that plane shortly after takeoff overnight.

BOLDUAN: Passengers watched as a man screaming "jihad, jihad!" ran down the aisle toward the cockpit but fellow passengers stopped him short and restrained him. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't move, David. You're OK. We're going to get you off this plane, buddy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Don't move. We're going to get you off this plane. This morning passengers on that plane, they were finally able to take off once again from Dulles Airport outside Washington, to head to Denver.

Our aviation and government regulation correspondent Rene Marsh is at Dulles with much more. It's always amazing when you see cell phone video of something like this playing out on a plane, but it sure sounds like it was a pretty terrifying ordeal upon takeoff, Rene.

<11:05:06> RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION & GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Kate. I mean, we're talking about United Flight 1075. It was on its way from here, Dulles, to Denver, when this all played out. You just saw the video there. We know that passengers jumped in; they were able to restrain them (sic). We also have audio from this flight and you can hear the moment when the pilots make that emergency call to air traffic control to describe this violent passenger. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're declaring an emergency due to a passenger disturbance. He ran forward toward the cockpit and he is being restrained by other passengers. The cockpit is secure and we would just like to return to the airport and have the authorities meet us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARSH: Well, we do know that plane was able to land safely here, turned right back around here at Dulles, and law enforcement officials were able to remove this man from the aircraft. And he was then transported to the hospital for evaluation.

I just got off of the phone with the airport authority. We do know that airport authority police, they were the ones who removed this man from the aircraft. At this point, I'm told no charges have been filed. But, again, this man at the hospital to be observed.

As far as the other passengers onboard, thank goodness no one else was hurt. They did not find any weapons on this man, and despite him yelling "jihad, jihad", I'm told by a source there's no connection in his background to terrorism.

BERMAN: At a minimum, he sounded troubled. All right, Rene Marsh at Dulles for us, thank you so much.

Happening now, Israel's prime minister resorting to what some are calling scare tactics in a last-ditch effort to get votes out as millions of Israelis head to the polls. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just posted this video posted on his Facebook page, urging his constituency, admitted his right-wing constituency, to turn out to the polls because the leftists, he said, are bringing huge amounts of Arabs to the polls to vote against his Likud Party.

BOLDUAN: That claim comes on top of the prime minister's about-face on a central issue really to the peace process, saying now that if he wins he would never establish a Palestinian state.

Global affairs correspondent Elise Labott has been following this election so closely. She's at Netanyahu's Likud Party headquarters in Tel Aviv. So Elise, what's he trying to do here, do you think?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Kate, he's trying to save the sinking ship. I mean, he's getting a little desperate. He's been down in the polls and this is clearly an attempt to pander to that right wing constituency, really trying to get out the vote.

The prime minister has been doing this for the last several days. He's been slow to the campaign trail. But in the last several days, he's really been trying to energize that right wing base to say I need you. I need you to come out and vote. Every vote is important. Not only was he mentioning these very controversial statements, backtracking on his long-standing commitment to a Palestinian state, but now kind of putting the fear of Arabs surging in the polls.

We've been reporting that Arabs are poised to have a real say in the next government. There could be even the third largest party in Knesset now that they've united. And so the prime minister is warning about this, saying I need you to come out and vote, to stop these Arab parties -- who are Israeli citizens by the way -- from gaining ground.

And Foreign Minister Lieberman, who also has a right-wing party, expected to continue to be in the Netanyahu coalition if he wins, also joining the fray, saying that I need you to come out to prevent ISIS from forming in Israel.

But Kate and John, this really may backfire because one of the center right parties called Kulanu, who has really expected to be a kingmaker in this election, telling me just a short while ago that this really shows that the prime minister is feeling the pressure. And they call these remarks regrettable and inappropriate. So might get a couple of votes, but will that really engender him to the rest of the coalition he needs to build? Not so sure.

BOLDUAN: Still, when all of the votes are in tonight, still likely we're not going to know the outcome of exactly who's going to be leading this coalition - a coalition government in Israel.

Elise, thank you so much. We'll check back in with you.

BERMAN: Ahead fours AT THIS HOUR, one Congressman calls it animal house and he's talking about the Secret Service. The agency head facing sharp questions about allegations of drunk agents, tainted investigations, even coverups. BOLDUAN: And this -- a star rookie football player with a big future,

he says no thanks to the NFL. Why he says it's not worth the risk.

11:09:52

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Lawmakers on Capitol Hill grilling the head of the Secret Service right now. They want to know more about the circumstances surrounding two top agents who've been suspended from their duties. Jim (sic) Clancy, he's been officially in charge of the Secret Service for only a few weeks. He's already facing a brewing scandal.

BERMAN: Clancy says it will take time to change the culture at the Secret Service. But at least one lawmaker found that statement shocking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NITA M. LOWEY, (D-NY) RANKING MEMBER, HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: We're not talking about someone drinking at a party. We're talking about a respected member of the Secret Service who was absolutely drunk. How many people do you know -- how many friends do you know who may go to a party and then take a car and go ram it into a fence or some other barricade?

I find this testimony shocking, following up on my colleague. I just don't understand it. I would think it would take five minutes to change the culture. Before you even know the fact, you can say based on the allegations if in fact you were not aware that this kind of activity is inappropriate for a member of the Secret Service, you better get it now and go find another job.

<11:15:03> That's why I'm so public -- I can't believe you said it will take time to change the culture.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Nita Lowey from New York not at all satisfied with what she's hearing up there on Capitol Hill.

We're joined now by Congressman Mark Meadows on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Congressman Meadows, I believe you are going to be part of a closed door meeting with the Secret Service director later today, is that correct?

REP. MARK MEADOWS, (R-NC) OVERSIGHT & GOVT. REFORM COMMITTEE: Certainly. The director is coming in later today. We plan to meet with him in a bipartisan fashion to get to the bottom of it. And what Ms. Lowe was indicated is whether you're a Democrat or Republican, we're appalled at what we're seeing right now. And time is not our friend. We need to make real reform and do it right away.

BERMAN: Reform is for the future. How about his answers so far on what happened, you know, those days ago at night when Secret Service agents allegedly having been drinking drove through allegedly what was a bomb investigation and then a supervisor allegedly didn't feel the need to give them a sobriety test? What questions do you need answered today?

MEADOWS: Well, I think what we have to see from the director is what immediate actions is he going to take? Because even those were alleged in the way that they have come off, what we do know is that there's been a history, not just in the last couple weeks, but in the last several years and we've been getting additional information from agents all across the country that would say that this is not isolated. That what we have is a culture of leadership that has failed to lead and so there's going to have to be some very difficult decisions and change in leadership very quickly by this new director.

BOLDUAN: Congressman, it sounds like Groundhog Day. We've been talking about a change in culture. When I was in Capitol Hill reporting about a change in culture in the Secret Service, going back three years now, you've seen two directors since then. You're talking about changes of leadership. Are you saying that Joe Clancy needs to go?

MEADOWS: Well, what I am saying - and you're spot-on with your analysis. This is not just about the director and when the previous director resigned, I said we cannot stop there. This has to go with the eighth floor. A number of the leaders that are there that have been part of this culture that have been turning a blind eye to really what we consider one of the premiere protective services in the world and yet a spirit --

BOLDUAN: But by wasn't it, from your perspective? I mean, this seems to be like a lot of folks just beating their head against the wall and then at the end of the day nothing is changing.

MEADOWS: Well, I think that we have a unique opportunity because we have both Republicans and Democrats. Your question is why hasn't it changed? I think because we have not put the attention and the pressure on to make sure that some of those higher level executives within the Secret Service are rooted out and so that we listen to the rank and file who literally are willing to put their life on the line for the president. That's a commitment that is unbelievable but yet we don't get them the support that they need from a leadership perspective.

BERMAN: I don't I think anyone is questioning the bravery of the people of the Secret Service who really do literally put their lives on the line, but at the same, Congressman, you would think if there was any time in the history of the Secret Service where you wouldn't have officials do anything like perhaps drink and then crash into something near an investigation and then again perhaps allegedly cover it up near the White House, it would be now the spotlight is on and they still can't clean up their act. What's the deal?

MEADOWS: And I think that's why this is more cultural in nature. The other night after this news broke, I got an e-mail giving me three additional instances of things that happened from The East Coast to the West Coast on the president's detail. That's something that we plan to share with the director. I can tell you whether it's Chairman Chaffetz or Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, both of them are committed to making sure that this stops now and that you're not reporting on it three years from now.

BERMAN: What's refreshing is that the bipartisan nature right now of this concern is something that perhaps means that something can get done and done soon.

Congressman Mark Meadows, after you talk to the director, we hope you'll report back to us.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, Congressman. I thought it was interesting. He talked about the chairman of the committees of Government -- House Oversight. Hal Rogers, the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee when he's talking about the fact that this is going through the Inspector General to be investigated, he just simply goes, "That's hogwash."

BERMAN: Yeah. Why don't you do it? You fix it. You're the director.

Ahead for us AT THIS HOUR, at just 24 years old, a football rookie with a promising career - I mean, he came off a great season. What dose he do? He quits. He's leaving the game after one year. Why and why some people think the NFL could be in big trouble.

11:20:00

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: A stunning announcement in the NFL that could spell serious trouble for the league. 49ers linebacker Christopher Borland fresh off his first season, a rising star in the league, this guy is good and he's quitting. He's just 24 years old. No real serious injuries yet but he says it's the fear of head injuries that is driving this decision. He just told ESPN, "I honestly want to do what's best for my health. From what I've researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk."

BOLDUAN: "Don't think it's worth the risk."

Let's discuss. Former Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills player Coy Wire, he is joining us.

Coy, this is significant as three other players, all 30 years old or younger, announced just this week that they are dropping out of the league. They haven't given their reasons why. What do you make of this announcement?

COY WIRE, FORMER ATLANTA FALCONS PLAYER: I think it's wildly significant. I think it shows that the collective conscious regarding concussions in football and in the NFL is transforming. This is the first time, maybe the only times I can remember, a current player walking away from the game under his own will and then citing the reason as being his long-term health. That shows me that the message is getting across. That the concussion awareness protocols being implemented across the country in youth sports and now in the NFL are hitting home. This is a guy, as John said, who is a baller. This guy can go out there and play. He was probably going to be a starter this season. For me, you know, will this crush the NFL? I don't think so. It certainly will empower others to do the same to be able to walk away and say it's okay to walk away.

11:25:00

I remember the scariest film that I ever saw was that documentary "Big Hits and Broken Dreams" talking about the effects of contact sports on long-term health. And with a titanium plate and four screws in my neck, I know there are times I think about maybe I should have walked away from the game a bit sooner.

BERMAN: Coy, let me read you the response from the NFL. It says, "We respect Chris Borland's decision and wish him all the best. Playing any sport is a personal decision. By any measure, football has never been safer and we continue to make progress with rule changes, safer tackling techniques at all levels of football, better equipment protocols and medical care for players." The statement goes on, but that's the gist of it. They have a point. The NFL is working on this concussion issue very hard. The difference between you who has the metal in your neck right now is you suffered injuries over the course of a career. You played nine years. This guy really hasn't been injured even after one year. He's quitting before the problem just because he's worried about what might happen and if that becomes pervasive among players, the NFL could have a problem.

WIRE: I think so. If you look at some of -- the National Health Institute came out with a study that said from 2008 to 2012 youth football ages 6 to 13, their numbers are down 29 percent. Again, this concussion awareness protocol, the phenomenon is happening all across the country is being heard and now we know that it's being heard by NFL players who say my life may be more important than the checks, than the fame, than the game that I've grown to love. The NFL has said in that statement that the game is safer than it has ever been and that may be true. The last time I checked, the reality is this is a wickedly violent sport where players are subjected to repeated head trauma and concussions that could have devastating repercussions later on in life and the players now know this.

BOLDUAN: Yeah, and that isn't going to change. The fact that this is a violent sport, that isn't going -- that's at the core of what football really is. That is the risk that a lot of players accept. Do you think that this reasoning that Borland offers, do you think you'll see more of that or do you think this is a unique player with unique perspective?

WIRE: Awesome point and a great question, Kate. I think that one, the NFL has to be credit for changes they have made. They've made the changes in the rules, on the field, in games changes, but also in practice, the amounts of time they can practice and the amounts of time they can have collisions. They're doing a great job. But more has to change. One area that lacks, in my opinion, while we've come a long way from the leather helmet days, helmet safety and equipment and technology has not made significant changes. There are companies out there making third-party equipment that can go on top of helmets to make impact less but that's one area, I think science and technology has to be changed. (Inaudible) these guys need to step up and make safer equipment.

BOLDUAN: Coy Wire, it's always great to see you. Coy, thank you so much.

BERMAN: Chris Borland, by the way, walking away from a minimum of a half a million dollar salary he just left on the table.

BOLDUAN: Yeah. And that was just the beginning.

BERMAN: Just 24 years old.

Ahead AT THIS HOUR, an alleged murder confession on the set of an HBO documentary. A man investigated for decades now behind bars. Did the filmmakers come forward soon enough with everything they knew?

BOLDUAN: Bring your friends and bring your family. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleads for his supporters to make it out to the polls today to counter what he says are bus loads of Arabs turning out to vote against him. He posted that on his Facebook page. Is this going to help him keep his job?

11:28:31

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)