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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Ferguson Police Department Under Fire; Conan O'Brien in Cuba; Recruiting for ISIS; Virginia Teen Accused of Supporting Terror Group; Iraqi Forces Battle to Retake Key City; Hillary Clinton Hiding Sensitive Emails?

Aired March 04, 2015 - 16:00   ET

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

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Searing accusations of racial discrimination made by the U.S. Justice Department against the Ferguson police.

I'm Jake Tapper. This is THE LEAD.

The national lead. Moments ago, the U.S. attorney general said the Ferguson Police Department profiled African-Americans, denied them due process, and that that M.O. put its own officers at greater risk. The city of Ferguson is expected to respond any minute. We will bring that to you live.

In Virginia, the FBI raids a high schooler's home, federal agents now saying that in between class and study hall, he had a part-time job, recruiting for ISIS.

And the pop culture lead. One of America's favorite late-night comedians takes his show on the road to an island whose communist chief normally cracks down on comedy and other freedoms, so what was it like to film an entire show in Cuba? We will ask Conan O'Brien himself right here on THE LEAD.

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to THE LEAD.

I'm Jake Tapper. We are going to begin now with some breaking news in our national lead today. Just minutes ago, the U.S. attorney general, Eric Holder, finished bullet-pointing the results of a Department of Justice investigation which found routine and systemic racial bias in the Ferguson Police Department.

Now, the DOJ reports details how police officers essentially arrested black suspects on something like a whim without probable cause. They put guns to people's heads during traffic stops, targeting African- Americans for petty violations just to fill the city's coffers, frequently using excessive force against the mentally ill and exclusively siccing their police dogs on only black suspects.

Any minute now, we're going to get a response from the city of Ferguson, Missouri, about this federal investigation, an investigation that also cleared officer Darren Wilson of any federal charges in the shooting death of Michael Brown.

I want to bring in CNN's Ed Lavandera live in Ferguson, Missouri.

Ed, Eric Holder gave some really, truly horrifying examples of discrimination against African-Americans there.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eric Holder called it a searing report, but many residents here in Ferguson will tell you that this report just justifies and really explains what they have known all along.

Some of the examples in the report that you alluded to, Jake, that the Ferguson police appear to have used police dogs exclusively -- exclusively reserved them for African-Americans, that black residents were twice as likely as white suspects to be searched by police, and also that blacks made up more than 90 percent of those charged with really minor offenses that could have been just boiled down to like walking -- the way they were walking down the street.

Again, this is something that we have heard repeatedly from people here in Ferguson. They say it's no surprise to them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The Justice Department found a pattern and practice of discrimination against African-Americans by both Ferguson police and the city's municipal court, the investigation sparked by protests which followed the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer.

Darren Wilson was not charged with a crime and will likely not face federal civil rights violations either.

JOHN GASKIN, NAACP BOARD MEMBER: You have seen the civil disobedience. You have seen the marches. You have seen the protests. This is the type of justice that people are talking about.

LAVANDERA: According to the Justice Department's report, between 2012 and 2014, African-Americans accounted for 85 percent of traffic stops, 90 percent of citations and 93 percent of the arrests in Ferguson, that despite the fact that African-Americans only account for 67 percent of the population.

But that apparent disparity might not tell the whole story.

NEIL BRUNTRAGER, ATTORNEY FOR DARREN WILSON: When you look at Ferguson, when you look at the surrounding municipalities around Ferguson, on one side, you have Berkeley, which is over 80 percent African-American. On the other side, you have Jennings, which is over 90 percent African-American.

What we don't know is in terms of the people who are stopped, where are they from?

LAVANDERA: Perhaps more concerning, the evidence of racist jokes being e-mailed by Ferguson police and court officials. An e-mail in November 2008 read in part that President Barack Obama wouldn't likely be president for long because -- quote -- "What black man holds a steady job for four years?"

Another joked that an African-American who had an abortion was rewarded by Crime Stoppers. Ferguson officials say they are reviewing the report's findings and are expected to respond shortly, but no matter what's in it, the co-chairs of the Ferguson commission say changes definitely need to be made.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to change training, we need to change assessment, we need to change the way in which we interact with our citizens.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: And, Jake, we spoke with one resident here in Ferguson today as we were talking to many people about the findings in this report.

And they relayed the story, this is an elderly woman who said that the city of Ferguson had come to her home and said that her car in her driveway was derelict. This was the car that she drove every day. She says it was in perfectly fine condition, an old car, but fine nonetheless. The city declared that it was derelict. They came one day. She says she witnessed the city tow it away. That was in 2009. And she never saw the car again.

TAPPER: Ed Lavandera live in Ferguson with a very disturbing report. Ed, thank you so much.

CNN's Sara Sidner is also standing by, waiting for the city of Ferguson's response to the searing DOJ report.

Sara, any word on what the city might have to say?

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of my contacts who is not with the city, but in touch with the city, says that they believe that this will happen in the next couple of hours, not right away. And we will be there to listen to what the city has to say.

I can tell you from past conversations -- and I have been covering this story for the past almost seven months now and been talking back and forth with city officials and with protesters over those many months. And just a few days ago, they said look, we have been cooperating with the DOJ since the beginning.

But some of the stuff that has come out recently is embarrassing and it's damning. If you look at what the DOJ has found in e-mails, you look at some of the e-mails talking about the money aspect. And for some people, seeing this down on paper is a vindication, the protesters and some of the residents saying, look, we are vindicated. We have been talking about this problem for a long time. We have been frustrated by it for a long time, and this just shows what we have been saying is actually true because the DOJ has been able to pull some of these e-mails and some of these facts together.

I can also tell you this. We have heard from the family now, from the Brown family, and they are responding to both things the DOJ has brought out today, both the fact that they are not going to be charging Darren Wilson with any kind of civil rights violations, but that they are bringing some other sort of action. Here is what the family of Michael Brown has said, both his mother, Lesley McSpadden, and his father, Michael Brown Sr.

She says: "While we are saddened by the decision" -- they are talking about the decision not to bring charges against Darren Wilson -- "we are encouraged that the DOJ will hold the Ferguson Police Department accountable for the pattern of racial bias and profiling they found in their handling of interactions with people of color. It is our hope that through this action, true change will come not only in Ferguson, but around the country."

So that is their comment for now. I just got this information just a few minutes ago from someone who is aware of this meeting that's supposed to happen between a representative of the Department of Justice who is here in the Saint Louis area and the family of Michael Brown, as well as some of the protest leaders.

So, we are hearing that that will also happen today. They will have a private meeting with the representative from the DOJ. And that's new news, just coming to us now -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Sara Sidner live in Ferguson, thank you so much.

Of course, when the city of Ferguson does issue their response to that scathing DOJ report, we will bring that to you live.

Now let's turn, however, to the major winter storm that will hit most of the United States. We are talking nearly 100 million of you are in the path of this storm. It is intense. It stretches from New Mexico all the way up to the Northeast. Some of you are going to get freezing rain. Others are going to get at least a foot of snow.

That is, of course, bound to create dangerous streets, some air travel nightmares, and we are now seeing the beginning of that happening now.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

TAPPER: CNN's Rene Marsh is now at Reagan National Airport right outside Washington, D.C.

Rene, we have more than 1,500 flights canceled already nationwide? This storm is going to be a huge problem for air travel.

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is, Jake.

And add on to tomorrow, when you take a look there, more than 1,500 flights already canceled. Here at Reagan National Airport, you can see all of the red, those are the delays. Even though the weather has not officially made its way to us just as yet, we are already starting to see the impact in the way of cancellations, as well as delays.

So the cities being impacted the most, we are talking about Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia, Newark, La Guardia, of course, in Dallas, places like that, where ice is going to be an issue. There is going to be lots of de-icing, so expect some delays and, of course, cancellations as a result of that, because, as we know, ice and flying just do not mix. We are talking about roughly another 48 hours after the storm moves

before things get back into gear and people will be able to get to their destinations, but we know that what airlines are doing now these days is they are canceling before the weather even arrives, because what they do not want, people stuck in airports and sleeping.

So what you want to do is, you want to call your carrier if you are flying. I am flying tomorrow, fingers crossed. A lot of them, what they are doing is they're allowing you to change your flight free of charge because they know this bad weather is on the way, but, again, more than 1,000, more than 1,500 are already canceled for tomorrow -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Rene Marsh.

You think you're flying tomorrow, that's interesting. Good luck with that.

MARSH: I think I am. Think positive.

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: The world lead now.

Dodging high-powered military weapons and hidden homemade bombs, Iraqi fighters make huge gains against ISIS in that key battle to take back a strategic city. It sounds like good news, right? But U.S. military officials say there's something about the ground coalition taking on ISIS that could have devastating consequences -- that story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD.

We have some breaking news in the war on ISIS. FBI agents have arrested a 17-year-old Virginia high school student whom they claim helped a man travel to Syria to join ISIS on the battlefield, this according to the "Washington Post" which broke the story.

Let's go right to CNN's Brian Todd who has the latest.

Brian, what do we know about this young man?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Information we are gathering, Jake, and what's coming to us from "The Washington Post", disturbing information but according to terrorism experts no longer shocking that this is happening. "The Post" is reporting, a 17-year-old student, a boy going to high school near here in Washington was arrested last week for allegedly trying to recruit for ISS. This is a young man who we have confirmed from the Prince William County school board, goes to Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, Virginia. He is enrolled there but does not currently take classes according to them.

"The Post" says this young man was taken into custody on Friday. The agents raided his townhouse in Woodbridge, Virginia. We have a map there. It's only about 23 miles south of Washington. That "The Post" says that they led him out in handcuffs and they cited a source familiar with the case and his neighbors for that information, Jake.

But again, no longer shocking because terrorism experts are telling us ISIS is skewing younger and younger with their target demographic. They are targeting younger and younger kids with the development of social media and the way ISIS now uses social media. Younger and younger people can gravitate toward it. It is surprising that the 17- year-old wasn't just a recruit but a recruiter.

Again, the way they are targeting people these days, one top FBI official told us last week, they have seen someone in the United States as young as 15 years old being recruited by ISIS. So, this is getting more disturbing as these young recruits get younger and younger.

TAPPER: More details to come. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

We'll stay with the war against ISIS in our world lead. Fierce fighting between Iraqi security forces and ISIS terrorists continues as the ground campaign to retake the key enemy stronghold of Tikrit is reaching a crucial stage. Iraq has not asked the U.S.-led coalition for air cover during this operation but they are getting military assistance from, of all places, Iran's revolutionary guard.

CNN's Barbara Starr joins us now live at the Pentagon with the latest.

Barbara, there have been several attempts before to recapture Tikrit. It fell to ISIS last summer. Is this coalition making any progress?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This new, very interesting coalition. Well, right now all the indications are any progress in Tikrit is a bit mixed, if you will, but it's interesting because for the first time today, the White House openly acknowledged that Iran is helping.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): Iraqi soldiers and Shia militias fight ISIS near Tikrit. Some of the action captured on a helmet-mounted camera. Many here are Iran's Shia forces. What isn't here, the U.S. no coalition bombs are falling. Iraq's Shia government did not want American help.

As the U.S. spends more than $8 million a day to fight ISIS, this battle now a potentially dire litmus test of Iraq's sectarian divide. Shia fighters liberating a Sunni town.

ASHTON CARTER, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Sectarianism is one of the things that concerns me very much and, of course, it's the root of the Iranian presence in Iraq.

REP. RODNEY FRELINGHUYSEN (R), NEW JERSEY: There's a strong likelihood as they move on Tikrit and perhaps on Mosul that you could have a total disintegration of the entire country.

CARTER: This is why we need to watch very carefully what's going on in Tikrit.

STARR: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warning the U.S. effort could be at risk.

GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: If this becomes an excuse to ethnic cleanse, then our campaign has a problem.

STARR: Warning signs to watch for --

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Suddenly, you start seeing all kinds of Sunni sons, tribal sons, being thrown into jail without any evidence of something they did wrong. That would be problematic.

STARR: If Tikrit goes badly, the U.S. hope that Iraqi forces would soon move to retake Mosul, Iraq's second largest city could be delayed for months. Perhaps the most crucial decision still to be made, could Dempsey recommend U.S. troops be on the ground in Iraq or even in Syria.

DEMPSEY: If the commander on the ground approaches either me or the secretary of defense and believes that the introduction of special operations forces to accompany Iraqis or the new Syrian forces, if we believe that's necessary to achieve our objectives, we will make that recommendation.

STARR: Agents say Dempsey was speaking hypothetically, but just two weeks ago, the Pentagon was already talking about it.

REAR ADMIRAL JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: This is an area that's actively under discussion right now, what manner of support would we give to these trained opposition numbers when they go back into Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: But as for Iran's help, there is another scenario, a more optimistic one, if Iran is able to help the Iraqi forces really recapture Tikrit, could it provide some momentum for those Iraqi forces to then move on and actually go to Mosul. It's an optimistic scenario at this point -- Jake.

TAPPER: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

Up next on THE LEAD, new revelations that Hillary Clinton not only used a personal e-mail account exclusively during her time as secretary of state, but that she ran her own e-mail server out of her home in Chappaqua. Now, some Republican members of Congress are dropping the S-word as in subpoenas.

Plus, the suspect in the Boston marathon terrorist attack who once proclaimed his innocence is now saying he did it. Why is he changing his story now?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

Time now for our politics lead -- and as we speak, a House committee is drafting up subpoenas for Hillary Clinton's personal e-mails. Republican lawmakers want to know whether the former secretary of state omitted anything related to Benghazi when she turned over some 55,000 pages of correspondence, all of it from a private e-mail account.

Today, the "Associated Press" reported Clinton, who used that account as her sole means to conduct public business via e-mail, ran the entire system from her own private server. Clinton's defenders say their boss did nothing nefarious.

Let's bring in CNN senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar.

Brianna, Clinton keynoted an event at a liberal women's group, Emily's List, last night here in D.C., one of the final songs pumped over the loud speaker was Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off."

Do you think she's going to be able to shake this off so easily?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Last night, it was as if she kind of -- she was shaking it off. But no, right now this thing continues to move and it looks like it will go that way for awhile. But the big revelation today is that Clinton possesses a private server for her private e-mail account that she used while she was secretary of state.

We've asked her team multiple times today for a response to this revelation. So far, no comment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR (voice-over): As news that Hillary Clinton relied solely on her personal e-mail to conduct government business while secretary of state consumed Washington, she headlined a fund-raiser with no mention of the controversy.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Don't you some day want to see a woman president of the United States of America?

(CHEERS)

KEILAR: Wednesday morning, the "Associated Press" reported not only did Clinton use private e-mail, she owns the server that sent and received them.

An aide said her use of private e-mail is nothing nefarious, but political observers say it's unseemly.

RON FOURNIER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, NATIONAL JOURNAL: Those are our documents. They are not hers. For some reason, she thinks that those e-mails are hers and for some reason, she thinks she cannot have to play by the rules that everybody else has to. I suspect voters at the end of the day, if they don't clear this up, will have a problem.

KEILAR: Experts say Clinton went to unusual lengths to keep her communications private, but even Jeb Bush owned his own server. He says Clinton should release her e-mails as he did with 275,000, though not all of his e-mails from his time as Florida governor.

It's a sensitivity for many politicians. So much so, even the comedy veep has dealt with the topic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have made the decision we are going to release all of our correspondence, full disclosure is now the name of the game. Mike will fill you in on the rest of it.

Obviously, it is not going to be full disclosure, okay? It's going to be partial disclosure, light.

KEILAR: Clinton turned over 55,000 pages of e-mails to the State Department last year, according to an aide and a department official. E-mails her team deemed relevant.

The White House is standing by Clinton.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: If, in fact, Secretary Clinton's team did what they say they did, and that is reviewed her e- mail, collected all of her personal e-mail that was related to her official government work and turned that over to the State Department so that they could properly preserve and maintain it, that would be consistent with the Federal Records Act.

KEILAR: But after all this trouble, it's a wonder Clinton didn't take her own advice. Caught in 2000 on home video and aired by ABC News.

CLINTON: As much I've been investigated and all that, why would I ever want to do e-mail?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: So, now, the question is, how does Hillary Clinton get past this?

Some suggestions that we've heard, Jake, include opening up her e-mail perhaps to someone in charge of compliance at the State Department so that they can verify what she's released, to make sure that it's everything.

But at this point, we don't know what the plan is and we haven't heard from her team.

TAPPER: All right. Brianna Keilar, thank you so much.