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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Jim Webb Says He Has A Lot Of Support To Challenge Hillary In 2016. Aired 4:30-5p ET

Aired March 17, 2015 - 16:30   ET

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

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A U.S. Air Force veteran stopped in Turkey this January for allegedly trying to join ISIS, according to just unsealed court documents.

[16:30:08] Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, a 47-year-old former avionics instrument specialist, flew from Egypt to Turkey to attempt to enter Syria on January 10. But Turkish authorities stopped the longtime airplane engineer when he wouldn't allow them to examine his electronics, according to the complaint.

Pugh has worked on airplane maintenance for years in the Air Force in the 1990s. Pugh received training in the installation and maintenance of aircraft engines and weapons system. Afterward, Pugh worked as an airplane mechanic for American Airlines, as well as other private aviation companies in the U.S. and the Middle East.

DAN CALDWELL, CONCERNED VETERANS FOR AMERICA: His experience in the private aviation sector disturbs me the most because he would have had access to private, American and European-made aircraft, and he could have learned the security weak points in those aircraft, where he could stash weapons, where he could stash bombs, how he could get past security.

BROWN: In the late 1990s, Pugh converted to Islam, according to the complaint. By 2001, a former colleague at American Airlines reported he made alarming remarks about Osama bin Laden, putting Pugh on the FBI's radar.

After his arrest in Turkey this January, Pugh was sent back to Egypt and deported to the U.S. Here, the FBI says it found more than 100 terrorist propaganda videos, including ISIS videos of executions, and evidence of repeated Internet searches for information on borders controlled by Islamic State and a charge of crossing points between Turkey and Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Now, we reached out Pugh's attorney. He said that his client is going to plead not guilty in the courtroom tomorrow when he faces a judge -- Jake.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: All right, Pamela Brown, thank you so much. What a weird and bizarre story. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. In our politics lead right now, she is the front-runner, even though

Hillary Clinton has even not officially announced her run for president. But now another potential candidate is thinking about challenging her, and he says he already has a lot of support. That's former Democratic Senator Jim Webb. And he's going to join me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:36:20] TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

Some breaking news on the politics lead today. A charismatic congressman once considered a rising star of the Republican Party announced just hours ago that he is stepping down. Congressman Aaron Schock of Illinois tangled up in an ethics investigation into whether he misused taxpayer or other funds to pay for his fancy lifestyle.

You will recall these photos from Schock's Instagram account that showed him making it rain all across the globe, hanging 10 in exotic destinations and rubbing shoulders with stars such as Steven Tyler.

Well, if only his explanation for who paid for all those trips was as solid as the six-pack he once showed off on the cover of "Men's Health" magazine.

Let's go to CNN chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash. She's live on Capitol Hill.

Dana, all of the talk has been about the Instagram photos, but you say this ethics investigation is a lot deeper than just those pictures.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're right, Jake, it could be.

First of all, talking to sources who are close to Schock familiar with what they were uncovering internally and more importantly what has been reported over the last 24 hours, it seems to be the more humdrum issues that are perhaps the most damning for Aaron Schock.

For example, there is a report out of his local paper in Peoria and the Associated Press that he perhaps could have gotten improper financial help from a political donor for his house. There is another report that Politico was looking into about the fact that he asked for taxpayer reimbursement for mileage on his car that didn't exist. He put in for about 180,000 miles. When he sold his car, it was about 90,000 miles short of that.

Those are issues that are not only potentially problematic ethics wise, but could be on the legal front. Now, by resigning, as you know Jake, it means that all ethics charges when it comes to the House Ethics Committee, they're gone, because they only go after sitting members of the House. Those are some of the issues, in addition to the more lavish things that we have been reporting on that have been questionable just made it untenable, according to people close to Schock, for him to stay here in the House, which is why he decided to resign. We don't know if there are any active legal investigations going on

right now, but people close to him say that given what has been out there, it would not be surprising if that happened.

TAPPER: All right. Dana Bash on Capitol Hill, thank you so much.

Also in politics today, will Hillary Clinton have any sort of competition for the Democratic presidential nomination?

Our next guest might have an answer.

We learned today that Jim Webb, former senator from Virginia, is staffing up in the key state of Iowa for a possible run. The decorated Marine, author, and Ronald Reagan's former secretary of the Navy joins me now.

Senator Webb, welcome back to THE LEAD.

JIM WEBB, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Good to see you.

TAPPER: Good to see you again.

A recent Quinnipiac poll shows you drawing 1 percent of Democratic voters in a primary, Hillary Clinton at 56 percent. As a practical matter, how do you beat her?

WEBB: I don't compute the decision to run for office with those same type of numbers.

If you look at when I ran for the Senate, if I would have paid attention to those, I never would have run. I started that campaign nine months to the day before the election with no money, no staff, and we were 33 months behind from an entrenched incumbent.

What I have decided to do is to look at the issues that we care about and where the country is and to put them out there. And we will make a decision about whether -- formally whether to run within the next couple of months.

TAPPER: Next couple months is your timeline?

WEBB: Yes.

TAPPER: Have you talked at all to Secretary of State Clinton or Bill Clinton about your possible decision or no?

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: Well, I mean, you're a Democratic politician.

WEBB: This really is not about Secretary Clinton. I have respect for the service she has given to her country.

[16:40:04] We're talking to people that I think might be able to give us good advice and we're getting out now. And we're going to Iowa in April. We're going to South Carolina tomorrow to talk to elected leaders down there and we will just see how it goes.

TAPPER: What is the pitch? What does Jim Webb say to voters in those states to get them to listen to -- I understand you have a record of leadership and also a record of service. What do you want to do if you were to get the nomination and the presidency?

WEBB: I think we have a crisis in leadership in this country.

And you can see it in the Congress every day. You can see the dysfunction. And if you look at what we have been able to do throughout my career, half of which has been spent in public service and have of which has been spent as a writer, sole proprietor, et cetera, we get things done.

And even in the paralysis of the government, we got the most important piece of veterans legislation since World War II through. I wrote that bill myself.

TAPPER: The G.I. Bill.

WEBB: We brought criminal justice reform out of the shadows.

There are a lot of people now sort of moving, talking about it publicly. When I started talking about it publicly, they were telling me it was political suicide to do it. We focused on that the whole time that I was in the Senate. We led the pivot towards Asia two years before Barack Obama was elected.

I have spent a lot of time in Asia in my life. The thing that I think I can bring to this country is leadership that people can trust. I hear it again and again over the past 10 months from people from all different philosophies. A lot of people who, say I don't particularly agree with you on this or that, but I trust your judgment.

TAPPER: Leadership that people can trust. I want to ask you a question about leadership. I want to ask you a question about trust.

Leadership, you have said that you think whatever nuclear deal is made with Iran, Congress should play some sort of a role. Based on what we know of the deal -- and we do have an idea of the broad outlines of the deal -- would you support it? Do you think it's a good thing?

WEBB: OK. Let's break this apart into three pieces.

First of all, let me just set aside the deal itself and let's talk about what has happened here. I think there has been a receptivity in the potential change of attitude by Iran, partly because of our sanctions and partly because of changes in the governmental and societal structure. There's been a lot of stuff written on that.

I think it is -- it was a wise move. It is a wise move to try to take advantage of that and to see if we can bring some stability in the relationship, with the caveat that we are not going to tolerate a nuclear weapon developed by Iran.

But the second piece of this is, I don't believe that any international agreement can be negotiated without the consent of Congress.

TAPPER: Right.

WEBB: I said this to President Obama in writing when he went to the climate change meeting in Copenhagen. I have said this about the Bush administration when they did the strategic framework agreement in Iraq.

(CROSSTALK)

WEBB: I said it again to this administration with respect to Libya. So, what I can see and what I can understand from what the Republican position has been is, you cannot negotiate a binding international agreement without the consent of the Congress.

So the point that they're making about this being an executive agreement is a correct point. Now, with respect to the deal, first of all, they haven't finished it. Let's have that deal brought to the Congress. Let them look at it and have them vote on it.

TAPPER: Right. I will hit you up on e-mail to find out your deal -- your opinion once it's been brought.

Final quick question. You would be the only candidate that I can think of who has served in the military, as a decorated Marine who served in Vietnam. Nobody on the Democratic side and I can't think of anybody on the Republican side. If there is somebody, I apologize.

Is it important to have served in the military?

WEBB: It's important to me.

I wouldn't make a judgment. Everyone has to make their own judgments with respect to who they choose to lead the country. But it was one of the defining experiences of my life to serve as a rifle platoon and company commander in Vietnam. I got to see this country, the people of this country in a way that it's impossible to see, I think, in any other environment, people from all different demographic cultural groups learning how to work together.

It's often abrasive, but that leadership experience is a profound impact on how I view the country.

TAPPER: All right. We will have you back. We will talk more about this, especially after you get back from these early states.

WEBB: OK.

TAPPER: Senator Jim Webb, thank you so much.

When we come back, a passenger tackled as he stormed the cockpit of a United Airlines flight screaming, jihad, jihad -- what the man said after he was taken down next.

Plus, Apple says its latest product will -- quote -- "reinvent the way you watch television" -- now new details on just what that means and when the service will start coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:48:40]

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. Another bizarre story in national news, it's a scene that would strike fear in the heart of any flier, yelling the words, Jihad, Jihad, a man tried to rush the cockpit of the United Airlines flight just moments after takeoff from Washington's Dulles Airport.

It took other passengers on the plane to tackle him to the ground and to hold him down. CNN aviation correspondent, Rene Marsh, is live outside Dulles Airport. Rene, despite the terrifying scene, this unruly passenger still has not been arrested or charged. Why not?

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, at this hour, we know that this man at the center of this midair scare is at a local hospital under observation and if they determine that he is indeed mentally ill, there may not be any charges.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH (voice-over): This out of control passenger tackles midair on board United Flight 1074 before he allegedly tried to rush the cockpit screaming Jihad, Jihad, according to a government official.

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

MARSH: The flight was cleared for take-off Monday night. The Boeing 737 climbed to 7,000 feet when the pilots were forced to make an emergency call to air traffic control.

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: Declaring an emergency due to a passenger disturbance.

[16:50:05] MARSH: The plane from Washington Dulles Airport bound for Denver was in the air for roughly 5 minutes when the pilot was forced to turn around.

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: He ran forward towards the cockpit and he is being restrained by other passengers. The cockpit is secure and we would like to return to the airport and have the authorities meet him.

MARSH: In the back of the plane a fellow passenger captured video of the man with bruises below his right cheek and near his mouth. Airport police removed the man from the plane and transported him to a local hospital for observation. A spokeswoman for Dulles Airport says no passengers were injured and no weapons were found on board.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: Well, as a result of all of this that happened, that flight was grounded last night, but we can tell you all of the passengers have been since been rebooked. Authorities also say they have checked his background and they do not see any links to terrorism -- Jake.

TAPPER: Rene Marsh, thank you so much. The Money Lead now, could the company that changed the way we listen to music now reinvent the way we watch television? Well, that's what Apple CEO, Tim Cook, promised as he unveiled plans for renewed TV streaming service.

According to the "Wall Street Journal," Apple wants to launch the service this fall. It would offer a limited bundle of broadcast and cable channels for sale through iTunes. It would also be cheaper than the average cable subscription costing customers about 30 to 40 bucks a month, but you would still have to pay for a separate broadband connection.

Coming up, he could have made millions in the NFL, but this 24- year-old rookie retired instead. Why? We'll tell you why next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:56:04]

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. The Sports Lead now, it's a decision that has a lot of people questioning the future of football from the NFL to your local peewee league. An NFL player in the prime of his career has decided to walk away from his dream, not to mention, of course, the millions of dollars that come with that dream because he is worried that staying in the game could cause permanent brain damage.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker, Chris Borland, told ESPN that he's retiring at the age of 24. He said, quote, "I just honestly want to do what's best for my health. From what I have researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk."

I am joined now by former NFL player, Chris Kluwe. Chris, good to see you again as always. I want to first read you a statement that the NFL released today in reaction to Borland's retirement.

It reads, quote, "We respect Chris Borland's decision and wish him to best. By any measure, football has never been safer and we continue to make progress," unquote. Is that true? Is football never been safer?

CHRIS KLUWE, FORMER NFL PLAYER: The problem is we don't know because the NFL really isn't showing what it knew back in the 80s and 90s when they were doing the concussion research. That was one of the things that the concussion lawsuit is what did the NFL know and when did it know it?

Until the NFL puts all of its cards on the table and says here is what we're doing and here is what we did and how we're changing from that then how are we expected to take them at face value when there's a trust issue.

TAPPER: Borland is obviously not the first player to announce his retirement over concerns over potential brain injuries, but given how early he is in his career, this has got to worry the NFL.

KLUWE: Yes, this is something where we have seen players retire before when they weren't done playing their careers. I think Emmitt Smith would probably be the most notable -- or Barry Sanders actually probably the most notable example.

I think this is something that the NFL really has to pay attention to because what this does is it tells parents and it tells kids that now that I know an informed decision and I know all the facts that are out there, consulting with doctors and former players, I, as Chris Borland, am making the choice not to play in the NFL anymore.

And so those parents and kids are going to look at the game and say well, do we even want to play this in the first place? Do we even want to get to the level where we have to make that choice or are we going to play a different sport?

TAPPER: I'm the father of a son and it makes me think twice about letting him play football. One of the big concerns obviously, it's called CTE, it's a degenerative brain decease found in athletes with a history of head trauma that causes memory loss, depression, paranoia, and sometimes even dementia.

There are all of these former NFL players all discovered to have CTE after their tragic deaths. That's what these current players are most worried about and you have said that the league is not doing enough to ease these concerns. What should they be doing?

KLUWE: One of the big factors that drive players to go back into the game after they have had a concussion is since the NFL doesn't have guaranteed contracts if you're not on the field they're actively looking to replace you.

There's that pressure to make sure you're always on the field and doing your job or someone is going to take it. I'm not saying guaranteed contracts would be a cure-all, but it would definitely be a step in the right direction because then players understand, my job will still be there for me when I come back.

Case in point with the 49ers, Alex Smith, is their quarterback before Kaepernick became the quarterback. Alex Smith got a concussion and they said the job is Alex Smith's. He's going to have it as soon as he comes back, and they ended up jettisoning him for Kaepernick because Kaepernick was playing slightly better.

And so that's the thing as a player you have to worry about and that's why guys go back into the game.

TAPPER: All right, Chris Kluwe, thank you so much. Appreciate it as always.

KLUWE: Yes, no problem. Thank you for having me.

TAPPER: Make sure to follow me on Twitter @jaketapper, all one word, and also @theleadcnn. That is it for THE LEAD today. I am Jake Tapper. I am turning you over now to Wolf Blitzer. He is right next door in THE SITUATION ROOM -- Wolf.

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