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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Interview with Mark Regev; ISIS Claims Responsibility for Tunisia Attack; North Korean Leader Heading to Russia; U.S.-Israeli Relationship; ISIS Claims Responsibility in New Audio Message; Black Man Found Hanging in Mississippi; UVA student Seen Bleeding from Head After Encounter. Aired 4-4:30p ET

Aired March 19, 2015 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:22] JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. relationship with Israel, has it gone off the rails?

I'm Jake Tapper. This is THE LEAD.

The world lead. The fight between the White House and the Israeli government entering something like uncharted territory. The Obama administration now saying they are going to rethink the whole relationship after Prime Minister Netanyahu came out against a Palestinian state.

In other world news, Vladimir Putin, he armed-wrestled strong men while strong-arming land from Ukraine. Kim Jong-un, you know him. He won't let his health problems stop his pursuit of nuclear missiles. Now these two men with a talent for rankling the U.S. had set to meet in Moscow. What are they cooking up?

And the national lead. A truly tragic story -- after three tours in Iraq, he tried to hang himself twice. Last month, this veteran told friends he was going to the VA to get help, to check himself in. Instead, a doctor gave him some drugs and sent him home. What happened next? That's the subject of a CNN investigation.

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

We are going to begin with our world lead today. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel trying to mend a very damaged fence with the White House after Netanyahu spent the past few months seemingly taking wire-cutters to his relationship with President Obama. Netanyahu pulled off a strong, strong victory in Tuesday's election.

But President Obama and his administration clearly think that victory came at the expense of any hopes for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Almost as stunning as Netanyahu's victory is the fact that, as of right now, President Obama has still not picked up the phone to call and congratulate his frenemy.

Today, Netanyahu struck a conciliatory tone, calling Israel's bond with the U.S. unbreakable. He said his address to Congress was not an attempt at partisanship. He just felt an obligation to speak up about a deal with Iran that he thinks is dangerous. But reports indicate the White House as of now might not feel that same obligation to raise its voice in defense of Israel in places like the United Nations.

I want to get right to CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta.

Jim, good to see you.

When I was White House correspondent, I had a front row seat, as you do, to watching the deterioration of the Obama/Netanyahu relationship. But I have to say, I never thought it would come to this.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jake. How low can they go, I guess is the way to put it. President Obama declined to weigh in on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial rhetoric that likely paved the way to his reelection earlier this week.

But the White House strongly suggested the president will take issue with Netanyahu's remarks in a phone call as soon as today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, everybody.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Meeting with Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, President Obama refused to comment on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has become something of a royal pain to the White House.

Administration officials say they are furious over Netanyahu's remarks in the final moments of his reelection campaign, pointing to the prime minister's rejection of a Palestinian state in this interview as a key reversal that would damage prospects for Middle East peace. Asked whether a Palestinian state would not be formed in he remains prime minister, Netanyahu said, indeed.

(on camera): Is the president personally disappointed in Prime Minister Netanyahu's comments?

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I would certainly acknowledge that the president is aware of the comments and noticed them. I don't think I would characterize his reaction. But I think that the -- there are obvious policy implications for Prime Minister Netanyahu's comments.

ACOSTA: In a post-election interview, Netanyahu completely flip- flopped, saying he now wants a peaceful two-state solution with Palestinians. But the White House is also outraged over Netanyahu's comment that Arab voters were heading to the polls in droves, a remark aides to the president blasted as racially tinged and undemocratic.

EARNEST: I think that that comment and that tactic was something that was noticed, not just here in the White House, but by I think people around the world. And that cynical Election Day tactic was a pretty transparent effort to marginalize Arab/Israeli citizens and their right to participate in their democracy. ACOSTA: Netanyahu insists Arab Israelis will always have the right to

vote, but they are not buying that at the White House, where officials are threatening to allow votes at the United Nations in favor of a Palestinian state, a measure the U.S. has blocked before.

[16:05:02] Republicans who invited Netanyahu to speak before Congress against the U.S. nuclear talks with Iran are saying get over it.

QUESTION: What about the administration's sort of lukewarm reaction?

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Lukewarm?

(LAUGHTER)

AARON DAVID MILLER, WOODROW WILSON INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR SCHOLARS: The Obama administration and Benjamin Netanyahu need to wake up, understand the realities of what they can and cannot achieve, and try to restore some adult supervision.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And repeatedly pressed today over Netanyahu's reversals on nearly all of his heated comments, the White House seems to be saying that is not enough at the moment. With the president, it seems to matter more what the prime minister said before the election, not what he's saying now.

And, Jake, when the White House is asked repeatedly what's the president's reaction and they won't give it to Prime Minister Netanyahu's comments, they can't be good.

TAPPER: Jim Acosta at the White House, thank you so much.

Let's bring in the chief spokesman for Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, Mark Regev.

Sir, thank you so much for joining us.

MARK REGEV, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON: My pleasure.

TAPPER: Let's get to some of these policies here.

Before Tuesday's election, Netanyahu very clearly declared that the Palestinians would not have a state on his watch, but now, today, he seems to be doing a complete 180, saying he supports a two-state solution that is peaceful and sustainable. Which is accurate?

REGEV: Jake, the truth is there has been no change in the prime minister's position at all.

He said six years ago that he wanted to see a solution where you would have a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state. That's been his policy. That is his policy. What he's saying though now -- and it's important -- is that because of the realities in the region, that's just not a policy option today as we speak. I mean, you have got a Palestinian leadership that's embraced Hamas, a

brutal terrorist organization that says my country should be obliterated. They have formed an alliance with Hamas. And they have also said repeatedly to the Palestinian leadership that they will never recognize the legitimacy of my country, of the Jewish state.

So, you put those two together and you can see that we have got a real problem moving forward to a vision of peace.

TAPPER: The White House is now talking about allowing votes at the United Nations on Palestinian statehood. This is something that the U.S. stood in the way of for years. What's your response?

REGEV: First of all, I don't know if that is true or not. I do know the following. The historic position of the United States over decades has been that the only way to solve the issue between Israelis and Palestinians is through direct negotiations between the parties, where there is give and take on both sides. That's the only way to make real peace.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: They seem to be changing their position, sir.

REGEV: I don't know. I don't know. But I do know this, that no resolution of the United Nations is going to advance peace.

I do know that you can't do a -- dictate, force the parties to make this work. It's got to be negotiations, eyeball to eyeball, Israelis and Palestinians. And I think people who want to make the peace process move forward, that there has to be a clear and unequivocal message to the Palestinian leadership. Break your alliance with Hamas and return to peace talks. There is no substitute for that at all.

TAPPER: Mark, it seems like all of this is being done by the White House in direct response to things that Prime Minister Netanyahu has done in recent weeks, speaking to Congress, against the wishes of the White House, coming out against a two-state solution with that rhetoric from before the election, his language about Arab voters.

Did the prime minister and his advisers, did you all miscalculate how much this would antagonize the United States government, the U.S. clearly a vital ally for your country?

REGEV: Well, with your permission, I will address every one of those issues separately.

The first thing, the speech to the Congress, I mean, my prime minister in his remarks was respectful and praised President Obama. He said specifically that he has the greatest respect for the president, for the presidency and for the United States, and talked about the things that President Obama has done for Israel's security, those he can talk about and those that he can't talk about.

TAPPER: Right, but he didn't want you to give the speech. The president clearly didn't want the prime minister to give the speech. REGEV: My prime minister felt a moral obligation to make our case on

Iran. We are close allies and we are friends, but we don't agree on what's going on now in Switzerland.

We think the deal on the table is a dangerous deal. It's dangerous for Israel, it's dangerous for our Arab neighbors. They say so openly. We believe it's dangerous for the world as well. Iran with nuclear weapons is a problem. It's a problem for everyone who wants to see peace.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Mark, I want to give you an opportunity -- we are running out of time -- I want to give you an opportunity to respond to the White House today saying on the record, Josh Earnest, White House press secretary, that the prime minister's comments about Arab voters were a cynical Election Day tactic to marginalize Arab Israeli citizens.

The White House on the record saying that. Your response?

REGEV: I think that can't be based on understanding the situation correctly. There was no attempt whatsoever to disenfranchise anybody. On the contrary, we are a democracy.

[16:10:07] TAPPER: No, to marginalize.

REGEV: You don't have to register to vote in Israel. You don't have to register.

You don't have to in any way to register to vote. You are automatically registered. And Israeli Arabs are the only Arab community in the entire greater Middle East that has consistently been participating in open and free elections. And that has to be said. My prime minister was not trying to suppress the vote of anyone. He was trying to encourage his own supporters to go out and vote, and that's perfectly legitimate in a heated election. That happens in the United States the whole time, does it not?

TAPPER: There are certainly all sorts of tactics in the United States. We can get to it another time.

Mark Regev, I appreciate it. Thank you so much for joining us.

REGEV: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.

TAPPER: In another major world news story today, ISIS just hours ago claiming responsibility for that horrific terror attack at that museum full of European tourists and warning this is just the beginning. At least three suspects are still on the run. And with a sophisticated web of ISIS support, will police be able to find them before another attack?

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:15:19] TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

In other world news today: is ISIS capable of exporting its terrorism directly to the United States?

A new CNN/ORC poll out this hour finds that 80 percent of the American people believe the terrorist group poses a serious threat to the homeland. That is up seven points from November. Seventy-nine percent of you say you're worried that the fight against ISIS will turn into a larger regional war compared to just 65 percent who felt that way six months ago.

Those fears may become even more pronounced after the horrific terror attack we saw in Tunisia yesterday. In a new audio message, ISIS claiming responsibility for the museum massacre that killed at least 23 people, many of them foreign tourists from places including Poland, France and the U.K. Two Spaniards including one woman who is four months pregnant emerged this morning from the site of the attack having been in hiding all night long.

Let's go right to CNN's Barbara Starr. She's live at the Pentagon.

Barbara, do American officials believe that ISIS was actually behind this or are they just claiming credit?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, a U.S. official tells me at this point they have no reason to doubt that audio recording. They are still looking, though, for that confirming detail, the big worry as you say is that ISIS is opening a new front in North Africa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): The blood is still there. Tunisian security forces on high alert, looking for at least three suspects in the attack that has now killed 23 people and injured three dozen.

ISIS claiming responsibility for the attack, warning this is "just the start", in an unverified audio message.

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This is the latest example of extremist terror and we have to fight it with everything we have.

STARR: Growing U.S. worries about the spread of ISIS and where it could lead.

ROBERT BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY ANALYST: A terrorism attack like this one on a soft target in Tunisia promises there will be more terrorism in Europe and eventually will wash up on the shores of the United States.

STARR: For now, the U.S. doesn't doubt the ISIS claim of responsibility. But officials caution al Qaeda affiliates in North Africa also are very active in Tunisia.

These attackers perhaps inspired by ISIS rather than directly ordered to attack. Violent as it was, U.S. officials say the tactics appeared haphazard, not a typical terrorist hostage or kidnapping plot.

Tunisian authorities announced nine people had been arrested. Four directly linked to the attacks. The prime minister identified two suspects by name, one had been known to security services. But the prime minister did not say if those two were the gunmen that had been killed.

A tour guide tells of the terror.

TOUR GUIDE (through translator): I thought a roof had collapsed but bullets were everywhere. We all hid from the shooting.

STARR: An enemy increasingly difficult to track down.

BAER: What makes these organizations, this virus so difficult to kill is because it is home-grown, self-recruited and there's no center and no return address that we can destroy it at.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And what officials are telling us is, you know, stop looking so much at the labels. ISIS, al Qaeda, it may not really matter at this point, that these are basically adherents that are spreading across various parts of the Middle East, North Africa, eyes targeted on the United States, whatever they call themselves, it's going to be a difficult enemy increasingly to track down -- Jake.

TAPPER: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you so much.

Let's talk about this ISIS claim of responsibility with CNN terror analyst -- pardon me -- Paul Cruickshank. He is also the author of "Agent Storm: My Life Inside al Qaeda and the CIA."

Paul, thanks so much for being here.

Do you think this attack was orchestrated by ISIS leadership or is it just an idea once again of these lone wolf packs just emerging self- radicalized?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERROR ANALYST: Well, Jake, I think the jury is still very much out on that. Clearly, ISIS have released this audio claim of responsibility, but they offer no proof whatsoever that they were behind the attack. And Tunisian authorities have so far said they can't link this attack to an organized terrorist group. Of course, they may do in the hours ahead.

And as Barbara was suggesting, this could be a local support group for ISIS that carried this out in Tunisia. There's a very large pro- jihadi movement in Tunisia called Ansar al Sharia in Tunisia, with ties to that group in Libya which carried out the attack on the U.S. consulate in 2012.

[16:20:08] While Ansar al Sharia in Tunisia also carried a mob attack on the U.S. embassy Tunis just a few days after that attack in 2012. And there is also a very active North African al Qaeda affiliate based in Tunisia, in the mountainous region near the Algerian border. Late last year, they said that they were going to bring that jihad to

Tunis.

TAPPER: What do we know about the individuals who carried out this attack? We heard that one of them was known to Tunisian authorities. Are there other terror suspects they are still searching for?

CRUICKSHANK: Well, we know very little about the individuals so far beyond the fact that one of them was on the radar screen of Tunisian security services. But they have not yet been able to link the perpetrators to any established terror group. I think the fact that there have been nine arrests including four people they say were directly tied to the attack suggests there's a wider cell, a wider logistical network that was behind this. And that may point to the involvement of a larger, more established terrorist group like al Qaeda or like ISIS.

TAPPER: Paul Cruickshank, thank you so much for being with us.

Coming up, we are just getting new details of a horrific story out of Mississippi. The body of an African-American man has been found hanging from a tree. The FBI is currently on the scene. We'll have all the details on that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:25:25] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD.

We have some breaking national news right now out of Mississippi. Law enforcement officials tell CNN police there have found a body of an African-American man who had been missing since early this month. They found the body hanging from a tree.

Let's get right to CNN justice correspondent Evan Perez.

Evan, the FBI is on the scene. What can you tell us about what officials are saying?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Jake, they have two parallel investigations. Obviously, this man was found hanging from a tree in some woods in property behind the residence where he was living. And because of the circumstance, this is in southern Mississippi near the Louisiana border, the FBI was called in by local authorities. They found him this morning, about 10:00 this morning. They were looking for him because he had been missing since early this month.

The FBI is in charge of checking to see if there's any federal violation, civil rights violation. You know, obviously, the circumstances are very suspicious, hanging from a tree and so on. They haven't ruled out that it's possibly a suicide, but it is suspicious and it is something that the FBI's looking into.

At this point, all they know is that it is a suspicious death. They are looking into it, both on the local authorities side and on the FBI side.

TAPPER: All right. Evan Perez, we will continue to update you with news from that horrific story as it comes in.

In other national news today, his photograph battered and bloodied while being held down by police officers has sparked protests and now a criminal investigation.

This is the photo that has been circulating of 20-year-old Martese Johnson being detained by alcoholic beverage control agents after being denied entry to a bar. There is also video of Johnson calling the officers racist as he is being held down.

But what the video does not show is what possibly led up to this violent arrest.

Let's go live now to CNN's Nick Valencia live in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Nick, police have said Johnson was drunk and belligerent at the time of his arrest. Any new information coming out to either help that case or disprove it?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very little information. They are saying, though, in their police report that he was very agitated and belligerent and that this incident started as you mentioned when Martese Johnson tried to gain access into this bar behind me using a fake ID.

His attorney says that's not the case. He was turned away for another reason. Still unclear, though, exactly what happened at the point he was turned away to when he was pinned down on the ground. That still didn't stop hundreds of people to support him during a rally yesterday, talking about police brutality.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, his head is bleeding. Yo, his head is bleeding.

MARTESE JOHNSON, UVA STUDENT: I go to UVA. I go to UVA (EXPLETIVE DELETED). I go to UVA (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(CROSSTALK)

JOHNSON: You racists! You (EXPLETIVE DELETED) racists! What the (EXPLETIVE DELETED)! How did this happen?

VALENCIA (voice-over): St. Patrick's Day just after midnight. Twenty-year-old University of Virginia student Martese Johnson is pinned to the ground by alcoholic beverage control special agents after he was denied entry into a bar. The disturbing cell phone video captures the moments after Johnson is taken into custody for public intoxication and obstruction of justice.

Police say he was acting agitated and belligerent. You hear them on tape ask him to stop fighting.

JASMINE BURTON, UVA STUDENT: He's on the executive board of the Black Student Alliance. He is on the honor committee. He was an orientation leader.

VALENCIA: In the two years she's known him, classmate Jasmine Burton says Johnson has been nothing short of extraordinary, both on and off campus.

BURTON: He is very involved in issues relating to this. It's mind- boggling that this happened to him.

VALENCIA: Wednesday night, hundreds of Johnson's supporters held a rally. He was there, too, after being released from jail.

JOHNSON: Regardless of your personal opinions and the way you feel about subjects, to please respect everyone here. We are all part of one community. We deserve to respect each other, especially at times like this.

VALENCIA: University of Virginia's president Teresa Sullivan has asked the governor's office to launch an independent investigation.

TERESA SULLIVAN, UVA PRESIDENT: I felt it in my stomach. Just seeing the blood run down that young man's face, I wanted to know what happened.

JOHNSON: How did this happen? (EXPLETIVE DELETED) How did this happen you racists! (EXPLETIVE DELETED) How did this happen? How did this happen you (EXPLETIVE DELETED) racist?

VALENCIA (on camera): What is at the core of this?

BURTON: I mean, it's hard to say that it's a race issue. I think that race definitely played a factor in it, but to me, the biggest thing is excessive force.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: And this just in to CNN within the last hour, coming from the vice president of diversity and inequity at the University of Virginia, saying that Martese Johnson, ABC officers may have felt that he was intoxicated, but from information this individual received, his blood alcohol level was not that of an intoxicated person.