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At This Hour
Tom Brady Fights Back, Patriots Owner Lashes Out; Trump Rips Attorney in Breast Pump Controversy; Afghan Government Checking Reports Taliban Leader Dead. Aired 11-11:30a ET
Aired July 29, 2015 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The FBI placed him under arrest because apparently he was on his way to the Middle East and then he would come back to the United States to allegedly recruit is members here. We'll have much more on this in the coming hours on CNN.
Thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.
AT THIS HOUR with Berman and Bolduan starts now.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump firing back at a lawyer who says that Trump had a meltdown over breast milk. The new insight into the presidential candidate while under oath.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Golden boy, cheater, destroyer of cell phones, an obstructer of justice, or all of the above? Tom Brady fights back on the Deflategate suspension. And just now the Patriots' owner lashes out.
BOLDUAN: The American dentist at the center of the international outrage, accused of killing one of Africa's most treasured lions. Anger erupting around the world.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan.
BERMAN: And I'm John Berman.
We begin with new denials and raw outrage over the Deflategate scandal that has rocked the NFL. Just moments ago, we heard from the New England Patriots' owner, Robert Kraft. And, man, oh, man, he did not mince words, slamming the NFL for upholding the four-game suspension of star quarterback, Tom Brady.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT KRAFT, OWNER, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Once again, I want to apologize to the fans of the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. I was wrong to put my faith in the league. Given the facts, evidence and laws of science that underscore this entire situation, it is completely incomprehensible to me that the league continues to take steps to disparage one of its all-time great players and a man for whom I have the utmost respect.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: That's going to leave a mark. You don't hear people talk about the NFL like that very much.
Kraft says he will not speak about the matter again. Head Coach Bill Belichick is refusing to say anything. But Brady himself is speaking out. He posted on Facebook that he did nothing wrong and no one in the Patriots' organization did either.
BOLDUAN: Deflategate took a stunning turn yesterday when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell accused Brady of actively trying to hide evidence of his participation in a scheme to alter the inflation levels of football. Goodell says Brady had his assistant destroy his cell phone and SIM card. But Brady addresses that accusation directly, saying this in his Facebook post: "Most importantly, I have never written, texted, e-mailed to anybody at any time anything related to football air pressure before this issue was raised at the AFC championship game in January. To suggest that I destroyed a phone to avoid giving the NFL information it requested is completely wrong."
Let's bring in CNN sports anchor, Rachel Nichols.
I feel again like we need a flowchart to understand exactly how we got to where we are. But it is amazing that when bob Kraft came out slammed the league and saying he unequivocally supports Brady.
RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: The story gets more crazy every hour and Tom Brady coming out with his extensive statement this morning was interesting. But the headline today is now Robert Kraft. This is the most powerful owner in the NFL. "G.Q." said in an extensive article interviewing more than 100 people calling Robert Kraft the assistant commissioner, going through how he basically saved Roger Goodell during the Ray Rice scandal, and for Robert Kraft to come out and basically say he made a huge mistake putting his faith in the league and saying essentially that he was duped. What he was referring to about what happened in May is that he accepted the NFL's punishment. Tom Brady went on to appeal. But Robert Kraft said, I'm going to take the bullet for the good of the league, I will accept the highest financial penalty ever assessed on a team, and I will accept this statement that we did wrong even though they published that whole website saying, we didn't really do anything wrong, but we'll take the punishment because we're good soldiers. What he said explicitly today is that he thought he was basically making a deal. I'll take the punishment and he expected for Tom Brady, in his words, to be exonerated but at least for the suspension to be reduced. He's basically saying that he feels the NFL and Roger Goodell welshed on him, that they went back on the deal.
We'll have to see, weeks from now, months from now, years from now, does this go down that one day one owner was very angry and time heals all wounds, or does this go down as the beginning of a seismic split and civil war in the NFL?
BERMAN: Where are we today? Because yesterday, there was all sorts of yelling and screaming, he destroyed the phone. The cell phone was broken and thrown away. Today, Tom Brady gives his response to why that is and why it may not be as much as it was yesterday. And today, we're likely to get a federal suit from Brady's camp.
[11:05:06] NICHOLS: Yeah. Even yesterday, the NFL Players Association came out after the statement from the NFL yesterday saying they thought this whole cell phone issue was, quote, "a smoke screen." They said yesterday they thought the NFL, making this the issue was, quote, "a new low, even for them.: They pointed out -- even the NFL in that 20-page ruling noted that Tom Brady did volunteer to pull his own phone records and hand them to the NFL, which he is not legally required to do.
BOLDUAN: Why did Goodell come out and say it yesterday --
(CROSSTALK)
NICHOLS: The phone records say that numbers that he texted and when, which is how we get to the 10,000 text messages, which, by the way, Tom Brady, 10,000 text messages in four months --
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: Either a high school student or --
(CROSSTALK)
NICHOLS: That's amazing. That's during the NFL season. That's a side issue. But come on!
(LAUGHTER)
Anyway, that's how they know how many text messages because they saw all the phone numbers. But it doesn't contain what the information was in the text. It doesn't contain what he was saying. The NFL is going on the offensive and they're trying to win the P.R. battle. They landed a huge punch yesterday. No matter what actually happened, Tom Brady destroying his cell phone, no matter what the reason, if there was nothing nefarious behind it, it doesn't look good.
BERMAN: When will we find out in he's playing in September?
NICHOLS: It could be a while. One has already filed a court case. The NFLPA is looking to file a case. The next step for them is to try to get an injunction while this is all being adjudicated. If they can, then Tom Brady will be on the field and then the hammer could come down toward the end of the season. If it doesn't go Brady's way, he could be suspended at the end of the season instead of at the beginning of the season. We'll see. And by the way, training camp starts today.
BOLDUAN: Wow. OK. That's amazing.
Rachel, stand by. Thanks so much.
NICHOLS: Thank you.
John, we'll get you confirmation?
BERMAN: Yes.
BOLDUAN: An American hunter accused of illegally hunting, skinning and beheading one of Africa's most famous lions. Now the dentist is explaining himself as outrage erupts.
BERMAN: Donald Trump right now going off on CNN for interviewing a lawyer who says Trump called her "disgusting" for wanting to pump breast milk.
And ex-rated confessions. A prison worker who helped two inmates escape talks about sex, pills, and the getaway plan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:10:54] BOLDUAN: This morning, Donald Trump is ripping the attorney who accused him of calling her "disgusting" because she needed to take a break in a deposition to pump, as she had a 3-month- old baby at home.
Earlier on CNN, Elizabeth Beck described her encounter with Trump in the 2007 when he was being sued over a real estate deal in Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH BECK, ATTORNEY: He had an absolute meltdown. When I said that I need the break and it was for breast pumping purposes, he got up, his face got red, he shook his finger at me and he screamed, "You're disgusting, you're disgusting," and he ran out of there. And we were not able to conclude his deposition that day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Guess what? Donald Trump didn't like that interview.
BOLDUAN: Oh, really?
BERMAN: He responded on Twitter a short time after saying, "CNN did not say that lawyer, Beck, lost the case and I got legal fees. Also she wanted to breast pump in front of me at deposition. Why is somebody, Beck, I beat so soundly all of a sudden an expert on Donald Trump all over television? She knows nothing about me."
There you have it.
Here to talk about Trump, the pump, and how this could all play on the stump, joined by our political reporter, Sarah Murray --
BOLDUAN: That was great.
-- CNN anchor, Don Lemon --
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Did you write that?
BOLDUAN: It was -- we have a staff of thousands preparing lines like that.
(LAUGHTER)
BOLDUAN: thousands.
BERMAN: Don Lemon, who talked to Donald Trump.
Sarah, let me start with you.
This deposition, this "New York Times" report that first unveiled what happened with this lawyer there, this is the thing, this is all under oath. This was part of a deposition. So it's out there.
MURRAY: Yeah. It's definitely out there. It was clear that they were in kind of a heated exchange, Beck, the lawyer, wanted to take a break. Donald Trump didn't. His lawyer says -- Donald Trump's lawyer says he did not call her disgusting because she was going to breast pump. He said she was disgusting because she took the pump out in front of them. And they believe she was using this as a way to delay the deposition and come up with other questions. But obviously it kind of gives you a window into how Donald Trump can react when he's annoyed or flustered or frustrated.
BOLDUAN: Don, you talked to Trump last night about some of the other controversies that are surrounding his campaign right now. But if -- this seems to be par for the course with what we're looking at with Donald Trump on a few things. There are these accusations and then --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: By the way, when I first saw it, I was here on "New Day." I sort of thought, why is she -- it sounds like sour grapes. I wasn't in the room. I don't know what's going on.
BOLDUAN: And that's the thing.
LEMON: But to me, it sounds like sour grapes. If I had lost to Donald Trump, I would not be on television talking about it because he won. It would seem like sour grapes to me.
BOLDUAN: But, Don, if he did call her disgusting simply because she needed a break to pump, he has real problems.
LEMON: Yeah.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: He'll have a real problem with women now if he's asking them to support him.
LEMON: Yes.
BOLDUAN: But, again, his attorney and he dispute it. We don't know at this moment --
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: They don't dispute there was an argument over pumping.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: They dispute what motivated it.
LEMON: Right.
BOLDUAN: Which --
LEMON: I'm not denying if he said whatever -- if he said it, that's fine. I understand that. But if you're an attorney and you have an issue in a deposition, you leave it there. If we have an argument at journalists, we leave it at the table. We don't go in public and talk about it. That's how I feel.
BOLDUAN: Wait, but, devil's advocate, this is what happens when you're not only running for president but when you're a front-runner, you are going to be under the glare of a spotlight that you've never seen before. And now -- doesn't he just need to know, this is what it's like to run?
LEMON: It's all fair game. He says, this is why people -- how did he say it to me -- this is why people don't want to run for president, people that are successful, because people try to take you down, the media takes half truths.
I wanted to get to the issue. So that's that. This issue for me is, next week, I'm going to be watching --
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: There's a debate next week.
BOLDUAN: There's a debate.
LEMON: And I wanted to know how he was preparing for this. Does he have a debate coach, what's he doing? Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[11:15:12] DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP GROUP (voice-over): I have to be myself, Don. And if it's not good enough, that's OK. I'll go on to other things. I'll ride into the sunset and do some more buildings and create some more jobs, and that's OK. I'm doing this because I want to make America great again and that's why I'm doing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: Lowering expectations?
LEMON: Very smart.
BERMAN: Just a little. And by a little, I mean a lot. BOLDUAN: I ask innocently.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: You know, my thing is Donald Trump is not used to being corralled. Am I right? Even during an interview when you try to jump in, he's like, excuse me, excuse me! That's his personality. So you can't be offended by that. That's why it was not shocking to me that "The New York Times" said that he is aggressive and he's boorish, whatever. That's Donald Trump's personality. What do you expect?
BERMAN: But this was sounding like a politician.
LEMON: This was sounding like a politician.
BERMAN: When you set expectations low, you sound like a politician. This is not I'm the greatest man in the world, I'm really smart, by the way, I'm really, really, rich.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: But the ride off into the sunset thing -- I came back and said, Donald, are you tired, it's a long slog. And he said, no, I feel energized.
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: I would love to see that man on a horse.
(LAUGHTER)
Don Lemon, Sarah Murray, thank you.
BOLDUAN: Sarah, sit on that one. We'll talk about it tomorrow.
BERMAN: It made Jimmy Kimmel choke up. One of Africa's most famous lion died -- killed in a hunt. And now an American dentist is wanted for killing it and then posing with it. Hear how he's responding to critics.
BOLDUAN: Plus, he's one of America's most wanted terrorists. But is the leader of the Taliban dead? Hear what Afghan officials are saying about this and about the man who once helped hide Osama bin Laden.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:25] BOLDUAN: Breaking news this morning out of Buffalo, New York, out of the Buffalo, New York, area. Minutes ago, federal authorities announced a man has been arrested and charged in a terror- related case. They say 42-year-old Arafat Naji was planning to join ISIS.
BERMAN: The U.S. attorney in western New York says thanks to law enforcement and the alert community, the suspect was arrested. He's charged with attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and now faces 15 years in prison. Also new this morning, the Afghan government is checking reports that
Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, is dead. He provided safe harbor to Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and the U.S. has offered a $10 million reward for any information on him.
BOLDUAN: The Taliban recently released several messages purportedly from Mullah Omar, the fugitive leader.
Let's bring in the host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria, GPS," Mr. Fareed Zakaria, himself.
Fareed, on this issue, there have been rumors for quite some time about the demise of Mullah Omar. But remind us of the significance of this man, especially in helping hide Osama bin Laden.
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, FAREED ZAKARIA, GPS: He's hugely significant. He invited Osama bin Laden into Afghanistan to set up his base camp. Remember, the 9/11 attacks were not carried out by a single Afghan. This was sort of an Arab Army that was encamped within Afghanistan but given safe harbor by the Taliban. Right after 9/11, the United States made an offer to the Taliban, said, hand over Osama bin Laden and we will go away because we want to bring the perpetrators of 9/11 to justice. There was a debate within the high councils of the Taliban. Mullah Omar was against giving Osama bin Laden up. There were others who were in favor. He was the guy who withstood the full brunt of the American attack, eventually toppling the regime. And he's been the one apparently most resistant to making any deals with the Afghan government or talking to the Afghan government. So if he's dead, this is really good news because it suggests that we could do some kind of political deal which would allow American troops to start drawing down in the numbers that we'd like them to.
BERMAN: This is 10 years ago. If this was 2005 instead of 2015, I think this would be a huge deal. People talking about Mullah Omar potentially being dead. If Osama bin Laden was public-enemy number one, in some ways, Mullah Omar was public-enemy number two. But in this day and age, how much did he control in terms of the Taliban and perhaps influence beyond Afghanistan?
ZAKARIA: We don't know for sure. Influence beyond Afghanistan, very little. The thing to remember about the Taliban is it is not a global terrorist orgs. It has limited ambitions which have always been to rule Afghanistan. They represent 50 percent of Afghanistan. And they argue that the Afghan government doesn't properly represent them and they're much more Islamic. So it's a limited ideologically extreme organization. And the answer to your question is, we don't know. It's a bit of a black box. This is one of the great challenges Richard Holbrooke had when he was trying to begin negotiations with the Taliban. As he told me privately a couple of times, there's no one to negotiate with. You keep trying and nobody knows who speaks for the organization. But symbolically he clearly was the number one guy. It is a setback. As I say, he seemed to represent the hard-line faction within the Taliban. If one can talk about -- as they did in the old Soviet Union, the Stalinists and the liberals, maybe this allows for some of the more liberal Islamic extremists to emerge. BOLDUAN: The Iran deal is under the spotlight on Capitol Hill, big
important hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Maybe most important here will be the views of the Joint Chiefs chairman, Martin Dempsey. He's not spoken out publicly very much about the Iran deal. When he has, he's been really concerned about the ballistic missile capabilities, the U.N. arms embargo and that being lifted. What does -- how important are his views, do you think, in where this deal is going to go? He's the president's chief military adviser.
ZAKARIA: They are very important. The thing to remember about all these embargoes is they've only been effective because other countries have joined in. We've never sold Iran any arms anyway. This is the Russians maintaining an embargo and the Chinese maintaining an embargo. Those countries joined the embargo only because of Iran's nuclear capacity. They fear that Iran was moving toward a breakout capacity. From their point of view, as long as they can be sure that Iran is not going down a nuclear weapons path, they're going to want to get rid of the embargo. They've always sold Iran weapons and such. What we have to understand is that just takes us back to where we always were. Iran has always been a difficult regional actor doing things that are against American interests and we're going to have to counter them and deal with that actively. What we were able to do was to get an international coalition together on this one issue, the nuclear issue. The nuclear deal, if it blocks the path to Iran for a bomb, then we are going to have to give up on the sanctions that were in place specifically for that reason.
BERMAN: Fareed Zakaria --
BOLDUAN: -- Republicans, that's for sure.
BERMAN: Indeed,
Fareed Zakaria, thanks for being here. We'll watch those hearings all day. Thanks, Fareed.
So from hunter to hunted, an American dentist wanted for killing a beloved lion. But he says he had no idea he was breaking the law.
BOLDUAN: And sexual favors and X-rated photos. A shocking confession released from the prison worker who helped two killers escape.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:03]BOLDUAN: New this morning, outrage growing against the American dentist who killed a beloved lion while trophy hunting in Zimbabwe. Walter Palmer, from Minnesota, says that he deeply regrets his actions.
