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The Lead with Jake Tapper

132 Children Killed In Taliban School Attack; Gunman Had "History of Violent Crime"; Clinton And Bush Could Square off In 2016

Aired December 16, 2014 - 16:30   ET

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

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JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

In our world lead -- a horrific terrorist attack in Pakistan leaving 141 people dead and perhaps the worst part about that is that 130 of them, at least, were children. It happened at a co-ed public military school in the northwest city of Peshawar, 75 miles from the capital of Islamabad. Suicide bombers disguised as soldiers distracted the security personnel at the school by detonating a car bomb outside the school grounds. They then scaled the outer walls of the building, entering the school and opening fire, chanting, "God is great!" Students found hiding under benches were shot in cold blood.

From a hospital bed, one survivor, a young boy recalled the carnage telling an AFP reporter, quote, "The man with big boots kept on looking for students and pumping bullets into their bodies.

I lay still as I could and closed my eyes waiting to get shot again. My body was shivering. I saw death so close and I will never forget the black boots approaching me."

Pakistani troops arrived on the scene and stormed the compound after a six-hour standoff. The seven terrorists were killed. Now the country is trying to pick up the pieces from the deadliest attack in years, a barbaric, senseless and cowardly act.

John Boone is a correspondent for "The Guardian" newspaper and joins me on the phone from Pesharwar with the latest. John, it just sounds unbearably heartbreaking, dozens and dozens of dead children.

JOHN BOONE, "THE GUARDIAN" (via telephone): That's right. Pakistan is more shocked and I've covered huge numbers of dead civilians, but I think this time, just the scale of it and also the fact that this involved terrorists executing children has really gripped the entire nation. Politicians appear to be on board at the moment, the military is outraged and the media is reflecting the sense of national shock.

TAPPER: What has the scene been like at local hospitals? What are you hearing?

BOONE: Well, sadly it happened before with these big attacks in Peshawar, lots of victims being taken to the two main hospitals here, distraught family members trying to find those children and teaching staff at the hospital. And a flood of people coming to try and give blood because the power went out and blood stocks were running low and one father whose son had a lucky escape, his son was wounded, shot in the arm, but has survived, he said the silver lining, one thing that made him proud to be Pakistani was the sheer number of people turning up to try and give blood.

TAPPER: And now the Pakistani military has launched a direct retaliation to the attack?

BOONE: That's right. Almost as the operation was still ongoing, the Pakistani Air Force struck at militant target in a place that is one of the tribal regions on the border, which is actually closest to Peshawar City.

And I think they did ten separate air strikes, but clearly they wanted to get in hard and early after such effects of outrage, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of that in the days to come.

TAPPER: John Boone, a reporter for "The Guardian" newspaper, thank you for joining us and please stay safe. Today's massacre was for the killing of tribesman by the Pakistani military.

The terrorist organization is responsible for a series of attacks over the last few years and is vowing to continue its mission of implementing strict Islamic law. CNN chief national correspondent, Jim Sciutto has been being looking into the group and joins me live -- Jim.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's an attack so brutal that the Afghan Taliban condemned took the step of publicly condemning it today.

The senior U.S. counterterror official tells me that the Pakistani Taliban, otherwise known as the TTP, has been under intense pressure from the Pakistani military and had been seeking a high-profile opportunity to retaliate. They found it today with the most defenseless of victims.

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SCIUTTO (voice-over): They were killed in their school uniforms taking exams in classrooms, a first aid course in the school auditorium. Half a dozen terrorists carrying out a systematic massacre of children, brutal even by the standards of the Pakistani Taliban.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD (through translator): We were doing our schoolwork. Suddenly we heard firing.

SCIUTTO: The Taliban called it revenge for Pakistani military operations against them. We want them to feel our pain, said a Taliban spokesman. The attackers had ammunition and supplies, says the Pakistani military, to last for days.

A U.S. counterterrorism official called the assault unprecedented saying it may signal an escalation in an already bloody war with the Pakistani government.

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Mothers and fathers send their kids to school to learn and to be safe. Well, this morning, wherever you live, wherever you are, those are our children.

SCIUTTO: The Pakistani Taliban's chief aim is bringing down the Pakistani government and establishing Sharia law. But it has an alarming history of targeting the U.S. as well.

In 2009, a Taliban suicide bomber killed seven CIA officers in Eastern Afghanistan. In 2010, the group claimed responsibility for the attempted car bombing of Times Square in New York City. And following the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the group vowed more attacks on American soil.

DANIEL MARKEY, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: There have been instances where they have supported international terrorists. They have been aligned with groups like al Qaeda. That makes them a concern to us but indirectly.

SCIUTTO: Washington had pressed Pakistan to take on the group more aggressively on the ground. Pakistan has followed through with an ongoing military offensive against the Pakistani Taliban in its northeastern strong hold as well as some 3,000 counterterror operations.

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SCIUTTO: As the Pakistani military has taken the fight to the Pakistani Taliban, there have been fears of blow back. We may have seen that today. I spoke to other U.S. officials who say this could be seen as an act of desperation by the Pakistani Taliban.

They want to show their relevance. As always with these groups, there's a lot of competition for attention. ISIS is very public now with its acts of brutality. This is the sickening competition that they take part in.

TAPPER: It's barbaric and cowardly going after kids. Jim Sciutto, thank you so much.

In our World Lead, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott demanding answers today as to why a man with a violent history and well-known extremist views who is well known to police was walking the streets of Sydney, Australia.

So was the gunman who held more than a dozen people hostage even being watched by law enforcement? Well, we'll speak to the Australian ambassador to the U.S. next.

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TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. Our World Lead, more questions than answers right now into what really happened during that dramatic siege of a cafe in Sydney, Australia that left two hostages dead as well, of course, as the gunman, an Islamic extremist. Right now, intelligent agencies are digging into the background of the hostage taker, Man Haron Monis, trying to make sure he really was a lone wolf and was not working with any other group or individuals. Among the questions, they are investigating why did he target the cafe and not, for instance, a larger more iconic landmark.

We're also learning more details about the people held hostage and their reported heroic acts. There are reports that Katrina Dawson was killed while protecting a pregnant woman.

And Tori Johnson, the manager of the cafe, who may have died while trying to take on the gunman. CNN correspondent, Anna Coren, joins me live in Sydney. Anna, even the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, questioned why wasn't Monis behind bars?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. And serious questions are being asked not just by the prime minister, but the Australian public as to how Monis, a man with a violent history, held extremist views and was known to police was allowed to be walking free on the streets of Sydney.

There is a feeling that there's been a major oversight. He's fallen through the cracks. You know, he was once on the terror list. However, he was removed in recent years because he was deemed to no longer be a threat that because of this catastrophic oversight, two innocent people are dead and the city of Sydney is in mourning.

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COREN (voice-over): Today, reports of harrowing escapes and desperate moments within emerged exact details about the final moments of the Sydney siege are still unknown.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do feel we've lost our innocence.

COREN: Citizens of Sydney attempt to replace the grim scenes with bright memorials to those who last hours were so dark.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's wasted two very precious lives and one of them was my friend.

COREN: The gunman, who traumatized so many here at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe died along with two of his hostages. Tori Johnson, age 34, was a beloved manager at the chocolate cafe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a really sweet, loving, caring person.

COREN: Johnson's family released a statement on Monday describing him as the most amazing life partner, son and brother we could ever wish for. Reports that Johnson attempted to grab the gunman's weapon have not been confirmed, but it comes a no surprise to his friends.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was in there and wasn't coming out until everyone else was. He just wasn't the kind of person to put his hands up and leave.

TONY ABBOTT, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: These were decent, good people who were going about their ordinary lives.

COREN: Katrina Dawson, a 38-year-old mother of three, also perished here that was far from ordinary. The local bar association president described the accomplished legal mind as one of the best and brightest baristas, who will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

According to local reports, Dawson was killed trying to shield a pregnant friend from the gunman. The news unbearable to report for a local broadcaster who knew her family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A sister of one of our Channel 7 staff --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stanley Dawson, who I now and have friends who know her, a mother of three children.

COREN: As the flowers were replaced on the streets, the healing process begins, one embrace at a time.

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COREN: You can see the makeshift memorial behind me. At 5:00 a.m. yesterday, there was one bunch of flowers that was placed there. Well, now there are thousands and people just keep coming, with these flowers, with these messages of love, support, solidarity. It's really quite a somber but reverent feeling. It's really bringing Sydney together -- Jake.

TAPPER: Anna Coren in Sydney, Australia, thank you so much. The Australian government has vowed to determine why the Iranian-born Islamist with an extremist history was able to carry out this horrific act.

Let's bring in Kim Beazley, the Australian ambassador to the U.S. First of all, our deepest condolences. I could see you watching that report. It was very emotional for all of us, but seeing your countrymen really upset you.

KIM BEAZLEY, AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Two people and it's just truly horrific. And you can see in the response, it's very -- it's not what we expect in Australia that we have knowledge of the fact that when it comes to terrorism, we have no innocence.

We are thoroughly aware of the fact that we are under threat. We've had terrorists attacks not be successful, people arrested and charged, jailed for them.

We had an incident in Melbourne recently where a fellow with a bag of knives was going to commit terrorist acts and, of course, since 2002 in Southeast Asia we are more of a heavy target than the United States is and we've had bombs and Australian conferences bombed, also, and of course many Australians killed in battle.

We're a country that is not innocent of these issues. We are well- prepared in many ways but we weren't well-prepared enough for this particular man in this particular place and that will require investigation. TAPPER: And you can never really be emotionally prepared for these attacks and you have these two lovely young people. Do we know of any motivation yet other than this man having extremist views?

BEAZLEY: It was a mind under considerable pressure because of the involvement in the murder of his ex-wife, his sexual assaults on a people who trusted him.

This is a man who seriously spiraling out of control and you marry that with his confused, religious decisions, and attitudes, and this guy is described as religious is a mockery.

TAPPER: But I think one of the things -- and Prime Minister Abbott raised this question about why he would be on the streets. Obviously I'm not holding you responsible, but is there any idea as to why somebody who had been arrested for accessory to the murder of his ex- wife, stabbed and set on fire, why he was released on bail?

BEAZLEY: Well, that's the question. Those are questions which are currently being directed at the New South Wales government. But we are in the process of changing aspects related to bonds and bail and to toughen them up. I suppose the presumption of innocent issues and might find themselves and you have to decide that's something that has to be looked at.

TAPPER: Do we know yet how the two hostages were killed?

BEAZLEY: No. I suspect they do. But we're going into the process of a newest here and inquiries and those who are entitled to speculate on these matters like the media, there will be very, very little over the next few weeks by policemen, by premiers, by prime ministers quietly behind closed doors.

Of course, the issues that surround it and what needs to be further done to protect the Australian community will be considered by them in detail. But public discussion of these particular events will not be added to official sources.

But the media's behavior was extraordinarily good. We now know that all of the journalists reporting on this and the producers back in their offices had everything. They had enormous amounts of stuff off of social media.

They had a pretty good understanding of what was happening inside and they broadcast nothing. They gave us like no publicity. He was getting absolutely no value from the media or out of the ax that he was committing. He was being contained.

He was being contained by sort of totally community approach, but not just simply from the police and the others handling it, but also the media responding with a multiplicity at the hands of the producers and the ability to walk the issue on as they could have and that was terrific. It was a very good performance.

TAPPER: I don't want to belabor the point. Obviously when there's a rescue mission that happens, it's possible that independent people get killed in the process of it. It happened today when the Israelis went in and we don't know what happened, but I just want to make sure, we don't know one way or the other how the two individuals died?

BEAZLEY: No, we don't. Let me put it this way. We don't officially know how they died. There is speculation and it may well be accurate but you'll get no official confirmation of any of that now until the inquiry is completed and it's a police investigation underway now.

TAPPER: I understand that.

BEAZLEY: And lessons to be learned, of course, the prime minister is already identified lessons and you talked about one of them earlier on.

TAPPER: Ambassador Kim Beazley, thank you so much. Once again, I don't have the right to speak on behalf of the United States, but all of our thoughts and prayers are with Australia right now.

BEAZLEY: Certainly we have and we've had wonderful calls from officials.

TAPPER: Thank you so much and thank you for being here. Appreciate it.

When we come back, Jeb Bush today officially announcing that he may in fact be running for president and it was not long after that announcement before the claws came out from some Republicans. Our Politics Lead is next.

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TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. Now it's time for the tech lead. First Skype made the world much smaller by linking you through video chats and now it is actually break the communication barrier in a way that will blow your mind.

Microsoft debuted Skype's new realtime voice translation technology that will interpret English to Spanish or vice versa and say it to the person who cannot understand the thing you're saying on the other side. Take a look and a listen.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you like living in Mexico City?

TRANSLATOR: (Inaudible). Here is very nice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you do for fun?

TRANSLATOR: (Inaudible).

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TAPPER: That is cool. Right now, Spanish and English are the only language it supported, but many more are on the way. In our Politics Lead now, the competition for the 2016 race for the White House heated up today. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced that he has decided to, quote, "Actively explore the possibility of running for the president of the United States."

CNN national correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux, is here with more. There's already been sniping. It is on.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's getting ugly before it even starts because it was just a month ago when I was covering George W. Bush's book unveiling in Texas when he said his younger brother, Jeb is going to talk and decide whether or not he's going to run.

Bush said it would be awesome if Jeb ran, but the family wasn't putting any pressure on him. And today, in a surprised Facebook opening, he opened the door.

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MALVEAUX (voice-over): The possibility of a second Bush/Clinton showdown has the political world spinning. After former two-term Florida Governor Jeb Bush posted this. "I have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for president of the United States."

Criticism from his own party was swift. Particularly from conservatives who seem as too moderate on immigration reform and education. This tweet from a political commentator, "Another Bush versus another Clinton, political vomit."

And this call from the Conservative Action Fund, on the Hill a more measured and nuance response from potential Republican opponent Rand Paul, who told CNN off camera, the more the merrier. But a Bush run would shake up the potentially crowded field.

RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: This is bad news for three candidates. One, Chris Christie, he was the other big name establishment candidate and, two, Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida, who is close to Jeb and is now unlikely to run for president and, three, to the extent that he's running, Mitt Romney.

MALVEAUX: In fact, a recent CNN/ORC poll shows if Romney doesn't jump in the primary, Jeb Bush becomes the number one choice for Republicans. He's popular with the party establishment and brings in big donors, fluent in Spanish and was governor of the state needed to capture the presidency, Florida.

The narrative is rich. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush was smacked down by Bill Clinton, robbing him of a second term. Can his son avenge him by taking on Hillary? It was a little more than a year ago when Jeb's mother, Barbara Bush said this about a presidential run.

BARBARA BUSH: We've had enough Bushs. MALVEAUX: She since come around, but many fellow Republicans agree, noting Jeb Bush has little grassroots support, financial dealings that would be heavily scrutinized and a lack of experience in the new political world. But the 61-year-old had a little push back for his mom.

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: I don't have to like listen to every word, she says. At some point you've got to make these decisions like a grownup.

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MALVEAUX: Grownup stuff like reportedly losing 20 pounds, forming a PAC, releasing 250,000 e-mails as governor and writing an e-book. He's also strategically trying to differentiate himself from the possible Republican contender, Chris Christie, weighed down by bridgegate to become more and appear more transparent.

And also with that e-book, he's trying to appear more modern than Hillary Clinton. So that is also he is going to try to work that in his favor.

TAPPER: It's on. I'm very excited. Suzanne Malveaux, thank you so much. That's it for THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. I now turn you over to Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM."