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Trump To Speak From Mar-A-Lago Tonight After Arrest & Arraignment; Today: Family & Friends Honor Victim Of School Shooting; Jill Biden's Suggestion To Invite Both LSU, Iowa To WH Sparks Backlash. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired April 04, 2023 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we are keeping a close eye on Lower Manhattan, the courthouse there. Crowds have started to gather, mostly photographers, frankly, trying to get that picture of former President Donald Trump arriving at that courthouse. He will depart Trump Tower soon.
Today, for the first time, we're going to learn why prosecutors believe that Donald Trump is a criminal. The grand jury indictment will be unsealed and we could learn crucial new details about this case. Now, Donald Trump's lawyers claim he may speak in the hallway of the court before and or after today's proceedings, Kate, but we're going to have to see on that.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Standby to standby. We're going to wait for that. But before -- as we wait for that, we do know that the president does plan to speak tonight after he returns home to Mar-a-Lago.
CNN's Kristen Holmes is in West Palm Beach, where they're preparing for this speech. Kristen, you also have some new reporting this hour about how the president's team is preparing for this speech tonight. What are you learning?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kate. So, I have learned that there is a draft of this speech that was worked on by advisors. They are continuing to tweak that speech. But I'm told by sources that it's not going to be finalized until Donald Trump delivers it. He's not even going to review it or revise it until that plane rides home.
And they have to take a look at the legalities of it as well. I'm told that there will be legal eyes on this speech before he delivers it. Of course, what -- the big question is whether or not he's going to address those charges or just actually continue doing what we have seen, which is calling this a political witch hunt, a hoax.
The other thing we're keeping track of is who's going to be in the crowd tonight. We know that the former president has invited GOP lawmakers, allies, surrogates. We are still unclear who among them is actually showing up. And the reason that matters is we have seen so many of these Republicans go full throttle in defense of former President Trump. And the question is whether or not they're going to continue to be as defensive to continue to paint this as a political witch hunt once they actually know what those charges are Kate.
BOLDUAN: That's a great question. We will see very soon. Kristen, thank you. John? Sara?
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Kate. It's me. Joining me now to talk about all of this is CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller, and former federal prosecutor and senior legal analyst Elie Honig. Are you guys sick of talking about this already? I mean, we --
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: No. this is --
SIDNER: Of course, it's unprecedented.
HONIG: This is the -- this is the Super Bowl.
SIDNER: Yes.
HONIG: Yes.
SIDNER: It is. I want to talk about this because we need to slow our roll when it comes to the timing of this case. People see that there's an arraignment, there's going to be charges, we're going to hear about that, and they expect things to go fast. That's not going to be what happens here, is it?
HONIG: Yes. We are not going to have a trial this spring. We are not going to have a trial this summer. We probably are not going to have a trial this fall.
Two very important things have to happen before we can even think about a trial. First is what we call discovery. In any criminal case, prosecutors have an affirmative obligation to turn over all their evidence -- we don't do trials by surprise in this country, including evidence that's good for the defendant.
It's actually the only legal job where you have an obligation to turn over evidence that's bad for your side. Based on that, the lawyers will bring motions, motions to dismiss. We've already heard Joe Tacopina and other lawyers out there previewing what some of those are going to be.
Those have to be briefed, argue decided, and then you'll get a trial date. I mean, a typical trial of this nature, I would say is a year out, give or take a couple of months. And now if we think about the calendar --
SIDNER: That timing is crazy.
HONIG: Where are we going to be a year from now?
SIDNER: Yes.
HONIG: In the middle of primaries.
SIDNER: Primaries.
HONIG: Right. So, it's extra complicated.
SIDNER: All right. Speaking of complications, the security threat. There have been some direct threats to some of the folks taking part in all of this. This isn't just about the former president, which a lot of people are paying attention to.
We're talking about the judge, the DA. Can you give us a sense of if you're hearing that law enforcement has heard anything about direct or indirect threats at this point?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, they've been following the threats that have either been put forward, but more commonly that are being posted online in assorted chat rooms, some of which are open, some of which are closed.
So, I mean, you have over a hundred threats around this case that they've been tracking. But if you close that down to about 60 of them, that's what you have threats against the DA, threats against particulars, senior members of his team --
SIDNER: Yes.
MILLER: -- threats against the judge. And if you turn that sideways, what you see is these are people that in public statements, Donald Trump has accused of things. The judge hates me. The DA is on a witch hunt. So, you're seeing a very brittle environment
[11:35:04]
SIDNER: That's going to have a huge impact when we saw the impact of his words and others when it came to January 6. But there was a whole apparatus. There were people from the SPLC.
The ADL saying there is going to be a problem. We are seeing all these groups mobilize. Not seeing that this time, are we?
MILLER: Not seeing that this time. And what you -- and I -- live in these places where these threats happen. I go online and I kind of call through them to see what is the pitch and tone.
SIDNER: Yes.
MILLER: Do any of these seem credible or specific just the way the NYPD does? But what you haven't seen is you haven't seen Donald J. Trump say, I want all my people on this date, in particular, to gather at this place and you know give him hell. He hasn't done that.
The choreography here is much more I want to get back to home base turf, Mar-a-Lago, I want a room full of supporters, I'm going to make a statement, and you know, then maybe move on to one of his rallies with supporters. I think when you look at after the search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, he raised a million dollars.
SIDNER: Right.
MILLER: After being indicted, he raised seven million dollars. I don't know if he raised much money out of January 6.
SIDNER: Well, we do know that there's a videographer along with him right now who is tracking every movement. And we can imagine that will come out at some point in a fundraising pitch.
I do want to talk about this. We just got this end. Donald Trump is now asking for this to be moved -- the trial to be moved to another borough. He has said this on social media, which is where he has said all his messages so far, although we may hear from him today. But this question, is this something his attorneys will also ask for a change of venue?
HONIG: I think they will, eventually. I think it's a -- it's not that out of the ordinary to ask for a change in venue. He doesn't have much of a chance of succeeding. Now, if you look at the demographic here in Manhattan --
SIDNER: Yes.
HONIG: -- New York County, the count in the 2020 election was 85 percent for Joe Biden, 12 percent for Donald Trump. So, if he manages to get this to almost any other county, he will be -- Donald Trump will be in a much better situation.
However, the question for a judge -- the legal question is not is this person popular or unpopular, it's just is it utterly impossible to give this person a fair trial here? And we have mechanisms for that. We have jury selection --
SIDNER: Right.
HONIG: -- which is an arduous process. It's not perfect, but it enables both the judge and the parties to get rid of people who are unduly bias. So, it wouldn't surprise me if they bring that motion. And if they do, I expect them to lose.
SIDNER: I -- you know, it's really interesting to think about this. I think he has just put out on social media that he wants it to be in Staten Island. You don't get to choose, right?
HONIG: Right.
SIDNER: I mean, this is not something that the person who is a defendant gets to choose.
HONIG: Right. I'm sure everyone would like to pick their county of choice. Usually, if you do ask to move it, you do ask for an adjacent county. There are a lot of adjacent counties to Manhattan, but Staten Island, I think what majority for Trump, so no wonder he's trying to get over there again.
MILLER: He could compromise on Brooklyn.
HONIG: Or just have it on the river, on a boat.
SIDNER: But the thing is, this is assuming that they can't find a fair jury here.
HONIG: Yes.
SIDNER: And this is supposed to be on the merits of the facts of the case. That is what juries are charged with and what they do.
HONIG: Yes.
SIDNER: So, thank you both so much. Great conversation. That was Elie Honig and John Miller, as you know. And I'll bring you, John.
BERMAN: All right, this morning. Three Democratic State Representatives in Tennessee face expulsion after participating in gun safety rallies in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Nashville. We're getting new reactions at the state capitol. An anti-business and anti-Florida, Disney CEO not mincing any words over recent actions taken by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
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[11:42:55]
BOLDUAN: There are new and truly troubling details coming out of Nashville right now. Police say the shooter there shot 152 rounds, most of them from an assault rifle into that elementary school last week. Six people were killed including three nine-year-old children. And police are also now saying that the attack had been plotted for months.
This morning, the focus also remains on those lives lost. People are gathering right now for a service to honor Mike Hill, one of the adult victims of that tragedy. A man who had worked at the school for years.
CNN's Isabel Rosales is live in Nashville with much more on this for us. Isabel, what are you hearing there about Mike Hill?
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning to you, Kate. Yes, Mike Hill. His funeral is set to start in under 20 minutes. What we know about this custodian of the school is that he was a father to seven children, a grandfather to 14 children. And his family, according to a statement that our affiliate WSMV received, he, Mike Hill loved to cook. He so loved to spend time with his family. That was precious time to him.
Meanwhile, we're also learning new details about the shooter here, Audrey Hale. Investigators are saying that she "acted totally alone." They're grasping new information from writings that were recovered from the school parking lot and from inside of her house, inside of the shooter's bedroom.
And from that writing, they have ascertained that this was calculated. That the shooter planned this for months and even took notes from previous mass shooters as well.
We're a week out from that shooting. Police have not been able to pin down a motive yet They're working to establish that. And they're still in the process of reviewing these writings, Kate.
BOLDUAN: This shooting, Isabel, as you know, sparked renewed protests for gun reforms. And because of that, there's also an effort underway right now by Republican state lawmakers to try and expel some Democratic members who took part in those rallies. Can they do that?
[11:45:00]
ROSALES: Kate, that's certainly serious consequences. They have already been stripped of their -- from their committees. And now they're potentially being expelled from the house. That final vote is set to happen on Thursday.
And we should hear from those lawmakers who will have an opportunity there in the public limelight to defend themselves and defend their actions. Of course, Tennessee House Republicans are claiming that these Democratic lawmakers broke House chamber rules by going up to the podium in between bills with a bullhorn and protesting without being officially recognized.
Here's what one of the lawmakers have to say. His name is Justin Jones.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN JONES, DEMOCRATIC STATE REPRESENTATIVE, TENNESSEE: This is a political lynching. They're trying to make an example out of us because we're three of the most outspoken members here. We represent diverse districts.
Laura is the -- one of the only women in our caucus. We are the two youngest black lawmakers. And so, they're trying to expel voices that are of descent -- of moral descent of opposition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROSALES: Kate, we're keeping a close eye on the next steps in all of this.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Isabel, thank you for being there. Sara?
SIDNER: First Lady Jill Biden is walking back some of the comments she made over an invitation to the White House. It gets a strong reaction from the new NCAA Women's Basketball champs and even had LSU star Angel Reese slamming the remark as a joke.
And history unfolding this morning as you know. We're watching live pictures outside of Trump Tower. And we await Donald Trump as he departs from tower there and heads to surrender and be arrested and arraigned on criminal charges.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [11:51:56]
SIDNER: First Lady Jill Biden is facing criticism for suggesting that the winners and the runners-up of Sunday's national championship game be invited to the White House. The first lady was at the game in Houston when LSU, for the very first time in its history beat Iowa to claim the title.
CNN's MJ Lee is at the White House. What exactly did she say that is seeing quite a bit of backlash?
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sara. The first lady sparking a little bit of controversy if you can call it that. As you said, she attended the NCAA championship game on Sunday. And then after LSU won, she said this. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JILL BIDEN, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I know we'll have the champions come to the White House. We always do. So, you know, we'll have LSU come. But do you know what? I'm going to tell Joe I think I wish you'd come too because they played such a good game. So -- right. So, winners and losers, that sportsmanship. That's good sportsmanship.
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LEE: It is of course tradition for the champions to be invited to the White House. But it is not typical for the losing team to get that invitation as well. So, that suggestion from the first lady not sitting well with some people, including LSU's star player, Angel Reese, who said on Twitter that this suggestion was a joke.
Now, a spokesperson for the first lady has since offered a clarification of sorts saying that Jill Biden's comments were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House.
Now as you know, Angela Reese had already been in the headlines for making a certain hand gesture during the game at an Iowa player. And that has caused some debate about whether she has been subjected to a double standard based on her race. So, this game really making a bunch of headlines for reasons not really related to the game itself, Sara.
SIDNER: It certainly is. Thank you so much, MJ Lee, there at the White House. John?
BERMAN: Right. The hunt for a green jacket gets underway this week at the Augusta National Golf Club. Even the title of our show is wearing the green jacket, NEWS CENTRAL.
I'm talking about the masters here. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Ram, all among the favorites to win. Not favorite to win, Tiger Woods. But that cannot stop the circus, always the center of attention. CNN's sports correspondent Don Riddell joins us now from Augusta. And, Don, Tiger is chasing his what would be record-tying sixth green jacket.
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Standing room only at his press conference a short time ago, John. It's been that way for as long as I can remember. Nothing has changed in that regard. Everybody wants to hear what Tiger Woods has to say.
Here's the headline. He says that his game is better than it was a year ago, which is when he made his comeback from that devastating car crash just over two years ago. He says his endurance is better but he says he aches more.
I guess that's because he's pushing himself more. He talks about his stubbornness and his hard work. And that's how he's been as successful as he's been.
But here's what he didn't say. He didn't say he could think he could win it, which is what he did say last year. He said, otherwise, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't bother.
He was asked that question, and he dodged it. So, really, the question now, or the mood here is how can he find success in the game and what does it mean to him at this stage of his career? I also asked him, how does he find joy? This was his answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, FIVE-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION: The joy is different now. I'm able to spend more time with my son and rebuild -- create our own little memories out there, and to share some of the things that my dad has -- but what I experienced with my dad?
The late night, putting our practice sessions that -- we did at the Navy golf course. I'm doing it with my son. And it's incredible. The bonding and the moments that come because of the sport.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:55:10]
RIDDELL: Remember, Tiger Woods is 47 years of age now. I also asked him if it crosses his mind every time he's on his golf course now where he has won five times before that it could be the last and he says yes, it does cross his mind. He doesn't know how many more of these he has, John.
BERMAN: We are all watching closely. Don Riddell at Augusta, thanks so much for being with us, Don. Kate Bolduan, we are two for two.
BOLDUAN: Let's keep it going. It's the record. It's something.
Thank you all so much for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. We'll be back with you tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Now, CNN's special coverage of Donald Trump's day in court begins after this break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
