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Notorious Spy Robert Hanssen Dies In Prison; Newsom: Florida Flew Migrants By Private Jet To California; NTSB At Virginia Site Of Small Plane Crash; Mike Pence Files To Run For President; FBI Shares Biden-Related Document With Lawmakers. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired June 05, 2023 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Now he pleaded guilty to passing thousands of classified documents to his Russian handlers. He also, as you mentioned, resulted his work in the execution of numerous Russians who were spying for the United States. One of them Dmitri Polyakov, who was a high-ranking Soviet general executed after Hanssen provided that information to the Russians.

There was also this plot that was called operation "Monopoly." This was an effort by the U.S. government -- this is straight out of spy fiction -- to build a tunnel underneath the Russian Embassy in the United States, in Washington D.C., to spy on the Russians. Hanssen betrayed that to the Russians. Saying, look, the U.S. government is able to spy on you. That also obviously, allowing the Russians to take countermeasures.

Now Hanssen himself was eventually betrayed by a spy in Russia who was recruited by the U.S. government. At that time there was a feud between the CIA and the FBI regarding where this mole was. They knew there was a mole and didn't know which agency.

This Russian spy eventually carted out a file that the KGB had on Robert Hanssen. And in the basement of FBI headquarters this inner agency group sat there looking at a fingerprint that was uncovered from a so-called dead drop. They were able to run that. That matched to Robert Hanssen.

As you see on your video screen there, he was eventually taken into custody by the FBI. Finally, it's worth pointing that at that point, Jim, you know, there wasn't a death penalty under the Aldridge Ames case. Robert Hanssen eventually decided to plead guilty rather than face that eventual death penalty. He was living out the rest of his years in that supermax facility in Colorado. Found this morning dead at 79.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: To your point, Josh, as you've been speaking. This is footage, somewhat grainy, from his arrest in 2001. And he was from an age of dead drops, right? Where he would walk into a forest or a park and then leave something he'd stolen to be picked up later and receive things as well that way.

But one essential fact of his is that he was doing this for more than two decades. He stopped two or three times. Once when his wife discovered him handling classified documents, convinced him to stop but he went back to doing it. That was quite a breach from the FBI's perspective, was it not? Because there was suspicion for some time before they came time to making this arrest.

CAMPBELL: No, absolutely. And you mentioned the dead drops. You know, what was so interesting is the person in the Russian embassy who ran Robert Hanssen, a man named Victor Cherkashin, he also ran Aldridge Ames who was the famous infamous CIA spy. Now the handler would meet with Ames. The Russians didn't know who Robert Hanssen was until he was eventually arrested. He took such great care to protect his own identity, essentially handling himself.

And so, you know, Cherkashin wrote a book and said, look, I didn't know who the guy was until I saw it on my TV screen. As you mentioned, as far as FBI failures, this rocked the bureau, the largest intelligence community, throughout his career. Even though Robert Hanssen worked Russian cases and had access to this highly sensitive information, he was never polygraphed.

Eventually the FBI instituted five-year polygraphs. You know, I was in the bureau. We got polygraphed every five years because they were concerned about just this case. Someone who might turn out to be a spy. And so, when you sit in the polygraph room, the first thing they asked you, have you provided any information to someone who doesn't need to know? Are you a spy? And again, that was all the results of the lax security protocols that were in place that allowed Robert Hanssen to spy for over 20 years.

SCIUTTO: No question. We'll listen, some of these persist. And by the way, with technology today, you can have someone take classified documents and distribute them say on a close Internet chat room such as Discord. As we're seeing with this ongoing investigation of this airmen. As holes are plugged, new holes open up with technology. Josh Campbell thanks so much -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: California Governor Gavin Newsom claiming Florida secretly flew a group of migrants from Texas to Sacramento on a private jet. And to express his outrage, Newsom took to Twitter. He called Florida Governor Ron DeSantis a small, pathetic man. Now Newsom and the state Attorney General say that they will investigate whether any kidnapping laws were broken. We have CNN's Isabel Rosales here to sort this out for us. Isabel, what can you tell us? What's the latest on this story?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brianna. We have brand-new information just coming in to CNN. CNN able to confirm now with the Attorney General's office there in California. That's Attorney General Rob Bonta that a second flight arrived into California this morning with 20 migrants on that flight. That is on top of 16 migrants who were dropped off on Friday. His office is working to get us more details.

The Attorney General saying that he believes the state of Florida is responsible for this. Also pointing the finger at a vendor, an aviation company called Vertol Systems Co. Inc, who is -- is a common name. It was responsible for the last round of migrant flights last year in the fall of 2022 dropping off two planes full of migrants into Martha's Vineyard.

We also spoke with a non-profit helping out the migrants there on the ground saying that they were approached by individuals, representing a private contractor. Saying that, hey, if you come to this migrant center, we will offer you jobs, clothing, food and free support -- Brianna.

[15:35:00]

KEILAR: All right, two flights now. Isabel, thank you for the very latest there -- Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Iowa officials say they are looking into a 911 call placed just one day before the partial collapse of an apartment building. We're going to break down the clues that call may have contained.

Plus, a warning from farmers in Georgia. The reason they say 90 percent of the state's peach crops were ruined. We'll be right back.

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[15:40:00]

SCIUTTO: There's new video just in to CNN. Chopper footage from high above that crash site in rural Virginia where a private plane went down yesterday killing, sadly, four people. Federal investigators are now on the scene.

Just before the Cessna jet crashed, F-16 fighter jets intercepted it over Washington, D.C. air space it had entered. The Cessna headed from Tennessee to Long Island, New York. Instead, though, went down in Virginia. Turned around, flew south, entering D.C.'s restricted airspace, crashed soon afterwards.

CNN Brian Todd is near the crash site in Vesuvius, Virginia. Brian, there are a lot of questions here. How it went down? What might have happened in the cockpit prior? What do we know from the crash scene so far?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, we were just updated by a local sheriff who told us that both NTSB and FAA investigators are still at the site of the crash. That is several miles deep into these mountains behind me. It takes hours to get in and out of that crash site and it is an arduous trek.

We spoke to Greg Schacht, the chief of the Augusta County and Fire Rescue Department. His teams were the first teams to get there last night. This is what he told us about what it was like to get to the scene and what it was like when they came upon it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF GREG SCHACHT, AUGUSTA COUNTY, VA FIRE AND RESCUE: Very hard to get to. A lot of overgrowth and they had areas where they actually had to get on their hands and knees and crawl to get under the brush, to get into it. You could tell there was some debris as well as some logs and things burning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Other members of Chief Schacht's team told us that when they got to the scene, they did see recognizable pieces of plane debris. But one of them said, quote, it was really no bigger than your arm.

They also saw human remains there and they said that the plane left a noticeable crater in the mountain. And from the contours of that crater, they believed that the plane went in at a very steep angle. That there really wasn't a gradual descent at all here, Jim.

Also what we can tell you is that investigators are looking to see if, if they can find a black box with a cockpit flight data recorder and a flight data recorder. If they can find that it would obviously provide invaluable information in this investigation. We are told these planes are not required to be outfitted with those, but some are outfitted with them anyway. They're hoping, of course, that they find one -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: When you look at that scene and you just feel lucky it was in a populated area. Brian Todd in Vesuvius, Virginia. Thanks so much -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Here's a look at some of the other headlines we're following this hour.

The mother of 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, one of the four University of Idaho students killed in November, told NBC's Today Show, she will not attend the trial of Bryan Kohberger. The man accused of killing her son. Listen to these comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACY, CHAPIN, MOTHER OF ETHAN CHAPIN: It doesn't change the outcome. It just is energy that doesn't feel like it's well spent. You know, there are other places to put it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Kohberger's trial is scheduled for October. He's had pleas of not guilty entered on his behalf last month.

And the city of Davenport, Iowa, is, quote, looking into a 911 call that was placed before an apartment building collapsed in that area. And CNN previously reported that authorities received a call warning about an apartment building in the city prior to the May 28th collapse. Officials also announced that the three remaining victims have now been recovered from that scene.

And things in Georgia, not so peachy. State researchers reporting that the state has lost over 90 percent of this year's crop. Bad weather, especially an unseasonably warm winter, is being blamed for this shortage -- Brianna.

KEILAR: That is very upsetting.

Coming up, while tucked away in a secure room, the top two lawmakers on the House oversight committee reviewed an FBI document that included a whistleblower's allegations about then vice President Joe Biden. We are live on Capitol Hill with the details of that next.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Ready to run. Today's -- today Donald Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence filing the paperwork for a presidential run. We have the "LEAD's" Jake Tapper here with us. OK, he's going to be the tenth Republican candidate and it's not going to end there and he's not the only one announcing just this week.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, THE LEAD: No, come on in, the water's fine. Lots of candidates coming in there. You have Mike Pence filing the paperwork today. He's going to formally announce tomorrow -- no, I'm sorry, Wednesday, right before the Town Hall that CNN is doing in Iowa. Dana Bash will moderate that.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is going to announce tomorrow and then also if you are sensing the Burgum mentum, that's because the North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is going to announce his candidacy for president on Wednesday.

KEILAR: You know when you mention all these candidates, it makes me think --

TAPPER: You didn't tell me if you were feeling the Burgum mentum.

KEILAR: I'm -- I feel a lot of mentum. It could be some Pence mentum. There could be some Burgum mentum.

TAPPER: Left over Joe mentum?

KEILAR: Christie mentum. There could be some no mentum. Right, no mentum. When you talk about this crowded field, it kind of reminds me of like a crowded jacuzzi.

TAPPER: Nice.

KEILAR: At a certain point --

TAPPER: Is that how you think of it?

KEILAR: A little bit. At some point, aren't there just too many people in the Jacuzzi?

TAPPER: All right, so that's a good question. It certainly a concern among people who want Donald Trump to not be the nominee. They would rather that they're not be so many candidates. They're worried about what happened last time. Donald Trump essentially getting the nomination with a support of a third of the Republican Party as all of the other candidates divided.

In fact, Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire who has announced today, he is not running for president. He has said that -- he has said that if your campaign has not taken off by November or December, you should get out. And he -- I think he sees himself as kind of like a referee to make that call. And we'll see how that works.

KEILAR: Yes, it is interesting to see his role there. Let's talk about the Democratic side and RFK Jr., because it's pretty interesting that he's actually polling at 20 percent in the last CNN poll.

TAPPER: him Yes, well look, he used to be a very respected environmental lawyer and activist. But in the last 20 years or so, he's become something of a crank, pushing this false conspiracy theory, long debunked, that childhood vaccines lead to severe side effects like autism. And it's not true and it's been debunked many times. Stories he's written have had to be taken down and --

KEILAR: Banned from some social media.

TAPPER: Yes, he's banned from social media, although now he's back on because he's an announced presidential candidate. He's polling at 20 percent among Democrats, which I think represents a number of things. One, dissatisfaction with the incumbent, President Joe Biden. Two, a hunger for a new generation, even though I think he's like 69, but that counts as young in today's politics. And third, I mean, look at him. He looks exactly like his dad.

KEILAR: That's the thing. How much of it do you think is just people looking at that, see Kennedy, and go, yeah?

TAPPER: I think that's part of it. Also, I mean, he can't -- look, I mean, the stuff he says about vaccines is crazy. But that said, he's an eloquent guy. I mean, I get the appeal. He's also, because he's been polling so low, really evaded any serious media scrutiny.

He is supported by a bunch of these, like, kind of MAGA-ish tech bros like Elon Musk. I don't know where Jack Dorsey stands these days on politics. He used to be kind of like a BLM guy. Now he's backing Robert Kennedy, Jr. He's also -- you know, Steve Bannon's got a hand in this. So, it's a strange stew going on.

KEILAR: Yes, strange bedfellows And when they do start looking at his past statements, I mean, some of the things that he said about Nazi Germany and sort of the political climate in the U.S., it's going to raise some eyebrows.

TAPPER: Well look, his family has already distanced themselves from him long before he ran for president. In 2019, this was an article in Politico and the title -- like by two of his siblings and a cousin. "RFK Jr. Is Our Brother and Uncle. He's Tragically Wrong About Vaccines."

A real concern that the words he's saying about childhood vaccines, not based in science, not based in medicine, are causing people to not get their kids vaccinated, which is causing, in the view of many people, a potential for serious harm.

KEILAR: Yes. It makes them unsafe in many cases. Jake, we're looking forward to more of that on "THE LEAD." So, we'll see you here in just a few minutes.

TAPPER: I can't get the image of the jacuzzi out of my head and I do not think you for that.

KEILAR: Yes, that was on purpose -- Jim.

TAPPER: Yes, thanks.

SCIUTTO: Well, the FBI was on Capitol Hill today sharing information with top members of the House Oversight Committee about Republican allegations surrounding President Biden. Lawmakers reviewed a document that some Republicans claim shows that Biden was involved in a criminal scheme, they say, with a foreign national during his time as vice president. CNN's Alayna Treene joins us now. Alayna, tell us what evidence they're presenting here.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Right. Well, Jim, this was really the culmination, this briefing today, with members of a weeks-long effort for Republicans to get their hands on this document. The FBI came in and in a secure room at the Capitol, briefed House Oversight Chairman James Comer and the top Democrat on the committee Congressman Jamie Raskin and show them this document.

Allowed them to review it. And really this is the effort from Comer and his committee Republicans to see whether there's any truth to the allegations that Joe Biden, while he was vice president, was involved in some sort of bribery scheme.

Now, even though the FBI allowed them to review this document, and gave these members a briefing, the chairman James Comer came out after that briefing and said he still plans to move forward with contempt proceedings against FBI director Christopher Wray. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY) OVERSIGHT CHAIRMAN: At the briefing, the FBI again refused to hand over the unclassified record to the custody of the House Oversight Committee, and we will now initiate contempt of Congress hearings. Americans have lost trust in the FBI's ability to enforce the law impartially and demand answers, transparency, and accountability.

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): I'm just surprised that my colleagues want to try to litigate this in public, much less hold the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in contempt for complying with their request when there was a whole process that was undertaken, and that process came to its natural end.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:55:00] TREENE: Now, Jim, there was a key discrepancy from these two lawmakers after they left the briefing. It's all about whether the FBI is still investigating these claims and whether they plan to, you know, look at these charges in the future.

Now, Chairman Comer says that they are still going to be investigating this and the claims related to this document are part of an ongoing investigation, as you just heard from Congressman Raskin. He said that the FBI has closed the investigation into these allegations. And so, that's the big question that we're still looking for.

I will say, I spoke with the FBI, and they told me that that investigation has been closed. But regardless, Chairman Comer plans to move forward and hold the FBI director in contempt of Congress.

SCIUTTO: Important point there. Alayna Treene thanks so much.

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us. CNN NEWS CENTRAL is back tomorrow at 1:00. But for right now, "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts after a short break.