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U.S. Attorney General Defends Special Counsel amid Trump Attacks; Miami Mayor Casts Presidential Bid for 2024; U.S. Deploys Fighter Jets to Middle East after Russia's "Unsafe, Unprofessional Behavior"; Biden Fighting Hidden Fees. Aired 11-11:30a ET
Aired June 15, 2023 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A current Trump lawyer wanted to strike a deal with the Justice Department last fall.
Could this have prevented the indictment altogether?
The new report from "The Washington Post."
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And the GOP race for president just got bigger. A 2024 long shot and Miami mayor Francis Suarez enters the fight for the Republican nomination.
But where does he fit in the crowded field?
BERMAN (voice-over): And the attack of the orcas, killer whales ramming boats and all caught on video. The whales are adapting and learning and now the experts say that there is a leader. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
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BERMAN: This morning, Donald Trump has announced a brand-new rally, the first since being federally indicted as a new report raises the intriguing possibility that Trump rejected a plan trying to prevent the charges from being filed.
According to "The Washington Post," Trump's attorney Chris Kise wanted to negotiate a settlement, hoping for an exit ramp to avoid prosecuting a former president. Trump refused. So Kise never reached out to Justice.
Whether there was really any opportunity to settle is a question but insiders said, quote, "We didn't have to be here. Yet, here we are."
On July 1st, Trump is going to be in Pickens, South Carolina, as he refuses to lift his foot off the gas pedal in the 2024 race.
SOLOMON: Merrick Garland, mentioned in "The Washington Post" reporting, also defending decisions by the Justice Department. Paula Reid is in Washington.
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: This is so significant, because this is the first time that we have heard from the attorney general since Trump's indictment.
Garland appointments Jack Smith after Trump announced that he would make another run at the White House. The point of an special counsel is to take over where the Justice Department may have a conflict.
So in defending Smith, Garland is not only defending the special counsel but also the Justice Department as a whole from these vitriolic attacks. This is what Garland has said about the past few days.
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MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: As I said when I appointed Mr. Smith, I did so because it underscores the Justice Department's commitment to both independence and accountability.
Mr. Smith is a veteran career prosecutor. He has assembled a group of experienced and talented prosecutors and agents who share his commitment to integrity and the rule of law.
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REID: So you can hear the attorney general there emphasizing that these are career prosecutors, trying to differentiate there between political appointees versus people in the Justice Department through administrations of both parties.
The special counsel works independently under the same rules as the Justice Department. But the attorney general can override any prosecutorial decisions. If so, he would have to notify Congress.
The framing here seems to be from the Justice Department that not only is Jack Smith independent but they're issuing broad deference to make independent decisions, like the historic indictment of Donald Trump.
SOLOMON: It is probably not enough to stop the attacks but at least putting him on the record where he stands.
We want to bring in Laura Coates.
We are hearing from Merrick Garland talk about the independence of the investigation.
Why do you think that he would speak out?
LAURA COATES, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Well, he anticipated this would be the talking point. Maybe the reason for the early decision to announce a re-election bid by Trump was toward this talking point.
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COATES: The special counsel statute is there to stave off the political talking point that says it is the attorney general making the decision. They have handed off the reins to Jack Smith because of that.
This is likely about the talking points of hey, this is the Biden DOJ and the Biden FBI and the Biden -- you insert the next agency or head. But backing the special counsel bodes well to confirm that this is about the separation from Biden, from General Garland to, of course, Jack Smith.
SOLOMON: Trying to make it clear.
If I can go back to the reporting that emphasizes the charges could have been avoided if they had just returned the documents.
COATES: It sounds like all of it could have been avoided had he just returned the documents. The actual notion that you can retain the keys to the castle and still be the president of the United States after a duly elected president has been sworn in is absurd. Yet the notion he could say he had a right to the documents, they could quibble.
But once there was actual notice that he lacked the authority to have the documents and the back and forth to the point of having the FBI execute a search warrant.
There were so many points in time that it could have been avoided and the core of the indictment, not just the willful retention of the documents but the obstruction, trying to avoid a federal grand jury or investigation.
The conspiracy, all in control of the person who has the information, none of those points, obstruction or conspiracy has anything to do with the actual actions of the Department of Justice, the FBI, the special counsel, the NARA, it all of has to do with the conduct of Trump and his co-defendant, Will Nauta.
SOLOMON: Great to have your reporting today and to learn what was happening behind the scenes.
BERMAN: A new 2024 Race for the White House. Miami mayor Francis Suarez entering a crowded Republican field with fellow Floridians Trump and Ron DeSantis at one and two in most polling.
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MAYOR FRANCIS SUAREZ (R-FL), MIAMI, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am running for president because I think I have a different message than other candidates. I'm generational and that generational is a buzzword, but as someone who has created prosperity in the city, I'm not just focused on winning the 2024 election.
I'm focused on creating a brand of politics that can win.
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BERMAN: South Florida reporter for "Florida Politics," Jesse Scheckner. Great to see you.
Francis Suarez, who is he?
JESSE SCHECKNER, "FLORIDA POLITICS": Well, he is Miami's mayor, twice elected, serving since 2017. He has used the position as a pretty effective marketer for the city of Miami and he is now a candidate for president.
BERMAN: And in the campaign launch video, he is in jogging clothes, trying to distinguish himself from the older candidates, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who are in the race right now.
But politically speaking compared to the other Republicans running right now, where is he politically?
Might say more moderate.
SCHECKNER: I would say more moderate. Yes, he advertising himself as a law and order candidate but he has distanced himself from the hardline policy divisions that the two frontrunners in the GOP race have aligned themselves with.
BERMAN: He supported Andrew Gillum in the 2018 gubernatorial race.
This is a fairly unique place for a Republican candidate to be in a current primary, isn't it?
SCHECKNER: Yes, certainly. It may cause issues for him in the primary.
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SCHECKNER: And particularly among GOP voters who have trended far more conservative along with, you know, Trump's base. Miami is largely liberal with some deep conservative pockets but the GOP primary is a race to the Right and he may struggle without losing what distinguishes him.
BERMAN: And there are now three Floridians in the race now. I think everyone who jumps into a race wants to win. But many candidates hope they win but often have a second goal.
What might Mayor Suarez get out of this?
SCHECKNER: Well, we know Kellyanne Conway has floated idea of him running as Trump's vice president. A little speculation about a run for governor. That aside, I think that he is running for president in earnest. His success at that, I don't know what he would be looking into now but this is a lofty endeavor he is taking on.
BERMAN: Jesse, thank you.
SOLOMON: Texas governor Greg Abbott is taking responsibility for busing migrants to California.
Why the U.S. military are now deploying fighter jets to the Middle East.
And potentially, scientists say they have produced the first synthetic human embryo. We will explain.
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BERMAN: The mayor of Los Angeles is blasting Texas governor Greg Abbott for sending a busload of migrants to her city, including eight children after a nearly day-long bus ride. Some of the migrants said they did not get any food. Mayor Karen Bass, is calling this abhorrent, accusing Abbott of treating migrants as pawns.
Scientists in the U.S. and U.K. say they've created the first synthetic model embryos made from stem cells. Scientists they are helping to understand genetic diseases or the causes of miscarriages.
In Los Angeles, about 500 janitors and community allies plan to rally outside Sony Pictures and march toward Amazon Studios, saying recent actions by film studios have caused several dozen of them to lose their jobs and health care.
SOLOMON: U.S. military deploying fighter jets in the Middle East as one general describes unsafe and unprofessional behavior by Russian pilots. Oren Liebermann joins us now.
What do the U.S. officials mean when they say unsafe and unprofessional?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This is developing over the past several months, Syria is one of the places where jets can operate in the same airspace. So there's a deconfliction line between the two militaries.
The problem is, Russian pilots are ignoring it or worse. We reported on a Russian pilot weeks ago, trying to dogfight American jets. Another approached a base with U.S. troops without warning.
That is the sort of issue that can lead to a bad response or an escalation. That is why it is so concerning to the United States. The commander of U.S. CENTCOM said they are seeing unsafe and unprofessional behavior, not what we expect from a professional air force.
In response to this, the U.S. has scrambled F-22 jets to the region and have already flown missions over Syria. They were based at Langley and then moved to the area to send a message of deterrence to the Russians that they should not be doing these unsafe and unprofessional flights.
The U.S. certainly not moving its troops out of Syria; troops are there in the ongoing mission to defeat ISIS and say the Russians are interfering with that critical mission. So you can see that the Air Force is standing by to protect the troops there.
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SOLOMON: As you said, sending a message. Oren Liebermann, thank you.
BERMAN: The main focus of the counteroffensive appears to be in the South, this region here, the Ukrainians are trying to push downward to the Sea of Azov. But Ukraine says Russian troops are putting up strong resistance. With us is retired U.S. Army Major General James "Spider" Marks.
I wanted to show folks where this fighting is. It is in this region right here, not far from Zaporizhzhya, the Ukrainians retaking a sliver of territory and also a little up here in the east.
Can you explain what is happening in the fighting right now?
GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Before you can determine where you want make your main thrust, there has to be aggressive intelligence collection. You can maneuver forces, do that by fire and see how the enemy responds.
Then you make your determination to break left or right or hold, screen an area and go to another area. So this is a very deliberate move on the part of the Ukrainians to understand the enemy, understand the terrain and then put together forces.
Ideally, they'll achieve an operational maneuver to break through the initial defensive barriers to get as deep as possible to begin to separate the Russian forces.
BERMAN: You talked about the defensive barrier and the Russians have had some time to dig in. This is Crimea, where Russians have been since 2015. You can see the trench lines going in every direction here.
Tell us how the Russians have done this and how the Ukrainians can get past this defense.
MARKS: The Russians have had time. When they engage Ukrainians in direct combat, they lose. Where there isn't active fighting, you always prepare defensive positions. Every army going back gazillions of years, if you not engaging, you are digging deeper and improving your defensive procedure. That is what is happening here.
And if you go back to World War II and thinking of the hedgerows in France after Normandy, those were vicious, horrible fighting that took place over no more than 50 meters and you had to penetrate that and put soldiers at great risk and expose forces.
That labyrinth of defensive positions is incredibly difficult to fight.
BERMAN: Spider, when we are looking back at the lines here and where the Ukrainians are trying to go as they are pushing south, is it reasonable to expect that they get some kind of a breakthrough?
Is that what they are going for here, to find the weakness and flood through and push all the way to the Sea of Azov?
MARKS: Well, that is what aspirationally we'd love to see the Ukrainians achieve. But as I described with a defensive, with defensive positions, those belts, defensive positions in depth, it is very difficult.
And you may penetrate one or run into another and have to penetrate that. As you slow down your momentum, you become exposed. So it requires an increased number of forces to penetrate the (INAUDIBLE) line, hold it and penetrate to the next level.
That's what called operational success.
BERMAN: Yes, you looking at something like this and it's hard to break through and push all the way down. Spider, thank you.
SOLOMON: President Biden making good on his commitment to eliminate so-called junk fees.
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SOLOMON: He is unveiling a major pledge from Live Nation and Ticketmaster today.
And also, closing arguments in the Pittsburgh synagogue murder trial.
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SOLOMON: New this morning, the Biden administration is expected to announce Ticketmaster and Live Nation will give customers the actual price.
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