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Trump and Aide Walt Nauta's Initial Court Appearance Postponed for Next Tuesday in Classified Documents Case; Interview with Former State and Federal Prosecutor, Southern District of Florida Former Assistant U.S. Attorney And Jones Walker LLP Partner David Weinstein; PGA Tour and LIV Golf Merger to be Discussed in Senate; Interview with SI.COM Golf Writer and "Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry" Author Bob Harig; Legal Battle Between Aretha Franklin's Three Sons Over Her Estate. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired July 11, 2023 - 10:30   ET

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

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[10:30:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the world news network.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: This morning, we are following several new moves in the legal troubles facing Donald Trump. Moments ago, we learned that the first federal hearing in the classified documents case against him has been pushed back by a few days. It will now be held Tuesday, just one step in the really broader fight that the former president's legal team is waging to get the trial pushed back all of the way until after the 2024 election.

Joining us now for more on this is David Weinstein. He's a former state and federal prosecutor, and also the former assistant U.S. attorney for the southern district of Florida. David, thank you for coming in. I wanted to read for you want Donald Trump's legal team --

DAVID WEINSTEIN, FORMER STATE AND FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA, AND PARTNER, JONES WALKER LLP: You're welcome, Kate.

BOLDUAN: -- argued in part to try to get this trial pushed off until after the election. They write this, proceeding to trial during dependency of a presidential cycle wherein opposing candidates are effectively, if not literally, directly adverse to one another in this action will create extraordinary challenges in the jury selection process and limit the defendant's ability to secure a fair and impartial adjudication.

David, what do you think of this request from Donald Trump's legal team and also the legal arguments that they're making here?

WEINSTEIN: Well, Kate, I think that that works both way, that also work against the government in this situation. And keep in mind, as we sit here in July of 2023, Mr. Trump is not a candidate that has been selected by the Republican Party. He's trying to become that candidate, but he is not the candidate. And the issues that he talks about, well, those issues are going to be present whether this trial takes place today, in December, in March, or in August of next year. It is going to be difficult to get a panel of jurors who do not have an opinion about both Mr. Trump and about the government's prosecution.

So, those are really issues that are already present and don't, in any way, mitigate towards extending this trial until beyond the election.

BOLDUAN: How do you think if the judge requests more information, you know, to hear more of the argument on the part of the government, how do think they counter this before the judge and make the convincing argument? I'm hearing some of it already in what you were just saying.

WEINSTEIN: Well, I think they're also going to point out to the court that this is all hypothetical at this point, and that every case needs to have a trial date. They suggested one that moves quickly because, quite frankly, resolving this matter and selecting jury, and letting those jurors adjudicate the merits of this case are going to go a long way towards solving whatever potential problem the former president is talking about.

I think they're also going to point out that they're not asking for a trial in August, which is she has said already. They're asking for one in December at this point. And you know, she'll continue that a little bit. But to set this off indefinitely and not to have a trial date simply because one of the defendants is seeking to run for president is not something necessarily that should outweigh any other factor.

[10:35:00]

I mean, quite frankly, Kate, it would mean that anyone who is accused of a crime, anyone who's indicted, they quickly run out and say they're going to run for political office and then their case gets extended indefinitely until after the election. That's not the way the system works. It's certainly a factor to be considered, but shouldn't be the most important factor that outweighs everything else.

BOLDUAN: You know, one argument that we have heard that the government has already made is that this case is neither unusual nor complex. They think this is very straightforward in what they have and what -- and the charges that they've filed. We know that Trump's legal team is trying to make it a more complicated case. They want to look at the Presidential Records Act, and they want to bring that in to the legal argument.

Do you think December, six months after an indictment with the fact that you've got classified documents that are a part of this. You've got nine months of security camera footage that need to be gone through. And you've got, you know, tons of paperwork that needs to be looked through. Do you think December is still a reasonable date?

WEINSTEIN: I don't think it's unreasonable. Look, it is a case that involves a lot of documents, some of which are classified, and some video surveillance. I mean, quite frankly, cases in this district are set to go to trial within three to four months of indictment in cases that are even far more complicated than this. It is a case which at its core is not that complicated.

Did the documents that were found at Mar-a-Lago end up there at the hands of the two people who are charged? Were they declassified or are they classified documents? And during the course of the government trying to get them back, did the people make false misrepresentations about where the documents were and if anymore existed?

It is not that complicated a case. There are a large number of documents involved and potentially a lot of witnesses, but six months, if everybody works towards getting through everything is not an unreasonable amount of time to get ready to go to trial. And certainly, not only in this district but other districts, where the docket moves quickly, that's a lot of time.

BOLDUAN: It's great to have your perspective, David. Thank you so much for coming in this morning.

WEINSTEIN: You're welcome.

BOLDUAN: Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Right now, PGA Tour officials are on Capitol Hill defending their controversial agreement with Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Behind the scenes, PGA board members have stepped down over the deal. So, what is the CEO saying now to defend it?

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[10:40:00]

SIDNER: All right. Right now, senators are questioning PGA Tour officials, we're looking at those live pictures now about their proposed merger with Saudi-backed LIV Golf. The partnership was announced last month, causing a great deal of controversy. But some senators are warning, this is the latest attempt by Saudi Arabia to rehabilitate its image on the international stage when it comes to human rights.

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SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Uncover the facts about how this deal came together and what it means to the future of this iconic cherished American institution. And how the Saudis are taking over, not just the team, but the entire sport in the United States for the clear purpose of cleansing their public image.

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SIDNER: Joining us now is Bob Harig, he is a golf writer for si.com. Thank you so much for joining us, Bob. I want to begin with some of --

BOB HARIG, GOLF WRITER, SI.COM, AUTHOR, "TIGER AND PHIL: GOLF'S MOST FASCINATING RIVALRY": Thanks for having me.

SIDNER: -- something that Senator Blumenthal has said. One of the things he's looking into is tax exempt status for the PGA. He is looking into whether a foreign government may indirectly benefit from provision in U.S. tax laws. What would it mean to the PGA if they suddenly lose their tax-exempt status?

HARIG: Yes, listen, it's something that the tour has fought very hard to maintain for decades. There was called the 501(c)(6), they're tax exempt because they're a member organization, and obviously they don't want to lose that. Their whole business model is based on their very events being charitable organizations though. The tournaments themselves are 501 (c)(3)s, they give all of their proceeds to charity to the tune of multi-millions a year.

The deal here with the PIF is for a separate entity that would be for profit. An LLC, they're calling it PGA Tour Enterprises right now. And the PIF investment would fall under that. The DP World Tour, which is the European's, where I am in Scotland right now, would also be part of that. How that is all supposed to work and what it's all supposed to mean, none of that was spelled out in the framework agreement. It was almost like a shell of an agreement with many, many parts that still had to be put together.

[10:45:00]

SIDNER: I wanted to ask you about this, this caused a great deal of controversy, partly because initially the PGA said if the golfers go and play for LIV they cannot play on the PGA Tour. And then all of a sudden, there was a deal that was made. What do you think it was? Was it simply just a competition by LIV Golf that was big threat to the PGA and why this all turned around?

HARIG: Yes, listen, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan himself said, you know, we cannot compete with a foreign entity that has unlimited funds. And the PIF is worth some $700 billion. They've poured a lot of money into LIV with no return. And yet, it, sort of, viewed as a pittance to them. And if it's something that will help them achieve their goals, they see it as worthy.

Where the tour has found difficulty is spent multi-millions fighting (ph) a lawsuit with them, they've lost a lot of name players to LIV, PIF. Guys who are, you know, got huge upfront bonus money, got some big names in the game. Brooks Koepka who just won the PGA championship was one. Phil Mickelson, obviously, iconic figure. Dustin Johnson who won the Masters a few years ago. Cam Smith just who the Open last summer at St. Andrews, and he is a part of LIV Golf. These guys got paid a lot of money to go.

And it hurts the PGA Tour to not have them competing in their events, and certainly LIV was going to probably be recruiting more of them as time went on. So, there was the monetary challenge that they faced. They've tried to up some of their purse to keep guys from going. They might have overextended themselves to some degree. And so, here we are, after a year plus of, sort of, criticizing them, they've decided to try to work with them.

SIDNER: It was a stunning about-face that caught a lot of people in the golfing world and the rest of the world off guard, especially because of Saudi Arabia's role in the death of U.S. journalist Khashoggi. Thank you so much, Bob, for bringing us all of those details. You know it way better than we do. Appreciate you.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Some of the big stories that we are following from around the world right now, North Korea is accusing the U.S. of entering its economic zone eight times in one day, that is according to Kim Yo- jong, a senior North Korean official and also the sister of Kim Jong Un. The U.S. denies this claim but that did not stop North Korea on Monday from threatening to shoot down any U.S. spy planes that enter its territory.

And there are some sad news coming from world of professional surfing. Hawaiian pro-surfer Mikala Jones has died after a surfing accident in Indonesia. There's been no official word on what exactly happened there, but Jones' daughter says that she is in just disbelief. And she says, her father, "Got into a bad surfing accident and didn't make it." Jones was 44 years old.

And there was a spectacular site to be seen in Iceland. A volcanic eruption close to the country's capital, Reykjavik. Authorities say, the area close to the volcano is mostly uninhabited but is -- but is also still warning residents to keep their windows closed in case of dangerous gasses start building up.

Sara.

SIDNER: Those are incredible pictures.

All right. Five years after Aretha Franklin's death, her family is now in court fighting over her multi-million-dollar estate. The handwritten wills that are at the center of the legal battle, that's ahead.

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[10:50:00]

BOLDUAN: This morning, three sons of the late singer and legend Aretha Franklin are back in court in Michigan. They're battling over her estate. Now, five years after her death at the heart of the dispute are two handwritten wills found in Franklin's suburban Detroit home after she died. The court is now going to decide which will is valid and then how to finally distribute Franklin's estate which includes quite a bit music royalties, money, jewelry, property.

CNN's Chloe Melas has been following this trial. Chloe, what more are you learning about this?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, Kate, a decision could come as early as today. So, this six-person jury has to decide if a will that was written in 2014 by Aretha Franklin, not notarized, it was found under a cushion in her couch by one of her nieces, the year after her death. If it's valid, under Michigan law, her estate is worth about $18 million, you mentioned music royalties, but there's also a home involved over a million dollars. And in this will, she specifies who her item should go to, from furs to jewelry.

And you can imagine that she had amassed quite a bit of, you know, lavish things over the course of her career but she's not the only celebrity that did not have an official will at the time of her death, which might leave some people scratching their heads.

But, you know, two of her sons are saying that this 2014 will should be valid. The other son stating that, no, it should not. And then they have another son that's actually has special needs who was in a home, but in this will, you know, she's very explicit. It's four pages, and at the end, she signed it with her signature, kind of, smiley face that is in her signature. And so, you know, her legal team and that of some of her sons, they're saying that this should be valid. And so, we're going to see what the jury says today.

[10:55:00]

We have a reporter in the courtroom who is giving us all the details and court just started about an hour ago, Kate. So, maybe we'll have that decision that comes after years of infighting within the family. That decision could come very soon.

BOLDUAN: All right. I just want to come on this. Chloe, thank you.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Just minutes from now, President Biden expected to meet with the Turkish president after a huge development at the NATO Summit. Turkey's agreement not to block Sweden's membership into NATO. We are live with details in Lithuania, next.

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