Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Grand Jury Meets as Trump Braces for Possible 3rd Indictment; Kremlin Says It's Moving to Stop More Drone Attacks on Moscow; House GOP Announces Probe Into Hunter Biden Plea Deal. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired August 01, 2023 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Congresswoman, but very on brand. I love that she put out a statement tied to it. Shout out to POLITICO's the huddle. They scooped this last week. But she put out a statement. We'll do that, right, when your kids are like --

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Tattoos.

MATTINGLY: Tattoos.

HARLOW: Only one of us at this table has tattoos, and it is not me.

MATTINGLY: All right.

HARLOW: We'll see you here tomorrow. CNN News Central is now.

MATTINGLY: Have a good one, guys.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, the federal grand jury investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election has arrived at the courthouse in Washington, D.C. As we learned, a Special Counsel has obtained new surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago in his other investigation of Trump's mishandling of classified documents.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A brand-new poll out just this morning shows a race between President Biden and Donald Trump would be a dead heat. There is insight, though, on the key voting blocks that could determine the outcome of the election.

SIDNER: Plus, we have new photos from inside the home of the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer, what his wife is now saying about her family since his arrest. The suspect in court later today.

I'm Sara Sidner along with John Berman, Kate Bolduan is off today. And this is CNN News Central.

A live look for you outside the Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C. where right now, the federal grand jury investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results is meeting.

Trump received a target letter, as you know, weeks ago. So any day the grand jury meets could be the day they issue an indictment. In the classified documents case where Trump has already been charged. CNN has learned that the Special Counsel has obtained new surveillance footage from the former President's Mar-a-Lago resort -- resort. According to a court filing, the video was obtained after the initial indictment was handed up in early June. That footage is connected to the new obstruction charges brought against Donald Trump, Walt Nauta and their new co-defendant, Carlos De Oliveira.

CNN Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Katelyn Polantz is outside the court with more on all of these new developments. Katelyn?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Sara, any day, any hour that the grand jury is meeting. They now could be presented with that indictment and asked to vote on it related to the former President Donald Trump's actions when he was president after the 2020 election leading up to and on January 6.

So the reason we say that it could happen at any moment now is because this grand jury is in today. This is the grand jury that has been investigating January 6 and the 2020 election, with the being ushered through this investigation by the Special Counsel's office appointed to specifically look at Trump and others at high levels of the Trump administration, the political environment.

And they have been investigating this for several months. And then Donald Trump got a target letter just two weeks ago thereabouts saying that he was very likely to be charged by this grand jury on at least three charges, three substantial charges, conspiracy, obstruction, and a deprivation of rights charge.

If there would be more that is possible, we don't know if there would be additional defendants. We don't know when the grand jury would be asked to approve this. But we're now in that window where they very could well be gathering to hear what the indictment would be, and it could be handed up through the court system because Donald Trump's defense attorneys did meet with the Special Counsel's office just last Thursday. The grand jury was in that day as well. And they don't seem to have a huge runway ahead of them of witnesses.

So we're watching, we're waiting, we're seeing exactly what will happen inside the courthouse here. We have a whole team of people making sure that we're not missing anything that would be public inside this courthouse, Sara. And it is just another possibility of activity after last week was such a busy week, not just in this case, but also with that indictment.

Another indictment returned against Donald Trump through the federal system in Florida related to obstruction of justice and the retention of documents after the presidency. A totally different case.

SIDNER: Yeah. And we saw in the classified documents case that Donald Trump's lawyers met with the states -- or the federal attorneys, and not long after that, there were charges that came down.

I want to talk to you about Georgia, another case being investigated, similar circumstances, give us some sense of one more person has been subpoenaed to be a witness to that grand jury. Who was it and what are they saying?

POLANTZ: Well, this is a journalist based in Georgia named George Chidi. And he is a journalist that has testified before. Once before, about a year ago, he says, in the totally another separate investigation. The investigation being led by the Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis also looking at Donald Trump and others behavior after the 2020 election.

[09:05:12]

And George Chidi is saying publicly he posted a post on The Intercept explaining that he got an additional two subpoenas calling him to testify to one or two, both of the grand jury's that are going to be looking at possible charges that the Fulton County grand jury could be approving there, that the district attorney has long signaled that she's very likely to bring through the grand jury in Georgia related to the 2020 election.

And what he was witnessed to, the reason that he is being called to testify and had been called to testify before, was because he stumbled upon what he calls a clandestine meeting of Trump electors inside the State House in December of 2020.

People that had gathered and told him that they were having an education meeting, kicked him out of the room, and then apparently then did meet to try and put forward electoral votes for Donald Trump that were not accurate in that Joe Biden had won the state. And the electoral votes were to go toward Joe Biden, not Donald Trump. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, I know you are waiting to hear what the grand jury is going to do, potentially today outside that courtroom in Washington, D.C. in the federal case. Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much. John?

BERMAN: All right, with us now is Bradley Moss, National Security Attorney and Partner at the law office of Mark S. Zaid. Bradley, great to see you. Look, we have one eye on the grand jury in Washington, D.C. Everyone on indictment watch. But I just want to start with what we just saw in Georgia. The subpoena for George Chidi, this journalist who had has testified before that he witnessed this meeting of so- called fake electors in the Georgia State House on that day. Why is that important? Why is it important if someone saw this so-called clandestine meeting? There goes Bradley.

We're going to -- I'm going to riff for a second. While we try to get his shot back up. But in Georgia, George Chidi, who is this journalist, says he walked into the State House and he saw a meeting of what appeared to be a group of would-be Republican electors meeting in a room. They told him it was an education meeting and they kicked him out.

Now, he testified to the special grand jury in Georgia about this first. He says he's been called back and will testify to again in front of a criminal grand jury. That is the Georgia case, where an indictment, frankly, is expected sometime in the next few weeks in Washington D.C. at this moment, a federal grand jury is meeting. They are investigating Donald Trump's actions when he was president surrounding January 6 anytime this grand jury meets, they could issue an indictment. That indictment could be minutes, hours away. We're watching it very closely. Sara?

SIDNER: John Berman can tell you everything you need to know. He doesn't need a guest. He can do it himself. All right. He doesn't need, no guests.

All right, here we go. New footage for you this morning taken inside the front line of the counteroffensive. These Ukrainian troops working toward Bakhmut as Ukrainian officials say they are making some gains. That push is coming as Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow again. The Kremlin responding this morning, saying it's taking steps to prevent any future attacks. Russia says it brought down three drones, and one of them hit the same building that was hit on Sunday.

The Russian Ministry of Defense called the strike a terrorist attack, while a Ukrainian presidential adviser says the strikes are a sign that Moscow is now getting used to a full-fledged war. CNN's Nic Robertson joins us from London with more on where all of this stands. You now are seeing Russian -- you know citizens, really seeing the war come home.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR; This is really true. And remarkably, the Ukrainians able to hit the same building two nights later in the same fancy district, a commercial district almost in the heart of Moscow, an area where, by the way, there are some government offices. They're not particularly important offices, they're branches. They're sort of weights and measures, technical offices. Maybe one of them has to do with electronic development and may have a connection to drones.

But who knows why the Ukrainians targeted these buildings? Again, they targeted them to -- targeted them a week ago, they targeted them at the weekend, and they hit the same building twice. That shows that they can punch through whatever Russian defenses there are, it seems. And that also puts light to the Russian narrative that they managed to shoot down two of the three drones that were fired and use electronic means to make the other one crash. Well, hey, it appears to have crashed and exploded into the same building it hit yesterday.

So, yes, for citizens in Moscow, this is a situation now where the government and they will have to take appropriate measures. And that's what we heard from the Kremlin today. They said they had actually moved out those government workers from that neighborhood subsequent to the attack on Sunday.

[09:10:06]

So it is reaching into Moscow. But is it going to change the political dynamic? Will it undermine President Putin? Way too early to say that, but it does seem that the Ukrainians are making a point of this, of using these munitions to really send a message to the Kremlin. Maybe they can no longer hit the roof of the Kremlin building, but they're finding other places that the Russian leadership does care about to hit. SIDNER: Yeah. And certainly the citizens there, they could no longer

-- Russia can no longer tell them that there isn't a war going on because it is clear it has come home. Nic Robertson, thank you so much for that update. Appreciate it. John?

BERMAN: The suspect accused in the Gilgo Beach killings is expected in court today. We're learning new information about the search for clues, including the first photos from inside the home.

Republicans are demanding answers from the Justice Department about what they are calling a sweetheart deal that was given to the president's son, Hunter Biden.

And the U.S. Women's soccer team narrowly survives a last-minute scare, advancing to the next round with the World Cup, barely all that and more if the technology works. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:15:18]

SIDNER: We're learning more about the American woman who has been arrested and charged in alleged murder for hire plot in the Bahamas. Prosecutors say Lindsay Shiver conspired with two Bahamian men to kill her estranged husband. But authorities say they were able to stop them before all that happened. CNN's Nick Valencia is following this story for us.

Nick, what can you tell us about how this all went down and how they were caught?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sara, this is a wild story. And what makes this story even crazier is exactly how police were able to successfully foil this plot. A Bahamian police source tells me that they were investigating a local break in at a local business when they recovered a phone and they were going through evidence, trying to gather evidence on that phone, when they stumbled across written text messages on that phone indicating that this sinister murder for hire plot existed.

It's not entirely clear who that phone belonged to. Police wouldn't elaborate on details. We do know, though, that two local Bahamian men were taken into custody. And according to local prosecutors, they agreed to carry out this murder for hire plot on the husband of American Lindsay Shiver on July 16 on the island of Abaco there in the Bahamas.

The three suspects were in court on Friday. They did not have to enter a plea. And on social media, it seemed to indicate social media belonging to Lindsay Shiver, that she and her husband, her estranged husband attended Auburn University in the early 2000s. He played football on that team. And the social media looks like they are just a happy church going family. But it was back in April, according to court documents that we obtained, that her husband filed for divorce, citing adulterous conduct of his wife as the reason for that divorce. Lindsay Shiver filed for divorce herself the next day. We have reached

out to the attorneys in those divorce proceedings, but we have not yet heard back. Meanwhile, those three suspects in the Bahamas have their next court appearance on October 5. Sar?

SIDNER: And we'll be waiting to hear from those suspects when you get that. Thank you so much for that update. I appreciate it. John?

BERMAN: You got it. All right, this afternoon, the Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect will be in court on Long Island here in New York. It will be his first court appearance since he pleaded not guilty to the murders of three women.

We have also learned the suspect's wife has now filed for divorce and her attorney is speaking with CNN. CNN's Brynn Gingras outside the courthouse. I think, Brynn, what are we expecting today?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, John, listen, we're not expecting very much from Rex Heuermann himself. He will be inside the court, but this is a status hearing, the next step in the process after he has been charged with six different charges in relation to the three murders of those women whose bodies were found on Gilgal Beach more than a decade ago.

While he's not speaking out, we haven't heard from him. We are certainly hearing more from his wife, or soon to be ex-wife, from her divorce attorney who spoke to CNN last night. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MACEDONIO, ATTORNEY FOR WIFE OF GILGO BEACH MURDER SUSPECT: Everything in the house was turned upside down. Dresser drawers were emptied out. The bathroom tub, which was a vinyl tub, was actually cut open. The floors were ripped up. The couches and the mattresses have been removed, and just piles and piles of debris that were left in the residence where you barely had walking space to get into the house.

It's been extremely overwhelming for her and the children trying to piece life back together, what it was two and a half weeks ago. I don't know if they're ever going to return to normalcy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: Piece their lives back together. What you're hearing described there is the attorney of Asa Ellerup, the soon to be again ex-wife of Rex Heuermann, who described how she is returning back to her home with her two children, only allowed to go in there and sort of take an inventory of what they have left after police remember, John, spent almost two weeks sifting through that house, every inch of it, and according to them and the pictures that they sent us, tearing up things to try to find evidence that could possibly relate to the crimes he's already been charged with or any other crimes that are still being investigated at this point.

They said their life right now is chaotic, and certainly, as you just saw there, they are trying to sort of get back to some sort of normalcy, if that exists. John.

BERMAN: Brynn, has the soon to be ex-wife, as you put it, spoken to her soon to be ex-husband, the suspected serial killer?

GINGRAS: Yes. So her divorce attorney says they have spoken, and we know that the communications happen right through the jail. Those are recorded. He says, obviously they can't get into the details of what those talks are about, but it's certainly not about the case.

I do know, though, talking to the sheriff's department that they have not visited. She has not actually gone to the jail to visit her soon to be ex-husband, but apparently those communications are happening. And certainly we'll keep you updated, what happens in court today with this next process in the case. John.

BERMAN: All right, it will be a busy day. It's great to have you there. Terrific reporting as always. Brynn Gingras, thank you very much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. The Idaho woman convicted of murdering two of her children and conspiring to kill her husband's first wife will spend the rest of her life in prison.

[09:20:06]

At sentencing, Lori Vallow Daybell denied killing her teenage daughter and seven-year-old son. She said she had spoken to them after their death and they were happy and extremely busy in heaven. The judge said she has shown no remorse and no religion would condone their murders.

The State Department is working with Haitian authorities to try to secure the release of an American nurse and her child who were kidnapped last week. A Christian aid group funded by the woman's husband says many people are laboring for their return, but it cannot share more details at this point. It is still unclear who abducted them near Haiti's capital or if any demands have been made yet.

Paul Reubens, the man behind Pee-wee Herman and Pee-wee's Playhouse, passed away at the age of 70. Reubens was an accomplished actor and comic on many fronts. He created the Pee-wee character with the LA Comedy group The Groundlings and brought him to the big screen in Pee- wee's Big adventure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL REUBENS, ACTOR: Exhibit A, Exhibit A, a photograph of the victims. My bike and me.

Exhibit B. Another photograph. What's missing from this picture? It's just me without my bike. Is this something you could share with the rest of us? Amazing Larry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Strange and wonderful, Ruebens had been battling cancer privately for the last six years, but he left behind a statement for his fans that says, in part, I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:26:27]

BERMAN: This morning, three top House Republicans want to hear from the Department of Justice about the plea deal with Hunter Biden. House Committee Chairs Jim Jordan, James Comer, and Jason Smith sent a letter to the attorney general demanding documents and information about the deal that unraveled in a Delaware courtroom last week.

The request comes just hours after one of Hunter Biden's former business partners testified behind closed doors on capitol Hill. Devon Archer told lawmakers that president Biden spoke to his son's international business associates several times. But over nearly five hours of questioning, he reportedly insisted that Hunter was merely trying to sell the illusion of access and that the President was never actually involved. He was then Vice President or a private citizen involved with any of his son's business deals.

CNN's Zach Cohen has been following every aspect of this. You were outside the hearing all day yesterday. Bring us up to speed.

ZACH COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, John, when an impartial judge overseeing this Hunter Biden plea deal raised questions after it seemed to unravel and then come back together in the courtroom last week, it really opened the door for Republicans to, you know, raise their own questions about how this deal came together and whether Hunter Biden got special treatment.

Now, the names of these three House Republicans you mentioned who are launching this investigation probably come as no surprise. They include Jim Jordan, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, James Comer, the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, and you know, Jason Smith, the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

And look, this is part of a broader investigative pursuit by Republicans in the House, you know, under pressure from Donald Trump to really pursue every avenue possible related to Joe Biden and Hunter Biden. And they've really increased their focus on Hunter Biden specifically trying to tie the President to his son's various legal problems.

Now, that's where you get into what happened yesterday behind closed doors when Devon Archer, the former Business Associate of Hunter Biden, testified for over five hours before this Committee and didn't provide any smoking gun evidence connecting the President directly to Hunter Biden's foreign business deals.

And going into the hearing, that was the expectation that Republicans set. That was really what they had hoped Devon Archer might provide for them. But ultimately, he did not. So not surprising that we're going to continue to see Republicans, you know, initiate more and more investigations into the President with an eye toward possibly impeaching him. But I want to point out this sound bite from yesterday. Sean Hannity

at Fox News was talking to James Comer and Jim Jordan after Devon Archer's testimony. Take a listen to what they said when they were asked if they can back up these bribery allegations that they've been claiming in public against the President and son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES COMER, (R) CHAIRMAN, OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: Well, every day this bribery scandal becomes more credible.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Do you believe that this is now officially the Joe Biden bribery allegation? And do you believe that you will be able to prove that? Jim Comer?

COMER: I sure hope so. And I do believe that there's a lot of smoke, and when there's smoke, there's fire. We just heard testimony today that Joe Biden had lied to the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So Hunter Biden's legal problems aside, Republicans have been sort of putting out these allegations in public and then trying to find the evidence to back them up. The White House has vehemently denied that President Biden is involved in any of his son's foreign business dealings. They put out this statement really demanding Republicans stop what they called a wild goose chase and focus on other issues, working with the White House to accomplish those.

So there's no doubt that Republicans are going to continue to investigate Joe Biden through his son, Hunter.

[09:30:00]