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U.S. Officials: No Indication Missile Downed Prigozhin's Plane; Trump To Surrender Hours From Now In Atlanta; Trump Files Motion To Oppose October 23 Trial Date Set By Fulton County D.A. Willis; Trump Says He'll Surrender To Atlanta Jail at 7:30 Tonight; Mark Meadows Surrenders At Fulton Co. Jail; House Judiciary Committee Republicans Launch Investigation Into Fulton County D.A. Willis. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired August 24, 2023 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Mike Pence was so animated during that debate last night, particularly with Ramaswamy, who was disrespectful to a former vice president, whom he said had no experience, didn't know what he was talking about.

And so did -- and so did Nikki Haley say that to Ramaswamy. And they took him on frontally. And I think she, in particular, has really grown as a candidate.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, it was very interesting to see her on that stage. I don't know, in the primary audience, how that's going to fly, but certainly, I think she impressed a lot of people with her performance.

BORGER: Well, she told some hard truths that a lot of people didn't want to hear, particularly how much money Donald Trump spent when he was president of the United States. That audience was probably not receptive to that, but that is the hard truth and she said it.

KEILAR: And she would know, certainly.

Gloria Borger, Geoff Duncan, thank you very much to both of you.

Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: He challenged Putin, now he's presumed dead. More details coming in about the plane that crashed with mercenary leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, believed to have been on board.

Also, Putin just spoke about it. We'll have the news, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:28]

SCIUTTO: We continue to follow the breaking news. Officials tell myself and my colleagues, Oren Liebermann and Katie Bo Lillis, that they have not seen indications that a missile took down the plane of Wagner mercenary chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Officials caution that they're still doing their assessments, early to

draw conclusions, but a number of possibilities being evaluated, including that of an on board explosive device causing the crash.

At the same time, the Russian president has spoken about the presumed death of Prigozhin.

Here he is, giving a nationally televised statement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): I knew Prigozhin for a very long time, since the early '90s. He was a man of difficult fate.

And he made serious mistakes in life. And he achieved the results needed both for himself, and when I asked him about it, for a common cause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Joining us now, Ambassador Bill Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

And when you listen to the Russian president there do those sounds like crocodile tears.

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: He didn't sound too sad. He's, in all likelihood, he's responsible for that death.

SCIUTTO: Is a Russia where senior officials can be killed at any moment, including a plane blowing up out of the sky north of Moscow an inherently unstable place?

TAYLOR: I think it is. I think it's an unstable place. I think that the chain of command is not stable, is not united. Putin is clearly looking to see who's with him and who's against him. He figured out finally two months later that Prigozhin wasn't.

But he's also gotten rid of some generals, several generals. And they don't know if Putin trusts them. He doesn't know if their loyal to -- the chain of command, the military chain of command in Russia has some problems.

SCIUTTO: He lost things yesterday, Putin. Prigozhin, he did attempt a coup against the leader. He shot at the king and missed.

But Prigozhin led Wagner Group, which was the only Russian military unit that made territorial gains this year in Bakhmut. Highly effective but ruthless.

But he also fired Surovikin yesterday who was a respected Russian military commander, among several who were not so respected. He's the one who set up those defenses in the east.

Is Putin and Russia weaker without them? TAYLOR: I think Russia and Putin are both weaker. Now, you could argue

that Putin is a little bit stronger today with Prigozhin killed.

SCIUTTO: Right.

TAYLOR: That is, he's reasserted some authority.

However, it has to be true that he is weaker today than he has before June 24th when the mutiny happened.

When the mutiny happened, that displayed, that showed that Putin didn't have full control.

And it showed that there were a lot of people that didn't support him. There was no pushback on Prigozhin as he was heading for Moscow. Even in the military.

So that shows a weakness there. So I think, overall, Putin and Russia are still weak.

SCIUTTO: So Putin has killed dissidents and critics and challengers before, often in none-too-subtle ways. Radioactive polonium in London to kill Alexander Litvinenko, poisoning Navalny on a commercial flight, nerve agent on a doorknob in Salisbury, England, to kill somebody else he perceived to be a traitor.

Do you see messaging here in this attack? For instance, a private jet, a lot of very powerful Russians use private jets.

TAYLOR: This is a strong message to people around Putin, but also in that whole regime. And this is -- as you say, Jim, blatant. I mean it is an explosion of an aircraft in the air carrying this man. Everybody knew he was on the flight.

So there's no -- this is not subtle. This is not the poison in the underwear.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Right.

TAYLOR: This is explosion of airplanes.

SCIUTTO: There's been a lot of talk about the sluggish progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive running into these highly formidable Russian defenses in the east.

I wonder, do you see an opportunity here for Ukraine given division at home and the loss of those Wagner forces in Ukraine?

TAYLOR: Two things. One, I think there is some progress, slow, grinding, but some momentum, some progress on the part of the Ukrainians in this counteroffensive. It's slow and hard for the reasons that you have said.

[14:40:01]

Two, your second point is exactly right. That is, the Russian chain of command is not focused on Ukraine right now. It's focused on itself.

SCIUTTO: Survival.

TAYLOR: That's enough, survival. And that's an opportunity for the Ukrainians.

SCIUTTO: Last night, I'm sure you noticed in the Republican debate that there was a clear fault line within the GOP.

You had someone like Nikki Haley making the strong case the U.S. --it is very much in U.S. interests to help defend Ukraine. You heard Vivek Ramaswamy getting some cheers by saying, we should not be sending our money there.

Are you concerned that U.S. support for Ukraine will waver, even based on the outcome of this coming election?

TAYLOR: Jim, I think the American people support Ukraine and oppose the brutal regime, the killer regime in the Kremlin. I think that support is strong.

Most of all of the votes that have been so far in the Congress, strong support for Ukraine. I think that will continue.

SCIUTTO: We'll be watching.

Ambassador Bill Taylor, thanks so much.

TAYLOR: Thanks, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Brianna?

KEILAR: Still ahead, how are officials in Georgia preparing for the surrender of their highest profile defendant as protests are building?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:35]

KEILAR: Law enforcement is on high alert in Atlanta ahead of former President Trump's arrival. He'll be landing here in a few hours, not to campaign, but to surrender on felony racketeering and conspiracy charges tied to the 2020 election interference in Georgia.

And this is going to be his fourth time being booked on criminal charges.

It's a more familiar site than a few months ago, but no less tense there on the ground. Trump supporters and protester are already at the Fulton County jail along with quite an increased police presence.

The former president just posting this on Truth Social:

Quote, "I have to start getting ready to head down to Atlanta, Georgia, where murder and other violent crimes have reached levels never seen before to get arrested by a radical left low-life District Attorney Fani Willis for a perfect phone call and having the audacity to challenge a rigged and stolen election. The evidence is irrefutable. Arrest time, 7:30 p.m."

Of course, the evidence is refutable.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz has new information for us coming from the Trump team.

Quite an interesting post there, considering that he is not supposed to be posting negative things about -- it doesn't say necessarily Fani Willis.

But I think that's open to interpretation when you read the parameters of what he's supposed to be doing and not doing here, Katelyn.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME & JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, that's going to be something that would have to be looked at by prosecutors, as well as judges to see how Donald Trump and others comply with their bond release terms, to see if they do cross any lines.

But actually, we are just getting information that Donald Trump is opposing the trial date that the district attorney, Fani Willis, wants to have or what she's asking for already.

She's asked for an October 23rd date. That would be a very fast track to get to trial in this 19-defendant case. And Trump, in a court filing just now, is saying, it's on. We're going to fight this. We don't want to do it. We want to delay, somehow.

And what he's asking to do is that any defendant who wants a speedy trial, something that is the right of defendants to have, to have some sort of quick and speedy right to justice, to clear their names or get the chance to clear their names at trial, Trump does not want to be tried with those people, if there are people who want to go to trial very fast.

He's saying that he wants to be taken -- removed from that case, taken away from those who want to do that, like Ken Chesebro and other defendants in the cases that want to go to trial fast as well.

And Trump wants a hearing. Now we will be watching to see how the judge responds.

Now that we've heard from the D.A.'s office on a trial date, now that we've heard from Trump's side on the trial date, we could be moving very fast towards hearings, towards more filings, towards more information from different defendants.

And to get the positions of all 19 of these people. They are not all going to want the same things as this case goes forward.

At the same time, we have a lot of other moving parts here, because there are so many pieces that have to come into place by tomorrow at noon.

All of these 19 defendants, I believe, now have either turned themselves in to jail or have a bond agreement and will be turning themselves into jail.

And so the latest was that Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, he has surrendered over at the jail, is in the process of being arrested.

And we are waiting to see what happens with Jeffrey Clark, the Justice Department official who was trying to hold off his arrest like Meadows has done.

I believe Jeffrey Clark was just putting on social media as well, that he is in Atlanta. That he is in town.

And so a lot of moving parts, a lot to watch, especially here at the courthouse, as well as at the jail.

KEILAR: Yes. And we will be watching. It is a big day there in Atlanta.

Katelyn Polantz, live for us outside of the Fulton County courthouse.

I want to go to CNN's Nick Valencia outside to have the Fulton County jail.

Nick, give us a sense of what is happening there. Obviously, so many different agencies are coordinating on the arrival of the former president.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the former president being the most famous and most notable person ever to walk through the doors of the Fulton County jail. And with that comes a lot of pressure when it comes to security.

Law enforcement officials are on heightened alert here. We understand from sources that several law agencies are part of a mutual-aid agreement and are working in coordination around this Fulton County jail.

[14:50:04]

In part, because of the explosive rhetoric around this case from the former president, calling the district attorney a racist, saying this is politically motivated.

And putting an all-call out for his supporters to come up here and rally in support. And they did just that. Even before the sun came up, we saw Trump supporters walking the streets here, holding signs, others driving through the streets here, honking in support of the president.

They've since this street down. We did see a couple of supporters still walking the street. Most of the activity when it comes to supporters is on the other side of this complex.

Where, in response to the big crowds, we did see and learn about the deployment of three separate teams in tactical gear. Nothing has happened so far. The environment is controlled but there are police, and a strong police presence there.

The norm here, it seems, is those attached to the case, death threats. The Fulton County district attorney received death threats. So much so that she had to change the security detail.

Then it was the county grand jurors. They received threats of violence. Even the leadership at the Fulton County Sheriff's officer received threats to their personal homes.

All of that is contributing to the heightened sense of alert here. As we're hours away from the former president turning himself in to be arrested -- Brianna?

KEILAR: The former president's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, went in a side door there at the Fulton County jail a short time ago to be processed. Do we know if he is still inside?

VALENCIA: All indications are that he has been released. Dianne Gallagher saw an attorney for Mark Meadows at a nearby bail bondsman a short time ago. They did not see Mark Meadows.

And it is worth noting, Brianna, that he has maintained a really low profile as his former boss deals with this legal peril, four indictments in the last five months. And really no sign of Meadows until today -- Brianna?

KEILAR: Very interesting.

Nick Valencia, thank you so much.

Jim?

SCIUTTO: Up next, with Trump set to surrender in hours in Georgia, House Republicans are expected to start investigating the D.A. behind his indictment. On what basis? We'll have the details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:56:38]

SCIUTTO: As Donald Trump prepares to surrender at the county jail in Georgia, just hours from now, Republicans on Capitol Hill are looking at the Fulton County D.A. who brought those charges, Fani Willis.

The House Judiciary Committee is launching an investigation into Willis. Not the first time Chairman Jim Jordan has launched an investigation into investigators investigating Trump.

CNN's Melanie Zanona is on Capitol Hill.

Melanie, the D.A. went to the grand jury, as the law states. Got a grand jury to indict, presented the evidence, and they made the decision to do so. What is the basis exactly of this investigation?

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, Jim, first, we should point out this is a very familiar play book for House Republicans. We saw the same thing happen after Trump was indicted by the Manhattan district attorney's office.

Now, perhaps not so coincidentally, Republicans are wrapping up their attacks on Fani Willis, the Fulton County D.A., on the same day Trump is going to turn himself over to the county jail.

My colleague and I first reported that the House Judiciary Committee was planning on opening up an investigation into the district attorney's office.

They did send the letter earlier today asking whether Willis either used federal funds or coordinated with the Department of Justice or special counsel's office in her investigation into Georgia election interference.

In this letter, Chairman Jim Jordan raised questions about her motivation. I want to read you part of that letter.

He wrote, "Your indictment and prosecution implicates substantial federal interests and it raises serious concerns about whether they are politically motivated.

"Moreover, you have requested the trial in this matter begin on March 4, 2024, the day before Super Tuesday and eight days before the Georgia presidential primary."

Now, the D.A.'s office declined to comment.

But we should point out, in the past, Willis has denied that she has had any coordination with the special counsel's office and she has strongly defended her investigation against accusations of political bias.

So she has until September 7th to hand over any documents or communication regarding this request. It is unclear whether she will respond or to the extent she will respond, given that this is an ongoing criminal investigation -- Jim?

SCIUTTO: Now she's moved up her request for the trial date to October, which, of course, is not on the eve of Super Tuesday. Does that change the Judiciary Committee's claim for the investigation here?

ZANONA: The point here, Jim, is that Republicans are just really trying to show that they are doing everything in their power to defend Donald Trump.

I think there's a lot of questions about what jurisdiction they have, if any, over the state-level matters.

In this letter, Jim Jordan tried to make the case they do, indeed, have a stake here because it affects a former president and the welfare of the former president is important to them.

He cited a number of other instances, which he claims show political biases, like she's requiring a mugshot of Donald Trump, which is standard practice. But I think the big picture, again, is Republicans ramping up their

attacks as a form of messaging and even counterprogramming today -- Jim?

SCIUTTO: We should note that Republican state officials in Georgia are some of the witnesses against Trump there, fighting some of the impression that this is all about a liberal prosecutor.

Melanie Zanona, thanks so much.

Quite a day ahead for this country.

KEILAR: Yes, quite a day ahead.

And we're going to be seeing here, shortly, former President Trump leaving Bedminster, New Jersey. He'll be there at the Fulton County jail after Atlanta rush-hour traffic, as we understand. He tweeted 7:30 p.m.

SCIUTTO: And a lot --

KEILAR: On Truth Social -- sorry.