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GOP-Led House Committee Holds Biden Impeachment Inquiry Hearing; American Soldier Travis King Back On U.S. Soil; CNN Walks With Migrants Trekking For Days Toward U.S.; Some GOP Members Call Impeachment Inquiry "Unmitigated Disaster"; Baton Rouge Police Accused Of Torturing Detainees. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired September 28, 2023 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: And the politics has become more and more craven. And I think what we're seeing today is really Exhibit A of that.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: We may have already lost civility and respect in many regards, right?
BORGER: That's right.
KEILAR: And look, a lot of Republicans agreed with Joe Biden on those points he said about democracy. And we'll be looking --
BORGER: And a lot of Republicans didn't want this impeachment inquiry.
KEILAR: Right. We'll be looking forward to that speech.
Gloria, thank you so much.
BORGER: Sure.
KEILAR: Tim, thank you so much for being with us.
Ahead, the U.S. Army private who willingly went into North Korea is back on U.S. soil after North Korea expelled him. We'll have an update on how he's doing and what happens to Travis King now.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plus, CNN is in Mexico traveling with migrants who have been walking for days toward the U.S. border. We're going to take a closer look at what their journey is like.
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[13:35:28]
KEILAR: The U.S. Army private who ran across the border into North Korea is back in the U.S. today. And 23-year-old Travis King was flown to San Antonio, Texas, overnight.
A CNN camera capturing what appeared to be King, escorting him off the plane by several people. You can see there in that oval shot. His return coming after what U.S. officials described as an "intense
diplomatic effort."
CNN's Oren Liebermann is at the Pentagon following this story.
Oren, what are you learning?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Now the question is, how is he doing and what happens to him next? According to U.S. officials briefed after Private Travis King entered U.S. military custody after leaving North Korea, he was in good spirits, and spoke with his family.
Since then, since landing at Joint Base San Antonio much earlier this morning, he was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center, where he will get a medical evaluation and begin the recovery.
That's where Americans are taken after they have left detention so they can reacclimate to life back in the United States.
What happens next, though? That is a question for which there doesn't appear to be an answer right now. We've asked the Army on this point.
Because officials here had said he could face further disciplinary actions. He was absent without leave, and willfully and intentionally ran into North Korea, ran into an adversary state.
That would certainly, you would expect, bring with it administrative action of some sort of discipline.
The question, if and when the Army will bring that forward or his commanders will. And that' a question we don't have an answer to yet. We've asked the Army and they say that's down the road. Right now, we're focused on his recovery.
But, Brianna, either way, it's a difficult choice to make here. He certainly went AWOL, and the military doesn't want to set a precedent by not bringing forward some sort of administrative action. But at the same time, he just spent some 70 days in North Korean detention.
KEILAR: Yes. They certainly have to look into why he did that.
Oren Liebermann, live for us at the Pentagon, thank you.
Boris?
SANCHEZ: Mexico's president says he's inviting the governments of 10 nations to discuss the rise in numbers of migrants. A significant number of them have been crossing not only into the United States, but also through his own country's southern border with Guatemala.
The announcement follows Mexico's pledge last week to help curb the tide of migrants heading to the United States, which U.S. officials say is working to cut down numbers significantly.
We want to give you a firsthand look of what it's like for a group of migrants crossing into Mexico, one day of their journey.
Here's CNN's David Culver.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're here in southern Mexico and we're walking with a group of migrants. We actually met this group in Guatemala. They have been making the trek for about 18 days.
They're originally from Venezuela. A couple of families and some other stragglers who have come together, and they have gotten to know each other along the way.
The reason we're walking right now with them, and some are trying to hurry up, is they're trying to go around a migration checkpoint.
They were picked up on the riverbank on the Mexico side, taken in a van. Of course, they had to pay. And brought to just before the checkpoint.
That's when they were all unloaded. That's where you can see these folks are walking behind high grass. They're finding their way to catch up with the same van, but on the other side of the checkpoint.
We should point out we're able to go around it because we can choose any route because we're here legally. They are not in Mexico legally. In fact, they have not entered any of the countries since leaving Venezuela legally.
Their hope, of course, like every else, is to get to the U.S. But this shows you a since of how what normally would be an hour's drive turns out to be a whole day for them turns out to be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Our thanks to David Culver for that report.
[13:39:18]
In just moments, we're going to head back to Capitol Hill. More fireworks as House Republicans are holding their first impeachment inquiry hearing into President Biden. Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
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REP. MAXWELL FROST (D-FL): -- what's going on. There is no evidence of crime. Only desperation and political pressure.
This is what's going on. The far right called for the sham impeachment hearing with no evidence at the beginning of this year when we first got started. This impeachment inquiry has been going on. This is not the first hearing we've had in relation to this. On September 1st, the Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy says, no,
we're not going to see that. We don't have the evidence. We don't have the votes for it to pass on the House floor. We're not going to do it. A good decision in my opinion.
But then, just 12 days later, 12 precious days later, something happens. I'm not sure what, but something happens. Because then the Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy comes out and says, yes, we will do an impeachment inquiry.
So what happened between these 12 days? It's very simple. Three threats from members of his own caucus at the direction of former President Donald Trump changed his mind.
Number one, the threats of force on impeachment, which would lose on the House floor and be another embarrassment in the long list of embarrassment in the Congress for the speaker of the House.
[13:45:02]
Number two, they would threaten to shut down the government, something that will happen in just two days.
And number three -- and this is the one that really got to him. They said, you are about to lose your job. And they said we will remove you as speaker of the House.
That scared him so much that Kevin McCarthy, the speaker of the House of the United States of House of Representatives, third in line to the presidency, completely caved, due to the threats of people within his own caucus.
This fake impeachment is based --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: That was Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost of Florida, there, just moments ago at the Republican-led impeachment inquiry beginning there in the House of Representatives.
We are learning that this hearing actually might not be going as planned, though. One senior GOP member telling CNN this is, quote, "an unmitigated disaster."
So why is that?
Let's go to CNN's Melanie Zanona, who is following all of this.
Mel, what are you seeing?
MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Yes, Brianna, you're exactly right. This hearing today is not playing out the way Republicans had hoped it would. And that was even after they set basically a low bar for themselves.
We were told that Republicans were not going to be breaking any new ground, that they were not going to be presenting new evidence. That really, they just trying to justify why they thought the impeachment inquiry was warranted.
So to help build that case, they brought in several witnesses, including a conservative lawyer, someone was against both Trump impeachments and also some financial experts.
But during the testimony today, several of them testified that while they believe there are some things worth investigating, so far, they have not seen any evidence of crimes or misdemeanors or impeachable offenses.
Democrats, of course, seizing on that. And that is why there is some frustration in the GOP.
One of those senior aides texted me and said, "This is an unmitigated disaster," this was something that was "completely unavoidable."
Another lawmaker told my colleague that they admitted they were a little bit disappointed with the forum today and that they wished that there were more outbursts and memorable moments coming from the Republican side.
Of course, overshadowing it all is the looming government shutdown. Democrats made that point repeatedly. They even had a shutdown clock on the dais.
And the White House has been blasting out statements every hour, ticking down on that clock and saying, instead of trying to focus on what matters to the American people, Republicans are trying to waste their time with a baseless and evidence-free inquiry -- Brianna?
KEILAR: So why, Mel, weren't there more memorable moments from Republicans on this committee? Surely, they prepared for this.
ZANONA: Yes. And look, they went into this, like I said, with the expectations they would be rehashing evidence and that they were going to be trying to just put everything together in one package.
They thought they would be able to convince the public and some of their own members they had a case here. And a lot of the allegations, as we posted on CNN, on our Web site that you can go read, a lot of the allegations we have heard before.
So there was nothing there. There was no standout moment for Republicans. They really so far have not been able to land many punches on President Joe Biden.
But the hearing is still ongoing, Bri, so we'll keep watching.
KEILAR: So far, the facts are not on their side. And we've seen that play out.
Melanie Zanona, live for us on the Hill, thank you.
And up next, the fallout continues after claims that Baton Rouge officers used an offsite warehouse to torture detainees. Three officers are now on administrative leave and city leaders are calling for the police chief to step down.
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[13:53:15]
SANCHEZ: So the FBI has joined a criminal misconduct probe into the Baton Rouge Police Department after two federal civil rights lawsuits claimed that some officers used this warehouse as a torture chamber.
Plaintiffs claim that the Street Crimes Unit would arrest people, take them into that warehouse, known as the Brave Cave, and physically and sexually abuse them.
CNN's Ryan Young joins us with the details.
Ryan, the Baton Rouge police chief announced at the city council meeting that three of the officers, including one of his highest- ranking officers, has now been disciplined.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Boris. But community members can't believe what they are hearing. They are upset by what their police department is accused of.
Look, a federal lawsuit has been filed. There are three current police investigations ongoing and an FBI investigation all into the Baton Rouge Police Department.
This centers around a warehouse known as the Brave Cave. People there would say they would be arrested, taken, beaten and assaulted.
One officer has resigned. He's the son of the deputy chief. Another three officers, including the deputy chief, have been put on administrative duty. The Brave Cave has since been closed.
But community members, as you can understand, they're angry. And some of that frustration boiled over yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The idea that a grandmother was sexually assaulted by people who get paid off with my dollar is beyond offensive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Boris, in one of these accounts, a grandmother said she was pulled over, accused of having drugs. She said they were prescription drugs. At some point, she was strip searched and had a body cavity search -- Boris?
SANCHEZ: Yikes!
Ryan, since these federal lawsuits have been filed, have more victims come forward? [13:55:01]
YOUNG: Yes, more victims are coming forward. The police chief, for his part, saying they'll be transparent about this investigation.
But like we were talking about, that city council meeting yesterday got heated. There are some long-term issues in this community.
Listen to this exchange between the police chief and some city councilmembers yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MURPHY PAUL, CHIEF, BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT: Let's have these conversations today. And I pray for you all. Even in my time when you know I'm leaving and there will be accountability, you're still doing what you do. Shame on you.
UNIDENTIFIED CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: If this is what de-escalation looks like, in a professional setting, I need the police chief to be immediately removed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Yes, so you can feel the emotion in this.
Look, the administration and the police union have put out some different statements.
The police union, Boris, for its part, says, "If the administration likes to use the word transparency for a touchstone for the way they choose to conduct themselves," they say, "if there was actual transparency in these cases, the charges against these officers would be made public."
So, Boris, as you can understand, in a small town, there is a lot of focus on this police department. But there are a lot of allegations that have a lot of people in that community upset and concerned.
SANCHEZ: Really difficult to listen to some of the allegations, too.
YOUNG: True.
SANCHEZ: Ryan Young, thanks so much for the update.
There is still plenty more news to come on CNN. President Biden set to deliver a scathing message to those he sees as a threat to the U.S. democracy. We're going to bring you his remarks, live.
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