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Missing 9-Year-Old Girl Found Safe; Casey Jordan is Interviewed about the Missing Girl Case; Rep. Cuellar Carjacked in D.C. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired October 03, 2023 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That they can't enforce a caucus-wide decision.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is - although some of those moderates, like Jered Golden of Maine, are those who Kevin McCarthy worked hardest to beat. So, he may have the biggest grudge against McCarthy going in.

BROWNSTEIN: Right.

BERMAN: We don't know what's going to happen behind those closed doors, which makes this all so fascinating. The stakes are so high.

Ron Brownstein, thank you so much for being with us.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Still ahead for us, a fingerprint on a ransom note leading police to the suspect in a kidnapping of a nine- year-old girl. New details about how she was found and how she is doing now.

Plus, God help us if he's elected. That is a stark warning from a former general who served under President Donald Trump. Now, two generals speaking out about their time working for Donald Trump and the dangers of a second Trump presidency.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:35:11]

BERMAN: Happening now, so much going on.

Live pictures from Capitol Hill. Inside, a meeting to determine whether House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will keep his job. And it's a meeting among Democrats. They are caucusing to decide if they want to blend their votes to help him survive. We are waiting for word from inside that meeting.

Also, we are just minutes away. Donald Trump arrived at court just moments ago in his civil fraud trial. We are monitoring that case to say - to see what twists and turns happen there.

And in Delaware, Hunter Biden heads to court. He will plead not guilty to gun charges there today.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Also this morning, a nine-year-old girl is safely back after she was abducted during a camping trip in a New York state park. Charlotte Sena's disappearance Saturday sparked an around-the-clock search involving hundreds of law enforcement agencies, the FBI and so many people. Ultimately, a ransom note is what led officials to Charlotte, where they were able to also then arrest 46-year-old Craig Ross Jr. in connection with her disappearance. Ross was arraigned overnight on a felony charge of kidnapping in the first degree.

CNN's Jean Casarez joins us now with more on this.

Jean, this is really a remarkable situation and how this has unfolded. What more are you learning now?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Kate. I want to show you, this is the local newspaper this morning, missing Saratoga county girl found safe. This is what people are reading in this community this morning, either digitally or as a hard copy.

And the defendant is right behind me in the Saratoga County Correctional Facility, charged with first degree kidnapping.

Now, the case broke, believe it or not, beginning at 4:20 a.m. yesterday. According to the governor, while the family remained at the campsite as the searching continued, police were guarding the family's home. And they suddenly see a man come and deposit a letter in the mailbox. That letter turned out, according to law enforcement, to be a ransom note. They knew they needed a fingerprint. So, they worked all day. At 2:15 yesterday afternoon, they got a hit of a fingerprint that led them to a name, that led them to the residence of Craig Ross Jr., living behind his mother's home in a trailer. The SWAT team stormed into that trailer home at 6:30 last night. They apprehended him. And they found Charlotte in a cabinet.

Now, here is what local law enforcement had to say about how this all began on Saturday. It was a very simple and nice family camping trip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. RICHARD S. ALLEN, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: You know, Charlotte was no more than probably two tenths of a mile from where she was camping in a small area, and she was gone for -- for her to ride her bike around that loop would take her about four minutes, five minutes. You know, so you think they're safe doing that at nine years old, but you - you've just got to be cognizant and be paying attention to things around you, surroundings all the time. You know, these things happen in a hurry. And fortunately today this - this ended in the right way.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CASAREZ: And he was arraigned in that initial court appearing in the early morning hours, charged at this point with that felony count of first degree kidnapping. Authorities are saying they do believe there could be additional charges. We just don't know when.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, that poor, sweet girl. And focusing on getting her the help that she needs, and especially big hugs from her parents right now.

Jean, thank you so much. We're going to continue to follow this.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, for more on this story I'm joined by Casey Jordan, she's a criminologist and behavioral analyst.

It is hard to imagine -- it's such an unusual scenario here, I think, where you have a ransom note.

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: Yes.

SIDNER: What does this tell you about the suspect in this case, that he managed to find the home, that he put this note into, according to police, into the mailbox at the home, with the child in his van.

JORDAN: And make no mistake, Sara, without that ransom note, I don't know that we would have Charlotte right now. So, this is highly unusual because the house where she was being -- the camper where she was being held, where Mr. Ross lives, is just three minutes from Charlotte's family home. And that is a good 20 minutes from the campground where she was abducted. So, it is not what we initially thought, that it might have been somebody at the campground, a random camper who sees a random child and impulsively snatches her up.

[09:40:04]

The fact that he lives near the family home really does indicate that he had eyes on Charlotte, probably knew the activities of the family, and probably even followed them to the campground with the idea of abducting Charlotte because he knows where the family lives.

But make no mistake that the ransom note is a red herring. It's just to throw police off and make - and make them think that this is a monetary motive. The core of this is surely sexually motivated. But I think the good news is, perhaps she was recovered before she was abused. But they say more charges are coming. So, we're not quite sure about that yet.

SIDNER: Can you give us some indication, because you said it -- this is not motivated necessarily by money, because when we hear ransom note, we think, this is definitely highly unusual because it is motivated by money when you hear ransom. What makes you think otherwise? JORDAN: Well, I grew up in this area, and I lived nearby in Ft. Edward

for many, many years. The people who live in this area are good, hardworking people. Charlotte's father, David, is a pipe fitter. But we don't get the feeling that this is like a JonBenet Ramsey kind of thing where the family is dripping in money. I mean they're of limited means.

So, what could this man have thought he was going to get from his neighbors, this family, in terms of money? And they have three daughters. Why take just one of them?

The ransom note being dropped in the mailbox was really just to throw the police off, to make them think that there's something else going on here. I mean he really underestimated the idea that they would have eyes on him and that that fingerprint from a DUI arrest 24 years ago would come back to haunt him.

But, again, his mistake, his slip-up, that ransom note, which, again, was just to - to throw attention off what I think was a sexually motivated attack on the child, abduction of the child, that is what got him caught. So, you know, has mistake, that ransom note, is why Charlotte is with her parents safe today.

SIDNER: Yes, and we haven't heard all of the motivation yet, just yet, from police.

But I do want to lastly ask you, Charlotte is just a little girl. She's nine years old. She's found in a cabinet in this camper. How does she get through this now? What happens with her? What's the best practice?

JORDAN: Yes, I don't like the headline that said she was found safe, because when she was found, she was not safe. She's safe now. But the really good news is that she has a loving family. And I've got to give kudos to the family for calling the police within 45 minutes after she disappeared. They knew their daughter. They knew that something bad had happened.

And what she looks forward to now is a lot of love from her family, and support from the public, and I think we need to leave her in peace to do that hearing on her own.

SIDNER: Casey Jordan, thank you so much for running through that with us. Appreciate you.

John.

BERMAN: All right, a congressman carjacked at gunpoint in Washington, D.C. What they stole, the hunt for the suspects this morning.

And this could be Kevin McCarthy's last day as House speaker. We have some breaking news. We are just getting word that a vote that will very much determine his fate has now been scheduled for today. We're talking just hours away. So, stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [09:47:30]

BOLDUAN: All right, we're tracking multiple live events this hour.

And this just moments ago. We got a glimpse of -- through the trees and in the moment you will see Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, arriving at court in Wilmington, Delaware. Arriving with his representation and his attorneys. He is going to be heading into that courtroom. You see him right there. He's set to be arraigned on three felony gun charges after that plea agreement fell apart over the summer back in July. He's expected to plead not guilty. This could be a quick in and out. But this is far from over, the end of the legal troubles facing Hunter Biden right now. We're going to continue to bring you those updates when they come.

There's also this that we're watching. Quote, "I'll take a back seat to no one on loyalty to this country." The newly retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff not mincing words and no longer really holding back about the attacks from and the dangers posed by Donald Trump. General Mark Milley is who we're talking about. He has his admirers. He has his critics. But there is no disputing that this relationship with the former president that he advised was contentious at best, toxic and combative near the close.

Now, in new interviews, Milley is having his say since retiring on Trump calling Milley's actions treasonous for reaching out to his Chinese counterparts to reassure them about the stability of the U.S. government in the aftermath of January 6th. Milley responded this way to NBC News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. MARK MILLEY (RET.), FORMER JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: Everyone is entitled to their opinion. And I've served my country faithfully for four and a half consecutive decades, in peace and war. And my family has made enormous sacrifices for this country. And my mother and father before me, and grandparents before them. So, I'll take a back seat on no one on loyalty to this country. And my loyalty is to the Constitution. It's to a document. It's never to an individual. And that's the loyalty to every single one of us in uniform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And it is not just General Milley who's speaking out now. In an exclusive statement to CNN, retired Marine Corps General John Kelly, Donald Trump's longest serving chief of staff, he confirmed much of the sad, distasteful and disparaging remarks that have been reportedly said by Trump about the military over the course of his time as president, including attacking U.S. troops, wounded warriors.

When asked if he wanted to weigh in as people like General Milley are coming forward, John Kelly said this in part to CNN, quote, "what can I add that has not already been said?"

[09:50:03] He also says, "a person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all suckers because there is nothing in it for them. A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because it doesn't look good for me. A person who is not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women. A person that has no idea what America stand for and has no idea what America is all about."

He continues, "a person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our constitution, and the rule of law. There is nothing more that can be said. God help us." That from retired General John Kelly, former Chief of Staff John Kelly, about his former boss, Donald Trump.

Sara.

SIDNER: It is stunning to see that play out this way and hear those words from him.

All right, minutes from now, court will be in session for both Donald Trump's civil fraud trial and Hunter Biden's arraignment on gun charges. We will take you live to both New York and Wilmington, Delaware, in just a bit. We have just watched Hunter Biden walk into court. We are waiting to see the same with Donald Trump. More ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: This morning police are searching for three suspects who car jacked Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar at gunpoint last night. He is the second member of Congress to become a victim of crime in D.C. this year.

CNN's Gabe Cohen joins us live now from where it happened.

Gabe, can you give us a sense of what happened where you are and if police have any leads?

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, let me set the scene for you for a moment. We're standing here in the heart of Navy Yard, a busy D.C. neighborhood, an upscale neighborhood where - that's home to quite a few congressional leaders, people who work on The Hill, as well as young professionals.

[09:55:09]

You can see behind me, we're less than a mile away from the U.S. Capitol. In the other direction, about a quarter mile away is Nationals Park, the baseball stadium for the professional team here in Washington. And where I am standing, this is the intersection where Rep. Henry Cuellar was carjacked last night right around 9:30, at a time when there still would have been people out and about here, as he was trying to park his car, by three men carrying guns. Fortunately, he wasn't injured, but they did manage to get away with his Honda, which was later recovered, as well as his phone, his iPad, even his dinner.

We got a statement in from his chief of staff that reads, quote, "as Congressman Cuellar was parking his car this evening, three armed assailants approached the congressman and stole his vehicle. Luckily, he was not harmed and is working with local law enforcement."

But, look, Sara, we've seen this uptick in violent crime here in Washington. Up close to 40 percent carjackings have close to doubled since this time last year. And, as you mentioned, not the first time we have seen a representative a victim of crime this year. Representative Angie Craig attacked in her D.C. apartment building about eight months ago.

So, Sara, a lot of people concerned about those uptick in - that uptick in crime here in recent months.

SIDNER: Gabe Cohen, thank you for all those details.

Come up, we are following breaking news on Capitol Hill, reporting that a vote is now scheduled for today to decide the fate of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. We'll have more on that ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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