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Suspect in Gilgo Beach Murder Pleads Not Guilty to New Accusation; Fourth-Quarter Fundraising Total of $97M Announced by Biden Team; Interview with Biden 2024 Campaign Communications Director Michael Tyler; Asa Hutchinson Halts Bid for Presidency; Partial Government Shutdown Looming; Lawmakers Strive to Prevent Partial Government Collapse by Friday; Jury Selection Begins in Trial to Determine Damages in Trump Defamation of E. Jean Carroll. Aired 10:30- 11a ET
Aired January 16, 2024 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:30:00]
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JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: All right. Just moments ago, the Gilgo Beach serial murder suspect entered a not guilty plea to a new charge of murder in the death of a fourth woman. He previously pleaded not guilty to first degree murder charges in the deaths. Of three other women whose bodies were discovered near Long Island's Gilgo Beach more than a decade ago.
CNN's Brynn Gingras outside the courthouse. Brynn, with this new charge and new plea, give us the latest.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, we learned a lot in this court hearing that only lasted, really, a few minutes. Essentially, we learned about that superseding indictment with that fourth charge, with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, a 25-year- old sex worker, who is believed to -- who is one of "The Gilgo Four" as we've come to infamously know these victims. But we also learned about new evidence. Investigators are tying Rex Heuerman to the other murder.
So first, let's talk about Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Investigators say there is DNA evidence to prove that a hair that was found on a belt buckle used to tie up Maureen Brainard-Barnes matches the DNA analysis of Rex Heuermann's wife. Now, that is something that we had learned when Rex Heuermann was arrested, that there were some hairs found on the bodies of these victims that matched his wife. But something new that we've learned is that they have also found evidence to match hairs that were not only with his wife, but also Rex Heuermann himself in one case, and in another case as well.
Some more new evidence that we learned about is that when investigators were doing a search of his home, his office, even himself, they found more burner phones. Actually, he had communications with one of the victims, they were able to realize through these burner phones.
[10:35:00]
In addition, too, we learned he was communicating with sex workers. A conversation happening even in 2020, and that is something investigators have worried about that that there could be more victims if they didn't arrest Rex Heuermann when they did.
So, a lot of new information coming out of this very big indictment. We're still actually going through it. But as for Rex Heuermann, he was in court. He had his hands behind his back, handcuffed in a dark suit. He pleaded not guilty. He's going to be back in court next month. And of course, more evidence has to be turned over in this new indictment. His wife -- estranged wife who's filed for divorce is also in court as well as his daughter.
Now, we're learning to get more information from the district attorney who's giving a news conference as we speak and we'll continue to update you. John.
BERMAN: That's a lot of new information, Brynn. All right. Brynn Gingras covering all these developments in the Gilgo Beach murder cases. Thank you very much, Brynn.
With us now CNN Legal Analyst Joey Jackson. Joey, I just want to start with this fourth murder charge, fourth not guilty plea. What does this tell you about where the case stands?
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST AND CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think it's a big deal, John. It tells me that a grand jury evaluated new information and new evidence. Remember, a grand jury doesn't determine guilt -- a crime was committed and that he committed it.
And so, predicated upon that, I think --
BERMAN: Give Joey one more chance here.
JACKSON: Guilt --
BERMAN: Joey, can you hear us? All right, we've lost Joey Jackson, CNN Legal Analyst.
But the major development out on Long Island. The Gilgo Beach murder suspect charged now in a fourth death. He has pleaded not guilty and they have introduced all kinds of new evidence in these cases as described by Jean -- Brynn Gingras. We'll get back out to Long Island shortly.
So, the Biden campaign has raised a lot of money, more than $97 million as he prepares for this possible, maybe even likely rematch against Donald Trump.
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[10:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARY BRUCE, ABC NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You've seen the numbers, you know, a lot. Do you think Donald Trump at this point is a foregone conclusion?
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I don't know, but look, if it is Donald Trump, we've beat him before and we'll beat him again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: That was Vice President Kamala Harris on the possibility of a Biden-Trump rematch. The Biden campaign just announced it raised more than $97 million for his reelection bid in the last quarter of 2023.
Joining us now is Michael Tyler. He is the communications director for the Biden 2024 reelection campaign. Michael, great to see you. Do you think that Donald Trump is the likely Republican nominee or now are you behaving as such?
MICHAEL TYLER, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, BIDEN 2024 CAMPAIGN: Well, thanks so much for having me this morning. Donald Trump has clearly cemented himself as the front runner in this race, and that's what this campaign has been prepared for since day one, when the president launched this reelection effort in April of last year.
I think we saw the president's layout at the beginning of this year, a very clear vision for what this campaign is going to be about, and that's whether the sacred cause of America is going to remain democracy. That's what we've been focused on on this campaign. And what we saw in Iowa last night was the embodiment of that threat to our democracy, consolidate his power. This is a person who is when he's not talking about banning abortion across the country or ripping away health care from folks who need it. He is talking about ruling as a dictator on day one.
And so, those are the stakes for this election. And we're confident as we head into this race, we're going to have the resources necessary, as you mentioned. We're going to have the message necessary to defeat Donald Trump. And we're going to do our jobs from now through Election Day.
BERMAN: You just laid out what you think Donald Trump stands for. What does it tell you that more than 51 percent of Iowa voters, Republican caucus goers, supported that?
TYLER: Well, listen, I think it speaks to the fact that Donald Trump has fully defined what MAGA extremism means as it relates to the Republican Party at this stage in the race. He has made no bones about exactly what he wants to do if he's able to regain power. And so, the stakes are going to be incredibly clear for the American people. And the thing about this election in this race is that every time MAGA extremism has been on the ballot box in 2020, in 2022, just last year, it has failed because the American people continue to reject the extremism they have seen from Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans across the country.
BERMAN: If that's true, is Donald Trump the candidate you most would want to face in a general election?
TYLER: Well, listen, we're certainly prepared to take on whoever emerges from the MAGA Republican primary because to be frank there's very little distance between any of these candidates.
BERMAN: But you know --
TYLER: They're all talking about --
BERMAN: -- I've heard that --
TYLER: Go ahead.
BERMAN: -- from other Biden officials too, and I'm just curious about that. Does that undermine your argument saying there's little difference? Because on the one hand you talk about how Donald Trump is a threat to democracy and has said that he wants to be a dictator and paint him as this unique outlier. But on the other hand, you say there's not much difference between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley. So, does that undermine the first argument?
TYLER: Well, no, because everybody's doing their best to emulate the extremism that we see in Donald Trump, right? They are all running on advancing abortion bans. They're all running on ripping away health care from Americans who need it. They're all embracing the big lie, this MAGA extremism. They are all litigating the causes of the Civil War if black folks somehow benefited from slavery.
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So again, there's not a whole lot of difference between these candidates. We're going to be prepared to take on whoever emerges. Donald Trump is obviously the front runner at this stage of the race. And we're confident because we have the resources, you mentioned the fundraising numbers. We also have $117 million cash on hand, that's money in the bank that we have to wage this war. To put that in perspective, the MAGA Republicans spent about $100 million alone --
BERMAN: Yes
TYLER: -- running ads in Iowa, right? So, we are more than prepared to take on whoever emerges from this primary as it continues to play out on the other side. They're spending money talking to their extreme fringes of their party, not communicating with the voters who are going to decide this election.
BERMAN: We just got word that Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has suspended his campaign, Michael. So, you will not have to worry about him as a possible candidate and opponent going forward.
Let me ask you one question. I want to put up a number from the entrance poll to the Iowa caucuses. The question is, is Donald Trump fit for the presidency if convicted of a crime? And among the Republican caucus goers in Iowa, 65 percent said yes. 31 percent said no. My colleague Kate Bolduan put this number up. It's sort of a Rorschach test. It says more about you depending on how you look at it. What do you see in these numbers?
TYLER: Well, look, I think what you saw was turnout wasn't that high in Iowa. And what you saw was Donald Trump consolidate the extreme MAGA base in Iowa. The fact of the matter is he is running and they are -- all these candidates are running on an agenda that's as dangerous as it is unpopular, right? The big lie. The vast majority of Americans understand the truth about what happened in 2020. They understand the truth about what happened on January 6th.
And it's why MAGA extremism continues to fail when it -- when it's presented at the ballot box. It happened in '22. It happened last fall, and it's going to happen in 2024 because the American people continue to side with Joe Biden and his vision of America that has more freedom, that stands up for our democracy, and they continue to reject this MAGA extremism that wants to tear down the fabric of our democratic institutions.
BERMAN: Well, we will see as it moves forward and closer to a general election. Michael Tyler, great to have you on with us. Thank you.
TYLER: Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
BERMAN: All right. Just days until a potential partial government shutdown. And now we've learned that weather will keep Congress from conducting any votes today. So, does that make a shutdown even more likely?
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[10:50:00]
BERMAN: All right. A partial -- partial government shutdown looms just days from now, and maybe it just grew even more likely because of the weather. CNN Congressional Correspondent Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill. Lauren, you're working today. Why can't the House?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the House of Representatives canceled votes tonight because of the inclement weather in Washington, D.C. But what really matters is the fact that the Senate is going to be showing up tonight to vote at 5:30. This is going to be the first step that they are taking to try and advance a short-term spending bill, to try and avert that government shutdown that could loom on Friday if the House and Senate don't take action.
Here's what we are waiting to see, however. Even if the Senate can begin processing this tonight, which is the expectation, any one senator can slow this process down. And because some conservatives are frustrated with where these negotiations are headed, it still remains to be seen if anyone tries to slow walk the process.
So, that means that if the Senate can't move expeditiously, they could put themselves in a position where they may not be able to fund the government finally until Sunday or Monday. Obviously, that would be a very, very short partial government shutdown. And usually because the federal government doesn't work on the weekends, the impact wouldn't really be felt. But that is sort of the timing issue and the timing element that is very real right now in the United States Senate.
Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, they can move more quickly. But Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, is facing a lot of fire from hardliners within his ranks who are frustrated at a few things. One, that he is sticking with a top line spending deal to negotiate full year spending appropriations bills into March with Chuck Schumer. He's not backing away from that deal. They're also frustrated that he's moving yet again on this short-term spending bill after saying that he did not want to process any more short-term spending bills in order to keep the government funded.
So, there's really a one-two punch here. You have to pass the short- term bill in order to give negotiators more time. But even when they have more time, the top line levels have been set that deal between Chuck Schumer and the speaker remains. John.
BERMAN: All right. Time to get to work. Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill, thank you very much.
Happening now, jury selection began just moments ago in the trial to determine how much Donald Trump will have to pay in damages to E. Jean Carroll for comments he made about her sexual assault allegations.
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[10:55:00]
BERMAN: I'm John Berman in New York, where the Republican presidential campaign is centered at this moment. Kate Bolduan is in New Hampshire, where it will all be this afternoon.
Donald Trump's first campaign stop after winning the Iowa caucuses, a federal court in Manhattan jury selection began just moments ago. This is a trial to determine damages after a jury found him liable last year for sexual abuse and defamation. E. Jean Carroll is seeking $10 million in damages.
Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: And here in New Hampshire, we will soon find out how everything that you just mentioned, John, and much more will resonate. In New Hampshire will impact voters' views here -- New Hampshire.
Next up in the Republican presidential primary, Donald Trump's rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis already back on the campaign trail this morning.
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NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to book at this entire week to continue doing what we've done for 11 months and it's paid off.
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