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Soon: Convicted Felon Trump Holds News Conference On Guilty Verdict; Gunman Kills Police Officer, Civilian In Minneapolis; U.S. Permits Ukraine To Strike Within Russia Using American Weapons. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired May 31, 2024 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:31:10]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: So, this morning, we are expecting to hear once again from Donald Trump. He says he's going to be holding a press conference at 11:00 this morning as he and his legal team are quickly shifting to a new legal battle, appealing his criminal conviction.

Trump's sentencing set for July 11. The judge could sentence Trump to probation or up to four years on each count, which would mean a maximum of 30 -- of 20 years -- with a maximum of 20 years.

For now, Trump remains out of prison as his legal team prepares to appeal the verdict handed to him by a New York jury. That verdict coming after nearly 12 hours of jury deliberations -- and a jury of 12, plus alternates, sitting through five weeks of testimony. Testimony ranging from dry finance document commentary to the exact opposite with explicit sexually detailed testimony laid out by Stormy Daniels on the stand.

And with this historic trial now over, the jury goes back to their lives before jury duty.

Joining us right now is attorney and jury consultant, Robert Hirschhorn.

Now, I want to pick up there because this is an aspect of -- this has been an unprecedented -- this is an unprecedented trial, historic all over the place. Also the, this jury delivering a historic verdict.

What is life like today for these 12 jurors and six alternates?

ROBERT HIRSCHHORN, ATTORNEY, JURY AND TRIAL CONSULTANT (via Webex by Cisco): Yeah, great question. Kate, thanks for having me and CNN, thank you for covering this gavel-to-gavel. The American people deserve to see and hear the truth, and that's what they did see and hear.

So, their lives are changed forever. They will never be the same. They understand they were part of a historic verdict here today. Some of them I think will ultimately speak to the media. Some of them may write books. A lot of them will probably go right back to their life knowing that they've had this remarkable chapter and they've spoken loudly and clearly in their verdict.

BOLDUAN: Throughout the trial, there were one or two jurors, as it was described in particular, whose demeanor court was interpreted by Trump supporters in court that the defense had won -- may have won them over and that they could potentially deliver a mistrial. Not so. The verdict was unanimous.

What does this say about this jury and juries in general, and jury selection?

HIRSCHHORN: Yeah. You know, it's an art; it's not a science. There's no button you can push to figure out what the jurors are thinking or believing. You try to read into it. You do the best you can.

Look, the fact that the jury wouldn't look at Trump -- that probably told you a lot more than anything else. When the jury has a connection with a defendant, they have no hesitation looking at them. When they feel disconnected from a defendant -- when they feel a defendant is guilty, that's when they tend not to have eye contact with them. So I think that's the kind of thing that was probably the clearest indication that Trump was not doing well with this particular jury -- not because they were Democrats, but because of the facts.

BOLDUAN: Look, let me speak to that then because Republicans were quick to criticize the verdict -- that is no surprise -- calling it a sham trial. Some, though, going as far as criticizing the jury itself as well.

Ohio senator and Trump surrogate J.D. Vance put out a statement saying, "The partisan slant of this jury pool shows why we ought to litigate politics at the ballot box and not in the courtroom."

What is your reaction to that?

HIRSCHHORN: Shame on him.

Listen, these jurors -- they didn't volunteer for this job. They were asked to serve their country, to serve their community. And the two ways we serve our country and our community is by serving on juries and voting. This jury did their job. They didn't decide this case based on a D or an R; they decided this case based on the evidence, and the evidence was overwhelming to this jury.

[07:35:08]

I mean, if you're keeping score, the score is Trump, zero; truth, justice, and democracy, 34, Kate.

BOLDUAN: When it comes down to it -- you spoke to this -- the judge thanked the jury as he should and did, and also said, as judges often do, that it's up the jury if they want to speak publicly, if they don't want to speak publicly, that's also their choice. He said, very clearly, "The choice is yours."

Why choose to speak out, in your experience? Why choose to speak out; why not? HIRSCHHORN: Look, it's a deeply personal decision. There's a lot of people that are going to be trying to knock down their door or knock on their door to try to get them to talk. They're going to get hounded kind of like the way Stormy has been hounded ever since she testified. By the way, she did a great job as a witness.

Look, these jurors have to make a decision. I think they want to explain to the American people how they reached the verdict. We know the verdict they reached but what a lot of people want to know is what caused them to reach that verdict, and that's what might compel some of these jurors to speak out publicly.

BOLDUAN: Do you fear for their safety? I've heard that from some people just given the state of politics today.

HIRSCHHORN: Absolutely, absolutely. And that's why -- look, they may want to do it anonymously. They may not want to show their face. They may not want to say their names. So there's lot of times where people speak anonymously. I have absolutely no problem with that.

But look, one of the greatest things that we have as an -- as an American country and a democracy is our juries. And we shouldn't be -- we should be praising this jury. We should be thanking this jury for the service they performed; not criticizing them.

And when those of you that are listening, when you get your summons for jury duty, don't look for a way to get out of it. Look for a way for you to serve your country and for you to serve your community by serving on a jury.

So I'm really proud of this jury. They did the right thing. According to the evidence, they did exactly what they were supposed to do. They applied the law to the evidence and they came out with their verdict.

BOLDUAN: Robert Hirschhorn, thank you for your time -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Breaking overnight, a Minneapolis police officer was killed in an ambush by someone he thought needed medical help. Jamal Mitchell is being remembered as a hero and wonderful human being who was exceptional in every way.

Officers first responded to calls of two people injured in an apartment shooting. According to officials, when they arrived, the gunman immediately began shooting. The suspect and another person were also killed. At least four others were injured.

CNN's Whitney Wild has the latest. Whitney, what are you learning this morning?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, there are still a lot of open questions but let me walk you through the timeline as we know it right now.

We believe that this all unfolded around 5:15 Central time in Minneapolis when law enforcement got this call for shots fired at an apartment complex in a Minneapolis neighborhood called the Whittier neighborhood. And when law enforcement arrived to that initial shots fired call, they were immediately met with gunfire.

And this is where the story gets a little fuzzy, John, because some of the details are just not clear. What we know is that there was this exchange of gunfire at this apartment complex. But Officer Jamal Mitchell was responding and he actually came upon someone that he thought needed medical assistance. But that was one to two blocks away from that initial scene.

So, Officer Jamal Mitchell gets out of his car and tries to render aid to someone that, again, he thought needed medical assistance -- someone he thought he could help save their life. And this is what law enforcement says happened next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW EVANS, SUPERINTENDENT, MINNESOTA BUREAU OF CRIMINAL APPREHENSION: Officer Mitchell was attempting to assist the individual that shot him -- and it happened very fast -- and then he ambushed him. I'm using the term for a reason after seeing the video -- and he was ambushed at the time by this individual that was there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: He is being remembered, as you said, as a hero.

And, John, I want to take a moment to tell you a little bit more about Officer Jamal Mitchell. His courageousness was on display the day he took this job. It just so happens that last March -- in March 2023, CNN featured him in a piece because he and his partner ran into a burning building to save an elderly couple.

John, the day he did that, he had only been on the job for three days. That is how courageous and brave, and really admirable Officer Jamal Mitchell is and why it is such a tragic loss for the Minneapolis Police Department.

The governor of Minnesota was quick to point out that in Minnesota, this is becoming a horrifying trend. There have been four incidents of first responders trying to respond to 911 calls, trying to save people's lives, and being ambushed. It was recently that other first responders were shot and killed in Minnesota. The governor of Minnesota saying this cannot be the norm, John.

[07:40:10]

BERMAN: It's so sad. Our thoughts are with Officer Mitchell's family.

Whitney Wild, thank you very much for that -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: That is so horrible. It's -- those details -- that is so sad.

We're also tracking this today. Secretary of State Tony Blinken expected to speak next hour in Prague where he is meeting with NATO counterparts. This is as President Biden has made a major policy shift when it comes to Ukraine, now saying he will allow Ukraine to use American weapons to strike inside Russia.

CNN's Alex Marquardt has more. Alex, this is a big policy shift. What are the limitations to it?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is limited but is a significant shift, Kate. Until now, Ukraine has not been allowed to use U.S. weapons in carrying out strikes inside Russia. They have been carrying out lots of strikes inside Russia but using primarily their own weapons.

Now, President Biden is saying they can use U.S. weapons, and that's because Russia has been making advances on the battlefield primarily around the northeastern city of Kharkiv, the second-biggest city in Ukraine.

Russia launched a new offensive back on May 10 and in the days that followed, senior Ukrainian officials made a direct appeal to top Biden officials to loosen those restrictions. To be allowed to use those weapons against Russian staging areas just on the other side of the border.

And those officials -- the Americans thought that made sense. They took it to the president. He agreed with that recommendation, and it finally went into effect just yesterday.

So this is something that has been in the works. This is an area where the U.S. has been feeling quite a bit of international pressure from the French, from the Germans, and from the head of NATO, who spoke earlier today. Take a listen.

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JENS STOLTENBERG, SECRETARY GENERAL, NATO: Russia has attacked another country, violated international law, invaded Ukraine. And Ukraine has the right for self-defense and that includes also the right to strike legitimate military targets inside Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: So, Kate, the reason that these restrictions have been in place is because the U.S. has been worried about provoking Russia more -- about escalating this conflict. There are significant restrictions that are still in place. Ukraine cannot fire anywhere they want to. They cannot use any weapon they want to.

They can't use the most formidable missile that the U.S. has given to Ukraine, which is called ATACMS that can go some 200 miles. It has been used to great affect inside Russian-occupied areas, including Crimea, and that's where we're seeing a lot of fighting. We have some new video of Ukrainian forces attacking Russian ships in the Black Sea using sea drones. And so, they really have been taking the fight to the Russians in that area, both with Ukrainian domestically made weapons as well as these American missiles. Now, will these U.S. restrictions remain in place? The Biden administration is telling me yes, for now. But Antony Blinken saying in the past few days, notably, that the U.S. will continue to adapt and adjust as needed, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yeah, it will be interesting to hear from the Secretary of State, as we expect to hear from him in the next hour.

Alex, thank you so much for bringing us all that detail -- John.

BERMAN: All right. We are standing by as new reaction to the guilty verdict against Donald Trump continues to come in this morning.

Donald Trump's former White House national security adviser John Bolton posted on Twitter -- or X as it's now called -- "Today's verdict is a fire-bell in the night. The Republican Party now has one last chance to change course and not nominate a convicted felon for president."

Ambassador John Bolton joins me now. Ambassador, what are you doing here? What was that about?

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, I think it's going to be a big mistake for the party, for the country to nominate Donald Trump precisely because he may well win this election. I'm not going to vote for Biden either. But I think if there's any chance left to get somebody else to replace Trump -- which is highly unlikely, to be sure -- this ought to signal it to people. We've never nominated a convicted felon before, and this is not a good time to start.

BERMAN: You don't actually think there will be a change, do you?

BOLTON: No, but I think people of conscience ought to be thinking about how to approach this. You know, you've heard a lot of criticism of the -- of the case on this network the day the indictment came down. I said if Trump is elected it could be because of this case.

But the fact is you had 12 jurors find him guilty, and that is going to reverberate with a lot of Americans who are not part of the Trump base. And it could endanger not only the country if Trump gets elected, it could endanger other Republicans on the ballot in November.

BERMAN: So there's been a lot of reaction to what you wrote on Twitter overnight. Let me read you one of the nicer ones. This was written by a conservative who says, "I will vote for whoever promises to jail John Bolton for the rest of his natural life."

Now, I know it's hard to hurt your feelings -- I'm not asking about that -- but what do you think this type of reaction to what you wrote says?

[07:45:00] BOLTON: Sure. Look, Trump himself has said he's going to run a retribution presidency. He said Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, should be in jail for treason and maybe even hung for calling his Chinese counterpart in connection with January 6. And I think that's a real danger.

You know, as far as these comments go, I've been vilified by Donald Trump himself. I don't really care about the little leagues.

BERMAN: But -- you don't care about the little leagues. What does it tell you though about the party itself?

Let me read you one more thing here before -- so, Larry Hogan -- Gov. Larry Hogan, who is the Republican Senate nominee in Maryland and maybe the Republicans' best chance to retake the Senate. I mean, if Republicans want to take the Senate, having Larry Hogan win there would be a huge step.

So, Larry Hogan writes last night, "Regardless of the results, I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process." He then goes on -- similar stuff here. It's not like he says yay, I love this verdict. So that's what he writes.

Chris LaCivita, who is a key figure in Donald Trump's campaign, tweets, "You just ended your campaign."

BOLTON: Yeah. Look, this is a mob boss speaking and that's the way Trump has performed in his business for many, many years. To me, it's less now about this conviction than about Trump's lack of character. Look, all of us have character flaws, myself included, except Donald Trump because he doesn't have a character to have flaws in. And that is really the concern I have for the party.

I just take issue with one thing you said about the direction of the party. I don't think Trump has this party yet. He has a strong following among a certain part of the base and he has a lot of people who are going to vote for him in the party gritting their teeth because of the alternatives.

BERMAN: But, LaCivita basically is making this a litmus test for being part of this party going into November.

BOLTON: Bring it on. This is the fight to fight. This is the fight about are we going to have a Republican conservative philosophy or is this going to be a cult of the personality? And I'm fully prepared to have that fight.

BERMAN: Do you think you're winning that fight?

BOLTON: I don't think we're winning it right now -- but in Washington, as they say, nothing is ever resolved. This battle is going to go on.

BERMAN: You know -- so Sean Davis, who writes for The Federalist -- or actually runs The Federalist -- he's actually suggesting putting a list together of Democrats who should be prosecuted for crimes -- or basically saying let's go after these people now.

Do you think that's a good reaction?

BOLTON: That's ridiculous. This is -- this is how Trump -- the aberration of Trump is corrupting the political and judicial system.

Even if you believe everything about this case and everything about the other cases is wrong, the answer is to take steps to make sure it never happens again. It's not to unleash the same furies against the Democrats. That means we get into a place we may not be able to recover from.

BERMAN: And just before I let you go, again, just to -- after everything you just said, you actually don't like this New York case, correct? This was --

BOLTON: No. I said, again, the day he was indicted, the reference to the federal election law is bad law. The reference to state election law, which is preempted in a presidential election, is bad law. I think there are real issues on appeal here.

BERMAN: All right, Ambassador John Bolton. Thanks so much for being here. Appreciate your time, sir.

BOLTON: Glad to do it.

BERMAN: All right. We are learning new details this morning about the murder of an actor on "GENERAL HOSPITAL." His co-worker says she held him in her arms as he died.

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[07:52:35]

BERMAN: New details emerging this morning in the murder of "GENERAL HOSPITAL" actor Johnny Wactor. He was shot and killed after approaching thieves attempting to steal part of his car.

For the first time, we are hearing from a witness -- his close friend and co-worker who says she held him in her arms after he was shot. In an Instagram post she says, "As I heard the shot ring into the night, Johnny forcefully tumbled back into my arms and as I grabbed for him, I shouted, 'Hunny, are you OK?!' And he only responded, 'Nope, shot.'"

She told ABC that she tied her jacket around Wactor to stop the bleeding, trying to save his life.

No arrests have been made and Los Angeles police have not yet located the suspects.

An Idaho man has been convicted of murdering his ex-wife and two stepchildren. Chad Daybell, with the help of his second wife Lori Vallow, committed the triple homicide. Prosecutors say the killings were motivated by apocalyptic spiritual beliefs. Daybell could now face the death penalty. And the NBA Finals matchup is now set. The Dallas Mavericks advance to face the Boston Celtics. The Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a game-five blowout. The Mavericks advance to the finals the first -- for the first time since 2011. They won the championship then.

Game one in the NBA Finals is scheduled for, like, six months from now, honestly. It's like June 6. It's like 10 weeks away because why start it soon? Why enjoy the excitement of the NBA? Let's wait -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: I have nothing more to add to this. Moving on.

Donald Trump telling reporters after learning he was convicted on all 34 criminal counts that, "The real verdict is going to be decided on November 5 by the people." That is one thing that he and President Biden seem to agree on. Biden tweeting post-verdict this. "There's only way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval office: at the ballot box."

A new NPR-PBS NewsHour Marist poll released yesterday released the -- suggests, rather, the verdict may not do much to sway voters. Sixty- seven percent of registered voters saying a guilty verdict would not make a difference in their vote.

And joining me right now is CNN political commentator Karen Finney. She's also a former senior spokesperson for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. And Matt Gorman, former senior adviser to Tim Scott's presidential campaign.

So, Matt, what is -- let's start here. What is the smart thing politically for Donald Trump to focus in on as we are waiting to hear, potentially, for him to hold a press conference a little later this morning? What is the message focus you would suggest?

[07:55:08]

MATT GORMAN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO TIM SCOTT'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yeah. I expect him, obviously, to talk about this verdict. But just like he did, he found ways when he was up in New York during the trial to weave in messages he wins on, right? Immigration, the migrant crisis, the economy. He has to weave those in, too. At the end of the day, I think as your poll suggests, the fundamental issues about this election are unchanged, and so keeping your eye on that and making sure he's talking about those issues is going to be very important when he has a big audience.

BOLDUAN: Karen, what is the smarter thing politically for Joe Biden to say if and when he speaks publicly about the verdict? Is there -- is there a world where you think the smartest thing to do is to say nothing and not fuel the fire?

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER SENIOR SPOKESPERSON FOR HILLARY CLINTON'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Absolutely. I think the president should continue to do what he has been doing, which is stay focused on doing your day job. Stay focused on running your campaign and talking about the issues. And let the rest of us talk about the contrast that I think can't be more dramatic.

Do you trust a convicted felon with your future, or do you trust Joe Biden who is a good, decent man who has been fighting of this country for the last four years? The contrast couldn't be more dramatic and stark.

And remember, the other part of the messaging around Trump is this is one of three more to go. He's now been found guilty and there are three more cases still out there. Do you really trust that guy with your future? I think that's the choice for voters.

BOLDUAN: When all is said, Matt, on the political impact, this poll -- as you were just talking about and let's dive a little bit more into it. It does suggest that it's going to have little difference on how voters feel. This is registered -- among registered voters. Sixty- seven percent say that it makes no difference on their vote -- a guilty verdict. Seventeen percent saying it makes them less likely to vote for Trump. Fifteen percent saying it makes them more likely to vote for Donald Trump.

Do you think that those numbers shift in any significant way as the verdict sets in and the campaign continues, and Donald Trump just -- Donald Trump is called a criminal over and over again?

GORMAN: I don't foresee it. I mean, we've been doing this for 10 years, essentially, now talking about things Trump has done or said and nothing has shifted so far. I think so much of it is baked in.

And I think it's a non-insignificant amount of folks who are voting for Trump. They might not necessarily like him but they think he's the best guy -- yeah. But they want to be able to afford gas and groceries and buy a house. There's other concerns. And so I think that is kind of where those Republican voters fall down.

And the one thing I think that could kind of -- I'm very interested in seeing -- and you alluded to this earlier in the show -- where the fundraising breaks down. Trump raised about $7 million when he was indicted for this. He raised another $7 million when he had his mugshot taken in Fulton County. I bet this surpasses it.

BOLDUAN: Hmm.

But again --

FINNEY: Oh, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Matt, wasn't it you that just said that no matter what, both candidates are going to have enough money to run this race? Wasn't that our conversation last week or was that another Matt Gorman?

GORMAN: No. But --

FINNEY: That was Matt Gorman. We were both here.

GORMAN: -- who doesn't -- who doesn't want more money? I mean, I don't know about you. I'm not going to -- I'm not going to turn money away.

BOLDUAN: Well, Matt, I don't know if you know well --

GORMAN: Yeah.

BOLDUAN: -- but less is always more for me.

Karen, go ahead.

FINNEY: OK. Yes. Well, I'm going to talk about the poll, Kate. I think --

BOLDUAN: We are in an upside-down world today.

FINNEY: I know. Well, you got me here, Kate. You got me talking about the polls.

But here's the thing I would just say. There's a big difference between asking the question when it's a theoretical and asking the question when it's an actual reality that says this man has been convicted of interfering in the 2016 election. He is still facing charges for potentially trying to overturn the 2020 election. I mean, people really have to say to themselves am I going to vote for a convicted felon?

And there's two other points I'll make.

We've already seen this morning -- John was just talking about what was going on with former Gov. Hogan, right?

BOLDUAN: Um-hum.

FINNEY: And he tried to do a pretty -- like, what's going to happen in these down-ballot races where Republican candidates -- some in tough races -- are going to have to say am I going to go all in and say I'm behind a convicted felon in order to win their race? I think that's going to be a big choice that's going to be a real problem for the Trump campaign to try to keep that under control.

And the last thing I'll say is don't forget about women voters. I've been focusing on women voters for a long time in my career and I will tell you many women voters who said all right, I'm going to trust Trump in 2016 now are saying wait a second, he did lie to us. How do I feel about that, particularly on an issue when it comes down to something as personal as he cheated on his wife, and he lied about it and tried to cover it up?

BOLDUAN: If this becomes a -- on the Larry Hogan bit, if this becomes a litmus test, what do you think of it, Matt?