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Biden Sharpens Attacks on Trump, Calls Him a Convicted Felon; Garland to Slam Attacks Against DOJ, I Will Not Be Intimidated; Soon, Opening Statements Begin in Hunter Biden Federal Gun Trial. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired June 04, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

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REP. JOHN ROSE (R-TN): We'd be well served to remember the long and cherished tradition.

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KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: The guy ended up for the cameras. It went viral on social media. We got these comments from Capitol Hill staffers, quote, so sorry, I was slow responding to your email. I was tied up watching this over and over again. And this quote, he knows something from the minority leader's, press secretary. Rose soon got wise and shared this, quote, this is what I get for telling my son Guy to smile at the camera for his little brother, I have to say that's the most adorable thing I've seen in a while. We could all use it in terms of how we think about our politics.

Thanks to the panel. Thanks to you for joining us. I'm Kasie Hunt. CNN News Central starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Biden now calling Donald Trump a convicted felon, the first time he's called him out that way and what that now signals for this new phase of the presidential election.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And breaking overnight, I will not be intimidated, Attorney General Merrick Garland near outrage after attacks by Republicans. We're learning new details about what he plans to say before them this morning.

And it is like a virtual strip club TikTok facing new accusations that it enables the sexual exploitation of children.

Sara is out today. I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: Obsessed and unhinged, President Biden laying out a new line of attack against Donald Trump while on the campaign trail. Biden was fundraising in Connecticut last night when he called Trump out as a convicted felon for the first time. It's also the first time that President Biden has talked about Trump's conviction on the campaign trail.

The president also slammed what he called Donald Trump's all-out assault on the American justice system, which is now front and center once again today. And here is why. Attorney General Merrick Garland is headed to Capitol Hill this morning, expected to push back hard against the attacks from the right and from Donald Trump when he testifies before the House Judiciary Committee.

And according to his prepared remarks just released, Garland will slam Trump's repeated attacks and conspiracy theories that he says is being weaponized against the Justice Department. Garland declaring, as John said, I will not be intimidated.

CNN's Arlette Saenz has much more on this from the White House for us. Arlette, can you talk to me about this new line of attack, we do need to call it, from President Biden against Trump?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate. President Biden is really escalating his rhetoric against former President Donald Trump in the wake of his conviction in New York City.

Now, the president, it's worth noting, made these comments in an off- camera fundraiser in Greenwich, Connecticut, for the first time calling Trump a convicted felon and saying that he is waging an all- out assault on the American justice system.

But the president also used his remarks to these donors to try to argue that Trump would be even worse in a second term than he was in his four years in office. The president said, quote, something snapped in him when he lost in 2020. He can't accept he lost and it is literally driving him crazy. Throughout this campaign, Trump has made it clear he is running to exact revenge.

Now, these comments were made in an off camera fundraiser. Oftentimes those are types of venues where the president speak a bit more freely or potentially test out new lines of attack that could make it into his campaign speeches out on the campaign trail.

But this all is really marking a significant moment. For months, President Biden and his campaign team really refrained from using Trump's legal cases against him out on the campaign trail, in part, because to avoid any perception of political interference. But in the wake of Trump's conviction, some Democrats have argued that they should take them on. There's been some debate about whether the president should lean into using the convictions in his arguments.

Now, we have heard the campaign team and now the president describing Trump as a convicted felon and really trying to use Trump's response to this verdict as another sign that he is unfit for office.

Now, this all comes just a few weeks before Biden and Trump are set to face off in their first debate right here on CNN on June 27th. The two men have a busy calendar heading into that debate. President Biden a bit later today is expected to depart for France for the D-Day commemorations as well as a state visit. You'll have Trump in Arizona and Nevada out on the campaign trail in the coming days. And a big focus will also be on trying to raise more money for this campaign, Biden expected to attend that high dollar fundraiser with Obama, George Clooney and Julia Robertson in Los Angeles a bit later this month, and it all comes on the heels of the Trump campaign announcing a major fundraising call in the month of May.

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Yesterday the Trump campaign said that they and the RNC together raised $141 million in the month of May. That includes $53 million in the first 24 hours since the conviction. So, we're still waiting to hear from the Biden campaign about how much they raised. But it's clear with these remarks from the president just yesterday that the campaign is eager to really escalate their rhetoric, escalate their attacks on Trump as they're trying to paint him as unfit for office heading into November's election.

BOLDUAN: Arlette, thank you very much for that reporting. John?

BERMAN: All right, breaking overnight, Attorney General Merrick Garland seems like he has had enough. Very shortly, he testifies before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, and we are learning that he is planning to slam, as conspiracy theories, the idea that the Department of Justice is being weaponized against Donald Trump, particularly any connection with the guilty verdict in the New York criminal case.

In opening remarks shared with CNN, Garland will say this, quote, I will not be intimidated, and the Justice Department will not be intimidated. We will continue to do our jobs, free from political influence, and we will not back down from defending our democracy.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is with us now. And these are unusually defiant words from the attorney general, Katelyn.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Really, very sharply worded from an attorney general who often isn't putting himself in the center of the political mix. Merrick Garland is responding to criticism and pressure from Republicans and what he plans to say on Capitol Hill today to the House Judiciary Committee.

According to remarks we have obtained here at CNN in advance of that testimony, is that he wants to defend the people who work in the department and the department itself. He says he doesn't want the department investigations to be defunded by Congress on House Republicans, especially that he doesn't -- he wants to put an end to the conspiracy theories, he says, that Republicans have been spreading primarily Donald Trump, in saying that that conviction of Trump in New York was brought or motivated or that the Justice Department was behind it. In fact, it was not. It was brought by state prosecutors, a totally separate government itself.

And then he also wants to defend his own FBI agents against falsehoods. They have come under attack, especially by Trump in recent days, with some additional misleading information about, say, the search of Mar-a-Lago back in August of 2022. So, Merrick Garland defending the department.

What this is coming in response to, though, John, is that House Republicans, they are still trying to muster an impeachment proceeding against Joe Biden. They have been digging into the investigation around Biden of his own retention of classified records that resulted in no charges when Biden sat for an interview with that special counsel, a really unprecedented thing for a president to do. He had an audio recording made of that interview. House Republicans want that audio recording. Merrick Garland won't give it to them. CNN is also suing for it. The Justice Department won't do it.

And Merrick Garland now being pressured to be held in contempt, he says certain members of this committee and the oversight committee are seeking contempt as a means of obtaining for no legitimate purpose, sensitive law enforcement information that could harm the integrity of future investigations. John, in short, that's Merrick Garland saying, we're not giving you that audiotape at this time.

BERMAN: Expecting some fiery words this morning on Capitol Hill. Katelyn Polantz, thank you very much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Also this morning, opening arguments are about to get underway in the trial of Hunter Biden. And we have new word on who will testify and how prosecutors plan to make their case against the president's son.

And the suspect in the Gilgo Beach serial killings is expected to be indicted on another murder charge now, the details about a new search and where investigators were looking.

She was declared dead by the workers at her nursing home. Two hours later, an employee at a funeral home realizes she is still breathing. We'll bring you that.

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BOLDUAN: The trial of Hunter Biden is about to get underway with opening statements to begin this morning, and we're learning new details about how prosecutors plan to make their case against the president's son. In a new court filing, the special counsel reveals three of Hunter Biden's former romantic partners are expected to be called to the stand. One of them expected to talk about how she and her children tried to help him get sober with details like this, how she searched his bags, his backpacks, his vehicle, discovered drug paraphernalia and drugs on multiple occasions. This is part of the federal case against him and now the narrative prosecutors want the jury to hear.

CNN's Marshall Cohen is outside court in Wilmington, Delaware, where he's following all of these details. Marshall, what do you expect from opening statements when they get underway?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Kate, good morning. The prosecutors in this case have said that the evidence against the president's son is overwhelming, but now it's time for them to actually prove it, and they can start doing that in opening statements.

One of the reasons they're so confident is because they think that they've got the goods here. They have photos and videos of Hunter Biden using drugs around drugs, right around the same time that he bought that gun here in Wilmington in October 2018.

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That could help them win a conviction.

But it's not just photos and videos. There are also a trove of text messages and other materials from Hunter Biden's infamous laptop, including some texts where allegedly he is trying to buy drugs from dealers right here in Wilmington. And there's one text where he was saying that he was at the Little League ballpark that's just seven or eight minutes away from this courthouse trying to meet up with a dealer named, Mookie (ph).

So, they think they have a lot to tell the jury, but of course there's two sides to this story. The defense will get to present its case as well. The judge in the last few weeks has narrowed their ability to make several key arguments and present some key evidence. So, their job has gotten a little bit harder. But one of the things that they're focusing on is the actual text of this statute. The law says that it's against code for anyone who is a drug user or is an addict to buy a gun, is present tense, and they're arguing that maybe he didn't think he was an addict on that particular day.

So, we'll all kick off, Kate, here in about an hour-and-a-half, 9:00 A.M. in Wilmington, Delaware.

BOLDUAN: Marshall, tell us more about the witnesses who are expected to be called.

COHEN: You know, there are quite a number of interesting witnesses. Three of Hunter Biden's former romantic partners are on the witness list, including Hallie Biden, who is the widow of his late brother, Beau Biden, and other people that basically, according to prosecutors, are prepared to tell the jury that Hunter Biden was, in fact, using a lot of drugs at the time. One, who, according to the prosecutors, will tell jurors that she witnessed him using crack cocaine every 20 minutes around this time.

Now, let me be clear here. He has been open and honest about his lifelong struggle with addiction. He wrote about it in his memoir. He's written op-eds about it. But in this courtroom, prosecutors are going to try to use that against him to win a conviction. Kate?

BOLDUAN: All right. Marshall, thank you so much for being there. You're watching how this plays out this morning.

We also have new details about a fifth murder that investigators say they have linked -- they believe it is linked, to the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer.

And Pat McAfee says he meant it as a compliment. What he said about WNBA star Caitlin Clark is making headlines still this morning.

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BERMAN: New this morning, we are learning the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer is expected to be charged with a new murder. He was arrested last year and charged with murdering four women. Now, CNN- affiliate WCBS reports he will be in court this week, facing a fifth murder charge.

CNN's Brynn Gingras, who's been covering this over the last year, is with us now with the very latest, Brynn.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, this is a big deal because now we're talking about outside of that original Gilgo Four, right? He was charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes back in January of this year. The D.A. said that they used this cutting edge, as they described, technology, nuclear DNA , to tie him Maureen Brainard-Barnes killing.

And so we can only suspect that now they are using that sort of same technology possibly to tie him to some other killings. Of course, remember, it was, you know, a long time ago, 2010 to 2011, where ten people were found in total along the stretch of Gilgo Beach, but those Gilgo Four within like a quarter mile stretch. So, now, again, this is a big deal because it looks like they are tying him to people that were outside that are sort of original Gilgo Four.

So, we'll see who exactly this has to do with. There were other women that fit that profile of those other four women, like were sex workers, for example, were young, were certain body shape. But we don't quite yet know who this might be in pertains to or it could be more than one person, but we'll find out on Thursday. He's back in court.

And, of course, we know also they searched his home just last month, and they found a lot of evidence, so we'll see what they uncovered when they released the details on Thursday.

BERMAN: I was going to ask him, we don't know for sure, but there is the possibility that this expands even beyond a fifth person?

GINGRAS: There was always a question about that. Could he be tied to more? And certainly when all those bodies were found during that time of 2010 to 2011 or so, that that was the question. Is it one person? Is it multiple people? Were there copycats? So, this is where it's starting to get a little bit interesting, is, now, how are they tying him to others? So, we'll find out more.

BERMAN: We'll learn a lot more this week. I know you'll be there. Brynn Gingras, great to have you. Thank you very much.

The number of women in the U.S. who died during pregnancy, labor, or postpartum is double or even triple that of other countries, and we've got new reporting this morning on why. And ever feel like your boss is working less than you but making 200 times as much? According to a new study, they are.

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BOLDUAN: We do have some breaking news coming in. Iranian media is reporting that Israeli strikes on the Syrian city of Aleppo have killed an adviser to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military, has not heard back anything yet.

Fred Pleitgen is working through the details that are still coming in very clearly. Fred, what are you hearing?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kate. Yes, we're also hearing this from Syrian state media, SANA, as well. There was apparently an airstrike that took place on the city of Aleppo at 12:20 A.M. on Monday morning.

So, this already happened about a day ago. Of course, Aleppo is one of those cities that was very hard fought over during the Syrian civil war. Also, of course, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was involved in that fighting as well.

And we also know that the IRGC does have a quite a large presence in Syria. And now it's Iranian semi-official media that is now saying that apparently an adviser within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was killed in those strikes. The Syrians are saying that it was a multitude of strikes that took place around Aleppo, and it appears as though in one of those, a member of the Revolutionary Guard Corps was killed.

Now, of course, that is something that does bring with it the potential for escalation in that region. We, of course, know that the Iranians blame Israel for bombing Iran's embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, on April 1st, killing several top commanders in that bombing.

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And the Iranians then struck back for the first time.