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Karen Read Speaks After Being Acquitted of Killing Boyfriend; Trump: Haven't Decided Yet on Whether to Strike Iran. Aired 3:30-4 pm ET

Aired June 18, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

DANA STROUL, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR THE MIDDLE EAST: -- ground forces that are American. There are other options for those ground forces, and of course there has to be sensitive site exploitation. It doesn't have to be U.S. military. It could be IAEA nuclear inspectors at some point after this war is over to verify the destruction and dismantlement of the nuclear program.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: What do you make of President Trump saying, I don't care what she said about Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who in March testified that Iran was, quote, "not building a nuclear weapon," and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized a nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003. President Trump basically said, I don't buy it. I think that they are close to it, and the only ones I know of that are saying that are the Israelis.

KEVIN CARROLL, FORMER CIA CASE OFFICER: Trump's statement begs a lot of questions. You know, if he just doesn't trust the judgment of his Director of National Intelligence, why is she still there? If he doesn't think she's being honest with him, why is she still there?

Is there a substantive reason that he disagrees, has a good faith disagreement with her? But stating in public that you are basically not listening to your Director of National Intelligence, I don't think it's helpful to him. I don't think it's helpful to her. I don't think it's helpful to the country.

TAPPER: And the Israelis, Netanyahu specifically, has been warning about this for at least a decade, which is not to say that he's not accurate this time, but it does mean that perhaps the claims should be received with a little bit of skepticism at least.

STROUL: I think the ghosts of 2003 and the George W. Bush administration talking about intelligence but not explaining it to the American people before serious commitment of U.S. treasure and lives was put on the line in Iraq, this is so eerily similar to me. It's stupefying that certain rigorous questioning is not being asked.

So, the Israelis certainly should be concerned, as should the United States and the rest of the world, about the intelligence. But before we enter this war, there should be a clear explanation to the American people about exactly what that intelligence was that triggered military strikes now before the Iran nuclear negotiations were allowed to run their course.

TAPPER: Dana Stroul, Kevin Carroll, thank you for your expertise. Thanks for being here. Really appreciate it. When we come back, much more on our breaking news. As Karen Read has been found not guilty of murdering her police officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe, her trial has captured nationwide attention. And certainly is the talk of dead in Massachusetts. If you look at that crowd, we'll be right back.

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[15:37:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN READ, ACQUITTED OF KILLING BOYFRIEND: Me and my team, financially and more importantly, emotionally, for almost four years. And the second thing I want to say is no one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have, than I have and my team. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, do you want to see it reopen? Karen, do you want to see the case reopened? Should the case be reopened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, the case cannot be reopened. This case is over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I mean, the case of charging for someone else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you say -- what did you say about justice?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to leave it -- I'm going to leave it to Karen and her dad. Her dad has a comment. Let her dad -- let her dad make a comment.

WILLIAM READ, KAREN'S FATHER: Thank you. I just want to -- I want to acknowledge the strength of our daughter, Karen. The support of the entire Read extended family. I want to acknowledge the greatest team of attorneys. Our first one that we found was David Yannetti, we added Alan Jackson and Eliza Little, . Bob Alessi you know about. All right. It was a fantastic team, but we needed them all to defeat this. We thank everybody for their support from the heart. We love you all. All of the content providers who helped spread the word. Thank you so much. God bless you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The investigation --

W. READ: Let's do this.

(OFF MIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:40:00]

TAPPER: All right. You heard Karen Read there saying that nobody has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than she has done. O'Keefe, her -- her late ex-boyfriend with whom -- with whom she was charged with -- with killing and found not guilty.

Jean Casarez, outside court. Jean, tell us more about what you're hearing?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the crowd is just overwhelmed right now. I mean, this is what they have stood by for. And the jury has spoken. So, the -- the -- the screams for Karen Read are not dissipating at all. And they were just chanting a minute ago. Karen Read is free. Karen Read is free. And I think they're probably stunned. This crowd has been such a compliant crowd with the rules around the courthouse.

They could not speak. They could not show their voices in unison like this. And now they are just letting it out. I believe that right over here, Karen Read is leaving with her attorneys. This has obviously been a case that has had twists and turns like no other. First, a verdict today, then not a verdict and then a verdict. And obviously not guilty on the main charges, simply the drunk driving where she'll be on probation for one year. But the people now, they're not leaving. They're still here because they've relished in this. And they have wanted this.

Now, here's who we have not seen come out of the courthouse, John O'Keefe's family. There is a victim here. There is someone that lost their life. Part of this case, his name is John O'Keefe. He was raising his sister's children all by himself after she unexpectedly died of a very fast and progressing cancer. And her husband died months later after that. He is no longer here. John O'Keefe's mother was in that courtroom every single day.

And the emotion that we saw on her, they want justice. These hundreds of people have justice, but the justice for the victim's family is awaiting them. Now, they are driving away right now in the car that has brought them to court every day. The supporters of Karen Read, and at this point, I think we could call them fans because they idolize her. I see that with my own eyes. I hear that in what they say. All they do is talk about her. That's their focus. You walk amongst the crowd. They're not talking about anything else. They're talking about Karen Read. So, they are bidding her farewell right now.

She has always responded back to them that she loves them. She will hug some of them as she leaves the courthouse. But this crowd is still very, very much in force. No one is leaving. People are staying.

TAPPER: Jean Casarez, thanks so much. Also with us, former litigator Lisa Bonner and former State Attorney Dave Aronberg.

Dave, the fact that jurors did not find Karen Read guilty of leading the scene of the crime. Does that indicate to you that they weren't convinced that Read actually was the one who hit O'Keefe at all?

DAVE ARONBERG, FORMER STATE ATTORNEY: Exactly. And there's a binary choice here, Jake, and that is either she hit him or he went into the house, despite no evidence that he did, and was murdered by a group of law enforcement officers and soccer moms who then, after murdering him, decided to throw his body on the front lawn. Like, that makes any sense.

So, that's why I feel after this verdict the same way I felt after the O.J. Simpson verdict or the Casey Anthony verdict. And just like the O.J. Simpson verdict, you actually had the spectacle of this defendant standing outside the courthouse saying that no one has done more to try to help find the killer of John O'Keefe than she did. That is like O.J. Simpson saying he is now going to search for the real killers. A couple of parallels there.

TAPPER: Interesting. Lisa, the defense argued that there was this vast police cover up that Dave is obviously throwing shade at. What do you think attorneys will take away from this verdict?

LISA BONNER, FORMER LITIGATOR: The attorneys will take away from this verdict the fact that when you bring in experts, when you bring in digital forensic, basically scientists, to analyze the data, that is very important, especially when you're looking at the iPhone data -- this -- that data is locked in and you cannot manipulate that. And I don't think it's -- I think it's one thing that we need to take away from this, that the digital footprint from these iPhones and these electronic, the computers and all the electronic data that we have, it is really -- it's something to -- it's irrefutable. And when you are looking at a jury, the only thing the defense needs to do is place reasonable doubt in the mind of the juror.

[15:45:16]

It does not mean that Karen Read is innocent. And that is the most important takeaway from this, that they are not saying that she's innocent. What they are saying is there is not enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. And that is a very high threshold. When you are taking away someone's civil liberties and placing them in jail, you have to be darn near certain that this person did it without any doubt. And if you have doubt, that's all it takes. And these -- these iPhones and this computer data, a lot of this is irrefutable.

And if you bring in an expert just to show a little bit of doubt, that is all you need. So, that is the biggest takeaway, in my opinion. Do not underestimate the digital footprint and how that can assist a defense attorney in trying to establish reasonable doubt.

TAPPER: And Dave, what happens next? Can there be any justice for the O'Keefe family?

ARONBERG: Well, there could be a civil lawsuit and there are civil lawsuits, but perhaps the real justice in the criminal justice system will be in one of the people that her father, Karen Read's father, was praising. One of those influencers, we're talking about Turtleboy, who apparently may have been paid by the family and is now facing serious charge himself of witness tampering. And his day in court will come.

So, perhaps there can be a measure of justice there. But unfortunately, Karen Read goes free and she's going to make a lot of money out there because you see her rabid supporters out there. Normally, you would think you'd have rabid supporters to support the family of a law enforcement officer who, by all accounts, is a great guy and a great caregiver of children. But here they're supporting someone who admittedly, at least clearly, got blasted drunk and then drove away, leaving John O'Keefe to die.

TAPPER: Dave Aronberg, Lisa Bonner, thanks to both of you.

Coming up, more of our special coverage of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, with questions about whether the United States is going to get involved militarily with a strike upon Iran. Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

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[15:52:00]

TAPPER: Let's go now to CNN's Chief White House Correspondent, Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, you just spoke with President Trump in the Oval Office about possible action against Iran. What did he have to say?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jake, we were summoned to the Oval Office kind of at a last-minute basis. Obviously, we're always hanging out here in the briefing room, around in case the President wants to speak to reporters. And we went in and obviously, the President was there meeting with the FIFA president.

But obviously, a lot of the questions focused on where he stands with Israel and Iran and how involved the United States is going to get in this as he is weighing a military strike in Iran from the United States.

And so, we talked to him about this and whether or not he's made any final decision on what this looks like and also, as he was talking about how Iranians have been saying, Iranian officials, that they'd like to come meet with him here at the White House. He left the door open to that proposal, Jake, and having them come here, though he did seem to indicate just how difficult having that actually come to fruition would be.

I asked him, though, whether or not he's made a final call on what he believes the United States should have to do here and this is what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Does that mean you haven't made a decision yet on what to do?

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final. I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, you know, because things change, I mean, especially with war. Things change with war. It can go from one extreme to the other. War is very bad.

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COLLINS: The President there, Jake, really just laying out essentially where his head stands at all of this. Obviously, we've seen a shift in and of itself where the President was pursuing a diplomatic deal, trying to get an agreement with the Iranians here. He seems to have lost patience in the last week or so as he's seen Iranians not really coming to the table in the way that he would like to, but also he praised how successful Israel's strikes have been.

And we know from our reporting he's been impressed by what Israel has done in Iran behind the scenes. He's been saying that to people. So, all of that is going into his mind. But he did say, Jake, he has a meeting here in about an hour in the Situation Room with top officials. We saw the Joint Chiefs Chairman arriving here at the White House earlier. And so obviously all of this is still very much up for discussion, according to what the President had to say.

TAPPER: Tucker Carlson, who spoke at the Republican Convention last summer, has emerged as one of the leading skeptics of U.S. military involvement in the war between Israel and Iran. He posted earlier today an interview with Senator Ted Cruz that got quite contentious. Carlson challenging Cruz for not knowing the population of Iran.

Cruz at one point basically insinuating that Tucker Carlson was obsessed with Israel, maybe even anti-Semitic. The President spoke about Tucker Carlson just now. Tell us about that.

COLLINS: Yeah, Jake, I asked him about this, given, you know, yes, it is this moment between Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson, but we're also seeing a divide play out between the President's base and his most loyal MAGA supporters over whether or not the United States should take military action in Iran.

And so I asked him if he had seen that clip and just generally what he thought of this. On Tucker Carlson specifically, he talked about his criticism of the President where Carlson in recent days accused him of being complicit in the war. The President said that they had a phone call. He claimed that Carlson called and apologized to him for the comments that he had made, essentially saying that he had gone too far in some of those statements.

[15:55:14]

But obviously that sentiment still holds because we're seeing it from Steve Bannon, Laura Loomer, all of these people on the right, as they're discussing what the President is going to do here.

And Jake, basically what the President said to me in the Oval was he made the argument that should he choose to strike Iran, should he choose to take this action to eliminate Iran's nuclear program, that being the goal, that he believes that would be in line with his America First agenda and what he has pledged on the campaign trail because he basically laid out this idea of, yes, there might be fighting, but it could potentially succeed in his ultimate goal that he has had for 10 years in stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

So, he made very clear, Jake, where he comes down on that debate that's happening within the Republican Party.

TAPPER: All right, Kaitlan Collins, thanks so much. Appreciate it. The Arena with Kasie Hunt starts after this quick break.

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