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Don Lemon Tonight

Republican Party Oppose January 6 Commission; Anti-Asian Hate Crime Now Signed into Law; A.P. Leaked Video Showing Ronald Greene's Death; Greene's Family Crying for Justice; Nikole Hannah-Jones Experienced Being Cancelled; BBC Under Fire for Deceiving the Royal Family. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired May 20, 2021 - 22:00   ET

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

[22:00:00]

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: The problem is, they only do that after you hit someone because they were Asian.

Thank you for watching. Don Lemon Tonight starts right now.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: You know who has a lot to say about that? Someone from where you grew up, and that is Queens, Congresswoman Grace Meng who introduced this bill the president ended up signing. She is on the show a little bit later, and I think she has a few choice words for Josh Hawley.

CUOMO: There were two criticisms that don't make sense. One, it's not thought police. It's you hit me because I'm Asian and said things to that effect. The idea of a hate crime bill is not new. And the issue of saying well, just deal with it in the punishment. Don't punish the speech.

We, as a society made a determination that when you hit someone because of who or what they are, it matters. The second criticism is, which you should like even less, OK, because it has no legitimacy is Chip Roy, the Republican coming to Hawley's aid and saying well, you know, it takes away from the local police the way to categorize incidents and gives to it the DOJ.

LEMON: Yes.

CUOMO: Yes, that's exactly what we need because that's why abuse of force reporting is such a problem, because if you leave it to the local police.

LEMON: Yes.

CUOMO: If they don't believe in the designation, they don't want the highlight a problem, they won't.

LEMON: Yes.

CUOMO: And you don't get uniform data.

LEMON: Well, there is a lot to be said about that and a lot to be said about the local police and how they classify and qualify things, especially that video coming out.

CUOMO: Or don't.

LEMON: Or don't, coming out of Louisiana. And let me tell you, my mom has been -- I grew up in Louisiana. My family is still there. My mom is outraged. It's outrage obviously in Louisiana, but across the country. And we first played that video last night on the show. And I knew that it was going to boil up, and folks were going to start talking about it. And now the family members are copping out.

And if you look at the video -- we haven't seen all of it. There is 46 minutes of it. We've only seen a little bit of it. But I mean, it's horrendous. Wiping the hands off. There is blood everywhere. I hope I don't get f-ing AIDS the cops are saying. I mean, it's just the parts that we see, Chris. It's just, it's awful.

CUOMO: One, it's a haunting reminder of what we saw with George Floyd, even though it happened years earlier. Even the time on the ground is eerily similar, nine minutes.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: The anniversary one year coming up for George Floyd.

CUOMO: Right.

LEMON: Two years for that.

CUOMO: And as we all know, nine plus minutes with George Floyd. Nine minutes here. I'm not suggesting a pattern, except in this regard. George Floyd was not a one-off. The only thing that made it different was it happened in broad daylight where everybody could video it. Mostly it happens on body camera videos. And now we do see what we have to change on one level absolutely.

LEMON: Yes.

CUOMO: Body cam video has to be released.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: And it has to be on.

CUOMO: And if there's a pendency of an investigation it has to be because you make a show of cause that releasing it to the public will somehow inhibit your investigation. And I don't know how that can ever be true about police.

LEMON: It's got to be on at all times, and it's got to be released. Transparence circumstances transparency. Thank you, sir.

CUOMO: D. Lemon, I love you.

LEMON: I love you more. So, let's get to it.

This is Don Lemon Tonight. Thanks for joining us. As I said, you saw it here first last night, and now we have these new details, these new details, significant new questions about a shocking story that we first reported to you on this program last night.

A Black man, Ronald Greene dying after being kicked, dragged, and tased by Louisiana State Troopers after a high-speed chase. His family says initially they were told that he died in a car crash. Now I'm going to talk to his mother in just a moment. You don't want to miss that. The mom is going to be here live in just a moment.

But I want you to look at the video. It's only being seen by the public now, even though Ronald Greene died more than two years ago. The Associated Press released three segments of the original video, which it says is 46 minutes long. CNN has neither reviewed nor obtained the original video, and it is

unclear what occurred between or before or in between the video clips.

As I said, 46 minutes. We have not seen all of it. So, this is one of those clips, and I wish I could say it's the last time that I'm going to have to warn you of something like this, but this video is very disturbing to watch. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Let me see your -- let me see your -- hands, come here mother (muted).

(CROSSTALK)

UNKNOWN: I got you.

UNKNOWN: OK, OK. OK.

UNKNOWN: Get out of the car!

UNKNOWN: OK, OK. Sorry. Jesus.

UNKNOWN: Get out of the car!

UNKNOWN: I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared.

UNKNOWN: Get out of the car!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Like I said, that is incredibly disturbing, and there is more. Leaked audio of a trooper talking about the violent arrest. This is from station in my hometown, QAFB in Baton Rouge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[22:05:04]

UNKNOWN: And I beat the ever-living (muted) out of him, choked him and everything else trying to get him under control. We finally got him in handcuffs when a third man got there and the son of a (muted) was still fighting and was still wrestling with him and we tried to hold him down. He was spitting blood everywhere and all of a sudden, he just went limp.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You saw the video. You heard the trooper. All of this raises some very serious questions about what happened to Ronald Greene and what police said happened. We've been here before. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Walter Scott.

Over and over, Black people have died at the hands of police, police whose initial reports didn't tell the real story. And we have only learned the truth when the videos surfaced. So, I want you to stay with me for my interview with Ronald Greene's mother that will happen in just a moment.

But all of this is happening with some really important things that are happening in Washington. More burying of the truth. Republicans want to bury what happened in another violent incident, January 6, when those violent Trump-supporting rioters attacked the seat of our government. They want to throw what happened into the great big memory hole like the one in 1984.

So, let's put January 6, 2021 right down there too. That's what they want to do. A memory hole where they'll never have to think about it again, where they won't have to admit the truth that they're so afraid of a president, a former president who was voted out of office six months ago, they don't even want to investigate the insurrection that could have killed them.

More and more Republican senators rejecting the bill that passed the House just last night, the bill that would create an independent commission to get to the truth of what happened. Now they're all but certain to filibuster, even the debate in the Senate dooming the bill. Kevin McCarthy telling CNN today that he would be willing to testify if he were asked by an independent commission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Would you be willing to testify about your conversation with Donald Trump on January 6 if you were asked by an outside commission?

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): Sure.

RAJU: You would?

MCCARTHY: Next question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Next question. Easy for him to say. Easy for him to say that he would answer the questions from the commission when he is pretty darn sure there is never going to be a commission. He tipped his hand when Manu Raju asked if he would also be willing to testify before a select committee in the House. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RAJU: Does that mean you would be willing to testify before a select committee in the House too?

MCCARTHY: There is no select committee in the House.

RAJU: If there is one. the Speaker is open to one. She's talking about --

MCCARTHY: I don't think the select committee is a proper way to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, then you should have gone with the other one. The hypocrisy is off the charts. Remember when Kevin McCarthy said this? This is just one week after the deadly insurrection.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCARTHY: The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding. These facts require immediate action from President Trump, accept his share responsibility, quell the brewing unrest, and ensure President-elect Biden is able to successfully begin his term. And the president's immediate action also deserves congressional action, which is why I think a fact-finding commission and a censure resolution would be prudent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, did you hear that? I would play it again, but I'm just going to -- I'm just going to repeat what he said. He said, a fact- finding commission would be prudent. Now, not so much. I guess all it took was, you know, the disgraced twice impeached one-term former president reading him the riot act and a groveling visit to Mar-a- Lago.

And how about Senator John Cornyn, who just weeks after the insurrection tweeted that he agreed with the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that a 9/11-type investigation is called for to help prevent an attack on the capitol from happening again. He must have forgotten, even though he put it in writing. Because now he is accusing the House Speaker of pushing the investigation just to help Democrats' chance of keeping control of Congress, saying this now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): That would be the Democrats' dream. I generally don't try to help Democrats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Senator Rob Portman apparently just hasn't gotten around to reading the bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Are you still undecided about the commission the independent?

SEN. ROB PORTMAN (R-OH): I mean, I want to see what - what the scope is. I don't know if that's something that's been laid out yet. And --

(CROSSTALK)

[22:10:05]

UNKNOWN: It's a very short bill. I mean, you could read it like, in two minutes.

PORTMAN: Yes.

UNKNOWN: Especially you. Especially you. You read tax bills. This is easy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: It's just so easy for them, and they do it with a straight face. They think you're dumb. They think you're stupid. But does it matter? Will they face any repercussions? That's really up to you. Because you remember when their favorite excuse was, they hadn't read the former guys' tweets. Now they don't have time to read the bill, which is their job. They're supposed to read the bills. That's the whole point of them.

And then there is Ron Johnson, of course. Ron Johnson who never tires of lying and denying. Still, after everything we saw with our own eyes and heard with our owner's ears, still trying to sell the lie that what happened on January 6 was a peaceful protest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): By and large, it was all -- it was peaceful protests, except for there were a number of people, basically agitators that whipped the crowd and breached the capitol. You know, that's really the truth of what's happening here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Can you believe that? Except for just a few people. Ellie, do we have any video anywhere of the -- can we show some of what happened? Just a few people. We have it rolling. Look, just a few. Just a, you know, just a couple rowdy, just some rowdy people.

Come on, man. Come on, Republicans. Just lying and denying, lying and denying Republicans. Just like the Republicans trying to bury the truth of what happened, comparing bloodthirsty rioters to tourists, calling them peaceful patriot, trying to head off the January 6 commission before it's even begun.

Like I said, they're trying to throw the truth of what happened into a big old memory hole so they never have to think about it again. Republicans like Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell care about saving their political skins, more about that than they do about the insurrection that could have killed them. Thank you, Ellie, for doing that by the way.

Look, if you can't get Republicans to cooperate on this when they themselves were targeted by bloodthirsty rioters, when they could have died that day, then when they, you know -- look, when they saw the gallows, when they heard the Trump-supporting rioters chanting about the vice president, hang Mike Pence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: If you can't get them to work with you on this, why would President Biden think that he can get cooperation on infrastructure, or anything? The president signing the anti-Asian hate crimes bill today, a bill 62 House Republicans opposed. Seriously. Seriously. An anti-hate bill they opposed. If you won't stand against hate crimes, how are you going to get them to cooperate on anything at all?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe with every fiber of my being that there are simple core values and beliefs that should bring us together America -- as Americans. One of them is standing together against hate, against racism, the ugly poison that has long haunted and plagued our nation. Today, I can say that because of all of you, many of you sitting right in front of me, you've taken that first step. It's an important step.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I can't wait to hear from him, and I know you can't too. One of the congresswomen who introduced the bill, a little later on in the show. Also, in a moment, I'm going to speak to the mother of Ronald Greene. Ronald Greene was killed during in an encounter with Louisiana State troopers. That was two years ago. You first saw the story. It was first on CNN on Don Lemon Tonight that was last night.

And I want you all to see what happened to him on police body cam video, only being made public now. And I have a warning for you again. It is difficult to watch.

Tonight, CNN's Ryan Young.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The video seen by the public for the first time in about two years since the deadly encounter between Ronald Greene and Louisiana State Police officers.

UNKNOWN: I'm your brother. I'm scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[22:14:58]

YOUNG: After a high-speed chase led to a deadly confrontation just outside the city of Monroe in May of 2019, Greene's family says the police initially told them the 49-year-old died in a car crash. State police said he was taken into custody after resisting arrest. Greene became unresponsive shortly after and died on his way to the hospital.

But new video reveals a more disturbing confrontation. In body cam video obtained by the Associated Press, troopers can be seen repeatedly punching Greene after appearing to drag him out of his vehicle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Taser, taser, taser.

UNKNOWN: Put your hands behind your back.

YOUNG: Troopers tased Greene multiple times while he is face-down on the ground as they attempt to handcuff him. Another trooper appears to kick Greene.

UNKNOWN: I got blood all over me. I hope this guy does not have (muted) AIDS.

YOUNG: The Associated Press released three segments of the original video, which it says is 46 minutes long. Only two of the video clips have audio. CNN has never reviewed or obtained the original video, and it's unclear what occurred before or in between the video clips.

The 2019 state police report says officers attempted to pull Greene over for unspecified traffic violation. Mona Hardin, Greene's mother says two investigative officers wouldn't tell her why law enforcement was chasing Greene. Hardin says the lack of transparency on behalf of authorities has been painful.

MONA HARDIN, RONALD GREENE'S MOTHER: I am so pissed, but I'm a good pissed because we're going to get results.

YOUNG: The Associated Press report that at no time on the video can troopers be seen trying to render any medical aid to Greene who according to the Associated Press was face-down and moaning for more than nine minutes.

UNKNOWN: What a (muted), you better not move.

YOUNG: Two of the officers continue to be employed by the department. Both were reprimanded for their actions that night. One faced a 50- hour suspension for manipulating their body camera equipment. The other placed on administrative leave for an unrelated incident. A third officer died in a single car crash accident last year. For now, Greene's mother continues to fight for her son.

HARDIN: They beat him with the purpose of letting him just die.

(END VIDEO CLIP) YOUNG: Don, the family saying again they are happy that this video is released to the A.P. This video was leaked, by the way. There is still 46 minutes of video that we haven't seen just yet, and we haven't had a chance to talk to investigators or anyone who is involved in the law enforcement arm to ask them specific questions about this case.

Don, you and I have covered so many cases like this. It seems like almost every month, but this stands out. And one of the reasons why is the conversation is always about transparency. If you think about it, we're talking about two years now after the date of this. It's very hard for the family to bear, and there are so many questions that need to be answered, especially when it comes to what's going to happen to these officers in the future. Don?

LEMON: Right on, Ryan. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. We've got a lot more to come on all of this.

Next, I'm going to speak with Ronald Greene's mother, Mona Hardin, and the family's attorney, live.

[22:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Ronald Greene died in a fatal encounter with Louisiana troopers two years ago. Police body cam video only being seen by the public now, and it shows Greene being tased, kicked and dragged by the officers.

Ronald Greene's mother Mona Hardin is here. Also joining us Lee Merritt, an attorney for Greene's family. I'm so happy to have both of you on. Thank you so much. Ms. Hardin, let me say I'm sorry for your loss. Thank you for joining us.

HARDIN: Thank you.

LEMON: Yes.

HARDIN: Thank you. I appreciate it.

LEMON: Your son, you know, to see your son tased, kicked, dragged in this body cam video, no mention of troopers using force in the initial state police crash report, it's got to be incredibly painful to watch this over and over. Tell us what you're feeling.

HARDIN: It is. It is. The last couple of days I'm pretty proud of myself. I thought I'd go into just oblivion with my thoughts, but my son is here with me, and I'm feeling really saddened, really -- but I'm so glad that these are in the hands and other folks out there are able to see this.

LEMON: Yes. When did you realize what the police were telling you about your son's death didn't really match up to what really happened?

HARDIN: It was within -- when we first heard the news, two or three days after we got there. And at that time, they told us that Ronnie was in a high-speed chase, car crashed into a tree and he went through the windshield, died of head injuries.

But right before then, we found out that through the coroner Abbey Moon (Ph) at the time, she told us that Ronnie was being taken out of state for his autopsy. And it was right then and there that we saw that it was going to be basically a cat and mouse game. They were running us all over the place.

LEMON: You knew --

HARDIN: And there was nothing I could do to stop him from being taken for a first autopsy.

LEMON: You knew then that something wasn't right. Lee, I want to bring you in here, just because again, a legal matter. She said, you know, that she was told had gone through the windshield. I mean, we didn't -- that's not what's portrayed on the tape.

But I have to be clear, the A.P. obtained, the Associated Press obtained this videocam video. It was not released by police. But you have -- you have been shown, I understand, what happened before, the entire video. What else is on that tape that we don't see, Lee?

LEE MERRITT, ATTORNEY, MERRITT LAW FIRM: Well, pieces of evidence have been leaking out probably for the last two years. It took us almost a year and a half to see the video for the first time, only after a video -- audio recording that one of the troopers bragging about beating Ron to death was leaked out by someone within the Louisiana State Troopers office.

Since then, on that video, you hear Ron, as you hear in the video, him begging. But what you don't see is the pepper spray, them washing the blood from their hands using bottles of water, and then literally bragging then smiling about what they were doing, while he was still there writhing in pain.

[22:25:04]

LEMON: Were they actually told, you know, initially told that he had gone through the windshield and died of a head injury?

MERRITT: That's what the family was initially told that he had died from a head-on collision with a tree, and because of brain damage as a result of the collision.

LEMON: Wow. Wow. Ms. Hardin, the Associated Press reports that at no time can troopers be seen rendering any medical aid while your son was face-down, moaning for more than nine minutes. Do you think those officers saw your son as a human being?

HARDIN: No, no. You could see that they cared less. That was the most horrific part to see what was done to Ronnie, what they did to him, and they allowed him to just slowly die on the spot behind all that they did to him, and to continue just walk around him, in spite of him taking his last breaths. That was hard to watch.

LEMON: It's hard to watch, but the last two years for you, what's that been like?

HARDIN: We've -- we've -- we've not processed any of this because of the fact that I haven't processed that my son is -- what happened to him, none of this is really -- if there is even such a way of properly processing, but what I can say is the fact that we're moving forward with this, what needs to be done, and all the officers named needs to go to jail. They just need to pay whatever price it is at the highest because what I saw done to my son was murder.

LEMON: What do you have -- because there are -- we saw the Floyd family go through this. Breonna Taylor's family, and many other families go through this. What do you say to America about the pain or the experience of having to live through, to suffer through something like this?

HARDIN: What I say to America is we were once a family on the outside looking in. And it's unbelievable the darkness that you walk through trying to shuffle through and try to make someone listen to you. It's so painful. It's unbelievable. When you become a statistic yourself, you just start living your life totally different. The life you knew before no longer exists.

LEMON: Did you -- you've watched -- you've watched the videos that have been released, right?

HARDIN: Yes.

LEMON: Do you intend to watch the entire video if it's released? Can you --

HARDIN: At this time, I have not been able to. I saw last year's. And upon my approval, I decided not to see all of it because of how horrendous it is. Upon the release of this the other day, I had to break away from it. I had to stay focused.

The anger that I have, the anxiety, it's gripping. And I don't want to go through that. I have to stay focused because what these guys did to my son and the cover-up that pursued and ensued behind all that, it's -- someone have to stay focused that my family will. What they did to Ronnie, they have to pay the penalties.

LEMON: You're a strong mom. You're a strong mama. Lee, speaking of that video, do you know when the rest of it will be released, or if it will be released?

MERRITT: The Louisiana State Troopers responded to the release of the video by complaining that the release, the leak would somehow interfere with their investigation. The administrative process is already complete. One officer received a 50-hour suspension. Another officer was terminated and died the same day that he was terminated. It seems that their investigation, if there was any legitimate investigation in the first place is complete. So, it doesn't appear that they have any real intent to release that video.

However, because there is an ongoing federal investigation and we expect that case to go to a grand jury soon, we're looking forward to indictments being forthcoming and hopefully all of this coming to light. It's certainly a part of our discovery file and our federal civil rights claim.

LEMON: Yes, you mentioned the officer after the fatal incident, an officer was involved, one of the officers involved said -- police told him that he died -- well, he died, I should say, in a crash when he -- the day he was fired. He died in an auto crash himself.

[22:30:02]

I see you wanting to jump in, Ms. Hardin. What do you want to say about your son? Because I know Ronald had battled cancer for two years, had recently entered remission before his death.

HARDIN: Yes.

LEMON: What do you want people know about your son?

HARDIN: Yes. He did that proudly. I'm going miss his valor, his undeniable we got this. One of his favorite saying is we're winning. and even times where me and him had mom and son discussions and I was pretty down, he says mom, he says, you're not looking at it the way you should look at it. I'll miss that. I'll miss that about him. We had really good conversations. We always laughed. We always -- it was good times. He was taken from us way too soon.

LEMON: What do you say to the police?

HARDIN: Shame on you. Shame on all of you for the fact that the corruption and the -- that you're allowed to continue to hide and just the fact that when we were there, we were lied too in our faces. And they allowed us to continue to go our ways, knowing that nothing was going to be done.

That deceit, we already know what the state troopers done, but on all those above them, that's -- that's really painful. These are people who hold high office. And it's degrading. Shame on the State of Louisiana. These are the people that you're proud of to hold office?

LEMON: Yes. Ms. Hardin, thank you so much. I admire your strength, and again, I'm so sorry for what happened. We appreciate you coming on. And of course, Lee, thank you as well. We'll keep --

HARDIN: Thank you.

MERRITT: Thank you.

LEMON: We'll keep our audience updated on this. Thank you very much.

HARDIN: Thank you. Thank you so much.

LEMON: It is looking bleak for the January 6 commission as Republicans do whatever they can to stop it from happening. It's all over fealty to one man.

[22:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: New tonight, more and more GOP senators making clear to CNN that they will vote to prevent debate from even starting on the Senate floor over the January 6th commission bill. Are Republicans afraid of finding out the truth? It sure seems like it.

Let's discuss now. Matthew Dowd is here. He is the former chief strategist for President George W. Bush. Matthew, thank you. Good to see you again. So, look, --

MATTHEW DOWD, FORMER CHIEF STRATEGIST FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: You too, Don.

LEMON: -- it seems like Mitch McConnell and the Republicans, like they're going to do whatever it takes to keep bad facts from coming out. They don't care if they look like hypocrites. They don't care about democracy. What do they care about?

DOWD: Their own political power in the course of this. I mean, that's fundamentally what we've seen for the last four or five years out of the Republican Party, and most of the people in the Republican Party. There is not like a -- there is not a servant leader among them.

There is not a single servant leader that I can see among the crop of Republican leadership in the party today. It's all about retaining or getting political power. And it's not in service. I mean, it's OK to pursue political power, as many politicians and candidates do, but it's usually in service of a greater purpose or a greater cause. There is no greater cause or greater purpose.

LEMON: The former guy is bashing the 35 House Republicans who voted for that commission, calling them weak and threatening consequences. Bottom line is that Republicans, what do they fear the most here?

DOWD: Well, you know, it's fascinating. I think sometimes -- I mean, obviously Donald Trump is basically in my mind a place holder for what he represents. The Republican Party is wholesale now the Donald Trump brand of party that doesn't believe in truth.

I mean, I saw a poll the other day, this tells you what the Republican Party has become, and it's not fully about Donald Trump. Donald Trump's positive rating among Republican voters is 82 positive, 16 negative, and it didn't drop at all after January 6.

Liz Cheney's favorability rating among Republican voters is 13 positive, 59, negative. Think about that. And so, the idea that people like Mitt Romney and Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney somehow think there is a part of the Republican Party that they can represent and that they can fight through this, it's just gone.

It has become the party of anti-truth, anti-facts, anti-science, anti- sort of what we considered Democratic institutions. And I think what they are is they're afraid of what their own base has become. They caused it to become that because they've lied to their base for so many years and allowed it to happen. But now they're dealing with the monster they created.

LEMON: What was -- so the Republican Party was -- it was about smaller government, lower taxes.

DOWD: A long time ago.

LEMON: Yes. Yes. Fiscal responsibility, controlling the debt and deficit, but none of that happened over the last five years. It's all been sort of owning -- not sort of, owning the lives and not about any sort of policy at all. What happened?

DOWD: It -- you know, Don, it's become a cultural grievance party, and that's all it is. It's a cultural grievance party purely inhabited by a large amount of white supremacists, and people that believe that the changing nature of the demographics of the country is a bad thing.

And they don't fundamentally in my view, they don't fundamentally believe that all men and women are created equal. And so, as the country has changed, the Republican Party became more and more and more akin to the know nothing party in the mid-1800s. And that's what they've become, because they don't like the change. They don't like African Americans in power or Latinos in power or Asians in power or women in power.

[22:40:04]

All of those things have caused a great fear among them, and understandably because they're going lose a place -- their valued place in society that they've always held, and they're going to have to share that place with a whole group of other people that don't look like them.

That to me is what's at the full fundamental nature of this. Donald Trump was the first to recognize that, that that was brewing and that was growing in the party, and which is why when he came down that escalator, the Republican Party, people in the Republican Party responded to him, the voters did. He recognized that first. He didn't cause it. He recognized it.

LEMON: It's interesting that you said what you said because listen, I can speak for me, and I also see it with other -- with other people as well. But let me just speak for me. Any time there is criticism I find of myself, when I do run across it sometimes, it's usually just steeped in homophobia and so much homophobia and racism that it's laughable that I don't see how anybody can take it seriously.

If someone wanted for me to take the criticism that they have of me seriously, then why so much homophobia? Why so much racism? Why not on policy? Why not on just something I said debate that without throwing in the isms and the bigotry and the hatred? Do you understand what I'm saying, Matthew?

DOWD: No, I think you're exactly right. And the fascinating thing to me is I looked at something the other day. And so, white male heterosexual Christians are less than 30 percent of the population of the United States. White male heterosexual Christians are less than 30 percent. They're almost 25 percent. Less than 30 percent. White male heterosexual Christians represent 80 percent of the leadership of our economy, of our politics, and of our media.

So, think about that. They represent less than a third of the country, but they represent more than two-thirds of what's in leadership. And the fascinating thing is since nobody is saying well, you only get 30 percent, for some reason there is a group of people that don't like the idea that they've moved from 90 percent of the leadership positions of the country to 80, and they may move to 75. That's what it is about.

And I think, Don, it's important to keep in mind, this is something in our history. Ever -- every time somebody else tries to exert power that doesn't look like what people think America should look like, we've had this pushback.

It happened with the Chinese Exclusion Act. It happened with immigration quotas set up in the 1920s. It happened after women got the right to vote. It happened after gay marriage was allowed. It happened after civil rights. Every time there has been a movement for our politics to represent what the country looks like, there has been a pushback from the minority in the country to stop it.

What's different today, Don, is, is that we have an entire political party that occupies that space. We've never had that before. One political party occupies that space of a pushback against diversity of the country.

LEMON: Matthew Dowd, thank you very much, sir. I'll see you soon. I appreciate it.

DOWD: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: And speaking of acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones denied tenure at the University of North Carolina, and it appears because of her work on the 1619 Project.

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LEMON: Take this. One of the most distinguished journalists in America denied tenure for her upcoming position at the University of North Carolina School of Journalism, and it looks like it's due to her work on The New York Times magazine's 1619 Project, a groundbreaking work examining the legacy of slavery in America, which has drawn the wrath of conservatives, some of whom have criticized the project as propaganda.

Nikole Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for a commentary for the 1619 Project. She's also the recipient of a McArthur Foundation Genius grant and earned a master's degree from the university in 2003. Last month, UNC announced that Hannah-Jones would occupy the journalism school's night chair in race and investigative journalism, beginning in July. The two previous holders of the chair were tenured professors, and it

was expected Hannah-Jones would be granted tenure as well. But the university board of trustees has denied it, even though tenure was recommended by the school of journalism. Instead, it's offering her a five-year contract with an option for review down the line.

It's important to note the board of trustees is controlled by North Carolina's state legislature, which in turn is controlled by Republicans, and many are unhappy with the 1619 Project. Dozens of faculty members of the journalism school posting an online statement saying they're stunned at the board's decision. The journalism school's dean says that while she is disappointed at the failure to grant tenure, she has no doubt Hannah-Jones will be a star faculty member. We'll continue to follow.

Prince William slamming the BBC, speaking out in a way we rarely hear from the royals, and it all has to do with an interview of Princess Diana from 1995.

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LEMON: Prince William slamming the BBC after an investigation found the journalist Martin Bashir used deceitful methods to secure an interview with Princess Diana in 1995. The blockbuster interview detailed the breakdown of her relationship with Prince Charles. An independent inquiry found that BBC covered up facts about how Bashir was able to secure the interview.

Let's bring in now CNN's royal correspondent Max Foster. Max, I appreciate you joining us on this fascinating story. And Prince William is not holding back in condemning the BBC over this interview with his mother. Prince Harry also speaking out. Please tell us, what are they saying?

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was really a defining interview, wasn't it, for Princess Diana? It gave us an insight into her state of mind in that last couple of years before she died. So, Harry and William, particularly I think, as far as I'm aware have always been very uncomfortable with this interview and it being out there, constantly replayed. Let's hear what Prince William said today as a result of the findings in this report.

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PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC's failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.

[22:54:59]

But what saddens me most is if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she'd been deceived. She was failed not just by a rogue reporter but by leaders in the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions.

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FOSTER: And Prince Harry also adding in a separate statement what deeply concerns him, Don, is that these practices or practices like these and even worse are still widespread today and that we haven't learned the lessons, he thinks.

LEMON: Max, you know, it has been a quarter of a century since this interview. It was a bombshell when it came out. Tell us more about why, why was it so controversial? You said the royal family, and specially the sons, they're -- they're concerned about this being out there. They've been uncomfortable with it. Why was it so controversial?

FOSTER: Well, we've never really seen the royals speak like this and the accusations were huge. She speaks about bulimia, for example, the amount of suffering that she endured really in her time in the royal family as a working royal. And then of course, there was that comment about the affair.

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UNKNOWN: Do you think Mrs. Parker Bowles was a factor in the breakdown of your marriage?

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES: Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: So that was always the headline, wasn't it? I mean, after that interview, it was so profound, really, the effect of it, the queen wrote to Charles and Diana and approved a divorce so Diana would no longer become queen. This is the future of the British monarchy taking shape in a completely different way as a result of this interview and it was based on a fundamental deception from Martin Bashir according to this report, that he convinced Diana, really, that she was being undermined by the people around her.

And it seems that is what defines the way she lived in these last two years of her life. And I have to say Charles Spencer said one of the most profound things today which is that he saw a direct link between this interview and Diana's death. The BBC director general today saying it was a very dark day for the BBC.

LEMON: Max Foster, our royal correspondent, Max, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Republicans lining up one after another and pushing the truth completely aside. What they're doing to avoid the January 6th commission getting further and further from reality.

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