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Don Lemon Tonight

Former V.P. Calling Out His Former Boss; RNC Censures Two GOP Members; No More Excuse For Rep. Jim Jordan; No Guarantee Of Good Political Fate For Mike Pence; Another Black Man Killed By Police. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired February 04, 2022 - 22:00   ET

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

[22:00:00]

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (on camera): The news continues. Let's turn things over now to Don and DON LEMON TONIGHT.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Thank you, Anderson, very much. I appreciate it. So, everyone, a personal message I want to deliver at the top of the show. And ang on one second, I'll just grab the notes here.

A lot of folks have been watching wondering what's happening. It's been a really tough day today, and a tough few days here for us at CNN all week really. I didn't want to talk about it until tonight.

So, the truth is that we're all heartbroken because we lost our leader here. We lost the man who was the backbone, the glue, and the spirit of this company. The man who I personally credit with changing my life. A man who believed in me when nobody else did.

He is the reason that you have a gay black man with two hours of primetime. A show with my name on it. The only anchor of color in primetime and cable news. Think about that. You want to talk about diversity? Here it is.

It has been hard to come in to work this week not only for me but for so many of us here at CNN. My colleagues, 3,000 of us, more than 3,000 of us. So let me just say this to my colleagues who may not have been here as long as I have, the younger folks who haven't weathered these storms I've been at this network for almost 16 years.

We have been through ups and downs, ratings high, ratings lows, everything. Regime changes. We've been through a lot. And through it all our mission has remained the same. To deliver the facts, to deliver the news. It is what we did when Ted Turner turned the lights on here. It is what we did through two gulf wars, through 9/11, through Katrina, through an insurrection.

Jeff Zucker may not have launched this network but he revived it, he made it relevant again. He steadied it for the last decade. He left us with a very good blueprint going forward. So, for all of you at home watching, you should know that I and my colleagues will continue to do exactly what he would want us to do and that is to do what I'm going to do right now. Deliver the news no matter what it is without fear or favor. So, thank

you, Jeff Zucker for everything you did for everyone at this network and for what you did to the entire country, for the entire country.

So, let's just move on. Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, and this is CNN.

So tonight, did you ever think that you would see the former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence say it? Did you ever think you'd hear him say his former boss is wrong? Did you ever think you'd hear him say the former president asked him to undo an election?

That it was un-American after standing by his side for so many years after the horror of what happened on January 6th after the anger and the insults lobbed from Mar-a-Lago ever since, after all of that, today Mike Pence took on his former boss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I heard this week that President Trump said I had the right to overturn the election. But President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people alone and the American people alone.

And frankly, there is no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president. Under the Constitution I had no right to change the outcome of our election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): You know, until that moment his speech sounded a little stiff, right? Well, it turns out that the stiffness might actually have been back bone. There is a time for choosing. On January 6th, Mike Pence made a choice. He chose to do his duty, to follow the Constitution, and he paid a price for it.

Threatened by rioters who chanted about hanging him and slammed repeatedly by a former president who could not believe Pence would stand in his way. Well, today he chose to essentially give up any hope of a future -- future in Republican politics really.

You can't cross the boss and get away with it. Not in today's GOP. You don't believe me, ask Liz Cheney or Adam Kinzinger. But maybe he saw the writing on the wall, perhaps. You remember the words from Hamilton? Never going to be president now. Maybe he thought that he might as well tell the truth because that's what all of this is about. Finally getting to the truth.

That's what the committee investigating what happened on January 6th, that's what they want when rioters tried to overturn our free and fair election. That's what they're working so hard to do.

Well, today, there is more from the committee. CNN has learned exclusively that newly obtained records show that Jim Jordan, you know his name, it would come up in all of this, somewhere in all of this, right? Jim Jordan got a call from then president on the morning of January 6th. And this was a 10-minute call before Jordan took to the House floor to object to the certification of Joe Biden's Electoral College win and before Trump supporting rioters attacked the capitol.

[22:05:05]

This is huge. The call logs from the White House are part of the documents turned over to the committee from the National Archives. You know the ones from the former president, the ones that he fought so hard to keep secret. But Jim Jordan he claims he really, really doesn't really remember much about it.

Jordan telling CNN today that he had multiple calls with the then president on January 6th but he could only confirm that he spoke with Trump after he left the House floor and didn't remember whether they spoke that morning.

(BEGIN VOICE CLIP)

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): As I said, I had a number of calls with -- I talked to the president a couple times that day, but I don't remember the times. So, I don't remember. I don't remember.

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN REPORTER: So, you do not -- you don't remember if it was the morning? If there was one in the morning, before?

JORDAN: I don't recall. But I know I talked to him after we left off the floor, but I don't recall.

GRAYER: So, you don't remember if there was one before the violence started?

JORDAN: I don't.

GRAYER: And that it was 10 minutes?

JORDAN: I don't.

(END VOICE CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Interesting. Funny because he told the House rules committee in December he talked to the then president after the attack on the capitol not before and said he had been clear about that.

Rules committee chairman Jim McGovern tweeting this report directly contradicts what you said before the rules committee. What are you trying to hide?

The congressman seems to have a recurring problem with his memory. While specifically his memory of a phone call he might have had with the President of the United States on one of the worst days in the nation's history. When the building where he works was attacked by blood thirsty Trump supporters. Remember this?

Jim Jordan, hemming and hawing. Trying not to make eye contact, thrown for a loop by one very simple question, did you speak with the then president on January 6th?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Did you speak with President Trump on January 6th?

JORDAN: Yes, I mean, I speak -- I spoke with the president last week. I speak with the president all the time. I spoke with him on January 6th. I mean, I talk with President Trump all the time. And that's -- I don't think that's unusual. I would expect members of Congress to talk with the President of the United States when they're trying to get done the things they told the voters in their district to do.

I'm actually kind of amazed sometimes that people keep asking me this. Of course, I talk with the president all the time, I talked with him, like I said, I talked with him last week.

UNKNOWN: On January 6th, did you speak with him before, during, or after the capitol was attacked.

JORDAN: I'd have to go. I -- I spoke with him that day after, I think after. I don't know if I spoke with him in the morning or not. I just don't know. I'd have to go back and -- I mean, I don't -- I don't know that -- when -- when those conversations happened, but -- but -- what I know is I spoke with him all the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): If you look up what he said in the dictionary it was hamana-hamana-hamana. That's what hamana-hamana-hamana means. You know, people go, hamana-hamana-hamana, that's what it is.

You speak with him all the time. You spoke with him on January 6 but you'd have to go back but don't know when those conversations happened but you know is, that you spoke with him all the time. Come on, man. Come on. Really?

You're trying to tell us that you don't remember when you spoke to the President of the United States on the day the capitol was attacked by rioters? Maybe a subpoena from the January 6 committee might jog your memory.

That revelation coming shortly after the Republican National Committee in a demonstration of just how completely and thoroughly they have knuckled under to the big lie and the big liar they voted to censure Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. The resolution saying the only two Republican members of the January 6 committee were, quote, "participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse." It should be Democratically led but I'll go on.

The RNC later tried to backtrack in a statement to CNN tacking on a reference to legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the capitol. But those final words were not included in the resolution. A resolution that is stunningly anti-Democratic and un-American and stunningly anti-Democrat as well. Liz Cheney tweeting, this was January 6th. This is not legitimate

political discourse. So, if you accept the RNC's resolution as voted upon, I guess this is their idea of ordinary people taking part in legitimate political discourse. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): That gallows outside legitimate political discourse, you want to hang somebody. That's legitimate political discourse. I guess the resolution they passed means beating police to within an inch of their lives, that is legitimate political discourse, too.

The former president's rhetoric at that rally on January 6th looks like marching orders now.

[22:10:03]

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're going to walk down to the capitol --

(CROWD CHEERING)

TRUMP: -- and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. We're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong.

And we fight. We fight like hell, and if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Gosh. So those ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse? They got their marching orders right there. He told them to go to the capitol. He told them to take back our country. He told them to fight like hell.

That's what the RNC today called ordinary citizens engaged in political discourse? B.S. And, yes, in usual fashion they tried to walk it back. Actually, to speak to two different audiences. Do the resolution and then try to walk it back so it would seem like they are legitimate.

Come on. Their message remains loud and clear. Normalizing what happened at the United States Capitol on one of the darkest days in our history. And if this is legitimate political discourse compare it to what they said about Black Lives Matter protests.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): The Democrats have been complete hypocrites on this, cheering on BLM and antifa and apologizing for their violence. We have had Democrats for a year cheering on. We've seen violence all over the country. We've seen riots all over the country. We've seen stores being looted. Stores being fire bombed. Police cars being fire bombed. Police officers being assaulted. Police officers being murdered. Individual citizens being assaulted. What did the Democrats do? They cheered it on. They celebrated.

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): I knew those are people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break a law. And so, I wasn't concerned. Now, had the tables been turned and, Joe, this is going to get me in trouble. Had the tables been turned and President Trump won the election and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters I might have been a little concerned.

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LAWYER: Black Lives Matter and antifa sprang into action and in a flash, they hijacked a peaceful protest into vicious, brutal riots. Soon protests turned into riots in many other American cities almost all Democrat. Businesses were burned and crushed. People beaten. Shot and killed.

TRUMP: The first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter, they were chanting, pigs in a blanket talking about police. Pigs. Pigs talking about our police. Pigs in a blanket. Fry them like bacon. I said that's a horrible thing. And they were marching down the street. And that was my first glimpse of Black Lives Matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Nothing about hang Mike Pence? No? For the people who want to hang Mike Pence, it's we love you? You're patriots? Funny how legitimate political discourse gets labeled as rioting when it's not just Black Lives Matter but black folks involved.

But there are some Republicans who are taking a stand, thankfully. Larry Hogan tweeting, it's a sad day for my party and the country when you're punished just for expressing your beliefs, standing on principle, and refusing to tell blatant lies.

And then there is Mitt Romney who says shame falls on a party that would censure persons of conscience who seek truth in the face of vitriol. The thing about shame is, you can't shame the shameless. And the Republicans doing this, excusing away the attack on the capitol as legitimate political discourse, they sure as hell are as shameless as they are gutless.

That's why we have to get to the truth. The truth of what happened on January 6th. And in the days before and after.

Mike Pence standing up for the truth today publicly rejecting his former boss's election lies and the former boss is responding tonight pretty much exactly the way you'd think he would.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PENCE: I heard this week that President Trump said I had the right to overturn the election. President Trump is wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[22:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): The former Vice President Mike Pence calling out his former boss by name and speaking the truth he had -- that he had no right to overturn the election on January 6th. Now Pence says it's un-American to suggest one person could have decided the outcome. Something the former president continues to lie about.

Joining me now CNN political commentator Charlie Dent, and Olivia Troye, the former homeland security adviser to Vice President Pence.

Good evening to both of you. It's so good to see you. It's good to have you on.

Olivia, I'm going to start with you. Your former boss Vice President Pence publicly rejecting Trump's election lies. It took 13 months to say it but are you at least glad he did?

OLIVIA TROYE, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER TO VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: Look, it's way -- it took way longer than I wanted it to, but this is a big deal for Mike Pence to have said this. So bluntly. And stated it the way he did. And so, I've got to hand it to him. I'm proud that he finally said this. I mean, he did the right thing on January 6th. And it took a while for him to come forward but I'm glad he said it in such a way.

And look, Donald Trump, I mean, he is having a bad night down in Florida because I'm sure that his head popped off in anger when he saw that. Because this is one of his most loyal soldiers, someone he put, you know, he put his own V.P.'s life at risk and here it is finally Mike Pence is saying like the American people need to know that, no. This is, actually, this is the truth now.

[22:20:05]

LEMON: Charlie, what is -- is there a political calculation here for Mike Pence? Is he saying this for the history books, maybe his legacy? I mean, it's hard to imagine that this will do any favors for him politically with the GOP.

CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. I don't think this is going to help him too much politically. But we should remember that for many doctrine conservatives in the Republican Party Mike Pence was their north star both inside and outside of Congress. So, I'm curious to see how many of my former colleagues react to this because many of them have a very high regard for Mike Pence.

I'm also anxious to see how the Republican National Committee responds. Hell, they can maybe censure him too for speaking out and speaking the truth. Maybe they'll proof read their censure resolution before they go after the former vice president unlike what they did to Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, you know, legitimate political discourse where people assault police officers.

So, I mean, that's where I'm kind of struck here. But in the short term I can't imagine this is helping Mike Pence politically, but belatedly, you know, he did the right thing. He did it forcefully. I think this is really, as Olivia said, going to create a really bad situation for Donald Trump down in Florida.

LEMON: Since you mentioned the whole thing about the, you know, the legitimate political discourse, are you on the verge of tears when this, I mean, you just, what is happening? What has happened to my party?

DENT: Yes.

LEMON: I mean that seriously.

DENT: It's painful. It's painful. I mean, I just can't believe the people who, I mean, they're just keep passing around Kool-Aid over there at the RNC. I mean, seriously. I just know some of these folks and I just can't believe -- and they did it by a voice vote. I mean, they didn't have the courage even to put their names on the record to censure Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, two good, honorable people who just happen to speak the truth.

LEMON: Hey, Charlie, real quick, this is just in. There's a new statement from Trump about what Pence said and it's your kind of run of the mill statement. He says, I was right and everyone knows it. It must hurt to see your own V.P. call you out here. Right? Don't you think?

DENT: Well, you know what? It's -- he is just delusional. I mean, he's got this unhealthy obsession. Everybody knows he is right. Well, no they don't know he is right. In fact, they think he's lost it.

LEMON: Well, I mean, Olivia just said it. He has to be down at Mar-a- Lago livid. I mean, right? It's to hurt. Olivia?

TROYE: Yes. I mean, that is Donald Trump throwing a tantrum right now. You know, this is the equivalent of like, you know, no, you're not. You're not right. I'm right. You know, who's wrong here? I mean, this is ridiculous. This is the former President of the United States putting out statements like this.

LEMON: Yes.

TROYE: I mean, never mind the fact that the statements he put out last weekend, right, which were basically telling everyone, yes. I was actually trying to overturn a free and fair election via Mike Pence. I mean, this is -- this is what the Republican Party has become under Donald Trump. And look what happened today is abhorrent.

And I say this as someone who started my career as a Republican National Committee Eisenhower intern which is like the prestigious internship there back 20 years ago when I walked into that building proudly and I don't recognize who those people are today who basically put out a statement today saying we legitimize political violence. We're OK with sedition. We're OK with undermining our democracy

because we choose to side with them. That is who we are.

LEMON: Yes. Charlie, let's explain what we were talking about, legitimate political discourse. Because the RNC formally censuring Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for investigating January 6th. And that's what they're calling, they're calling that day, legitimate political discourse. But not one of those words can be applied to the riot.

DENT: That's correct. The legitimate political discourse does not include assaulting police officers, destroying federal property, the U.S. Capitol, interfering with Congress's official duties, and, also, trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. And then they tried to clean this thing up afterwards.

I mean, when you get beyond the stupidity of the censure you would think they might even try to at least proof read their document and have somebody look at this. You know, who's got something between the ears to realize how this would look outside of the -- of the RNC meeting.

So, it's a -- I mean, I think it is stunning, it's amazing that the chair of the committee still has her job as a consequence of this and good for Larry Hogan and Mitt Romney and all the others, John Katko who've called this out as they should.

And I hope more Republicans do because this is just so wrong to censure decent and honorable people and while they let the people, the people who have actually brought discredit upon the House, you know, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar I don't see any censure resolutions for them.

[22:24:59]

And by the way a lot of county committees over the years, Don, would censure members. We thought it was goofy. I was censured once by a county committee for supporting marriage equality. They made fools of themselves when they did it and they realized after.

This goes on all the time. Now the Republican National Committee is carrying on like some of the extreme elements that we've seen in some of the local county committees. I mean, I just, there are no words to describe it.

LEMON: Well, you said good on them for calling them out and you guys do it as well on your platform. So, good on you guys as well. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

DENT: Yes.

LEMON: So, Pence defying Trump his top aides talking to the committee investigating January 6. What does all this say about what could be in the trove of documents the committee has? Stay with us.

[22:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): The former vice president breaking from his old boss in a big way saying in a speech today Trump is wrong to claim he had the power to overturn the 2020 election and calling that un- American.

Joining me now to discuss CNN's senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI deputy director, Andrew McCabe, and CNN senior analyst former federal prosecutor Elliott Williams. Elliot Williams like Eliot Ness, by the way.

Good to both of you. Thanks for joining us.

Andrew, I'm going to start with you. Pence admitting today that he had no right to stop the certification of the election of Joe Biden but he also said if we lose faith in the Constitution, we won't just lose elections. We'll lose our country. Do you think his remarks change your assessment of whether or not he might cooperate with the committee at least in some form?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I do, Don. Before I answer that I just want to say thank you for your comments at the top of the show. I also benefited greatly from the vision of Jeff Zucker and giving me an opportunity when I was going through a very tough time and I know we're all going to miss him.

So having said that, I think the former vice president's comments today are remarkable and might be a foreshadowing or signaling that he is kind of really willing to go the distance and stand up for what he did on January 6th and part of that would be, I think, sharing whatever knowledge he has from those events with the committee.

I think it is still far from clear that he'll actually do that but I think it looks like a shade more likely today maybe than it did yesterday.

LEMON: Yes. You know, Elliot, two of Pence's top aides have already spoken at length to the January 6th committee. Now Pence is very publicly distancing himself from Trump. Look, you can't believe it until it happens. Right? But does that tell you anything about what might be coming in the trove of documents the committee has obtained?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. So, you know, a couple things about Mike Pence, Don. First it is one thing to make -- and this point really needs to be made. It's one thing to make a statement in a speech. It's another thing to make it in a deposition or hearing or transcribed interview that is official and in the possession of the committee.

And if Mike Pence were truly serious about this break from Donald Trump that we're talking about here then he'd come into the committee and put all of these things on the record. And what people should know is that it doesn't need to be the primetime Klieg lights hearing with him, you know, banging their shoe on the table in front of all the members of Congress. It can be in private and frankly not even under oath if that's what

they negotiate with the committee. And so, the speech was great and it was well, it was proper and appropriate but it's not on the record. Right?

LEMON: We need a primetime -- I mean, Klieg lights, I mean, America wants to see it.

WILLIAMS: Sure.

LEMON: Come on, Elliot.

WILLIAMS: Sure. But if you can get the information out of the vice president --

LEMON: Yes, I know.

WILLIAMS: -- and there's other people who will testify in primetime, then by all means let's have it? Now what could be in the documents? My sense is that the committee tends to have more than we are aware about. The Jim Jordan thing is evidence of that.

This idea of Jim Jordan having spoken to the president for 10 minutes I'm almost certain that they've spoken to people around those conversations either on the White House or on the hill who might be able to fill in details. So yes, Don. I think they have more than they're letting on.

LEMON: Yes. Speaking of that, this is what he told CNN today. Watch this.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

(BEGIN VOICE CLIP)

JORDAN: As I said, I had a number of calls with -- I talked to the president a couple times that day, but I don't remember the times. So, I don't remember. I don't remember.

GRAYER: So, you do not -- you don't remember if it was the morning? If there was one in the morning, before?

JORDAN: I don't recall. But I know I talked to him after we left off the floor, but I don't recall.

(END VOICE CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): OK. So, Andrew, the committee has been reluctant to subpoena lawmakers. What are -- what are their options? If they don't subpoena the lawmakers?

MCCABE: Come on. Subpoena this guy. For God's sake. We know -- we know he is on the record having said that he did not talk to him in the morning. Now we know that he did talk to him in the morning. The committee has a job to do here and the job is to bring him in and ask him these questions in a pointed and direct way and back up the questions with the record that we now have.

You know, Congressman Jordan has a history of conveniently not remembering things that may have come to his attention earlier in his -- in his life. So, I would say they need to drill to the bottom of this thing no matter what it takes. And they should take every step they have legally to do that.

[22:34:59]

WILLIAMS: And you know, if I can say one more thing on that precise point, it's not inconceivable, Don, that that what they're doing, the committee, is leaking out information about this conversation in order to build a better case for a subpoena.

Look, they have the power to do it but if it's going to cause Armageddon in Congress it's ultimately a political process and they've got to have at least some section of the public behind them. There are many who are but there are a lot of people would say it as enactive aggression sort of going nuclear. And this is part of that process members of Congress engage in around these investigations.

LEMON: Thank you both. Have a good weekend.

WILLIAMS: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Thank you.

A 22-year-old black man dead. Police executing a no-knock warrant fatally shooting Amir Locke who wasn't even named on that warrant. A body camera footage released today. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[22:39:58]

LEMON (on camera): Tonight, the mayor of Minneapolis instituting an immediate moratorium on no-knock warrants unless there is an imminent threat. This after police burst into an apartment early Wednesday morning shooting and killing 22-year-old Amir Locke who was apparently asleep and holding a gun that his family says was a legal firearm.

And police say Locke was not named in any search warrants. The deadly incident caught on body cam video which is graphic.

Here is CNN's Omar Jimenez.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Just before 7 a.m. Wednesday, the Minneapolis Police SWAT team uses a key to enter a city apartment.

UNKNOWN: Police, don't fire!

JIMENEZ: Then burst through the doorway searching the apartment police say tied to a St. Paul homicide investigation. Instead, they found 22-year-old Amir Locke appearing to be sound asleep on the couch. Locke then seems to wake up when they kick the couch and body camera footage shows him holding a gun.

AMELIA HUFFMAN, INTERIM CHIEF, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: You can see along with an individual emerging from under the blanket the barrel of a gun. The involved officer was just outside the frame in the direction that that barrel is emerging from the blanket.

JIMENEZ: CNN has not been able to confirm where the officer is but as Locke begins to stand, three shots.

HUFFMAN: The officer had to make a split-second decision to assess the circumstances and determine whether he felt like there was an articulable threat, that the threat was of imminent harm.

JIMENEZ: Locke's family said he was in legal possession of a firearm when he was shot. The family and their attorney criticized police procedure.

JEFF STORMS, FAMILY ATTORNEY: No lawful gun owner could have survived this situation.

UNKNOWN: This is the definition of no-knock. In seven seconds. Seven seconds. That's it. And Amir had no choice.

JIMENEZ: It's unclear if this particular breach was originally designated as a no-knock warrant but attorneys also took issue with the timing before the shooting.

STORMS: There is no announcement prior to entering that threshold and they give Amir no time to save his own life. And that's something that we don't see white citizens encounter. And the fact that it's happening in Minneapolis again is beyond tragic.

JIMENEZ: After the shooting police say they immediately provided aid and officers carried Locke to the lobby to meet paramedics.

UNKNOWN: Twelve-eighty, ambulance on the seventh floor.

JIMENEZ: Locke was then taken to a local hospital where he died. Police now say he was not named in any search warrants.

HUFFMAN: But this point is unclear if or how he is connected to St. Paul's investigation.

JIMENEZ: The subject of the warrant wasn't found in the apartment and the Minneapolis police officer who fired his weapon, Mark Hanneman is on administrative leave per department policy. Locke's mother spoke out today expressing outrage over her son's killing.

KAREN WILLS, AMIR LOCKE'S MOTHER: I believe that he was executed by the MPD and I want the police officer that murdered my son --

UNKNOWN: Yes.

WILLS: -- to be prosecuted -- UNKNOWN: Yes.

WILLS: -- and fired.

JIMENEZ: Police say they are processing whether proper procedures were followed and the mayor of Minneapolis is promising a full criminal investigation of the shooting.

MAYOR JACOB FREY (D), MINNEAPOLIS: This video raises about as many questions as it does answers. Truth and justice must be our guiding principles.

JIMENEZ: As interim chief and the mayor left the room, activists expressed frustration.

UNKNOWN: When will you release a search warrant?

UNKNOWN: How is walking out of a press conference transparency? You are a murderer!

UNKNOWN: This is what we've been fighting against since George Floyd was killed. Running away from accountability and transparency.

ANDRE LOCKE, AMIR LOCKE'S FATHER: My son.

JIMENEZ: Locke's father trying to control his emotions said his son was a law-abiding citizen from a law enforcement family and wants the officer to be held accountable.

LOCKE: He forced Amir to respond to protect himself as any law- abiding citizen would do and has the right to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ (on camera): Now the officer, Mark Hanneman, has been replaced on routine administrative leave but there are also questions about what put him in that situation in the first place. Mayor Jacob Frey tonight issuing a moratorium on no-knock warrants unless there is an imminent threat and it's been signed off on by the chief of police.

Separately, the St. Paul Police Department announced no arrests have been made in the homicide investigation that prompted what became this shooting. Don?

LEMON: Omar, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Amir Locke's parents are, Andre Locke and Karen Wills are here. Ben Crump is representing the family, he is here as well. We'll talk right after this.

[22:45:00]

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LEMON (on camera): So, I hope you're sitting and watching this. Tonight, the family of Amir Locke, the 22-year-old black man demanding justice. Locke was shot and killed by Minneapolis police officers during the execution of a no-knock warrant early Wednesday morning. Police body cam video shows that he was apparently asleep when the

officers entered and was holding a gun. His family says the gun was a legal firearm and that Locke was law abiding and defending himself.

Amir's parents, Andre Locke and Karen Wills, they both join me now, as well as their attorney, Ben Crump. Good evening to you. Thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

Andre, Karen, I'm so sorry for your loss. Andre, you were -- you were very emotional at the press conference today. How are you doing?

[22:49:49]

LOCKE: You know, it's like a dream. We've seen this time and time again watching the situation with Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Daunte Wright, George Floyd, in our own city, as well as Daunte Wright, and our hearts go out to those families.

When you have a child, your heart can't help what (Inaudible) to those families. And our (Inaudible) that we would never have to experience that with our own son. We've been prepping our sons. We've been prepping our boys for years to always obey the law. Do what you are told (Inaudible).

We prepare our children every day. It's not a regular conversation that some white households have. Our conversations go like this, how are you doing, son? Today, watch your surroundings, check your vehicle, make sure that everything is OK, make sure that you don't wear a hat, don't wear a hoodie.

If you are stopped by the police, make sure that you give them everything that they need, and live to see another day. Make sure that you come back home. It's too many of us in our communities that are dealing with this. It's too many of us like we need to continue to deal with this same type of harassment. It's so unfortunate that this has happened again, and now it hits home. It hurts.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: And I don't --

LOCKE: In so many --

LEMON: We see it all the time in the news. We saw it with Breonna Taylor. And as you mentioned, other instances, similar instances of just, of excessive force. To say the very least.

LOCKE: Yes.

LEMON: Karen, Ms. Wills, let me just say that, Ms. Wills, you spoke out today saying that your son doesn't deserve this. He did what any law-abiding citizen would do. Did you feel that your son was unsafe somehow?

WILLS: Actually, you know, when my son he talked to me about purchasing a firearm. And actually, we all talked about it. Me, his older brother, and Amir as well. And he made sure that he did his research, he -- he was -- everything was going to be legal.

LOCKE: Yes.

WILLS: Because they've been watching all their lives about what has been unfolding throughout this nation, you know, on our black males. And I was proud of my son, he picked out his weapon, he did what he needed to do, basically be safe with it. How to use it. And he got his permit.

LOCKE: Yes, he did.

WILLS: And I always worried about not that he would ever have to deal with other citizens or anything like that. But I actually worried about him encountering the police. And not the way that he encountered them on February 2nd, but just, like, if he had his weapon, if he ever got stopped and pulled over on the side of the road. So my fears both of my sons have always been something that dealt with the police department.

LEMON: Ben --

LOCKE: If I can add --

LEMON: Yes, go ahead. I want to bring Ben in. But go ahead. Go ahead, Mr. Locke.

LOCKE: If I can add that we come from a law enforcement background. My cousin is, I have cousins that are police officers. I have a cousin that is a federal law enforcement officer. He was with the CIA, with the Pentagon, and also now with homeland security.

And he was Amir's mentor. He talked to him all the time. He coached Amir on proper safety of a weapon. We're not against police officers. We're just against accountability. We're not again -- I apologize, we're not against police officers. We just want accountability.

LEMON: We understand --

(CROSSTALK)

LOCKE: I didn't comment --

LEMON: We understand what you were saying. We get it. And we know that you guys are dealing with a lot right now. Ben, I know that you have these families, this family's back, as you always do in these cases. Let's talk about Amir, because he was asleep on the couch. Someone, you know, bursts through his door screaming, and he's dead a second later.

Now police say that Amir was pointing a gun at them. But as you just heard, he was a legal gun owner, according to his parents. He wasn't even supposed to be a part of this warrant. Have you -- have you been given any further information about this?

[22:55:07] BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR LOCKE'S FAMILY: We have not been given any information that the media does not know, Don. And the crux of the matter is, if we should have learned anything from Breonna Taylor's tragic, unjust killing was that no-knock warrants have deadly consequences for innocent black people like Amir Locke.

He was a door dash driver. And so, he was worried about safety, as his mother and father said. And he did everything right, and yet he still died from police excessive force on black people.

LEMON: Can I ask you parents, what we should know about Amir? Because I'm looking at you, that's why I keep looking down instead of into the camera because I'm looking at you -- the monitor it's below, and I can see your faces. You look stunned. What do we -- what should we know about Amir, and what should America know about this situation?

LOCKE: Amir was a good person. Amir was becoming a great man. Amir was loved by many. Amir was kind-hearted. Amir was thoughtful. Amir was respectful. And most of all, Amir was responsible. Amir shouldn't have lost his life. Amir never got the opportunity to see who took his life. When he was -- when he was --

WILLS: Amir was lovable, Amir was loving. Amir was a sweetheart. Amir loved everybody. He was friendly. He liked to joke. He liked to laugh. He had a beautiful smile. And actually, he was a mama's boy and a daddy's boy.

LOCKE: Yes.

WILLS: When he was little, when he was young, he was an infant. And he slept with you, it didn't matter if he slept the night with his aunts or anybody. I would always tell them, Amir has to hold your finger when he goes to sleep. Because that's how he would cuddle up with me, and he would always hold my finger when he was a baby.

LEMON: Yes.

WILLS: And I would always know, he would reach out for one of your fingers at night to go to bed. And Amir was -- Amir was my baby. And --

LEMON: Well --

WILLS: He loved us, he loved me, he loved his father, he loved his brothers, he loved his sister.

LOCKE: Yes.

LEMON: We are so --

(CROSSTALK)

WILLS: Amir is --

LEMON: We are so sorry that this happened to you. And if you ever need, you know who to call, Ben will get in touch with us. Because we want you to keep us updated. We're going to continue to follow this.

And again, we're so sorry this happened to you. And Ben, I'm so sorry that we're having to deal with this again. Thank you all, you be well. OK?

WILLS: Thank you.

CRUMP: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: Thank you. We'll be right back.

[23:00:00]

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