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Don Lemon Tonight

The January 6 Committee Subpoenas Pat Cipollone; Don Lemon Interviews Georgia Lieutenant Governor; Filmmaker Expected To Cooperate Over Trump Election Investigation; Wisconsin's 1849 Law Banning Abortion In Effect Following Roe V. Wade Reversal; General Michael Flynn Takes The Fifth; Black Man Is Paralyzed And New Haven Officers Are Investigated. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired June 29, 2022 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They then tried the public shaming campaign where, in multiple hearings, they called him out and asked him to come forward voluntarily, and he just refused. So I think they felt that they had to take this legal recourse and compel him to do so in a way that it would make it much more difficult for him to wiggle out of it.

Now, at this stage of the game, you know, our Dana Bash is reporting that an attorney familiar with his thinking believes that Cipollone is open to the idea of a deposition where he sits in front of the committee and they record his deposition through written testimony but that is not videotaped or audiotaped which could then be used in a hearing.

So we'll have to see if it ever leads to him actually testifying in a public setting which you think is the committee's ultimate desire because they've shown that that in person public testimony is so powerful. But at this point, Don, it's a negotiation, and I think the committee will do whatever they can to get that testimony out of Cipollone.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: John, you have been saying on this program and to anyone who will listen that you think it is critical that Cipollone testifies publicly like you did. Are there legitimate privilege issues that would justify him testifying in a transcribed interview limited to a specific -- to specific topics, or should he appear in a more public manner?

JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think he's got to appear in a public manner, and I don't think there are any privileges in that public area the committee is focusing on. We've already had courts look at the issue. There's no attorney-client privilege for crime or fraud.

Cipollone, I think, has a larger problem. He advised the president against doing these things because there were conspiracies involved -- several of them. What's to say (ph) that he has ever declared he's not part of that conspiracy? If he's remaining silent, he is certainly encouraging and enabling that conspiracy, and he could get dragged in himself. I would think he'd want to be up there, Don, not only for the sake of democracy, but for his own sake. So, this is all a little bit mysterious, his behavior.

LEMON: I think I heard you loud and clear, but just to -- just for clarification, just to make sure, would there be any executive privilege issues in terms of conversations he had with Mark Meadows or Cassidy Hutchinson?

DEAN: The only privilege he has would go to the president himself. Broadly speaking, if they were to take a message for him to the president, you might consider that privilege, but that is a reach, and particularly, there's no privilege of any kind if it involves crime or fraud.

LEMON: John, you know, we have been hearing a lot about Pat Cipollone in these hearings. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, FORMER AIDE TO WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS: Mr. Cipollone said something to the effect of, please make sure we don't go up to the Capitol, Cassidy. Keep in touch with me. We're going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen.

He's still sitting on his phone. And I remember Pat saying to him something to the effect of, the rioters have gotten to the Capitol, Mark, we need to go down and see the president now. And Mark looked up at him and said he doesn't want to do anything bad. And Pat said something to the effect of -- and very clearly said this remark -- something to the effect of, Mark, something needs to be done or people are going to die and the blood is going to be on your effing hands. This is getting out of control. I'm going down there.

RICHARD DONOGHUE, FORMER ACTING U.S. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL (voice- over): Pat Cipollone weighed in at one point. I remember saying, you know, that letter that this guy wants to send, that letter is a murder-suicide pact. It's going to damage everyone who touches it. And we should have nothing to do with that letter.

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): Pat Cipollone told the Select Committee that he intervened when he heard Mr. Clark was meeting with the president about legal matters without his knowledge, which was strictly against White House policy. Mr. Cipollone and Mr. Philbin, like Mr. Rosen, told Mr. Clark to stand down, and he didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, John, Cipollone knows a lot. He was in the room for multiple critical conversations. What specific questions does he need to answer?

DEAN: That's a devastating tape (ph) of all the questions that he needs to be asked and ask what he recommended, why he recommended it, was he involved in it in any way, did he declare publicly somehow that he didn't want any part of this, did he tell -- how did he tell people to stay out of it, who all did he tell. I mean, it just goes on. He is a central witness since Cassidy has testified, and others obviously hinted earlier of his central role. So, I just can't understand why he doesn't want to get this off himself unless, indeed, Don, he is involved, and then he's not going to be able to hide behind the privilege.

[23:04:57]

LEMON: Ryan, the Select Committee says more and more evidence is coming in to their investigation. You know they've got this hot line, et cetera. What are you learning?

NOBLES: Well, we know they held a deposition today, Don. They were behind closed doors with the former chief financial officer of the Trump campaign. This is someone who was deeply involved in the fundraising efforts after the 2020 election, leading up to January 6th.

And we know already through the committee's hearings that they are very much following the money trail, that they have questions about the way that money was raised and also how it was spent, that it perhaps wasn't raised under the pretenses that they were saying to the millions of people that they solicited donations for, and then it was also not spent in the form and fashion that they claimed it was going to be spent in, and that a lot of the money may have just gone missing, that it didn't go to the people that it was intended to go to and they are not exactly sure where it is right now.

So, the fact that they're bringing someone in at this late stage of the game at this high of a rank in the Trump campaign shows you that the investigation is ongoing.

I mean, the fact that they had originally planned to take a break and then pop this hearing up on a Tuesday, sure there was probably some theatre involved in it, but it also just shows that they're getting new information in all the time and they're trying to process that information, put it into context and then present it in a way that's easily digestible.

And the committee has told us time and time again, just because these hearings are happening now, their final product is not going to be issued until the fall. And so, they're willing to take on any information that they get and make that a part of this process.

LEMON: So, John, who do you think should be most worried about what we heard from Cassidy Hutchinson and what is to come from this committee, you know, whatever they come up with hearing what Ryan said? Who gets criminal exposure?

DEAN: Mark Meadows for certain. He is not involved in any of the issues that the president is involved in, none of the considerations. He's just right there in the middle of a conspiracy. He's clearly pushing the conspiracy and encouraging it. Other points, he's just remaining silent and let it go on, knowing what's happening.

You know, his -- his aide tells him don't go to the war room, so he phones in. You know, he doesn't seem to have a lot of common sense about his behavior. And she -- she certainly was right there with him. And she will be devastating in front of a grand jury, and you can rest assured she will be in front of a grand jury.

LEMON: Ryan, John, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

NOBLES: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: The vice chair of the Select Committee, Liz Cheney, just speaking at the Reagan Library. Here's part of what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): At this moment, we're confronting a domestic threat that we have never faced before. And that is a former president who is attempting to unravel the foundations of our constitutional republic. And he is aided by Republican leaders and elected officials who have made themselves willing hostages to this dangerous and irrational man.

Now, some in my party are embracing former President Trump. And even after all we've seen, they're enabling his lies. Many others are urging that we not confront Donald Trump and that we look away, and that is certainly the easier path.

One need only look at the threats that are facing the witnesses who have become -- who have come before the January 6th Committee to understand the nature and the magnitude of that threat. But to argue that the threat posed by Donald Trump can be ignored is to cast aside the responsibility that every citizen, every one of us bears to perpetuate the republic. We must not do that, and we cannot do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, let's bring in the Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan. Governor, thank you so much. Appreciate you joining us. Do you agree with what you just heard from Liz Cheney, that the U.S. is confronting a domestic threat in Trump?

GEOFF DUNCAN, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA: Well, it certainly is very serious and no place better than Georgia felt that weight during the process of the instability and the chaos, the willingness to lie and stir up crowds all in the pursuit of a conspiracy theory.

So, certainly, it is dangerous times. I think the January 6 Committee is doing a very good job of allowing the witnesses to drive the process and not the partisanship. And so I think there's going to be a continued gain of confidence of more and more witnesses coming forward with more and more information.

LEMON: We are learning stunning new details from the Select Committee about what Trump was doing on January 6th. You think this is showing the GOP the real Donald Trump, but do you think that they will ever at this juncture at least what you're hearing now, that they'll turn their back on him?

[23:10:00]

Yeah, I do. I think they'll turn the page on him. I don't know if turn the back is the right term, but I think it's definitely time to turn the page. And, you know, I can't imagine how many Republicans right now are kicking themselves because they realized they got hoodwinked for almost two years with conspiracy theories.

LEMON: You think that's happening?

DUNCAN: The real Donald Trump -- yeah, I certainly do. I mean, I think the real Donald Trump is kind of being shown up in this committee's --

LEMON: Ah, Lieutenant Governor Duncan is right in the middle of our conversation. We'll see if we can get him back. We'll check. We'll be right back. We'll take a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:15:00]

LEMON: Okay, so, he's back with me now, Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan. Thank you very much, sir, for rejoining us. So, you were answering the question about whether people were going to you said not turn their backs but turn the page, and I asked if you were actually hearing people doing that.

DUNCAN: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I can't imagine how many Republicans are kicking themselves right now watching these hearings and watching all this stuff get unpacked, realizing they've been hoodwinked for almost two years on this conspiracy stuff.

And I think there's a genuine thirst for leadership right now. Donald Trump has really played out to be more of a spoiled brat than a natural born leader, and we need in this country a natural born leader. And I think Democrats are feeling that, too, with Joe Biden, and certainly, we're feeling that in the Republican Party. We're now in search of a leader of our party that can now step in 2024 and lead the country. I think the world is a better place when the United States is strong and leads.

LEMON: Yeah. More to that point, last night, voters in Colorado rejected three election deniers running for state-wide office. They were also rejected in your state of Georgia. Why are Republicans in those states eager to look past the election lies and rejecting the candidates who are following the Trump playbook?

DUNCAN: Well, I think I'll speak to Georgia. We got to feel first- hand what happens when you get distracted and you stare at shiny objects instead of real individuals. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue lost because they talked about conspiracy theories and not their records.

You know, we now have a race with Herschel Walker where the quality of a candidate is going to matter. If he doesn't buckle down and really pay attention to the issues, he's going to get beat by a very strong candidate in Raphael Warnock. And so, issues matter, leadership matters, and the quality of the candidate matters.

LEMON: What do you mean by quality of the candidate when you're speaking a Baptist --

DUNCAN: Well, I think people -- I think Americans, especially after going through this whole disaster of the last two years, have a good sense of smell. They can smell now when somebody is genuine or somebody is just trying to pull it over -- pull the wool over their eyes.

You know, at the end of the day, the problems are real. People are going to bed really worried about how they pay for gas on the morning they go to work, how they're going to buy groceries for their family, how they're going to run their business, how are they going to retire on time.

These are real issues that are so much more important than Donald Trump. They're so much more important than conspiracy theories and all this friction, this synthetic friction that we're creating in this country. We need real leadership and we need it now.

LEMON: There is one -- this is just one poll, but a Quinnipiac poll shows that in the race that you're talking about, Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock opening up the lead against Republican Herschel Walker. They were -- in January, it was a dead heat. So, we will see. Again, it's one poll. We will see what happens here. We'll keep a close eye.

Lieutenant governor, Trump is all but running for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. Do you think all of the investigations hanging over him could limit his chances and are there other republicans who could seize the moment?

DUNCAN: Well, one, Donald Trump will never be the president of the United States again. That's just an impossible equation for Americans to solve for. If we elect him as our nominee, it'll be the biggest mistake the Republican Party has made in a long time.

I think we'll see quality candidates step forward. Every day he's out of office, he becomes less and less important. I know he doesn't like to hear that, but that's the truth. The problems are real, and we need to elect people smart enough and disciplined enough to pay attention to the real problems in this country and not just Donald Trump.

LEMON: Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, thank you very much. Appreciate you joining. Sorry about the technical issues.

DUNCAN: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Out of my control. Thank you so much.

So, speaking of Georgia, the Fulton County district attorney investigating former President Trump's efforts to overturn the election in the state that now wants information from filmmaker Alex Holder. So, I first spoke with him. This was last week after the January 6 Committee learned about his footage of the then-president and his family in the months surrounding the Capitol attack.

Alex Holder joins me now. His three-part docuseries "Unprecedented" about the 2020 election will be released on Discovery Plus, which is owned by CNN's parent company. Later on this summer, it's going to be released. Alex, thank you for joining. I really appreciate it.

ALEX HOLDER, AUTHOR, FILMMAKER: Pleasure. Nice to see you again.

LEMON: So, we spoke less than a week ago, as a matter of fact, and a lot has happened since then. You have been contacted by the Fulton County District Attorney's Office. Tell us about that. What happened?

HOLDER: They got in touch. They sent me with a subpoena. They want to see all the raw material that we have captured for the documentary series that we have been making for the last couple of years. And we're going to comply with the subpoena, and we'll comply with any subpoena that comes from a judicial body. And we'll do whatever they request us to do.

LEMON: You told CNN that then-President Trump called Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Raffensperger -- quote -- "stupid for refusing to overturn the election. What else did he say about them and is it caught on camera?

HOLDER: I mean he was not very complimentary about them.

[23:20:00]

He said that the governor and the secretary of state were not brave enough to agree with his position. He was at the time talking to me. This is in the White House a few days after the attorney general had already given his statement to "Associated Press" about the fact that he had not found any issues with the election.

And only a few days later, the president of the United States of America is looking me in the eyes and saying that the reason why these officials, these elected officials in Georgia won't do what he's asking them to do is because they're either -- he says they're not brave enough and they're also stupid people. And then he even says that actually what we need to do is hand this over to the Georgia legislature because they will actually do what he requests because they agree with him.

That's an extraordinary conversation.

LEMON: Part of the question was, was it caught on camera? Is that on tape?

HOLDER: It is all on tape, yes.

LEMON: It's all on tape. Okay. So, a source tells CNN that you have been subpoenaed by the D.A. Can you confirm that and will you testify in front of the grand jury?

HOLDER: I will do whatever I need to do, and I'll comply with the subpoena. At the moment, they want to see the raw material and also hear my evidence. So, I will testify, absolutely.

LEMON: Okay. So, you've been subpoenaed by the D.A., correct?

HOLDER: I believe so.

LEMON: Okay. So, let's talk about some of this incredible testimony that heard yesterday about what was known about the crowds of January 6th. Cassidy Hutchinson testified to the January 6 Committee that the White House was aware that Trump supporters had weapons when they gathered on the Ellipse. You were there. Did you see weapons?

HOLDER: We saw all sorts of weapons. We saw spears, we saw wooden planks, we saw flagpoles, we saw police shields that some of the protesters had managed to wrestle from the police that were there at the Capitol. This is all actually outside the Capitol itself, not at the Ellipse. I saw all of this with respect to what we had captured outside the Capitol when the riots and the pandemonium was taking place.

LEMON: Did you see any guns?

HOLDER: I did not see any guns, no.

LEMON: I want you -- this is what Cassidy Hutchinson told the committee about Trump's reaction to members of the crowd being armed. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Was he told again in that conversation that people couldn't come through the mags because they had weapons?

HUTCHINSON: Correct.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): And that people -- and his response was to say they can march to the Capitol from -- is it from the Ellipse?

HUTCHINSON: Something to the effect of, take the effing mags away, they're not here to hurt me. Let them in, let my people in. They can march to the Capitol. After the rally is over, they can march from the Ellipse. Take the effing mags away, then they can march to the Capitol.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Okay, so I'm -- this is something that you told "The Independent," that you asked President Trump's son, Eric, about the potential for violence, and he said, it was -- quote -- "fair game" because the election was stolen.

So, was that the prevailing thought within Trump's family and his allies leading up to January 6th, that violence was okay, and did you share this with the committee in your testimony?

HOLDER: So, I mean, I think the prevailing thinking was that they genuinely believed they had won. And so, therefore, what was -- the manifestation of that was we need to do whatever we can to retain power, and I think that was extraordinary, A, because obviously they didn't win, and B, that they believed that violence was actually acceptable.

And I think there was sort of -- there was certainly perhaps a misunderstanding at best as to what they felt they were saying and what they were essentially causing by maintaining this position even after the events of January the 6th.

I mean, in terms of what I said to the January 6 commission, I answered all their questions directly and honestly. And I don't want to go into too much detail about that because I don't want it interfere, but certainly, these topics came up in conversation for sure.

LEMON: Okay, so what Eric Trump said was that violence was fair game. Was that on camera?

HOLDER: Eric, he -- it wasn't -- he didn't say this explicitly. I mean, Eric was able to explain his position in that he felt that some of the rhetoric that was coming -- he believed the rhetoric that was coming from the other side. And he talks about how he had been subpoenaed many times and it was political intervention by the Democrats. And he thought that if they're going to start with me, that it's perfectly fair enough to do the same on the other side.

One of the things he also says is how by virtue of the fact that the Democrats were constantly been attacking his father, he felt that it was perfectly acceptable for him to do the same on the other side.

I mean, it's an unusual thing for him to say in light of the events that took place. This interview took place after January 6th.

LEMON: So the violence you believe he was talking about -- was it rhetoric or was it -- you think it was physical violence?

[23:25:00]

HOLDER: I mean he did talk about how, you know, that they're a New York family and they're brash and, you know, they are sort of willing to get up close and personal. And it's very much my interpretation of his interview and sort of his feeling that maybe sort of comes to the conclusion that he certainly did feel that his way of campaigning was acceptable.

LEMON: You -- one of the other interesting thing, after your interviews with the former president, you don't believe he's going to run again. Why do you say that?

HOLDER: I mean, this is totally my own opinion, and I think that based on precedent, that Donald Trump doesn't -- when he fails at something, he sort of pivots and does something else. So, this is merely an assumption based on other facts.

LEMON: It wasn't something that you said during your conversation?

HOLDER: Oh, no. He did not say that he was not going to run there.

LEMON: Alex, thank you. I appreciate it.

HOLDER: Pleasure.

LEMON: Thank you. A 173-year-old Wisconsin law banning abortions is now in effect following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Wisconsin attorney general working to repeal the law is here with me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: States scrambling to figure out what to do about abortion following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, like in Wisconsin where 173-year-old law is now in effect. The 1849 law says any person other than the mother who intentionally destroys the life of an unborn child is guilty of a felony. The punishment is up to six years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. But the governor and the attorney general are filing suit to repeal the law.

Joining me now is Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul. Attorney general, thank you so much. I appreciate you joining us. This bill is from 1849. Women didn't even have the right to vote then. What consequences that could women in your state face with this law in place now?

JOSH KAUL, WISCONSIN ATTORNEY GENERAL: Yeah, you know, this is a criminal abortion ban. It makes it a felony for somebody to perform an abortion. There is an exception for the mother. The mother can't be prosecuted for an abortion to save the life of the mother. But the effect of this ban being on the books has been that access to safe and legal abortion has stopped in Wisconsin. There are no providers who are providing abortion services right now.

The governor and I are doing everything within our power right now to fight back against this. And yesterday, we filed a suit asking for a declaration from a court that that ban is not enforceable in order to restore access to safe and legal abortion.

LEMON: So, just ahead of Friday's decision, you and Governor Evers called on your state's republican legislature multiple times to repeal this law. They didn't. Why not?

KAUL: The governor called a special session. It was held just a few days before the Dobbs decision came down. And rather than vote to repeal that abortion ban from the mid-1800s, which doesn't contain any exception for rape or incest, the legislature just gavelled in and gavelled out without even hearing from Wisconsinites or debating the issues. And the reason is because they want this draconian 19th century abortion ban to be in effect in Wisconsin.

This ban has made women in Wisconsin less free, less equal and less safe, and we're not going to stand for that. So, the governor and I are committed to fighting back.

LEMON: How confident are you that your lawsuit will take the abortion ban off the books for good?

KAUL: Well, I'm confident that we have the best side of the legal argument here. We've argued a couple different things, including that laws that were passed after the abortion ban, well after it, implicitly repeal the ban because there are provisions in the newer laws that are inconsistent with the old laws and certain types of procedures can't be both legal and illegal at the same time.

So, we're arguing that the old ban is invalid. But of course, you know, its litigation and you never know how it's going to play out. So, it's critical that our legislature also steps up and acts to repeal the abortion ban that is still in the books.

LEMON: Prior to the ruling, you said you didn't intend on enforcing the abortion ban state-wide while the lawsuit is pending. Is that still the case? If so, how do you plan on doing that?

KAUL: Yeah, absolutely, we are not going to be using any resources at our state department of justice to investigate or prosecute anybody for alleged violations of that ban. We have far more important things to be doing with our limited resources like going after murderers and people who commit sexual assault and drug traffickers.

And the idea that we would shift resources from those vitally important purposes fighting crime to going after people for abortion, I think, is just an outrageous idea and we're not going to do it.

LEMON: Josh Kaul, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

KAUL: Thanks for having me.

LEMON: Former President Donald Trump's first national security advisor, Michael Flynn, pleading the Fifth when asked if he supports a peaceful transition of power. More on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Lost in the shock over Cassidy Hutchinson's stunning live testimony, a video deposition the January 6 Committee released yesterday. Testimony from General Michael Flynn, one of Trump's former national security advisers, he repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment, his right against self-incrimination, when asked about January 6th and about the peaceful transfer of power. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHENEY: Do you believe the violence on January 6th was justified morally?

MICHAEL FLYNN, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR OF THE UNITED STATES: Take the Fifth.

CHENEY: Do you believe the violence on January 6th was justified legally?

FLYNN: Fifth.

CHENEY: General Flynn, do you believe in the peaceful transition of power in the United States of America?

FLYNN: The Fifth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Let's discuss now with CNN national security analyst James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence. Director, thank you. I appreciate you joining us.

[23:39:58]

I mean this is coming from someone who served in the military for more than 30 years. He was Trump's first national security advisor. He swore an oath to the Constitution. He couldn't say he believes in a peaceful transfer of power?

JAMES CLAPPER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: You know, Don, it's -- under normal times, under normal circumstances, this would be a pretty stunning thing for officer that achieved a rank of lieutenant general, who served in the military for 34 years and has taken the oath many times in the course of that, to respond like that. And again, under normal times, this would be a big deal.

But given Mike Flynn's track record, his swearing the oath of office to QAnon, I guess, is not surprising after all. But I just -- it's really something when someone with his background takes the Fifth Amendment when asked about supporting a peaceful transfer of power. It's pretty incredible.

LEMON: Pretty important yet basic stuff, right, when you take an oath to the Constitution. You knew Flynn when he was on active duty. Is this the person you knew, director?

CLAPPER: Well, it's as though he's a different person. This -- this is yet another example of Mike Flynn -- this is not the Mike Flynn I knew in 2014 and earlier. This is a completely different person in my opinion.

LEMON: Director, Cassidy Hutchinson testified yesterday about a conversation she had with then-director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe days before January 6th. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUTCHINSON: The way that the White House was handling the postelection period, he felt that there could be dangerous repercussions in terms of precedent set for elections, for democracy, for the sixth. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: As a former director of National Intelligence yourself, what do you make of this warning about a sitting president, director?

CLAPPER: Well, I think if the statement implies a dangerous precedent for future elections, he was right, and if I understood the quote (ph). And I think this is something we're going to have to worry about every election, particularly presidential elections.

And so this is one case where I completely agree with DNI Ratcliffe, if that's what he was doing, was warning of what could happen in the future.

LEMON: Director -- thank you very much, Director Clapper. I appreciate it.

CLAPPER: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Police in New Haven, Connecticut releasing video of a man in custody who was injured while riding inside a police van. Randy Cox was handcuffed but not restrained by a seat belt when the van suddenly stopped, hurling him head first into the metal wall behind the van's (INAUDIBLE). I'm going to play the video. And I must warn you, it is disturbing to watch, but Cox's family wants it to be seen. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDY COX, INJURED WHILE IN POLICE CUSTODY: Help! Help! Help!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I want to bring in now CNN'S Joe Johns. Joe, hello to you. What happened and what went wrong here with Randy Cox?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Don, police released six videos from event stemming from this situation occurring inside one of their vans earlier this month, June 19th, New Haven, Connecticut. The video was released in the midst of a police investigation into injuries sustained by Randy Cox who, we're told, sustained extremely serious injuries, believed to be paralyzed, damaged to his neck and spine. This is just really hard to watch.

One of those videos, we see him seated on a bench inside a transport van with his hands restrained behind his back. When the van comes to abrupt stop, he slides down the bench and his head hits what appears to be the back door. There's no way for Cox to break his impact because he appeared to be handcuffed. And then on another video, we see the police dragging Mr. Cox from what appears to be a wheelchair and into a lockup, probably should have gotten medical attention almost certainly.

Cox was taken into custody on suspicion of illegal possession of a firearm, according to police documents. He ended up being charged with a felony count of making threats.

Now, he was being transported to a police detention facility in New Haven and the police say the officer who was driving made a sudden stop to avoid hitting another vehicle while Cox was in the back of the van.

First question, why wasn't he seat-belted? But as the video goes on, more questions about the police procedures, including why he didn't get medical attention after he did tell the police he could not move. And he's even seen being dragged to a cell, propped against a bed.

[23:49:58]

An assistant police chief has said Cox was mistreated and should have received medical attention immediately. And the mayor has said what happened was completely unacceptable. And by the way, civil rights Attorney Ben Crump has been hired by the family, Don.

LEMON: Yeah, and we are going to speak to him now. Thank you very much for that. I appreciate it, Joe Johns.

Joining me now, LaToya Boomer, who is Randy Cox's sister, and Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Mr. Cox. Thank you both so much for joining us. I really appreciate it.

LaToya, I'm so sorry for your family, what your family is going through. I understand that your brother, Randy, is in intensive care. Can you tell us how he's doing?

LATOYA BOOMER, RANDY COX'S SISTER: Yes, he is in intensive care. Right now, he's awake, but he's currently paralyzed from the chest down. He has a little movement in his left arm, slight movement in his right arm, on a breathing tube, on a feeding tube. Just -- he can kind of nod his head yes or no. He can move his eyes. That's pretty much it at this point.

LEMON: At this point. On June 19th, this is the story. Your family got a phone call that Randy had been arrested in New Haven, Connecticut and was on his way to booking.

BOOMER: Yes.

LEMON: Then another call a few hours later saying that he was in the hospital and needed surgery on his spine. I mean this happened within hours. Did you know what was going on?

BOOMER: Yes. No. Actually, I was out of town at the time. And my mother called me when he got arrested. And she went to the scene, but they had already taken him away. So, she waited two hours. She called the police station. They said he's here, he's not processed yet. So, she just waited, you know, maybe he'll call when he gets his first call. And then she, another two hours later, gets a call from the surgeon getting her consent to do emergency surgery.

LEMON: Ben, this incident is being investigated by the Connecticut State Police. Five officers, including the driver, had been put on administrative leave. The New Haven Police Department referred CNN to their earlier press conference for a statement and this is what they said. They said Mr. Cox was mistreated. He should have received medical attention immediately. We can't defend anything that was released.

So, what is the status of the investigation and how do you feel about what they are telling you?

BEN CRUMP, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, Don, it's a little -- it's too little too late, Don Lemon. Freddie Gray in 2015 gave everybody all across America notice that you can't handcuff detainees who don't have seatbelts or not restrained because it's foreseeable that injuries are very likely.

And so this is Freddie Gray on video. I mean, when you watch that video and you see that stop where his head hits that wall in the police transport van, you know he has suffered very serious neck trauma. But yet when a police officer checks him, even before he gets to the detention center, he says, I can't move, and he doesn't follow policy then.

They get to the detention center and the supervising officers. He says, I think I broke my neck, and they mocked him, Don. I mean, why won't police officers believe Black people when we say we are injured or we are brutalized?

George Floyd said, I can't breathe, 28 times and they didn't believe him in Minneapolis. Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York said, I can't breathe, 19 times, and they didn't believe him.

And now you have Randy Cox in New Haven, Connecticut tell the police, I think my neck is broken, and they don't believe him.

LEMON: You talked about what happened to Freddie Gray. It's the first thing I thought about when I learned of this story. That was in 2015, transported in the police van. And we know the outcome of that. The officers, they were charged but they were never prosecuted for anything. They didn't face any sort of disciplinary action. What do you want to see happen, Ben?

CRUMP: Well, I think there certainly should be criminal accountability, but also equally important there has to be civil justice because what Randy Cox, this 36-year-old young Black man who was not a convicted felon even though the media has strongly reported that, had his whole life ahead of him.

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He's going to have a struggle every day of his life just to do the things we all take for granted since he's paralyzed from the chest down. So, the sitting leadership needs to step up to try to right this wrong.

LEMON: LaToya --

CRUMP: Your words are not enough. We need to see action.

LEMON: Sorry, Ben, I thought you're finished with your statement. LaToya, what would you like to see happen?

BOOMER: I would like for the officers involved to be fired and arrested. And any bystanders that we're watching need something done to them, too. Maybe not fired, maybe retrained or something because people watched. And when I watched the video, I had to turn it off. I did not complete it. After he was in the wheelchair, I turned it off. It made me sick to my stomach.

LEMON: Thank you both. Please keep us updated, okay? We're hoping for the best. Thank you so much.

CRUMP: Thank you, Don.

BOOMER: Thank you.

LEMON: And thank you for watching, everyone. Our coverage continues.

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