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Arizona Bans Benefits fcor Young Illegal Immigrants; Family Reasearch Council Shooting; Syria Conflict Update; Presidential Campaigns Ramp Up Rhetoric; Obama Attacked Over Leaks; Former Penn State Officials Face Charges; Father, Son Charged with Insurance Fraud

Aired August 16, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Fred, thank you so much. Nice to see you.

And, hello, everybody. I am Ashleigh Banfield. It's 11:00 on the East Coast, It's 8:00 on the West Coast and let's begin with this.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is defying President Obama and it ain't the first time. This time, it's about the undocumented workers. Thousands of these undocumented immigrants across the United States lining up yesterday to apply for deportation relief, all because of President Obama's brand new program that he created.

Look at the lines. It is remarkable, the numbers. This is Chicago. Organizers estimating more than 11,000 young people turning out. One 16-year-old who was in line said, hey, I'm used to living here and I want to stay.

In Houston, thousands flocked to the Mexican consulate, the line wrapping right around the building, some of them coming as early as 4:00 in the morning. One woman saying that she had waited a lifetime for this. Remember, they were kids when they came here.

And to Arizona now, ground zero of the controversy today. Enter Governor Brewer. Yesterday, late in the day, she directed state agencies to deny public benefits, including drivers' licenses, to anybody who might actually be a recipient in this program. Here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOVERNOR JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: We will issue an employment authorization card to those people that apply, but they will not be entitled to a drivers' license licenses, nor will they be entitled to any public benefits in response to the public overwhelmingly voting that no public benefits would be extended to illegal aliens in the state of Arizona.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Well, joining us more with reaction to the governor's move is KNXV reporter, Steve Kuzj, who is live at the state capital. And I can see from the image behind you, Steve, while some people in Arizona really like what their governor does, others really don't.

Steve, unfortunately, we cannot hear your audio. We're having a big glitch. My apologies, my profuse apologies. If we can get that fixed, we want to get back to Steve Kuzj reporting in Arizona at the state house because, clearly, that is a huge controversy.

And, again, it's not the first time she has gone sort of locking horns with President Obama. We'll get back to Mr. Kuzj in a moment and update you on that story.

But I can move you to another story -- pardon me -- that we're just getting some breaking news on. It's about that shooting in Washington, D.C. It started as a shooting and you probably saw the pictures, too, of the arrest.

This suspect, Floyd Lee Corkins, has now been charged with assault with a deadly weapon. All of this after he walked into the Family Research Council building yesterday morning and then just shot his gun.

A security guard there was able to overpower him, but he was shot in the arm himself. But he did avert what could have turned into another bloody massacre.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHY LANIER, CHIEF, WASHINGTON POLICE: The security guard in this case is a hero, as far as I'm concerned. He did not allow the armed person past the front. So, he did his job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: So joining us now, Sandra Endo, live in Washington, D.C. and the breaking news is that authorities are actually confirming for us there was something in his backpack that links him to another controversy that's been stewing in the news. Take me through it.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ashleigh, we are finding out new information about this investigation. A law enforcement source telling our senior producer, Carol Cratty, that the suspect had Chick- fil-A sandwiches inside his backpack.

And, as you know, the company, Chick-fil-A, has been a source of debate in recent weeks and months because of their staunch stance against same-sex marriage, a stance the FRC shares.

And we understand that this suspect, 28-year-old Floyd Lee Corkins, also volunteered at a D.C. center for the LGBT community. And that community center's executive director obviously outraged by this shooting, saying that he could not understand a volunteer being involved in such tragic violence.

But again, Ashleigh, we're learning more about this suspect. We know that a law enforcement source says that the suspect purchased a Sig Sauer nine-millimeter handgun just in the last week at a gun shop in Virginia. It was purchased legally.

He will be charged, according to a law enforcement source, with a federal charge and that includes interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition. He also faces a charge of assault with attempt to kill and he will be facing those charges later in court today.

Again, officials believe that is suspect travelled from a nearby metro stop in Virginia, crossing state lines, to allegedly shoot and actually shoot inside the FRC building yesterday. So, that is what he will be charged with later this afternoon.

But again, brand new information coming out for our senior producer, again, that the suspect did have Chick-fil-A sandwiches inside his backpack.

Ashleigh?

BANFIELD: Yeah, you know, that's what happen, Sandra, when you take the metro from Virginia to D.C., carrying your ammo and your gun, if the allegations against him are true.

Just quickly wrap it up for me with this. I was watching this, all day yesterday, reading online about it, wondering what could be the motive of this shooter. And there were a lot of reports about him having Chick-fil-A-related pamphlets in his backpack, but that's not the case, is it? The wording was just wrong.

ENDO: That's right. According to the law enforcement source who knows about this investigation, all the suspect had was Chick-fil-A sandwiches. The stories and reports about paraphernalia or pamphlets regarding Chick-fil-A is not true.

And they are still piecing together the motive here. There's no details yet, but a law enforcement source can tell us that the suspect allegedly made comments in regards to being against FRC's policy before shooting the guard in the arm.

BANFIELD: All right. Sandra Endo, thanks very much. Keep an eye on that for us, if you will, please.

And also, just even after two major shootings in the past few weeks, it turns out the attitude towards gun control hasn't really budged at all in this country. A brand new CNN/ORC International poll just released last week indicates that 50 percent of us, 50 percent of us, still favor no major restrictions on gun ownership.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: A quick note for you, if you're just heading out the door, no worries. You can continue to watch CNN from your mobile phone. It's also nice if you're heading to work. You can watch CNN from your desktop. Don't tell your boss. Just go to CNN.com/TV. All the instructions are there for you.

Just short while ago, we got news the founder of Wikileaks has been granted asylum by the country of Ecuador. Now, he's not in Ecuador. Julian Assange is, instead, holed up in Ecuador's embassy, smack in the middle of London, and he's been there for nearly two months.

His website, of course, you'll know by now, posts tens of thousands of classified U.S. military and diplomatic documents. And he's also wanted in Sweden for questioning about sex crimes allegations.

Atika Shubert is outside the Ecuador embassy. Is he planning to stay there for a while, because the way I see it, the minute you walk out the door, the bobbies will arrest you.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's just it. He's now legally been granted asylum, but he can't get out of the embassy to Ecuador because, if he does step outside, that means he's back on British territory and British police can arrest him.

And the British foreign office has said, very clearly, they still feel it's their obligation to extradite him to Sweden. They also say he's breached his bail conditions and that's why they would arrest him.

So, legally, his status may have changed, now that he's been granted asylum, but he still can't walk outside, so he's in there, indefinitely.

We do have a statement from Julian Assange that Wikileaks just put out on his Twitter account where he said, quote, "I'm grateful to the Ecuadorian people, President Rafael Correa, and his government. It was not Britain or my home country, Australia, stood up to protect me from persecution, but a courageous, independent Latin American nation."

So, clearly, there, you can hear Assange, happy that he got asylum, but he's still inside the Ecuadorian embassy.

BANFIELD: Yeah, I hope the hotel service is good in there because that's going to be a long stay, more than likely.

But at the same time, Atika, I seem to recall the Brits had suggested at one point that they would actually enter that embassy and that doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard has been possible when it comes to diplomatic relations. What's the situation with that?

SHUBERT: No. And fact is, I think that's very unlikely. What seems to have happened is, basically, a diplomatic tactic that seems to have misfired. Britain basically told Ecuador we want to negotiate this out. We want to come to a diplomatic solution, but do remember, we have an act, a law that does allow us to withdraw diplomatic status and, therefore, go into your embassy.

It's not as easy as that. It would be months of legal wrangling. It means that Ecuador could contest it. It's highly unlikely that would happen, but they did point that out. Ecuador took offense to it and said they would not be threatened and bullied this way. And, as a result, it seems they have granted Julian Assange asylum.

And, as you can imagine, it's not been well received by Ecuadorians, either. We heard from one protester earlier who said she was very upset by what Britain has done. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to support President Correa. We have to support Julian to support the freedom of expression for everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom of expression? Do you think Julian should be extradited or not?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because he was telling the truth about certain things so, yes, he should be, you know, should treated fairly like everybody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUBERT: So, as you can imagine, a lot of protesters here, supporting Assange, and they're encouraged by this granting of asylum, but there's still a long way to go to get him out of the embassy.

BANFIELD: Quite a den of activity, it sounds like, as well. Atika Shubert in London for us. Thank you for that.

I want to move on to Afghanistan and the war there. Seven American service members among 11 people killed today after a helicopter crashed. That chopper went down while on patrol in the Southern Kandahar province. Don't know if this was shot down or if it's an accident because the cause, at this point, is simply under investigation. We are watching carefully for updates.

And turning to Syria, the civil war is now spilling over into the country next door, specifically, Lebanon. Saudi Arabia and several other Gulf Arab countries right now are telling their citizens to get out of Lebanon, evacuating them, in fact.

All of this coming after Lebanese gunmen kidnapped about 20 people, including citizens of Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the neighbor to the north. Now, both of those countries are supporters of the rebels in Syria.

This video is said to show some of the victims, but CNN has not been able to confirm it and its authenticity.

But in another development, we can tell you the coalition of 57 Islamic countries has decided Syria's out. They're suspending Syria from their coalition. It's another clear example of that country's isolation.

And on the battlefield, a CNN team is being able to witness, firsthand, the death and destruction of a government fighter jet attack, not just any attack, an attack on a hospital. A hospital.

We want to warn you that Ben Wedeman's extraordinary reporting has some very graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Twelve- year-old Mohammed screams out in fear and pain. Shrapnel ripped through his right leg in an air raid on the Dar Al Shifa Hospital in Aleppo's Sha'aar district. Three passers-by, including Mohammed, were wounded in the attack.

The task of treating the wounded here, harder by the day, Nurse Abuas Mayee (ph) tells me. Half of our equipment no longer works, he says.

For almost an hour a Syrian government jet bombed and strafed the area, twice striking the clearly marked hospital.

Out of view, rebels fired back, fruitlessly, at the plane.

In an entranceway across the street from the hospital, the blood is still wet where Mohammed, wounded, took cover.

Nerves, still on edge at the possibility the plane will strike yet again.

UINIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going, going, going, going.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anyone at the next entrance?

WEDEMAN: Mohammed's brother, Abdul, fled the emergency ward in panic after the second attack on the hospital and is afraid to go back in.

The shelling and air raids have no rhyme or reason. The rounds smash into crowded neighborhoods, far from the front lines.

Mohammed Rahar (ph) was in a back room when his apartment was hit. He had sent his family away just a few days before.

Thank God they weren't here, he says, but what am I going to do? Where am I going to live?

His neighbors clear away the rubble with exhausted resignation.

The random nature of the shelling and the air raids on the rebel- controlled parts of Aleppo means that any building, anywhere in this part of the city could be hit at any time. In fact, this building was hit just 20 minutes ago.

For many of the residents of Aleppo, it's simply time to leave. Some go by foot, most by car or pickup, taking the bare minimum.

The shelling, answers Abu Achmed (ph), when I asked why he and his family are leaving. We don't know where it's coming from. Their destination is what they hope is a safer part of town, but here, no place is truly safe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD: And Ben Wedeman now joins us live from Northern Syria. And we do have a bit of a delay in our communication, but, Ben, I just heard that this same hospital that you featured in this report has been hit again just today. What's the status?

WEDEMAN: Well, we know that it was strafed by a government jet and the strafing caused fires within the hospital.

I know there are really few hospitals functioning in the part of the city where the rebels are and, therefore, these few hospitals are really key, vital for those people who are staying behind.

But as we heard from them, they've got problems with medicine, equipment. Many of the staff are too afraid to go to them. So, when these planes -- and what's clear from the -- from what we saw, because we watched for about an hour as those planes flew overhead in the area of the hospital, they are targeting the hospital. There's no question about it.

Day after day, they targeted when we were there. They targeted it today. In fact, they targeted it before, as well. So, there's no question that this -- that the Syrian government is trying to make life for the people of Aleppo in those areas controlled by the rebels simply unbearable.

So many, many of them are simply fleeing to safer ground.

BANFIELD: And when you say unbearable, I would -- I'm trying to get my mind wrapped around what day-to-day living is like. If the hospitals are getting bombed, are the grocery stores even open? Is there any school? Does anything operate normally there?

WEDEMAN: Schools haven't operated for quite some time. You go to grocery stores, there's very little in it, in few grocery stores that are open, I would say maybe one in ten shops is functioning at all.

But people start their day, lining up outside bakeries for bread, the little bread that's available. And, in fact, today in Aleppo, a shell hit right outside of a bakery in one of the areas we were in, that was in that report, eight people killed, dozens were wounded.

Really people spend their day just scrounging around for enough food to eat. But many of them are also scrounging around for rides out of town.

Some people are staying behind because they have nowhere to go. You have to realize that normal work, people aren't getting paid. So, they're short on cash. Even if they flee from the dangerous areas, they don't have the money to pay for an apartment to live in.

So, it's really a crisis 24 hours a day for the civilians in Aleppo.'

Ashleigh?

BANFIELD: And, as they try to flee, you've made your way in. So, obviously, this is a very dangerous place for you. Please be careful. Excellent reporting and I look forward to further reports from you. Ben Wedeman, live for us inside Syria.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: I have question for you. What if some people in your state got a little gift, extra time for early voting on evenings and weekends? You know, when you're not at work, but you didn't get that same little gift?

That is actually something that was playing out in a key swing state, Ohio. That is until yesterday, when the secretary of state in Ohio decided that all counties, instead, have to make their early- voting hours exactly the same.

Why was this a big deal? Look at the map. Previously, before he made that decree yesterday, these four counties were not allowed the early, extended-voting hours. They include cities like Cleveland and Akron, Toledo and Columbus. Does that ring a bell? Obama, '08? Yeah, they leaned heavily Democratic back then.

Now, change the maps to those little counties. Those two red counties were allowed to extend the early voting hours and they leaned heavily towards McCain. They lean heavily Republican.

So, now, it's all going to be "Even Steven." I asked John Avlon, Reihan Salam and Roland Martin all about this last night on "OutFront," but the question really was, how on earth could they have been different to begin with?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REIHAN SALAM, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Partly because different counties have different fiscal positions and that could have been why he weighed differently on the different counties.

JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: But in his statement, I think, really gave it away. He said, today, I'm living the playing field. That's to the extent that it's an admission that it was an unlevel playing field before.

When you look at that map, it is hard to say that there wasn't politics behind some of these county disparities. Reihan makes a great point about each county taking their own local economics taken into account, but the bottom line is we all should have a common interest in lowering barriers to vote.

BANFIELD: The Obama administration suing because that state has ended early voting, the Friday before the election. So, you know, obviously, a lot of people know that Saturday, Sunday, and Monday before the election have been -- have been very important for a lot of people.

They work, they need the weekend to vote. And church services for African-Americans have "souls to the polls." Explain it and tell me why Sunday is so critical.

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Because it's the Sunday right before the election. So, you're telling people, let's get out to the polls.

In 2008, an estimated 93,000 Ohioans voted in that period. The Obama folks are saying, no, everyone should vote. No Republican, no Democrat should not defend this law because everybody should have the ability to vote early.

BANFIELD: Let me actually quote the secretary of state, again, Mr. Husted. He said, for the vast majority of voters, the early in- person voting period begins 35 days before the day of an election and ends at 6:00 p.m. the Friday before the election.

Why do we need those three days, if we have 35 days?

MARTIN: Why not? Why not?

BANFIELD: It's expensive.

MARTIN: No, 93,000 -- here's the deal. They allowed it in 2008. Why all of a sudden the change? If 93,000 people voted on those three days last time, why all of a sudden change it this time?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: All right, so, that's the issue with those three days, but back to that other issue of all the counties and the hours that they remain open, under this new order the polls in Ohio must, must remain open from 8:00 until 5:00, Monday through Friday, during the first three weeks after the early voting starts and that is for every single Ohio county.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: You know, you hear all about the partisan bickering, the political stalemates on Capitol Hill. It gets a little overwhelming, doesn't it? So much so that the nickname "Do Nothing Congress" is a bit ubiquitous in the legislature these days.

And guess what, the gridlock in Congress is now officially on track to make history. According to "USA Today," this year's Congress is the least productive Congress since the end of World War II.

It is not a joke. Out of the nearly 4,000 bills that lawmakers introduced this year and were supposed to work on, yeah, only 61 of them became law, 4,000 bills, 61 laws. In 2011, Congress passed 90 bills into law. The record is worse than the actual original "Do Nothing Congress." The phrase was coined because of that Congress back in 1948. So congratulations, folks. Nice work.

But it's not just the legislative branch that's taking it on the chin, getting heat. With the presidential election, less than three months away, the battle between Mitt Romney and President Obama is getting ugly. And it seems the one issue that will not go away is Mitt Romney's refusal to release more of his tax returns. That is by design. That's what the Democrats want. And why? Why are they not going away? And why won't they release the tax returns?

Listen to Ann Romney as she got pretty heated in an interview with NBC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN ROMNEY, WIFE OF MITT ROMNEY: We have been very transparent to what's legally required of us. But the more we release, the more we get attacked, the more we get questioned, the more we get pushed. And so we have done what's legally required. And there's going to be no more -- there's going to be no more tax releases given. And there's a reason for that. That's because of how -- what happens as soon as we release anything. Mitt's financial disclosures as governor are huge. If people want to really look and see, any question they have. The other thing they have to understand is that Mitt is honest. His integrity is just golden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: You know, I really like Ann Romney because that's her getting heated, you know. She's a pretty even-keeled lady. But you can tell she's frustrated with this question and the reporters are frustrated with the answers.

But, frustration doesn't end there. Romney's taxes aren't the only issue being ripped apart. The fallout from Vice President Joe Biden's "put y'all back in chains" gaffe is not going away, intensifying. More leaders are weighing in on this one. The very latest one from the new GOP V.P. candidate, Paul Ryan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN, (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Great to be here in North Carolina. Or as Joe Biden might say, it's great to be here in Nevada.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Well, CNN's political editor, Paul Steinhauser, is standing by in D.C.

I suppose that comment is not a surprise to you. And the critics are coming out of the woodwork on this one.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: They sure are, critics, but also supporters of Joe Biden. What Ryan was talking about -- he made those comments on the campaign trail just a few minutes ago in Ohio. When Joe Biden made the original comments he made at that campaign events in Danville, Virginia -- Granted it's on the border with North Carolina, but it's in Virginia. Biden said he was in North Carolina. He had an oops. You saw Ryan there taking advantage of it.

But yes, there are surrogating on both sides taking about this issue, including Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, a Republican, big surrogate for the Romney campaign.

Take a listen to him going after the vice president on "Piers Morgan" right here on CNN last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, (R), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK: I have never seen a vice president that has made as many mistakes, said as many stupid things. I mean, there's a real fear if, god forbid, he ever had to be entrusted with the presidency, whether he really has the mental capacity to be to handle it.

I mean, this guy just isn't bright. He's never been bright. He isn't bright. People think, well, he just talks a little too much. Actually, he's just not very smart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Now people are questioning whether Giuliani crossed the line here.

Listen, you may agree with the vice president or not on the issues, but he's been a politician for a long time and I don't think anybody really is questioning his brightness or ability to serve as president if needed -- Ashleigh?

BANFIELD: Yes. If those are fighting words, you're right. They are coming out on both sides of the argument. Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, had the opposite opinion when it came to Joe Biden. And let's remind you, he is an African-American coming out about this "y'all in chains." Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CORY BOOKER, (D), MAYOR OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Listen to the whole speech. This was a substantive speech about how we're going to reform Wall Street, about how we're going to protect consumers, about how we're going to stop the over leveraging of banks, about how we're going to create a consumer bill of rights, A credit card bill of rights, how we're going go against predatory lending. All of that is the substantive things that my majority black city in Newark is concerned with.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BANFIELD: Well, there you have it. So I don't think it's the end of it. But it's the end of it for our conversation right now, because I have one other thing I want to ask you about. This announcement from the RNC about one of the speakers, Artur Davis. Can you tell me why that is so significant?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, this is fascinating. He's the former congressman from Alabama, African-American. Guess what, he was a co- chairman back in 2008 of Barack Obama's bid for the White House. He was the person at the convention in Denver who was the second to nominate him. Guess what, now Artur Davis has turned parties. He's now a Republican.

Yesterday, yesterday, Artur Davis was in Virginia campaign for Mitt Romney. And we learn this morning he will be at the convention in Tampa. So this is a big change and a big deal the Republicans are making out of it.

BANFIELD: All right. You always have all the goods.

Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much. Good to see you this morning.

I want to remind everybody, too, President Obama is dismissing the GOP attacks on Joe Biden as well, because he spoke to "People" magazine and he said this: Biden meant, quote, "You consumers, the American people, will be a lot worse off if we repeal these Wall Street reform laws."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: President Obama under a brand new attack. Get this -- it is over the Special Ops raid that killed Osama bin Laden. And the critics are former Special Ops guys and CIA agents. They call their campaign against the president "Dishonorable Disclosures." And they're slamming Mr. Obama over leaking information about the bin Laden raid, and also slamming him for taking too much credit, which they say was the credit for other people's success.

And if this sounds a little bit familiar, it might be because of this. Do you remember John Kerry's run for the White House back in 2004 and those blistering Swift Boat attacks on his service in the Vietnam War? Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I served with John Kerry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I served with John Kerry.

GEORGE ELLIOTT, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER, U.S. ARMY: John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam.

AL FRENCH, ENSIGN, U.S. ARMY: He is lying about his record.

LOUIS LETSON, MEDICAL OFFICER, U.S. ARMY: I know John Kerry's lying about his first Purple Heart because I treated him for that injury.

VAN ODELL, U.S. ARMY: John Kerry lied to get a Bronze Star. I know. I was there. I saw what happened.

JACK CHENOWETH, LIEUTENANT J.G., U.S. ARMY: His account of what happened and what actually happened are the difference between night and day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Well, those attacks had a huge impact on that campaign.

Brian Todd is covering this new set of Special Ops attacks on President Obama.

First of all, Special Op, CIA, I get it, but who are the guys, who are the actual people, and what's their story behind this campaign?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ashleigh, these are former Navy SEALs, former Special Op soldiers, military officers and intelligence officers who take part in this video. That makes it one of the most significant attacks against President Obama this campaign season.

In the video, as you mentioned, they slam the Obama administration for allowing leaks of intelligence -- details of intelligence raids, of intelligence operations to become public. That was a controversy in the news this year. The Obama administration has strongly denied taking part in those leaks. But the video also really blasts the president for taking credit for the bin Laden raid. The president has mentioned that raid on the campaign trail quite often this year. He's even taken out an ad featuring Bill Clinton extolling his courage for ordering the raid. The video really takes him to task for that.

Here's a clip of it with a former Navy SEAL named Ben Smith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN SMITH, FORMER NAVY SEAL: Worse than ever are leaks coming out of the White House.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't see why anybody would purposely put lives in jeopardy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will get Americans killed.

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is my civic duty to tell the president to stop leaking information to the enemy.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP) BANFIELD: Wow. That's pretty tough stuff to watch.

Quick question for you. This group has said their bipartisan. Are there nuances to what bipartisan means in their books?

TODD: Some nuances at the very least, Ashleigh. We found out the group's president, a former Navy SEAL named Scott Taylor, was once an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Congress in Virginia. The group spokesman also worked in a similar capacity for the Bush administration. And we found this group, OPSEC, shares office space with two Republican strategy groups in Alexandria, Virginia. We went over there yesterday and checked that out. There is at least some ties to the Republican Party here, maybe implied, but certainly some tie despite their group that they're nonpartisan.

BANFIELD: Brian Todd, thank you so much for that. Do appreciate it.

I want to make one more point. This group says it has $1 million that it plans to use on campaign ads in the swing states all in the coming weeks.

Be sure to tune in to Brian's report on this story coming up in "The Situation Room." That starts at 4:00 p.m. eastern today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Planning on going to Havana, Cuba, and planning on having something really good to eat there? Turns out, you don't want to go into the government restaurants there. There's something very cool in Havana. You can go into restaurants that people just run out of their homes. So awesome.

Patrick Oppmann is our "Travel Insider," and he's telling us that those are actually the best places to get the best food.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The thing that people always ask me is, where do you eat in Cuba. I always say polimars. That means people's homes. Private restaurants that Cubans are able to have in their homes. So let me go to one of my favorites here in downtown Havana. One of the best polimars that I go to.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(MUSIC)

OPPMANN: Before you go to an R&R in Cuba, and it looked like what it was, someone's home. They have a bar menu, making mojitos, and it's set up like a restaurant, but it's not a government restaurant. It's actually someone's business. Until recently, that's not something that was very common in Cuba. But laws have been changing allowing people to have their own businesses.

This polimar is famous for its seafood. I think that's what we're going to try today.

So they just brought me this really beautiful plate of lobster and shrimp and fish. And it looks great. I have to say, sitting out here on the terrace with an incredible view of Havana, and this really nice breeze, it's just a really relaxing place to be. I can't think of a better place to be right now.

And this looks fantastic. So I'm going to go ahead and dig in.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: So how much, how much did former Penn State athletic director, Tim Curley, and ex-Penn State vice president, Gary Schultz, how much did they know about Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse of children? And more importantly, did they lie about what they knew to the grand jury investigating it? Those are the questions that are at the heart of some hearings against the two former Penn State officials that begin today -- those hearings. The prosecutors are alleging that Curley and Schultz knew all along about Sandusky's abuse, and they didn't alert the authorities. And when called to testify about it to the grand jury, they flat-out lied about it. Both Curley and Schultz, for their part, have said not true, not guilty.

And joining me is defense attorney, Joey Jackson.

So, Joey, there's two issues at heart here. Number one is Mike McQueary who witnessed what has essentially been described and adjudicated in court as a sexual assault of a young boy in a shower, when these two guys told the grand jury about it, they said, they were just horsing around.

JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Exactly. It all comes down to what they knew and when they knew it. Was this something that was a casual horseplay and fooling around or more sexual in nature.

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: And did McQueary describe it as horseplay to them --

JACKSON: Exactly.

BANFIELD: -- and then they took that story truthfully to the grand jury, or did McQueary come to them and say, guys, we have a big problem, this is what I saw, and then they took it to the grand jury?

JACKSON: You're right on point, because the issues them become did they water it down. Did they know exactly what happened? Was there something of a sexual nature that occurred that they tried to cover up, right? Or was it that they just believed that it was horseplay and they rectified it and spoke to the parties, and everything got resolved. That is what is at issue. But the problem in the hearing is that all of these are factual questions. And when you get factual questions, Ashleigh, what do you need?

BANFIELD: The evidence.

JACKSON: You need a jury, right?

BANFIELD: You need a jury.

JACKSON: So ultimately, a jury has to evaluate the evidence and a jury has to determine whether this is legit or illegit, not a judge. And I think that's why the hearing is problematic.

BANFIELD: And let's go one step further. Is it a little difficult for jury, judge, a prosecutor or even a defense attorney, for that fact, to get inside someone's head and establish exactly what they were thinking --

JACKSON: Of course.

BANFIELD: -- when they took one version of a story and recounted it? There is no hard evidence, there's no e-mail to suggest that you knew exactly what happened.

JACKSON: Right. So what you do is you evaluate everything in context, because it is difficult to get into someone's head. But if there is an e-mail trail, as now it alludes that the president, Mr. Spanier, might have had knowledge of this, because there were e-mails concerning the incident and the extent of the incident and severity of the incident, they could get that, Ashleigh, then it is a problem.

BANFIELD: I am glad you brought it up. The whole issue of how they characterized Mike McQueary's witnessing of that horror show in the shower, that is one part of the perjury charges. And maybe the easiest part to defend. Then there is the second sticky wicket and is that both Curley and Schultz said to the grand jury that they believed, in January of 2001, that Mike McQueary had not described a crime to them. Part two is that they denied knowing anything about 1998, an attack. And they denied knowing anything about the 2001 incidents that they reported to child protective services. And there is an e-mail chain saying otherwise.

JACKSON: Now that is the evidence that you spoke to. If there's evidence that establishes that they knew more than they suggested they knew when they told the grand jury or they knew about the severity of it, that represents a real concern. And that is what a jury has to figure out with regard to their guilt or innocence.

BANFIELD: That is hard evidence, too.

Joey, stick around, because I want to talk to you more about something else.

In the meantime, you may see more charges in the case. It is possible that the former Penn State president, Graham Spanier, who has avoided charges so far, well, the legal experts say he could still be charged in this.

Back in a moment.

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BANFIELD: You know, typically the dead stay dead, but it's not always the case. Take for instance Raymond Roth. And here is the deal with him. His 22-year-old son, Jonathan, called 911 to say, "My dad swam into the ocean and never came back." Full search ensues, rescue operations. They turn up nothing. The search continues for days. Nothing. Raymond Roth, gonzo. And then all of a sudden, not so much. He turns up alive in Florida. His brother actually called the police to say, yes, my brother is at my time share in Florida." So now Raymond Roth and his son, Jonathan, are charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy and filing a false report.

Joey Jackson is back with us now, the defense attorney for the son in this case.

Jonathan, so I will have to frame my questions accordingly.

JACKSON: Not guilty. Not guilty.

(LAUGHTER)

BANFIELD: I knew you were going to say that. Dude, you are good.

Here is the deal. This is not a happy family, because both of these guys are doing what we like to do, is this, the defense is this guy was to blame, this guy was to blame. Father and the son are blaming each other in this. What are they saying?

JACKSON: Well, I can tell you what my client is talking about. And what I am preaching in this case is coercion, abuse and manipulation, and this is a father -- and we will learn about a horrific history between the two in terms of physical abuse when he was young, things that led up to this coercion and manipulation, which ultimately led up to the event. So I, by virtue of that, am saying my client is not culpable. The fact that Raymond Roth, the father, is saying that he knew nothing about it, and his son is at fault, is despicable. What father would throw their son under the bus in such a fashion?

(CROSSTALK)

BANFIELD: What son would throw the father under the bus to say he was abused --

(CROSSTALK)

JACKSON: One who was -- one who called CPS, child protective services, on his father. One that had to endure years of a string and years of torture and harassment. It is amazing is up and alive at this point after what he went through. BANFIELD: So your client says my dad abused me and coerced me into the whole scheme. And the dad says, no way, I wanted to disappear and get out of life. I didn't have any plans to take insurance money or do anything like that of the sort. In fact, my son did that on his own. What evidence does anybody have to suggest otherwise?

JACKSON: Well, it is first, the second or the third defense, because the first is mentally ill, and I don't remember what happened, I'm in a mental institution. Then when he gets out of the mental institution, I remembered what happened, and I've changed the will and the benefactor to be my son. His stories are changing to fit the times. And ultimately, he'll be held accountable and the son won't be. And there will be plenty of evidence to suggest that, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: And you will come back to tell us how this played out, right?

JACKSON: Of course. Be my pleasure.

BANFIELD: And remind me, if I become a lawyer, I am not going up against you.

(LAUGHTER)

JACKSON: Oh, yes you are. You are great. Outstanding.

(LAUGHTER)

BANFIELD: Hardly.

JACKSON: I'll be hiding in the corner.

BANFIELD: I'm terrified right now.

Joey Jackson, thank you.

JACKSON: Pleasure.

BANFIELD: Good to see you always. Appreciate it.

That is all for us. Thanks for joining us.

NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL is starting right now.