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Live Coverage of White House Press Conference; U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Visits Cairo; Atty. Gen. Comments on Zimmerman Soon; NAACP Calls for Civil Rights Charges; Activists Push for New Zimmerman Cas; Interview with Marc Morial

Aired July 15, 2013 - 12:30   ET

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

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The fact that his loss reflects -- symbolizes the loss we see daily in this country of young people to gun violence, and, you know, that's why I think the president's statement contained within it the elements that I described.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jay, should the Martin family be encouraged to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit rather than wait for a decision by the Justice Department regarding civil rights investigation?

CARNEY: April, I am just not going to comment on any kind of decision like that that the Martin family would have to make.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, OK.

Well, has the president -- when is the last time the president talked to Eric Holder, particularly about this case?

CARNEY: I'm not sure that I know the answer to that question.

I don't believe that this is something the president views as discussion he would have with the attorney general, especially on the substance of the case or decisions the Department of Justice would make.

That is something the Department of Justice makes and they have talked about this and put out statements about it, and they will make assessments and decisions on the merits and on the evidence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well tomorrow Eric Holder, Kathleen Sebelius and Shaun Donovan will be in Florida addressing the NAACP, and one of the issues is on gun violence.

And, according to the NAACP, black males, ages 15-to-19, were twice as likely as white males of the same age and two-and-a-half times as likely as their Hispanic peers to be killed in gun-related homicides in 2009, and Kathleen Sebelius, Eric Holder and Shaun Donovan will be addressing those issues.

What does the White House have to say as you can't push for gun legislation?

CARNEY: The president has made clear his feelings about the failure of the senate to act on common sense legislation that would have improved upon our background check system, legislation that has enormous support across the country in blue states and purple states and red states and that the Senate should have approved.

The fact of the matter is, and the president has spoken about this, he will continue to work with members of his administration to advance the cause of reducing gun violence, using the powers that the administration has, but will also continue to try to impress upon Congress the need to have Congress act on this important problem and to reflect the will of the American people when it comes to common sense steps, steps that respect our Second Amendment rights, rights that the president supports.

And that simply in the case of the background check legislation as we discussed quite intensively for a period earlier this year, would simply build upon and improve an existing system so that those who should not have access to firearms, because they're convicted criminals or have a serious mental instability, are prevented from obtaining them.

It's a pretty simple proposition, so the president will continue that work and I'm sure that the cabinet secretaries that will be speaking in Florida will talk about the need to continue that work.

You know the president's package of steps to reduce gun violence included a number of -- 23, if I'm not mistaken -- executive actions and there's been significant progress on almost all of those and the president will continue to press for those to be completed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The irony, your top cop in Florida at this time when that situation, the verdict for George Zimmerman ...

CARNEY: I'm sure the attorney general looks forward to having that conversation.

The issues surrounding gun violence in this country remain. They remain a priority for this administration.

So I don't want to anticipate what remarks he or the other members of the cabinet might make but these continue to be important priorities for the president and his administration.

(END LIVE FEED)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Eric Holder will be speaking momentarily here in Washington. He's speaking at the Washington Convention Center. We expect him to speak about the not guilty verdict in the Zimmerman trial.

There you saw the White House press secretary, Jay Carney, speaking out as well, saying the White House wants everyone to calm down right now.

The president not getting directly involved in what eventually will be a Justice Department decision, a decision by the attorney general whether to file civil rights charges against George Zimmerman. The White House press secretary saying that's strictly up to the Justice Department.

Gloria Borger, our chief political analyst is with us. Gloria, I want to play a clip because Jay Carney didn't want to get personal in terms of the president's reaction now, but he was very personal shortly after the whole killing, what happened, in Sanford, Florida, erupted.

This is what the president said then.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon, and, you know, I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and that we're going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: This is, obviously, an extremely sensitive issue for the White House, the Justice Department, the federal government as a whole to deal with right now, and they are trying to be as cautious as they possibly can be.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: They are trying to walk a fine line here, Wolf.

This is an African-American community in this country. It's very upset. This is an African-American president and African-American attorney general.

As you just showed, the president showed his own personal reflection early on in this case, saying if he had a child if he had a son, his son would look like Trayvon.

What they are trying to do right now, though, Wolf, is say the country should remain calm, that it means that this verdict at the very least needs to open an important conversation or continue an important conversation in this country.

And, privately, what I think the Justice Department is trying to do is figure out whether they can actually bring further action, and the bar is very high for that, Wolf.

If this were just a political matter, they might say, sure, let's do it. We can do this. But it's a legal matter and the Justice Department doesn't like to bring cases that it can't necessarily win.

BLITZER: Yes, if they were to bring these charges and lose in a federal court, that would be, obviously, pretty serious situation.

Gloria, we're going to continue this conversation.

We're standing by. We're awaiting the attorney general of the United States, Eric Holder. He's getting ready to speak at the Washington convention center. It's the 100th anniversary of a major sorority of the United States, the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, founded 100 years ago at Howard University.

A lot of sorority sisters are here in Washington, and they are anxious to hear what the attorney general has to say.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We'll get to the attorney general of the United States momentarily. He's getting ready to speak out on the Zimmerman trial, the not guilty verdict.

We'll have live coverage coming up. Stand by for that.

Other news we're following, a huge week in the formation of Egypt's new government, the interim prime minister looks to fill out his cabinet over the next few days, and the U.S. deputy secretary of state is there in Cairo right now.

Nick Paton Walsh is joining us from Cairo. William Burns is meeting with Egypt's interim government. What are we learning?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We know he's met with the interim prime minister, Hazem al-Beblawy.

We know also he met with the chief of the military, the minister of defense, General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi. We're looking to see what came out of that meeting.

But, bear in mind, he is the first high-profile U.S. official to come here, possibly the first high-profile Western official, as far as we're aware, to come since the ouster of President Morsy.

And the issue really, of course is that the most strident comments we've heard about the events in Egypt is a demand for the release of former President Mohamed Morsy.

We heard last week from the State Department, but only today he hear prosecutors repeating, it seems, orders for the arrest of key Muslim Brotherhood officials because of alleged involvement in violence that's led to these protests around me.

So real concerns, I think, that Washington is, of course, trying to reassure a key ally in the region here of their relationship by coming to visit so early, but the real issue is how will this thorn, the issue of the release of former President Mohamed Morsy, be dealt with?

Is William Burns, an Arabic speaker, going to be pushing for political reconciliation between the Brotherhood, still out with its supporters on the streets -- they're digging in, it seems -- and an interim government which is pushing ahead with announcing its cabinet to try and get that road map going?

It's promised its supporters to bring in presidential elections and get the country back on its feet, Wolf. BLITZER: And we know there had been arrest warrants issued for at least seven Muslim Brotherhood leaders today.

But what about Morsy himself? Is he under house arrest? Is he formally arrested? Is he being detained? Has he been charged with any crime? What do we know about him?

WALSH: I think we know a lot because of what we don't know. We simply know he's being held at an undisclosed location. The government insists he's in good condition.

We heard over the weekend from state media that prosecutors will be looking at complaints alleging that somehow Mohamed Morsy is involved in spying or the involvement of the killing of protesters.

We simply don't know where those complaints came from or how they might translate into the law, whether charges or questions will, in fact, follow, but this is the point here, that while many, I think, will be looking to the interim government for reconciliation with the Brotherhood, the Brotherhood will have nothing to do with that administration and are not talking themselves about reconciliation.

And we're not seeing anything other than a continuing crackdown from the military and the interim government here.

So the question simply ahead is, how do the interim administration get those pro-Morsy protesters to go home, to clear the key roads in the center of Cairo that currently occupying?

And how do they stop the Brotherhood from going back to this position as an underground movement, isolated from government, even after the time they spent running this country, although their critics say quite incompetently?

Wolf?

BLITZER: So what I hear you saying, Nick, this is a critical moment right now, and there could be huge rallies once again.

There could be a lot more violence, or, if tempers calm down, there could be an easing of all those tensions.

WALSH: Certainly. People are looking at tonight because both sides have called their supporters back onto the streets.

I should let you know that behind me, Tahrir Square, which was really full of millions of people around it, demanding the ouster of President Morsy, has for the last few days been pretty quiet, almost empty. We've been seeing traffic seeming to begin to move around it.

So questions being asked as to whether the fuel for the protests to ouster Morsy has dissipated, that those supporters feel they've got what they wanted and are staying at home. That's certainly what their organizers are saying.

So the key question remains, whether tonight the pro-Morsy crowds gather, whether they stay quietly where they are.

The army has been dropping leaflets on them over the weekend, assuring them of their safety if they stay where they are, but there is that key question.

They are blocking roads and now it does appear -- we did, in fact, meet one of their key senior leaders in the crowd over the weekend.

He is sought by an arrest warrant. He was moving amongst them, absolutely freely, calm and dismissive about the allegations against him.

So the question really is, do the authorities move on that crowd? Do they move into a packed area full of staunch supporters whose leaders say they'll stay there, until the death, frankly, until Morsy is put back into power, or do they look to the political route to try and calm the situation down, Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Nick, we'll stay in close touch with you as well.

Nick Paton Walsh in Cairo for us, thank you.

Here in Washington, the attorney general of the United States getting ready to address a major sorority. There you see live pictures coming in from the Washington Convention Center. The attorney general is going to be making some comments about the not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. Live coverage coming up right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: All right, we're getting ready to hear once again from the attorney general of the United States, Eric Holder. He's going to be speaking momentarily on the not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. We'll have live coverage coming up.

I want to bring in Jessica Yellin, our chief White House correspondent, who's been doing some reporting on this.

Jessica, we've been watching what's going on. We saw you asking the White House press secretary, Jay Carney, some pointed questions. Clearly this is a very, very sensitive subject for this president, for this administration. We should get a little direction now from the attorney general which way they're heading.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I think the administration is under a lot of pressure right now, though they won't say so explicitly because these civil rights leaders are calling for the Justice Department to bring this case. But the simple truth is, on the law, it's a very tough case to make, especially given what the jury in Florida has found.

You've heard the White House now defer the details to the attorney general. I do not think you will hear the attorney general say whether or not he believes that the facts are there. He's not going to spell it out one way or the other. He's going to, you know, say that they will investigate this appropriately.

But big picture, I believe that you'll hear them talking about the need to sort of roll this frustration and anger into a push for greater laws to protect people from gun violence, and you've heard the attorney general in the past talk about the deaths of African-American males in particular in society. He's talked about that when he's talked about Trayvon Martin in the past.

And even if he doesn't say so today, I suspect you'll hear those kinds of comments from him in the days to come. And so I think what you're going to see is a careful sort of walking a fine line here, reassuring the African-American community they are taking this seriously, looking at the underlying facts but trying to set, you know, some cold, hard realities and real expectations that this might be a tough case to bring.

Wolf.

BLITZER: Stand by, Jessica, because Gloria's going to be watching this as well. Gloria Borger is standing by. We've got a lot more to discuss as we await the attorney general of the United States.

Here's a question, what could a federal case against George Zimmerman actually look like? I'll speak with a former federal prosecutor and ask what it would take for federal charges to go forward.

Once again, you're looking at live pictures from the D.C. Convention Center. Sorority sisters. It's the 100th anniversary. 100th anniversary of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority founded 100 years ago at Howard University here in Washington. They are all getting ready, as are we, to hear the attorney general.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Once again, we're expecting to hear from the attorney general of the United States, Eric Holder, momentarily on the George Zimmerman verdict. We'll have live coverage of that.

As we await the attorney general, let's bring in our legal analyst, Sunny Hostin, Mark Nejame.

Sunny, you're a former federal prosecutor. Here's a question that I have about what happened in Florida. Would it have made -- would it have made any difference if the state, if the prosecutors in Sanford, Florida, had simply gone after George Zimmerman on a manslaughter charge as opposed to the much more serious second-degree murder charge?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, I don't think that it would have made a difference, Wolf. Bottom line is that they had that charge. The jury had that charge in front of them. I think that, quite frankly, there was enough evidence to support a second-degree murder charge, having been in the courtroom every single day. There was always enough evidence of that.

The only issue I think was whether or not the jury would believe a claim of self-defense. Now, a claim of self-defense is a defense not only to second-degree murder, but also to manslaughter. And so to suggest that this prosecution team somehow overcharged I think doesn't really reconcile with the law. Clearly there was enough evidence for second-degree murder here.

BLITZER: Mark, you made an interesting point a little while ago about George Zimmerman and his ability potentially to file a lawsuit, to get some money, if you will. He's already filed one, I take it, against another network for defaming -- allegedly defaming him. Does he have other lawsuits that he potentially could file to collect damages?

MARK NEJAME, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Not that I see. I think his biggest claim is against the network. If he is sued on a wrongful death claim, there is a possibility, depending upon what unfolds during the course of the case, that he could recover expenses, out of pocket expenses.

Now, you're going to see the defense go ahead and request from the state of Florida a reimbursement for their expenses. Their out-of- pocket expenses. They're not entitled to attorneys' fees. But when there's an acquittal, they are entitled to get back the money that was used for certain expenses and costs, out of pocket expenses, such as experts, depositions, those types of things.

But could we get to a second about the overcharging or would that be OK to respond to where you came from with Sunny on that?

BLITZER: Very quickly. Go ahead. Go ahead.

NEJAME: Yes. Of course they overcharged. What you're seeing the prosecution do now is twisting (ph).

BLITZER: But would it have made any difference, Mark, if they would have just come in with a manslaughter charge as opposed to the second- degree murder? Would the outcome have been any different?

NEJAME: Absolutely. Simply (INAUDIBLE) -- the outcome could have been different but they absolutely ruined their manslaughter case by trying to bring in facts that they could not prove and that turned out to be unprovable. What they ended up doing is having to switch their entire prosecution goal midway in the trial and finally acknowledging that it was in fact George Zimmerman who was on the bottom, which is not how they started with their opening argument or with their witnesses. No, they completely blew it by overcharging and twisting the facts to try to fit it neatly into something they wanted to sell everybody on and they knew it going in. They knew those - they had the pathology report. So, no, they caused this to happen, in my opinion.

BLITZER: Mark, stand by. Sunny, stand by as well. We've got a special guest I want to bring in.

The push is clearly on for a federal prosecution of George Zimmerman. Thousands of people have signed a petition on the White House website calling for a civil rights prosecution of George Zimmerman by the United States Department of Justice because of the death of Trayvon Martin. Once again, we're standing by to hear from the attorney general. He's getting ready to speak. But will the Justice Department follow that advice? Marc Morial is the president of the National Urban League. He's the former mayor of New Orleans. He's a good friend of ours.

Marc, thanks very much for coming on.

MARC MORIAL, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Now you're a lawyer. You grew up in a city where there were serious race issues that have always been out there over many, many years. So do you believe realistically the attorney general, Eric Holder, has enough to file a civil rights suit, a charge against George Zimmerman?

MORIAL: What I -- what I would say is based on what I think the attorney general will say today, that he has committed to going forward with the investigation. And I think it's easy for us to say there are - are not -- there is or is not enough evidence.

But, Wolf, one of the things that a federal investigation may in fact yield is additional evidence and additional take on the existing evidence that was uncovered in connection with this case. And I do believe there's sufficient grounds when you look at all the circumstances for a charge that George Zimmerman engaged in a hate crime, number one, or number two, in actions which violated the civil rights of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon had the right to be on that street. He had a right to traverse that neighborhood. It was George Zimmerman who instigated - instigated the confrontation which eventually led to Trayvon Martin's death.

So what I would do is applaud the idea that the Justice Department is going to proceed. And I would say to listeners, the idea that the Justice Department would conduct a civil rights review after the state court proceedings is not unusual. In the Rodney King incident that occurred. In many other incidents this, in fact, has occurred. So I would encourage people not to be too fast, too quick to say whether or not civil rights charges can be sustained, but to allow this process to proceed in an orderly way. I think that's what the attorney general has committed to.

BLITZER: Can you stick around, Marc, and join us because we're anxious to hear what the attorney general has to say. I'd be curious, I'd be very anxious to get your reaction as well. I don't know if you can, but if you can, we'd like you to stick around.

MORIAL: Yes, we'll stay, Wolf. I may have to stop off and come back, but I'll stay.

BLITZER: All right, thanks very much, the former mayor of New Orleans.

MORIAL: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: The president of the National Urban League.