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Boehner Rips Obama over VA Scandal; Elliot Rodger's Family Speaks Out; Jailed Marine in Mexico Fires Legal Team; "The Sixties"

Aired May 29, 2014 - 10:30   ET

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

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ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, I'm Ana Cabrera in for Carol this morning. Thanks so much for joining me.

We have this just into CNN NEWSROOM. House Speaker John Boehner now weighing in on the growing V.A. scandal. Here's what he said just minutes ago at the weekly briefing.

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REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: The question I ask myself is, is him resigning going to get us to the bottom of the problem? Is it going to help us find out what's really going on? And the answer I keep getting is no.

But the real issue here is that the President is the one who should be held accountable. As Kevin pointed out, we sent a letter, going back to early 2013, talking about the GAO report and asking for its recommendations to be implemented. And for the President to say he didn't know anything about it is rather shocking. And so the President is going to have to step up here and show some real leadership.

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CABRERA: So Boehner taking it a step forward, even above Shinseki, calling for the President to really lead on this issue.

Let's bring in White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski as well as senior investigative reporter Drew Griffin. Michelle, what's your take on what we just heard?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think that's the first time we heard that put so bluntly although there has been plenty of criticism, not only on Secretary Shinseki, but on the administration. And they've defended themselves these past few weeks, you know saying that they are taking action. They've launched this report, expressing confidence in Shinseki.

But meantime, the calls are growing from both sides. Democrats and Republicans just yesterday on CNN, Senator John McCain said that he previously was waiting and seeing, you know, critical of the situation but not necessarily calling for Shinseki to resign. Well, he said, as of now, I am calling for him to step down.

It seems like this report, it was a preliminary inspector general report that came out yesterday, really looking closely at the Phoenix V.A., which is where the scandal broke and some of the details in there turned heads, sparked a lot of anger among congressmen.

So we saw, as of yesterday, many, many more calls for him to resign. But we did ask the White House, because there's been reporting that White House officials are saying that Shinseki now is on thin ice, that the President was deeply troubled by what was in that report I just mentioned and that he's basically on probation -- kind of a step away from the confidence that was expressed in the last two weeks.

But I just heard from a White House official now who says really nothing has changed. That the administration does still have confidence in Secretary Shinseki, but accountability will be effected once they have the results of the full report -- Ana.

CABRERA: Well, Drew, I want to ask you this question because you've been covering this since the beginning several months ago. It just seems like we're seeing a game of political football unfold as this pressure mounts and the outrage grows. But what really is being done to solve the problem?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And you're right, it is turning into political football, but the problem for the President is, it's not Republicans versus Democrats. It's Republicans and Democrats versus what they are seeing as a disengaged White House and a completely disengaged V.A. Nothing has changed, as Michelle has pointed out.

That is the problem that politicians are telling me. Nothing has changed. They believe this is a crisis. There needs to be immediate action. It took the President a month to speak about it at all after the Phoenix allegations broke. The V.A. has yet to respond to our individual requests for interviews on what we thought was a crisis back in November.

So it's this lack of emergency crisis management from the actual White House that is going to continue to drive this as a political crisis as more and more of these revelations become public.

CABRERA: And we're hearing more and more from the lawmakers. Does Congress have any power in all of this, Drew, in terms of getting involved and making some changes themselves?

GRIFFIN: Well, they can't fire anybody at the V.A. that's up to the President. They can only provide the V.A. with enough funding that the V.A. says it needs to get the job done, which they have through many administrations now.

So it does seem to rely on the President leading and V.A. Secretary Shinseki either leading or leaving. And right now politicians -- and I must say, both Democrats and Republicans, but Democrats reluctantly now are saying we are not seeing that leadership.

CABRERA: All right. Drew Griffin and Michelle Kosinski, thank you both.

Still to come, students at the University of California-Santa Barbara returning to classes after last week's shooting rampage. We'll talk with the student body president about how they're coping.

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CABRERA: For the first time, we're now hearing from the family of Elliot Rodger, the young man who killed six people in a California college town before being found dead in his car.

Now, a family spokesman appeared on CNN's NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo. Listen to this.

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SIMON ASTAIRE, FAMILY FRIEND: We are crying in pain for the victims and their families. It breaks our hearts on a level that we didn't think possible. The feeling of knowing that it was our son's actions that caused the tragedy can only be described as hell on earth. It is now our responsibility to do everything to help avoid this happening to any other family.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: What do you want people to know about how much they did try, how much they struggled with managing the mental illness of their son?

ASTAIRE: There is a sense that they tried everything. And as I say, even on the final night, they were in chase of trying to rescue him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: There was nothing unusual about Elliot Rodger when he went to purchase one of the guns he used in that shooting rampage. At least that was the feeling from the man who sold the weapon to him.

CNN's Sara Sidner joins us with that part of the story -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know Ana while the communities and the families of the victims are struggling to begin that healing process, the deadly rampage has reinvigorated the gun-control debate. We know from deputies that the suspect bought all three of his guns two 9 millimeters and one Glock legally. CNN went to one of the gun shops in Oxnard where he purchased his gun, and the manager says he does remember back in February when the gun was sold to Rodger. And he said that Rodger did everything legally. Waited the required ten days and then picked his gun up.

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KEVIN WHITE, SOLD GUNS TO RODGER: It happens from time-to-time, but what about the guy that sold him the knives or the swords that he used? What about the guy that sold him the car he was in driving around and hit people? I mean, do they feel bad? Or did they know he was going to do something bad with it? I mean, we sell tools or items. And it's no different than the guy that sold him the knife that he used.

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SIDNER: Now, that's being pointed out by others. He killed as many people by stabbing them to death as he did by shooting them, but he did manage to injure far more people with his gun than with his car or with knives or whatever he used to stab his roommates.

And in his 137-page rant and pseudo autobiography, the shooting suspect had a moment of panic. He described when Santa Barbara deputies showed up at his house, he thought that his deadly plan would be discovered if police had discovered his arsenal which included 400 rounds of ammunition and those three guns we told you about.

But the sheriff said that Rodger didn't have a criminal record or a record of being committed to health facilities -- mental health facilities and of course he talked again about the fact that he obtained all of this legally. And after this deputy's conversation with Rodger, his actions did not indicate a person teetering on the edge, so they left -- Ana.

CABRERA: A tough story to cover. Sara Sidner we thank you for your reporting.

Of course, this is a tragedy that's touched so many lives. And to discuss more, I want to bring in Ali Guthy. She is the student body president for UC Santa Barbara. Ali we know it's a tough time there. Thanks so much for spending a few minutes of your day with us.

ALI GUTHY, STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT, UC SANTA BARBARA: Yes, thank you for having me.

CABRERA: So yesterday I know was the first day classes resumed there on campus. What was the mood?

GUTHY: Well, students on this campus are still really grieving and mourning the loss of our six UCSB family members that lost their lives this weekend. So classes may have resumed, but we are definitely not acting business as usual this week.

CABRERA: I imagine it came as a shock to everybody there. Do you feel safe on campus?

GUTHY: Absolutely. Law enforcement, the foot patrol, UCPD, sheriff's deputies and the ally agencies that have really come together to support us in light of this tragedy have really been incredible, ensuring the security and the safety of our community. So on campus, there is definitely some concerns in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy. I don't know how there couldn't be. But I definitely personally feel safe on this campus still.

CABRERA: We know politicians are moving fast on the tragedy. One lawmaker even now proposing a gun violence restraining order that would allow family members or friends to block someone from purchasing a gun if they're mentally unstable. What are your thoughts on this? GUTHY: Honestly, my community or myself personally, we haven't had a chance to really fully process this event or even think politically in terms of it. We're still, again, mourning the loss of six UCSB family members who've lost their lives this weekend.

There will be a time and a place for political action, but we are still in a place of mourning, and we haven't really thought of that yet. So there is a time and a place for action, and we will get there. But we're just not quite ready yet.

CABRERA: Do you think the gunman slipped through the cracks?

GUTHY: In terms of the mental health check that was issued on him and deputy sheriffs that did check on him, no one places blame on them, or I personally -- you know, in hindsight everything can appear 20/20. But you can't blame someone for missing something like that.

You know, we definitely need to reassess moving forward how we issue those checks. But again, I'm not a law enforcement officer. I don't know the specifics of how those checks are run. And we should be looking into that, but I personally do not place blame on anyone for not seeing that. I don't think -- in hindsight, everything appears 20/20 and we shouldn't blame them for that.

CABRERA: All right Ali Guthy, thank you so much. We of course, wish you the best of luck and your peers as well.

GUTHY: Thank you so much.

CABRERA: Still to come, a U.S. Marine sitting in a Mexican jail makes a surprise move in court. Now he could be behind bars for longer than expected.

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CABRERA: A U.S. Marine stuck in a Tijuana prison will now spend more time there than expected. Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi -- his legal troubles began two months when he says he accidentally crossed the border into Mexico with three guns in his truck.

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SGT. ANDREW TAHMOORESSI, IN JAIL IN MEXICO: I'm at the border of Mexico right now. My problem is I crossed the border by accident, and I have three guns in my truck, and they're trying to possess -- they're trying to take my guns from me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you're in Mexico?

TAHMOORESSI: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's nothing I can help you with, then, sir. I do apologize. You're not on American soil anymore. I can't really help you.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CABRERA: Well, now in a shocking move, Tahmooressi has fired his legal team. This happened during a court hearing just yesterday.

CNN's Nick Valencia has been following this case. He's joining us now with the very latest. Do we know why he fired his lawyers?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was a conflict on how they wanted to precede with the defense. The former attorney told the family that he believed it was in Tahmooressi's best interest not to reveal that he had been in Mexico before, specifically had been in Mexico on foot earlier that day. The family, from what they tell me, they didn't want to lie, they said, so they dismissed the attorney.

Now, he's facing up to 21 years in prison for this weapons charge. And Tahmooressi's case has really picked up a lot of steam especially among lawmakers here in the United States. One specifically, Duncan Hunter, Representative Hunter has written a letter to Mexico's attorney general asking for the marine's release on that legal team.

Yesterday the media caught up with the former defense attorney of Andrew Tahmooressi. And that defense attorney says he believes that he will be released sometime soon.

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ALEJANDRO OSUNA, FORMER LAWYER OF TAHMOORESSI: They talked and made the decision. And like I said, I need to respect whatever they decide. I wish Andrew and his mother all the best. Like I said, Andrew is innocent. Andrew shouldn't be here. And he will get out of this mess he's in -- probably a couple of weeks later than --

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VALENCIA: Now, when I spoke to his mother yesterday, Ana, she's very skeptical that her son will receive a fair trial. She says the Mexican judicial system is corrupt, is known to be corrupt. Less than 90 percent of the crimes get prosecuted there. So she feels that her son may not get a fair trial.

There's some concern there, which is why they're putting so much media attention, why the political pressure. This is a case that has happened, similar cases happened before in 2012. Another U.S. Marine had taken a weapon down, crossed the border. He registered that with U.S. Customs. He was told he could bring the weapon back into Mexico.

That wasn't the case when he arrived in Mexico. He was detained for four months, and he was eventually let go because of this political pressure and media attention. Now, I spoke to that marine's mother. They're working in conjunction with Tahmooressi's family, hoping that he will be released sometime soon.

CABRERA: Well, of course, it's illegal to take any firearms into Mexico. Mexico's been under scrutiny because of all of the drug war there. So this is a bizarre one. We, I don't think have heard the end of it.

VALENCIA: I don't think so either.

CABRERA: That's for sure. Nick Valencia, we know you're heading down to Mexico shortly to cover this. Thank you so much.

Still to come, a decade that changed the course of history -- "THE SIXTIES", actress Olympia Dukakis remembers well. Hear how they compares life back then to now.

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CABRERA: Yes, it was the 60s that changed life as we know it forever. Not just in music or television, but our entire way of life. Olympia Dukakis knows all about it and she revealed some surprises in an interview with Carol Costello.

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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You had an amazing experience in the 1960s. You talk about --

OLYMPIA DUKAKIS, ACTRESS: I did.

COSTELLO: -- when you got married, you had an open marriage. I don't think many people realize that.

DUKAKIS: It didn't seem dramatic or daring or anything. It just felt very much for me like something I wanted to do and try out.

COSTELLO: Now, obviously, it's something your husband wanted to do as well because you guys are still married today, right?

DUKAKIS: You betcha, right. Well, because it didn't necessarily have to do with love. I mean the love was strong and firm. You know, a lot of people take vows, and the vows of fidelity. Well, those vows we didn't keep, but the ones that we kept, the one that we kept was the vow to help each other's dreams come true.

Now, this open marriage didn't last that long. It wasn't -- I mean with three children, you don't have much time for other stuff. And to be honest with you, I lost interest in it.

There were other things that interested me more: starting a theater and the children, our careers. Those things began to matter more.

COSTELLO: If there was one lesson learned in that generation that you could impart to young people, what would it be?

DUKAKIS: Don't take anything for granted. Don't let other people make up your mind. Get interested. Even if you're not an activist, know what's going on. Try to know what's happening.

COSTELLO: And then let me ask you it this way. Because I know you're around young people a lot. You teach young people. What is the difference between this generation and the generation of the 60s?

DUKAKIS: They're not as free to invent themselves. COSTELLO: Really?

DUKAKIS: Yes. They have -- we have so many -- we have fashion that is telling us who we are. We have celebrities who are telling us who we are. We have sports figures who are telling us who we are. I teach at NYU, and I see this motor that's going of not being left behind. When I came here to New York, I did little plays and things in coffee houses, et cetera. Not that that still isn't going on. It is.

But in terms of the climate, that's not the climate. The climate is how are you successful? How do you know you're a real actor? You get noticed. But about the fact that the work itself gives you an identity -- what about that? One of the things that really has affected me, though, now is looking back at the 60s and thinking that how naively we thought that we were on the way to solve all of these problems in terms of racism and women's rights and war. It's bad, if not worse, than ever.

COSTELLO: You think so? It's bad? It's worse than ever?

DUKAKIS: Oh, my God, of course. Look at the wars that are going on. Look at the wars that we have been engaged in. For me, I just see the same things rolling over again. The same battles needing to be fought again and again.

COSTELLO: So how does that make you feel as a child of the 60s?

DUKAKIS: It makes me feel that we were naive and that our feeling that we had made such a big difference. I guess actually historically things are cyclical. They keep rolling around, and they keep receding and renewing themselves, and the problems renew themselves, et cetera. They have different faces. They don't look the same. But they're still there.

You think I'm too pessimistic, don't you?

COSTELLO: I do. I really do. But I love you anyway. Thank you so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So tonight the premiere of the CNN original series "THE SIXTIES", executive producer Tom Hanks and the decade that changed America. Be sure to join CNN or just set your DVR tonight at 9:00 right here on CNN.

Thanks so much for joining me today. I'm Ana Cabrera.

"@THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA" starts right now.

We'll see you back here tomorrow.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN HOST: The man in charge of overseeing the care of America's veterans is now on thin ice with the President Obama.