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Freed U.S. Soldier Being Treated; Manhunt for Chamberlain; Family Friend Reacts to Release

Aired June 02, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Wolf Blitzer.

Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me here on this Monday.

We have to begin this hour with the release of an American soldier that the Taliban held captive for nearly five years. A lot of questions though today. Was Bowe Bergdahl's freedom worth swapping five Taliban leaders from Guantanamo Bay? Did the president break the law in allowing the exchange to happen? And how is Bowe Bergdahl himself doing? We will get to all of that.

But first, White House officials say the release of Sergeant Bergdahl shows that the United States does not leave a man or woman behind on the battlefield. But some of Bergdahl's fellow soldiers say that is exactly what he did to them back in 2009. You see it was special forces who picked up the 28-year-old soldier just on Saturday at 10:30 in the morning Eastern Time in Afghanistan. Bergdahl is now recovering at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany while his Idaho hometown is preparing a hero's welcome. However, a member of his platoon says Bergdahl left his own post, on his own volition back in 2009 and that these six soldiers right here died searching for him. The Pentagon has not deemed Bowe Bergdahl a deserter. And a spokesperson said on today's "New Day" that the circumstances around Bergdahl's capture still remain unclear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. I can just tell you that we had good reason to believe that there were significant risks to his life and jeopardy to his conditions. And I just simply wouldn't go beyond that. But I can tell you that, again, we wouldn't have done this -- we wouldn't have done it the way we did it, the speed with which we did it if we didn't have a good idea that his life was in some jeopardy and that we had to move quickly. I don't think right now that we know exactly what was in his mind when he left that post. But let's not forget, he was held captive as a prisoner for five years. Five years by himself. That's a pretty high price to pay for whatever impelled him to walk off that base. And the mantra is, we're going to not leave any soldier behind. We don't qualify that. He's an American sergeant in the U.S. Army and we're not going to leave him behind and we didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: A Defense Department official tells CNN that Sergeant Bergdahl is being treated for conditions that require hospitalization. He is said to have lost weight but that's really all they're saying so far. Bergdahl arrived Sunday there, as we mentioned in Germany, in Frankfurt, at this American outpost. Outside of Frankfurt, actually. Americans wounded, held hostage, held captive overseas, they often end up in Landstuhl as the first stop on the journey back home. And CNN's Nic Robertson is on the ground there. He is our senior international correspondent.

And, first, Nic, just as far as condition goes, do you have anything more to add, any more specifics, on Bowe Bergdahl.

Oh, did we lose him? Lost him. Do we have Mike Baker? Who are we talking to? Here we go. Go ahead.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Nutritional issues. This is what -- this is what we're being told. So focus -- so what we're being told is stable condition and being treated for dietary and nutritional needs, which really does speak to that issue of failing health, looking bad in the proof of life video over the past few months -- for the past couple of years, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. As we await more information on his physical condition, you, as we mentioned, you are there in Germany right now. You have been to Afghanistan. You have been to Pakistan. You know all of the players. Here are the five men. Let me just show our viewers these five men freed from Guantanamo Bay in conjunction with Bergdahl's release. Here you go. We have seen them in video being greeted in Doha, Qatar. These are five men the Taliban really wanted back.

And here is one of them. He is a former Afghan interior minister. Also a former provincial governor. "The New York Times" reports some Afghans say he's a quote/unquote reasonable figure who could eventually play an important role in Afghanistan, Nic. I mean this is not necessarily a narrative that's getting a lot of play today. Help me out here. Tell me more.

ROBERTSON: Yes, sure. Look, I mean these are not the first Taliban prisoners to be released from Guantanamo Bay. I've met and interviewed two of them. One was the former foreign minister and one was the former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, both big players, big hitters with inside the Taliban. Both around in Kandahar when (INAUDIBLE), the head of the Taliban, was there. When also Obama bin Laden was around at that time.

And these are figures that really seem to have gone back since their release to a political life and a life that's -- a life that is not engaged in the fight against U.S. forces. They're on the streets of Kabul where U.S. troops are today. So the fact that these other members of the Taliban could become influential in the future and the fact that they're building a trust to get them released is sort of a step forward in the relationship. The Taliban see themselves as a political entity. They want a voice in the future of Afghanistan. They're fighting what they call us foreign invaders. That's why they say they're fighting us. So they're going to be part of the future of Afghanistan. We all know that's down (ph) to the Afghans. But that we may one day be talking from across the table in a different light, not entirely impossible in the bigger scheme of things, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. And also to be clear here as we're talking about this apparent exchange, Bergdahl, for these five detainees at Gitmo, it's not something that came out of nowhere. I mean there has been a very long period of negotiations here, correct?

ROBERTSON: Oh, absolutely. I mean these five names have been up on the Taliban's list of people they wanted released for a long time. The idea to get them exchanged for Bowe Bergdahl has been out for several years. This is typical of the Taliban. They will capture people and they will hold them with a specific, specific purpose of trading them for prisoners. They do this in Pakistan. They kidnap Pakistani politicians. They do that in Afghanistan. And what they want back are their people who are held by those governments. And that's what they've done here. They got the five most important to them.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Nic Robertson, thank you so much, on the ground for us in Landstuhl, Germany.

As I mentioned, we'll be talking to Mike Baker in just a few moments, former CIA, because what we're also hearing from this team treating Bowe Bergdahl in this hospital on base is really also just having to build up a sense of trust. He has to learn that he can trust these people before he can really start this whole debrief process with some of these intel officials from the U.S. We'll get to that in just a minute.

First, let me just move on. This nationwide manhunt is underway after dozens of authorities just swooped in and raided the apartment of this man, identified by the FBI as 42-year-old Ryan Kelly Chamberlain II. Police say the search of Chamberlain's San Francisco apartment over the weekend turned up explosives. They don't know why he had this in his apartment, but what they do know, he has hit the road. The FBI says he should be considered armed and dangerous, but people who know him say that this whole ordeal is totally out of character for him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER LEE, FBI SPOKESMAN: Explosives. There was no chemical, biological (INAUDIBLE) radiation known at this time.

ALEX TOURK, MET CHAMBERLAIN IN 2003 MAYORAL CAMPAIGN: I was completely shocked, flabbergasted, just out of character for anything that I know about Ryan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: CNN national correspondent Kyung Lah joins us live from Los Angeles.

And, Kyung, as we mentioned, he was last seen Saturday, this was just south of San Francisco. Do they have any clue, any leads where he could be now?

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The only thing they know right now is just where he was last seen. They are saying that he was last seen south of San Francisco. They are calling this a nationwide manhunt, as you mentioned.

The car that he was driving is a 2008 white Nissan Altima. It has Texas or California plates. They do believe that he could be heading out of state. That's why they've opened it up nationwide. They are asking people to call in any tips, Brooke. They are warning the public, though, that he is considered armed and dangerous and to not approach.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Kyung, how were they even tipped off to go to his home in the first place.

LAH: You know, that's a very good question. We don't know. All of this under seal with FBI being very, very tight lipped about all of this. What they do tell us is that there was nothing toxic found inside the apartment. There was a lot of concern because you're looking at this video where you see some of the authorities there in these hazmat suits. A lot of concern, was there anything chemical? A chemical agent inside. There were explosives found. This was a dangerous situation. But as far as anything toxic or chemical, it was not found there and that's something that the FBI did want to stress. But all those little details, why, how did they know, they're not telling us.

BALDWIN: Huh. What do -- what more do we know about Chamberlain? Apparently he was active in city politics?

LAH: You know, that's what's really interesting in this case because he is so well known in San Francisco. If you call any real political operatives because, you know, there are these operatives who work behind the scene, he's somebody that everybody knew. He was quite active in the early 2000s. He was involved in the mayoral race in 2003. He has been a social media activist. A lot of people just say he's quite nice and worked hard.

But beyond that, beyond the appearances of it, many people don't know much about him recently. But he was quite known in political circles in the early 2000s, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. Kyung Lah for us in Los Angeles.

Kyung, thank you very much.

Just ahead, CNN's Jeff Toobin says President Obama did break the law by signing off on this prisoner swap for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. You will hear his reason why straight from him and what might happen next. We're staying on that story.

Plus, look at this. You been to Rio? You want to go to Rio? Want to do this? This is the ultimate selfie. We'll talk live to the guy who climbed the famous Christ the Redeemer statue there in Brazil to snap this once in a lifetime photo. Stay with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

And we are getting new information here about this American soldier held captive by the Taliban for some five years. We know he's being treated in this outpost, Landstuhl, Germany, where he is reportedly in stable condition. But the big headline at the moment, at least from what we're hearing from U.S. officials, is they're really trying to build trust -- trust with this young man. Mike Baker, a former CIA covert operations officer, joins me here to just sort of explain, Mike, what -- when you hear that this defense official is saying, they're working on building his trust because here he was spending the last, what, four plus years trusting no one. How do you build that trust again?

MIKE BAKER, FORMER CIA COVER OPERATIONS OFFICER: Right. It's a long, long process. The military's very good at it in concert with others that they bring in for this sort of assistance. But, you know, it's just -- part of it's just a matter of time and there's a lot that goes into these first few days. there's the medical evaluations, the psychiatric evaluations. And, of course, there's this issue of -- you know, there's rampant speculation right now as to -- and has been for almost five years since he's been captured as to what lead to his capture. So that's all part and parcel to this.

BALDWIN: A lot of people have been surprise that his parents (ph), all part of this process, have yet to see him, have yet to speak with him. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT BERGDAHL, FREED SOLDIER'S FATHER: We're talking like this because we haven't talked to Bowe yet. We haven't called him on the phone. Although, you all know, we have -- we have the capability to do that with satellite technology. There's a reason for that and that's because Bowe has been gone so long that it's going to be very difficult to come back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, as part of that difficult road, Mike Baker, do you think this is more the family's choice to not quite see him yet knowing that they need to keep a distance for now, or do you think the military really has to keep him isolated?

BAKER: Well, it's -- you know, it's a combination. You know, the military's working this issue with the parents and they're explaining every step of the way. And psychiatrists are working with the parents to help them understand what is the best sort term, you know, processes here for his reintegration. It is complicated again by the fact that they're trying -- they're trying to protect Bowe from everything that's swirling about in social media right now. I'm sometimes amazed by the strength of people's convictions in social media when they're basing it on rumor or allegation or no information. And so I think in part they're trying to protect them from that because there's an element here where military intelligence, you know, will be sitting down with him to find out, you know, what happened, how did you get captured? He's the only one who knows. And so they have to get that done as well.

BALDWIN: That's my next question because you bring up -- you've already brought up the question with -- which was rumors and other, you know, reports as far as how he went into captivity. Also, you know, having been with the Taliban for so many years, what secrets, what intelligence he can share about the Haqqani network specifically. I mean how do U.S. officials go about I have to imagine a very precarious, emotional process to debrief him?

BAKER: Right. It's extremely difficult. But again, you know, military and, you know, intel community personnel who do this are very, very good at it. But you're looking for a couple of things. You're looking for, you know, actionable intelligence, as you pointed out. I mean you want to know, can he identify places where he was held? Can he identify individuals? Can he identify safe houses, locations to safe houses? You know, who were they communicating with? What information does he have? How were they transporting him? Anything that they can glean that could be considered actionable leads.

And then, again, there's this issue of trying to understand his mind set. Trying to understand, you know, not just the (INAUDIBLE) around how he was picked up, but what's his mind set after all this time. And trying to walk him back into a -- you know, a surroundings where he can trust people around him.

BALDWIN: OK. Mike Baker in Boise, Idaho, for us, former CIA. Mike, always great to have you on. Thank you so much.

BAKER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: We're going to stay on this story here. But just ahead, did the White House break the law when it made this deal for the release of Bowe Bergdahl? CNN's, you know, head legal guy, Jeff Toobin, he says absolutely they did and you will hear the reasons why. But first, no one is more excited by the news that Bowe Bergdahl is safe and returning home of course than his family and his friends coming up, I'll talk live to someone who knows that family well. Bowe Bergdahl's next door neighbor, she joins me live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Quite respectful, good athlete, this is how a family friend describes Bowe Bergdahl, the Army sergeant finally freed by the Taliban Saturday. Sergeant Bergdahl from (INAUDIBLE), Idaho, is being treated at a U.S. hospital right now in Landstuhl, Germany. It is a touchy situation just because the inclination to label him a hero, Bergdahl's fellow soldiers maintain he left his post in Afghanistan right before he was capture.

MINNA CASSER from Hailey (ph) knew Sergeant Bergdahl when he was growing up there and she's the family friend whom we just referred.

Minna, welcome. Nice to have you on.

MINNA CASSER, BERGDAHL FAMILY NEIGHBOR: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Can you just --

CASSER: We're happy --

BALDWIN: You're happy, I'm sure, with the news. Forgive me. A bit of a delay. Can you just tell me, where were you when you heard the news and have you been in contact with Bergdahl's parents at all?

CASSER: I was at work when I heard the news. I got a text from my husband and my neighbor and called them right away and was -- it was such a sense of relief and amazing -- just amazement. I realized there is contention about this and on Bowe's behalf, I would just like to say that he is a remarkable young man and he really had very high ideals and good intentions in everything he did. And whether he foresaw the consequences of his actions or whatever happened, I don't know. But I would say that anything he did was with a good heart.

BALDWIN: Right. That's in response to some of the soldiers coming forward telling a different story, that he left on his own volition. They're labeling him a traitor or a deserter. But, obviously, those who knew him and loved him see this story much differently. And I'm curious, I mean, if you can, just, you know, your daughter, Ninni (ph), and Bowe, they go way back. They fenced together. What can you tell me about that? And what kind of young man was he?

CASSER: Well, she -- they got to know each other when she was in middle school. He was -- he was -- did a lot of fencing and he did renaissance festivals and everything. And my daughter saw him fencing with some other friends and decided she wanted to learn and he was kind enough to kind of take her under his wing and help her learn how to fence outside of class and all. And he -- we got to know him that way. He was homeschooled and he read a lot and -- on a lot of the conversations driving them to fencing class and all I would hear about how he was studding different languages and reading a lot and had a real thirst for learning about the world and different cultures. And I -- that's why I --

BALDWIN: And then do you recall, as he grew older, the decision to join the service, to serve his country, and his parents' reaction to that?

CASSER: Well, I -- at the point when he -- I learned that he had joined the service, our daughter was out -- had been away from home for several years in college in school. And we had sort of lost track of him. I was sort of surprised, but I knew that he was an excellent marksman, an athlete, and really wanted to be out there doing good things. And so that's -- we were in full support of it and --

BALDWIN: Why were you surprised?

CASSER: Surprised because he was doing -- he was such an adventurous spirit and I -- he had -- I just hadn't seen him in a while and I knew that he was very sort of off doing a lot of different things, sailing around the world and fishing and all and then I heard he was in the military. But in some ways it made sense, especially if he was going to be training because he was an excellent marksman and all. But I didn't -- I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. His family, I think his sister's family's in the military as well.

BALDWIN: Sure. No. Just wondered how you felt at the time. Minna Casser, you and everyone in Hailey, Idaho, ready for your long lost friend to come home. Thank you so much for joining me today. I really appreciate it.

And coming up, while many people in Bowe Bergdahl's hometown are celebrating his release, some lawmakers are accusing the White House of breaking the law when it made the deal for his release. We'll discuss that.

Also ahead, just moments ago, tech giant Apple announced new i-stuff for 2014. We'll tell you what's hitting the market right here. Stay with me. You're watching CNN.

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