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Tea Party Candidate Topples Cantor; What Brat's Win Means; Interview with Rep. Jan Schakowsky on Bergdahl Deal; 14-Year-Old Boy Killed in Oregon School Shooting; Gun Debate Reignited

Aired June 11, 2014 - 09:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: NEWSROOM starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): Happening now in the NEWSROOM.

DAVE BRAT (R) VIRGINIA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Dollars do not vote. You do.

COSTELLO: Cantor collapses in the commonwealth.

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R) HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: It's disappointing, sure but I believe in this country.

COSTELLO: The Tea Party candidate toppling the GOP. Shocker. Surprise. Stunning.

BRAT: The power belongs to the people. And that's what we're going to do.

COSTELLO: Hagel in the hot seat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He will be forthright and candid.

COSTELLO: The Defense secretary front and center of the Bergdahl swap appearing this morning before the House Armed Services Committee.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our levels of gun violence are off the charts.

COSTELLO: President Obama on the Oregon school shooting.

OBAMA: The United States does not have a monopoly on crazy people.

COSTELLO: Renewing a call for tougher gun laws saying America should be ashamed.

Downsizing your debt.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: If you fight, you've got a chance to win.

COSTELLO: Elizabeth Warren trying to erase tens of thousands of your student loans.

WARREN: Make no mistake, this is an emergency.

COSTELLO: The Massachusetts senator joins us this hour.

Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

We begin this morning with a political upset for the history books. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, going down to defeat to an unknown economics professor by the name of Dave Brat. In a speech last night, Brat credited grassroots groups like the Tea Party plus the GOP base along with his conservative philosophy for his win.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAT: It's not about Dave Brat winning tonight. It's about returns the country to constitutional principles. It's about returning the country to Judeo-Christian principles. And it's about returning this country to free market principles where no one is fake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Over at Cantor headquarters, a raucous scene after the seven-term congressman conceded the race but the raucousness did not come because of disappointed supporters. Instead immigration activists stormed his event chanting their demands for immigration reform and clashing with Cantor supporters. Police had to get them out of there. It was a crazy scene.

Chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash is on Capitol Hill.

Have you ever seen anything like this?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, because it hasn't happened in our lifetime. And if we don't think ever that the House majority leader was defeated at all. Never mind by somebody in his own party.

I want to set the scene for you. I am now in the capitol, down the hall behind me is the entrance to the suite that Eric Cantor has in this capitol, one that he is not going to have for very much longer. We're waiting for him to actually arrive here. But until we do, we are talking to his aides, talking to people now face to face here who are incredibly shocked.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRAT: The reason we won this campaign is there's just one reason. And that's because dollars do not vote. You do.

BASH (voice-over): An upset shaking Washington and rattling incumbent Republicans to their core. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor losing his primary to a little known conservative challenger, economics professor, David Brat.

CANTOR: It's disappointing, sure, but I believe in this country. I believe there's opportunity around the next corner for all of us.

BASH: The number two Republican in the House was widely considered and preparing to be the next speaker of the House following John Boehner.

BRAT: Hi, I'm David Brat. And I'm running for the United States Congress.

BASH: Even Brat himself told CNN he didn't think he could pull off a win with a war chest of only $300,000 compared to Cantor's $5 million. But Cantor learned firsthand that money doesn't buy enthusiasm and the grassroots in his Virginia district were determined to take the establishment Republican down.

BRAT: Eric Cantor is trying to buy this election with corporate cash from Los Angeles and New York. He's acting as a conservative in public while working behind the scenes to deliver open borders for large corporations.

BASH: Brat's main case against Cantor was support for legal status for illegal immigrant children, the so-called "Dreamers." And his public pledge to help the president in doing so.

CANTOR: It is time to provide an opportunity for legal residents and citizenship for those who are brought to this country as children and who know no other home.

BASH: Cantor is considered one of the most conservative members of the House GOP leadership, but he had been thinking like a party leader trying to broaden the GOP's appeal. After the government shutdown that divided House Republicans, CNN learned he admonished his rank and file to unite.

(On camera): You addressed your caucus and basically said, come on, guys, we have to stop eating our own.

CANTOR: Well, I think the message that I was about was saying, look, the differences that may exist between us pale in comparison to the differences that we have with the president and his policies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Now, again, Carol, I am in the capitol. We are waiting for Eric Cantor to arrive. He was driving back this morning from his Virginia district. And boy, does he have a lot of decisions to make now. First and foremost, is there an outside chance that he would run as a write-in candidate? I am told, don't expect that. It is possible. Legally allowed in Virginia but unlikely that he would take that route.

I think the first question and the most pressing question is whether or not he is going to stay on as House majority leader or whether he'll give up that leadership role and allow whomever the new leadership members are and will be who want to run to get started on that. Again, we don't know. His aides say that they have just allowed Eric Cantor to be with his family, to try to absorb this shocking news.

And then they are going to huddle this morning and start to answer many of the questions that they need to answer about his future and that will obviously have a lot of trickle-down effects.

COSTELLO: Gotcha. Chief congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, thanks so much.

So let's talk some more about this. Taylor Budwich is the executive director of Tea Party Express.

Welcome, sir.

TAYLOR BUDWICH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: Welcome. Thank you very much.

COSTELLO: Tell me how you're feeling this morning.

BUDWICH: Feeling great. You know, it was another victory for the Tea Party movement. Everyone writes the obituary but they get it wrong every single week, it seems.

COSTELLO: Yes. The Tea Party keeps coming back it does seem that way. And this is a -- this is a big win for the Tea Party, although I will say that Dave Brat won with no financial backing from any major Tea Party group. He says he ran on Republican principles that this was not a contest between the Tea Party and establishment.

So is this really a victory for your movement?

BUDWICH: Well, everyone likes to describe the Tea Party movement as this top-down centralized organization.

COSTELLO: Well, this is Dave Brat, though.

BUDWICH: And this is not that. No, I mean, he credited the Tea Party movement and he credited grassroots activists throughout his district. You know, I think that's what we saw here. The enthusiasm isn't just always brought in by the national groups. We see that happen quite often. But that's not always the case. And I think these national groups like Tea Party Express, we exist because of local activists on the ground that are making a difference in their communities.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Right. That is -- I guess what I'm asking you is in states like Mississippi, let's say, the Tea Party poured a lot of money into that run. But in the state of Virginia, it really didn't. And Dave Brat pulled off this miracle win. And those are his words.

BUDWICH: Right, but remember, I think Dave Brat hit it correctly in his victory speech when he said, money -- money doesn't buy votes. Voters vote. And that's what happened. The message matters. And he got his message out. So, you know, money is just a way to spread your message. But it doesn't -- it doesn't actually buy the votes. The message does and what the candidate is running on. David Brat successfully articulated a Tea Party message of fiscal responsibility and economic growth. And that's why he's victorious.

COSTELLO: Well, let me run this by you, too. Eric Cantor -- Eric Cantor was hammered for his support of a GOP version of the Dream Act this week. We saw hundreds of undocumented children transferred from Texas to Arizona after that state's facilities reached capacity. Was it the immigration issue really that brought Eric Cantor down?

BUDWICH: I think what we saw immigration was the symptom of the problem. The problem is that so many of these D.C. politicians go to D.C., get hooked up in the cocktail circuit and the power structure around D.C. and lose touch with their district and their voters. And I think that's what we saw. You know, Immigration was one issue. But I think Eric Cantor has lost touch with his district.

That's what we're seeing across the country. That's what we're seeing in Mississippi with Senator Thad Cochran, who's set to lose after 42 years serving in the United States Senate to little-known state senator, Chris McDaniel. These politicians have lost touch. And that's what the grassroots voters have risen up, frustrated with what's going on in Washington, D.C., frustrated with the out-of- control spending. And these politicians that aren't standing up for them.

They are these politicians that believe in the problem is tomorrow. Fix the problem tomorrow. And people are tired of that. They want the problems fixed today.

COSTELLO: Taylor Budwich, Tea Party Express executive director, thanks so much for sharing your insight. I appreciate it.

BUDWICH: Thank you so much.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, an American soldier freed from terrorists and some say now held hostage by political mudslinging in Washington. Minutes from now, Congress' first public hearing on the prisoner swap for Bowe Bergdahl.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: On the hill and under the microscope, Chuck Hagel testifies on the controversial prisoner swap that freed U.S. Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl. Hagel faces blistering questions from members of both parties worried that exchanging five Taliban detainees for Bergdahl's freedom was simply too high of a cost.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: We've made Americans less safe here and all around the world. And we're going to pay for this. There is not any doubt in my mind there are going to be cost lives associated -- lost lives associated with what came out of this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: My next guess dismisses much of the criticism as partisan game-playing and is appalled by what she views as demonizing a captured American soldier.

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky joins us now from Washington.

Welcome, Congresswoman.

REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D), ILLINOIS: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Many of your fellow Democrats also criticize this five-for- one swap and the White House's lack of notifying Congress beforehand. Why do you think this is partisan?

SCHAKOWSKY: I think most of the criticism has come from the Republican side. Even from people who in the past have said they really want to see Bowe Bergdahl taken back, that we should retrieve him from the Taliban. And suddenly when it became clear that it was successful, then the outrage began. And people who are tweeting in favor and saying what a blessing it is that he is coming home, removed those tweets and changed sides completely.

But listen, we don't do background checks on soldiers before we bring them back. One of my colleagues said, he had forfeited his right to be rescued and to be traded for, because he had deserted, which, of course, has not even been closely proven yet. Everyone in America is innocent until proven guilty.

And so I just this whole idea -- and this notification issue. Really, you're going to tell a secret to 435 people? You know, I --

COSTELLO: But Congresswoman, I mean, the administration told 80 or 90 people in the White House. So why not inform one member of Congress that you are going to do this controversial swap?

SCHAKOWSKY: Actually, the president made it very clear in his signing statement on the National Defense Authorization Act that that 30-day notification period, that he would use his executive authority if it had to do with a detainee transfer.

Now, 90 people actually may have been involved in this operation. And it's a very sensitive operation. And one would have expected -- I certainly would have expected -- that we would see it as a good thing that a soldier that had been in captivity by the Taliban for five years was brought home. That's what we do for our soldiers, for Americans, for their families.

COSTELLO: But members of Congress were informed about Osama bin Laden and the raid about to go down. So isn't that (ph) a much more momentous than the rescue of this soldier?

SCHAKOWSKY: Actually, that is not true. I'm on the intelligence committee. And the day before the Osama bin Laden operation, we were not told anything about this operation taking place.

For years, Congress has known that this has been in the works. I think the idea that making a big deal about informing in days or the moment of this operation is really grabbing at straws for something to criticize the president for.

I think the real issue is that the fundamental belief that we leave no American soldier behind is the one that dominates here. And that I'm very happy to see Bowe Bergdahl is back. Now, we will find out exactly what happened, which is proper. But we don't want to leave to the Taliban his punishment, if such is deserved.

COSTELLO: Chuck Hagel is going to testify before a Senate committee. Do you think he will get a fair hearing?

SCHAKOWSKY: I think Chuck Hagel will be very powerful. And I think that everyone I have heard from the administration, including military people, have been very clear, about the -- in fact, it was called reprehensible when some of my colleagues were saying that, well, Bowe didn't really deserve this. And we shouldn't have done it. And this was bad --

Look, the exchange of prisoners is common in every conflict, not only here but around the world. Our Israeli friends released more than 1,000 prisoners for one Gilad Shalit. And the Israeli people were glad that they did. And we have throughout our history done these kinds of exchanges, and not with the same kind of precautions we're doing this time, along with the Qataris, that are going to monitor these five Taliban people who are released.

COSTELLO: Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, thank you so much for your insight. I appreciate it.

SCHAKOWSKY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a 14-year-old boy is dead after a school shooting in Oregon. And this all-too-common tragedy is reigniting the contentious gun control debate. Yep. We are going to talk about it again next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A soccer player, a great friend, is how those that knew Emilio Hoffman describe him. Hoffman, a 14-year-old freshman, was shot and killed yesterday at Reynolds High School outside of Portland, Oregon. He's the latest victim of school violence. All started yesterday when a lone killer armed with an assault rifle opened fire in a gym locker room, killing Hoffman. Todd Rispler, a PE teacher, was also injured. He was grazed by a bullet but he is expected to be OK.

Close to 3,000 students took cover in their classrooms, the doors locked and the lights turned off, as SWAT teams moved in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Reynolds High School, heard shots fired in the locker room. At least one person down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need the robot inside. We've got a suspect down on the toilet where we cannot see him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard Mr. Dixon come over the intercom and say this is no the a drill. We need to go into lockdown right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was carrying a gun running after one of our teachers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The gunman was found dead inside the school. Sources telling CNN he likely shot himself. And while police are not identifying him, they do say he was a student at the school.

This latest incident of gun violence in our schools have lit a huge fire under the gun debate again. By one count, there have been 74 school shootings since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012. President Obama vented his frustrations, calling gun violence off the charts and that we should all be ashamed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States does not have a monopoly on crazy people. It's not the only country that has psychosis. Yet, we kill each other these mass shootings at rates that are exponentially higher than any place else. Well, what's the difference? The difference is that these guys can stack up a bunch of ammunition in their houses and that's sort of par for the course. So the country has to do some soul searching about this. This is becoming the norm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Cliff Schecter, who wrote an op-ed for "The Daily Beast" takes it a step farther, blaming the NRA. He writes in "The Daily Beast" column, quote: "We are reaping what they have sowed. Their rhetoric, their firearms policies, their followers. If we want to change things, it starts with not sugar-coating or ignoring the treasonous and murderous role played by the leaders of the NRA, but by acknowledging it and taking them on every day."

Well, let's talk about that because those are strong words. Joining me now is Cliff Schecter. Welcome.

Those are tough words. Some might say too tough.

Can you hear me, Cliff? Well, we don't have audio, do we? Shall we take a break and come back? All right. We're going to go to break and come back with more right after this. I apologize.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back. I'm Carol Costello. We have our technical glitches worked out. Cliff Schecter of "The Daily Beast" is going to join us. And he blames the NRA for the recent spate of violence we have seen in our schools, in schools across the country and also the awful incident that went down in Las Vegas.

He says, quote, "We are reaping what they," the NRA, "have sowed. Their rhetoric, their firearms policies, their followers. If we want to change things, it starts with not sugar-coating or ignoring the treasonous and murderous role played by the leaders of the NRA, but by acknowledging it and taking them on every day."

So Cliff Schecter is here.

CLIFF SCHECTER, COLUMNIST, THE DAILY BEAST: Hi, can you hear me now?

COSTELLO: I can hear you now. We are all set to go. I don't know, calling the NRA murderous and treasonous. That's really strong.

SCHECTER: It is, Carol. But I feel like we have watched the same play over and over again. While I was writing the piece that I wrote on this murder of these two police officers in Las Vegas, we had this next shooting in Oregon. And you almost can't sit down to write something without the next one happening.

And the NRA has spent 30 years pumping paranoia into sort of the most unstable members of society and feeding them with conspiracy theories, telling them that black helicopters are coming to get them, that President Obama is coming to get them, that our government is killing them, that the ATF, who are only trying to do their job, are jack- booted thugs.