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U.S. Wins First World Cup Match; Crisis in Iraq; Alleged Benghazi Mastermind Caught

Aired June 17, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And we roll on, hour two. Thank you so much for being with me. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Listen, there are all kinds of theories about what happened at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi in September of 2012. We could finally get answers from a man accused of masterminding that attack. He's Ahmed Abu Khattala. He was arrested on Sunday in Libya in a raid carried out by the U.S. military.

Khattala denies involvement in that attack that left those four Americans dead, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens. The president says Khattala will face the full weight of the U.S. justice system.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My first and most solemn duty as president and commander in chief is to keep the American people safe.

And there are a lot of dangers out there and a lot of challenges, and our diplomats serve with incredible courage and valor in some very difficult situations. They need to know that this country has their back and will always go after anybody who goes after us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, one of the big questions -- this is the first question actually out of the gate at today's Pentagon press briefing -- what took so long to find him, to arrest him, when Khattala had basically been living out in the open this whole time?

I'm joined now by our justice reporter Evan Perez in Washington, and in Irbil, Iraq, senior international correspondent Arwa Damon, who actually spoke with, interviewed that suspect in Libya last year.

So, Arwa, I'm coming to you with that in a moment.

But, Evan, you have new information as far as when Khattala will be brought to the U.S. to face the American justice system. What do you know?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brooke. In the next coming -- in the coming days, U.S. officials say that he

will be brought to Washington to face trial, where he's facing charges that were filed last July. Right now, he's in U.S. military custody. They are doing what are known as intelligence interviews.

Now, it's typically done by the high-value interrogation group, which is a team of FBI, CIA, DIA agents, who specialize in getting intelligence out of people who have been detained. After that, he would be formally arrested, brought to the U.S. to face these charges, these criminal charges here in Washington -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, Evan, thank you.

Arwa, to you. With these terrorism-related charges that this man faces here, you talked to him. Can you just give me the backstory? How did you find him? How difficult was it to find Khattala to sit down in that cafe and pepper him with questions?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, we were in Benghazi about a year ago. It was May of 2013, doing a follow-up story to our reporting on the initial attack on the U.S. Consulate, and through a number of sources -- for their own protection, we don't want to disclose exactly who these people are -- we managed to get ahold of his phone number, gave him a phone call, and basically asked to set up an interview.

It was about that simple. So, it was quite interesting to sit down and speak to him, because, like so many others, we had so many questions even a year ago, back in May of 2013.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (voice-over): U.S. officials have often suggested that they would be interested in speaking to a man named Ahmed Abu Khattala about the events the night of the attack. He's really not that difficult to find.

(on camera): We met with Ahmed Abu Khattala in public, at the coffee shop of a well-known hotel here in Benghazi, for around two hours. He seemed to be confident, his demeanor most certainly not that of a man who believed that he was going to be detained or targeted any time soon. And he agreed to let us film audio, but not video, of our conversation.

(voice-over): He doesn't deny that he was there the night of the attack.

(on camera and through translator): Can you describe in detail that night for us? What time did you get the news? When did you arrive and what did you see?

AHMED ABU KHATTALA, SUSPECT (through translator): Is this a journalistic interview or an investigation?

DAMON (through translator): It is a journalistic interview.

KHATTALA (through translator): The way that you are asking is like an investigation.

DAMON (through translator): What time did you arrive?

KHATTALA (through translator): I can't tell you exactly.

DAMON (voice-over): He claims he didn't even know the Americans had a consulate in Benghazi, never mind having any information about a specific location.

KHATTALA (through translator): I didn't know where the place was. When I heard, we went to examine the situation.

DAMON: His narrative is unclear and, at times, seems to be contradictory. He says when he arrived at the perimeter of the compound, he saw men carrying rocket-propelled grenades and medium guns, and the gunfire prevented him from entering.

By the time he managed to get inside the compound, everyone, he says, had withdrawn. Khattala claims Ambassador Stevens suffocated because he was trying to burn important documents.

(on camera and through translator): Did anyone from the American and Libyan government get in touch with you?

KHATTALA (through translator): Never.

DAMON (through translator): Never?

KHATTALA: Never.

DAMON (through translator): No American official or Libyan official tried to contact you?

KHATTALA: Even the investigative team did not try to contact me.

DAMON (through translator): You're talking about the FBI team?

KHATTALA: Yes.

DAMON (through translator): And if they tried, are you ready to meet with them?

KHATTALA (through translator): Yes, no problem, but not as an interrogation. As a conversation, like the one we are having right now.

DAMON (voice-over): But, in a long, rambling interview, he also accuses the Americans of using al Qaeda as a boogeyman whenever it suits them and adds:

KHATTALA (through translator): Al Qaeda is not something to be ashamed of. Al Qaeda is people who are devout, protecting their religion and people. America is the terrorist.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON: Brooke, a lot of questions as to why it has taken the U.S. so long to apprehend this individual.

That could be because, at the time that we met him, again, about a year ago, the relationship between the Libyans and the Americans was quite tenuous, and there were concerns that, should the Americans launch the type of operation that we saw them launch to capture him, it could only further aggravate the situation on the ground and potentially be detrimental to the Libyan/U.S. relations, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Arwa Damon, thank you so much.

Evan Perez, thank you in Washington for us.

And not to be forgotten in all of this, the families, the ones who have waited for answers and haven't gotten them.

They include Patricia Smith, one of the most outspoken critics of the Obama administration. Her son, Sean Smith, a State Department information officer, was one of the four Americans killed in Benghazi in September of 2012.

And in a very candid, very emotional interview just a short time ago, I talked to her by phone. I asked her how she felt about Khattala's trial being held on U.S. soil and if that meant justice for her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICIA SMITH, MOTHER OF VICTIM: Justice for me? I don't think there is justice for me. My son is gone. He's dead. Nobody has been standing up to say it's their fault and they stand up for it and this is the reason why.

That's what I want to know. Why? Why was it -- why were those decisions made, not a bunch of baloney that they have been handing out, but why were those decisions made, and why, just why, a whole bunch of whys, because nobody has talked to me about anything, not about anything. Yes, I'm upset and I think I will be upset until the day I die. I'm sorry.

BALDWIN: You have every right to be upset and you deserve all the answers that --

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: But they don't care. They don't give a damn.

Nobody -- you would think that, after all this time, all I have asked for is for Hillary to even give me a telephone call and tell me what happened. If it's classified, fine. Whisper it in my ear. But just tell me, but no.

She gets to know. Everybody else up there in the big shot wing gets to know, but the mother of the son that got killed is not allowed to know these things.

BALDWIN: Ms. Smith --

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: Because --

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: Why?

BALDWIN: Hillary Clinton will be answering questions as part of a town hall in a couple of hours here on CNN. Let me ask you, live on CNN, if you could ask her one question, because Christiane Amanpour will be doing so, what is your one question for Hillary Clinton?

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: Why did she not give security to those people that were there?

She sent them in there to do her thing, whatever it is that she was supposed -- they were supposed to do, which they did willingly, and my son I'm sure did willingly, and he would probably do it again even knowing what the outcome is. But why can't they just tell me the truth?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Can understand her frustration. That was just a piece of the interview. If you want to watch the whole thing, and we invite you to do so, go to CNN.com.

As I mentioned, word of this capture -- and I mentioned just with her in the interview -- hours before CNN's global town hall meeting with Hillary Clinton -- take a look now at the venue. It is the Newseum in the nation's capital. Christiane Amanpour will host the event starting at 5:00 eastern.

Here is Hillary Clinton on Benghazi just last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We had a system and that system, of course, ended with me, but I take responsibility, but I was not making security decisions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Again, that town hall 5:00 Eastern here on CNN.

And Brianna Keilar is live for us at the Newseum.

And, so, Brianna, brand-new wrinkle to the Benghazi storyline here. Should we -- I have to imagine she will be asked about this new arrest tonight at the town hall.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I would certainly think so, Brooke.

And I think Hillary Clinton would obviously say that this is a positive development, that it looks like someone is going to be held accountable for this, but, at the same time, talking a lot about Benghazi as she's eying a potential presidential run isn't necessarily a really good thing for her.

When Americans talk about what they like about Hillary Clinton, they feel very positively about her State Department experience. But Benghazi is really the bruise on that resume; 55 percent of those polled in a CNN/ORC survey that came out yesterday said that they were really dissatisfied with how she handled Benghazi, more dissatisfied with the Obama administration, but it's not a really good thing for her and this coming out today means she will be talking about it.

BALDWIN: Yes, obviously beyond the bruise for that mother who is clearly so angry two years later.

KEILAR: Yes.

BALDWIN: You're at the Newseum. I understand you got a little walk- through today, Ms. Keilar. Can you share that with me?

KEILAR: Yes, that's right. So we went inside because we wanted to give you a little look behind the scenes as we get ready for this event that really is unique, because there is going to be an audience tonight. They are going to be participating and asking a lot of questions.

So, here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: As part of the only network televised town hall that Hillary Clinton is doing around her book rollout, CNN has a live audience of about 190 people, and they are coming from North Carolina, New Mexico, really all over, to ask questions of Hillary Clinton.

She will be sitting right here. This is the hot seat. And she will also be getting questions -- I should mention, we are putting finishing touches here on the set -- she will also be getting questions from people who have submitted via Tumblr.

CNN and Tumblr has a partnership for this event.

And then our chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, will be sitting right here. She will be following up on those questions.

I'm sure that we will see something about Benghazi on a day where it was revealed that a suspect has been arrested for that attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya about a year-and-a-half ago. And, also, Hillary Clinton has dodged that question of whether she is running for president in 2016 so many different ways. She says she's thinking about it, but let's see what she says tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: So, that's a look at the room there for you, Brooke. But I should also mention, those questions that Hillary Clinton will be asked tonight, she hasn't seen them. They are being closely guarded by a small editorial team that is working with Christiane Amanpour.

BALDWIN: OK. Brianna Keilar, thank you so much. We will be watching. We will be tuned in, 5:00 Eastern, for our exclusive town hall event with Hillary Clinton, as you mentioned, moderated by Christiane Amanpour, 5:00, and then replay at 9:00 Eastern.

Next, less than 48 miles away, moving closer each and every day, this terror group ISIS is overrunning Iraq, making its way toward the capital city of Baghdad. Will they get there? What might their targets be? What happens if they're successful? We will take a closer look at that.

Also ahead, we are just learning here at CNN new information about Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, that U.S. soldier freed after five years in captivity. He is being exposed to some of the media coverage about him -- what that means for his recovery next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

In Iraq, another city under siege, gun battles erupting as militants are moving in. What's happening is bloody, but it's the location of this particular city, Baqubah, that is so frightening, less than 40 miles north of Baghdad, about a 45-minute drive, another potential foothold for ISIS as they march closer to Baghdad, this rapid takeover spiraling out of control.

You have President Obama promising no combat troops. He's sending in another type of U.S. force, up to 275 troops, to provide -- quote -- "support and security" for U.S. personnel.

So joining me now, Jim Clancy, anchor over at CNN International.

And, Clancy, before we talk troops here, you told one of our producers that you were -- you think ISIS is even surprised at how quickly they have swooped in and taken some of the cities.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure.

I don't think they expected to be able to move into Mosul as quickly as they did. I don't think they expected the Iraqi forces to withdraw that quickly. Now, that leaves them in a position where how many men do they have to secure these areas? How vulnerable would they become as they continue to take so much territory? How much assistance are they getting from local tribes and disaffected Sunnis?

BALDWIN: Because they have been in -- presumably in cahoots or discussions with the tribes who are all frustrated with Maliki?

CLANCY: And even some -- possibly some of the military.

BALDWIN: Really?

CLANCY: So, all of these factors combined, they make me think that they are going to hold outside of Baghdad.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: But that they won't quite take it?

CLANCY: No. No. They wouldn't, because it would take all of their men, all of their resources to mount that kind of attack, and they know that the Iraqi government is going to defend that.

It's not going to be given up, like Mosul was given up, like other areas were given up. We talked about Baqubah. They are fighting there today. The city is not totally in ISIS hands. The Iraqi forces are fighting back. And I think you are going to see more of that.

BALDWIN: What is the goal, other than territory and power and momentum? Is it to get down here to the oil fields? Do they care about that?

CLANCY: They obviously care about that. There's oil fields up here in Kirkuk as well.

But, there, they know they have got to go up against the peshmerga, the Kurds, so they have to be careful that they don't overextend themselves. And I think a lot of these victories, they have been shocking to us, and I think they have been a bit surprising to ISIS itself as it analyzes, just how popular are we?

BALDWIN: Thirty-seven miles away.

CLANCY: And remember something. And all those graphic, horrible pictures we saw of executions, there were those same pictures that were taken during the Iraqi awakening, when the Sunni tribes turned on al Qaeda in Iraq and executed all the foreign fighters, exactly.

BALDWIN: Yes.

CLANCY: I watched it, same scenario that was playing out. They have got to be mindful of that as well. Will the Sunnis in Iraq turn against them?

BALDWIN: Jim Clancy, thank you.

Coming up, just in to CNN here, we have got these new details we want to get in about Bowe Bergdahl, who, as you know, back in the U.S. He's recovering after those five years in captivity. We have just learned he is now being exposed to some of the media coverage of his story.

Let's go to Ed Lavandera, who has been all over this for us.

And, Ed, let's begin with the media coverage. What exactly is he being told?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are starting to expose him to some of that coverage. Of course, there is a lot to digest, but, even more importantly, a lot of that coverage that has happened here in the last three weeks or so.

Remember, Bowe Bergdahl, as far as we know, has no idea of the controversy, especially some of the criticism and the comments that have been made by the soldiers that served with him in that unit, many of those soldiers who have called him a deserter and had very harsh words for him.

So a lot of that now is being exposed to him, which, in speaking with the psychologists and the medical team that is treating him there at Fort Sam Houston in that reintegration process that we have heard so much about in the last few weeks, that that would be part of the process in exposing him and preparing him for that onslaught of attention that awaits him once he leaves this facility.

So, the medical experts there knowing that is going to be a huge part of his reintegration process and trying to resume a normal life again here in the United States, given the uncertainty of everything he faces at this point, his future and career in the Army and what may come of that, possible criminal charges, if the Army chooses to go down that road after it conducts its investigation, and not only -- not even beginning to mention all the -- as you have heard so much over the last three weeks, the criticism and statements that have come from fellow soldiers in his unit.

As far as we know, also, Brooke, still no visitors that Bowe Bergdahl has received, including his parents.

BALDWIN: Huh. Really?

LAVANDERA: And that's going on two-and-a-half weeks. Now, officials there at that medical center said that the Bergdahl parents had been trusting in this program and following the steps and have put their faith in that program to ensure that their son get the best treatment possible, so that they could very well be following the medical experts' lead.

Now, those experts also said that it is up to Bowe Bergdahl. He is ready and -- and would -- and asked for a phone to call his parents, they would give him one at that very moment. And, clearly, they are saying that, at this point, Bowe Bergdahl has chosen not to speak out to his parents.

BALDWIN: Ed Lavandera, wow, some new details on Bowe Bergdahl. The next obvious question, how is he responding to all that and the knowledge of the media coverage of him? We will wait for that. Ed, thank you.

Next, you could hear the chants across the country. I heard them out my window, "USA, USA." The USA soccer team won its first World Cup game in a dramatic fashion with a late goal. The player who scored the game winner, 21-year-old John Brooks, do you know, he has never lived in the United States? We have got some other factoids about America's newest hero coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: It's the header that ignited high-fives across the nation.

American John Brooks scores the winning goal for the U.S. in the World Cup with a ball, boom, hits the back of the net in Brazil. The cheers could not have been louder here stateside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The United States are up 2-1 in the opening game of the World Cup.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a great -- incredible. He couldn't even have dreamt that.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Chicago's Grant Park. How cool to have been in that crowd.

So, who is this guy behind the winning goal? Well, I can tell you that John Brooks tweets in both German and English.

Let's talk to Rachel Nichols, host of CNN's "UNGUARDED," with more on this new soccer star.

So you can get to why he's bilingual in a second, but, I mean, from what I hear, he is the total understudy story. He wasn't even supposed to play yesterday, yes?

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And that led to -- you just heard the announcer of the game say he couldn't have even dreamt it, but here's the irony, Brooke. He did.

A few days ago, he had a dream --

BALDWIN: What?

NICHOLS: -- that he was going to score the game-winning goal in around the 80th minute toward the end of the game. This was far- fetched because he wasn't even supposed to be playing in the game. He was just a substitute.

It turns out he only got in the game because two other players had to get injured. And, by the way, he is also a defender, a position that doesn't spend as much time around the net. But he did have this dream, and it's verified, since he went in and told his teammates about it the next day, before the game was even played.

So, he goes out, plays, and, sure enough, pays it off. You got to love that. And, of course, you got to love the American Internet, too, Brooke, because, shortly thereafter, his Wikipedia page was updated with where he was born and everything. And, then at the end, it said greatest American since Abraham Lincoln.

BALDWIN: Oh, my goodness.

NICHOLS: So, at least we know how people feel about him.

BALDWIN: I mean, let's just get it out there on Wikipedia, nonetheless, a quality source of information.

So we need to get him dreaming. We need some good juju, I guess, ahead of the Portugal game, because they are really good.

NICHOLS: Yes, absolutely, although they have a better chance, the U.S. team does, before maybe a few days ago.

The Portugal team is, of course, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, huge star, huge talent, but the rest of the team, not as talented. So, while he certainly has the ability to take over a game, he's playing with teammates who aren't as strong as in years past.

He is also going to be missing one of his key teammates. The best defender on that team was given a red card in their last match, so he won't be on the field. He's suspended for the game against the U.S. That's a lucky break for the Americans.

And they actually suffered a couple injuries as well in their game, the Portuguese. So, that's going to be a factor as well. The Americans dealing with their own injuries, that's going to be interesting to see, especially as they play their next game in the Amazon, where the weather is supposed to be incredibly hot and humid.

BALDWIN: Wow.

NICHOLS: We could see more hamstring issues or cramping. But, hey, you never know. We could see more heroes like John Brooks. You never know who to expect.

BALDWIN: I love it. I love it. Love the underdog. Rachel Nichols, thank you so much for the update.

Coming up next, got to talk about Benghazi again here. We have to stay on this. The suspected mastermind behind that attack two years ago has been arrested by the U.S., and the Pentagon has just revealed new details about the raid. But here's the thing. Reporters were asking why it took so long to find this man, especially since he talked to CNN a year ago -- the Pentagon's response next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)