Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Hong Kong Protestors Face Off with Police Today; Guards Failed to Check on Jeffrey Epstein for Three Hours; Russian Mercenaries Deepen Involvement in Central African Republic. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 14, 2019 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:31:00] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: There is more unrest this morning again in Hong Kong. Tear gas has now been deployed as police face off with protestors.

This video you're seeing is happening right now. It's at a religious vigil event. Our international correspondent, Paula Hancocks, joins us live from Hong Kong.

And, Paula, I know you are at the airport where we saw those massive protests yesterday. This is somewhere else. But this is all the same, 11 weeks of these protests against the government.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Poppy. The movement has certainly moved from here at the airport -- it's calm here -- to another area.

We knew the momentum was still there, we knew protestors would still be gathering to protest against the police. This particular one is in a residential area in Hong Kong, and it's just outside a police station, the protest itself. We know the police have been firing tear gas to try and disperse the crowd.

This is also the area where we saw thousands of protestors on Sunday evening that were in that area, and this is where there have been many protestor accusations against the police. They believe that the police used excessive force and brute violence on Sunday, something the police have denied, something authorities have denied.

But this is really a spark point for the last couple of days, and the amount of people that came here to the airport because of this one protest at this particular area.

So what this shows, Poppy, is that this protest is by no means over. Authorities may have moved them on from the airport itself, but now it is elsewhere.

HARLOW: OK. It is extraordinary to see what continues to happen in Hong Kong. Paula, thank you very much for being there, and for that reporting.

There is a lot going on today. Here's "What to Watch." TEXT: What to Watch... !:00 p.m. Eastern, Archdiocese of NY presser on Child Victims Act; 1:30 p.m. Eastern, TN captured inmate expected in court; 9:00 p.m. Eastern, El Paso community memorial service

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:33:14] HARLOW: All right. Straight ahead for us, new reports on that suicide of Jeffrey Epstein. We are learning that the staff assigned to watch him failed to check on him for several hours before his death.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: All right. New this morning, several law enforcement and prison officials tell "The New York Times" that two staff members that were guarding the jail unit where Jeffrey Epstein apparently died by suicide, failed to check on him for three hours.

CNN has previously reported the guidelines are, those staffers should check on Epstein every half an hour. Elie Honig is here, former federal and state prosecutor and CNN legal analyst, to discuss that. But first, let's get to our Brynn Gingras, who is outside of the Metropolitan Correctional Center where he was being held, for that reporting.

Three hours, just leaving him there when he had just come off suicide watch.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Three hours not monitored, according to "The New York Times." Poppy, as you said, guards were supposed to check on him every 30 minutes or so.

So there are still so many questions that are left unanswered here, such as, what were they doing? Well, that's going to be investigated. What does the documentation show that they were doing? That's another question. What do cameras show? We know there are lots of cameras inside.

We also know there are investigative teams that were here yesterday, there's more arriving today to help answer a lot of these questions. But, Poppy, I can also tell you, that we're -- "New York Times" is also reporting that the two guards who were charged with monitoring Epstein, are not answering any investigative questions. They have lawyers.

We also know two guards were put on leave, although we don't know if (ph) those (ph) two specific guards. But also the warden at the MCC, the building behind me, has been reassigned as well, Poppy.

HARLOW: OK, Brynn. Thank you very much for that reporting.

So, Elie, let's talk about that and the new lawsuit this morning. There is a lot going on. First of all, knowing that, three hours, just leaving Epstein despite the fact they should have checked him every 30 minutes, what does this mean for the legal ramifications that are likely for the guards, the warden? ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. It's a completely inexcusable

failure. It's a systematic failure. We need to get answers that Brynn just laid out. What happened in Epstein's cell? What happened in that special housing unit? What happened in the MCC?

And by the way, the fact that this happened in the Special Housing Unit, makes it even more inexplicable. It's special for a reason. I've been in the Special Housing Unit. The inmates who are housed there are the highest priority inmates in the Bureau of Prisons. They're people who are cooperating, they're people who may be in danger, they're people who need extra levels of protection.

[10:40:15] So there's questions on the ground level, what happened in that building, but there's also organizational questions as well.

HARLOW: Let's talk about the new lawsuits.

HONIG: Yes.

HARLOW: They're coming in. One of them is from a woman named Jennifer Araoz. She says she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Epstein when she was 14 and 15 years old. She has brought a case against his estate for monetary compensation, against his former associate, and against three staffers.

Her argument is that these people, quote, "conspired with each other to make the alleged attacks" on her possible. Where does this go?

HONIG: Good. Because there needs to be accountability, and victims should be coming forward. And one of the things that may come out of Epstein passing is more victims may feel more comfortable coming forward. They're people who suffered through trauma and there's a fear element any time you're dealing with victims. And I think we're going to see many more civil lawsuits like this one.

I also think this lawsuit may give us a sense of what future indictments could look like.

HARLOW: But -- so you say "civil," because obviously the criminal --

HONIG: Right.

HARLOW: -- case against Epstein is gone, dropped because he's dead. But can there be criminal cases against co-conspirators, against anyone who facilitated basically child sexual abuse?

HONIG: One hundred percent --

HARLOW: Criminal.

HONIG: -- there can. And I believe they're -- yes, I would -- believe there absolutely will be criminal indictments. We got loud and clear signals of that from the Southern District of New York. The day after Epstein died, the SDNY, my former office, released a statement, stressing this is a conspiracy claim, meaning multiple were involved. And then we saw them go in and do this search warrant in the Virgin Islands --

HARLOW: Right.

HONIG: -- that tells you they're still gathering evidence. I absolutely expect there to be more indictments against co- conspirators.

HARLOW: There's also a new law here in New York that could change everything, that this woman, Jennifer Araoz, brought up. And that's the New York Child Victims Act. It essentially means there's no statute of limitations --

HONIG: Right.

HARLOW: -- I think it's a hundred years or something, now -- on people who have been victimized as children. And she is saying, "Today, I am exercising my rights under that law."

HONIG: Yes. Good for her and she should and it's such an important law. Because people -- victims, especially when they're child victims, often take a long time, years well beyond what the normal statute of limitations would be, to feel comfortable and confident enough to come forward. And victims need to be supported and encouraged to do what Ms. Araoz and others are doing.

HARLOW: Elie Honig, thank you.

HONIG: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: Good to have you, as always.

OK. Part two of that incredible report you saw from our Clarissa Ward yesterday, a secret private army training camp in the Central Republic of -- the Central African Republic. And it's run by Russian mercenaries. We will have that exclusive reporting, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:47:37] HARLOW: All right. This morning, CNN's exclusive look into a private secret army training camp in the Central African Republic. It's a Russian mercenary group loyal to Vladimir Putin, and it is stoking fears in Washington. Our chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, traveled into that camp for this story. It was closely followed as she did (ph), and joins me this morning from London.

Good morning.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy. That's right. A year ago, three Russian journalists traveled to the Central African Republic to do a story on the growing presence of Russian mercenaries there, and they were killed and ambushed -- they were ambushed, I should say, and then they were killed.

Now, we decided that we wanted to travel to the Central African Republic as well, to look at what happened to those Russian journalists, but also to explore more broadly this ambitious drive that the Russians are making into Africa.

Initially, the Russians were quite friendly and welcoming to us. But as our reporting got deeper, the harassment got worse. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice-over): This is bootcamp for recruits to a new army in the war-torn Central African Republic. The troops are being taught in Russian. Weapons are Russian, too.

It's taken months to get access to this camp. Officially, this is a U.N.-approved training mission. But the Russian instructors, wouldn't talk to us or even be identified because they're not actually soldiers, they're mercenaries, sponsored by a Russian oligarch with close ties to the Kremlin, they are the sharp end of an ambitious drive into Africa, stoking fears in Washington of Russian expansionism.

Valery Zakharov is the man in charge here. A former military intelligence officer, he is now the security advisor to the Central African Republic's president.

VALERY ZAKHAROV, SECURITY ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (through translator): Russia is returning to Africa. We were already present in many countries during the time of the Soviet Union, and Russia is coming back to the same position. We still have connections, and we are trying to re-establish them.

WARD (voice-over): That's not the only reason they're here. The Central African Republic is rich in natural resources, gold and diamonds, and the Russians want them. We are on our way to one of seven sites where a Russian company has been given exploration rights.

[10:50:06] WARD: One of the challenges of trying to nail down exactly what the Russians are doing here is that once you get outside the capital, this is still a very dangerous and chaotic country. And just last year, three Russian journalists were actually ambushed and killed while working on a story about Russian mercenaries.

WARD (voice-over): The drive is bruising and long, along rutted tracks to a tiny village of straw huts. And then, we have to cross a river on this hand-pulled ferry.

Local teenager Rodriguez (ph) agrees to show us where the Russians have been active. It's another bumpy ride through the bush. The last part of the journey is on foot.

We asked the workers if they have seen any Russians.

WARD: (SPEAKING IN FRENCH)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FRENCH)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FRENCH)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FRENCH) WARD: So he's saying that earlier this year, there were a lot of Russians here, looking for diamonds.

WARD (voice-over): Rodriguez (ph) says the Russians now employ hundreds of workers on artisanal mines like this across the area. In the pit, a group of teenagers pan through the sand, in the search for a precious fragment. Whatever they find, they say, must be handed over to the Russians' agent.

WARD: So, it's interesting. These guys are saying that the Russians who visited this spot actually came from the training camp at Baringo that we visited. It's pretty clear they're doing more than just training troops here.

WARD (voice-over): CNN has learned that the mining exploration rights have been given to a company called "Lobaye Invest." Lobaye is part of a sprawling business empire owned by this man, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

An oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he has been sanctioned by the U.S. for meddling in the 2016 election. And a CNN investigation based on hundreds of documents has established that Prigozhin's companies are also providing the mercenary muscle. He is believed to be the man behind Wagner, Russia's most notorious private military contractor.

On our return to town from the mines, we notice we are being followed. We try to approach, but the car drives off. We catch a glimpse of four white males. All but one hide their faces from our camera. There is no license plate. Police later confirmed to us that they are Russians.

Near our hotel, we spot the vehicle again. We try to get closer, but the men drive off.

WARD: So we're back at our hotel now, but a little bit shaken up because that car full of Russians has been following us for quite some time. We don't know why, we don't know what they want.

WARD (voice-over): Mindful of the murder of the journalists last year, we leave town the next day.

But back in the capital, Bangui, Russia's growing influence is impossible to escape: on the streets, even on the airwaves. Radio Lengo Songo features African music and lessons in Russian. No surprise, perhaps, that it is funded by Prigozhin company Lobaye Invest.

The manager tells us the station wants to deepen cooperation between the two nations. And in a country where education and entertainment are in short supply, it seems that plenty of people are listening.

American officials say they are greatly concerned by Russia's actions here, and that they undermine security. But with the U.S. shrinking its footprint across Africa and with minimal official Kremlin involvement, Putin has little to lose. WARD: For Russia, this is a straightforward bargain. They provide

the weapons and the training. And in return, they get access to the country's natural resources. And in the process, hope to reassert themselves as a major player in this region.

WARD (voice-over): It's a campaign for hearts and minds and hard power. Russia is moving quickly to get a step ahead of its rivals.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WARD: Now, CNN has tried repeatedly to reach out to Yevgeny Prigozhin through his Concord Catering company. We have not received any response. But we should say that previously, Prigozhin has strenuously denied any connection to mercenary groups -- Poppy.

HARLOW: It's remarkable to see that, Clarissa. Kudos to you and your entire team who did that, risking, frankly, your lives, to bring us that reporting.

[10:55:00] What do you know about those men who were following you?

WARD: So it's interesting, Poppy. There was only one man who was looking at us --

HARLOW: OK.

WARD: -- but we were, with the help of The Dossier Center, here in the U.K., that's run by an exiled Russian tycoon, we were able to identify him. We're not going to say his name. But suffice it to say, he is a young translator. He works for a company that is run by -- you guessed it -- Prigozhin.

And you remember the 15-minute smear campaign against us, that propaganda video, that also came from a website run by Prigozhin. So this was clearly a coordinated attempt to try to discredit and intimidate us -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Which they did not do. Clarissa Ward, thank you so much for that reporting.

All right. Thank you for being with us today. I'll see you back here tomorrow morning. I'm Poppy Harlow. "AT THIS HOUR WITH KATE BOLDUAN" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]