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Protesters Try To Storm U.S Embassy In Baghdad; Federal Hate Crimes Charges Filed Against Hanukkah Attack Suspect; New York Times Reports, Emails Show Mulvaney's Key Role In Halting Ukraine Aid. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired December 31, 2019 - 10:00   ET

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

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: -- and making a mess.

[10:00:01]

The sanctioned behavior prompted complaints in Japan but gave the rest of the world a much needed laugh.

Scott McLean, CNN, London.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN NEWSROOM: Good morning. I'm Alex Marquardt. Welcome to our holiday edition of CNN Newsroom.

Breaking this morning, the U.S. embassy in Iraq under attack and on lockdown. Hundreds of protesters enraged over American airstrikes that killed 25 fighters in an Iranian-backed militia. Demonstrators there are trying to break through floors, climb walls and set fires.

Embassy security personnel shot tear gas into the crowd to try push them back. And just moments ago, the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, spoke with the Iraqi president as well as the prime minister. During that call, the State Department says that the Iraqi leaders guaranteed the safety of U.S. personnel and property.

Meanwhile, President Trump is already putting the blame squarely on Iran for the attacks, warning that Iran will be held fully responsible.

Let's get straight to CNN's Arwa Damon, who is live with us.

Arwa, we do know that the U.S. ambassador is away. He was on vacation. The Iraqis there are promising to help. Where do things stand in Baghdad right now?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tough to actually get an accurate assessment on that. The latest live images that we saw from the outside of the embassy showed what appeared to be a dwindling crowd, but one that was setting a number of fires. And, of course, this comes after hours where we saw a significant number of people out front chanting anti-American slogans, demanding that America leave trying to scale the walls of the embassy, get inside.

Now, as you were saying there, the Iraqi prime minister has been trying to calm down the situation, but we have to also look at who this group is that is protesting. These are not ordinary protesters, Alex. These are, by and large, members of what's known as the PMF, the Popular Mobilization Force, that is a paramilitary force ostensibly under the control of the Iraqi security forces but is, by and large, made up of these former Shia militias. A number of them make up this paramilitary force.

Kata'ib Hezbollah, the group that the Americans struck, is among the more powerful. Its leader was actually at the protest. They just put out a statement saying that these protests were as a reaction to the strikes but also to demonstrate to the Americans that they have the ability to go straight up literally to their door saying that it was an attempt to try to shake American dominance to a certain degree.

Of course, the great concern right now, Alex, is what is going to happen next. Will these protests continue? Will they escalate? Because any sort of escalation could potentially have very devastating and significant consequences.

MARQUARDT: A very complex and dangerous situation with the U.S. striking the citizens of an allied country inside that country, albeit backed by Iran. Arwa Damon, thanks so much for bringing us the latest from Istanbul.

Now, we have more with CNN's Ryan Browne, who joins us from the Pentagon. Ryan, we've been hearing from both President Trump, as we mentioned, as well as the State Department this morning. What are they saying?

RYAN BROWNE, CNN PENTAGON REPORTER: Well, the State Department revealing that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called both Iraq's president and prime minister in separate phone calls today to really underscore that they expected Iraqi officials to defend U.S. personnel and U.S. facilities. Secretary Pompeo tweeting about this recently, but also the State Department issuing a statement saying that Secretary Pompeo made clear the United States will protect and defend its people and that he said he received assurances that the Iraqi leaders took seriously their responsibility for and would guarantee the safety and security of U.S. personnel, so, again, a very clear strong message from the secretary of state calling both Iraqi officials.

Now, Iraq has been really challenged by a series of political troubles on its own for some time now. In fact, there's been a bit of a dispute between Iraq's president, some of the leading parties there, and there have been protests against the Iraqi government for some time. So, again, it's a very fluid situation there, but Secretary Pompeo at least trying to get some Iraqi officials to take action.

And as Arwa mentioned, there has been some guidance from the Iraqi prime minister asking these protesters to go away from the diplomatic quarter, to go away from the U.S. diplomats despite them condemning those airstrikes that have kind of set all this alight.

MARQUARDT: But despite the fact, Ryan, that this militia group is backed by Iran, that's not in dispute.

[10:05:02]

There were Iraqi citizens that were killed. Iraq's prime minister says those U.S. airstrikes left Iraqi army and federal police personnel dead. How has the U.S. responded to that?

BROWNE: Well, the U.S. has not commented on any of these allegations from Iraq saying that these personnel were killed. The U.S. is insisting that the targets were carefully selected, that they were linked to these paramilitary forces that are backed by Iran, armed and trained by Iran, according to the U.S.

But, of course, as Arwa said as well, these groups, while they're backed by Iran, they do are ostensibly part of Iraq's security forces. So it's very possible that there were some Iraqi liaison officers there. So that's something the U.S. has yet to address.

MARQUARDT: All right. As we said, a very complex situation unfolding in Iraq. Ryan Browne at the Pentagon, thanks very much.

Now, to dive into this deeper with me is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Gil Cisneros. Good morning, Congressman. Thanks so much for joining me.

REP. GIL CISNEROS (D-CA): Good morning, Alex.

MARQUARDT: Hopefully you heard there that reporting from both Ryan Browne and Arwa Damon about the situation unfolding in Baghdad. What more can you tell us? What more do you know about these protests at the U.S. embassy?

CISNEROS: Well, basically, all I know is the same information that they said. Hopefully, when we get back to Washington next week, we'll be able to get a brief from the Secretary of Defense and the chairman as to what happened and what was going on and why they decided to respond against these Iraqi militias.

MARQUARDT: Congressman, Ryan was just breaking it down for us. And while these militia groups are backed by Iran, Iraqis were killed and they are ostensibly under the control of the Iraqi government. So how dangerous is it if the U.S. is bombing Iraq, killing Iraqis, which is a pivotal ally in the Middle East?

CISNEROS: Well, we should always -- anytime we do any type of attack, we always want to make sure that the innocent are protected. I know the government went out, the U.S. military went out and selected these targets strategically to try to minimize civilian casualties. We haven't yet heard from the U.S. response yet as to if there was any civilian casualties, but I know our military is always taking actions to make sure that we go and we protect the civilian population and these targets are strictly on a military bases.

MARQUARDT: And we should note that these U.S. airstrikes were in response to an attack by this militia group, Kata'ib Hezbollah, that left an American contractor dead. Do you think that these retaliatory strikes are the proper response for this kind of attack? CISNEROS: Well, we need to protect American citizens. We need to protect our American military. You know, to the size and everything, it's still like I said, again, we need to get that information from the Department of Defense, from the Secretary of Defense as to why they decided to respond, you know, at five targets. But I know our number one priority should always be to protect American citizens throughout the world against any type of attack, and we need to be able to respond when they're attacked.

MARQUARDT: Congressman, we have heard from the president this morning blaming Iran for the protests on the embassy. We're also hearing from Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. He tweeted that Iran is directly responsible for this protest at the U.S. embassy and should be held accountable. Do you agree with that? Is this Iran behind it?

CISNEROS: Well, I know -- we know that these militia forces, there is Iranian influences inside these militia forces, so there is, I am sure, they had -- they're driving, the ones kind of pushing this message. We know that Iran, ever since the sanctions has gone forward to really go out there and to kind of try and push the United States to the limit, to whether it'd be to going after tankers, going after oil fields or even now in this situation.

So we need to kind of make sure that we always have got our head on a swivel and watching out what's going on to be ready for these type of attacks, because we know Iran is no ally of us and they're really going out there trying to push our buttons and see how far they can get. And this time, I think they might have kind of pushed a little bit farther than they wanted and they got that kind of response.

MARQUARDT: And before I let you go, I just want to ask you, you just got back from a tour of the Middle East, including Kuwait and Qatar, I believe, visiting U.S. service members. Of course, this is a tough time of year to be away from home for those service members. What can you tell us about their morale?

CISNEROS: Well, morale is good. I know a lot of them would rather be home back here in the United States. I was able to visit some of my constituents that were stationed over there in Kuwait and Qatar. You know, they were in good spirits and they know they're doing their duty, and it's part of their job. But they want to get home as soon as they can and I hope to see them here when they're back in the country.

[10:10:01]

MARQUARDT: All right, Congressman Gil Cisneros, thanks very much and Happy New Year to you.

CISNEROS: Thank you, and Happy New Year.

MARQUARDT: Well, still ahead, you are looking at live pictures of Times Square in the heart of Manhattan where just hours from now hundreds of thousands of people will be packed into those pens there to ring in 2020 and a new decade. We're going to show you how the New York Police Department is working to secure those festivities tonight.

Plus, the man accused of stabbing five orthodox Jews during a Hanukkah celebration is now facing federal hate crime charges. We'll tell you what investigators are learning from his journal entries and his online search history.

And Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is taking a swipe at his 2020 rival, the former vice president, Joe Biden, over his son, Hunter Biden's role on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. We'll discuss his comments, coming up.

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[10:15:00]

MARQUARDT: As we speak, Times Square in New York is buzzing ahead of tonight's New Year's Eve bash, and some extra motivated folks are already there, just under 14 hours ahead of time waiting in line to get into the Square, hundreds of thousands more will be descending on Times Square throughout the day.

Security, as you can imagine, is very tight, and NYPD is using never used before high-tech measures in place. CNN's Miguel Marquez joins us now live from Times Square. Miguel, what are they using? Surveillance drones is one of the new gizmos that they're putting in place?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they brought them in last year but weren't able to use them because the weather was so poor last year, and they have them this year and they can fly them again this year. But things are starting to bubble here because it's all on. The NYPD is starting to allow people into these pens. They checked bags here, no big bags, no umbrellas, no booze, and then they move forward to the next station there where they go through a magnetometer to make sure there's nothing on them, and then they move down into these pens. Once you are in these pens, that's it, no getting out. And if you get out, you have to stay out, basically.

The area where the ball will drop is right down there. They will have security from the air, both helicopters and drones. They'll even have a team that will be on the lookout for rogue drones. They'll somehow be able to mitigate those if someone's flying a drone illegally over the crowd here. They'll also have a wide swath of the area around midtown Manhattan blocked off with everything from garbage trucks to cement blocks and they will have lots and lots of police officers, thousands of police officers most in uniform, many not in uniform or in civilian clothes and just a massive security detail to make sure that everything goes well tonight.

They call it the safest place on earth despite the numbers of people, they expect, you know, people all the way up Broadway, almost all the way to Central Park. About a million people or so will gather in these few blocks in Central Manhattan here, so just a massive show they put on. Interestingly, the people that will press the button that will bring the ball down today will be science teachers and science students, a nod to how important science is to our world. Alex?

MARQUARDT: And a very exciting moment for the hundreds of thousands of people who will be gathered there right behind Miguel Marquez in those pens on Times Square. Miguel, thanks very much.

Now, this morning, the man who has been accused of a Hanukkah stabbing spree is now facing federal hate crime charges while being held on $5 million bail. Investigators and family members are now painting two very different pictures of him. Authorities are saying that they've uncovered online searches and journal entries about Hitler, temples and American companies founded by Jews. But his family is saying that he has struggled with mental illness and has no history of any sort of anti-Semitism.

CNN's Brynn Gingras has the latest from Monsey, New York. Brynn, what have you learned?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Alex, all this information really coming out from authorities in a six-page criminal complaint tied to those five hate crime charges that were filed yesterday. We're learning really a lot about the evidence or some of the evidence authorities have found on both the suspect, Grafton Thomas' car and also in his home.

And that's where they discovered some of these journal entries, as you mentioned, that had anti-Semitic sentiments, Hitler references, Nazi references, pictures of Swastikas and Star of David. Also on a cell phone, we're told by authorities in this complaint that they found searches, some that you described, example, again, searching German Jewish temples near me.

This complaint also detailed more about what actually went down here at the home behind me on that seventh night of Hanukkah. They say that this suspect, Grafton Thomas, walked in the door. He was covered on his face, and he basically shouted out that no one is leaving, and then proceeded to go on this rampage allegedly carrying an 18-inch machete.

But we, earlier today, on New Day, Poppy Harlow talked to one of the people that was inside and said that actually people had left for the night and it's really a miracle that more people weren't injured. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YISROEL KRAUS, SURVIVED STABBING ATTACK: It was truly a Hanukkah miracle. If he would have come ten minutes earlier, the house would have been packed. I don't see a way that we could have run. There were tables and chairs and everybody was sitting. It was a full house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: And we know that there were five people in all injured. We just talked to some people in the community, two people seemed to be still hospitalized, at least one with a very serious head injury. [10:20:02]

And what we know about Grafton Thomas, as you said, his family says that he doesn't have anti-Semitism in his blood, that he is really suffering from mental illness, and he's a former marine, he's been on medication. And they say that, you know, that is part of the picture of this bigger story.

Now, he's going to be back in court later this week on those state attempted murder charges. However, yesterday he was in court for those federal hate crime charges, so there are two court cases really going on right now with Grafton Thomas. Alex?

MARQUARDT: All right. Well, whatever the motive and reason, a truly horrific attack there in Monsey, New York. Brynn Gingras on the scene, thanks very much.

Now, in Australia, a father and son are dead and four people are missing as bushfires are ripping across the country, dozens of fires burning out of control in Southeastern Australia. They're being stoked and whipped up by strong winds. The flames have destroyed all sorts of homes and businesses across the country.

In one beach ocean front town, people have actually been hiding under blankets on boats. Others finding themselves trapped on the sand near the water taking refuge. Firefighters are up against dangerous conditions as they work to get the upper hand on those flames.

On Monday, a volunteer firefighter died. Those fires burning nearly half a million acres in Australia.

Now, a game changer, that's what Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling a New York Times report about the Trump administration's efforts to withhold that $400 million in military aid from Ukraine. We will get insight into the legal ramifications of that report. That's next.

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[10:25:00]

MARQUARDT: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York is once again redoubling his efforts to hear from witnesses during the upcoming Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Now, this comes in the wake of a New York Times new report about the White House's efforts to withhold that military aid from Ukraine and the opposition efforts against the president to hand that over. Now, Schumer is calling this report a game changer.

I'm joined now by Elie Honig, who is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Eli, great to see you.

I want to start with that phrase, game changer. What is Schumer seeing in this report that he thinks will change things?

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I think it's only a game changer to anyone who's genuinely interested in getting at the facts and the evidence here. But I think what Chuck Schumer sees and what I agree with him on is this is a hugely important meeting that we're just learning about for the first time. Here you have three of the president's top advisers meeting with the president in the Oval Office trying to convince him how important it is to release that foreign aid to Ukraine and the president rejecting them, telling them, no. So we need to know what happened in that meeting, who said what, why did the president say no?

And, look, the fact of the matter is there are three people at least putting aside the president who know exactly what happened in that meeting but they're refusing to testify, they're following the administration's instructions to stay silent. And that's really what we are missing as the American public.

MARQUARDT: Yes. And those three people in that meeting were the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and the former national security adviser, John Bolton. And so they were -- just to remind our viewers, they were pushing back on the president who was refusing to release that aid. They were making the case that it was something worthwhile that the U.S. had to do.

Now, the Democrats have been wanting to call in among others the former national security adviser, John Bolton. So how does this affect the Democrats' efforts, this ground breaking report, how does that affect the Democrats' effort to get those witnesses to testify in a trial that is being controlled by the Republicans?

HONIG: I think it strengthens the Democrats' hands. It gives them a tangible example to point to and say, look, this is crucial evidence that we need that John Bolton has. This is exactly why we need to have a real trial in the Senate and not just a political show piece.

Now, Mitch McConnell, as you said, Alex, he really holds the power position here. He's the Senate majority leader and a lot of the questions about how this impeachment trial is going to go are going to come down to a majority vote. But McConnell has got to be careful too, because more and more of this information, I believe, will come out whether through the media, through leaks, through Freedom of Information Act requests. And as that information comes out, it's going to look worse and worse if McConnell is seen as part of trying to cover it up or keep it away from the public.

MARQUARDT: Schumer, Elie, as you know, could rest the control over that trial or much of it at least from McConnell if he manages to bring 51 people to his side. Of course, he has a minority of Democrats. He'd have to bring over a handful of Republicans.

One of the people that Democrats would be targeting is Susan Collins of Maine, who has been a tie breaker vote on a number of different issues and she told Maine public radio that she's open to hearing from witnesses but that, quote, it's premature to decide who should be called.

Do you see a way that Schumer will be able to get those 51 votes so that he could guarantee that those witnesses would be heard from? HONIG: That's the biggest question right now, Alex. The magic number is four. It's 53 to 47 Republican majority in the Senate right now. If four of those Republicans flip over and join with Democrats on the procedural questions, on the questions of should we hear from witnesses, should we get evidence, put aside the ultimate vote.

[10:30:05]

But if Schumer can flip four of those Republican senators to go for a full --