Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

New Details Revealed about Gabby Petito's Last Days; Former Defense Secretary Mattis Testifies in Elizabeth Holmes Trial; Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Speaks as Dems Remain Divided on Biden Agenda. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired September 23, 2021 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:01]

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): There should be consequences. And, God, we must have higher professional standards. We weren't there. It's clear we weren't there. A lot of the stories coming show that we still have gulfs. Show we have gulfs between us. So, we need to find another way. I was in the Oval Office yesterday talking to President Biden yesterday. He is committed to moving as far as possible through executive action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NEWSROOM: Joining us now to discuss is retired LAPD Sergeant Cheryl Dorsey. She's the author of upcoming book, The Confidence Chronicles, The Greatest Crime Story Never Told. Also with us, Keith Boykin, he's a CNN Political Commentator and Democratic Strategist, Author himself of Race Against Time, The Politics of a Darkening American. Thanks so much to both of you.

Sergeant Dorsey, if I could begin with you, there was so much hope around this. And there was for a time some bipartisan agreement on really the core elements of this. But now, many months later, it's done. How disappointed are you and what's the path forward?

CHERYL DORSEY, RETIRED LAPD POLICE SERGEANT: Listen, I'm not disappointed at all. I'm a realist and I never believe that this thing is going to pass. Tim Scott said from the very beginning that qualified immunity was a nonstarter. He did talk a little bit about holding an agency accountable but not individual officers. So, all we've really heard is lip service from these politicians. And the president and his V.P. have forgotten the people who put them in office.

And look what they're doing on the border, sending out flights of Haitians, seven to nine a day. It's disgusting how, you know, they are treating us and how they are feigning that they want something done. Everyone is clutching their pearls. But the attorneys representing the family named this bill after George Floyd understood with the $27 million history-breaking settlement after that and a Chauvin conviction, little more would be done. ERICA HILL, CNN NEWSROOM: Keith, as we look at this on the heels of this and Congresswoman Karen Bass said is next step here is that the Biden administration needs to act in whatever way they can, even if that that's executive order. What is the reality of that happening? What can the White House -- what do you think the White House would do even?

KEITH BOYKIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, the White House and the Justice Department have some latitude to move in terms of executive action. That's sort of the principle way they could move laterally. But the other thing the president can do is put pressure on his own party, put pressure on Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and the Democrats to eliminate the filibuster so they can pass this bill even without Republican support.

You know, Joe Biden would not be president of the United States, not even won the Democratic nomination were it not for black voters. Black voters are the most loyal constituency of the Democratic Party. And yet here is a bill, that George Floyd Justice and Policing Act, which has been in negotiations for six months now and the Democrats have control over the White House and both Houses of Congress and they still can't get it passed.

Black voters are going to be very disappointed if we come back and say we can't get this done because Republicans wouldn't let us do it. But we have an antiquated procedural rule that prevents us from doing it. So, I would urge Joe Biden, I would urge the White House to do those two things, to take executive action and to push his own fellow Democrats in the Senate to make this happen.

SCIUTTO: Some Republicans noted that the rise in crime happening in the midst of this is one reason that they pulled their support. It seems that that's going to be part of the political message going into the midterm elections, Sergeant Dorsey. And I wonder what the Democratic response to that should be.

DORSEY: Well, listen, you can always find a reason to not do a thing, but we understand that as long as police officers are not held accountable, and that's why they don't want qualified immunity to be a part of this package, then they're going to continue to misbehave. Look at what we just saw. Officers on horseback rounding out of black Haitians as if they were cattle. And so that's why it's imperative that we have qualified immunity and without that, this bill is toothless.

HILL: Keith, to your point of things that the administration and the president could do, how much appetite do you think there is right now in the White House to get something done? Look, there's a desire, right, because they are facing multiple crises at this point and there is not a lot of movement and there are certainly not wins that can be pointed to. Do you think there is, though, realistically, the appetite to move this forward? There is a real push for it among Americans and yet when we look at what's happening in Washington, we certainly don't see it.

BOYKIN: Well, there should be appetite for this. I mean, many of the provisions are very popular, including in the previous administration. Donald Trump supported some of the provisions in the bare basic minimum proposal that Tim Scott, the black Republican from South Carolina, rejected yesterday. So there's no reason why the White House shouldn't push on this, not to mention the fact that if they want to motivate Democrats to come out to vote, particularly black voters to come out in the midterm elections and the next presidential election, they're going to have to deliver something.

We have three major pieces of legislation.

[10:35:00]

The George Floyd Justice and Policing Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, all sitting in the United States Senate waiting for something to happen with a Democratic-controlled Senate and Democratic-controlled House and a Democratic president. That's unaccepted for black voters to continue to see this and to throw up their hands, for Democrats to throw up their hands and say we can't do anything because of some old procedural rule. I think it proves the Biden administration, even if there is no appetite, to make an appetite to make this happen.

SCIUTTO: Sergeant Dorsey, if you had the ear of President Biden now as he considers wielding his executive pen, what would be the first priority for you?

DORSEY: Make it happen. Listen, I mean, they figure out a way to get everything else done. They've addressed the needs and wants of every other demographic except for that of black folks. And so get it done.

SCIUTTO: Well, We'll see. Short of busting through the filibuster, at least legislatively, it doesn't look like it's going to happen now. Keith Boykin, Sergeant Cheryl Dorsey, thanks so much to both of you.

This just in to CNN, the latest on the investigation into Gabby Petito's death. A neighbor of the Laundrie family says she last saw Brian the weekend of September 10th.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:00]

SCIUTTO: Right now, dive teams are once again joining the search at a nature reserve near the home of Brian Laundrie. The fiance of Gabby Petito has been missing for at least nine days now.

But a neighbor just told CNN that the last time she saw Brian Laundrie was the week of September 10th. Laundrie's family told police last week they had not seen him since Tuesday, September 14th.

HILL: CNN Correspondent Amara Walker joining us now live from Venice, Florida. So, Amara, we're getting some new information about what may have been one of the last sightings of Petito before her death from a couple in Wyoming at a restaurant. What did they see?

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they described something that some people seem to find quite disturbing. This witness, her name is Nina Angelo. She spoke with CNN. She said that she and her boyfriend were eating at a Tex-Mex restaurant in Jackson, Wyoming, called the Merry Piglets. It was located just south of the Grand Teton National Park.

And she said that Gabby Petito was in tears and Brian Laundrie, her fiance, was visibly angry, so much so that he was walking in and out of that restaurant, directing his anger at the staff inside. And she so even said the waitress who was serving her and her boyfriend was visibly shaken from this incident between the two of them.

Here's how she describes what she saw that day on August 27th on a post on Instagram.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NINA ANGELO, SAW GABBY PETITO AND BRIAN LAUNDRIE AT RESTAURANT: They were fighting with the hostess. She was hysterically crying. And she walked out and she was crying and she was staying on the sidewalk. And I was watching the whole thing unfold. And he walked back in the restaurant and he's fighting with the hostess. And I didn't know what happened. I don't even if they got kicked out but they like left abruptly. She was standing on the sidewalk crying and he walked back in and was, like, screaming at the hostess, and then walked back out and walked back in like four more times to talk to the manager and tell the hostess off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Now, that manager also spoke to CNN. She declined to give her identity but confirmed that an incident did occur at the time. She did not describe exactly what happened. But she did say she called the FBI on Wednesday after she learned that human remains were found, and those were that of Gabby Petito. And we do want to mention the FBI also declining to comment on that incident citing privacy.

Back here at the Carlton Reserve, as you were mentioning, it's day five of the search for Brian Laundrie, that big question remains -- where is Brian Laundrie?

We also want to mention an update. We are told by the Sarasota Sheriff's Department that the dive team was not requested for assistance today, so it looks like there are no divers here looking for evidence at this time, but law enforcement saying that they are committed to searching every acre of this 25,000-acre reserve. Back to you.

SCIUTTO: A daunting task, no question. Amara Walker thanks so much.

HILL: As Gabby Petito's case gains national attention, the family of a man who went missing in the Arizona desert is trying to raise awareness about his case. You're looking at a picture of 24-year-old Geologist Daniel Robinson. He's now been missing for nearly three months. He was last seen leaving his work site in Buckeye, Arizona on June 23rd. SCIUTTO: Daniel's jeep and some of his belongings were found in a ravine after what appeared to be a rollover crash, but authorities say no foul play is suspected. Daniel's brother says they should not have to wait months just to get some answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER CAWLEY ROBINSON, BROTHER OF MISSING ARIZONA GEOLOGIST DANIEL ROBINSON: Had they been quick about it in the beginning, you know, we wouldn't be here three months later still searching for my brother, still looking for answers.

We shouldn't have to depend on other stories or other cases to push our own story. And we just want answers, just like anyone else. I think my brother or everyone else's brother or father, siblings, whoever they may be, they deserve the same attention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Such a painful way for the family. The family has hired an independent investigator and a several volunteer search team because they feel police aren't making enough progress.

[10:45:05]

HILL: Just in to CNN, some State Department employees suffering from Havana syndrome reportedly being denied treatment at Walter Reed National Medical Center. That accusation comes from a bipartisan pair of senators. They're now demanding an investigation from the secretary of state.

SCIUTTO: Havana syndrome, you may be familiar, causes a strange combination of symptoms that can include sudden vertigo, nausea, dizziness, headaches, hearing loss. Officials still are not certain exactly who or what causes it. It's been a long investigation.

CNN's National Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood is here with us. Kylie, CNN obtained a copy of this complaint. This is remarkable. I mean, this has been showing up in a number of countries around the world with really damaging effects. Why is Walter Reed not treating them?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, we should say that Walter Reed has provided a lot of medical assistance to those who have experienced symptoms similar to Havana syndrome.

But what these senators are saying in this letter that they sent to the secretary of state this week is that they are still concerned about the access and the equity to the access of the treatment that is being received by those who are going to Walter Reed, saying that some who have been told that they should go to Walter Reed are being denied that access.

And so they're asking the secretary of state to investigate what's going on here, why are some people going who are saying that they experience symptoms and others with their family members who say that they experience symptoms aren't going.

We should also note this is going on. As you say, there have been ongoing incidents. We know just earlier this month, there was someone traveling with the CIA director who reported symptoms similar to Havana syndrome. That was in India, right?

And then the other thing to think about is the person who is in charge of this ongoing investigation and this effort to figure out what is going on here at the State Department, she's been on the job for about six months now, she is leaving the State Department, we have learned. And she came out of retirement to do that job, but she's now leaving. We're told the State Department is saying that she basically reached the number of hours that she could be doing on the job. But there have been concerns about how she has handled this.

And I think this letter from these senators, because it's from a bipartisan group of senators, it was obtained by our colleague, Katie Bo Williams, does demonstrate that there are still a lot of questions about the medical attention and then, of course, we still don't know who is doing this or what is causing these mysterious illnesses.

SCIUTTO: So many years into this, I mean, enormous consequences. Thanks so much for following the story, Kylie Atwood.

Coming up next, former Defense Secretary James Mattis is taking the stand as part of the blockbuster fraud trial for Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes. Why he says he personally invested some $85,000 in the company now accused of lying about what it could deliver.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

SCIUTTO: The former secretary of defense taking the stand in federal court. Retired General James Mattis testified yesterday at a criminal trial of Theranos Founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes.

HILL: Holmes faces a dozen charges, up to 20 years in prison if convicted, of what prosecutors describe is a massive fraud that cheated investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Mattis was himself a one-time board member at the company, which claimed it would revolutionize blood testing.

CNN Reporter Kara Scannell joining us now.

HILL: So, he actually, as I understand it, was recounting how he lost faith in the company.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN REPORTER: Yes. So, Mattis took the stand as one of the government's early witnesses in this trial, which has really captivated Silicon Valley. And so what Mattis said is that when he first met Elizabeth Holmes, he became so excited about the prospect of this revolutionary drug testing and how it could be used on the battle field, because it was supposed to be cheaper, supposed to be more accurate and something that they could do very quickly, so really important on the battlefield. So, after that, he said he'd join the board of the company. He personally invested $85,000, which he testified was a substantial amount of money for someone who would work for the federal government. And then after The Wall Street Journal, which had broken a number of the stories, really questioning whether this blood testing technology work came out, he said he began to question whether he could believe anything about Theranos anymore.

Mattis is one of these kind of bold-faced names that could be called by the government. Other people on the government's list include former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. He was also on the board of Theranos as well as Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul, because he had invested about $100 million in the company.

I mean, this company at one point was worth $9 billion before it cratered. This really captured the attention of Silicon Valley. And Elizabeth Holmes, for her defense here, is using a couple different theories. But one of them that her lawyer has argued to the jury is that failure is not a crime. So, it really kind of puts this whole culture of Silicon Valley on trial, that's fake it until you make it, but there was certainly a lot at stake because these were blood tests, these were tests that, according to prosecutors, that doctors, patients and investors who made decisions on based on what her representations were.

SCIUTTO: She faked a lot of very powerful people too, right, who bought this before it fell apart. Kara Scannell, thanks so much. It's good to have you on.

We're going to take you now live to Speaker Nancy Pelosi giving her daily press conference there. You also see Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader. Let's listen in.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Okay. So I'm just --

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): The secretary has connection to University of California, Berkeley.

[10:55:01]

SCHUMER: Fort Hamilton High School, James Madison High School.

Okay. Just -- I have a brief sentence and that is that the White House, the House and the Senate have reached agreement on a framework that will pay for any final negotiated agreement. So, the revenue side of this we have an agreement on. Okay? Thank you. It's a framework, an agreement of a framework, okay? Thanks.

REPORTER: Can you explain or expand on what that means, a framework? What does that mean --

PELOSI: That means we are proceeding, that we've made great progress and we're proceeding.

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE). PELOSI: Yes. And, no, but we now went further because there were some specifics. If we are in a situation of lamb eat lamb, there are so many good provisions, what is affordable and what is effective and what gets the best results as soon as possible.

So we've made great progress this morning because it's in the writing. You know, you hear everybody come in, talking about one thing or another, but we are writing legislation. And when you're writing legislation, you have to be specific. And this took us a long way to a framework.

Now, again, we always socialize what we're doing and see among some things what works better and what our actual needs will be. We'll get more estimates as to how much money comes in on certain things, but we know that we can cover the proposal that the president has put forth to build that better, his vision for our country well beyond the BIF, the budget -- what are we calling it -- bipartisan infrastructure framework. I'm very excited about this.

And, again, it's all good. We had in appropriations -- a saying in appropriations, it's lamb eat lamb. But let me tell you that, as you know this week, we passed legislation to keep government open and lift the debt ceiling to remove all doubt that the full faith and credit for the United States of America is not in question, as the Constitution of the United States says. The Congress has taken up a tradition of having to vote on that. There's some doubt as to whether that should be the case. But in the here and now, we put forth a proposal.

The Senate House Republicans voted against keeping government open, which we need to do by September 30th, and voted against honoring the full faith and credit of the United States of America. It's quite appalling because when Republican presidents were there, we always had bipartisan support for that. We sent that bill over the Senate. Depending on what happens there, we will keep government open by September 30th, which is our date, and continue the conversation about the debt ceiling.

Even any -- but not for long because any discussion even test out. And when that happened before, when the Republicans threatened not to support the full faith and credit when President Obama was president, even the doubt that they cast lowered our credit rating, it's not good for our country, for our families, and it has an impact on the global economy. So, whatever it is, we will have a C.R. that passes both Houses by September 30th.

The -- and that is -- we're very pleased that in that same legislation, which the Republicans rejected, we had our assistance for the natural disasters affecting some of their own regions, which they voted against, but, again, necessary to immediately meet the needs of the American people in time of disaster, as well as the legislation, the appropriations for Afghan evacuees to further welcome them to our country, meet their needs, and to do so in a timely fashion.

We've gotten such a tremendous response from areas affected by Hurricane Ida, which is the focus of this legislation to say, Ida struck and you already are putting forth funding to make our communities come as close to whole as possible, very grateful.

Again, when we talk about the debt ceiling, we're not talking about future spending. It's important to note this is to pay incurred cost. Last year, Democrats and Republicans together incurred costs for COVID that need to be paid for. This is a credit card bill that we owe under President Trump.

[11:00:00]

Only 3 percent of the costs that -- only 3 percent have occurred under the Biden administration. This is --