Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Interview With Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX); Family of Gabby Petito Holds Press Conference; Officials Testify to Congress About Afghanistan Withdrawal. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired September 28, 2021 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:13]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

Right now, we're awaiting a press conference with the family of Gabby Petito. We know show was killed, but exactly how she died still a mystery. Her fiance still missing, but we're hearing from his family today as well.

The FBI has an arrest warrant for Brian Laundrie but they have scaled back the search today. More on this. As soon as that news conference gets under way, we will go there live.

We are also monitoring the testimony on Capitol Hill. The defense second and top generals appearing to contradict President Biden in their very first Senate grilling on the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The officials' questions today all involved in planning, executing and now explaining the end of America's longest war.

And for General Milley, he was also asked about the tumultuous final days of Donald Trump's presidency. And he said several people in Trump's inner circle knew about his controversial phone calls with China, so lots to discuss with our political and military analysts and reporters.

I want to start with you, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. Two of the top U.S. military officials testified today that they advised keeping 2, 500 to 3, 500 troops in Afghanistan. They told the president that was best. The president didn't go with his generals' advice. What's your reaction to this?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It's not a surprise, Ana.

I think the president makes the decision based on what he wants to do. And, certainly, the secretary of defense, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the combatant commander in the theater can offer advice about what they think is necessary in the country. And he can return by saying no.

So it was a little troublesome to know that the president has made remarks about not having that kind of advice from the key military leaders, because I think anybody that has either been in or served in Afghanistan knows that most military leaders would have suggested that at least as a course of action, one of the several courses of actions they gave him.

CABRERA: Sure.

And let's play the sound that you're referring to, that President Biden was asked about the advice that he got regarding 2, 500 to 3, 500 troops. And here's what he told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in the days following all of this end to the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS: So, no one told -- your military advisers not tell you, no, we should just keep 2, 500 troops, it's been a stable situation for the last several years, we can do that, we can continue to do that?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, no one said that to me that I can recall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So, Gloria, how much of a problem this testimony?

Let me ask Gloria, because, I mean, President Biden obviously contradicted, it appears, what his general said today.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Right.

I think it's a real problem for them to say this publicly that, yes, they said keep 2, 500 troops there. But it isn't a surprise that Joe Biden would reject their advice, because if you look at the history of Joe Biden and his relationships with generals, it's always been a little bit fraught.

And even when he was in the Obama administration, he and Obama played good cop/bad cop. He was against the surge in Afghanistan, you will recall. And so it probably came as no surprise to the generals when the president, now finally president, got the opportunities to say, let's get out of there and let's get out of there cleanly. And I don't want anyone left.

CABRERA: Right, but, Gloria, the point here is that Biden said nobody told him this.

(CROSSTALK)

BORGER: Is credibility, right.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: And the generals are saying the opposite.

BORGER: Right. And I think that's something that the president's going to have to address. I mean, the generals were very reluctant. I don't like to discuss my private conversations with the president. But then they said to the senators, but this is what I would say, right? So it's very obvious that this is what they told Joe Biden.

I think it is a question he has to be asked and I think a question he has to answer.

CABRERA: OK, forgive me for interrupting, Gloria.

We are now going live to this press conference with the family of Gabby Petito.

JIM SCHMIDT, STEPFATHER OF GABBY PETITO: I just wanted to say thank you to everybody that we encountered in Western Wyoming, all the law enforcement agencies out there and across the country, for doing an amazing job with locating Gabby.

I especially want to thank the Teton County search-and-rescue team, who is a all-volunteer agency that come together. They are highly trained, and they were a part of that mission to find Gabby. And they did an unbelievable job. We're so grateful for everybody out there.

They were -- they were second to none. They were unbelievable. And we are forever grateful for that, and everybody back home who helped us as well. It was amazing that we were able to get her. And we're just happy to have her.

[13:05:17]

JOSEPH PETITO, FATHER OF GABBY PETITO: How you doing? I would actually like to thank all you guys, all right, ladies and gentlemen of the media, press, especially the people that are behind the camera, all right? They don't get enough credit for what it is that they do.

And so I do appreciate all them. Social media has been amazing. So I would just like to thank everyone for that. I do. It is greatly appreciated. That was very helpful and in bringing our daughter home. So thank you very much.

NICOLE SCHMIDT, MOTHER OF GABBY PETITO: I don't think we can thank everybody enough. I really want to thank the AWARE Foundation and We Help the Missing for putting her poster out there. It reached over two million people within 48 hours all over the world.

And I especially want to thank Detective Tracy Berry (ph) of the Fifth Precincts here in Patchogue because, without her, we don't know when this would have even happened. She got the ball rolling. She's my angel, and I thank her the most.

Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this time, we will be taking questions.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) What does justice for Gabby look like for you? RICHARD STAFFORD, ATTORNEY FOR FAMILY OF GABBY PETITO: Do you want me to answer that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

STAFFORD: Justice for Gabby is that we see justice for her homicide. The FBI has classified her death a homicide.

They are the premier agency in the country. They're investigating her death. And we believe through their investigation we will have justice for Gabby.

QUESTION: Rick.

STAFFORD: Yes.

QUESTION: We haven't heard from the Laundrie family. We haven't been able to hear much from the FBI. They can't share a lot with us about Brian's whereabouts.

Is there anything that you can tell us about the efforts to find him, what the family thinks about where he might be, and the Laundrie family's silence?

STAFFORD: Again, for the Laundries' silence, the Laundries did not help us find Gabby. They are sure is -- not going to help us find Brian.

For Brian, we're asking you to turn yourself in to the FBI or the nearest law enforcement agency.

QUESTION: Yesterday, the Laundrie family released a statement saying that Mr. and Mrs. Laundrie have no -- are not helping Brian get away. Do you believe -- do you believe...

STAFFORD: That's for the FBI to investigate. I believe that they're the preeminent law enforcement organization in this country.

And I know they're investigating all avenues of this case.

QUESTION: Rick, Trevor Ault from ABC.

STAFFORD: Yes.

You have touched on trusting the FBI here. Does it bother the family at all that Brian Laundrie is still not named as a suspect in Gabby's disappearance?

STAFFORD: The parents are 100 percent happy with the FBI. They have been with us at every single step of the way.

And we know that they will bring justice for Gabby.

(CROSSTALK)

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Athena Jones from CNN. Can you or the family talk at all about or describe what kind of contact you have had with the Laundrie family since early September, and what your previous relationship was like with them while Gabby and Brian (OFF-MIKE) any sort of insight you can give us (OFF-MIKE)

STAFFORD: We're not going to talk about the relationship between the Petito, the Schmidt and the Laundrie family. The Petito and Schmidt family have spoken with the FBI. And they have requested that we don't discuss any relationship between Gabby, between Brian or between the three families.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) the foundation. (OFF-MIKE)

STAFFORD: (OFF-MIKE) Do you want to talk about it?

All you, man.

J. SCHMIDT: We're just hoping that, through our tragedy with losing Gabby, that -- in the future, that some good can come out of it, that we can help other people that may be in a similar situation, reach out to these other organizations that do similar things and find out what's missing.

What can we do to fill that void? What can we do to help people. Just from the AWARE -- the AWARE Foundation alone and reaching two million people, They told us that other law enforcement agencies are now starting to look back at other missing persons cases and starting to reinvestigate them and look into them.

And we're just hopeful that it's -- we're able to help people in the future just try to get through something similar.

[13:10:00]

QUESTION: In the vein of not letting her light grow dim, I noticed mom and dad have some new tattoos that resemble that of Gabby.

Would you be willing to tell us about that?

J. SCHMIDT: Yes, these were tattoos that Gabby designed herself.

She was an artist. And...

N. SCHMIDT: I wanted to have her with me all the time. So...

J. SCHMIDT: So, we all.

N. SCHMIDT: She's -- I feel it. This helps that.

J. SCHMIDT: We all put them...

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... show us? (CROSSTALK)

J. SCHMIDT: Darn right we do. Let it be.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let it be.

(CROSSTALK)

N. SCHMIDT: Believe. Believe.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sure.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

N. SCHMIDT: Gabby drew this one.

PETITO: Here's the end-all, right?

We need positive stuff to come from the tragedy that happened. All right? We can't let her name be taken in vain. We need positive stuff, all right?

So anything that we can do to bring that up and help people, that's what we want to do.

QUESTION: Joe, do you think Brian is still alive?

PETITO: I'm not going to talk about Brian.

CABRERA: OK, we will continue to monitor this press conference and bring you any new information that comes from it.

But let's bring in CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson. We will also go to Athena, who's there at that press conference shortly.

But, Joey, first, just your reaction. Your top takeaways from what we just heard. Obviously, there were brief remark, mostly focused on thanking investigators for helping to find Gabby's remains and expressing confidence in their ongoing investigation.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: A family in mourning, Ana, a family and pain, but a family reaching out and not only giving the indication to the world that this, of course, is about their daughter, and they're thankful for the law enforcement coming together, but about the larger plans for the future and about how they can help and assist other missing persons across the country.

We know that a roughly a half-a-million people went missing, what, last year, 600,000 the year before. And so this is a problem. And I think it shows their grace and humanity to make it really even larger about that. And the FBI has been just tremendous with respect to their coordination themselves and with other law enforcement officials, the resources that they have brought to bear on this, the coordination even with the prosecutor's office to bring the matter to the grand jury.

Of course, we know that there's one count pending as to Brian Laundrie at this point. That pertains to this unauthorized use of the device with respect to the debit card that was Gabby Petito's that he used.

But I just think that, overall, it was important, I think, for the family to get out there and to demonstrate that they have hope for their -- for justice to be brought. And they have hope as it relates to other cases moving forward that they also can have some measure of closure and justice, other families that share their pain right now.

CABRERA: We are also hearing from the family of Brian Laundrie today, that family issuing a statement.

And I'm just going to paraphrase, essentially say they don't know where he is, that they didn't help him evade arrest. And they say the speculation by the public -- their words -- is just wrong.

What's your reaction to this statement?

JACKSON: Ana, there's a human element to this. And, obviously, there's a legal element.

From a human element, I think any family would tend to believe that if you're going with their daughter on a cross-country trip, that you would support her -- their daughter, that you would be there certainly for her, that you would protect her, guide her and that it wouldn't end up like this.

And if it did, again, the human element would be that you would do your best to see and to seek, where is she? What can happen? How can I help? And so I think the public, you're seeing the outrage, because why didn't you help? What steps did you take to give law enforcement information with respect to her whereabouts, with respect to what happened, with respect to why she isn't with you?

On the legal end of it, I get and I understand any lawyer is going to advise, Ana, their client not to say a word. How many instances we heard in cases where the person who was with, right, a woman, for example, they go missing, oh, come back, come back home, come back home, and they're the ones responsible?

So, that's something you get from the legal side. You're not going to speak. But I think, from the other side of it, like, what happened? And doesn't the family have a right to know? And I think this resonated with so many other people. The world wants to know.

But I can tell you this. We know the matter is in front of a grand jury. We know a grand jury consists of 23 people right from the community. It's simple majority having to vote out whether there's any criminal wrongdoing. We know prosecutors are presenting the case to the grand jury, and I would have every expectation that the more evidence and information they get, I think they're going to be looking to upgrade charges predicated upon the facts and the evidence as they discover it moving forward.

CABRERA: I guess what stood out to me in part about that statement from the Laundrie family is that he's been missing for two weeks now, and they're just publicly saying, we don't know where he is, we didn't assist in the -- in his evasion of police or investigators.

It just -- I just thought the timing of that seems a little late. Should they have spoken out sooner?

[13:15:03]

JACKSON: I think that anyone would have wanted them to do that, right?

I mean, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. And so, therefore, if you have nothing to hide, if there's nothing that you were involved in, if there's nothing that you have really to put out underneath the table, then tell us what you know and when you knew it and what happened.

And I think also everyone wants to know the million-dollar question, well, what is their culpability? Are they responsible? Did they harbor him? We don't know the answers to those questions yet, Ana, because they're going to turn on a number of things.

Yes, you hinder prosecution, yes, you obstruct justice in the event, for example, you give false or misleading information to law enforcement .We don't know the nature or the substance of any information that they have given. Yes, for example, you act as an accessory after the fact if you know somebody has committed a crime, you're concealing them, you're supporting them, you're providing material aid to them.

We just don't know the answer to the question. But, again, from a human perspective, it offends our sensibilities of what we think a person should do. And this is not what we think should happen.

CABRERA: Right.

JACKSON: That is the family and their activities as it relates to locating, finding Gabby when she was missing and subsequently found dead, and even now giving answers to critical questions as to how it happened, when it happened, and who was responsible.

CABRERA: Joey Jackson, always good to have you with us. Thank you.

JACKSON: Thank you, Ana.

CABRERA: Also developing right now, the ever-changing intraparty fight to pass President Biden's massive economic agenda, he and the House speaker struggling to keep progressive in line. Can they all get on the same page before a critical vote this Thursday?

Where things stand right now next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [13:21:03]

CABRERA: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi turning the screws on progressives in her party.

In a last-minute shift last night, she announced that a vote on the smaller bipartisan infrastructure bill would happen Thursday without any guarantees on the president's larger social safety net package. So this is a reversal on a promise she made progressives -- made to progressives months ago, that both bills would go forward together.

And, essentially, she's now daring them to vote no and deny the president a much-needed victory here. So this in no doubt is going to make for a make-or-break moment for the Biden agenda.

CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju is on the Hill.

Where do things stand right now, Manu? Are the votes there?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's still uncertain.

In fact, just now, on a private call with the Congressional Progressive Caucus, it was the main progressive members in the House of Representatives. They are speaking up in favor of the party, the caucus' strategy to block that infrastructure bill on Thursday unless that larger bill, that larger social safety net package is much further along in the legislative process.

Some actually want to have actual bill text drafted, signed off on by some of those key moderates who are holding out, like Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Others actually want a vote to occur on the House floor of that larger social safety net package and have that advance to the Senate before they agreed to that infrastructure bill on Thursday.

And there's virtually no chance of that happening on Thursday. It's also very unlikely to see an agreement, a general agreement between those moderates like Manchin and Sinema and those progressives by that time of the vote that Nancy Pelosi has scheduled to advance that $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan that has already been approved by the Senate.

Now, talking to progressive members earlier today, they made clear they disagreed with Speaker Pelosi's reversal to try to move these issues separately.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: What's your concern with this strategy right now?

REP. JESUS GARCIA (D-IL): The concern is that it is quite possible that if we call the smaller infrastructure bill and pass it, that we could be hung out to drive by not passing the larger reconciliation bill, the one that has all the good things that will benefit so many people across the country. REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): Our caucus is strongest when

it's unified, and decoupling these bills, it starts to pit priorities against one another.

And that's why I don't -- I disagree with separating them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Now, the frustration here is that they want to hear specifically on what Manchin and Sinema in particular want, because every vote is significant in the Senate. One senator could break ranks on that larger package and essentially kill that package.

And, today, Manchin and Sinema both were at the White House meeting with Joe Biden and -- to discuss their plans about how to deal with all this. The question, though, is what have they agreed on? What top- line number have they agreed on? How much less do they want to spend than $3.5 trillion?

That's the big question that everybody on Capitol Hill has, and no clear answers as of yet.

CABRERA: And the biggest question of all is, will anything get done? Will either of these bills pass at all?

Manu Raju, we know you're going to stay on top of all the little twists and turns along the way between now and Thursday is looking like that the key date here.

Let's bring in Democratic Congressman Vicente Gonzalez of Texas.

And, Congressman, just first want to get your message to lawmakers in your party, people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who are right now planning to vote no on the infrastructure bill.

REP. VICENTE GONZALEZ (D-TX): Well, I certainly hope that they reconsider this.

This is a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that will be transformative in our country. It'll repair roads and bridges and ports of entry and drainage problems that we have -- have been deteriorating for decades now. This is an opportunity to bring over a billion dollars in resources to every single congressional district.

So any member who decides to vote no on this very important infrastructure is going to have a lot to explain back in their districts. And I certainly hope people reconsider that.

[13:25:05]

Now, I am confident that it will pass, because I think that there -- the vast majority of members believe that -- in the importance of it, and we believe also that we're going to have some Republican support on this bill when it comes to the floor.

CABRERA: In order though, to get what progressives want via the reconciliation bill, Democrats need Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema on board. As Manu was discussing, the president's meeting with them today.

But take a listen to what Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said about these two Democratic holdouts in the Senate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ILHAN OMAR (D-MN): It is saddening to see them use Republican talking points. We obviously didn't envision having Republicans as part of our party. And I hope that they will understand that Democrats need to be united.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Is that helpful?

GONZALEZ: Well, I'm not sure if it's helpful, but we -- the Democratic Party is a big tent.

And we have a lot of different points of view, which is good for America. I think we debate things thoroughly. And there's -- it's just part of the deliberate deliberation that goes into getting the bill to the floor, getting it passed, and getting it to the president's desk.

CABRERA: And it's such a critical time, obviously.

Like Manchin and Sinema, you are one of the more centrist Democrats. Unlike those two, you're supporting the bigger economic package, what has been described as the $3.5 trillion bill, although we know that number could still change.

So, as the president meets with Manchin and with Sinema today, what does he need to say to them to get them on board with the bigger package?

GONZALEZ: Well, I think they need to agree on everything that's in this package, and also agree on the pay-fors.

For example, many moderates, as myself, are not so -- I'm not so concerned with the price tag as I am for -- the on the pay-fors. We want to make sure that any taxation is fair and just and across the board and that we don't in any way punitively tax one particular industry, for example, the oil and gas or the energy industry in Texas, or anyone else in this country.

We need to make sure that it's fair and balanced. But at the same time, we do need to pass both infrastructure and reconciliation. This reconciliation bill, as the infrastructure, is going to bring two million jobs to the country. It's going to improve economies across the country.

It's going to get -- for the first time in history, our seniors will have a dental and hearing and vision care. For the first time in history, we will be negotiating, Medicare will be negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to assure that our senior citizens in this country have reasonable pharmaceutical pricing and are -- will have a pre-K programs.

Kids out of out of high school can now go train at a community college tuition-free for two years. These are amazing investments in American society that I think are long overdue. And it's a one-in-a-generation opportunity. We need to get this done.

And I'm confident that we will.

CABRERA: Well, and the polling shows that the majority or at least more Americans are in support of both of these spending plans.

So, if everything crumbles in these next couple of days, how will Democrats explain it to voters?

GONZALEZ: Well, I'm certainly hopeful that it doesn't crumble and we -- it's not something we have to explain. And I'm confident that we will get it passed.

It's not easy, because, as I said, there's many points of view within the Democratic Party. But at the end of the day, we are working to do what's right for the American people. We are working to get people back to work, to get our infrastructure up to par.

If you travel around the world and come into the United -- come back to the United States, sometimes, you feel that we're falling behind to Western Europe or Asia or other places around the world. We need to have cutting-edge, first-class infrastructure in this country. And this is going to not only create two million jobs while doing it. It's going to improve our infrastructure and bring us up to the standard that we should be.

And this reconciliation is going to be so helpful in so many areas of American society. And I'm fully confident that we will get both of them passed. This is just part of the deliberation that goes into it on every complex bill. Nothing is easy, and everyone has issues, depending on who they represent.

But at the end of the day, every member gets over a billion dollars of infrastructure funding that goes to their districts. That's going to create tens of thousands of jobs. That is going to improve conditions for their constituents in terms of drainage, roads, bridges, water reservoirs, ports of entry, airports.

CABRERA: Right.

GONZALEZ: We need to get this done.

CABRERA: Congressman Vicente Gonzalez, appreciate your time. Thank you for joining us.

GONZALEZ: Thank you.

CABRERA: Let's talk about the pandemic, Pfizer submitting key data to the FDA today on its vaccine for kids, but the company did not officially ask for emergency use authorization yet.

What does that mean now for the timeline?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)