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Georgia Prosecutor on Special Grand Jury in Trump Probe, Expect Action by June or July; RNC Votes Today on Resolution to Censure Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL); Minneapolis Police Fatally Shoot Black Man Who Wasn't Target of Raid. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired February 04, 2022 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says she expects more activity this summer in the special grand jury looking at former President Trump's attempts to overturn his election loss. Here's what Willis told the Atlanta Journal- Constitution about her work on the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FANI WILLIS, FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We realized that we're coming to a place that there are enough people that will require a subpoena for us to speak to or for us to be able to get information, and so, yes, we're headed into phase two and phase two, I believe, starts when we actually start with a special purpose grand jury.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Willis is investigating whether Trump and his allies committed any crimes in their effort to convince Georgia election officials to find election fraud that didn't exist and hand Trump a victory.

CNN's Jessica Schneider joins us now. Jessica, the pressure on the investigation is notable here. It sounds like she's talking about genuine threats to her and other security.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, and it's ramping up now in particular because of the announcement of this special grand jury convening starting in May. And the D.A. in this interview, she talked about those racist attacks she has received and the fact they have really ramped up in recent weeks, especially after Trump lashed out at her, and investigators in New York, all of whom are black, at a rally last weekend.

So, here's what the D.A. told the Atlanta Constitution-Journal about what she's endured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: You know, I get called an N very regularly. It's really silly to me that they believe that by hurling those kind of insults that it's going to impact the way that we do our investigation. It's not going to impact me to do something faster. It's not going to impact me in treating the former president or anyone else unfairly. And it's not going to make me stop what I have a lawful duty to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: And to that end, the D.A. also disclosed that she's begun that conversation with the FBI about that letter that she sent them earlier this week. In that letter, she asked them to do a risk assessment of the government buildings in Atlanta where the special grand jury will be doing its work, and she also asked the FBI for federal protection. So, she said the conversation has started with them.

In addition, she's laying out a specific timeline for the special grand jury, saying that they will start, beginning of May, it will consist of 16 to 23 people. They will be exclusively focused on this criminal probe of whether Trump or his allies committed election fraud or illegally interfered with the election, based on these phone calls, also question about the abrupt departure of the U.S. attorney down there, B.J. Pak. And a special grand jury will have one year, they will be issuing subpoenas to people who have been so far been unwilling to talk. They'll compel disclosure of documents.

You know, guys, the D.A., though, anticipating possible legal challenges that could maybe slow down this process. But either way it could really ramp up this summer and looking at about a year where the special grand jury will be sitting. Guys?

GOLODRYGA: You'll be following that probe, I know, Jessica Schneider, thank you, as always.

Well, in a few hours the Republican National Committee will formally vote on whether to censure GOP Congress Members Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. The offense that prompted the move, their roles in investigating the January 6th insurrection.

SCIUTTO: Just moments ago, listen to this, Republican Senator Mitt Romney condemned the resolution, saying in very strong terms, quote, shame falls on a party that would censure persons of conscience, who seek truth in the face of vitriol. Honor attaches to Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for seeking truth, even when doing so comes at a great personal cost.

[10:35:01]

CNN's Dana Bash joins us now. Powerful words from him, he's not the only one. I saw Bill Cassidy tweeting criticism of this move, Republican from Louisiana, notable push back. I mean, do we know that this is going to pass?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It seems that it's likely to pass. We'll see if this kind of pushback has any kind of resonance. It's doubtful. And one thing I just want to say explicitly about the Mitt Romney tweet and his statement and his pushback, is that he is the uncle of the RNC chairwoman, Ronna Romney McDaniel. So, not only is he appalled at what his national party is doing, it's personal, it's familial.

Now, the two of them have been on opposite sides of the Trump question since the beginning of Trump's political career. I mean, Trump put Ronna Romney McDaniel at the RNC after she helped win Michigan in 2016. So, that is not a new opposition that they have to one another.

But I think more broadly, we have seen state parties, Bianna and Jim, censure their senators, censure their members of Congress, including Liz Cheney in Wyoming, including Bill Cassidy, who you mentioned, in Louisiana, because of the fact that they voted against -- excuse me, they voted against the president for impeachment.

But for the national party to do this, especially at a time where they are very much hoping that their arguments against Joe Biden are the ones that bring them the majority in the House and the Senate, never mind the White House again in 2024. What they're doing, and this is not me speaking, this is a lot of Republicans I have spoken to, is setting up an internal fight at the highest levels of the party, and it is because, in Liz Cheney's words, that they are held hostage by the former president.

GOLODRYGA: And, Dana, it's coming as we're anticipating to hear public hearings, right, from the committee, in just a matter of months. I'm just curious from your perspective what you're hearing, what's the temperature among, obviously not just Democrats but the Republican Party as a whole to hearing what comes out of these committees as they're becoming more and more ramped up in letting us know publicly about what they're hearing and in their investigation.

BASH: Hearings and prime time hearings is what they're planning on doing. And, again, when we say they, yes, the Republicans kind of for the most part argue that this select committee is just partisan, and, yes, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are key parts of this committee, and they're the ones who are kind of, you know, being attacked by the party because of that, but it really is bipartisan. As much as the Republican Party wants them out, they still consider themselves true blue conservatives and they are standing up for democracy and the principles they believe that the Republican Party should stand for.

So, against that backdrop, we are going to see a very public Liz Cheney in these hearings, and Adam Kinzinger as well. Liz Cheney, obviously, is somebody who's still on the ballot. Adam Kinzinger has decided not to seek reelection. But that is going to be a fascinating, fascinating set of events, obviously not just from the dais, but much more importantly given the kind of the witnesses that we expect them to bring.

We know all the people taking the Fifth, who are refusing subpoenas, but we also know that there are so many people close to the president who are there and involved who have given testimony voluntarily to this committee.

SCIUTTO: And some quietly. Dana Bash, always good to have you on. Thanks so much.

BASH: You too. SCIUTTO: Still ahead, outrage, demands for more transparency in Minneapolis after a police shooting resulted in a black man's death. What happened and why now the Minnesota attorney general is stepping in.

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[10:40:00]

GOLODRYGA: The Minneapolis Police Department is under scrutiny yet again after officers executed a no-knock search warrant and fatally shot a black man in just seconds. Amir Locke wasn't named in any search warrants, was apparently asleep when police came in. He's seen in a police video bundled in a blanket and holding ago gun.

SCIUTTO: What's unclear at this stage is if he knew it was police who had entered his apartment. Police have released the body cam video. We want do warn you, this is disturbing. So, if you don't want to watch it, please turn away.

CNN's Omar Jimenez joins us now. Omar, some people watch this say it's evidence that no-knock warrants shouldn't be used. What more do we know about the circumstances of this?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim. Well, just a few minutes ago, we learned that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is now partnering with the county attorney to review the shooting of Amir Locke here. And this happened in the early morning hours Wednesday. The Minneapolis Police Department says they were executing a warrant from a homicide investigation stemming out of nearby St. Paul, Minnesota.

[10:45:03]

But family attorneys for Locke tell us that he wasn't the target of the investigation, and police say his name never appeared on any search warrants. Regardless, police burst into this apartment, appearing to wake Locke up. He's seen wrapped in blankets. And as he gets up, a gun is seen, three shots are fired by the police. Locke later dies.

Now, moving forward, I will say that he's seen with the gun, police had a press conference trying to explain what happened, but there's a lot of anger in this community over what they feel like is a familiar story and here's how things unfolded last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When will you release the search warrant?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is walking out of a press conference transparency? You are murderers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You owe us answers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a shame. This is what we have been fighting against. This is what we have been fighting against since George Floyd was killed, running away from accountability and transparency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, that was the interim police chief and the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, who were initially giving a press conference. And police say that when Locke was getting up under the blankets that the gun was pointed in the direction of the shooting officer. But based on the video and images provided, we haven't been able to independently confirm that.

A spokesperson for the St. Paul Police Department says the warrant that this investigation stems from, the homicide investigation, is still active. Attorneys for the Locke family, the gun, or that Locke was in legal possession of the weapon at the time of the shooting, but we're expecting to hear more from them, along with the Locke family in a press conference later this morning.

The shooting officer was also identified as Mark Hanneman. He has been with the department since 2015, and he's been placed on routine administrative leave as part of a department policy that has become all too familiar at this point. Jim, Bianna?

GOLODRYGA: Emotions already high around this issue. Omar Jimenez, thank you so much.

SCIUTTO: Still ahead this hour, any moment now, President Biden expected to address the nation on the January jobs report after it far exceeded expectations. We're going to bring you the president's comments live when they come. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

SCIUTTO: Southwest Airlines is bringing alcohol service back to their flights nearly two years after halting sales due to the pandemic. Starting February 16th, passengers will not only be able to buy alcohol but they can redeem any drink coupons that were set to expire in 2020 or 2021. That's a lot of coupons.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, what could go wrong here?

CNN's aviation correspondent joins us, Pete Muntean. Great news for many passengers, perhaps. I would imagine that flight attendants are not so excited about this and perhaps want to raise out of what they possibly could expect when passengers will be drinking again.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It's a good point, Bianna. Good news for so many passengers, not so good, according to Southwest Airlines flight attendants. We'll get to that in a second.

What's so interesting here though is that Southwest Airlines is one of the last major airlines to resume alcohol service on board after many stopped doing this at the outset of the pandemic. Southwest has not been serving alcohol since March of 2020.

Here are the details. Southwest says it will serve alcohol again on board flights on February 16th, that is the Wednesday after next on flights 176 miles long or more, pretty short. Beer, alcohol, liquor and wine will be available for sale.

But what's also so interesting is that Southwest Airlines flight attendant union, T.W. Local 556, says this is irresponsible and should not be done. They have been pushing back against this for a while. This is the statement from Lynn Montgomery, who is the head of the Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Union. She says, we have been adamantly and unequivocally informed management that resuming sales of alcohol while the mask mandate is still in place has great potential to increase customer noncompliance and misconduct issues.

There have been so many incidents of unruly passengers on board planes, many of them pretty ugly. You've probably seen the videos. And the numbers are still pretty high. Look at the numbers, from 2022, 323 reports, just so far this year, those numbers current as of February 1. But last year, 5,981 incidents in total by flight crews reported to the FAA.

The rate of these incidents has gone up a little bit, and airlines say, so many of those incidents are fueled by alcohol and, by flight attendants, having to intercede with the federal transportation mask mandates still in place until March 18th. So, this is coming at a time when there are still a lot of restrictions on board flights, and flight attendants say they need all the that they can get, and alcohol is not helping them as they're trying to do their jobs on the frontline of this pandemic.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I've been on a plane before. I've seen people over served and it's not pretty. Pete Muntean, thanks so much.

Still ahead, any moment, President Biden expected to address the January jobs report. We're going to bring you his comments live. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:55:00]

SCIUTTO: Right now, the jury is still distributing the federal criminal trial of Michael Avenatti, who is accused of stealing nearly $300,000 from his former client, the adult film actress, Stormy Daniels, this in connection to her 2018 book deal. CNN spoke with Daniels this morning and criticized -- she criticized Avenatti's attempts to smear her spiritual beliefs when he cross examined her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STORMY DANIELS, SAYS MICHAEL AVENATTI STOLE $300,000 FROM HER BOOK DEAL: To be honest with you, who cares what I believe in, who cares what my spirituality is, where I work, what I've done. Theft is theft. Forgery is forgery. It really shouldn't matter. It seems pretty cut and dry. (END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Avenatti says his case isn't as clear cut, as many claim. And he feels, quote, good about the trial. The jury has asked for full trial testimony from Daniels along with the definition of good faith.

Well, that's a note to end on this morning, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes, busy news week.

[11:00:00]

We do hope you have a good weekend. Thank you so much for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciutto.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. At this hour with Kate Bolduan starts right now.