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Bodycam Video of Voter Fraud Arrests; Cliff Coddington is Interviewed about Florida Farms; Lawmakers Grill U.K. Prime Minister; Person of Interest Charged in Unrelated Case. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired October 19, 2022 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: What does that mean in terms of any sort of legal jeopardy he may be in, and is time on his side given that we're three weeks away from the midterms and if Republicans take over the House this committee becomes nonexistent and I would imagine the subpoena, too.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You're absolutely right, Bianna. And it's a mystery to me why the committee waited so long to serve the subpoena. If Democrats take control of the House, that committee will probably be eliminated, or they'll be investigating Biden because the Republicans will be in control of it.

But, in any event, if it - if they finally get around to actually serving the subpoena, the entire House has to vote in favor of it. And then, if he does not comply with the return date, it goes to the Justice Department to prosecute as a criminal case if justice wishes to do that. So you're looking at a very long time frame before the president really could be compelled to appear before Congress.

GOLODRYGA: Justice did prosecute with Bannon, but not with Mark Meadows. So they have that option.

CALLAN: Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Paul Callan, always great to have you on. We appreciate it.

CALLAN: Thank you, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Igor Danchenko, the primary source for the Trump Russia dossier, was acquitted yesterday on all four counts of lying to the FBI about his source. The verdict was yet another embarrassing defeat for special counsel John Durham. He was appointed by acting - by Attorney General William Barr three years ago to look into misconduct in the FBI's Trump Russia probe. Durham has taken two cases to trial, and both have now ended in acquittals. He's only secured one conviction, and that is a guilty plea of a low level FBI lawyer who got probation.

And still ahead, three weeks after Hurricane Ian hit, people in Florida are still facing a very long road to recovery. Among them are farmers who say their destroyed crop -- they destroyed their crops, threatening their livelihoods. We'll speak with one of them, up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:36:26]

GOLODRYGA: Police body cam videos out of Florida captured the confusion of convicted felons arrested for alleged voter fraud when they say they didn't know they had done anything wrong. CNN has obtained that footage. The arrests were the first public demonstration of Florida's new election security force established when Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill back in April. This video -- these videos first reported by "The Tampa Bay Times" are providing a fresh glimpse into the effort to crack down on supposed voter fraud.

CNN's Leyla Santiago joins me now from Miami.

So, what's more to the back story here? What are you learning?

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, I've actually spoken to two of the individuals who were arrested as part of that crackdown you mentioned off the top there. And what's clear is that there is confusion. The two individuals I spoke to said, look, I served my time in prison, I got out, I registered to vote, thought I could vote because I received a card from the state. I voted, and now arrested.

So, you know, the politicians - or, excuse me, the critics of the governor are saying this is a political stunt, as the governor says that he believes that this is all a part of justice and keeping elections safe.

Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OFFICER 1: Ma'am, we have a warrant for your arrest.

ROMONA OLIVER: For what?

OFFICER 1: For voter fraud. You're a felon right?

SANTIAGO (voice over): Newly obtained police body camera video shows Tampa police officers arresting Romona Oliver for allegedly voting illegally in the 2020 election.

OFFICER 2: All right. So I know you're caught off guard, but, unfortunately, that's how this stuff works, OK?

OLIVER: I'm like, what the hell.

OFFICER 1: I know, ma'am, I know.

OLIVER: OK. I'm like, voter fraud? I voted, but I ain't fraud - commit no fraud.

OFFICER 2: Well, so that's the thing. I don't know exactly what happened with it, but you do have a warrant, and that's what it's for. SANTIAGO: The videos, first reported by "The Tampa Bay Times," provide a fresh glimpse into a far-reaching state operation in August to crack down on supposed voter fraud.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): The state of Florida has charged and is in the process of arresting 20 individuals across the state for voter fraud.

These folks voted illegally in this case, and there's going to be other grounds for other prosecutions in the future. They are disqualified from voting because they've been convicted of either murder or sexual assault.

SANTIAGO: Oliver is a convicted felon. She served 20 years in state prison for second-degree murder, according to her attorney Mark Rankin. Her attorney told CNN, Oliver was approached at a bus stop one day on the way to work by someone registering voters, and she told them she was a felon. Rankin says the person then told Oliver that she could fill out the form and if she was eligible she would get a voter registration card. He says Oliver later received a voter registration card in the mail and, therefore, thought she was eligible to vote.

OLIVER: I got out, the guy told me that I was free and clear to go vote or whatever, because I had done my time.

OFFICER 2: Yes.

OLIVER: (INAUDIBLE). I ain't owe nobody nothing.

OFFICER 2: OK. Yes, like I said, I don't - I don't know what happened, all right? All I know is that you have a warrant, and all it does is say you have a warrant, and I got to go arrest you.

SANTIAGO: Her attorney says, quote, she served her time and got out and she got out around the time that Amendment 4 was passed, which affected the rights of felons to vote. Her understanding was that felons had their rights restored.

Oliver pleaded not guilty to the illegal voting charge and has a trial set for December.

[09:40:00]

These were the first arrests by Governor Ron DeSantis' newly formed Florida Office of Elections Crimes and Security, which was an agency created to probe alleged voting irregularities. Almost immediately, after the charges were filed, questions surfaced about whether the individual knew that they were violating the law by voting.

CNN affiliate WPLG spoke to one of the individuals arrested, Ronald Miller.

ROBERT MILLER, MIAMI RESIDENT, ACCUSED OF VIOLATING FLORIDA'S VOTING LAWS: I got it out the mailbox thinking that my rights were restored as the guy told me when I had filled the paper out. So, I was happy. SANTIAGO: Miller, a convicted felon who served time for murder, also

says he received a voter ID card in the mail and was arrested in August for allegedly violating the state's voting laws.

MILLER: (INAUDIBLE) and all over like this, had the door open with assault rifles. U.S. Marshal is like this. My house surrounded.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANTIAGO: And, Bianna, an important detail here. Here in Florida, in this state, the law requires the state to notify local election supervisors if someone is convicted of a felony or if someone is not eligible to vote. In the five counties where these individuals were arrested, CNN checked in with the supervisors of elections and they told us that they were not notified by the state that these arrested individuals were not eligible to vote.

GOLODRYGA: All right, Leyla Santiago, thank you for bringing us that report.

Well, this week, students in one of the Florida counties hit hardest by Hurricane Ian are beginning to return to school. Five facilities in Lee County will resume classes in a host school today. Some of the schools will split between two host locations due to the number of the students there. Other students will temporarily learn virtually.

And in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Florida farmers hit hard by the storm are trying to figure out how to move forward. Their lands, their livelihoods and crops are now among the storm's casualties. And that's on top of the pressure from inflation driving up the cost of business.

Joining me now to discuss a Cliff Coddington. He's a sixth-generation farmer with cattle and citrus groves who saw floodwaters cover parts of his farmland during Iran.

Cliff, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today.

I know you said shortly after Hurricane Ian that these -- this season's crop was completely destroyed. How are things looking on your farm right now?

CLIFF CODDINGTON, MANAGER OF LONGINO RANCH IN SARASOTA COUNTY, FLORIDA: Good morning.

Yes, I'm Cliff Coddington and I'm the manager of the Longino Ranch family ranch. And I'm here with Jim Strickland, which is a neighboring ranch, too.

But, you know, we're -- it beat us down pretty hard. We've pretty well lost all of our citrus crop. And at the time that we're -- we should be on the cattle side grazing grass and improving our body -- our cows' body condition score, you know, the cows are still wet, you know, damp grass and the value isn't very good. So, we had to start feeding early. But it's -- you know, we're making it. It's - it's just got us way behind. And hopefully our insurance that we have on our crop will come through -- and on the actual citrus crop. GOLODRYGA: Well, what have you been hearing from the insurance

providers?

CODDINGTON: They've been here. It just takes time to process it. But we actually have already -- they've assessed the damage and are working on the claim.

GOLODRYGA: Well, that's good to hear. And it's also good to hear that you're in good spirits. And, as you mentioned, you're there with your neighbor, a fellow farmer, who are going through this right now.

Give us a sense of what the rebuilding process will look like. How long will it take for you to get back to where you were before Ian?

CODDINGTON: Oh, my. You know, we've probably got 10 or 15 miles of fence to completely get rebuilt. We're in the process now of getting our outside boundary fences up to make sure, you know, the public is safe on the roads. It's a long process. And I think, you know, right now we're just in storm recovery. We're not doing anything. You know, our normal day to day care taking other than what has to be done. So, you know, I -- it's going to be at least five - you know, between 5 and 10 years before we're completely done.

GOLODRYGA: Oh, wow. Unbelievable. 25 years, Cliff. And in the meantime, as you're trying to process what rebuilding looks like, you know probably more than most that prices have gone up.

How has inflation impacted your recovery and your planning for your farm for the future?

CODDINGTON: Yes, you know, ranching and farming in general is normally a low margin business.

[09:45:04]

And inflation hasn't helped that at all. But we'll - we'll continue to look at ways to diversify and keep moving forward.

GOLODRYGA: Well, that's great to hear. I'm sorry, what is your friend's name, the farmer behind you? Jim.

CODDINGTON: Jim Strickland. Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to you and Jim for taking the time to speak with us and giving us a sense of what life is like for you. I know you're probably speaking for many farmers out there still trying to recover. It's just unbelievable to think that it's going to be in the decades before you get back to where you were before. It's good to hear you are in good spirits about it, though. We appreciate your time. We're thinking of you.

CODDINGTON: Well, thank you. And thank you for your time.

GOLODRYGA: Take care.

Well, in that area, a turn of fortune for one person. One of two winning lottery tickets in the latest Mega Millions jackpot was sold in an area devastated by Hurricane Ian. The winning ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven in Ft. Myers, Florida, according to Florida Lottery. The other was sold in San Jose, California. Well, the winners will split the prize of $494 million. The Florida winner has 180 days to claim their prize.

And still ahead, British Prime Minister Liz Truss under fire, questioned by her peers after barely six weeks in office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, LEADER, BRITAIN'S LABOUR PARTY: A book is being written about the prime minister's time in office. Apparently, it's going to be out by Christmas. Is that the release date or the title?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:51:07]

GOLODRYGA: British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who's only been in office a little over a month, is now vowing to stay the course, even as opposition leaderships question her leadership amid economic and political turmoil.

Let's get right to CNN's Bianca Nobilo in London.

So, Bianca, what are the most pressing questions the prime minister is facing? I know she's facing a lot of them right now.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: She certainly is. And the one that subsumes all others is how long will she remain in post. There are many that think - that were thinking she couldn't even bear to face prime ministers questions today after having her key economic agenda ripped up and control of that taken by her new chancellor, Jeremy Hunt. As expected, it was a bruising and brutal affair. The leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer, was absolutely scathing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, LEADER, BRITAIN'S LABOUR PARTY: I've got the list here, 45 (INAUDIBLE) tax cut, gone. Corporation tax cut, gone. Twenty (INAUDIBLE) tax cut, gone. Two-year energy freeze, gone. Tax free shopping, gone. Economic credibility, gone. And her supposed best friend, the former (ph) chancellor, he's gone as well. They're all gone. So why is she still here?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Why is she still here? That's the question that the prime minister has been facing from many quarters. And that's because the platform and fragile mandate that she built for herself has now been essentially dismantled by her new chancellor, who's reversed her economic promises. But the prime minister, for her part, said that she wasn't going anywhere. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Mrs. Speaker, I am a fighter and not a quitter. I have acted in the national interest to make sure that we have economic stability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: What you're witnessing there, Bianna, is a stronger performance from the prime minister than we've seen ever before. Rhetorically, she had more confidence, more energy, because she was fighting for her political survival. She may have bought herself a little more time, although we are continuing to hear rumblings of resignations and potential letters of no confidence going in, in Westminster.

But one thing we can be sure about is she's definitely not being preserved in any place by any sense of support or enthusiasm for her leadership, simply a feeling among conservative MPs that there are no other options and maybe quite a lot of fatigue and apathy.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, the brutal attacks are coming from all sides. I just read "The Economist" comparing her control over the economy to the shelf life of a head of lettuce. I mean that is pretty brutal.

NOBILO: I've seen that. Yes.

GOLODRYGA: Bianca Nobilo, thank you.

Well, a man named as a person of interest in the gruesome deaths of four men in Oklahoma has been arrested in Florida. Sixty-seven-year- old Joseph Kennedy was taken into custody yesterday on an unrelated charge, found in a car that was reportedly stolen. Kennedy is a person of interest in the killings of four men who were shot, dismembered, and their remains thrown in a river. But he has not been named a suspect in the case.

CNN's senior national correspondent Ed Lavandera joins me now from Dallas.

You've been cover this story for us, Ed. Why are police interested in Kennedy specifically?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned, you know, he's not considered a suspect, and that's not what investigators in Oklahoma are saying at this point. But they spoke with him last Friday, five days after the (INAUDIBLE) day that their (INAUDIBLE) bodies began emerging from the river there in (INAUDIBLE), Oklahoma, about 40 miles south of Tulsa.

And it is significant because he owns two salvage yards where the cell phones of the four victims were last traced to. That is the area where they were last confirmed to be.

Investigators have said that Joe Kennedy was cooperative during their investigation, but then in the days after, over the weekend, in the early part of this week, Kennedy disappeared.

[09:55:03]

And then he turned up yesterday after being arrest for driving a stolen pickup truck from -- with Oklahoma license plates. And investigators in Oklahoma are trying to get him back to Oklahoma for more questioning. So that process continues.

We also spoke yesterday, Bianna, with an uncle of two of the victims who says the families are still trying to comprehend the gruesome (INAUDIBLE) about these (INAUDIBLE) allegations that (INAUDIBLE) victims (INAUDIBLE) perhaps were up to committing or plotting some sort of crime. They say they don't make - they don't know what to make of that at this point, this particular uncle told us, Bianna, but he did say that whatever they were up to did not merit this kind of heinous act against them. He -- the uncle described it as medieval what was done to them. Remember, investigators say the bodies of the four victims were dismember and then thrown in the river there.

Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Really gruesome details.

Ed Lavandera, thank you.

And still ahead, we are back on the ground in Ukraine where Russian President Vladimir Putin is gives his military unlimited power, martial law. We'll have the latest on the escalation, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)