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Brittney Griner Released from Russian Detention; Trump Team Finds Classified Documents at Florida Storage Unit; House to Vote Soon on Respect for Marriage Act; Police Looking for Car in Idaho College Murders Case. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired December 08, 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]

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: I don't. I don't see the obvious swap. One of your correspondents mentioned earlier some question about the Ukraine negotiations.

I think there's nothing there. I think there's nothing there. The negotiations to end that war are going to be between the Russians and the Ukrainians when the Russians agree that they're losing this war, when the Ukrainians are ready.

When the Ukrainians are ready, they will have that conversation. So I don't think there's anything in that negotiation for Paul Whelan.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I want to ask, because we have another story this morning on CNN regarding the U.S. sending cluster munitions -- considering, rather, a request to send cluster munitions to Ukraine.

I wonder why cluster munitions, when we know that what Ukrainians are pushing for more aggressively are longer-range missiles, particularly air defenses as well. And that is what many NATO allies -- I spoke to the Lithuanian prime minister yesterday, who was making a similar case this week.

TAYLOR: You're exactly right. What Ukrainians need are the long-range weapons, the ability to fire deep into the territory that the Russians control. They control a lot of Ukrainian territory as we know. They're firing into that territory.

It's important for the Ukrainians. It's important actually to be able to attack the Russian military units that are attacking Ukraine wherever they are. We've seen that the Ukrainians have used their own weapons to fire into and to attack targets in Russia. They're using their own weapons for that.

There's no reason why they couldn't use long-range U.S. weapons to do that. The Europeans, also, Jim, have those long-range weapons that could be provided to the Ukrainians.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND U.S. CORRESPONDENT: What are you sensing about the shift we're seeing in terms of long-range weapons? TAYLOR: I think there's clearly a debate going on within the administration. The debate has been on going for some time. We've seen the increase in the lethality, the range and the weight of these weapons.

Start off back nine months ago, now we're all the way back to HIMARS. So I think that debate is ongoing and I think they'll soon get to the conclusion that these long-range weapons ought to be provided to Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: We've now had two hostage negotiations, trades, since the start of the Russian invasion, one for Trevor Reed and one leading to the release of Brittney Griner here. You say those are a long way from any substantive negotiations over the end to the war in Ukraine.

Do you see Russia's commitment to this war, its coming to terms with losing this war, becoming more realistic?

Or are they digging in for the long haul?

TAYLOR: They seem to be digging in for the long haul -- or at least President Putin does. I think it's daunting for a lot of Russians around President Putin that this is a loser, this war is not being won. They know they're not winning the war on the ground.

They know they've got problems with their own people, who are fleeing the country rather than volunteering or being drafted into the Russian military. They know they've got pressure from their right wing.

So President Putin has all this problem, in addition to the Chinese telling him to back down. So I think this is a problem for President Putin. And I don't know if he's figured it out yet. But when he does, then he'll probably be able to tell them come to the negotiating table.

SCIUTTO: Ambassador William Taylor, thank you for joining us this morning.

TAYLOR: Thank you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Still ahead, more classified documents. What we're learning about the Trump legal team's latest discovery at another Trump property. That's coming up.

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[09:35:00]

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HILL: CNN has learned that two documents with classified markings were found in a Florida storage unit during a search by a team hired by former president Trump's lawyers. A person familiar with the situation say the documents were handed

over to the FBI and no other documents with classified markings were found during a search of four of Trump's properties.

SCIUTTO: But two more were found. And this is in addition to what the FBI recovered back in August, around 100 documents, marked as classified or higher, this during a search of the Mar-a-Lago estate.

All this amid lingering concerns that not all documents the Trump team has not returned all documents that belong to the federal government. CNN senior crime and justice reporter Katelyn Polantz.

This is the Trump team saying we have to look and make sure we don't have more stuff. So they look around and find more stuff. It's classified.

What are the legal implications?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: They did find a little more stuff. Jim, this is really part of this long history, this struggle, where the federal government has really tried to make sure they have all of the federal records back that they believe are theirs after the Trump presidency.

The thing they want to make sure especially about is any national security material is secure. That's a very foremost concern and what led to this criminal investigation.

So this time there was a sealed court proceeding, after that search in August, the Justice Department wanted to make sure there was nothing else out there that really needed to be back in the hands of the federal government.

[09:40:00]

POLANTZ: So Trump's team ultimately did go and hire their own search team and they looked at four different places. They looked at Trump Tower in New York. They looked at Bedminster golf club in New Jersey and then they looked at an office and a storage unit in Florida, finding these two additional classified records, now back in the hands of investigators.

All of this is going to be part of this long history now in the criminal investigation that includes looking at possible obstruction charges. So the handling of national security records is at the core of that.

SCIUTTO: Just quickly, any indications that this storage unit was secured in any way?

The concern is these classified documents could be accessed by someone else.

POLANTZ: The reporting from Kaitlan Collins and Sara Murray is that these stored records were some of the things that the GSA had moved. But there was a question of who packed them, how they were packed, who saw them and also what security was around them. That's something that investigators will be looking at.

SCIUTTO: All right. It continues, Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much.

HILL: Still to come, right now on Capitol Hill, House lawmakers convening. A vote expected today on the legislation that would protect same-sex and interracial marriages in the country. We'll take you live to the Capitol next.

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[09:45:00]

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SCIUTTO: Quite a moment coming up on the Hill. In the next hour, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to hold a vote on protecting same- sex marriage. You'll remember this passed the Senate already. Now to the House. It will be one of the final bills for her as House Speaker.

HILL: CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill.

Lauren, the House expected to vote for the Respect for Marriage Act.

If it passes, how soon could we see the president sign it?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a significant and momentous moment on Capitol Hill. It is the last stop in Capitol Hill for this piece of legislation. It already passed in the U.S. Senate with a dozen Republican votes.

We expect it will be bipartisan today in the House as well. Of course, next up will be the president's signature. This is going to be a high priority for the White House. This is an important step for them.

And it comes at such an interesting time, just months after the overturning of Roe v. Wade and as concerns really exist up here on Capitol Hill about the future protection of privacy rights in this country.

You saw a lot of Democrats arguing this had to happen before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi passes the gavel to Republicans in a few weeks. This is also a huge moment for the Speaker herself. This is an issue she has been working on for decades.

She wrote that her very first floor speech on the House floor really dealt with the AIDS epidemic and the need for Congress and public officials to do more to combat that epidemic.

There was also such a fight in her history for overturning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as well as passing multiple hate crimes legislation. So it's such an important moment for her. She'll have a bill enrollment ceremony, celebrating the passage, assuming that's what happens in just a little over an hour.

SCIUTTO: And perhaps bipartisan legislation as well. It was bipartisan in the Senate. Lauren Fox, thanks so much.

Still ahead, police in Idaho say they have now received thousands of tips after those four college students were murdered in Moscow, Idaho. Next, the one tip police say they want you to hear because they believe it could help solve this crime.

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[09:50:00]

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SCIUTTO: Investigators in Moscow, Idaho, are asking the public for help. They say they're now looking for at least one person who was seen inside a white sedan like this on your screen here, near the crime scene on the morning the four college students were killed last month. This is a 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra.

HILL: Investigators believe that the person who was in that white car could have more information on what happened -- understandably. This tip just one of thousands that has poured in over the last few weeks. Veronica Miracle joining us with more.

A lot of hopes being pinned on this car, Veronica.

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim and Erica, to give you a little context, the street where this house is located, it is a residential area where University of Idaho students live. And it is right across the street from campus.

So every morning you see students walking to and from class from this street. The street is also leading to a dead end into a parking lot, with an apartment complex. So the cars that you see on this street are the same cars from all of those students. It's not a street where you're going to be passing through just by accident.

And so police definitely believe through a tip that this car may have been out of place. And they're asking for more information based on the tips that they've received. They sent out a statement saying that investigators believe that whoever was in this car might have critical information to share regarding the case.

And they want to know that if anybody who has a car matching this description or if anybody knows of anyone who drives this kind of vehicle -- it is a small town, so it's possible that people could spot this kind of car and call that in.

They're asking for those tips. They've received thousands of tips. And it's a big reason why they've been able to shape this case and kind of get an idea of what happened, according to police.

And I'm told it's also why they don't want to put out a reward at this time, because putting out a reward could potentially dilute those leads. And they've been getting strong information, according to police. That's what I've been told.

Now yesterday, we did see police packing up some of the belongings of the victims and other roommates who live there, so that family members can get those items back. They say this house, of course, still a crime scene. But they want to be able to let those families continue to grieve.

[09:55:00]

MIRACLE: Get those belongings back to them as they continue to mourn their -- the victims right now. So that is the information that we have at this moment. Of course, so much still developing and police really looking for more tips as they continue to build this case -- Jim, Erica.

SCIUTTO: Yes, that house, a crime scene and a scene of so much sadness. Veronica Miracle, thanks for the update.

HILL: Still ahead here in the CNN NEWSROOM, she is headed home. WNBA star Brittney Griner released from a Russian prison. The latest that we're learning about this exchange for a Russian arms dealer and her homecoming. That's next.

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SCIUTTO (voice-over): Top of the hour, this Thursday morning, quite a day of news, I'm Jim Sciutto.

HILL (voice-over): I'm Erica Hill.

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