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Memphis Releases Videos Of Five Police Officers Beating Tyre Nichols; President Biden Talks To Tyre Nichols' Family Over The Incident; Martavius Jones, (D), Memphis City Council Chairman, Discusses Release Of Video Showing Police Beating Tyre Nichols, Deactivation Of Scorpion Unit; Trump Returns To Campaign Trail With Stops In NH & SC; Audio, Video Of Attack Of Paul Pelosi Released To Public; A Look At The $100 Million Campaign Promoting Jesus & His Teachings. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired January 28, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:02]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington, and we begin with unbelievable scenes of violence in newly released video showing the deadly police beating of Tyre Nichols.

We must warn you the videos we're about to show you are graphic and disturbing, but critical to understanding what happened to this 29- year-old man. Here's what we know at this hour. Nichols was pulled over by Memphis Police on January 7th allegedly for reckless driving, but the police chief says the department has not been able to find anything to substantiate that claim.

This graphic body cam video shows the moment police catch up to Nichols when he runs away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TYRE NICHOLS, VICTIM: No! Mom!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me your fucking hands! Give me your fucking hands.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me your hands! Give me your hands!

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey!

NICHOLS: Mom! Mom!

(END VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: You can hear Nichols crying out for his mother there who was just a few blocks away. Officers continue to hit and spray Nichols struggling with him on the ground. More footage appears to show inaction by police officers, sheriff's deputies and even paramedics. Five Memphis police officers at the scene are now facing multiple charges including second-degree murder and kidnapping. Now two sheriff's deputies at the scene were placed on leave pending an investigation.

Former President Barack Obama speaking out on Twitter today saying, "The vicious unjustified beating of Tyre Nichols and his ultimate death at the hands of five Memphis police officers is just the latest painful reminder of how far America still has to go in fixing how we police our streets. Along with mourning Tyre and supporting his family, it's up to all of us to mobilize for lasting change."

And CNN's Boris Sanchez walks us through what the video showed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tyre Nichols screamed for his mother as Memphis police officers struck him multiple times including in the face while his hands were restrained.

The city on Friday night released body camera and surveillance video of the January 7th traffic stop and beating that led to the 29-year- old's death in the hospital three days later.

CHIEF CERELYN DAVIS, MEMPHIS POLICE: You're going to see a disregard for life.

SANCHEZ: After officers pulled Nichols over and pulled him out of his car, a struggle ensued and he ran away. Minutes later, officers would catch up with him and hit him numerous times video shows. During the initial encounter after the stop, body cam video from an officer arriving at the scene shows that Nichols sounded calm. As the officer approaches the scene, an officer is yelling at Tyre Nichols.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) up!

SANCHEZ: Officers then pull him out of the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) ground.

SANCHEZ: Nichols responds.

TYRE NICHOLS, VICTIM: All right, I'm on the ground.

SANCHEZ: Officers yell at him to lie down and threaten to tase him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED), put your hands behind your back.

NICHOLS: You guys are really doing a lot right now, stop!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, lay down. NICHOLS: I'm just trying to go home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lay down.

SANCHEZ: A struggle ensues. Nichols gets up and runs, and the officers chase him. A different body cam video shows some of what happens when officers catch Nichols on a neighborhood street just minutes later. Nichols screaming for his mother as the video shows an officer arriving at the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me your hands.

SANCHEZ: Officers tell any Nichols to give them his hand as a struggle ensues on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just waited there.

SANCHEZ: Two officers hit and kick Nichols as he's on the ground.

NICHOLS: Mom! Mom!

SANCHEZ: Nichols continues calling for his mom. An officer is eventually heard yelling at Nichols.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to baton the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of you. Give me your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) hands.

SANCHEZ: A remotely operated poll mounted police surveillance video in the neighborhood gives the clearest view of the blows. This shows officers hitting Nichols at least nine times without visible provocation. When the camera first turns toward the scene, an officer shoves Nichols hard to the pavement with a knee or leg. Nichols is pulled up by his shoulders and then kicked in the face twice.

After being pulled up into a sitting position, Nichols is hit in the back with what appears to be a night stick. After being pulled to his knees, Nichols is hit again. Once pulled to his feet, the video shows officers hitting Nichols in the face multiple times while his hands are restrained behind his body after which he falls to his knees. Less than a minute later, an officer appears to kick Nichols again.

More than three minutes after the encounter is first seen on this camera, officers let go of Tyre Nichols and he rolls on his back. One minute later, Nichols is dragged along the pavement and propped up in a sitting position against the side of a car where he's largely ignored by officers for the next three and a half minutes. Some 10 minutes into the video, a person who appears to be a paramedic finally engages with Nichols.

[16:05:02]

The U.S. Department of Justice has said it is conducting a federal civil rights investigation of Tyre Nichols' death.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ACOSTA: And at this point, we don't know the specific cause of Nichols' death, but preliminary results of an autopsy commissioned by attorneys for Nichols' family found he suffered from extensive bleeding caused by severe beatings.

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is just horrific to watch, even as a trauma neurosurgeon myself. I've never seen anything quite like that. You often see patients who are brought into the hospital, but you don't see that sort of just horrific beating that he took over those several minutes.

When you look at the sort of thing, there's obviously so many different injuries that he could have sustained at the time. I think one of the areas that people probably paid a lot of attention to was just all these blows he took to his head and to his face. He was restrained at one point taking fists to the face, and he was being kicked in the face when he was on the ground.

What can happen sometimes is that the brain is the one organ in the body that when it's starting to swell, it really has no place to go because it's encased by the skull. Every other organ in the body can swell a little bit more easily. Brain swelling can start to take place and one can start to lapse in and out of consciousness, as seemed to be happening with Mr. Nichols.

I watched the videos alongside medical examiners from around the country, and that was the area that they really pointed to was these blows to the head. But it's also worth noting that he's a pretty skinny guy from what we understand, and there were kicks to the body, to the torso, to the chest as well, and any of those organs may have actually sustained damage and started bleeding as well. He could have been suffering from internal bleeding at the time that all of this was happening.

And that brings us to the next point, which I think is critically important. When you look at sort of a timeline of what was happening there, it was around 8:33 or so, 8:34 when you see this last kick that he sustains and then he is handcuffed and dragged over to the car. And then it's eight minutes later before we see EMS even arrive. But it's not until around 9:02, so 20 minutes after that, 21 minutes after that, almost half an hour in total before you see a gurney arrive.

So you have al critically ill man who's lying on the sidewalk sustained all these injuries. Hard to say the extent of the injuries or even how serious they are at that point. Obviously they are serious, but what exactly is the most serious is difficult to ascertain, and it's a full half an hour before he's really assessed. You hear at various times that it's going to take a while for the ambulance to get there. And that's obviously very problematic.

He needed to be in a hospital, whether or not it would have been made a difference ultimately, that's hard to say. And we'll get more information, you know, probably over the coming few days as to exactly what caused his death. We don't have a firm cause of death yet from the county medical examiner. But watching that video, looking at that timeline, you can really get a sense of what happened to him and what happened to him in the days that followed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: All right. That analysis from CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. In an emotional interview with CNN, Tyre Nichols' mother told Don Lemon she could not bear to watch the video of her son's fatal encounter with police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROWVAUGHN WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS' MOTHER: And I know I didn't see it, but from what I hear, it's horrific, and the humanity of it all. Where was the humanity? They beat my son like a pinata. My son weighed a buck 50. He was 6'3", and he weighed a buck 50. And those men, if you combine their weights, they all -- it was over a thousand pounds, beating and beating a 150-pound person to death because that's what they did. They beat my son to death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Joining me now is Tony Romanucci, he's an attorney for Tyre Nichols' family.

Tony, thanks so much for being with us. I keep coming back to -- thank you. I keep coming back to the question that Tyre's mother was just asking there a few moments ago. Where's the humanity?

ANTONIO ROMANUCCI, ATTORNEY FOR FAMILY OF TYRE NICHOLS: Well, there clearly was none. You know, I think, Jim, after we've seen the video and I heard Dr. Gupta's analysis, and I can probably add a little bit more color to that, we did not exaggerate or overstate anything that happened on that video. And actually, the more I hear about it, the more I see it, the sadder I become because there is no humanity. It's just a gross injustice.

[16:10:03]

I've never seen anything like this in my career, and there has to be multiple lanes where this family can achieve justice, whether it's civil, criminal, legislative, there needs to be a fight for Tyre because what happened to him should never ever happen again. And we've said that too many times, but doggone it, this time it has to happen.

ACOSTA: And Tony, let's go back to Nichols' first encounter with police during this traffic stop. Let's watch the video, and we'll talk about it on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICHOLS: Damn, I didn't do anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, turn your ass around. NICHOLS: All right, all right, all right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the ground, on the ground.

NICHOLS: All right, all right, all right.

(CROSSTALK)

NICHOLS: You don't do that, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get on the fucking ground! Get on the ground! Tase your ass.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tase him, tase him!

NICHOLS: All right, I'm on the ground. I'm on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lie down. Lie down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tase you, get on the ground! Now.

NICHOLS: All right, OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tase him.

NICHOLS: OK. Stop. All right. OK. All right.

(CROSSTALK)

NICHOLS: OK, dude, dang.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn the fuck around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lie down!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your fucking behind your back. Put your hands behind your back.

NICHOLS: OK.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Knock your ass the fuck out.

NICHOLS: OK. You guys are really doing a lot right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Tony, one of the big questions is how does a traffic stop end up with this explosion of rage on the part of the officers? Have you gotten any clarity on that? ROMANUCCI: No, we don't have specific clarity, but here's what I can

weigh in on. What you're seeing is not something specific only to Tyre. This is a culture of these types of units. These saturation units, these suppression units, which I more aptly call oppression units, they are amped up, geared up officers who literally, because they're named Scorpion, they want to go in for the sting, and that's what they did.

So when Tyre became uncooperative, in their eyes, which I say he was always cooperative, indeed, he was the one who was deescalating and cooperating with them. When they felt that he was not being cooperative, it was the how dare you, and that's when everything escalated. You saw, it went from a zero to a 10 in one second. There was nothing in between.

ACOSTA: And what do you make of the comments we heard -- and it's hard to hear everything that's being said in this video, but you hear the officers speculating that Nichols must have been on something or that he was, quote, "high as a kite." What is that all about?

ROMANUCCI: I don't even want to even give it any credence whatsoever. All that is, is a false narrative. It's a justification. It's a way to defend or excuse their actions. Same thing with the reckless driving. I don't believe that he was driving recklessly at all until I actually see it. The fact that they wasn't showing hands. Well, he wasn't showing hands because he knew that he was in peril. His life was in peril in the custody of these police officers. So I look at that as all false narrative as an excuse for what they did to him.

ACOSTA: And you almost hear the officers sort of talking through their attempts to justify what they had done after the fact in the video. But, you know, the video, the part of the video that really has just really boggled my mind is that overhead camera footage that just shows Tyre Nichols lying almost like a sack of potatoes up against the vehicle, and 20 to 30 minutes go by as Dr. Sanjay Gupta was saying in that report just a few minutes ago without really kind of offering any aid or medical help to Tyre Nichols. We're showing some of that video right now. How much of that do you think contributed to his death?

ROMANUCCI: Well, we don't know the full answer to that, but I would speculate that you're going to see that the failure to render aid did play a substantial role. Had he received medical treatment before, we don't know whether or not there was a chance at saving him.

I think just as egregious, and believe me, this whole video is egregious. The fact that he was left to lay there and nobody intervened, nobody gave him any aid, I thought I saw a triage kit on the ground, and it was never even opened up, is absolutely abhorrent. I don't know where these police officers and paramedics and firefighters were trained where it's OK to leave someone who's in agony and pain and clearly in distress and not do anything for him.

ACOSTA: And to that point, we learned late yesterday that two Shelby County deputies have been placed on leave following the release of that video. What else can you tell us about that, and what about the other personnel who were on the scene? Because we were talking to some experts in our last hour who were saying, you know, what about these individuals?

[16:15:07]

What about, you know, responsibility being taken by those individuals?

ROMANUCCI: Well, I can tell you this, Jim, we had a very productive meeting, you know, with the Shelby County state's Attorney, the FBI and the Department of Justice, and they have promised and ensured us that they are going to look at everybody who was on that scene.

Now, it's my personal opinion that those other officers who are on scene, they should be -- they should at least immediately be suspended. I would not be surprised at all if they're terminated, and then I would also expect criminal charges. That's my opinion. I can't put myself in the shoes of the state's attorney and what he's going to do. But clearly they had a duty. A duty to intervene is something that is in most police policies and I'd be shocked if it wasn't in the Memphis Police Department directives or orders.

ACOSTA: And what does justice look like for the Nichols' family at this point?

ROMANUCCI: Well, you know, like we've said, there are so many multiple lanes of justice. You know, clearly one of them is the administrative lane. Getting rid of these police officers, they have to go. I think another important one is we must disband this Scorpion Unit. It being inactive right now is not enough. It needs to be disbanded. And I've called on all major chiefs throughout this country to disband any of these specialized, organized crime units because they become corrupt over time. There's whispered immunity that they can do whatever they want.

Then there's the civil side, there's the criminal, and then there's the legislative side. de. We have called for the reinstatement of the George Floyd Police Reform Bill. You heard President Biden join in that call, and we need our voices to be heard in Washington so we can have uniformed policing as opposed to piecemeal policing in this country. That's justice for Tyre Nichols.

ACOSTA: All right. Attorney Romanucci, attorney for Tyre Nichols' family, our thoughts are with the family, obviously, just a horrific set of videos that the entire country, the entire world saw last night. Please extend our thoughts to them. We appreciate your time very much. Thank you.

ROMANUCCI: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: President Biden spoke with Tyre Nichols' family. Details from that phone call and the president's reaction to the video of the attack. That's coming up next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:21:37] ACOSTA: Like many Americans across the country, President Biden says he was outraged and deeply pained to see the video showing Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols. He died from his injuries. A "Washington Post" reporter captured the moment Biden spoke with Nichols' mother and stepfather on the phone yesterday.

And in a statement, President Biden called the video yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain and the exhaustion that black and brown Americans experience every single day.

And CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz joins us now from the White House with more on this response from the president.

Arlette, once again, the president consoling a devastated family.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, time and time again, President Biden has had to offer condolences to families, whether it's those who lost loved ones to mass shootings, natural disasters, and now in this latest case in the event of police brutality. And President Biden yesterday did make that phone call to the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols where he expressed his condolences.

Now, this phone call, there was actually video of it that was captured by a "Washington Post" reporter who was in the room with the Nichols' family when the president called. It's very rare to actually get to see and hear the president when he is making these calls to the families and he tried to share his own experience with loss as he extended condolences to them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On your comment today were moving. I don't know how you do that. Rodney. I know as Tyre's dad, this is devastating.

RODNEY WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS' STEPFATHER: Yes, sir.

BIDEN: I know people -- will say that to you, but I do know. I lost my son in a war, a consequence of the war in Iraq being there a year. And I lost my daughter when a tractor-trailer broadsided and killed my wife and daughter. And I don't know how you stood there -- I didn't have the courage to do what you did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, that video, that phone call was made before the video showing the beating of Tyre Nichols was released last evening, and President Biden did release a statement about 30 minutes after the public released that video where he shared his outrage over the horrific scenes that were seen. He noted that he shares in the outrage that many people in this country are feeling at this moment.

Now throughout the course of the past few days, the president has also been urging that people engage in peaceful protests after that video was released. He had top White House officials including his Homeland Security adviser speaking with mayors from across the country to talk about the federal response and preparations for the release of this video, and in his statement, the president also talked about the way to change and prevent incidents like this from happening again is through meaningful reform.

Of course, he noted that he supported that George Floyd policing bill that really has floundered up on Capitol Hill, and the White House has so far said it is up to Congress to figure out a way to act on this. But the president has been speaking in very personal terms about this over the course of the past few days.

ACOSTA: All right, Arlette Saenz, thank you very much.

Joining me now Memphis City Council chairman Martavius Jones.

Council Chairman Martavius Jones, thank you very much for joining us. We appreciate it. I know this has been an incredibly emotional time for all of you and for you to watch those videos of Tyree Nichols. It's gut-wrenching to see him crying out for his mother. And I know you broke down at one point like so many Americans who watch this. It just rips your heart out.

[16:25:02]

How are you feeling today? How is your community doing today?

MARTAVIUS JONES, MEMPHIS CITY COUNCIL CHAIRMAN: I'm feeling much better today. I've received a lot of calls, e-mails, texts from people all over the country in support of this. You know, I have to thank my network for providing me encouragement and uplift during this tough time for my community and I hope that with that support that I'm able to lend that to the community that I love and serve.

ACOSTA: And Chairman Jones, you know, we've had almost a day now to digest these videos. They're horrific. I'm just wondering what lessons are you drawing today? What's on your mind having had some time to reflect on all of this.

JONES: So one thing I want to say, I want to give credit to our police director because she took intentional deliberate action to hold those officers accountable. I also want to give credit to our district attorney, Mr. Steve Mulroy, who's in his first year as a D.A. and by bringing charges to those individuals. So now it is my opinion that it rests with my colleagues and I from a legislative standpoint to put things in place to try to prevent things like this from happening again.

I think that the actions of those two probably help diffuse this situation because things could have been a whole lot worse if we compare this timeline to what's taking place in other parts of the country when we've had similar incidents like this. But the swift action of both of those individuals I think helped calm the concerns of the community. Now it's up to the council to act.

What I hope that we can do going forward is listen to our community because I don't have the answers for law enforcement. That's not my wheelhouse. But I'm willing to listen to the experts, listen to our community to come up with ideas to try and then legislate those ideas, put them into action to try to prevent stuff like this from happening again.

ACOSTA: And, you know, when we were speaking with the family's attorney in the last I guess half hour or so, he mentioned that this Scorpion Unit inside the Memphis Police Department should just be disbanded. That it should be gone. What is your thought on that? Would you like to see it happen? Should it be disbanded?

JONES: Yes. You know, I think with we need to have an overall review of the various units within law enforcement. There could be a place -- so if we just give it another name, but it still has the same -- and they carry out the same mandates, what have we accomplished? However, I think that we need -- and if there's a need for those type of units, they need to -- there's a vernacular, they need to stay in their lane.

This seemed like a -- what should have been a routine traffic stop, if indeed it was a routine traffic stop, turned bad, but that shouldn't be the focus of a unit like the Scorpion Unit. So we need to have that review. If it's necessary to have units like that, let's do it, but they need to have their mandates and operate within those particular guidelines because in this instance, they clearly did not.

To have a routine traffic stop to result in somebody's death is unimaginable and should not happen and I hope won't happen again here in Memphis and elsewhere.

ACOSTA: And what about accountability for some of the officers who were on the scene, the officers who were not charged in this case, paramedics who were on the scene, other first responders, and they just let Tyre Nichols lie up against that car like a sack of potatoes for 20 or 30 minutes before any kind of first aid or medical assistance was rendered. That just seems absolutely outrageous. Are you going to be demanding answers?

JONES: It is absolutely outrageous, but I want to go back to the comments of our police chief, and we thought before, America before any of us saw the video footage, those five -- and those five officers were released, many of us were probably under the impression that it was only those five officers. But after seeing the footage and in her statement she said that there are ongoing investigations and there could be potentially other officers that are held accountable for this, so I'm just going to trust the process with this, and if it doesn't play out in as timely of a manner, there will be other questions asked.

ACOSTA: And how do you think people in your community feel about the Memphis Police Department right now? I would imagine that there are a good number of people in Memphis right now who are afraid of the police officers in that community and think that they will just go over the edge during a routine traffic stop. I mean, can you blame people for having that kind of feeling in your community right now?

JONES: I surely cannot.

[16:30:00]

And you know, I think that this police department starting with the head of the police department all the way down to the recruit who's in the class right now, they have a vast responsibility to go out in this community to rebuild trust.

My colleagues and I are having in these listening tours. It's going to be incumbent upon them to be visible, to be -- to listen.

And so as much credit as I give the police director, I also am going to challenge her because one of the calls in this community between the 7th when this initially took place, the 10th when he died, there wasn't a statement released by her.

And in meetings that I've had, the question was asked, where's the chief? She's going to have to be accountable. She's going to have to face the scrutiny that the council is facing where we have limited -- we have limited duties that we can have.

But she's the one who's responsible. She's going to have to help rebuild trust in the Memphis community because that's her job right now. This is her department.

But -- and she's the head of that department. She's going to have to help rebuild the trust in the Memphis Police Department.

ACOSTA: That leads me to this question. Do you have confidence in the Memphis police chief right now?

JONES: Based upon those initial actions, I will say that -- not to rehash things. I was the lone no vote when the police director was confirmed, but I have to work with her to make this city safer.

So I'm judging her -- based upon how she's handled things so far, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

ACOSTA: All right. And, Chairman Jones, I'm learning in just the last several minutes here, the Scorpion Unit has been permanently deactivated by the Memphis Police Department. Is that going to go far enough?

JONES: But, Jim, if they come back with -- we give it a new name but they have the same tactics and there's no new training. If they're not -- If there are no new training ideas, if there are no new directives, then we're just putting lipstick on a pig.

ACOSTA: All right. Memphis city council chairman, Martavious Jones, thank you very much for your time. Our thoughts are with your community. Hope things stay safe there. We appreciate your time. Thanks so much.

JONES: Thank you. Thank you.

ACOSTA: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [16:36:28]

ACOSTA: Former President Donald Trump is expected in South Carolina this hour for a second campaign stop of the day.

Earlier, he was in New Hampshire where he assured the state's Republican Party that he's, quote, "angrier" about the state of the nation and, quote, "more committed than ever" to winning back the White House.

CNN's Gabby Orr is at the state House in Columbia where Trump will soon appear.

Gabby, what is the scene like there? And what does he mean by being more committed?

GABBY ORR, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Jim, he said that earlier today in New Hampshire, he is more angry and also more committed to this presidential campaign than ever before. And that's certainly the message that he's trying to convey here in Columbia, South Carolina.

I'm surrounded by both state legislatures and supporters of the former president who are standing behind his third presidential campaign.

There are a number of Trump advisers who, over the past several months, specifically since his launched his campaign in November, have raised questions about whether his heart is truly in it.

He has not been seen on the campaign trail until today. This is now two and a half months after he first announced his campaign last November.

So him saying that in New Hampshire, I think, was really meant to address those concerns head on.

Now, he's planning to, again, back up that message today by rolling out endorsements from a number of state legislators here in South Carolina. He also has been endorsed by the state's Republican governor, Henry McMaster.

But we are just across the hallway from the State House chamber, and there are still a number of Republicans in that chamber who have been wary to get behind Trump's third presidential campaign as they wait to see who else gets into this race.

One of those individuals is, of course, the former governor of this state, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who has, in recent days, suggested that she's interested in launching a 2024 campaign of her own.

And we just learned that Trump told reporters on his flight here to South Carolina that he had spoken with former Governor Nikki Haley in recent days as she informed him of her interest in potentially challenging him for the Republican presidential nomination.

Trump said that he told Haley to go by her heart, and he even encouraged her to proceed with a presidential campaign against him.

Of course, we will see how that plays out, if she does decide to take that step.

A lot of legislators are looking at Nikki Haley, but also South Carolina Senator Tim Scott to see if he also moves forward with a presidential campaign.

Trump also made a bit of news on that flight to South Carolina, weighing in on the body camera footage that was released on the beating of Tyre Nichols, saying he had watched it and it was terrible.

Again, the former president is currently en route to South Carolina where he will unveil his leadership team for the state and also roll out a number of endorsements.

This is really his first campaign event where he is trying to show strong support in a state that he won by 10 percentage points in 2016 -- Jim?

ACOSTA: Gabby Orr, keep us posted on any developments on your side of things.

Thank you very much.

Just into CNN, the Memphis Police Department has permanently deactivated its Scorpion Unit. The five officers involved in the death of Tyre Nichols were all from that unit.

The department has faced calls to disband this special unit. CNN has learned it has now been permanently deactivated.

[16:40:00]

We heard from the city council chairman in Memphis a few moments ago who said that move might not go far enough. He said that other reforms are going to be needed inside the Memphis Police Department.

We'll keep you posted on any developments there.

Coming up, shocking newly released video showing the violent attack on Paul Pelosi. How this impacts the case. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: A January 6th rioter has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for his part in assaulting U.S. Capitol Police that led to the death of one officer.

Julian Khater pleaded guilty to two counts of assault for blasting Brian Sicknick and several other officers with bear spray as they were defending the capitol building.

Sicknick died the following day after suffering several strokes. The medical examiner said the officer died of natural causes but told "The Washington Post" that the riot and all that transpired played a role in Sicknick's death.

[16:45:01]

We're also getting disturbing new video and audio of the October attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The video includes home surveillance footage showing suspect, David DePape, breaking into the Pelosi San Francisco home.

And there's audio of the suspect talking about what he planned to do when Pelosi, the speaker at that time, when she came home.

CNN's Camila Bernal is in San Francisco and joins me now.

Camila, there's also this very disturbing body camera video of the attack, and it is just so alarming what it shows. It shows how very close Paul Pelosi came to losing his life.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It shows the exact moment when he got hit in the head with that hammer, Jim.

And look, we knew about these details by reading documents. But it's one thing to read about it, it's another thing to hear and to see what's going on. Essentially, we're inside the Pelosi household.

And I want to show you that video but also warn you that it is graphic.

Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: What's going on, man?

DAVID DEPAPE, INTRUDER: Everything's good.

PAUL PELOSI, HUSBAND OF FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Drop the hammer.

DEPAPE: Nope.

PELOSI: Hey, hey, hey.

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: What is going on right now?

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Whoa, whoa.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Backup code 3.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: Now, right before this attack, Paul Pelosi called 911. And there's now audio of that phone conversation between Paul Pelosi and the 911 dispatcher.

David DePape also talks during that call. There's an exchange. And you can kind of see how Paul Pelosi is trying to tell that dispatcher that he is essentially in trouble or wanting help while also navigating and trying to keep David DePape calm.

Hear is part of that audio.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

DISPATCHER: San Francisco police. Do you need help?

PELOSI: Oh, well, there's a gentleman here just waiting for my wife to come back, Nancy Pelosi. He's just waiting for her to come back. She's not going to be here for days, so I guess he'll have to wait.

DISPATCHER: OK, do you need police, fire, or medical for anything?

PELOSI: I don't think so, I don't think so. There's the -- is the Capitol Police around?

DISPATCHER: No, this is San Francisco --

PELOSI: They're usually here at the house protecting my wife.

(END AUDIO FEED)

BERNAL: And after that phone call, police officers come to the house here behind me. Then that's when the attack happens.

But after all of this, police were able to interview David DePape. That's when he admitted to attacking Pelosi. That's when he talked about trying to hold them hostage.

And that's when he said he wanted to talk to Nancy Pelosi and if she didn't tell him the truth, he would essentially break her kneecaps. That's where all of this is coming from.

Again, it's now newly released audio. So it's one thing to read it, another thing to listen to all of this.

David DePape has pleaded not guilty to a number of both state and federal charges.

We know that Nancy Pelosi is now saying she doesn't want to speak about this. She does not want to watch the video.

But remember, her husband did suffer a skull fracture, so she says that it is going to take a long time for him to recover, and that he is taking it one day at a time -- Jim?

ACOSTA: All right, Camila Bernal, thank you very much.

[16:48:48]

Coming up, don't be surprised if you see ads about Jesus during the Superbowl. What CNN found when we followed the money behind the "He Gets Us" campaign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:53:25]

ACOSTA: If you're planning to watch the Superbowl in a few weeks you'll likely see a few ads about Jesus.

CNN's Tom Foreman looks into who the behind the "He Gets Us" campaign and why some are calling it a P.R. stunt for right-wing (INAUDIBLE).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a controversial figure. Everywhere he went, people challenged him.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The message is stark, arresting and backed by $100 million. That's how much organizers say is behind this campaign to market Jesus as a patient, loving, inclusive cure for our divisive times, with the tag line "He Gets Us."

Jason Vanderground:

JASON VANDERGROUND, PRESIDENT OF HAVEN: We're trying to unify the American people around the confounding love and forgiveness of Jesus.

FOREMAN: The campaign Web site is filled with phrases, saying, "Jesus called out the toxic religious and political systems, led the protests against the walls that divide us, and broke the chains that held women in bondage."

Merchandise declares Jesus was a refugee and an immigrant.

At first blush, it can all read like a stand against radical right- wing politics and related divisiveness.

But the campaign pointedly says this is not an attack on anyone. It is an outreach to young Americans, who polls show are abandoning Christianity and other faiths at a historic pace.

VANDERGROUND: A lot of times, when people look at Christianity, they see it as much more, unfortunately, hypocritical, judgmental, kind of discriminatory.

FOREMAN: Add the fact that "He Gets Us" is funded by anonymous donors acting through a Kansas nonprofit linked to staunchly conservative causes and it raises alarms for some skeptic.

[16:55:08]

Such as Chrissy Stroop, a former evangelical who now reports on religion.

CHRISSY STROOP, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, RELIGION DISPATCHES: I believe the "He Gets Us" campaign is a P.R. effort and Web site strategically developed by right-wing evangelicals to rope people in with inclusive sounding messaging.

And get them plugged into local churches that will eventually teach them that to be a Christian means to support right-wing politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Breaking news. Let's go live to Memphis where they have just deactivated a special police unit in the wake of shocking video of the officers beating Tyre Nichols. We're going to be doing that in just a few moments.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)