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GOP-Led House Committee Holds Hearing on Alleged Weaponization of Federal Government; Legendary Composer, Songwriter Burt Bacharach Dies at 94; Some GOP-Led States Trying to Restrict or Ban Drag Shows. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired February 09, 2023 - 10:30   ET

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

M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Going into 2024 as they try to continue drawing that contrast between Democrats and Republicans, guys.

[10:30:05]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: M.J. Lee, thanks so much.

Just over a, hour from now, a House judiciary subcommittee will its hold its first hearing on what Republicans claim as the weaponization, that's the word they're using for this committee, of the federal government.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Chairman Jim Jordan claims a group of biased FBI employees have been abusing their power to support Democrats and in turn to demonize Republicans. Jordan claims a retired FBI official was a key player in this so-called deep state plot.

CNN's Sara Murray joining us now. So, Republicans are really pushing this narrative. It's been very popular among conservatives. What are we learning at the hearings?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. This is a popular narrative with conservatives and, frankly, Jim Jordan who has really made it his mission in this Congress to investigate what he says is alleged political bias at the Justice Department, at the FBI. He has provided pretty scant evidence to back this up so far.

But in this subcommittee hearing today, we are going to hear from Senator Chuck Grassley, Senator Ron Johnson, two senators who have previously looked into this issue. We're also going to hear from ex- Congresswoman, ex-Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, as well as a couple of former FBI agents, as the Republicans try to make their case.

But, again, the issue here is actually providing some evidence to bolster these bombastic claims. And this was a problem that we saw for Republicans yesterday in a House Oversight Committee that focused on Twitter and focused on the temporary suppression of the story about Hunter Biden's laptop ahead of the 2020 election. Republicans had a lot of big claims in that hearing, essentially insisting that Twitter did the work of the FBI, it was a subsidiary of the FBI, and that just wasn't backed up by the witness testimony. Take a listen to what a couple of the former executives from Twitter had to say in yesterday's hearing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOEL ROTH, FORMER TWITTER HEAD OF TRUST AND SAFETY: I believe that Twitter erred in this case because we wanted to avoid repeating the mistakes 2016.

JAMES BAKER, FORMER TWITTER DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL: I am aware of no unlawful collusion with or direction from government agency or political campaign on how Twitter should have handled the Hunter Biden laptop situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MURRAY: So, you heard these former Twitter executives yesterday essentially saying, we may have had a lapse in judgment because we are trying to police our platform better than we did in 2016, but they insisted that they were not doing this at the direction of the FBI. We heard from James Baker saying he didn't recall speaking to the FBI about this issue.

And we also heard some pretty fulsome pushback from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee yesterday. We are going to hear that same kind of fulsome pushback from Democrats on this so-called weaponization subcommittee today. They don't even agree with the premise that there is this weaponization of the federal government. So, they are really preparing to dispute essentially anything Republicans have to throw in their way today. Guys?

HILL: They're just going to keep you busy up there, Sara Murray, that's for sure. I appreciate it. Thank you.

Overnight, a T.V. reporter spent several hours in jail. He was arrested while covering the Ohio governor's news conference.

So, let's walk you through what happened here. Evan Lambert works for NewsNation. He was doing report, you see him here, a live report about the toxic chemicals that came from that derailed train in East Palestine. We've been covering that throughout the week for you. Well, Lambert spoke quietly. He was, as you can see here, away from the podium. Suddenly, though, his report was interrupted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVAN LAMBERT, NEWSNATION REPORTER: We are actually being told that we need to stop broadcasting, because this news conference is behind us, and we are in the command center. So, as we listened back there and I listen here, you will learn the latest. Nicole?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: So, this is the view from behind, from Station WKYC. We will have that video in a moment. You can see there members of law enforcement speaking with Lambert, by our count, it looks like six are surrounding him or nearby. Just moments later he is on the ground. This is remarkable, there you go, and cuffed for trespassing and disorderly conduct, rolled over, lifted up, escorted out of the building, later put in the back of a police car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAMBERT: It is literally my job to be there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you arresting Evan? He is a national correspondent with NewsNation. He has been here on the ground all week covering the story. What is the problem?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you want to say to people watching this?

LAMBERT: It is tough to do your job in America in 2023, but we will keep doing it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: It sounded like it is tough to do your job in America in 2023, but we will keep doing it.

So, Lambert actually walked out of the jail in the 10:00 P.M. hour last night, headed straight to the camera where he picked up his reporting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAMBERT: I'll just say this. I am just trying to do my job, as I am continuing to do right now. And that is what it is all about, protecting the First Amendment and democracy and trying to help people get information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Over and over, you hear him there, he just wants to do his job.

Governor Mike DeWine, for his part, weighing in, his office says the governor did not request that the reporter stop his broadcast and says he didn't know that the request was made by police.

[10:35:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): That person had a right to be reporting. They should have been allowed to report. If they were, in any way, hampered from reporting, that certainly is wrong, and it is not a thing that I approve. In fact, I vehemently disapprove of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: I mean, I have seen scenes like that not in this country, I see them China, I see them in Russia.

As for the train derailment itself, people living in the evacuation zone were allowed to return home last night. The threat, it seems to have dissipated. HILL: Yes. Important to note, that is what we do, and oftentimes we are at a press conference and we are in the back and we are very respectful of what's happening, but we're also there to tell the story.

SCIUTTO: You keep your voice down, you do your job. You don't have to be thrown on the floor and handcuffed and taken to jail.

HILL: Certainly not. We do have some sad news to report that just came into us here at CNN. Burt Bacharach, singer, musician, beloved songwriter for generations, has passed away. We'll have a look at his life and his legacy, next.

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[10:40:00]

HILL: One of the most prolific composers, songwriters in music history, frankly, has died, Burt Bacharach.

SCIUTTO: I mean, the list of songs is crazy with his jazz influences and catchy melodies, I mean, they stick in your head years, decades later. He was songwriter, I mean, just behind dozens of pop hits from the '50s and '80s. Here is our Stephanie Elam.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Legendary Tunesmith Burt Bacharach was one of the 20th century's most accomplished composers. His music spanned generations, providing signature hits for acts like The Carpenters, Dusty Springfield, Luther Vandross, Tom Jones and Dionne Warwick.

Bacharach collaborated with other songwriters, including Carole Bayer Sager, the third of his four wives. His second wife was Actress Angie Dickinson. Their high-profile marriage lasted 15 years.

Bacharach was born on May 12th, 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri. As a young man, he won a scholarship to the Music Academy of the West and had a short stent in the Army before becoming the music director for Actress Marlene Dietrich, a prophetic sign for his career where music and movies would intertwine.

Bacharach won an Oscar for Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head, the theme song for Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid and another for the movie score. He took home is third Oscar for the theme song from the film, Arthur. He also won six Grammys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Burt Bacharach and Mr. Elvis Costello.

ELAM: Bacharach's career experienced a resurgence in the late '90s. His music, as heard in the Austin Powers movies, and My Best Friend's Wedding, and he teamed up with artists like R&B Crooner Ron Isley.

He also paired with British Rocker Elvis Costello on a song for the film Grace of My Heart.

In 2012, President Obama paid tribute to the songwriting duo, Bacharach and Hal David, with the nation's highest award for popular music, the Gershwin Prize.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: What began as an occasional collaboration in the late '50s quickly became a partnership that produced dozens of top 40 hits. Burt and Hal have never been limited to one genre or even one generation.

ELAM: Some criticized Bacharach's music easy listening. He did not seem to mind.

BURT BACHARACH, SONGWRITER: There was a cartoon once that I saw was sent to me, three guys waiting for the elevators. One elevator was listed Manzini (ph), the other was Manilow and the other was Bacharach. So, I though that's very flattering.

ELAM: Bacharach said his songs came from what moved him, and it was his music that over decades moved so many.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: And I know easy listening gets a bad wrap, Erica, but, I mean, when you look at the list of song, some the catchiest, the best ones, I mean, you can sing them, right, Say a Little Prayer, Walk on By, What the World Needs Now and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. I mean, as I looked through the list, I was like I didn't even know some of these were hits.

HILL: I didn't either, but you immediately started singing all of them, unfortunately, for the crew here in New York.

Burt Bacharach was 94 years old.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:00]

HILL: Right now, nearly a dozen states have proposed legislation that would either limit or ban drag show performances in front of children. Now, these efforts range from prohibiting minors to attending a drag event or show, to requiring bars or restaurants that host them to register as sexually-oriented businesses, even in some cases going so far as to propose charging parents who choose to bring their children to a drag story hour.

In Tennessee, where the proposed legislation would prohibit performances on public property, a former Republican state senator tells CNN the bill isn't anti-drag, in his view, but pro-child, and likens it to laws that keep kids out of strip clubs.

The shows and drag performers have become a new target in the culture wars, and the reaction has taken many by surprise. A Connecticut church recently hosted a drag bingo event. It was a fundraiser for an upcoming youth mission. The backlash shocked the pastor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:50:00]

REV. TODD VETTER, SENIOR MINISTER, FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF MADISON: While it is not our intention to make any kind of political statement, this even is certainly in keeping with our commitment to being an open and affirming church, to seek understanding and love and not the join our voices to the chorus of fear that seems to animate so much of the negative response to this event.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: I am joined now by Reverend Todd Vetter from the First Congregational Church in Madison, Connecticut, and , and also, Jonathan Hamilt, he is executive director of Drag Queen Story Hour. I appreciate both of you gentlemen joining us this morning.

Jonathan, I want to start with you. As you look at this, and you have been such an important part of these events, what do you think it is about the drag performers, about these events, that have made them such a focus? Why do you think people are so threatened?

JONATHAN HAMILT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DRAG STORY HOUR: Yes, thank you so much for having me today. You know, drag is (INAUDIBLE) form and I think its roots in the queer community is where the upset is. If drag was something else, pantomime, clown, I don't think people would not have an issue, but I think that it stems from homophobia and transphobia, yes. And this is nothing new. We have seen this for years.

HILL: In addressing your congregation a few weeks, Reverend Vetter, you said, in your 20 years of ministry, you had never experienced such hater or venomous language from people claiming to be Christians. What were people specifically so upset about when it came to this bingo event?

VETTER: Erica, it was hard to really get a clear sense, because very few of the responses we got, the negative responses we got, were really reasoned, right? It was really just this sort of explosion of passion and emotion and feeling, I think for reasons that I think that are unique to every individual, there's just a deep threat inherent here. Jonathan's comments are well taken. I think it is -- my sense is that people are using drag performance and the drag community as scapegoats.

HILL: Do you think, Jonathan, people actually understand what happens at some of the events? I mean, for people who have never been to a drag story hour, what is that event like?

HAMILT: Yes. I mean, Drag Story Hour is exactly what it sounds like. It is drag storytellers that read children's books in libraries or schools. We sing children songs and we do an arts and crafts activity. It's like any other story time, story hour you've been to but maybe someone a little more fabulous who is reading. HILL: Maybe a little more fabulous. I like we could all use a little more fabulous, I think, in our lives.

Reverend, as I understand it, the event ultimately was standing room only. And, again, this was a fundraiser for one of your youth groups for a mission trip to Appalachia, where, as I understand it, will be helping to rebuild homes. Maybe the bingo event itself was not initially part of the lesson, but I imagine it's become part of a really important lesson not only for your congregation but for the community as well, Reverend?

VETTER: Yes. And I do want to say that the positive response and the generosity of response that we enjoyed with this event was extraordinary. It is unlike anything that I have ever experienced. The number of people that we had to turn away because we simply reached capacity was probably about 150 or 200, and their generosity, right, their patience or forbearance, their generosity was extraordinary.

So, I do think that the overall experience was extremely positive. It was an affirmation of who we are as a church, how we think about the commandment to love our neighbor, and I think it -- whatever lessons the community has taken away from this has been, I think, positive, but it's been a great affirmation for us about who we are and who we are called to be.

HILL: And it is certainly an important motivation for conversation.

Jonathan, conversation seems to be lacking a lot these days, which is what we are striving to do with this conversation this morning. I find it interesting that parental choices really become a rallying cry in a number of circles in this country, and those seem to be some of the same voices, Jonathan, that are pushing forward this legislation, which in some states would actually charge parents who bring their kids to a drag story hour or require them to take parenting classes.

How do you square those two? How do you try to make sense of this moment?

HAMILT: You know, it is interesting, drag is an art form, and like any art form, it can be tailor-made to any age or specific group of people. But our organization is a children's literacy nonprofit where we read books to instill inclusivity, equity and inclusion. And it is just interesting that people that are so, you know, pro-parental rights are actually stopping a lot of parents from attending our totally optional story hour.

[10:55:02]

We are here to bridge communities together, and we have had lots of events in around New York and around the world. And as a survivor of conversion therapy, I think it is important that we bridge these communities where other queer people have been hurt by Christianity. So, kind of bridging those gaps and bringing people back to spirituality and connecting these intersections is really important. So, yes. HILL: Jonathan Hamilt, Reverend Todd Vetter, I really appreciate you both joining us with your insight today. And I would also encourage folks to take a look at your message from last month, Reverend Vetter, in response to some of the response that you received. Thank you both for being with us today. I appreciate it.

VETTER: Thank you, Erica. Thanks, Jonathan, very much.

HILL: And thanks to all of for joining us today. I'm Erica Hill.

SCIUTTO: I am so glad you did that interview. That was great. I'm Jim Sciutto.

At This Hour -- it was fun -- with Kate Bolduan starts right after a quick break.

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