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Sen. Fetterman Checks Into Hospital For Clinical Depression; Grand Jury Probing 2020 GA Election Fraud: Perjury By Some Suspected; 5 Students In Critical Condition "Showing Signs Of Improvement". Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired February 16, 2023 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That was also clearly a defense of his actions and a justification in the face of some of the criticism that he's faced over the last week.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: All right, everyone, thank you.

Again, we've now heard from President Biden after more than a week of requests from politicians on both sides for the President to speak about not only the Chinese balloon that was shot down, but these three, what they describe as benign balloons that were shot down over the U.S. and Canada. Thank you.

Parts of a special grand jury's report on former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, they have now been released. And we will give you the big takeaways and new reaction from the Trump circle.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: Plus, Michigan State's president says some of the students critically injured in the attack are showing some signs of progress. We'll have more on that. Plus, what we're now learning about the shooter.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: This just into CNN. Senator John Fetterman has checked himself into the hospital for depression.

BLACKWELL: Let's go now to CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju. What are you learning about this, Manu?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. John Fetterman was not in the senate today during votes. The freshman Pennsylvania Democratic senator who suffered a stroke last year during the campaign season was out for some time, was in the hospital last week after feeling light headed. He checked himself into Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda over concerns about suffering from clinical depression. This is according to a statement from his office.

[14:35:16] His chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, released a statement saying that last night, Senator John Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression. While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks.

Now, the statement goes on to say that on Monday, Fetterman talked with the attending physician of the Capitol, Dr. Brian Monahan. Monahan recommended that he go in for inpatient care at Walter Reed. That's why he agreed to go in on a voluntary basis yesterday. Now, he said he agreed to go on a voluntary basis. It didn't say the time that he agreed to, but it did say that he did check himself in to Walter Reed Medical Center.

Now, it did say, the statement also says that after examining, John, the doctors at Walter Reed told us that John is getting the care he needs and will we soon be back to himself. Now, it has been a struggle for Fetterman as he has come to the Senate and is still recovering from that stroke. He's had a difficult time communicating with senators because of the processing issues that he's still suffering from this stroke.

I've observed many times that senators have talked to him. He's had a hard time communicating with them, and clearly a major adjustment here. But making this revelation just moments ago, saying that he will, that in fact, he has checked himself in to receive treatment for clinical depression, according to his office. So we'll see what happens when the senator returns and how long this treatment will take, how long it will take place.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, his health has been a concern throughout the campaign and even after. We wish him well. Manu Raju, please keep us posted. Thank you.

Well, the special grand jury investigating Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 race in Georgia believes crimes could have been committed. A judge released a heavily redacted report from the panel today, and excerpts show that the grand jury found that at least one witness may have committed perjury.

BLACKWELL: Seventy-five witnesses testified before the grand jury, among them, some of Trump's most loyal allies who peddled lies across multiple states that Trump's defeat was rigged. CNN's Sara Murray has been following this step, every step of the way since this all began seven months ago when the jury was seated. What more you're learning that we're getting through from this report?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, this is really just snippets of what this special grand jury concluded after their months of work. We got the introduction, we got the conclusion. And this part you guys are talking about perjury concerns. You know, they say in a part of the report that was released that a majority of the grand jurors believed that one or more witnesses may have committed perjury. They say the D.A. should seek indictments where there is compelling evidence of that. They also point out that they had unanimous agreement after hearing from 75 witnesses, after hearing from Georgia officials, poll workers, technical experts, unanimous agreement that there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election in Georgia that would have overturned the results. They also pointed out that they still heard from witnesses who were going before this special grand jury claiming that there was fraud. You know, we know, obviously, that's been a talking point of the former president and a number of his allies.

What we did not see, of course, in this release is who, if anyone, this special grand jury recommended should face criminal charges. You know, ultimately, the final decision on whether to pursue criminal charges rests with District Attorney Fani Willis there in Fulton County. She has said those decisions are imminent. She said that last month. They still haven't happened. So we'll see what imminent means.

And we are getting a statement from a Trump spokesperson today. Here's what Steven Chung had to say. The President participated in two perfect phone calls regarding election integrity in Georgia, which he is entitled to do. Between the two calls, there were many officials and attorneys on the line, including the Secretary of State of Georgia, and no one objected, even slightly protested or hung up. So, of course, they're referring back to that call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, asking Raffensperger to find the votes, as well as another official who was in the Secretary of State's office at the time.

Of course, we still don't know whether Trump is going to be free and clear or whether the D.A. is going to be pursuing indictments against him or others in his orbit. Guys?

GOLODRYGA: They're still calling it, the President's lawyer still calling it a perfect phone call. Sara Murray, thank you.

MURRAY: Yes.

BLACKWELL: All right, let's turn now to CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen. He was House Judiciary Special Counsel in Donald Trump's first impeachment trial. And Geoff Duncan, former lieutenant governor of Georgia. Gentlemen, welcome to you. Mr. Ambassador, let me start with you. I'm going to read you a line from the excerpt of this report. And let's put it up. We find by a unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning that election. You think that gives us answer to the question most people want answered about any charges, potentially for the former president? Explain.

[14:40:03]

NORM EISEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I do, Victor. That statement of no widespread fraud sufficient to overturn the election goes right to the core of what Donald Trump has been claiming happened in Georgia. It repudiates him. It also establishes a basis for bringing charges. You couldn't bring charges without this kind of a conclusion on solicitation of election fraud and other possible bases to charge Donald Trump in Georgia. And it knocks the stuffing out of his defense that, no, there were improprieties, there -- he at least reasonably believed that there were.

So I think together with other tea leaves and the fact that we were coming into this knowing that there was a mountain of evidence of possible criminality by the former president, amassed by the January 6th Committee and others, this is another nail in a coffin that was already full of them.

GOLODRYGA: Jeff, among the 75 or so witnesses, some really notable names, Lindsey Graham, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Flynn, just to name a few. Senator Graham told Manu Raju today that he is competent in his testimony and hasn't heard yet from the district attorney. I'm just curious, from your perspective, how nervous do you think some of these other names should be right now?

GEOFF DUNCAN (R-GA), FORMER LT. GOVERNOR: Well, I was one of those 75. It was a very intense room to be in. I mean, think about walking into a room with 23 jurors you've never met before, with no legal counsel, and you answer questions as long as they want to ask them. So it was a very, very intense process. And music to my ears to hear that all 23 agreed that the election there was no widespread fraud in the election and it was as spoken by myself and several others here in the state.

But, yes, certainly there are, I mean that, you know, insinuating that there was some sort of perjury during this process. I'm certain there's people out there trying to wonder, you know, did somebody step on their toes? Did they over speak what they were trying -- what points they were trying to make or, you know, trying to misdirect that 23 jurors?

BLACKWELL: Geoff, let me stick with you. Norm says that, you know, this statement of affirming there was no widespread fraud is another nail in the coffin. We heard from Sara Murray the statement from Trump lawyers, but of course, they always say that. If you were to read this document and you are on the Trump legal team, would this be enough to make you more concerned than you were before it was released?

DUNCAN: Yes, this document I read, is more of a teaser for the full movie that's going to play here at some point in the future with this whole report. I mean, it was the introduction and it was the conclusion, and certainly all of the meat is missing. But if anybody was out there spewing, you know, and think about this, there's three lanes that they were spewing all this nonsense about, right? One was the phone call that we obviously all paid attention to with Brad Raffensperger and others, then there was this continual flow of conspiracy theories that I think there's going to be some questions, tough questions to answer around that.

And, you know, in other areas out there that they're going to have to be accountable for. And thirdly, this whole fake electorate situation, which we haven't talked much about today, and how that process was started and run.

GOLODRYGA: And Norm, this grand jury's recommendations are not binding by any means. So how much of an impact do you think this is going to have on Fani Willis' decision as to whether or not she will indict? EISEN: I think it'll have a substantial impact. This is 23 grand jurors who felt so strongly about this that they wrote the report themselves. So it's the people of the American democracy speaking up in defense of the American democracy. And together with all the evidence we had before, including the tape of Donald Trump demanding that these Georgia officials find 11,780 votes that didn't exist. And those phony electoral certificates that Donald Trump was personally involved in fabricating the scheme for, I just think that it's very likely that we are going to see charges from D.A., Fani Wallis.

GOLODRYGA: Norm Eisen, Geoff Duncan, thank you.

[14:44:27]

BLACKWELL: We've received some new updates, some new details from police on the Michigan State shooter's motive, including the shooter's two-page note that contained a list of targets. We have those details for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: The five students who were injured in Monday night's shooting at Michigan State University are quote showing signs of improvement and one of them has been upgraded to stable condition. That's according to the university's interim president.

BLACKWELL: Police also revealed more details about their initial encounter with the suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. RENE GONZALEZ, MICHIGAN STATE POLICE: LPD officers received a call that subject matching that description was walking down the street and this was on Lake Lansing Road near Large Street, city of Lansing. Officers made contact, two LPD officers made contact with the shooter, approximately 20 feet from McRae. They exited their vehicle, ordered him to put his show his hands. However, he produced a weapon and then killed himself. It does appear that from the body worn camera that McRae did not verbalize anything to the officers prior to him shooting himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: CNN's Adrienne Broaddus is live in East Lansing. We learned some more details there. What else did you learn from this press conference today?

[14:50:07]

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's start on an upbeat, Victor. We did learn from the hospital in addition to the chairman of the board of trustees, that one patient no longer requires critical care. However, at least four other students are still in critical condition. And as they fight for their lives, we're learning more about that 43-year-old shooter. Investigators say they recovered two guns, and they say those guns were purchased legally, but they were not registered.

They also found a backpack the shooter was carrying. Inside, they discovered loaded magazines, eight of them. But that's not all. They found a pencil sized pouch containing what police called 50 loose rounds of ammo, as well as empty magazines. And we've been reporting about this note investigators say they discovered. Today, we learned it was two pages, it was in his wallet, and it had a list of businesses this shooter wanted to target, including a warehouse, police say, where he used to work.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Board of Trustees is not only affiliated with the college and her professional role, but her daughter is a student here and still on edge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REMA VASSAR, MSU BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR: Last night at the vigil, my daughter had not been on campus since Monday, but I convinced her to come immediately when I got on the stairs, she started to text me, I don't feel safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROADDUS: And that is the terror some students are still living with. We spoke with so many students at the vigil last night who said it was their first time returning to campus after what happened, Monday. One young lady told me on Monday night, that she said I'm being transparent with you. She said she's a recovering addict. She said she almost relapsed after what she lived through. Victor, Bianna?

BLACKWELL: There will be so many challenges for people on that campus after living through yet another mass shooting in this country. Adrienne Broaddus, thank you so much.

GOLODRYGA: Well, President Biden is undergoing a routine physical that will likely be the 80 year old's last health update before he launches an expected bid for reelection. What we're learning, that's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:56:52]

BLACKWELL: The head of the Environmental Protection Agency is speaking to families in East Palestine, Ohio today. He's trying to reassure them that the federal and local governments are doing everything possible to respond to that massive train derailment. A chemical odor lingers days after the derailment, and officials estimate thousands of fish were killed by contamination washing down streams and rivers, fueling residents' concerns about water and air safety.

GOLODRYGA: EPA head Michael Regan says all of the air testing has come back clean and the municipal well waters are safe to drink. He even said he'd let his own children drink the water there as long as it had been tested.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL REGAN, EPA ADMINISTRATOR: We are absolutely going to hold Norfolk Southern accountable, and I can promise you that. From the very beginning, EPA personnel have been on site supporting local and state partners as they've led emergency response efforts. We've had boots on the ground leading robust air quality testing, including the advanced technological aspect plane and a mobile analytical laboratory in and around East Palestine.

Since the fire went out, EPA air monitoring has not detected any levels of health concern in the community that are attributed to the train derailment. EPA has assisted with the screening of more than 480 homes under the voluntary screening program offered to residents, and no detections of vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride were identified. And we're continuing to make those screenings available to any resident that wants to have their indoor air tested. We're also continuing to conduct 24/7 air monitoring to ensure the health and safety of all residents.

As it relates to water, EPA is supporting Ohio and the local government in determining what impacts the spill has had on surface and groundwater and ensuring that the derailment has not had an effect on drinking water supplies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: President Biden is back at the White House after a routine physical this morning. This is the last scheduled health check for Biden, the oldest president in American history before a possible bid for reelection.

GOLODRYGA: CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now. So, Elizabeth, the White House said some results will be released. So when could we see them?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Bianna, the President's physician says or sorry, the White House says that the President's physician will be releasing a comprehensive report sometime this afternoon. Let's take a look at what we learned from the President's last physical, which was in 2021. The physician, his physician talked about how President Biden had throat clearing. He was often clearing his throat, possibly due to reflux that he had gait issues, issues with his walk in part, he said, due to arthritis. Also a pre-cancerous lesion was removed during a colonoscopy.

Now, you might remember back in 2020, then President Trump said that he had taken a cognitive test, a cognitive assessment. Now, physicians do sometimes at annual visit for an older person do some kind of an assessment to detect any cognitive impairment. We will find out if this is mentioned in the report that's supposed to come out later this afternoon if President Biden had that.

[15:00:15]

Now, I want to take advantage of the President's physical to talk about colon cancer screening since we know that he had it back in 2021. Let's take a look at what when all of us are supposed to be getting screened for colon cancer. Younger than 45, start, if you're younger than 45, if you have a family history of colon cancer, Crohn's disease, et cetera, start at 45 to 76 for most people get screened with a colonoscopy or there are other tests as well. Ages 76 to 85, talk about whether you should be getting screened. Bianna, Victor?

GOLODRYGA: All right, all right, some good advice and guidance. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.