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Trump Faces 37 Criminal Counts In Detailed Indictment; Indictment: Trump Suggested Attorneys Falsely Told DOJ They Had No Docs After 2022 Subpoena; Fighting Intensifies In South And Eastern Ukraine; Trump Expected In Federal Court In Miami On Tuesday; Colorado Widow Accuses Police Of Slow Response; CNN Op-Ed: PGA-LIV Merger "Sportswashing On Steroids"; Joran van der Sloot Face Wire Fraud & Extortion Charges In Natalee Holloway's Disappearance Case. Aired 12- 1p ET

Aired June 10, 2023 - 12:00   ET

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

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The only anxious one here was the one without a leg to stand on. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

[12:00:13]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. Right now, former President Donald Trump is hitting the road, preparing to speak publicly for the first time since the justice department unsealed its historic indictment against him.

Trump traveling to Georgia and North Carolina today, speaking at GOP conventions in those states, as he continues his campaign for another term in the White House.

And it comes just a day after the justice department presented stunning new details in its case against him.

37 charges in all, including 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information.

Special Counsel Jack Smith, alleging the former president took classified materials to his Mar-a-Lago home, and then, resisted government attempts to get them back.

We're also seeing new never-before-seen photos of the many boxes stored at Trump's residence.

The DOJ says some of the documents inside held some of our nation's most sensitive secrets. CNN's Kara Scannell is in Miami ahead of Tuesday's court appearance.

Trump is now the first former president ever charged with crimes in federal court.

Kara, so, how serious are these charges against him?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, as you mentioned, there are 37 criminal charges against the former president, and they all carry very stiff sentences if he is convicted of them.

Of those 31 counts of retaining national defense documents, they each carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, some of these other counts related to obstruction carry sentences of as much as 20 years in prison.

Now, under the federal guidelines, they don't usually sentence to that maximum, but it does underscore just how serious these charges are.

And when you see multiple charges of multiple crimes, that is something that a judge would consider if Trump is ultimately convicted in that sentencing, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Kara, how did we even get to this point? I think people probably lost track of, you know, just the sequence of events. Walk us through it all.

SCANNELL: Yes, I mean, remember, when the former president left office and Joe Biden was sworn in, he went to Mar-a-Lago, his home here in Florida. And that's what prosecutors say he brought these documents with him.

Now, it eventually came to prosecutors' attention from the National Archives that Trump did not return all of his presidential records. And they became concerned that he actually has these classified documents.

So, the criminal investigation really got underway just last year. It was on May 11th of 2022. That DOJ had subpoenaed Trump for documents, including classified records.

Now, from here, it's over the next three weeks that prosecutors allege a lot of the obstructionist conduct took place. And what they put in this indictment as they say that just about 10 or 11 days after Trump has subpoenaed, one of his aides. Walt Nauta, who is also charged in this indictment, removed the first box from the storage room at Mar-a- Lago.

The next day Trump tells his attorney who is discussing this subpoena with wouldn't be better off if we just told them we don't have anything here.

And it was then that Trump delayed his trip to Bedminster, New Jersey, his course there were usually retreats for the summer, but he decided he wanted to stay behind.

According to prosecutors, the next day, Walt Nauta removed three more boxes from the storage room. And then, on May 30th, Nauta and Trump speak again. It was that day that Nauta removed 50 boxes. The following day, he removed an additional 11 boxes.

Prosecutors say, in total, he removed more than 64 boxes from the storage area.

And then, it was on June 2nd, that was the deadline. That was the timeline that Trump was working within, because that's when his attorney said he needed to review the materials in these boxes.

So, his attorney looked at 30 boxes that were held in the storage room, and then found that there were 38 documents responsive to that subpoena.

So, that's about 38 documents that have the classified information or markings on them.

And what prosecutors say from there, Trump tells his attorney if there is anything really bad in there, pluck it out.

Now, the following day is when the Department of Justice and FBI agents went to Mar-a-Lago. They met with Trump's attorney who handed over these documents. And that same day, a different attorney who was not involved in this search, font sign the certification, saying that they had complied with this. And that -- also that same day that Trump came into that meeting with the prosecutors and the FBI and told them that he was an open book.

Of course, we know that prosecutors did not think that he was. They eventually obtained new evidence. And then, just in August of last year, the FBI executed that search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, they ultimately found hundreds of more documents with these classified markings, Fred.

And that ultimately brings us to where we were this week with the former president being indicted and the prosecutors explaining in this 40-plus page indictment with those photos that you see, and these text messages just exactly how we got to where we are today. Fred?

[12:05:02]

WHITFIELD: Yes, pretty extraordinary. Kara Scannell, there in Miami. Thank you so much.

All right. For more now, I want to bring in a former counsel to the assistant attorney general for national security, Jamil Jaffer.

Jamil, Great to see you.

So, I mean, this indictment goes into stunning details about these documents alleging that some were classified, containing information on the U.S. defense. Vulnerabilities, nuclear capabilities, and it says that Trump showed classified documents to others, on at least two other occasions.

So, when you hear all of this as someone who works in national security, I mean, what are the thoughts that came to mind for you?

JAMIL JAFFER, FOUNDER, NATIONAL SECURITY INSTITUTE: I mean, Fredricka, look, it's pretty bad. I mean, we're talking about at least nearly a dozen documents that these 100 documents that they found after the fact that were marked with what's called Sensitive Compartmented Information.

Another eight documents marked what are called Special Access Programs. These are literally, those Special Access Programs, the most sensitive government information that we have.

There obtained through very sensitive collection, sensitive human sources, and the like.

So, the idea that the president retained these documents continue to have them as possession, and then, at least on two occasions, as alleged in the indictment, may have shown them to other individuals who he knew didn't have security clearances.

And that, at least, based on the transcripts they have, indicates that he knew they remained classified. So, his whole claim that he had declassified them by thinking about it, one, (INAUDIBLE) Fredricka, something you cannot actually do is just not accurate at all.

WHITFIELD: Right. So, it all sounds like the indefensible. Well, and we know that two of his attorneys are no longer -- I mean, as in within the last 48 hours.

So, what is his defense going to be? I mean, that match with these extraordinary pictures. When you see -- I mean, it seems like everybody would know.

You wouldn't have documents of this level of importance on a stage in a ballroom in your home, if you happen to have one of those. Or even in the bathroom at the shower. So, what can his defense be? What is it going to have to be?

JAFFER: You know, his defense? Yes, his defense has got to be something like, look, I'm the president of the United States, I can take these documents with me if I want to. They're automatically declassified the moment I walk out the door, and they're mine and I can keep them.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: He's tried that.

JAFFER: The problem with that argument, Fredricka, is that none of those are true. Right?

WHITFIELD: Right.

JAFFER: He can't declassify them by thinking about them. He can't just take government documents without, without, without, you know, making it clear that he intends to. And when asked for them, he has to return them. That's a violation of the law. And unfortunately, it looks like, for him, he's going to have an uphill battle against the federal prosecutors for bringing these claims.

Of course, Fredricka, the challenges, this is a politically prosecution because President Biden, who the attorney general works for, and who the special prosecutor works for, running for reelection, just like former President Trump. That's the hard part about this entire prosecution.

WHITFIELD: So, Trump isn't the only one mentioned in this indictment. And, by the way, it's what a speaking indictment, which is very powerful, too, because it's not just here's the litany of charges. But this is how he got to this point. And that in company with the pictures that we've now seen. It really tells a story.

So, Trump's aide, Walt Nauta, is also now facing charges. And apparently, right? Nauta provided some of the photographs in a two, prosecutors.

I mean, so, you know, provided some of the evidence already.

So, given that he's facing charges along with Trump, are you seeing a likelihood of not a flipping, trying to strike a deal with prosecutors just say, I've already provided you these photographs, maybe I can give you a little bit more information too, so that I don't, or am not facing jail time?

JAFFER: Well, you know, it's a pretty common tactic amongst prosecutors to try and get some of the lower-level guys and get them to flip on the people higher up the chain.

In this case, Walt Nauta heavily involved. And what the government alleges was a conspiracy to withhold these documents, a conspiracy to obstruct justice, by keeping these documents not just away from the FBI and the government, but away from Trump's own lawyer, who was going to do the search to actually move these boxes, if you -- if the -- if the indictment has proven true, to another place that the lawyer himself couldn't identify these documents.

And so, Nauta has a lot of exposure, a lot of the charges brought against him, as Kara laid out. Some of them do carry those higher penalties up to 20 years in jail. So, he may very well plead, and if he does, then, his cooperations going to be required. That could go very poorly for the president, if he says, look, the president directed me to do this in an effort to prevent the government from getting his documents. That's obstruction straight up. If Walt Nauta says that, the president is in a lot of trouble.

WHITFIELD: So, then, talk to me too about this whole puncturing of attorney-client privilege. Because some of Trump's attorneys provided information that also brought prosecutors to this point, if not for their cooperation and revealing of information that Trump, perhaps, thought was only between them. Some of these charges may not have come to fruition?

JAFFER: Yes, that's exactly right, Fredricka. The challenge for the president is the attorney client-privilege has an exception to it. It's called the crime-fraud exception.

[12:10:03]

You can't engage in a conversation with your lawyer and expect to be protected if you're trying to effectuate a crime.

In this case, some of the things the president said to his attorneys as recounted in his attorneys' own notes, go to this very question of obstruction of justice. He says, what if we didn't have the documents? What if we told them we didn't have the documents? What if the documents disappeared? What if you pluck them out? Right? And so, those kinds of things, Fredricka are the -- are sort of the classic crime fraud exception to the attorney and client privilege.

So, the president won't be able to hide behind that shield either. That's another challenge he faces in this prosecution.

WHITFIELD: Wow. OK. So, special counsel Jack Smith says he is, you know, wants a speedy trial. Realistically, you know, talk to us about how possible that is, you've got the, you know, lower Manhattan case, you know, trial -- March, you now have this DOJ. And then, there are -- there were still or there are, you know, other cases remaining, including the Georgia cases.

JAFFER: Well, you know, obviously, look, the president is going to try to make the claim that this case, along with the other cases potentially being brought against him are part of a large effort by the government to come after him and use the tools of governance come after him.

We've already seen that claim that he's made and that people around him have made. But the real challenge for the prosecution is, he's going to file motion after motion to get the case delayed and try to stall as long as possible.

And frankly, there may be some merit to the idea that this case should wait until after the election takes place. Because, again, the attorney general, for whom a special prosecutor works, works for the president. President running for reelection, Donald Trump running for reelection. That's a real challenge. And a Court may be inclined to delay the case.

Normally, a defendant wants a speedy trial, because they want to get the case resolved, because they're being held in custody. And so, in this case, actually, the defendant probably, in this case, President Trump, wants to delay as long as possible. He may have a lot of successful effort there.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jamil Jaffer, thanks so much. Very fascinating. Appreciate it.

All right. Coming up, is accusations continue over who was responsible for the devastating dam collapse in Ukraine? The death toll is on the rise. We'll take you to Kyiv for an update, next.

And later, former President Donald Trump do in a Miami court on Tuesday. What voters in South Florida are saying about this historic indictment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:16:26]

WHITFIELD: Ukraine says the death toll from that catastrophic dam collapse days ago has grown to at least five people with 13 still missing.

The Monday breach of the dam caused massive flooding that force more than 2,600 people to be evacuated. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of sabotaging the dam. And now, humanitarian workers are growing concern that the flooding could cause outbreaks of waterborne illnesses.

And it comes as fighting is intensifying along Ukraine's front lines.

CNN's Sam Kiley is watching the developments.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, there have been some significant inroads made by the Ukrainians in a push southeast of the city of Bakhmut, building on momentum that they generated a few days ago.

Then, they were saying they were able to gain about 3-1/2 kilometers. They're saying a similar amount has been gained this time. This is the most significant advance that they've had in that Eastern front.

But it's not necessarily part of any counter offensive, really as part of what's described as the ebb and flow of the very bloody fighting that has been ongoing in the East there for more than a year now, Fredricka.

But in the southeast of the town of Zaporizhzhia, along the line that runs many hundreds of kilometers all the way to the Russian-held city of Donetsk.

They have also been significant increase in Ukrainian activity with company size, probing attacks by units of 100 or more men using artillery, using Bradley Fighting Vehicles supplied by the United States. MRAPs, those wheeled armored vehicles, some of them are taking casualties.

We've had independent confirmation from fighters on the ground that the Ukrainians have indeed inevitably taken casualties. Because this is a very heavily fortified frontline where the Russians have been expecting the Ukrainians to push because they know and the Ukrainians want ultimate success will be when they managed to get south towards Crimea, and indeed, to recapture Crimea, which was taken by the first part of the Russian invasion back in 2014. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Sam Kiley, in Ukraine. Thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, Similar to Donald Trump's New York court appearance back in March, authorities in South Florida are working on a security plan for his expected arraignment next week.

We'll talk about that with a former member of the Secret Service, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:23:07]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back.

A security is being ramped up in Miami ahead of former President Trump's court appearance on Tuesday.

CNN is Randi Kaye is there for us. Randi, what can you tell us about the logistics the preparations for Trump's arrival to federal court?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a lot to try and protect here. That is for sure, including the former president.

Now, it's unclear, of course, where Donald Trump will be staying on Monday night, which one of his properties. But, whichever one it is, and however, he makes his way here to the federal courthouse in Miami, I understand from speaking with some law enforcement contacts that they will likely have some sort of exclusive route for Donald Trump and his motorcade and his entourage, probably close some roads as well, just to make sure he can get here without any incident.

Also, as far as the court goes, they are planning to have some type of perimeter set up to keep, obviously, the media in place, but also any of his supporters. And also, of course, the protesters who would be showing up here against the former president.

They have also had this coordinated effort between Secret Service, whose main goal is to make sure to protect Donald Trump, but also Miami Police.

They will be in charge of the road closures and any type of detours that have to be set up here around the courthouse and around town. There's also the FBI involved and the U.S. Marshals.

And they've already done, Fred, a threat assessment of the area here. And of the courthouse, they haven't found any credible threats to be concerned about.

They're also looking through social media making sure that there isn't any actionable intelligence out there that they want to take any action on.

And also, of course, for they're looking for something that is really key. They're looking for any type of call to action or something that would resemble a call to action because they don't want to have anything like a January 6th event here in Miami.

And when the former president does show up here at the courthouse, it -- there is a lot of belief that he will probably not come through the front door, even though his supporters would like that probably.

[12:25:06]

But he will probably end up going through some type of side door or back door, and then tunneling under the courthouse to that courtroom where he will make his appearance for that arraignment.

They don't expect him to come through the front door from what I understand from law enforcement. They really wanted to limit his exposure to the people who are here outside the Court. Fred?

WHITFIELD: And then, Randi, you have spoken to people there in South Florida. What are they saying about all of this?

KAYE: Yes. We wanted to talk to some voters, especially after the indictment was unsealed. We wanted to see what they thought of it, what they think of what the former president allegedly did. And we really got mixed opinions.

A lot of people wouldn't go on camera. They don't want to talk about it. One woman was said it was time to open the champagne. She was celebrating the indictment, but she did not want to speak to us on camera.

Those who did speak to us on camera, really were pretty split on how they felt about the former president and the details in the indictment.

And these were people some who voted for Donald Trump and others who did not. We spoke to Democrats, Independents and Republicans, and here's just a sampling of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No matter what happens to Donald Trump, I think it's all fixed from the other side. How was that? Like I --

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: So, you think it's political.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, gosh, yes. And I think it's one sided. One sided, political, everything towards him and they're going to do whatever they can to get rid of him.

KAYE: What do you think about Donald Trump being indicted and the documents case?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's long overdue.

KAYE: Why is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's obvious from what I read that those documents were mishandled. I think some of them are missing and I'm very concerned about where they are and who may have access to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And Fred, I also spoke with his supporters at Mar-a-Lago over the last couple of days. And they told me they are planning to have a huge presence here at the courthouse on Tuesday.

And then from here, they plan to caravan back to Mar-a-Lago to have a rally and presence there as well.

So, it's going to be very interesting to see what kind of crowd shows up here on Tuesday. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Very interesting, indeed. All right, Randi Kaye there in Miami. Thanks so much.

Let's talk now about the security and precautions that might be underway from the perspective of Jonathan Wackrow. He is a former secret service agent and CNN law enforcement analyst. Great to see you.

So, what can you tell us about the behind scene -- the scenes preparations and concerns there at the courthouse?

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT WACKROW: Well, good afternoon, Fred.

You know, Randi just highlighted some things that are really important in the reporting here that there are a lot of specifics about the former president's travel that we just don't know, at this time.

Is he going to come from New Jersey? Is he going to stay overnight in Mar-a-Lago the night before? We just don't know. But all of those specifics actually do have an impact on the security planning.

So, what we do know and what CNN has been reporting is that there are no current credible or actionable threats that have been identified by law enforcement.

And what we have to look at is, in the intro, the arrest of the former president in New York City actually set the model for how law enforcement is preparing for this really unprecedented, you know, federal arrest now, at the Ferguson courthouse in Miami later on this week.

Law enforcement is taking nothing to chance, however, right?

We already have heard that. We've heard about the coordination between multiple law enforcement entities, both at the federal, state, and local level, and how they're engaging with each other.

Our -- while all these entities are working together in unison into a common goal of ensuring that the event goes off without incident, they all have individual roles and responsibilities that are very unique. And that typically, we don't see in terms of security planning.

Typically, we see everyone working together in, you know, cross coordination here between federal, state, and local officials. We definitely see different roles, and each role is critical.

WHITFIELD: OK. And so, what does it mean that the Secret Service said it will not seek any special accommodations for Trump's court appearance there at the Ferguson federal courthouse in Miami? Does it mean that they will, you know, cancel all other proceedings in that courthouse, and it will be you know, Donald Trump, and only his team of people, and prosecutors, and that's it? And so, there are no other precautions that have to be made out of the ordinary? WACKROW: Well, you know, no. Yes, that's a really great question. Because typically, Fred, we see the Secret Service as the coordinating entity, the one that establishes the security plan, not only for a site, but also for the region working with their law enforcement partners.

Here, the Secret Service is not in that role, and that's by design. The Secret Service role in this case is actually to focus primarily on the former president.

They are not coordinating the actions of the U.S. Marshals; they're not coordinating the actions of the Miami Police Department.

[12:30:01]

Donald Trump is a unique individual on this day. He is a defendant in a federal case, but also a protectee of the U.S. federal government.

So the Secret Service is focusing on the latter him as a protectee. And, you know, their role isn't without challenges on that day. Even though they're just focused on the former president, you know, there are different variables that come into play. If he decides to stay at Mar-a-Lago, they have a, you know, almost a 70 miles motorcade route from his residence to the courthouse that, you know, goes through multiple jurisdictions. And it increases the vulnerabilities that face the former president.

And we can anticipate that motorcade route will be, you know, highly monitored by news organizations with helicopter. We saw that in New York. All of which complicates their role. The role of the U.S. Marshals, however, is also critical in this. They're actually protecting the physical building at the Ferguson Courthouse.

And in addition to protection of the courthouse, the physical asset, they're also charged with the protection of the federal process. And by that, they're protecting the judges and different court officers, ensuring that they are not impacted and can engage in their activity later on this week. So they play a different role, but the significant burden in the security planning falls upon the Miami Police Department.

They're charged with everything that's outside of that courthouse on the day. And we just heard from Randy's reporting that we're going to have a lot of protests, counter protests, supporters and detractors from the former president. The job of the Miami Police Department is to maintain civil order around that courthouse in the sites that, you know, where incidents could occur. Their remit is the entire city, however. So consequence management is going to be key for them, ensuring that the whole of city is safe and that they have a quick rapid response to any type of incident that may arise.

WHITFIELD: So far, it's a lot on paper and certainly it's going to be a lot on Tuesday. Jonathan Wackrow, thanks so much.

WACKROW: Thank you, Fred. WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead, a Colorado widow is demanding answers today. She wants to know why police were so slow to respond when she called 911 to say her husband was possibly held hostage. When police arrived, he was already dead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:36:27]

WHITFIELD: At least nine people are wounded after a shooting in San Francisco overnight. Police say it happened while a black party was going on in the city's Mission District. Officers believe it was a targeted and isolated incident. Five of the victims were taken to the hospital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVE LAOKWANSATHITAYA, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPT. OFFICER: Officers summoned medics to the scene, who transported the victims to local area hospitals. So at this time, we can confirm that there are nine victims that were struck by gunfire, and they are all expected to survive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Right now, no arrests have been reported.

In Colorado Springs, a widow is demanding answers after she says police failed to respond quickly to a 911 call to help her husband, who was allegedly being held hostage. Qualin Campbell was found dead last week about an hour after his wife, Tali'Ja, says she called 911 to report the alleged hostage situation. She says her husband texted a picture of himself inside a car with another man she did not recognize, that along with two other messages that said 911 and please and send please.

CNN's Camila Bernal is following the story. Camila, this happened less than a mile away from the Colorado Springs Police Headquarters. What are the explanations here?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're not giving us any, at least not right now. They say they received a 911 call, but say they can't give any details because this is an open investigation. So a lot of the details that we are getting are coming from Campbell, this widow who is heartbroken and planning a funeral she says that this all happened on June 2nd, when she received these text messages from her husband, including the photo, but also including his location.

And so she was able to call dispatch and tell them exactly where her husband was. She was giving them all of the details and description of the man that she believed her husband was with. And what she said, though, was that she didn't see sort of urgency from the dispatch operator. And so she decided that she was going to drive to that location as well. The problem was that it was about an hour away from where she was. And when she arrived to the location, about an hour after she made that call to 911, she said there were no officers at this location. Instead, she found her husband's car and said she saw her husband slumped over the driver's seat of the car. And she said she fell to her knees crying, but she had to do more. Here is what she said she did after she saw her husband.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TALI'JA CAMPBELL, WIDOW OF MAN ALLEGEDLY KILLED IN HOSTAGE SITUATION: I wanted to check to see if he had a pulse. I opened the door and I put my fingers on his neck. I couldn't feel anything. I put my fingers on his wrist. I still couldn't feel anything. So my uncle was the only one that was big enough to help pull him out of the car in a pool of blood. It was me that had to try to perform CPR on my husband in a pool of blood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And she was just so emotional. And as she was stepping out of this podium, she was saying, I shouldn't have been the one to have to do this. And through her attorney, they're asking the police department, why, were there any other calls, other priorities over this? They're trying to get those answers. The police department releasing a statement saying this, we are aware there is information circulating about this case and we understand the concerns and questions that arise as a result. We will continue to gather all relevant details about Mr. Campbell's death and ensure the accuracy of our findings.

[12:40:17]

So, again, not a lot of details from police, they say this was a murder suicide, but we will have to wait to see what the explanation is, because this widow, of course, says she should have never have been the one to do this. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Really puzzling. All right, Camila Bernal, thanks so much.

Sportswashing on steroids. And that's how our next guest describes the PGA Tour LIV merger. We'll talk about what it means for Saudi Arabia and for golf, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:14]

WHITFIELD: A stunning surprise announcement this week in the world of golf has many sports fans crying foul. The PGA Tour announced it was teaming up with controversial Saudi backed LIV Golf after about a year of tensions. LIV has thrown hundreds of millions of dollars at some of the top players in the world. In an attempt, many experts say, to sportswash the Saudi Kingdom's atrocious record of human rights. For quite some time, the PGA Tour blasted LIV Golf's growing influence. But now tour officials are seeing a wholly different tune.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY MONAHAN, PGA TOUR COMMISSIONER: I understand the criticism I'm receiving around the hypocrisy and me being hypocritical given my commentary and my actions over, you know, over the last couple of years. I'm confident that we've done something that's in the best interests of our sport and ultimately in the best interest of PGA Tour members.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's talk more about this with Aaron David Miller. He is a senior fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former State Department Middle East Negotiator. Aaron, so good to see you.

AARON DAVID MILLER, FMR. STATE DEPT. MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: Thanks for having me, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, you're in disagreement with his statement, but he says it's in the best interest of the sport, best interest of the PGA?

MILLER: I mean look, I'm not a golfer. I know millions of Americans love the sport. Occasionally, I love to watch. But the PGA LIV merger is much more than just golf. It's about image rehab. It's about money. It's about power. And it's about the capacity of Saudi Arabia to project its influence through money and hydrocarbons, both in the region and abroad.

And I think while in the end, PGA is going to have a limited bankroll, I think that recognizing the hypocrisy and the risks of tethering one of America's most cherished institutions and one of its most popular sports to a regime that is a serial human rights abuser. It's not just about Jamal Khashoggi. The reality is that dissent in Saudi Arabia is not possible.

It's unacceptable. And the United States, I think, also has to make a calculation. Saudi Arabia is an important partner in some respects, but again, this merger seems to me to be fraught. It creates some moral hazard, and I think people at least have to recognize the other dimension of the risks and the implications for the United States.

WHITFIELD: You wrote an op-ed for CNN about this partnership and what it means, you know, for the Saudi Arabian government. And in your op- ed, you say, this is sportswashing on steroids, saying, one thing is clear, this Saudi round with the PGA Tour may be sportswashing on a grand scale, but it's more also far more than that.

Indeed, it's part of a broader 360 degree projection of hard and soft power designed to make Saudi Arabia a key player in the region and a pivotal one abroad, with ties to all comers large and small. So, you know, how persuasive can sportswashing like this actually be?

MILLER: Well, you know, the reality is, and I think it's sad that Saudis in many respects don't have to sportswash anymore. They may have been true in the year or two after Jamal Khashoggi's murder. But it seems to me, with the exception tragically of the 9/11 families, "The Washington Post," a number of largely Democratic senators and House members, the Saudis basically have rehabilitated themselves and the world has moved on. Hydrocarbons, oil power and influence are extremely important.

So it is sportswashing to the degree that it serves as a distraction from Saudi Arabia's terrible, horrible, egregious human rights record. But the reality is it is much more than that. And I think the United States is now grappling with its own ambivalence with respect to Saudi Arabia, oil swing producer critically important oil swing producer. The Biden administration is now exploring the prospects of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

All of that may continue to take place. But I think it's very important that our interests be accompanied and tethered to American values. And while recognizing that in the end this may be a tremendous windfall for American golf, I think we also have to recognize what the risks to our values are of tethering an incredibly important, resilient sport to a regime that disrespects the rights and abuses the rights of its own citizens.

[12:50:22]

This is not like the NFL merging with the American Football League or the NBA merging in the 70s with the ABA. This is much more than that. And I think we simply have to recognize that as we go forward.

WHITFIELD: And while you were talking, just to explain that graphic we saw, it's not just about golf. Saudi Arabia has its influence and made its investments of somewhere upwards of $500 billion. You're talking about soccer clubs, Formula 1 races, the WWE and Esports as well. Just so people, when they saw that graphic, they can better understand what it meant in the context of what you were saying.

MILLER: Right. And it would not surprise me, I would not follow my chair, Fred, in coming years, if the Saudis made an effort to purchase an NFL team or an NBA team. So it's more than just incorporating sports in Saudi Arabia. Formula 1, they hosted the 2019 Heavyweight Championship between Maurice and Joshua with a prize of $60 million. Saudis are now reaching out in an effort to influence sports not only in Britain, but in the United States.

WHITFIELD: All right, Aaron David Miller, always great to hear from you. Thank you so much.

MILLER: Take care, Fred. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:56:05]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. For the first time, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway is in a U.S. Courtroom. Joran van der Sloot is accused of fraud and of extorting tens of thousands of dollars from Natalee Holloway's mother, claiming he knew where her daughter's remains were. Natalee was last seen with van der Sloot and two other men while celebrating her high school graduation in Aruba back in 2005. CNN's Jean Casarez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eighteen years after Natalee Holloway disappeared, the prime suspect, Joran van der Sloot, appears for the first time in a U.S. federal court. Handcuffed wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, the Dutch national faces a magistrate judge in Birmingham, Alabama, Holloway's hometown. Her parents, Beth and Dave, along with her brother Matt, staring at van der Sloot, watching him intensely supported by close friends.

(on camera): Why was it so important to be here today?

CAROL STANDIFER, CLOSE FRIEND OF BETH HOLLOWAY: Well, we just wanted to be here to support Beth, and we're just very happy to see Joran on Alabama soil, and it just gives us a bit of closure.

CASAREZ (voice-over): The judge telling van der Sloot there is a felony indictment pending against you with the charges of extortion and wire fraud. You have the right to remain silent. Do you understand? Yes, sir, the defendant replied. A not guilty plea was then entered on his behalf. Natalee Holloway disappeared in 2005 on her high school graduation trip to Aruba. She was last seen with van der Sloot and has since been declared legally dead.

(on camera): Are you hopeful that some truth may come out?

GEORGE PATRIOT SEYMORE, HOLLOWAY FAMILY SPOKESPERSON: We're hopeful. We're here. We never gave up hope that this day would be possible.

CASAREZ (voice-over): Yet, van der Sloot is charged not for killing Natalee Holloway, but for allegedly extorting tens of thousands of dollars from her mother. According to the indictment, van der Sloot claimed to reveal where her daughter's body was buried in exchange for a quarter million dollars. But after getting initial payments of 25,000, he fled to Peru and e-mailed saying he lied. I am confident that today was an important step toward accountability and hopefully justice, her father said in a statement. I am trusting that this prosecution will lead us to the truth about Natalee.

(on camera): Anything you want to say, Beth?

BETH HOLLOWAY, NATALEE'S MOTHER: Just thank you for your continued support. It's greatly appreciated.

CASAREZ (voice-over): After court, Natalee's mother, Beth, said little publicly. Her spokesperson says she is nervous but strong.

SEYMORE: She's held up so firm over all of these years. The family, they're just excited that the process is underway.

CASAREZ (voice-over): Van der Sloot was convicted of killing another woman, Stephany Flores, shortly after arriving in Peru in 2010, and is serving a 28-year sentence there. Under an extradition treaty, van der Sloot was temporarily transferred to Alabama on an FBI plane to face the U.S. charges. Now represented by the area's chief federal public defender, van der Sloot will have to decide what happens next.

CRAIG MELVIN, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Is there a universe in which we ever find Natalee Holloway's remains, her body?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That universe is between van der Sloot's ears. He's the one that's going to have to decide at some point whether he wants to cooperate or not. Take a breath of fresh air outside of prison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CASAREZ (on camera): When van der Sloot entered the courtroom, he was taller than anyone around him, very stocky, extremely muscular. He was so focused on walking to the defense table, the chair was pulled out. He angled himself so he could sit down. He never looked at the gallery. Natalee's mother, Beth, was right in front of me. Her legs were crossed. Her hands were folded. She was watching his every move.

[13:00:07]

Now, originally, there was going to be a Dutch interpreter for Joran, but then he then just said to in court, my English is actually perfect. I really don't think it's necessary, the hearing proceeded. When I first got here to Birmingham, I went to Mountain Brook, which is the suburb that Natalee was born and raised in. The people there tell me they want justice for Natalee's family, and they believe that court here in Birmingham may be the first step.

Jean Casarez, CNN, Birmingham, Alabama.