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Donald Trump Traveling To Miami To Meet New Legal Team Based In Florida; In Philadelphia, A Portion Of I-95 Collapsed; Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) Is Interviewed On Trump Supporters In Capitol Hill On The Indictment; Donald Trump Was Indicted By DOJ; American Has Been Detained In Russia; Widow Demands Answers Over Police Response. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired June 11, 2023 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:00]
JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. Good evening. We are watching two big stories at this hour. In Philadelphia, a section of northbound I-95 collapsed after a tanker truck caught fire underneath the highway. We're expecting a press conference at any minute and we'll bring that to you live in just moments from now.
But first, we begin the hour looking ahead to an historic arraignment in Miami. Former president and current candidate Donald Trump is preparing to face federal charges in the Mar-a-Lago documents case. CNN has learned he will head into the Miami area tomorrow. He reportedly plans to huddle his lawyers at his golf resort there and discuss a new Florida-based legal team ahead of his Tuesday court date. CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins us now from Miami. Katelyn, what more are you learning?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Jim, we just got word this afternoon as well that Donald Trump is planning to make a speech as he loves to do after that court appearance on Tuesday once he returns home to his golf club in New Jersey that night, but the real momentous thing that will happen is what happens in the federal courthouse here in Miami on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00.
That is when Donald Trump will say he is not guilty to the federal judge. The judge will take a look at what his conditions will be if he has any restrictions on travel or what he might be able to say, things like that, and he will be told exactly what he is charged with, that historic indictment against the former president that in great detail.
The Justice Department says they have evidence for these 37 charges against Donald Trump, both for his -- believing he obstructed investigation and also that there are 31 national security, national defense, classified documents that he kept at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida outside of the protections of the federal government and willfully knew that they were not where they should have supposed to be after he had left the presidency.
And really, the reaction already is there has been some pretty strong condemnation of what Donald Trump did after the presidency. Bill Barr, his own attorney general, someone who had gone to bat for Trump many times before, Jim, said just today on Fox News that the government acted responsibly and Trump was acting recklessly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM BARR, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL UNDER TRUMP: If even half of it is true then he's toast. I mean, it's a pretty detailed indictment, and it's very, very damning. And this idea of presenting Trump as a victim here, a victim of a witch hunt is ridiculous. He's not a victim here. He was totally wrong that he had the right to have those documents.
Those documents are among of the most sensitive secrets that the country has. He -- they have to be in the custody of the archivist. He had no right to maintain them and retain them. And he kept them in a way at Mar-a-Lago that anyone who really cares about national security would -- their stomach would churn at it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POLANTZ: Bill Barr there being very much in line with the special counsel himself, Jack Smith, highlighting how significant of a national security risk this case reveals. Jim?
ACOSTA: All right. Katelyn Polantz, thanks very much. Joining us now with more on the legal front, former U.S. attorney Michael Moore. Michael, you heard Trump's own attorney general there, Bill Barr, former attorney general says if even half of this is true, he's toast. Do you agree with that?
MICHAEL MOORE, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Well, I'm glad to be with you, Jim. You know, I do think if there are some problems in the indictment it sorts of (inaudible) here the former attorney general talked about that and I'm about tired of hearing folks who dug the mud hole talk about how dirty everything is, but look, this -- we are just at the beginning and when you look at this case, you think about where the case is going to go.
This is going to be a case that's won or lost on the law, not necessarily on the facts. We all agree that Trump had the documents. We all agree Trump didn't immediately turn them back over. He says that. His lawyers said that, we say that, you know, the prosecution says that. So, I don't know that there's a big decision here. What we're going to be talking about though is the extent and power of the president.
[17:05:01]
We're talking about the power of a president to classify, declassify documents. We're going to be talking about what presidential records mean, what it means about who packed up the boxes and those kinds of things from the White House and the mood, who knew what was in the boxes and all that stuff, so this is not necessarily or just a case simply about reading the indictment.
If you read the indictment, it's a well-crafted indictment. It tells a good story. It's what they call a speaking indictment, which means it goes through though this in a way, this methodical so that you could present it to a jury and a lay person reading it can completely understand it. But it has some things that are missing and so that's going to be something that will tell us what we'll learn down the road.
ACOSTA: And Michael, I just want to caution you and our viewers we may be switching over to a press conference in Philadelphia on that I-95 collapse that they're monitoring there. But you know, Katelyn Polantz, in her live report just a few moments ago mentioned that Trump may be having a speech after his arraignment up in New Jersey on Tuesday evening. As an attorney, does that sound like a good idea to you?
MOORE: No. You know, he's never listened to his lawyers when they tell him to be quiet, and that's been his problem all along. His mouth has gotten him as much trouble as anything else. Now, that's the reason he's got issues here at Georgia because he would call and get on to the secretary of state. So, I'm not -- I'm not surprised that he's doing it.
He's just never understood the difference between what you do in the press room versus what you do in the courtroom, and those things -- that's a line that is blurry to him. But if he had listened to his lawyers if they're telling him not to talk, not to give a speech, I think that's a great advice. I think it's likely he is still thinking about this as a political bait, that a political advantage to him. So, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him give a speech.
ACOSTA: Right. And federal judges typically don't like that sort of thing. And I guess, what we're also hearing is he may be coming up with a new legal team, Florida-based legal team to take on this case. What about that? I mean, does that sound like a very sound strategy? It sounds like he may have a whole slew of new lawyers who haven't really been intimately aware of the facts, you know, at hand here.
MOORE: Yeah. I think good lawyers will be able to get up to speed on it and get up to speed on the issues of the case. I mean, I think he's been about half way down the bar list looking for lawyers to represent him as he's going back and forth. And that's a problem for him and it sends a message. It sends a message that there might not be confidence in the defense.
And so, that's something that he's going to have to overcome, too. But the fact that he's getting a new trial team, I don't put much stock in that. I think that's something that, you know, you would expect, bring in new lawyers, local lawyers, wants to know the judge, lawyers and the prosecutor.
ACOSTA: Got it. All right, Michael Moore, thank you so much. I'm sorry. We have to switch over to this press conference down in Philadelphia. We will catch up with you soon. Let's got to Philadelphia
JOSH SHAPIRO, GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA: The Pennsylvania state police. At approximately 6:20 a.m., a vehicle fire underneath I-95 behind me here caused a portion of the highway above to collapse. At least one vehicle is still trapped underneath the collapsed roadway. Preliminary reports indicate that a commercial truck carrying a petroleum-based product was the source of the fire.
We're still working to identify any individual or individuals who may have been caught in the fire and the collapse. I was first briefed on this situation early this morning by my chief of staff, Dana Fritz, then by Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll who you will hear from in a moment, along with Pennsylvania state police commissioner Christopher Parris, and the PEMA director Randy Padfield. All three join me here today. And we've received regular updates throughout the day.
Since the crash occurred this morning, the state police have been on the scene assisting the Philadelphia police under the leadership of Commissioner Outlaw in diverting traffic off of I-95. PEMA has been site coordinating the response efforts with our local and our federal partners. Since this morning, PennDOT personnel and Secretary Carroll himself have been on site inspecting the roadway.
Finally, DEP, the Department of Environmental Protection, under the leadership of Acting Secretary Negrin has been coordinating with the United States Coast Guard and the Philadelphia Water Department to conduct environmental assessments. While this is still very much an active scene, I just completed an aerial view of the site and received a briefing from law enforcement, first responders and transportation experts on the ground together with Mayor Kenney.
As it's been reported, the northbound side of I-95 has completely collapsed and the southbound side is not structurally sound to carry any traffic over it. In response, PennDOT, the city of Philadelphia and SEPTA under the leadership of Leslie Richards who joins us today have created detours and are working on further alternative methods to ensure folks can safely get to where they need to go.
[17:10:04]
We're also looking at interim solutions to connect both sides of I-95 to get traffic through the area. With regards to the complete rebuild of the I-95 roadway, we expect that to take some number of months. We expect it to take that time and we will have that specific timeline set forth once the engineers and PennDOT have completed their review.
To expedite this process and to cut through the red tape, tomorrow morning I plan to issue a disaster declaration allowing the commonwealth to immediately draw down federal funds and move quickly to repair and reconstruct this roadway. I've spoken directly to Secretary Pete Buttigieg of the United States Department of Transportation along with Senator Casey, Congressman Boyle and other federal officials.
My chief of staff has spoken directly to White House officials. All of our federal partners have pledged a complete and total support and assistance as we create alternative routes and as we rebuild I-95. Secretary Buttigieg has assured me that there will be absolutely no delay in getting federal funds deployed to quickly help us rebuild this critical artery. I-95, of course, is a critical roadway. It supports our economy and
plays an important role in folks' everyday lives. Our administration, together with the Kenney administration and all of our partners are all hands-on deck to repair this safely and as efficiently as possible. For those who need up-to-date information on detours, my administration has just set up a website, pa.gov/I-95updates. You can go there for regular information.
I want to thank our local, state and federal partners as well as our partners in New Jersey and Delaware, who together with our law enforcement and first responders and community leaders are all working together constructively and methodically to address this disaster. And with that. I'm going to introduce Mayor Kenney followed by several other speakers then I'll return to the podium for any questions that you may have. Mayor Kenney?
JIM KENNEY, MAYOR OF PHILADELPHIA: Thank you are governor, thank you all for joining us for this update. As was just discussed, this morning, a large fire on I-95 near the Cottman Avenue exit caused a portion of the highway to collapse. Right now, the fire is under control. Both city and state agencies are responding to address impacts to residents in the area and travelers affected by road closures and detours.
At this time, we are advising residents to please avoid the area and plan for alternative routes of travel. In addition to road closures, we expect delays of trash collection and SEPTA bus routes in the area. We are not aware of any injuries or fatalities at this time, but we understand the situation remains fluid. I am grateful for our first responders for the dangers, life-saving work that they do to keep residents and visitors safe.
This is really where team work and quick thinking come into play and I want to thank the Philadelphia Fire Department, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Office of Emergency Management and other city, state and local partners for your continued response to this incident including Pennsylvania State Police and PEMA. I also want to thank Governor Shapiro for being here with us for his support.
Coordination between state and city agencies has been and will continue to be essential to our emergency response efforts. Additionally, repairing the damage caused by this incident in a timely manner will require strong coordinated effort between city, state, and federal agencies. And again, I want to thank -- I had the opportunity this morning to speak with Secretary Buttigieg who is closely monitoring the situation and we can appreciate the federal government's offer to support recovery and reconstruction.
I also received calls from Senator Casey and Congressman Boyle on this issue. We will continue to provide updates to residents and visitors as they become available. I want to thank everyone for being here and thanks for all their courageous efforts to respond to this and I'd like to call on Deputy Commissioner Thompson of the Philadelphia Fire Department for the fire department's update.
JEFFREY THOMPSON, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, PHILADELPHIA FIRE DEPARTMENT: Thank you, Mayor Kenney. As the mayor stated the fire is under control, but the fire department continues to remain on scene just to make sure as a precautionary measure because of the large volume of product that was involved, we want to make sure that if there is -- if the fire restarts that we are there to quickly respond and take care of that.
So, we do have resources. We have two engine companies as well as a medic on scene as precaution. In addition to that, we have the fire marshal's office and his staff, they are here to investigate as we do with all fires. And we will continue to be here until this situation is fully mitigated.
[17:14:57]
I would like to thank all of our partners, the Philadelphia Police Department, PGW, the water department for all of their assistance in helping to mitigate this disaster. Thank you. With that, I would like to bring up Secretary Carroll.
MICHAEL CARROLL, SECRETARY, PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: Commissioner, thank you. Good afternoon. The I-95 segment behind us carries roughly 160,000 vehicles per day. A very, very heavily traveled interstate, likely the busiest interstate in our commonwealth. I would like to thank Governor Shapiro and the mayor for their wonderful leadership in directing and ensuring the speedy response to this catastrophe.
PennDOT and our partners were on scene immediately and engaged a contractor that was nearby and had equipment on scene within hours of the accident. We will continue that effort over the next 24 hours, through the night to make sure that we have the collapsed section removed as speedily as possible, and then advance efforts with respect to the replacement and repair going forward.
It is our goal to be as quick in our response and our remediation of the challenges as we can, and as was mentioned, there's a website that will direct folks to information on detours and I encourage folks to look at those opportunities and information. The challenges will be real when it comes to traffic movements in the city as a result of this incident, but we're committed to our partners with the Philadelphia Police Department and others. I'm confident that we will get past this in a way that recognizes the challenges before us. So, I will now turn it over to Leslie Richards from SEPTA for commentary related to transit moving in the city.
ACOSTA: All right. There you had the governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, the mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, as well as other local officials there providing an update on what's it going to take several months now it sounds like listening to what the governor was saying just a few moments ago from that tanker fire that caused the collapse of the sections of I-95.
Anybody who lives in this part of the country knows if you're traveling over the summer months to get up to the northeast from the mid-Atlantic and vice versa, this is just going to be a devastating problem for commuters and people trying to travel through this area by car, but the governor there just saying a few moments ago that this rebuilding process of I-95 will take some number of months, is exactly what he said there.
So, we're going to keep an eye on this. We'll get back to Danny Freeman, our correspondent, who is also monitoring that press conference if anything else comes up at that news conference, we'll break back in and we'll get that to you.
In the meantime, coming up, will there be any political fallout from Trump's federal criminal indictment? What the polls show and what voters are telling us.
Plus, a Colorado Springs widow says police failed to quickly respond to her pleas for help after her husband was allegedly taken hostage and later found dead. Now, she is demanding answers. She will join us live, ahead. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:20:00]
ACOSTA: Former President Donald Trump says the case against him is a joke and a political hit job, those are his words. And then his first public remarks since being federally indicted, Trump attacked the special counsel handling the case telling the audience at the Georgia GOP convention over the weekend that Jack Smith is, quote, "deranged." Trump fans outside Saturday's convention seem equally unshaken by the indictment and Isabel Rosales joins us now. Isabel, you were there yesterday. What did you hear from his supporters?
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jim. Well, it may come as no surprise that the Trump supporters that I spoke with really don't think too highly of special counsel Jack Smith or this investigation. And if anything, they are actually doubling down on their support for former President Donald Trump. They see this indictment as further proof of every level of government, and the press is the way that they see it, are going unfairly after Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSALES (voice-over): Former President Donald Trump unapologetic and on the attack.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Jack Smith. Sounds so innocent. He's deranged.
This is a political hit job.
ROSALES (voice-over): Georgia's GOP convention marking Trump's first public appearance after becoming the first former president to face federal charges.
JACK SMITH, SPECIAL COUNSEL: We have one set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone.
ROSALES (voice-over): Special Counsel Jack Smith announcing 37 criminal count against Trump, the majority for violations of the Espionage Act.
SHARON WILDER, TRUMP SUPPORTER: It doesn't matter to me. Not at all.
ROSALES (voice-over): Outside the state convention, his supporters are unfazed.
DARYL NEAL, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I think it's a bunch of bull (BLEEP). Trump didn't do anything wrong. He saved this country.
JILL WILCOX, TRUMP SUPPORTER: They're not going to let it stop. They can't stand the fact that he's running for president, and I am a Donald Trump fan.
GARY GRIESHEIM, TRUMP SUPPORTER: It's probably altered, but it's typical -- it's typical liberal propaganda.
ROSALES (voice-over): None of the Republican voters CNN spoke with have read the indictment.
NEAL: No. I wouldn't waste my time on a phony indictment. I don't care about the indictment about. You can indict a baloney sandwich.
ROSALES (voice-over): These loyalists show a deep sense of distrust against perceived opponents of Trump, including the Department of Justice, the FBI and the press.
Supporters routinely brought up President Joe Biden, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, all had sensitive materials in their possession while out of public office. One big difference, Trump and his aide, Walt Nauta, face nearly half dozen charges related to obstruction and concealment of documents including for allegedly suggesting to his lawyers to not cooperate with the grand jury subpoena.
TRUMP: In this whole fake indictment, they don't even once mention the Presidential Records Act.
[17:25:01]
ROSALES (voice-over): The indictment outlines two different occasions Trump allegedly showed classified documents to unauthorized people. And in 2021, Trump admitted on tape to having secret documents that he hadn't declassified according to the indictment. "As president, I could have declassified, but now I can't," Trump said according to the transcript of audio obtained by CNN.
ROSALES (on camera): There's an audio recording of him doing so.
WILCOX: We know that that can be changed. We know that that can be altered.
ROSALES (voice-over): Within the 49-page indictment, pictures showing boxes of classified documents stacked high in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom, ballroom, office space and elsewhere.
GRIESHEIM: What he did was incorrect, absolutely incorrect, but the system allowed it to happen. The system is broken. It needs to be fixed.
ROSALES (voice-over): The convention also drew a handful of anti-Trump protesters co-opting one of the most popular catch phrases in this quick moment of tension.
UNKNOWN: Lock him up!
NEAL: Lock you up! Yeah. You supported Hillary Clinton. She got a lot of (inaudible), You're an idiot.
ROSALES (voice-over): Ultimately, these Trump supporters could not point to any piece of evidence that would cause their support to waiver.
WILDER: I think Trump is the best president we've ever had, and I'm all about getting him re-elected.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROSALES (on camera): And in a press conference this past week, Special Counsel Jack Smith encouraged people to actually read the indictment. It's 49 pages long, to get a full grasp of the body of evidence there. These Trump supporters I spoke with made it clear they have zero interest in doing that. Meanwhile, Trump denies any wrongdoing and an attorney for his aide, Nauta, declined to comment. Jim?
ACOSTA: Isabel Rosales, thanks very much. It's not his supporters. Some of Donald Trump's allies up on Capitol Hill are also coming to his defense. And joining us now to talk about this is Congressman Don Davis. He's a Democratic congressman from North Carolina. Congressman, Great to see you. Let's listen to what some of Trump's Republican loyalists are saying in reaction to the indictment. I'll get you to comment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OHIO): If he wants to store -- if he wants to store material in a box in a bathroom, if he wants to store it in a box on a stage, he can do that. That is just what the law and the standard is. So again, I think this just underscores how political this whole thing is.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): President Trump will have his day in court, but espionage charges are absolutely ridiculous. Whether you like Trump or not, he did not commit espionage. He did not disseminate, leak, or provide information to a foreign power or the news organization to damage this country. He is not a spy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Congressman, you heard Lindsey Graham there say that Donald Trump is not a spy. What is your reaction to all of this, what are some of your Republican colleagues are saying up on the Hill?
REP. DON DAVIS (D-NC): A federal indictment is serious and it should be taken serious. And let's be clear, when we think about a congressman or even a former president, no one should be above the law. What I believe is important is to allow the facts to continue to come forth through a process here and let's allow the Department of Justice to continue to do its work. And as more facts are made available to the public, I believe we'll get a better place to better understand what is taking place.
ACOSTA: And congressman, let me just get a quick reaction from you to what Trump has been saying over the weekend. He's been calling the special counsel deranged. It sounds like he's trying to whip up his supporters all over again. He was in your state over the weekend. Are you concerned about some of this rhetoric he's been using?
DAVIS: The facts are the fact, and I believe as we apply the facts to the rule of law and then as the American people are made aware of that, I believe that's going to be important in this process, and also equally important is due process and allowing Lady Justice to continue to be blind and let's see what comes based on the facts of the case.
ACOSTA: In a CBS poll that just came out today, it seems to suggest that many Republican voters see these charges as just political. It shows that just 7 percent of Republican voters have a worse view of Trump after the indictment, 61 percent say the indictment won't change their views. You heard in the report from our colleague, Isabel Rosales, a few moments ago, you know, a lot of Trump supporters just aren't going to change their mind based on all of this.
And I know what you're saying. You're saying that people should look at the facts of this case, but it sounds like people have already made up their minds, at least Trump supporters have already made up their minds about this. They're just not going to change their view on this. How do Democrats counter that?
[17:29:59]
DAVIS: Jim, we are still early in this process and as the process unfolds, I truly believe more facts will come out, more information will be made readily available for the American people. And as we gain insight to what exactly those facts are and how they are tied towards the rule of law, that's going to better inform voters potentially of what's taking place. I have confidence and faith in the American people.
ACOSTA: And President Biden visited your district on Friday. He was touting his economic agenda, pledging support to military families. North Carolina has been a key swing state in the past, not so much maybe in recent elections, but do you think President Biden could win North Carolina in 2024 as Barack Obama did in 2008?
DAVIS: North Carolina is always, especially in recent history, a very competitive state. What we are concerned with, especially with the families of East and North Carolina, the first district that I represent, are those who are able to deliver (ph).
I must admit I haven't agreed with the president 100 percent. But let's look at the core. I hear from families. They are concerned about jobs. They are concerned about a strong economy, our workforce and education. And when we look at this president on those issues, I'm reminded of a bipartisanships and infrastructure bill.
And the president, while he was here in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina, the last time the president was here in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina was LBJ in '64, and the president showed up, I can tell you being a part of the motorcade, and people were holding up the American flag and signs. They received this president very well. He went on to Fort Liberty and the troops there and their families embraced this president.
ACOSTA: And I want to ask you, I'm sure you heard this in recent days, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has kind of flirted with the possibility that he might run for president in 2024, might challenge President Biden perhaps on the democratic side. There has been some talk that maybe there could be some sort of third-party run that might involve Senator Manchin.
What is your sense of all that? Would that be healthy for the Democratic Party if Joe Manchin were to jump into this?
DAVIS: Candidates, at the end of the day, we all have an opportunity in this democratic process to come forward. But again, I point back towards what are those deliverables. Those things that people are concerned about, eastern North Carolinians, what they talk about at the dinner table, and I do believe that President Biden, even though, again, we haven't always agreed, he has delivered. As a matter of fact, while he was here --
ACOSTA: Do you think President Biden should have any challengers? Do you mind if I just jump in? Do you think President Biden should have any challengers or do you think he should run unopposed on the democratic side?
DAVIS: I believe in the democratic process, and I believe the American people in the end will deliver for those who deliver for them.
ACOSTA: All right. Congressman Don Davis, thanks very much for your time. We appreciate it.
DAVIS: Thanks, Jim.
ACOSTA: All right. Thank you. A quick programming note, join Anderson Cooper and Chris Christie tomorrow for a CNN republican presidential town hall. The former New Jersey governor will take questions from a live studio audience and shares why he says he is best suited to be the next commander-in-chief. It starts tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Up next, another American was just detained in Moscow. What we are learning about his arrest and what the State Department is saying next. That's live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ACOSTA: Russia says they've detained a U.S. citizen, Travis Leake is his name, on drug charges. The State Department confirmed the arrest and says U.S. NBC officials were at his arraignment. Russian media reports Leake told police he doesn't admit guilt and doesn't know what he has been accused of.
CNN's Jennifer Hansler joins us now to talk about this and give us the latest. What more do we know?
JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Jim, we really don't know a lot beyond what that court in Moscow is alleging. They are charging him with drug dealing. In their words, engaging in the narcotics business through attracting young people. And as you said, this is something that Leake has denied.
His mother just told our Camila Bernal that she is very concerned for his health, his well-being, given that he is in this Russian prison. She has not heard from the State Department, she said. She said she would be reaching out to them tomorrow if she had not heard.
The State Department, as you mentioned, was at that arraignment hearing yesterday. They had officials from the U.E. Embassy in Moscow, which is a good sign because often, the Russians have played games with consular access to Americans. We have seen them do this with Evan Gershkovich. They have repeatedly denied request by the U.S. to go visit Evan. And he is one of the two Americans there who has been wrongfully detained, according to the State Department.
Of course, Leake's arrest now is coming at a time of very high intention between the U.S. and Russia. They have detained a number of Americans. The other wrongfully detained American, of course, is Paul Whelan.
We are waiting to see what else emerges from this Leake case. We don't know if he will be to charge as wrongfully detained. We don't know the circumstances really of his arrest at this point.
The State Department, as you said, has confirmed his arrest. They said, as they do with every American who is detained abroad, they are working, always get consular access, and provide consular assistance any time.
The other really interesting thing, Jim, is that Leake has been there for over a decade.
[17:40:02]
He spoke with the late Anthony Bourdain about 10 years ago and talked about the state of repression in Russia and an incident that had happened with his band and MTV show. Take a listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRAVIS LEAKE, U.S. MUSICIAN ARRESTED IN MOSCOW: This was a documentary series about musicians standing up and risking their lives in some cases. ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CHEF (voice-over): Right.
LEAKE: Stand up against government, abuse of power, government corruption, and yet a foreign government was able to editorially control what American viewers see on their TV screens. That to me is a scandal of epic proportion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANSLER: So, yeah, really interesting to hear him speak back in 2014 about his concern about freedom of speech and the censorship that was going on in the Russian government there. Of course, things have heated up even more so over the subsequent nine years, Jim.
ACOSTA: All right. Jennifer Hansler, we'll be watching this case. I know you will as well. Thanks so much.
Let's dig in to this a bit more with CNN national security analyst Beth Sanner. She is also a former deputy director of National Intelligence for mission integration.
Beth, Jennifer was just laying out some of the aspects of this case, but it is fascinating, isn't it, that this is somebody who is not just somebody that the Russians have accused of drug charges, but that he has spoken out about what is going on in Russia about a decade ago. One has to think that he has remained on their radar screen because of those comments.
BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Right.
ACOSTA: Do you see any kind of a connection here potentially?
SANNER: I do. I mean, I think that if you just look at the phrase of how they describe him, they describe him as a former U.S. paratrooper and musician.
ACOSTA: Uh-hmm.
SANNER: And to me, that just speaks volumes. Why would you say that somebody, you know, decades and decades ago, you know, served in Iraq unless you were trying to make a political point about it? If it's a drug deal, it's a drug deal, right? To me, they're just framing it absolutely that way.
I think that, you know, his statements on the MTV segment and some other things that we know about him, I mean, he was a person who was kind of a leader in this group, producing Russian bands. And Russia has a long history of seeing this kind of cultural movement, punk rock bands as being a threat because they speak out against the government.
ACOSTA: Right. There are some notable bands we've profiled here on CNN who have done just that. And the court said he was detained as a preventative measure and he is accused of engaging in -- Jennifer mentioned the charge sounds strange. The narcotics business through attracting young people. I mean, I guess what they're saying is that he has been dealing drugs or has been selling drugs.
SANNER: Yeah.
ACOSTA: What do those charges tell you?
SANNER: It tells me almost that they are trying to form some sort of case, right? That they don't have it all solidified yet. And I would say that it follows immediately and sometimes you see this in what happens with -- when they arrest Americans, that it follows the arrest of Russians.
We had this case in April of three Russian nationals being indicted in Florida for interfering in U.S. electoral systems and local elections there. And then just two weeks before this arrest, we had two people arrested, two Russians arrested in Phoenix for trying to get defense airplane parts.
ACOSTA: Hmm.
SANNER: So, you know, you almost feel --
ACOSTA: You can see the gears turning.
SANNER: Yes, you can kind of see that. They're always looking for swaps.
ACOSTA: And CNN filmed with Travis Leake in Moscow nearly a decade ago. Again, this just goes to this idea that -- I mean, he is not just some random person that they pulled off the street. And back then, he discussed his ability to -- quote -- "fight the power while staying out of trouble with Putin's government."
Does that kind of attitude -- I mean, that has -- that has to make him a target, the fact that he has been on television with somebody like Anthony Bourdain. I mean, that certainly has to put them on -- put him on their radar screen.
SANNER: Right. And they probably see that as being higher up radar than we would see that sitting here.
ACOSTA: Right.
SANNER: And you think about, well, how many people do they have? One of the people that they arrested, which we haven't talked about here, is Marc Foge, who was a teacher, a history teacher, 61 years old, arrested a couple years ago for very similar thing, vape cartridges for medical marijuana, 14 years in jail.
ACOSTA: Wow!
SANNER: So, this is not looking good.
ACOSTA: And the Griner case as well.
SANNER: And the Griner case. Exactly.
ACOSTA: And a trumped-up case, yeah. SANNER: It is very easy in the Russian system, the judicial system, you know, you kind of want to put air quotes around it --
ACOSTA: Right.
SANNER: -- to try to manufacture things, to pump things up, and their conviction rate is almost 100%.
ACOSTA: Right.
SANNER: So, it's really only a matter of time, I think, before we see him go to jail after this pre-trial detention.
ACOSTA: Which explains why as our Camila Bernal was saying, his family is very, very worried.
SANNER: They should be.
ACOSTA: Yeah. Beth Sanner, thank you very much.
[17:45:00]
Still ahead, a Colorado woman called 911 after her husband was allegedly taken hostage. About an hour later, she arrived at the scene and found him dead. Now, she's demanding to know more about the police response in that case. She joins us live next.
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ACOSTA: In Colorado Springs, a widow is demanding answers over what she calls a failed police response to an alleged hostage situation involving her husband. Talija Campbell says despite calling 911, she was the first one to arrive at the scene an hour after making that call. Campbell found her husband slumped over inside his car bleeding to death.
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TALIJA CAMPBELL, WIDOW OF MAN ALLEGEDLY KILLED IN HOSTAGE SITUATION: It was me that had to try to perform CPR on my husband in a pool of blood.
(CRYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And joining us now is Talija Campbell and her attorney, Harry Daniels.
[17:49:56]
TALIJA, I guess I just want to ask how you're doing and -- I mean, it is just shocking to think that you would have been the first one on the scene there after making that call. What more could you tell us?
CAMPBELL: Yeah, thank you. So, um, I'm trying to hang in there. You know, it is unfortunate that the way that he passed, you know, my family and I are unable to mourn in peace.
You know, the whole ordeal was petrifying. You know, I received the text message from my husband and my initial response -- I mean, it threw me for a loop. I just was confused as to what was happening. However, I acted fast and I called the police.
The first dispatcher that I spoke to, I gave her all the details. When I let her know the exact location that he was at because my husband was able to share his location with me through his telephone, she stated that that is Colorado Springs' jurisdiction so I had to be transferred to the Colorado Spring Police Department.
The second dispatcher was made aware. It was in a call transfer. She reiterated everything, so she heard all of the information twice. You know, I gave them a description of the man that was in the car. I jumped into my psychotherapist mode where I was observant. And so, I zoomed in on the picture and gave them details of the man and what looked to be to me that he was a homeless man. And I stated to the dispatcher that I believed my husband may be being held hostage.
There was no sense of urgency in her voice to me. So, I acted and I jumped in my car and I drove to him. That drive was about 45 minutes. So, the entire drive was just terrifying to me because I didn't know, you know, what I was going to find.
And when I arrived to the parking lot, I immediately saw his car and I parked right next to it. I jumped right out of the car, leaving my car running. And when I got out of the car and I can see through his windshield, I immediately fell to my knees because I could see that he was slumped over. And I started screaming that the police didn't come.
Something inside of me told me to get up and to open his door. While I was screaming, there were a lot of bystanders that were beginning to crowd us. And I apologize, my uncle was there as well. But the bystanders were crowding around us and everyone was looking inside of the car. We could see that the man was in there as well with the gun in his lap. So, everyone was afraid to open the door.
But something inside of me allowed me to do that. You know, I pulled enough strength to do that. The fear went away because I wanted to make sure that my husband was alive or to see if he was alive. So, I did check his pulse. I checked on his neck and I couldn't feel anything. I checked on his wrist and I still couldn't feel anything.
So, my uncle, Sean Bradford, who was also on the scene, assisted me in taking my husband out of the car so that we could perform CPR. And I mean, it was such a horrific scene. When I opened the door, there was a pool of blood, of course. And he -- my uncle pulled him out of the car, laid him flat, and that is when we began to do the chest compressions to try to resuscitate him.
By the time I arrived to the parking lot where he was at, all of this took about an hour, a little bit over an hour. Between me calling the police and by the time I arrived, it had been an hour. It was a little after 2:00 and there were no police there. And, you know -- ACOSTA: And you tried to call -- you tried to call 911. What was their response like when you were on the phone? Did they just not take this seriously? Is that what you're saying here?
CAMPBELL: That is exactly what I'm saying. Initially, that initial phone call, there was no sense of urgency in her voice to me. So, that what made me decide to go and drive myself because I just did -- it didn't sit well with me to know that he was in potential danger because, again, you know, all I could go off of is the plea for help, 911, send please the picture.
[17:55:08]
And, you know, that is what I took from all of the information that I had. And there was just no sense of urgency in her voice. And so, I decided to drive myself because there is no way that I could just sit there and wait for someone to call to give me an update as the dispatcher said.
ACOSTA: Let me ask your attorney, Harry Daniels. Harry, what have you heard from the Colorado Springs Police Department? Are they confirming that this was a hostage situation? Was it a carjacking? What was this?
HARRY DANIELS, LAWYER FOR TALIJA CAMPBELL: Jim, thanks for having us on. First off, we spoke to the Colorado Springs Police Department. They acknowledged that Ms. Campbell made a phone call. They acknowledged that she called about a hostage situation. They just didn't respond.
I will be very clear, they didn't respond to Ms. Campbell's phone call. They only responded to a secondary call report of two males had been shot. So, the initial call that she made, there was never any response.
They're not giving too much information at this time. We have performed an open records (ph) request in order to get the 911 call, the radio traffic communication, as well as the office's availability at that time.
I can't think of any situation, maybe an active shooter situation that could take precedence of a hostage. Their job is to preserve life. They failed. The dispatcher informed Ms. Campbell that police was coming. So, she believed law enforcement was on the way. To her surprise, when she arrived on the scene, there was none (ph).
ACOSTA: Yeah, they didn't come right away. And Talija, what -- what do we need to know about your husband? Tell us about him.
CAMPBELL: Yeah. My husband was a one-of-a-kind. He was gentle, he was family-oriented, he was loving, my soul mate, my best friend, my confidant. He was a father, a son, a brother. He was just a one-of-a- kind and an amazing man. He never bothered anybody.
He was very quiet. If you ask anybody, you know, that is the first thing that they would say, is that he's really quiet because he just kind of keeps to himself. He doesn't bother anyone. He's a hard- working man, as everyone knows. He was on the job when this happened.
All he wanted to do was to provide for his family. We no longer have our protector and this has affected my daughters tremendously. It is a very horrific situation.
ACOSTA: I'm sure. Absolutely. Well, our condolences to your family. Talija, thank you very much for speaking with us. If you don't mind, if you or Harry can keep us posted on your case, we would greatly appreciate it. Our thoughts are with your family. Thank you very much for your time.
We do want to mention that we did reach out to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Thank you very much. And the police department did tell us prior to this interview that they did try to give us some kind of a statement. But at this time, they have acknowledged the 911 call was made. They cannot give any details. They say, at this point, citing the ongoing investigation into this incident.
We'll keep you posted on the latest as it comes in. We'll be right back.
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[18:00:00]
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