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Latino Group Accuses Texas AG of Voter Suppression; Israel Launches Major Military Operation in West Bank; Hamas Accuses Israel of Deliberately Destroying Infrastructure; Trump's Team Incident at Arlington National Cemetery; Paralympic Games to Open in Paris. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 28, 2024 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to accusations of intimidation, harassment, and voter suppression down in Texas. A Latino advocacy group is calling for a federal investigation to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The group says Paxton's office launched a series of raids at the homes of Democratic activists in the last three weeks -- in these three counties, I should say, last week, including the home of Cecilia Castellano, a Democrat running for a Texas State House seat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CECILIA CASTELLANO, HOME RAIDED: I was shocked. I'm still shocked. I'm mad. I'm more mad because my son was a few feet away. Since that day, as I walk into my home, I feel no peace in my home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: So, far, no charges have been filed and Paxton's office has not responded to CNN's request for more details. Joining me now is Domingo Garcia. He's the chair of the president of the League of United Latin American Citizens or LULAC's Forward PAC. Domingo, good to see you again. Appreciate you coming on.

Let's talk about this letter to the DOJ. LULAC says, we believe Paxton's conduct constitutes a direct attempt to suppress the Latino vote through intimidation and harassment in violation of the Voting Rights Act and other federal civil rights law. What would you like to see happen, Domingo?

DOMINGO GARCIA, CHAIR OF THE LULAC ADELANTE PAC: We would like the Department of Justice to investigate an attorney general here in Texas who has been indicted, is on probation, who has been impeached, who is a criminal himself, going after senior citizens. They went and raided Lidia Martinez's home, 87 years old, nine agents in tactical uniform, you know, barged into her house at 6:00 a.m. Made her stand outside in her nightgown in front of her neighbors and her friends, humiliating her.

The lady has never had a ticket in her name, and yet, because she's helping seniors vote, she was targeted, as well as other individuals. And we believe this is a gross violation of civil rights and a clear attempt at voter intimidation, voter suppression, and basically, official oppression by an elected official here in Texas.

ACOSTA: Well, and I think you're referencing the home of two elderly women that were searched. Here's what one of them said. I think this is the lady you were just mentioning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIDIA MARTINEZ, DEMOCRATIC ACTIVIST AND LULAC MEMBER: They had me outside in front of all my neighbors while they searched the living room and they never let me get dressed. And it was just very embarrassing, intimidating, harassment. They searched everything in my house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes. Domingo, why would they be going through her house? Why would they be doing this and not letting her put some clothes? I -- what's going on here?

GARCIA: Look, what's going on is they are afraid that Latinos are going to turn out to vote in large numbers. They're afraid of losing in this particular case, a House District seat, a State representative seat.

[10:35:00]

Ted Cruz only won by two points the last time he ran for the U.S. Senate. He's running against a former Democratic opponent. So, what we're seeing is the Republicans are running scared, and they're using Gestapo tactics against grandmothers. I mean, she was 87. There's another one, 80, 76. They're going after our abuelitas, our grandmothers, and we're not going to put up with that, and that's why we're wanting the Department of Justice to investigate the criminal actions of this attorney general in Texas and the attempt to suppress the votes.

You know, Lidia Martinez, she has five brothers who served this country. One of them died in Vietnam, and they're trying to take her vote -- her right to vote away, that's just unconscionable.

ACOSTA: And, Domingo, in a statement last night, Paxton's office said it was investigating. They say they're investigating allegations of election fraud and what they call vote harvesting, saying, and we put this up on screen, we are completely committed to protecting the security of the ballot box and the integrity of every legal vote. This means ensuring accountability for anyone committing election crimes.

What's your response to that? I mean, they're doing these raids, they're going into people's houses. Are they uncovering any evidence of anything?

GARCIA: This is the big lie. The big lie that, you know, you have illegal immigrants registering to vote in lines. Lie. No proof. No evidence. The lie that, you know, immigrants or people are voting illegally or voter harvesting, that's a -- it's a BS allegation. There's been multiple investigations. Mr. Paxton has filed multiple charges. He spends $2.5 million on a voter integrity unit, which is, again, a BS made up name, and they have found nothing. What they do is they have a press conference, announced these raids, and then after the election is over, nobody gets indicted. Nobody's found guilty. It's all done to trick Texans and Americans into believing that there is a problem with voter or elections in the United States.

And it's something you would expect in Russia, something you would expect in Nazi Germany in 1939, not something you would expect in Texas and the United States in 2024. It's despicable politics being used and weaponized by the attorney general of Texas.

ACOSTA: All right. And we have reached out to the attorney general. We haven't heard back. If they want to get back to us, we'll of course take that call. Domingo Garcia, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.

GARCIA: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Coming up, at least 10 Palestinians are dead as Israel continues a large-scale operation in multiple parts of the occupied West Bank. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper joins me to discuss the implications of all that. That's next.

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[10:40:00]

ACOSTA: New this morning, Israel has launched a major military operation in the occupied West Bank.

Israel's military says the raids targeted the threat of deadly attacks, they say, and accused Iran of arming and funding terrorists in the West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 10 people have been killed. Video obtained by CNN shows bulldozers tearing up a road, you can see that right there. And several places Palestinian factions have condemned the Israeli raid. Hamas accuses Israel of deliberately destroying infrastructure and is calling for an escalation of all forms of confrontation.

Lots to cover. Let's bring in CNN Global Affairs Analyst, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Mr. Secretary, thanks for joining us. We appreciate it. What are your thoughts? What do you see in this offensive in the West Bank?

MARK ESPER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST AND FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, clearly this is an Israeli response to activity in the West Bank, some of which is preemptive. They've moved into two cities, as you mentioned, and a refugee camp, and at this point, have killed about 10 or so militants, some of which are based in Jenin and some of which Hamas has claimed to be their own people.

And look, Jenin has a history of generating attacks into Israel. And there was a major incursion in July of last year. So, this is not the first time that Israel has gone into Jenin, at least, and gone after terrorists trying to cause mayhem in Israel.

I note also, Jim, and it's coming from multiple sources to include Tehran, that Iran continues to smuggle weapons into the West Bank to try and foment this type of activity. And I would probably argue to create another front for Israel as it takes on Gaza -- I'm sorry, Hamas in Gaza to the south and continues to face off against Hezbollah in the north.

So, this is now creating, again, a complex problem for Israel. And it's not new. They've been dealing with it now since October 7th on a near daily basis, but that goes back far greater in history as well.

ACOSTA: And how is this going to affect this ceasefire talks, the hostage release negotiations?

ESPER: Yes, I assume part of this is being generated by Hamas and by Iran to put more pressure on Israel to conclude a ceasefire deal. But I have been saying for a long time, I think the two sides are too far apart. The issues touch on -- that are outstanding touch on things that are important to both sides.

For example, Hamas does not want any Israeli involvement or presence along the Philadelphi Corridor in the south, which, by the way, is a main trafficking point through which Hamas gets its arms, its munitions, its building materials, and Israel knows that if they were to give that up, then it's only a matter of time before Hamas would rearm and come back and impose or conduct another October 7th attack as they promised to do on multiple occasions. So, that's one of two or three major issues that I see this side is too far apart on.

[10:45:00]

ACOSTA: And Mr. Secretary, I did want to get your thoughts on what's taking place in Russia's war with Ukraine and in the way Ukraine have -- the way they've conducted this incursion into Russia's Kursk region Zelenskyy is saying that this is part of their victory plan. What do you make of all this?

ESPER: Well, what we've seen from the previous several months has been arguably a strategic stalemate with Russia gaining, you know, ground here and there. And now, we know they're on a major push to capture a logistical hub in the Donetsk region, which will really open up the battlefield.

So, I think what Ukraine has tried to do is seize the initiative, which is something we talk about all the time in the military. That is take the momentum away from the Russians and create their own initiative, create their own complex problem for the Russians. And they've done that. They've now seized, in the Kursk region, 100 villages and settlements, over 500 miles -- square miles of territory. And I suspect there are multiple purposes here, one of which, of course, is to embarrass Vladimir Putin.

Second is to take pressure off the logistical hub of Pokrovsk, which is under threat right now. And then third, I think you see Zelenskyy -- President Zelenskyy talking about now is he sees an endgame here where maybe he's going to trade off, at some point, captured territory that he has for Ukrainian territory that's being occupied by the Russians.

ACOSTA: And, Mr. Secretary, finally, I did want to ask you about this. You and I have talked about the former president before, and I did want to ask you about this visit that Trump had over at Arlington National Cemetery this past week he was in Section 60, which is the burial site for service members recently lost. Apparently, this visit turned into some kind of physical incident, and it sounds like people who are on the staff of the cemetery were trying to block a Trump campaign photographer from going over and taking pictures of Trump there at the cemetery. Your reaction to that.

I mean, my understanding from, you know, visiting Arlington National Cemetery, I was looking at the website this morning, I mean, they have a lot of rules and restrictions prohibiting election related activity there. What was your reaction when you saw this?

ESPER: Yes, I saw the breaking news this morning about this, the story that came out. It's important that, you know, a report was filed. I think it should be investigated. We should find out. You know, during my tenure as secretary of the army, I was kind of the so- called custodian of Arlington Cemetery since the army has responsibility for it. And there is no more hallowed ground in this nation than Arlington Cemetery, where we've been burying our heroes, our veterans since the Civil War.

So, look, I think bottom line, the principle is that no person or party either side should ever use Arlington National Cemetery or any of our cemeteries or battlefields for partisan political purposes and -- or break the so-called rules. We need to maintain its prominence, its importance, its sacredness to the American people and certainly to the veterans. So, I'm anxious to see what comes out of this.

ACOSTA: Yes, Mr. Secretary. And also, I did want to ask you, because, I mean, there are clear rules about this. Where would it end if you were to allow both parties, any political party or candidate to have events at Arlington National Cemetery take pictures with grave sites and so on, where would that -- I mean, that is why I suppose these rules are in place. I mean, because it would desecrate hallowed ground.

ESPER: No, absolutely. That's a reason why you need to do that. Arlington has a lot of rules, just for people coming to visit their loved ones who have been killed in battle or buried there. There are rules about what you can leave behind and other things you can and cannot do.

ACOSTA: Yes.

ESPER: Again, the aim is to preserve the sacredness, the importance of this hallowed ground. So, it is respected and treated as solemn as possible. So, that's what I think we need to preserve, again, from any type of partisanship, from any party, from any entity, any person.

ACOSTA: All right. Mr. Secretary Mark Esper, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.

ESPER: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

ACOSTA: And just a few hours, the Summer Games will once again take center stage in Paris as the French capital plays host to the Paralympic Games. The opening ceremony will take place this evening with competition beginning tomorrow. And Team USA is well represented with more than 200 athletes. CNN Sports anchor Andy Scholes joins us now. Andy, what can we expect?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Jim, exciting day for the roughly 4,400 athletes from around the world that are going to be competing. Now, the opening ceremony not going to be on the River Seine like we saw in the Olympics, but it's also not going to be in a stadium like years past either. It's going to be a parade down the Champs Elysees.

You got 184 delegations taking part in the games with 549 medal events across 22 sports up for grabs. It's going to be an exciting couple of weeks.

Team USA is going to have 225 athletes competing at the Paralympics, including Oksana Masters. The 35-year-old was born in Ukraine with significant birth defects believed to be linked to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Now, she's overcome that and has become a multisport star, winning 17 medals, seven of them gold between the Summer and Winter Games. She said to compete in cycling in Paris and hopes to continue to inspire others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OKSANA MASTERS, 17-TIME PARALYMPIC MEDALIST: I hope that, if it's just one girl that's watching, she can look and she can just like, I can do this, I belong here, and sees herself, not just because of what I've done, but just having that visible symbol, because you have to see your dream and you have to see it to actually believe it in yourself. And I really hope it's more about empowering the young little girl and -- with a disability or not, to get into sports.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:55:00]

SCHOLES: Good luck to Oksana. Also competing is going to be 25-year- old track star Hunter Woodhall. He's set to compete in his third Paralympics and hoping to fall in the footsteps of his wife, Tara Davis Woodhall, who won gold in the long jump three weeks ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HUNTER WOODHALL, THREE-TIME PARALYMPIC MEDALIST: I think one thing that we've really focused on this year is not having any expectations. I mean, this whole year has been incredible. Training has gone really well. I've taken a lot of risks and relearned so many things. I'm running the best I've ever ran. So, I'm just going to go out, have a good time, enjoy the moment, be in the presence of an incredible crowd, and Paris 2024, and just do my best, and the result will -- it will speak for itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. And, Jim, Hunter there, he's won bronze and silver already at the Paralympics in the previous two times he's gone, but I'm sure he wants that gold because, you know, his wife's got the bragging rights right now.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. Wish we wish them all the best of luck. Andy Scholes, thanks so much. Really appreciate it. Just ahead. Kamala Harris heads down to Georgia today, looking to win votes in the southern part of that swing state. Her first sit down interview with her running mate, Tim Walz, right here on CNN tomorrow night.

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