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Trump Defends Jan. 6 Pardons; New Fire in Los Angeles; Trump Shuts Down White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Aired 10:30- 11a ET

Aired January 23, 2025 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: -- horribly a long time. Some of those people with the police true, but they were very minor incidents.

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me now for more, California Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren She served on the House January 6th Committee, received a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden.

Congresswoman, let me get your reaction to what you just heard from Donald Trump. Obviously, what he just said there is not true. He said that most of these were minor and so on. But putting the lies to the side your response.

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA), FORMER MEMBER, JANUARY 6 SELECT COMMITTEE: Well, this is a truly horrible thing that he has done. You know, you think about some of these individuals take Julian Khater, for example, who sprayed chemicals on a group of officers. One of them. Brian Sicknick had a very adverse reaction. Then he had two strokes and then he died. Or DJ Rodriguez, who joined a mob and tased Officer Michael Fanone repeatedly in the neck to the point where he lost consciousness, he had a heart attack. Steven Cappuccio who was so violent, he had to hold his phone in his mouth so he could use both fists, beating officer Daniel Hodges, and the list goes on and on.

These are violent criminals who've now been released into our communities, and I fully expect that some of them will commit additional violence, and it's on President Trump.

ACOSTA: And, Congresswoman, I did want to ask you because we heard that sound from Stewart Rhodes a few moments ago, the founder of the Oath Keepers, he was convicted of seditious conspiracy. And we were showing this earlier on in the program. There's a photo of him eating in one of the Capitol cafeterias yesterday.

LOFGREN: Yes.

ACOSTA: Apparently, the January 6th rioters and insurrectionists are allowed to just roam the halls of Congress. What's going on here? LOFGREN: Well, because of Trump, they have -- they're free and they are -- can go -- their convictions have been erased and they can go wherever they want. I think they are -- I think it's wrong. It's immoral. But, you know, what the, what Trump is doing and aided by some of his enablers here, the Republicans in the House, he's trying to erase history. It's an audacious effort to try and undo an event where he was complicit.

Our committee does, you know, outlined that he was at the center of a multi-pronged effort that included violence to overturn the election and the constitution. In fact, right after that happened, he said the rioters, the violence, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Well, he got elected. Now, the prosecutions against Trump have been dropped because he's the president, but the moral stain is still there. He's trying to erase that moral stain. And it's not possible to do. He cannot undo the events that he was involved in. He is corrupt. He tried to overthrow the government. He summoned a mob to Washington, and knowing they were armed, sent them to the Capitol to try and overturn the election. And that's the facts, and it can't be undone.

ACOSTA: Are you worried about your personal safety? What about your fellow lawmakers?

LOFGREN: The Capitol Police are here to protect us. They were there to protect us on that day and they are here today. They are even protecting the Republicans who are inviting these criminals into the Capitol. That's their job. They did their job on January 6th and they continue to do their job and I respect them for it. And I'm grateful to them for it.

ACOSTA: We're grateful to all of them. And officer Harry Dunn is one of them. I asked Harry Dunn if the government should be doing more to protect folks like you. And here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY DUNN, FORMER U.S. CAPITOL OFFICER: One would think, right, that these people, when they testified or these witnesses that gave information, they did it to help the government. So, why not the government should help them, you know? Isn't that the job of the Justice Department? Isn't that the job of the president to protect their citizens, to protect the -- to stand up for what's right for American people?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And, Congresswoman, I also spoke with Tasha Adams. She is the ex-wife of Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keeper. She is concerned for her safety now. Does the government need to do something to protect these people? I mean, as you know, Congresswoman, you handled this investigation. There are lots of Americans out there who turned in their relatives because they saw that they were involved in the insurrection up on Capitol Hill and they actually turned in their relatives. And now, these criminals have been sprung loose and could seek retribution.

[10:35:00]

And I have to say, I've talked to Tasha Adams several times. I'm very worried about her safety.

LOFGREN: Well, obviously each situation is different, but people who are fearful, for example, there's a young man who turned in his father, who I think is concerned. They ought to be in touch with their local law enforcement officials and see whether they need protective orders or additional security.

But who's at fault here is Trump. These are violent criminals that he has released and he is accountable for that. He has put our nation at risk. You know, he said he wanted to protect us from crime. Well, he just released these criminals to wreak havoc in the country. It's outrageous.

ACOSTA: All right. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, we're not going to let the truth be erased about January 6. Thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it.

And to that point, before we go to break, I want you to hear from one of the brave officers who protected democracy on January 6th, Daniel Hodges. He is the epitome of an American hero. Yesterday, he got emotional when speaking about seeing the same rioters who wanted to hurt him that day at the Capitol for the inauguration.

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DANIEL HODGES, D.C. POLICE OFFICER ASSAULTED IN JANUARY 6 ATTACK: It was kind of surreal on Inauguration Day having all these people wearing MAGA hats. They saw me and they saw my uniform. They recognized who I was and they thanked me for my service and it reminded me of January 6, 2021. Because on that morning, they thanked me for my service too. They called me a traitor. Telling me to remember my oath.

I was beaten, crushed, kicked, punched, surrounded. Someone reached underneath my visor, tried to gouge out my eye. And all these people were just pardoned by Donald Trump who says that they were the real victims. That they were the patriots.

The people who attacked us on January 6th are free now. They can try it again. And they'll know if they try it again the next four years, they'll know they'll get pardoned again. But that doesn't matter. Myself, I'll be there if I'm needed. I'll do it all again. Members of the Capitol Police and P.D., we'll be there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[10:40:00]

ACOSTA: In Los Angeles, a new fire has erupted along the 405 Freeway in Sepulveda Pass. The fire has burned dozens of acres, prompting an evacuation warning and is zero percent contained. And this monster is the Hughes Fire. More than 10,000 acres have burned and that number is growing.

Also, this morning, we have new reporting on the Eaton Fire that is claimed for 17 deaths. Altadena residents tell CNN that lifesaving evacuation alerts came late or not at all.

CNN's Josh Campbell joins us now live. Josh, let's start with the massive Hughes Fire. What's going on?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, we're at the command post, not far from that Hughes Fire, which is now ballooned to over 10,000 acres. It erupted yesterday, quickly spreading, 31,000 people currently under mandatory evacuations as authorities try to attack that fire from the air, using helicopters, using aircraft, that effort is still underway.

And of course, overnight, as we've been reporting, there was this new fire that erupted closer to Los Angeles, the so-called Sepulveda Fire. Authorities coming out to try to stop that from spreading to a nearby populated area. I spoke with one official there a short time ago who described their efforts overnight.

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DAVID ORTIZ, FIREFIGHTER AND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, L.A. FIRE DEPARTMENT: We had five medium helicopters and two heavies that engaged the fire right away. 250 firefighters from L.A. City Fire jumped on this very quickly and we were able to keep it to only 40 acres.

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CAMPBELL: Only 40 acres. But the concern, Jim, right now is that all the winds have died down. They are expected to kick up. That could mean embers flying into communities. A lot of effort still underway to try to contain that, Jim.

ACOSTA: And, Josh, what can you tell us about Altadena residents claiming the L.A. County Emergency Evacuation System failed them?

CAMPBELL: Yes, you know, even as these fires are still being battled, there are major questions being answered about the past incidents and the responses. We're hearing from residents who say that, you know, these alerts that we get on our phone here about mandatory evacuations, some of them didn't receive them until hours after that deadly Eaton Fire tore through Altadena. Some of them didn't receive the alerts at all.

17 people -- at least 17 have died there, which raises questions about whether lives may have been saved had there been a more adequate way to warn residents. Some residents said they didn't know to evacuate until they actually saw the flames themselves. Multiple calls for investigations at this hour, Jim. ACOSTA: All right. Josh Campbell. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Coming up. It was designed to curb mass shootings and community violence, but it looks like the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention is no more. The father of a Parkland shooting victim joins me next, a day after the first deadly school shooting of 2025. That's coming up.

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[10:45:00]

ACOSTA: One of the many actions President Trump has taken in the first days of his second administration, shutting down the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. If you visit the website now, this is what you get, a 404 error and page not found.

President Biden started the office in 2023 and it created the first ever Federal gun violence emergency response team for mass shootings and community violence. The group also developed more than 40 executive actions on gun violence.

And joining me now is Manuel Oliver. He is the co-founder of the group changetheref.org. His son, Joaquin Guac Oliver was killed in the 2018 Parkland School shooting in Florida. Manny, great to see you as always. There's your beautiful son again. We always send our heart to you. We always think about him.

And I just want to get your sense as to what is going on now that Trump is coming back into office and this office being shut down.

[10:50:00]

MANUEL OLIVER, FATHER OF PARKLAND SHOOTING VICTIM JOAQUIN GUAC OLIVER AND CO-FOUNDER, CHANGETHEREF.ORG: Well, it's terrible, but very predictable, right?" And what I think is that it -- that was our office. We opened that office. I got in trouble by getting involved in opening that.

ACOSTA: You got in a lot of trouble in a lot of trouble.

OLIVER: In a lot of trouble.

ACOSTA: Yes, yes.

OLIVER: And some of our allies too, like people that is well-known in the gun violence prevention movement, So, we have the office open. He's going to close it. What are we going to do about that? I think we keep the office. I think we need the three big guys, every town, the Giffords and the Brady, to put this together. We have the knowledge. We have the skills.

ACOSTA: Put together an office outside of the White House.

OLIVER: A hundred percent.

ACOSTA: If they're going to get rid of it, do your own. OLIVER: Yes, an office where people can have access. Actually, not an office that is hidden in some place where we don't have access. So, I guess that this is what we want to do. I don't want to be, 40 years from today, fighting to open an office. I did that already.

So, we need to make sure -- this might be that encounter place for all of us. That center to just move the fight in that direction.

ACOSTA: Well, and just yesterday, a 17-year-old opened fire to Nashville High School. Yet again, Nashville going through this, killing a 16-year-old girl, injuring another. Gun violence, obviously still a major problem in this country. What is -- if there's one thing you could do right now, what would it be?

OLIVER: Well, I think I'm doing it, you know. I'm here. We're going to have presidents. We're going to have people in the White House. We're going to have people in the Senate. People like me, we're always here. Nobody wants --

ACOSTA: You're not going anywhere?

OLIVER: I am not going anywhere. And guess what? Nobody can vote me out. Sadly, but true, I have to do what I do. So, I think I'm doing the right thing by being in D.C., bringing our movement. We're putting an exhibition together, blocks away from the Capitol. If you go to the Woolly Mammoth right now, you will see how I see this office in the future.

ACOSTA: Yes, tell me about this. You've got -- you're setting up a production that's going to be taking place at a local theater here in Washington, very close to the Capitol.

OLIVER: Correct.

ACOSTA: It's going to talk about this issue. Tell me about it.

OLIVER: So, we have this play, theater play, it's called "Guac," the nickname of Joaquin. And we've been traveling around the nation. We were in New York. We had a great success a year ago. And now, we're in D.C. The timing is perfect. We did not plan this, OK? We have the play a few days after the inauguration.

So, now we're here. And besides that, we have a whole exhibition at the venue, which is very interesting. I think people should go to the museums in D.C. and stop at the Woolly Mammoth and see what we have to say.

ACOSTA: Yes. And how is the community of parents of school shooting victims doing? Can you give us a status report? Because I have to think when Donald Trump got re-elected, your hearts sank a little bit because there were real measures, real policies that you wanted to see take effect during a Kamala Harris administration? Now, you may have to wait another four years.

OLIVER: Well, I say we don't wait for another four years. Kids are going to be shot today and tomorrow. And we're not politicians. We're parents. So, we cannot have long discussions to figure out what we're going to do. So, parents, there's a lot of frustration and that's why we need to bring motivation back. I think this is the time to do the fight, to increase our fight. Now, we need to fight better, in a more effective way, and harder than ever.

ACOSTA: And you're the best possible dad that anyone could have, Manny, honestly. I mean, we were just showing Guac a few moments ago, and you're still fighting. You're not giving up.

OLIVER: Well, I refuse to stop being a father. No one's going to get that right away from me. I lost my son. My son never lost his mother or his father.

ACOSTA: Manny, thank you very much.

OLIVER: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Honored to always have you on this program.

OLIVER: Thank you. It's a pleasure.

ACOSTA: You're always my favorite guest. Thank you --

OLIVER: Thank you.

ACOSTA: -- for coming on. We appreciate it. In the meantime, thank you very much for joining us this morning. Still reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. Our next hour of Newsroom with Pamela Brown starts after a short break. Have a good day.

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[10:55:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning to you. You are live in the CNN newsroom. I'm Pamela Brown in Washington.

And right here, you are looking at some live pictures from Davos, Switzerland. Any moment now, President Trump will give his first major speech to global business and political leaders since he returned to power. That speech on the international stage, he will be addressing the World Economic Forum virtually. And of course, we will bring it to you live.

Trump is also expected to take part in a Q&A session with CEOs after that speech. His appearance on the third full day of his presidency coming as he threatened to unleash steep tariffs on China, Mexico, Canada, and the European Union.

With us now, Richard Quest, Jeff Zeleny, Phil Mattingly, Alex Marquardt, and David Sanger.

Richard, I want to start with you. What are you expecting?

[11:00:00]