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CNN This Morning

36 People Dead as Hawaii Wildfires Rage; ProPublica Reports, Justice Clarence Thomas Took Dozens of Trips Paid for by Billionaire Friends; Man Who Allegedly Threatened Biden Killed by FBI Agents. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired August 10, 2023 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Of course, after that, his family runs to celebrate.

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MICHAEL LORENZEN, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES PITCHER: Don't let other people tell you what you can and can't do. And that's -- man, I worked insanely hard to make this dream come true. I've watched every single one of Nolan Ryan's no hitters because I've always wanted to throw a no hitter. And the fact that I just did it in front of this fan base, I can't believe it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Good for him.

BLACKWELL: I've seen the video of everybody crying there in the stands. It's got to feel good when you do it in front of family.

HARLOW: Absolutely, no better place than home.

All right, CNN This Morning continues right now.

Good morning, everyone. Glad you're with us on a very busy news morning with breaking news. Victor Blackwell by my side, and just a ton happening overnight.

Let's get to five things to know this Thursday, August, 10th, 36 people are confirmed dead in devastating wildfires in Hawaii. The flames charring hundreds of buildings, Blackhawk helicopters have been deployed as paradise is burning.

BLACKWELL: Brand new reporting just out this morning out now about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, his luxurious lifestyle, and who was funding it. ProPublica reports that rich benefactors footed the bill for at least 38 luxury vacations, 26 private jet flights, and a dozen VIP passes to sporting events.

More breaking news, a presidential candidate in Ecuador assassinated at a rally. And a warning, this video is disturbing. The anti-anticorruption candidate was killed just ten days before the election.

HARLOW: New video coming in overnight of a deadly FBI raid. A man was killed after making threats against President Biden and other elected officials.

BLACKWELL: And new information in the Atlanta-area investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Sources tell CNN that Prosecutor Fani Willis is seeking more than a dozen indictments as former President Trump releases a new ad attacking her.

CNN This Morning starts right now.

HARLOW: Good morning everyone. It is 7:00 A.M. here out east, 4:00 A.M on the West Coast. Victor Blackwell is with us.

And we are starting with this breaking news in Hawaii. Catastrophic and unprecedented wildfires have now killed at least 36 people. The death toll in Maui has soared overnight as, sadly, they're recovering bodies this morning. This helicopter video shows the scale of the devastation in Lahaina. It is a historic town and a popular tropical getaway that has been reduced to ashes. People were jumping into the ocean there trying to escape this fast-moving inferno.

The flames were fueled in part by powerful winds from a hurricane. Take a look at this video obtained by our local affiliate. You can see hurricane-force winds whipping palm trees and explosions as a marina and boats go up in flames.

BLACKWELL: This is what the devastation looks like on the ground. Entire neighborhood here wiped out. The homes, the businesses, they're gone. Listen to this survivor whose house burned to the ground. He describes the situation.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still get dead bodies in the water, floating and on the seawall. They've been sitting there since last night. We've been pulling people out since last night, trying to save people's lives. And I feel like we're not getting the help we need. This is a nationwide issue at this point. Yes, we need help, a lot of help. We got to get people down here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Veronica Miracle joins us live in Hawaii, in Maui specifically, where it's just past 1:00 in the morning. Walk us through what you're hearing, you're reporting on the ground there as you wait for the sun to come up.

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Poppy and Victor, those new death toll numbers coming in overnight. So many people here in Maui will be waking up to the fact that 36 of their community members, loved ones, friends have died. Information has been slowly trickling in because there are still 11,000 people without power, their communication lines down. And so it's been very difficult.

A lot of people over on this side of the island here in Maui experiencing a sense of helplessness as they wait to learn what else has happened.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh. Look at the harbor.

MIRACLE (voice over): The view from above is shock and heartbreak.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god.

We were not prepared for what we saw. It looked like an area that had been bombed in the war.

MIRACLE: Wildfires rampaging across the island of Maui --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our entire street was burned to the ground.

MIRACLE: -- decimating homes and businesses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Local people have lost everything. They've lost their house, they've lost their animals, and it's devastating.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lahaina is on fire.

MIRACLE: The historic town of Lahaina, a popular tourist and economic hub on the island's west side, particularly affected, with hundreds of structures impacted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It happened so fast.

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People stuck in traffic trying to get out, and they're sleighing (ph) on both sides of the road like something out of a horror movie.

Most of the fires on Maui fueled in part by violent winds caused by Hurricane Dora churning more than 800 miles away, those winds now subsiding as the storm pushes away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The primary focus is to save lives and then to prevent human suffering and to mitigate great property loss.

MIRACLE: State Department crews assisting in efforts to restore communication across the islands and distribute water with military helicopters aiding in extinguishing the fires.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two CH-47 supporting Maui County. They flew 13 hours, did 58 drops and about 150,000 gallons of water to assist with suppression of the fire.

MIRACLE: Recovery will be a long road ahead, according to Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke. LT. GOV. SYLVIA LUKE (D-HI): The damage to the infrastructure, it's not just buildings. I mean, these were small businesses that invested in Maui. These were local residents. And we need to figure out a way to help a lot of people in the next several years.

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MIRACLE (on camera): And that fire in Lahaina, one of three fires burning on the island that firefighters are grappling and contending with. Meanwhile, at the airport, airlines are offering more flights and reduced fares to get people off of the island. Officials are asking people to leave and not come here so they can save resources for those who need it. Poppy, Victor?

HARLOW: Veronica, Miracle, thank you for being on the ground and for that reporting.

We are, new this morning, learning new details about Clarence Thomas', the Supreme Court justice, his life off the Supreme Court bench. This morning, ProPublica broke a new report detailing lavish vacations, private jet trips and VIP treatment at sporting events, all funded by several billionaire friends.

Let's bring in our colleague Tom Foreman to explain. Good morning, Tom.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. You know, public support in the polls for the Supreme Court has really been dropping faith in the court. People just are not convinced that it's operating the way it ought to. And this report will not help.

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FOREMAN (voice over): The most complete accounting yet of the high life of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas shows much, much more than previously known, more private jets, more fancy vacations, more sporting events, all gifts from mega rich businessmen and documented through public and private records, plus interviews by ProPublica

BRETT MURPHY, REPORTER, PROPUBLICA: Justice Thomas has been living a life of extreme luxury for 30 years, underwritten by at least four different ultra wealthy benefactors.

FOREMAN: Earlier reports have revealed lavish gifts to Thomas, including a house for his mother and this nine-day vacation in Indonesia from conservative billionaire Harlan Crow --

JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS, U.S. SUPREME COURT: I've come from regular stock.

FOREMAN: -- who also underwrote a film about Thomas's humble taste.

THOMAS: I prefer the R.V. parks.

FOREMAN: Now, the list of benefactors includes three more names, according to ProPublica, David Sokol, Wayne Huizenga and Tony Novelly. The report says the four moguls collectively treated Thomas to 38 destination vacations, including a previously unreported voyage on a yacht around the Bahamas, 26 private jet flights, plus an additional eight by helicopter, a dozen VIP passes to professional and college sporting events, two stays at luxury resorts in Florida and Jamaica, and one standing invitation to an Uber-exclusive golf club.

The dollar value likely in the millions, little of which appeared in required financial disclosures, according to ProPublica. Thomas has previously said he didn't feel the need to disclose some gifts. And that worries Jeremy Fogel, an expert on judicial ethics and a former judge.

JEREMY FOGEL, BERKELEY JUDICIAL INSTITUTE: I simply couldn't have done this. And even if the people involved didn't have interest before the court, it's just the idea that you are receiving gifts of this magnitude.

FOREMAN: Associate justices make about $285,000 a year. In 2001, when they made about $100,000 less, Thomas spoke up.

THOMAS: The job is not worth doing for what they pay. It's not worth doing for the grief, but it is worth doing for the principle.

FOREMAN: Now, he bristles at questions about his principles. He calls Crow merely a friend. Crow says they never talk about Thomas' work. And the new report found none of these wealthy pals seem to have had cases before the court.

Still --

MURPHY: Which one of these new benefactors, just like Harlan Crow, came into his life after he was appointed to the Supreme Court?

[07:10:00]

That's why it's so problematic from an ethics standpoint.

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FOREMAN: I'll point out, Wayne Huizenga died about five years ago. So, it's been going on for quite a long time. And there's no evidence that these rich friends broke any rules or laws in giving these gifts. And it is not entirely clear technically if Clarence Thomas broke any rules by accepting them right now.

But what has happened here, the earlier revelations really raised a public fury over the idea that there should be strict and clear rules about what the Supreme Court justices can and can't accept. And no doubt that drumbeat is going to get a lot louder now.

HARLOW: Tom Foreman, thank you. It certainly is.

FOREMAN: And joining us at the table now is one of the ProPublica reporters behind this investigation, Brett Murphy. Also with the CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig and CNN Political Analyst and National Politics Reporter for The New York Times Astead Herndon. Brett, let me start with you. This is more than, of course, what we learned earlier this year, this relationship with Harlan Crow, that was, I guess, some could have said an uncomfortable or inappropriate relationship with one person, 38 vacations, 26 private jet flights and the sporting events. This seems like a lifestyle.

MURPHY: Yes. For about 30 years now, this has been consistent, steady access to things most people will never know, private jet flights, yacht, vacations, luxury suites at sporting events year in and year out, time and again.

FOREMAN: And when you say most people will never know, you write for ProPublica that this is almost certainly an undercount.

MURPHY: That's right, yes. We're still reporting and there's evidence that there may be many more. So, we're being conservative now with our figures, but we're still reporting on it.

HARLOW: More than 100 people you interviewed for just this. Tell people how you found all of this out.

MURPHY: Yes. You know, this is a kind of classic daisy chain where you talk to one source who knows three others, but we were reaching out to anyone we could flight attendants, pilots, drivers, chauffeurs, security guards, anyone who might be in the inner circles of some of these ultra wealthy benefactors, and then people in the Supreme Court world and in Thomas' world as well, trying to get the fullest picture we could.

HARLOW: And just before we bring in the team, one of the things that I was struck by and people should understand is that Justice Thomas has often talked about living not a lavish life, whether it's in a documentary that was done on him or things that he said, basically, I don't do this job for the money, right? So, he has put forward to the public, has he not, a much more humble lifestyle?

MURPHY: He has, yes. He's kind of created that image and said multiple times, even in his relationship with Huizenga, Wayne Huizenga, he said, we just like to sit on the front porch and talk and drink iced tea, but that's not what happened. He has been flown around on Huizenga's jet, taken to the sporting events, taken to his luxury golf club. So, he says one thing, but the reporting shows other things.

FOREMAN: So, Elie, ProPublica reports, and Tom just covered in his report that Huizenga, Sokol and Novelly had no legal cases before the Supreme Court during this documented relationship. How should that inform, if at all, how people consume what's being reported?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: It shouldn't matter at all because the point here is the appearance of impropriety, the fact that we wouldn't know, by the way, about any of this if not for ProPublica. And your publication deserves real credit for blowing the lid off of this.

But how does Clarence Thomas think the world actually works? Like we all have friends. Do any of your friends pay for your private vacations? It's unheard of. And the reason is this is a problem is it undermines public confidence, rightly so. We all ask, I think, logically, why on Earth are these guys spending millions of dollars, according to your reporting? Why is he accepting this? Why isn't he reporting it?

And when you see these polls that show that the American people's confidence is at an all-time low in the Supreme Court, I don't think it's necessarily because of the judicial outcomes they're delivering. People will always disagree on that. I think it's because we're now learning more than ever about just all the money flowing through here and all the lack of disclosure and transparency.

ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. I mean, I think that that type of -- the Supreme Court has existed in this kind of vaunted place where there wasn't this type of scrutiny that was really applied to some of these justices. And I think that really matters for the public perception here.

We're increasingly seeing a public that's dealing with the reality that these Supreme Court justices are experiencing this influx of money, are so close to these kind of billionaires. And I think that appearance of impropriety has really set in. So, when you see kind of public reacting and that lack of trust really building up, I do think it's a buildup of some of these type of things.

Now, it goes along with judicial outcomes, I would say, also. But just the feeling that the Supreme Court has existed in a place that was outside of scrutiny and more importantly can't really do anything about it, right?

[07:15:02]

Like that's the other thing that's come out from this, is that it's not leading to an outcome that I think a lot of folks would expect when there's been such clear reporting.

HONIG: If I can build on that, just whenever there has been an effort to enforce some sort of accountability, the response from the Supreme Court has been galling, right? A couple months ago, the U.S. Senate invited Chief Justice Roberts to come testify. Hey, we'd like to know what your ethical rules are and is there any way we might be able to pass legislation?

And Chief Justice Roberts responded with a condescending two or four- page letter where he basically said, first of all, allow me to correct some misperceptions. They like to blame the media for fostering misperceptions rather than actually transparency, which you all are accounting. And then he says, yes, we know. We consult with -- we're not bound by, but we consult with various sources. And it was just this blow off. And you wonder why people have no faith in them.

HARLOW: You mentioned in your report that the late Justice Ginsburg and also Stephen Breyer had also taken trips or done things funded by wealthy people, but they'd been disclosed.

MURPHY: That's a really important distinction.

HARLOW: I just want to make that distinction, okay? The other question I have is, yes, they may not have had cases before the court but they ran huge companies and huge industries, whether you talk about David Sokol or whether you talk about Huizenga, that had interest in the outcome of other court cases that would set the law that would affect their industry.

MURPHY: that's a really important point, too. These are massive industries. They work in oil, energy, international shipping, mergers and acquisitions kind of define a lot of their empires. So, the idea that they could be totally separated from what's happening in the Supreme Court is not true, even just because they didn't have a direct case.

HARLOW: I thought it was interesting that David Sokol might be a familiar name to people. He used to work for Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. He was sort of seen as maybe the heir apparent before he left in 2011, then went on to run this other big energy company.

In just in October, he gave this speech where he criticized President Biden's student loan forgiveness program and said it was going to be overturned by the court. He was talking about ongoing cases that Clarence Thomas was going to decide on.

MURPHY: Yes, we found that really interesting. It was one of the first times we had seen one of these benefactors speaking directly to an ongoing Supreme Court case before there had been a decision. He was pontificating on the outcome.

It was common legal commentary at the time. He wasn't breaking a lot of new ground, but we found that very interesting, yes.

BLACKWELL: Control room, let's pull this up. I just want to make sure that the court, neither the court nor Justice Thomas, responded to this latest reporting. But I do want to read what he said after the reporting in April. He said that early in my tenure at the court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends who did not have business before the court was not reportable.

Now, that was after the reporting about Harlan Crow. Again, no response to this reporting, but I wanted to make sure that we got his word in on this conversation as well.

Gentlemen, thank you very much for that.

HARLOW: A man accused of threatening to assassinate President Biden is killed by FBI agents. We have new details this morning about who he was and what led to this deadly standoff.

BLACKWELL: Plus, a presidential candidate in Ecuador assassinated at a rally. We will show you how it happened and what we know about the assassin.

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HARLOW: So, this morning, we're learning more about a Utah man who was fatally shot by the FBI after he allegedly made threats to assassinate President Biden.

That's the sound of a flash bang, not a gunshot. Officials say that Craig Robertson pointed a gun at agents as they served a warrant in Provo on Wednesday, just ahead of Biden's arrival for a campaign event there.

CNN also obtained court documents revealing graphic threats like this one against the president and others. And this quote, I hear Biden is coming to Utah and that he was, quote, cleaning the dust off his M-24 sniper rifle.

Our Josh Campbell joins us now with more. These are such specific threats, such targets, not just against the president, but against the attorney general, Merrick Garland, the Manhattan district attorney, Gavin Newsom, governor of California, I could go on and on, and yet the FBI -- what happened? I mean, they knew they were tracking all of this before.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good morning, Poppy. An astonishing series of events yesterday, the suspect was under federal investigation for allegedly making these threats against President Biden and, as you mentioned, a host of other prominent Democratic officials.

Now, prior to the President's arrival in Utah yesterday, the FBI secured an arrest warrant. They go to the suspect's home in an attempt to take him into custody. I'm told from a law enforcement source that as the SWAT Team was giving him commands, the suspect then brandished a weapon towards those agents, a fatal decision.

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CAMPBELL (voice over): As President Joe Biden was heading to Utah on Wednesday evening, FBI special agents tried to arrest a Utah man they said was making threats against the president. When they arrived at his residence in the early hours Wednesday, FBI SWAT agents said he pointed a gun at them while they were giving him commands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a big boom. And then there was another one and another one and another one. And I thought that their house was on fire because there was smoke and red lights.

CAMPBELL: That was the moment FBI special agents shot and killed Craig Robertson. Some neighbors described what they heard and saw.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was just, like, a lot of shouting, a lot of just kind of loud bangs because I think they were trying to get him to wake up and trying to go ahead and like get him out of his house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I found out later from my next door neighbor that my neighbor here had died. They saw him dead in the driveway.

CAMPBELL: Robertson was already under FBI surveillance and facing three federal charges, according to a complaint from the U.S. attorney, among them making disturbing threats against the president.

[07:25:04]

In one threat, Robertson wrote, I hear Biden is coming to Utah and that he was going to dust off the M-24 sniper rifle.

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: This was someone who they were already very concerned about and then he started talking about acting out against the president on this trip. I'm sure that raised everyone's concern to the absolute highest levels.

CAMPBELL: Other charges included influencing, impeding and retaliating against federal law enforcement officers by threat.

In recent months, Robertson also posted multiple threats against other Democratic politicians and prosecutors who have brought cases against former president and now Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump.

Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, was one of those prosecutors Robertson was allegedly targeting. In one of his posts, he wrote, heading to New York to fulfill my dream of eradicating another two-bit political hack D.A.

In another Facebook post, Robertson said that he was getting ready for the election in 2024 and that he had guns in his house, guns and other potential evidence which may now be in the hands of law enforcement for further review.

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CAMPBELL (on camera): Now, guys, we live in this heightened threat environment. Federal law enforcement has warned about it. You know, there's all kinds of vitriol online. That's the challenge for agencies, like the FBI, trying to sort out who were just these so called keyboard commandos, those who are spouting off and those who may actually pose a threat. This suspect's social media history, you look through a lot of these vile, deadly threats against these officials, and now we see the FBI going to try to take him into custody, the suspect pulling a weapon on those agents.

Just as troubling as we look into 2024, I was looking online, there are some fringe corners that are already lionizing this guy, calling him a victim, saying that the FBI assassinated him despite the circumstances that we've described there.

And again, that is the challenge, law enforcement on the lookout for others who might pose a danger. We've seen in the past folks -- people attacking FBI field offices, people attacking law enforcement. And as we move into the next presidential election cycle in earnest, this is something that federal law enforcement will certainly be on the lookout for, people that are online who may have not only the intent to cause harm, but also the capability, guys.

HARLOW: The ability. Josh, thanks very much.

BLACKWELL: The Fulton County D.A. is responding to what she says is a derogatory and false ad by the Trump campaign. We have new developments in her case against the former president.

HARLOW: Also, the special counsel investigating Trump secured a search warrant of former President Trump's Twitter account earlier this year. What were they looking for? We'll tell you all about it ahead.

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