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CNN This Morning
Fulton County D.A. Expected To Seek 12+ Indictments; 36 People Dead As Hawaii Wildfires Rage; DeSantis Suspends Elected Democratic Prosecutor In Orlando. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired August 10, 2023 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[07:32:37]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: We're learning more this morning about the sheer scope of the Georgia 2020 election interference case involving President Trump and his associates. Sources tell us that Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis is expected to seek indictments against more than a dozen people when she presents her case before a grand jury. That's going to happen next week.
CNN's Nick Valencia joins us live from Atlanta. Nick, 12 people, potentially -- a huge number. What do we know?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Victor.
We know that Fani Willis has been eyeing potential racketeering charges or a potential RICO indictment, which would allow her to bring a case against multiple defendants.
And look, this is more than just about Trump's infamous phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after Trump lost Georgia in 2020, in which he asked Raffensperger to find more votes.
This is about a pressure campaign from Trump operatives on Georgia lawmakers, Fulton County election workers. This is about an effort to subvert the Electoral College by a slate of fake electors that tried to claim that Trump won Georgia when really, it was Biden that won. And this is about the illegal accessing of voting systems in the Trump-friendly rural county here in Georgia of Coffee County.
This investigation, since it started over a year ago, has taken a lot of twists and turns but there seems to be multiple indications that it's nearing its end. Sources familiar with the matter tell us that Fani Willis, the D.A. here leading the investigation, plans to present her case to the grand jury sometime next week. That presentation could take up to two days -- Victor, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: We also know that she has had to increase security around her. Why?
VALENCIA: Yes. You know, Trump's rhetoric. It's been quite colorful and explosive, and he's at it again with a new ad. You know, previously, Fani Willis has said that Trump's rhetoric has played into the heightened tense situation involving security concerns. We know now that she's been having to make changes to her own personal security.
Trump has called her a racist. Has encouraged his followers to -- and his supporters to come out and protest here. He said that this is politically motivated.
We're seeing those security changes around the courthouse as well -- more barricades up -- as we prepare for a potential fourth arrest and indictment of Trump, as well as --
HARLOW: Yes.
VALENCIA: -- potentially, some of the biggest names in his orbit -- guys.
HARLOW: Nick Valencia, thanks for all that reporting.
Astead Herndon and Elie Honig back at the table with us. Good morning, guys. Good to have you.
Elie, I just want to start on what you've seen of Trump because you were at this rally in South Carolina and you note how he's using these indictments -- maybe soon to be four -- to his political benefit --
[07:35:05]
ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Yes.
HARLOW: -- but that the man himself seems weighted down by it. And his supporters could feel it?
HERNDON: Yes, definitely. I think both of those things are really palpably true.
I was in Columbia, South Carolina in what's called their Silver Elephant Dinner. So this is their big fundraiser for the state party where Trump was the speaker. That, itself, was a kind of sign, right? And this was supposed to be a competitive primary. You're supposed to kind of see all the different have -- kind of representation there among the party faithful. This was all Trump.
And so the event had been kind of organized around him and it was really a kind of group of people who were there to encourage him against these indictments. And so, you not only have the indictments really rallying people to his cause; they were actually seeing that as a reason that it would help him secure back the White House.
Now, Trump kind of does his thing -- the thing that we expect in each of these speeches. But when you talk to people after they kind of know this -- that this is a more reserved Donald Trump, you know, in the kind of Donald Trump scale, of course. But they're saying, like, that he's not necessarily coming at things in the same way. He did actually mention the 2020 election and kind of claims it was a stolen election. He's only focusing his energy on attacking those D.A.s in the kind of
forward-looking nature and so the folks are rallying around him because of that. But they're also noticing a kind of candidate who is not having necessarily as much fun as Donald Trump used to be on the trail. I think that is the reason why we've seen this political and legal strategy completely bend.
It is increasingly clear to those -- increasingly merge -- it's increasingly clear to the people around Donald Trump that his route back to the White House is paramount for him to even -- to subvert these legal charges. It might be the only way he gets away with that.
HARLOW: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Let me add some clarity to an image we just showed where Nick was talking about this ad against --
HARLOW: Yes.
BLACKWELL: -- Fani Willis. And we showed the "Fraud Squad" with those five faces. We have it up now. We can show it again. This is from the Donald Trump ad -- that graphic that was placed on it -- that from the Donald Trump television ad. We're not going to show it but this is what he's running. As we had reported on, Craig Robertson, this man who, in Utah, was shot and killed by FBI agents.
I want to make sure we just put that and didn't talk about it. I want to be clear about the (INAUDIBLE).
HERNDON: When he mentioned those prosecutors at this event --
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HERNDON: -- folks who chanted "Traitors," you know?
BLACKWELL: Yes.
HERNDON: This is the level of energy here that's really building around this stuff.
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Yes. Look, we have to call it out every time. He's done it dating back to the Mueller investigation, singling out not just Robert Mueller but individual prosecutors and investigators against him. This is the playbook.
There are real consequences. We see warnings of it every day. They're right to be concerned about their security. It's a shame. It's a travesty that this is happening to our justice system but this is what the rhetoric entails.
BLACKWELL: Let me ask you about a request from Walt Nauta who is going to be in court today in response to the superseding indictment related to obstruction of justice. He's arguing that he should be allowed to review the classified evidence in special counsel Jack Smith's Mar-a-Lago. This is the document case. HONIG: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Attorneys say -- the prosecutors say that your charge is related to obstruction, not to the willful retention.
Where do you fall on that? Should -- is there any need for him to actually have access to the documents?
HONIG: So this is an interesting debate because ordinarily, if a defendant in a case, as Walt Nauta is, wants to see discovery you get it -- no questions asked. You want, as a prosecutor, to facilitate the defendant seeing everything possible. Of course, this is classified information. And the counterargument there is Walt Nauta is actually not charged in any of the document counts. He's only charged with obstruction.
And so, I think prosecutors, rightly, are saying why does he need to see it? If there's some specific reason why seeing these documents relating to war plans, relating to national security -- if there's some reason that would impact Walt Nauta's defense on obstruction charges I think I would say, as a prosecutor, tell us how that connects. And if it doesn't, then no -- you don't get to just check out these classified documents.
BLACKWELL: All right.
Elie, Astead, thank you.
HERNDON: Thank you.
HARLOW: More of our breaking news this morning out of Hawaii. The death toll in Maui soaring overnight to 36. The wildfires continue there. We're going to be joined next by the White House's John Kirby to talk about the federal response.
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[07:43:05]
HARLOW: Welcome back.
At least 36 people are confirmed dead as an unprecedented wildfire rages in Hawaii. And President Biden is sending in military help. Blackhawk, Chinook, and U.S. Navy helicopters have been deployed to fight the fires and rescue stranded people.
Joining us now, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications at the White House, John Kirby. John, good morning, and thank you for being with us.
We did hear from the governor of Hawaii late last night just before midnight on CNN, telling our colleague Sara Sidner that Hawaii is seeking a presidential emergency declaration. Will Hawaii get that?
JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: You know, we're working very closely with Hawaiian officials. As you said, we're also deploying some military assets. FEMA personnel are on the ground. We're going to -- we're going to focus on this as keenly and as sharply as we can. I don't have anything to announce with respect to an emergency declaration.
But I think it's just clear -- it's just clear that more and more wildfires are happening and raging all across the country --
HARLOW: Yes.
KIRBY: -- and that almost 5,000 federal personnel deployed fighting wildfires everywhere.
HARLOW: Look, I want you to listen to a resident here. When I heard from him earlier this morning on the program I was stunned. This is a resident from West Maui.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE, WEST MAUI RESIDENT: We're still getting dead bodies in the water, floating, and on the seawall. They've been sitting there since last night. We've been pulling 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. Yeah, we need help -- a lot of help. We've got to get people down here.
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HARLOW: And that's just one example, right? You've got 36 --
KIRBY: Yes.
HARLOW: -- people, at least, dead overnight in these fires. The death toll expected to go up.
We've seen the president, this week, focusing on climate. We've seen how it has devastated our country. Especially this summer, people are feeling it.
Will the president declare a national emergency on climate, John?
[07:45:00]
KIRBY: The president hasn't made a decision yet on declaring a national emergency on climate, Poppy. But for all intents and purposes, he's treating this with all the due gravity and the seriousness that the climate crisis deserves. I mean, it's been the focus for him since day one.
HARLOW: Well, how much worse does it need to get to declare it a national emergency?
KIRBY: Well look, I don't want to get ahead of the president or his decision-making here. All I can tell you is that as an administration we're going to stay focused on the climate crisis. It is front and center. It is right in front of us. And these wildfires and all the severe storms that we're -- that we continue to see are definitely caused as a result of what's going on in the -- in the rising temperature across the globe. And so we've got to treat this seriously.
And look, the -- as the president said, even on this trip, in addition to setting aside land at the Grand Canyon National Park, also working with companies to develop more clean energy technology, more clean energy industry, and moving the nation in that transition. It's going to take some time.
But in everything that the president has been doing literally since day one, he's been focused on trying to make sure that we can lead the world --
HARLOW: OK.
KIRBY: -- in terms of dealing with the climate crisis.
HARLOW: You say you don't want to get ahead of the president. That indicates to me it is more likely than not he will.
KIRBY: I'm not -- I'm not making a speculation one way --
HARLOW: All right.
KIRBY: -- or the other, Poppy.
HARLOW: All right.
KIRBY: I'm just not going to speak to the president's decision-making on that.
HARLOW: Fair enough.
Let's move to Ukraine. You did a really interesting interview with my colleague Wolf Blitzer a few days ago. And you said look, even the Ukrainians, including President Zelenskyy, have said that there -- this counteroffensive is not going as far or as fast as he would like. You talked about the --
KIRBY: Yes.
HARLOW: -- progress being, in your words, quote, "slow and not without difficulties.
What happens, John, if the Ukrainians do not make significant gains in this counteroffensive pretty soon?
KIRBY: Well look, I think they understand that time is not on their side. The weather is good right now in the summer. It's going to change in the fall and make it harder for them to maneuver on the ground and certainly, to operate drones and air defense systems in the airspace over Ukraine. They understand that.
They're also running into the teeth of a well-armed, well-entrenched Russian defensive set of formations, and they are doing the best they can to kind of get through that. I think we shouldn't speculate or try to get ahead of what their operations might look like nor what success looks like. They get to determine that, of course. But they are very courageously in the fight every single day and they are making progress. It is not frozen. It's not a stalemate. It's not as far as fast as --
HARLOW: Yes.
KIRBY: -- as President Zelenskyy would like to go but they are making some progress.
HARLOW: But you just mentioned that it's going to get harder in the fall and certainly, into the winter. And you mentioned what they're running up against from the Russians.
Another thing you told Wolf -- you said we've got to make sure we're staying behind them and supporting them. Can you elaborate more specifically on what that means in terms of U.S. aid?
KIRBY: It means continuing to give them the kinds of things, Poppy, that they need most in this counteroffensive. And I would add that in the months leading up to the counteroffensive we fulfilled everything on the Ukrainian shopping list. Everything they said they needed for the counteroffensive they got, including training in something we call combined arms maneuver. And we're continuing to do that. We're continuing to -- willing to continue to train Ukrainian forces. But more critically, we're giving them the kinds of tools and weapons that they need to break through those Russian defenses.
HARLOW: But, F-16s.
KIRBY: Mine-clearing equipment.
HARLOW: OK. They've been saying for a long time that they need more airpower and F-16s. And I understand the training going into it but they have been calling for more sooner.
One big concern, though, is do you have the public -- do you have the will of the public, John? I was struck by the CNN polling in just the last few days that only 45 percent of Americans -- this is across parties -- said they believe --
KIRBY: Yes.
HARLOW: -- Congress should authorize more funding to support Ukraine. Can you guarantee U.S. support for Ukraine will remain at this level or increase?
KIRBY: The president has said publicly and he's certainly said it privately to President Zelenskyy -- and it's not just the president but other leaders of NATO and the G7 -- that we're going to stay behind Ukraine for as long as it takes. And we mean that -- for as long as it takes.
Now look, we all want this to be over today and --
HARLOW: Yes.
KIRBY: -- hopefully, it will be soon. But we're going to stay behind Ukraine for as long as it takes.
HARLOW: Yes.
KIRBY: And I think the American people understand what's at stake here. They know it's not just about Ukrainian sovereignty or Ukrainian lives, though it is first and foremost about those things, Poppy. It's about Mr. Putin and stopping him in his tracks before he can go any further because he's right up against the eastern border there with NATO.
HARLOW: Yes.
KIRBY: NATO's eastern flank.
And I think we can all understand that if he just gets Ukraine -- if he gets -- if he gets what he wants and he pulls Ukraine back into Russia, where does it stop. And the cost in blood and treasure to the American people and to our financial health obviously would be greater -- much greater at risk than if we just stay with Ukraine right now and help them win back this territory and defend their freedom.
HARLOW: John, I do want to get the White House response to what we saw happen in Ecuador -- the assassination of an opposition candidate in Ecuador, Fernando Villavicencio shot and killed at this political rally --
KIRBY: Yes.
HARLOW: -- yesterday just north of the capital city of Quito.
He'd been under police protection. He had been very outspoken about organized crime.
[07:50:03]
What is the White House reaction?
KIRBY: Well, it's very shocking and obviously, it's heartbreaking for him and his first family and for his supporters. And I'm sure that all of Ecuador is grieving right now.
I saw that President Lasso declared a state of emergency --
HARLOW: Yes.
KIRBY: -- for a couple of months, so it looks like they're taking this very, very seriously.
We obviously hope that there will be a full, complete, and transparent investigation into this and that the perpetrators are held properly accountable.
It's just a horrific scene. It's a disturbing video. And obviously, it's not what anybody would want for the people of Ecuador or, quite frankly, Ecuador's democracy.
HARLOW: Certainly.
And finally, to the president, himself -- the fact that in this FBI confrontation with a Utah man named Craig Robertson yesterday. He was killed after these multiple threats to President Biden just before he arrived in Utah. He owned a sniper rifle. He had several other firearms.
The White House reaction to what we saw play out and the rhetoric that was used.
KIRBY: Well look, obviously, I don't want -- I don't want to get ahead of an ongoing investigation here and what the FBI is doing. We're certainly grateful for the great work that the FBI continues to do and for all law enforcement -- what they do to protect all Americans and, of course, all public officials. We're glad that nobody in law enforcement was hurt. But I really have to refer to the FBI on what next steps are here.
And this is -- this is really not about just the rhetoric. It's about the actions that can sometimes go with that rhetoric.
HARLOW: Yes.
KIRBY: And I think that's what we saw play out here.
HARLOW: That's right, and threats made online consistently, not just against the president but against Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Manhattan D.A. --
KIRBY: Yes.
HARLOW: -- on and on in terms of Democratic politicians.
John Kirby at the White House. Thanks for the time this morning.
KIRBY: You bet. Thank you.
HARLOW: Victor.
BLACKWELL: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is being called a weak dictator after he suspended a Democratically-elected prosecutor in Orlando. We'll tell you his reasoning.
HARLOW: Also, Taylor Swift fans waking up to a big surprise today -- new music and old music remastered. We'll tell you when you get to hear it.
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TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Singing "Blank Space."
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BLACKWELL: A Florida prosecutor suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis is vowing to seek re-election. DeSantis removed Monique Worrell, who is the top prosecutor in Orlando, yesterday after accusing her of neglective duty and incompetence for under-prosecuting defendants in the 9th Circuit. Worrell, who is a Democrat, denies those claims and slammed DeSantis.
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MONIQUE WORRELL, STATE ATTORNEY, FLORIDA'S 9TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT: I am your duly-elected state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that.
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BLACKWELL: Well, this is the second time the Republican governor has removed a Democratic state attorney. A federal judge reviewing Warren's suspension -- Andrew Warren, we're talking about -- raised questions about the political motivations behind it, noting that DeSantis' office had calculated the dollar amount of free media generated by his actions.
HARLOW: Meantime, Taylor Swift fans waking up to some very exciting news. At her Eras Tour concert in L.A. last night, Swift announced that her new album, "1989: Taylor's Version," will be out on October 27.
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SWIFT: Singing "Shake It Off."
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HARLOW: So that, of course, is "Shake It Off," which is on that album along with other hits "Bad Blood," "Style," "Wildest Dreams," and "Blank Space." This will be the newest edition to her re-recorded albums after she re-released Taylor's versions of "Fearless," "Speak Now," and "Red."
In her announcement, Swift said this version of "1989" was her favorite to re-record. She teased some new songs, too, in that post, writing, "The 5 From the Vault tracks are so insane. I can't believe they were ever left behind. But not for long."
That's ahead.
BLACKWELL: All right. Under an hour from now, a major report on inflation is scheduled to be released. We will break down those numbers.
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