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Erin Burnett Outfront
Trump Reveals Graham's Phone Number On Live TV; Newspaper Mocks Trump As "G.I. Joke." Aired 7-8:00p ET
Aired July 21, 2015 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:15] KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT tonight, Donald Trump takes the bait calling Senator Lindsey Graham an idiot revealing Graham's cell phone number on live TV all after Graham called Trump a jackass to me OUTFRONT. Has there ever been a presidential race like this one already?
Plus, a black woman arrested during a routine traffic stop found dead in her jail cell. New video tonight of the arrest, will it answer all of the lingering questions.
And breaking news, a senior al Qaeda leader killed in a U.S. air strike? Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan in for Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, payback time, folks. Donald Trump in what maybe his most bizarre moment yet of the 2016 presidential race. He called fellow republican presidential candidate Lindsey Graham an idiot and disclosed Graham's personal cellphone number to a national audience on live television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I wrote the number down. I don't know if it's the right number. Let's try it. 202- (bleep). I don't know, maybe it's three, four years ago so maybe it's an old number.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Trump's stunt seems a direct response to a feud that exploded last night on this program. My question to Senator Graham then was, what is your reaction to Trump's saying that your friend Senator John McCain is no war hero. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's a jackass.
BOLDUAN: Really?
GRAHAM: That he's bringing his name down and he's not helping the process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Much more on the Trump Graham face-off in just a moment.
But first, let's get to Dana Bash who is OUTFRONT in Bluffton, South Carolina where this Trump event today was held. Dana, you have covered a lot of campaigns. What do you make of this?
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, my first reaction as I suspect yours was, too, Kate was, oh my goodness, that's actually his cell phone number.
BOLDUAN: Exactly.
BASH: He's giving Senator Graham's real cell phone number to the entire world right now. And my second reaction was, you know, just yet another piece of evidence that this is hardly your typical presidential campaign at all. And you know, he knew exactly what he was doing. He had no notes as he likes to say. He had no teleprompter and he was just, you know, obviously this was planned but he was speaking in this case for shock value and for revenge, and I think he got both.
BOLDUAN: And sure seems he did. And sure he seems prepared. He had the number written on a piece of paper. He had the moment when he held it up. So, how then did people in the audience react to not just that but all Trump's remarks today?
BASH: Well, remember, not only were the people in the audience there to hear Donald Trump, the people on the audience were an all Lindsey Graham's constituents. He is the senator from South Carolina. So, it was kind of a double whammy. You know, I'm not sure if it came across on television because, you know, there was an auditorium, it was a retirement community so people were kind of, you know, not jumping up and down on their feet a lot but they were memorized. And it really was like they are watching a one man show. And I talked to a lot of these people, about 1100 people all told in the main auditorium and in the overflow room. Talked a lot to these people about why they came, listen to some examples.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm tired of the regular politicians. So, I'm looking forward to it.
BASH: What about him makes you like him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a doer. He does things.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's got a set of balls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He scares me.
BASH: He scares you but you're still here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Well, I want to see him. He's a celebrity.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: So there was some of that, no question. He's the guy from
"The Apprentice." He is somebody who has been for almost, what, 14 years in people's living rooms on that reality show. But there is no question he is striking a real chord with a lot of people in the republican electorate who are so done with hearing regular politicians speak rather and they want to hear somebody who just talks and isn't afraid as you just heard that colorful voter just now talking about how he believes Donald Trump isn't afraid and that's driving a lot of this. How long Trump can sustain this, that's an open question but this fervor does appear to be pretty real and I witnessed it today.
BOLDUAN: People have been questioning that all along and he's still in the race though Dana and he's heading into the first debate.
BASH: Exactly.
BOLDUAN: Great see you Dana Bash in South Carolina for us. Thanks so much.
BASH: Thank you, Kate.
BOLDUAN: See you.
And as I mentioned, this Trump Graham battle, it really all started right here. Graham calling Trump a jackass in our interview last night.
For more, Joe Johns is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[19:05:10] GRAHAM: He's becoming a jackass at a time when we need to have a serious debate.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's how it all started, an angry Lindsey Graham lashes out at Donald Trump here on OUTFRONT for slamming his best friend John McCain.
GRAHAM: I am really pissed and I'm really frankly tired of this.
JOHNS: And in true Trump fashion, he takes the bait.
TRUMP: Who watches idiot Lindsey Graham on television today and he calls me a jackass. He's a jackass.
JOHNS: And he doesn't stop there.
TRUMP: You have this guy Lindsey Graham, a total lightweight. Here is a guy in the private sector, he couldn't get a job, believe me. Couldn't get a job.
JOHNS: Before the event is over, Trump gives out Senator Graham's personal phone number inviting the crowd to call.
TRUMP: He gave me his number and I found the card. I wrote the number down. I don't know if it's the right number. Let's try it. 202 (bleep). I don't know, maybe it's three, four years ago so maybe it's an old number, so I don't know, give it a shot.
JOHNS: A phone call to the number went unanswered. The call was forwarded to an answering service which said Lindsey Graham was not available. Graham who admits he never even sent an e-mail seems to be changing his number. Telling his supporters in a tweet, "Probably getting a new phone, iPhone or android." So much for Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment to speak no ill of any other republican. Now it's a race where the name calling, dirty tricks and mudslinging of national politics are totally out in the open, nasty, ugly and caught on camera.
TRUMP: I supported him. He lost and let us down. But, you know, he lost. So, I never liked him as much after that. Because I don't like losers.
JOHNS: Meanwhile, the party is fretting that the GOP's whole point this election is getting ignored.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: His comments were inappropriate. That is now the 50th time I've said that and it is going to be the last time I say it.
JOHNS: Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: Joe, thanks so much.
Also OUTFRONT tonight, republican strategist Doug Heye, he served as director communications for the Republican National Committee and former Reagan White House political director Jeffrey Lord now a contributing editor at the American Spectator.
Gentlemen, it's great to see you. Doug, you and I have known each other for a long time. You have covered a lot of campaigns, you have been through a lot of campaigns. But idiot, lightweight, stiff. That's just some of it. And then to top it off, reading out a candidate's personal cell phone number in front of an audience and live TV. Have you ever seen anything like this?
DOUG HEYE, FORMER RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: That certainly was a new one but, you know, we've seen so much mudslinging and true just name calling with idiots and the J word I won't even say it, it's a family program. And ultimately, we always hear people talk about how, we need to return to issues, we need to focus on specifics and I think that's really what needs to be done to show whether or not Donald Trump is serious or not. I certainly don't think he's serious. But instead of the name calling with them, instead of calling for apologies, let's pin him down on specifics on agriculture policy which is really important in Iowa. Let's pin him down on specifics on what he would do to combat ISIS. Let's find out exactly what he thinks the Federal Reserve is going to do in September and what he ought to do. And I think as we start to get answers or as we saw yesterday morning as his spokesman couldn't answer any specifics about the veteran's administration, we'll find out whether or not the emperor has any close or any answers. BOLDUAN: So, Jeff, I mean, he goes to this event, let's talk
about the issues in just one second. But let's keep talking about the nasty, ugly mudslinging first though, Doug.
(LAUGHTER)
He plans this event to talk to voters. I mean, his campaign manager was on the show last night. And he's like, we're talking to voters in South Carolina to do it tomorrow but then he uses a huge chunk of this time bashing people, especially Lindsey Graham. What is the point? What's the political gain here?
JEFFREY LORD, FORMER POLITICAL DIRECTOR FOR PRESIDENT REAGAN: You know, there is an old adage, when you're on television, and when you're in movies, when you write movies, that sort of things. Show, don't tell. And what he's doing in his own canny way is illustrating how you get things done. This is the guy who created this massive global empire and you have to believe he didn't get it accomplished by saying, well, let's debate this for a few hours, you know, tomorrow afternoon and we'll have a drink on the side. He pushed hard, he got things done. I think that's exactly why people are responding to him and they look at this and to be perfectly candid, they have such contempt for politicians in general, Republicans and Democrats they look at him and say here is a doer, for heaven's sakes, this is what we want.
BOLDUAN: I mean, Doug, as you said, candidates want to talk about the issues but when you hear from folks, they want to see Donald Trump. He's hitting a chord, hot, he's leading in the polls. Is this telling you that right now voters don't want to hear about the issues, they want to see this kind of reality TV show-esq type candidacy?
HEYE: You know, politics is always been absurdist theatre, it really resembles professional wrestling more than anything else and that's the role that Donald Trump is playing right now. He's the bad guy professional wrestler who is trying to elicit reactions from the crowd, trying to provoke the crowd. He's doing that very well. But in the meantime, I think it's important for our candidates, republican candidates to pin him down on specific issues. And also to pin him down on why is he criticizing a Lindsey Graham, a Chris Christie, a Marco Rubio but not criticizing President Obama, not criticizing Hillary Clinton, maybe it's because he was a Hillary Clinton donor but it's those kinds of things that republican voters are not hearing about Donald Trump. He's getting so much attention but he's not getting a lot of scrutiny.
[19:10:40] BOLDUAN: He's getting a lot of attention. Other candidates are campaigning that they are not getting attention because of it but then you have, just take the case of Lindsey Graham and Donald Trump at this point by going after Trump, it's making headlines. Is this now good strategy for Graham if you can't win by ignoring him, take him on.
LORD: You know, I have to say, Kate, when I see things like Lindsey Graham or the Des Moines register which called for him to get out of the race, I was on a talk show with somebody today, it was a radio host in Iowa and he said, let's see, they are asking the guy who is ahead by double digits to get out of the race, you know, duh.
BOLDUAN: Right.
LORD: The point is, when people attack him, they are helping him. And I don't understand why they don't understand this, but I mean, he stands there, they go and do this and all that happens is his numbers go up. There is a message right there.
BOLDUAN: Yes, but then, to both of you, whoever wants to take it, grab what you will, you, especially you, Jeff, because you worked in the Reagan White House. What happened to the 11th commandment, thou shall not speak ill of any fellow republican?
LORD: Well, you know, a lot of that was I think, Dr. Parkinson, I think, from California was the California republican chairman who invented that. Ronald Reagan went after General Ford pretty hard. Some other things he would like to delight in calling these folks fraternal order Republicans meaning they were just in this to get together and it was all about schmoozing and it was not about getting things done philosophically speaking. And certainly Republicans went after him. He was called not a serious man. He was called a fantasy, I mean, there is a whole long list of things. I've gone back and looked and they were pretty brutal with Ronald Reagan in the 1976 and 1980. Gerald Ford said, he was too extreme to be ever be elected president. So, some of this, a lot of this is not as new as we might think.
BOLDUAN: So now Doug, just so you know, Jeff Lord is saying Trump is the new Reagan.
(LAUGHTER)
HEYE: I don't think that's exactly what I heard. But ultimately Republicans are going to again, need to pin him down and I think what we saw yesterday or this weekend in Iowa and today in South Carolina, might be the beginning of Trump's undoing. A lot of conservative voters there obviously in the republican primary and the caucus, a lot of the evangelicals and one of the things that we lost sight on because of his unfortunate tax on Senator McCain's war record are his comments about religion, his comments about asking forgiveness of God. You're in New York City right now, Kate. Trump tower is one block away from the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. Donald Trump is Presbyterian. He says he goes to the church as often as he can. I bet it's not weekly like a lot of the really conservative and evangelical voters in Iowa and South Carolina. And if that gets scrutinized, I think you'll start to see Donald Trump really trip up.
BOLDUAN: And I think we've now seen the next line of attack, gentlemen.
Jeff Lord, Doug Heye, good to see you both. Thank you.
HEYE: Thanks.
LORD: Thank you. BOLDUAN: OUTFRONT next, Donald Trump says, he has a long record
of support for veterans. Is that fact or fiction? Our fact check is coming up.
And also ahead, a young black woman arrested after a routine traffic stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDRA BLAND, FOUND DEAD IN A JAIL CELL: He slammed my (bleep) head into the ground. My head. For a traffic ticket.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Days later she's found dead in her jail cell. Tonight, we're getting new dashcam video of that arrest.
Plus, the Tennessee shooter, his uncle now being questioned by authorities and you won't believe what the gunman was researching online just one day before that horrific shooting rampage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:18:00] BOLDUAN: Tonight, is Donald Trump GI joke? That's what one newspaper is saying after the republican presidential candidate question Senator John McCain's war record. Trump says he's been an advocate for veterans for a very long time but does his record show it?
Jeff Zeleny is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm the most militaristic person ever.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump is a champion for the military. He said so himself on a campaign trail today in South Carolina.
TRUMP: I will not only do great things for our vets, and I will take care of our vets. Our vets are treated like third class citizen.
ZELENY: The military and the treatment of veterans suddenly front and center in the GOP free for all.
TRUMP: This is why I'm angry at John McCain. The waiting list the longest it's ever been. I hear its worst that it's ever been.
ZELENY: Tonight, Trump is trying to change the subject after questioning whether John McCain was a war hero.
TRUMP: He's not a war hero.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a war hero.
TRUMP: He's a war hero.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five-and-a-half year --
TRUMP: He's a war hero because he is captured.
ZELENY: He was the grand marshal of a 1995 Veterans Day parade in New York. And says, he supported the military with his money.
TRUMP: I did the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in New York. You know, I was responsible for that.
ZELENY: But now he's also facing questions about his five deferments from Vietnam. CNN reviewed these copies of his selective service records from the national archives.
TRUMP: He's going to college, had student deferments and ultimately had a medical deferment because of my feet, I had a bone spur.
ZELENY: All this is suddenly giving the republican frontrunner front page treatment. Today's New York Daily News called him GI joke, Trump has pressed ahead with his criticism of McCain's commitment to veterans, despite countless trips overseas and now his services chairman of the Armed Services Committee. We caught up with McCain today. He says he's eager to move on.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I'm not interested in reopening those old wounds about the war. I've spent my time trying to heal those wounds and recognition of Vietnam, helping our veterans, so I'm not going to get into, you know, what is good service and what is bad service. Everybody answers to their own conscience.
ZELENY (on camera): He said he's done more --
MCCAIN: No, no, no, you can just look at my record, that's all.
ZELENY (voice-over): But the presidential race suddenly sounds more like a playground brawl.
TRUMP: They didn't like the way that, you know, I'm a little loud. I'm a little too strong. They don't like it. And then I watch this idiot Lindsey Graham on television today and he calls me a jackass.
ZELENY: He called Lindsey Graham an idiot this morning in South Carolina.
MCCAIN: It's dummy and idiot, the two of us are together again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZELENY: Now, McCain may be taking the high road but the look in his eye was clear when I asked him what he thought of Trump's assertion that he had quote, "Done nothing to help the vets." And just a few minutes ago, his office sent out a statement putting out that Trump's claim was rated by false, by PolitiFact that independent fact checking organization. So, they are pushing back of this tonight -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: And they are going to keep pushing back on. That's for sure. Jeff, thank you so much.
Let's continue this though. Let's talk about it, OUTFRONT tonight Iraq war veteran and West Point graduate Dan Rice. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his service. And former Reagan White House political director Jeffrey Lord, he is still here with us to discuss. We're going to focus in on this veterans issue, we're going to talk about, let's talk about this issue and this record. Dan, Trump says as you heard in Jeff's report, he says he has a stronger record fighting for veterans than John McCain. As a veteran yourself and you follow this process, do you think Donald Trump is a champion for vets?
DANIEL RICE, IRAQ WAR VETERAN, AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART: Well, I think that statement is kind of laughable. John McCain spent 40 years in the Senate and served honorably in combat and one of the greatest heroes. So, clearly Donald Trump has not done more for the military or veterans than Senator McCain. But I think the important thing is, Donald Trump is actually getting himself the attention that he is trying to get through these, what I would consider outlandish claims and I would prefer somebody on the presidential platform to take the opportunity to speak on behalf of veterans on positive issues to help veterans, not to promote themselves.
BOLDUAN: So, I mean, Jeff, you hear exactly what Dan is saying as a veteran himself, that it's laughable what Donald Trump is doing and holding up his record against John McCain's. Jeff Zeleny's report points that out. The record seems to be at least the very least less than he's touting. Is this really an issue then the Donald Trump should be taking on?
LORD: Yes. Absolutely. I mean, first of all, Senator McCain has served all this time in the United States Senate and yet, we have all these problems for the Veterans Affairs Administration. I understand that Mr. Trump today opened up an 800-line for veterans to call him to talk about their problems with the VA. I mean, Senator McCain is a pretty powerful guy and you got to wonder why are we having all of these problems if he knew about all of these things. That's certainly number one. Number two in terms of service and his deferment status and all this, I have to say, you know, I supported back in the day President George H.W. Bush and Senator Dole for president.
Both of them certified heroes from World War II and we elected Bill Clinton twice who was a draft dodger plainly put. So, I think America has long ago reached the decision on this that military service clearly and when you choose President Clinton over President Bush or Senator Dole is not what the American people I think make their decision anymore. You might want to say that that's unfortunate but be that as it may, that decision has long since come and gone. President Obama has no -- President Obama has no military service.
[19:23:40] BOLDUAN: He's not trying to misrepresent how, what he does for veterans, that's what we're trying to investigate right now. LORD: Well, he's given millions of dollars that Jeff Zeleny
mentioned this veterans parade. He gave $1 million to that. I mean, these are financial contributions, that's what he does. People come to him for money all the time and he delivers.
BOLDUAN: So, Dan, respond to that. And also, the fact that you talked to a lot of veterans and what did they say about this issue?
RICE: I think universally, the feedback I received over the weekend is across the board universal disappointment he's using this platform to attack a veteran, not only a veteran but a hero because not even in the race. So, it's kind of irrelevant point for him to bring up and attack. But to attack anybody's service ever I think is wrong, thing for him to do. He should be honoring Senator McCain and talking about the issues that are most important. And that's where I think Trump needs to lead to -- if he's going to be considered a viable candidate. Let's talk about the real issue. What are the veterans issues, suicide, veterans carry those things, should be on the plate. To use the venue of the national platform to attack a hero I think is the wrong way to do it, but he is an entertainer and he spent ten years on reality TV and now this is just another platform for him to do that. The question for the American people is this the right way to go about getting those issues brought up to the plate? I would disagree with the way in which he did it.
BOLDUAN: And in the process, veterans seem to be dragged into a political fight. And I think a lot of folks agree that's one thing that shouldn't be made political.
LORD: I agree --
RICE: There are a lot of veterans out there supporting him.
BOLDUAN: That's true. This is not across the board. This is not across the board. You're right, Jeff.
LORD: And having looked at this, there are a lot of veterans who are unhappy with Senator McCain for various issues over the years.
RICE: I think we're going down the wrong path discussing this.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLDUAN: Final note, Dan.
RICE: I think going down that path is the wrong issue. If we're not going down Senator McCain's record which I think is an incredible military end of the Senate. The issue is what are the issues for the presidential candidates and does Trump represent them but more importantly from a leadership stand point, is he reflecting the values that voters would want when he attacks the heroes of Senator McCain? That's just my point.
BOLDUAN: We'll focus on the issues, I'm going to focus on them here going forward. Dan, thank you so much.
RICE: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: Jeffrey, thank you, too.
OUTFRONT next, new dash cam video in the case of a young black woman found dead in her jail cell. Police say, it was suicide. The family says that's impossible. Will the video help answer the questions surrounding her death?
And the shooter who killed five service members in Tennessee. His uncle is now being held. Was he involved in radicalizing Abdulazeez?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:30:10] BOLDUAN: And tonight, we have breaking news for you. New dashcam video of the arrest of Sandra Bland. She's the 28-year- old black woman who was found dead in her Texas jail cell just days after her arrest. Bland died last week, three days after she was pulled over allegedly for failing to use her turn signal.
The sheriff's office says bland hanged herself in this jail cell with a plastic bag while in custody -- a claim that her family disputes. We're going to show you this new video just into CNN of Bland's arrest and what you're about to see is a tense exchange between the arresting officer and Bland.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE OFFICER: I said get out of the car.
SANDRA BLAND: Why am I being apprehended? You're opening my car door.
POLICE OFFICER: I'm going to drag you out of here.
BLAND: So, you're threatening to drag me out of my own car?
POLICE OFFICER: Get out of the car! I will light you up. Get out! Now!
BLAND: Wow, wow.
POLICE OFFICER: Get out of the car.
BLAND: For failure to signal? You're doing all this for failure to signal?
POLICE OFFICER: Get over there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Ryan Young is OUTFRONT with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLICE OFFICER: Step out or I will remove you. I'm giving you a lawful order.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the first time, we're seeing police dashcam video of Sandra Bland's arrest.
BLAND: I'm calling my lawyer.
POLICE OFFICER: I'm going to yank you out of here.
BLAND: OK, you're going to yank me out of my car?
POLICE OFFICER: Get out.
BLAND: OK, all right.
YOUNG: Pulled over for failing to use her turn signal, you can hear a tense exchange between the officer and Bland.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sandra Bland was very combative.
REPORTER: What does that mean?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was not a model traffic stop or and it was not a model person that was stopped on a traffic stop. I think the public can make its own determinations.
YOUNG: But what the dashcam video doesn't show is a struggle captured by a witness with a cell phone which shows Bland pinned to the ground and screaming she's a victim of excessive force.
Bland was arrested and brought here to the Waller County jail. Three days later, she was found dead hanging in her cell.
Surveillance video from inside the jail shows no one walking along the hall to enter or leave Bland's cell before she was found dead.
(on camera): This is cell number 95. This is where Sandra Bland was staying for the three days and you can see, they left a lot of it just like the way it was. The food is still sitting here. The bed is still in the same arrangement that it was left in.
There is a lot of attention being paid to the trash bag just like this one and the trash liner. Of course, this trash liner is what's believed to be used to string up here and for Sandra Bland to hang herself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were four female inmates, three and a half feet across from her. They give statements. Nobody did anything to her, at all. And based on that, there is absolutely a tragic incident of her committing suicide.
YOUNG (voice-over): But state officials and the FBI are investigating and the district attorney is treating her death as a murder investigation and Bland's family says the 28-year-old would not have taken her own life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seven days later, I still don't know what happened to my baby sister.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YOUNG: It's important to note, there are two parts of the investigation. Of course, you have the traffic stop and already, we're hearing officials say the officer that pulled Bland over is on administrative leave for the fact he violated several policies during that traffic stop. So, there is a change there.
Also, there is the part of the investigation that has to do with the jail cell and that's something they are investigating to see exactly what happened and the moments between the last time someone talked to her and the time she was found hanging inside that cell -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: Ryan Young, thank you so much.
OUTFRONT with us now, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas.
Congresswoman, thank you so much for your time.
The district attorney there says they are investigating Sandra Bland's death as a homicide, but you are now calling for the Justice Department to step in and investigate. What are your concerns about this investigation? What do you think happened?
REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D), TEXAS: Kate, first of all, would you allow me to offer my deepest sympathy to the families of the five marines, one sailor that lost their life, and again offer my sympathy to Sandra Bland's family.
Two enormous tragedies that we're facing and I believe all of them need solutions.
I want to at least make the point, Kate, I saw the video and the jail video this weekend, and along with a number of other officials, this past Sunday, in fact, flew in from the East Coast to come in and see the videos, and see the jail, walk through the jail, walk down the street that Ms. Bland was on, and actually was at the site where she was out of the car and on the ground.
I want to say that the local officials have attempted to be very transparent. I want to congratulate them on that.
[19:35:02] The district attorney has been open and speaking and Texas rangers, Department of Public Safety and a number of elected officials, I want to congratulate them on that.
But I see a lot of problems. First of all, with the stop and the protocol for the stop, and the question of whether or not Ms. Bland was injured during that time frame. The family doesn't have that answer.
In addition, there is a representation that Ms. Bland refused medical care. She was in the custody of the law enforcement. It's their responsibility to accurately determine whether or not she was injured. There were also protocols I questioned at the jail in terms of her food and what she had and whether she ate or did not eat, and whether or not there were other necessities that she had that she did not have.
I think this is a very suspicious circumstances and with all of the transparency, I think it is important to open a civil rights investigation to determine whether or not Ms. Bland was denied her civil rights and untimely death resulted in that. Not only does the family deserve that, but the nation deserves it.
BOLDUAN: Congresswoman, when it comes to the Justice Department and investigations, just take a look at some of the most recent cases. They didn't bring charges in Ferguson. They didn't bring charges in the death of Trayvon Martin. Why do you think a justice investigation will be any different here?
LEE: Well, I think that's a very good question but the point is, Kate, they did investigate and I frankly believe that an investigation is warranted on behalf of this family. But it is also warranted because protocols, practices, best practices need to be established across the nation.
This was a young woman who had two bachelors degrees, a masters degree who was excited from returning to her beloved alma mater, Prairie View A&M to get a job. She was a person who loved agriculture and this is a great place to be, which was in the state of Texas.
She had no reason as one would perceive to take her life. Her most recent publicized phone call that her family indicated, indicated joy. And the part that was not seen that we saw is that Ms. Bland was very, very calm at that stop. She waited for a long time for the officer to check her license, a very long time. She did not drive away.
It was an encounter with her responding to the officer very calmly as to why she was upset that he had stopped her, and then that's where your video picked up. She was very calm.
And so, I want to know what she physically hurt, what she not attended to and what transpired that would generate into her death, a 20-year-old with a wonderfully bright future. Her death demands a civil rights investigation and that's what we'll be pressing to have and we're going to make the argument that it is a question of civil rights. It is a question of under color of law and it is a suspicious circumstance that only the Justice Department here in Washington, along with FBI resources here in Washington, not just in Texas.
We would like the resources to be utilized out of the FBI right here in Washington, D.C. Many of us are pressing for that.
BOLDUAN: A lot of questions, you have a lot of questions still not satisfied in the least, I can tell.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, thank you very much for your time.
LEE: Thanks.
BOLDUAN: OUTFRONT with us now, law enforcement analyst Harry Houck.
So, Harry, you heard the congresswoman. She has a lot of concerns. She is calling for an independent investigation essentially from the federal government. Police say Bland hanged herself. We see video inside the cell. We see video of the traffic stop.
Let's focus how this woman died. They say it's a suicide. They are investigating it as a homicide.
HARRY HOUCK, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Right.
BURNETT: With everything you've seen, which one is it?
HOUCK: Well, this looks like this is a suicide to me. Based on what I've been seeing so far. They have got video of that cell. They interviewed people who were right across the cell.
If somebody tried to come in and kill her, it would have to be two or three people to do that, all right, and hang her. I don't see that happening. All right?
Interviews of the persons in the cell next to her doesn't seem like they heard or saw anything. Video, nothing. Nobody went towards her cell at the time.
Now, the problem is that detectives see cases like this all the time. We get suicides. If a note isn't left or the person was under some kind of psychological care, a lot of times the family thinks it's murder.
I had two private investigation cases like that last year, the same type of thing. The family always thinks it's murder. It's not murder. It doesn't look like murder. Everything here points to suicide.
There is no evidence to indicate that there was a cover-up here. Congresswoman Jackson, she does this all the time just to make points or whatever. She's always talking with no evidence --
BURNETT: Be careful here, Harry. She's raising concerns and she's very concerned about the family.
(CROSSTALK)
[19:40:00] HOUCK: I know she's raising concerns. But I see her do this. She did the same thing with the Trayvon Martin case.
But, you know, the fact here is that there is no evidence to indicate civil rights violations here at all. This is just -- this is the race card that's being played all over again as we see from time to time at least in the last year.
BOLDUAN: You're feeling very strongly about that. We'll make sure we get Sheila Jackson Lee to respond because Harry Houck with strong, strong feelings about this case.
Harry, thank you very much.
HOUCK: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: OUTFRONT next, breaking news, top al Qaeda leader killed by a drone strike in northern Syria.
Plus, what was Mohammad Abdulazeez searching online just the day before killing five at military sites in Tennessee?
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
BOLDUAN: And yes, those are shots coming from a handgun attached to a drone. Could it become the next tool for terrorists?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: New developments tonight on the massacre that left four marines and a sailor dead.
CNN is learning authorities are questioning the uncle of 24-year- old Tennessee gunman Mohammod Abdulazeez.
[19:45:05] We know now that Abdulazeez stayed with his uncle, while visiting Jordan back in 2014. This comes as investigators say there is new evidence to suggest terrorism may have been the motive for last week's attack.
Evan Perez is live in Washington.
Evan, you're doing -- it's all your reporting digging all this information up. First, let's talk about the uncle. What more are you learning now about the gunman's uncle?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Kate, a lawyer for the uncle says it's very unfair but the uncle has been held in custody by Jordanian authorities since Friday for questioning. There is no indication that authorities believe he should have known or knew anything about the shooting, but what we do know is that the FBI is very much interested in that seven-month period that Abdulazeez spent in Jordan. He worked for the uncle's company while he was there.
But the FBI is most interested is who else did he see, who was he associating with during that period because it may explain what radicalization may have happened in the last few months.
BOLDUAN: And his friends have said that when he came back from Jordan, he had changed. That's for sure.
So then what evidence have they uncovered or telling you at this point that is pointing them to terrorism as the motive?
PEREZ: Well, this, Abdulazeez is a definitely is a bit of an enigma for investigators. By now, they had expected to see communications or anything that could indicate, you know, perhaps if he was getting direction or inspired by anything in particular. He didn't really leave any of that. He did leave behind some writings, dating back to 2013 in which he praises some of the writings of Anwar al-Awlaki, the former America clergy who was a leader of Arabian in the peninsula.
Now, we know that in most recent days, as a matter of fact, on Wednesday, the day before the shooting, Abdulazeez was looking up on the Internet using his smart phone information about martyrdom, and one of the things that, according to his writings, he was obsessed with this idea that you could use martyrdom as a way to atone for your sins, for drug abuse and for alcohol abuse, which we know was one of the problems that he said to have struggled with it, Kate.
BOLDUAN: Evan Perez, OUTFRONT for us -- Evan, thank you so much.
Breaking news just into CNN -- CNN has learned that a senior al Qaeda leader has been killed in U.S. drone strike. The leader is a Kuwaiti born jihad that had a $7 million bounty on his head from the U.S. government. He was one of the few trusted al Qaeda leaders who received advanced notification of the 9/11 attacks. The Pentagon says the al Qaeda leader's death will disrupt on going external operations of al Qaeda against the United States.
OUTFRONT next --
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
BOLDUAN: A teen mounted a handgun on a drone and figured out how to fire it with a remote, just the latest in a series of deadly drone incidents. It is time to regulate the use of drones?
And Jeanne Moos with a story that gives bikers yet another reason to always put on a helmet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:51:59] BOLDUAN: A near-miss. A Lufthansa plane nearly collided with a drone as it made its final approach into Warsaw. The drone coming within 300 feet of the plane. It's incidents like this that make what you see in this video so scary.
So this is a drone with a semi-automatic gun attached. The FAA is now investigating.
Rene Marsh is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the video that caught federal investigators' attention, police say 18- year-old Austin Haughwout of Clinton, Connecticut, is the mastermind behind his homemade gun-mounted drone.
The video posted to YouTube gained more than 1.7 million views, one person writing quote, "Strange and a scary thought for someone to be using a drone to carry a firing gun." Police say Haughwout opened fire on his private property, and
that's not illegal if done safety. Police have no evidence anyone's life was in danger.
The FAA is now investigating whether he violated the agency's rules.
PETER SACHS, CONNECTICUT LAWYER: There are countless ways the drones can be useful. Using one as a remote controlled weapon is not one of them.
MARSH: This comes after a man crashed a drone on the White House lawn earlier this year. In the end, prosecutors did not pursue charges. From his online postings, the Connecticut teen appears to be a drone enthusiast. He has posted additional videos including this one.
He says a woman assaulted him after he flew a drone above her. The woman allegedly believes he was recording her at a Connecticut beach.
AUSTIN HAUGHWOUT, DRONE ENTHUSIAST: She took a swing at me, and I began falling to the ground.
MARSH: The woman was charged. He was not.
But when it comes to this video, no indication yet whether there is any law to be enforced.
JIM WILLIAMS, FORMER FAA DRONE CHIEF: Laws, you know, they take awhile. Well, technology doesn't wait. It moves forward.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARSH: There's no federal law that explicitly prohibits arming a drone but the FAA does have regulations that says you can't drop an object from an aircraft and a drone is considered an aircraft. So, at the very least, Kate, he could be in violation of FAA operating rules.
BOLDUAN: It's just amazing to see that video no matter what the rules are. Rene, thanks so much.
MARSH: Sure.
BOLDUAN: Coming up next, Jeanne Moos on how the cooler head prevailed during an ugly moment of road rage.
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[19:58:16] BOLDUAN: Here is Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sometimes road rage is a one-way street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey! You got to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) step back right now.
MOOS: In this case, a motorcyclist and his girlfriend were on the receiving end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got a problem?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I got a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) problem!
(EXPLETIVES DELETED)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop it.
CODY MUNOZ, MOTORCYCLIST: He hit me directly in the helmet.
MOOS: The motorist then shoved the biker's girlfriend.
It all played out on a Saturday afternoon in Yuma, Arizona.
The driver got mad when the biker did something that's illegal in Arizona called lane splitting. The bike went between a car and a bus traveling in the same direction.
Fifty-one-year-old Lee Schismenos followed Cody Munoz and his girlfriend to a red light. And after taking a couple of swings, the older man got taken down.
MUNOZ: You'd better stop! Stop! Are you done? Call the cops right now. Help. Anyone?
MOOS: Munoz' girlfriend called the police.
MUNOZ: Dude, I did nothing to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just broke the law.
MUNOZ: I went in between you on a road?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yep.
MUNOZ: And you're going to punch me and assault me for that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yep.
MOOS: Online, Munoz was hailed for his restraint, "10 out of 10 to that motorcyclist. Actually props for not smashing his teeth in."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he handled it really good.
MOOS: Were you tempted to hall off and smack him?
MUNOZ: No. The thought never really entered my mind, if I laid into an old guy on the ground after did I what I needed to do.
MOOS: Munoz would like to become a cop. The officer who responded smelled alcohol on Schismenos' breath. He admitted he had four to five shots of whiskey. MUNOZ: Are you going to behave?
MOOS: Police say Schismenos potentially faces charges, ranging from DUI to assault.
CNN was unable to reach him. He was treated at the hospital for a broken ankle and abrasions on his knuckles. I wonder how he got those.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: "AC360" starts right now.
