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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Washington Post: Trump Rejected His Lawyer's Effort to Settle With Justice Department; Demolition of Destroyed Philly Overpass Finishes Today; Ukraine: Russia Trying to Blunt Counteroffensive. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired June 15, 2023 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:29]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Christine Romans.

We begin with Donald Trump's arrest and arraignment in the classified documents case. "The Washington Post" reports that Trump rejected efforts by one of his lawyers to cut a deal with the Justice Department to return the documents and avoid indictment. "The Post" says attorney Chris Kise wanted to negotiate with the DOJ back in the fall after the FBI found more than 100 classified documents at Mar-a- Lago. However, CNN spoke to sources close to Trump's legal team, and they cast some doubt on whether that was a real opportunity to settle.

Meantime, Attorney General Merrick Garland is defending the special counsel behind the Trump indictment and Jack Smith.

CNN's Paula Reid has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I can now take a few questions.

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Speaking for first time since former President Trump was indicted --

GARLAND: Mr. Smith is a veteran career prosecutor.

REID: -- Attorney General Merrick Garland standing by special counsel Jack Smith who is prosecuting Trump and addressing fears of a violent response from protesters.

GARLAND: We live in a democracy. These kind of matters are adjudicated through the judicial system. The Justice Department will be vigilant to ensure that there are no threats of violence or actual violence.

REID: Demonstrations Tuesday outside the Miami federal courthouse where Trump was arraigned were largely peaceful.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: I did everything right and they indicted me.

REID: Trump gearing up for the legal and political fight of his life, as the first former U.S. president to face federal criminal charges, the result of a large scale justice department investigation into his handling of national security secrets after leaving office.

TRUMP: Many people have asked me why I had these boxes, why did you want them?

REID: Trump speaking to supporters at a fund-raiser held at his New Jersey golf club, the same day he made his first appearance in federal court. Telling them how the FBI ended up recovering hundreds of classified documents from his Mar-a-Lago home last summer.

TRUMP: These boxes were containing all types of personal belongings -- many, many things, shirts and shoes. I hadn't had a chance to go through all the boxes. It's a long, tedious job, which I was prepared to do, but I have a very busy life.

TIM PARLATORE, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: Don't talk about the case in public. Let your lawyer do all the talking for you.

REID: Attorney Tim Parlatore who up until a few weeks ago was representing Trump in this matter says, ideally, Trump would stop talking about this case in public altogether.

In court Tuesday, Trump was silent. His attorney, Todd Blanche, entering a not guilty plea on his behalf. During his nearly hour-long arraignment, Trump signed his bond agreement and the judge telling him not to communicate with his co-defendant, and personal assistant, Walt Nauta, about the case, though a source tells CNN that the two men would continue to travel together and work side by side.

TRUMP: That young man right there, he's answered more subpoenas than any human being in the history of the world.

REID: Parlatore worked alongside Nauta when he represented Trump. Asked if he thinks the president's assistant might make a deal to flip on his boss --

PARLATORE: Every criminal defendant has to make their own decision as to what they are willing to do, how much they're willing to risk. It's the client that has to live with it for the rest of their life.

REID: What's next in this case? The Justice Department will provide a full list of witnesses Trump would be barred from talking to except through counsel.

The discovery process begins and with it likely disputes over evidence to be decided by Trump appointed judge, Aileen Cannon, and Walt Nauta's arraignment will be in two weeks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID (on camera): Going forward, Trump's hearings will be held a little closer to one of his homes, in West Palm Beach, the location of his Mar-a-Lago resort. And the case will be heard before Judge Aileen Cannon. She was appointed by Trump after he lost the election but before he left office. Now, according to an analysis done by "The New York Times", she has only overseen four trials, which amounted to a total of just 14 trial days. Special counsel says the Trump case is expected to last 21 days.

Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Paula.

Today, demolition work is set to be completed on a Philadelphia overpass, destroyed when a fuel tanker crashed and caught fire under it on Sunday.

[05:05:07]

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says that the demolition work we finished at least four days ahead of schedule. He is also unveiled the strategy for reopening this crucial road bridge on Interstate 95 as quickly as possible.

CNN's Pete Muntean has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN TRANSPORTATION CORRESPONDENT: Officials in Philadelphia say that the work of demolishing the bridge on I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia will finish up on Thursday. But it is only the start of the process of getting traffic moving again, which will take place into parts, according to Pennsylvania Governor John Shapiro.

First, fill in the gap created by the downed bridge, and then pave over. And then build a completely new bridge. The bad news is that there is really no timeline just yet on how long it will take to build a new bridge. But the good news is that temporary fill will allow all six lanes of I-95 north and south to open to traffic again. Pennsylvania Governor John Shapiro says that this is the best in quickest way to get the critical spot of I-95 open.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA: The most efficient way to reopen I-95 is to back fill the gap in the roadway behind me. And then pave over it. This approach will allow us to avoid delays due to shipment and supply chain issues. And pursue a simple, quicker path.

MUNTEAN: Shapiro also says that the work will take place around the clock. Also, they will stream it 24/7 on a web camera to show folks just how quickly the work is getting done. It shows how important the spot is to the area and beyond.

And we are also finding out more about the truck driver who was killed in this incident, 53-year-old Nathaniel Moody. He was a lifelong trucker. He worked for a company called Penn Tank Lines, which the National Transportation Safety Board said was in good safety standing with the federal government.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Thank you.

Ukrainian officials say Russian forces are ramping up their efforts to blunt Ukraine's counteroffensive, using land mines, missiles, artillery and auto-destruct drones.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is live in London for us this morning.

Salma, do we have any sense of how successful Russian troops' efforts have been at slowing Ukraine's offensive here?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you have to remember, just as Ukraine has been preparing for months, so has Moscow. In recent weeks and months, we've seen satellite images that show Russian forces digging trenches, laying out anti-tank equipment, putting in land mines, ramping up their manpower on the ground, still, Ukraine says that it has had partial success in the very early stages of this counteroffensive.

To be more specific, south of Zaporizhzhia where one of the key battles is underway, Ukrainian officials say that they have been able to gain about one square miles of territory over the course of three days, and then towards Bakhmut in the north, they have been able, according to Ukrainian officials again, to push about 200 to 500 meters into -- towards those Russian positions.

But you have to remember that allies want to see more. You may know that today, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is in Brussels, holding a meeting with his NATO counterparts. He's joined, of course, by the NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who was quick to remark to reporters that the billions of dollars of military aid that poured India crane are making a difference on the frontlines.

But the U.S. and its friends are going to need to see Ukrainian forces punch through Russian defensive position so that they can really feel the difference on what has looked like a stalemate now essentially for months.

ROMANS: All right. Salma, thank you so much for that.

Just ahead, a U.S. marine now accused of fire an abortion clinic.

Plus, another new Republican candidate for president of the United States.

And Trump talking to Trump voters about his arrest and indictment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is your reaction to seeing that Trump allegedly did this?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Now that Donald Trump has become the first former president in U.S. history to be arraigned on felony charges, we wanted to see what effect that has had on the views of some Republican voters.

CNN's Omar Jimenez traveled to the first of the nation's GOP primary state of New Hampshire for us.

Here's what he learned.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEE HAYNES, NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTER: It's not fair. I'm all about being fair.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In this Republican part of New Hampshire, a 37 count indictment doesn't change much for some Trump supporters.

This is from the indictment.

HAYNES: Yep.

JIMENEZ: Trump told the individuals that the plan was highly confidential and secret. Trump also said, as president, I could have declassified it, and now I can't, but this is still a secret. What's your reaction to seeing that Trump allegedly did this?

HAYNES: Well, it's right there with Hunter Biden. But that don't mean nothing, because I don't trust the DOJ. I do not trust the FBI. I hate to say it. Y'all might come out with more info.

JIMENEZ: Anything that's in here at this point doesn't matter to you.

HAYNES: I will listen to it. I will not make a decision on any of it until I've heard a lot more.

JIMENEZ: Lee Haynes isn't alone either. Many of Trump supporters we spoke to pointed to a lengthy investigation into Hunter Biden's finances, which remains ongoing to Hillary Clinton being cleared of acting with criminal intent back in 2016 in what was described as a careless handling of classified information on a private e-mail server.

To these Trump backers, it is all evidence of a double standard being applied now.

DUANE WHITE, NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTER: They give us look here, but don't look over here. I wish they would stop, like it's just too much.

JIMENEZ: And even in this, there are pictures of the boxes, you know, stacked up and even spilled on the ground.

[05:15:01]

That doesn't bother you. WHITE: Everything you see -- you can't believe everything you see. I don't know. I'm skeptical.

They told us Russia collusion was real for how many years and it proved through the Mueller report that it wasn't, so how can I believe that at face value, too?

JIMENEZ: Even as Trump faces legal jeopardy, he remains the clear frontrunner in the GOP primary. The former president's rivals so far offering a range of reaction to the indictment.

CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is saying, I'm more important than the country. These are my papers.

NIKKI HALEY (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If what it says is actually the case, President Trump was incredibly reckless with our national security.

MIKE PENCE (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This indictment contains its serious charges, and I cannot defend what is alleged.

JIMENEZ: In Seabrook, New Hampshire, another red part of the state, some Republicans believe the allegations will help Trump politically.

SRINIVASAN "RAVI" RAVIKUMAR, NEW HAMPSHIRE REPUBLICAN VOTER: This is uniting people. People are saying wait a second here, it is not it's not D versus R. It's us against them.

JIMENEZ: He too doesn't believe what's in the indictment.

RAVIKUMAR: For you to know what is really the charge, you have to believe the charger.

JIMENEZ: So the contents of this indictment to you are essentially disqualified.

RAVIKUMAR: Completely disqualified because it's all done by a completely tilted Justice Department.

JIMENEZ: And despite the latest allegations, he doesn't plan to change his vote.

You voted for Trump in 2016.

RAVIKUMAR: I voted for Trump in 2016.

JIMENEZ: And in 2020?

RAVIKUMAR: I voted for Trump in 2020.

JIMENEZ: And you plan to vote for him this cycle coming up.

RAVIKUMAR: If Trump is on the Republican ticket for 2024, I would gladly vote for him again.

WHITE: He was the first person to get me to vote, 56 years old, and I did vote for Trump in 2016, I voted for him again in 2020. At this point, you know, I'll vote for Trump.

JIMENEZ: You haven't seen anything at this point to change your vote from Trump?

HAYNES: Not really, but I do wait until the end before I do make a decision, you know? And if Biden comes through with something stellar, who knows?

JIMENEZ: Omar Jimenez, CNN, Seabrook New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: Omar, thank you for that.

Really enlightening. As you heard from his story, there is no shortage of reaction from both voters and candidates on the Trump indictment.

I want to bring in Daniel Strauss, senior political correspondent and coauthor of the "Run Up" column at "The New Republic".

Good morning.

DANIEL STRAUSS, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW REPUBLIC: Good morning.

ROMANS: Daniel, you heard Pence and Haley, they both calling these charges serious but also reiterating that the president, the former president deserves his day in court.

What do you make of how the GOP field is reacting and positioning around the presidents indictment?

STRAUSS: Well, two things. First, everything we saw in the past few clips underscores what pollsters have seen for a while. That there is an immovable base of the Republican Party. I just will not change their position and stop supporting Donald Trump. Nothing will change that. No event will affect that in any serious way.

Second, the other thing we saw here is that there is a healthy skepticism towards various other institutions in the United States. Trump represents sort of a defiance in a way to all of that. There is a large sort of sense of embattlement in Trump embodying the polar opposite of. So, that's really the core of his appeal.

As it relates to his rivals in the primary field, we are seeing to an extent a little framing of they're hesitance to criticize him. You could say that Chris Christie is one of his biggest critics right now, but also former Vice President Mike Pence., former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. At the same time, if you look at any other primary, it would really look like the gloves have not come off yet. All of the other candidates in this primary are very worried about alienating Trump's base.

That immovable base I just mentioned. Who worried about the iron antagonism getting Trump too hard. Could create for their own presidential campaigns in the next few months by doing that. So, there is not a wonder that there is a lot of hesitance among these first in the nation primary voters to criticize him.

ROMANS: That's a paradox. They're worried about losing that immovable Trump base. But know that they can't win without Trump base. So they are trying to figure out how to navigate.

You know, Trump held a fund-raiser at Bedminster just hours after his not guilty plea. "Politico" reporting he raised Daniel about $2 million at Bedminster, you know, just at that event. Trump campaign says it raised more than $7 million since the indictment last week.

I guess the Trump playbook is to fund-raise off a felony indictment and it is working.

STRAUSS: Yeah, and, look, when I say that a sense of embattlement and sort of being under siege is effective, it's true. And this shows in the numbers.

[05:20:09]

If you send out a fund raising email that Trump has been doing, saying that the DOJ's after me, it's another indictment, it's another witch hunt, it opens the spigot to more donations. And in the end, this primary may come down to who is war coffers have enough money to outlast the rest. So there is no surprise that Trump would host a fund-raiser with his supporters and raise the sums he has raised, so far.

ROMANS: Yeah, clearly, all of these candidates are where the polls that show not only that Trump has a commanding lead, right, but most Republican voters think the indictment is politically motivated.

How do, you know, these other GOP candidates walk this political tightrope here?

STRAUSS: I mean, that's the $64,000 question, right? That's what candidates are testing right now. And we've not seen much effect than anything they say in criticizing Trump will change the state of the race right now, or any of them, including this indictment over the Mar-a-Lago investigation. It's pretty clear now that Trump holds a commanding lead and that is unlikely to change given everything we know right now.

I think voters need something else that would really move them and shift the primary field in a substantial way.

ROMANS: Miami's mayor, Francis Suarez, filed paperwork to run for president yesterday. I guess the actual announcement could come later.

Daniel, does he bring anything new or different to the GOP field?

STRAUSS: Probably not. There is always a mayoral candidate in any single primary. There are always surprise candidates. But so far, we've not seen very much of Mayor Suarez that could change the field in a substantial way but it is really. And he is very much an unknown on the national stage. So, we'll see.

ROMANS: All right. Daniel Strauss of "The New Republic", always nice to chat with you. Thank you.

STRAUSS: Thanks very much.

ROMANS: All right. Quick hits across America now.

The Justice Department charging two men with fire bombing a Planned Parenthood clinic in California. One of them, an active duty marine. Each faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Women pastors, not welcome in the Southern Baptist Convention. The group voted to expel California's Saddleback megachurch over its female pastors. Church founder Rick Warren had appealed an earlier decision.

Dramatic video captures the moment a massive lightning bolt struck in Massachusetts. This is in Cambridge near -- right near Harvard. A severe thunderstorm warning had been issued for the Boston area at the time.

All right. Coming up, dozens dead and hundreds feared missing after a boat sinks in the Mediterranean. Plus, India and Pakistan are on high alert as a dangerous storm bears down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:27:22]

ROMANS: At least 78 people have died after a migrant boat carrying hundreds sinks off of the coast of southern Greece on Wednesday. Rescue operations are underway right now. But officials fear that there could be even more deaths.

So far, 104 survivors have been found and taken to Kalamata, Greece.

We want to go live to journalist Elinda Labropoulou in Kalamata for us.

These are very deep waters, we're told, Linda, and survivors say that there could have been as many as 750 people aboard the boat. What more do you know?

ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: That's right, Christine. These are the numbers that they have been giving. The survivors we have so far, 104 of them are housed in here, most of them housed in this makeshift warehouse at the port of Kalamata. And many of them will be transported to greater Athens later in the day, we understand.

The nationalities that we have been given so far are Egyptian, Syrian, a couple of Palestinian and some Pakistanis included. Most of them are young men, under the age of 40. There are some miners in those 104.

And what we have that's interesting, in this group there is not a single woman. Survivors saying there were women and children on board. And from their accounts, we understand that most of those were in the lower decks. In some cases even lock in those lower decks in order for the vote not to shift in weight, which is exactly what happened at some point. It seems people panic, possibly because of an engine failure.

These are just first reports coming out as to what happened and led to the incident. But what happens is that the weight changed in the boat capsized. And then sank very quickly. So far, operations have been going forward. For more than 30 hours. We have been speaking to authorities here who say that by now, the chances of finding survivors in such deep waters are extremely unlikely.

They have not told us how they are likely to proceed but we understand that even if they were to send divers, the depth is so great that they would not be able to get a very close, Christine.

ROMANS: I am assuming there is no ship manifest, you know, with the names of all of those people. I mean, it's such a tragedy. We may never know how many people are in that hold.

LABROPOULOU: No, you are absolutely right. There is no list, no registration, nothing like that. But what we do know is that often, these boats are really overloaded with people, as they try to make the journey from Libya to Italy or anywhere else in Europe.

This route has been particularly popular over recent months. It has been the main route people have been trying in order to reach Europe.