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Laura Coates Live
Northeast on Edge Amid Mysterious Drone Sightings; Search Warrants Executed in CEO's Killing; Trump is Time's Person of the Year; New January 6 Report Answers FBI Conspiracy Theory; NFL Legend Bill Belichick Stuns with Move to UNC. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired December 12, 2024 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Tonight, patience running out as more reports emerge of these mysterious drones in New Jersey. The feds, they're brushing off concerns as lawmakers insist something is not right. Plus, the new search warrants tied to the second CEO killer and the one theory that's now been ruled out. And a new report debunks a popular January 6th conspiracy theory while also giving the FBI a little bit of a scolding. Tonight on "Laura Coates Live."
You know, you would think that after weeks of drones flying above New Jersey, we'd have some answers about where they're coming from, who's controlling them. Yeah, no, we don't have much of any of that, but we do have residents and politicians increasingly asking this question, what the heck is going on?
Buzzing lights are flying overhead. Mysterious drones, if that's what they really are, they're often appearing in clusters. And we're told they even avoid detection by turning off their lights and fleeing when anything gets close.
And get this. It has been going on since mid-November. Almost a month, really? And you know, you're guarding variety recreational drones. These are actually big boy drones, talking the size of bikes or even small cars. Some of them are even six feet in length. They've been spotted near a military research facility. They've been seen over Donald Trump's Bedminster golf course. Even the Coast Guard has encountered these drones.
Just a moment, I'll speak with someone who has seen these drones firsthand and launched his own drone to try to investigate, only to suddenly have it malfunctioned when he tried. Now the FBI and Homeland Security say there is no evidence that they posed any national security threat. That's not good enough for officials who are asking, well then what are they? It's not quite quieting those who are in New Jersey or in Washington D.C., be the Democrat or Republican.
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SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): They should be shot down if necessary because they're flying over sensitive areas.
BRIAN BERGEN, NEW JERSEY GENERAL ASSEMBLY: The whole government, state police, Department of Homeland Security, the governor, they need to take this way more seriously.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): It's a bit embarrassing that, given the length of time and the number of sightings, that we don't have information.
REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): I think it is time that these federal agencies that are responsible for this come clean and say what they know to the public.
MAYOR TONY PERRY, MIDDLETON, NEW JERSEY: Until you know the origin and what these drones' intent is, how can you tell me that there's no imminent threat?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: I mean, that's a good point. If the demands are for information and they're getting so loud, the White House is also having to weigh in.
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JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR: We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus. It appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Well, the FBI and DHS are also saying that many of the sightings appear to be manned aircraft, as you heard from Kirby. The Defense Department is also waving off any threat as well, especially after a Republican lawmaker suggested Iran could be involved. You know things are getting weird when words like mother's ship are getting dropped at Pentagon news conferences, right?
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SABRINA SINGH, DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there's no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States.
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COATES: No Iranian mothership. Okay. But the internet, of course, is speculating about a mothership of a different kind.
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(END VIDEO CLIP) COATES: The internet, undefeated, my friends. All Hollywood fiction aside, though, this is actually part of the problem, right? The lack of a clear answer is causing people to come up with all sorts of conspiracies that can spread fear and misinformation and, of course, there is the whole credibility and faith in the government transparency aspect as well.
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Joining me now, Republican State Senator Doug Steinhardt from New Jersey. Good evening to you, senator. Listen, the White House is maintaining that these mysterious drone sightings do not pose a threat to public safety, that they're likely legally manned aircraft. You find that insulting. Why?
SEN. DOUG STEINHARDT (R-NJ): Well, look, it just doesn't compute for me. It's hard for me to accept that Kirby (ph) can go on a White House briefing today and say that they can't corroborate any visual sightings, that they're blaming manned aircraft for confirmed drone sightings, that there are no drone sightings in any restricted airspace, that he has questions, that they have concerns, and at the same breath say that there are no credible threats.
Meanwhile, as recently as this afternoon, New Jersey Advance Media, the publisher of "The Star-Ledger" here in New Jersey, puts out an article citing United States military spokespeople, not civilian spokespeople, that as recently as yesterday, there were two drone -- confirmed drone sightings in restricted airspace at the Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County. The same article points to the fact that there were 11 confirmed drone sightings over the last two weeks at the Picatinny Arsenal --
COATES: Hmm.
STEINHARDT: -- closer to my home county. And in our briefing that was held yesterday at my request and some of my colleagues in the legislature, the New Jersey State Police Rock (ph), that the colonel of the New Jersey State Police confirmed that on multiple occasions, he has dispatched New Jersey State Police helicopters to try to interact with these drones, only to, when they approach them, have them turn off their lights and disappear, unable to track them, unable to detect the signal, not knowing where they come from, not knowing where they're going to.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
STEINHARDT: And quite frankly, that's just not the behavior of any legal commercial, any friendly --
COATES: Yeah.
STEINHARDT: -- or any non-military aerial asset.
COATES: Well, this raises a lot of questions in terms of what constraints the state government would have over the ability to use the resources that might be available to do something about it. But also, there are some who believe that these drones, albeit the reasons you talked about, appear to be following FAA regulations with green and red lights, exactly what's required by the agency, even though you say it's coming to turn those lights off.
Could this be some sort of a private company testing a new product and they don't want to reveal their intellectual property or anything like that?
STEINHARDT: And look, that's part of the problem that I think we all have today. My big takeaway from the briefing yesterday is, um, it didn't confirm anything we didn't already not know. So, I don't know the answer to that. What I do know is I think it's a question of answers and actions. You know, if these are our American assets or these are some sort of corporate asset, you know, then I think the American public just is entitled to answers and we need to keep asking questions till we get those.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
STEINHARDT: If there's some foreign asset or some, you know, hostile asset, you know, then we're entitled to some sort of action. And again, all that, though, unfortunately, as we've learned, sort of falls on the shoulders of the federal government. You know, the state's hands are really tied in those small degrees. So, you know --
COATES: Yeah.
STEINHARDT: -- we need at our end to kind of keep asking those questions and asking for action.
COATES: Well, we'll see if any of those answers come anytime soon. This is since mid-November. State Senator Doug Steinhardt, thank you so much for joining.
STEINHARDT: Thank you for having me.
COATES: And I want to bring in a drone enthusiast who is trying to help solve this mystery. Michael B. joins me now. He's also the host of Terror Talk. Michael, good to see you. You've heard, obviously, about all the questions that are out there. You've actually spotted these drones flying around Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County last Thursday. What did it look like?
MICHAEL B, CEO, TERROR TALK: They're actually out there every night. They're the size of small vehicles, the small little SUVs. They look like airplanes. But, you know, you get a closer look, and it's just too small to be an airplane.
COATES: So, when you've seen these, does this give you a sense of a recreational one or one that you've often seen before? Can you tie it to a particular company or anything like that?
B: No, what caught my attention was they were hovering over the Picatinny Arsenal. I had been seeing all the clips and TikTok and stuff like that, but they were hovering over the arsenal even after flight restrictions were put out there. And why? Why are they doing that?
COATES: Why are they? And that's the big question. And, of course, you have to wonder about the locations they're doing this all in. And in particular, as you mentioned, the arsenal, do you have any theories to why those drones are there? I mean, you tried to launch your own investigation of sorts. What happened?
B: I did. I saw the drone going over Picatinny, so I took my drone and I put it up in the air. And I went after the drone to try to get footage, at least get a close-up, see what was going on.
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And as I got close to Picatinny, I lost complete control of my drone, warning light on my controller, my drone spun out, and then I lost battery and it started to go right down to the ground. I actually had to go drive and fetch it and, you know, find it there.
COATES: Show me your drone. Do you have one with you?
B: I do.
COATES: I want to make a sense of what this is like. Okay.
B: So, this is what I sent up. And before I can even launch this, I have to go through FAA clearance through my app. So, it gives me clearance. I went up. And like I said, as I went heading over there, completely lost control of it, went down, broke some wings and stuff. But why was my drone affected and their drone was not affected?
COATES: Had that ever happened before?
B: Never. I've never lost control of my drone. With a fresh battery, I can get 18 to 25 minutes of flight time. Three minutes and I lost battery.
COATES: What strikes me is that you had to, in order to fly that, had to have some sort of FAA clearance or registration to do so.
B: Correct.
COATES: So, you follow that thread, the drones that are out there ought to be registered somewhere. Someone ought to know the answers unless they aren't following the same protocol as you are.
B: They're clearly not following the protocols that we are because I cannot go up without FAA clearance. So, if they're up there, somebody knows what they are.
COATES: So, what's your plan? I know you are -- this is not ending your curiosity. And frankly, there are a lot of people who are as curious, if not more. You're going to try to intercept these drones again in the next couple days, barring any technical difficulties. What's your plan to do so?
B: So, I have spotters all over New Jersey. Me and my team are going out this weekend. We're going to just try to get underneath one. If we can get underneath one, I can get a drone up close enough, and we'll see what happens.
COATES: Unbelievable, to see what's going to happen. It's scary. I wonder if the explanation is simple or if it's nefarious. We'll have to wait and see. Michael B, thank you so much.
B: Thank you very much.
COATES: Let's continue our conversation now with former chief of the FBI's counter drone unit, Robert D'Amico, and CNN military analyst, retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. Glad to have you both here.
Let me begin with you Colonel Leighton because this has been what? Three weeks now of these drones being spotted. Why does it sound like the government is not doing more to identify or conclusively say where they're coming from?
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST, RETIRED AIR FORCE COLONEL: Yeah, that's really very unsatisfactory to everybody that we've talked to so far tonight, isn't it, Laura?
COATES: Yeah.
LEIGHTON: And one of the problems that you may have with this is there could be, you know, some kind of a test being run by the U.S. government, either a law enforcement entity or the military, and they could be testing out some new technology.
But normally, this kind of testing doesn't occur in a populated area. You take it to a place like Nevada or someplace where there's little interference and you can figure out, you know, whether or not the drone is functioning properly according to the parameters that you've set for it. So that's one of the big issues. If it's a foreign entity that's doing this, then, of course, we have a whole other set of questions to ask.
And one of the things that interests me about this is the size of the drone. The reported size, like Michael was talking about, the size of a car approximately. That is pretty close to something that at least one Chinese company is putting out there. Basically, they're putting out a drone that can -- that has the size of a vehicle and is basically a flying car, and that's being tested as far as I know only in China so far.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
LEIGHTON: But if it's also being tested here, they would require permissions from the United States, from the FAA, to do something like that, and you would think they would tell us that they were doing that.
COATES: Assuming it's on the up and up, there would be a paper trail, but that's the question of what we're talking about. Rob, let me bring you in this because the White House says that many of these reported sightings appear to be manned aircraft. But are there manned aircrafts that can evade traditional detection methods like radar or radio frequencies in helicopters?
ROB D'AMICO, FORMER COUNTER DRONE UNIT CHIEF, FBI: They're not evading it. If you look at the sky at night through an app say like Flightradar24, you will see there's hundreds of planes over New Jersey within an hour. Some of them are 10,000 feet, some of them are 20,000, some are 30,000. They're all separated by altitude, but they look close together.
He says that it looks like a car. Well, a plane at 9,000 feet has a different appearance than at 20,000 feet. It's hard to see at night. When I used to go to the World Series or Super Bowl, anytime we announced that the FBI's counter drone unit was there, everyone would start looking up in the sky and see planets that they've never seen before, lights that they've never seen before, and say there are drones. The hysteria that started is that people telling them to go out. And now, all these senators and congressmen and other politicians going out saying, no, we demand answers.
COATES: Uh-hmm.
D'AMICO: It's hard to answer the negative. When there's no drones there, it's hard to say nothing is there.
COATES: So, I take you at your word about the idea that people suddenly see things because they've been aware of something for the first time. At the same token, couldn't the government say definitively one way or the other to completely ease people's minds? They seem to have a part in prolonging the entire discussion.
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D'AMICO: They've already said that the drones are not there. So, the FBI does not -- they have a counter drone unit for specific events so that weapons -- the drones aren't made into weapons to attack, say, like the Super Bowl. They don't regulatory -- they don't regularly look at the sky. FAA does. DOD does. And when you talk about flying over a Department of Defense installation, they have their own counter drone authorities.
That gentleman talked about flying a drone at Picatinny. Something may have happened from DOD's counter drone unit there that he's not used to. But he shouldn't be flying towards Picatinny chasing another drone.
COATES: Yeah.
D'AMICO: So again, the pictures I saw tonight over LaGuardia, they're all planes in a landing pattern. That's normal. But when people see it for the first time and with all the hysteria coming out, they just say they're drones.
COATES: Colonel Leighton, just to pick up on this point, what Admiral Kirby had to say was, we have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus. Some interpret that to mean, okay, it's not that. Others say they have no evidence at this time to conclude that. How should people be viewing this?
LEIGHTON: I think we should see it from the standpoint of we have no evidence at this time to say that these things are a foreign entity or have a foreign nexus, as Admiral Kirby called it.
One of the things that I would look at if I were investigating this from a government standpoint is from the standpoint of an intelligence agency. In other words, what is the possible threat if it does turn out that they are actual drones and people are not mistaking them, and they could, as we were just talking about.
But one of the things that you have to look at is who would be interested in flying something like this. Why would they target certain areas? Are they targeting the arsenal? Are they targeting Bedminster? Are they doing things that could potentially have a negative impact on either the leadership of the United States or the military capabilities of the United States? If there is an entity out there that could do that, then we have to further investigate that. But right now, it's kind of murky as to what actually exists out there.
COATES: Either way, it seems the questions are not going away. Rob D'Amico, Colonel Cedric Leighton, we'll see whether it's hysteria or well-founded. Thank you both.
Ahead, could a burner phone hold the key to the motive of the suspected CEO killer? Investigators are certainly trying to find that out after executing a search warrant on that very device. Plus, Donald Trump gives a tell-all interview after being named Time's Person of the Year for the second time. So, what's in store for his second term? The man who interviewed him is my guest next.
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COATES: Well, we're learning tonight that the suspected CEO killer, Luigi Mangione, was not a member of UnitedHealth Group. That's according to the company who also says his mother was not a member either. That rules out the theory that he may have been personally aggrieved by this particular company.
This comes as the folk hero status for Mangione, though, continues to build. This is into what happened on the NewsNation cameras captured being shouted out of the Pennsylvania jail where Mangione was sleeping.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Free Luigi!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: That's coming out of where he's staying, apparently. And CNN is learning tonight that in that jail, Mangione has, so far, only had a single visitor, his lawyer. I'm going to go right to CNN's John Miller for the latest on the investigation. John, good to see you. This detail that the NYPD has found out, that Mangione was not a UnitedHealthcare client, what is that signal to you about the prospects, potentially, of other targets?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, it's certainly a possibility. One of the questions that keeps coming up is he went to so much trouble to conceal his identity, to go on the run, to shed the bicycle and the backpack in Central Park, why did he keep the gun? Why was he arrested with what has been ballistically matched to the murder if he was trying to get rid of the things that could tie to him unless he had another target or unless he was considering taking his own life or if he was considering shooting it out with the police. But the gun remaining is one of those things.
I think the other issue about UnitedHealthcare is, it may not have been from a motive standpoint that he had any particular beef with them because of some encounter in the business of healthcare. More than it was his general animus towards corporate America and healthcare insurers in particular and that United was the biggest.
Listen to this from the note that was found on his person claiming responsibility for these crimes. United is the fifth largest company in the United States by market cap, followed only by Apple, Google, and Walmart. And it keeps growing and growing. So that's a clue to his identifying it as the biggest target.
COATES: That's unbelievable, to think about where this could have gone and the question you've asked, why do you keep the gun? It must be on the top of the minds of the investigators as well. Authorities, though, they're executing as many as, I think, three search warrants in this investigation. Two are for the backpack that was found at the park, and the burner phone found, of course, near the Hilton Hotel.
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What do you know about these warrants?
MILLER: Well, I think that the warrants are logical investigative steps because you know, as a former assistant United States attorney for the Department of Justice, that you can have these things collected as evidence, but you can't go into them, inside them, and search them for data without that search warrant. So, the burner phone, critical, Laura.
Remember that video, he's walking down the street just before the murder. He's talking to somebody on the phone. There it is. You need to know who's on the end of that call just before the murder. Is he saying goodbye to somebody because he thinks he may not survive this or is he getting information or coordinating a plan? Need to get in that phone.
Number two, that computer, when he's arrested at McDonald's, he's in a laptop. Police say, his head was buried in the laptop when we came in the restaurant. What page was he on? Was he on the page of what countries do not have extradition treaties with the United States?
Was he on the page of the profile of another potential victim? Was he on the page simply, and I wouldn't rule this out at all because it's common among these kinds of offenders, of reading his own press? Was he on CNN.com saying, do they I might be in Pennsylvania? Have there been any sightings? Are they close to getting me? And how much press am I getting? Another thing they're going to want to know for this case.
COATES: Umm. The old narcissism or focus when one is on the run, all those are possibilities here, of course. And ABC News is reporting, John, that prosecutors in the Manhattan DA's office, they are already presenting evidence to a grand jury. Mangione is not even in New York yet. So, how do things go from here? It's inevitable he'll be extradited, frankly, we believe, to New York. They could already have hit the ground running on an indictment.
MILLER: So, once they get him into their custody, a clock starts running. They have a set period of days from the time of arrest to the time they must indict him. The charges are already filed, but they still need to present the evidence to a grand jury and get that indictment.
So, the fact that they've impaneled the grand jury and that it's sitting and that they may be presenting evidence to us now just shows that they're staying organized, trying to stay ahead of the clock. And, frankly, if there's any question on this extradition which, as you agree, there won't be, they have a valid charge and they can show if they indict him before he gets here, that they have a finished indictment. So --
COATES: Yeah.
MILLER: -- it's all -- it's all the logical steps that I would be taking, that they are taking, that you'd be taking.
COATES: And, of course, a grand jury has subpoena power, so they can unlock, they can look ahead, they can get other information as well. John Miller, thank you so much for staying on this story.
MILLER: Thanks, Laura.
COATES: Up next, Donald Trump named Time's Person of the Year again, and giving the magazine a revealing interview about his victory lap and his plans for a second term. The reporter behind the interview is in studio with me next. And later, a long-awaited watchdog report clears up the FBI's handling of the January 6th attack, what the agents did right (ph) and what it missed.
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COATES: President-elect Donald Trump tonight, reveling in being named Time's Person of the Year for a second time, and reveling quite a lot in the interview he gave the magazine. More on all that in just a moment.
But first, the cover caps a stunning year. Look at the images that defined Trump's campaign. There was Trump's Fulton County mugshot, where he was indicted on racketeering charges for potential 2020 election interference, Trump's defiant fist in the air after an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania over just this summer, Trump inside the Golden Arches for his day as a McDonald worker, and then Trump in a garbage truck in Wisconsin for a campaign photo op.
All of it culminating with what he considers the grand prize, Times Person of the Year cover. And he is elated. Just listen to him today on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: I have to say Time Magazine getting this honor for the second time. I think I like it better this time, actually.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Joining me now, Times' Eric Cortellessa, who was part of the team that interviewed Trump for the magazine's profile. Eric, good to see you. I mean, Trump -- they covered a lot of ground in this interview, including yourself, of course, but bring me into the room.
ERIC CORTELLESSA, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, TIME MAGAZINE: Uh-hmm.
COATES: What was his demeanor like when this interview was going on?
CORTELLESSA: You know, I last spoke with Trump in April. And this time, he seemed more subdued. As we say in the story, he was more -- the volume was turned down. You sort of could feel the sense of vindication. He had more of a kind of equipoise walking around the room, cavorting with job seekers, and everybody who was coming to King Arthur's court at Mar-a-Lago to meet with him and try and get in on the next administration.
And he certainly didn't seem as defensive in the past as he has in tone. He wasn't as fiery or as combative. There was much more of a sort of calm Trump, a calm version of Trump that we saw in Mar-a-Lago.
COATES: Interesting to think about that change. And also, I mean, just the minutia of the details now that the campaign is over to figure out what will be done in a little over a month from now. I mean, Time asked Trump if his presidency would be considered a failure if he couldn't bring the grocery prices down. And he said -- quote -- "I don't think so. Look, they got them up. I'd like to bring them down. It's hard to bring them down once they are up. You know, it's very hard, but I think that they will." This was a pretty big campaign promise for Trump, and I'm wondering, were you surprised to see him moving away from the certainty of being able to do it?
CORTELLESSA: Yes and no. Obviously, Donald Trump doesn't like to move away from his previous position.
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And he wasn't totally moving away from his position, but he was moving the goalposts on that position. He said very fervently on the campaign trail that he would lower the price of groceries. And now that he is getting ready to assume the burdens of governance, he recognizes that it's not so simple. It's hard to bring prices down when they're already up. Deflation is very, very rare, as it happened in a long time in America. I think he recognizes that.
I think he also sort of recognizes implicitly that he's going to have to contend with many of the same forces that he rode to power, including an inflationary post-pandemic environment that has ousted incumbents around the world, mass migration, the rise of China. All of these things that he banked on to get to the White House are now going to come gunning for him when he takes power.
COATES: When you spoke to him about that issue in particular or just the idea of the reality of governance once again, did he seem more surefooted about it or -- he has a unified government at this point in time, when he comes back to the trifecta. Did he seem confident that could actually help?
CORTELLESSA: Well, I think he does seem confident. I mean, he seems very assertive. I think he realizes that when he came into office in January of 2017, he had to rely on sort of veteran Republican hands, party stalwarts to help him staff key positions. This time, he knows people. He's having a hand in every part of the transition, as his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, told me for this story. And he believes that he's going to have a much more loyal set of true believers in the White House able to carry out his agenda.
It's very noteworthy because I asked him, you know, President Trump, you're going to have a governing trifecta in Washington this January. You're going to have the ability to pass major legislation. Why is your agenda so executive-driven? And essentially, he said, well, he's going to try and pass the tax cuts and extension of the tax cuts that expire in January -- early in 2025 and try to pass an immigration overhaul.
But he's really going to try and use executive power. It's easier for him to do. And he's really organizing his presidency around this notion of concentrating the power of government inside the Oval Office.
COATES: We'll see how the legislative branch feels about that, as we're sort of falling in line behind him. Speaking of those who are going to be part of his cabinet, RFK Jr. comes to mind, of course, his choice to lead the HHS. Time pressed him on whether or not he would approve RFK Jr. ending certain childhood vaccinations. His response, I'm reading -- quote -- "We're going to have a big discussion. The autism rate is at a level that nobody ever believed possible. If you look at things that are happening, there's something causing it."
Now, of course, there's no evidence connecting autism to vaccines. But you later asked if he believed that there was, in fact, a link. And he appeared to be evasive. Describe that moment.
CORTELLESSA: Well, that was a striking moment because, of course, you know, we didn't bring up autism, the connection of -- or the reported false connection of autism to vaccines. He did. But I think it was a very telling moment. You know, I asked President Trump, you know, would you sign off if Robert Kennedy Jr. tries to eliminate childhood vaccination programs? And he opened the door for that.
Now, of course, it's noteworthy that one of President Trump's major accomplishments in the first term is Operation Warp Speed, whereas Kennedy Jr. says we should not have released that vaccine until further testing. So, clearly, a discrepancy there. But, you know, Donald Trump certainly suggested an openness and willingness to allow Robert Kennedy Jr. as the head of DHS if -- sorry, Department of Health and Human Services, if he gets confirmed, that he might sign off on getting rid of routine childhood vaccination programs.
COATES: I'll be curious to see how all this plays out. There was a bit of fun that we just had about the internet, about the story, your discussion about Russia and Tulsi Gabbard. The president, like I said, offered you some, I think, hors d'oeuvre of some kind, and you turned it down. People were wondering, of course, why you didn't take him up on his offer. This is the actual interest.
CORTELLESSA: I will tell you, President Trump is a very gracious host. I've been to Mar-a-Lago twice over the last year. He is nothing but generous. I think, basically, just wanted to keep the interview going so we can keep on with the asking, probing questions that we thought were in the public interest most.
COATES: Well, the public interest wants to know about your (INAUDIBLE).
(LAUGHTER)
After all is said and done, they wanted something like that. So good to have you on today. Thank you.
CORTELLESSA: Great to be with you. Thank you.
COATES: Eric Cortellessa. Well, up next, the DOJ's inspector general takes on one of the biggest conspiracies from January 6th. Were undercover FBI agents there stoking the violence? We'll take you inside the report with the man once tasked to review security at the Capitol, retired General Russell Honore, standing by, next.
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COATES: A DOJ watchdog shutting down a major conspiracy theory that FBI agents provoked the January 6th attack on the Capitol. The long- awaited report from the DOJ inspector general saying -- quote -- "The FBI did not have any undercover employees at The Ellipse, on the National Mall, or at the Capitol on January 6th."
But the report did reveal some FBI informants were there, 26 from Washington for protest and four entered the Capitol. It's important to note these informants are not employed by the government and they were not authorized to enter the Capitol or break the law in any form.
But there is some criticism for the FBI in the report, noting the agency missed basic steps that could have helped law enforcement prepare for that day. Well, who better to break this all down than the man commissioned by then Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead a security review shortly after the attack? Retired Lieutenant General Russel Honore joins me now.
General Honore, thank you for being here so much. This conspiracy has been spreading for years now. Listen to how right-wing media and lawmakers have talked about it, general.
[23:45:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCKER CARLSON, CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER FOX NEWS HOST: FBI operatives were organizing the attack on the Capitol on January 6th.
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Three police officers were caught instigating the crowd, chanting and urging them to go into the Capitol.
REP. CLAY HIGGINS (R-(LA): An FBI informant was reported to have -- qoute -- is -- quote -- "under oath," marched to the U.S. Capitol.
TRUMP: There was Antifa and there was FBI. There were a lot of other people there, too, leading the charge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: General Honore, many a seed has been planted. Is this report too little too late then?
LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, RETIRED U.S. ARMY: Yeah, the messaging has already happened. It's taking a second bite out of the apple. But I think the FBI, if anything, really didn't do their job on the eve of 1/6 and leading up to it. They've just about admitted that.
This report also reported another problem with the FBI. In that report, it says it's not their job to provide intelligence for 1/6. Well, that is their damn job, to provide domestic information to law enforcement that could be used in cases like 1/6. That is their job, to monitor disturbances in the force, from domestic or threats to the United States. That is their job, to fight criminals and to look at the threats.
And they had a report go to the Washington Field Office. They shared a part of that report with the Capitol Police Intelligence person that was there, and then that was mishandled because only certain people in the Capitol Police received that information.
And I distinctly remember, Mr. Wray said he didn't have full disclosure on that report. That's their damn job, to do that and provide information to local law enforcement. It's not up to the D.C. Police, the Capitol Police, the Park Police to find intelligence. The FBI should be providing that to him. And they knew the crowd was coming, Laura.
COATES: Speaking of Director Wray who, as you know, was resigning soon at the end of the Biden administration, he only has three years left of a 10-year term, which means seven years ago would have included part of January 6th. Do you ultimately fault him for this?
HONORE: He commands the FBI. They've done much since then to redeem themselves in with warrants and going out and capturing and prosecuting over a thousand people who violated the Capitol that they invented through the court system. They did a great job of that.
But I would have been very, uh, have the inclination on 21 January to fire Mr. Wray. That was a major failure of the FBI on 1/6, not to have been informed and provide information and have backup troops ready to go back up the Capitol Police. But they were waiting on an invitation. They were waiting on a request from Capitol Police for more intelligence. That's a crying damn shame.
And we've spent four years off now just covering dust on what happened other than those that have been prosecuted. The FBI and DOJ did a great job of this. But this report is coming out almost four years later. And some members of the FBI that was on duty during 1/6 failed to be interviewed for this investigation. So, I think it answers the question. But as much as I respect the FBI and the work that they do day to day to try to keep America safe, they failed on 1/6.
COATES: Lieutenant General Russell Honore, thank you so much.
HONORE: Good evening.
COATES: Still ahead tonight, the shocker in the sports world, NFL legend Bill Belichick unretiring, taking his hoodie and his talents to college ball at UNC. But will his major payday be worth it? One of his former players, Donte Stallworth, is live in the studio with me next.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNKNOWN: Please welcome the new head football coach at the University of North Carolina, Coach Bill Belichick.
(APPLAUSE)
COATES: Well, he is one of the greatest and most decorated NFL coaches of all time. At the 24th season as the head coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick is trying his hand at the college game for the first time. Today, he announced he'll be the head football coach of the UNC Tar Heels. At a press conference earlier today, Belichick paid homage to his own father, also a North Carolina coach, and shared his plans for the team. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL BELICHICK, COACH: This is really kind of a dream come true. I grew up in college football with my dad. Excited for the opportunity to build and develop young student athletes, young men, and prepare them for their life, either in the NFL or professionally. We want to develop good people and good kids and good football players.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: His first words, I think, were, beat Duke. Belichick's NFL career spans 29 seasons as head coach. And he has quite the resume, including 333 career wins, the record for the most Super Bowl wins, the most Super Bowl appearances, the most playoff wins, and three AP NFL Coach of the Year award. So, what's he worth to UNC?
[23:55:00]
A staggering five-year $50 million contract. Have a lot of work to do as the last time the school won a conference championship was 1980. It's a hell of a year, though.
Joining us now to discuss someone who actually played for Belichick, former NFL wide receiver, Donte Stallworth. Glad to see you, my friend.
DONTE STALLWORTH, FORMER NFL WIDE RECEIVER: Me, too.
COATES: Look, what was your reaction when you heard the news that Belichick is going to go into the college level?
STALLWORTH: I was shocked. When I first heard the news that they were even considering this, I laughed, because I'm thinking to myself, Bill Belichick coaching college student athletes, that doesn't sound right.
COATES: Why?
STALLWORTH: That's not in his personality. It's not in his personality to want to -- he's a CEO. He wants to run his organization like a CEO. And he didn't have many rules (INAUDIBLE). The rules that were there were in place essentially to make sure that -- you know, that the organization runs smooth.
And he didn't really -- he wasn't going to baby you. He wasn't going to tell you more than once to, hey, if you fight, just go to the showers, like, coaches don't do that, but he did. He would send players to the showers. He would send players home if they came late. He didn't have many rules, but those were the rules.
And so, I think looking at him now transitioning to college football, when I started to think about it and started to hear some people that were -- hear from some people that were close to the situation, it makes sense now as opposed to me laughing initially, but it makes sense because Belichick, he -- since he is a CEO type of coach, he's going to run this organization that way as well.
COATES: Hmm.
STALLWORTH: He's bringing over Michael Lombardi, who was a general manager in the NFL for a lot of years, who's also been working in the college ranks as an analyst for over a decade now. So, he's familiar with the college ranks. And so is Belichick. He's scouting these players that are coming out of the NFL every year. So, he's paying attention to the college game. So, it'll be interesting to see him transitioning to actually being a college football head coach.
COATES: I mean, when I hear about a college football coach, I think about recruiting, I think about going to the home of the kid and convincing a parent, I'm going to take care of your child, let that person come over to my program, the recruiting aspect of it. You're laughing. Is that what you think he's going to do?
STALLWORTH: He's not doing that. He'll maybe make a few home visits, but I don't see him going to several multiple dozens of families' homes to try to convince them to get their kid to come in. I think that's one of the reasons why he's bringing Michael Lombardi in. He just -- if I'm reading the room right, he wants to be the X's and O's, and that's it. He doesn't want to deal with the NIL, which is what ran Nick Saban out of college football last year, which is one of his closest friends. They've won Super Bowls together. They've coached together for so long.
So, he has that kind of pedigree of wanting to coach and having friendships in the coaching, but I think he's going to delegate all that business to others. He wants to run it like an NFL organization. I think he's going to do that. He couldn't survive going to hang out with boosters and things like that and going to dozens of kids' homes. He's not doing that.
COATES: Yeah.
STALLWORTH: He's not doing that.
COATES: What do you think about -- I mean, Deion Sanders, somebody who went into the league, obviously, and has brought a lot of attention and charisma to the Colorado Buffaloes. How do you compare the two of them?
STALLWORTH: I think the star power is there. Obviously, Deion as a player is a little more star power for high school athlete. But at the end of the day, these kids are looking at these colleges and it's more and more so now where they're looking at these colleges like, what steps can I take to get to the NFL?
COATES: When you think about the comparison. Look at Belichick in front of the camera versus say a Deion Sanders, who certainly knows how to work it.
STALLWORTH: Yeah. Deion is doing a great job. I mean --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): What does that say about, just where your team is right now, just how good it is right now?
BELICHICK: I don't know.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Is there one common thread that stands out to you over the years?
BELICHICK: I guess, man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
COATES: I mean, Deion Sanders, charisma, different. But, you know, different people, different folks.
STALLWORTH: Yeah.
COATES: But how would this sort of persona translate? Is he going to become a college-type coach or is that college program going to become a professional-type organization?
STALLWORTH: Yeah, I think we are in the beginning stages of seeing college football become more and more like a professional, like the professionalism of college football is happening. And this could be a pivotal moment in college football history where Belichick could be that kind of that pivotal moment where this is like, okay, other organizations, other colleges will start running their programs like this if he's successful.
I think I would never bet against Bill Belichick. I've been around the guy. I know what kind of hard work and the dedication and the passion that he has for football and for coaching and teaching. I hope it translates to college football. I'd love to see him do well. But he's not going to be like Deion Sanders giving those press conferences.
[00:00:00]
But I do suspect that he'll be a little more forthcoming, just a little bit more forthcoming with his press conferences than he was in the NFL.
COATES: Well, we will see how it all comes down. UNC, Belichick. Hmm. Donte Stallworth, thank you so much.
STALLWORTH: Thank you. COATES: And hey, everyone, thank you so much for watching. "Anderson Cooper 360" starts right now.
