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Manhunt For NYC Bomber; Investigators: Possible Terror Cell Behind Bombings; Trump & Clinton React To Weekend Bombings; Coalition Airstrikes Accidentally Kill Syrian Soldiers. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired September 19, 2016 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00] MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: I want to make very clear that this individual could be armed and dangerous. He should be treated as armed and dangerous. Anyone seeing him should call 911 immediately. But we definitely have, now, someone that we want to get in immediately for questioning.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Mr. Mayor, are the authorities still saying that this man is part of a broader cell that they believe was operating in New Jersey? Is that still their consistent theory?

DE BLASIO: It's too early to say if there's something bigger. We know we want to get this individual in. And what's important now -- and this is why we always want to make sure law enforcement defines each step of the way what we believe is happening -- we need the facts to be able to piece all of this together and define was it an individual, was it more than one individual? Do these different incidents relate?

I think we're going to know a lot more in the course of today. Things are moving very quickly and certainly we're going to have a lot more to say in just the next coming hours.

CUOMO: The idea of what the understanding is of what's going on, is it true to your understanding that the reason they want this guy is they think he may have been not just the organizer but the bombmaker and they're concerned about getting him so that he can't find his way into other situations and created even more threat.

DE BLASIO: I don't think we should assume too much. I think I can certainly read between the lines, though. Law enforcement is making clear they want to get him, they want to question him, and he may be armed and dangerous. So I think it's fair to say this is the person we're most interested in at this moment.

And, Chris, a very important point. The people need to participate. Law enforcement is doing an amazing job. We have a huge police presence out in New York City right now in the subways, around the U.N. for the General Assembly. You're going to see a lot of strong police presence.

And I believe this case is going to move very quickly and the NYPD and FBI are going to be able to find the people who did it, but we need the public's help. We typically get a lot of information from the public that helps law enforcement. Anyone who sees this individual or knows anything about him or his whereabouts needs to call it in right away.

CUOMO: What is your message to the people? Yes, this investigation is moving very quickly and, yet, this is a situation that was missed by authorities if it wasn't, in fact, an operating cell. What do you think should be the fear concern?

DE BLASIO: I think the reality is that our federal partners and certainly the NYPD, for 15 years, have done an extraordinary job of finding any individuals who might have had a plot in mind or thwarting plots as they were moving. We are in a different and more complex environment in terms of terror. We know there's going to be more attempts made.

My point is people should have confidence. We have an extraordinary intelligence gathering apparatus between our federal partners and the NYPD. We have the biggest anti-terror capacity of any police force in this country and it's been growing in the last couple of years.

I think people should have confidence that we're very well protected but there will be moments like this. There will be moments when someone tries something. Thank God, there were no fatalities the other night. And the important thing is to get this individual quickly and continue to be strong and vigilant. That's what we can do. But if you look at the history, the typical situation is any group that's attempting an attack is found out in time.

CUOMO: So, obviously now, there's always a concern about being deliberate, not getting ahead of the investigation. Clearly, investigators are treating this like what it seems, as a terror situation. Have they given you information about continued concern that there may be other bombs that were -- have been placed? That people should be unusually alert to see something and say something.

DE BLASIO: Not in the sense, Chris, that there is a specific description of something to look for. But I think the way you said it is right. New Yorkers and all people should be vigilant and should never assume. If you see a suspicious looking package we need to know about it right away. That's the bottom line. If you overhear a conversation where someone appears to be discussing a potential act of violence, law enforcement needs to know that right away.

The public should recognize how crucial their role is. Our new police commissioner, James O'Neill, said this the other day, that the public can provide some of the key ingredients to help law enforcement finish this case and be able to protect people going forward.

But the bottom line today, be vigilant. If you see something unusual, particularly an unusual package, we need itreported in right away. Don't explain it away, don't assume it's nothing. We want to know about it right away.

CUOMO: What a first day on the job for O'Neill as the city's new commissioner. The man on the screen right now -- how confident are investigators that he is the man on the video? He is the man that they're trying to zero in as the potential bombmaker? [07:35:00] DE BLASIO: I don't want to speak to that conclusion. I can say they're absolutely confident they need to get him in and question him. And the fact that they have now, in just the last moments, put out a photo shows real confidence on the part of law enforcement that this is someone that is likely involved in one way or another. But we shouldn't speculate, yet, how many people or what role each person played. What we do know is we do need to get this guy in right away.

Now again, my experience with the NYPD and the FBI is once they zero in on someone they will get them.

CUOMO: How confident are they that they have their hands around the scope of this cell? Do they have any confidence that they know about how many people are involved, how many they're still looking for? Any sense of that?

DE BLASIO: Chris, I would be careful in using the word cell. I understand it's a way to describe something but I would be careful. We do not know yet if it is only one individual, more than one individual, if it is an organized group or not. We should not assume that yet.

But we know we've got one person we need to talk to. And as we talk to this individual -- and again, I have a high level of confidence that law enforcement will bring him in -- we're going to be able to then start to have more knowledge of what happened here and if there were additional people involved.

CUOMO: All right. Mr. Mayor, we'll stay in touch with you and your office. Thank you very much for joining us on NEW DAY.

We're going to keep organizing the reporting that's coming in right now. There is new information. We'll take a quick break and then we'll come back with our reporting as we get it.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Well have a lot more on the breaking news, so stick around. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:39:50] CUOMO: All right, let's bring back Shimon Prokupecz and get the latest on the reporting. We talked to the governor, we talked to the mayor. Now in real time, Shimon, often they're worried about a lot of operational things and getting the right resources and reporting, often, is a secondary concern.

Is it still the case that investigators are looking at a group? That they're not sure what the size is but they are treating it as a cell centered in New Jersey. And the man that we'll put up on the screen is the most wanted right now and for what reason.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN INVESTIGATIVE PRODUCER: So, we -- all that we've been told is this man is specifically wanted in connection with the Chelsea explosion. What his role was in that we're still working through and still trying to confirm, but they are looking for him. It's pretty significant that they have released this photo which really means they don't know where he is.

We were told last night that they had some idea of where this man was but now it seems they don't know where he is. So perhaps he's on the run, he's hiding somewhere. So this has sort of escalated the whole investigation now. For them to release this photo, it's pretty significant.

CAMEROTA: Let's give the public a little bit more information. He's 28 years old, originally from Afghanistan, a naturalized citizen. You know his name, as well. And they, obviously, want to get this person off the street and get information from him.

PROKUPECZ: Yes. I mean, there's some concern. They're saying he's armed. He could be armed, he's dangerous. If he is, in fact, the man that is -- that was seen on that surveillance video -- we're still trying to work through that and confirm that. But, clearly, something here has folks concerned in law enforcement enough to put out his photo.

They have been hesitant to identify -- publically identify anyone because they had all along -- have told us that they have pretty good control over this. They knew where everyone was. They knew who they were looking for. It seems, now, something has changed.

CUOMO: Well, often, they have to make a calculation. When they put out his face now he knows they're looking for him with a sense of urgency that may trigger his moves, as well. Last quick beat. Do you think they have their hands around the number of people involved yet or this is still an active hunt?

PROKUPECZ: I think it's still an active hunt but I can tell you I think they feel pretty confident they know. At last count we were told perhaps under a dozen or so was what they were looking at. They wouldn't give us any specific numbers but they seem to be confident that they know how big of a group this may be.

CAMEROTA: OK, Shimon, thank you for all of that. You keep getting information every minute so we'll call you back as soon as you have another lead.

Let's talk about the politics of all of this. We want to bring in our panel. CNN political commentator and former Donald Trump campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. He's still receiving severance from the Trump campaign. And CNN political commentator and the former New York City council representative for Chelsea, Christine Quinn. Thanks to both of you for being here.

So, Christine, this obviously hits close to home for you.

CHRISTINE QUINN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, a friend of mine actually was hit by debris. He's out of the hospital, thank goodness, and doing fine but was just walking to Garden of Eden to get a salad and a late night -- you know, a bite to eat for dinner and --

CAMEROTA: Right. This destroys and disrupts everyone's sense of peace -- QUINN: Right.

CAMEROTA: -- and lives and that brings us to the political race. Donald Trump was just on another morning show and he said that he expects more terror attacks, so let me play that moment for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via telephone): It's a mess and it's a shame, and we're going to have to be very tough. I think maybe we're going to be seeing a big change over the last couple of days. I think this is something that maybe we'll get -- you know, will happen perhaps more and more all over the country.

STEVE DOOCY, HOST, FBN "FOX & FRIENDS": What do you mean? More terror strikes?

TRUMP: Yes, because we've been weak. Our country has been weak. We're letting people in by the thousands and tens of thousands. I've been saying you've got to stop it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Corey, I mean, to suggest that there would be more and more terror attacks across the country -- is that the right tone for a morning like this?

COREY LEWANDOWSKI, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think what it is, is it re-highlights the problems we have with our immigration system. What we know is that 40 percent of the people who are in the country illegally have overstayed their visas. And what we hear from the reports this morning is that this person is either potentially of Afghani descent or --

CAMEROTA: A naturalized citizen.

LEWANDOWSKI: Well, but did --

CAMEROTA: That's not an overstaying his --

LEWANDOWSKI: Is that what the report is for this person who has committed, potentially, a terrorist attack?

CUOMO: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CUOMO: That's he's a naturalized citizen.

LEWANDOWSKI: If that's the case --

CUOMO: Not a refugee. He didn't overstay a visa.

LEWANDOWSKI: Did he come into this country legally? Was the proper work done? Look, don't forget, the San Bernardino killer came in on a K-1 visa. CAMEROTA: Right, but this is different.

LEWANDOWSKI: Right?

CAMEROTA: I mean, you're making a connection that we don't know yet.

LEWANDOWSKI: But what Donald Trump is saying, and what he has said from the beginning, is we want to make sure that our immigration policy is such that we don't have potential terrorists coming here, first and foremost, and that's very, very important.

CUOMO: But it sounds like he's doing -- and this is what I want your take on -- is it sounds like he's trying to make the most of the potential bad news in this situation. And that's OK as long as it's based on an understanding of a new threat. You can always change your feelings about things as facts change. What does he know about this situation that justifies, in any way, an understanding of increased threat from what existed three days ago?

QUINN: Specifically.

LEWANDOWSKI: Look, I haven't been part of his security briefings that neither he, nor Hillary Clinton have received. I don't know what those briefings have entailed. But what I do know very clearly is he has said we're going to be tough, we're going to be strong. We're going to root out terrorism in our country. And look, if you look back at the Brussels attack he called that early before anybody else was willing to say it was a terrorist attack.

And so what he has said is we need a president who is going to be tough and firm and make sure our borders are secure, and that protects our people. The number one job --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

[07:45:00] LEWANDOWSKI: -- in my opinion, of the President of the United States, is to protect our people both here and abroad.

CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Christine.

QUINN: I actually find this incredibly sad, Donald Trump's behavior. I mean, what you want in a moment like this is leaders who are going to give you the truth in a fact-based way. And as has been said earlier on the show, we now know, as New Yorkers, and really Americans, sometimes you have to wait for that info, right, because investigators need to do their jobs.

So what we need is calm, strong leaders who give us the facts, help us deal with those facts, and then take the facts in the position they're in -- or they want, in this case -- and develop a plan that will respond, capture perpetrators, and learn from that incident and make us safer moving forward.

What we see here is, again, what we've seen time and again with Donald Trump and his supporters. They ignore the facts. The person who did this is a horrible person. We know, as a fact, he's a naturalized citizen. That doesn't make him less of an evil, evil person, but then to make this about immigration is factually untrue. A manipulating -- a horrible situation for political means.

What we want the President of the United States to be is exactly the opposite of that. That is manipulation for self-gain and the last thing this country needs at times like these.

CAMEROTA: I mean, Corey, what about -- since we don't know facts yet, what about just sort of quelling the anxiety instead of stoking the anxiety? You know, the FDR, there's nothing to fear but fear itself. That sort of leadership.

LEWANDOWSKI: What I think is Donald Trump has been very clear. If he's elected president he's going to do everything possible to make sure all the resources are available so that we don't have any more homegrown terrorists. We don't have any more terrorist attacks in our country. Our country --

CAMEROTA: And what would that look like? How would he stamp out homegrown terrorism when, obviously, all of the police are trying to find these cells?

LEWANDOWSKI: Look, this is a -- this is a unique incident where the police are doing their job, and I think they're doing a great job, of course. But if we are allowing people into the country --

QUINN: Where have the police done a bad job?

LEWANDOWSKI: Look, if we're allowing people to come into the country who have an opportunity to commit a terrorist attack because we haven't done a proper vetting of these people because our immigration policy hasn't been proper --

CAMEROTA: But that might now apply here.

LEWANDOWSKI: -- that's a failure of the federal government. But it might apply here. We don't know --

QUINN: Alisyn, can I say two things, please?

LEWANDOWSKI: Look, the K-1 visa woman who came in under San Bernardino -- the State Department refused to even do a social media check.

CAMEROTA: Right.

LEWANDOWSKI: Did the State Department do a social media check on this person?

CAMEROTA: To become a citizen, obviously, you go through a lot more than that woman did.

LEWANDOWSKI: Well, let's hope it was done properly.

QUINN: And look, two things here. I don't know why Corey just said this is an example -- I don't know you're exact phrasing -- of a time when the police have done good work. I don't think this is a time for anyone in public life, yourself or anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign, to be criticizing first responders.

LEWANDOWSKI: No one -- no one criticized them. I said they're doing a good job. They're doing great. They're trying to hunt this man.

QUINN: No, you -- you're -- you're --

LEWANDOWSKI: Christine, I was a police officer. Please don't question me.

QUINN: I know you were.

LEWANDOWSKI: Please don't -- look, you didn't put the badge on. You didn't carry a gun and put your life in danger --

QUINN: Watch -- watch your words.

LEWANDOWSKI: -- so please don't question my commitment to --

QUINN: I am not.

LEWANDOWSKI: Please do not question my commitment.

QUINN: I am questioning -- then, Corey, you should go look at --

LEWANDOWSKI: What I said was --

QUINN: Corey, you should --

LEWANDOWSKI: -- that they're doing a good job on --

QUINN: Corey, you should go look at the tape because you had an inappropriate wording.

LEWANDOWSKI: That's egregious.

QUINN: Perhaps out of personal --

CUOMO: All right, but let's --

QUINN: No, so let me say a --

LEWANDOWSKI: Look, the bottom line is the police are doing a great job and they will find this individual and find the perpetrator, is what they're going to do.

QUINN: But the bigger issue here is, again, Corey takes this tragedy -- that could have been so much worse, but it's a tragedy for everyone who experienced it -- and manipulates it to immigration when there is no evidence here. If we find out a bad naturalization was done then it's different.

CUOMO: Right.

QUINN: But today, let's not cause panic in America -- CUOMO: But here's the middle ground.

QUINN: -- where they're going to think all these terrorists are getting in. We don't know that.

CUOMO: But here's the -- but Christine, here's the middle ground, all right? All politicians talk in these situations and use them as opportunities, especially when they're running. It is no irony that we've heard more from Clinton and more from Trump than we have from Obama because he's the only person who, right now, has to make sure he gets everything right and doesn't want to get out in front of the country. So there's a different standard for candidates in the first place, right or wrong.

QUINN: There shouldn't be.

CUOMO: Well, but there -- but there is --

QUINN: There should not be.

CUOMO: -- because both candidates have been talking about this situation more than the president. Trump has been doing it in a more inflammatory fashion. That's his style. The real problem is who's going to make a better case with the American people about how you make this less likely to happen the next time? That's the point of analysis for voters.

QUINN: It actually -- it isn't about style. That lets Donald Trump off the hook. He is putting information out that is not fact-based.

LEWANDOWSKI: How do you know that?

QUINN: He said it was a bomb before it was confirmed.

LEWANDOWSKI: It was a bomb.

QUINN: But, no, no.

CAMEROTA: But he does think there will be more?

LEWANDOWSKI: How do you know he didn't know that? How do you know he didn't know that?

QUINN: Because no one -- because I know --

LEWANDOWSKI: Hillary Clinton was --

QUINN: No.

LEWANDOWSKI: How do you know he didn't know that?

CUOMO: Let's save this for the side.

QUINN: But then why say -- why say there's going to be more? No other actual elected official or FBI or police --

CUOMO: And some people say he's just speaking the truth, some people say he's reckless.

LEWANDOWSKI: He said it was a bomb.

QUINN: He is a leader.

CUOMO: That's what it's about.

QUINN: He is a leader, whether he's the president or not, he is a major party's nominee. And in that case he should assume a position of stature and strength for the country --

CAMEROTA: OK.

QUINN: -- and not stir fear in America.

LEWANDOWSKI: He said a bomb went off in New York, and guess what? A bomb went off in New York.

QUINN: And he said more will come and there's no evidence at the moment he said it.

CUOMO: Let's leave the politics to the side.

[07:50:00] CAMEROTA: Corey, thank you.

CUOMO: There's more reporting that's coming in right now. There is an active manhunt for the man that authorities find to be the most important to what happened, specifically in New York City. This is the man on your screen.

All right, we're also going to be covering everything else that's happening around the world in terms of the fight of terror abroad. We had an air incident over the weekend. There was a bombing. Syrian soldiers wound up being hurt and killed in it. It really destabilized the political situation, especially between Russia and the U.S. We have a former top State Department officials who's going to take us through the new state of play.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: All right, let's put the picture of the man that authorities are looking for. You have city, state, and federal officials all focused on him. His name, Ahmad Khan Rahami. His last known address Elizabeth, New Jersey. Whereabouts right now unknown.

If you see him -- if you see somebody who looks like him, do not err on the side of caution here. He could be armed and dangerous. Stay away, but call. Call what number? 1-800-577-TIPS -- 1-800-577-T-I-P- S. If you think you see something, say something. Make the phone call.

[07:55:00] All right, let's now shift to the fight against terror abroad. We have former ambassador Wendy Sherman, currently a senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group. She was the former -- she is the former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. Was involved in both Iran and North Korean nuclear negotiations. Thanks for being with us, Wendy.

You've got the U.N. General Assembly going on. There's going to be a big issue of discussion. Coalition airstrikes have been a big, big concern here, in Iraq. Why? Because you can't be 100 percent precise. Now we hear that a big bunch of Syrian soldiers were killed, as many as 60, many more injured. It's going to bring this issue into sharp relief, but how so? I mean, what will be the debate here?

AMBASSADOR WENDY SHERMAN, FORMER UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS: I think the debate that's going to go on here is whether, in fact, this ceasefire that was brokered between the United States by Sec. Kerry and Mr. Lavrov from Russia will hold, and whether, in fact, we will end up with joint military operations to go after the terror.

You know, you've had a lot of discussion this morning about the circumstances here in New York and I can tell you that I have enormous confidence in our authorities. I know Sec. Clinton does, as well. Secretary Kerry, President Obama to, in fact, find this person to find whatever is going on here.

But the real effort is a multivector effort that is the war in Syria, going after terrorists where they are, making sure that we're secure in the homeland. It is about propaganda and what we're doing on the Internet. Our work with Silicon Valley. Secretary Clinton has called for an intelligence surge because we really need to what's going on. So there's a lot of work to be done here. And in Syria we need to do -- fight on both fronts, both to stop the terrorism. And Assad, who has broken his contract with his own people, really is not sustainable.

CUOMO: Let's get your head on what's going on her right now. People are waking up to learn that federal authorities believe that there may have been an active cell operating in northern New Jersey. A populated area, a place that's now immigrant-rich. They're going to be afraid. They're going to say we don't have our hands around the threat. Is that fair criticism?

SHERMAN: Well, I think we heard from Gov. Cuomo this morning, really, what this is about, which is to inflict terror on us. To undermine our democracy, undermine who we are, what our values are. So yes, we have to see something, say something. We have to be thoughtful about what we do every day. We have to look at our policies.

But we have to make sure that we elect, in this election, a president who is calm, together, understands the world. In my view, of course, that's Sec. Clinton because we've got to have someone who works from the facts very quickly to make sure that we're secure but we're also challenging and working with others abroad.

Can you imagine, Chris, if Donald Trump tries to build a coalition of Gulf states after saying he doesn't want any of them in our country? It's literally impossible. So we've got to have good immigration laws. We have to have a way forward. Screen carefully, which we do. But what we really have to do is have a multivector strategy going forward and know what we're about. CUOMO: But Wendy, look at it from the perspective of the voter for a second. Clinton comes out, she says we have to know what's going on, this is not good. As we learn more we have to harden up the situation. The New York governor, the New York mayor, they echo those sentiments. They're a little bit more urgent because they're actually coordinating the --

SHERMAN: Sure, right.

CUOMO: -- search right now. Trump says this is a mess. They didn't know what was going on. There's going to be more of this. We have to get stronger. Which one of those responses lines up with how people feel watching this, this morning? You could easily argue Trump.

SHERMAN: Sure. I understand why the American people -- all of us -- are anxious. We are all here in New York. We're walking the streets here in New York. But I have enormous confidence in the authorities here that we will find this man. We will find what is going on and we will undo this. And I think our surveillance is spectacular. That's why we have the photograph of this man less than 24 hours after the incident.

CUOMO: But you also had a cell operating in New Jersey, according to authorities.

SHERMAN: It appears that is to be case. And my guess is there are other cells in this country inspired by what is happening abroad and that's why it is not enough just to deal with the situation at hand, which we must and we are, but we have to go to the root causes of this. And to say let's get tough, I think President Obama has been tough. I think Sec. Clinton has been tough. She was an advocate to go after Osama bin Laden to take the head off of the cell of al Qaeda. That was very effective. We have gone after al Qaeda in an effective way.

We are doing the same thing with ISIL, with ISIS, Daesh -- whatever you want to call them. We've got to keep the work going but it is hard work. It's going to take time. We have to deal with the terror that people feel. But, as Gov. Cuomo said, we can't let the terror get hold of our lives and decide that we're going to give up our freedom, our democracy, and who we are as the American people.

CUOMO: Wendy Sherman, appreciate your perspective. Thank you very much.

SHERMAN: Thank you.

CUOMO: There is new information coming in right now. We have breaking coverage on the bombings in New York and New Jersey. Let's get right to it.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.