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New Day

Harrowing New Video of Mob Beatings, Police Attacked Justice Department Rebukes Capitol Rioter for Appearing on Russia T.V.; Eight Shootings, One Hour, One City as Gunman Targeted at Random. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired June 18, 2021 - 07:00   ET

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

KATHERINE HEIGL, EMMY AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS: And held either in captivity for the rest of their lives, or the BLM has a now very flawed adoption policy where they will pay people to take a horse or adopt a horse.

[07:00:13]

They'll pay them a thousand dollars. But what's happening is people are adopting the horses, holding them for the required amount of time and then selling them off to auction, which typically is the meat market. So these horses are getting slaughtered and these people are getting paid twice.

BRIANNA KEILAR, NEW DAY: So what's the answer to overpopulation, because certainly that's a problem?

HEIGL: It is, and it has been in the past. But in recent years, they have started using a fertility control drug, where they dart the females with essentially birth control and they're unable to procreate for two years but able to live in their natural environment, continue to mate, continue to exist as they should.

KEILAR: How can people help who maybe see this and you are making aware of one who's facing the Onaqui herd? How can they help?

HEIGL: Well, they can go to the website. It's the Animal Wellness Action Group that I'm working with right now. And it's their website, which is savetheonaqui.org. Ideally, what we are looking for people to get really noisy and really hammer at their representative to stop this because it's sort of the only way to get their attention.

The horses, they represent freedom. They represent beauty. They represent strength and courage. And they're not hurting anyone, and they're thriving and well.

KEILAR: Katherine, you're clearly very passionate about this and we really appreciate you being with us to talk about this.

HEIGL: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you.

KEILAR: And just to note, the Bureau of Land Management has issued a response, a spokesperson saying, the BLM cares about the health, safety and well-being of adopted animals. It is illegal to adopt a wild horse or burro with the intent of selling or transferring the animal for slaughter or for processing into commercial products.

New Day continues right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEW DAY: I'm John Berman alongside Bianna Keilar on this New Day.

Harrowing video just released on the Capitol insurrection, as prosecutors lay out new evidence showing just how dangerous the attack was.

KEILAR: And a congressional race in Florida takes a bizarre and frightening term with one candidate reportedly threatening to send a Russian a hit squad after his rival.

BERMAN: A new study finds children are causing exponential growth in coronavirus cases in one country, what parents need to know.

KEILAR: And get back to work or else. Bosses are issuing big warnings from employees as the U.S. reopens.

BERMAN: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. It is Friday, June 18th. And we do begin with this disturbing new body camera video, a police under attack during the January 6 insurrection. We have not seen this before. An attack that many Republicans are trying to whitewash.

Now, we do have to warn you, the audio here is vulgar and uncensored.

KEILAR: Justice Department just released that police body cam video. This was used in the case against Thomas Webster, who is a former Marine, he's a retired New York City Police officer, who was accused of participating in the Capitol riot.

Joining us now to discuss this is Andrew McCabe, CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and, of course, former Deputy Director of the FBI.

Andrew, we've seen a lot of video. I don't think that we've seen a lot of video like this. It is some of the more violent video and it certainly gives you that point of view of the police officers. What do you think about this?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It's extraordinary, Brianna. I mean, and I think you're probably going to see a lot more video like this, as these 500 cases go through the criminal justice system, and individual evidence against of each of these defendants is ultimately sorted out and shared with the public.

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I mean, I don't know what to say about other than it shows, I think, in one small clip the absolute nightmare of every police officer or law enforcement officer that serves today to be caught in a situation like that where you are literally fighting for your life in vicious hand-to-hand combat. And I should also say I think it stands as a testament to the incredible strength and bravery of these officers to have engaged in that sort of fighting and not resorted to drawing their weapons and unleashing lethal force to protect themselves. I'm sure that was going through the minds of many of these police officers but they didn't do it because they knew that would have made the situation worse. It's really remarkable and horrifying to watch.

BERMAN: You know, Andy, as we look at that video of Thomas Webster, who was the man allegedly doing all those things, swinging the flagpole, he's not a peaceful protester there, he's not a tourist there and he's not an FBI agent there, which is this newest conspiracy being spread by Fox entertainers and also members of Congress, who are looking at these indictments and they see unindicted co-conspirators there and they think, oh, they must be FBI agents. What the hell is going on there?

MCCABE: It's just the latest way, John, of coating, covering this horrific day in a bed of lies, to hide the truth from their constituents, to hide the truth from the American public. This latest one is so unbelievably offensive, but I guess we shouldn't be surprised because it's coming from the same folks that have been vilify vilifying, the men and women in the FBI for the last four years. Every time something doesn't go their way, they seem to blame it on the FBI.

In this case, unindicted co-conspirators, people who were not named in the indictment is a very, very common practice. It's done because, of course, prosecutors aren't prepared to reveal their identity or to charge them with a crime at this time, so you don't put their name in the indictment and impugn their reputations until you're ready to charge them. These people are absolutely not undercover agents or agents of the FBI. If they were, they would be referred to as cooperating witnesses or undercover agents, that's required.

So it's just another -- it's the latest round of nonsense and lies to try to convince people that what happened on January 6th didn't really happen.

KEILAR: Yes, it's insane. And some of the lawmakers who are embracing it know that it is untrue, and that is just -- it's terrible, very terrible. Andrew McCabe, thank you for being with us.

The Justice Department slamming a Capitol rioter for his appearance on Russian state television, Russian state T.V. In an interview, Richard Barnett argued that he was exercising his First Amendment rights when he put his feet up on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk. Prosecutors have rejected the idea that Barnett's actions were constitutionally protected speech, and CNN Jessica Schneider joins us now on this.

This is a pretty thin argument that he is making but it's pretty astounding that he went on Russian T.V. to make it.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And notably, Brianna, prosecutors aren't rebuking him for that appearance on Russian state T.V., which we would have thought they might, but they are really pushing back on what he's been saying.

So, Richard Barnett, he defended his actions on January 6th, storming the Capitol, storming into Nancy Pelosi's office, even stealing some of her mail, putting his feet up on a desk in the office. And, remember, even leaving that note with that misspelled expletive.

So this is what Richard Barnett was saying in that interview. He says, I exercised my First Amendment rights every hour, every minute and every day, and I will never stop.

Well, prosecutors are responding sharply to these comments from Richard Barnett. They say, the defendant's conduct, bringing stun gun into the U.S. Capitol during a riot, stealing property, obstructing Congress, threatening congresspersons, antagonizing law enforcement officer and touting violence is not protected First Amendment activity.

Now, Brianna, Barnett is charged with seven federal crimes. That includes disorderly conduct in a restricted building with a dangerous weapon, also theft in government property. And prosecutors are also criticizing his online fundraising activities. He's been selling that picture of him with his feet up on the desk of Nancy Pelosi's office. He's been selling it to help with his troubles to get money from people who might be sympathetic to his cause. So, a lot happening there, including the fact that he just went on Russia state T.V.

KEILAR: Do they have recourse against that, the selling of the photo?

SCHNEIDER: They might. They brought it up in some of these court filings. And who knows down the line they may use it in some way in these proceedings.

KEILAR: The Justice Department has charged a Capitol rioter with bringing a handgun into Capitol grounds which, of course, blows a giant hole in this myth that a lot of folks on the right have were not armed when they came into the Capitol.

[07:10:11]

SHNEIDER: Exactly. This is a new charge against this Texas man, and it comes just days after Republican lawmakers again tried to downplay January 6th and even said that the pro-Trump rioters did not have weapons. Well, that is disproven with this latest charge. It's Guy Reffitt. He's a Texan, actually, whose family said that he threatened them if they tried to turn him in. So we've heard about him before.

So this new indictment, prosecutors say that he carried a deadly and dangerous weapon, specifically a semi-automatic handgun while he was unlawfully on the Capitol grounds. And he did not actually enter the Capitol, he breached the perimeter, which in and of itself is illegal, and he was photographed doing so.

So he -- so far, he has not answered to this new indictment, but he has pleaded not guilty with some similar charges that they previous charged him with. KEILAR: And I should have said it blows another hole in that myth, because, actually, we've gone through the litany of weapons that were brought into the Capitol, it's astounding, it is so long. Jessica Schneider, thank you so much for being with us this morning. John?

BERMAN: Dramatic new video showing a mob trying to batter its way into the U.S. Capitol on January 6th released by the Justice Department this week. New details continue to emerge about what happened that day, and our Drew Griffin has been examining them all. His new special, Assault on Democracy, the Roots of Trump's Insurrection, premieres this Sunday at 9:00 P.M. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At 2:12 P.M. using a police shield, Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola breaks a window on the Capitol's west side and the mob starts pouring in.

Josh Pruitt jumps a railing and follows other Proud Boys through a now open door.

So what did you do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Walk into a front door being held open by cops who waved you in?

GRIFFIN: Now, you know that's not true.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I know that is true. There's a proof of it. There's a video of it. And when I walked through the door, the cops were at the door and they were standing to the sides of the door and they were waving people in.

GRIFFIN: Yes. The video I saw of that moment was a couple of cops overwhelmed by a mob.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you didn't watch all the videos then.

GRIFFIN: I didn't? I think I did.

It was all caught on video. Here is Josh Pruitt walking through the door 70 seconds after the window breaks. It is almost the same moment rioters smash windows on the east side.

Armed with sticks, flagpoles, riot shields, they had stormed past and overpowered police who could do little but coax and steer them away from lawmakers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: And joining me now is CNN Senior Investigative Correspondent Drew Griffin. I'm always bowled over by your interview, even what we heard there was so stunning, part of your interview with Josh Pruitt, one of the guys who stormed the Capitol on January. What have you learned about the motivations behind the rioters? GRIFFIN: It was an incredible story to investigate and I learned so much from doing that I didn't know before. Josh Pruitt, by the way, tells us, despite all the video evidence against him, that he is going to plead not guilty.

But what I learned was that this was not just a protest. These people had come specifically to stop the United States government from swearing in or from certifying that day its president in an attempt to just buy Trump time and it was under Trump's orders they believed they were acting. It was very clear from our interviews with Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, the various people who stormed the Capitol that day that they believed they were on a mission sent by Donald Trump.

BERMAN: By the way, that definition makes it an insurrection. You said you were surprised by what you learned. What was the most surprising thing?

GRIFFIN: I think the most surprising thing to me was the level of delusion in many of these people's minds that started, John, ten years ago, in some cases, some, even before that, and to find out where their information comes from, and why they've been led to this point in their lives where even today facing very serious charges, they still believe in their cause. It's a very dangerous kind of moment that we have in history.

There's a line in this documentary that calls this an insurrection disguised as patriotism and wrapped in a Trump flag.

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And I think it kind of encapsulates what happened and what is still happening in this country. We do go behind the scenes and talk to staffers terrified, the police who are beaten. We have many different perspectives, even from Congress people who thought they were going to be dragged out and potentially even beaten to death by these mobs. It's quite an expose.

BERMAN: And you go back to the roots. Why is that so important?

GRIFFIN: It's so important because you can see -- and I do hope some of these people will watch and kind of see themselves in the mirror. You can see where they have been manipulated, where it starts, and who and why the people that are behind this continue to push these lies. It perhaps could be a way of healing and recognition of the fact that they've been lied to. I'm not naive. I know that this is going to bring a lot of heat from these people. But I think if you really sit down and watch, it will be uncomfortable because I think so many people will be actually looking in the mirror, and they will not like the reflection that comes back at them.

BERMAN: You're not naive one bit. You're a damn good reporter. And this looks like a remarkable special. Drew, thank you so much. Do not miss Drew's CNN special, Assault on Democracy, this Sunday at 9:00 P.M.

A deadly shooting spree in Arizona, just the latest case of surge in gun violence across the country.

KEILAR: Plus, an alert to parents about the sharp rise in COVID cases among kids.

BERMAN: Get back to work or else, the big companies getting tough on the work-from-home routine.

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KEILAR: Police and the FBI are investigating an apparently random shooting spree in Arizona. One person was killed, three others were wounded, nine people were injured by shrapnel and debris in a total of eight shooting incidents that took place in just over an hour in the suburbs of Phoenix on Thursday. The Arizona shootings are just the latest this week as gun violence spikes across the country.

CNN reporters are covering it all.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Natasha Chen in Decatur, Georgia.

Police say a cashier at this supermarket was shot and killed on Monday by customer who had argued with the victim over a face mask. In nearby Atlanta, two teens shot and injured a security guard a mall on Sunday.

Atlanta Police say the number of murders so far this year is now 58 percent higher than at this point in 2020. At a public safety committee meeting this week, city council members pressed police on the surge of violence. Atlanta Assistant Police Chief Todd Coyt said he does not have the answer on why this is happening, but he's having similar conversations on daily calls with other law enforcement across the country.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Omar Jimenez in Chicago. The challenges of trying to control summer violence are already proving to be especially difficult. On the heels of multiple mass shootings since Memorial Day alone, among the latest, eight were shot at a gathering, four of them died on Tuesday. And it comes within a year where both the murder and shooting rates are up compared to 2020.

Now, city officials have pointed to things, like the sheer amount of guns on the streets and the gang retaliation culture as part of driving this violence, but they're hoping that a community-targeted approach can at least make a dent in what has been violence that is trending in the wrong direction, especially as we get into a summer of full reopen from COVID in Chicago.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brynn Gingras in New York City. The city reached a major milestone by finally reopening, but overall crime is up 22 percent, according to the latest crime statistics. That's comparing numbers from last month to the same time period last year. Robberies are up, grand larceny, shootings, hate crimes are up as well, according to the NYPD. If you look at murders, those have remained flat, though, during that same time period. But the rise in crime has become a major focal point in the upcoming mayoral race.

BERMAN: So you hear it all laid right there, law enforcement bracing for what is shaping up to be a potentially bloody summer, murder rates increasing at a historic rate. And according to the gun violence archive, there have already been more than 9,100 deaths from gun violence and at least 279 mass shootings to date this year.

Joining us now is the former Detroit Police chief, James Craig. Chief, thanks for being with us.

We spent a lot of time right there laying out the what, what is clearly happening now across the country. My question to you is why, why is it happening?

JAMES CRAIG, FORMER DETROIT POLICE CHIEF: You know, John, that's a great question. And, certainly, we can first talk about the pandemic and the impact that's had on mental health. People have thrown out conflict resolution. You know, we've seen shootings on freeways because someone didn't signal, arguments over small things in public places, but it's even beyond that.

I think what really gets lost in the conversation, when we look at this trend around the country, one thing that major cities have in common, how bail reform is being used. And so what we have, and we don't talk enough about, is how many of these individuals who are involved in violence are people that are out on no bail, out on tether that probably should be remanded to custody. I've got to tell you, it's happening in all the major cities.

And then we also talk about our profession, a profession that's truly in crisis. We've seen the attrition rates in places like New York City, the movement has certainly created a morale problem, and some of these cities, the police officers don't feel supported, so they're not going to do very much. Fortunately, here in Detroit, we haven't seen the type of increases.

[07:25:01]

Our overall crime when I left office was -- overall crime was down 7 percent. Of course, like all cities, the violence was up.

But there are a lot of issues, and we really need to talk about the other factors of the criminal justice system, which are also playing a role in this increased crime.

BERMAN: I just was looking down at my page here because some of the statistics in Detroit, not good, right? Murders increased 19 percent, non-fatal shootings increased 53 percent, gun-related arrests increased 102 percent. Are you suggesting that law enforcement officers are policing in a different way so that it is maybe a more permissible structure for these crimes to be taking place?

CRAGI: I will tell you criminals today feel emboldened. Some crimes are being incentivized. You talk about the gun arrest rate here in the city of Detroit. We were making anywhere between, I don't know, 70 to 100 firearms -- illegally carrying a firearm arrest a week. That's significant.

Prosecutors would sign probably 75 percent of those, but where it broke down, the judges, they would be in custody. But the criminals would mock the police and say, you know, I'm going to be out of jail before you get off shift. So what does that do? It incentivizes someone who is a criminal who's illegally carrying a gun who continues to do so.

And then let's talk about the increased aggression that we've seen directed at police officers because this criminal has been emboldened. Professionals are in a very difficult space.

Now, this is not to say that when we thinking the tragedy involved in George Floyd and some departments that do need reform, but we shouldn't paint the entire profession with a broad brush because we know the vast majority of the men and women who serve are really our heroes, and they do it the right way.

BERMAN: Chief James Craig, I appreciate you joining us this morning.

CRAIG: Thank you so much.

BERMAN: Up next, a troubling new surge of COVID cases in the United Kingdom driven by young people. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us next.

KEILAR: And why you'll need more than a ticket to see Bruce Springsteen on Broadway.

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