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Trump White House Aide Set to Testify at January 6th Hearing; 3 Killed, Dozens Injured after Amtrak Train Derails in Missouri; Biden Meets with U.K., France, Germany, Italy Leaders on G-7 Sidelines; Russia Defaults on Debt; Outrage after Russia Strikes Shopping Mall, Killing at Least 18. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired June 28, 2022 - 06:00   ET

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. It is Tuesday, June 28. I'm John Berman with Brianna Keilar.

[05:59:40]

Morning intrigue surrounding the January 6th Committee. A surprise hearing that was not on the schedule. We are told it is to present recently-obtained evidence, with at least one surprise witness who has been central to their investigation.

It is Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows. She has been in some of the most dramatic moments of videotaped testimony.

She identified the names of several Republican lawmakers she said were asking about pardons. She talked about conversations around the legality of the fake elector scheme. She reportedly confirmed accounts that Trump reacted approvingly to the chants of "hang Mike Pence."

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And we're also learning federal agents seized John Eastman's cell phone last week. You're looking here at video of the incident as it was unfolding.

Eastman is the chief architect of Donald Trump's scheme to install fake electors in order to overturn the election. We'll have more on that here in a moment.

Let's bring in Jessica Schneider on the very latest -- Jessica.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna, Cassidy Hutchinson, she has long been considered a crucial witness, since she was up close and personal to the most important players at the White House. And she does have crucial details about what happened on January 6.

Now, we know that she's already been interviewed behind closed doors, privately by the committee, three times. And now, she will appear at this last-minute hearing in public.

Privately, we know that she's already spilled a lot of details to the committee, including that her boss, chief of staff Mike Meadows, approved of those "hang Mike Pence" chants from rioters who stormed the Capitol. And she says that Trump complained about Pence being hustled to safety as the Capitol was breached.

And interestingly, she also talked about several members of Congress who inquired about pardons around January 6. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, FORMER AIDE TO TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF MARK MEADOWS: Mr. Gaetz and Mr. Brooks, I know, both advocated for there would be a blanket pardon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Brooks --

HUTCHINSON: Mr. Biggs did. Mr. Gohmert asked for one, as well. Mr. Perry asked for a pardon, too. I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did Marjorie Taylor Greene contact you?

HUTCHINSON: No, she didn't contact me at all. I heard that she had asked the White House counsel office for a pardon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: And it looks like she will reveal a lot more at the public hearing this afternoon, where we've also learned the committee is actually increasing security, because they have concerns about the safety of their witnesses.

Because of that, they're restricting some of the people who will actually be inside the hearing room.

And all of this is developing as we're seeing the Justice Department's investigation really ramp up here. Federal agents seizing the phone of attorney John Eastman last week. He was actually leaving a restaurant in New Mexico. He's now petitioning to get his cell phone back.

And Eastman, of course, the architect of those plans to try to convince Mike Pence to refuse to certify the election results, something that, of course, didn't happen.

But we do know that Eastman has repeatedly resisted all inquiries by this committee. And because of that and court proceedings out in California, a federal judge has previously said that Eastman and the former President Trump likely committed two felonies in their scheme to overturn the election.

So, a lot unfolding, both on the criminal end with the Justice Department investigation, and more will come today at that public hearing today at 1 p.m. -- guys.

KEILAR: We'll be watching with you. Jessica Schneider, thank you so much.

BERMAN: All right. Joining us now, "EARLY START" anchor and attorney at law, Laura Jarrett; CNN political commentator and "New York" magazine columnist Errol Louis; and Sophia Nelson, contributing editor to TheGriot.com and the author of the brand-new book "Be the One You Need: 21 Life Lessons Learned Taking Care of Everyone But Me."

I want to start with this surprise hearing today. Surprise, it really was not on the schedule. We did not know it was happening. We did not know who was appearing until late last night, Laura. Cassidy Hutchinson, described to me by a D.C. reporter friend, she knows everything.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and the question is, is she willing to spill the beans? You know, the committee says it had new evidence, and so presumably, there is something there, in addition to what they already learned, in the fact that she sat down for three different depositions, I believe.

She's already given us quite a bit on pardons, discussions. She's given us quite a bit, interestingly, legally, on the discussions that Pat Cipollone, the former White House counsel, had with Trump and other members of Trump's orbit, talking about the fact that what they wanted to do was a -- would be a violation of law. She can talk about that.

She can -- I mean, she knows all about the movements on January 6. She knows where Trump was. She knows where Meadows was, as his former aide. She knows quite a bit.

I think the question is just how far is she willing to go. One other interesting point here, you know, she switched attorneys recently. She was represented by Trump's former ethics lawyer.

She has now switched to Chuck Cooper, a very high-powered defense attorney; used to represent Jeff Sessions. So it's interesting, strategically, just what that means and whether it means maybe she's more forthcoming. Now, we don't know. But there is a move there.

KEILAR: That is interesting. Also, she is pretty -- when you look at the deposition video, she's pretty forthcoming. She answers the questions that they're asking.

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Very straightforward, very credible. I mean, and that's the point of a witness, especially when you have one on videotape, is to assess her credibility, her demeanor and so forth.

[06:05:07]

There are things we're going to hear under oath, presumably, today that have been reported that are really quite explosive, like her former boss, Mark Meadows, apparently burning papers in his office. What's that all about? Let's hear it under oath. Let's find out where and why. You know, what was in those papers? What was Mark Meadows saying? Why would he wave her off, something he normally wouldn't do, she said, in the minute of all of the chaos on January 6th.

So as we piece all of this together, it's really going to be -- I mean, to the committee's credit, that they have not just stuck to the set plan, but as new information comes forward, they're going to try and release it to the public as quickly as possible.

BERMAN: What about the theatrics of making this a surprise hearing? Does that raise expectations?

SOPHIA NELSON, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, THEGRIOT.COM: It does, but I agree with Errol that one of the things I was concerned about is that there was going to be this hiatus until next month, and I thought that was a no-no, given that the numbers are moving in the right direction. Even 20 percent plus of Republicans now think that there was a crime committed and that there's a problem. I'd like to see that number a lot higher.

But I think for them to do this and to say, we've got something, we're coming back, it makes people tune in and listen. And she's young. She's credible and looks like she's going to flip, I guess. So it will be interesting.

BERMAN: We'll see. I mean, and what does flip mean? I mean she may --

NELSON: She'll talk.

BERMAN: She's going to talk. She'll answer questions under oath to public, which is interesting to me; because she's been on videotape so much. So I'm curious, if the committee thinks that having her live gives you something else. What do you think about that?

NELSON: I think it does. And like I said, I like the fact that she's young, and she's not in the old guard of the people that we know the players moving the chess (ph) -- the Mark Meadows, the Trumps, the Pences, those people.

She's a staffer. She's someone who's there who, like you said, had a bird's-eye view of everything that was going on. And I think she's going to be credible and relatable. And I think the more the committee can do that, the more ground they're going to make in getting where they want to go.

JARRETT: And they kept it so tight. The staff didn't know who was coming in. Or at least sources weren't talking, at least in the same way as usual. The security level has been beefed up in terms of where you can sit in the room. They were clearly worried about her safety and so were being really hush-hush about it.

And so there's clearly something different here. We just don't yet know exactly what it will be.

LOUIS: And there's no substitute for live testimony. You know, I mean, some of the most powerful moments during this entire process have been hearing people in their own words talk about, you know, I was threatened. I was slipping in blood. I didn't know what was going on all around me.

You know, that's the part that you remember. When all of the rest of the stuff fades and the lawyers are done with it, what we're all going to remember is that person on the stand and what they said. KEILAR: Federal law enforcement seizing the phone of John Eastman, who

is the architect of Trump's fake elector scheme. What does this signify to you about where the investigation is?

JARRETT: It's a really significant move. I mean, anytime you seize material from an attorney, you know this has gotten to next level. When you do that, you have to go through a whole set of processes that are different for a regular witness at DOJ.

This goes up to the highest levels at the Justice Department, typically.

Now, we have a lot of questions about what exactly they're looking for. What exactly they think they know. Because you have to do a probable cause hearing. You have to show there was evidence of a crime that was likely committed, and evidence will be found the device you want to search. Which is the device he's trying to get back is his phone.

We just don't know exactly what they're looking for. And there's some weird interplay between different pots of investigators possibly here. So I think a lot more to come on it, but it is certainly an enormous development that you have not only John Eastman, the architect of the fake elector scheme, but also Johnny Clark, who was a former DOJ attorney. We know in the civil division, his phone and we know materials were searched, as well.

LOUIS: And we know that the Office of Legal Counsel has given guidance that, when something this politically explosive in an election year, especially is happening, they can't take over acts that might influence the outcomes of, say, part of the midterms.

And so they're rushing up against the clock. To me what this speaks to is that they think that they've got to get something done now. It's a little vague as to whether there's a 60-day cutoff, a 90-day cutoff, a 30-day cutoff, what it might mean.

But they don't want to be caught out there on the other side or needing to make really important prosecutorial decisions right up against the midterm deadlines.

NELSON: I also think it's important that they, like you say, they get something done from the perspective of whether or not DOJ is going to prosecute somebody, right?

I mean, Merrick Garland is under a lot of pressure right now to do something, to indict somebody. And I think that this committee's really trying to move to put all of the evidence on the table and say what are you doing? They can make a referral. He doesn't have to do it, but I think he's under a lot of pressure to do it.

BERMAN: You talked about the different buckets of investigations, Laura. And "The New York Times" and CNN also reporting that part of why Eastman's phone was seized with a warrant was because of an inspector general investigation inside the Justice Department, presumably into Jeffrey Clark. Because Eastman didn't work in the Justice Department. So --

[06:10:07]

JARRETT: Right. Clark did.

BERMAN: Clark did.

And an inspector general report looks at corruption, misconduct, as Agency part of your job.

JARRETT: Yes.

BERMAN: Which seems substantively different than trying to steal an election. I know trying to steal an election is probably not part of Justice Department guidelines. I don't mean to be glib here.

JARRETT: Yes.

BERMAN: But it seems to me, if that were the central focus, that would be a separate investigation.

JARRETT: Perhaps they're on dual tracks. Perhaps they're working together. Perhaps they're sharing information.

Certainly, if you go to a restaurant, and you take someone's phone, and you have a federal search warrant, that feels quite aggressive and serious and not typically what you would see from the I.G. investigators. And so perhaps that -- that piece is separate.

We really don't know. And I think more reporting will come out on this. But what we do know is, obviously, they were both under investigation. They both had search warrants. And as a former DOJ attorney, Clark obviously is well within the I.G.'s purview.

BERMAN: And you're right, we don't know. And this happened last week, and we're just finding out about it overnight. That shows you how much we don't know. It took us a week to learn this at this point.

All right. Everyone stand by. We have a lot more to discuss here.

KEILAR: Overnight, a horrific human tragedy. That is what the mayor of San Antonio is calling the scene where at least 46 migrants were found dead inside of a semitruck trailer.

Authorities say they were alerted by a nearby worker, who heard a cry for help. Officials say those found alive were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion, and there was no sign of water or a working air conditioner, while temperatures reached the low 100s.

Sixteen people, including four children, have been transported for treatment. Three people are now in custody, but police say it's unclear if they are connected to the situation.

Ahead, CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is live for us on the scene. Also, we're going to be speaking with San Antonio's mayor, Ron Nirenberg, on the latest in that investigation.

BERMAN: What a horrific loss of life. A true human tragedy.

Also, an accident in Missouri. Three people dead and at least 50 others injured after an Amtrak train slammed into a dump truck and derailed at an uncontrolled intersection. No warning lights or motion gates.

CNN's Pete Muntean on the scene in Mendon, Missouri.

Pete, tell us the latest on this.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you can see the scene behind me here. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, 14 members of a go team arrived here this morning.

But what's so interesting is that investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration have already made some key findings. You mentioned that this railroad crossing was uncontrolled. No blinking lights. No retractable barriers; known in the railroad community to be especially dangerous.

And what's also so interesting here, John, is that the Missouri State Department of Transportation identified this crossing for improvements only earlier this year.

We know that a dump truck was in the middle of this crossing. The driver of that dump truck is one of the three who were killed in this derailment. That truck practically pulverized by the collision. Ripped from its chassis.

I want you to listen now and see the incredible video from the scene of some of the 275 passengers who were on board this train. They were able to take video immediately after the derailment. Eight of ten cars derailed. They were practically in shock. They described it as happening in slow motion. Listen now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you all right?

ROBERT NIGHTINGALE, PASSENGER ON AMTRAK TRAIN: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

NIGHTINGALE: I'm sick. OK. They hit a truck. Someone was crossing the tracks. Yes. I'll call you later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: The NTSB will not only be looking at video from passengers but also onboard video on this train.

Amtrak trains and revenue service have to have cameras onboard front facing to look at the tracks. Also, investigators will look at the shape of the tracks; how fast the train was going; if there was an effort to stop.

One bright spot here, John, is that there was a Boy Scout troop onboard from Appleton, Wisconsin. They were in this derailment. They were uninjured, miraculously, and they stayed on the scene to help their fellow passengers while other help still arrived. I want you to listen now to one of Boy Scout leaders from Appleton, Wisconsin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN SKYPCZAK, SCOUTMASTER, TROOP 3: I'm proud of them. One Scout wrapped his hand. Took his shirt off and wrapped his hand and had to break some windows to get people out.

Another Scout went and comforted the driver of the -- of the truck that was hit and tried to stabilize him.

[06:15:06]

They were tandem working on that gentleman when he expired. That Scout was pretty shook up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Investigators here on the scene, we have seen heavy equipment arriving here on the scene.

The big priority is reopening these tracks. This is a critical link between Chicago and L.A. BNSF runs these railroad tracks. We know that we have seen a freight train come through here only moments ago. These tracks just reopened -- John.

BERMAN: What an amazing story and what video you showed there, Pete. I have to say, the Boy Scouts say always be prepared. I can't imagine they trained to be prepared for something like this. But good thing they were there.

Pete Muntean, thank you very much for your reporting.

We will speak to a passenger who captured the moment after the crash. What he says happened just minutes before impact.

President Biden heading to Spain for the NATO summit, meeting with four European leaders first, though, on the sideline of the G-7. We'll give you the very latest from there.

And a Russian air strike hits a crowded shopping mall in central Ukraine. The death count there is rising.

KEILAR: Plus, Russia's historic default western sanctions to push Russia to default on its foreign debt for the first time in more than a century.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:20:32] BERMAN: Happening now, President Biden wrapping up talks with G-7 leaders in Germany, heading to Spain shortly for the NATO summit, where Russia and the Russian invasion of Ukraine will be at the top of the agenda.

CNN's M.J. Lee covering the G-7 meetings. What's the latest from there, M.J.?

M.J. LEE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, we should be seeing President Biden wheels up to Spain any moment now to attend this annual NATO summit.

And just as we saw at the G-7 summit that just concluded, we of course, expect the war in Ukraine to be top of mind for these leaders. This is a war that, in many ways, has transformed and strengthened that member alliance as these member nations have come together to try to figure out how they're going to address and push back on the Russian aggression.

And to that point, a huge topic of discussion at the NATO summit is going to be Sweden and Finland's applications to join NATO. Now, of course, this is something that Vladimir Putin does not want to see. He doesn't want to see, in any way, that NATO alliance strengthened or expanded.

But the other major issue is that Turkey, which is a member country of NATO, it has expressed its opposition to these two countries joining. U.S. Officials have been working to try to give it assurances.

And actually, just a few moments ago, the White House released a readout of President Biden and President Erdogan of Turkey having spoken this morning. It is certainly likely that these two men will speak again on the sidelines of the NATO summit.

One more thing I would note, too. We do expect Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to give a virtual address to the NATO summit. This is something that we saw happen at the G-7 summit, as well.

We saw him, of course, talking about the time line for the war and really wanting it to come to an end before the end of the year. He also asked for further air defense systems, including the kind that can shoot down Russian missiles in the sky.

So no question that, when the NATO summit happens, a huge, huge goal is going to be talking about how to bring this up, this war to an end, as quickly as possible.

BERMAN: Yes, a lot of important work to do there. M.J. Lee, thank you for covering for us.

KEILAR: For the first time in over a century, Russia has defaulted on its foreign debt. The historic default has been widely anticipated. But let's bring in CNN's chief business correspondent, Christine Romans, to talk about this, because this is a very big deal.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: This goes to the isolation of Russia on the global stage, right? This is -- the G-7, this is being played as the West steering Russia into this default, this historic default, the first since -- hi, John.

BERMAN: I'm sorry. They told me to move. You could see my profile. It's not a bad side of me.

ROMANS: You have a -- that is the better side. You're right.

BERMAN: It's not a bad side, but it's not at the right time. Go ahead. We digress.

ROMANS: I want your eyes on me -- no, I'm kidding.

No, but look, this is the isolation of Russia on the global stage. And Russia, Moody's is calling this an official default. And will likely default on future coupon payments, as well.

The Russians are saying this isn't default. This is -- we paid the money. It's just because your dumb sanctions have isolated the money that can't be paid to bondholders.

So they're downplaying it, just as they downplay the invasion overall. But in fact, this is a default, the first since 1918, and it shows the isolation of Russia in the global community.

KEILAR: So who can hang in there longer, Russia or Europe?

ROMANS: I think that is the big question. And we just don't know.

I mean, the Russian people are already suffering. The Russian economy is already suffering. Russian bonds have collapsed to pennies on the dollar. Russia can't borrow from abroad. Its economy is shrinking. It could have a depression in Russia.

But can the Russians withstand that pain longer than Europe can stand a cold, expansive winter without the Russian energy supplies it needs? And that is kind of the existential question, I think, of this war, really.

BERMAN: One Russian would stand that pain. That is the issue.

ROMANS: And it is one Russian. It is Vladimir Putin.

Si Russia downplaying the significance of this default. The rest of the world saying, Look, this is the beginning of even more pain for the Russian economy, because it has isolated itself by its own actions.

KEILAR: All right. Christine, stick around. We have so much more to discuss.

BERMAN: This morning, the death toll at a crowded Ukrainian shopping small from a Russian missile strike, rising to at least 18 with 36 others missing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says up to 1,000 people were inside at the time of the attack. This is sparking international outrage. And today, the UNC Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting.

[06:25:04]

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz live in Kyiv with the latest on this. What a horrific strike, Salma.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely terrible attack on innocents, John. And rescue operations are still ongoing. They're still trying to pull survivors out of the ruins of that mall.

What we understand happened, according to President Zelenskyy, is yesterday afternoon, air raid sirens went off at this mall. And I have to note, this mall is nowhere near a battlefield. Nowhere near the front lines.

People started evacuating when they heard those sirens, and that's when the building was hit by Russian missiles. I know we have that video of those fires that were raging for hours.

So far, 18 people killed, dozens wounded and serious fears that that toll could go up.

Now, Russia says it was targeting a weapons depot. President Zelenskyy is clear, though. He calls this an act of terror. He is accusing Moscow of targeting innocent people.

And he's called for that emergency meeting Security Council meeting that will take place today. But this is a continuation of something we've seen, John.

As these summits, the G-7 and now today, NATO, have taken place, Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine. It has fired dozens of missiles in recent days, including some that fell here in Kyiv.

It's left everyone with this sense that Russia can attack anywhere, anytime. That's why President Zelenskyy is going to plead again for those air defense systems, to try to protect these neighborhoods. It's going to be down to whether or not the West can provide them.

BERMAN: Salma Abdelaziz, I know you've been there. Attacks on civilians for months now have not been a bug; they have been a feature of the Russian efforts. Thank you so much for reporting on it.

Republicans trying to beat Democrats at their own game, and they may be succeeding. New data ahead.

KEILAR: And Donald Trump suddenly in friend-making mode, congratulating candidates that he once savaged. We have some new reporting on that ahead.

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[06:30:00]