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The Situation Room

Camp Mystic Officials in Court; Minnesota Investigating ICE Over Detention of U.S. Citizen; Husband of Missing Woman Released in Bahamas; Holocaust Survivors Gather For Days of Remembrance. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired April 14, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

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WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: New this morning, members of Congress are joining Holocaust survivors and other dignitaries over at the U.S. Capitol for the national commemoration of the Holocaust.

The eight-day remembrance event honors the six million Jews who were murdered and millions of other victims of Nazi atrocities. The House speaker, Mike Johnson, spoke moments ago, urging generations to educate and protect communities from hate. He spoke at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum here in Washington.

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REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): It means having the courage and the moral clarity to say that denying the Holocaust is not a difference of opinion. It is a lie, and it's a lie with serious consequences.

And it means standing up for what's right and speaking out against what's wrong, even when those opinions, those facts may not be as popular as they once were.

We've seen what happens when good people stay silent in the face of evil, and this generation of leaders will not make that mistake again.

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BLITZER: For what's called in Hebrew Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, thousands gather for a silent march from Auschwitz to Birkenau known as the March of the Living.

My colleague Dana Bash and I participated in that March back in 2023. It was a very moving experience for everyone, especially for us who were there.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Very.

BLITZER: And also new this morning, a new study shows 2025 was the deadliest year for antisemitic attacks in more than three decades. This map highlights just some of the violent incidents across three continents mentioned in the new report from Tel Aviv University, the worst of which was the Bondi Beach massacre in Australia, where two gunmen killed 15 people during a large Hanukkah celebration.

But the study found incidents ranged from physical attacks and vandalism to verbal threats and harassment, and most of those assaults, which are also on the rise, were carried out by people acting on their own.

BROWN: Well, new this morning, Wolf, American Brian Hooker, who was being held for questioning over his wife's disappearance at sea, has been released without charges by investigators in the Bahamas.

And they said in a statement -- quote -- "The decision to release the individual was made following consultation with the Department of Public Prosecutions, which recommended that no charges be filed at this time, pending the outcome of further investigations."

Brian Hooker's lawyer spoke after his release, and here's what he said.

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TERREL BUTLER, ATTORNEY FOR BRIAN HOOKER: I am happy to see that justice is really working in this country, all right? They had no evidence and they had no choice but to release him.

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BROWN: Hooker told investigators his wife, Lynette, fell overboard while the two were sailing in rough waters and that he lost sight of her.

So let's go live now to CNN national correspondent Dianne Gallagher.

[11:35:03]

Dianne, where does the investigation go from here?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Pamela, look, Brian Hooker didn't talk to reporters when he left the police station on Monday night.

But, this morning, he sat down with CBS News, where he told them that his main priority right now is just finding his wife.

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BRIAN HOOKER, HUSBAND OF LYNETTE HOOKER: I won't be able to stop looking.

QUESTION: You want to keep looking for Lynette?

HOOKER: I'm going to need somebody with more authority to tell me to stop.

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GALLAGHER: So Brian Hooker was taken into custody on Wednesday in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Lynette, who he told police fell off their eight-foot hard-bottom dinghy on the way to their yacht during rough weather more than a week ago.

He was questioned multiple times over the five days that he was detained, but he was never charged. And Brian Hooker has maintained his innocence the entire time.

Now, Lynette's daughter, Karli, has been pushing for answers since she was told that her mother was missing at sea. I reached out to her as soon as we learned that Brian was being released. And she told me -- quote -- "As long as there has been a thorough investigation into all the facts, then I will have to live with the fact that it's an accident. But I don't think this is the end."

She said that all she wants is truth and closure. She's headed to the Bahamas herself later this week. Lynette's family immediately said that they didn't think the story added up that Brian told police, because both Brian and Lynette are experienced swimmers and sailors, as well as perhaps they had a sometimes turbulent relationship.

Brian, through his attorney, has denied any allegations of domestic violence made by Lynette's family. Police are still asking for help. Anybody who may know anything that happened to Lynette on Saturday April 4, the night that she disappeared, they're asked to contact authorities.

BROWN: All right, Dianne Gallagher, thank you so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And just ahead: a legal standoff in Minnesota right now over the wrongful detention of a U.S. citizen. Why county officials are investigating the incident as a possible kidnapping. We have details. That's next.

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BLITZER: Happening now: Officials in Minnesota have launched a criminal investigation into ICE agents over the detention of a U.S. citizen.

Video shows the man being taken from his home partially dressed in freezing cold temperatures back in January. Authorities say the federal agents had no warrant and no probable cause for the arrest.

Let's go live right now to CNN enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild.

Whitney, what more can you tell us about the accusations that are now being leveled?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, the county attorney in Ramsey County, John Choi, says that they are investigating this as criminal actions by these federal immigration agents who went into the home of a man named Scott Thao, and they say it was without a warrant, without any legal justification.

And they're describing it as these agents breaking into the home, arresting Thao, taking him away from his home in what you see there, in little more than a blanket and shorts and Crocs, and then taking him away, interviewing him for about an hour before he was returned home. Again, it bears repeating that Thao is a U.S. citizen.

Here's more from county attorney John Choi.

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JOHN CHOI, RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA, ATTORNEY: This case involves a felonious allegation of kidnapping, illegal detainment, right, false imprisonment. If there's fraud or concealment done by the actors that make it difficult for us to get to the truth, then we will use every legal argument that we have to make sure that we will find what happened.

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WILD: The Department of Homeland Security had previously said in this incident immigration agents were executing a search for two sex offenders. One of those sex offenders, it should be noted, was already in custody at the time of that attempted search.

DHS is now saying this: "This is nothing but a political stunt to demonize ICE law enforcement, who are facing a 1300 percent increase in assaults against them as they arrest for the worst of the worst."

The county attorney made clear that they fully anticipate this is going to take quite a while. They are demanding information from the federal government. They are prepared to go to a federal court to try to get that information.

And then, finally, Wolf, I will leave you with this. If there's a question about what is the Minnesota jurisdiction here, the county attorney believes that they have jurisdiction because it is their responsibility to enforce Minnesota criminal statutes, even when that means taking on the federal government, Wolf.

BLITZER: That's an important development indeed.

All right, Whitney Wild, thank you very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, with us now to talk more about all of this is CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig.

Hi, Elie. Good to see you.

So, what are the chances that this becomes a successful prosecution?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Pam, I think the chances of a successful prosecution are near zero here.

There's two big problems. First of all, this was a mistake. All parties seem to agree. The ICE agents intended to arrest one person. They arrested the wrong person. Now, that's bad and there should be consequences, but it's not a crime. There's no such thing as accidental kidnapping.

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The law in Minnesota and elsewhere requires specific intentionality to support a criminal charge of kidnapping. The second problem is, there's essentially no precedent for state-level prosecutors to indict federal law enforcement agents for something they did in the course of their federal job.

And if there was such an indictment, those law enforcement officers would have serious defenses based on criminal immunity and based on the Supremacy Clause. So I don't give this case much of a chance of ultimately succeeding.

BLITZER: Let me just follow up with you, Elie, then.

Even if Minnesota officials are unsuccessful in this case, could Thao or his family sue the federal government for personal damages? And how likely would it be to be successful?

HONIG: Yes, Wolf, they could sue civilly for damages. It's really hard to sue the individual ICE officers. They have broad civil immunity.

But what they can do is file a claim against the federal government under something called the Federal Tort Claims Act. They'd have to first submit a request to the federal government, say, here's why we believed he was wronged and damaged. The federal government will then decide, do we pay or make a settlement offer? If so, fine, you settle it.

And if not, then the family or this individual can file a civil lawsuit in the court. So if he can show that ICE was negligent here and caused damages, then, yes, he might succeed on a civil lawsuit.

BROWN: All right, Elie, I want to ask you about another topic, our CNN exclusive with the four women describing sexual misconduct by Congressman Eric Swalwell, including a former staffer who says he raped her.

Swalwell denied the women's allegations, but says he plans to resign from Congress amid those sexual misconduct allegations. He has also said he had errors in judgment. The House Ethics Committee no longer has jurisdiction if he resigns, right? But we do know that Manhattan DA is investigating this.

So what sort of evidence would the DA need here in this investigation as it pertains to the rape allegation which it's investigating?

HONIG: So, Pam, really important question here.

The DA is going to have to gather all the evidence available here, statements from the primary complainant, statements from the other victims, the people you spoke with, statements perhaps from Eric Swalwell himself, if he wants to make a statement. You want to look at any forensics or medical evidence. You want to look at any texts or communications.

One really important point. In order to get a grand jury indictment, technically, prosecutors only need probable cause, meaning 50.1 percent. However, most good prosecutor's offices, including the Manhattan DA, have an ethical policy that we don't ask for an indictment unless and until we believe there's proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

And so, moving forward, keep in mind, if there is an indictment of Eric Swalwell, doesn't mean he's guilty. He gets to go to trial like anyone else. If there's not an indictment of Eric Swalwell, that does not necessarily mean he's been fully exonerated. It could be that prosecutors found some quantum of evidence, but not proof beyond a reasonable doubt, which they would need to bring in indictment.

BROWN: All right, Elie Honig, thank you, as always.

HONIG: Thanks, guys.

BLITZER: And coming up: Camp Mystic officials back in court.

BROWN: Facing questions over their response to the deadly flooding. What the camp's director said about why lifesaving warning signs were missed.

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BROWN: Happening now: Testimony continues in an ongoing legal battle with Camp Mystic and victims families over the camp's response to deadly flooding in July.

The Texas camp's director testified that he did not see the warnings issued prior to the storm hitting and that staff did not meet over the pending threat. The overnight storm caused heavy rainfall and historic flash flooding that killed 25 young campers and two counselors.

And, as you may recall, I was on the ground in Hunt, Texas, just after those floods to cover the tragic aftermath.

Let's go live now to CNN correspondent Isabel Rosales for more.

You were also on the ground in Texas at the same time covering these floods, Isabel. Bring us into the courtroom. What's happening?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pam, this is part of a multiday evidentiary hearing tied to the lawsuit filed by the parents of Cile Steward.

This is the only camper, just 8 years old at the time, whose body still has not been found. And this family is suing in order to stop the camp from reopening. Now, the courtroom has been packed full of family members of these killed campers who have heard hours of stunning testimony from Edward Eastland.

He's the director of Camp Mystic. His own father died that night attempting to save some of the campers. And he's given the most detailed description yet of what staff members did or did not know and how they responded those overnight hours into the Fourth of July holiday.

Now, he admitted there on the stand that he had signed up for emergency warning systems on his phones. The staffers did as well, but he did not expect what was going to happen. He said that: "I wish we never had camp that summer."

He also admitted he did not see official warnings issued the day before the storm hit. He was asleep when those flood alerts came through, that the staff did not use the loudspeaker system to tell campers to get to higher ground earlier on in the storm.

They had no meetings about this pending danger and no detailed evacuation plan either. Watch this exchange.

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BRAD BECKWORTH, ATTORNEY FOR STEWARD FAMILY: You left over 150 girls there stranded to fend for themselves after you got a flash flood warning that you personally received on your phone, correct?

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EDWARD EASTLAND, CAMP MYSTIC DIRECTOR: I wouldn't put it that way. I did not communicate with them, no.

BECKWORTH: Did anyone at Camp Mystic in a supervisory role access the National Weather Service or TDEM warnings on July 2?

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ROSALES: All this comes as Camp Mystic plans to reopen here in less than two months. They filed a license to renew, to reopen a part of the camp that's elevated that did not flood -- Pam.

BROWN: All right, Isabel Rosales, bringing us the latest, thank you so much.

BLITZER: And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning.

BROWN: "INSIDE POLITICS" with our friend and colleague Dana Bash starts after a short break.