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Democratic Veterans in Congress Release Letter Calling on J.D. Vance to Stop Attacks on Tim Walz's Military Record; Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) Interviewed on Donald Trump's Personal Attacks on Kamala Harris During Recent Press Conference; Secret Service Beefs Up Trump's Security after Assassination Attempt; "Ketamine Queen" Charged in Connection to Matthew Perry's Death. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired August 16, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: New this morning, beyond the pale. Democratic veterans in Congress now calling out J.D. Vance's attacks on Tim Walz's military record, slamming the senator in a scathing new letter that has just been released.

Plus, the Secret Service is boosting safety measures for Donald Trump after the assassination attempt. More agents, bulletproof glass. Some of the agency's new tactics after bipartisan criticism of security lapses.

Plus, she says it has been a life filled with burgers and blessings. Now, after 54 years, a Whataburger worker is ready to finally retire.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan. John out today. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BOLDUAN: Breaking this morning, Democratic members of Congress stepping up and standing up for Tim Walz. Members, all who served in the military, calling out J.D. Vance for his attacks on Tim Walz's military record. Nineteen veterans in both the Senate and the House signing on to this message, it's a letter defending Walz saying that Vance's attacks are, quote, purely politically driven, and beyond the pale. The letter comes after Vance, a marine veteran himself, accused Tim Walz of misrepresenting his service in the Army National Guard, which he served for 24 years.

This week, here's how Tim Walz responded to Vance's attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ, (D) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person's service record. Anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words -- thank you for your service and sacrifice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Lauren Fox has much more on this. Lauren, what more are you learning about this letter, what they're intending to do, what all about it?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this letter is coming from nearly 20 Democrats across the House and the United States Senate in which they are basically calling on J.D. Vance to stop attacking Tim Walz's military record. Here's what they write in the letter, saying, quote, "In the military, we all learned to respect and defend our fellow servicemembers. While we might disagree with their policy proposals, we would never question their motives. We would never say that person doesn't love America. Falsely maligning a fellow veteran's service for personal gain is," quote, "beyond the pale."

Now, this letter comes at a time when Democrats are on recess, so they are not here in Washington to defend him, Walz, in the hallways as reporters would be asking them about this. And this is obviously coming at a critical point in this campaign with just a few months until the election. It also comes as many of these members remember that Tim Walz was the top Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee in his last term in Congress. And this is a post that he had, and a lot of Democrats that I talked to right after he was selected were excited about the fact that he could talk about what he had done on that committee, that he could talk about his service. They really do feel like this is an attribute for him and not something that should be a detractor, as J.D. Vance has tried to attack him on the campaign trail.

So it's really sort of this critical moment. And it also just comes as Democrats are just trying to defend someone that they think has done, not just in his own service, but once he was serving on this top spot in this committee, done a lot for veterans across the country. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's see its impact as it is now just coming out. Lauren, thank you so much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right, if you thought Donald Trump would be taking the advice from Republican allies to try to tamp down on those personal attacks, think again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think I'm entitled to personal attacks. I don't have a lot of respect for her. I don't have a lot of respect for her intelligence. Whether the personal attacks or good, bad, I mean, she certainly attacks me personally. She actually called me weird. He's weird. It was just a sound bite. And she called J.D. and I weird. She's weird in her policy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Some of the moments that veered way off message yesterday, so far that it landed into the territory of Hillary Clinton's 2016 emails again, and something Donald Trump likes to call bird cemeteries caused by wind farms. But this morning, it's Trumps finances that's catching a lot of

attention, from his crypto coin to the money he's making off selling bibles. CNN's Steve Contorno has the details for us. What have you learned as you look through these financial disclosures that everyone has to do?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Sara, this is our first glimpse into Trump's finances in at least a year, and what it shows is that Trump makes quite a bit of money selling his image and capitalizing on his fame. Now, these are 250 pages worth of insights into his financial situation, covering everything from his real estate business to his investments, the incomes for both him and former first lady Melania Trump as well as his debts.

[08:05:07]

Let me go through some of what we've found after we went through this massive document. One is that a lot of his wealth is tied up in the shares he owns in the company that owns Truth Social, about $2.7 billion worth. He also made more than $500 million from his various golf clubs and resorts. These disclosures also included the liabilities in excess of $50 million in the judgments against him in New York and from the E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit.

There's also quite a bit of money he makes from selling his image, as I said, $7.2 million from these NFT trading cards featuring images of Trump, $300,000 from the Greenwood Bibles, which he now sells for $60 on his website. He also has $1 million to $5 million worth of cryptocurrency, and I'm going to get into more on that in a second, and as well he has a six-figure investment in gold bars.

Now the cryptocurrency investment stood out to me because I've been covering Trump's recent interest in bitcoin. He recently spoke at a bitcoin conference where he embraced the industry just at this sort of inflection point where now not only is he investing in cryptocurrency, but he's also been getting a lot of money from crypto donors, and he is promising to be a pro-crypto president. Take a listen to what he told this audience earlier this year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If crypto is going to define the future, I want it to be mined, minted, and made in the USA. It's going to be. It's not going to be made anywhere else.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: And if bitcoin is going to the moon, as we say, it's going to the moon, I want America to be the nation that leads the way.

We will have regulations, but from now on the rules will be written by people who love your industry, not hate your industry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Those statements come as Trump's family businesses also plotting to get involved in this emerging industry. Eric Trump recently writing on X, quote, "I have truly fallen in love with crypto." Sara?

SIDNER: All right, Steve Contorno, thank you. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Joining us right now is Democratic Senator from Delaware, Chris Coons. Senator, thanks so much for coming in.

I want to talk about the reporting coming out just this morning from Lauren FOX, this letter from Democrats in Congress who have served in the military coming to the defense of Tim Walz and his military career. J.D. Vance has continued with his attacks on Walz, despite the fact checking. Just yesterday, he continued his attack on Tim Walz. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not about disparaging anybody's services, including Tim Walz. This is about disparaging the dishonesty, and asking Kamala Harris, why are you showing such poor judgment by standing by a guy who insulted our veterans and lied about his service?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: This letter now from Democratic veterans, does this put the issue, you think, to rest, or is there a chance this is just going to fuel this as a political issue, especially as there are no Republicans on this letter?

SEN. CHRIS COONS, (D-DE) FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Well, Kate, I think this is an important part of Governor Walz's service, his background, his character, that he spent 24 years in the National Guard. And I'm glad that there are members of Congress coming to his defense and making it clear that J.D. Vance should be respecting Master Sergeant Walz's service than the National Guard, just as Governor Walz has been respectful of J.D. Vance's service in the Marines.

We've had in the Biden family during the Biden-Harris administration, a president whose son served in the Delaware National Guard and a president who respected and supported military families. I think it's important that moving forward this be a constructive, respectful, and positive debate about the issues that matter to Americans. And frankly, if we look back at what happened in the 2004 campaign, when a highly decorated veteran in John Kerry didn't respond promptly to, frankly, unfounded attacks about his service in Vietnam, it ended up being a defining issue in the campaign. So I'm glad that there's prompt action being taken here to put on the table, not just Governor Walz's service in the National Guard, but his service on the Veterans Affairs Committee in the House and his record, which would continue President Biden's record of fighting hard for veterans.

BOLDUAN: This is also a big day for Kamala Harris and she's going to begin rolling out his economic agenda. Some details have been coming out about what she will be putting out as planned proposals when she gives a speech in North Carolina. Poll numbers in key battleground states for Kamala Harris improving, signs that her -- there are signs that her campaign has momentum. But Donald Trump so far remains leading when it comes to the economy. If she does not start leading in polling on the economy, can she win?

[08:10:03]

COONS: Well, the economy really matters. Hearing people, recognizing and respecting that although our economy is very strong, voters aren't feeling it yet. She's going to be putting on the table in North Carolina concrete and specific proposals based on things that we've done in Congress as Democrats. Just last month a bipartisan bill was passed by the House and blocked by Senate Republicans that would have increased the child tax credit. She's going to be talking today about ways that prescription drug prices are coming down, that incentives will be offered for first-time homebuyers, that there will be an effort to combat price gouging at grocery stores. There's a whole series of specific and concrete middle-class tax benefits and federal actions that would address the everyday economic concerns of 100 million working Americans.

Donald Trump has been perfectly clear.

BOLDUAN: Sorry, Senator.

COONS: If he is reelected, he's going to extend and make permanent the tax cuts that he forced through on a party-line vote in 2017. Donald Trump has been clear, he wants to further cut taxes for the most profitable and biggest corporations and for the richest Americans. There will be a stark contrast in the economic policies of these two candidates, and that really begins today with Vice President Harris's important speech in North Carolina.

BOLDUAN: You hit on something that is key, which is how voters feel about it. That is the reality, because when the voters, it's their personal economy that matters when it comes to their vote. Who wins that argument, that is what is key. As you said, though, today is an important one because now that debate really begins in earnest.

Donald Trump was asked just yesterday about the feedback that he has been getting to lay off the personal attacks that he's been pushing at Kamala Harris. I want to play for you his reaction to that.

COONS: He can't help himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think I'm entitled to personal attacks. I don't have a lot of respect thanks for her. I don't have a lot of respect for her intelligence. Whether the personal attacks are good, bad. I mean, she certainly attacks me personally. She actually called me weird. He's weird. It was just a soundbite, and she called J.D. and I weird. She's weird in her policy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: What do you think of that?

(LAUGHTER)

COONS: Look, sometimes when I travel around the country campaigning, it's hard to believe that this is the kind of thing that the average American might want from their president. Watching some of his press conference the other night, Donald Trump is just rambling, unfocused, and keeps bringing up bizarre subjects. As you may remember, many times in the last few months he's gone on at great length about whether he'd rather die by electrocution are being eaten by a shark. He was talking this week about how wind farms cause bird cemeteries. It's almost hard to make this stuff -- you couldn't make this up.

I think that there are many ways that this campaign can unfold. What I'm positive about is that the Harris-Walz campaign has electrified Democrats and undecided voters across the country. We're seeing record crowds. We're seeing record numbers of folks volunteer at our grassroots campaign offices, a record number of first-time small dollar donors to the campaign. There is genuine momentum and excitement about Kamala Harris.

And Donald Trump just can't help himself. He keeps dragging it back into an eighth-grade levels series of personal attacks. Today, you're going to get concrete economic proposals from Kamala Harris about the situation faced by millions of Americans, whether its affording rent, buying their first home, becoming new parents dealing with prescription drug prices, the kinds of things Americans really care about rather than slinging different words back-and-forth between candidates. Let's see if we can't have an exciting, positive, mature, purposeful campaign this fall.

BOLDUAN: I mean, you're killing on the alliteration today. I'm actually, I just have to say, because I was going to say, first of all, this is not political, but the personal and the policy is what is definitely going to define his campaign. It was very strange, you hit on alliteration just as I was about to as well.

We're going to end it on that. Senator thank you so much for your time. Sara?

COONS: Thank you.

SIDNER: Personal, policy, political, say that three times --

BOLDUAN: I was like -- I really was I was like I'm going to do a "p" alliteration. That was crazy. OK.

(LAUGHTER)

SIDNER: That's OK.

All right, the Secret Service changing their protection protocols for Donald Trump. Expect to see more agents and bulletproof glass even at outside rallies.

And five people, including doctors and a woman dubbed the ketamine queen now charged in the overdose death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry. New details on that case is just ahead.

And the new school year starting with new big budget cuts for many districts. Why is funding being cut? We'll have that as well.

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[08:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: The Secret Service is increasing security for Donald Trump after the assassination attempt last month at his rally in Pennsylvania, that includes more agents and bulletproof glass surrounding the former president at campaign events.

CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller back with us this morning. John, when you look at these changes, I mean this is something that a president would get, correct?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Yes, and it's not everything a president would get, but it is way more than a former president gets in terms of the package.

[08:20:09]

It is way more than the average candidate even for president gets. And obviously, the increase comes from the fact that A: Breaking news, Donald Trump is controversial. He's a lightning rod and we're in probably one of the most brittle political seasons in memory.

And B: Somebody shot at him, struck him with a bullet or some part of a bullet and that is a signal that may resonate with other lone wolves.

And C: Don't forget, there's still this Iranian revenge plot for the death of Soleimani, their chief of the Revolutionary Guard Corps that Trump ordered the drone strike on while he was president. So, that's enough to really increase the security around him just on the face of it.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, all the threats are out there and then what happened really pushed this forward. And also the mistakes made and admitted to by the Secret Service, as well.

I do want to ask you about outside campaign events because those tend to be I'm assuming from a law enforcement's perspective and you've talked about this before. Much more difficult to try and secure someone like a candidate.

MILLER: Donald Trump loves his outside rallies and the Secret Service doesn't. But that's their problem, meaning the candidate is going to go where the candidate is going to go. And they have to work towards just making that happen.

So, the addition of these glass partitions, the bulletproof glass, this really narrows the field of fire for an incident like Pennsylvania.

Now, there were mistakes in Pennsylvania, a roof that should have been covered, but every venue is going to be different. So this gives them a real advantage on the one hand, on the other hand, it's a logistical problem because these things are very thick --

SIDNER: And heavy.

MILLER: -- the structures that hold them and they have to be moved around. The Secret Service doesn't have airplanes, right? The Air Force runs Air Force One, that means they have to rely on the Air Force for C-17s to move these structures around and that's a lot of logistics between them and the military.

So, what they're doing, and this applies to Vice President Harris as well, this actually comes with the vice president's package, with the president's package but by strategically placing them around the country, regionally so that wherever the campaign event is, maybe they can move them by truck and have this all done ahead of time.

And some of the logistics we never hear about. There are 400 to 500 people in PPD, the President's Protection Detail.

SIDNER: Protection Detail.

MILLER: A lot of those people because the president is at the White House, is not out campaigning can be kind of borrowed to do the advances for Vice President Harris, for Donald Trump on the campaign trail. So, they're using every resource they have and they're borrowing some where they can be reapplied.

SIDNER: John Miller. Thank you so much for talking us through all those details. That sounds like a logistical nightmare in some ways.

MILLER: And one where there's no choice.

SIDNER: Right, exactly. All right, thank you.

All right, ahead. New details about the multiple arrests in connection with actor, Matthew Perry's overdose death. Two doctors, Perry's assistant and a woman known as "The Ketamine Queen" accused of trying to profit off his addiction.

And, Olympic star gymnast, Jordan Chiles speaking out now about the emotional twists and turns over having her bronze medal taken away from her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:28:10]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: A woman dubbed by investigators as "The Ketamine Queen" is among five people now charged in connection with the death of "Friends" star, Matthew Perry. Now investigators say they -- or through their investigation, they uncovered an underground drug network that's responsible for distributing the ketamine that killed Perry last October.

The defendants also include two doctors, another drug dealer and Perry's personal assistant. Three of the five charged have already pleaded guilty as part of plea deals.

CNN's Stephanie Elam joins us now.

Stephanie, there's so much more to this. What does the evidence that prosecutors say that they have that led them to uncovering all of this and led to the charges?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they said they've taken almost a year, right, because Matthew Perry died at the end of October, Kate, and they're looking at this underground ring. They said that these people who really put Matthew Perry's weakness and this drug addiction that he's been battling for years, they put that on the backburner for their own financial gain.

So, this is what we're looking at, the new things that happened as of yesterday is that law enforcement did arrest two people in particular. One of them is Dr. Salvador Plasencia and they are alleging here that this doctor actually conspired with another doctor, Dr. Mark Chavez, to supply Matthew Perry with ketamine.

This is also because Mark Chavez operated a ketamine clinic. We know that he's one of the people that has already entered that guilty plea.

Now, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, he was forced yesterday to surrender his DEA license, so he won't be able to prescribe any of these restricted medicines and his trial is set for October 8th.

However, while this is looking like they have issues, when they take a look at the text messages, they have a text message from him to Dr. Chavez, in which he said that he wanted to be the sole provider of ketamine for Perry and asking how much this moron would be willing to pay in text messages.

When you take a listen to his attorney, he says it is not that clear. Take a listen.

[08:30:09]