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Ballot Drop Boxes Dividing Neighbors in Wisconsin; Family of Menendez Brothers to Call for Their Release; Republicans Join Kamala Harris at Campaign Event in Pennsylvania. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired October 16, 2024 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: A tool that made absentee voting easier and safer during the pandemic is now driving a huge wedge between neighbors. We're talking about ballot drop boxes, and in one conservative county in Battleground Wisconsin, tensions are boiling over.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, they really are. And CNN political correspondent Sara Murray is joining us now on this. You had a chance to visit Dodge County, Wisconsin, where this is playing out.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, not just Dodge County. We went all over Wisconsin because they really left it up to these different municipalities to decide if they're going to offer ballot drop boxes this time around. And the result is a whole lot of fights over whether the drop boxes should be there, whether they shouldn't, whether you can trust them or not.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are fed up with politicians using conspiracy theories. No matter which party you support. Drop boxes are safe, they are reliable and secure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one secured the box.

MURRAY: We're waiting for this city council meeting to start and on one side we've got people who are in favor of the drop box, on the other side we've got people who are skeptical about the drop box, they want it to go away. The cops are here to keep the two sides separate.

MURRAY (voice-over): The battle over whether ballot drop boxes are safe is playing out across the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no one monitoring that box.

MURRAY (voice-over): Here in Wausau, Wisconsin, tension is building after Mayor Doug Diny put on a hard hat and wheeled away the city's drop box.

MAYOR DOUGH DINY, WAUSAU, WISCONSIN: This is a hot button item. The agenda was changed late last night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Point of order.

DINY: What is your point of order?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My point of order is you're out of order.

MURRAY (voice-over): After Diny wheeled the drop box away, the city clerk who administers elections reported it to local authorities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The state justice department is now investigating the city's mayor. Ballot drop box security is an issue on which he campaigned.

CARRIE MAROHL, WASSAU RESIDENT: I am very embarrassed for our city.

JOANE LEONARD, WASSAU RESIDENT: This is just one more example of the deep state right at work in Little Wausau.

SCOTT SEEFELDT, WASSAU RESIDENT: Arguing about a box is dumb and it's decadent.

MURRAY: Wisconsin has been battling over where you can return your ballot for years. In 2020, they had drop boxes. In 2022, they weren't allowed.

In 2024, the makeup of the state Supreme Court changed. It's more liberal. And now, drop boxes are back.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We want to get rid of fake drop boxes. They're a fake.

MURRAY: I'm Sarah Murray with CNN, could we just --

DINY: Do you mind if I turn around the front?

I brought it inside because it was unsecured. For all I know, somebody could have grabbed it, thrown it in a river. Now we would have a real crime on our hands.

MURRAY: Some of those people are saying you might have done something illegal in moving the box.

DINY: No, absolutely not. Nope.

MURRAY: Have you heard anything about all of these, you know, investigations that may be related to this?

DINY: No, I haven't heard anything.

MURRAY: Do you regret moving it?

DINY: You know, there's a saying that dogs don't bark at parked cars. I've had to get attention here from time to time to upset the status quo.

MURRAY (voice-over): Now that the drop box is in use, it's secured to the ground, locked, and emptied by officials daily. TRUMP: These drop boxes are fraudulent. Therefore they get -- they disappear and then all of a sudden they show up. It's fraudulent.

MURRAY (voice-over): Drop boxes have become a magnet for misinformation. The issue came up again during Trump's rally in Juneau, Wisconsin.

MURRAY: So how did you end up on stage at the Trump rally?

SHERIFF DALE SCHMIDT, DODGE COUNTY, WISCONSIN: It really was just a call up from the president.

I have something very important I think you're going to want to hear. In Dodge County, in this 2024 election, there are zero drop boxes for the election.

MURRAY: Sheriff Dale Schmidt successfully discouraged some municipal clerks from using drop boxes. But a handful remain in Dodge County, despite his warnings.

[15:35:04]

SCHMIDT: If we have an area of the law which is constantly being subverted, we're going to find ways to put roadblocks in the way of individuals that are going to break the law.

MURRAY: You're suggesting that, you know, the ballot boxes are constantly being subverted and there's not proof to back that up.

SCHMIDT: There is the appearance that it is occurring and we are making sure that it's not going to happen.

MURRAY: But you are not an election official. So why should your doubts about the election set the tone for how this whole county should vote?

SCHMIDT: Because I have to investigate the crimes that happen if they happen. And my efforts --

MURRAY: If they happen, but they haven't been reported yet.

SCHMIDT: Well, we have election law violation that happens just about every time around. So when election law is violated, I have to investigate that.

MURRAY (voice-over): In a county Trump won by 30 points in 2020, Schmidt says the local community is with him.

SCHMIDT: I'm very well supported by our constituency here. Do I answer to the rest of the country? No, I don't. I answer to my voters here in Dodge County.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Such a fascinating story. You talked about the appearance of fraud. Is there any actual evidence that places where there are drop boxes see more fraud?

MURRAY (on camera): There's not evidence that these drop boxes are somehow these huge magnets for voter fraud. We saw a ton of misinformation around this around the 2020 election and it sort of gave them a bad rap. But look, there are safeguards in place.

If you show up and you dump 50 ballots into a drop box that you just made up or invented, the poll workers are going to know that. They look at those envelopes. They match the names against the poll books. They see if you voted some other way. So it's not like you can just throw a bunch of ballots into these drop boxes, walk away, and they're all going to get counted if they're fake. That's just not how it works.

SANCHEZ: It's fascinating to me that there are drop boxes in ruby red states that don't get brought into this conversation. It's only in the battleground states where the ballot boxes apparently create issues.

MURRAY: They do create quite a lot of conflict, especially in some of these Wisconsin counties.

KEILAR: Really interesting report. Really great interviews. Sara Murray, thank you so much for that.

And still ahead, some new evidence that could free the Menendez brothers 30 years after they were convicted of killing their parents. Next hour, we'll hear from their family as they push to have the brothers released.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: At the top of the hour, the family of Eric and Lyle Menendez will push for the brothers to be released from prison at a news conference in Los Angeles.

SANCHEZ: The Menendez brothers now are in their 50s, and they're serving life sentences without the possibility of parole after they were convicted of murdering their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion back in 1989. In the first trial, both claimed self-defense after lifelong abuse, including sexual abuse by their father. Both separate juries deadlocked.

In their retrial, much of the defense's evidence of abuse was excluded, and prosecutors countered that the abuse never actually happened.

Let's get an update now from CNN's Veronica Miracle, who's covering this for us, from Los Angeles. Veronica, it's been about 35 years since the murders. What can you tell us about this new evidence that's been shared by the L.A. District Attorney?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris, for the first time, we are seeing this letter that attorneys say proves Eric Menendez was sexually abused by his father, Jose, and that this abuse was documented before the murders took place. And this is important because, as you mentioned, at the time that the brothers were on trial together, prosecutors argued that there was no evidence of sexual abuse and that they were simply after their parents, Jose and Kitty's multimillion-dollar estate.

And this letter, it's part of a larger group of evidence that the L.A. County District Attorney, George Gascon, is reviewing to see if the brothers should be resentenced. And he posted this letter on Instagram. It has since been deleted, but we've taken a look at it. We want to read you, in part, what it says.

It was a letter written from Eric Menendez to his cousin Andy, and it says, quote: I've been trying to avoid Dad. It's still happening, Andy, but it's worse for me now. I never know when it's going to happen, and it's driving me crazy. Every night I stay up thinking he might come in.

Attorneys say that this letter was written months before the murders happened, though when George Gascon posted it, it was undated. Now, in just about 20 minutes, there's going to be a press conference here, and I want to show you just how many people have showed up for this.

We are surrounded by cameras and reporters, and then behind this camera, behind our camera, there are dozens of people who have lined up to see what is going to be happening here. Family members of the Menendez brothers are flying in from all over the country, a long list of speakers, including cousins of the Menendez brothers, and notably Kitty Menendez's sister. Conversely, Kitty Menendez's brother is one family member who is not happy about this and who feel that the Menendez brothers should not be released.

So we'll be hearing from them. We'll bring that to you in a later report. But the district attorney, George Gascon, he has until the end of November to decide if the brothers should be resentenced.

Send it back to you.

SANCHEZ: Veronica Miracle, live for us in downtown Los Angeles. Thank you so much.

Let's dig deeper now with defense attorney Misty Marris. Misty, what's the significance of the DA sharing this letter? Should he have?

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: So he shared this letter, and it was ultimately taken down. But this letter was actually part of a public record previously. The letter was part of what's called a habeas corpus petition for the Menendez brothers.

[15:45:00]

This is the filing which sought the Menendez brothers to either have a resentencing or to have their conviction overturned. So the district attorney sharing it did not seem like a good move necessarily. However, it's not that it was new information per se.

KEILAR: How likely, Misty, is a resentencing really? MARRIS: Well, resentencing is generally a long shot. However, we're in California. So the district attorney makes a recommendation. Ultimately, though, that has to be signed off by a judge. And there's two paths here.

One path is based on a recent California law relating to resentencing where the court can take into consideration other sentences of comparable cases, whether or not they're the same.

They can take into consideration whether the defendants were victims of psychological or physical abuse, rehabilitation, whether or not someone's a danger to society. And that's all a part of a resentencing project. The Menendez brothers is one case of a larger project in California.

The second path is this new evidence. Does this new evidence, which seems like it corroborates the Menendez brothers' story that there was abuse before the killings, is that the basis to reduce the charges from what they were? Murder one to voluntary manslaughter.

And if the prosecutors say, you know what? We're going to scrap that conviction because this new evidence came to light. Well, we'd only charge them with voluntary manslaughter. They've already served the maximum sentence.

So these are all the factors that would be taken into consideration by the judge and the district attorney.

SANCHEZ: Misty, there was some speculation. We spoke to an entertainment reporter earlier, actually the editor-in-chief at Deadline, and he pointed out that there are some sort of political considerations at play as well, in part because the DA there is facing a very difficult reelection battle and there are a number of big-name celebrities, Kim Kardashian, Rosie O'Donnell, who have come forward and advocated for the Menendez brothers. She actually says -- Rosie O'Donnell does -- that she spoke with them recently after speaking with their attorney, Mark Geragos.

Let's listen to the soundbite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSIE O'DONNELL, ADVOCATE FOR MENENDEZ BROTHERS: I called them after I spoke to Mark last night about doing this appearance, and I said, what's going on? And they said, you know, they're hesitant to hope. After being in jail and prison for 35 years and being abused for his childhood up to that point, you know, these men don't have a lot of bandwidth to hope for what exactly happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Misty, how much does that sort of outside influence have on this potential resentencing? Also noted, the new Netflix series that is gaining popularity.

MARRIS: I was just about to say there's a documentary, there's a Netflix series that's incredibly popular. You have celebrities standing behind the Menendez brothers. All of that is certainly you can opine. That's a lot of pressure on a district attorney who's up for reelection.

That being said, those are not the factors that the district attorney is supposed to take into consideration or the court will ultimately make a ruling based upon. One thing that is something the district attorney will take into consideration, which is very relevant to the pressure we're going to hear today, is the input of the family of the victims and the family of the Menendez brothers.

Remember, district attorneys work for the people. And so the victim's family's perception is going to be something that they will absolutely be taking into consideration.

Now, that being said, this is such a high profile case. And habeas corpus petitions are really, really rarely granted. But where we are right now, we know we have this hearing coming up in November. It's just a matter of waiting for the district attorney's recommendation. But remember, the judge ultimately has to make the ruling.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Misty Marris, appreciate the analysis. Thanks for joining us.

MARRIS: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Stay with NEWS CENTRAL. We'll be right back.

[15:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Let's head now to Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, where Vice President Harris has begun speaking.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I thank you all for everything that you are doing and the courage you are showing. You know, this is an extraordinary climate right now. And I think we all recognize the courage that you are each showing to speak out so publicly and to put as we are saying, because we truly believe in country over poverty.

So thank you all. Can we please applaud?

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Bob and Christina and all of the folks on the stage? Please, thank you. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Truly, truly. So if you all have a seat, please do sit. Yes.

So as I think everyone here knows, we meet in a place that holds a very special meaning for our country. Here on Christmas night, 1776, General George Washington and over 2,000 troops crossed the icy Delaware River in darkness.

Then marched to Trenton, where they surprised an outpost of enemy soldiers and achieved a major victory in the American Revolution. And after we won the war and achieved our independence, delegates from across the nation gathered not far from here in Philadelphia to write and to sign the Constitution of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

[15:55:06]

HARRIS: And we remember and reflect on what that moment was, knowing that leading up to that, that work to write, to compose the Constitution of the United States, that work was not easy.

The founders often disagreed, often quite passionately. But in the end, the Constitution of the United States laid out the foundations of our democracy, including the rule of law, that there would be checks and balances, that we would have free and fair elections and a peaceful transfer of power.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: And these principles and traditions have sustained our nation for over two centuries. Sustained because generations of Americans from all backgrounds, from all beliefs, have cherished them, upheld them, and defended them.

And now the baton is in our hands. So I am joined today by over 100 Republican leaders from across Pennsylvania and across our country who are supporting my candidacy for President of the United States. And I am deeply honored to have their support.

Some served in state houses, some in the United States Congress, some worked for other Republican presidents and presidential nominees, including Mitt Romney, John McCain, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan. And some today served in Donald Trump's own administration. We also have with us Republican voters from here in Pennsylvania and beyond who have been active in their Republican parties for years, who have supported Republican candidates up and down the ticket.

Now, I say all that to make an obvious point. In a typical election year, you all being here with me might be a bit surprising, dare I say unusual. But not in this election. Not in this election.

Because at stake in this race are the democratic ideals that our founders and generations of Americans before us have fought for. At stake in this election is the Constitution of the United States it very self. We are here today because we share a core belief that we must put country before party.

(APPLAUSE)

CROWD CHANTING: USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA. HARRIS: Indeed. And we chant that with such great pride because we all know, we all have so much more in common than what separates us. And at some point in the career of the folks who join me on stage, one of the other things that we have in common is in our careers, we have each sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: And so we know that sacred oath must always be honored and never violated. And that we should expect anyone who seeks the highest office in our land would meet that standard. We here know the Constitution is not a relic from our past, but determines whether we are a country where the people can speak freely and even criticize the president without fear of being thrown in jail or tortured ...

END