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Interview With Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-FL); Testimony Continues in Sean 'Diddy' Combs Trial; Arrest Made in Connection With Prison Escape. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired May 20, 2025 - 13:00   ET

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

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A brazen escape and now a major arrest. Days after 10 inmates break out of a New Orleans jail, a maintenance worker is accused of helping them escape.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plus, the prosecution in Sean "Diddy" Combs' criminal trial calling up a key witness, the mother of his ex- girlfriend Cassie Ventura testifying about their relationship. But when the defense had their shot at cross-examination, they declined to question Regina Ventura. We will look at the latest in the case.

And President Donald Trump's so-called big, beautiful bill hitting a roadblock, lawmakers in his own party saying they won't vote for it as it stands right now, the president visiting Capitol Hill pressing for their vote.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: We do begin with a major arrest in what Louisiana's governor has called possibly one of the largest jail breaks in the state's history.

A maintenance worker is now facing multiple charges; 33-year-old Sterling Williams is now in custody, accused of aiding in the escape of 10 inmates from a New Orleans jail last week. Louisiana's attorney general says Williams turned off the water in the cell where the inmates escaped from.

That allowed them to reach a loading dock door that they ran through. So far, four of the 10 escapees have been captured. The latest is Gary Price, who was taken into custody yesterday. The inmates escaping has just set off this multistate manhunt for the others here, the local DA saying two of his staffers have gone into hiding over safety concerns.

CNN's Rafael Romo has been tracking every development of this story.

What are you learning about this jail employee's arrest?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brianna.

Well, after the escape of Friday, officials said it would have been impossible for any inmate to escape the facility without any help, especially from inside. And now, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is confirming that a jail employee has been arrested in connection to the escape of the 10 inmates.

The arrested jail employee has been identified as 33-year-old Sterling Williams, who, according to the attorney general, was employed as a maintenance worker at the sheriff's office. Attorney Murrill also said in a statement that Williams admitted to agents that one of the escapees advised them to turn the water off in the cell where the inmates escaped from.

Instead of reporting the inmate, the statement says, Williams turned the water off, as directed, allowing the inmates to carry out their scheme to successfully escape. CNN has also obtained a copy of Williams' affidavit for arrest warrant, where investigators say that Williams willfully and maliciously assisted with the escape of the 10 inmates.

It also goes on to say the following: "If the inmates removed the sink in the cell and disconnected the rest of the plumbing with the water still on, the plan to escape would not have been successful and potentially flooded the cell, drawing attention to their actions."

In the last hour, Brianna, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said the investigation into the jailbreak is active and ongoing.

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SUSAN HUTSON, ORLEANS PARISH, LOUISIANA, SHERIFF: There were procedural failures and missed notifications, but there were also intentional wrongdoings. This was a coordinated effort aided by individuals inside our own agency who made the choice to break the law.

One arrest has been made and we are continuing to pursue everyone involved, and that investigation is active and ongoing.

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ROMO: And, Brianna, Williams faces 10 counts of principal to escape and an additional charge of malfeasance in office after being arrested.

The suspect was booked into the Orleans Parish jail, the place where he previously worked at, and was later relocated to a different facility -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Rafael, thank you for that report.

And with us now is Felipe Rodriguez, a former NYPD detective sergeant.

I wonder what you think. Were you surprised by this arrest and what questions does it raise for you? FELIPE RODRIGUEZ, FORMER NYPD DETECTIVE SERGEANT: Yes.

KEILAR: Can you hear me, Sergeant? Detective, can you hear me?

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All right, I think, unfortunately, we have lost our connection there, so we're going to try to restore that.

But, obviously, there is -- there are so many questions about really how essential this turning off of the water was to allow them to escape notice for so many hours.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and the potential for there being more than just one employee involved. Remember, the sheriff alluded to plural workers at the facility where these inmates escaped.

I believe we might have former NYPD Detective Sergeant Felipe Rodriguez.

Can you hear us, sir?

RODRIGUEZ: Yes, I can. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: So what's your reaction to this employee shutting off the water in the area where the inmates escaped? I mean, they claim, this employee, that one of the inmates threatened to stab them if they didn't go through with this.

RODRIGUEZ: Well, that's true it could have happened, but, at this point, we have to look at the totality of the escape and everything else that took place, correct?

We had -- this was a planned-out event. It was a well-orchestrated event. So this definitely just wasn't one individual turning off the water. It's going to be a very detailed investigation that's going to have to take place, a lot of interviews.

And when we do apprehend these individuals, heavy charges are going to be brought about, and that's how we're going to be able to extract the additional information who assisted them.

KEILAR: And, in this case, if you have this former worker now saying that they were threatened, what is the proper protocol for them going to authorities and saying, hey, I have received this threat? I mean, what should he have done if this bears to be true what is being alleged?

RODRIGUEZ: He should have immediately notified his supervisors or if they have an intelligence unit that's based there. Then they would have brought about some sort of either punitive or segregation for the individuals that were threatening him.

But the fact that he reacted in that manner, he definitely violated protocol. He violated penal law, because he basically assisted in the escape, one way or the other, even though it was under duress. Duress is an affirmative defense. He could try that later on in a trial.

But the fact that he did assist, he's got a lot of answering to do for his actions.

SANCHEZ: Obviously, there are six inmates that are still on the run. What do you think the likelihood is that they're still in the immediate area of New Orleans or potentially have left the state of Louisiana?

RODRIGUEZ: It all depends with their community connections, at one time, their family members, who's close by.

But, remember, anyone that's actually helping them is aiding and abetting, which they're also contributing to both the escape and to a criminal act. They could be prosecuted. It's going to go down to -- once again, what we do is what? We set up perimeters. Then we go from there and we do our intelligence gathering. We start tapping phones. We start looking at associates, family members.

And that's how we end up catching most of the individuals. They're going to -- there's only so far they could run without assistance. They're going to need money, unless they had additional resources that they have planned before. You know, it's kind of hard to run.

SANCHEZ: Former Sergeant Felipe Rodriguez, thanks so much for joining us.

Also happening now, some dramatic new testimony in Sean "Diddy" Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial, where, just a short time ago, the mother of Combs' former girlfriend Cassie Ventura was on the stand.

KEILAR: Her mother testified about a $20,000 payment that she once made to Combs. She says it was made after Combs allegedly threatened her daughter. The defense, notably, did not cross-examine her.

Let's go now to Kara Scannell. She's live outside of court.

Kara, this was a big moment playing out in court. Walk us through more of what Cassie Ventura's mom told jurors.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cassie Ventura's mom was on the stand for just a brief period of time, but she walked through some very specific periods, one being December 2011.

She said she received an e-mail from Cassie telling her that Combs was threatening to release two sexually explicit videos of her, and he also threatened to have someone physically harm Ventura and Kid Cudi, who she was starting to see at the time.

Ventura's mother said that she was physically sick when she received this e-mail. And then prosecutors turned her to later that day, where she said -- Ventura's mother said that she'd received a demand from Sean Combs for $20,000. Mrs. Ventura testified he was angry he spent money on her and she'd been with another person. So, Cassie Ventura's mother said that she took out a home equity loan,

got $20,000, wired it at the direction of a bookkeeper who worked for Combs to a Bad Boy account, and paid the money. And she said that she did that "because I was scared for my daughter's safety." She said, within four to five days later, that $20,000 was returned, there were no communications, that's all she knew about it.

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She also described an instance where she got into an argument with Combs on Ventura's birthday. She said Combs had stolen her daughter's phone earlier in the day. She was outside of her apartment building fighting with Combs, arguing with him. She said she was trying to get the phone from him. He gave her the phone, but then he took Ventura's Jaguar. That was a car that he had.

This is because prosecutors trying to show the jury that there was some control by Combs over Ventura. He had control of her phone. He had control of her car. That is the evidence that they're trying to get across to the jury.

Now, earlier, one of Combs' personal assistants, David James, who started testifying yesterday, was back on the stand. And he was telling the jury what it was like to work for Combs. He was describing how he would set up hotel rooms for Combs, bringing everything from applesauce to skin care products.

He also referenced that medical bag that the jury has heard a lot about, this Louis Vuitton medical bag, and said that there was between 25 and 35 pill bottles in that bag. And, of course, the jury has heard testimony that those bottles included things such as Percocet and ecstasy.

Currently on the stand right now is an escort who has testified he was hired to engage in these freak-offs with Combs and Ventura. He's just started his testimony. This will pick up again now that the lunch break is coming to an end -- Boris, Brianna.

SANCHEZ: And, as you were saying that, the jury has just reentered the courtroom.

Kara Scannell, thanks for staying on top of that for us.

Let's get some perspective with trial and jury consultant Carolyn Koch.

Thanks so much for being with us, Carolyn.

I wonder why you think the defense declined across-examine Cassie Ventura's mother. Is that a good strategy?

CAROLYN KOCH, TRIAL AND JURY CONSULTANT: Well, I think most people would agree you don't want to poke the mama bear. No good will come of it.

And her -- they probably want the jurors to forget about her testimony as quickly as possible, is my guess.

KEILAR: And so knowing what she said there, something that was a little hard to forget, when you think of someone's mom having to take out a home equity loan to pay $20,000 to Combs, who clearly did not need the $20,000, right?

He was making a point, if this is how this happened. How does a jury look at something like that, which can be seen as -- that can certainly be an emotional point, an emotional data point. How do they look at that and then later plug it into whatever or not charges are before them?

KOCH: Well, nothing is looked at in isolation with a jury. So they -- there's big things in this trial, like the video of him assaulting her in a public place with a towel on. And then there's little things in this trial, even something little as a male witness crying on the stand who wasn't in a romantic relationship with Diddy.

So the fact that acts -- alleged acts are taken against Ventura's mother, other satellite people outside of the relationship, I think it really harms the defense theory that this is a private relationship, domestic violence. It talks -- it's really about violence.

The domestic part, it doesn't -- usually doesn't extend to friends and family and employees. And so I think that's going to be a big problem for the defense. And I think the defense knows that they were dealt a pretty bad hand when they were hired to defend this case. They're stuck with the facts that they have.

SANCHEZ: Another interesting bit of testimony from yesterday came from David James. Actually, he finished his testimony earlier today. And he is the assistant to Sean Combs, former assistant, who says that he helped to orchestrate some of these, set up sexual encounters between Combs, Ventura, and escorts.

One of the things that I think the prosecution was trying to make clear here was -- to their effort to press on the racketeering charge, is that this was part of a business deal, in part because he was reimbursed in the things that he purchased by Bad Boy Records.

I wonder how impactful you think that testimony was in the grand scheme of things.

KOCH: Well, again, I think it's part of that mosaic. It's all these pieces start to add together and really build this picture, even just listening before I was on the air that the $20,000 is to be paid to Bad Boy Records.

And he's even willing to call his business, I'm a bad boy, and with the money. And then the women and the record deals, it does seem very inextricably linked to his business and his employees and his security detail and his kingdom.

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So it's all part of that very big picture filled with lots of details that don't really shout out free will.

SANCHEZ: Carolyn Koch, great to get your perspective. Thanks for being with us.

KOCH: You're welcome. Thank you so much.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead: President Donald Trump issuing a stern warning to Republican lawmakers when it comes to his big, beautiful bill: "Don't eff around with Medicaid." We have new reaction to the president's stop on the Hill.

KEILAR: Plus, a Democratic congresswoman speaking out for the first time since being charged with assaulting federal law enforcement outside of an ICE facility, why she's calling the accusations absurd.

And the FAA and NTSB are investigating a close call at La Guardia Airport. Ahead, we're going to bring you new audio from air traffic control in the moments that led up to the incident.

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SANCHEZ: President Donald Trump on the Hill this morning drawing a line in the sand as he pushes Republicans to get on board with his sweeping tax and spending cut plan.

One of the big sticking points within the Republican Conference, Medicaid funding and work requirements. And sources tell CNN the president warned lawmakers in that closed-door meeting not to touch the program, except for eliminating waste, fraud and abuse.

Now, after the meeting, Trump touted the party's unity, despite several Republican holdouts of his -- quote -- "big, beautiful bill."

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think we have unbelievable unity. I think we're going to get everything we want. And I think we're going to have a great victory.

I think it was a really great -- that was a meeting of love. Let me tell you, that was love in that room. There was no shouting. There -- I think it was a meeting of love.

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SANCHEZ: CNN's chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, is live for us on Capitol Hill.

Manu, what are you hearing from behind closed doors? Was it a meeting of love?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in the meeting, there was not a ton of pushback to the president's message. But out in the hall -- in the hallways is a much different story. And in the meetings with Mike Johnson, who's trying to hold together this very fragile coalition to get it out of the House in the next couple of days, that is a much different situation as well, because he's facing opposition, not just from conservative members who are concerned that this bill does not cut spending by enough, want to go deeper into the issue of Medicaid, even as the president said to his colleagues, to the total Republicans in this meeting, "Don't eff with Medicaid."

That was his message inside the room, according to sources, but also some of those more moderate members who are worried about deeper cuts, who are also worried about the push to phase out green energy tax breaks that they say are critical to their constituents.

And also this major sticking point, how much that taxpayers can deduct from the state and local taxes that they pay, that is being pushed in particular by New York Republicans, who say their constituents are getting hammered by those taxes. But Republican hard-liners say no way because that will increase the deficit.

One of those Republican deficit hawks, Warren Davidson, in the immediate aftermath of that Trump meeting, told me he's still a no.

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RAJU: But if this bill came to the floor right now, could you vote yes?

REP. WARREN DAVIDSON (R-OH): I couldn't vote for this bill right now. I mean, it grows deficit spending right now. So it does raise the debt limit. We need to do that. But it doesn't cut spending.

RAJU: So it sounds like Trump didn't change your mind.

DAVIDSON: We will see if he changes the bill.

RAJU: So, you sound pretty frustrated right now.

REP. NICK LALOTA (R-NY): I'm fired up, Manu. I'm here to fight for Long Islanders, regular middle-class people who are just trying to make a living. Those are the people who need to be included in this bill.

RAJU: But he said, we're done negotiating with you guys, did he not?

LALOTA: What I took that is, hey, everybody, figure it out. Everybody, get in the room and figure it out for the country and for your district.

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RAJU: And that last comment came from Congressman Nick LaLota, who's part of those New York Republican members who are pushing for the greater relief on the issue of so-called SALT, state and local tax deductions. He told me that he is still a no because, despite all the last-minute

haggling between the speaker and those holdouts, he said the latest offer on the table was -- quote -- "insufficient."

So therein lies the problem with Johnson. He's got a number of Republicans who still at the moment plan to vote no, but the speaker plans to try to move ahead with a procedural vote through a key committee as early as 1:00 a.m. tonight to get it moving to the floor.

The question is, does he have the votes? At the moment, it appears not, but we will see what changes between now and then -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: He wants to meet that self-imposed deadline of Memorial Day. We will see if he gets it done before then.

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SANCHEZ: Manu Raju live on Capitol Hill, thanks so much -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Well, at that Republican meeting on the Hill today, it was a very warm welcome for President Trump, but he quickly had a blunt message for Republicans there in the House: Stop negotiating and get this bill done.

One of the people in that room, who posted this video is with us now, Florida Republican Congressman Jimmy Patronis.

Congressman, thank you so much for being with us.

And it is -- and we should note, you have been listening there. You heard from Congressman LaLota. But also you have Republicans in your conference sort of on both sides of the political spectrum of your conference who are holdouts at this point. So let's start with the House Freedom Caucus members, like Congressman Andy Harris, who still want more time to vote on the bill.

What's your message to them?

REP. JIMMY PATRONIS (R-FL): Well, at the end of the day, if we fail, which we're not going to, this could be a 60 percent increase on taxes of everyday citizens in America. We have to get this passed.

The one big, beautiful bill has to become reality. And I feel good that we're going to make it happen. The president had a lot of engagement with those members. And, look, and did he call some of them out?

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Absolutely. But he also embraced them and tell them, look, guys, we may not get it done this time, but I'm not done being your president. I'm going to be here for four more years.

KEILAR: We won't get what done?

PATRONIS: The other concerns they may -- that they may have regarding either any other changes and policies that they're very passionate about.

KEILAR: OK, so let's talk about one of those, which is something that concerns Congressman LaLota and others, the state and local taxes, this deduction cap, that's a huge issue in higher earning districts like New York, as we certainly understand.

Why should someone like Congressman LaLota vote against the interests of their constituents?

PATRONIS: I get it, but you know what? Every single day, Congressman LaLota is losing constituents to the state of Florida because we have no state income tax.

So, again, this is failed leadership in New York's, Albany's capital. You have got governors in Illinois and New York and California that just do not know how to get their financial house in order. So this problem is not his problem. This is the governor of New York's problem and their inability to control their own finances.

KEILAR: Well, the SALT deduction, that's -- I mean, that doesn't pertain to what you just mentioned.

In the case of that cap, Long Islanders who he's talking about would have more money if what he wants with the SALT cap were to happen, and maybe then less of them would go to your beautiful state. So what's the resolution on SALT?

PATRONIS: Well, again, I'm going to repeat my same answer. Last year, Florida had a net gain of 400,000 new Floridians. They're leaving high-tax states and going to low-tax states. This isn't Mr. LaLota's problem. This is the government of New York's problem.

And, again, hopefully they get their act in order. But, again, he is fighting...

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: But you understand how it works. And...

PATRONIS: Oh, yes, I understand how -- I totally understand how it works, but also understand that people will leave with their feet and go to where they can keep more of their money. This is bigger than him. This is totally bigger than him. This is a problem at the state level.

KEILAR: So, on Medicaid spending, you would like to see that Medicaid work requirement go into effect earlier than 2029. You have, according to the latest Kaiser Family Foundation data, almost 140,000 constituents on Medicaid, roughly one out of every six people in your district.

Will any of them lose Medicaid coverage?

PATRONIS: So the work requirement is focused on expansion with able- bodied males, OK? So, in Florida, we never expanded. So we would like to see the waste, fraud, and abuse that's taking place. And I do believe there is a significant amount of waste in Medicaid. I

was the CFO of the state of Florida. We had the best fiscal health in the history of our state. But we're also a state that did not expand. We lived within our means.

KEILAR: What are the limits of able-bodied people who should have to meet this work requirement? For example, should a young adult male in your district who is in the throes of addiction be expected to meet those requirements while in rehab, for example?

PATRONIS: Well, currently, right now, a young adult male in the state of Florida is not eligible for Medicaid unless he's disabled or has some other type of disability that's giving him that pathway.

KEILAR: Exactly.

PATRONIS: It's in the other states where the state of Florida would like to see better use of the taxpayers' dollars, where it's not wasted and people are taking advantage of a system that they should not have any eligibility for, the waste, fraud, and abuses, again, what Florida is most focused on.

KEILAR: Well, I'm asking if he should be eligible and facing a medical issue like that.

PATRONIS: Well, in the case, in my -- in the state of Florida, I'm not an advocate for expansion of Medicaid. I have never supported it. So that individual does not have access to expanded, guaranteed Medicaid health benefits if he's an able-bodied male, because it's not part of Florida's acceptance into that program.

KEILAR: When you're looking more broadly across the country then, if you see -- because, obviously, it's not just about Florida, so let's talk about that more broadly. Perhaps that's something we can discuss here.

PATRONIS: Yes. So..

KEILAR: If you're looking at work requirements, and so you have someone -- and there are many cases -- I think everyone sort of knows someone or knows a family affected by something like this -- and right now they're reliant on that, should that be considered able-bodied?

Should that be -- or should that -- sorry -- should that be considered to fall under that work requirement in that instance?

PATRONIS: So, my concerns are, with Medicaid dollars, they're precious to come by, and it doesn't get any cheaper for health care delivery.

But when you have got able-bodied males that have the ability to go out and seek employment in order to maybe secure health insurance in the private sector, that frees up dollars for disabled, for elderly, for women.