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Erin Burnett Outfront
Republicans Admit they're Against Riot Commission Due to Politics; Republicans Refuse to Back Riot Commission, Say Quiet Part Out Loud: "Rehashing" it is not Good for Politics; McCarthy Says He Would be Willing to Testify About Jan. 6 Trump Convo Before Commission that is Likely Going Nowhere; Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) Discusses About the Commission having Chance on the Senate; Ceasefire Underway After Israel & Hamas Reach Agreement; Biden Signs Bill Addressing Rise in Anti-Asian Hate Crimes. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired May 20, 2021 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:00]
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. You can always follow me on Twitter. You can follow me on Instagram @WOLFBLITZER. You can always tweet the show @CNNSITROOM.
Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next, Republican senators admitting the quiet part out loud saying they'll vote against the bipartisan commission on the deadly insurrection because it's not good for their party's political campaigns in the midterms.
Plus, she's the former daughter-in-law of Allen Weisselberg, a top Trump executive who's under increasing scrutiny in multiple criminal investigations. Why she's now cooperating with prosecutors and why she thinks Allen Weisselberg will flip on Trump. Jennifer Weisselberg is OUTFRONT.
And why did Federal investigators seized 18 electronic devices from Rudy Giuliani's home and office, 18. Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, saying the quiet part out loud. Senate Republicans today making it clear why they plan to object to the bill to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the Capitol riot with the filibuster planned as soon as next week. Why? Well, because they don't want an investigation into the biggest act of domestic terror on the Capitol to get in the way of their campaign messages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): They also don't want it to be the focus of the 2022 election.
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): Anything that gets us rehashing the 2020 election I think is a day lost on being able to draw contrast between us and the Democrats' very radical left-wing agenda. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So they say it, Republicans, they want to focus on getting the majorities back in 2022. They think Trump could be their ticket to winning those majorities back. And getting to the bottom of the insurrection that Trump incited obviously works against that goal, which might explain why Mitch McConnell threw his political weight against the commission, despite delivering that blistering takedown of former President Trump after Trump's impeachment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Former President Trump's actions preceded the riot were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty. I've made the decision to oppose the House Democrats slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of January the sixth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: As, of course, I've pointed out before it's not slanted or unbalanced, it's equal Democrats and Republicans on the commission. It's equal subpoena power for each party. It met all of (Kevin) McCarthy's demands. The committee itself, the commission was negotiated between a Democrat and a Republican together.
But to the GOP right now, this is about winning elections, and they think they need Trump who lost the election in order to win theirs. And Trump is now making it clear, he's taking names. Tonight, lashing out at the 35 House Republicans who went against the majority of their party and voted in favor of the January 6th Commission.
Trump writing, "35 wayward Republicans they just can't help themselves. Sometimes there are consequences to being ineffective and weak. The voters understand."
Now, those 35 Republicans, one would assume, knew they would be at the receiving end of Trump's ire, yet they still voted for the truth over Trump. The same cannot be said for McConnell and McConnell's decision to vote against the commission. It has now opened the door for other Senate Republicans to vote against that as well making it a near certainty that it will not pass and that means Democrats may have to go it alone.
An option that Pelosi has is to have a select committee. She can accomplish that with a simple House majority vote, which, of course, she has. But it is still important to point out, but House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is already objecting to that idea for this reason.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): I don't think a select committee is the proper way to go. I think that you got the Senate who did a bipartisan one. The Speaker should not play politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: OK, so let's just go through this. McCarthy doesn't want a select committee to investigate the insurrection in which five Americans were left dead. Yet he was all for this when it came to investigating the 2012 attack in Benghazi in which four Americans were dead. OK.
This is what McCarthy said was the purpose of the select committee on Benghazi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCARTHY: This Benghazi committee was only created for one purpose, to find the truth on behalf of the families for the four dead Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: He wanted the truth on behalf of the families of those who died. Four people died in Benghazi. Families broken forever. Five people died in the January 6th insurrection. Families broken forever. I don't know how you look at this. Some Americans' life matter more than others to McCarthy. McCarthy does not want to investigate those American lives lost on January 6th.
And the other part of his reasoning you heard there was that a select committee is not needed because there's a Senate investigation going on. Well, this is the height of irony because McCarthy was fine doing that select committee in Benghazi while seven other investigations we're going on. Eight which was plenty. He was good with eight and have more, still wanted that select committee.
[19:05:05]
There they are all on your screen.
And by the way, Benghazi deserved a thorough investigation. But it is not just McCarthy twisting himself into a pretzel in order to please Trump and shut down any more investigations into the deadly riot. Take Congressman Greg Pence. Yes, Pence, the former vice president's brother. He told The Huffington Post, "I think the whole thing is to spend the summer impeaching, again, Donald Trump. That's all we're doing. It's a dog-and-pony show."
A dog-and-pony show which had just a couple things gone differently would have resulted in his brother being dead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Hang Mike Pence. Hang Mike Pence. Hang Mike Pence. Hang Mike Pence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring out Pence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring him out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring out Pence. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring him out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring out Pence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring out Pence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: But his brother says it's just a dog-and-pony show.
Manu Raju is OUTFRONT live on Capitol Hill. And Manu it is though looking less and less likely by the hour that this bill is going anywhere in the Senate. So given what we're laying out here about the whole concept of a select committee, what do Democrats do next?
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is one of the options or the moment they're still holding out and hope something will change, but there's no indication that that will happen in the Senate. The Republicans are making arguments about the bill that are either addressed by the bill or that can be addressed by minor changes, including their argument that it is duplicative. The actual - the legislation actually calls for the commission to build upon investigations that have already happening and also saying changes concerns about the way the Democratic appointed commissioner could name staff. That could be addressed in a pretty minor way.
And also, there are some concerns that Republicans have voiced that there are ongoing investigations in the United States Senate and there were report that'll be out in early next month detailing what happened on January 6th. But I talked to the Republican who is in charge to helping draft that report, Rob Portman, and he indicated to me that that report is going to focus on Capitol security itself, the response on that day and not on what happened in the run up to January 6th, which of course includes what Donald Trump did, the organizing of the rally and Republicans who may have been involved here.
And so that is really gets it to the point here why Republicans are pushing back, why they're trying to kill this commission because an investigation could be broad enough that it will look into what Donald Trump did and what their party did and provide a lot of uncomfortable realities and keep the issue in the headlines, potentially through the end of the year, into next year and right as they're battling to take back control of the House and the Senate.
And the Republicans are openly acknowledging that, saying there are investigations but it's now time to move on and focus on the domestic agenda, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Manu, thank you very much. And I want to go now to Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly who sits on the House Oversight Committee. Congressman, I appreciate your time.
REP. GERRY CONNOLLY (D-VA): My pleasure.
BURNETT: So given where we are right now, given what we're seeing over on the Senate side, where even Richard Burr who had voted to convict President Trump at his impeachment trial is not in favor of this commission. Do you think that the commission bill has any chance on the Senate?
CONNOLLY: Well, given the direction from Mitch McConnell and given what Sen. Burr just did, I would say the chances of success are diminishing. I don't think they're impossible but finding men and women of good conscience who want to get to the bottom of the tragedy of January 6th that shook America to its core, I think is an essential task. And my hope is that there'll be enough Republicans still who have the intestinal fortitude to address that.
BURNETT: Today, Leader McCarthy did say that he would be willing to testify about his call with Trump. We all know that call that happened during the insurrection when the Republicans who talked to McCarthy said that the Trump said, oh, it was the antifa and all these things and Kevin McCarthy was like, this is not true. This is not true.
He said he'd be willing to testify about that call with Trump in front of a commission that he voted against having. Here's the exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: Would you be willing to testify about your conversation with Donald Trump on January 6, if you were asked by an outside commission?
MCCARTHY: Sure.
RAJU: You would.
MCCARTHY: Next question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Sure. Well, that's easy to say. He knows there isn't going to be a commission unless there's some kind of a miracle. So do you think that he would testify before a select committee investigating as well given that obviously the House Speaker Pelosi can do that and get that set up without Republican votes?
CONNOLLY: I think it is a throwaway line and I think he always reserves the right to change his mind however radically.
[19:10:00]
You ably documented the sort of evolution in Kevin McCarthy's thinking, if we can call it that, since the event of January 6th. And I have to say I think his behavior would allow jellyfish to think their vertebrates.
This is among the most depraved behavior I've ever seen from a leader in the United States Congress. This is about America. This isn't about political advantage. This is about an incredible event, only the second time the Capitol fell to an armed mob in our history and we have to get to the bottom of that so it never happens again. People were harmed. People died.
And the fact that you would put politics ahead of all of that to me is a sorted and depraved chapter for the Republican Party, frankly.
BURNETT: He supported a select committee on Benghazi to find the truth, he said, on behalf of the families for the four dead Americans. I did a documentary on Benghazi. I agree that that needed every investigation it got. He supported that select committee in addition to seven other concurrent investigations. And now he says, we don't need to have a commission because the Senate looking at something, all kinds of reasons to say that such a thing is not necessary.
Four dead Americans in Benghazi, five dead Americans on January 6th. How do you interpret what Kevin McCarthy said?
CONNOLLY: I think it's, as I said, I think it's depraved behavior. I think it is situational ethics on steroids. So yes, truth matters today, but it may not matter tomorrow if it's politically inconvenient. That is no way to have accountability and oversight and a government with integrity. The idea that he is hunkering and hunkering after the office of the Speaker of the House, frankly, sent shivers down my spine given the behavior we've witnessed and the utter lack of any moral backbone by Kevin McCarthy. It is a shameful moment ...
BURNETT: All right. Thank ...
CONNOLLY: ... on - from Kevin McCarthy, frankly.
BURNETT: ... thank you very much, Congressman Connolly.
CONNOLLY: My pleasure. Thank you.
BURNETT: And next, we have disturbing new video tonight of a black man who died after being dragged, cuffed and tasered by police. Only his family says they were told that he died in a car accident. Ronald Greene's sister is my guest.
Plus, Trump's money man at the center now have two criminal probes related to Trump Org. Now his former daughter-in-law is cooperating with investigators, what does she know? Jennifer Weisselberg is my guest.
And breaking news, Israel and Hamas reach an agreement and the fighting but will the truth stand? We're live in Jerusalem tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:16:38]
BURNETT: Tonight, a family says they were told that their loved one, Ronald Greene, died after crashing into a tree. And now shocking new body camera video shows he was tased, kicked and dragged face down by troopers in Louisiana. That video which I will warn you is tough to watch was held under wraps for more than two years, only coming to light now because it was leaked to the Associated Press. Ryan Young is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The video seen by
the public for the first time in about two years since the deadly encounter between Ronald Greene and Louisiana State Police officers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) I'm scared.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG (voice-over): After a high speed chase led to a deadly confrontation just outside the City of Monroe in May of 2019. Greene's family says the police initially told them the 49-year-old died in a car crash. State police said he was taken into custody after resisting arrest. Greene became unresponsive shortly after and died on his way to the hospital.
But new video reveals a more disturbing confrontation. In body cam video obtained by the Associated Press, troopers can be seen repeatedly punching Greene after appearing to drag him out of his vehicle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taser. Taser. Taser.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your hands in the back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG (voice-over): Troopers tased Greene multiple times while he's faced down on the ground as they attempt to handcuff him. Another trooper appears to kick Greene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got blood all over me. I hope this guy ain't got fu--king AIDS.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG (voice-over): The Associated Press Release three segments of the original video, which it says is 46 minutes long. Only two of the video clips have audio. CNN has never reviewed or obtained the original video and it's unclear what occurred before or in between the video clips.
The 2019 state police report says officers attempted to pull Greene over for unspecified traffic violation. Mona Hardin, Greene's mother says two investigating officers wouldn't tell her why law enforcement was chasing Greene. Hardin says the lack of transparency on behalf of authorities has been painful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONA HARDIN, MOTHER OF RONALD GREENE: I am so pissed. But I'm a good pissed because we're going to get results.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG (voice-over): The Associated Press reports that no time on the video can troopers be seen trying to render any medical aids to Greene who according to the Associated Press was faced down and moaning for more than nine minutes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Motherf--ker you better not move.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG (voice-over): Two of the officers continue to be employed by the department. Both were reprimanded for their actions that night. One faced a 50-hour suspension for manipulating their body camera equipment. The other placed on administrative leave for an unrelated incident. A third officer died in a single car crash accident last year. From now, Greene's mother continues to fight for her son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARDIN: They beat him with the purpose of letting him just die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YOUNG (on camera): Erin, when you think about this video, there's a point in it where it looks like an officer puts their foot on his back when he's trying to turn over. Maybe when he's trying to get a breath. There are so many questions about this. Of course, we'd like to talk to law enforcement. They did put out a statement at some point saying the video release was premature. But if you think about this, you're talking about the two-year anniversary is just around this time. So still a lot of questions, especially for that family.
And when I talked to Lee Merritt, the family attorney yesterday, he was saying this is one of the worst videos he's ever see. You could understand why this family is upset and why they're looking for answer, Erin.
[19:20:00]
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much. And you mentioned Lee Merritt. He's with me now, family's attorney along with Dinelle Hardin, Ronald Greene's sister.
Dinelle, I just want to say to you, I'm so sorry for the loss of your brother. And I'm so sorry, this is coming out now. You've been grieving and now you have to see all this and learn about things that you did not know happen. Your family was told your brother died after crashing into a tree and now you see this. Was there any point prior to this video suddenly coming out that you thought that that didn't add up? DINELLE HARDIN, SISTER OF RONALD GREENE: Yes. Well, we got a post - it
was a Facebook post shared by one of the neighbors in Farmerville, Louisiana and she stated that. Their surveillance cameras from her home captured everything and she said no one deserves to die in the hands of the police officers. So it wasn't until she posted that on Facebook. That's when we started to dig a little bit deeper.
BURNETT: I mean, what's your reaction when you saw this video for the first time of your brother?
HARDIN: It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable to see that Governor Edwards has not taken any action on this. I mean, it's clear that they murdered my brother. It's clear. There was no resisting. My brother should still be alive. He should still be here today.
BURNETT: Lee, this case is heartbreaking for Dinelle, her family and shocking for anyone. We hear - I know we don't see much, we see this part of it, we don't see that before, we don't see the after. I know you have questions. But one thing we do see Greene says, "I'm scared. I'm your brother," to the police. They tased him. They dragged him by his feet. They kicked him and then one trooper responds as green is on the ground. I'll play that part again, Dinelle, I'm sorry to do this to you, but I want to play this for you, Lee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got blood all over me. I hope this guy ain't got f--king AIDS.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I got blood all over me. I hope this guy ain't got effing AIDS. Lee, it took two years for this video to come out.
LEE MERRITT, ATTORNEY FOR RONALD GREENE FAMILY: You're listening to the Louisiana State Police's response to this video now being out in the public and their only concern is the so-called integrity of their investigation. Their investigation is over. It took a year for the investigation to actually begin and that was only after the family began to question the lie that was told to them that their brother died in a car accident. But they obviously have no vested interest in doing justice and holding police officers accountable and they should be embarrassed. This is a national embarrassment that these officers were so ruthless and violent and unaccountable, but their only concerned to date seems to be who leaked the video.
BURNETT: I mean, Dinelle, the investigation that Lee refers to that they did, one officer was suspended for 50 hours. Another is on administrative leave, actually, for a separate case involving use of force on a black man that happened after your brother's death. So that's how all this has gone from here. What do you think is the right thing to happen now, Dinelle?
HARDIN: They need to do what's right. And sometimes, doing what's right just - they need to do what's right and give us justice. Give us the transparency that we deserve. They need to just do what's right. I mean, we've gone way too long and now is the time. Gov. Edwards, Jeff Landry, who is the Attorney General they have been protecting their man on duty. And it's clear that they're not out there protecting and serving the community the way that they should.
BURNETT: Lee, is there anything - I mean, they are worried about who leaked the video and they're saying, oh, you're only you seeing this moment, you're not seeing before the horrific abuse and you're not seeing after. Is there any before or any after that would change what happened here?
MERRITT: There's nothing that there is going to be shown and we've watched the video in its entirety. There is a pursuit. Ronald Greene did not pull over immediately.
[19:25:00]
Once he did finally pull over and he surrendered, he said, I'm sorry, I'm scared. When we listen to the video in its entirety, you'll find that he said that over a dozen times.
BURNETT: Wow.
MERRITT: Sorry. I'm scared. As they viciously continue to beat him. And so what must happen next is Jeff Landry needs to appoint a special prosecutor because in Union Parish District Attorney (ph) who's responsible for prosecuting this case defer to the federal authorities. We've learned from the Derek Chauvin trial that there can be both a state and a federal trial. We've also learned that in Ahmaud Arbery's case.
And so just because the Feds have come in and we're thankful for the federal investigation, does not absolve the State of Louisiana for upholding the constitutional rights of their citizens.
BURNETT: A dozen times. I'm scared. I'm your brother. I mean, Dinelle, your brother was battling cancer, had just entered remission shortly before his death. And on the night of his death, I understand that he was traveling to Florida from Louisiana to reunite with his wife. Can you tell us more about him? Can you sort of bring him to life for us?
HARDIN: My brother, he was like my hero. He was brave. He showed me over the years that he can do anything. Anything that he said is mine too, including beating cancer. My brother, he stopped doing chemotherapy. That's how strong he was. That's how brave he was.
And to see him in a helpless, a helpless condition where he couldn't even help himself that really tears me apart. I can't believe that I couldn't be there for him. My brother, if he couldn't call my mom, guess what, he would always call me. He know. He always knew that I will be there for him.
BURNETT: Well, you're here for him now. You're here for him now and I know it doesn't come anything close to what you want, but it can make a difference. Dinelle, I really - I thank you and, again, I'm so sorry.
HARDIN: I just can't believe that we've been ignored all this time and no action has been taken. There should be arrest made and it's like we've just been ignored.
BURNETT: Well, no longer. And I appreciate you. And Lee, thank you very much as well for being here.
MERRITT: Thank you so much (inaudible) ...
HARDIN: Thank you. Thank you for your time.
BURNETT: And next, the CFO of the Trump Organization is at the center of two criminal investigations and his former daughter-in-law who you see here has turned over a giant box of documents to prosecutors. What's in there? She's next.
Plus new details tonight about what federal investigators seized after they waited Rudy Giuliani's home and office.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:32:04]
BURNETT: Tonight, investigators zero in on a Trump Organization executive, chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, the most influential person outside of the family in the top echelon of the Trump Org is now increasingly the focus of two criminal probes, one on Weisselberg himself, and another focused on the Trump Organization.
Weisselberg has been in the Trump Org for nearly 50 years. He started out as unaccounted for Trump's father Fred before reaching the highest levels of the Trump businesses, managing the Trump Organization with Donald Trump's sons after Trump became president. He was the counselor. There were three of them together.
One person now cooperating with the investigations into Weisselberg and the Trump organization is on your screen there. Allen Weisselberg's former daughter-in-law, Jennifer, who was married to Weisselberg's son very, for 14 years until their divorce in 2018.
Jennifer Weisselberg's lawyer says she has 25 years of financial records, some of which have been subpoenaed. Investigators are scrutinizing several things including tuition payments for Jennifer's children to a $54,000 a year private school that Barron Trump also used to it and.
Jennifer Weisselberg told CNN she believes Trump paid the tuition for one child, and Allen Weisselberg, the other.
OUTFRONT now, Jennifer Weisselberg.
And, Jennifer, I appreciate your time, thank you so much for talking with me. And I know you and I spoke earlier, and you were telling me about
these tuition payments. I wanted to start there, because I know you had told me Trump was willing to pay tuition for this school, not others, just this school. And I know it's a crucial question of what records do you have of Trump himself and Allen Weisselberg making those tuition payments for your kids?
JENNIFER WEISSELBERG, TRUM ORG. CFO'S FORMER DAUGHTER-IN-LAW: I have records of Donald Trump paying for one of my children's tuition at her private school, and specifically saying, in terms of control, that they couldn't go to another. It looks like it was a conversation, tax benefits to, for the Trump Organization or for Donald Trump himself. And it's basically all about tax strategies.
BURNETT: So that's, I guess, the crucial question, and you are starting to explain it there. I mean, what potential crimes do you understand, Jennifer, at this point, that they are focused on with the tuition payments as an example?
WEISSELBERG: The compensation and gift taxes revealed by myself and the day before the election on November 2nd of 2020 have proven to be true. Compensation and gift taxes for the organization, for Donald Trump himself, and for all the employees, the employees -- specifically the Trump family and the Weisselberg family -- there is nothing legal going on there, Erin. Gift taxes and compensation are -- have been, you know, proven to be illegal.
[19:35:02]
And the D.A. is working hard, and I believe, has seen those numbers to be finite, and is pursuing the charges as such.
BURNETT: So I want to show that photo again of you and that giant box of documents. Some of the documents that you are about to turn over to prosecutors.
I know, Jennifer, from our conversation, that that's only about a third of what you have, that there is a lot more to come, a lot more digitally. What else can you tell me about -- you know, what else prosecutors are looking or perhaps have already found in the documents that you have shared in your cooperation?
WEISSELBERG: A lot of the documents have been forwarded to the D.A. and A.G.'s investigation electronically, so that's just part of what I was able to contribute. As for my subpoena, I followed the law, and I contributed and done my due diligence to provide what I was authorized to do in the subpoena. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
As far as I'm concerned, the next thing on the agenda is to discuss the issues with the Wollman Rink, the Lasker Rink, and the carousel, which would be Barry Weisselberg and his role in the Trump organization, and how the cash that flowed in from that and any expenses are not transparent and are not -- are not true.
BURNETT: I mean, you know, what would be the right word -- these would be cash businesses, Wollman Rink, the ice rink in Manhattan, the carousel, anyone who's been to Central Park has been there. But these are cash businesses, and do you have proof that that, that cash was not reported, was not handled appropriately?
WEISSELBERG: Well, I mean, I have proof that Barry Weisselberg is taking nonprofit checks from events that were done. He was the deejay (ph) and depositing them into his own bank accounts. It looked like he's stealing from the Trump Organization.
Whether it's that he's stealing in the -- in services that is giving away or donations he's giving away, I don't believe that the Trump Organization knows, quite frankly, how much he was skimming, and not being transparent on his taxes with what he was stealing.
To me, a liar is a -- a cheater is a liar is a thief, and as far as I'm concerned, there's been nothing legal going on in the past 21 years.
BURNETT: This is an incredible thing to say. Nothing legal going on in the past 21 years, and you know, right, Jennifer? You know these people better than anyone, from day one, on your web (ph).
WEISSELBERG: I know.
BURNETT: Trump has been involved in your life. I know, there you are, with your ex husband, Barry, Melania and Donald.
And now this investigation into the Trump Organization is criminal.
So I ask you as someone who knows well, right, with your father-in-law and your -- your ex-father-in-law, your ex-husband, your ex-brother- in-law, your ex-sister-in-law all working for the Trump Organization, is there any distinction between Donald Trump and the Trump Organization?
WEISSELBERG: Donald Trump and the Trump Organization are one and the same. Allen and Donald may look different, but they are not different inside. There's no difference.
The power that they've been, they were handed by -- when he became president, I was there. I was sitting in the presidential box during the parade with Ivanka and Jared. And Vanessa and her children, as the red carpet was rolled out for him to walk into the White House. It's palpable, the power is palpable.
And I thought this is so dangerous. I cannot believe they're giving this much power to -- and control to someone that is doing it for their own benefit.
BURNETT: You know, you, as I said, 28 years, I guess you've known Allen Weisselberg, and 19 years old. You are 19 years old, you started dating Barry, right? Became -- became your husband.
So you mentioned that day when you are in the front row. We've got all kinds of pictures of you at the inauguration and you were there with the Trump family, the Weisselberg family, you are at the parade.
You did say this was a profound moment for you. Why?
WEISSELBERG: Yeah, it just felt dangerous. It's something that is hard to put into words. It's the amount of power given to a president.
I just think it's irresponsible, and to give somebody who's self- serving and narcissistic that much power, when it's inevitably always to benefit themselves.
And, you know, like with the compensation and gift taxes that I revealed the day before the election last year, you know, I don't say anything is not provable, and I wouldn't. And the next phase in the D.A.'s investigation is going to be a real hard look into the Wollman Rink and, you know, that's to come.
[19:40:03]
But I have to say, Erin, there's nothing going on that's a witch hunt or a fishing expedition. That is not true. That is not true.
They are guardians of the law. They are working hard as I am to tell the truth, and to see justice prevail, and to have accountability for their own actions. It's no one's fault but their own. They need to be accountable for what they have done.
O'DONNELL: Will Allen Weisselberg flip on Trump?
WEISSELBERG: Yes.
O'DONNELL: Wow. I mean, no hesitation at all with your answer there.
And let me just ask you one more question, Jennifer, because I know you and I have talked about this as well, but obviously it's hard for you to be candid about this. You know, this is a family that he spent 28 years with them. A man you have children with, children you adore.
Why -- some many close to Trump, they fight and they fight before they turn. Even Michael Cohen, but he eventually did.
Why are you cooperating?
WEISSELBERG: Because I think the truth matters. And it's become so much bigger. I'm not motivated by money. I'm not motivated by a post- judgment divorce situation that they started.
I mean, they start several cases to cover up their own crimes. I have no motivation. I get nothing out of this.
But I think the truth matters. And it's so horrifying to think that Donald Trump could be president again, knowing what I know. And I'm not afraid to tell the truth, you know?
And I respect the D.A.'s and A.G.'s investigation. It is serious, and it continues to be finite, because numbers are finite, you know? It's just all they are. And there needs to be accountability.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Jennifer, I really appreciate your time. Thank you very much for explaining all of this and sharing all of this. I know it isn't easy, because, you know, I know -- I know it's a hard decision, I know it's been your whole life, and I know you do have those children that you love so much. Thank you so much you.
WEISSELBERG: Thank you, Erin, for having me. I appreciate the respect to speak out on the truth and justice, because it matters.
BURNETT: All right.
Well, I want everyone to know, we did reach out to Allen Weisselberg's legal team. They did not provide a comment. They've declined our interview request for Mr. Weisselberg.
Barry Weisselberg, Jennifer's ex-husband, it could not be reached for comment. His brother Jack, who often speaks on Barry's behalf, had no comment when contacted for CNN. A lawyer for the Trump Organization also provided no comment when contacted by a CNN.
OUTFRONT next, we're learning new details tonight about the 18 electronics -- 18 -- that were taken during the raid on Rudy Giuliani's office.
Plus, President Biden touting a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But how optimistic are people on the ground that this will hold? We're live in Jerusalem tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:46:51]
BURNETT: Tonight, we are learning more about what federal investigators took when they raided Giuliani's home and office. Court documents reveal investigators seized 18 electronic devices from Giuliani, and multiple people who work for him. Giuliani previously said that investigators were taking seven or eight electronic devices of his. Giuliani is being investigated for his dealings in Ukraine, including whether he conducted legal lobbying for Ukrainian officials, while he was pursuing an investigation into Joe Biden.
Kara Scannell is OUTFRONT.
So, Kara, what more can you tell us? That's a lot of electronic devices.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Erin, it is a lot of electronic devices. So, we learned from this letter that was filed today in the court docket, that the feds had seized 18 devices from Rudy Giuliani's home and office, when they raided at earlier last month. Now, among those devices, we just learned that 11 of them are from Giuliani, and have been referred returned to him, but 7 are password protected, and the prosecutors are gong to have to send those to, likely, the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, to see if they can unlock them.
We also learned that some of these devices were taken from Giuliani's office, and from at least more than one employee, which is more than we knew before. We are learning that more devices have been obtained and we knew, Giuliani said it was 7 or 8, his lawyer had said that Giuliani's assistant's laptop was taken, and we are now seeing that there is more people who worked for Giuliani, whose materials were collected by the FBI.
BURNETT: So, Kara, what does this tell us? All of these extra devices, the documents that you're looking at, about the scope of the Giuliani investigation?
SCANNELL: Well, it's interesting. There's a filing tonight when prosecutors still say that this is an ongoing grand jury investigation, involving activities that Giuliani was involved with, as well as another attorney, Victoria Toensing. Her -- she was also had a search warrant served on her, and her cell phone was taken by prosecutors.
Now, what we have also learned is that there was a search of Giuliani's iCloud in November of 2019. That was less than a month after Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two of Giuliani's associates were arrested. Prosecutors said in their letters that the material that was seized in this search warrant of Giuliani's home, overlapped in some deal, by the time period, that they did in 2019. So, in 18 months, this is an investigation that is gone on, with the initial search of Giuliani's iCloud account.
We are learning that this investigation, still covering that period of time, and is really focused, and zoomed in, on these activities in Ukraine.
BURNETT: All right. Kara, thank you very much.
And next, 11 days of deadly fighting. Now, there is a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. We are live in Jerusalem with the new details.
And President Biden signing a new law tonight to address the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:51:52]
BURNETT: Breaking news, a ceasefire is underway. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was set to go into effect about 15 minutes ago. The two sides finally reaching a deal after 11 days of fighting. President Biden touting the agreement in his remarks this evening, which were, actually, his first extensive comments on the conflict since it started.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe the Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely, and to enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity and democracy. My administration will continue our quiet, relentless diplomacy toward that end and I believe we have a genuine opportunity to make progress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Hadas Gold is OUTFRONT from Jerusalem tonight.
So, it has been just about 50 minutes since the ceasefire was supposed to take effect, 2:00 a.m. local time. So, almost 3:00 where you are now, Hadas. Is it holding so far?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, 52 minutes so far into the ceasefire, and it has been quite. There was actually activity, even in the minutes leading up to 2:00 a.m., here, where there were red alert sirens going off in southern Israel, up until even just a few minutes before 2:00 a.m. and that 2:00 a.m. hit and then we have experience quite.
The ceasefire was announced just a few little bit before midnight. The Israeli security cabinet announcing they had agreed to a mutual, unconditional ceasefire that was proposed by Egypt, Hamas confirming they had agreed as well. Pressures have been mounting on Israel especially from the Americans and President Joe Biden who over the last few days really started mounting up the pressure to get Israel to end its military campaign. Israel saying it was targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad, targets or throughout the Gaza Strip, especially their underground tunnel network and of course all rocket launchers, more than 4,000 rocket launched from Gaza into Israel doing the past 11 days. The Israeli military saying that it targeted thousands of militant targets in Gaza and, of course, civilians caught up in both sides and the destruction and death on both sides has been significant.
Israel warning though in its announcement of the ceasefire that they stood ready to restart the military operations if they find the situation on the ground changes.
So what happens now? We have the ceasefire. Of course, everyone wants to see if that will hold, and what will happen if something does occur. But Gaza will need to rebuild, they will need a lot of international aid and help.
And also, have we yet addressed the fundamental issue at hand? Because we have a ceasefire now, but will anything fundamentally change between Hamas, between Israel, that will lead for the police, or we continue this sort of tortured cycle of violence between Israel and the militants in Gaza?
BURNETT: Right.
GOLD: And perhaps even more importantly, Erin, is that this tension that kind of started here in Jerusalem and spread to Gaza, this tension here between Palestinians, between Israelis, between Arabs and Jews, mixed communities, between what's happening in the west bank between Palestinians and Israeli forces, that tension is still there, it is still very rough.
And it is a tinderbox that could easily set aflame very quickly despite whatever ceasefire that may have been negotiated between Israel and Hamas over Gaza. [19:55:01]
BURNETT: Hadas, thank you very much. I appreciate it. Live from Jerusalem, Hadas reporting there on the ground.
And next, President Biden taking action to address the rising hate fine hate crimes against Asian Americans.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: President Biden today signing an important anti-Asian hate crimes bill into law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Too many Asian Americans have been waking up each morning this past year genuinely, genuinely fearing for their safety, just opening the door and walking down the street.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: According to one study, hate crimes against Asians are up 164 percent since the same time a year ago in America's major cities.
So, basically, what does law does require this attorney general to work with state and local officials, to make it easier to report these types of crimes. Make it easier to report them. Yet, the faces you see on the left side of your screen are the faces of the 63 Republicans who voted against the bill. Why would they vote against it?
There is actually only one Republican senator who voted no, only one, it was Senator Josh Hawley. He tweeted his big problem with the bill is it, quote, turns the federal government to the speech police, gives government sweeping authority to decide what counts as offensive speech and then monitor it, raises big free speech questions.
Again, he was on a lonely island of one. I mean, does Hawley want to protect the 19-year-old who was seen attacking an 84-year-old grandfather in San Francisco? Surveillance video showed that brutal assault, and later, died from his injuries. He was originally from Thailand.
Or, perhaps Hawley thinks it's too sweeping to give the government authority to prevent this disturbing attack, in New York. A 65-year- old Asian woman, being punched, and kicked. The 38-year-old was arrested, also allegedly made anti-Asian statements.
Why wouldn't you want to get to the bottom of that? Why wouldn't you say that those sorts of things aren't okay? That it deserves the rule of law, looking at it?
Sixty-three Republicans voted against doing more over the violent acts, like you saw. One senator, Josh Hawley, his justification, simply, doesn't add up.
Thanks so much for joining us. Don't forget, you can watch our show anytime. You just have to go to CNN Go. Thanks for watching.
It's time now for "AC360" with Anderson.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Hey, good evening. Thanks for joining us.
There's breaking news tonight, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Just moments ago, the United Nations secretary general said he welcome the news.
