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Classified Documents Found; The Legacy Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired January 13, 2023 - 04:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hey, everyone. I`m Omar Jimenez, filling in for Coy Wire today. We made it to Friday. It is Friday the 13th, but Friday
nonetheless.
And you already know Fridays are amazing. This is CNN 10 and I`m so excited to be right here with you. Let`s finish this week strong.
Now, we`re going to start today with the news in Washington. Classified documents belonging to President Joe Biden have been found in areas that
are not authorized to store classified files. The documents which have classified markings were found at two locations inside his home in
Wilmington, Delaware.
Now, the files were found along with personal and political papers. The search for these documents started after similar classified docs were found
at a private office of the president back in November. Now, the paperwork is from his time as vice president in the Obama administration and Biden
said the documents were in a locked garage, that he was cooperating fully with the Department of Justice.
Now some of the classified documents were top secret at the highest level. They were found within boxes that also contain unclassified papers that
fall under the Presidential Records Act, but key questions remain unanswered about the nature of the material, including who brought these
documents and what`s contained in them. Last year, more than 335 documents were found at former President Donald Trump`s Mar-a-Lago residents, 60 of
which were top secret.
Republicans in Congress have accused Biden and the Justice Department of a double standard. Now, Donald Trump is under investigation for obstruction
of justice for refusing to return the documents or at least turn them over. As of Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special
counsel to look into an official Biden documents probe.
Now, we`re going to hear from CNN senior legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid who has more details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People know I take classified documents -- classified information seriously.
PAUL REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Biden Tuesday denied any prior knowledge of classified information
uncovered late last year in a space he used while working for the University of Pennsylvania before he became president.
BIDEN: We want this to be a gathering place.
REID: CNN has learned that among the items discovered were 10 classified documents dated between 2013 and 2016, including U.S. intelligence memos
and briefings materials that covered topics including Ukraine, Iran and the United Kingdom. CNN has reported that some of the materials included top
secret files.
BIDEN: I was briefed about this discovery and surprised to learn that there are any government records that were taken there to that office.
REID: They were found in three or four boxes that also contained unclassified papers that fall under the Presidential Records Act, a source
tells CNN.
The vast majority of the boxes held personal Biden family documents, including materials about Beau Biden`s funeral arrangements and condolence
letters. The documents were discovered November 2nd, just six days before the midterm elections. Republicans pounced, launching investigations,
comparing the discovery to former President Trump`s retention of hundreds of classified documents and slamming Democrats.
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: They have to eat their words but the hypocrisy -- think about this -- they`ve gotten away with so
much for so long. This was discovered before the last election.
REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA): So if then Vice President Biden took classified documents with him and held them for years and criticized president --
former President Trump during that same time that he had those classified documents and only after it was uncovered did he turn him back.
REID: Even Trump`s estranged former vice president weighed in.
MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: The handling of classified materials, a very serious issue for our nation and we ought to take it seriously. But
there ought to be equal treatment under the law.
REID: But Democrats are defending Biden against any such comparison.
REP. PETE AGUILAR (D-CA): What President Biden did was disclose this to the Archives, let law enforcement know. That is exactly the way that you
should handle this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: All right. Ten-second trivia:
Which of these historic figures was given the name "Michael" when he was born in 1929?
Martin Luther King, Jr., Michael Jordan, Mark Twain, Thurgood Marshall?
Michael King Jr., that was the birth name of the civil rights leader born in Atlanta, Georgia.
This Monday, we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. He was a Baptist minister and activist, and one of the most prominent leaders in the
civil rights movement. King called for civil and economic rights, and an end to racism in the United States. Monday is a national holiday and we
won`t have an episode of our show that day.
So, CNN`s Dana Bash filed the following report on Dr. King`s legacy on the 50th anniversary of his death.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: This is unbelievable. You look up there, it says Mason Temple, this is where Martin Luther King 50
years ago gave his incredible Mountaintop speech.
SUBTITLE: April 2, 1968, King gave an emotional speech at the Mason Temple in Memphis.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: I just want to do God`s will. And he has allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I`ve looked over.
And I`ve seen the Promised Land.
I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land!
BASH (voice-over): That night, April 3rd, 1968, King checked in here, to Lorraine Motel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He gets dressed around 5:45 and he steps outside of the balcony of room 306, and he speaks to other guests that are in the
courtyard.
SUBTITLE: April 4, approximately 6:01 p.m., King was shot while standing on this motel balcony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At approximately 6:01, the final shot rings out. Dr. King lies mortally wounded on the balcony. He`s taken from the balcony to
St. Joseph`s Hospital and he`s pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m.
SUBTITLE: On the night of King`s assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed the nation.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON, FORMER PRESIDENT: Shocked and saddened by the brutal slaying tonight of Dr. Martin Luther King. I ask every citizen to reject
the blind violence that has struck Dr. King, who lived by nonviolence.
SUBTITLE: Fifty years later, a bipartisan group of members of Congress visited the site where MLK Jr. was assassinated.
REP. KEITH ELLISON (D), MINNESOTA: To me, it`s like a return into something rudimentary and fundamental. I mean, this is where Martin Luther
King breathed his last breath.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In honor of, Lorraine Hotel decided not to recheck this room out in Dr. King`s honor and remembrance.
BASH: This is exactly how it was left?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was left this way.
BASH: Right there when it all happened, King`s partner and dear friend, Reverend Ralph Abernathy, his wife Juanita on this pilgrimage 50 years
later.
The night that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, you were with his widow.
JUANITA ABERNATHY, FRIEND OF KING FAMILY: Yes.
BASH: Tell me about that.
ABERNATHY: I told Coretta, I said, well, I`ll meet you in your house, and I stayed there that night with her --
BASH: So, did you sleep with her in her bed to comfort her?
ABERNATHY: Yes, right?
BASH: The night that her husband was killed?
ABERNATHY: The night that he died, I slept on his side of the bed and my little children were there with her children.
(SINGING)
BASH: Tell me how you`re feeling. I was watching you standing here.
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: Well, you know, it`s very emotional to come here. I was not here that evening.
He changed my life. He inspired me to stand up, to speak up and to never give up.
And when he died, I think something died in all of us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: And lastly, we can`t go until we do it, I want to give a special shout-out to Western Middle School in Auburn, Michigan.
It`s been such a pleasure getting to host CNN 10 for all of you. The show meant a lot to me when I was in high school. My first ever interaction with
CNN was actually visiting this program and so it`s a real full circle moment for me to be back here hosting for all of you.
Hope your week was awesome. Have a great weekend and I hope to see you soon.
END
