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Alleged ISIS Plot Disrupted in Florida; New Video Released in Sandra Bland Death Investigation; Suspension Upheld for Tom Brady. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired July 28, 2015 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:01]

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But what they agreed to was that the NFL office could punish a player, and then the person who could hear an appeal, if a player thought it was unfair, is Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL.

So Roger Goodell is hearing, as the appeals officer, an appeal of a decision that his office made. We normally wouldn't have that in, say, the courts or other parts of society.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Right.

NICHOLS: But it's the bargain that the players made, so that is what happened.

Now, when they file a lawsuit, which our understanding from Tom Brady's side is that they plan to file -- we will have to see if that actually happens.

BALDWIN: Filing a lawsuit because they still want him to play those four games?

NICHOLS: File a federal lawsuit. And the grounds of their federal lawsuit won't be on, did he deflate the footballs or not, because judges don't get involved in arbitration cases.

This is basically an arbitration case because of the collective bargaining agreement. But what they will file the lawsuit on is improper procedure, improper workplace issues. And one of the things is, hey, Roger Goodell should have recused himself because even though this is in the CBA, there were enough other factors going on here that he shouldn't have heard the appeal of his own office's decision, especially when he was called as a witness in the appeal.

So this has been bizarre for the past month because at the appeal hearing, where Tom Brady is appealing a decision Roger Goodell's office made to Roger Goodell, Roger Goodell, while being the judge and jury, was also a witness in this proceeding, called onto the stand by Tom Brady's lawyers. You can't make this up.

BALDWIN: It's incredible. It's an incredible sports story.

NICHOLS: This is the circus that is the NFL. And, again, we're talking about the most powerful man in American sports, the commissioner of the NFL, against arguably the most famous athlete we have in this country.

BALDWIN: I don't think you can say that enough.

NICHOLS: It's unbelievable that that is happening right here. And it's about to go even deeper, from what we understand. We will have to see what happens.

BALDWIN: Stay with me. Christine, stay with me.

I have just been told I have another voice. I have Jim Daopoulos on the phone. He's a former NFL referee on the phone.

Jim, you know the rules, NFL rules, game rules better than any of us. When you heard about this, the fact that this suspension will be upheld, the destruction of his cell phone, your thoughts, sir?

JIM DAOPOULOS, FORMER NFL REFEREE: Well, it's kind of interesting.

You know, this has always been a nonissue to the National Football League officials. For the over 25 years that I was involved and even before that, you know, football inflation has never been an issue. But the NFL spent so much time and money and it's been such a high- profile issue that something had to be done. I just don't think we're seeing the end of it right now.

BALDWIN: Do you think Roger Goodell should have recused himself over the appeals process?

DAOPOULOS: I don't believe so, because I feel that that is Roger's position. According to the CBA, he's supposed to be doing that thing.

It's hard. It's one of the situations. They have been dealing with this for years and years through all of the collective bargaining agreements, whether it commissioner Tagliabue or Roger Goodell. They have been the final voice of these appeals.

It has to go -- it's probably going to go somewhere else. But I think Roger made the decision he had to make and now the teams and the Patriots are going to have to deal with this.

BALDWIN: Jim, stay with me.

Rachel, I'm looking at you and I'm having a flashback of a news conference where we saw just in the wake of all of this, we saw Tom Brady and I'm trying to remember exactly his wording when he was face- to-face with members of the media asking essentially if he cheated. What was it that he said at the time?

NICHOLS: Someone asked Tom Brady was honest. It was a variation of that question or truthful. And he said, I believe that you would find that I am, or some version of that. I want to get the exact quote for you. But that is what you are thinking of.

(CROSSTALK) BALDWIN: Yes. Yes.

NICHOLS: And it was a little bit of a stutter. And through that whole news conference, there were several times that he looked very uncomfortable, which is not surprising when you're being peppered by the national media.

BALDWIN: Yes.

NICHOLS: But he stopped short of making a lot of declarative statements. And that caused a lot of people at the time to question what was going on, because that had been preceded by a news conference from his coach, Bill Belichick, who was very definitive, and basically said, I have no idea about any of this. You have to ask Tom.

So, then everyone went and asked Tom. And there were some holes in the press conference. He came back later over the ensuing week or two and made stronger statements. So it may be in that news conference he was a little bit nervous or maybe didn't know quite what to say or maybe he had been prepped in the interim time.

BALDWIN: Yes.

NICHOLS: But in that moment, there were a lot of people questioning the things that he said. And I'm sure we will replay it here in the next hour.

BALDWIN: Yes. Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

NICHOLS: We will be replaying it over and over again...

BALDWIN: Yes, we will.

NICHOLS: ... over the coming weeks because now, again, it's in question. Tom Brady could likely very well come out and say, hey, I always destroy my cell phones every few months after I get a new cell phone.

[15:05:07]

I can tell you for a fact, a lot of NFL, NBA players, baseball players change phones with more regularity than you would imagine.

BALDWIN: Really?

NICHOLS: All of us normal people, we get our telephone, we have a two-year contract, we break it, we desperately try to fix it or peer for through the shattered glass, as many of us do, right, because it's expensive to get a new phone.

(CROSSTALK)

NICHOLS: And if you don't get let out of your contract. Players are being given new phones by people who want them to endorse things or just because they are famous all the time. And I will be dealing with a player on a story and try to text or call him and suddenly his agent will pipe back at me and say, oh, no, no, no, he has a new number again.

So it's not out of the realm that Tom Brady may have changed cell phones. Maybe he decides or says now that he destroyed cell phones. We still have to hear from his side. This is the NFL side so far. The NFL side is Tom Brady destroyed his cell phone and that they see that as a direct intention to obscure this investigation.

BALDWIN: When do we think we will hear his side?

NICHOLS: I assume minutes from now, if it's not out there while we have been on the air. I haven't been able to check my phone while we're on the air.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: I'm going to give you a second to breathe, check your inbox.

Jim, just bringing you back in, if you're hearing that they have upheld for now this four-game suspension for all of what we have just been discussing, do you think that that is fair, big picture?

DAOPOULOS: I think it's fair.

But the thing that is so interesting to me is that this has been such a major issue with the National Football League, and last week the NFL officials had a three-day meeting in Dallas where they discussed all types of new rules for philosophies, procedures, et cetera. There was not one word about preparation of footballs.

Now, I understand through a report from Mike Pereira that a new decision has come out, but in talking with NFL referees and officials right now, none of them are aware of any new procedure that they were aware until the last day or so. Nothing was discussed in Dallas, which kind of surprises me, when this thing was such a major issue. And now you had all of the officials together and they didn't even talk about it.

BALDWIN: Do you think -- just looking at all of these pictures of Tom Brady and I'm wondering, from a Pats' perspective, or not even from -- I think I know what Pats fans would think -- but this sort of put a chink in his armor, so to speak, for this multi-MVP Q.B.?

DAOPOULOS: Tough question.

You know, I just don't know. I think this is something that needs to be addressed. It was addressed. I think they need to move on and start playing football and quit worrying about the PSIs of a football and just play the game.

BALDWIN: OK. OK. I'm going to go to Rachel because she's looking at me like she has some information. NICHOLS: I do.

BALDWIN: Excellent. What have you learned in the two minutes we haven't been talking?

NICHOLS: Well, while you have been talking to Jim, I was able to take a moment, since we have been on the air as this news has broken, I have taking a moment to read the actual more lengthy NFL explanation in their decision.

This decision, by the way, is 20 pages on my cell phone. We will have to print it out and see how many pages it actually is, but it will be parsed over the coming weeks as they decide whether to take this to court. But in this decision, it says that during the appeal hearing, the appeal hearing that Roger Goodell held that he was the judge in, that Tom Brady and his attorney said that it is Brady's practice to get a new phone.

It is his practice to destroy his cell phone and SIM cards. I'm looking here now. And that he would have ordered his assistant to do that or done it himself when he gets a new phone. Now, the kicker of that is that he allegedly did this the day that he was questioned by Ted Wells in the investigation into the Patriots Deflategate scandal.

BALDWIN: No kidding?

NICHOLS: So you can believe whoever you want to believe. The NFL clearly has taken the opinion that this explanation doesn't exactly hold water. They feel that this was a direct attempt to stymie their investigators.

Tom Brady and his attorneys and the people representing him in this case are apparently saying to the NFL, hey, Tom gets a new cell phone, he destroys his cell phone, he has his assistant destroy the SIM card and he just happened to do it on the day the investigators came to talk to him.

We're going to have to see, again, what holds water.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: You be the judge. At least we did get a bit from the Tom Brady side of things. Stay with me. We have more on this breaking news.

But I also want to tell you that we're also getting word here that a man in Florida -- more breaking news -- a man in Florida has just been charged with trying to use a weapon of mass destruction in the United States. Those details are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:13:55]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BALDWIN: All right.

We have more breaking news right now here involving this alleged bomb plot, this apparently ISIS-inspired -- I'm just looking down -- ISIS- inspired backpack bomb plot in the United States. Since we're some information, let me tell you that a person by the name of Harlem Suarez, 23 years of age from Key West, Florida, is the person who has now been charged with this criminal complaint, with attempting to use this weapon of mass destruction here against a person or property within the United States.

And just to be precise, as we have unfortunately covered too many of these inspired attacks, I'm thinking of Boston, what happened at the marathon, when I look at some of these details, the complaint alleges that this individual told the source that he wanted to make a timer bomb. Just reading these details I have just been handed.

Suarez purchased components for this device, which was to contain galvanized nails to be concealed in a backpack and be remotely detonated by a cell phone. And apparently this person intended to bury the device at a public beach in Key West and then hit the button, use the cell phone, and ultimately detonate it.

[15:15:05]

We're working on getting -- all right. So we're going to get some more information on that. I'm just being told we're getting more information now on the Israeli spy who has been in this federal prison in North Carolina, Jonathan Pollard, who has now just been granted parole after 30 years.

Let me bring in our justice correspondent, Evan Perez, with more on that.

What do you know, Evan?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, he's -- Jonathan Pollard is going to be out of prison on July -- I'm sorry -- on November 21, which is the end of his 30-year sentence.

That is the end of the sentence that he's always been serving. The Justice Department today said that they are not objecting to this and the U.S. Parole Commission has now approved this. Now, once he's out on November 21, he still has five years that he is required to remain in the United States. That's where his lawyers say they are pressing for the Obama administration and President Obama to provide some kind of clemency, so that Pollard could travel to Israel, move to Israel.

That's where he has citizenship. As you know, he's serving this 30- year sentence for passing U.S. classified information to the Israeli government and that is the crime for which he's been serving 30 years, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. Evan Perez, we will be with you on that, if that gets updated, because I'm sure, as you mentioned, he wants to be reunited with his wife and I'm sure he wants to return to Israel. I'm also getting now more information as we have been watching and

waiting for this case out of Texas involving a young woman by the name of Sandra Bland, who was arrested, a traffic violation, she was resisting arrest, she was taken into jail, and she was found dead in her jail cell. Well, according to the sheriff, they believe she committed suicide. The family doesn't buy that.

Now what you're looking at, we have some new video of her intake into the jail. We will share more of this, give you a little bit more context on the other side of the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:10]

BALDWIN: All right, I want to take you to Waller County, Texas, where we have been covering this case involving a young woman by the name of Sandra Bland. She was the one who was arrested. She was found dead in her jail cell a couple of days after this intake.

This is the first time we're actually seeing this video here of her being taken into this jail, again, where she was found dead a couple of days later. Law enforcement absolutely say this was suicide. The family, they don't believe that. We're getting new information, including this video today.

Let me take you now to Texas to this news conference already under way.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you're going to see here, you're going to see Sandra Bland enter from the right side, and she's going to walk across the booking desk area and enter the bathroom with Officer Goodie (ph).

There she is. Officer Goodie takes her in the bathroom. As you can see, she was in her street clothes. They are now going to get a bag. This is where she's going to change out of her street clothes into her orange jumpsuit.

Again, on social media, there's been some very crazy speculation that Waller County jail, all inmate photos are taken in street clothes, and then -- and such -- and so it was unusual for her mug shot to be taken in an orange jumpsuit. That is incorrect. That's not true.

In fact, that gentleman just right there you just saw just had a mug shot taken.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) mug shot against that other wall?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

That far wall there -- in fact, you will see further down in this video -- OK. So, Greg, she's in the bathroom now. So we can -- Greg, if you can move forward to 2249. Again, if there's a lag in our video, we apologize. OK. She is now -- and again, OK. Right there. Right there. Right there.

That's perfect. OK. So, at 22:49, approximately, you will see her come out of the bathroom and she will be dressed in her orange jumpsuit. There she is.

Now, the Waller County employee now, he is putting her mattress pad and her blanket, all the things that she's going to have to have in her jail cell. Again, this is the booking desk area. It's kind of the central area of the Waller County Jail. I know some -- most of you have already toured the jail.

I will just let this run here because in about -- in about -- at 23, OK, so now she's now being placed into a holding cell. So the holding cell is actually -- you will see more video later from a different angle. In fact, you can see the other camera. I believe it's camera 30.

You can see it in this shot. This is camera 30 right here. So we will show you footage from that camera and we will show her going into the holding cell. So, again, at this time, make sure we have this correct, she enters the holding cell at 0023:35.

OK. So, now, this video right here, Greg, show me the times. This is -- just so you will understand, these AVI videos are hours of video, OK?

[15:25:07]

So, Greg, if you will now skip ahead to five hours, five minutes, 54, so 5:05:54, it's going to be a good ways down.

BALDWIN: All right, so while they are fast-forwarding, we're going to stay on this video here, because this is what is so important. This is what is newsworthy today.

Ed Lavandera, let me just bring you in. You have been covering this case there in Waller County, Texas. I think we just need to back up a half-step. Can you talk about a little bit -- whose voice are we hearing and why are they releasing this video now?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, those are some of the county officials with Waller County.

And they started off all of this by saying that they are releasing and what they are planning on doing here is they're handing out flash drives to all the reporters and news media there with three days' worth of footage from inside the Waller County Jail, we're told.

Obviously, we haven't had a chance to go through all of that. This has just started moments ago. But the videos started with Sandra Bland being driven into the sally port area, then being brought into the holding tank and the intake area there. They say -- county officials there say that they are releasing all of this video to -- quote -- "dispel the rumors and myths" that are out there over Sandra Bland's death. County officials there in Waller County say that it's been driven

mainly by social media, the mistrust by a lot of the details surrounding Sandra Bland's death. County officials say they are receiving death threats, that they're under cyber-attack because of the anger and the outrage over Sandra Bland's death. They say they are releasing this video so that people can see for themselves Sandra Bland's conditions.

They say one of the strongest myths and rumors that they have had to deal with over the last few days is that in Sandra Bland's mug shot -- and there's this kind of stream online...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: What you're looking at right now, by the way, this is where she's seated to get that mug shot.

LAVANDERA: There we go. There's been a lot of talk on social media, a lot of people questioning whether or not Sandra Bland was even alive when her mug shot was taken. And that's kind of gone on for several days now.

And county officials say that that's one of the reasons why they are releasing these videos now, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Where do we stand, Ed, as far as -- we saw the news conference from a couple of days ago with those officials in Waller County, Texas, showing some of those photos from the medical examiner's office, again, on the issue of transparency with regard to that autopsy. We know the family, that they don't believe she committed suicide. So they have ordered this sort of separate independent autopsy.

When might those results be publicized?

LAVANDERA: We haven't heard any details from the independent autopsy that the family has done and whether or not those details will be released.

BALDWIN: OK.

LAVANDERA: The first autopsy that was done by the medical examiner there in the Houston area found that Sandra Bland had committed suicide. There were some toxicology reports about high levels of marijuana in her system. So those are the details that we have heard. Nothing from Sandra Bland's side of the family, as far as I know just now.

BALDWIN: OK, Ed Lavandera, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And we will have more on that breaking news in the Sandra Bland case coming up.

Also ahead, more of our breaking story out of Florida and this ISIS- inspired plot involving use of a weapon of mass destruction. We're learning new details on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)