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LEGAL VIEW WITH ASHLEIGH BANFIELD

EgyptAir Jet Wreckage Found: Donald Trump Labeled It a Terrorist Attack Early On. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired May 19, 2016 - 12:30   ET

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


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[12:33:44] ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We've got this breaking news just in to CNN.

Egypt's vice president said, "We have found the wreckage of Egypt Air flight 804."

U.S. officials are telling CNN's Christiane Amanpour that early signs are pointing to a bomb taking down this plane. Christiane Amanpour speaking with the vice president of Egypt there, who is confirming, "We have found the wreckage."

I want to talk more about this with David Gallo, who's an export in underwater search and exploration in the ocean, also with us Airbus 320 Pilot, Ron Stock and CNN Aviation Analyst, Justin Green.

David Gallo, first to you, obviously as tragic as this is this could be the best news in terms of at least the hopes of maybe finding survivors and maybe finding that critical flight data recorder cockpit voice recorder.

DAVID GALLO, LAMONT-DOHERTY EARTH OBSERVATORY: Yeah, and hi Ashleigh. You know, I'm wondering what that means we have found the wreckage, if was the plane intact on the surface of the ocean or how do they mean. Because, I think most of us were prepared one defined bits of wreckage at the surface. But then to look for -- where I try deduce where the impact point was and then to begin an underwater search for the black boxes.

[12:35:03] But if they've got the entire wreckage at the surface that's something very unusual and I'd be anxious to hear what the truth is.

BANFIELD: And of course, we don't know. This is early in the discussion. It could be, you know, issues in translation, some wreckage, the wreckage. It could hinge on a lot of that. But to the issue that if there is confirmation of some of the wreckage that could buoyant that certainly changes this metric completely from the mystery that we're embroiled in for months with MH-370, correct?

GALLO: It sure does. I mean, now the trick will be here, the task at hand will be to use those bits of wreckage in hand that are floating to back track of the hours to the impact time. And try to better understand or narrow down an underwater search which is not an easy thing to do. It's not routine especially in the water of this depth that it's about 4,000 meters. So that will be a difficult task ahead.

BANFIELD: And David that's one of the deepest areas as I understand the Mediterranean. So just by sheer happenstance that is very unfortunate in terms of trying to do the recovery.

But before we even talk about recovery or solving this disaster, there's still the possibility of survivors. What are the temperatures and conditions like in that area? If it happened before, people literally have fallen from the sky and survived these air disasters. Could we find survivors in this water?

GALLO: Well, I think again, it all depends on the water temperature as I understand it is conducive to surviving. If you're a healthy person and you might survive hours, maybe even 12 hours, maybe more. You never know about the human, you never want to give up on the human spirit.

So sure, it's possible. It all depends on whether the plane came down softly or whether it was a high speed impact.

BANFIELD: I want to bring in Justin Green, airline pilot, as well and attorney too.

I can't help thinking about all of those people who are awaiting any bit of news on this. And each of these pieces of news is helpful and devastating at the same time. I don't even know how the airline industry navigates this. At the same time as the massive forensics that they have to do. Are we still learning our way along these things or do we have the machine in place to handle it all properly?

JUSTIN GREEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: We have a machine in place in the United States. And the NTSB is taking a lead on helping the victims' families I guess navigate the days, weeks and months after an aviation disaster. And what the families right now I'm sure all are hoping for a miracle.

BANFIELD: And Americans have already committed assets to this and offered the assistance and intelligence and actual, you know, real military assets.

GREEN: Yeah, they - I heard that before the Navy Orion aircraft was out there and searching. That's great that we use to use those to search for submarines. So it's a perfect vehicle to do the search.

But one of the nice things about aviation disasters after aviation disaster is that the world community really comes together and many different nations, even adversaries will assist each other in trying to find the wreckage and trying to get information for the families.

BANFIELD: And you learn -- you do learn so much more of it.

Actually, it's a great question for you Ron Stock as a pilot I know this is so near and dear to you. This is your work space. So after MH- 370 and the world effort that came together on that, are we further ahead in order -- in terms of being able to take the bull by the horns on this disaster and get some kind of resolution? I'll be at -- we may find the actual wreckage. We may find the people but finding, what happened, how it happened and actually solving that part of it?

RON STOCK, AIRBUS 320 PILOT: I think with the technology today, Ashleigh, that, yes, with each incident that occurs we learn more. Of course, you did mention that we're dealing with 4,000 meters. It may take time for them to find the black boxes to go over the data. And come up with a solution or reason for this occurrence. But to answer your question, yes, I think we learn all the time and the technology is there.

What's disturbing to me is I believe you said it took 90 seconds for a response from the pilots?

BANFIELD: Well, there was the 90 seconds between the last communications from the pilot. And then the AVSC communications, the actual signal is going out. And that was something also disturbing to David Gucci.

I actually have to end it there because I've go t a lot more breaking news on this that I need to get to. But I can't thank you enough Ron Stock, Justin Green, David Gallo, thank you to the three of you for your ...

With this early theory of terror a big focus is now of course security at Charles de Gaulle Airport but also the airports that you visit as well.

[12:40:01] We're going to take you to Charles de Gaulle and find out what they have done to make it even more secured over the last several months. And why even that might not be enough. Next.

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BANFIELD: Our coverage of the Egypt Air flight 804 disaster begins with a claim by the airline exclusively to CNN "We have found the wreckage." The Airbus A320 was on route from Paris to Cairo overnight when it disappeared from radar that was shortly after entering Egyptian air space.

On board 66 passengers and crew. Officials in Greece say the plane abruptly swerved to the left 90 degrees and then a full 360 degree turn to the right before plunging from 37,000 feet down to 15 then to 10 and disappearing in the final seconds.

[12:45:15] Hours later a military plane spotted objects floating in the water, some 200 nautical miles off of the coast of the island of Crete in Greece. It's not yet clear whether these are the same objects referred to in the seemingly definitive statement made by the vice president of Egypt air that they found the wreckage. That happened with our Christiane Amanpour just moments ago.

But we have also learned from Egypt Air that there was no distress signal from the plane before it crashed. I repeat, there was no distress signal from that came from that airplane before it disappeared.

My CNN colleague Atika Shubert joins me now live from the place where it took off, Charles de Gaulle outside of Paris. That is the last place anybody saw Flight 804.

Atika, there has been so much news out of that airport about security clearances for some 57 people just being pulled because of ties to Islamicism, the boning up of security in that airport as well. But it seems the story is going to go to the massive forensic project that the people there now have to undertake to find out how this happened. Can you take me there?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. The Paris prosecutor has announced it has launched an investigation into the missing flight. This is standard procedure here for air disasters. But the first step that we've taken, is taking a look at the list of passengers and crew aboard the flight. But of course, the personnel that may have had access to the flight quite often in terms of security this is the weakest link so they're will be looking at baggage handlers, service providers, who bring catering on board for example. All of those people will now have to be checked and rechecked.

Now officially here at Charles de Gaulle and at Orly Airport that also outside Paris, anybody with access to those restricted areas must already undergo a police security check and then they are screened again.

Even so in the last few months as you point out, dozens of people were let go because they were feared to have links to Islamist groups. So they have those security badges taken away.

So absolutely, security has been stepped up here for months, even now today it's, you know, operating as normal. And yet, we also still see armed patrols throughout the airport, random security checks for passengers and their bags and even more goes on behind the scenes, random checks in personnel security lockers for example.

So all of this is an attempt to keep the security as tight as possible but as, you know, it's almost impossible to get it to a 100 percent in any airport condition, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Yeah, understandable. Atika Shubert reporting, live for us at Charles de Gaulle in Paris. Thank you for the breaking news.

We also have this. The vice president of Egypt Air saying "We have found the wreckage," telling our Christiane Amanpour definitively "We have found the wreckage."

But then also telling us this, no distress signal came from that plane before it crashed. And officials have the knowledge of the investigation tell us that there are no hits on existing terror watch lists for any of the passengers who were on board Egypt Air on board that plane.

We're going to continue to follow the story.

But coming up next, one of the first people to call today's crash terrorism was none other than Donald Trump. But it was two hours before anyone officially suggested that was even possible. Is that reckless or is it prescient? Was he on the money or jumping to conclusions?

[12:48:42] Hillary Clinton may just weigh in on this. There is an exclusive interview coming at you with Hillary Clinton right here on CNN not far from now.

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BANFIELD: Back to our breaking news on Egypt Air Flight 804. CNN just learning from the airlines own vice president that, "We have found the wreckage," he told Christiane Amanpour. The early belief of the U.S. government officials is that it was a bomb that took down that plane carrying 66 people, 56 of them passengers, 10 of them crew. And while nothing at this point is being completely ruled out, Egyptian officials are falling in line with what the United States is saying, that it's more likely terrorism than perhaps a mechanical problem.

And even as investigators figure out what it exactly was that cause that caused this disaster of Egypt Air Flight 804.

Donald Trump says he thinks he knows what it is taking to social media saying that it's the work of terrorist. And here's the tweet that he sent out, "Looks like yet another terrorist attack. Airplane departed from Paris. When will we get tough, smart and vigilant? Great hate and sickness."

That was two hours before official mention at all that it was possible but not probable or exactly going to be a terrorist issue.

Joining me now CNN Politics Executive Editor, Mark Preston.

So the issue here is that some say that is very reckless two hours before anyone knows anything definitively say this is terror or at least looks like terror. And yet that's exactly what the U.S. officials are saying. So that's a little tough to weigh. People will say, impression, people will say reckless.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Right. And the big question for Donald Trump has been not only from Republicans but Democrats, Independents and the news media is, did Donald Trump jump to conclusion and just say what's ever on his mind without facts backing it up. Now given what has happened, you know, that tweet probably isn't so egregious necessarily, knowing what we know now and what happens in that region and knowing there is a terror threat.

Well what is interesting is that Donald Trump at some point is going to start getting intelligence briefings probably after the convention, I guess. Intelligence community will be briefing him as well as Democratic nominee intelligence briefings. At that point does Donald Trump's do go out and does Donald Trump talk about what he learns during these briefings?

BANFIELD: But an incident like this where this is all over the news media, it's in every headline, the talk of terror, this tweet comes out. Hillary Clinton is about to speak just in a few minutes with our Chris Cuomo live, you can stay right here, don't miss it because I guarantee, I don't work in your business but I guarantee that whole thing about being a loose canon to visit dangerous comment. I'll bet she's going to Trump at that, right off the top and maybe even hold up the tweet.

[12:55:18] PRESTON: She might I mean, into your point back to her role as secretary of state and having worked with foreign leaders and what have you. But what Donald Trump said in that tweet is exactly what has brought support to Donald Trump, somebody who is willing to stand up and to fight against what he says are the ills and the terrorists, so to speak that are attacking the U.S. So is this kind of language that has gotten Donald Trump to Republican presidential nomination.

BANFIELD: Yeah, it will be fascinating to see what the reaction is, you know, from Hillary Clinton.

Mark Preston, thank you. As always, appreciate your time and effort.

Don't miss this exclusive live interview. Hillary Clinton in just the next hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, she's sitting down with our Chris Cuomo that's coming up in just a few moments.

But next back to the breaking news, the plane vanishing over the Mediterranean, Egypt Air now saying that they have found the wreckage. And U.S. officials say they're working under the theory that it was a bomb that took that plane down.

More on that just after this break.

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