13 Charged In Alleged Plot To Kidnap Michigan Governor Before Election; Governor Whitmer On Alleged Domestic Terror Plot To Kidnap Her: "This Was A Very Serious Moment, And Very Scary"
TOM SATER, AMS CNN METEOROLOGIST: And we have 7.5 more weeks to go.</s>ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Wow! Tom Sater, appreciate it. Thank you. We'll be tracking it. The news continues. Let's hand it over to Chris for "CUOMO PRIME TIME." Chris?</s>CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST, CUOMO PRIME TIME: All right, thank you, Anderson. I am Chris Cuomo and welcome to PRIME TIME. So, tell me, can any of you still be OK with what's going on? The FBI told us today, a bunch of terrorists were plotting to kill the Democratic Governor of Michigan. 13 guys so far, and they say - they say there may be more still out there. Governor Whitmer is with us tonight. And the scariest part of her story may be the reaction to her calls for help from the President and the White House. These are homegrown terrorists, according to the FBI, angry White guys, spun up to action in Michigan. And we know why. And it isn't because they couldn't go to the gym. Here is the question. Is this President really trying to spread not one but two viruses, COVID and this cancer of hate? His virulent voice, the violence that too many of you dismiss as Twitter talk. It isn't. You're living it now in a federal indictment. He has targeted Whitmer over and over again, for trying to keep her State safe during a pandemic. That is Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. Listen.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: You'd be doing even better if you had a governor that knew what the hell she was doing. Open up your state, Madam Governor. Open up your State.</s>TRUMP: Just like crazy Nancy Pelosi, your Governor is a liberal hypocrite who lives by a different set of rules.</s>CUOMO: It's not just talk. Do you remember this? "Liberate the states." Remember when we said "Who says that?" What President calls for rebellion against one of the United States of America? "Liberate Michigan, Virginia, Minnesota," anyone with a governor who opposes him. Remember that insurrection rallying cry when he told Whitmer, the White guys with the guns who just don't like masks, they're good people. Loves that phrase for bad people, "Good people." His followers were listening closely. Protesters stormed Michigan's Capitol in April over Whitmer's stay- home order. Many of them armed. Look familiar? Look like the guys in the indictment? "Islam hates us." Not as much as these guys when you judge the domestic terror threat, what we face here, according to his national security experts. On May 1st, Trump praised them as good people, and called on Whitmer to give in to them a little. "Give them a little," he said, the demonstrators with assault rifles. Yes, Michigan has the law, you can open carry there. I'm sure this is the way they intended it. The FBI, run by Trump's guy, says it also foiled plans by two vigilante groups to violently overthrow Michigan and other state governments. How is this OK? You got six suspects in a federal indictment. There are seven other charged by the State of Michigan, plotting to target law enforcement, cops, attack the Capitol. These people are anti-police, anti-law and order. Kidnapping cops? It's not nice when Blacks or Whites try to do something like that. But where is the outrage? How is this OK? How is it OK to you that Trump has said nothing when a Governor of a State is a product of a federal investigation by terrorists? Mr. Law and Order? What he ignores, he empowers on purpose. And what he said to and about them empowers hate. It's not just ugly talk on Twitter to people like me. They wanted to hurt her and her family. Murderous, terroristic hate! "Oh, you can't blame Trump." Why the hell not? You wouldn't blame me if I was telling people to do something like that, and then somebody did it, who actually was at the place that I was talking to that day? They met at that group, at that demonstration. If I did that, you'd be like, "Well, coincidence!" The only prosecution he called for today had nothing to do with domestic terrorism. He said you need to prosecute Obama and Biden. How are you OK with it? If this were a Republican Governor, and 13 Black guys arrested, you think he'd be silent? Captain COVID? He'd be on State TV right now. In fact, he is on State TV right now. He'd be saying "It's a coup! It's a coup!" Hannity would be nodding so fast, his head would pop off. But silence! Do you really want this sickness, this virus of hate he is fomenting? This isn't Twitter, man. It's not a stupid YouTube video. They were planning for a long time to get her. They were going to meet and train. They were trying to coordinate with other groups. Not all Trump supporters are hateful people. But why does it seem that all the hateful people are Trump supporters? Is tonight the night you say "Enough?" He is contagious two times over. This hate he ignores and empowers, just like he is apparently ignoring and now empowering COVID. Cleared by his doctor? The fastest case in history? Great. Where is the proof? Show me a negative test. Just Monday, his doctor was sweating the situation. Now he's good to go? Where's the test showing he doesn't have it? They won't even tell you his temperature. Come on! You know it's BS. "Medical privacy," they say. You lost that privilege when you talked about his positive test. And they're going to give him clearance for what? To hold more rallies, where people don't have to wear masks, and are so close together. Why? "Well, we trust them to make the right" - what's that? That's what Pence was saying. Well, then why wear seat belts? Why have a rule? Why have a speed limit? Why not give everybody 10 shots and put them in their cars? "Trust them. Play a little Russian roulette. Trust them. They'll do the right thing." When you're encouraging them to do the wrong thing? Leaders don't intentionally create risks. They keep people safe. That's their intention. So now, he should have the rallies, right, so more people can get sick, just like all those people in the Rose Garden. This President keeps knocking bricks out of the foundation of our democracy for his own advantage. The only justice is justice that he likes. The only good trust is trust of him, not even the people who work for him. That comes and goes. Elections are rigged if he doesn't win. The only transfer of power that can come is if he likes the outcome. Violence is to be feared, unless it's against his opponents. Our democracy should not be treated like a Jenga puzzle, unless the goal is to see what it takes to make it all fall. If you think this sounds dramatic, tell that to the Governor of Michigan, her husband, her kids. Domestic terrorists that were given comfort by Trump, that were told to "Liberate the State" by Trump, plotting to take her out. Remember, they were at the damn rally where he said they're good people. That rally. "Good people. Good people." Bad people, on the heels of the President telling them to liberate the state, how much more damning can a situation get, and yet, he is silent. You tell me a good reason for him not to come out and say "These people disgust me. I want nothing to do with anybody like them. And anyone who is like them will never be a supporter of mine. I will never accept their support." "Damned if he does. Damned if he doesn't." Please! Listen to Governor Whitmer. What a long and hard day she has had.</s>CUOMO: Governor, thank you for joining us tonight.</s>GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Thank you.</s>CUOMO: I have to say, I've never been at once happier to see you well, and sadder about the circumstances under which I find you. I almost feel like apologizing to you for the state of what it means to be in public service these days. How are you doing? How's your husband? How's your family?</s>WHITMER: We're doing fine, Chris. I mean, certainly this was a very serious moment, and very scary. And the incredible men and women of the FBI, and the Michigan State Police, who put themselves in danger, to protect me and my family, I'm so grateful for. We're working through it. Our burden is lighter than that which so many people are carrying right now. And so, that keeps us grounded and focused.</s>CUOMO: Gov, I respect the chin up on it. But let's take one more step down this road. These are scary allegations. This isn't the President tweeting at you. This is 13 people, the law enforcement says could be more, the rantings of real terroristic notions about how to get after power, you being that power. What does this do to your head and your heart?</s>WHITMER: Well, I got into public service because I love people. I love this State. I want to make sure that every action I'm doing is a way to improve the quality of people's lives. And right now, in this environment, there's just so much incendiary language and actions that are being taken. This isn't - we know public service is tough. And we know, when you take on a position like this, there are going to be hard days. But I think that the added stress about violence being perpetrated against your family is something that shouldn't be a part of the bargain. And everyone with a platform should call it out. Everyone with a platform should call it what it is, which is domestic terrorism. And everyone with a platform should do what they can to bring the heat down. And that's what I've been asking from the Trump Administration for months. And we see that that's not only not happened, but it's gotten hotter and it's gotten more dangerous.</s>CUOMO: I just want to be clear about this. Timing is relevant in terms of investigations, so not to play too much with the timeline. But just to be clear about what you just said, Governor, you knew or had reason to know bad things were happening that exceeded the ability of the State to handle them, and you reached out to the White House for help on the federal level, and nothing happened?</s>WHITMER: Well, in the early days, when the President was so furious that I said we need a national strategy, and that's when he started identifying me and leveling attacks and criticism my way, we saw the language online go very - in a very concerning direction, dangerous, violent. The rhetoric just got incredibly ugly. And on a number of calls with the Vice President, I asked that the White House get the heat out of the conversation, take the heat down. And each time, they recognized that I had made the request, and nothing was ever done about it. And we see now that after months of continuing to throw more heat into the situation, it's culminated into a place where they will not disavow White supremacists, even in the middle of a Presidential debate, and you see that people listen and they take this as encouragement, that anyone who fraternizes or encourages domestic terrorism is complicit in it.</s>CUOMO: I've got to tell you, the record doesn't make it easy to defend that proposition. I don't really have a great counter here because we all saw what happened when the angry White guys with the guns came there, not liking the masks, not like what's happening. We know what the President said at that time, which was they're good people, and that you should talk to them, and give them a chance. He then put out a tweet talking about how people should liberate their State from people like you. Is it clear, in your mind, that this President's messaging is motivating hateful people like these domestic terrorists, as accused?</s>WHITMER: Well, I think there's absolutely a connection. And I'd love for someone to try to prove me wrong on that. The fact of the matter is--</s>CUOMO: Well, they did it today. They said it's on you, you know? That - I mean, it continued today. "Whitmer is the problem. Whitmer is doing things"--</s>WHITMER: Yes.</s>CUOMO: --"that make people angry. Whitmer is locking down the State and crushing people and their livelihoods." So it's on you, not him. Your counter?</s>WHITMER: I think that tells you everything you need to know about this Administration that their reaction to a plot to kidnap and kill a governor is to attack that governor, not to attack the domestic terrorists that were plotting that, not to even criticize them. And I think that's the difference, that we have a choice in the next few weeks here. Are we going to go with this Administration that takes these tactics, or a deeply decent person who can bring us together and restore integrity like Joe Biden? He called me today. That's what a decent person does. And there are Republicans who do that. Now, Charlie Baker, the Governor of Massachusetts, called today. He's a Republican. He didn't have to pick up the phone. We don't know each other that well. But he was concerned about the rhetoric and concerned about my safety and my family. That's what good American leaders do. They don't sow division. They try to unify us. And that's what we need now more than ever.</s>CUOMO: No word from the President to you personally, I'm assuming, and we have not heard anything publicly about him condemning the actions of these accused domestic terrorists. What does that mean to you?</s>WHITMER: No, I mean the only word out of the White House is the spokesperson trying to gaslight me on this. And I think the majority of people aren't buying it. We know that a decent person would pick up the phone, and say, "Are you OK?" and condemn terror organizations that are threatening and intimidating and plotting against fellow Americans.</s>CUOMO: How worried does this make you about what might happen around the election in your State?</s>WHITMER: Well, I've always been concerned about it. We know that this is an Administration that probably doesn't have a lot of confidence in their prospects come November 3rd, and so undermining the U.S. Postal Service, undermining mail-in balloting. "The Atlantic" article that really went into a lot of specificity about how they want to come into states like Michigan and wreak havoc, we take it very seriously. And we are preparing to make sure that people are safe when they go to the polls and that people vote early because Michiganders can vote right now, and we're encouraging people to vote early as well.</s>CUOMO: And the idea that they wanted to do something before Election Day, are you still worried about your safety?</s>WHITMER: I have the State Police as my detail, and they are phenomenal. They are - I've never for a minute worried about my safety, knowing that they've had my back. And it's because the men and women of the State Police and the FBI who did this unprecedented collaboration to bring these people in gives me great confidence in our law enforcement. I'm grateful for them.</s>CUOMO: What do you make of the notion of President's defenders who say "Look, they let the FBI help her out. There you go. That's him supporting her."</s>WHITMER: Fortunately, the FBI is made up of individuals who take an oath and take that oath seriously. No one should tolerate violence against our fellow Americans. And that's why, in my speech today, I quoted Ronald Reagan. Because I recognize that there are - having - being patriotic, defending our fellow Americans is not squarely in one Party or another. It's what great American leaders do, Republican and Democratic alike. And I wanted people to know those people exist.</s>CUOMO: You are a cool customer, Governor. I mean, you are - you seem really unflappable in a lot of different circumstances. When you understood the allegations, as detailed in the affidavit today, that the rest of us got to see, how does that not shake you up? Because it's not just "I hate Whitmer. I'd love to vote her out," or "I'd like to go get my hands on her. Everything she says makes me sick, I hate," that kind of talk. This was planning, time, trying to find cooperation, train. How do you get your head around that?</s>WHITMER: Well, Chris, I think that it's important to have a real understanding about what the threats are, but also to be able to rely on the team of security around me. And I do. This is not easy. This should not be a part of the bargain for someone who enters into public service. And yet, that's the environment that we are in right now. And that's why we got to fix this environment. And we fix it by electing a good, decent person, who can unify this country, and bring us back together, and bring us back to the center of what we all want, which is what Ronald Reagan talked about, the American Dream, in that speech at the NAACP that I quoted from earlier. We all have a huge stake in this election. And I'm not going to let anyone scare me from doing my job. I will not be bullied. No one's going to mess with me and take me off of the job at hand and that is to work every single day on behalf of the people of this State. Whether they agree with me or not, I am their Governor, and I am going to do my best to serve them.</s>CUOMO: I got to tell you, it surprises me but you do seem exactly the same. Governor Gretchen Whitmer, I truly wish you and your family safety. And I'm sorry that we're having this conversation at all. But I am happy to - not happy. I am doing my job by making sure everybody understands how real this was. This was not some fat guy on a couch on the internet. This was a really organized effort that is scary by any definition. So Governor, God bless and be well, you and your family.</s>WHITMER: Thank you, Chris. Take care.</s>CUOMO: My eyes keep going down in that interview because I wanted to see the Governor. I can't believe that kind of composure. This is a no BS situation. That's a federal affidavit of proof of indictment. This is heavy stuff! And I'm not angry at you. I'm angry for you. We do this job for you, for you to understand what's happening, and then you make your own actions. I love you. That's what the job's about. It's about loving each other. And this risk is real. Thankfully, the FBI caught it when they did, despite the President playing down domestic terror. "It's only Islam that hates you," what about these cats? There are more of them, and they are scarier, and trying to hurt us, more than anybody else. And everybody's been saying that. And the President keeps trying to resist it. Why? We're going to talk to people who are experts in this area. They will tell you what this kind of threat means, what the messaging does, or does not matter in a situation like this. The reality, from a former Acting FBI Director, and a former top Trump Homeland Security official, next.</s>TEXT: CUOMO PRIME TIME.