Richard Jewell: The 1996 60 Minutes interview — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:0160 minutes rewind Richard Jewell the man
2. 0:06the FBI and the media zeroed in on as
3. 0:09the principal suspect in the Atlanta
4. 0:11Olympic bombing says it's all a lie and
5. 0:14if it turns out that he's right it could
6. 0:17be a very expensive lie when we caught
7. 0:20up with Jewell this week in Atlanta he
8. 0:21said that he and his attorneys were
9. 0:23preparing to sue among others the
10. 0:26Atlanta journal-constitution and some
11. 0:28reporters Tom Brokaw of NBC at the top
12. 0:31of their list and conceivably the FBI
13. 0:34does Richard Jewell have a case was he
14. 0:38libeled that's what we went to Atlanta
15. 0:40to find out were you gonna sue myself
16. 0:43and my attorneys are looking at everyone
17. 0:45and anyone who has said libelous things
18. 0:51who have done things to me and my mother
19. 0:55it was the first time Julie spoken since
20. 0:58he was fingered as the principal suspect
21. 1:01in the bombing that killed one woman and
22. 1:03injured more than a hundred people
23. 1:04before the bomb went off Jewell was
24. 1:06working as a security guard in
25. 1:09Centennial Park guarding the AT&T tower
26. 1:12there when he says that he noticed an
27. 1:14olive-green backpack under a bench about
28. 1:17this size no sir
29. 1:19probably bigger yes sir two foot by
30. 1:20three foot probably and he says he
31. 1:22became concerned when a group of men
32. 1:25who'd been drinking near that bench left
33. 1:27the area without the bag Jules says he
34. 1:30alerted another officer he turned around
35. 1:32went back over them a conversation took
36. 1:35place where more or less they said it
37. 1:38wasn't theirs he came back he said they
38. 1:41say it's not theirs nice what's funny
39. 1:43they've been sitting on top of it for
40. 1:44about 30 45 minutes at that point we
41. 1:48upgraded it to a suspicious package a
42. 1:50federal agent from ATF Alcohol Tobacco
43. 1:53and Firearms was called to the scene he
44. 1:56crawled under the bench and with his pen
45. 1:59light he was he was laying flat on his
46. 2:01stomach and he was undoing the top of
47. 2:03the bag with his hand and he was doing
48. 2:05his flashlight like this and all of a
49. 2:07sudden he just froze and he tensed up
50. 2:10and he just rolled not even moving his
51. 2:14own
52. 2:14he just rolled out of the way when he
53. 2:17rolled out of the way he jumped up and
54. 2:19ran over to the other agents that were
55. 2:22standing about ten feet away
56. 2:23what really made me think this is uh
57. 2:25this is bad
58. 2:27is there was like a little line in
59. 2:29training that they taught you that would
60. 2:31instill any you know and it was if you
61. 2:34see an ATF agent running you better be
62. 2:37in front of me so did you start to run
63. 2:39to mm no sir you stayed there within ten
64. 2:43yards of where the package was and yes
65. 2:46sir we were just concerned with getting
66. 2:48the people as far away as we could as
67. 2:51quickly as we could and you know what
68. 2:54what has been a real pain for me is
69. 2:59several of the officers were my friends
70. 3:02and I had gotten a note quite a few of
71. 3:06them and when the blast finally did go
72. 3:11off these guys had put their bodies
73. 3:17between them and the people and the
74. 3:22benches that wouldn't move in the in the
75. 3:25package they put their bodies straight
76. 3:27in line with those people that they were
77. 3:30trying to get moved and when I was
78. 3:32knocked down as I was getting up I
79. 3:34looked and two of those guys were flying
80. 3:36through the air and I still haven't
81. 3:42gotten to see them since this happened
82. 3:46what do you mean you haven't gotten a
83. 3:47chance to see them think excuse me well
84. 3:55it would be a career-ending thing for
85. 3:57them if somebody that the FBI suspects
86. 4:00of doing a bomb showed up on their
87. 4:01doorstep to see how they were doing
88. 4:03their their life would be investigated
89. 4:06like - man I wouldn't wish that on any
90. 4:09of my friends Sir Richard Jewell was he
91. 4:13a villain or a hero it was a story that
92. 4:16fewer reporters could resist I don't
93. 4:18know if you ever saw this
94. 4:22that's right I didn't see ya what's your
95. 4:25reaction to it
96. 4:28probably sold some papers that day the
97. 4:31Atlanta Journal was the first to report
98. 4:34that you were a suspect but not only
99. 4:37that they said that you fit the profile
100. 4:40of a lone bomber a frustrated police
101. 4:43wannabe who wanted to become a hero
102. 4:45suggesting that you planted the bomb
103. 4:48yourself so that you could come off as a
104. 4:51hero now when you read that kind of
105. 4:53thing about yourself that's all Allah
106. 5:00whatever I'll sell or keep the story in
107. 5:03the news is what they've been saying the
108. 5:05journal also reported the jewels sought
109. 5:07publicity for himself in a series of
110. 5:09interviews TV and print after the
111. 5:12bombing fact is a public relations man
112. 5:15for AT&T Bryant Steele told us it was
113. 5:18the media not jeweled who requested
114. 5:20those interviews and still told us it
115. 5:22was his idea not jewels to give an
116. 5:24interview to the Atlanta Journal AT&T
117. 5:27was the company that had hired the
118. 5:29security firm jewel worked for the
119. 5:32journal also reported that investigators
120. 5:34believed jewel was the bomber and that
121. 5:36he made a 911 about the bomb before it
122. 5:40exploded matures attorneys later
123. 5:42demonstrated that the call was made
124. 5:44while jewel was still clearing
125. 5:46spectators from Centennial Park the
126. 5:49journal and other media also delved into
127. 5:52jewels past you worked for a while at
128. 5:55Piedmont College right about a year yes
129. 5:57with the campus cop you were forced to
130. 6:00resign from that job am I wrong I was
131. 6:02asked to resign yes the president of the
132. 6:05college told the FBI jewel lost his job
133. 6:07there because of his overzealous police
134. 6:10work that was in the journal too but the
135. 6:13truth says jewel is that authorities at
136. 6:15the college were upset because he made
137. 6:18arrests for drugs and drunk driving
138. 6:19there and the college was small they
139. 6:23didn't want their name in the paper by
140. 6:25me making any arrests
141. 6:27the college president declined to talk
142. 6:29to us Lyn Ward is one of Richard
143. 6:31Jewell's attorneys who are you going to
144. 6:33sue well we have
145. 6:36said we're looking at everyone from A to
146. 6:37Z anyone that said anything false about
147. 6:39Richard Jewell anyone that was
148. 6:41responsible in the news we start with a
149. 6:44and we expect a suit first the Atlanta
150. 6:47journal-constitution
151. 6:48they published a lot of information
152. 6:51trying to prove that he was the bomber
153. 6:54information that we believe to be false
154. 6:56the editor of the Atlanta
155. 6:58journal-constitution agreed to talk to
156. 7:00us about the papers coverage but then
157. 7:02abruptly he cancelled the interview he
158. 7:05sent us this fax instead our reporters
159. 7:08have done an excellent job of reporting
160. 7:10the bombing editor Ron Martin said we
161. 7:13stand proudly behind our coverage
162. 7:15attorney would also said he's preparing
163. 7:18to sue NBC for the comments anchorman
164. 7:21Tom Brokaw made during the network's
165. 7:22primetime Olympics coverage the
166. 7:25speculation is that the FBI is close to
167. 7:28making the case in their language they
168. 7:29probably have enough to arrest him right
169. 7:31now probably enough to prosecute him but
170. 7:34you always want to have enough to
171. 7:35convict him as well there's still some
172. 7:36holes in this case when Tom Brokaw makes
173. 7:39those kinds of statements the
174. 7:42insinuation is that they've got their
175. 7:45man and their man is Richard Jewell
176. 7:46interestingly Richard Jewell has never
177. 7:50been arrested
178. 7:51certainly not tried and will never be
179. 7:53convicted Richard Jewell's an innocent
180. 7:55man that tape indicates that mr. Brokaw
181. 7:58thought otherwise that night Tom Brokaw
182. 8:01gave us an answer to attorney Lynn woods
183. 8:03charge you know my job is to report what
184. 8:06we're able to find out about what was a
185. 8:08crisis in Atlanta that they had that
186. 8:11they were focusing their investigation
187. 8:12on this one man and why in the course of
188. 8:17a conversation with Bob Costas if they
189. 8:19were doing that had they not arrested
190. 8:20him I reflected for him what the
191. 8:22theorizing was in the law-enforcement
192. 8:23community and then I pointed out that
193. 8:26this had been the speculation and
194. 8:28finished that conversation with Bob
195. 8:30Costas by saying everyone please
196. 8:33understand absolutely he is only the
197. 8:37focus of this investigation he's not
198. 8:39even a suspect yet Brokaw told me he had
199. 8:42knowledgeable sources for his report at
200. 8:44three federal agencies I will tell you
201. 8:47that they were very high ranking
202. 8:50federal law enforcement officials in
203. 8:52Washington and in Atlanta who leaked
204. 8:55Richard Jo's name to the Atlanta Journal
205. 8:57we do not know the name of the specific
206. 9:00individual but it's our information that
207. 9:03it was an FBI agent who leaked the story
208. 9:05and the basic background information to
209. 9:08the Atlanta Journal who then took that
210. 9:10information and received confirmation of
211. 9:13the story from the Atlanta Police
212. 9:14Department the story will continue after
213. 9:18this
214. 9:22the FBI refused to discuss its
215. 9:25investigation refused to save where the
216. 9:27jewel is still a suspect and refused to
217. 9:29discuss the leak they wanted something
218. 9:31very public if they wanted something to
219. 9:35be in skin conspicuous they would never
220. 9:37have leaked me to the press have you
221. 9:44ever seen an FBI investigation this
222. 9:46public before I can't remember ever
223. 9:50seeing one ever during the Olympics Joel
224. 9:53was staying at the apartment of his
225. 9:55mother Bobby I felt like it was a movie
226. 9:58production every light there must have
227. 10:00been 20 satellite trucks in our parking
228. 10:04lot I'm living a nightmare as the media
229. 10:08watch Jewel and his mother were forced
230. 10:10out of the apartment while the FBI
231. 10:12searched for evidence inside what'd they
232. 10:15take out of your apartment
233. 10:16they took Richard's guns which he has
234. 10:19always hunted he deer hunts then they
235. 10:22took all of my Tupperware I mean every
236. 10:26piece of Tupperware
237. 10:27they took twenty-two of my Walt Disney
238. 10:31tapes attorney Watson Bryant also
239. 10:34represents Jules he's been his friend
240. 10:36for ten years
241. 10:37is there any action you can take against
242. 10:39the FBI if they didn't have probable
243. 10:41cause to search Richards in his mother's
244. 10:44apartment then you can bet there will be
245. 10:46all over them you mean money damages yes
246. 10:49absolutely
247. 10:50you took a lie-detector test yes sir I
248. 10:53did
249. 10:54my attorneys Gabe gave me three separate
250. 10:58tests and I passed all three if you're
251. 11:00so certain that he's absolutely innocent
252. 11:03of all this why didn't you let the FBI
253. 11:05give the polygraph did I don't trust the
254. 11:07FBI the FBI has told us a number of
255. 11:10stories through this and I don't trust
256. 11:12them one lick I think that there are
257. 11:14people in the FBI or in the Justice
258. 11:17Department that don't give one damn
259. 11:18whether or not Richard Jewell is
260. 11:21actually the bomber Watson Bryant says
261. 11:24the FBI hasn't told the truth about
262. 11:27Jewell
263. 11:27since the day he first heard the jewel
264. 11:29had been taken into custody Bryant
265. 11:32called the FBI looking for Julie
266. 11:34I identified myself as his lawyer said I
267. 11:36understood that they had him and they
268. 11:38deny that he was there a short while
269. 11:40later Bryant called back and did manage
270. 11:43to get through to jewel jewel told his
271. 11:46lawyer the FBI thought he was a hero and
272. 11:49that they wanted his help making a
273. 11:50training film on the bombing and it
274. 11:53occurs to me why in the world is the FBI
275. 11:55need Richard to help them with a
276. 11:56training film for a bombing I would
277. 11:59spoke with him on the phone and him for
278. 12:01me more or less what the heck are you
279. 12:03doing
280. 12:04do you know you're a prime suspect and I
281. 12:07was like no and I basically tell him to
282. 12:09get his ass out of that building as
283. 12:11quickly as possible and I'll see him in
284. 12:13his apartment immediately thereafter
285. 12:14jewel was promptly released and he's
286. 12:17never been arrested but now almost eight
287. 12:19weeks later night and day his lawyers
288. 12:22safe wherever he goes jewel is followed
289. 12:24by the FBI when jewel goes out for a
290. 12:27drive the FBI is on his tail not just
291. 12:30that one agent in the blue Jeep Cherokee
292. 12:32but a whole FBI convoy giving chase on
293. 12:35the interstate and off a total of five
294. 12:38or six FBI vehicles how do you know that
295. 12:41they're FBI because they followed me
296. 12:43from my house they follow me everywhere
297. 12:45I go I mean I know what time the shift
298. 12:47change is they followed me on foot when
299. 12:50I went to Sears to buy a light bulb from
300. 12:52a mother's nightlight that went out deep
301. 12:55down do you think you will ever get a
302. 13:00job as a cop no sir and that's something
303. 13:05I'm having to deal with every day I
304. 13:07don't think I'll ever get to do the job
305. 13:10that I love again Jay Leno called you
306. 13:13unit doofus a federal agent was quoted
307. 13:16as saying you were unit Bubba your
308. 13:17mother was called the UNAM mama yes her
309. 13:22mr. president
310. 13:26please you finally held a
311. 13:33press-conference
312. 13:34yes sir why it has to end we have done
313. 13:38everything they've asked what do you
314. 13:41want now I mean if there's something we
315. 13:44haven't done what is it why do they keep
316. 13:47going on and on and on the FBI got what
317. 13:51it wanted it got the image of we have
318. 13:55our man and we have him quickly the
319. 13:57media got what it wanted it got a
320. 13:59dramatic headline everybody got what
321. 14:02they wanted the problem is they threw
322. 14:05over the side an innocent man Richard
323. 14:07Jewell and they've permanently destroyed
324. 14:08parts of his life damaged his life
325. 14:11people will never forget my name people
326. 14:15will be 90 years old that we're at the
327. 14:17Olympic Games and go do you remember
328. 14:19when that bomb went off that Jill fella
329. 14:21that they accused - that you remember
330. 14:23that and people are we going yeah I
331. 14:25remember that can you believe all that
332. 14:27it will never answer by the way mrs.
333. 14:32Jill says the FBI has still not returned
334. 14:35her Tupperware or her disney tapes