QUESTION HE WANTED TO ASK.
CNN DENIES SCRIPTING
ANYTHING.
IN OTHER WORDS, THEY'RE
CLAIMING THAT COLTON HAAB IS
A LIAR.
COLTON HAAB JOINS US
TONIGHT.
COLTON, THANKS FOR COMING
ON.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
BEFORE WE GET INTO ANYTHING.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT EVERYBODY HASN'T
FORGOTTEN WHY WE ARE
ACTUALLY HERE TONIGHT.
I MEAN, WE LOST 17 LIVES
LAST WEEK.
>> Tucker: YES.
>> I ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY PUT
TWO TO REST TO.
ME THAT WAS THE HARDEST
THING TO ENDURE.
NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO GO
THROUGH.
THIS AS LONG AS WE ARE
TAKING THE RIGHT STEPS TO
MOVE FORWARD FROM THIS AND
MAKE SURE THIS DOESN'T
HAPPEN AGAIN, I'M ALL FOR
THAT.
>> WE CERTAINLY HAVEN'T
FORGOTTEN.
THANK YOU FOR REMINDING US
YET AGAIN.
WE THINK THAT THE ONLY WAY
TO MAKE THE COUNTRY BETTER
AND MAYBE PUT A DENT IN THIS
SCOURGE IS TO HAVE A
RATIONAL, THOUGHTFUL
CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT TO
DO NEXT.
AND WITH THAT IN MIND.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> Tucker: YOU WERE PLANNING
TO GO TO THIS EVENT LAST
NIGHT AND TELL ME IF I AM
MISCHARACTERIZING ANY OF
THIS.
>> NOW ARE NOT.
>> Tucker: AT THE REQUEST OF
CNN PRODUCER YOU SENT IN A
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS YOU WANTED TO ASK
ON THE STAGE AND THEY
REWROTE ONE OF YOUR
QUESTIONS?
IS THAT RIGHT?
>> YES, SIR.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS FOUR
DAYS AGO I HAD GOTTEN
CONTACT BY A LADY NAMED CNN.
SHE HAD ASKED ME TO WRITE A
SPEECH.
TOWN HALL.
SO I AGREED.
I FELT LIKE IT WOULD BE THE
RIGHT THING TO DO.
BE ABLE TO GO SPEAK MY PART
AS WELL AS OPEN EYES TO A
FEW THINGS THAT I THOUGHT
CAN MAKE THIS SITUATION A
LITTLE BETTER.
FOR THERE THREE DAYS AGO.
I GOUT AN EMAIL BACK FROM
HER AND SHE ASKED FOR MORE
OF QUESTIONS RATHER THAN A
SPEECH.
I SPEECH AND QUESTIONS I
WANTED TO ASK AT THE TOWN
HALL.
THE DAY AFTER THAT IT WAS
MORE OF JUST QUESTIONS.
SHE ASKED FOR JUST QUESTIONS
THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK.
SO, I GAVE HER MY QUESTIONS
AND THEN YESTERDAY, AT ABOUT
5:15, I MADE CONTACT WITH
HER.
AND SHE HAD ASKED IF I HAD
JUST ASKED HER ONE QUESTION.
SO WHAT THEY HAD ACTUALLY
DONE WAS WROTE OUT A
QUESTION FOR ME BECAUSE IN
MY INTERVIEW WITH CNN, I HAD
TALKED ABOUT ARMING THE
TEACHERS, IF THEY WERE
WILLING TO ARM THEMSELVES IN
THE SCHOOL TO CARRY ON
CAMPUS.
AND THEY HAD -- SHE HAD
TAKEN THAT OF WHAT I HAD
BRIEFED ON AND ACTUALLY
WROTE THAT QUESTION OUT FOR
ME.
SO I HAVE THAT QUESTION HERE
IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO ASK
IT FOR YOU.
>> Tucker: I JUST WANT TO
MAKE SURE I HAVE THIS
STRAIGHT.
SO YOU SENT THEM A LONG, IN
EFFECT, ESSAY ON WHAT YOU
THOUGHT BUT THEY PUT THEIR
OWN WORDS IN THE QUESTION
AND THEY WEREN'T THE SAME AS
THE WORDS YOU HAD SENT IN?
THEY WERE THE PRODUCER'S
WORDS?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THEY HAD TAKEN WHAT I HAD
WROTE AND WHAT I HAD BRIEFED
ON AND TALKED ABOUT AND THEY
ACTUALLY WROTE THE QUESTION
FOR ME BUT NOT WITH THEIR
WORDS EVEN AFTER THEY ASKED
TO YOU SEND IN QUESTIONS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> Tucker: THAT SEEMS
DISHONEST.
>> IT DEFINITELY DID.
THAT'S KIND OF WHY I DIDN'T
GO LAST NIGHT.
ORIGINALLY I HAD THOUGHT
THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE MORE
OF MY OWN QUESTION AND MY
OWN SAY AND THEN IT TURNED
OUT TO BE MORE OF JUST A
SCRIPT.
AND SHE HAD ACTUALLY SAID
THAT OVER THE PHONE THAT I
NEEDED TO STICK TO THE
SCRIPT.
>> THAT'S REMARKABLE.
DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT?
>> I WATCHED A LITTLE BIT OF
IT.
I KIND OF FELT LIKE I DIDN'T
REALLY NEED TO BECAUSE I
KNEW AS SOON AS WHAT HAD
HAPPENED WITH ME THAT IT WAS
GOING TO BE MORE SCRIPTED
AND WASN'T ACTUALLY GOING TO
BE ACTUAL QUESTIONS.
THEN I DIDN'T FEEL THE NEED
TO FULLY WATCH IT.
>> Tucker: SO IF CNN WAS
WILLING TO REWORD YOUR
QUESTION, PUT THEIR OWN
WORDS IN YOUR MOUTH AND AS
YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T WANT TO
GO ALONG WITH THAT DO YOU
THINK THEY DID THAT TO OTHER
PEOPLE LAST NIGHT?
>> ABSOLUTELY, FROM WHAT DID
I SEE, I SEEN A COUPLE
PEOPLE THAT ASKED QUESTIONS
BEFORE DID I LEAVE MY HOUSE.
IT WAS A LITTLE PIECE OF
PAPER CUT OUT.
AND I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT
NOBODY CUT THEIR OWN PAPER
OUT AND WROTE THEIR OWN
QUESTION.
ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY WERE
ALL BASED OFF THE SAME
TOPIC.
SO, TO ME, IT FROM RIGHT
THERE IT SHOWED THIS ISN'T
CORRECT.
WHY DO THEY ALL HAVE THE
SAME SIZE PIECE OF PAPER
WITH A SHORT LITTLE QUESTION
ON IT?
SO, TO ME IT WAS A TOTAL
WASTE OF MY TIME, HONESTLY.
>> Tucker: YOU ARE NOT JUST
SOME PERSON OFF THE STREET.
YOU ARE A SURVIVOR OF THIS
SHOOTING.
AND THE POINT WAS TO LISTEN
TO YOU, TO THE SURVIVORS OF
THE SHOOTING.
WERE YOU SURPRISED BY THE
WAY THEY BEHAVED.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I MEAN, HONESTLY IT WAS VERY
SHOCKING TO ME.
BECAUSE WE JUST WENT THROUGH
SUCH A HORRIFIC TRAGEDY FOR
THEM TO TAKE THAT AND NOW
MAKE SUCH A BIG NEWS OVER
WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR.
VERY UPSETTING TO ME.
>> Tucker: SHOCKING TO US
TOO IN THE ACTUAL JOURNALISM