[Costello:] Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy who along with his supporters won an armed standoff with law enforcement well, they're now the subject of an FBI probe. You'll remember back in April the government tried to keep Bundy from grazing his cattle on public land without paying a fee so they had this big standoff which involved armed militia members that lasted several days. Cliven's supporters believe federal agents were actually infiltrating their militia groups.
[Frank Lindysthe, Former Bundy Bodyguard:] People up there have a certain look about them. These are military. My belief is federal agents.
[Costello:] A certain look about them. Bundy quickly became a hero among some conservative groups for his stance until audio of him surfaced suggesting African-Americans may have been better off as slaves. Let's talk about the issue at hand. The FBI and these armed militia men. Dan Simon joins us now he's been covering this story; along with CNN law enforcement analyst and former FBI assistant director, Tom Fuentes. Good morning.
[Dan Simon, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning Carol.
[Tom Fuentes, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning Carol.
[Costello:] Good morning. Dan, give us the latest. Are the armed militia people still on the land protecting Cliven Bundy?
[Simon:] They're still there, you know Carol. The mainstream media left after he gave those racist remarks. He lost all credibility with conservative commentators and certain politicians who had supported him. But they are still there. In fact they are organizing another sort of confrontation or protest in Utah this weekend. But the issue at hand occurred back in April on April 12th when you had all of these militia groups, these militia members come to Bundy's defense. Some of them reportedly pointed weapons at the BLM and federal agents who were seizing Bundy's cattle and so what the FBI wants to do is to determine if any laws were broke. If in fact those guns were pointed at officers, what was the conduct of those members? They may look at video they may look at photographs and they are interviewing sheriff officials, they're interviewing BLM agents and obviously they would like to talk to some of those militia members, Carol.
[Costello:] Tom, looking at you, you do have a certain kind of look. I can tell you're an FBI guy.
[Fuentes:] Do I look like a militia guy, Carol?
[Costello:] No, you look like an FBI guy. That's the militia member who says they know that people like you are infiltrating their groups. I mean would the FBI do
[Fuentes:] That's right. I would do a poor job.
[Costello:] I know. Would the FBI do that?
[Fuentes:] No. I think, you know, people with a certain look that's kind of ridiculous. Most of these people out there know each other and know Bundy and know what they're up to. But this particular case, you have the Bureau of Land Management polices federal lands. If it was a national park, it would be park rangers. But in this case, they are out there and they run into this situation with Cliven Bundy and then Bundy supporters come to the scene carrying assault rifles and all kinds of, you know, almost military grade equipment confronting the officers. Now, the problem with that is that that is a federal violation if individuals assaulted federal officers. Now, that's what they're investigating. The FBI does not want to have this exaggerated out of proportion, you know, make this look like another giant confrontation like Waco. They just want to show that they are investigating. They're interviewing the officers. They will try to identify if an individual that came to the scene did something to either assault or threaten a federal officer. That would be the violation.
[Costello:] So Dan, how long do these militia members plan to stay protecting this land that doesn't even belong to Cliven Bundy?
[Simon:] That's really unclear, Carol. I mean I asked some of them how long they plan to stay. They just said well, we'll see how long things go. They are still there it's not quite in the hundreds when it was back in April when you had hundreds of people there. Now it's probably more like dozens. But these people are very anti-government. They hold extreme views and they look at someone like Cliven Bundy as their hero almost like a messiah. So they're going to stick with him through and thin.
[Costello:] Tom Fuentes, Dan Simon many thanks to both of you.
[Fuentes:] You're welcome.
[Costello:] Let's talk a little sports now. Like a wallflower desperately hoping for a dance partner, it was a long, long night at the NFL draft for Johnny Manziel. The guy they called "Johnny Football" watched as another quarterback, Blake Bortles who he went number three in the draft. And Manziel along with his camp waited and waited and waited more than two and a half hours after the draft started. The Cleveland Browns chose Manziel with the 22nd pick in the draft. The Browns fans didn't care about the wait. They're delighted.
[Unidentified Male:] I would have been happy if he had been the fourth pick. That's what I was telling my buddies. But I'm happy. You got your guy. And we got a great quarterback. It's about time we pick a winner for this organization. I'm tired of losing. I'm tired of not having a quarterback. It's a great day for Cleveland. Great pick. It's time for a change. Go Browns.
[Costello:] That was dog town.
[Brian Mcfayden, Cnn Sports:] Yes, that was.
[Costello:] Endless media-driven speculation about the NFL draft is winding down with the first round now in the books. But one big question remains, will a team pick Michael Sam an openly gay player? Brian McFayden of CNN Sports is here to talk about it and joining us on the phone, former Minnesota Vikings punter, Chris Kluwe. Welcome to both of you.
[Mcfayden:] Thank you. Thanks for having me on.
[Chris Kluwe, Former Nfl Player:] Hey. Thanks for having me on.
[Costello:] Hi, Chris. So Chris, I'll start with you. What do you think will happen to Sam? Do you think people are receptive?
[Kluwe:] You know, I think Michael Sam has a good chance of going in the third to fifth rounds which is where he was projected because even though there are going to be quite a few NFL teams who kind of scratch him off because he happens to be gay, there will be several who won't. And he can help their team. He's a project player. And those guys traditionally have gone in the third to fifth rounds which is where Michael Sam should go.
[Costello:] So Brian, have you heard any talk among players or team owners about Michael Sam?
[Mcfayden:] The players all support him. What I've seen on social media and also through the media is that all the players, they do support him. It's not about his sexuality. It's about his performance. He had a poor performance during the NFL combine and other NFL draft days or not draft days but pro player days. The only thing is he's a little undersized. First of all, he's a co-defensive SEC Player of the Year. I mean you're that good. He's definitely going to get signed by somebody. Will he get drafted? Who is to say? But he will get picked up as a free agent for sure.
[Costello:] So Chris, in those combines, I mean the pressure is on this kid like I can't even imagine that.
[Kluwe:] Yes. And I think it's interesting I think there's almost kind of a double standard here because we hear about other players who have had bad pro dates who have had bad combines and people say, you know, look at his game film. That's all that's important. Look at the game film. And yes, having a bad pro day can cause your draft status to slip a little but at the end of the day it's about how you play on the field. Michael Sam showed last year that he can play on the field.
[Costello:] Yes. And I honestly think, Brian, fans don't care one way or another whether Michael Sam is gay.
[Mcfayden:] Especially in the world that we live in now, nobody cares. It's all about the performance on the field. If he's that's good, I want him on my team.
[Costello:] Chris, have we come a long, long way or is Michael Sam going to test the waters even further and we'll find out maybe something bad?
[Kluwe:] I mean we definitely have made progress but there's still plenty to go. Like I said, it won't be it won't be a non-issue. That's horrible English. It will no longer be an issue until Michael Sam is accepted by all 32 teams and not just five or six teams that are willing to take a chance on him now.
[Costello:] So I say good luck to Michael Sam. I would like to just touch on the NFL draft in general now because it's an endless process now.
[Mcfayden:] It's a spectacle for sure.
[Costello:] It is.
[Mcfayden:] Absolutely. I mean yesterday I think it was like the highest ratings in a very, very long time. The way they even introduced players that come out on the stage, everyone is getting all dressed up to the nines just to come to the NFL draft but yes, it's something to watch for sure and over the next few days.
[Costello:] Chris, were you surprised that Johnny Manziel, Johnny Football, went in the 22nd round?
[Kluwe:] No. I think that's one of those things where probably teams looked at his college experience and just the reports of him, you know, partying and going out and stuff. They're like, OK, we know he's a good quarterback and we know he can play. But is he going to be totally committed when he gets to the NFL. And I think there were just teams that they weren't willing to spend a higher pick because they felt they had guys that they need to contribute more but at the end of the day a team that wants a quarterback is definitely going to go get him because he's a good quarterback.
[Costello:] And the Cleveland Browns, they have been yearning for a good quarterback.
[Mcfayden:] For decades they have been yearning. Not since Bernie Kosar have the fans been this excited about a player coming in especially donning those colors.
[Costello:] Yes. I grew up a Browns fan and I love Bernie Kosar. Sad times for Bernie Kosar right now but I'm hopeful for the Cleveland Browns. Chris Kluwe, thank you so much for being with us. I sure appreciate it. And Brian, thanks to you but you're here all the time so I don't even need to thank you but thanks for being here.
[Mcfayden:] Thanks for having me on.
[Costello:] Anytime. Thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello. "@THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA" starts now.
[Michaela Pereira, Cnn:] Jealousy is what may have fueled Donald Sterling's racist rant. New audio, new audio leaked once again, posted on RadarOnline is said to be Sterling explaining himself to an unknown man.