Stefanik shreds CUNY chancellor on antisemitism response, faculty ties to Mahmoud Khalil
During a House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing, Stefanik demanded to know why students were forced to walk under graffiti of a massive swastika for hours while entering the main Hunter College building. While CUNY Chancellor Dr. Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said he believes the symbol is "deplorable," he claimed the delay in leaving it up was because the matter was referred to the New York City Police Department's hate crime unit for investigation.
Stefanik lamented that there was a university investigation, but "no actual action" taken against the CUNY administrator who had responded to the Hunter College director of Jewish studies' request that the swastika be removed.
The administrator, who Stefanik did not name, wrote in an email, "Apologies, but it is not that simple," according to a screenshot of the email displayed during the hearing.
Stefanik further hammered Rodriguez on whether he was aware that Saly Abd Alla, who is CUNY's chief diversity officer, was previously employed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Rodriguez said he was not involved with Abd Alla's hiring decision but admitted that she remained employed by CUNY at the time of the hearing.
"Is it OK from your perspective? Obviously it is to have a former employee of CAIR. Let me remind you, CAIR was a co-conspirator in a terrorist financing case and has ties to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization," Stefanik said.
"So no action, just words here today," the congresswoman said, adding that Abd Alla's salary is paid by New York taxpayers.
"We have the expectations of total professionalism and compliance with all the rules and policies of CUNY. Any employee that breaks our policies or our rules will be investigated," Rodriguez said.
Stefanik responded: "But it obviously doesn't break CUNY's rules to have a senior employee who was previously employed by a terrorist-affiliated organization. That is unacceptable to New York taxpayers. It is unacceptable to American taxpayers."
The congresswoman also pressed Rodriguez on whether he was familiar with CUNY Clear, which she described as the "clinical arm of the CUNY School of Law."
"The CUNY Clear founder and professor is the head of Mahmoud Khalil's legal defense fund. Are you aware of that?" she asked, referring to the anti-Israel activist at Columbia University.
Rodriguez testified that he was not aware.
Though Stefanik did not mention a name, she appeared to be referencing Professor Ramzi Kassem, the founder of the CUNY Clear, or "Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility." Kassem is handling Khalil's defense efforts.
Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student who led the anti-Israel encampment on that school's campus, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in March. The Trump administration cited a rare provision arguing his activism was harmful to U.S. foreign policy. He spent more than 100 days at an ICE facility in Louisiana before a federal judge granted his release amid ongoing deportation hearings. Khalil is seeking $20 million from the Trump administration over his detention.
"Does it concern you that New York taxpayers are paying the salary for the legal defense fund of Mahmoud Khalil?" Stefanik asked. "And I'll remind you who Mahmoud Khalil is. This is the chief pro-Hamas agitator that led to the antisemitic encampments at Columbia, the rioting and violent takeover of Hamilton Hall, the harassment and physical assault of Jewish students."
Rodriguez said the university does not condone any kind of antisemitism, but Stefanik interjected: "But you allow the head of the clinical legal organization and a professor to be the chief legal aid to Mahmoud Khalil and do his legal defense fund."
"Those decisions are made in the clinics, are made in the individual campuses," Rodriguez said.
The congresswoman retorted, "It goes up to you. You are the chancellor."
While Rodriguez said antisemitism wouldn't be tolerated and promised an investigation, he declined to answer whether the faculty member handling Khalil's defense would be fired from CUNY.
"Let me make a prediction. No disciplinary action. This individual is not going to be fired because it's all words. No action. You have failed the people of New York. You have failed Jewish students in New York state. And it is a disgrace," Stefanik said.
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a minute ago
- CNN
Timeline: How prosecutors say James Craig plotted his wife's fatal poisoning
Former Colorado dentist James Craig is on trial for murder, accused of killing his wife and the mother of their six children by poisoning her protein shakes. Angela Craig was 43 when she died in 2023, by which point she'd been hospitalized three times in 10 days with symptoms no one could initially explain. A coroner's report later said her cause of death was acute cyanide and tetrahydrozoline poisoning, with subacute arsenic poisoning listed as a significant condition. Police arrested Craig for first-degree murder on March 19, 2023, hours after his wife was taken off life support. Prosecutors added additional charges against him earlier this year, alleging he plotted to kill four people from behind bars while awaiting trial. As the trial continues, here's what we've learned about the events in Angela Craig's final weeks. February 22-25, 2023: James Craig attends a dental conference in Las Vegas where he meets Karin Cain, a Texas dentist going through a divorce, prosecutor Ryan Brackley said in his opening statement. The two begin a relationship and discuss seeing each other again. Monday, February 27: Craig creates a new email account with the handle 'jimandwaffles' using a computer in an exam room at his Aurora dental practice, according to a probable cause affidavit. The Gmail address was used to conduct searches on arsenic and undetectable poisons, order arsenic on Amazon and make arrangements for Cain to travel to Denver, the affidavit says. February 28: Search queries for 'how to make murder look like a heart attack' and 'a dosage of tetrahydrozoline that is fatal' are in the search history on this day for the 'jimandwaffles' account, according to a forensic exam of the computer from exam room 9 at Craig's dental practice, testified Molly Harris, an Aurora Police detective with the Major Crimes Homicide Unit. March 1: Angela Craig visits family in Utah and attends a genealogy conference with her sister, Brackley said. It was a shared hobby, he said. When Angela Craig leaves for her trip, Craig texts Cain: 'Maybe she will decide to stay gone for a long time,' according to the prosecutor. A search for 'how long does it take to die from arsenic poisoning?' is found in the search history of the computer from exam room 9, Harris says. March 4: The arsenic order is delivered to the Craigs' house, according to the affidavit. March 5: Angela Craig returns home from Utah, the affidavit says. Monday, March 6: After waking up, Angela drinks a protein shake her husband made for her; Brackley said the couple often made them for each other. She works out but starts to feel 'strange.' She texts her husband, 'My stomach feels fine, but my head feels funny and dizzy. Very strange.' James misses the daily 6:45 a.m. staff 'huddle' at his dental office and arrives closer to 7 a.m., when the practice opens, according to testimony from office manager Caitlin Romero. He apologized and said his wife wasn't feeling well, possibly because he had put too much protein powder in the shake he'd given her. He works for a couple of hours but then leaves to take Angela to the hospital, Romero testified. At the emergency room of AdventHealth Parker Hospital, Angela has tests including an MRI, CT scan and bloodwork, but she is sent home after nothing is found, Brackley said. James Craig texts Cain that his wife is at the hospital and says, 'Just for the record, I will never drug you.' He returns to the practice that evening after business hours, according to Romero, who said she frequently stayed there late. Craig said he wanted to be alone and came back 'just to get away for a minute.' Romero said his office lights were off when she was leaving and she thought he'd left again, so she was 'startled' to see him working on a computer in one of the exam rooms with the lights off. She testified that while on her drive home, she received a text from Craig saying he'd be receiving a personal package at work and not to open it. Craig orders oleandrin from Adooq Bioscience, according to the probable cause affidavit. The compound had come up when Craig had searched lists of the world's deadliest plants, Brackley said. Detectives intercepted the package before it could be delivered. There were searches found on the exam 9 room computer on this day for 'visine' and 'tetrahydrozoline poisoning timeline,' according to Harris. March 7: Angela still feels sick and goes to an urgent care clinic but is sent home without a diagnosis, Brackley said. March 8: James Craig orders potassium cyanide from Midland Scientific, according to the affidavit. He notes in the order: 'Hopefully this is in stock and I can come pick it up tomorrow, March 9.' At 10:50 p.m., a credit card belonging to James Craig is used to purchase 12 packages of eyedrops from a King Soopers store in Aurora, according to testimony from a company representative. In his opening statement, Brackley said evidence will show tetrahydrozoline – a medication commonly found in eyedrops – was one of the poisons Craig used to kill his wife. Thursday, March 9: Angela Craig drinks a protein shake in the morning and her symptoms worsen, Brackley said. 'There's a moment on March 9 where her kids find her passed out, fainted,' he said in his opening statement. 'There's a moment on March 9 where she crawls across the floor because she can't get up, and she goes back to the hospital.' She is admitted to AdventHealth Parker hospital and James Craig arrives. She will remain at the hospital until March 14. James Craig receives an order acknowledgement from Midland Scientific for the potassium cyanide, according to the affidavit. He's told it is not in stock, but the company can overnight it to him. An employee then contacts him about additional documentation the product screening team requires for the order. Craig says he is a surgeon performing a craniofacial reconstruction and hopes to publish the results of using potassium cyanide for the procedure in a paper for the National Institutes of Health. The employee reaches out again and says because James Craig is a new customer, the supplier needs an additional day to establish him in their system and process the order. That night, at 10:16 p.m., seven packages of Visine eyedrops are purchased from the same King Soopers store as the day before, using James Craig's credit card, the company's representative testified. March 10: James Craig contacts Midland Scientific to ask about the potassium cyanide shipment and is told it will arrive the next day, according to the affidavit. March 11: James contacts Midland Scientific to ask about the shipment, saying it's 7:30 p.m. and he has waited all day for it at his office, the affidavit says. It is a Saturday. He doesn't receive an immediate response. March 13: The potassium cyanide is delivered to James Craig's office, but another employee, unaware of Craig's instructions to Romero, opens it. Romero testified the employee handed her a silver foil package with a folded invoice from the box it was delivered in. The box was addressed to 'Jim Craig – Personal' and had biohazard stickers on it. She looked at the packing slip and saw it was potassium cyanide. Romero put the items back in the box and placed it on Craig's desk, but said she looked up potassium cyanide online because she'd never seen it delivered to the office before and was unfamiliar with what it was. March 14: Angela is discharged from the hospital. Within an hour of returning home, she starts searching online for the possible causes of her symptoms, Brackley said. That evening, video from the Craigs' kitchen security camera shows James making a protein shake for his wife. Wednesday, March 15: At 9:35 a.m., James Craig texts Angela's sister to make sure she gives Angela a prescription. Brackley said Angela had been on medication (clindamycin) for a sinus infection and alleged Craig had emptied one of the capsules and refilled it with potassium cyanide. At 11:08 a.m., Angela Craig goes to UCHealth Anschutz with severe headache and dizziness, accompanied by her brother. James Craig arrives later. At 2 p.m., she suffers a seizure and rapid decline and is placed on life support in the ICU. James Craig calls Caitlin Romero and says he doesn't think Angela will make it through the night. She testified this was the second time he'd made that comment; she believes the first comment came on March 9, when Angela went to the hospital for the second time. Romero leaves the office around 3 p.m. and calls Jacqueline Calderon, the office manager of an affiliated dental practice, telling her about the potassium cyanide delivery and how Angela's symptoms, as described by James Craig, lined up with poisoning symptoms she had found online. She testifies she didn't mention her concerns on the 13th 'because thinking that somebody was capable of possibly poisoning somebody else – it was not something that I was taking lightly.' Romero then speaks with Craig's business partner, Dr. Ryan Redfearn, and his wife about the potassium cyanide. Redfearn and his wife visit the hospital where Angela is staying, the affidavit says. They speak briefly to James Craig, who steps away for a phone call. While he's on the phone, Redfearn pulls a nurse away and tells the nurse about his concerns that Angela may have been poisoned with potassium cyanide. March 16: Karin Cain visits Denver, a flight itinerary shows. Police speak with the Redfearns. March 18: Angela Craig is pronounced brain dead at 4:29 p.m. CNN's Andi Babineau contributed to this report.
CNN
a minute ago
- CNN
As Trump pushes Texas takeover in fight for House, Democrats plot their counterpunch
House Democrats are actively preparing for political trench warfare against the GOP in next year's midterm battle, with talks taking shape behind the scenes to mount a counterattack against President Donald Trump's power play in Texas that aims to cement GOP control of Washington for the rest of his second term. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his political team have begun privately shaping a legally risky — and likely expensive — strategy to redraw House maps in several Democratic-controlled states, according to Democrats briefed on the effort. They are exploring their plans in California, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota and Washington state in hopes of flipping at least a handful of Republican seats next November. It's a clear attempt to retaliate against the GOP's aggressive redistricting effort to boot out as many as five Democrats in Texas — a move that will get publicly underway this week and one with the potential to give Republicans a major leg up in their fight to keep control of the House. In an interview at Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, Jeffries made clear that his party was ready to respond in-kind to the GOP. 'We have a responsibility of making sure that we look at every single state of the union and do what we can to ensure that we maximize fairness in those jurisdictions,' the New York Democrat said. 'Some of the best and brightest lawyers in the country are looking at every single aspect of what's possible in these states.' It's an extraordinary push from top Democrats, who could soon embrace the kind of GOP tactics that Jeffries described as 'part of a scheme to rig the midterm elections' — especially since the redrawing of congressional maps typically happens only at the beginning of a decade to reflect changing populations and demographics. Even House Democrats privately acknowledge their emerging plan may all be moot if it's fully blocked in court, according to more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers and campaign operatives involved in the discussions. Others are wary of eschewing their party's decadeslong push for fair voting rights and commissions in states that attempt to draw their congressional boundaries free from partisan politics. But plenty more Democrats say they have no choice but to try to fight Trump as they face immense pressure from their base and can't risk being relegated to the minority for two more years — especially since only a handful of seats could determine the next majority. 'We got to fight fire with fire, so I support anything the governor [Gavin Newsom] wants to do,' said Rep. Eric Swalwell, who is part of the California delegation that's been meeting privately with Jeffries on the matter. 'We shouldn't just admire the problem.' Texas Republicans and the Justice Department argue that the move is necessary over concerns that the current maps are unconstitutional and racially gerrymandered. Asked about Jeffries' accusation that the GOP was attempting to 'rig the election,' Speaker Mike Johnson fired back. 'That's ridiculous. Hakeem Jeffries is also playing political games,' the Louisiana Republican told CNN when asked about the Democratic leader's comments. In the interview with CNN, Jeffries specifically called out three states: California, New York and New Jersey. But the party is also looking closely at Minnesota and Washington state, Democratic sources said. And when asked about the push to redraw New Jersey's boundaries, Jeffries said it is 'incumbent upon all of us to take a close look at, how do we ensure that the congressional map, writ large, is as fair as possible in advance of the midterm election?' Jeffries said he plans to sit down with his governor, Kathy Hochul, sometime in August about the maps in New York. The state just redrew its lines last year without any drastic changes to seven seats currently held by Republicans, but Jeffries suggested that more could be done to help Democrats there: 'Let me just simply say the maps in New York are not as fair as they could be.' Rep. Greg Meeks, a fellow New Yorker and a Jeffries ally, was blunter: 'You can't go to a fight where they have a gun and you have a knife.' The Democratic leader and his members have also been in close contact with the California governor, who says he is moving ahead with an expedited push to redraw his state's congressional maps before next November, according to two people involved with the discussions. Behind the scenes, their focus has been on how California can overcome its own law that hands over map-drawing power to a nonpartisan redistricting commission. It's a hurdle that Democrats face in some blue states across the country: Governors and legislatures have awarded power to independent commissions to limit partisan gerrymandering — unlike in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott and state lawmakers have full control. Democrats privately acknowledge this is legally complicated and likely extremely costly, but suggest it is not insurmountable. 'If Republicans want to play by these rules, then I think that we shouldn't have one set of rules for one and the other set of rules for another. I think we need to even the playing board,' New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told CNN. Such discussions in Democratic circles all began in the last two weeks after Abbott declared that he would move forward with asking the state legislature to redraw Texas' maps, at the request of the White House. Trump and his team have said they believe they can squeeze five more seats out of the state — something he conveyed to the Texas GOP delegation last week. (Republican leaders believe it is more likely they can get two or three, according to two people familiar with those discussions.) New seats in Texas — plus an additional two or three seats that could come out of the GOP's separate map-drawing effort in Ohio — may be enough to hinder Democrats' chances of reclaiming the House. Rep. Marc Veasey, who is one of the Democrats being targeted in Texas, told CNN that if Republicans are successful in his state, his party will face an uphill battle to flip the House. 'Obviously it would make it much harder,' Veasey said. 'I think the biggest thing that keeps Trump up at night is losing the majority in the US House of Representatives and having to answer to Democrats and be held accountable.' The Texas Democrat said his party has no choice but to try to make up ground in California, New York and anywhere else it can: 'Hell yeah, I would encourage us to do that. … I think you have to.' Many California Democrats feel the same. 'I don't take anything off the table,' former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN, adding that the state can get its voters to approve the change. 'We would not have any majority in the Congress without that big, vast number [of Democratic seats in California], but we always want more, so one way or another. So I don't take anything off the table.' Rep. Lou Correa of California said the stakes are 'too high' not to try to squeeze out more seats, adding: 'It's gonna be a knockout midterm election like you haven't seen in a long time.' But there are some members — particularly progressives, who have long championed voting rights — who are uncomfortable with the Democratic push. 'I think it is unacceptable and dangerous for essentially what people marched during the Civil Rights Movement for,' Rep. Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told CNN when asked whether states like California and New York should consider the same approach as his own state. And some Democrats who sit in swing districts worry about the fallout. New York Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Long Island, said changing the maps now is 'probably not' a good idea. 'Traditionally people do this every 10 years after the census, so that seems like the normal thing to me,' Suozzi said. But Jeffries predicted that it's the Republican push that is a risky one, contending that changing solidly red districts in Texas — in order to make Democratic districts more competitive — could have the effect of putting more swing voters in GOP strongholds. 'We believe it may actually backfire, and that they may draw lines that endanger their Republican incumbents, who we will have a better chance of defeating in the 2026 midterm election,' Jeffries said. So far, Texas GOP leaders and the White House have shared few details about their soon-to-be-unveiled maps with the state's House delegation. That will change in the coming days, with the state legislature returning for a special session this week to consider them. Texas Republicans are now largely on board with the White House's plan, though one member of the delegation told CNN last week that there is a real fear the White House may overreach and end up creating ultra-competitive seats that Democrats can win. Texas Rep. Pete Sessions — who lost his seat in Trump's first midterm in 2018, just before state Republicans redrew their map to better protect GOP incumbents — is taking a cautious approach. He's been in touch with the White House personally, though he declined to share details of those conversations. 'As you recall, New York did this a year or two ago,' Sessions said, referencing the Democratic effort that ended up costing their party seats after the map faced legal challenges. 'Just because the legislature does something, it's still subject to the law.' Other Texas Republicans are encouraging Trump's team to be even more aggressive. 'I support the governor in his effort because we need to make sure we keep the House. We got to keep the House,' Rep. Troy Nehls told CNN. 'If we can get five, let's get five. Yeah, I'd like to try to get six.' Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who leads the House GOP campaign arm, said he's staying out of the redistricting fight. But he acknowledged that it could bolster his party's chances of keeping the chamber next year. 'Any seats that we gain before Election Day would be nice,' Hudson said. While he said any Democratic gerrymandering effort would be 'out of my control' he also stressed that states like California have vastly different laws than Texas. 'I'll deal with the battlefield that I'm presented, and right now it looks really good for Republicans.'
CNN
a minute ago
- CNN
Timeline: How prosecutors say James Craig plotted his wife's fatal poisoning
Former Colorado dentist James Craig is on trial for murder, accused of killing his wife and the mother of their six children by poisoning her protein shakes. Angela Craig was 43 when she died in 2023, by which point she'd been hospitalized three times in 10 days with symptoms no one could initially explain. A coroner's report later said her cause of death was acute cyanide and tetrahydrozoline poisoning, with subacute arsenic poisoning listed as a significant condition. Police arrested Craig for first-degree murder on March 19, 2023, hours after his wife was taken off life support. Prosecutors added additional charges against him earlier this year, alleging he plotted to kill four people from behind bars while awaiting trial. As the trial continues, here's what we've learned about the events in Angela Craig's final weeks. February 22-25, 2023: James Craig attends a dental conference in Las Vegas where he meets Karin Cain, a Texas dentist going through a divorce, prosecutor Ryan Brackley said in his opening statement. The two begin a relationship and discuss seeing each other again. Monday, February 27: Craig creates a new email account with the handle 'jimandwaffles' using a computer in an exam room at his Aurora dental practice, according to a probable cause affidavit. The Gmail address was used to conduct searches on arsenic and undetectable poisons, order arsenic on Amazon and make arrangements for Cain to travel to Denver, the affidavit says. February 28: Search queries for 'how to make murder look like a heart attack' and 'a dosage of tetrahydrozoline that is fatal' are in the search history on this day for the 'jimandwaffles' account, according to a forensic exam of the computer from exam room 9 at Craig's dental practice, testified Molly Harris, an Aurora Police detective with the Major Crimes Homicide Unit. March 1: Angela Craig visits family in Utah and attends a genealogy conference with her sister, Brackley said. It was a shared hobby, he said. When Angela Craig leaves for her trip, Craig texts Cain: 'Maybe she will decide to stay gone for a long time,' according to the prosecutor. A search for 'how long does it take to die from arsenic poisoning?' is found in the search history of the computer from exam room 9, Harris says. March 4: The arsenic order is delivered to the Craigs' house, according to the affidavit. March 5: Angela Craig returns home from Utah, the affidavit says. Monday, March 6: After waking up, Angela drinks a protein shake her husband made for her; Brackley said the couple often made them for each other. She works out but starts to feel 'strange.' She texts her husband, 'My stomach feels fine, but my head feels funny and dizzy. Very strange.' James misses the daily 6:45 a.m. staff 'huddle' at his dental office and arrives closer to 7 a.m., when the practice opens, according to testimony from office manager Caitlin Romero. He apologized and said his wife wasn't feeling well, possibly because he had put too much protein powder in the shake he'd given her. He works for a couple of hours but then leaves to take Angela to the hospital, Romero testified. At the emergency room of AdventHealth Parker Hospital, Angela has tests including an MRI, CT scan and bloodwork, but she is sent home after nothing is found, Brackley said. James Craig texts Cain that his wife is at the hospital and says, 'Just for the record, I will never drug you.' He returns to the practice that evening after business hours, according to Romero, who said she frequently stayed there late. Craig said he wanted to be alone and came back 'just to get away for a minute.' Romero said his office lights were off when she was leaving and she thought he'd left again, so she was 'startled' to see him working on a computer in one of the exam rooms with the lights off. She testified that while on her drive home, she received a text from Craig saying he'd be receiving a personal package at work and not to open it. Craig orders oleandrin from Adooq Bioscience, according to the probable cause affidavit. The compound had come up when Craig had searched lists of the world's deadliest plants, Brackley said. Detectives intercepted the package before it could be delivered. There were searches found on the exam 9 room computer on this day for 'visine' and 'tetrahydrozoline poisoning timeline,' according to Harris. March 7: Angela still feels sick and goes to an urgent care clinic but is sent home without a diagnosis, Brackley said. March 8: James Craig orders potassium cyanide from Midland Scientific, according to the affidavit. He notes in the order: 'Hopefully this is in stock and I can come pick it up tomorrow, March 9.' At 10:50 p.m., a credit card belonging to James Craig is used to purchase 12 packages of eyedrops from a King Soopers store in Aurora, according to testimony from a company representative. In his opening statement, Brackley said evidence will show tetrahydrozoline – a medication commonly found in eyedrops – was one of the poisons Craig used to kill his wife. Thursday, March 9: Angela Craig drinks a protein shake in the morning and her symptoms worsen, Brackley said. 'There's a moment on March 9 where her kids find her passed out, fainted,' he said in his opening statement. 'There's a moment on March 9 where she crawls across the floor because she can't get up, and she goes back to the hospital.' She is admitted to AdventHealth Parker hospital and James Craig arrives. She will remain at the hospital until March 14. James Craig receives an order acknowledgement from Midland Scientific for the potassium cyanide, according to the affidavit. He's told it is not in stock, but the company can overnight it to him. An employee then contacts him about additional documentation the product screening team requires for the order. Craig says he is a surgeon performing a craniofacial reconstruction and hopes to publish the results of using potassium cyanide for the procedure in a paper for the National Institutes of Health. The employee reaches out again and says because James Craig is a new customer, the supplier needs an additional day to establish him in their system and process the order. That night, at 10:16 p.m., seven packages of Visine eyedrops are purchased from the same King Soopers store as the day before, using James Craig's credit card, the company's representative testified. March 10: James Craig contacts Midland Scientific to ask about the potassium cyanide shipment and is told it will arrive the next day, according to the affidavit. March 11: James contacts Midland Scientific to ask about the shipment, saying it's 7:30 p.m. and he has waited all day for it at his office, the affidavit says. It is a Saturday. He doesn't receive an immediate response. March 13: The potassium cyanide is delivered to James Craig's office, but another employee, unaware of Craig's instructions to Romero, opens it. Romero testified the employee handed her a silver foil package with a folded invoice from the box it was delivered in. The box was addressed to 'Jim Craig – Personal' and had biohazard stickers on it. She looked at the packing slip and saw it was potassium cyanide. Romero put the items back in the box and placed it on Craig's desk, but said she looked up potassium cyanide online because she'd never seen it delivered to the office before and was unfamiliar with what it was. March 14: Angela is discharged from the hospital. Within an hour of returning home, she starts searching online for the possible causes of her symptoms, Brackley said. That evening, video from the Craigs' kitchen security camera shows James making a protein shake for his wife. Wednesday, March 15: At 9:35 a.m., James Craig texts Angela's sister to make sure she gives Angela a prescription. Brackley said Angela had been on medication (clindamycin) for a sinus infection and alleged Craig had emptied one of the capsules and refilled it with potassium cyanide. At 11:08 a.m., Angela Craig goes to UCHealth Anschutz with severe headache and dizziness, accompanied by her brother. James Craig arrives later. At 2 p.m., she suffers a seizure and rapid decline and is placed on life support in the ICU. James Craig calls Caitlin Romero and says he doesn't think Angela will make it through the night. She testified this was the second time he'd made that comment; she believes the first comment came on March 9, when Angela went to the hospital for the second time. Romero leaves the office around 3 p.m. and calls Jacqueline Calderon, the office manager of an affiliated dental practice, telling her about the potassium cyanide delivery and how Angela's symptoms, as described by James Craig, lined up with poisoning symptoms she had found online. She testifies she didn't mention her concerns on the 13th 'because thinking that somebody was capable of possibly poisoning somebody else – it was not something that I was taking lightly.' Romero then speaks with Craig's business partner, Dr. Ryan Redfearn, and his wife about the potassium cyanide. Redfearn and his wife visit the hospital where Angela is staying, the affidavit says. They speak briefly to James Craig, who steps away for a phone call. While he's on the phone, Redfearn pulls a nurse away and tells the nurse about his concerns that Angela may have been poisoned with potassium cyanide. March 16: Karin Cain visits Denver, a flight itinerary shows. Police speak with the Redfearns. March 18: Angela Craig is pronounced brain dead at 4:29 p.m. CNN's Andi Babineau contributed to this report.
