speaking out for the first time since the indictments were unsealed on monday, charging five people in the shootout that resulted in the death of agent terry. the shootout, which happened in december of 2010. now, two guns were found at the scene of terry's murder. guns that months earlier, the u.s. government allegedly knew and allowed to be bought by known criminals. four of the five men charged in agent terry's murder are still at large, presumably in mexico. we have pictures of three of them. federal authorities are offering up to $1 million for information leading up to their arrest. brian terry's mother and cousin joining us exclusively in just a moment. but first, keeping them honest. there's question about why the justice department waited eight months to go public with the charges. >> i applaud what they're doing, but i condemn the timing. it's very clear the timing has everything to do with the house of representatives holding eric holder in contempt. >> congressman issa went on to call monday's announcement another example, quote, of using politics over good policy. keeping them honest, we asked jeffrey toobin about the timing of this. he said an eight-month gap between indictment and press conference is unusual, but jeff said there may be good reasons to keep indictments sealed that long, such as the one laid out by the u.s. attorney handling the case. >> when we are conducting covert operations, it benefits us to have the names of the defendants we are looking for sealed and not available to the public. >> so were there good law enforcement reasons to keep these indictments sealed for eight months? possibly. was there also a political or public relations component to monday's announcement? also very possible. we have no clear answer to chairman issa's allegation tonight. nor for this allegation levelled by issa and republican senator charles grassley. they say the atf has now put these two fast and furious whistleblowers, special agent shawn dodson and pete fraselli under the supervision of a boss who allegely threatened to take them down. in a letter, issa and grassley say their supervisor had it in for the pair. quote, he stated we need to get whatever dirt we can on these guys, the whistleblowers, and take them down. the letter also crites another incident in which it was allegedly said that atf needs to f these guys. with us now are brian terry's mom josephine and his cousin robert hire. appreciate both of you being on with us. josephine, our condolences for the loss of your son, i can't imagine what this last two years have been like, more than two years now. i wanted first of all to get your reaction to the recent indictments the u.s. attorney announced in san diego. >> i think it's a good thing. i'm pleased the way everything is going and i think laura duffy and her team are really doing an excellent job. and i think something good is going to come out of this. >> robert, has anyone from the department of justice given you an indication as to why the indictment is just now being unsealed? >> well, if you mean the department of justice, we talked with laura duffy and her team of prosecutors. we don't talk much with the department of justice in washington. and we have been consulted by u.s. attorney laura duffy and her team of prosecutors over the past year. they even flew to detroit to brief brian's parents, josephine and kent sr., on the status of the case. as we understand it, this investigation has been ongoing with the primary goal of apprehending these four fugitives, and that is the reason that it has been delayed in being announced. >> josephine, as you know, congressman issa has been investigating all of this for some 18 months in his committee. we talked to him on is show a number of times. there's been a lot of political back and forth over fast and furious. a lot of allegations from the left and the right. are you following that investigation very closely? and do you worry that people are playing politics at all with this? >> i think that the death of my son is being saddened from politics to racism. and that's not what it's all about, it's about getting justice for my son and nothing else. >> josephine, what do you want people to know about your son? >> brian was just an all-american kid growing up. he was fun to be around. he was a very positive person. he always liked to be around positive people. he had friends that are true, true friends and are still true friends now. and he was just a person that -- he always wanted to make a difference. and he used to always tell me that he wanted to make a difference. and i think all this coming out in the open with the fast and furious, i think he is making a difference. >> yeah. robert, how soon did you, the family, start to understand what had gone on -- the back story of how these weapons ended up in the shootout? when did you start to be informed about this? it sounds like a lot of people knew about it maybe before your family knew about it. >> well, that's exactly the case, anderson. you know, through leaked e-mails, through the whistleblowers, the family did not know that the weapons found at the murder scene were tied into a atf gun trafficking investigation which eventually became known as operation fast and furious. until two or three months after brian's death. >> wow, two or three months. >> that's correct. even then, it wasn't a government official that gave us that information. it was the whistleblowers going to the media and the reporters presenting this information. and then the congressional investigators looking into it and providing information to the family. and that was a very disappointing aspect. and no one has ever apologized to the family for that or ever explained why that was the case. >> josephine, i mean, losing a son is the worst possible thing for a mom, for a parent. to hear that there was this whole other aspect to it, the guns involved that were supposed to have been tracked and to have not been told that for months, what went through your mind when you heard that? >> i couldn't believe it. i was devastated. i just thought it was something that happened. and when all of this came out in the public, i was in awe. i just couldn't believe that this had happened. >> for you, josephine, what's the most important thing now moving forward to happen in terms of the legal aspects of this? i mean, you want justice obviously for your son. >> yes, i do. that's about the most important thing. i want answers and i want to know why and i don't want it to happen to anybody else's son. >> robert, are you satisfied with the way the investigation has been going, because, again, there has been a lot of politics, a lot of accusations back and forth, a lot of political maneuvering. how you do you see it? >> well, anderson, this has become a very partisan issue. and it shouldn't be. this is about right and wrong. operatiofast and furious, everybody concurs, was a flawed operation in concept and execution. it wasrong. it was a huge public safety concern and it remains a huge public safety concern. and just as josephine said, our worst fear is to open up a paper and read a news story where another border patrol agent has been killed or injured with an operation fast and furious weapon. >> you're still worried those guns are out there? >> they're still out there. there were over 2,000 weapons that flowed from gun dealers in the phoenix area over a 15-month period, and it didn't end until brian was killed. and that's when the operation was put to a halt. and that's just truly a shame. you know, there's now stories out there that say atf did not intentionally want to walk weapons. well, that's baloney. all right, they could have shut down this operation at anytime due to public safety concerns. all right? atf agents in phoenix, in headquarters, they do not work for the u.s. attorney's office in arizona, all right? u.s. attorneys office, yes, they prosecute the cases that are brought to them by atf, but at anytime, they could have shut this case down. and they knew that straw buyers were coming in, young kids, 20, 21 years old on public assistance with shopping bags full of cash to buy weapons for $50,000, $75,000. and these weapons, 100, 200 ak-47s at a time were leaving out the doors of the gun shop. >> without any way to track them down in mexico? >> well, again, that's what the whistleblowers were saying at the time. these agents who raised their concerns to management said we can't allow this to happen and they were toll, discontinue the surveillance, let the guns walk. they're legal purchases is what they were being told. and our point is, it shouldn't have happened. although these were legal purchases, everyone knew these was straw buyers working for the criminal element, namely the cartels in mexico, and these weapons were going to flow to the criminal element, creating a huge public safety concern. it ended up with on december 14, the man who got into the fire fight with brian and his team that night were carrying weapons from operation fast and furious. they ended up killing brian that night. >> and you're setting up a foundation, the family set up a foundation to honor agent terry. our viewers can find that at honorbrianterry.com. josephine, i understand there is going to be a station named after your son? >> yes. the station in frisbee, i think it is frisbee, they just built a new statio and that's where brian worked and did all of his training and that. and september 18 will be the dedication in the brian terry station. >> well, i'm so appreciative for you both coming on and talking about your son and talking about this investigation. we're going to continue to follow it and we hope justice is finally done. josephine, thank you so much. and, robert, thank you very much. >> thank you, anderson. >> let us know what you think. we're on twitter right now @andersoncooper. i'll be tweeting in the hour ahead. also, the office of congressman jesse jackson jr. is finally giving some details about the medical issue he's facing and where he is right now. tonight's developments, also knocking down some rumors we have been hearing. details on that ahead. so i can get three times the coverage. 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[ chirp ] i'm barack obama, and i approved pioneeinbthis message.e.ss jobs visit a sprint store, or call 855-878-4biz. male spirit present.trong it's the priceline negotiator. >>what? >>sorry. he wants you to know about priceline's new express deals. it's a faster way to get a great hotel deal without bidding. pick one with a pool, a gym, a great guest rating. >>and save big. >>thanks negotiator. wherever you are. ya, no. he's over here. >>in the refrigerator? so what i'm saying is, people like options. when you take geic you can call them anytime you feel like saving money. it don't matter, day or night. use your computer, your smartphone, your tablet, whatever. the point is, you have options. oh, how convenient. hey. crab cakes, what are you looking at? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. we mentioned the top of the hour, we're following breaking news. we just got word about jesse jackson jr.'s medical condition. the son of the reverend jesse jackson has been on medical leave from congress for more than a month now. just before air time his office released the following statement from his doctor. the congressman is receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder. he's responding positive to treatment and is expected to make a full recover. this followed weeks of speculation today, calls for the family to go public. kate bolduan joins with us more. do we know what that means? a mood disorder? >> it seems to be vague. it's a vague detail. that could fit into many categories, anderson. there's more details, we hope, but there has not been a lot of information surrounding the congressman and his condition to this point. that's why the rumors and speculation has been flying for weeks now since he's taken his leave of absence from capitol hill all the way back to illinois in his district. so much so that even following the doctor's statement that you just read, his chief of staff rick ryan made a point to add, in addition, the rumors about him being treated for alcohol or substance abuse are not true. he's trying to tamp down the rumors that have been flying about what has been going on with the congressman. as you mentioned, pressure has been mounting, even among fellow democrats for the congressman and his family to come forward and disclose more detail about what the congressman has been facing because it's been pretty much an information blackout. listen here to two democrats who themselves said it's time to come forward. listen here. >> people get sick. and when people get sick, they miss work. everybody in america understands that, but i think the family would be well advised to ge his constituents as much information as is appropriate. >> his health is the number one priority. as a public official, though, there reaches a point where you have a responsibility to tell people what you're facing and how things are going. >> and as you see right there from the senior senator from illinois, dick durbin, you're not going to find anyone who isn't sympathetic and feeling for the congressman and his family. but obviously everyone is just wishing him the best and for a full recovery, but this information is really big news coming out that they're finally disclosing what he's dealing with. >> yeah, members of the congress take medical leaves all the time. i guess this is different because there was really no information on what it was and he's been gone since june 10. >> absolutely. it's just really the mystery surrounding it all. not only has he been taking the leave of absence since june 10. i've been talking to people on the hill and he hasn't really been seen in committee meetings since late may. so it was really this information blackout that we were hearing from democrats -- i mean, you know, capitol hill is leaky like a seive, so the fact that no one was hearing any details was very concerning a and a real mystery. i mean, even senior house democratic aides were critical of this information blackout. the fact that that no matter what you're dealing with, you need to tell your constituents how you're dealing with it. >> kate, appreciate the reporting. thanks for the update. "raw politics" now. mitt romney went looking for support at the naacp's convention today in houston. membering welcoming with applause, but turning skeptical at some of his claims that if elected he would do more for african-americans than president obama has. >> if you want a president who will do more for the african-american community, you're looking at him. take a look. >> well, the crowd taking mild exception to that claim. you can interpret it for yourself. but getting worked up a lot over this comment. >> i'm going to eliminate every nonessential expensive program i can find. that includes obama care, and i'm going to work to reform and save -- [ booing ] >> i wouldn't characterize that reaction. you can describe it for yourself. on fox news, governor romney said he got hidden strength among african-american voters. >> i spoke with a number of african-american leaders after the event and they said, you know, a lot of folks still want to say they're going to vote for barack obama, but they're disappointed in his lack of policies to improve our schools, disappointed in urban policy. disappointed in the economy. 14.4% rate of unemployment among african-americans today. >> he said he found hidden support. if you look at the poll numbers, it is hard to find any evidence of hidden support among african-americans. john mccain got 4% of the african-american vote in 2008. latest polling shows not much difference today, slightly more frankly for mitt romney. let's dig deeper now on how this may play out in november. here's john king. anderson, imagine you get to run a lap or two before your opponent gets to start the race. or the game is football and you're spotted 15, 16-point lead before the game even starts. that is essentially what is happening because of president obama's lopsided advantage among african-american and other minority voters. let's take a look at african-americans, the key battleground today as governor romney went to the naacp. look at this from 2008, 13% of the electorate, african-americans. it's the most solid part of the president's base. vote voted for then senator, now president obama. only 4% for john mccain. governor romney is doing a bit better, but even his team would concede not good enough with african-americans. why does that matter? in north carolina, the african-american vote is critical in many of the most important battleground states. nearly a quarter of the electorate in north carolina, 20% in virginia, double digits in pennsylvania, florida, michigan and ohio. if the president is getting 95% of this chunk of the vote in those states, guess what? it puts governor romney at a big disadvantage in very important states. now add other minorities, this is where you see how this is such an advantage for the president. the president is getting 95% of their votes. 10% latinos, that will be higher. that's the 2008 number. president gets two-thirds. others, asians, native americans, the president is getting two-thirds. if you add all of this up, 28% of the electorate, that's where you get a 15 or 16-point lead for president obama. the only way to offset that is for governor romney to try to dent those numbers big, and then to win huge among the white vote, limiting the president to 38% at most among whites to have a chance to win. anderson? >> all right, john, thanks. interesting to look at that. let's turn to a democratic strategist and pollster for the obama 2012 campaign. also romney campaign adviser tara wald. let's go back to romney's speech at the naacp. he said he expected a rocky reception from the crowd. obviously republicans haven't always gotten a warm welcome from the naacp. john mccain used a very different tone in talking about candidate obama four years ago. he got a pretty good reception from the crowd then. do you think if the governor had taken a similar approach, his policy message may have gotten a different or frankly better reaction? >> well, his policy message actually got overall a good reaction. there were snippets as you played, that did elicit negative reaction, and one or two occasions. but overall there were a number of occasions where his policies did elicit applause and ovation and general consensus of agreement. so i think he actually has a message that appeals. i think the bigger question or the bigger headline that should be addressed and that is the stark kind of elephant in the room, if you will, is the fact that president obama wasn't there to address the crowd. and i think there was disappointment that he wasn't there to address some of the issues that governor rommy did, such as an unemployment rate in the black community of 14.4%, that just jumped this last week alone. in fact, since 2008, has increased by 40%. so when you have governor romney who as the naacp welcomed and accepted and admitted he was walking in -- he was very courageous for coming and presenting, i think that he was absolutely strong and solid and assertive. and at the same time, listened and made sure that all americans, should he b