chuck blazer, an american a former fifa executive committee member who was thrown out of fifa a year or so ago he was being investigated by authorities in the u.s. because of allegations of accepting bribes and having all sorts of unpaid taxes and offshore accounts and it's believed that he became a collaborator, became of an informer and provided information to the fbi and that is why they were able to make such great leaps forward in this investigation. so it's that american member of the fifa organization, chuck blazer that's been critical to this investigation. >> thank you andy, into the next part a lot of people criticize america for its long reach but this tangential relationship in the united states may have done it this time. earlier i talked to kristin saloomey who is outside the federal prosecutor's office in new york where toirnlg loretta attorney general loretta lynch delivered her indictments. >> chuck blazer who is a former member of the fifa executive committee who similarly pled guilty to similar charges in 2013, in relation to a scheme bringing a major soccer tourna

this is a man by the name of chuck blazer. and he was a high-level official with fifa. again, an american. and according to this indictment $11 million in unreported income is what got the attention of the irs. and the irs official at this press conference just a few minutes ago called it the world cup of fraud. this is simply because -- according to this investigation, the 2010 world cup selection of south africa to be host of the world cup, was something that was corrupt. was rigged as part of this bribery scheme wolf. >> because as you know fifa says at least for now they say they're welcoming this investigation. they also say there will be no change in the next two world cups. the 2018 cup will be played in russia russia beat out spain, portugal and england. qatar was the winner of the world cup bid. the world cup bids are part of a separate investigation under way right now, is that right explosive. >> reporter: that is right, wolf. the swiss authorities this morning announced that they're doing a separate investigation into the process that was -- that allowed for

fÚtbol de estados unidos y que colabora desde el 2011 con el fbi en la investigaciÓn criminal es chuck blazere a interior de fifa. >> usted necesita renunciar por todos los escÁndalos. >> la gente y hacer una sedaciÓn para elegir o reelegirlo a blatter por esa plata una cancha donde en África viejo. >> lo que dicen leyes aquÍ estaban hablando de 20 aÑos de cÁrcel. >> suma ejemplo para toda la sociedad mundial mÁs que nada. >> llegÓ la hora de votar en primera voto nociÓn tuvo mayorÍa absoluta por lo que al iniciar la segunda ronda de votaciones el princiÍncipe ali de jordania decide retirarse de la contienda abriendo el camino para cuatro aÑos mÁs para blatter al frente de la federaciÓn el mismo blatter agradecÍa la decisiÓn de la asamblea. >> gracias y vamos fifa, vamos fifa. >> (aplausos). >> a pesar de controversia blatter fue reelegido el viernes en su primer discurso le pidiÓ a delegados que le demuestren al mundo que pueden gestionar la fifa, es lo Último desde zurich aquÍ en suiza de regreso contigo josÉ a los estudios. >> asÍ llegamos al fin de esta ediciÓn de enfoque desde houston, t

. >> reporter: among those already pleading guilty, chuck blazer. blazer who pocketed millions cooperated with authorities wearing a wire to help implicate overs. >> with those charts that the justice department and the fbi trotted out, it looked like a mafia case. >> reporter: none of this is surprising to soccer fans but what is surprising is that it was the u.s. that finally took on fifa. separately swiss officials say they're investigating the awarding of the 2018 world cup to russia. >> organized in russia. >> reporter: and 2022 to qatar. fifa's president welcomed the actions claiming it will help root out corruption in the sport. >> the money is the only language they understand. >> reporter: they stressed the charges are only the beginning. a scandal knocking the world's famous sport off of its feet. >> as for fifa's presidential election still scheduled for tomorrow. european soccer's governing body is calling for a postponement. they say they'll make a final decision today about what is the next step. let's go to politics. and then there we

. >> reporter: among those pleading guilty chuck blazer. blazer who pocketed millions cooperated with authorities wearing a wire to help implicate others. >> with the charts that the justice department and the fbi trotted out, it looked like a fauf ya case. >> reporter: none of this is surprising to soccer fans. what is surprising is that it was the u.s. that finally took on fifa. separately swiss officials say they're investigating the 2018 world cup to russia. and 2022 to qatar. fifa's president welcomed the actions claiming fifa will help root out corruption in the sport. >> once the money is gone it's the only thing they understand. . >> it's still early in the race for the white house, but the stage is already being set for major battles in 2016. carly fiorina criticized democratic candidate hillary clinton who just happened to be across the street. and rick santorum announced he would seek the gop presidential nomination. tracy pots is live for us. it seems like this is getting crowded and colorful on both sides. >> it is and as you s

. >> reporter: among those already pleading guilty, chuck blazer, a former fifa executive credited with soccer's blockbuster success in the u.s. blazer who pocketed millions cooperated with authorities wearing a wire to help implicate others. >> with those charts that the justice department and the fbi trotted out, it looked like a mafia case. >> reporter: none of this is surprising to soccer fans. the allegations of bribery and misconduct date back decades. but what is surprising is it was the u.s. that finally took on fifa. separately swiss officials say they're investigating the awarding of the 2018 world cup to russia. >> in russia! >> and 2022 to qatar over the u.s. and other nations. fifa's president welcomed the u.s. and swiss actions claiming fifa will help root out misconduct in the sport. >> once that money is threatened, that's the only real language that they understand. >> reporter: authorities stress today's charges are only the beginning. a scandal knocking the world's favorite sport off its feet. peter alexander, nbc news, washington. >>> in colorado today jurors got a w

. >> reporter: among those pleading guilty, chuck blazer, blazer who pocketed millions, cooperated with authorities, wearing a wire to help implicate others. >> with the charts that the fbi and justice department trotted out, it looked like a mafia case. >> reporter: none of this is surprising to soccer fans. the allegation of bribery date back. but what is surprising is that it was the u.s. that finally took on fifa. separately, swiss officials say they're investigating fifa's awarding of the 2018 world cup to russia. and 2022 to qatar, over the u.s. and other nations. fifa's president welcomed the actions. hoping it will root out corruption in the sport. >> once money is threatened, that's the only language they understand. >> reporter: a scandal knocking the world's favorite sport off its feet. peter alexander, washington. >>> it's still early in the race for the white house, but the stage is already being set for major battles in 2016. gop underdog carly fiorina criticized hillary clinton who just happened to be across the street. meanwhile, rick santorum announced he would once aga

one of their former general secretaries chuck blazer is thought to be helping the fbi in their investigations and it's alleged that he recorded conversations between himself and fifa officials that have dare we're seeing the result of this today. these raids and these arrests and this ongoing investigation. >> it's interesting. it's a double-blow for fifa. you have the six officials arrested on bribery charges as well as that criminal investigation that's been opened into the 2018 and 2022 world cups. you talked about that as well. really ruling out any sort of revote for the 2018 and 2022 world cups when he was asked by one of the journalists. >> it's important to say it. on the 18th of november they asked us to launch this investigation into the bidding process for russia and qatar, but it was to do with isolated cases of corruption. it wasn't to do with the overall bids and he was very clear to say, de greg row, that nose world cups will go ahead. the gar see yoo reports decided small transgressions but there was nothing regarding the bids for the world cups and nothing has changed. >> tha

interestingly last year it was reported that chuck blazer a former fifa executive committee member was a confidential informant for the fbi and the irs in the united states. it's alleged that he recorded key meetings involving senior fifa officials. now, it's probably thought that these are the reasons for the events we've been seeing today. that the discussions that blazer is having with the fbi are bearing fruit and possibly involving those votes for the 2018 and 2022 world cups. >> how will the arrests affect friday's presidential vote? >> we were speaking before. i said i don't think it would affect it because fifa will want it to go ahead. 209 fifa members in zurich. i've heard insiders are saying that the president is actively lobbying for postponement for friday's election. if that's the case it's huge. it shows you how serious he takes these allegations today. >> a developing story. we'll keeping an eye on it. thank you very much. >>> three suspected isil suicide bombers attacked an army convoy northeast of fallujah. that is in anbar province. that is where the iraqi security f

tax authorities have gone after chuck blazer that has resulted in the arrests.ing of it hugely significant bearing in mind that seth bladder is up for reelection on friday. >> and you say significant timing, as well as hugely embarrassing for the organization andy, but what does all of this mean for the governing body? >> reporter: well being i think we are still awaiting the fallout of it. if you look back to 2010 when fifa executive committee made the decision to award the 2018 and 2022 world cups to qatar and russia members of that fifa executive committee, i would say about a third of them now have either left fifa because of corruption allegations, two of them were actually thrown off the fifa executive committee before that vote was everybody made because they were caught asking for money in exchange for their vote. there have been allegations of corruption swirling around fifa for years. the last couple of years there has been an investigation by fifa's own ethics committee headed by u.s. lawyer michael garcia. that concluded that there was no serious wro

chuck blazer was key to the massive and just revealed corruption probe into the soccer organization. the "new york daily news" outlined his life of wealth including a $6,000 a month apartment just for his cats. and the crimes of not paying income taxes, coordinating bribes and take kick backs. blazer turned informant in 2011 but pleaded guilty to a number of thrownfelonies. >>> back to politics now. and how much influence a global leader will have on 2016. now more on republican politics and the pope. ♪ >> reporter: in more than two years, pope francis has emerged as an activist who grants ministries to the poor but it's the 78-year-old has declared climate change to be mostly man's doing. >> i think we use too much of mother nature. >> he has encouraged his flock to eshoe large families. >> some think that to be good catholics we have to be like rabbits. no we need responsible parenthood. >> and he has spoken about gay people in a way that some has chosen to construe as an acceptance of same-sex marriage. the pope has recognized palestinian statehood and restore ties with cuba. for

charles "chuck" blazer, u.s.resentative on fifa executive committee from 1996 to 2013 who secretly pled guilty to corruption charges in 2013. he did more, he became an informant, provided documents and wore a wire recording meetings with fifa meetings. if there was wrongdoing, liven, garcia, and blazer and the worldwide case that began in brooklyn. >> john than man repoaw >>> a dove . >> it should be clear we welcome the actions and the investigations by the u.s. and swiss authorities and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that fifa has already taken to root out any wrongdoing in futbol. end of quote there. >> well the fifa corruption scandal points a harsh spotlight on some of the recently named world cup host countries. including russia whose bid for the 2018 world cup is now under investigation. cnn's matthew chance has more on what russian officials are saying about the charges. >> reporter: everyone at the moment is insisting russia will host the world cup in 2018. there has got to be growing co

united states interests, and one of the things that we learned and reported in november was that chuck blazeris investigation made some recordings some secret recordings of his colleagues at the 2012 olympics in london. they outfitted him with a tiny recording device and they were casting a wide net. we saw a list in our reporting of that story, we saw a list of names they were interested in. and they indicted 14 people. >> do you think this is could be a turning point for fifa? just a few moments ago sepp blatter at the beginning of the congress used those words that this could be a turning point. are those just platitudes or is there season to think that maybe this could be? >> well i think regardless of what sepp blatter says this is going to change things for fifa whether for the better or not remains to be seen. it is going to create pressure and sepp blatter needs to lead that organization and for him to be able to do that one thing he is going to need to do is have a freehand. and if he is a potential witness in somebody's criminal defense case in the united states there's going to be

a man by the name of chuck blazer, who was a key fifa official, an american, who ran the soccer federation that includes the united states. according to this indictment, $11 million in unreported income which got the attention of the irs and the fbi, and in turn, he looked into the matter with the top officials, where 14 people are now indicted. people from latino america, c t costa rica and the united states. and the official said this investigation is only beginning and really didn't want to get into the loss of the u.s. to qatar in 2022 to host the world cup. they say that didn't really have to do with this case. but we know from talking to officials that that was one reason why they started looking into this, simply because the allegations were that that process was rigged, ashleigh. >> hold that thought for a moment. paul, look, i have covered a lot of criminal trials in which people come forward who snitched to talk about other people to cut a deal. sometimes they wear wires and sometimes it's just their own testimony. we talked about people today who just talked about their co-consp

. >> chuck blazer is a former fifa official. he's an american. this all begins -- he's the key to this investigation. it begins because he didn't pay his taxes. according to the indictment that was unsealed today in brooklyn, $11 million in unreported income is what got the irs' attention. >> that would get their attention. >> exactly. so the irs begins investigating. they talk to him, and he decides to cooperate, to flip. he decides to wear a wire. he sets up meetings in london with the help of the fbi with some of these officials who are now named in this indictment. these are the types of tactics we commonly see the fbi and irs use with gangsters with the mafia. here we have it being used with the world body of soccer the beautiful game as they call it. >> we heard the sound a second ago from loretta lynch. i want you to piece this together for people watching thinking okay this is obviously a massive global game. the layers of this involve switzerland and qatar. so why is a brooklyn district attorney prosecuting this thing? >> you know she ad

we learned today as part of the unveiling of this big case that chuck blazer secretly pled guilty tos in november 2013 involving his taxes and lots else besides. the evidence he apparently secretly recorded on a secret key chain recorder, the other results turned into blunt allegations today that basically everything up and down the food chain, everything from which countries get to run the cup. everything has for years been for sale. >> in short, these individuals through these organizations engaged in bribery to decide who would televise games, where the games would be held and who would run the organization overseeing soccer worldwide. they did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament. >> it's a weird irony to see the attorney general of the united states. and see those soccer executives face arrest abroad, and extradition to the united states to face charges. the u.s. is thought of as one of the only countries in the world that isn't as in love with soccer as the rest of the world is. as evidence by the fact that we call a whole different sport football. b

. >> there's wide bribery taking place on american soil the lead protagonist, chuck blazer that lived apartment for his own cats. this is an american story that's taking place in america, the crimes have taken place here and if america cracks fifa, it will be the greatest gift to the world since the marshall plant. >> woodruff: an extraordinary story. we thank both of you, roger bennett, frank franklin foer. >> thank you, judy. >> woodruff: this week, the united states changed the way it looks at one our most precious resources, water. the environmental protection agency finalized a new rule about what kinds of waterways it protects, to include things like tributaries. the change has brought both applause and sharp criticism. political editor lisa desjardins reports on what this shift means. >> what can i get you guys? >> reporter: sean o'byrne owns the "great waters" brew pub in downtown st. paul, and the main ingredient in the beer he crafts is local well water. for the past several years a kind of fear has mounted for him that some of the protections initially offered by the 1972 c

chuck blazer is an american that lives in new york. former fifa committee member who pled guilty and turned on fifa and provided evidence. he wore a wiretap at the 2012 olympics. this investigation has been going on since 2011. the question was would the fbi ever provide the goods. we've been waiting four years. it happened today. >> one quick final question. let's be selfish americans right now. with all of this being laid out, did the u.s. lose out on a bid for the world cup because of bribery? >> certainly possible i think. we're going to hear more and more about the bidding process for the 2022 world cup, qatar one. a lot remains to be answered. could very well have been a dirty deal. >> it makes deflategate seem very small. very small indeed. >> there we go. >> to compare this multibillion dollar enterprise to a deflated football -- >>> the white house is defending its defense secretary after he said that iraqi forces do not have the will to fight. but as those forces now try to capture ramadi, isis is fighting back. we'll take yo

. >> oh chuck blazer. this is somebody who longly was seen as a peripheral figure in the global sense but very key in the united states in terms of doing what i think has happened in the 21st century, which is move soccer in the united states from being a tertiary sport to being something that's i think, just below the national football league. ratings for major league soccer compare with major league baseball games in many markets. it's the number one youth sport among children. the ratings for the world cup in brazil last year were through the roof. this is someone who's helped facilitate that change in culture. another thing it opened him up to though was access to millions upon millions of dollars from corporations from brands from sports marketing executives who are trying to get their brands associated with soccer as it reaches a younger and younger and more diverse market. >> but do you think, quickly -- sorry, just final question. do you think this may potentially blow up at locations where fifa is

chuck blazer turned over $1.9 million and expected at the time of sentencing to have to give up moret has been focused on just in the u.s. investigation. so certainly the fines enormous and jail time. >> does sepp blatter resign through this? bring more negative than good to the organization? or is he just so full of himself that he is going to stick it out? >> one of those who is so arrogant he's going to stick it out. either charges are levyied against him or fifa takes action a board of directors, and he's voted out. >> i don't understand how he could argue he was unaware of all this illegal activity? >> and being so defiant about it. if i was his attorney no comment. ongoing investigation, can't comment. at least say that. being so defiant. >> you're begging investigators to find something. >> surrounded by scandal for decades and nothing ever sticks to him, giving rise to the arrogance. >> may change after this thank you both for joining us. great to have you both in. >>> julie, well it's not soccer and not the most graceful competition, but it definitely puts a new spin on hand

officials in charge of the world's most popular sport may not have been charged if not for chuck blazer. according to court filings, the former pleaded guilty to tax evasion in the past. >> not a lot of people have gone up and gone against fifa so at least initially there's been a positive response to u.s.'s initiative to go about doing this. >> nike may also be implicated in the scandal after they found that a company is accused of accepting a bribes. the same year the events described in tin dietment take place. nike says it's cooperating with authorities. gayle? >> all right to. be continued. thank you, vlad. >>> dozen os people in the u.s. and abroad are being monitored this morning to possible exposure of live anthrax. the military mistakenly shipped the deadly agent to labs into nine states and south korea. margaret brennan has more on the pentagon working to secure the samples. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the cdc and the pentagon are trying to figure out how many have been exposed to this deadly biological agent. the batch of anthrax originated here at a u.s. army la

>> they had the help of an insider, chuck blazer an american who led fifa -- one of the fifa organizations actually wore a wire during some of this investigation by the fbi and irs. so he helped them. he had meetings with them and recorded some of this. of course now fifa says in a press conference earlier today in zurich that they're the victim in this whole thing. >> i likely suspect this is going to change the elections on friday is it not? >> it looks like it is. but some of these people who are being arrested are supposed to be showing up to vote on friday michaela. >> my goodness. >> it's incredible. it can't not change the elections. the interesting part is that the head of the organization isn't effected by this. >> everybody around him is. >> funny how that works. evan thanks so much. check back in with you. >>> now to the middle east iraq's sweeping offensive to retake ramadi and the anbar province from isis underway again this morning. but how close are fighters from reversing that enormous military setback? let's get right to senior international correspondent arwa damon monito

officials in charge of the world's most popular sport may not have been charged if not for chuck blazer. hay cording to court filings, the former fifa executive from new york city pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 2013 and cooperated with the justice department in their investigation, including secretly recording conversations with soccer officials. >> not a lot of people have gone against fifa right now so initially there's been a positive response to the u.s.'s initiative to go about doing this. >> reporter: nike may also be implicated in this scandal after the indictment cited a multinational sportswear company bribe a brazilian soccer official for a sponsorship deal. while nike isn't named in the indictment, the web site says the company signed a sponsorship deal with a brazilian soccer foundation in 1996. nike says it's cooperating with authorities. gayle? >> to be continued. thank you, vlad. >>> dozens of people in the u.s. and abroad are being monitored for possible exposure to live anthrax. the military mistakenly shipped the potentially deadly agent to labs in up to nine states

i want to talk chuck blazer a top soccer official in the united states. and how he factors in in the scandal. >> he's been an informant for the fbi for at least two years. he was approached in 2011 by agents from the fbi and irs and he cooperated with the investigation. he had access to all the top figures in fifa and we know for a fact he was recording some of the conversations with them. >> this is unbelievable in the past two years knowing this scandal spans two decades. over $100 million in this. i'm wondering who is going to come out with a movie when it comes to this. why haven't we heard little bits and pieces coming out before this happening, before this coming to light? >> in november, we had a story in the daily news that disclosed there was an fbi investigation in the eastern district of new york. it's a grand jury investigation. strict rules. they were very very careful about it. they went far and wide to collect as much information as they could. >> interesting to hear from so many soccer fans who love the game saying it won't change how they

. >> the man who gave the fbi they needed was chuck blazer.ly had a luxury apartment just for his cats. >> can you trust anything? anymore? >> no. >> it's like soccer man. it's just sad. >> this really is the world cup of fraud. >> i am running for president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] >> they makes seven candidates declared in the gop side, but the republican candidate making the most news today is carly fiorina. did you plan this campaign trip before hillary clinton did? >> well i'm pretty sure i did. >> clinton was shadowed by carly fiorina who cashed the hotel where clinton was speaking. >> she is not trust worthy and she lacks a track record of leadership. >> i may not be the youngest candidate in this race but i have one big advantage -- i've been coloring my hair for years. [ cheers and applause ] >> a lot of people are trapped inside the beltway and they think war is always the answer but i'm asking difficult questions of republicans. do you think the invasion of iraq made it more stable or us more safe? we now have i