'He will be missed by all of us': Anderson Cooper remembers CNN's Drew Griffin

>>> WE HAVE SOME STUNNINGLY HEARTBREAKING NEWS TO SHARE WITH YOU THIS MORNING. THAT OUR COLLEAGUE, OUR FRIEND AND TRULY DISTINGUISHED CNN JOURNALIST DREW GRIFFIN PASSED AWAY IN THE LAST 24 HOURS. DREW HAD BEEN WITH CNN FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES. IN THAT TIME HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL JOURNALISM OF THE COMPANY AND IN POLITICS AND SPORTS AN A GOOD MAN AND HUGE PART OF THIS NETWORK. >> HE ASKED THE TOUGH QUESTIONS AS ANYONE WHO WATCHED CNN KNOWS. HE CHASED DOWN FOLKS WHO DIDN’T WANT TO HEAR THEM OR ANSWER THEM. HE MADE A

REAL DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF COUNTLESS PEOPLE. HERE IS ANDERSON COOPER NOW WITH A LOOK BACK AT DREW’S REMARKABLE LIFE. >> IT WAS SO HOT. >> DURING HER NEARLY TWO DECADES AT CNN, HE WAS KNOWN FOR HIS TENACIOUS REPORTING. >> ARE YOU WORRIED YOU’LL BE INDICTED? >> HIS INTERVIEWS WERE UNWAVERING. >> I DON’T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND HOW VOTES ARE CAST COLLECTED IN THIS COUNTRY. >> AND HE GAVE A VOICE THOUGH THOSE WHO DIDN’T HAVE ONE. >> WE DON’T EXPECT IT TO BE EASY. WE DON’T EXPECT THE TRUTH TO BE EASY. >> DREW WAS DEDICATED TO

SEEKING THE TRUTH AND HOLDING THE POWERFUL ACCOUNTABLE. >> WHAT DID YOU CONTINUE TO PUSH THE LIE THAT 2020 ELECTION WAS STOLEN? >> IT IS NOT A LIE. >> YOU HAVE NO PROOFS. WE’VE LOOKED AT ALL OF THE FACTS. >>

HIS STORIES HAD A REAL WORLD IMPACT. >> THEY DON’T RELEASE THE NUMBER OF DRIVERS WHO ARE ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT TO CNN DECIDED TO COUNT UP OURSELVES. >> AFTER THEY QUESTIONS UBERS ABOUT A STRING OF SEXUAL ASSAULTS BY DRIVERS, THE COMPANY MADE SAFETY CHANGES TO THE APP AND REVISED ITS POLICIES. >> EXCELLENT REPORTING, THANKS TO YOU

AND YOUR TEAM. >> DREW EXPOSED SERIOUS ISSUES AT V.A. HOSPITALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, REVEALING A BROKEN SYSTEM, VETERANS DYING WHILE WAITING FOR CARE. >> THIS VETERAN WAS SAYING PLEASE DO WHATEVER YOU CAN. DON’T LET THE V.A. DO THIS TO ANOTHER VETERAN. WE DO NOT DESERVE THIS TIME OF TREATMENT. >> THAT LED TO THE RESIGNATION OF THE V.A. SECRETARY AND AN OVERHAUL OF THE V.A. SCHEDULING SYSTEM. HE COVERED BUSINESS AND TERRORISM, THE ENVIRONMENT AND POLITICS. >> MR. BURCH — >> AND THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE OVER THE YEARS WHO DIDN’T WANT TO ANSWER HIS QUESTIONS. >> PLEASE

TALK TO US, DIRECTOR? DIRECTOR? >> DID THE BACKGROUND CHECKS OF THOSE COMPANIES NOT REVEAL THE FACT THAT YOU’RE ACCUSED TOWARDURE AND MURDER. >> DO YOU KNOW ALEX BURDMAN, A CONVICTED FELON WHO RUNS ONE OF CLINICS AND BILLING THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR SEVERAL YEARS DESPITE THE FACT THERE HAS BEEN COMPLAINTS. >> DREW ONE MOVE OF JOURNALISTS BIG AWARDS BUT THAT NO WHAT MOTIVATED HIM. HE CARED ABOUT PEOPLE AND HOW THEY WERE IMPACTED. WILD HE WAS COVERING THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE HARVEY, HE RESCUED A MAN FROM FLOODWATERS. >> DON’T FALL BACKWARDS. ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? HOLD

ON. HOLD ON. >> HIS JOB AS A CONSTITUENT TOOK HIM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. >> IT WASN’T THAT LONG AGO THAT THESE WILD PAWNEE GRASSLANDS WERE JUST THAT. WILD. NOW, ALMOST EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK, IT IS A GAS RIG. >> AND TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD. BUT HIS FAVORITE PLACE WAS HOME. HE WAS DEEPLY DEVOTED TO HIS FAMILY AND HIS WIFE MARGARET AND HIS THREE CHILDREN,ELLA AND LOUIE AND MILES AND TWO GRANDCHILDREN. DREW GRIFFIN WILL BE MISSED BY ALL OF US. >> OF COURSE THIS IS A LOSS OF A FRIEND PRIMARILY. BUT ALSO A GREAT JOURNALIST

AND IF YOU TALK ABOUT IMPACTFUL JOURNALISM, HIS STORY ON V.A. HOSPITALS, LIKELY SAVED LIVES IN THE WAKE OF THAT SAVED VETERANS LIVES. >> SUCH IMPORTANT REPORTING AND SUCH A COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND TO SO MANY OF US. AND A GIFTED STORYTELLER AND SO DEVOTED TO HIS FAMILY, OUR HEART GOES OUT TO ALL OF THEM. CNN CONTINUES AFTER THIS QUICK BREAK.