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Benghazi Is Hillary's Biggest Regret; Hillary Still Not Thinking About 2016; Rand Paul Responds To Question On Lewinsky; Work Together Or I'll Act Alone; Small Blast At Manhattan Office Building; What's Happening On Capitol Hill; Rep. Trey Radel Resigning; Mall Reopens in Columbia, Maryland

Aired January 27, 2014 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, Hillary Clinton opening up, sharing what she calls her biggest regret and some of her plans for 2016.

Also right now, the president and his team polishing up his State of the Union address in the speech, job creation, immigration, a path forward that doesn't include Congress, necessarily.

And right now, a Maryland mall is reopening 48 hours after two store workers were shot and killed. We have a brand-new video coming in that shows us the crime scene.

Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting from Washington. We start with Hillary Clinton and the main stage in New Orleans. She was there to talk to the National Automobile Deals Association. And while she did touch on the history of her 1963 Oldsmobile Cutlass, she also spoke about a few more talked-about subject.

Our Athena Jones is in New Orleans for us. Athena, the meat of this appearance really seemed to come in the Q and A session that followed her formal remarks.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. She spoke for about an hour between that speech which had a lot of car references in it and the question and answer session which went on for some time. It was before a packed crowd, a room of 4,000. All the seats were taken that we could see. And she was asked during the Q and A about anything she would do over. Any do-overs she wanted during at the -- during her time at the State Department. She brought up the attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: You know, my biggest, you know, regret is what happened in Benghazi. And it illustrated one of the biggest problems that I faced as secretary of state. We have a lot of dangerous locations where we send not our military, but our civilians. And they go in. They have language skills often. They try to assess what's going on in the area. But they are vulnerable. We had a very small outpost there. The CIA had a very big well- defensed one. Two of our people died at the outpost. Two died on the roof of the CIA annex.

So, you know, it's a constant balancing. And, you know, I had to do that all of the time, and obviously it was a great personal loss to me since I sent Chris Stevens to Libya the first time. And we're watching what happens when a country is so abused and misused by a dictator for so long and there's no real infrastructure. There's no government that functions. There's no military with a military tradition that can stand up against terrorists and militia. So, it's a -- it's a dangerous world that we're in. And we have to be constantly asking ourselves, what's the best decision?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So there you heard her speak quite extensively about Benghazi. And, Wolf, I should mention, it's not uncommon to see the secretary of state speaking at these trade association meetings or at universities. But this was pretty special because they allowed cameras in which they haven't been doing a lot of recently. And so, it was great for us to be able to be inside and listen to that long Q and A and hear that long answer.

BLITZER: Always good to hear what she has to say. Did she speak at all about a possible 2016 presidential run?

JONES: Well, of course, she did. She was asked about this at the end of that Q and A session. And many of us have been waiting for a clear answer on this. Here's what she said to David Westcott. He was asking her these questions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I'm not thinking about it. I've tried to get other people not to think about it. I'll think about it, you know, in the future sometime. But right now, let's deal with what we have to do to continue building on our success.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So, there you have it. Still not a yes or no answer. And, of course, she is going to keep being asked that question until she does give a definitive answer -- Wolf.

BLITZER: A lot of other people are, in fact, not only thinking about it, they're doing a lot of stuff about it, as we know, as well. Athena, thanks very much.

Let's discuss with our Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger who is here. Certainly it's not the first time Hillary Clinton has said some of these things. But on Benghazi, the fact that she said this was her biggest regret during her four years as secretary of state, what do you make of that?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think she's sort of road testing her answers now on Benghazi because, clearly, that's a political issue. It's been a political issue in the Congress. And what was -- what was most interesting to me about what she said is that she talked about the decision-making process which is what you think about when you want to consider somebody in terms of the presidency and making those decisions in the Oval Office. And she said you make these choices based on what she called imperfect information to the best of your ability.

So, you can see what she is saying here, Wolf, is, look, we didn't have all of the information we needed to have. She talked about this large CIA outpost that was there. Now she can talk about it. And it's very clear that what she is going to say is, look, we just didn't have all the facts and information, and we did what we thought was appropriate at the time, and she said she regrets it.

BLITZER: You know, another sensitive subject came up yesterday on "MEET THE PRESS" and it involved her husband, the former president, Bill Clinton, the whole Monica Lewinski scandal. Senator Rand Paul was a guest on "MEET THE PRESS" and he was talking about how Democrats are failing in their effort to portray Republicans as waging a war on women. The comments about Lewinski came in his answer to a question. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID GREGORY, HOST, NBC, MEET THE PRESS: And an interesting profile in "Vogue" magazine, including this analysis. While her husband jokes, meaning you, that his gut feeling is that Hillary Clinton will not run for president is a good thing, since all the polls show her trouncing any opponents. Kelly, the wife of Senator Rand Paul, practically cuts him off to say that Bill Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky should complicate his return to the White House, even for his spouse. I would say his behavior was predatory, offensive to women, she tells me. Are these issues something that you really think will be fair game and an appropriate part of a campaign should she be a nominee?

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: Well, you know, I mean, the Democrats, one of their big issues is that concocted and says Republicans are committing a war on women. One of the workplace laws and rules that I think are good is that bosses shouldn't prey on young interns in their office. And I think really the media seems to be -- have given President Clinton a pass on this. He took advantage of a girl that was 20 years old and an intern in his office. There is no excuse for that. And that is predatory behavior and it should be -- it should be something we shouldn't want to associate with people who would take advantage of a young girl in his office. This isn't having an affair. I mean, this isn't me saying, oh, he's had an affair. We shouldn't talk to him. Someone who takes advantage of a young girl in their office? I mean, really. And then they have the gall to stand up and say Republicans are having a war on women? So, yes, I think it's a factor. And that's not Hillary's fault. And, I mean, --

GREGORY: But it should be an issue --

PAUL: But it is a factor in judging Bill Clinton in history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: So, Gloria, could the Lewinski scandal come back to haunt Hillary Clinton if she decides to run for president in 2016?

BORGER: Well, it sure sounds like the senator thinks so. I mean, he did go out of his way to say it's not Hillary's fault. But then, he also added -- this is what interested me. He said, with regard to the Clintons, sometimes it's hard to separate one from the other. And I think if you want to attract women into the Republican Party, this may not be the way to do it, because I think saying you can't tell one from the other could create a backlash for Senator Paul. And I'm sure that's not what he intended.

What this does show me, Wolf, though, is that Senator Paul is making it very clear to the Republican base that he's willing to take on Hillary Clinton in any way that he can. That he's going to be aggressive about taking on the Democratic front runner. And I think that's what the base of the Party wants. I think in terms of this war on women or war for women or war over -- I mean, you know, the Republican Party clearly has a -- has a way to go in explaining what they're doing for women, and that will be a large issue in the campaign. But Senator Paul sort of combining Hillary Clinton with Bill Clinton may not be the best strategy.

BLITZER: Gloria Borger, thanks very much.

BORGER: Yes.

BLITZER: President Obama gets ready to deliver a message to the nation and to Congress. Aides say he'll tell lawmakers, let's work together or I'll act alone. The president preparing for a State of the Union speech tomorrow night. A senior adviser says the message is not a threat, but the president, quote, "is not going to tell the American people that he's going to wait for Congress." This will be his words, a year of action. President hopes the State of the Union address certainly will help him move beyond the many problems of 2013. Our Senior White House Correspondent Brianna Keilar has a preview.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the president's address which will center largely around reducing income inequality has been months in the making. CNN has learned that aides first started discussing this speech before Thanksgiving. And it's going to be a monumental undertaking for President Obama as he tries to salvage his second term.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): It's crunch time for President Obama, making final edits on a speech he hopes will be the start of a turn-around.

DAN PFEIFFER, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISOR: I think the public ended 2013 very frustrated.

KEILAR: Obama's approval rating is slowly recovering but he still is more unpopular than at any of his past State of the Union addresses, due in part to the botched rollout of his health care law. On Tuesday, he'll tout a new plan to narrow the gap between rich and poor even if he has to go it alone. PFEIFFER: He's in the going to tell the American people that he's going to wait for Congress. He's going to -- he's going to move forward in areas like job training, education, manufacturing, on his own, to try to restore opportunity for American families.

KEILAR: That means executive actions and public, private partnerships, trying to get something done in a key midterm election year facing an uncooperative Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

PFEIFFER: He has declared this to be a year of action.

PAUL: It sounds vaguely like a threat.

KEILAR: The go-around Congress plan already rejected by Republicans who say Obama is abusing his executive power.

PAUL: I think it also has a certain amount of arrogance in the sense that one of the fundamental principles of our country were the checks and balances.

KEILAR: The one major legislative item Obama has his eye on is immigration we form, despite House Republican opposition to a comprehensive plan. It was one of Obama's big agenda items in last year's State of the Union. But it stalled, along with expanding background checks on gun sales and increasing the minimum wage, which he will push for again Tuesday night.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Presidential power is something that is fought out every day. And one speech isn't going to fundamentally change his position. But what he can do, potentially, is begin to lay out some themes to define the 2014 legislative and electoral battle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR (live): And as is customary, President Obama will take his message on the road after the State of the Union, making stops in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Tennessee -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Brianna Keilar at the White House, thanks very much.

And don't miss CNN's special coverage of the State of the Union address tomorrow night. Our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right after "THE SITUATION ROOM."

We're following a developing story right now. NYPD, the New York Police Department, says there has been a report in what they describe as a small -- repeat, small explosion, at 88 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, that's at Lexington and 26th street. Police are responding. When asked about any injuries, they said they can't confirm anything right now. They are simply responding. These are live pictures we're getting in courtesy of our affiliate, WABC. Once again, a small, key word, small, explosion apparently in the lobby at this building at Lexington and 26th Street in Manhattan. We'll see what's going on. We'll update you as soon as we get more information. Here in Washington, there's intrigue up on Capitol Hill. One Congressman now calling it quits, another fighting back against accusations. He's has gone AWOL. What's going on? We'll explain when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Republican Congressman Trey Radel is resigning from the House. the decision comes just a few months after Radel was caught buying cocaine from an undercover officer here in Washington, D.C. Here's part of the South Florida freshman's letter to the House speaker, John Boehner.

Quote, "Unfortunately, some of my struggles had serious consequences. While I have dealt with those issues on a personal level, it is my belief that professionally I cannot fully and effectively serve as a U.S. representative."

Let's bring in our political director, Mark Preston, who's been watching this.

So, Mark, I know he resisted the pressure for him to step down, but was this expected or unexpected?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, Wolf, I think that people were surprised this morning when they found out that the congressman has decided to resign from Congress, though. But speaking to people in Florida and here in D.C. who know the congressman, they said that the pressure was just too much on him at this point. There was a lot of pressure at home with his wife. He also has a very young child.

You know, these were very damning allegations against him and there was a congressional ethics investigation into, you know, the purchase of the cocaine, and, of course, his guilty plea in doing so. Some people have suggested that, in fact, Wolf, that that investigation could lead to more problems for the congressman. So by resigning right now, that will end the investigation and we'll hear no more of it.

Though this seat, though, Wolf, while Republican, will remain Republican. It's a very conservative area. It's just south of Tampa, all the way down to Naples. And in an interesting twist, there's going to be a lot of people running for this seat, Wolf. But an interesting twist. While Republicans are able to get rid of a potential problem right now in Trey Radel, not a very good poster boy right now for the GOP, one contender that might emerge right now is the Senate majority leader in Florida. She's a woman. We know Democrats right now are trying to have this war on women. But, in fact, she might run for the seat. So it would be an interesting switch-out if she were to win.

BLITZER: Yes, what -- also, I've noticed that the speaker, John Boehner, he has no tolerance for any Republican congressman or congresswoman who gets into trouble. They get into trouble, he basically is putting the squeeze on them to get out and get out relatively quickly.

Let's talk about another Republican congressman, Steve Stockman of Texas. There were reports that he was actually missing following a congressional trip overseas. He missed, what, more than a dozen votes up on Capitol Hill. He now says he was never missing, instead he was campaigning in his home state of Texas. He is running for the Senate seat this year. But how unusual is it for a congressman to skip, what, about two weeks' worth of votes while campaigning for another job?

PRESTON: Well, that's not unusual, Wolf. In fact, we see that all of the time. Certainly when we see senators who are running for president, who go out on the campaign trail, and they're not there for votes. What's really interesting is that Steve Stockman, as you said, he was campaigning, but he wasn't visible.

Now, within all of this, he also went on a codelle (ph), which is an official trip overseas, with several other members of Congress. That still doesn't account for all the time where he quote/unquote went missing. So Steve Stockman has said, in fact, that it's the liberal media who's going after him and he's challenging John Cornyn, which really surprised a lot of people, because John Cornyn's considered one of the most conservative members in the United States Senate, yet Steve Stockman is saying that he isn't conservative enough.

I have to tell you, handicappers right now will say that John Cornyn will easily win this Republican primary and Steve Stockman will be out of a job come November, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, because he can't run for both the Senate and the House of Representatives. He's going to make a decision. We'll see what he does.

All right, thanks very much, Mark Preston, doing some good reporting for us.

The joint committee investigating the New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, and that so-called bridge scandal is meeting this hour. The New Jersey state assembly and the senate merged their investigations into one. They're looking into lane closures that caused a huge traffic gridlock in the Fort Lee area and on the George Washington Bridge separating New Jersey and New York and whether it was a political retribution. The panel is meeting to decide the process for issuing subpoenas.

Just minutes ago, the Maryland mall, that was the scene of a deadly shooting over the weekend, re-opened for business. We'll have the latest on the search for a motive. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're continuing to search for some insight into why the 19- year-old, Darion Aguilar, walked into a Maryland mall and killed two employees at a skate shop before turning the shotgun on himself. The Columbia Mall reopened this hour for the first time since Saturday's rampage. Joe Johns is there.

Joe, you just spoke to the police chief. What did he say?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the mall is back open and people are trying to get back to normal. However, there will not be a normal, I don't think, until authorities know a little bit more about what motivated this 19-year-old to walk into this mall on Saturday morning and start shooting. I talked to the police chief just a little while ago, as you said, Wolf, and I asked him a question about the relationship between the shooter and the victims. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Have you been able to determine whether there was any, for lack of a better word, relationship between the shooter, any of the victims or the store?

CHIEF BILL MCMAHON, HOWARD COUNTY, MARYLAND: We haven't. And I know that's frustrating. It's frustrating for our community, it's frustrating for the victims' families and it's frustrating for me. We have done an incredible amount of work in the last 48 hours, first handling this active shooter situation, making sure everybody was safe, identifying people, identifying our victims and our shooter and then working to find out why this happened. We've interviewed a lot of people. We still have a tremendous amount of work left to do. But at this point, we haven't been able to establish that there is any relationship between our shooter and our victims. So I know that's frustrating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: And there's a lot more frustration to it, quite frankly, Wolf. There's a question of planning. We do know that the shooter purchased a firearm in December in the state of Maryland and we know from speaking to the chief just a little while ago that he made a second purchase of ammunition sometime after that. We also know now that there were between six and nine shots fired here at the mall on Saturday morning. As well we're told that surveillance video cameras inside actually picked up at least part of the shooting. But as to motive, Wolf, still a question this afternoon.

Back to you.

BLITZER: A huge question. What's it like at that mall? It just opened only, what, a half an hour or so ago. It must be pretty depressing.

JOHNS: Well, it's still very quiet. And our crew actually took a walk through and got a view of the scene. And essentially they tell me that there were some signs of people leaving very much in a hurry. Nonetheless, it's quite clear that these stores are losing huge amounts of money and very interested in trying to get back to normal. The store, Zumiez, where the shooting actually occurred, remains closed until further notice, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Joe, thanks very much. Joe Johns in Columbia, Maryland, for us. The Olympic torch under wraps. Russian security forces, they are gearing up for the Winter Olympic games. They had a special plan for the flame as it arrived in a disputed area on the way to Sochi today. We're going there live for a closer look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)