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DOJ Inspector General Report Expected to Fault James Comey, Loretta Lynch; Samantha Bee Apologizes for Vulgar Remark About Ivanka Trump; Stormy Daniels Files New Lawsuit Against Michael Cohen and Former Attorney. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired June 07, 2018 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00] LAURA JARRETT, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Now Comey has said in the past he's open to a full airing on this. He doesn't think he did anything wrong, but if he did, he wants to hear about it. But the crucial question here, Brianna, is how much the inspector general will assist the motives of these former officials as opposed to criticizing just process.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And we've also learned that the Department of Justice is prepared to make an offer to the Gang of Eight, so top Intel Committee officials, top leadership in Congress, to get a briefing on this confidential FBI source that met with Trump campaign advisers during the 2016 election.

This is the spygate allegation that is unfounded by the president, right? He says there was a spy put in his campaign. It was a confidential informant. Tell us about that.

JARRETT: Yes. That was a new development late last night. And at first glance, you might think that this is a major concession from the Justice Department. Of course, for months they had been saying they couldn't turn over the documents to those on Capitol Hill, because they were trying to protect the source and their methods and the relationships with foreign countries. But we learned last night that they actually made that concession weeks ago and at the Gang of Eight meeting in late May, they offered the documents to lawmakers, but they went untouched in that meeting, so now they will offer more documents, answers to more questions, early next week.

And of course this comes on the heels of House Speaker Paul Ryan breaking with the president, saying he has found no evidence that the FBI did anything wrong in the handling of this confidential intelligence source -- Brianna.

KEILAR: They made them available and they went untouched. Amazing.

Laura Jarrett, at the Justice Department, thank you so much.

For more on this, let's bring in CNN Legal Analyst and former Federal Prosecutor, Shan Wu with us here.

So, Shan, thanks for being with us.

SHAN WU, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Sure. KEILAR: So the report as you heard Laura detail is going to really

take issue with a couple of moments when we're talking specifically about Jim Comey. The first one has to do with what he said in July 2016. It was sort of -- at the time it seemed like the cap on the Clinton e-mail investigation. She had used a private e-mail as secretary of State, a private server that was housed in the basement of her home, and this was the sort of unusual statement that he made. Let's refresh our memories.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: He took this unusual step of publicly saying that, right? That was very odd for people who know how this normally goes down. Then there was the decision that he made just days before the election to alert members of Congress which, let's be honest, is basically going public with something.

WU: Right.

KEILAR: That there were more e-mails found on Anthony Weiner's computer, that were Hillary Clinton e-mails, that could be of concern that many Democrats say oh god, that's what cost her the election. Debatable. But that's what they say. How significant is this?

WU: Well, I think when you take a look at Comey's statement there, it's fascinating, he says no reasonable prosecutor. He's not a prosecutor there. He's head of the FBI. And that really highlights what an unusual situation that was for him to be delivering that news at that time without going through the DOJ -- without going through the Attorney General Lynch at that time.

KEILAR: And it doesn't surprise you that this is something that the inspector general, the independent inspector general, is taking issue with?

WU: No. That's a very long tradition when I was at Justice, we're very cognizant of that issue, not saying anything about an investigation that could interfere, it's too close to an election. So I think that Horowitz is going to take a very close look at that and will be quite critical.

KEILAR: And he should have known this, Comey? I mean, that's basically what the IG is going to say, hello?

WU: Yes.

KEILAR: You should have known this, you did know this, you were made aware. WU: Absolutely. I mean, Comey, in many public statements, talks

about how he wrestled with that issue, he clearly was the loser of that wrestling match.

KEILAR: Yes. And Loretta Lynch, so she was the attorney general at the time.

WU: Right. And during the election, Bill Clinton on the tarmac in Arizona, goes up into her plane, they have a chat for a considerable period of time considering the former president's wife was being looked at for her e-mail practices. She, along with Andrew McCabe, then the number two at the department, he's going to be criticized for lag time, right? There was an awareness that these e-mails were on Anthony Weiner's laptop in September and then they didn't get the warrant until late October. So these two are also going to be criticized, we understand.

WU: Yes, absolutely. I think for former A.G. Lynch, a big concern is kind of a failure of leadership. I get the fact that she had been sort of burned by the tarmac conversation but she's sort of doubled down on that by failing to clearly give instructions to Comey at that time. And with regard to McCabe, the big question is going to be that timing. I mean, that's a great October surprise. And the question is going to be what intent was really going on there.

KEILAR: Could it have just been a September surprise? Who knows? Would it have the same impact? These are all questions we may never know the answers to.

[10:35:01] Shan, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

WU: Thanks.

KEILAR: Samantha Bee back on her show and apologizing to Ivanka Trump for a very vulgar comment using a word that begins with C. What she says she would have done differently.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Comedian Samantha Bee returning to her show "Full Frontal" last night for the first time since she called Ivanka Trump the C word. She did apologize again, but then she used the time to go a step further questioning the outrage over her comment. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMANTHA BEE, HOST, "FULL FRONTAL WITH SAMANTHA BEE": If you are worried about the death of civility, don't sweat it. I'm a comedian. People who hone their voices in basement bars while yelling back at drunk hecklers are definitely not paragons of civility.

I am. I'm really sorry that I said that word. But you know what, civility is just nice words. Maybe we should all worry a little bit more about the niceness of our actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: Joining me now, comedian Heather McDonald, with us, and CNN Political Commentator, S.E. Cupp as well.

[10:40:05] All right. I just -- starting with you, Heather, what did you think about her apology?

HEATHER MCDONALD, COMEDIAN: I thought it was really good. You know, it is a comedy show, though it is extremely political. And it is definitely her point of view. So if you weren't watching it before, maybe now you've discovered it or you probably don't like her because it is not your point of view. So as far as she's saying -- using the words, yes, I mean, it is a comedy show. And I said this before that I just kind of -- I think the censors and her producers and the people at TBS are the ones that kind of failed her in that situation. They should have thought a step ahead of her and edited it, but now that it's out there, I thought she handled it well.

KEILAR: And S.E., as part of the apology, she has said like -- that she uses that word before in her show, which we have reported, to sort of reclaim the word, right? But in this case, she said she -- essentially she was saying that's not the use that she gave it in this case, and she apologized. What it did you think about her -- I see it on your face, OK, but no, tell us. What is it?

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I mean, to Heather's point, to Heather's point, it's a comedy show. And there is nothing funny about calling a mother the C word as an insult, as a misogynistic slur because she posted a picture with her kid. So those are sort of incongruous. The apology was fine, but it was couched in like a dozen different codicils. You mentioned some of them. One, I'm a comedian, so don't look to me for civility. And also, you should be more civil in your own actions. And I've used the word before. And I've been using it to reclaim it.

Also I'm not sorry to Ted Cruz and to men. And also I was really talking about these innocent immigrant children. So somewhere in there was an apology. But when you have to stuff all that other stuff around it, the apology kind of gets lost.

Look, I'm ready to move on and let Sam Bee go back to her job of being funny, I guess, but that conversation can be over now. But there is still a conversation, I think, to be had about whether the left gets let off the hook a bit more easily than the right.

KEILAR: And -- sorry, Heather, go on.

MCDONALD: I would say, you know, as a comedian in the last -- especially in the last five or six years, especially -- there's been words that suddenly as you know are no longer appropriate, that people have had jokes for a long time, the R word, which is, if I can just say it, is retarded, you cannot say that word in comedy acts anymore, you really shouldn't. We know about F-A-G, you know, obviously the N word was 10 years ago.

So if this is a word now that probably shouldn't be used directed at a specific person anymore, I think that's OK. We can change our vernacular. You know, like, I think that's the lesson to be learned. I don't think it's worth it. And I think now we know that it did offend the majority of people and when you're dependent on advertisers and a big network keeping your show going and paying your bills, then take it out of your vocabulary. And I don't think she'll say it again if she's smart.

KEILAR: But, S.E., she was -- she said it while she was trying to make a point about immigration, which, I mean, like, who even pays attention now to what she was saying?

CUPP: Right.

KEILAR: She really sort of shot herself in the foot when it came to making her point, right?

CUPP: Yes.

KEILAR: She's used the word before and it is -- there was something about this that was different. Different to advertisers, too.

CUPP: Yes.

KEILAR: But you say it is not fair treatment. And --

CUPP: Look, just do an exercise, right? Do a mental exercise, close your eyes, and imagine Roseanne saying, and I'm not equating the two, what Roseanne said was worse, but imagine Roseanne saying about her racist slur against Valeria Jarrett. I'm a comedian, don't look to me for civility. Also you should be more civil in your acts. I've used "Planet of the Apes" as a reference before.

I mean, no one would buy that as a sufficient apology. Again I'm not equating them, but at the same time, what Sam Bee did was a whole lot of self-rationalizing, some virtue signaling as well, in the midst of an apology. And I'll note, not a real apology to Ivanka Trump, who she's slurred for no reason. And if she was trying to make some political point, that was lost. So she used her to join the misogynist club and call her the C word which might have been funny for comedians, it's never been appropriate for individual women. And so didn't really heartfelt -- in a heartfelt way apologize to Ivanka.

KEILAR: Heather, final word --

(CROSSTALK)

MCDONALD: She does say I didn't mean to offend anyone. Yes, you did. You wanted to offend Ivanka and this administration.

CUPP: Yes.

MCDONALD: So, yes, you did. And then when you realized not the whole world agreed with you, which sometimes these people in their show and with their staff and the point of view of their show believes the whole world agrees with them and everything they say.

[10:45:05] Once she got that backlash, she realized, no, I actually hurt a lot of other women in the process of that and I think that's what she was apologizing to.

CUPP: Yes. That's a good point.

KEILAR: Heather and S.E., I really appreciate the conversation. Thank you so much, Heather McDonald, S.E. Cupp with us.

CUPP: Thanks.

KEILAR: So Rudy Giuliani is standing by comments after he attacked Stormy Daniels' credibility for her profession. What he's telling CNN about his remarks. We'll have that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Stormy Daniels filing a new lawsuit, the president -- filing a new lawsuit against President Trump's longtime attorney Michael Cohen.

[10:50:04] Daniels suing Cohen and her former attorney Keith Davidson claiming the two men worked together in an attempt t to manipulate her into denying the affair with Trump.

And joining me now is CNN National Political Reporter, MJ Lee. And so it continues, MJ.

MJ LEE, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: That's right. Michael Cohen is being sued again by Stormy Daniels, but in this new lawsuit Stormy Daniels is not only suing Michael Cohen, but also her former lawyer Keith Davidson.

Now what she is alleging in this new lawsuit that was filed yesterday is basically that the two men colluded to work against her, and to try to protect President Trump and what is at the basis of this lawsuit are a series of text messages that Keith Davidson and Michael Cohen exchanged between January and March of this year. And according to the lawsuit, this is at a point in time when the two men allegedly learned about an "In Touch" magazine interview that was going to come out and they wanted to stop that from happening and wanted Stormy Daniels to go on the Sean Hannity show to deny that she had an affair with Donald Trump.

Here is a part of the text messages, this is after they had already gone back and forth, discussing this interview, and Michael Cohen appears to have changed his mind. He said, Keith, the wise men all believe the story is dying, I don't think it's smart for her to do any interviews. Let her do her thing, but no interviews at all with anyone. And then you see Keith Davidson response, 100 percent in agreement. And Michael Cohen says, thanks, pal.

Now the lawyers for both Keith Davidson and Michael Cohen have responded. They are dismissing this as a frivolous lawsuit and an attempt by Michael Avenatti, which is Stormy Daniels' current lawyer, a part of his publicity tour, essentially. However, Michael Avenatti, of course, is arguing that all of this shows that this is a big cover- up, that there was something nefarious going on and by the way he says that there are more text messages that he's trying to get his hands on -- Brianna.

KEILAR: It's hard to know if -- I mean, they do sound pretty cozy, it's hard to know if that's just how they talk.

LEE: Right.

KEILAR: But, OK, so Rudy Giuliani, listen to what he said about Stormy Daniels yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S ATTORNEY: When you look at Stormy Daniels, I know Donald Trump, look at his three wives, right? Beautiful women, classy women, women of great substance. Stormy Daniels? Explain to me how she could be damaged? She has no reputation. If you're going to sell your body for money, you just don't have a reputation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now what is he saying about this, MJ?

LEE: Well, you can imagine that these comments created a bit of an uproar. But he's standing by them. Dana Bash spoke with Giuliani earlier today and he said feminists should not defend the porn industry and he also said this, if you're involved in sort of a slimy business that says something about you, says something about how far you'll go to make money, a real point about her is that she's not just generally uncredible, she's uncredible from the point of view of wanting to get money. She is a con artist."

Now if that's what the president's lawyer is saying, you can easily imagine, Brianna, how all of this is going to get just nastier and nastier.

KEILAR: Yes. Says a man who is a lawyer who has talked about paying off people for his client and one of clients, and one of the clients he's representing now has appeared on "Playboy" specials, I guess. We just have to point out all the facts there.

MJ Lee, thank you so much.

Golden State Warriors fans, they have the brooms out. They are now one win away from being back-to-back NBA champs. The "Bleacher Report" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:58:11] KEILAR: The Golden State Warriors now one win away from the third title in four years and Andy Scholes, you know what that means, here with this morning's "Bleacher Report."

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brianna. It's not looking good for the Cavs. 131 times in NBA history a team has fallen behind 0-3 in a playoff series, every single one of those times, that team lost. So this series is over. The Warriors are going to be champions again, it's only a matter of time.

This "Bleacher Report" update brought to you by Ford, going further so you can.

Now game three last night, it was another good game. In the first quarter LeBron continuing to look super human, throwing the alley hoop to himself. He was great again, finishing with 33 points. But Kevin Durant even better. Under a minute to go, KD, from way downtown, he led Golden State with 43 points, so they would win 110-102. And afterwards LeBron saying that Durant is one of best the game has ever seen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: He's one of the best players that I've ever played against. That this league has ever seen. His ability to handle the ball, shoot the ball, you know, make plays, at his length, at his size, at his speed, so there it is. Margin of error is very low. I mean, you can't, you know, it's almost like, you know, playing the Patriots, you just can't have mistakes. They're not going to beat themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. So the warriors will go for the sweep and their third title in four years Friday night in game four.

All right. Finally Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier holding his first press conference since suffering his final injury during a game last November that left him paralyzed. Shazier, as you can see, able to walk in with the help of a cane. And he said his plan is to one day play again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN SHAZIER, STEELERS LINEBACKER: My dream is to come back and play football again. You know, I've been working my tail off every single day. So I have that in my back of my mind every single time I go to rehab, and, you know, I just try to stay positive every single day. So I'm just trying to do everything I can to get back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And Brianna, good luck to Ryan and his battle to get back to playing once again.

KEILAR: Indeed. Andy Scholes, thank you so much.

And thank you. I'm Brianna Keilar. "AT THIS HOUR" with Kate Bolduan starts now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone.