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Manafort Enters Plea Deal, Agrees to Cooperate with Special Counsel; Woman Trapped in House in Flooded New Bern; Former FEMA Chief Talks Storm Rescue Operations; Hurricane Florence Stalls on Carolina Coast Battering Cities; Kavanaugh Vehemently Denies Sexual Assault Allegations. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired September 14, 2018 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:31:06] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: We will get back to Hurricane Florence in a moment.

But first, I want to get more reaction on the other breaking news, the cooperation agreement from Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman.

Let's bring in Congressman Adam Schiff. He's the top Democrat and the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

You have gone through the document and I have gone through this superseding criminal information document. What's your reaction?

REP. ADAM SCHIFF, (D), CALIFORNIA: My reaction is he admits to all the allegations he contested in the first trial, those that the jury had hung on as well as the charges in the new indictment that he was facing trial. It's quite a coup for the special counsel. He fessed up to everything and entered into a cooperation agreement. That means Mueller's team can focus on other aspects of the investigation. Depending on the breath of that cooperation agreement, he could add a lot of value to our understanding of the issue of potential conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians. Whether the cooperation agreement goes that far remains to be seen.

BLITZER: Everything I've seen so far that I've seen in this document deals with allegations, criminal allegations against him long before he became the Trump campaign chairman. Over the years, the decades, leading up to this where he took about $60 million from pro-Russian, Ukrainian oligarchs and Ukrainian government officials. I don't see anything directly related to the Trump campaign.

SCHIFF: Some of the allegations of the money laundering go up through the campaign. Indeed, the witness tampering goes even beyond the campaign.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Yes. SCHIFF: There are contemporaneous criminal allegations he's pleading

guilty to. The president can't say this is old news.

But here's what he has to offer and where it comes together. We know that at the time the Russians were offering dirt to the Trump campaign, dirt on Hillary Clinton, Manafort is reaching out through Russian contacts, Derip Peska (ph), among others, and offering information on the campaign in order to get money he believes was owed him for work in Ukraine. You have these two converging interests, the Russians in wanting a relationship with the campaign, the campaign, through Manafort, wanting something of value, money from the Russians. He could shed a lot of light on this. But, again, we have to be circumspect. This is someone who has been in a joint defense agreement with Trump, someone who still, I believe, wants a pardon, and someone who admitted to witness tampering and obstruction of justice. The extent to which he would be willing to cooperate, we will have to wait and see.

BLITZER: He won't be sentenced until the prosecutors, the Mueller team knows the full extent of his cooperation and if he is telling the truth.

SCHIFF: Yes, but, again, that will depend on what he's agreed to cooperate about.

BLITZER: Supposedly he is willing to cooperate on everything.

SCHIFF: I would hope so. I would hope that cooperation agreement has brought enough to require him to testify.

BLITZER: His lawyer said --

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: -- he will fully cooperate.

SCHIFF: That are could be -- that could be very substantial. Again, he is a center player in that Trump Tower meeting. He could tell us what happened in the run up to the meeting, in the meeting, what happened after the meeting. He can tell us about Kilinick (ph), someone that Mueller said they believe is affiliated with the Russian GRU. The Russian GRU is the same outfit that was involved in hacking of the Democratic organizations and helping to put out these damaging e-mails or at least distracting e-mails.

BLITZER: Russian military intelligence.

SCHIFF: Exactly.

BLITZER: So how worried do you think the president, the president's son, Donald Trump Jr, the son-in-law, Jared Kushner - they were all at that Russian meeting, not the president, but the son-in-law and son and were there. How worried should they be? How worried should the president be?

SCHIFF: Well, look, the president certainly knows at least some subset of what Paul Manafort knows. But the Trump defense team has been working hand in hand with the Manafort defense team for months. You would think that they would have some sense of their exposure. But they have to wonder, did Manafort told their team everything. What kind of value is he hoping to get from prosecutors? So, yes, I think there's a lot of anxiety, unquestionably now in Trump world. Yet another key witness, a campaign manager for the president agreeing to cooperate, pleading guilty, admitting everything, that's got to concern the president. Michael Cohen, Manafort and Gates --

[13:35:35] BLITZER: We have a graphic. Let me put it up on the screen. I'll show you. All the Trump associates so far are cooperating, pleaded guilty or are cooperating, or have been convicted in this particular case, including Paul Manafort, who has been convicted of those eight counts, potentially could spend up to seven, eight, 10 years in jail.

SCHIFF: I think we also have to recognize the skill of the Mueller team. This was a major indictment. When it was first returned by the grand jury, there were multiple indictments against a major figure in the Trump campaign, the very campaign manager. And to have him admit to all the conduct he has been charged obviating the need for additional trials, that's big for the Mueller team. And when you think about it, in the last trial, you had a hold-out juror. If that juror had held out not just on 10 counts but on all counts, it would have been a completely different world we'd be in right now. We wouldn't be seeing this guilty plea, we would see this cooperation agreement. It's been a big development for the Mueller team.

BLITZER: Huge story that's unfolding right now. The ramifications could be enormous.

Congressman Schiff, thanks for coming in.

SCHIFF: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Up next, we speak with someone who was trapped inside her home as Hurricane Florence pounds the Carolinas.

Our special live coverage will continue after this.

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[13:41:42] DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Don Lemon in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This is the problem with these wind gusts. They pick up and then they slow down. You never know when they will come through. Up to 48 miles an hour. That's a concern here in South Carolina. As is the concern all over the Carolinas, and that's the flooding, the flooding, the flooding. Here's they're getting storm surges up to 10, 15 feet here. They're worried about the water continuing to go up because this rain is going to sit on top of the Carolinas and just dump water, just water, water. This hurricane can dump water, water, water all along the Carolinas.

Of course, we've been talking about the flooding, especially in New Bern, and rescues going on in New Bern and Wilmington and all over.

I want to get to New Bern now and get to Bailey Evans.

Bailey, I understand that you are trapped inside of your home. Talk to me about that. What's going on?

BAILEY EVANS, NEW BERN, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT (via telephone): Well, the water came in about 2:00 a.m. yesterday. We had about two feet of flooding in the house. We're on the second floor now. It's gone out now, but it's all the way up to the porch. We are on our house island.

LEMON: Yes. You said it's up to the first floor. Where are you hunkered down in the house?

EVANS: We are on the second floor.

LEMON: You're on the second floor.

EVANS: Yes.

LEMON: It's tough, Bailey, forgive me, to hear you because of the wind. How many folks are at home with you?

EVANS: Just two of us and two cats.

LEMON: Yes. Are you doing OK?

EVANS: Yes. There's no water close to us so we are just waiting.

LEMON: Are you scared, Bailey?

EVANS: I am, but we talked to the volunteer fire department and we know where the rescue efforts are at so we are trying not to get too worked up.

LEMON: OK. Bailey, listen, we wish you the best of luck. You take care of yourself and stay up on the higher level and don't go down in the water, you and your family. You be well.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Thank you, Bailey Evans, in New Bern. And she is in New Bern, North Carolina, trapped inside of her home as are many people who decided to ride this storm out.

This is just the beginning. This storm just came ashore this morning.

I want to talk to someone who knows the difficulties of rescuing people and what happens in these situations. And that's Craig Fugate. He is the former chief of FEMA, and he joins us now live.

Mr. Fugate, thank you so much.

You have been monitoring and watching this storm. Give us an assessment of what you are seeing and hearing.

CRAIG FUGATE, FORMER FEMA ADMINISTRATOR (via telephone): It's exactly what the National Hurricane Center and the weather service has been talking about, life-threatening storm surge and life-threatening catastrophic flooding. As you're seeing, search-and-rescue teams are doing their best. They're trying to get the people. But this is not over, as I said earlier today. This is the end, this is the beginning of the beginning, and this will last for several more days.

LEMON: You heard the young lady who was on before you talking about seeing her family and two more people there inside the home and on the second floor. That's what happens, sometimes worse, when people decide to ride these things out.

FUGATE: Yes. Again, they sound like they're in a pretty good situation. Hopefully, it won't get any worse for them. For far too many people, it gets worse so fast, they don't have time to get out. Then we have to put search-and-rescuers in harm's way. These are your neighbors who are going out and doing these rescues. These are teams coming from all over the country. They have to go in harm's way when people have made these choices. They are doing it, but there's risk here.

[13:45:24] LEMON: Mr. Fugate, listen, we have been talking about how this one is a slow mover. The hurricanes come through the storms and move quickly. They cause a lot of damage. But when a hurricane just sits on top of the area and brings all this wind and rain, that causes many times maybe more issues than a hurricane that blows through very quickly.

FUGATE: Yes. Look, you're going to be dealing with heavy rain that will keep falling on areas. The other thing is, even though you may only be getting tropical-force winds, those winds are over such a large area, the trees coming down hitting homes and cars and knocking down power lines are not just be on the coast. I remember with Hurricane Matthew, we had damages all the way in to U.S. 301, and that storm didn't even make landfall. This is a long duration storm, impacts over large areas, and it is by no means over or is it going to be over any time soon.

LEMON: I'm glad you said that. Where I am in Myrtle Beach, Mr. Fugate, the bulk won't be coming through until close to midnight and in the overnight areas. Again, it won't be something they are saying is going to move through quickly. It will be sustained for a while. That's going to happen over a large swath of the Carolinas.

You got some advice for the folks here having dealt with this?

FUGATE: Yes. If you are somewhere safe and dry, stay there, don't get out in the storm. If you have to move to higher ground, you are going to have to get out and do it. But don't call for help unless you need it. Just reporting downed trees and power outages, 911, it can't handle it. Stay off the phone unless you have a life- threatening emergency. And do something if you can. If you have a boat and other things, you may be the best response helping your neighbor.

Again, everybody is in this together. In many cases, if you are OK, check on your neighbors. That, in many cases, will be the fastest and best rescue we can do in this storm.

LEMON: That is some very good advice.

Craig Fugate is the former head of FEMA and he joins us now by phone.

We appreciate it, sir. We will be getting back to you because we'll need your expertise throughout this.

Listen, he gave some good advice. Check on your neighbors. Help your neighbors. But only if you have to get out in it, if someone has a distress call. Otherwise, if you don't have to be out in it, like we are -- this is my job to do this, to report to people so they don't have to do is it. You stay at home and hunker down and stay in a safe place.

We're getting these wind gusts here in Myrtle Beach, in South Carolina, up to 48 miles per hour. The storm surge is expected to hit here. The bands of the storm expected to hit here soon. This is not the bulk of it. This is just the beginning. We're here in South Carolina, but all over the Carolinas, folks are getting it now. This storm coming ashore early this morning but sitting on top of us. And it will bring a lot of wind and water.

We'll continue our special coverage of Hurricane Florence from the Carolinas right here on CNN. Don't go anywhere.

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[13:52:51] BLITZER: We're following breaking news on Hurricane Florence.

I want to go to CNN's Martin Savidge. He's a few miles from the area being hit pretty hard in Wrightsville Beach.

Martin, how bad are things where you are on the Carolina coast?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is the area where the hurricane came ashore around shortly after 7:00 this morning. It is still the area that's getting pounded, as is much of coastal-area North Carolina. It is such a slow-moving storm.

What's changed now is, since the eye has passed by, we're getting the back side of this storm. Where that could be problematic is the fact what has been pushed in one direction for 12 hours is being pushed the opposite for an equal length of time. The stress on buildings, the long-term duration of the wind load plays on rooftops, not to mention the extensive amount of rain and tidal surge. That's the problem they're having here.

We know in Wrightsville Beach -- we can't get in there now -- the bridge remains closed. Only first responders can get through due to high winds. We're at tropical storm-force winds. But we get some gusts that are very high. We know there's some flooding coming from Intercoastal or from the Atlantic Ocean. That we have seen from imagery coming from the Wrightsville Beach area. But the authorities have said, because of high winds, they can't go out and investigate. They say there's some structural damage, and especially on the Atlantic side, there is heavy beach erosion.

It is clear that this storm continues to batter the barrier islands of the coastal communities of North Carolina.

We also know, on the drive out here, as you've seen from other reports, there's extensive tree damage, some structural damage, power lines down in the Wilmington area.

It is a storm that's apparently not going to let up anytime soon -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Be careful over there, Martin. Thank you very much. We'll stay in close touch with you.

There's other breaking news also emerging now, this time, out of Washington. A woman says the president's U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, assaulted her when she and Kavanaugh were both in high school.

CNN's Jessica Schneider joins me.

Jessica, what do we know about the woman and what she says about Kavanaugh, what he allegedly did?

[13:55:14] JESSIA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, a vehement denial from Brett Kavanaugh. It all revolves around this decades-old assault allegation. It comes from a woman who knew Brett Kavanaugh in high school in the 1980s.

Her allegations are coming to light now because she recently wrote a letter to her congresswoman in California. That letter was passed on to the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dianne Feinstein.

Here's what's detailed in the letter. This is according to a source familiar with the letter. It was in the early 1980s when the woman attended a party in Maryland with Brett Kavanaugh and other high schoolers. She says Kavanaugh physically pushed her into a bedroom, and along with another male, Kavanaugh allegedly locked the door, played loud music, which the accuser says precluded her from being heard when she yelled for help. She says both men were drunk. And she says Kavanaugh allegedly tried to take off her clothes and also allegedly had his hand over her mouth. At one point, because of this, the accuser said she feared for her life but she was finally able to leave the room and eventually left the party.

There's no indication the woman ever reported the incident to law enforcement. She says, however, that she, in the years since, has received medical treatment.

All of this came to light because Senator Feinstein revealed yesterday that she handed this letter with the allegations over to the FBI. I have been told that the letter has been put in Kavanaugh's background file, but there's no criminal investigation here.

So meanwhile, today, Brett Kavanaugh issuing a statement where he strongly denies the allegations. This is a brief statement but terse statement he released this morning. He said, "I categorically deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time."

The White House has maintained that Kavanaugh was thoroughly vetted. Republicans, in fact, are circulating this letter here. It is a letter signed by 65 women, front and back, that knew Brett Kavanaugh when he attended high school between 1979 and 1983. All of them say the Brett Kavanaugh they know behaved honorably, treated women with respect, Wolf. And they say, in the 35 years they've known him, he's always treated women with respect.

The question is, will this have any impact on the vote on this nomination. We know the Senate Judiciary is scheduled to vote on this Thursday. Then it will move to the full Senate. But of course, that will be the last week in September.

But, Wolf, two crucial Senators for that vote, Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. So could this decades-old allegation influence their vote at all? We know Collins has a prescheduled phone call with Brett Kavanaugh today, still set to happen. We'll see whether or not this letter, these allegations have any effect. But of course, Brett Kavanaugh strongly denying anything to this effect -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Jessica, thanks very much.

Laura Coates, Carrie Cordero, let's get some quick analysis.

What do you think?

LAURA COATES, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This reminds you of 1981 confirmation hearings with Anita Hill with then-candidate or nominee, Clarence Thomas. This one has that political feel to it. But more importantly, note the times you had to say allegations. The fact it was not reported will have an impact on ultimate voting strength of the nomination, and it really should. But it is one that's surprising it is happening late in the game. I think she's trying to avoid the Joe Biden effect, which happened when he failed to bring forth witnesses in that hearing.

CARRIE CORDERO, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: The big difference, we know who Anita Hill was, and she appeared in person. This is an anonymous allegation. It is important to emphasize this person, at least in the article written so far in the "New Yorker," has not been identified. She sent a letter but she is not willing so far to speak publicly. And so with Judge Kavanaugh denying the allegations so strongly, we'll have to wait and see if there's any other credibility behind what, right now, is simply an anonymous allegation.

BLITZER: We'll stay on top of this. We'll stay on top of the breaking news.

Our special coverage will continue with Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin in 600 seconds.

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