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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

A Third Accusation Comes Forward Against Brett Kavanaugh; Donald Trump Says "It's Possible" That He'll Change His Mind About Kavanaugh After Today's Hearing With Christine Blasey Ford; A New North American Trade Pact Without Canada Is Looking More Likely By The Day. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired September 27, 2018 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:00:00]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Now two of the allegations were anonymous, a Twitter handle though linked to one of those anonymous accusers has emerged.

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: In that case, a Rhode Island man said he had information about, quote, "A rape on a boat in August of 1985." The other allegation is that Kavanaugh assaulted a woman he was dating in 1998. Regarding that claim, Kavanaugh said, quote, "We're dealing with an anonymous letter about an anonymous person, and an anonymous friend. It's ridiculous, total twilight zone. And no, I've never done anything like that."

ROMANS: The third accusation came hours earlier, this one not anonymous. A woman named Julie Swetnick submitted a sworn statement to the Judiciary Committee. She says Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge were present at a party in 1982 where she was drugged and, in her words, gang raped. Swetnick did not identify Kavanaugh or Judge as her attacker, but said both were there at the party.

BRIGGS: Now, all 10 Democrats on the panel called on the president to, either, withdraw Kavanaugh's nomination or order the FBI to reopen his background investigation.

The Senate Judiciary Chairman, Chuck Grassley, says the hearing will go forward this morning, his office releasing a timeline detailing its responses to the allegations against Kavanaugh. The timeline includes interviews with one man he believes the incident, for the members (ph), may have actually involved him instead.

ROMANS: At a news conference - that news conference in New York, Wednesday, the president said it is possible he could swayed by today's hearing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They're giving the woman a major chance to speak. Now, it's possible I'll hear that and I'll say, "Hey, I'm changing my mind." That is possible.

I'm going to see what happens tomorrow. I'm going to be watching, you know, believe it or not. I'm going to see what's said. It is possible that they will be convincing. They're going to have a big shot at speaking and making their case. And, you know what, I could be persuaded also.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Susan Collins, a critical swing vote, also raised serious concerns, at a private meeting, about the new allegations. The senator from Maine also questioned why the Judiciary Committee has not subpoenaed Mark Judge, the only other person, Ford says, was in the room when he says Kavanaugh attacked her. CNN's Phil Mattingly has more on what to expect today on Capitol Hill.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Dave, the moment is very nearly here. The stakes, they are enormous. Basically, senators have to decide, not only to change the balance of the U.S. Supreme Court, but also to change the balance of their own institution, to change the balance of how people deal with sexual assault allegations.

All of that will be on the line in a hearing this morning. Now, to give you a little sense of the dynamics here, this is going to be a pretty small and contained hearing. They're going to limit the number of press. They're going to limit the number of visitors and people who can watch the hearing.

So, don't expect the protests like we saw in the first Brett Kavanaugh hearing. But do expect a high stakes drama. And here's why, obviously, democratic senators have made clear, they have a lot of questions for Brett Kavanaugh. They have a lot of questions for Christine Blasey Ford as well.

Republicans, they have hired, kind of, an outside council to come in, bringing in a county prosecutor to ask questions, somebody with sex crimes experience, prosecution experience to ask those questions. Most Republican senators I've spoken to say they plan to yield back their time. But the reality, kind of, looming above all of this is Brett Kavanaugh does not currently have the votes to be confirmed by the United States Senate. I've been told that by several republican advisors.

That means, this hearing means everything for his nomination. And when you look at everything that's surrounding this hearing, it means so much more than that, Christine and Dave.

BRIGGS: Sure does. Thank you, Phil Mattingly. CNN's coverage begins at 8:30 Eastern with Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper. The hearing starts at 10. You can see it on T.V. and, of course, online at CNN.com.

A, quote, big fat con job, that's how the president describes the mounting allegations against Kavanaugh, but he admits his thinking is affected by past allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I've had a lot of false charges made against me, really false charges. I know friends that have had false charges. People want fame, they want money. They want whatever. So, when I see it I view it differently than somebody sitting at home watching television. When you say, does it affect me, in terms of my thinking, with respect to Judge Kavanaugh, absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The opening statements for Judge Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford have been released ahead of this morning's testimony. Kavanaugh calls the allegations against him last minute smears, pure and simple.

He says "I never had any sexual or physical encounter of any kind with Dr. Ford. I'm not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person, in some place, at some time. But I have never done that to her, or to anyone. I'm innocent of this charge."

BRIGGS: Ford's testimony recounts her memory of Kavanaugh's alleged assault. She adds, quote, "I don't have all the answers, and I don't remember as much as I would like to, but the details about that night, that bring me here today, are ones I will never forget. It is not my responsibility to determine whether Mr. Kavanaugh deserves to sit on the Supreme Court. My responsibility is to tell the truth."

ROMANS: The president at that news conference, playing the George Washington card. That's right, suggesting that even one of the founding fathers would be maligned by modern day democrats.

[05:05:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Look, if we brought George Washington here and we said, "We have George Washington," the democrats would vote against him. Just so you understand. And he may have had a bad past, who knows, you know? He may have had some, I think, accusations made. Didn't he have a couple of things in his past?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: He was also a slave owner which wouldn't fly, actually, today. Mr. Trump did not elaborate on what he was talking about - what George Washington could've been accused of. There were, of course, rumors back in the day about George Washington chopping down a cherry tree. And in-depth CNN investigation has found that as not true.

BRIGGS: That's right.

(CROSSTALK)

BRIGGS: Fake news, indeed.

ROMANS: Yes. He didn't have wooden teeth either.

BRIGGS: Founding fathers fake news. Good job, Romans, OK. President Trump trying to ease the tension surrounding his upcoming meeting with Rod Rosenstein, even suggesting the embattled (ph) Deputy Attorney General may not loose his job after all, at least not yet. Rosenstein thought he was out after the stunning report claimed he spoke of wearing a wire to record the president with the goal of ousting him from office using this 25 amendment last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: He said he never said it. He said he doesn't believe it. He said he has a lot of respect for me, and he was very nice, and we'll see. And he's a member of the Trump administration, in that sense, it's the Justice Department. I would certainly prefer not doing that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: The president also indicated he would postpone today's meeting with Rosenstein in order to avoid competing with Judge Kavanaugh's hearing. The meeting is not on the official White House schedule.

ROMANS: All right, President Trump slamming Canada and a new North American trade pact without Canada is looking more likely by the day. Trump is so unhappy with renegotiations. He claims he rejected a one on one meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Because his tariffs are too high, and he doesn't seem to want to move. And I've told him, forget about it. And, frankly, we're thinking about just taxing cars coming in from Canada. That's the mother-load, that's the big one. We're very unhappy with the negotiations and the negotiating style of Canada.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: A spokesman for Trudeau says no meeting was even requested. This is not the first time, though, that Trump has threatened Canadian cars, by the way. Autos were an essential part of the deal made between the U.S. and Mexico last month.

The White House wants Canada to accept the terms of that deal by this weekend. If not, the U.S. says it will move ahead without Canada. Imagine a North American trade pact without Canada.

But the two still differ on all kinds of issues like access to Canada's dairy market. Canada charges an average 249 percent tariff to protect its domestic AG industry. Not uncommon. And in fact, the U.S. and Canada already had an agreement to lower these tariffs, that was part of the TPP. The president quit the TPP the first week in office.

You know, the Republican Party has, traditionally, been a party of free trade, low taxes, no tariffs. The president, himself, talking about taxing cars coming in from Canada, you know, one of the things that he didn't like about, you know, healthcare, right? The president's - the former president's healthcare when he said that - that the mandate by insurance was a tax.

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: Well, some - so, apparently some taxes are OK, and some taxes aren't

BRIGGS: That on top of the fact that we have a dairy surplus--

ROMANS: That's right - that's right.

BRIGGS: --with our neighbors to the north. One day after, saying he has great respect for Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump says China is meddling in U.S. elections. What is the evidence he's pointing to?

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[05:12:50]

ROMANS: President Trump declaring a foreign power is trying to interfere in the upcoming midterm election, but it's not the country you might think.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: China has been attempting to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election.

They are trying to meddle in our election.

They would like to see me loose an election because they've never been challenged like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The president made that claim three times on Wednesday. CNN's Alexandra Field, getting reaction for us, she joins us live from Hong Kong.

And this is not the kind of meddling that we have traditionally seen from like Russia or Iran. He's talking about a Chinese campaign to try to explain to American voters that, guess what, trade wars and tariffs are bad for you.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But he's using the same language, meddling and interference and he's using those words over and over and over again. We saw it all day long yesterday.

The president essentially saying that China is meddling in the election in order to punish him politically as retribution for the budding trade war with Beijing, but, what's the evidence?

Well, the president did tweet something out later in the day, it was the image of a China daily insert in a Iowa newspaper. "China Daily," a Chinese state run newspaper, that insert has articles supporting Beijing's position on the trade war. The "China Daily" has paid to put its ads and its inserts into western publications in the past.

So, is that evidence of interference? Well, a top senior administration official went on later in the day to try and point to more evidence of interference from China, saying that Chinese tariffs targeting regions of the United States that supported President Trump in 2016, also amount to election meddling and interference.

And then he went on to say that Vice President Mike Pence would have more evidence of such meddling and interference sometime next week. As for China, it's official representing the country at the U.N. Security Council Foreign Minister flatly denying any claims or accusations of interference.

ROMANS: All right fascinating. Alexandra Field in Hong Kong, thank you.

BRIGGS: The president has a new view of a two-state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. He now supports it.

[05:15:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think the two-state will happen. I think it's, in one way, more difficult because it's a real estate deal, because you need meets and bounds and you need lots of carve outs and lots of everything. It's actually a little tougher deal. But another way it works better because you have people governing themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Early in his presidency, Mr. Trump broke with precedent and backed away from fully supporting a two-state solution. CNN's Oren Liebermann joining us live from Jerusalem. He's taking a closer look at this real estate acquisition. Good morning Oren.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Dave. President Donald Trump, once again, calling this deal a real estate deal. That's been ridiculed by critics, by diplomats and those with extensive experience with the Israeli Palestinian conflict, and yet Trump has continued to express confidence that when he puts that peace proposal forward, and he says that could happen in the next three to four months, it will be accepted.

Now, for the first time, the Trump Administration, Trump himself, clearly in black and white here, endorsing a two-state solution. He first said it at a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was asked by a reporter what he was supporting. "I like the two-state solution." He was asked again and he repeated it.

Again, an open and clear commitment or at least an endorsement of a two-state solution. Notably, Netanyahu, sitting just a few feet away, was silent during the exchange.

Trump also said that, after he recognized Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, Israel would have to give something to the other side. Give something back to the Palestinians in exchange, although there were no details on that.

Once again, Netanyahu himself was silent. Trump said, 100 percent the Palestinians are coming back to the negotiating table and there will be a deal here. He says it will work out. And yet, that confidence certainly not expressed by the Palestinians.

They froze contact with the Trump Administration when Trump moved the embassy to Jerusalem. That doesn't seem to show any signs of changing. Dave, both the Palestinian president and the Israeli prime minster speak today at the United Nations.

BRIGGS: Oren Liebermann live for us in Jerusalem. Thank you, sir.

ROMANS: All right, 17 minutes past the hour. Not exactly Jaws, but check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(YELLING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Wait, a seal launched an octopus at a kayaker in New Zealand.

BRIGGS: And a fan interferes with Anthony Rizzo on a night that they have a crucial game.

ROMANS: Oh no. No.

BRIGGS: Are the Cubs reliving the curse of Bartman? Andy Scholes has the answer in this morning's Bleacher Report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:22:00]

ROMANS: So kayaking is usually not a contact sport, but watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Out of the water? (ph)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

(YELLING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The kayakers slapped in the face by the tentacles of a octopus that a seal tossed out of the water. This bizarre encounter in the waters off of New Zealand, Kyle Mullinder says he and his friends were watching the seal tussle with the octopus right before it bursts out of the water. David? I could watch that all day.

BRIGGS: Seal, octopus, kayaker, New Zealand, I'm all in. We need a slow-mo of that story though -

ROMANS: I know.

BRIGGS: I want to see the slap in slow. OK, let's talk some sports. The Cubs clenching (ph) a playoffs spot last night, but it wasn't before they had another Steve Bartman like moment. Andy Scholes has more in the Bleacher Report.

(SPORTS)

[05:25:00]

ROMANS: All right, thanks guys. One way or another history will be made today. Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford testify. Will her accusations keep him off the Supreme Court?

CNN's coverage begins at 8:30 eastern with Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper. That hearing starts at 10. You can see it on TV and online at CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: A major chance to speak. Now, it's possible I'll hear that and I'll say, "Hey, I'm changing my mind".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Today is a day future generations will study in the history books.

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