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Crash Report: Lion Air Pilots Struggled To Regain Control; Clintons Launch Paid Speaking Tour And Slam Trump; Mattis And Pompeo To Hold All-Senators Briefing On Khashoggi Murder Today; CNN Reality Check: Paul Manafort's Litany Of Lies. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired November 28, 2018 - 07:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:31:44] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Investigators looking into last month's Lion Air crash now say the pilots repeatedly tried to override the plane's automatic safety system before it plunged into the Java Sea, killing all 189 people on board.

The preliminary report shows a safety sensor responded to faulty data, pulling the brand new Boeing plane's nose down more than two dozen times. A different flight crew experienced the same issue the day before but turned off the safety feature.

Boeing released a statement saying the company is, quote, "deeply saddened by the loss of life but maintains the plane is safe."

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: An active shooter drill prompted a scare at Walter Reed Medical Center. For more than an hour, patients, visitors, and staff were locked down after an active shooter alert went out without the words 'exercise' or 'drill'. The U.S. Navy is investigating how this happened.

CAMEROTA: All right, here's a horrible story. This was supposed to be a fun gender reveal party but it went horribly wrong and it ignited a 47,000-acre wildfire in Arizona.

This explosion, which happened last year -- it caused $8 million in damage. The video has just been made public.

The father here was a border patrol agent, Dennis Dickey. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of Forest Service regulations in September. He was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to pay restitution.

BERMAN: I didn't understand the thinking there. What was that supposed to be -- like, a girl baby doll in the middle of the explosion?

CAMEROTA: I don't know because normally, it's a cake and you cut into the cake and if there's blue or pink icing you know the sex of your baby.

BERMAN: And is there an explosion --

CAMEROTA: I don't know --

BERMAN: Is there an explosion with the cake?

CAMEROTA: Not normally.

BERMAN: Not normally?

CAMEROTA: No, not normally. I don't know. I think that they were upping the ante, but I don't know why they had to have an explosion in a field.

BERMAN: They should have known better.

All right, Bill and Hillary Clinton kicking off a paid speaking tour. For more than 90 minutes they fielded questions and took shots at President Trump, accusing him of compromising America's moral leadership in the world.

Suzanne Malveaux live in Toronto where the tour began last night -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

Yes, the Bill and Hillary show kicked off here in Toronto last night. It's a 13-city tour across North American billed as something fresh and something new by Live Nation, who normally promotes music superstars like Beyonce and Justin Timberlake.

There are a lot of skeptics -- Democratic allies who are saying it is time for Bill and Hillary to go away. But as we saw last night, there is still very much an appetite for the Clintons.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): They're back with the first question addressed as the elephant in the room. Will she or won't she go for another run in 2020?

HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm thinking about standing for Parliament here in Canada.

MALVEAUX: The Bill and Hillary Clinton paid tour kicked off in Toronto to a friendly crowd of several thousand.

Predictably, the former president and Secretary of State gushed over the House Democrats' recent midterm victory.

H. CLINTON: I think both Bill and I thought the outcome was terrific.

MALVEAUX: Neither Clinton was called upon to actively campaign for the Democratic candidates, as the party is reevaluating the once untouchable power couple's relevancy.

[07:35:02] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do not want her to run again. I am really hoping for some fresh blood.

MALVEAUX: The Clintons' return -- part policy wonkfest, part Trump zingers. Hillary, on the president's decision-making process --

H. CLINTON: Well, he said today that, you know, his gut and his opinion is a lot smarter than most people's brains. So, I mean, literally, you can't make this stuff up. I mean, it's -- you know, a dozen times a day your head is spinning.

MALVEAUX: -- and on Trump pulling the U.S. out of global treaties.

H. CLINTON: At some point, the emperor has no clothes. I mean, people begin to see that this doesn't make sense.

MALVEAUX: And on the president's refusal to believe the Saudi crown prince is implicated in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, this startling accusation.

H. CLINTON: We have a president who is part of the cover-up.

MALVEAUX: Also, hitting Trump's family.

H. CLINTON: What makes this so troubling is how much commercial interest both the president's family and business, and his son-in- law's family and business have with the Kingdom.

MALVEAUX: A frustrated Bill Clinton nearly apologized to the Canadians over Trump's handling of NAFTA negotiations.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I ask for your forbearance because we do love you.

MALVEAUX: On the 20th anniversary of President Clinton's impeachment for lying about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and amid controversy about how the Clintons have handled that story in the #MeToo era, no questions were mentioned of either. Rather, a tale from when the Clintons first met.

B. CLINTON: There was just something about her. She had no make-up on, she had long, really thick hair, she had big glasses, but there was just something about her. She had an energy.

H. CLINTON: He looked like a Viking. In those days, he had a lot of red hair and a red beard. And we heard this voice, in a southern accent, say -- "And not only that, we grow the biggest watermelons in the world."

And I said who is that? And my friend said that's Bill Clinton. He's from Arkansas and that's all he ever talks about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (on camera): So, the tickets run anywhere from $50.00 to $750, depending on the venue. The Clintons have been coy about the tour proceeds -- where it's going to go -- fueling the farfetched speculation that perhaps she's preparing -- Hillary Clinton -- for a 2020 run.

Having covered the Clintons as far back as the 90s, this is yet another opportunity for them to rebrand themselves to try to cement a more favorable legacy.

The real question -- the real test is when this tour comes to the United States -- comes back home next month -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Yes, that will be the real test and what the reception will be like for them then.

Thank you very much, Suzanne.

BERMAN: Yes, Canada has fewer electoral votes than Wisconsin --

CAMEROTA: That's true.

BERMAN: -- just if you're keeping score right now.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I know. You're right about that.

All right, so will the government shut down over President Trump's border wall demand? A Republican senator playing a big role in the negotiations joins us next on this and so much more.

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[07:41:53] CAMEROTA: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Sec. James Mattis will brief all 100 senators this morning about the Saudi's involvement in the murder of "Washington Post" journalist Jamal Khashoggi. CIA Director Gina Haspel, who has heard the tape of his murder, will not be in attendance.

Joining us now to discuss this and so much more is Republican Sen. James Lankford. He's a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Good morning, Senator.

SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R-OK), MEMBER, SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE, HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE, GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: Good morning to you.

CAMEROTA: Do you think that the White House is blocking CIA Director Gina Haspel from coming to your briefing?

LANKFORD: I don't think so and I don't even know a reason why they would block Gina Haspel. She's been a very trusted leader in the CIA and has done a very, very good job there. So I don't even know a good reason why they would.

The CIA --

CAMEROTA: But should she come?

LANKFORD: Well, that's obviously up to the White House on who they send on that.

But there's a lot of information from the CIA that will be provided and has been provided already. For those of us who serve on the Intelligence Committee, we've had very active conversations with the CIA to be able to get inside information on things and to be able to see what they're doing and how they're handling it.

CAMEROTA: It's our understanding is that Gina Haspel is the one person who traveled to Turkey and has heard the audiotape of Jamal Khashoggi's murder.

What did you think when National Security Adviser John Bolton, yesterday, was asked why he hasn't listened to it, and he basically said because it's in Arabic.

LANKFORD: Right. Well, again, it's very difficult to be able to understand the conversation. You can hear yelling, and pushing, and screaming -- you can hear all those things. But the conversation, you're not going to be able to pick up unless you do speak Arabic, and so I understand that in some ways.

Obviously, you can get a transcript -- you can get a readout of what was said and how it was said. That's very different than having to listen to the tape.

CAMEROTA: But it didn't sound as though he'd even gotten a transcript. Let me just play it for you and everyone, his response when asked about if he'd heard the tape. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: No, I haven't listened to it. And I guess I should ask you why do you think I should? What do you think I'll learn from it?

REPORTER: Well, you're the National Security adviser. You might have access to that sort of intelligence.

BOLTON: Yes. How many in this room speak Arabic?

REPORTER: You don't have access to an interpreter?

BOLTON: Well, you want me to listen to it? What am I going to learn from -- I mean, if they were speaking Korean, I wouldn't learn any more from it either.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So, Senator, if human rights violations don't happen in English, they're off the hook?

LANKFORD: Oh, no. I don't think that's what he's saying and I certainly don't think that's the implication of that. The implication is it's one thing to be -- we had faxed the information and the readout from the CIA and analysts who do speak Arabic, who can translate this, who can get the information, and another one to actually listen to it.

Certainly, human rights violations are very serious, whether it's Russians reaching into the U.K. and poisoning people that are their citizens, whether it's what happens in North Korea, whether it's what happens in Saudi Arabia or reaching out to Turkey and murdering one of its own citizens. So certainly, that's a big issue and should be.

CAMEROTA: So, do you think -- I mean, given that you think that human rights violations are a big deal, do you think that the Trump administration has given the crown prince a pass on this?

LANKFORD: Not so far. There's still more to go on this.

They have 17 individuals that are in Magnitsky sanctions. They have other individuals they have blocked from travel to the United States.

There should be more to go and I would hope that there would be more to go still in the days ahead whether there's additional economic sanctions, additional pushback, whether that be changing the way we do pricing for any of our products we'd negotiate with them. Whatever it may.

[07:45:10] We work with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has had human rights violations for a very long time. For decades and decades, they have had major issues within their own country.

We're now watching them now reach out to other countries to be able to commit these same kind of heinous violations. So this has been an issue for decades with Saudi Arabia and will continue to be.

CAMEROTA: But all of those repercussions you're talking about, is that going to be up to Congress or the Trump administration -- the White House?

LANKFORD: Well, the Trump administration has already put the 17 sanctions on Saudi Arabia. That's already done. But there's a lot more that can be done and obviously, there will be an ongoing conversation.

But again, this is -- in many ways, it's a painful example that is exceptionally internationally public of what Saudi Arabia has done for a very long time internally to its own citizens. But now, they're reaching out externally and doing it to Turkey in their embassy there.

CAMEROTA: Right, and does that suggest they have been emboldened? That something has changed. That they feel it's more -- an even more brazen illustration.

LANKFORD: I would certainly hope not since the entire international community has pushed back on Saudi Arabia. That they would see a reality of everyone says this is a terrible idea. You don't do this to your own citizens anywhere, especially in an international platform. So I would hope that they would see that.

But again, we've seen this in other entities as well, with North Korea, with Russia, with other entities that also have these heinous violations. We should push back on each and every one of them.

CAMEROTA: I want to ask you about the attorney general and the position. Ever since the president fired Jeff Sessions, as you know, Matt Whitaker, the acting -- has been acting attorney general.

So there's a Duke Law School professor, a former solicitor general named Walter Dellinger. Here's what he says about that.

"Twenty-one days since a staffer was made head of the Department of Justice with still no nominee to the Senate. Eaton (the case from 1898) allows a non-confirmed officer only in special circumstances. None here, where Senate-confirmed DOJ officers are available. Senate silence destroys the Senate."

Your reaction?

LANKFORD: I think it's a pretty big overreach to say Senate silence destroys the Senate.

We are waiting for the nominee for the attorney general. I think it's exceptionally important. It's a vital role.

It was one that was an early pick for President Trump. It should be an early pick now, so there is some confusion why we don't already have a nominee.

We're asking those questions to be able to get that and be able to process through that nominee early in January.

CAMEROTA: OK, so you are expecting a nominee in December and that you'll be able to vote in January.

LANKFORD: That's my hope on it. There's no way that we could get through a nominee in December to get them placed or space on the schedule and so much that's happening right now to be able to get a nominee, get them announced.

I would hope that they would come in December. I've heard no announcement from the White House but that seems like a reasonable time period for them to be able to go through the process.

It was no grand surprise the president wasn't favorable towards Jeff Sessions. They should have been well-prepared --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

LANKFORD: -- for that transition that when Jeff Sessions left and was asked to resign they would have someone in place. I don't understand why they don't have that but I would expect them to have that quickly so we can move early in January on an attorney general.

CAMEROTA: Right. I mean, I appreciate your candor that this is your hope, though you have no information that they're going --

LANKFORD: Right.

CAMEROTA: -- to have a nominee next month.

How long are you willing to give Matt Whitaker in this post with no nominee?

LANKFORD: Well, without a Senate-confirmed nominee, there's a lot that the Department of Justice cannot do, and so that's an exceptionally important role. So they will have their own consequences just with the Department of Justice and being stuck, in many ways. But we've got to have an attorney general as the United States.

CAMEROTA: OK. Let's talk about what might happen next Friday, OK? The deadline for more government funding is December seventh. The president says that he will stick with demanding $5 billion for his border wall.

Is the government going to be shut down?

LANKFORD: No, I don't think the government's going to be shut down.

We've had -- about 75 percent of the government has already been funded through the previous work that we've already done with appropriation bills. The military's already been funded -- Defense. All of the actions with Labor and Health and Human Services, Education. All those things have already been funded.

We have a few areas that have not been funded yet that were under a continuing resolution.

The big drama is about the border wall funding. A $5 billion amount is not an excessive amount for what can be done reasonably in a year. And that was originally a request for $25 billion to have this big giant lump sum. Congress pushed back on that and said no, we'll fund what can be done reasonably in a reasonable time period that we can also have oversight on.

CAMEROTA: So --

LANKFORD: So that is in process right now and we'll see what works out in the next week -- or actually, next couple of days because we really have to have this agreement done by this weekend to get everything written and ready for next week.

CAMEROTA: So you think the president will get that $5 billion amount?

LANKFORD: I do, and I don't think it's a large amount.

Again, it started with $25 billion that he's backed off and said $5 billion is what we can actually manage, and what we can oversee, and what you can provide good oversight for. It's not an excessive amount.

CAMEROTA: Senator James Lankford, we appreciate you coming on NEW DAY. Thanks so much.

LANKFORD: Glad to do it.

[07:50:00] CAMEROTA: Thanks so much -- John.

BERMAN: Robert Mueller accuses Paul Manafort of repeatedly lying to them after agreeing to a plea deal. If that's true it wouldn't be the first or third or 10th time. A much-needed CNN reality check, next.

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BERMAN: So, if Paul Manafort did, in fact, repeatedly lie to investigators after his plea deal, a deal that specifically prohibits him from lying, it might be the least surprising thing ever.

Let's get a reality check. CNN senior political analyst John Avlon here with that -- John.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Oh, Berman, listen -- look, a whole lot of lying going on.

But just consider where we are three weeks after the midterms, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is a season that might be called "Mueller Time" because the Russia investigation definitely seems to be heating up and taking decisive steps towards resolution in just the last couple of days.

First, we had CNN's Sara Murray reporting on e-mails between Roger Stone and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi that indicate knowledge of the DNC hacks well before WikiLeaks released the documents.

[07:55:00] And then, a bombshell, but so far unconfirmed report from "The Guardian" that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange three times, including in March of 2016 which is around the time Manafort joined the Trump campaign. That story gets filed under "whoa, if true" because WikiLeaks' Assange and Manafort have aggressively denied the report.

That said, Paul Manafort does not exactly have what you would call a good record when it comes to telling the truth. In fact, Manafort pled guilty to charges of lying on a plethora of topics he once hotly denied.

For example, Manafort admitting to lying on his federal taxes for years. He admitted lying to banks to obtain loans and mortgages. Manafort lied about his lobbying work as a foreign agent and helped others lie about it as well. And he also tried to convince other folks to lie about their lobbying.

It looks like a liapalooza (ph). But wait, there's more.

Manafort lied about taking off-the-books payments from a pro-Russia party in Ukraine, saying quote, "I've never received a single off-the- books cash payment as falsely reported by The New York Times, neither have I ever done work for the governments of Ukraine and Russia." He said that reporting was quote "unfounded, silly, and nonsensical." Manafort was lying there was well.

During the campaign, Manafort said that members of the Trump team didn't push to change the Republican Party's platform on supporting Ukraine, tilting it in a more pro-Russia direction. Well, it turns out they did.

And perhaps most significantly, Manafort also lied about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, HOST, ABC "THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS": Are there any ties between Mr. Trump, you or your campaign, and Putin and his regime?

PAUL MANAFORT, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: No, there are not. That's absurd and, you know, there's no basis to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: Of course, it wasn't absurd. Despite all the denials, we now know of multiple contacts between team Trump and Russia.

After the election, Manafort also lied about the existence of an FBI investigation into his business dealings to reporters while being interviewed by investigators.

And then earlier this week, Mueller dropped the hammer on Manafort for lying since his plea deal -- an agreement that was supposed to stop him from lying.

So as you can see, there's a whole lot of lying going on when it comes to Paul Manafort and it seems to be his first line of defense.

And according to Jerome Corsi, lies are a standard part of politics in his experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME CORSI, CONSERVATIVE AUTHOR: Political campaigns frequently develop alternative explanations for clients. I mean, they said is it lying? I said, well, yes, it's lying, but it's pretty normal practice in politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AVLON: Let's not normalize alternative facts. Honest Abe Lincoln might beg to differ. He once said no man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.

The truth will out in reporting, in court, and eventually in the eyes of history.

And that's your reality check.

CAMEROTA: I love when John ends on an optimistic note and cites Abraham Lincoln.

AVLON: There's a pony (ph) in there somewhere.

BERMAN: Yes. It's the first time that Paul Manafort and Abraham Lincoln have ever been mentioned within the same paragraph, let alone sentence.

AVLON: Never seen in the same room, as well.

BERMAN: Yes, fair point, fair point. CAMEROTA: John Avlon, thank you for some reality.

We're following a lot of news. Let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Investigators are looking at these two men and saying are these guys the key to a collusion question?

CORSI: And, Roger was saying I want you to help me figure out a way to make it sound like I didn't know these were Podesta's e-mails.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have never heard of somebody cooperating against everybody the government asks and then sharing information with other people who are under investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only thing he can be hoping for is a pardon.

REP. JERRY NADLER (D), NEW YORK: Even dangling a pardon in front of a witness like Manafort is dangerously close to obstruction of justice.

SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We haven't seen definitive evidence that ties him directly to that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have the President of the United States refusing to listen to this tape.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why has American policy become captive to Saudi foreign policy? It should be the other way around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

BERMAN: good morning and welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, November 28th, 8:00 in the east.

And this morning we know much more about the Mueller investigation than we did yesterday, and we can't say that often. This is our clearest window yet into connections between people close to the president and the Democratic e-mails stolen by the Russians during the 2016 campaign.

CNN has obtained draft court documents that suggest the Mueller team plans to show how Trump adviser Roger Stone allegedly sought information and e-mails from WikiLeaks using another operative, conservative author Jerome Corsi, as a go-between.

CAMEROTA: So those documents include an e-mail from Jerome Corsi to Roger Stone, saying that WikiLeaks has information damaging to Hillary Clinton and planned to release it right before the election.

Then there is this. Rudy Giuliani tells CNN the Trump legal team has been in contact with Paul Manafort's legal team. They have been exchanging notes on what the special counsel was asking Manafort, even after Paul Manafort agreed to cooperate with the investigation.

We have many questions this morning and joining us now is Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff. He's currently ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee but he is expected to be the chairman of that committee after Democrats officially take the majority in January.

Good morning, Congressman.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), RANKING MEMBER, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: So, before we get to what will change when you're the chairman of that committee, with all of this new reporting from Sara Murray, as well as other people, what jumps out at --