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Trump Inaugural Committee Under Investigation; Migrant Dies After Arrest; Oscars Host Problems; CBS Paid Dushku. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 14, 2018 - 08:30   ET

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


[08:30:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: With us.

You were director of national intelligence up through the inauguration basically and certainly during the campaign. Was it ever on your radar the possibility of foreign money being funneled to the president's super PAC and then ultimately the inauguration?

JAMES CLAPPER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, that's -- that's always a possibility with any inaugural activity. But I will say, I knew nothing about any such activity contemporaneously.

BERMAN: And why would -- and, again, we're just getting word that these investigations exist. We don't know whether it happened or not. But if it was happening, or if it were to be happening, why would that be of concern legally and from an intelligence perspective?

CLAPPER: Well, I think my concern is, you know, as a former intelligence guy would be just, you know, the extent of foreign influence and who -- what foreign entities were trying to gain access, gain influence, which, of course, would affect -- potentially affect U.S. policy. And obviously those are concerns today that are still (INAUDIBLE), particularly with respect to Russia and Saudi Arabia. So if there was Russian money involved here or Saudi money, that would be, I think, a great concern.

BERMAN: You're talking about foreign contacts.

To that end, CNN now counts 16 people associated with then candidate Donald Trump, now President Trump. Sixteen people associated with his organization, the campaign, the White House, Trump rite large, that had contact with Russians. And that was as a -- I actually haven't contacted new today, but 16 as of yesterday or the day before. That seems like a lot. Again, as director of national intelligence, were you aware there were that many contacts?

CLAPPER: No, John, not that many. We were aware of some Russian contacts and, for that matter, other countries as well. But the ones that I think certainly bothered me the most, and the phrase I'd use long ago was that our dashboard warning lights were clearly blinking, were the Russian contacts. Now, we didn't -- we weren't aware of 16, but there were several at the time, contemporaneously, and it did give rise to a concern for, you know, what was going on here.

BERMAN: What made those lights blink? Which types of contacts would you find most concerning? All contacts are not created equal. There could be a meeting on foreign policy, for instance, that would be OK.

CLAPPER: Right.

I think it was the number and frequency of them, and particularly with Russia. Bearing in mind Russia, you know, our arch adversary of all countries to reach out to, among all the other countries in our friends and allies, but the most prevalent contacts, even then were with Russia, of all people.

BERMAN: Director, in the last few minutes we've started to hear for the first time from Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to all kinds of crimes. One of them was a campaign finance related crime, lying to investigators another one. He is talking now out for the first time since he was sentenced to three years in prison, and he's talking about the president's honesty. I want you to listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL COHEN, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FORMER LAWYER: I know the truth. Others know the truth. And here is the truth. The people of the United States of America, the people of the world don't believe what he's saying. The man doesn't tell the truth. And it's sad that I should take responsibility for his dirty deeds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Now, let me stipulate, we know, because Michael Cohen has pleaded guilty to it, we know Michael Cohen doesn't tell the truth, or has not told the truth in the past. He has lied to investigators under oath and whatnot. But to his claim that the president doesn't tell the truth, is this something that you have observed from the outside since you have left the administration?

CLAPPER: Well, yes, obviously, you know, all the fact checkers and the number of his statements and tweets and all that, that have a very distant relationship with the truth, so this -- this is, I think, very compelling re-enforcement of the notion that the president has a -- is not truthful.

He seems to have a separate reality for each day, each tweet, each statement in an interview, which has little or no bearing to what he said in the -- in the past. And it's though he believes or thinks that nobody is going to remember or record what he said previously. So his reputation for not being truthful has certainly preceded him and preceded Michael Cohen. But I think because of Cohen's close association with the president for over ten years as his personal attorney and fixer, is pretty devastating.

[08:35:09] BERMAN: So people could look at this, I could say supporters of the president being why does this matter. It's not a crime to lie to the public. Well, I could make a compelling case that a president should never lie to the public. But even leave that aside for a moment, from your position, from an intelligence perspective and from a foreign policy perspective, lying matters because you know who knew that the president was lying or not being straight on some of his answers about connections, financial connections to Russia over time. Who knew that Michael Cohen had lied to Congress when he told Congress that he was not dealing with Russia to build a Trump Tower in Moscow well into the 2016 campaign? Russia knew.

CLAPPER: Yes, exactly.

BERMAN: The Kremlin knew. What does that matter?

CLAPPER: Well, it matters is lot because the Russians are notorious for what they call compromont (ph), their acronym for compromising material. So to the extent that the president's not being truthful publically, not being truthful to the American people, not being truthful to our, you know, foreign interlocutors overseas, and the Russians know this. And so potentially that gives them a way of exerting leverage over the president. So it's a dangerous practice. I mean all presidents have at times not been completely truthful or distorted the truth, but nothing on the scale of this one.

BERMAN: Director James Clapper, a pleasure to have you with us. Thank you so much.

CLAPPER: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, John, to the world of entertainment. It has been more than a week since Kevin Hart announced he would no longer host the Oscars because of those past homophobic tweets. Well, do they have a new host? What's the hold up? We have the answers, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:40:50] CAMEROTA: The Department of Homeland Security is offering condolences. The family of a seven-year-old Guatemalan girl who died while she was in border patrol custody after being arrested with her dad for crossing illegally into the U.S. from Mexico.

CNN's Martin Savidge is here with the latest.

What happened, Martin?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know this is just a horribly tragic story, Alisyn. Let's tell you the facts that we know so far.

According to CBP, Customs and Border Protection, it was December 6th, 10:00 at night in a very remote area of New Mexico when this father and daughter were crossing over from Mexico. They're from Guatemala but they were crossing from the Mexican border. The were apprehended not alone. There was a large group of others that were with them, about 160 people, taken to a nearby border patrol station being processed. And about eight hours later, the young girl began having convulsions, seizures. Medical help was sought. They realized this was really serious, so they life flighted her to a children's hospital in El Paso, Texas, where, unfortunately, less than 24 hours later she died. The initial diagnosis was that she died of dehydration and also septic

shock. And now the question is, could there have been anything in the way that he was apprehended, in the way that they were detained, that she was denied some sort of medical action or that it contributed to the really tragic outcome? There are, of course, calls for investigations coming from the ACLU and a number of Democrats here. The DHS is saying it's investigating.

Just a short time ago, the head of DHS spoke out on Fox about this very tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRSTJEN NIELSEN, DHS SECRETARY: My heart goes out to the family, all of -- all of DHS.

You know, this is just a very sad example of the dangers of this journey. This family chose to cross illegally. What happened here was they were 90 -- about 90 miles away from where we could process them. They came in such a large crowd that it took our border patrol folks a couple times to get them all. We give immediate care. We'll continue to look into the situation.

But, again, I cannot stress how dangerous this journey is when migrants choose to come here illegally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: John, I've been in that particular area with the Border Patrol of New Mexico. It is extremely remote. It's high desert. It's a very tough crossing and takes days.

John.

BERMAN: Martin Savidge for us. A tragedy to say the least. Thanks so much, Martin.

After that I think we all need a little hope in our lives. And it is the season to give. And at this moment, donations for our top heroes, our top ten CNN heroes, are being matched dollar for dollar. Our Anderson Cooper explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, "AC 360": I'm Anderson Cooper.

Each of this year's top ten CNN heroes really prove that one person can make a difference. And again this year we're making it easy for you to support their great work. Just go to cnnheroes.com and click "donate" beneath any 2018 top ten CNN hero to make a direct contribution to that hero's found fundraiser on Crowd Rise. You'll receive an e-mail confirming your donation, which is tax deductible in the United States.

No matter the amount, you can make a big difference in helping our heroes continue their life changing work. And right now through January 2nd, your donations will be matched dollar for dollar up to a total of $50,000 for each of this year's honorees. CNN is proud to offer you this simply way to support each cause and celebrate all these everyday people who are changing the world.

You can donate from your laptop, your tablet or your phone. Just go to cnnheroes.com. Your donation in any amount will help them help others. Thanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So if you know someone who deserves to be a CNN hero, tell us about them. Nominations for 2019 now open. Go to cnnheroes.com to nominate. Do it now.

CAMEROTA: OK, is the Academy Awards, are they any closer to naming a new host for the Oscars after Kevin Hart unceremoniously bowed out, mired in controversy? So we discuss the latest, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:49:13] CAMEROTA: All right, one week after comedian Kevin Hart has bowed out of the Oscars, mired in controversy, there is still no new host announced for Hollywood's biggest night. Hart quit, you'll remember, in an uproar after homophobic tweets and similar comments in his comedy routines. The Academy Awards are just two months away. So what is the plan?

Joining us now is Irin Carmon, senior correspondent for "The New York Magazine," CNN chief media correspondent and anchor of "Reliable Sources," Brian Stelter.

Great to have you guys.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: Is there a plan?

STELTER: It doesn't seem like there's a plan. The Academy's been trying to figure out what to do. It's funny, the Academy's tweeter feed still has the tweet celebrating Kevin Hart up on its feed. I don't think they know what to do. And I think the most likely option, no host at all. Why does the Oscars need a host? Sometimes you have other awards shows where people just come up, present awards, stay out of the way, that might work best for the Oscars.

[08:50:03] BERMAN: It might also keep the whole thing shorter.

STELTER: Yes.

BERMAN: But, look, I also -- I keep trying to figure out why we care so much about this. I mean I know that tens of millions of people watch the Oscars, but it's the decision to hire Kevin Hart, who everyone in the world had known had these homophobic routines before, has the Academy learned a lesson, Brian, perhaps going forward?

STELTER: I would like to say yes, but the Academy tends to skew older, it tends to skew old-fashion, tends not to, I think, I don't want to say ever, but often times not to learn lessons. I think with Hart, you know, those two days between hiring him and him quitting, you know, and the Academy still hasn't said anything a week later. That tells you a lot.

And I think it matters especially this year because of all of the movies, all of the -- all of the stars that were nominated for portrayals of gay life or portrayals of gay character, that's what made this thing even more this year when these homophobic tweets resurfaced.

CAMEROTA: See, Irin, I thought that this was a plum gig, getting to host the Oscars, but in the industry is it not seen that way?

IRIN CARMON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I mean, you know, it reminds me of how the Trump chief of staff job is supposed to be a plum gig, and yet it's been quite difficult to fill. In some ways this is a really thankless job, right? Everybody has an armchair critique of what this host is doing. Everybody thinks it's too long. Everybody thinks it's not funny. And who watches for the host?

CAMEROTA: And they don't get paid a lot, right? Isn't not big bucks.

CARMON: I was astonished. TMZ reported that the host gets paid $15,000. I mean a lot of these folks who would be our -- you know, on our dream list, the people that we've been tweeting about that should be the host, they can get that for showing up at a store. So they're supposed to be able to do this for the exposure, but this day and age I don't think that it's worth the fact that everyone's going to be sitting at home complaining about how it's 11:00 p.m. and we still haven't gotten to the best picture yet and it's clearly the host's fault.

BERMAN: I have to say, if we see John Kelly in an opening montage, (INAUDIBLE), we will know --

CARMON: Reince Priebus (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: Exactly! Special guest Reince Priebus.

CARMON: Yes.

BERMAN: Who I should note is a phenomenal dancer.

All right, Irin, there's a lot going on at CBS right now. I mean that's the understatement of the century. "The New York Times" has an article about Eliza Dushku, an actress in the show "Bull," which is on CBS, and reaching a $9.5 million settlement. This takes some explanation. Let me read you what happened here. It has to do between interactions between Eliza Dushku, who was brought onto the show, and the star of the show, Michael Weatherly. Let me read you from "The Times."

It wasn't long before Mr. Weatherly started making comments that left her feeling uncomfortable. Here comes legs he said on a day when Ms. Dushku was wearing a suit, according to the interview notes. On another occasion, Ms. Dushku told investigators he said it in front of the cast and crew that he would bend her over his leg and spank her. Ms. Dushku also described to investigators a time on the set when in character she made a gesture with three fingers. In response she said, Mr. Weatherly suggested to laughs from the crew, that she wanted to have a threesome with him and another male cast member.

CARMON: So, we're learning about a lot of these revelations from the internal investigation that was leaked to "The New York Times" that was commissioned by the CBS board in response to reporting and the New York -- in "The New Yorker" and other places about a toxic culture. The pattern that emerges here is somebody who's doing the right thing, they're going through reporting the channels and then being retaliated against, right, Eliza Dushku says she was written off the show. Cybil Shepherd says her show was canceled because of -- she says Les Moonves, she turned him down when he propositioned her.

So what we are seeing here is people rallying around what is allegedly a toxic male star, covering it up. We're talking about a confidential settlement. Everybody moves on. The woman gets written off the show. That's what we're seeing again and again.

STELTER: So, not only was she harassed, it was retaliation against her, righting her off the show --

CARMON: It's also illegal.

STELTER: And $9.5 million. That's how much money she would have made in the next four years on the show if she hadn't been retaliation against. So, once again, another revelation from this law firm report that we've been hearing so much from this leaked law firm report. And CBS still has not addressed it publically.

But this company's been upended. Think about where we've come in the last 13 months, ever since your story about Charlie Rose led to his exit. More and more revelations about a toxic culture in CBS. The only way to get through and get passed it is for these secrets to come out.

CAMEROTA: Thank you guys for following it.

Irin Carmon, Brian Stelter, great to see you guys. Thank you.

STELTER: Thanks.

CARMON: Good to see you.

CAMEROTA: All right, now, here's what to watch today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ON SCREEN TEXT: Today, prosecutors reply to Flynn sentencing memo.

12:00 p.m. ET, new poll of 2020 Dems for president.

1:00 p.m. ET, Pompeo and Mattis speak on Canada at State Department.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [08:55:04] BERMAN: "The Good Stuff" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: OK, time now for "The Good Stuff. A good Samaritan and police officers in California helped cheer up a five-year-old boy. Here's the boy. You see him there. He's named Jack. This is at the Roseville Police Department. His family moved to Paradise to be close to sick family members who later died. Then the Camp Fire hit, destroying their home and Jack's police costume that he wore nearly every day. The officers showed up and bought him a new uniform. And Jack, who wants to be a police officer when he grows up, now has his own police cruiser.

BERMAN: Whoa!

CAMEROTA: Look at that, thanks to a woman and her two kids who used their allowance to help buy it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

APRIL MARSKELL, EVENT ORGANIZER: That was -- that was special. I mean it really put a smile on his face today and that's all I wanted.

DIANE STIEB, JACK'S MOTHER: It's really -- sorry -- it's nice to see him so happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Oh, my God, that's beautiful. First of all, where do we get a police cruiser like that?

BERMAN: A. B, he looks awesome in his uniform.

CAMEROTA: He does.

BERMAN: A uniform really fits him well.

CAMEROTA: It really suits him.

[09:00:01] BERMAN: I have no doubt that he's going to be an outstanding officer going forward.

That does it for us today.

CAMEROTA: It sure does. Have a great weekend.

BERMAN: Yes, thanks so much.

There's a lot of news this morning. CNN