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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Trump Denies Trying to Tamper with Cohen Probe; Roger Stone to Jail?; Winter Storm Threat; Burberry Pulls Hoodie With Noose. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired February 20, 2019 - 04:00   ET

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


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[04:00:18] REPORTER: Did you ask Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to change the leadership of the investigation into your former personal attorney Michael Cohen?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, not at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A denial from the president. But "The New York Times" reports he tried to have a supporter put in charge of the Michael Cohen investigation.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And could Roger Stone end up in jail as he awaits trial? A judge summoning him back to court after a controversial Instagram post.

ROMANS: Rain, sleet, ice, snow, half the country is in for some wicked weather and round two is not far behind.

SANCHEZ: Plus, suicide is not fashion. Anger at fashion giant Burberry, the company pulling a hoodie that had a noose around the neck.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Boris Sanchez, in for Dave Briggs.

ROMANS: Trying to figure out what context that was a good idea at all.

SANCHEZ: Yes, not very fashionable.

ROMANS: No.

I'm Christine Romans. Good morning. It is Wednesday, February 20th, it is 4:00 a.m. in the East. Nice to see you again this morning.

SANCHEZ: Good to see you.

ROMANS: Let's begin with the president facing more obstruction of justice questions in the wake of a wide-ranging "New York Times" report. "The Times" says the president pushed to have a federal prosecutor appointed during his administration oversee the Michael Cohen investigation. Mr. Trump had by that point already been implicated in the Cohen probe.

SANCHEZ: Yes. But "The Times" reports that late last year, he still called then Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to ask if the U.S. attorney in Manhattan could supervise it. The report is raising concerns about obstruction of justice even in places that usually downplay them.

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SHEP SMITH, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: The phone call would be evidence of what?

JUDGE ANDREW NAPOLITANO, FOX NEWS SENIOR JUDICIAL ANALYST: Corrupt intent. That is, an effort to use the levers of power of the government for a corrupt purpose.

SMITH: Would that be obstruction?

NAPOLITANO: Yes. Well, it would be attempted obstruction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: It is unclear what Whitaker did in response to the president's call. There is no evidence that he took action. The Justice Department says Whitaker made no commitments but does not flatly deny the investigation was discussed. But Trump was not shy about making a blanket denial.

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REPORTER: Did you ask Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to change the leadership of the investigation into your former personal attorney Michael Cohen?

TRUMP: No, not at all. I don't know who gave you that. That is more fake news. There is a lot of fake news out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: More now from senior White House correspondent Pamela Brown.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Christine and Boris. President Trump is denying that he ever made that ask of former A.G. Matt Whitaker to have the U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Berman unrecused and oversee the Cohen probe.

Now, this denial was in response to "The New York Times" that he, in fact, did make that ask because he viewed Berman as an ally. As sources tell me and my colleague Laura Jarrett that Trump was upset about the Cohen probe and how it implicated him in the payments of two women during the election, you recall that, and that he did talk to Whitaker about it over the phone.

The president thought Whitaker should do a better job with controlling the investigators in the probe that he oversaw as acting attorney general. During recent congressional testimony, Whitaker would only say he won't discuss conversations with the president when he's asked if he spoke to him about the SDNY investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to know whether you talked to President Trump at all about the Southern District of New York's case involving Michael Cohen.

MATTHEW WHITAKER, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Congresswoman, as I've mentioned several times today, I'm not going to discuss my private conversations with the president of the United States.

BROWN: In contrast, he told the committee he never spoke about the Mueller probe to President Trump.

WHITAKER: At no time has the White House asked for nor have I provided any promises or commitments concerning the special counsel's investigation or any other investigation.

BROWN: But this latest reporting about Trump fits into a pattern where he believes that officials in DOJ roles should show loyalty to him and do his bidding. As you will recall, the president was furious that Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe and he never got over it -- Boris and Christine.

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SANCHEZ: According to "The Times" report, the Whitaker controversy is just one example of a pattern of deception and intimidation applied by the president concerning the investigation around them. That includes orchestrating a lie about the firing of national security adviser Michael Flynn. You will recall Flynn resigned after reports surfaced because of his conflicts with Russia's ambassador Sergei Kislyak at the end of 2016.

ROMANS: He claimed he was stepping down because he misled Vice President Pence about it. But when an adviser mentioned House Speaker Paul Ryan was telling reporters the president asked for Flynn's resignation, Mr. Trump reportedly liked the version of the story better. So, he ordered his press secretary, Sean Spicer, to use that version in his briefings.

[04:05:02] SANCHEZ: And "The Times" also reports that President Trump asked his former campaign manager, Cory Lewandowski, to pressure then- Attorney General Jeff Sessions into resigning. Aides dodged the orders to secure his resignation.

ROMANS: And a bombshell from Andrew McCabe, with the former acting FBI director asked by CNN's Anderson Cooper if he still believes President Trump could be a Russian asset.

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ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER ACTING FBI DIRECTOR: I think it's possible. I think that's why we started our investigation. And I'm really anxious to see where Director Mueller concludes that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: That comment by McCabe coming just days after he revealed the president's own words and actions led to the counter intelligence and obstruction investigations that were opened. McCabe also telling CNN he briefed top congressional leaders about President Trump being under investigation. He says no one in that group of congressional leaders objected.

SANCHEZ: Roger Stone has been ordered to appear at a court hearing tomorrow after an Instagram post that seemed to threaten the judge overseeing his case. It featured this picture of Judge Amy Berman Jackson which we've blurred out. The picture we see at the left upper hand corner has some crosshairs on it. But Stone denies that those are crosshairs, but the post could jeopardize the lenient gag order that she imposed, as well as Stone's freedom, his bail.

Stone, who's motto, is to never apologized, it's one of his rules, apologized officially to the court. He told CNN that a volunteer made the initial post and it was in no way a threat to the judge. Stone, of course, was indicted on charges that he coordinated with top Trump campaign officials while he sought stolen emails from WikiLeaks during the 2016 election.

ROMANS: All right. Big problems with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' financial disclose sure forms, they are not accurate. The Office of Government Ethics says Ross claims he sold thousands of dollars in bank stocks that other reports indicate he did not sell. In a statement, Ross would only say he is committed to complying with the ethics agreement. A report from the Center for Public Integrity in December found Ross never sold his holdings in Bank United as required within 90 days after confirmation.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Ross says he thought the stock had been sold. He blamed a miscommunication with his agent.

Meantime, President Trump's space force is a step closer to becoming a national security reality. The president on Tuesday signing an order taking the first steps toward the space force that would become the sixth branch of the U.S. military. The aim is to protect American interests in space and to blunt the rising power of China which just last month landed a space craft on the far side of the moon. The Department of Defense will now draft a legislative proposal to submit to Congress which must approve any new branch of the military.

ROMANS: Bernie Sanders's second act off to a hot start. The Vermont senator's presidential campaign raking in $4 million in donations already from nearly 150,000 supporters. That has Sanders thinking ahead to possible running mates.

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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We would look for somebody who is maybe not of the same gender that I am, and maybe somebody who might be a couple years younger than me and somebody who can take the progressive banner. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: You heard Sanders reference his age. The late night comics also noticed that.

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SETH MEYERS, COMEDIAN: Senator Bernie Sanders announced today that he will run for president in 2020. If successful -- yes. If successful, he would be the oldest person. That's it.

JIMMY FALLON, COMEDIAN: At age 77, Bernie is the only candidate who toss his hat and his teeth into the ring.

JAMES CORDEN, COMEDIAN: At 77 years old, Bernie Sanders would be the oldest president in history which explains his brand new campaign yard signs, get off my lawn.

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ROMANS: President Trump could be facing another challenge from within the Republican Party. CBS is set to air an interview today with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, he is not ruling out a White House bid in 2020, citing the president's weak poll numbers.

SANCHEZ: About half the country is in for some ugly weather today. Two systems emerging into one forming a powerful winter storm. It's packing a mixture of snow, More than 117 million people from the plains to the Midwest to the northeast under some kind of weather advisory right now. Twenty million others are facing flood advisories in the south.

ROMANS: Washington, D.C. and Baltimore expected to take the brunt of the storm. Federal offices in the nation's capital are closed today, all of Minnesota and Philadelphia public schools are closed too. About 1,000 flights already canceled, many of them in and around Chicago, and Philadelphia. Oh, that's going to tangle up a lot of travel, isn't it?

SANCHEZ: Oh, yes.

ROMANS: Another storm system is moving into California. It is expected to follow the same pattern for another round of punishment this weekend. You're welcome.

Here's meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.

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[04:10:02] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Boris and Christine, yes, about a 130 million people underneath these alerts, advisories and warnings. And notice, a multi-storm setup here over the next couple days. One coming in for the next 24 hours, and then another one coming in, going towards late this weekend and early next week. So where it is not heavy rainfall, it is a wintry mix or heavy snowfall across parts of the Midwest and also the intra mountain west and parts of the northwest as well.

And notice, the current storm brings in heavy rainfall across portions of the south and north of St. Louis into parts of the Great Lakes, it becomes all snow and all of this pushes on in toward the east as we go in through later on tonight and into early tomorrow morning leaving behind about 4 to 6 inches of snowfall across that region. But again, plenty of flooding threat in place as well from Nashville down towards Birmingham, even northern portions of Mississippi and eastern areas of Arkansas whereas much as 4 to 6 inches of rainfall could come down in the next two days.

And, again, as this system moves on, we do have another system right on its heels and temps are struggling to warm up across the south. Atlanta only 49, Charlotte, 41 degrees, and up in the Midwest, looking into the middle 30s while this system exits, another one follows a similar track going in toward the upcoming weekend.

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ROMANS: All right. It's not good, but you got to know, be prepared.

All right. Teachers in West Virginia get their wish, so why are they still on strike for a second day?

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[04:15:26] SANCHEZ: Plans to sell nuclear power to the Saudis now the focus of an investigation by House Democrats. White House officials kept pushing the proposal in early 2017, despite warnings from national security officials that the Saudis could convert to weapons development. Now, House Oversight Committee Democrats have issued a report focusing on the role of then adviser Michael Flynn and his aide Derrick Harvey.

ROMANS: It says Harvey overrode staff warnings and pushed the nuclear project pitched by a private company IP3. Flynn had previously advised an IP3 subsidiary. A spokesman for Republicans on the House Intel Committee where Harvey is now staffer called the report, quote, a ridiculous conspiracy theory. Flynn has not responded to a CNN request for comment.

SANCHEZ: CNN has learned that actor Jussie Smollett has a history of providing false information to law enforcement. In 2007, the "Empire" star pleaded no contest to charges in a DUI stop. Police in L.A. say that he gave them a fake name, his brother's. He was sentenced to two years probation and a fine.

ROMANS: U.S. postal inspectors are helping with a threatening letter addressed to Smollett at the "Empire" set. It includes a message cut from magazine clippings and the word "MAGA" on the outside of the envelope in place of the return address. Now, Smollett claimed that he was attacked by two people yelling racial slurs, but his story has not been corroborated. Chicago detectives still want to speak to Smollett again. It is not clear when or if that will happen.

SANCHEZ: Attorneys for a Kentucky high school student at the center of a viral video controversy are suing the "Washington Post." They are seeking $250 million in damages for 16-year-old Nicholas Sandmann. The teenager was in the Washington last month for the annual March for Life rally when he found himself face to face with Omaha tribe elder Nathan Phillips. The video initially touched off accusations that Sandmann was a bigot.

ROMANS: Another video that surfaced days later provided a more complete context for the encounter. The lawsuit claims "The Post" bullied Nicholas because he was a white Catholic student wearing a red "Make America Great Again" cap. The newspaper says it is planning to mount a vigorous defense. Sandmann claims that he have just trying to diffuse tension and deny allegations that either party acting out of racism.

SANCHEZ: Get this, it may not be long before 16-year-olds can vote in Oregon. Lawmakers proposing an amendment to the state constitution that would lower the voting age from 18 to 16. It passes, voters will decide on the proposal in 2020. Supporters point to the political activism of Parkland, Florida students who challenged politicians to tighten gun laws after 17 people were massacred at their high school last year. Some cities in Maryland have already lowered the voting age to 16 for local elections.

ROMANS: A battle brewing between California and the Trump administration, and the U.S. Department of Transportation canceled a nearly $1 billion grant for the state's high speed rail project that would have run from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Governor Gavin Newsom announced last week he was scrapping the project because it was too expensive and it would take too long to complete. That decision led President Trump to demand all the money be returned.

Despite the legal threats, California is not under any obligation to return the cash. Newsom told CNN the president's move is clear political retribution for a California-led lawsuit to block his national emergency.

SANCHEZ: Meantime teachers in West Virginia are set to strike for a second day, even after the House of Delegates in that state shelved annual education bill that prompted them to walk off their jobs.

Teachers cheered when they found out the news. The Republican led House voted to table the bill that would create charter schools and education savings accounts to help pay for private schools. And the teachers union says they can't trust state Senate leadership and they want to make sure the bill is really dead. Republican Senate President Mitch Carmichael says teachers are on the wrong side of history and that the champions of the status quo won.

ROMANS: A big bounce for Walmart, why sales were up so much and what it means with the battle with Amazon.

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[04:23:49] ROMANS: All right. So retail sales may be down a little bit, but, boy, Walmart sure had a blowout holiday quarter, a sign it can hold its own against its biggest competition Amazon. Sales grew 4.2 percent over the holiday stretch including a 43 percent rise in digital sales. Walmart says online sales were boosted from rolling out grocery pickup to stores across the country. More than 10 percent of Walmart shoppers used curbside pickup in January.

Walmart's recent moves to improve stores, expand online and increase in wages for its employees, all that together seems to have worked. It also stocked up on toys hoping to gain customers without Toys "R" Us as a competitor. Low unemployment, rising wages and drop in gas prices also boosted sales.

Walmart stock close up 2.2 percent Tuesday, the stock is now 9.5 percent this year. Walmart's strong reports after a troubling report last week showing core retail sales fell in December, the most in nearly two decades.

SANCHEZ: A fashion giant is apologizing if a bit of a faux pas. Take a look at this. A runway model in a hoodie with a noose around her name at the London fashion show this week.

Criticism came from one of their own models, Liz Kennedy.

[04:25:02] It led to an online backlash. Kennedy wrote in an Instagram post, quote, suicide is not fashion.

The CEO of Burberry says the design was in inspired by the marine theme that run through the collection. You see that marine theme?

ROMANS: I don't see it.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I don't get it either.

The CEO says it was insensitive and we made a mistake. Burberry has removed the item from its collection.

Earlier this month, Gucci had to apologize and shelve this sweater following complaints about its resemblance to blackface.

ROMANS: All right. You are looking at fire fall, a natural phenomenon at Yosemite National Park. It's sort of a magic trick by nature that creates the illusion of lava flowing off the cliff. Fire Fall draws hundreds of visitors every night. It will end this weekend as the sun changes position in the sky. That is cool.

SANCHEZ: Mother Nature never ceasing to impress.

ROMANS: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Well, imagine this, you're implicated in a federal investigation and you're trying to get your donor and supporter to lead that very probe. New questions about obstruction of justice swirling around the president, next.

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