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North Carolina To Hold New Election; Interview with Wayne Goodwin; Volunteers Gather to Bring Aid to Venezuela; Warren Demands Answers; Biden's Experience in Politics. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired February 22, 2019 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:30:00] DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was likely the testimony of his oldest son, John Harris, that was the most damaging, both emotionally and likely in the eyes of the board. John Harris is an assistant U.S. attorney and he testified that he had repeatedly warned his father about this operative and the risks that he may be taking by having anything to do with him. There were e-mails that dated back two years almost of him warning his father and explicitly laying it out. It completely dismantled Mark Harris' public acknowledgments and denials.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN Harris, SON OF GOP CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE MARK HARRIS: I love my dad and I love my mom, OK? I certainly have no vendetta against them, no family scores to settle, OK? I think (ph) that they made mistakes in this process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: And so, look, Poppy, those e-mails may have played another role as well. Mark Harris admitted that due to some medical issues he's been dealing with, he had two strokes in January, that he may have said something untruthful about them before. He apologized to the board and quickly after that is when he called for a new election. We'll learn when that new election is hopefully in the coming weeks. The board will set it. Primaries and general elections. So the ninth district is a complete do-over in the coming weeks.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Wow. All right, Dianne Gallagher, thank you very much for that reporting.
Jim.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: No question. And we'll see because he didn't speak truthfully about in court was whether they shared all the e- mails they should have, including that e-mail from his son warning him.
Joining us now, Wayne Goodwin, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party.
Mr. Goodwin, thanks for joining us this morning.
WAYNE GOODWIN, CHAIR, NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Yes, sir. My pleasure.
SCIUTTO: So let me begin here. So this is a stunning reversal from Mark Harris. He appears to have actually sought out the help of this operative after this operative's success in 2016, an election that Harris then lost, using similar methods here, which -- which seems to speak to some knowledge of what he was up to.
In your view, should Harris, in addition to exceeding to a new election, should he face legal consequences?
GOODWIN: Well, this whole hearing was shocking and it's like ripped from the pages of a John Grisham novel.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
GOODWIN: Here we have an admission before a state agency of fraudulent activity and -- that appears to be intent in knowledge. Of course it will be up to law enforcement officials to determine what to do and whether to do anything further.
But -- but in the end, with this hearing, so far, democracy won, justice prevailed and we will finally have a full and free election in the ninth congressional district. But this is not over yet.
SCIUTTO: Should he, though, face more of a consequence in your view than having another election here? I mean one question is, should he be allowed to run?
GOODWIN: It's -- from what I've heard through the media, that he hasn't decided whether he's going to run again or not. I'm not aware of any prohibition to keep him from running. But there appears to be a clamor on the Republican side to find a plan b. I have not heard the North Carolina Republican Party disavow Mark Harris or his campaign as of yet, but it will be interesting to see what happens.
As for your initial question, there should be and must be accountability for this because we must not have election fraud and we should not have the fair and free elections called into question by our voters.
SCIUTTO: Yes, no question.
Listen, one of the details from the hearing in the last couple of days is that Harris confessed to knowing that his legal team did not share under subpoena an e-mail from his son who we saw testifying there a couple moments ago from his son warning his father about what appeared to be possibly illegal activities by this operative here. So he knew about it. Knew his team apparently didn't share it. And then said, well, my memory was compromised because of health reasons.
In your view, is that a sufficient defense?
GOODWIN: Well, I don't -- I don't know what he knows. I know what he testified to. And we all know that there were hundreds of pages of documents apparently not provided that had been requested months earlier by subpoena from the state board of elections. You know, as an attorney myself, I know it is -- it is very concerning
whenever there is not a response to a subpoena. So there will be, I expect, accountability regarding that. And, you know, the authorities, whomever they may be, will weigh these admissions and weigh the facts and determine what accountability actions would be taken. So it is -- it is -- should be of concern to everybody involved.
SCIUTTO: A key detail here, right, this election decided by 900 votes or so. So these false votes, this election fraud could very well have turned the election. Is it likely that Dan McCready, the Democrat who lost this election now believed to be fraudulent, will he run again?
[09:35:03] GOODWIN: Oh, I fully anticipate that. He has been calling for a new election, as has the North Carolina Democratic Party and I. We have called for a new election from the get-go. We've felt and now we are certain that there was a tainted election. And I have not spoken with Dan McCready since this decision, but I fully anticipate that he will be running.
The Republican majority in the general assembly passed a law recently that said that if the state board of elections ordered a new general election, that there would also be a new primary election. So -- so there will be lots of election activity this year to have the full and free election and fair election that the ninth district deserves.
SCIUTTO: Final question. As you know, the president has railed about a whole host of debunked allegations of voter fraud. You know, people illegally voting. Here you have a documented case of election fraud that Republicans involved say happened. The president has not commented once on this. In your view, is that negligent? Is his silence deafening?
GOODWIN: Well, with all due respect, President Trump has been hypocritical on many things including this. He and the Republicans nationally and in North Carolina have talked about voter fraud. This was election fraud. And it appears that political karma has kicked in.
SCIUTTO: Wayne Goodwin, thanks very much.
GOODWIN: My pleasure.
HARLOW: All right, ahead for us, the latest on the ground in Venezuela. The opposition leader there and thousands of volunteers are rushing to try to get humanitarian aid into the country as embattled President Maduro threatens to shut down the border.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:40;59] HARLOW: All right, there is desperation right now to get aid into Venezuela as the humanitarian crisis grows more dire by the hour. Embattled President Nicolas Maduro has already closed the border with Brazil.
SCIUTTO: And, incredibly, Maduro is also threatening to close the border with Colombia, another lifeline into Venezuela. The opposition leader, Juan Guaido, preparing for a fight, along with hundreds of thousands of others, to get aid -- simply to get aid into the country.
CNN's Isa Soares has more from on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In the center of Caracas, a group of close neighbors are preparing for their biggest test yet. They are marching to Juan Guaido's orders, volunteering to help bring humanitarian aid into Venezuela.
SOARES (on camera): She's just telling me she's a bit nervous come Saturday.
SOARES (voice over): They may be unconventional, but don't let their looks deceive you. They are organized and determined.
As we sit down, I asked them how confident they are the aid will be allowed in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We're going to succeed. The humanitarian aid will come in. We're going to free ourselves from Maduro.
SOARES: The success of the aid delivery means only one thing for this group, President Nicolas Maduro's imminent loss of power. But mention his name too often and tempers quickly begin to flare.
SOARES (on camera): You've all told me the aid is coming through one way or another. Are you prepared, each one of you, to put your life on the line for that aid?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm ready to give up my life for my son, for my grandchildren, in order to leave a better country to our youth.
SOARES (voice over): Years of separation and struggle fueled their fire with most families having already fled the country, 25 between them. They tell me they've got nothing left to lose, even going so far as to call for U.S. intervention.
SOARES (on camera): President Trump says all options are on the table. Do you want to see military intervention, U.S. boots here on the ground?
DAVID, ATTORNEY: If the armed forces here don't give in, the only way for the aid to come in is with military force And who has that? The United States.
SOARES (voice over): But talk of boots on the ground leaves them wanting some fresh air. So I try my best to ease their nerves.
SOARES (on camera): When you think of Juan Guaido, what does he inspire in you?
Hope. Strength. Optimism. Courage. To get your family -- union. To get your family together. Trust. Olga?
Love for Venezuela.
SOARES (voice over): Emotions they, too, will need to tap into if they're to face off this coming Saturday.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And, Poppy, Jim, they're putting their lives on the line because they said they've had enough. There's no other option.
And we're not just talking about a lot of the -- those families, the union having broken up. It's driving a wedge between so many of them. One of the ladies in that piece there, she was so emotional, crying in front of me because her husband is a Hugo Chavez supporter, is a Maduro supporter, and now he can't even see how much they need that aid.
And just to give you a sense of how badly it is here. Very quickly, this, I'm going to show you, is the highest bill in this country, 500 -- 500 Venezuelan currency here. You can -- with this, with this 500 (INAUDIBLE), you can't even buy a lollipop. For a small bottle of water, three of these bills.
Poppy. Jim.
HARLOW: My gosh.
SCIUTTO: That is --
HARLOW: Oh.
SCIUTTO: That is just incredible. It's a country in collapse.
Isa Soares, so good to have you on the ground there.
HARLOW: Yes.
SCIUTTO: Senator Elizabeth Warren is demanding answers after a CNN investigation found that American weapons ended up in the hands of al Qaeda-linked fighters and other groups in Yemen.
HARLOW: And what Senator Warren says is that she believes this is a clear violation of the arms deal. In a letter obtained exclusively by CNN, Senator Warren asked the secretary of state and the acting defense secretary for answers.
[09:45:11] Our senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir, who has been on this story from the beginning, on the ground with that incredible reporting, Nima, that we brought everyone from you there, inside Yemen, what are you learning about this letter and what she's calling for?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is very much part of a drumbeat of U.S. lawmakers pushing back on the Trump administration's position on Saudi Arabia and on the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
I want to read you a little bit from Senator Warren's letter. She says, if this report is true, it raises serious concerns that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other governments have violated their end user agreements with the United States by diverting American weapons to terrorists and other violent extremists without prior authorization from the U.S. government.
And she doesn't just stop there, Poppy and Jim. She also gives the secretary of state until March 8th to respond to the concerns she and others have raised.
HARLOW: Do you have a sense, Nima, on -- because so much of this letter, Senator Warren really is going after the administration and really, you know, unwavering -- largely unwavering support for Saudi Arabia? What action is she calling for? And I guess, what can she and Congress actually demand?
ELBAGIR: Well, what they're looking for is new and more heightened reporting restrictions. But they're also looking for the secretary of state to actually adhere to the original reporting restrictions. On February 8th he was supposed to certify -- recertify to Congress regarding the Saudi-led coalitions actions on the ground in Yemen and whether they were in violation of those arms agreements.
Of course, our piece released two days before that. And the secretary of state decided to just not to certify. So they're looking for him to actually adhere to his original responsibilities, Poppy and Jim, first and foremost.
HARLOW: Nima, incredible reporting. Thank you. Keep us posted on where this goes. We appreciate it.
SCIUTTO: That's a CNN story that's affecting these events on the ground.
HARLOW: Yes.
SCIUTTO: Thanks to Nima.
Back here in the U.S., 2020, Biden's 40-year career certainly means a lot of experience. But could it also open him up to criticism for past decisions? What that could mean for a potential 2020 run for the former vice president.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:51:54] HARLOW: Welcome back.
The 2020 race gets more intriguing by the day. CNN has learned Joe Biden met with Hillary Clinton earlier this month as he considers a bid in 2020 for the presidency. Is he vying for Clinton' endorsement? He is said to be moving closer, Jim, as you know, to that decision.
SCIUTTO: So he's had a long career. Of course that could be an asset, could be a liability. A lot of decisions. A lot of public statements to dig into.
CNN Arlette Saenz has been looking into it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER (voice over): If he jumps into the 2020 race, Joe Biden's career of more than 40 years in Washington could be seen as a blessing or a curse.
JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I was in the Senate a long time.
SAENZ: With six terms in the Senate, plus two as vice president, Biden's record is rife for scrutiny. One area set to come into the spotlight, his time as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, when he championed the 1994 crime bill.
BIDEN: People are prisoners in their neighborhood. They're prisoners in their house. This is straight flat truth. Violence in America is epidemic.
SAENZ: Decades later, Biden's expressed remorse after the measure led to an era of mass incarceration.
BIDEN: I haven't always been right. I know we haven't always gotten things right. But I've always tried.
SAENZ: But the former vice president still points to major elements of that bill, like an assault weapons ban and the Violence Against Women Act.
BIDEN: Well, I've spent my whole career, my whole career fighting against violence against women. I wrote that act myself with my own hand.
SAENZ: Also under the microscope, Biden's treatment of Anita Hill.
BIDEN: Professor, do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?
ANITA HILL: I do.
SAENZ: Presiding over the hearing as she accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment.
HILL: Telling the world is the most difficult experience of my life.
SAENZ: Nearly three decades later, in the wake of the Me Too movement, Biden says he owes her an apology.
BIDEN: Anita Hill was victimized. There is no question in my mind. I am so sorry that she had to go through what she went through.
SAENZ: Some of Biden's past votes played differently in the context from today's Democratic Party, from authorizing the use of force in Iraq -- UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The joint resolution is passed.
SAENZ: To his endorsement of NAFTA.
BIDEN: I'm supporting NAFTA because I think it is a positive thing to do, but not because I think it's going to cure the workers' fears who have legitimate reason to be concerned.
SAENZ: Biden's long record in the Senate could provide some fodder for future rivals. He's already done battle with one 2020 hopeful, Elizabeth Warren. The two facing off more than a decade ago over a Biden backed bill making it more difficult for people to file for bankruptcy.
BIDEN: Let's call a spade a spade. Your problem with the credit card company is usery (ph) rates from your position. It's not about the bankruptcy bill.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: But, senator, if you're not going to fix that problem, you can't take away the last shred of protection for these families.
BIDEN: I got it. OK. All right. You're very good, professor.
SAENZ: Senator Warren recalled years later --
[09:55:01] WARREN: And Senator Biden was on one side in that fight and I was on the other. And you better believe I didn't hold back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAENZ: Biden has said publically that he's ready to litigate any issues from his past. And friends who have spoken with the former vice president have told me that he is aware if he enters the 2020 race he'll become a target, not just of President Trump, but also of his fellow Democrats.
Jim and Poppy.
HARLOW: Yes, such an interesting piece and remind of all that history, all the service to this country and all that history as well.
Arlette, thanks. Great reporting.
All right, stay with us, don't go anywhere, because today we could learn a whole lot more about the special counsel's case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCIUTTO: A very good Friday morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington.
HARLOW: And I'm Poppy Harlow.
[10:00:00] It could be the last big reveal before the final reveal and it's due any time now. A court finding showing why Robert Mueller thinks former Trump campaign chairman
END
