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Trump's Two-Hour CPAC Speech; Cohen's Testimony; Sanders' Speech In Home Town; Sanders Not Interested In Clinton Advice; Biden Still Undecided; DA: No Charges For Two Officers Who Killed Stephon Clark; State Dept: Bin Laden's Son Taking Over Al-Qaeda Leader; Poster Linking Muslim Congresswoman To 9/11 Sparks Outrage. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired March 02, 2019 - 20:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: It is 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 in the evening out west. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. You are live in the CNN Newsroom.

And we begin this hour with the president seeking to rebound after a week marred by defeat in Vietnam and on Capitol Hill. The president went off delivering the longest speech of his presidency at CPAC for more than two hours. His remarks were scheduled to last just 50 minutes. Now, the president tackling a multitude of topics, attacking the Russia investigation, lashing out at Congress and criticizing his 2020 challengers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The men and women here today are on the front lines of protecting America's interest, defending America's value and reclaiming our nation's priceless heritage.

We have people in Congress -- right now, we have people in Congress that hate our country. And you know that. And we can name every one of them if they want. They hate our country.

Democrat lawmakers are now embracing socialism. They want to replace individual rights with total government domination. This is the new Democrat platform for the -- and I don't want to talk them out of it. I don't. I don't, I swear it. I don't. This is a killer. I got to get off this subject. I want them to embrace this plan. I want them to go and sell this plan. I just want to be the Republican that runs against them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: That wraps up a week that included walking away empty handed at the summit with the North Korea's leader in Vietnam. New, explosive reporting that the president forced the approval of his son- in-law's security clearance.

And President Trump's former attorney naming names and handing over financial documents on Capitol Hill. Yet, this afternoon, President Trump did not sound like someone who was losing much sleep over the Mueller probe, even mocking his own infamous call for Russia to find Hillary Clinton's e-mails, which he insists was a joke. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Unfortunately, you put the wrong people in a couple of positions, and they leave people for a long time that shouldn't be there. And, all of a sudden, they're trying to take you out with bullshit. OK? Rob Mueller never received a vote and neither did the person that appointed him. And, as you know, the attorney general says, I'm going to recuse myself. And I said, why the hell didn't he tell me that before I put him in? If you tell a joke, if you're sarcastic, if you're having fun with the audience, if you're on live television with millions of people and 25,000 people in an arena, and if you say something like, Russia, please, if you can, get us Hillary Clinton's e-mails. Please, Russia, please. Please get us the e-mails. Please.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Lock her up, they're saying. With me now, retired FBI supervisory special agent and CNN Law Enforcement Analyst James Gagliano, and former federal prosecutor and CNN Legal Analyst Renato Mariotti. So, Renato, you just published a piece in "Times" saying everyone will be disappointed by the Mueller probe. Does it sound like the president actually thinks he's going to have the last laugh?

RENATO MARIOTTI, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think he -- you know, I think that he will gain some advantage because he has, I think very successfully, portrayed the Mueller investigation as a referendum on quote, unquote, collusion. So, unless Robert Mueller prosecutes him and Putin in some grand conspiracy, he, sort of, created that as the bar for Mr. Mueller.

And I think, at "Times," those -- some of us in the media at "Times" and also his critics have bought into that. And so, he said no collusion. They've shouted back, the other side shouted back, yes, collusion. And I don't -- you know, certainly that's not what Mueller's investigation was about.

And, more importantly, I think that takes the focus away from what the actual evidence and crimes are there, like obstruction of justice and other things that I think we will see in a Mueller report.

CABRERA: When you say Mueller's investigation wasn't about collusion, a lot of people are saying, wait, what? Haven't we -- isn't that what we've been talking about all this time? Explain.

[20:05:02] MARONATI: Well, what I mean is this. Mueller's investigation was primarily a counter-intelligence investigation into links and-or coordination with Russia. He's investigated that. He's found a lot of links, a lot of coordination. He's found things that people call -- you know, evidence collusion.

But what -- if what you're looking for is a federal prosecutor to prosecute a grand conspiracy between the Russian government and our own, I think you are asking something of Mr. Mueller that a federal prosecutor generally does not do. Now, he's prosecuted a lot of crimes along the way. That's also part of his mandate. But that -- you know, but his -- the goal of a grand conspiracy like that, that is not what he was mandated to do.

And I understand there's a lot of speculation around that and part of the reason that I published that. And I understand it's gotten a lot of -- a lot of discussion, criticism, et cetera. It's because I was worried that the hype didn't match the reality and it was taking the focus away from the evidence and the charges that will be coming out of Mueller investigation.

CABRERA: An important point that this was a counter-intelligence investigation. That was a big piece of the mandate which means he needed to investigate all these different avenues. But, to your point, it may not end with a major bombshell. We will see. We don't know the answer to that just yet.

But Michael Cohen had some interesting things to say this week under oath. As he described the Trump universe the way someone might talk about a mob family, corruption, intimidation, protecting the boss above all else. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER ATTORNEY TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Mr. Trump called me a rat for choosing to tell the truth, much like a mobster would do when one of his men decides to cooperate with the government.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you ever seen Mr. Trump personally threaten people with physical harm?

COHEN: No. He would use others. He doesn't give you questions. He doesn't give you orders. He speaks in a code. And I understand the code, because I've been around him for a decade.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many times did Mr. Trump ask to you threaten an individual or entity on his behalf?

COHEN: Quite a few times.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fifty times?

COHEN: More.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A hundred times?

COHEN: More.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two hundred times?

COHEN: More.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Five hundred times? COHEN: Probably. Everybody's job at the Trump Organization is to

protect Mr. Trump. Every day most of us knew we were coming in and we were going to lie for him on something.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: James, you spent part of your FBI career on organized crime cases. How familiar is this code talk and the attitudes Cohen describes?

JAMES GAGLIANO, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Very familiar, Ana. And I agree with Renato on -- you know, I've long been cautious about the collusion piece, but I've always felt that the president had more exposure coming from campaign finance law, fraud, business dealings and the like.

And listening to Michael Cohen last week, it was chilling to me. I spent -- I spent three months living in and around Sammy the bull Gravano, in the 1990s, when he had just turned states evidence for the government and was testifying against John Gotti. And the type of language the president uses, by calling government cooperators rats, it's not just unseemly, it's dangerous.

In the government, we need, there's a necessity for folks to be able to come forward and to be able to testify under oath. And, look, if he lies under oath, let the chips fall where they may and he can be prosecuted. But a lot of the things that Michael Cohen said were extremely unsettling and things, I think, that the president is going to face an exposure for from the southern district or another jurisdiction with venue and standing.

CABRERA: But, James, when you talk about the code talk, and some of this mob mentality being familiar to you in the cases that you helped investigate and led to prosecutions, is saying, I knew he was directing me to do something, maybe even directing me to lie about something, because I understood the code, enough in a court of law?

GAGLIANO: Sure. And I'll give you a couple of quick examples, Ana. Sometimes mob bosses would say things like, did you take care of that thing? And they felt that if they were being taped or if there was a consensual overhear, that they wouldn't face exposure because they didn't say, did you take care of that murder? They used the term, thing. Or they would describe, you know, kilos of cocaine as shirts or some other piece of laundry, thinking that that kind of code, you know, the people that are doing intercepts wouldn't understand it.

In the instance that Michael Cohen is talking about, he said Trump would essentially repeat things like, we have no business dealings in Russia, right?

CABRERA: Right, we, nod.

GAGLIANO: We have no dealings in Russia, right? And those are the kind of things, I think, sometimes that manipulative people, specifically crime lords and crime bosses, that I was in and around during 25 years in the FBI, do. Because they feel that they don't have to say it. You're going to understand what they're telling you to do.

[20:10:00] CABRERA: Renato, as a former federal prosecutor, I understand you helped prepare one Congressman, your friend, Ro Khanna, for his questioning of Michael Cohen. Let's watch part of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RO KHANNA (D), HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: I just want the American public to understand the explosive nature of your chose (ph) testimony in this document. Are you telling us, Mr. Cohen, that the president directed transactions in conspiracy with Allen Weisselberg and his son, Donald Trump Jr., as part of a civil, criminal -- as part of a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud? Is that your testimony today?

COHEN: Yes.

KHANNA: Do you know if this criminal financial scheme that the president, Allen Weisselberg and Donald Trump Jr. are involved in is being investigated by the southern district of New York?

COHEN: I'd rather not discuss that question because it could be part of an investigation that's currently ongoing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Again, Renato, you were part Congressman Khanna's preparation. What did you think of Cohen's responses there?

MARIOTTI: I thought it was really interesting and important. And I don't know why that wasn't more of a focus. You know, I think more people should be paying attention to that.

It's really interesting. You know, James talked about the campaign finance piece. These payments, the checks that Cohen brought, were part of that campaign finance crime that he pled guilty to. That he's serving time in prison for. And another question that Congressman Khanna asked was, you're the only one that's going to prison for that scheme. And Cohen said that that was right.

And I think that, you know, one of the interesting things that comes out of that is that as a result of those payments, and we saw the checks because of that hearing, there are false statements in the books and records of the Trump Organization. That is the allegation that was made and, ultimately, the conviction of Michael Cohen by the prosecutors in the southern district of New York.

So, I would expect that that is certainly part of their ongoing investigation. And I think it's also likely in a piece of the investigation by New York attorney general, the new one, Judge James. So, I -- who has promised to aggressively investigate the Trump Organization.

So, I thought that was an important line of questioning. And when we focused on that issue, when I was preparing him, because I thought it was an issue that Cohen likely had information about and would be important for the public to learn more about.

CABRERA: Renato Mariotti, James Gagliano, it's good to have both of you with us. Thanks for joining us.

Another day, another Democrat hits the trail. And, today, Bernie Sanders took supporters to his hometown. And live pictures tonight in Sacramento where protests are growing over the district attorney's decision not to charge two officers who shot and killed a 22-year-old black man, holding only his cell phone. Next, the emotional response from that man's mother. You're live in the CNN newsroom.

[20:13:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Senator Bernie Sanders hosting the first large-scale rally of his 2020 presidential bid today. The Vermont Senator took the stage just a few miles from where he says he was born in Brooklyn, New York. Now, Sanders made a point to separate his blue-collar upbringing from President Trump's more upscale childhood. And Sanders gave a lot of credit to his immigrant father.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Unlike Donald Trump, who shut down the government and left 800,000 federal employees without income to pay their bills, I know what it's like to be in a family that lives paycheck to paycheck.

Now, it is true, I did not have a father who gave me millions of dollars to build luxury sky scrapers, casinos and country clubs. I did not come from a family that gave me a $200,000 allowance every year, beginning at the age of three. As I recall, my allowance was 25 cents a week.

But I had something more valuable. I had the role model of a father who had unbelievable courage in journeying across an ocean with no money in his pocket to start a new and better life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Ahead of his 2020 kickoff, Senator Sanders getting a few laughs when he was asked who he may or may not get advice from this time around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[20:20:00]

MEGHAN MCCAIN, HOST, ABC NEWS "THE VIEW": We're hearing about a lot of candidates who are meeting with Hillary Clinton for advice, though. So, people like Amy Klobuchar. Do you think you'll do the same?

SANDERS: I suspect not. Hillary has not --

MCCAIN: That's not -- SANDERS: No, she has not called me.

MCCAIN: You're not interested in any advice from her?

SANDERS: I think not. We have -- look, we have --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Joining us now, the host of "THE AXE FILES," David Axelrod. And he is former senior adviser to President Obama, and CNN Senior Political Commentator.

So, David, Hillary Clinton, let me remind everybody, won the popular vote in 2016, but Sanders says, no thanks. He doesn't want any advice from her. What's your reaction?

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, my first reaction is I don't think she's going to want to offer any advice. There's still lingering bitterness between the Clinton forces and the Sanders' forces. They had a titanic struggle for the nomination in 2016 and there are people in the Clinton camp who fault Sanders for not being more forceful about urging people who were thinking about voting for third-party candidates to vote for Hillary in 2016.

And by the same token, I think there's still some ouchiness on the part of Sanders forces about how the whole primary season went down. So, the last thing I'd expect is a big confab between the of two them.

CABRERA: Let me throw a little hypothetical out there. Let's stay the Dow stays in record territory. Let's say unemployment is at four percent or maybe even below. Let's say the Mueller report doesn't find definitive collusion between Trump and Russia. Are Democrats going to pay the price at the ballot box?

AXELROD: Well, look, the economy was very strong in the mid-term elections and Democrats did pretty well. But one should not underestimate the president. He's got, I always say, a kind of feral genius for this media environment. And it's always easier to run against an opponent than to run against yourself.

What we don't know is, beyond the Mueller report, what kinds of things might happen between now and November of 2020. Listening to the Michael Cohen testimony and some of the -- some of the stories that emanated from it, you wonder what's going to happen in the southern district of New York that might complicate the president's re- election.

So, you know, I don't think Democrats should take the -- for granted that Donald Trump's going to lose, even though he lost the popular vote by millions of votes last time.

CABRERA: The governor of Washington state, Jay Inslee, just announced he's running for president, making him the first governor to join the race. And when you look back in history, there are plenty of examples of former governors going to the White House. You have Carter, George W. Bush, Reagan, Clinton. Is that executive experience, do you think, an advantage for Inslee as he's out there on the campaign trail? Or could it be more of a disadvantage because he has more of a record?

AXELROD: No. I think you could say, if you have a good experience, has its appeal and, frankly, operating outside a hot house of Washington has some benefit because you tend to speak a different kind of language when you spend all of your time in Washington.

Inslee's pinning his candidacy to one issue in particular, which is climate change. And he sees himself as, kind of, a Paul Revere on this issue. There is no other candidate. They're all talking about climate change. No other candidate has focused on it as he. And that's where he's putting his better or at least casting his mission in this race.

But one would have to consider him a long shot when you consider the name recognition that he doesn't have nationally and the ability to raise the kinds of money that you need to compete in a -- in a -- in a field like this.

CABRERA: Perhaps the person with the most name recognition is Joe Biden. Everybody has been waiting to see if he'll officially join the race. In fact, take a look at what happened this week while he was speaking at the University of Delaware.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We just had a family meeting with all the grand kids, too. And there's a consensus that I should -- they want -- they, the most important people in my life, want me to run. But there's still a couple hurdles to go through to make sure we have all this in place. And if we conclude that, I would announce and I'd run for president. And -- but, you know, --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Biden, just say yes.

BIDEN: Well, I -- but I'm not there yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: David, given his family is saying, yes, you should run. What do you think he's still weighing and what do you think he's risking by waiting?

Well, I think the timing issue, Ana, is really interesting. Because you could make an argument that, given the name recognition that he has and the place he holds within the party, that he can wait a little longer than others.

[20:25:00] AXELROD: And there's some virtue in waiting longer because you shorten the race. You know, he is 76 years old. He has a 45-year record in public service. And once you enter the race, you become fair game for others. Right now, he has a, kind of, protected status. So, I can see why would you'd want to shorten the race.

At some point, donors, activists who are looking to volunteer grow impatient and go elsewhere. And that's the thing that he has to be concerned about. So, I think time is running out. Perhaps another three weeks to a month and he'll have to make a decision or at least announce a decision.

CABRERA: David Axelrod, thanks for being with us.

Osama Bin Laden's son taking over Al Qaeda and the U.S. raises the stakes to hundred him down. And in Sacramento, protests are growing over the district attorney's decision not to charge two officers who shot and killed a 22-year-old unarmed black man. You're live in the CNN newsroom.

[20:26:02]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:30:37] ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: New tonight, no charges for the two Sacramento police officers who fatally shot, Stephon Clark, a 22- year-old unarmed black man.

The Sacramento County district attorney announced his decision this afternoon, nearly a year after Clark was gunned down in his grandmother's backyard. Clark's mother is outrage. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEQUETTE CLARK, STEPHON CLARK'S MOTHER: We're outraged. We're outraged. The district attorney refusing to charge the police officers even though it's clear from the video and the autopsy as well as the death certificate by their coroner that said homicide.

They executed my son. They executed him in my mom's backyard. And it is not like -- it is not like --it was the D.A. has shown this time and time again throughout her terms who she is what she stands for. Which is not fairness or justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: We're going to play the police bodycam video from the night her son was shot. I want to warn you, the audio is graphic. Sacramento police were responding to a 911 call about a man breaking car windows in the south Sacramento neighborhood of Meadow View. Two officers said they thought Clark had a gun and pursued him into a backyard firing 20 shots at him. Clark was carrying only a cellphone. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Show me your gun. Show me your hands. Gun, gun, gun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5-7. Shots fired. Suspect down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: CNN's Dan Simon joins us now outside the Sacramento Police Department. Dan, how is the city of Sacramento reacting to the D.A.'s decision not to charge those officers?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Ana. We will see how the community reacts in the hours and days ahead. But you can see that a protest is now taking place outside of the Sacramento Police Department headquarters.

You can see this group behind me. For the most part, things have been peaceful. We did see at one point protesters burn some police flags. Some Blue Lives Matter flags. And now you have various folks speaking. No question this is a shooting that roiled the Sacramento community. It led to a wave of protests. One protest actually shut down the Sacramento Kings basketball arena during the middle of an NBA game.

And so the question for the district attorney was, was this a crime? Or did the -- did the officers act justifiably in this shooting? And she determined that, yes, that the threshold did occur here. That officers were reasonable in using deadly force. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNE MARIE SCHUBERT, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SACRAMENTO COUNTY: So when we look at all of these facts and circumstances, we look at all of it. Everything. We ask our question that we started out with again. And that question is, was a crime committed? There's no question that a human being died.

But when we look at the facts and the law and we follow our ethical responsibilities, the answer to that question is no. And as a result, we will not charge these officers with any criminal liability related to the shooting death for use of force on Stephon Clark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: And the D.A. added that this was not about determining whether or not officers used good judgment or whether other options existed. It was about whether or not these officers committed a crime.

And experts believed for a very long time that this is ultimately what she would decide. The question now, again, going forward is, how is this community going to respond? We know that things could be heated to put it mildly here in Sacramento. So we're just going to have to monitor to see exactly how this community reacts. Ana.

CABRERA: Cases like these always spark passionate reaction.

Dan Simon, we know you're going to continue to watch what happens there. We are also awaiting a news conference with the family of Stephon Clark there in Sacramento. We'll continue to monitor that and bring you any developments as needed.

[20:35:09] Dan, thank you.

All right. He is the face of Al-Qaeda. Details on the million-dollar hunt to find one of Osama bin Laden's sons. That's next live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Don't go anywhere. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: There is a new leader taking over Al-Qaeda. And you will recognize his last name. Bin Laden. Hamza bin Laden is the son of Osama bin Laden. And official say he is already vowing revenge on America for killing his father.

CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, has more. Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Ana, when you're trying to figure out where Hamza bin laden would be, one of the obvious places to look would be the Afghan/Pakistan border. It's a place where Al-Qaeda's number one, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is believed to be hiding out. It's where he was videotaped more than 10 years ago, attacking a Pakistani army patrol.

[20:40:07] He has in the past few years released audiotapes. But another indication perhaps in these audiotapes threatening the west, threatening to attack Washington, London, Tel Aviv, Paris, and threatening to take revenge for the death of his father.

But another thing that might link him into this region. His mother was one of those three bin Laden's wives who were arrested when bin Laden was killed, in Abbottabad, just a couple of hours drive from Islamabad here in Pakistan back in 2011.

And it was understood that there were communications recovered during that military operation by U.S. Navy SEALs that were recovered from that that indicated bin laden had been in touch with his son Hamza. Indicating that he wanted him, or there was a feeling that he was going to become another senior figure in Al-Qaeda.

So if you're trying to figure out where he is, this region in the world is probably one of the regions you would want to look at closely when you try to figure out where he is going to rise to in the hierarchy of the organization. Or he doesn't seem to have taken part in a lot of military action. He has been involved in a lot of audio message threats over the past three or four years.

What's the likelihood of him being captured or killed? Well, look, it took 10 years to track down his father, Osama bin Laden. It is a tough job and Al-Qaeda's still leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is still on the run. Believe to be somewhere around here at least. Ana.

CABRERA: All right. Nic Robertson, thank you.

For more, I want to bring in CNN national security analyst, Peter Bergen. Peter facilitated the first televised interview with Osama bin Laden. He is one of a handful of western journalists to meet bin Laden.

Peter, Hamza bin Laden was groomed by his father at an early age to take over. Just how big of a risk does he currently pose to the U.S.?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I mean, that's another way of asking the question, how big a risk does Al-Qaeda, the group that attacked on 9/11 posed to the U.S.? And I think the short answer is not a very big risk right now.

Our defensive capabilities in the United States is such that Al-Qaeda hasn't conducted a successful attack on the United States since 9/11. But I think Al-Qaeda with Hamza is emerging as a leader and potentially one day even taking over the organization is certainly something to be concerned about.

Because Ayman al-Zawahiri who runs the organization right now is the kind of black hole of charisma who's in his late 60s. Hamza is about 30. He's been groomed by his father, as you said, Ana, for a long time for this role. And he's got the family name and then has a lot of resonance particularly in that part of the world.

And so that accounts for why on Thursday, the State Department announces $1 million reward for information leading to his capture.

CABRERA: And we also saw Saudi Arabia revoked his citizenship. I'm curious though on a more -- on maybe a broader scale. How would you compare Al-Qaeda in terms of its influence, its power, to other terror groups like ISIS?

BERGEN: I think right now, if you look at what's going on in Syria, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria which is it is called al-Nusra. It's changed its names a number of times. It has maintained a pretty large presence and has not sort of gone down the road of ISIS where it's got -- it's been a stable moderate, if you can use that term jihadist group ion Syria.

Also, Al-Qaeda has affiliates not only in South Asia or in Pakistan, in India, and Bangladesh, but also in North Africa. So they certainly retained some local affiliates that can certainly kidnap westerners, attack Americans locally, and that kind of thing.

But the idea that one of these had launched and a successful attack on the United States, I think, is kind of unlikely though -- although not impossible.

CABRERA: Speaking of ISIS, the president said this today about containing ISIS. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our military was being depleted. He was fighting an endless wars, they never end. And by the way, as of probably today or tomorrow, we will actually have 100 percent of the caliphate in Syria. One hundred percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: And yet, officials who are part of this fight were taken off guard saying, the fight is still ongoing. What do you make of this apparent contradiction?

BERGEN: Well, president Trump also said earlier in February that it would be about a week before ISIS was defeated. So I mean, he kind of keeps anticipating this final 100 percent geographical defeat of ISIS. The fact is, is that they are down to a relatively small area. They will be geographic. That area will be taken. But the question really, Ana, is the extent to which if the United States draws down in Syria, which is planning to not to zero but to 400 is the idea right now.

And also draws down in places like Afghanistan which is not in significant ISIS affiliate. We've seen that these groups, when there's a vacuum, these groups go in. It's not that they're so strong but they attack weak hosts.

[20:45:07] So the fact that the ISIS is geographically defeated, almost completely in Syria, it doesn't mean that ISIS ideology has gone away. Not it really mean that there are thousands of ISIS fighters still in the region.

So that's why General Votel told our Barbara Starr who's the commander against of the ISIS fight, it wouldn't have been his advice to the president to draw down to zero or to a much smaller numbers in Syria. Because although they're certainly having success on the battlefield against ISIS, we saw what the complete drawdown of American troops in Iraq in 2011, that that can have knock-on effects.

CABRERA: That's right. Peter Bergen, always good to have you with us. Really appreciate your expertise. Thank you.

BERGEN: Thank you, Ana.

CABRERA: To Sacramento now where protests are growing over the district attorney's decision not to charge two officers who shot and killed a 22-year-old unarmed black man. Any moment now, his family is expected to speak out. We're continuing to watch that, live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:50:31] CABRERA: Welcome back. Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is dealing with two new controversies this week, and one of which was not of her own making. The Democrat is one of two lawmakers who made history in January, becoming the first Muslim woman to serve in Congress.

But hundreds of miles away in West Virginia, anti-Muslim sentiment led to chaos in the halls of that state capital.

And Brynn Gingras is with us now. Brynn, this started with a poster?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, pretty disgusting post drawn, for sure. It was a poster associating Omar with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. And written on that poster, the words, I am proof you have forgot. And this was on display, as you can see right there, at a table in West Virginia's capitol building at a Republican- sponsored public event.

And you can imagine, this caused a firestorm in the State House there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE CAPUTO (D), WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE DELEGATE: It sickens me. It absolutely sickens me. Yes, I kicked that door open. I'll own it. I did. And I said some things that I don't normally say. So the point should be, we shouldn't do what's going on outside here, whether it's the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. There's no place for that.

MIKE PUSHKIN (D), WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE DELEGATE: I find it distasteful. I said so. I went over and spoke with the people at that booth. But I believe it's sanctioned by a political party. They're out there with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: So those were two Democrats in West Virginia. And this is how a chairwoman for the state GOP condemned that poster. She did it pretty immediately, and it was in the statement. She said, quote, "Our party supports freedom of speech, but we do not endorse speech that advances intolerant and hateful views. We have shown that when West Virginians are united, when we respect each other, embrace our differences and focus on moving our state forward what we can accomplish."

Now, back in Washington, Omar did respond on Twitter saying this, "No wonder I am on the hit list of a domestic terrorist and assassinate Ilhan Omar is written on my local gas stations. Look no further, the GOP's anti-Muslim display likening me to a terrorist rocks in state capitols and no one is condemning them."

And since then, others, especially Democrats, have come out and condemned obviously the hateful act.

CABRERA: Meanwhile, Omar has come under a little bit of criticism herself for some comments she made, insinuating this week that pro- Israel groups are pushing allegiance to a foreign country. What's been the reaction?

GINGRAS: Yes. So the poster not of her own making. This one might be a little bit of a different story. Basically, Omar is arguing that her criticism of pro-Israel groups on politicians, something that she has been very vocal about, is being misinterpreted and labeled as anti-Semitic.

And she says she believes it's being done really to just shut down debate. Regardless, there's a lot of outrage over her comments, not only on this latest one but similar ones that she has made before. And the criticism is coming from Republicans. It's coming from the president, but also people in her own party, all the way up to democratic leadership.

Chairman Eliot Engel, a fellow Democrat from New York, for example. He's demanding an apology. And he said in a statement late last night, quote, "I welcome debate in Congress based on the merits of policy. But it's unacceptable and deeply offensive to call to question the loyalty of fellow American citizens because of their political views, including support for the U.S./Israel relationship. We all take the same oath. Worse, representative Omar's comments leveled that charge by invoking a vile anti-Semitic slurs."

So Engel has asked for an apology. She, Congresswoman Omar, nor her office, have commented on this. But the freshman congresswoman certainly creating a lot of talk on Capitol Hill with these -- with these two situations going on.

CABRERA: All right. Brynn Gingras, thank you.

GINGRAS: All right. Thanks.

CABRERA: President Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen, takes aim with shocking criminal accusations. The top Democrat now on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner joins Jake Tapper to discuss Democrats' next move at "STATE OF THE UNION" tomorrow morning at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:55:39] CABRERA: We have something special for you tomorrow night. It is the premiere of "The Bush Years." A six-part CNN Original Series exploring one of America's most powerful political dynasties, and the Bush family's competitive spirit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All eyes are on New Hampshire for the next phase of the race for the Republican nomination.

UNIDENTIFIED FMALE: The polls show George Bush far ahead of the other five candidates, including Ronald Reagan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bush is on the up. He thinks he's winning. He can taste victory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the Reagan camp comes to George Bush's campaign with a very intriguing offer. What if they have a one-on-one debate between the two front runners? Ronald Reagan and George Bush. It's a huge opportunity for Bush.

BARBARA PERRY, DIRECTOR, PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA MILLER CENTER: He'll come out looking good. It will make sure that just the two of them are going head-to-head for the Republican nomination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Don't miss the debut of "The Bush Years," family, duty, power, tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.

That does it for me for now. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. I'll be back here tomorrow night at 5:00 Eastern. A "2000s" marathon starts right now. Good night.