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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Michael Cohen Hands New Documents to Congress; Thousands Fleeing ISIS in Syria. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired March 07, 2019 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:17] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: New documents from Michael Cohen now in the hands of the House Intelligence Committee. Who authored his false testimony and did he ask for a pardon despite claiming otherwise?
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Democrats will not debate on FOX News ahead of the 2020 election. The DNC says the network cannot be neutral over a recent report that painted FOX as a propaganda tool for the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARTHA MCSALLY (R), ARIZONA: I felt the system was raping me all over again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: A stunning admission from Senator Martha McSally. The first American woman to fly in combat says she was raped while serving this country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX TREBEK, HOST, "JEOPARDY": I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Alex Trebek diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, but the "Jeopardy" host says he is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Alex Trebek, a legend, folks.
ROMANS: I know. I wish him well. I really wish him well.
BRIGGS: Just one of the all-time greats.
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Thursday, March 7th. It is exactly 4:00 a.m. in the East. Let's begin here. After 30 hours, over four days, Michael Cohen's
testimony to Congress is over for now. Three major revelations emerging from the final day of testimony behind closed doors.
First, sources tell CNN President Trump's former lawyer and fixer provided documents to the House Intelligence Committee. They show edits made to the false statement Cohen made before Congress in 2017.
BRIGGS: Cohen handed over the new documents to help explain his public testimony last week. He told lawmakers one of Mr. Trump's had a hand in editing that false statement.
CNN's Manu Raju has more from Capitol Hill.
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Good morning, Christine and Dave.
Now Michael Cohen delivering a second day of testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, and a big question that Democrats had going into the hearing was whether the president's attorneys were involved in editing that false statement that he delivered to Congress back in 2017.
Back then in a classified setting, he lied and later acknowledged lying to the committee about the Trump Organization's pursuit of that Trump Tower Moscow project. He also acknowledged in that public testimony Trump's attorneys edited that statement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER PERSONAL ATTORNEY TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: There were changes made, additions. Jay Sekulow, for one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were there changes about the timing -- the question of --
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D-MD), CHAIRMAN, OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM: The gentleman's time has expired. You may answer that question.
COHEN: There were -- there were several changes that were made, including how we were going to handle that message, which was --
CUMMINGS: Mr. Cohen, were you finished?
COHEN: Yes. The message, of course, being the length of time that the Trump Tower Moscow project stayed and remained alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: That was a subject of discussion in a long day of testimony behind closed doors. Cohen provided documents to that committee showing edits that were made by Trump's attorneys.
Now the question is what were those edits? We don't know all the specifics quite yet but we do know that there were some edits to try to further explain exactly what Cohen meant in that public arena -- Christine and Dave.
ROMANS: All right, Manu. Thank you for that.
According to the "New York Times" at least some of the edits in Michael Cohen's testimony appeared to play down Ivanka Trump's knowledge about the Trump Tower Moscow project. And two sources tell CNN White House lawyers had no indication Cohen's original testimony was even wrong.
The second big reveal Wednesday, CNN has learned Cohen himself authored the false line in his 2017 testimony to Congress. That means it was not a change made by President Trump's lawyers.
BRIGGS: Revelation number three, the "Washington Post" reports Cohen told the House Intel Committee he personally discussed the subject of a pardon with Trump lawyers Jay Sekulow and Rudy Giuliani. That doesn't mean he asked for one but did discuss one. Sekulow denies that. Giuliani tells CNN he has been asked about pardons by attorneys but would not comment specifically.
But now Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis seeming to contradict the "Washington Post" and his own client. Remember when Michael Cohen said this last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: I have never asked for nor would I accept a pardon from President Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Lanny Davis now tells the "Wall Street Journal" after Cohen was raided by the FBI last year, he directed his attorney at the time to, quote, "explore the possibilities of a pardon" at one point with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani as well as other lawyers advising President Trump. CNN asked Davis to square that with Cohen's testimony. He claims Cohen was referring to the time after his joint defense agreement with President Trump's attorneys collapsed.
So what's next for Cohen? The president's former lawyer begins a three-year prison term on May 6th.
[04:05:02] BRIGGS: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort will be sentenced today in Virginia federal court. Manafort was found guilty of defrauding banks and the government in failing to pay taxes on millions of dollars he earned as a political consultant in Ukraine. Prosecutors have asked for up to 25 years in prison, potentially a life sentence for the 69-year-old Manafort and tens of millions of dollars in financial penalties.
The case against Manafort was the first brought to trial by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of his Russia investigation.
ROMANS: Democrats are divided over controversial remarks made by freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and that's testing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's ability to unify her party. Democratic sources tell CNN the debate surrounding Representative Omar is messy and tense, with tempers flaring. Party leaders signaling it is now unclear whether a resolution condemning anti-Semitism will even come to a vote on the House floor this week.
BRIGGS: Many members expressing sympathy for Omar while others remain offended by her suggestion that Jewish money is the reason for Israel's widespread support in Congress.
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REP. ILHAN OMAR (D), MINNESOTA: I want to talk about -- I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country.
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BRIGGS: This morning there is still no agreement within the Democratic Party on the final language for the resolution.
Democrats say they will not hold any of their primary debates on FOX News. The Democratic National Committee citing a report in the "New Yorker" about the mutually helpful relationship between FOX and the Trump White House. The story includes new details about FOX News essentially catching and killing the Stormy Daniels story before the election to protect Mr. Trump. And candidate Trump being tipped off about debate questions.
ROMANS: Democratic Party chairman Tom Perez says FOX News is, quote, "not in a position to host a fair and neutral debate." The network saying it hopes the DNC will reconsider. The president weighed in, "Democrats just blocked FOX News from holding a debate. Good. But I think I'll do the same thing with the fake news networks and the radical left Democrats in the general election debates."
Worth noting the president could not on his own prevent outlets from hosting a general election debates. Those are set up by the Commission on Presidential Debates, jointly sponsored by the Republican and Democratic Parties.
BRIGGS: Also good to point out he won by 77,000 votes in three states. He wants to skip those debates advantage.
Meanwhile, freshman Senator Martha McSally revealing she was raped while serving in the Air Force. The Arizona Republican speaking at a Senate hearing Wednesday on sexual assault in the military. McSally, the first American woman to fly in combat, says she did not report it because she blamed herself and did not trust the system.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCSALLY: I was preyed upon and then raped by a superior officer. I stayed silent for many years but later in my career as a military grappled with scandals and their wholly inadequate responses, I felt the need to let some people know I too was a survivor.
I was horrified at how my attempt to share generally my experiences were handled. I almost separated from the Air Force at 18 years over my despair. Like many victims, I felt the system was raping me all over again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: In January Joni Ernst, the highest ranking women in the Republican Senate leadership and an Army combat veteran, revealed she was a survivor of mental and physical abuse by her former husband. Ernst also she said was raped by a boyfriend in college.
ROMANS: President Trump's entire trade policy is predicated on his belief that trade deficits represent failure. The new numbers show the U.S. trade deficit last year was the worst in a decade. $621 billion. And the overall deficit good, the worst in America's 243- year history, $891 billion. That deficit with China also the worst on record.
The president detests trade deficits. He very simplistically sees them as a loss of money from the U.S. to its trading partners.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The trade deficit, very dear to my heart because we've been ripped off by the world. $60 billion. $69 billion to $100 billion a year. A number beyond anything what anybody would understand. The days of the United States being taken advantage of are over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: In his two years in office, the trade deficit has swelled by well over $100 million. He has called himself tariff man, but those tariffs brought retaliatory tariffs that made U.S. exports more expensive.
No comment yet from White House officials on the swelling trade deficit.
[04:10:02] The numbers coming in after the Treasury Department said the budget deficit -- the budget deficit soared to $310 billion in the first four months of the year, up 77 percent.
BRIGGS: Mark Zuckerberg laying out his plans to transform Facebook and his number one priority, privacy. The founder and CEO posting a long essay to his Facebook account saying the company's focus will shift to encrypted content. That means data will be scrambled so outsiders and even Facebook can't read it and content would disappear after a short period of time. Zuckerberg's post, short on specifics, says, "People should be comfortable being themselves and should not have to worry about what they share coming back to hurt them later. So we won't keep messages or stories around for longer than necessary to deliver the service or longer than people want it."
ROMANS: The strategy shift shows how the embattled company is positioning itself for an uncertain future marked by consumer distrust frankly after several privacy scandals. It could cause upheaval in Facebook's business model of mining your information to show you relevant ads. Encryption will also make it harder for Facebook to fulfill a core mission of detecting misinformation operatives and other bad actors on the company's platform.
BRIGGS: Longtime "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek revealing he's been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. The disease on average has a five-year survival rate of 9 percent, but the 78-year-old Trebek is defiant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TREBEK: I'm going to fight this and I'm going to keep working. And with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease. Truth told, I have to because under the terms of my contract, I have to host "Jeopardy" for three more years. So help me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Eloquent and hilarious in the face of cancer. Trebek has been the host of "Jeopardy" since 1984. Fellow game show host Pat Sajak one of many expressing support for Trebek. The "Wheel of Fortune" host says, "There is no one I know who is stronger and more determined. And I would never bet against him. We and the entire country are pulling for you, Alex."
ROMANS: You know, and "Jeopardy" is something -- everybody watches "Jeopardy" or has watched "Jeopardy." And in a world now that is -- where facts are fluid, this is all about facts. He is a guy who is in command of the facts. Right?
BRIGGS: He is indeed. And just close your eyes and you can hear that voice.
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: And ultimately you trust it. Can't say that about many people today.
ROMANS: All right. Good luck to him.
A college professor quits her job over a Chick-fil-A.
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[04:16:48] BRIGGS: 4:16 Eastern Time. And U.S. intelligence officials are no longer required to publicly report civilian deaths in air strikes against terrorist targets when they occur outside areas of active hostilities. That is because President Trump just signed an executive order revoking the Obama-era requirement. Not clear whether the new policy will result in less transparency about U.S. counterterrorism strikes. The most recent government report from the January 2017 says the U.S. government conducted 54 strikes outside of Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan in 2016 resulting in just one civilian death. ROMANS: All right. More trouble for R. Kelly. Detroit Police now
looking into criminal sexual conduct allegations from 2001 involving a 13-year-old. They received information about the alleged victim from authorities in Chicago. The R&B singer jailed last night for failing to pay $161,000 in child support. Kelly supporters working to get him released by next week. He was indicted last month on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He angrily defended himself in an interview with CBS which released more footage yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
R. KELLY, SINGER ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ABUSE: I didn't do this stuff. This is not me. I'm fighting for my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) life. You all killing me with this (EXPLETIVE DELETED). I gave you all 30 years of my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) career.
GAYLE KING, CBS HOST: Robert --
KELLY: Thirty years of my career and you all trying to kill me. You're killing me, man. You all just don't want to believe the truth. You don't want to believe it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: R. Kelly's next court date is March 22nd.
A dean at Rider University resigning over the decision not to consider Chick-fil-A for an on-campus eatery. The New Jersey school announced back in November that Chick-fil-A was taken off its list of possible additions because of its oppositions to LGBTQ community. Cynthia Newman, Rider's dean of Business Administration says it was a judgmental statement about Chick-fil-A's values that reflect the Christian faith.
When administrators refused to change their position, Newman resigned. She will remain on the faculty in a different role. The university says in a statement they respect a person's decision but choosing an on-campus restaurant franchise was in no way a judgment on religious values.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gets it to James. LeBron takes it to the rim and finishes with the left and he is fouled.
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BRIGGS: Well, you can stick a fork in the Lakers, but LeBron James is not done, reaching another career milestone last night with that bucket, passing his basketball idol the GOAT Michael Jordan for fourth place on the all-time NBA scoring list. James now has 32,311 points. Next on the list Laker legend Kobe Bryant then Karl Malone then Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who I don't believe he will ever pass.
ROMANS: Wow. MJ and LeBron, in the same sentence.
BRIGGS: Congratulations to LeBron.
ROMANS: You had me.
BRIGGS: It will be stunning to see no LeBron in the playoffs, though. That will be hard to swallow.
ROMANS: All right. 19 minutes past the hour. Civilians fleeing the grip of ISIS in Syria. One problem, terrorists are fleeing with them. We are live in eastern Syria next.
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[04:24:23] ROMANS: Right now in eastern Syria, survivors are fleeing the grip of ISIS as the terror group loses control of the territory. Now one problem, terrorists are fleeing among the civilians.
CNN's Ben Wedeman is live. He is in eastern Syria this morning where all this is happening.
And Ben, what have you seen? What have our teams seen as they are processing these refugees in these centers?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually what I can tell you is that really most of these people are in some way affiliated with ISIS and what we've been seeing for the last few days is not escape from ISIS, it is surrender by ISIS.
[04:25:03] I'm going to just step out of the way to give you an idea of what is behind us. This is the first spot where those leaving the ISIS controlled pocket arrive. The men are separated from the women. The men are finger printed, they get their -- they take their -- intelligence people take their names, take a picture of their face and they go off to a separate detention center.
The women and children are kept here maybe 24 hours, maybe 48 hours according to the availability of trucks to take them to what amounts to an internment camp further north. But as you can see, the situation is dire. There is very little in the way of food. All they've been given in the last 24 hours is some bread, there's a little bit of water.
The American group called the Free Burma Rangers provides basic medical assistance to those who desperately need it, but for the most part it is very cold at night and during the day it can get very hot. And as you can see, it can be very dusty as well.
Now I'm going to try to get our cameraman to bear with us now to pan over to where some of the men are waiting to be processed. I spoke to actually many of them this morning. Until now access has been difficult. We managed to speak with some of them. Many of them of course deny an connection whatsoever with ISIS. They say they were just there to buy and sell goods or they were cooks or they were mechanics.
I spoke to only two who actually told me that they were fighters with the Islamic State. But the circumstances they describe in there are pretty dire. They say that those who were with ISIS are provided with food but anybody who has no connection with ISIS is left on their own.
One young Moroccan man who told me he made a big mistake by coming here said that he saw women and children begging ISIS fighters for food but they refused. So the situation here is bad. But the situation inside that last enclave of ISIS is nothing less than catastrophic -- Christine.
ROMANS: Ben Wedeman with amazing access there in eastern Syria.
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: Thank you so much, Ben.
You know, next steps are so frightening as well. I mean, separating who could be dangerous in -- you know, where are you going to put these people? Are you going to send them back to their home countries? How are they going to be -- it's just so --
BRIGGS: Further complicating our withdrawal from Syria.
ROMANS: A long road. Absolutely.
BRIGGS: Ben Wedeman, great reporting.
Ahead, Michael Cohen gives new documents to the House Intelligence Committee. But did he ask for a pardon despite claiming otherwise under oath?
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