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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Michael Cohen Hands New Documents That Show Edits by Trump's Lawyer; House Democrats Grill Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen; Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired March 07, 2019 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:32:06] ROMANS: 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?
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SEN. MARTHA MCSALLY (R), ARIZONA: I felt the system was raping me all over again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: A stunning admission from Senator Martha McSally. The first American woman to fly in combat says she was raped while serving her country.
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ALEX TREBEK, HOST, "JEOPARDY": I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.
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ROMANS: Alex Trebek diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, but the "Jeopardy" host says he is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS: We are pulling for you, Alex. I'm Dave Briggs. 4:32 Eastern Time. We start in the nation's capital.
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, which show edits made to the false statement Cohen made before Congress in 2017.
ROMANS: Cohen handed over the new documents to help explain his public testimony last week. He told lawmakers one of Mr. Trump's lawyers had a hand in editing that false statement. These and other revelations could give ammunition to Republicans attacking Cohen's credibility. 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 edits to try to further explain exactly what Cohen meant in that public arena -- Christine and Dave.
BRIGGS: All right, Manu, thanks.
According to the "New York Times" at least some of the edits in Michael Cohen's testimony appeared to play down Ivanka's knowledge -- Ivanka Trump's knowledge about the Trump Tower Moscow project.
[04:35:07] 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.
ROMANS: 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. Now that doesn't mean he asked for one but there was a discussion. Sekulow denies that. Giuliani tells CNN he has been asked about pardons by attorneys but would not comment specifically here.
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.
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COHEN: I have never asked for nor would I accept a pardon from President Trump.
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BRIGGS: 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 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.
What's next for Cohen? The president's former lawyer begins a three- year prison term on May 6th.
Democrats are divided over these 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, quote, "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.
ROMANS: 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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ROMANS: This morning there is still no agreement within the Democratic Party on the final language for the resolution. BRIGGS: Congressional Democrats pressing hard for answers from the
Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, struggling to defend some of President Trump's immigration policies at the Homeland Security Committee hearing. Some of the most tense exchanges focused on the zero tolerance policy that separated children from parents after they cross the border illegally. Yesterday the administration acknowledged 471 parents were deported without their children under the policy.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you aware that the zero tolerance policy would lead to minors being separated from their parents? Yes or no?
KIRSTJEN NIELSEN, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: As we increase consequences for those who break the law just as --
(CROSSTALK)
REP. KATHLEEN RICE (D), NEW YORK: I have such limited time, Madame Secretary.
NIELSEN: OK.
RICE: I'm sure you can appreciate that. Can you please just answer yes or no?
NIELSEN: As a consequence for the parent going to jail, we in this country do not take the children to jail.
RICE: OK. So I take that as a yes?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Nielsen also defended the president declaring a national emergency so he could get funding for a border wall. Even many Republicans are now voicing skepticism about that move.
Jessica Schneider has more.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Democrats hammering Secretary Nielsen on the zero-tolerance policy that resulted in children being separated from their families last summer and they also grilled into whether President Trump's emergency declaration to build his border wall is really necessary.
Secretary Nielsen defended the president and she stuck to the administration's stance that this is truly an emergency at the border. She threw out some numbers to justify that claim saying that if the numbers continue at their current pace, that the number of illegal immigrants crossing could reach close to one million by the end of the year. Now that number in itself would not be record-breaking since there were more than one million immigrants that came across in the year 2006. But Democrats continued to hammer Secretary Nielsen on Trump administration's policies.
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REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Just yes or no, are we still putting children in cages?
NIELSEN: To my knowledge, CBP never purposely put a child in a cage if you mean a case like this.
THOMPSON: Purposely or whatever, are we putting children in cages as of today?
NIELSEN: Children are processed at the border facility stations that you've been at, some of --
THOMPSON: And I've seen the cages. I just want you to admit that the cages exist.
REP. NANETTE BARRAGAN (D), CALIFORNIA: Any asylum seeker who comes to a port of entry, you basically have --
NIELSEN: They are allowed to make their claim.
BARRAGAN: OK. Well, let me tell you, Madame Secretary. Either you're lying to this committee or you don't know what's happening at the border.
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[04:40:05] SCHNEIDER: And the congresswoman referring there to her recent trip to the border where she says she encountered an asylum seeker who was turned away. And it is true that under the Trump administration it has become more difficult for asylum seekers and that's because the administration has capped the number of asylum seekers that are allowed in per day -- Dave and Christine.
ROMANS: All right, Jessica Schneider, thank you so much for that.
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 is the first American woman to fly in combat. She says she did not report it because at the time she blamed herself and she did not trust the system.
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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) ROMANS: Wow. What an important voice to have as the military tries to grapple with this. 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.
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.
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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: Touche. 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: Certainly are.
BRIGGS: Seventy thousand shows.
ROMANS: Wow.
BRIGGS: The voice of facts and trust, probably in this era.
ROMANS: Absolutely.
All right. 42 minutes past the hour. A college professor quits her job over Chick-fil-A. That's next.
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[04:47:04] BRIGGS: 4:46 Eastern Time. And President Trump's pick to be U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia claims he will hold the Saudis accountable for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Retired General John Abizaid calling the journalist's death a senseless killing in his confirmation hearing on Wednesday. When he was pressed about how he plans to do that, here's what Abizaid told lawmakers.
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GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SAUDI ARABIA: Senator, ambassadors don't hold countries accountable. Countries hold countries accountable.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRIGGS: Abizaid says he believes it is critical to make sure the Saudis know what we stand for. He says he will make sure those ideals are conveyed clearly.
ROMANS: Embattled celebrity chef Mario Batali is now fully divested from the chain of restaurants that helped make him famous. Batali selling his ownership stake more than a year after he was accused by several women of sexual misconduct. Six of his restaurants have closed in the past year. Police in New York investigated allegations against Batali that were raised in a "60 Minutes" report but the cases were closed in January with no charges filed.
BRIGGS: An Arizona prosecutor has determined Uber should not face charges in the death of a woman struck by one of its self-driving test cars. Elaine Herzberg was killed last March after the autonomous vehicle slammed into her as she was crossing the street at night. The test driver, Rafaela Vasquez, could still face charges. Dash cam footage released by police after the incident appears to show Vasquez taking her eyes off the road moments before the crash.
ROMANS: All right. Temperatures stuck below freezing across much of the northeast today with another big storm moving in on the West Coast.
Meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the forecast.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning Dave and Christine. You know, the calendar says March 7th today, but it feels more like January 7th across the Deep South and much of the Great Lakes all the way to the East Coast. We have below average temperatures this morning once again, there is some relief in sight. We'll show you that in just one second.
But look at this shading of blue across the south all the way to the Florida panhandle. Temperatures ranging from about 20 degrees to nearly the freezing mark from Atlanta all the way to Tallahassee and Jacksonville. Temperatures will warm up throughout the afternoon. Temperatures just shy of 60 for Atlanta. New York, you're still chilly today, 33 degrees, 28 for Chicago, 29 near Detroit.
So the Arctic air starting to slide out of the picture and we get a brief warm-up along the East Coast so a welcome warm-up is the way I should lead with that, but we do have the potential for another shot of cold air next week.
Out west, storms continue to line up. In fact the rain has been excessive for Southern California including Los Angeles, we're 166 percent abnormal. Back to you.
ROMANS: All right. Derek, thank you so much for that.
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 in November Chick-fil-A would not come to campus because of the chain's opposition to LGBTQ rights. [04:50:03] But Cynthia Newman, Rider's dean of Business
Administration, sees it another way. She says it was a judgmental statement about Chick-fil-A's values that reflect the Christian faith. So Newman resigned as dean. She'll remain on the faculty in a different role. The university says they respect her decision but the Chil-fil-A decision was in no way a judgment on religious values.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gets it to James. LeBron takes it to the rim and finishes with the left and he is fouled. The legend of LeBron continues.
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BRIGGS: And with that, LeBron James reaching another career milestone last night, passing his basketball idol the GOAT Michael Jordan for fourth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. James now has 32,311 points. Next on the list, Laker legend Kobe Bryant. It has been a tough and disappointing year for LeBron, likely missing the playoffs but congratulations. You can see how emotional he was.
ROMANS: Yes. All right. Retaliatory tariffs on whiskey are creating problems for the maker of Jack Daniels. CNN Business is next.
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[04:55:31] BRIGGS: An American freelance journalist reportedly detained by Venezuela has been released. Cody Weddle's mom tells CNN he is on his way to Miami. Weddle had not been heard from since Wednesday morning when he and his assistant were detained by Venezuela's counterintelligence service. Since June 2014, Weddle had lived in Venezuela where he reported for American outlets. There have been 36 cases of journalists being held in Venezuelan custody this year alone as part of a sweeping crackdown by embattled president Nicolas Maduro.
ROMANS: Police in Germany suspected a dead gardener may have taken revenge from beyond the grave. That gardener, 59-year-old Bernhard Graumann, found dead from unknown causes at his home Friday. The same day a 64-year-old doctor was killed by an explosion from a booby trap outside his practice. Two days later a mother and daughter were injured when a log that appeared to have been tampered with exploded in a wood burning stove.
BRIGGS: Police have now linked both cases to Graumann who apparently had a bad relationship with the victims. They also took the unusual step of warning members of the public who may have previously fallen out with Graumann to be on guard. Police are investigating Graumann's death and are awaiting autopsy results.
ROMANS: Let's get a check on CNN Business this morning. Global stock markets leaning lower here. Still have some concerns about trade. On Wall Street futures this morning, for this Thursday morning, down just a little bit here after those record-breaking trade deficit numbers. Stocks closed lower on Wednesday. Investors looking for movement on U.S.-China trade negotiations. The Dow fell 133 points. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also down a little bit.
But the February jobs report that's tomorrow morning. Investors of course want to see if February is as strong in the job market as previous months. In January the economy added 304,000 jobs, that was the 100th straight month of gains.
On the trade front, Huawei is suing the U.S. government, it's fighting back against accusations its technology poses a global security threat. New this morning Huawei said it has filed a lawsuit in Texas challenging the National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Trump in August. The law bans federal agencies from buying Huawei products. Huawei's deputy chairman accused Congress of acting as, quote, "judge, jury and executioner" by imposing this ban.
This ban is not only unlawful but also restricts Huawei from engaging in fair competition, ultimately harming U.S. consumers. U.S. government officials were not immediately available for comment on that front.
Tariffs causing a little bit of a hangover for the maker of Jack Daniels. Brown-Forman which sells whiskey and other liquors said sales grew 3 percent in the three months ending in January, missing expectations. Brown-Forman CEO Jane Morreau said tariffs on American Spirits had a 1 percent drag on its sales and cost it $125 million last year. Morreau called tariffs a substantial burden on the business. Stock fell 5 percent on the news.
BRIGGS: We've all made mistakes speaking in public, the president perhaps more than most. And the latest did not escape the attention of late-night host James Corden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES CORDEN, HOST, "THE LATE, LATE SHOW WITH JAMES CORDEN": During a meeting of President Trump's business advisers, Donald Trump referred to Apple CEO Tim Cook as -- well, see for yourself.
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TRUMP: You've really put a big investment in our country. We appreciate it very much, Tim Apple.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CORDEN: I think I'm done. I think that's it. I'm out. I mean, that's it. He called Tim Cook "Tim Apple." And I guarantee you this means that Trump calls himself Donald president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: It's not the first time, Christine, anchor that he's done this. He called Marilyn Houston from Lockheed Marilyn Lockheed and just continued on throughout it.
ROMANS: Yes. I realized it.
BRIGGS: Speaking is difficult.
ROMANS: All right. This is top of the hour. EARLY START continues right now.
BRIGGS: 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?
ROMANS: Democrats will not debate on FOX News ahead of the 2020 election. The DNC says the network cannot be neutral over a recent report painted FOX a propaganda tool for the White House.
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MCSALLY: I felt the system was raping me all over again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: A stunning admission from Senator Martha McSally.
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