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Trump Administration Plans to Fight Congressional Request to IRS to Provide President Trump's Tax Returns; Rep. Bill Pascrell (D) New Jersey is Interviewed on House Ways and Means Committee's Request to Obtain President Trump's Tax Returns; Joe Biden Criticized for Jokes about Touching Others During Speech; President Trump's Claims U.S. Has No Room for More Immigrants; Man Arrested and Charged with Threatening to Assault and Murder Representative Ilhan Omar; President Trump to Speak at Republican Jewish Coalition; Former Republican Senator Norm Coleman Interviewed on President Trump's Policy towards Israel. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired April 06, 2019 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:00:13] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I decide to run for office, I'll produce my tax returns, absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did President Trump going from making the release of his taxes a campaign pledge at one point to a vow not fighting it all the way to the Supreme Court.
TRUMP: I'm under audit. When you're under audit, you don't do. But I'm under audit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. So grateful to have your company as always. It is Saturday, April 6th. Welcome to the weekend. I'm Christi Paul.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. You are in the CNN Newsroom. And this morning President Trump's legal team is ready to take the fight to keep his tax returns private all the way to the Supreme Court. A source tells CNN that the president's attorneys have been preparing for a fight over this for months.
PAUL: The president said he'd released his tax returns before he ran for office. He said this, now repeatedly, though, claims that he cannot do so because he's under audit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I decide to run for office, I'll produce my tax returns, absolutely.
I'm under audit. When you're under audit, you don't do it, but I'm under audit. (END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Now that audit is the main reason Democrats say they want his returns in the first place. A Trump administration official is calling the request an abusive overreach by Congress.
BLACKWELL: CNN White House reporter Sarah Westwood joins us now. Sarah, we understand that the president's legal team has been preparing for some time for this, what are we expecting?
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, Victor. And the White House is making clear it plans to wage an aggressive battle to keep the president's tax returns secret. And administration officials say they don't want to set the precedent of a sitting commander-in-chief having to turn over his or her tax filings just because lawmakers in Congress asked for them.
President Trump has retained a Virginia based law firm Consovoy McCarthy Park to represent him in the tax issue, and lawyers from that firm sent a letter to the Treasury Department general counsel yesterday, and in that letter they claimed that there's no legitimate basis for Democrats to be asking for the president's tax documents. William Consovoy, one of the president's lawyers, said in a statement on Friday that Democrats' requests for the president's private tax information are not consistent with governing law, do not advance any proper legislative purpose, and threatened to interfere with the ordinary conduct of audits.
Trump of course has for years now claimed that he can't release his tax returns because they are under audit, but basically the president's legal team is work to frame this not as a tax issue but as a statutory issue, as a Constitutional issue, with the focus primarily being on whether Democrats even have the authority to make these demands in the first place.
And speaking yesterday, President Trump said that he believes the law is 100 percent on his side. That, of course, remains to be seen over a fight that could take months or even years to resolve. The next step in this process is likely that the Treasury Department is going to seek legal advice on how to proceed from here, Victor and Christi.
BLACKWELL: Sarah Westwood for us in Washington. Sarah, thank you.
PAUL: The Democratic Congressman from New Jersey, Bill Pascrell, he sits on that House Ways and Means Committee and the Budget Committee is with us now. Also joining us, securities and investment fraud attorney Andrew Stoltmann. Gentlemen, thank you both so much for being with us.
REP. BILL PASCRELL, (D) WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE: Good morning, Christi.
PAUL: Congressman, I'd like to start with you first. Good morning to you.
Last year you said that should the Democrats take the House in November, quote, "A first order of business for a new Ways and Means Committee next year will be demanding the Trump tax returns. Sunlight is always the best disinfectant." If you obtain these returns, what specifically are you looking for?
PASCRELL: We want to know, and that's why we want directly, Chairman Neal did the exact correct thing, he went directly to the IRS Commissioner, Mr. Rettig. We didn't go to the president of the United States. We didn't go to the president's lawyers. And really, they've never rejected a request like this, the IRS, and we think the law is behind us, which is part of the code, 6103-F, people should read it before they talk about it. And it's very clear that the Ways and Means Committee and the chairman of that committee have the right to ask that the taxes be released, not in public, but in private setting. The law is very clear about what needs to be done if we get them, that this is a private setting.
And then there's a vote down the road if we want to release any of it or all of it. It's very clear what the law is. The president could say all he wants. He's not going to comply. He has nothing to say about this, according to the tax law. You have to comply, I have to comply, the president has to comply, period.
PAUL: Mr. Stoltmann, it says the authorization to request the president's tax returns from the IRS is valid as follows, if it can show that, one, it's part of an investigation, or, two, it's fulfilling Congress's oversight role. This is something that has never been used before. Is it applicable here?
[10:05:00] ANDREW STOLTMANN, SECURITIES AND INVESTIGATION FRAUD ATTORNEY: No, it isn't applicable here. Yes, you can get these documents, but there also has been to be a legitimate intent. Sometimes Congress thinks it's a law enforcement agency, and it isn't. The intentions of Congress, especially Congressman Neal, doesn't pass the red face test. We know the reason why he wants these documents. It's to harass, embarrass, and harangue the president. That's improper. If you wonder why Congress has such low approval ratings, it's really because of stunts like this. It is a classic fishing expedition, and the next thing we're going to see is a slippery slope where we start asking for political candidates' tax returns, Supreme Court justices' tax returns, governors, lieutenant governors. It is improper, and we will see a Supreme Court challenge on this.
PAUL: Congressman?
PASCRELL: Andrew, there's nothing improper. Read the law. Read exactly what the law says. Not your interpretation or my interpretation, read what it says. There's only three committees that can ask for these tax returns -- Ways and Means Committees, Joint Committee on Taxation, and the Senate Finance Committee. One of them have stepped forward. Our chairman has been very specific, got legal input before he even did it. His request is very narrow, very narrow.
We want to know -- let's take a look at the audit. Is the president being audited? By the way, audits are not a reason not to release your tax returns. That is bull. You know it. There's nothing political about this. You know who you sound like? You sound like the chairman, the former
chairman of the Ways and Means Committee who I sent a letter to on February the 1st, 2017, and I asked him, let's join together in having a narrow focus in order to look at these things, let's do it in a bipartisan way. It's too late. You guys didn't listen, and now you have to go back to the law. You can't choose the law as you please.
STOLTMANN: Congressman, the Supreme Court has interpreted this statute and your ability to go after this stuff, and it says, it has to have a legitimate purpose --
PASCRELL: We have a legitimate purpose.
STOLTMANN: And not be for harassing related purposes. What is it? Mueller investigated the president from beginning to end, everything, and he came up with nothing, at least with respect to collusion. Now if Mueller came up and said the president had colluded --
PASCRELL: Whoa, whoa, this had nothing to do with Mueller's report.
STOLTMANN: Yes, it does.
PAUL: Gentlemen --
PASCRELL: What are you talking about?
STOLTMANN: He investigated this. He investigated this.
PAUL: Gentlemen, let me bring another voice in here. Let me bring another voice in here. Phil Mudd, let's get out of the legality part of this. Phil Mudd said this about this whole scenario saying, look, this isn't even about legalities. Let's listen.
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PHIL MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: Can you explain to me why we're talking about the law? I served the government in an executive position, every executive in the intelligence community has to reveal who they owe money to. Wouldn't you think it would be significant to know, whether you're the president or a CIA official, who you owe money to because you might favor them?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: So he's basically saying to whom you owe money is to whom you may be beholden. Mr. Stoltmann, isn't that a fair element to examine?
STOLTMANN: No, not necessarily. There's still an expectation of privacy for our president with respect to his tax returns. He's not obligated. Congressman, if you want this to change, then you can pass a law requiring all presidential candidates and presidents to release those returns. There are certain things that are confidential, tax returns and health records and stuff like that.
PASCRELL: By the way, Andrew, HR-1 did exactly that and was passed in the House of Representatives, myself and Anna Eshoo, from California. That was our bill. It's included in there.
STOLTMANN: It's not law yet.
PASCRELL: I want to ask you a question, is the president above the tax code, Andrew?
STOLTMANN: The president is not above the tax code, absolutely, positively not.
PASCRELL: That's good to know. That's a good start.
PAUL: So the tax -- basically what he's saying is the tax privacy laws are afforded to the president just like they are afforded to every American.
STOLTMANN: Absolutely, just like your health records are confidential.
PASCRELL: Christi, can I mention something to Andrew? Andrew, four years ago when the Republicans were in charge of the House of Representatives, they requested the returns of 50 individual citizens because they wanted to prove that the director at that time was doing wrong and helping liberal groups and not conservative groups. They made it all public. They made it all public. Nothing was found. They did nothing wrong, but their names were put in the mud. Don't you talk to me about privacy, because that's pretty hypocritical when 51 private citizens did this under this same law. The president is not protected.
[10:10:00] STOLTMANN: Congressman, pass the law, pass the law to require him to produce these documents. Mueller looked at it, he didn't conclude anything with respect to this, and there's still expectations of privacy even for presidents and candidates. What's next? Are you going to ask Liz Cheney to produce her returns? What would you say if the Republicans, when they were in charge -- what would you say --
PAUL: But here it is, Mr. Stoltmann, here it is, because President Trump has refused to divest his businesses and he has refused to release his tax returns, that does indeed make him more vulnerable to deeper scrutiny, does it not?
PASCRELL: He was told to divest by the ethics chairman.
STOLTMANN: OK, it does. But there's no obligation for him to produce it.
PASCRELL: He didn't do it.
STOLTMANN: That's my point. And the Supreme Court's going to review it if he ends up fighting this. If Trump ends up fighting this, he'll go to the district court, the Supreme Court will review it, and you have to have a legitimate purpose, not just a fishing expedition, and that is what you guys are doing.
PASCRELL: Your threats are not going to stop us inquiring. STOLTMANN: I'm not threatening anyone.
PASCRELL: Because that's our responsibility. Read Article One. Remember, we're located in Article One. The president is located in Article Two.
STOLTMANN: What basis do you have --
PAUL: Gentlemen, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, we've run out of time. This has been a lively discussion. I appreciate both of your thoughts. Congressman Bill Pascrell and Andrew Stoltmann, we appreciate you both being here. Thank you.
STOLTMANN: Thank you.
PASCRELL: Thank you.
PAUL: All righty, threats, half-truths, a blunt message from President Trump during his visit to the U.S./Mexico border. Coming up, the facts behind the border fencing that President Trump claims is the first part of a 400-mile wall.
BLACKWELL: Plus, former Vice President Joe Biden has made his first public appearance since facing allegations that his behavior made women feel uncomfortable. But it was something he said and how he said it that now has people asking if that apology was sincere.
PAUL: And Rolling Stones front Mick Jagger says he's feeling much better. The procedure that he went through and what this means for the upcoming North American tour.
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[10:16:14] BLACKWELL: In his first public appearance since facing allegations that his behavior made women feel uncomfortable, former vice president Joe Biden joked twice about having permission to touch people.
PAUL: After his speech, Biden told reporters that he wasn't sorry for anything that he had done, but he did say he's never been intentionally disrespectful. CNN political reporter Arlette Saenz has the latest on Joe Biden. Good morning.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, Christi and Victor. Joe Biden's speech to electrical workers sounded a lot like a campaign speech. And he talked about some themes that he could see in a possible Biden campaign, criticizing President Trump and talking about the need to restore the middle class. But then Biden brought the attention right back to the controversy over these allegations as he made not one, but two jokes.
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SAENZ: A partial apology from Joe Biden.
JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: I'm sorry I didn't understand. I'm not sorry for any of my intentions. I'm not sorry for anything that I have ever done. I've never been disrespectful intentionally to a man or a woman.
SAENZ: The former vice president still grappling with how to respond to claims he made women feel uncomfortable in their interactions, and acknowledging more people could come forward.
BIDEN: I wouldn't be surprised, but I've had hundreds and hundreds of people contact me, and who I don't know, and say the exact opposite.
SAENZ: As he took the stage at his first public appearance since the allegations, Biden gave out a hug and made this joke --
BIDEN: I had permission to hug Lonnie.
(LAUGHTER)
SAENZ: And then did it a second time after calling a group of children up to the stage.
BIDEN: By the way, he gave me permission to touch him.
SAENZ: But shortly after, Biden scrambled into cleanup mode, telling reporters he wasn't making light of people's feelings.
BIDEN: I hope it wasn't taken that way.
SAENZ: Biden also appearing to inch closer to that 2020 bid, hinting it's not a matter of if but when.
BIDEN: I'm told by the lawyer that I've got to be careful what I say so that I don't start a clock ticking and change my status. Then I get a shot, and then we're off to the races.
SAENZ: With a large and historically diverse field of candidates already taking shape, Biden shared how he would brand himself.
BIDEN: I'm an Obama/Biden Democrat, man. I'm proud of it.
SAENZ: Biden's already drawn the attention of President Trump.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I don't see Joe Biden as a threat, no. I don't see him as a threat. I think he's only a threat to himself.
SAENZ: He's hitting back.
BIDEN: He doesn't have time to do his job. But look, everybody knows Donald Trump is.
SAENZ: With his White House run just around the corner, Biden says these allegations make it clear something has to be different.
BIDEN: I think it's going to have to change somewhat how I campaign. It's not a bad thing. It's a new thing. It's important.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAENZ: And I asked the former vice president when are you going to enter the 2020 race, and he made that comment about being careful with his words, but he told me that he's hoping to make some type of announcement very soon, and also hinting that he wants to be the last candidate entering the race. I'm told that that decision could be coming later this month, possibly after the Easter holiday, Victor and Christi.
BLACKWELL: OK. Arlette Saenz in Washington for us. Thank you.
PAUL: Boeing is cutting production of the 737 now by 10 jets per month. They're working to get the plane back in the air here. Well, 737 MAX jets were grounded last month after that deadly crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane, and the preliminary report on this crash shows the pilots followed protocol. They did everything Boeing instructed them to do, but clearly just were not able to stop that plane from crashing.
[10:20:07] BLACKWELL: A flight from Knoxville to Houston had to land in Dallas after a mechanical issue. Listen to what the passengers heard from the cockpit.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We lost two of our screens. Now if we kept flying, we'd lose them all eventually.
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BLACKWELL: In a statement the airline said Express Jet Airlines flight 4390 operating as United Express from Knoxville to Houston diverted to Dallas and landed safely following a mechanical issue. The crew reported an issue with the flight deck monitors. Customers deplaned normally and were rebooked last night to their destination.
PAUL: President Trump is defending his immigration policy. He's saying the country's full, that there's no room for migrants or asylum seekers. The president's message from the southern border is coming straight at you.
BLACKWELL: Plus, a man has been charged with threatening to assault and kill Representative Ilhan Omar because of her Muslim faith. We're following that investigation.
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[10:25:29] BLACKWELL: The president has a blunt message for people looking to come into this country to seek asylum or to do so illegally, the system is full. Go home.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our country is full, our area's full, the sector is full. Can't take any more. I'm sorry. Can't happen. So turn around. That's the way it is. (END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: The president made the comments after a visit to the U.S. border with Mexico to inspect a refurbished section of fencing there. He claimed the construction was the first part of what would eventually become a 400-mile wall along the southern border.
BLACKWELL: So let's talk about the president's comments. Joining me now, Democratic strategist and CNN political analyst Maria Cardona, and Brian Robinson, Republican strategist and former aide to the former Georgia governor Nathan Deal. Welcome back to both of you.
BRIAN ROBINSON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Good morning.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey, Victor.
BLACKWELL: So Brian, let's start here. The president says the country is full even for asylum seekers. Turn around, go home. This is the law and order president, he says. He wants to flout or ignore national and international law?
ROBINSON: I don't think he's flouting international law. Look, what have we heard from his opponents, that he was lying about these caravans, he was lying about there being a crisis. And look, now we're at historical levels of people coming over the border. What has happened in the last month that all of a sudden has created this humanitarian crisis? These are at levels we haven't seen in nearly a decade. So what's happened? He's been proven right over and over that we do have a problem in the border.
And as far as in the country, do we have room? Sure, we have room in the country. But our holding facilities there along the border are full, and that in itself is creating humanitarian problems. No one doubts that there are problems in Central America, no one doubts that there are deep needs there. But all of those burdens cannot be America's. And he is right that we have an ability to decide who comes here. We have a right to decide who becomes an American resident.
BLACKWELL: Yes, but those people who are coming to seek asylum have a legal right, a legal right to request asylum. The president says, sorry, can't take you, turn around, go home. But the law requires the United States to at least consider their claim of credible fear, and if it gets to the next level, some adjudication by an immigration judge. When the president says, sorry, can't take you, turn around, he is flouting law, is he not?
ROBINSON: Look, we will follow the law. I'm sure that those folks are going to get their day in court, they're going to get their hearing. What he is trying to do --
BLACKWELL: This is actually the same week the president said we need to get rid of judges.
CARDONA: Yes. ROBINSON: But that's not going to happen. He says a lot of things
like that that don't actually happen. We he is saying is that we have taken more than our fair share, which I don't anybody could seriously disagree with. We have been a welcoming country. We have been the place for central and Mexican residents have come when there are in times of economic need, when there are times of humanitarian need. We have taken them in by the millions and millions and millions. So the question becomes, when is enough enough?
BLACKWELL: So that question to you, Maria -- 100,000 plus in the month of March, 4,000 in a single day, the most in quite a long time. Now what? What is the plan?
CARDONA: Well, I would hope that the president of the United States would actually want to solve this problem. But the only thing this president has proven time and again since the moment that he announced his candidacy is that he wants to implement draconian immigration policies that essentially tell immigrants go away. This is what he said yesterday. It's no different than what he has tried to do from the beginning.
But the only thing that it proves that this president does not have any desire to solve the immigration issue, does not have any interest in it, and has completely misunderstood what the actual problem is. What he is touting is completely anti-American. This country was founded on immigrants. This country was founded on the hard work that immigrants have done for decades, for centuries. And this president wants to turn his back on it.
And by the way, what is going on the border, a lot of it has to do with exactly what this president has done -- putting kids in cages, ripping children from the arms of their mothers, and then wanting to negate Central American aid. That is not a solution to the problem. That is making it worse.
[10:30:00] BLACKWELL: But Maria, what then is the solution? It's 100,000 a month, if that continues for the rest of this year --
ROBINSON: Open borders. Open borders.
CARDONA: That is a great -- that is a great question, Victor, and I will tell you what the solution could be if we had an administration that was interested in actually solving the problem. You talk to these Central American countries. You put in place programs on the ground that our aid was actually helping to do that would help stabilize their economies, that would help stabilize the government, that would help with law enforcement in their own countries so that these families are not constantly under the threat of death, of rape, of violence for their kids. That's exactly why they're coming over here.
BLACKWELL: Let me jump back in here, because I want to move on to another topic. We only have a few minutes left, and Brian, let me come to you. The president's fight to keep his personal and business tax returns private, a source inside the administration tells CNN this is a hill and there are people willing to die on it. The president promised before he became a candidate, certainly I'll release them, as a candidate, sure I'll release them when the audit's over. Now he's saying I won't release them and I'll take it all the way to the Supreme Court. Why?
ROBINSON: Victor, I don't think that you or anybody else really believed he was going to release his taxes in 2016 when he said that he was going to. I don't think anybody really ever believed --
BLACKWELL: There really is a theme today that you're saying don't believe what the president says at all.
CARDONA: So you're saying he's a liar, essentially.
BLACKWELL: The last answer you gave me was about immigration. Don't believe it. Now you're saying nobody would be believe that. But go ahead.
CARDONA: That's exactly what you're saying.
ROBINSON: You didn't believe it. And frankly, I didn't really believe it either. The president even in the debates in 2016 when attacked by Hillary Clinton for allegedly not paying enough in taxes, he said it's because I'm smart. He did own it in that sense. So I do think that there's probably something in there that he doesn't want people to see. But I think many people have stuff in their taxes that they don't want the public to see, and he does have a right to privacy.
BLACKWELL: So you don't believe there's an audit either?
ROBINSON: No. I think if he wanted to release his taxes he could, but I think he has the right to say no. And I think we need to turn the focus on House Democrats and ask why are they doing this.
BLACKWELL: But he has the right to say no based on what?
ROBINSON: This is a terrible precedent. This is a terrible precedent.
BLACKWELL: He has the right to say no based on what, because the tax code says the House Ways and Means, Joint Committee on Taxation, Senate Finance can ask for it.
ROBINSON: And he has the right to fight. And he is willing to go to the Supreme Court, as he has said. And his lawyer says that he's got a good argument to make. And there's also been requested a DOJ review on whether or not they can force the president to do this. So let that legal process play out.
The president does have a right to privacy. Americans should be concerned by the precedent that is being set that you can be destroyed, you can be exposed with private information because Democrats in the Congress don't like you.
BLACKWELL: Maria?
CARDONA: I'm so glad that Brian has ceded here on national television that the president is a big huge liar, so thank you, Brian.
ROBINSON: I think you already thought that, Maria.
CARDONA: And moving forward on taxes, the reason that he does not want his taxes released, come on, we all know this, is that because he has something to hide. And he's doing everything that he can to make sure that the public does not see his taxes. Starting from putting in an IRS commissioner that agrees with him that he should not release his taxes, and then wanting to put in an IRS general counsel that will also protect him to ensure that he doesn't have to release his taxes. We know that this president is very possibly compromised, to the Russians, perhaps to the Chinese, perhaps to who knows, Victor. But this is why Republicans and Democrats, candidates for president for 30 years have released their taxes, to make sure that the American people know they're not compromised.
BLACKWELL: All you're explaining right here about being compromised and income from potentially foreign entities is not what Chairman Neal wrote in his letter. What he wrote was that, they're looking into but not limited to the extent to which the IRS audits and enforces the federal tax code against the president. That's not what you just said.
ROBINSON: Talking about lying?
CARDONA: That was very, very smart, because that is the reason that they are putting in that is supported by law in terms of wanting to make sure that his taxes are given to them.
BLACKWELL: So you're saying that's the reason on paper, but clearly all of these other reasons --
CARDONA: The whole reason why presidents -- candidates for the presidency should release their tax returns is so that the American people can make sure that their president is not compromised and can't be bribed.
ROBINSON: That's not the law, Maria.
CARDONA: -- and is not going to do the bidding of other governments.
BLACKWELL: Nor is that in the letter.
ROBINSON: This is about --
BLACKWELL: We got to wrap it. Ten seconds, Brian, 10 seconds.
ROBINSON: This is about the Democrats being upset that they didn't find anything in the Mueller report to destroy President Trump, so they're on to the next fishing expedition.
CARDONA: They're doing oversight, which is what they should be doing.
BLACKWELL: Brian Robinson, Maria Cardona, we'll wrap it up there. Thank you both.
[10:35:00] CARDONA: Thanks, Victor.
ROBINSON: Thanks, Victor.
PAUL: Police have arrested and charged a man with making death threats against Representative Ilhan Omar. They say he had a problem with the freshman congresswoman's Muslim faith. We'll have more on that investigation today.
BLACKWELL: Also ahead on CNN, don't miss our four part CNN original series on Richard Nixon that explores his rise, fall, incredible comeback, and political destruction. The series continues tomorrow night at 9:00 right here on CNN.
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BLACKWELL: We have new details this morning about a man arrested and charged with threatening to assault and murder Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar.
PAUL: According to this criminal complaint, the man threatened Omar because of her Muslim faith. CNN's Polo Sandoval is following the very latest. What are you learning there this morning?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This certainly wouldn't be the first time that a member of Congress receives a threat, at least not of this magnitude, but it certainly is a case that has drawn some attention because Congresswoman Omar's recent statements that have drawn some controversy, and she is one of the first Muslim women to serve in Congress.
[10:40:05] I want to bring you up to speed on the what the criminal complaint actually reads here. Laying out a timeline, according to prosecutors, on March 21st, there was an individual that identified himself as Patrick Carlineo from western New York made a phone call into the congresswoman's office in Washington, D.C. And reading from this -- from this statement here from authorities, asked staff, quote, "Do you work for the Muslim Brotherhood? Are you working for her?"
This individual, at least a voice on the other line, then proceeded to call Congresswoman Omar a terrorist and then threatened to kill her. Interesting point here, though, that this caller also provided his contact information and even spelled it out for authorities, so at least it certainly was a lead for the FBI once they received this case from Capitol Police. About seven or eight days later they went to Carlineo's residence, interviewed this individual, and are now holding him behind bars.
We should mention that during the course of the interview, according to these court documents, Carlineo described himself as a patriot, that he loves the president, that he hates what he believes to be radical Muslims who are serving in our government. Some local reporting there, states that this individual has already been -- had his initial appearance and he's being held ahead of what we will be a detention hearing on Wednesday. CNN has reached out to Carlineo's attorney, but we are yet to hear back. Victor, Christi?
BLACKWELL: Polo Sandoval for us New York. Polo, thank you.
PAUL: Thanks, Polo.
A man's been arrested after being accused of posing as an Uber driver and raping a woman. This is something that took place allegedly in December, but the Washington state man was arrested after police shared this surveillance video that you see here, identifying him as a person of interest. Police say the man turned himself in and eventually admitted to having sex with the victim, but said, quote, he thought she was consenting. He admitted that she was intoxicated.
BLACKWELL: Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger thanks his fans and the hospital staff as well, says he's feeling much better now.
PAUL: What a source close to the band says was treatment for a heart procedure.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:47:13] BLACKWELL: When he's not on the bench, this week's CNN hero is out running three times a week every week. Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell wakes up at 3:30 in the morning and runs through L.A.'s skid row neighborhood to try to change the lives of people struggling with poverty, homelessness, and addiction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDGE CRAIG MITCHELL, CNN HERO: Running is a mechanism for the participants to build relationships.
This is the one time I'm at the front of the pack.
(LAUGHTER)
MITCHELL: Lawyers, social workers, people from all different walks of life running with people who are recovering from addiction and homelessness.
We affirm, we listen, we support. It shows what openminded people who really care about each other, how they can treat one another. And it's a lesson in and of itself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: To experience Judge Mitchell's transformative skid row running community and to nominate someone who you think should be a CNN hero, go to CNNheroes.com.
PAUL: We're following some breaking news this hour. Former Senator Ernest Fritz Hollings of South Carolina has died. The Democrat served as South Carolina's governor beginning in 1958. He was elected to the Senate in 1966. And during his 38 years in the Senate, he helped create the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He's credited with strengthening port and airport security following the September 11th attacks. Senator Fritz Hollings was 97-years-old. BLACKWELL: Hours from now, President Trump and Vice President Mike
Pence will be in Las Vegas. They'll both address the Republican Jewish Coalition. Earlier this week President Trump said it was time to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Joining me now is Norm Coleman. He is a former Republican senator from Minnesota and currently the national chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition. Senator, good morning to you.
NORM COLEMAN, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION: Good morning, Victor. Good morning. Making it a great day in Nevada.
BLACKWELL: Yes, it is. Most days are great in Nevada.
(LAUGHTER)
BLACKWELL: So let's start here. President Trump said this about the Democratic Party, and its germane to his speech to your group today. Let's watch. OK. The control room will get that, and then we'll talk about it.
Let me get your thoughts on this. This morning we reported that a man has been arrested for threatening to kill Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, obviously from the state you once represented in the Senate. According to the affidavit he said that he is a patriot, that he loves the president, hates radical Muslims in our government. Are you troubled by the proximity of loving the president and what he says about Muslims here? We heard something similar from the mail bomb suspect. Is the president's rhetoric about the Democratic Party as it relates to the Jewish community a problem for you?
[10:50:11] COLEMAN: Hate anywhere is troubling, but don't put it on the president. Any hate, and hate against a Representative Omar is a terrible thing. But by the way, Representative Omar's words aren't good. She's trafficking in classic anti-Semitic tropes. So there's violence on the left and there violence -- too much violence. But there's nothing the president said about the Democratic Party that is going to be responsible for some moron, some insane person spewed with hate making threats against somebody.
BLACKWELL: OK, so let's listen. They've got the soundbite now from the president. Let's listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You just like me because my daughter happens to be Jewish. The only bad news, I can't get her on Saturday.
Some of us renegotiate deals. I would say about 99.9 -- is there anybody that doesn't renegotiate deals in this room? Perhaps more than any room I've ever spoken for.
You're not going to support me because I don't want your money. You want to control your own politician.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKWELL: That was the president the last time he was in front of the RJC. You criticized what Ilhan Omar said as anti-Semitic, your group has, Executive Director Matt Brooks has. What about those comments? Should the president be held accountable for those?
COLEMAN: The president should actually be held accountable for what he has done, which is recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Many presidents promised, he was the one who delivered. Who ripped up an Iran deal that represented an existential threat Israel's existence by guaranteeing Iran a path to a nuclear weapon, but by most recently recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is a reality for its security.
So we have judged the president on what he has done. And he has -- there has been no president that has been a stronger friend to the U.S./Israel alliance than this president, Donald Trump. And I wasn't always a big supporter, but I watched what he did, I listened to what he said, and he's going to have a lot of love in this room in Las Vegas this morning.
BLACKWELL: The president, this is the soundbite I was looking for, the president's words about Democrats. Let's watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Democrats have become an anti-Israel party. They've become an anti-Jewish party, and I thought that vote was a disgrace, and so does everybody else if you get an honest answer. If you get an answer from politicians, they thought it was a disgrace. The Democrats have become an anti-Israel party. They've become an anti-Jewish party, and that's too bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Do you agree with that?
COLEMAN: I'll just make two observations. One, by the way, it is a shame the Democrats couldn't pass anything other than a watered-down resolution condemning anti-Semitism.
I think what the real issue is not Democratic Party, it's the leftwing of the -- it's the base of the Democrat, the loud, the strongest voice in the Democratic Party, the greatest energy in the Democratic Party, it is the voice of Ilhan Omar. It is the voice of Rashida Tlaib in Michigan. And those are the folks that are trafficking in classic anti-Semitic tropes. They talk about Jews buying Israel, the Benjamins. They talk about Jews having dual loyalty if they support Israel. So in the end I'm not condemning the Democratic Party, and I wish the Democratic Party could somehow get beyond its radical far left base and get back to where it was with being supporters of Israel. But the loudest voice of Democratic Party are not voices that support the U.S.-Israel relationship, and that is a concern for Democrats I think who want to support Israel, but I think in many ways are now muted.
BLACKWELL: But Senator, you're being quite critical of Congresswoman Omar and Rashida Tlaib, a member of Congress as well, but when you point out that she tweeted out all about the Benjamins in reference to AIPAC, a pro-Israel group, this president as a candidate tweeted out a picture of Hillary Clinton with a Star of David over a pile of cash. Why are you so critical of one and seeming to give a pass to the other?
COLEMAN: By the way, you said it critical of one. It's not about one. What you're dealing with Ilhan Omar is repeated, consistent repetitious classic anti-Semitic tropes. If she said one thing one time, maybe you could walk away from it. But it's not one thing. I guarantee next week there will be another one.
BLACKWELL: But you're still not referencing anything about the president.
COLEMAN: Listen. No. I've criticized -- I've criticized the president when I thought he wasn't strong enough to responding to Charlottesville. I've criticized the president. But I'm also giving the president credit for being the strongest friend in the White House that those who care about the U.S./Israel relationship ever had. And that's the reality based on what he's done.
So no, I've criticized him where I thought he didn't respond strong enough, but Omar, Ilhan Omar and others, these are classic, repetitious, and, by the way, I think Democrats who really love Israel are, I think they've got to be destroyed over this.
BLACKWELL: You went further than that, actually. A few months after he spoke to the RJC, you wrote in an op-ed that you would never vote for him, you called him a bigot, a misogynist, a fraud and a bully. What changed your mind?
[10:55:09] COLEMAN: I just told you. First of all, when he was running, I opposed him in the primary.
BLACKWELL: But you do not believe he's a fraud anymore? You don't believe he's a bully?
COLEMAN: No. I've watched him govern for two years. I've watched him strengthen the U.S./Israel relationship in ways I've told you again and again, appointing Nikki Haley as ambassador to the U.N., finally shutting the U.N. up on its continuous anti-Semitic efforts and motions. So I've watched this guy govern. I've watched him enact one of the greatest tax cuts that have generated economic growth. Cutting regulation. I'm a Republican, I'm a conservative, and I watched him govern. He has appointed Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
BLACKWELL: I don't know how those speak to your claims of misogyny, or how those speak to your claims of fraud.
COLEMAN: I was opposed to the president. I watched him govern. You asked me, do I think this president, is he governing well, is he representing this country well, is America stronger today? Yes, it is. And so there's no question that me and those who are in this group -- by the way, many who didn't support the president before he won the endorsement have watched him govern. They're going to be working real hard for his reelection in 2020.
BLACKWELL: All right, former Senator Norm Coleman, we'll see what the president and vice president have to say to the RJC today. Thanks so much for being with us.
COLEMAN: Great pleasure, thank you.
PAUL: Thank you, sir.
And we hope you make good memories today.
BLACKWELL: Thank you for being with us. Next hour of CNN's Newsroom with Fredricka Whitfield starts in just a moment.
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