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New Day
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) is Interviewed about Trump's Comments and Taylor Verdict; Pulse of the People. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired September 24, 2020 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[08:31:04]
QUESTION: Will you commit to making sure that there is a peaceful transferal of power after the election?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, we're going to have to see what happens. You know that. I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots. And the ballots are a disaster and --
QUESTION: I understand that --
TRUMP: And --
QUESTION: But people are rioting. Do you commit to making sure that there's a peaceful transferal of power?
TRUMP: And -- no, we want -- we want to have -- get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very trans -- we'll have a very peaceful -- there won't be a transfer, frankly, there will be a continuation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: That was President Trump threatening to end one of the foundations of our democracy. Last night he refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election.
Joining us now is Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. She's a member of the House Judiciary committee.
Congresswoman, thanks so much. Great to have you here on this really striking morning hearing those words from President Trump.
What's your response?
REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE, (D-TX): Well, first of all, good morning, Alisyn. Thank you for having me this morning.
Nothing in the Constitution condoned what the president said yesterday. The president is completely outside the bounds of our Constitution and the tradition, the precedence and, of course, constitutional law that provides for a peaceful transfer of power. In addition, I guess the president was now moving this nation to
anarchy, that is a stateless government. I don't know if he realized what he actually said.
What he actually said is that he's willing to provoke violence, he's willing not to speak against violence and he's willing not to show the American people and the world that the oldest democracy continues to maintain its values and that this little book called the Constitution has the strength of longevity.
I am personally offended, but very much of great concern. And I believe we need to look at this very closely as members of the Judiciary Committee begin to have hearings to be able to reinforce to the American people the sanctity of the Constitution and also the transfer of power.
CAMEROTA: This morning, four Republicans, by our count, have spoken out about it, including one of your House colleagues, Liz Cheney. She says the peaceful transfer of power is enshrined by our Constitution and fundamental to the survival of our republic. America's leaders swear an oath to the Constitution. We will uphold that oath.
What about the other Republicans, Congresswoman?
LEE: Well, we hope we'll hear from them. And I want to thank Congresswoman Cheney for understanding the Constitution.
We won't survive, Alisyn, if this particular fundamental right and fundamental power is not applauded, approved and spoken about and committed to by all parties, independents, Republican, non-party, Democrats, because it is the sanctity of this government. It is a sacred oath that we take in office to adhere to the Constitution without exception. And it is a small document, but it's a powerful document.
But let me just say this, we will need to be prepared. I'm not sure that the president even understands that. Remember, he associated himself with honest Abe. And most of us have read about Abraham Lincoln's history and President Trump is no Abraham Lincoln. And so I think it will be important for the Congress, Republicans and Democrats, to begin now dealing with what will be the results and how we will confront a president that will be entrenched in the White House and refuses to leave.
CAMEROTA: And is there talk of beginning now?
LEE: I think we will be doing so. I don't want to specifically suggest what steps we're taking, but I can assure you, we are in very extensive discussions, not for party purposes, not for candidate purposes, but really for the continuation of this government.
And anyone that says throw out the ballots, I want the American people to vote by mail, if they desire, vote early, if they desire, or vote on Election Day, and do it irrespective of who their candidate is.
[08:35:04] That is their right. I call it their birthright. And I want them to know that each of us who have taken an oath in the most powerful law making body in the world, the United States Congress, will assure them that right, even though state elections are governed by the state officials. But we will assure them that right.
CAMEROTA: While I have you, I want to ask you about what happened in Louisville yesterday, and the Breonna Taylor case. It came as a shock to her family and so many people who have been waiting for these -- the answer from the grand jury that none of the officers were charged with anything connected to her death. One officer was charged with firing, the term was "willy-nilly," into a different apartment.
What's your response?
LEE: Well, thank you, Alisyn.
First of all, I am a long standing member of the House Judiciary Committee with a lot of seniority and I've seen a lot of presidents and a lot of cases.
My first thought is to give sympathy again to Breonna's family and her mother. The second is to continue to promote for the protesters non- violent protests and to condemn with great affirmation any shooting of law enforcement, any violence at all.
Having said that, it is shameful what came out of the attorney general's office and the grand jury, not because of grand jurors, but because we know that prosecutors craft their own narrative. They can expand the number of witnesses that go into a grand jury or it can be very narrow.
And if there is an issue of fact and law that still remains, individuals should have the right to express their defense in a trial by their peers. He did not do that. The attorney general of Kentucky did not do that.
It is very obvious to us that there was a grave injustice because did he call the other witnesses who said they did not hear the officers announce themselves? Were some of the officers in plainclothes, so that if you're in the middle of the night, coming into a private home, which is another very sacred place in Americans' heart, American's hearts, in the middle of the night, plainclothes, and people were asleep, and they could not see who you were? Did he not add that narrative so that grand jurors could understand what it means?
And then let me just say this, it was a defective warrant.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
LEE: How do you even not indict officers when, one, they came with a defective warrant, the person was in custody, and they have a fact question about whether they announced themselves or not.
CAMEROTA: Yes. LEE: Frankly, this cries out for a civil investigation, Alisyn, and the FBI needs to do its job because people are in pain and they are right to be in pain.
CAMEROTA: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, thank you very much for your thoughts on all of this.
LEE: Thank you for having me.
CAMEROTA: We will talk again soon.
LEE: Thank you.
CAMEROTA: We have a new snapshot on America's unemployment crisis. Christine Romans joins us with an update, next.
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[08:41:26]
BERMAN: All right, breaking news, new weekly jobless claims.
CNN chief business correspondent Christine Romans with a here and a look.
Wrong direction, Romans.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Wrong direction. And 870,000 people for the very first time filed for unemployment benefits in the most recent week. That is a number pre-pandemic that is four times what you would normally see. These are historic, historic numbers in the jobs market.
When you look at continuing claims, people continuing to get jobless benefits two weeks in a row or longer, that number is a staggering 12.6 million continuing claims, down a little bit. When you put all the people in all the programs receiving some sort of jobless aid from the government, it's 26 million.
And, John, I'll point out that 870,000 number, we look at just those state first time weekly unemployment claims every week, that's sort of our benchmark. If you add in people applying for pandemic unemployment insurance, this special, you know, CARES Act fund, there's another 630,000 people there. So you're talking about 1.4 million people last week who were laid off and needed to ask for assistance.
BERMAN: All right, Christine Romans, thank you very much.
Now, voters struggling in this economy are telling us what they think of the president's response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FELICIA RAND, OHIO, SUPPORTS BIDEN: I don't think it was taken as seriously as it should have been. I mean it's still being downplayed. SEAN ROBERTS, FLORIDA, SUPPORTS TRUMP: The president was in a
situation where he made the best decisions under the conditions he was under.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: We get the "Pulse of the People," next.
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[08:47:01]
CAMEROTA: Forty days until the election. So we want to get the "Pulse of the People."
This voter panel is a little different in that we asked you who you wanted to hear from. You told me via Instagram and FaceBook to talk to people who have lost their jobs because of coronavirus.
So, we gathered a group of Democrats, independents and Republicans from California to Connecticut. Three of them plan to vote for Joe Biden, three for Donald Trump. All of them are struggling financially. But as you'll hear, they have very different opinions of how we got here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RENE RODRIGUEZ, FLORIDA, SUPPORTS BIDEN: At the beginning of the year, everything was going fine until February, I think. My business -- the revenue in my business just completely died.
FELICIA RAND, OHIO, SUPPORTS BIDEN: It's funny because I was in the process of, you know, building and getting a momentum, and then everything just kind of stopped.
DAN CARTER, CONNECTICUT, SUPPORTS TRUMP: I went from building this consulting business up for the last three year or so, to zero in about a day is how it felt.
THADDEUS JONES, JR., SOUTH CAROLINA, SUPPORTS BIDEN: For three months I was paying rent out of -- out of savings. So it completely depleted my savings.
SEAN ROBERTS, FLORIDA, SUPPORTS TRUMP: I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be on unemployment. I didn't want to be on it simply because I've worked so hard. So it was tough.
RODRIGUEZ: The uncertainly certainly creates a level of stress. I guess I gained a couple of pounds during that time.
CAMEROTA: Alexis, tell us about your situation. I know you worked multiple jobs and then all of this happened and your income dried up.
ALEXIS FROST CAZIMERO, CALIFORNIA, SUPPORTS TRUMP: I had taken an extended maternity leave. I had given birth to our fourth child. And because I had taken the extended maternity leave, I did not qualify for the unemployment and the extra additional $600 a week. So I didn't get that at all.
I started going to these food distributions and just piling my van to the brim, as much as I could get for my family, because that's what I had to do. That was my new job.
So that was very difficult for me because not only did I not have the money, I didn't have the means to get it. It wasn't there to get.
CAMEROTA: And had you ever relied on a food bank before this?
CAZIMERO: Yes, when I was 17 years old and I gave birth to my first child, I needed assistance. It was very difficult, you know.
CAMEROTA: And, I mean, this time around --
CAZIMERO: Yes.
CAMEROTA: Twenty-two years later, was that emotionally hard to get back in that line?
CAZIMERO: Oh, yes. I was -- we were in tears a couple of times, a couple of times. It's emotional. You know, it's -- absolutely.
CAMEROTA: A show of hands right now, how many of you think that the federal government, the Trump administration, President Trump himself, could have done more to fight Covid so that you didn't end up in this situation?
OK, so two on our top row.
[08:50:01]
JONES: When it started to unfold, I felt like, OK, one, why are we not doing something more? It just seemed like it was a really slow reaction to what was happening across -- all over the world.
RAND: I don't think it was taken as seriously as it should have been. I mean it's still being downplayed. Like, I'm -- I've yet to see our president wear a mask.
ROBERTS: I beg to differ on some of the statements simply because it was something that was new and the president was in a situation where he made the best decisions under the conditions that he was under. So when you're in a situation where, let's say, the odds are against you and you have your platoon with you, and do you tell them, we are going to not make it or do you tell them that we're going to make it?
CAMEROTA: But, Sean, isn't there a difference between telling people you're all going to die and you're not going to make it and telling people to wear masks and stay socially distant? Like giving people the tools to stay safe?
ROBERTS: And you're correct. What I'm trying to say is that that fear can really hurt you and do a lot of damage.
RODRIGUEZ: I think that the numbers don't lie. I don't think anybody can say that we have had a cohesive or a good response when you look at a nation like ours with so many resources, that is the worst nation in the world that has been impacted by this pandemic. I mean there's no way to -- there's no way to blind yourself to that reality.
JONES: For us to drop the ball in our own country, I think it really screams that there's a lack of leadership.
CAMEROTA: Why do you think the U.S. has done so much more poorly than other countries?
ROBERTS: I think what happens is that they -- our country has taken it as an opportunity to bash political parties, using it as a tool to bash each other and --
CAMEROTA: Just help me connect that. How does -- how does our political partisanship, which is, as you point out, extreme right now, how does that kill 200,000 people?
ROBERTS: What I mean by that is, if we learn to work together and help each other, that can decrease death itself.
CARTER: Yes, we've lost 200,000 Americans, and it's awful. And I blame it on a pandemic. I don't blame it on the response. I don't think Trump or Biden, either one if they were president now, would have done a whole lot different. I really don't. I mean, at the end of the day, this was a pandemic. You know, nobody really saw it coming.
CAMEROTA: You know, the Obama-Biden administration did prepare a pandemic playbook. They had a pandemic emergency response office that President Trump shut down. And so Biden would say that they did see this coming.
CARTER: You could probably sit down and look at both playbooks of what Trump did versus what Biden said. I would imagine that they're very, very similar. Yes.
CAMEROTA: So you don't think that Biden would have done more testing and contact tracing, because that's -- that is what the medical experts say --
CARTER: No, no, no, no, no.
CAMEROTA: But, why not? I mean why don't you think that if that was part of their playbook?
CARTER: I don't think we -- I don't think we -- I don't think we had the ability to do it that quickly. I think this, looking back and trying to hammer Trump based on the coronavirus, the death toll for that matter, is absolutely ridiculous because I don't think Biden would have done much different.
CAMEROTA: OK. Show of hands, how many of you would get a vaccine if it were available at some point this year?
Dan's is halfway up and so -- CARTER: I'm a believer in vaccines. You know, I've -- I did about 14 years in healthcare, so I'm a believer in vaccine. The question is, you know, what's a vaccine going to be? What -- you know, what does the safety profile look like?
CAZIMERO: It's still so new, I don't -- not there.
ROBERTS: I'm just not comfortable myself in taking vaccines. I'd rather go just the all-natural way of like, OK, if I get it, I push through and hopefully I'll get to the other side.
CAMEROTA: I mean that's a -- that is a big risk. I mean, obviously, you could push through or you could die.
ROBERTS: That is true, but I just think that if we constantly are taking vaccine, then our systems don't know how to fight these things.
CAMEROTA: OK.
ROBERTS: And then you can get sick and die that way.
JONES: I wouldn't take it only because I feel there has not been adequate time. I feel like it would -- it would have been rushed. Vaccines take years to develop, not months.
RAND: Right now, nobody can solidly say that they're happy with what they're coming out with. So I'm not interested in that right now.
RODRIGUEZ: I think they've rushed the process. They've politicized the process. And I just don't trust the process. I do think vaccines are important, especially with deadly viruses, but these vaccine, I just don't trust it right now. So I won't take it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: What a mess. What an honest to God mess. You have, I think, misguided vaccine skepticism that already existed, compounded now with people fearing the politics involved and it --
[08:55:08]
CAMEROTA: And aptly pointing out it has become politicized.
BERMAN: Yes. And, look, and vaccines don't work unless we all take them. We will not get the immunity we need if people are unwilling to take them. That was fascinating to hear.
CAMEROTA: Thank you very much.
Let me know what you think. You can, obviously, find me on FaceBook, Instagram. And tomorrow they talk about the Supreme Court, the drama around the vacancy in the Supreme Court, as well as racial tension in this country.
BERMAN: All right, we're trying to get more reaction from Republicans specifically to the president refusing to commit to the peaceful transfer of power. Our coverage continues next.
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POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: A big day. Good morning, everyone, I'm Poppy Harlow.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Sciutto.
[08:59:59]
We are 40 days out from the election and the president is executing really a dangerous, unprecedented assault on the integrity of the election.
