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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Public Impeachment Hearings Begin; President Trump Holds Joint Press Conference With Turkish President. Aired 4:30-5p ET

Aired November 13, 2019 - 16:30   ET

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

[16:30:00]

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Would you like to have them back? And, intelligently, they said, no, thank you. But that's not right, and it's not fair.

I can tell you also that Turkey captured, when they -- some -- some escaped during the conflict, when they had the heavy shooting. And, I mean, I think I know how they happened to escape, but it's one of those things.

It doesn't matter, because Turkey captured everybody that escaped, plus an additional group.

When we took over when I became president, ISIS was rampant all over the Middle East. And, as of about a month ago, I think, Lindsey, we can say that we have now 100 percent of the caliphate. And they will always try and grow, but they haven't been able to do that.

And what we did last week with al-Baghdadi, who was the absolute founder, leader, set them back. We also got his number two. And we have our sights on its number three.

So they're not going to be growing too fast.

But I will say, Turkey has been helping a lot.

QUESTION: So, with that, I also have a question for President Erdogan.

With the -- what you're calling a realignment along the Northern Syria border, a lot of Christians in that region are feeling very vulnerable. Groups on the ground are saying that attacks on Christians have increased under this new policy and that they're not feeling safe any longer.

Can you guarantee that the Turkish government will also protect Christians in that region?

In fact, there was an attack on an Armenian priest, who died, he and his father, this week. ISIS is claiming responsibility.

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): Thank you. Thank you. On the contrary, Kaldoni (ph), Yazidi and Christian minorities is an

area where we're especially sensitive about. And we have certain different plans, whether it be the ones remaining on the side of Syria, whose sanctuaries had been destroyed, whose churches had been destroyed, will see their sanctuaries getting revived, and their churches will be reconstructed, so that they can go back and start praying there again.

And these are the plans that we're making for them. As I said before, the Christian minorities, Aramaic, Christian, Catholics, Kaldoni (ph) and Yazidi, the ones who are living on our side of the border, have no problems whatsoever.

But the ones remaining on this side of the Syrian territory will see their worshiping practices restored and revived in a special manner.

They are receiving health care. They're receiving humanitarian aid in every aspect possible.

Thank you.

TRUMP: Thank you very much.

Would you like to pick somebody?

A friendly person from Turkey, please, friendly, only friendly reporters we like to see. There aren't too many of them around.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

TRUMP: Thank you.

QUESTION: You inherited the burden of Obama's flawed foreign policy. And one of those flaws was allying the U.S. with the U.S.-designated terrorist organization the PKK and the Syrian offshoot YPG.

You're trying to mend the damage that it did to U.S.-Turkey relations. However, you also invited the ringleader of YPG to the White House, his code name Mazloum Kobani, and he is responsible for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Turkey, which caused the death of 164 soldiers and 40 civilians.

So, after today's meeting, do you still think of inviting to -- him to the White House, which will be very offensive and hurtful for the Turkish public?

Thank you.

TRUMP: Well, I had a very good talk with him. We had a very good -- recently. And we're working very closely together.

And we're also working very closely together with your great president. And a lot of things are happening. A lot of very positive developments are happening. A lot of that is definition. What's your definition of the various groups within the Kurds, you call the Kurds?

And then you have various groups, and some like them and some don't.

But I think we have made a tremendous amount of -- we have gained a tremendous amount of momentum and strength and knowledge over the last short period of time. So, we will see what happens.

But I will say that the relationship with -- with President Erdogan and Turkey has been outstanding. And it's a major country with a tremendous military.

They're one of our very big purchasers of military equipment. They have the finest equipment in the world, which the United States makes. We make by far the best equipment in the world. Turkey understood that a long time ago.

[16:35:01]

So, I think a tremendous amount of progress is being made. OK? Thank you very much.

You could ask the president a question now, same reporter. You're sure you're a reporter? You don't work for Turkey with that question?

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: OK. I will be glad to. Thank you very much.

(through translator): Mr. President, about FETO, we are not getting the best of news out of the United States. And the FETO targeting Turkey is extensively invested in their daily works.

But I can see certain traces that the U.S. government is ready to understand more about FETO. So, my question is, how do you perceive the situation developing vis-a-vis the FETO terrorist organization and the American approach to FETO in that regard?

Can we expect anything further?

ERDOGAN (through translator): Yes. Thank you.

During this current visit, we are going to submit, as we already have, actually, a great deal of documents and evidence. And FETO is a terrorist organization. And he is the leader, the ringleader of this terrorist organization.

They have killed 251 people in Turkey. They tried to undertake a coup against the government, the state. And more than 1,000 -- more than 2,000 people have been injured. And the ringleader is living on an area of 400 acres in the United States, running his network all around the globe.

And this is something unacceptable. And during this visit, as I have said before, we have introduced an additional array of documents. We will submit them to the relevant authorities, including Mr. President. And in the light of these documents, I think they will appreciate the situation. We send the terrorists if they ask for them. And I'm sure they will do the same for us.

TRUMP: FOX, please.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

TRUMP: Thank you.

QUESTION: I know that you didn't spend a lot of time glued to the TV today.

But there was one moment where Ambassador Bill Taylor recounted a conversation that an aide of his overheard. It was the day after the phone call with Zelensky on July the 26th, in which the aide says that he overheard you say to Sondland, how are things going with the -- proceeding with the investigations?

Sondland repeated back to you, according to this aide, that Ukraine was prepared to do everything that you wanted them to do.

Can you -- was that -- is that correct? And can you fill in some more...

TRUMP: I know nothing about that, first time I have heard it.

The one thing I have seen that Sondland said was that he did speak to me for a brief moment, and I said no quid pro quo under any circumstances.

And that's true. The other, I have never heard this. In any event, it's more secondhand information, but I have never heard it.

QUESTION: Do you recall having a conversation with Sondland...

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I don't recall, no, not at all, not even a little bit.

The only thing -- and I guess Sondland stayed with his testimony that there was no quid pro quo, pure and simple.

Yes, please.

QUESTION: And President Erdogan, President Trump sent you a letter October the 9th urging you not to launch a military action into Northern Syria.

He said -- quote -- "Don't be a tough guy. Don't be a fool."

You ignored that letter, and you went ahead and you launched a military action into Northern Syria.

Can you explain why you ignored the president's warning?

ERDOGAN (through translator): Well, this letter was represented to Mr. President this afternoon.

And I have also underlined the fact that a terrorist such as Ferhat Abdi Sahin should not be considered as an interlocutor by a country such as the United States.

And this individual, Ferhat Abdi Sahin, has been instrumental in the killings of the hundreds of Turkish civilians. And he is a person labeled as like a son for the terrorist leader who is currently incarcerated in Turkey, Abdullah Ocalan.

So a person like this should not be welcomed by a country such as the United States. And, similarly, this person was welcomed by a country such as Russia.

So it's very difficult for me to understand these, when we're trying to fight terrorism on a global scale. If we're going to sustain our fight against terrorism in a healthy fashion, we need to be much more sensitive than we currently are.

It happens to us today, and it will happen to somebody else tomorrow is a saying that goes in our language.

[16:40:03]

We have also provided information and the document thereof to our interlocutors in the White House, including Mr. President.

And I have also submitted a document produced by CIA pointing out the fact that this individual is a terrorist to Mr. President.

And as I have said before, I have shared them with his excellency, Mr. President. And we gave back the letter that we have received.

TRUMP: President, please.

QUESTION: Thank you very much, (INAUDIBLE) from Kurdistan.

Thank you very much, Mr. President, for all you have done for Kurdistan and for Peshmerga in fight against ISIS.

TRUMP: Yes. Thank you very much. I appreciate that.

QUESTION: My question is, all senators, I mean all of them, I interviewed them, that believe Kurdistan is very unique in the Middle East and protect all minorities.

TRUMP: Right.

QUESTION: What is your clear policy on the Kurds right now?

And as a question for President Erdogan, why you are not able for negotiation with the Kurds in Syria, as Iraqi Kurdistan? Do you think they will be your friends in the future?

Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

TRUMP: Well, thank you very much.

And I will say that we have had a great relationship with the Kurds, and we fought with them very successfully against ISIS. We fought together. We had -- we have great generals, and we have great equipment, and it certainly helped a lot.

But we were very, very successful. And we captured, as I said before, 100 percent. I was going to -- when we were at 97 percent, I was going to say, well, that sounds pretty high to me.

And I was thinking about stopping it then. And a lot of people said, please go to 100. And very quickly, very rapidly, the military got the 100. I wanted to have that.

But we have a great relationship with the Kurds. We have had. We're with them now. We get along with them. And, by the way, I think the president, he may have some factions within the Kurds, but I think the president has a great relationship with the Kurds.

Many Kurds live currently in Turkey, and they're happy. And they're taken care of, including health care. We were talking about it before, including health care and education and other things. So that's really a misnomer.

But our relationship with the Kurds has been a very good one.

OK? Thank you.

ERDOGAN (through translator): First, we have to make a distinction between two things.

We have no problems with the Kurds. We have problems with terrorist organizations, some terrorists coming out of the Kurds, which are they -- what are they, PYD and YPG, which are offshoots of the terrorist organization PKK

Just as we have no problems with our brothers and sisters in the northern part of Iraq, where we enjoy great relations, and we have no problems with, similarly, our brothers and sisters in the northern part of Syria, during the times when Assad was not recognizing the Kurdish presence in the northern part, I told him that he needs to give these individuals passports and that he was making a mistake.

And, secondly, there's something really important. I want you to know this. My political party has more than 50 M.P.s of Kurdish ethnicity in the Turkish Parliament. We don't have problems with the Kurds, but we have problems with the terrorists.

And, of course, you're not going to own up to the terrorists, are you? Whoever they are, whoever they might be, we have to make a distinction here. We're just fighting terrorists, period, because the terrorists don't have an ethnicity. They don't have a nationality. They don't have a flag.

If they are terrorists, that is a terrorist. If you don't fight back, then, tomorrow, you will have to pay a very hefty price. Thank you.

TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. Thank you.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: President Trump taking questions alongside the president of Turkey, Erdogan.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins is live for us at the White House.

And, Kaitlan, President Trump said he hadn't watched one minute of the hearings today. He was asked, in fact, about the bombshell news from former Ambassador Bill Taylor about a phone call between Gordon Sondland and President Trump in which President Trump was overheard to be pushing for Ukraine to be conducting these investigations.

What did he have to say about that?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that was that call where Sondland later told the aide traveling with him that the president cared more about the investigations into Joe Biden than he did about the issues that were happening in Ukraine.

[16:45:00]

The President was just asked about that new revelation that we got today. He said he knows nothing about it and essentially said he doesn't recall that conversation, a conversation that Bill Taylor testified today that he heard happened the day after that call with the Ukrainian President Zelensky.

So he didn't really give a lot of air to that, essentially just saying he didn't know anything about it. But Jake, the other thing the President did there along with projecting this confidence saying he hasn't been watching this impeachment hearing even though earlier he cited the staff attorney that Democrats were using for their first round of questioning. The President complained about the Inspector General for the Intelligence Community who essentially jump-started all this when they took that whistleblowers complaint to Congress.

The President said he thinks that the Inspector General had just read the transcript of his call that this wouldn't have happened. That we should note that the Inspector General did investigate this complaint for two weeks, found it credible, and that is why they took it.

And of course, the New York Times reported yesterday the President has weighed firing that Inspector General in recent days even though multiple people have corroborated this whistleblower's account.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: And, in fact, the Director of National Intelligence, the Acting Director said that the whistleblower complaint was in alignment with the transcript, the rough transcript of the phone call. Kaitlan Collins, thanks so much.

We're going to have much more coverage of the impeachment hearings and President Trump's reaction after this quick break. Stay with us.

[16:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back. So as we wrap up day one of the House impeachment inquiry hearings, we're looking ahead to a number of days just like today with witnesses and Democrats and Republicans and lots of analysis.

And Jeff Toobin, let me start with you. Two people that I think everybody would like to hear from who wants to get to the bottom of what actually happened, Rudy Giuliani who I suppose could invoke attorney-client privilege and Mick Mulvaney the acting White House Chief of Staff who I suppose could invoke executive privilege. So are we just never going to hear from them?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: And add John Bolton to the list. I think the only way we're going to hear from them is if we go to their speaking agent and pay them thousands of dollars to speak. Because Bolton's already on the speaking circuit which is incredible to me when you think that you know perhaps the most consequential thing a Congress can do is weigh impeachment. Bolton won't talk to them but he will, you know, he would give speeches for money.

The Democrats have made the decision and I think it's -- I understand it. I'm not sure it's the right decision that it will take too long for the courts to resolve it even if they think they're going to win. And they are right that you're talking months not weeks to resolve these issues and they feel like impeachment has to be done on a pace that simply doesn't allow that kind of delay. That's the choice they make, which means no Bolton, no Mulvaney, no Giuliani.

TAPPER: David, what do you -- what are you looking -- what do you think is going to happen as these hearings continue?

DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Listen, I think today was the high-water mark for Democrats presumably. You put your best people on that people they think they're the strongest witnesses and I think it was -- you know, if today was the high-water mark, I think they got a long road ahead of them.

TAPPER: What do you think, Jen?

JEN PSAKI, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I actually don't think that's the strategy. I mean, I think they had to unimpeachable witnesses was their strategy today who could lay out the timeline and do it in a very comprehensive way. That's exactly what they did. They want to build on it.

They're getting closer to Trump as they have more witnesses that proceed through this week and next week. I think we also saw the tone they would take which is a big indication. I mean, Adam Schiff didn't take the bait and that's the tone they want to keep through the next week or two because they're betting if they're going to pull more of the American public and they need to make this serious and that's what they're going to try to convey. TAPPER: And I guess the big question is that, the American public,

because you're not going to see movement in the Senate where Republicans control power. You're not going to see movement unless the public moves significantly on this. I think the last poll I saw showed about 52 percent support impeachment and removing President Trump from office but that's -- you know, that's still small and narrow majority.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, and there's still some folks -- I've seen some polls that show some people just haven't made up their minds, right? They need more information, something like 15 percent or something like that. And that is what this is aimed to do over the next week or so.

We'll hear from these witnesses. These are willing witnesses in a way that Bob Mueller wasn't. They want to tell their story. They want to testify before Congress and get out in great detail as we saw from Bill Taylor what they saw and what they've experienced. We've got another one coming up on Friday.

And going into next week, I think Sondland is going to be really important. Everybody keeps name dropping him as somebody who talked directly to the President. So, listen, it is a long process. I think, so far, Democrats should feel good because they have brought the public along to a certain extent. Certainly from where we were months ago in terms where the public felt about impeachment. Can they keep doing that is a big question.

TAPPER: Michael, I want to actually come to you as not an impeachment lawyer but somebody who lives in North Carolina. What do you think the effect of this testimony is in not just the people's republic of Chapel Hill but outside the research triangle and the rest of the state. Are people paying attention? Do they care? Are they just getting their information from various partisan or ideology sources?

[16:55:07]

MICHAEL GERHARDT, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW PROFESSOR: I'm sure that people care. North Carolina is ground zero for lots of things, and including political divide. And I think we've got sharp divisions in the state of North Carolina. And in a moment well be that the tribalism we're experiencing elsewhere in the United States is also there in North Carolina.

TAPPER: But do you think any of this seeps into the day to day lives of the people at mama dips in downtown Chapel Hill for example?

GERHARDT: Well, you hope so. I think that's the college town though. And so I think with the college town, you may expect people to be very into it, whereas we don't know elsewhere.

TAPPER: All right, thanks one and all for being here. Our special coverage of the impeachment hearings rolls on. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)