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Voters Leave Ballots in Drop Boxes in Colorado at Beginning of Super Tuesday; Nikki Haley Vows to Stay in Republican Presidential Primary Race As Long As She is Competitive with Donald Trump; Rick Scott Meets with Trump as He Weighs Bid for Senate GOP Leader; Trump Campaign Accuses Manhattan DA of Prosecutorial Misconduct. Aired 8- 8:30a ET

Aired March 05, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

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DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The desperation is felt beyond Port- au-Prince. In places like Jeremie, the U.N. chopper is the safest way to get there. It's about an hour ride. Members of the World Food Programme take us through this rural coastal community devastated by recent protests.

JEAN-MARTIN BAUER, HAITI DIRECTOR, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: Right back there, you had to five people were killed last week.

CULVER: Right there?

BAUER: It was right there, yes.

CULVER: We arrived at this agricultural consortium. The WFP buys food from these local farmers to then handout. But the recent protests have blocked distribution efforts, leaving some food to spoil. It's frustrating for the WFP officials because they know you don't have to look far to find hunger here. These farmers pointing to their stomachs, lifting their shirts to us.

A lot of folks will look at Haiti, and they'll say, it's had issues for so long. The question that no doubt people in the U.S. will ask is, well, why should we help?

BAUER: There are two reasons why you need to help. First of all, on humanitarian grounds. But then there's also our only self-interest in the U.S. So the longer you wait to act on Haiti, the more migrants there will be on our southern border. It's that simple.

CULVER: Many here search for normalcy where they can. Even with the threat of violence, missing mass for some, is not an option. They wear their Sunday best and unite in prayer. Places of worship are not immune from gang terror. They at least over a moment of tranquility and hope for now.

David Culver, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Berman at Castle Rock, Colorado, where more than a million people have voted already in this state, largely dropping off their ballots at drop boxes just like that. This this is the beginning of Super Tuesday.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And back here in the city, even though the economy has taken off, many Americans say they're struggling with economic issues. Even the Cookie Monster is complaining. The White House is responding as shrinkflation hit so many household goods.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The world's biggest pollution monitor, how's that for a title? It just launched into the sky and has the power to call out some of the world's worst offenders.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman and Sara Sidner. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SIDNER: It is Super Tuesday. But how will history books remember this one? Will it be the one that all but clinched the 2024 ticket this early, the one that reveal new cracks, any reelection pitch, or the one were Nikki Haley surprised us all? We will soon learn, friends, as more polls across more states are now open. Voters can now vote in the state you see behind me there in green. And very soon these west coast states in blue will be joining the party.

More than a third of GOP delegates are at stake today. Right now, Donald Trump has 276, meaning tonight, he could get very close to nabbing the nomination. As for President Biden today, he could add more than 1,400 delegates to help him reach his nearly 2,000 goal.

John Berman is out in the cold and Castle Rock, Colorado. You're all bundled up with that nice scarf, John. I just noticed, breaking news, more people have come to that ballot box.

BERMAN: We are at eight cars. Eight cars have now visited this ballot box here in Castle Rock. This is Douglas County, Colorado. This is a county that leans Republican the last several elections, even as Colorado has voted Democratic. And as we've been saying, nearly a million people have already cast ballots in Colorado, largely at places just like this. There are more than 400 drop boxes scattered around the state. People drive up. We've seen them do it. They get right to this slot right here, and they take their ballot. And this is what the ballot -- this is what the ballot looks like here. They take out their filled ballot, and they put it in that slot.

Now you can see in this ballot, Donald Trump's name is on it. Of course, there was that big Supreme Court ruling yesterday which determined that states do not have the right to remove him from the ballot for being an insurrectionist. His name was on the ballot anyway, because the previous decision had been stayed, so people have been voting here for some time, nearly a million, as I said.

Now, there is also in-person voting today that will kick off in about an hour, actually two hours from now, where you will see people walking into polling locations, casting ballots in-person, but really just a few.

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More than 75 percent, 85 percent dependent on the election, will cast their ballot either by mail where people would have had to sent them in more than a week ago, or at these drop boxes, which are extremely popular. That's a freight train driving past us right now. Again, we see eight people drive up to this drop box, which may not seem like a lot, but it's only 06:00 a.m. here in Mountain Time in Colorado, so people are participating on this Super Tuesday.

Now, one of the states, or in this case, a commonwealth that we will be watching on this day is Virginia. Virginia is one of two states along with Vermont that doesn't have party registration, so they're open primaries. Could be a state where Nikki Haley fares better. That is what we'll be watching for.

Let's go to the ground. Let's go to Virginia now. Alayna Treene is in Richmond. Alayna?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, good morning and happy Super Tuesday, John. Yes, you're exactly right. This is one of a few states here today that is an open primary. That means Democrats, Republicans, independents, all alike can vote in this. And they can choose whichever candidate they want regardless of their party registration.

I actually just chatted with two voters on their way out of this polling location behind me, their names were Lin (ph) and Steve (ph). And they're both registered Republicans and said they voted for Nikki Haley today. I asked why, and they said because as they do not like Donald Trump. And another question I asked them was if Donald Trump were to go on to win the Republican nomination as all signs are currently pointing to, who would you vote for in November, if it was a matchup between Donald Trump and Joe Biden? And they had a very difficult time answering that question. One of them said, Steve (ph) said that he would consider a third-party candidate, and Lin (ph) said she really wasn't sure what she should do.

So that's just one sampling of how some people in this state are feeling. And look, I can tell you from my conversations with the Trump campaign, they do see Virginia as very crucial to their potential general election strategy, a battleground in their eyes, they tell me. And it's actually one of two states they visited over the weekend in the leadup to Super Tuesday. But really the only two states they visited were Virginia and North Carolina. And that's because they really are going to try and make a play for it here.

Now, John, I also just wanted to give you a little insight into how the Trump campaign is viewing this day with Super Tuesday. They are very confident of their chances here today, and in this state, but across the country and about his overall performance. And what they really want to see at the end of the night when Donald Trump gets up on a stage at Mar-a-Lago is he wants to be able to claim victory. But also, he's really hoping that Nikki Haley drops out. They know that she has pledged to stay in through Super Tuesday, but it's unclear what she will do next. And that's really what they're hoping for, for him to be able to really solidify himself as not only the frontrunner, but the presumptive Republican nominee. John?

BERMAN: Very interesting to watch the different states that do it different ways. In Virginia, an open primary. Here in Colorado, there are Republicans, Democrats, and unaffiliated voters. Unaffiliated voters actually make up the largest chunk. They can vote in one of the two primaries here, so those so-called independents can have a big impact. But it varies from state to state. And Nikki Haley looking at these D states in different ways.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much for that. Kate, let's go back to you.

BOLDUAN: Let's talk more about this Super Tuesday. Joining us now are CNN political commentators Margaret Hoover and Maria Cardona. It's good to see you guys. So Alayna Treene was talking a little bit about the Donald Trump campaign, their thinking going in today, very optimistic, all the things. Nikki Haley was on CNN yesterday, and she says that she's going to stay in the race as long as were competitive. And she has not defined, she's not defining and still not defining what competitive looks like, what their measure is given any given state. After today, what do you think competitive looks like?

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Competitive for Nikki Haley in order to stay in the race will mean she has to be able to persuade donors to continue to fund an effort that can get her over the delegate count to actually have a clear path towards a nomination. That's what's going to persuade them.

And by the way, donors, in my view, had been enormously generous to continue to demonstrate that it is worth having an alternative to Trump in this race. I mean, she has raised an extraordinary amount of money even after losing her home state of South Carolina. So there's an importance, I think, for Republicans who want to stand for something else to demonstrate the weakness in Donald Trump. There is this alternative to the previous, essentially an incumbent nominee.

And yet, if there's not a path to the delegate count to actually winning it, it's going to be hard to see how donors continue to put millions of dollars the coffers of an effort that won't be able to simply hit the math.

BOLDUAN: Yes. I mean, it's a great point, with an eye towards the possibility, maybe the likelihood, whatever you want to say, of a general election rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

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I'm wondering what is more concerning to you, Maria, on this day. Is it the possibility that Donald Trump can win over Nikki Haleys 20, 30, 40 percent that she's been able to hold on to, i.e., his weakness that we've seen, or that Democratic voters are just not showing up for Joe Biden because we know there's the enthusiasm hasn't been there, we've seen in polls. MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think at this point the campaign should be concerned about everything because that's the only way that you win, right?

BOLDUAN: Paranoia is a good thing.

CARDONA: Yes, absolutely. And while I think there's a lot of flaws in the current polls, let's say that that's where we are, because that's going to mean that the campaign is going to leave nothing on the table. They're going to take nothing for granted, and they're going to put every single investment and effort and to making sure that not just the Democratic coalition shows up for Joe Biden in November, but all of these voters that have shown Donald Trump has a huge weakness with Nikki Haley voters, with the independent, with the never- Trumpers, with suburban women. And all of that, I think, is going to be the focus of the Biden campaign.

And I do think that today you are going to have more of a focus as to what the general election is going to look like. And I think that is going to help the Biden campaign. Right now. You have all of the focus on the GOP because they're the ones that are having this crazy primary, right? And normally, when you have an incumbent, a lot of the energy is with the opposition. Those are the two forces that were seeing right now in all of these polls. The Democratic coalition hasn't come home yet. They're not necessarily paying attention.

And I also tell you another dynamic that were seeing in these polls. A lot of times what you're seeing in these polls is people, even Democrats, they are -- they're showing their frustration. For them it's very different to say to an anonymous poll and an anonymous pollster, yes, I'm very frustrated with Joe Biden. He hasn't done --

BOLDUAN: Seven in ten don't want to see this rematch.

CARDONA: Exactly. But when it becomes consequential in terms of the choice --

BOLDUAN: When it is the rematch.

CARDONA: When it is the rematch, we have seen that Democrats are actually overperforming.

BOLDUAN: Margaret, if Super Tuesday renders Nikki Haleys something akin to just a protest candidate going forward. Does sticking to it further, if donors remain there, does it impact her future running as a Republican down the road? Do you think the future, good or bad?

HOOVER: I mean, I think the future of the party is up for grabs, and its up to leadership, people like Nikki Haley, to stand for something different than what Donald Trump is offering. And so I don't think we should be so cynical as to think, will this hurt her for taking a stand. We should applaud her for taking a stand.

BOLDUAN: I was actually reading on that possibility, like maybe it's laying the groundwork for I'm going to stand for something different. HOOVER: Or maybe there has been a permanent realignment amongst the right in this country, at least. And that's a question up for grabs. I will say her staying in this long has had an enormous impact on down- ballot races. There are 115 House races that are going to be contested today, and many of those are Republican on Republican primaries where Trump has endorsed somebody to challenge an establishment, quote- unquote establishment Republican, who by the way, establishment Republicans in this case still endorsed Donald Trump.

But you really do have Republicans who are reasonable, who want to work together with Democrats and other Republicans to actually pass a border security bill, send funding to Ukraine. And they're being targeted by Trump endorsed candidates to just make the party more pure. So I think the effect of having somebody like Nikki Haleys still on the ticket today helps the party down-ballot as well so much.

BOLDUAN: So much, it's going to be a lot of lessons learned today. The outcome of how many delegates and where they go where may not be as much up for grabs, but still it's always exciting because the polls don't matter today. The only polls that do are actually --

HOOVER: There you go.

BOLDUAN: Over to you, Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, Kate.

The list of who wants to be the next leader of Senate Republicans is growing, and former President Trump will likely play a big role in who will succeed Mitch McConnell.

This morning, Donald Trump's legal team is accusing Manhattan prosecutors of misconduct after the former Trump Organization CFO pleaded guilty to perjury.

Also, new video of what Ukraine says is one of its drones striking a Russian ship. It is incredible video. We'll break that all down coming up.

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BOLDUAN: A picture worth oh so many words. We're going to show you one and I will ask you what does this one tell you? I'll leave you to ponder that.

Well, we also have this new reporting that Republican Senator Rick Scott right there on the left of Florida is weighing a bid to succeed Mitch McConnell as the next top Republican in the Senate. That position comes with huge amounts of power.

Now Senator Scott, he would be joining Senators John Thune and John Cornyn, who have already thrown their hats in the ring for the leadership position.

Let's go over to CNN's Lauren Fox in Washington. She's got much more on this.

And Senator Scott, he went after this powerful position once before. What is this leadership fight going to look like this time -- Lauren.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, it's going to take months really to get underway, Kate, but it's already taking shape.

You had yesterday, Senator John Thune announcing he was getting in this race. You have that tweet last night from Rick Scott.

Obviously, one of the big questions here is what role will former President Donald Trump take in this leadership election in the United States Senate? You have a lot of Republican members who argue this is something that perhaps Donald Trump should stay out of. This is about members picking their own leadership and no matter who gets the job, they're going to have to work if Donald Trump is elected again with President Trump or if Biden is elected with President Biden.

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But it's really unclear exactly how much influence Trump will have in this race, in part because, Kate, this is a secret ballot. Senators go behind closed doors in a secret meeting they have. They cast their votes, and no one really knows who they are supporting.

So while Donald Trump might have a favorite candidate, while Donald Trump might make it clear on Truth Social or on X who he is backing, the reality is no one knows who the senators are actually casting their ballot for.

So Rick Scott clearly trying to send a signal, if you were to get in this race that Donald Trump and he have a close working relationship. Senator Thune's relationship with Trump is a bit rockier or has been in the past, although Thune has now endorsed Donald Trump for president.

And then you have Senator John Cornyn, who when he made his announcement made it clear in his statement that he'd worked with Trump over a series of issues in the past, and I think everyone is trying to make it clear that they have Trump bona fide in some way or another.

But ultimately, this is going to be a Senate Republican Conference vote, a Senate Republican Conference decision, and Rick Scott tried once before to challenge Mitch McConnell. He wasn't successful -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: That's right. The secret ballot element of this I think is going to be a critical bit.

It's good to see you, Lauren. Thank you so much -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, newly released text messages, so in stunning detail, how one of Donald Trump's lawyers and allies still trying to overturn the 2020 election after the January 6 Capitol attack. Also, we'll take a look at the growing desperation in Ukraine as

troops there running out of ammunition as they try to battle back Russia. One soldier is saying it's a matter of life and death now.

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SIDNER: Following the new revelations from former Trump Organization CFO, Allen Weisselberg, Trump's campaign is going on the attack once again targeting Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.

In a statement, Trump's campaign claims Bragg has committed repeated prosecutorial misconduct in his illegal desperate pursuit of Trump. The statement goes on to say, the DA has turned a blind eye to be admitted and repeated perjury of Michael Cohen.

Joining us now, former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, Jessica Roth.

You hear that. You see that statement from Donald Trump, but Allen Weisselberg admitted to perjury, correct? Give us some sense of what's happening here.

JESSICA ROTH, NEW YORK CARDOZO LAW SCHOOL LAW PROFESSOR AND FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Yes, so it was a surprise that Allen Weisselberg showed up in court and pled guilty to perjury. I think it was yesterday, there's a lot happening.

SIDNER: Yes, that's right.

ROTH: The purpose of the letter that was filed by Mr. Trump's lawyers as I read it was really to erode public trust in the integrity of the DA's prosecution of Trump by pointing to the lies and unreliability of Michael Cohen as a witness.

There were accusations of prosecutorial misconduct and selective prosecution in prosecuting Allen Weisselberg for perjury, whereas Trump says that Michael Cohen also has engaged in additional perjury, why isn't the DEA prosecuting Michael Cohen?

That's an odd argument to be hearing from someone who is a third party essentially, that's the kind of argument you'd expect Allen Weisselberg's lawyers to make, they didn't make that.

And it also comes in a letter to Bragg as opposed to a motion before a judge.

So this is a letter, if it's in fact asking DA Bragg to reconsider some of his choices, it could have been filed privately with the district attorney. Instead, it was released to the public. So I read it really as a public relations move, an attempt to undermine the public's faith in the integrity of the prosecution against Trump.

SIDNER: A political stage, a political move as well and we've seen that in other cases, especially here in New York. Trump's legal team has asked the New York judge presiding over his

hush money case to block a limited gag order that was proposed by state prosecutors. Trump's attorneys are saying that because he is a leading candidate in the election, speaking of politics, he shouldn't be barred from sort of facing this gag order.

Where do you see this going? Because the courts are about the law, not about the politics. That is how they're supposed to be.

ROTH: Yes. And I expect that what we are going to see is the trial court imposing a limited gag order as requested by the district attorney, similar to the one that was ultimately affirmed by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals and imposed by the trial court in the DC case.

It is a limited order. It doesn't prevent Mr. Trump from talking in general about the case, but rather from talking in a way that would tend to cause threats to individuals, court personnel, members of the prosecution team, notably not the DA himself, who is still fair game, but things that would tend to undermine the integrity of the proceedings because they would threaten witnesses or jurors.

SIDNER: Yes, the threats to jurors, witnesses, anybody who is involved in the case, is a huge no-no in any court case.

I do want to ask you about this new information we are getting in about the right-wing attorney who is a big Trump supporter, Kenneth Chesebro. He helped devise the fake electors plan. And we're now seeing some of the text messages that are going back and forth where you see that they're still trying to overturn the 2020 election even after the January 6 attack.

What do you make of all of this? I mean this is sort of giving you a bird's eye view of all the things that were going on and one of those text messages according to all of the text going back and forth, one person says, hey, I am going to let the White House know about this. And then we, lo and behold, see this fake elector plan happening in person on video.

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