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Don Lemon Tonight

Trump's Interview On Hannity; CNN, Clinton On Weinstein; President Trump Promises Wall Again.; Boy Scouts Will Allow Girls To Join; Will Weinstein Face Charges?. Aired 11-Midnight ET

Aired October 11, 2017 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00] DON LEMON, CNN TONIGHT NEWS SHOW HOST: Thank you, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

LEMON: This is CNN tonight, I'm Don Lemon, it is the top of the hour, 11:00 p.m. Here on the east coast and we are live with new developments, breaking news, the President tonight unloading on his number one enemy, and that is the news media. Plus what Hillary Clinton tells our Fareed Zakaria about all the big donations Harvey Weinstein made to Democrats. The movie mogul could be in big legal trouble as more and more women come forward accusing him of sexual assault. One of those accusers tells her story tonight, right here. I want to start though with Fareed Zakaria, the host of Fareed Zakaria GPS. Fareed thank you for joining us. Good to have you here. The President sat down with Fox News tonight. He is been talking about to Sean Hannity, one of his most vocal supporters, here's some of what have come out of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Media is bad. They're really dishonest people. These are very, were dishonest people, in many cases. In many cases, and not all, look, I know some reporters, I know journalists that are phenomenal and very straight and honest, but there's such dishonesty. I mean, you know, it's interesting, if I was just watching television, you don't know whether or not because you know, you're just watching a report. But when you're the one being written about, they always try to make it negative. The media -- I call it fake media. So much fake news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: These comments come after a series of tweets where he threatened to revoke the licenses of certain media groups and TV networks because of unfavorable coverage. This is what happens when you're in authoritarian country for the person who's supposed to be leading the number one democracy in the world, what is this?

FAREED ZAKARIA, FAREED ZAKARIA GPS SHOW HOST: This is always been for me the most troubling and dangerous part of the Trump presidency. There's the Donald Trump show, there's the circus of, you know, which we all have been listening to and whether it's Corker or whoever else reveals the chaos, then there's the policies, which you may agree or disagree with. The third aspect of the Trump presidency is the continued, repeated relentless assaults on institutions of democracy. The independent judiciary, the free press, and Trump really takes on the free press.

You know, this is the one industry protected by law under the constitution, under the bill of rights. And yet Trump singles this out. And singles it out in ways that are entirely inappropriate. As you say he threatens to pull licenses, he is threatened to block martyrs, fire people or threatened to have people fired. This is worse than Erdogan in Turkey, this is what Putin does in Russia.

LEMON: I want to read this out, this Republican Senator Ben Sass, he says, Mr. President, are you recanting the oath you took on January 20th to preserve, protect, and defend the first amendment? I mean, interestingly enough, Jeb Bush retweeted that. Do you think Republicans are going to follow Sass's lead here?

ZAKARIA: No, we've seen the same dynamic, they get label the of courage, then they're all -- they're all transfixed by the reality, Trump has an extraordinary hold over the Republican base. That he, you know, opposing Trump invites a primary challenge where supporting Trump doesn't and until that calculous changes, until they watch some case where somebody is brave, right now the people who are being brave are not running for re-election. You know, it's Bob Corker, it's John McCain, or it's Susan Collins who's essentially a very liberal Republican.

I think that until people feel that that dynamic has changed and the great story of the Republican Party over the last year is the Trump discovered that the base was in a completely different place than the Washington establishment. The base was much more about nationalism, cultural issues, immigration, maybe race and religion, and the Party establishment was sitting there talking about entitlement reforms and tax cuts and free trade. You know, so he is got -- he is on to something there and unless that breaks, they're all going to run scared.

LEMON: I sit here as I've been sitting here doing this and the show tonight, but every single night and I watch the video of the story that played before you and on and on and on and hearing the President and I wondered, what has happened to the country? Why are we so divided? Van has been speaking about it. Americans on the street fighting each other. You know, yelling at each other or telling someone how they should act during the national anthem. We don't do that as Americans, what's going on here?

ZAKARIA: Politics has become more about -- it's tribal affiliation, it's not about the issues anymore. You know when it was in the old days, it was really about issues. Economic issues largely, and economic issues you can compromise on. Right, you want a big tax cut, there's a way to meet in the middle. You want to spend a lot of money, I don't. When you'd get into these cultural, social issues that are more about core identity, how do you compromise on an issue like that?

[23:05:10] How do you compromise on, you know, the national anthem or gay rights or abortion? These have become issues on which people just see the world differently, would become Sunnis and Shiites. There's no, one side has their team, the other side has their team and the problem with that kind of tribal politics is it's winner take all. There's no compromise. And that is why you've seen for the last ten years, there's been no compromise on, you know, as a result nothing happens.

LEMON: And the rhetoric coming from the White House doesn't help. Speaking of rhetoric, this is what North Korea's foreign minister came out saying that President, his insane statements, and this is a quote, had lit the wick of war against them. And the only way that it can be settled again, quote, through a hail of fire. How do you see this playing out?

ZAKARIA: Well, the North Koreans are not wants to talk about crazy rhetoric, but usually they're the ones alone who say the crazy stuff. I think the Trump administration has needlessly raised the temperature on a very complicated problem. There's no easy answer to North Korea. Let's all agree on that. Unless you have a plan, just constantly raising the temperature, trading insults and what is now a nuclear- armed country, putting South Korea and Japan at risk in the process doing that, what is the plan?

I don't think there is a plan. And what you really have is an impulsive President who always has to get the last insult. But you're dealing with a nuclear crisis. If you about the way John Kennedy dealt with the Cuban missile crisis and others dealing with the nuclear status. The job of the United States and was always to keep things calm. Keep the crisis from spilling over. They are the crazies who were exciting things. Now we're the ones who are ramping up the pressure with no strategy in front of us.

LEMON: Yeah. I want to switch topics because I've been wanting to see this interview. You sat down with Hillary Clinton, you talk about the multiple sexual assault charges, or allegations I should say against Harvey Weinstein, she had no idea. Here's part of the interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I was just sick. I was shocked. I was appalled. It was something that was just intolerable in every way. And you know, like so many people have come forward and spoken out, this was a different side of a person who I and many others, had known in the past.

ZAKARIA: Do you think it was tolerated because he was powerful? People say people knew.

CLINTON: I certainly didn't and I don't know who did, but I can only speak for myself and I think speak for many others who knew him primarily through politics, but the courage of these women coming forward now is really important because it can't just end with one person's disgraceful behavior and the consequences that he is now facing. This has to be a wake-up call and shine a bright spotlight on anything like this behavior anywhere, at any time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: What else did she say about her relationship with him. He donated a lot of money to the DNC.

ZAKARIA: I would have called him a friend. Would you have called him a friend and she say yes, I would have. Look, I tend to view these situations as ones where you must ask for personal responsibility, that is the person involved must be held responsible, but I don't believe in guilt by association. I think the fact that Harvey Weinstein gave money to Hillary Clinton or whoever else doesn't, doesn't make Hillary Clinton, you know, someone suspect any more than some friend of Bill O'Reilly's is not responsible for what Bill O'Reilly did. I strongly believe in personal responsibility, I don't believe in guilt by association.

LEMON: What about political donations? That is what people want to know. You asked her about this. Watch this from Harvey Weinstein.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA: Senator Blumenthal says people should give back the money he donated to them. He donated money to you, directly and indirectly, would you give the money back?

CLINTON: Well, there's no one to give it back to. What other people are saying, what my former colleagues are saying they're going to donate to charity. Of course, I will do that I give 10 percent of my income to charity every year, this will be part of that. There is no doubt about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So Republicans keep pounding on the fact that Weinstein has given over $300,000 to the DNC. Did she give any of what -- did she say what she is going to do with the money or does she know what might happen to the money?

[23:10:10] ZAKARIA: She would give it to charity. Obviously be a charity.

LEMON: That is a good point, like where do you give it?

ZAKARIA: Like it's not entirely clear how -- look, as I said, if every person who does bad things is then, you know, every friend, every business associate, doesn't seem to make sense. As a gesture, I think this makes sense. Look the real larger issue is the culture that allowed this to happen. And to be honest, she is spoken eloquently about that. You know, there's still a lot of sexism in the workplace in America. And the Harvey Weinstein stuff just reminds us of that. That it's very difficult to imagine this happening, you know, with someone else, this is something women face. You know, my mom was a working woman in the '60s in India, and it's, you know, work environments then were very tough and they're still, there's still ways in which they're tougher for women than men.

LEMON: As you can see they're stuff now. Evidence by the audio tape in that New Yorker interview. Just horrific allegations. And terrible behavior. Thank you very much, Fareed Zakaria. You can see the entire interview Sunday, 10:00 a.m. And 1:00 p.m. Eastern. And when we come back, President Trump talking again tonight about the promise, his promise, big, beautiful wall, but so far, it's mostly talk. Is that enough for his voters?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:15:19] LEMON: President Trump tonight back on some of his most divisive comments from the campaign trail, literally, including his border wall. Here to discuss, Tara Setmayer former communications Director for Congressman Dana Rohrabacher also CNN political commentator Andre Bauer, Bakari Sellers and Alice Stewart. Hello, everyone. Andre, you first, the President hit on a number of topics in his interview with Sean Hannity tonight. Here's what he said about his promised border wall.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And we right now have built five prototypes. They just are going up and some of them are already finished. And I will say, they're really looking good. They're really looking good. And our country needs it. We need it not only for people, but we need it for the drugs that are pouring into our country. Properly-built, constructed, designed wall, high, not a little fence like they'd have. They had bad walls that were so low, trucks would drive over them. It was easier to drive over than to take it down, can you believe it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Just today the border patrol put out photos of the prototype, obviously still a way to go before the wall is completed. So Andre, how big of an issue is this wall for Trump voters at this point?

ANDRE BAUER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's still an issue. You know, he talked about it in his interview, Netanyahu talking about how successful 99.9 percent success rate when they built the wall they wanted in Israel. And so again, you know, it has dropped considerably since he is become President, but all countries need borders. And the fact that if we can keep drugs out, that is a great thing. If we can keep people a system where they have to go through, like I do when it come through TSA, they check to see when I come in the country. We need some mechanism to keep folks from just coming in at will.

LEMON: Anybody want to respond to that?

TARA SETMAYER FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR CONGRESSMAN DANA ROHRABACHER: Yeah, well, I agree with that. This is one of the issues that I didn't necessarily completely disagree with Trump on because I work on immigration for seven years when I worked for Congressman Rohrabacher and I saw how porous the border was and still is. And we do need something. I was working in congress when the 2007 secure fence act was passed and only a couple hundred miles of fencing was completed. This has been one of those political issues that --

LEMON: This is a prototype. It's similar to some of these, but go on.

SETMAYER: The thing about it is people have -- because of a lot of what happened under Bush, concluded and Obama with catch and release and people not showing up, you know, when you come cross the border, they get a piece of paper and say show up to immigration court, they stay here forever, there's a lot of aspects to this. More than just a simplicity of the wall. But Trump was able to create simplify this in a way so that people that is all they know. That Mexico's going to pay for the wall, we're going to build a wall. Whether we need it in places geographically or not, that is why it was reported that Senators, well, Laura Ingram's book saying that Senators were laughing because they know that you're not going to build a 2,000 mile wall. You're not. There's areas where you don't need it, and where there is wall, fencing, double fencing, places in southern California and Arizona, it's successful. So it's just the way Trump presents it in a way that makes it so divisive and becomes tribal.

LEMON: Alice.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first of all, I never, ever thought for one minute that we would build a wall and Mexico would pay for it, take that off the table. I do think there are many components of securing the border and making this country safe that this President and the administration is doing a good job. I do think he is going to try and get the wall built, but it's much more than that, Tara hit on a few of these things ending chain migration which is an important part of national security. Defunding sanctuary cities which is another priority for this administration. And also, not only just preventing people from coming into this country that shouldn't be coming here, but once they're here and they commit illegal acts, getting them back to their country. I think there is more comprehensive way of dealing with immigration that this administration is working on. I think it's important. The wall is just one component of that. And as Tara said, sometimes it's not -- we don't need a wall in some areas along the border, we need more boots on the ground. They're working on that. Sometimes we need more aerial patrols and they're working on that. So I think the wall is just a big part of what he campaigned on, but it's not the only part.

LEMON: He doesn't present it that way. Perhaps if he did, maybe there'd be --

SETMAYER: And people --

LEMON: More acceptable to it.

BAKARI SELLERS, FORMER HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: But, let's just --

SETMAYER: They want this, if they don't see a wall, they're not going to understand that nuance.

LEMON: Go ahead Bakari.

[23:20:00] SELLERS: This is centered around a lie. Alice says it doesn't matter to her, but he was yelling out campaign rally after campaign rally, we're going to build a wall and Mexico's going to pay for it. The fact of the matter is, Mexico's not going to pay for it. American citizens are going to pay for it and we don't want a wall. We understand the need for heightened security along our southern border, we understand the need for more resources for border patrol agents who do yeoman's work daily. Let's not misconstrue this, many Democrats had a problem with the number of individuals being deported by Barack Obama. In fact, there are some who called him and referred to Barack Obama as the deporter in chief. And so when you talk about this, some of the positive things that came out of the deportations, Barack Obama did begin, this is not happening under Donald Trump, it happened under Barack Obama of deporting individuals who were here illegally and committing violent crimes.

That is already been done, the flip side of this and we can have a legitimate conversation about sanctuary cities, but the flip side of this is the humanity. Which Donald Trump lacks. Which Democrats want to see in any immigration bill that will passes. Because it's amazing, I'm here with three Republicans, three common sense Republicans, three very, very good, true conservatives, but none of them mentioned DACA. The most amazing thing about this discussion, we have 800,000 people here who deserve a pathway to citizenship who are the type of immigrants, the type of citizens that this country was built upon, and that needs to be a central focus.

Making sure there's a pathway to citizenship for not only DACA, but those individuals who have not committed a crime other than the civil status offense to make sure that there is a pathway to citizenship for them to become tax-paying citizens.

LEMON: The President talked about a lot tonight. I want to get other subjects in. He talked about the violence in Chicago, take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: In many cases, it's the police are not allowed to do their job. They have to be politically correct, we're talking about lives of wonderful people. And they have to be allowed to do their job. And you will see stuff, I'll never forget, I was in Chicago. And a police officer, there was a motorcycle deal to the plane and I was talking to the police, I was taking a picture. I said how do you stop this if we could stop it immediately, sir? What do you mean? Let us do our job, we could stop it immediately. That can be turned around. We could do so many things, but the Democrats have truly ruled and when I was running, I would always say what do you have to lose?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I wonder what you guys make of the President's comments about the violence in Chicago and law enforcement in general. First, Tara.

SETMAYER: Well, this is the thing, the violence in Chicago is something that I think that the American people look at and go, this should not be happening in United States. What is going on in this city where hundreds of people are being killed and shot every year? There's a problem here. But, at the same time, the way that -- the point that Trump is making that I happen to agree with, there are a lot of Democratic policies that have failed the inner cities and minority communities over the years, partially why I'm a conservative, I think that we have free market better ideas on how to fix things. But we can't have those discussions or even discuss those things because Donald Trump is running around saying hey black folks, what the hell do you have to lose? Because Democrats had treated you terribly so why not me? He keeps saying that.

LEMON: He doesn't understand how offensive that is.

SETMAYER: The way the messenger on how you convey it makes it different than how people hear it. It's very insensitive, and I think it's a nonstarter for most people in this areas, because they're going, you have no compassion, empathy, understanding whatsoever about our plight, we don't believe you honestly to want help us. This is some kind of campaign way to rile people up. And I don't think that is productive.

LEMON: Bakari.

SELLERS: I think there are a couple of things, and most of the time when you're asking a discussion with individuals from the right about things like gun control, then they say what about Chicago, what about the 500 so odd murders you had in Chicago, Illinois and Chicago, cook county had the toughest gun laws in the country. Blah, blah, blah and they go down this pathway of red herrings. Because one, I firmly believe that Donald Trump doesn't care. That is first.

Second, what we do know about Chicago is that over 80 percent of the guns that are used in Chicago don't come from Illinois, in fact, they come from states that have lax gun laws like Wisconsin, Indiana. But to Tara's point more specifically, you can't have a conversation about the gun violence that you see if one, you don't study it like a public health crisis that it is, but you too you don't look at the social economic ills that plague cities like Chicago, like Baltimore, like D.C. And others.

So when you start to peel back the layers of the onion and you see thing likes failure to have the proper afterschool programs, economic incentives to allow people to actually go to work. Failure to have programs that ban the box so you can have felons come back in and be reintegrated into society, I mean these type of programs, these type of social economic programs that help lift communities up like that in Chicago is not something, a conversation that Donald Trump wants to have. And many times this red herring of Chicago is used in a gun debate, and it's not even used accurately.

[23:25:13] LEMON: I want Andre to respond, go ahead, Andre.

BAUER: Well, number one I'm glad that the President is actually engaging in the conversation. Look, there's no votes for him to till in Chicago, but he is still talking about it with compassion to try to do something. And I actually agree with Bakari that a lot of ills need to be discussed, but they go back to aid to independent mothers, what may have been well intended, but breaking up the family unity, so many of this government programs that were there are to actually help and improve society, they've done exactly the opposite. We need to revisit them and find out how to help people get education, how to help the mother get child care, how to find ways to really improve these communities, not just these handouts that really haven't -- they've hurt these communities. And I feel passionately about this.

LEMON: Sat down in those communities --

SELLERS: No --

LEMON: Quickly, Bakari. I have to get to a break. Go on.

SELLERS: No. This is the fundamental difference in philosophies that we have. Because one I don't know anybody who wants to be poor. Two, I don't know anybody who wants to be on welfare and most African Americans, this is not a discussion about compassion, because nobody I know wants a handout. They simply want a hand-up. We want the same opportunity to play on the same playing field.

BAUER: I agree, Bakari.

SELLERS: That is not what you just said though.

BAUER: I don't fault them.

SETMAYER: Right, that is the argument. But we can't have that discussion, that is the difference in how our approach versus the government programs versus private programs, nonprofits, different ways to have to have those hands up, a or ladders of opportunity. We can't have that discussion reasonably when Donald Trump behaves like that and goes and says the kinds of things that he says in front of predominantly white crowds, unfortunately and people are whooping and hollering, it's insulting.

LEMON: Stick with me. When we come back the boy scouts announcing they'll allow girls to join, but not everyone is on board and the people against it might surprise you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:31:33] LEMON: Back now with my panel, hello, panel, Tom Barrett the President's best friend adds he said spoke to the Washington Post, basically saying that he thinks that the President is better than this. But this quote was also interesting. He said, he is often thought about how he has remained a close friend for 30 years with the man whose reputation is selfish and egotistical. Here's what I think the answer is, I never needed anything from him. I've always been subservient to him.

TARA SETMAYER FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR CONGRESSMAN DANA ROHRABACHER: That strikes at the heart of Donald Trump's character and who he surrounds himself with. The fact that he needs to feel superior to everyone and it's right there, the guy who's his whisperer admitted to that. He basically has to play himself down to make Trump feel better. That is alarming to me for someone in the most powerful office in the world and he thinks he is bigger than himself.

LEMON: What does that say that the wheels are coming off? SETMAYER: It says that the reporting is accurate. If Tom Barrack is

his best friend for a long time that he feels he is going to be this critical of him. That Trump is not even listening to him. And that Tom Barrack is concerned too.

LEMON: Alice, the boy scouts have made -- you want to respond quickly.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No.

LEMON: Go ahead. Boy scout.

STEWART: I was just going to say. When someone is that close to you and speaks that way, it's unfortunate. We know the President needs to be have higher IQ, bigger income and bigger hands and everyone else and that is a trait he is always had.

LEMON: And who wants a friend to be subservient?

SETMAYER: That word, it made my stomach turn.

BAUER: Who wants a friend that tells everybody else that?

STEWART: Maybe someone that is willing to say --

LEMON: Trying to reach out to him through the media as most people do when they trying to get the attention of the President.

STEWART: Like a battered wife.

LEMON: The boy scouts have made the decision to allow girls into their ranks from cub scouts all the way up to eagle scout. Alice, I've got to get your opinion on this because you used to be a girl scout.

SETMAYER: Me too.

STEWART: There I am.

LEMON: Once a girl scout, always a girl scout.

BAUER: Oh wow.

STEWART: That is me getting my little badge back in Georgia.

LEMON: What do you think?

STEWART: Look, as a girl scout and I think it's really important for girls to have an environment, girls only environment where they can grow and encourage each other to grow. And one of the big agendas for the girl scout is to inspire, prepare, and motivate girls to lead. One of the aspects the boy scout said that the reason they're doing this is because they want to encourage girls to lead. They have that opportunity to do that. Look, boy scouts can do whatever they want, as a former girl scout, I think it's important for girls to have a girls only area where they can encourage each other to grow and inspire and be the best they can be.

SETMAYER: I agree as a former brownie and I went to girl scout camp two summers in a row. I don't get this. If the it's the boy scouts, threat be the boy scouts. And the girl scouts, then improve the girl scouts. I don't understand this and why bother calling it boy scouts.

LEMON: Andre the arguments it's too pc and it seems to undercut the girl scouts which is likely what President had in mind when he tweeted this, Trump Jr., Donald Trump Jr. I should say, strange, I thought that is what the girl scout was for, what do you think?

BAUER: To me it seems odd too. Maybe you have just the scouts at this point in time. I know they fought off a lot of lawsuits for years, but I read the annual reports and the boy scouts for the last ten years, their numbers are down 11 percent and the cub scouts are down 26 percent. So maybe they're thinking they've got to grow their numbers somehow.

[23:35:07] SETMAYER: Girl scouts are down too. The attrition rates are high. But they have co-ed. They had co-ed programs.

SELLERS: I didn't. I didn't read the boy scout financials to prepare for the show like Andre did, I'm a little bit behind the ball, but, I don't really see --

BAUER: That is what they teach you as a boy scout.

SELLERS: Always be prepared. I know, you beat me to that. I don't really see the problem with this. I mean, this is an individual choice for families. If you want your daughter to have more leadership skills, more leadership training then be in the boy scouts. Listen, there's nothing in this world my daughter can't do. I always tell her that. This is another aspect, another wall, glass ceiling broken or shattered however you want to look at it. This is an individual choice that mother and father can make.

SETMAYER: But that is what girl scouts are for.

SELLERS: But even more importantly, you know what I compare this too? Oh, you've got to go. I was about to say something profound.

LEMON: I know what you were going to compare it too, college campuses and all of that stuff. Listen, maybe that was it, who knows. All I have to say is Bakari, it's hair, it will grow back. I just got a haircut.

SELLERS: Shout out to my barber blue. Thank you, blue.

LEMON: Thank you, all.

When we come back more and more women speaking out against Harvey Weinstein. One of those women joins me live to tell her absolutely unbelievable, appalling story, that is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [23:40:50] LEMON: Charges against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein are

explosive. And Hollywood is in turmoil as more and more women are coming forward to tell their stories. I want to bring in Dawn Dunning who accuses Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment. Dawn thank you for coming on and telling your story. We appreciate it. What was your experience with Harvey Weinstein.

DAWN DUNNING, ACCUSED HARVEY WEINSTEIN OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Um, well I met him in 2004 while I was waitressing at a nightclub. We struck up conversations about films. He invited know lunch. Had several lunches with him. His assistant was always present. He was very interested in helping me as an actress, I was an actress at the time. He talked to me about his movies coming out, roles that I would be good for. He got me a screen test at Miramax. This went on over many, many months. Maybe eight months. A long time. Long enough where, you know, I knew his reputation, but by this point, I had let my guard down a bit, it was still in the back of my head, obviously. But I felt like he really wanted to help me.

LEMON: Very young woman, 2004, how old were you when this started?

DUNNING: Um, I was 23 when I first met him and I think it was 24 when this happened.

LEMON: So young and influential. What did he say to you? What did he say?

DUNNING: I knew who he was. I knew his work. I respected him as a businessman. I loved his movies, you know, he was willing -- he said he would help me. He wanted to help me. He looked at my acting reel, you know, got me meetings at Miramax, I believed him.

LEMON: Yeah. So you say that his assistant invited you to go to a meeting, and then told you to go to the suite.

DUNNING: No, his assistant, you know, we would have meetings regularly and she said today Harvey wants to meet you at a hotel. He has a meeting in one of the rooms, and then he was going to meet me in the restaurant. I showed up at the restaurant and it was just her. She then led me up to a room, she said his meetings going over, let's just go up to the room. So I said sure. I went up with her. I didn't think anything strange of it. And then he opened the door to the room in an open robe. I thought that was weird, but again, I was still, you know -- she was there with me. I wasn't like whoa, this is weird, I'm out of here.

LEMON: In an open robe?

DUNNING: It was tied, but, you know, open at the top. I could see his chest and stomach. And then he sat down behind a coffee table, it was kind of a suite where there was a couch and a table on one side and then a room on the other side and on the table he had a bunch of papers and he said, listen, these are contracts for my next three films. I will sign them right now, but I want you to have a threesome with me and my assistant. And, you know, he had a pretty raunchy sense of humor, and I thought he was kidding. I laughed. And he got angry at that point. Started yelling at me. And he said this is how this business works. You will never make it in this industry. This is how x, y, and z have got to where they are. And at that point I turned and went out the door.

[23:45:03] His assistant called me a couple other times that night after I left and then I didn't answer, and then the next day I answered thinking maybe, you know, she would offer some explanation or something and she was just kind of robotic and like let me put you through to Harvey, he is on his plane and I just hung up and I haven't had any contact with him since.

LEMON: You walked out.

DUNNING: Yes.

LEMON: Did that, did that derail or change your career path?

DUNNING: Yes, absolutely.

LEMON: Did you ever tell anyone?

DUNNING: Oh yes. I told my family, I told my friends. I mean, everyone noticed I literally stopped, you know, going on auditions. I stopped really, really trying to pursue acting at that point. Because I mean, I believed him. He was the most powerful man in Hollywood, of course I believed him, you know.

LEMON: What do you want to see happen?

DUNNING: I would like this to be a conversation, you know, in Hollywood. Like a conversation for things to change. I would like for women and all people to not be afraid to speak out. Whether it's just your family or friends, you know, at the time, obviously, I didn't have the platform I have now to say anything.

LEMON: Women didn't feel as comfortable then as 2004, right?

DUNNING: Yeah, but also who was I going to say something to? Right, who would listen?

LEMON: Do you think there are more women?

DUNNING: I think there's a lot more women, yeah, I do.

LEMON: Dawn Dunning, thank you. Very brave to come in. We appreciate it. Thank you.

When we come back, as more and more women come forward with their stories, could Harvey Weinstein face charges and what about those who knew about his behavior?

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[23:50:41] LEMON: We just heard Dawn Dunning tell her story. A big question tonight as a number of women accuses him grows, could Harvey Weinstein face charges. I want to bring in now Matt Belloni he is the editorial director of the Hollywood reporter, CNN legal analyst Areva Martin and defense attorney Joe Tacopina, Thank you all for come on. This is a -- it's an unbelievable story. Harvey Weinstein has lawyered up, Matt. What do you know?

MATT BELLONI, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OF THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Well, he hired a criminal lawyer in Blair Burk who has had a number of high profile celebrity clients like Mel Gibson and a few others, Lindsey Lohan, and he has a litigator in patty blazer who is going to try to fight for his position back in his company. But it doesn't look good. I mean these stories keep coming and coming and coming. And the question is will he face charges?

LEMON: Yeah. Absolutely. So, Dawn just told me that an assistant set up her meeting with Weinstein. Told her he was running late and to go up to the suite. Could any of these former executives or assistants be in legal trouble, Joe?

JOE TACOPINA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Certainly not from a criminal standpoint. Not from anything I've heard anyway. I mean, anyone could sue anyone on a civil matter. You're looking for deep pockets, something Harvey Weinstein and his company are deep pockets. From a criminal standpoint -- and I don't mean morally complicit. Unless they did something in furtherance of an act, they're certainly not in any criminal jeopardy. They had to know that they aided and abet, not that they just suspected this guy is a sleaze ball and maybe he is going to get inappropriate. That is certainly not enough to get prosecuted. He on the other hand may have some problems. If some of these alleges ring true of course the first question anyone is going to have is why now, why are criminal allegations being laid 12, 13, 14 years later. Now, by the way, sexual assault crimes are crimes that notoriously are not reported immediately primarily because most victims, most survivors of sexual assault crimes know the perpetrator's. Forfeits as a matter of fact and that is one of the reasons, they're going to have a lot of questions about why is it coming out now. Who did they tell in 2004, their mother, their boyfriend, their husband, anyone.

LEMON: Or the one there "the New Yorker" yesterday was a 2015. They are some that are just a couple of years ago, more recent. I want to bring you in here because you think that -- why do you think that not only could Weinstein be in legal trouble but the Weinstein company facing some lawsuits as well?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Yeah. We talked about this some last night, Don, and that story that Dawn just told makes me more convinced than ever that this company is facing a serious liability and we should expect to see a barrage of civil lawsuits filed not only against Harvey Weinstein but against this company. There was a report today that a memo was prepared and sent to the board of Directors. So I think as these allegations continue to come out, we're going to learn that this company turned a blind eye. And the law doesn't allow you to do that. The law makes an affirmative -- puts an affirmative obligation on companies to investigate claims of sexual harassment or even if they believe someone is harassed in the workplace. And one thing we haven't talked about, Don, is the people that still work for that company. I suspect they've been in a hostile work environment, and they too may have a lawsuit, because they've been subjected to perhaps, you know, hostile statements. They've had to live with all of these innuendos and stories about Harvey Weinstein and his sexual, you know, conduct. So there could just be so many civil lawsuits. I don't know if this company can survive what's going to happen as a result of these women having the courage to speak out and to say enough is enough.

LEMON: Yes, but listen, there are reports that in 2015 that the board was made aware of several women who were paid out, that they had to make settlements.

TACOPINA: That or had approved the payment, so of course they were made aware of it. Now, again, just because a board is making settlements, it doesn't mean they have intimate knowledge of facts. So let's not -- but yes, there's plenty of potential defendants in civil lawsuits for these cases. Certainly Harvey wants it and his company as well.

[23:55:00] LEMON: I've got to ask you, Matt, because Hollywood is your beat. Dawn just sat here and I asked her what she wanted to change and she said hopefully that thing would change for women especially in Hollywood, that it shouldn't work this way. Do you think it's going to make a difference? You had Bill Cosby, now you have this. Do you think things are going to change there? Because apparently this was an open secret, the Harvey Weinstein situation.

BELLONI: This was certainly the most eye opening thing that has happened on this subject in Hollywood in years and years. And you can't go anywhere, you can't go to a restaurant, to a studio and not talk about this. Everybody is talking about this. The question is, is that going to translate into a change in behavior? I actually think it is because what we've seen in the culture, first with Fox News and Bill Cosby and what's going on with Silicon Valley with some of the allegations against people there, I think there has been a sea change in the culture in general and that is finally now hitting Hollywood. And people know now if you do these kinds of things, people may not stay silent. They may come forward. And when there's that fear factor, people may be more likely to think twice about it. That is at least the hope.

LEMON: And are there other Harvey Weinstein's out there. That is going to be interesting to watch over the coming days. Thank you very much, that is all we have time and I appreciate it. That is it for us tonight. Thanks for watching, I'll see you right back here tomorrow.

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