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Monica Lewinsky Tells All in Vanity Fair Essay; Interview with Rep. Adam Schiff; Troop Movements Ahead of Ukraine Vote; Ex-Clipper GM: Of Course Sterling's Racist

Aired May 08, 2014 - 09:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

We start this morning with Monica Lewinsky, the world's most famous intern breaking her silence after more than a decade, baring her soul in a "Vanity Fair" article released overnight in its entirety.

In this article, we'll see details of life defined by scandal and devastated by fears that any day a long-ago affair would be once again drudged up as news, like when her name popped up again in the headlines earlier this year over some Clinton-era letters released calling her a narcissistic looney toon.

Lewinsky writes, "They've reappeared, the paparazzi, like swallows, have returned to the sidewalk outside this restaurant. I know what this means. Whatever day I planned has been jettisoned. To leave the house and risk a photo only ensures the story will stay alive."

Lewinsky also gives a personal look into her daily life. The trouble she's had dating and even making ends meet, having to take out loans from family and friends.

National correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us with more.

Good morning, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. Well, you know, 16 years ago I covered Monica Lewinsky. And we used to often see her outside the Watergate Apartment complex where she lived. Occasionally running into her in a coffee shop. But she was always gracious and kind. But clearly this was a very difficult and anguishing time for her. And now she says she's speaking out now because at 40 years old, she wants to move on with her life, give some purpose to her past to show that those who've experienced public humiliation like she did can survive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): In her tell-all "Vanity Fair" essay, Monica Lewinsky says she's opening up about her scandalous past in an effort to move forward.

"I would give anything to go back and rewind the tape," Lewinsky writes about her affair with President Clinton. She provides insight into the nature of their relationship beyond the salacious details splashed across the headlines.

"It was an authentic connection with emotional intimacy, frequent visits, plans made, phone calls and gifts exchanged."

Now 40, the world's most famous White House intern examines the situation with new perspective.

"I look back now, shake my head in disbelief and I wonder what was I, what were we thinking?"

Lewinsky has remained mostly reclusive, an effort to protect herself from the shame she felt when the affair went public.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.

MALVEAUX: Following President Clinton's initial vehement denial and subsequent admission.

CLINTON: Indeed I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong.

MONICA LEWINSKY, FORMER WHITE HOUSE INTERN: I felt like a piece of trash. I felt dirty and I felt used.

MALVEAUX: Lewinsky says the scandal changed the entire trajectory of her life, making her virtually unemployable. She remains very much stuck in time, never getting married or having children.

She writes, "With every man I date -- yes, I date -- I go through some degree of 1998 whiplash."

Lewinsky says she considered the consequences of telling her story on the Clinton universe and felt compelled to speak out now before Hillary Clinton's potential 2016 presidential bid, something which means more to her than just the possibility of having a female president.

"When I hear of Hillary's prospective candidacy, I cannot help but fear of the next wave of paparazzi, the next wave of where-is-she-now stories. But should I put my life on hold for another eight to 10 years?"

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And, Carol, it's interesting because Lewinsky also plans her life out in part on the political calendar, if you can imagine that, anticipating what is going to happen next, when is the next time that she'll be thrown to the spotlight if and when Hillary Clinton decides to run in the 2016 election and all the books that followed.

But, you know, she said at one point she thought about Tyler Clemente, and you remember him. The Rutgers student who killed himself after video surfaced of him kissing another man. It went viral online. And she said that she wishes she could have talked to him, showing that even in your darkest moments of humiliation that you can go on with your life.

COSTELLO: Suzanne Malveaux, many thanks to you.

I 'd like to talk about this further. I want to bring in Jessica Valenti now. She's the columnist for "The Guardian" and founder of the blog "Feministing."

Welcome, Jessica.

JESSICA VALENTI, COLUMNIST, THE GUARDIAN: Hi, Carol. Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: I'm glad you're here. In your "Guardian" column you applaud Lewinsky for writing this essay and in fact asked if we collectively are brave enough to hear Lewinsky's entire story. Are we?

VALENTI: You know, I'm not so sure that we are if the comments on the "Vanity Fair" sort of teaser page are any indication, we're not ready. There are already comments about berets and blue dresses. I think it goes to show as a culture we still have a really long way to go with accepting women especially women who have been considered to transgress in some sort of sexual way.

COSTELLO: If this affair had happened today, do you think the reaction would have been the same?

VALENTI: I think it would have been even worse. You know, the sort of public shaming and humiliation of women online is sort of commonplace these days. We see it almost every day from young women and even young men. So I still it would have -- it would have been worse. And Monica Lewinsky even says in her "Vanity Fair" piece that she considers herself one of the first women on the Internet to be publicly shamed and humiliated in this way.

COSTELLO: OK. So you're a feminist and I'm going to put this by you. Lewinsky says she feels abandoned by the feminist movement, writing, quote, "Some good old-fashioned girl-on girl support was much in need. None came. Given the issues at play, gender politics, sex in the workplace, you'd think they would have spoken up but they didn't."

Why didn't they at the time, Jessica?

VALENTI: You know, I was a sophomore in college at the time, so I can't say why feminists weren't speaking up at the time. I think that we should speak up for her now. I think that's what's important. She's putting herself out there, she wants to come out, she wants to talk about online humiliation, online shaming, and tell her story. And I think now is the time for feminists and everyone really should get behind her.

COSTELLO: OK. So let's go back to one of the points you made earlier in this interview, one of Monica's complaints is that we will not let her move on. It's actually been reported Monica Lewinsky got offered a job selling cigars in a nightclub. And, you know, I bring this up because men have sex scandals, too, right? But they're treated very different.

Anthony Weiner, for example, he was offered a position at Business Insider. Monica Lewinsky is offered a job selling cigars 16 years after her affair with President Clinton.

VALENTI: Right. Men, when they have sex scandals, are still treated like human beings. Women, on the other hand, are treated as sub-human and sort of -- you know, for Monica, as I wrote in the article, as a collection of sort of cultural, salacious symbols. The cigar, the dress, the beret, and not as a human being.

But I think what she's trying to do with this piece is reclaim that humanity by addressing the humiliation and the public shaming head on.

COSTELLO: Jessica Valenti, thanks for your insight. I appreciate it.

VALENTI: Thank you.

COSTELLO: House Republicans eager to find out what really happened in Benghazi will up the ante today. They will call for a vote to form a select committee. That committee would include both Republicans and Democrats unless, of course, Democrats decide to boycott what some call a kangaroo court.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton didn't go there, but she's not happy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Despite all of the hearings, all of the information that's been provided, some choose not to be satisfied and choose to continue to move forward. That's their choice, and I do not believe there is any reason for it to continue in this way, but they get to call the shots in the Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: My next guest agrees. He's called this proposed committee, quote, "a colossal waste of time, a red herring and a waste of taxpayer money." He is Congressman Adam Schiff, a Democrat from -- California.

Good morning, Congressman.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: Good morning, Carol. How are you?

COSTELLO: I'm good. So I'll put it right out there. It's nearly two years later and we still don't know who killed those four Americans in Libya. So how could this be a waste of time? Don't we owe it to the families of the victims to find out?

SCHIFF: Certainly not a waste of time to be going after their killers. And that is something that we're doing and something that we're following on the Intelligence committee. But this subcommittee is really set up with a wholly different purpose. It's a select committee on talking points.

It's a fundraising vehicle for the Republican Party and that, frankly, is really, you know, destructive and yet again partisan exercise that gets us unfortunately farther from a focus on bringing these people to justice, farther from a focus on where are we in terms of protecting our diplomatic facilities around the world.

That is really not what this select committee is interested in. It is really just interested in talking points and trying to embarrass the administration or trying to score political points against Hillary Clinton.

COSTELLO: Well, I must say House Speaker John Boehner was reluctant to form this committee. But as "The Washington Post's" Dana Milbank writes, quote, "If Republicans succeed in turning the Benghazi scandal from a nothing burger into a double Big Mac the Obama White House can blame its own secrecy and obsessive control over information."

And what he's specifically talking about is, had a memo allegedly suggesting Secretary Susan Rice's spin her TV talking points been released without a fight, this select committee would not be in the mix. And to make matters worse, Jay Carney denied the memo was even about Benghazi. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Jon, again --

JONATHAN KARL, ABC NEWS: Why did it take a court case for you to release this?

CARNEY: Jon, I can say it again and again and I know you can keep asking again and again. This document was not about Benghazi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But it was. And if there's nothing to hide, why the secrecy? Why not just get all the information out there and get it out of the way?

SCHIFF: When you say that the e-mail from Ben Rhodes was about Benghazi, that's true if you consider that only two sentences of a four-page memo were about Benghazi. And those two sentences in the Rhodes memo about Benghazi made no mention of a video. So it really is I think conflating all the rest of what was discussed in that which really was focused on --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Well, then why didn't they turn it over? If it was only two lines, what difference did it make? Why didn't they just turn it over?

SCHIFF: Well, I don't know the explanation for that. The White House, I think, has said that it wasn't -- the person who wrote the memo wasn't the subject of the subpoena. But I'm not part of the production team. I can't answer that. But I can tell you this, to use this e-mail as the justification for why all of a sudden the speakers had a change of heart really I think is just a pretext because the e-mail sheds absolutely no new light.

Those two sentences in the e-mail about Benghazi track the CIA talking points completely, so they were not at all inconsistent with anything that has been released in the 25,000 other pages. That's why this is a red herring. And of course, the formation of this committee has a lot more to do with Republican fundraising and Republican base motivation than it does in the Rhodes e-mail. I think it really has to be --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: And -- and you are right about --

SCHIFF: -- called for what it is.

COSTELLO: You are right about Republican fundraising, they are trying to fundraise off this Benghazi controversy.

You've also said it doesn't make sense for members of your party to participate in this panel. So if it's approved, will you boycott?

SCHIFF: Well, look, I'm going to accept whatever the leadership decides on this and I know it's a tough question. There are obviously strengths from not participating in my view. The advantage is not giving credibility to this partisan exercise, but if leadership ultimately concludes that it needs to have a seat at the table to make sure that they don't completely distort what the witnesses say, I will accept whatever decision that the leadership makes.

COSTELLO: Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff of California, thank you so much for joining me this morning. I appreciate it.

SCHIFF: You bet.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, troop movements and serious accusations along the Ukrainian-Russian border as both sides get ready for an all-important vote.

Matthew Chance following the developments from Moscow.

Hi, Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The situation on the ground deteriorating further with those pro- Russian separatist groups in eastern Ukraine choosing to defy the Russian president and press ahead with their independence referendum at the weekend.

We'll have all the details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: This morning, new signs that a military standoff is veering deeper into dangerous territory. Russia says Ukraine is mobilizing 15,000 troops at its border and that comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin claims he's actually pulling back his troops from the Ukrainian border. He asked pro-Russian separatists to delay a vote for parts of eastern Ukraine to secede. But United States and NATO, they are skeptical.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: While we have noted the Russian's statement that they have started with to withdraw troops, so far we haven't seen any indications that they're pulling back their troops. Let me assure you that if we get visible evidence that they are actually pulling back the troops, I would be the very first to welcome it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But Putin's pleas for a delay in the vote are not working as separatists plan to go ahead with Sunday's vote.

Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance live in Moscow.

Good morning. Tell us more.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

It is absolutely extraordinary, I think, that Vladimir Putin reversed his position so dramatically, yesterday calling for the pro-Russian separatists in the eastern and southeast of Ukraine to postpone their referendum scheduled for this weekend. They talked about it, they've thought about what he had to say and they've come out and said -- well, look, we're going to go ahead with it anyway, completely defying what the Russian president asked them to do.

So, that indicates that either they're not under control of the Russian president as many in the West said they were, or it implies that the Vlad meet Putin said this on purpose, to try to put distance between him and what happens next in eastern Ukraine. A lot of smoke and mirrors taking place in Ukraine, particularly with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, that issue of the troops on the border as well, 40,000 or more Russian troops sent by Mr. Putin have been moved back to their bases. No confirmation from NATO or White House officials.

The Kremlin saying that NATO is trying to mislead cynically the international community by saying there's no troop movements in the area. So the war of words between east and west on this issue, Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, he can't exactly hide 40,000 troops on the border. There are ways of spotting them.

CHANCE: Exactly. You know, obviously, I think Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the NATO secretary general, is absolutely right when he says if those troops were moving back, they would say they would be moving back because that would represent I supposed a symbolic victory from the western NATO site. They're not seeing that. Until they don, they're not going to verify it. So, that's one thing.

But this other issue is interesting as well. The Russian defense ministry issuing a statement saying that the Kiev authorities have mobilized 15,000 troops onto the border or near the border with Russia in eastern Ukraine, indicating that they believe that the Kiev authorities are stepping up the potential for military confrontations. So, still a very tense standoff in that area of the world.

COSTELLO: Matthew Chance reporting live from Moscow, thank you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM: NBA Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor says justice has been served with Donald Sterling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think he's a racist?

ELGIN BAYLOR, HALL OF FAMER: Of course, he is. There's no doubt in my mind now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: More from CNN's interview with the man who worked for Sterling for 22 years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Donald Sterling's estranged wife is looking the stake her claim on the Los Angeles Clippers. "The L.A. Times" is reporting that team co-owner Shelly Sterling thinks she's legally entitled to keep the Clippers and has retained a law firm for guidance. The NBA had no immediate response.

A committee of 10 owners did meet yesterday, moving ahead with the process to force Donald Sterling to sell the team.

In the meantime a long-time friend sort of, kind of outrageously stood up for Sterling. Get a load of what former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY LASORDA, FORMER LOS ANGELES DODGERS MANAGER: And he shouldn't have said it. He just hurt himself by talk too much and doing things he shouldn't be doing. I don't wish that girl any bad luck, but I hope she gets hit with a car.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Seattle Seahawks star corner back Richard Sherman has always been outspoken, no more so when he called out an opposing player in a postgame rant last season. Now, Sherman is talking about Donald Sterling, too.

He tells "TIME" magazine, quote, "I wasn't really shocked or anything because of what I saw after the incident -- after the NFC championship game. You've got a lot of racial backlash and a lot of racist comments that were uncalled for. I can never see a time when racism is called for. Do, it didn't shock me as much as it would have had I not experienced that personally, had I not seen those things.

NBA Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor defied gravity in 13 seasons with the Lakers. But many fans didn't know he spent a longer stint of time with the cross town Clippers. He was general manager for 22 years. He worked under Donald Sterling. And now, for the first time, before a national audience, Baylor is talking about the Donald Sterling he knows.

He talked with Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Elgin, you worked with Donald Sterling for 22 years. What was your reaction when you first heard that tape?

BAYLOR: When I first heard it, it just brought back memories of some of the things that were said, you know, by Donald.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: It didn't surprise you?

BAYLOR: No, it didn't surprise me -- at all. No.

COOPER: That was the -- that's the Donald Sterling you know.

BAYLOR: That's the Donald Sterling I know. He says a lot of things, different things. He had different mood swings, so you never know what he's going to say or do.

COOPER: Do you think he even realizes what he's saying?

BAYLOR: He's an intelligent man. Great businessman. So, I'm sure he's aware of what he's doing, what he's saying because there are times when I would say things to him and say, hey, you know, that's -- you know, you shouldn't say things, certain things that he would say and do. You know, I would express my opinion.

COOPER: Do you think he's a racist?

BAYLOR: Of course he is. There's no doubt in my mind now. At the time, I thought then and no doubt now that he is. I think he is.

COOPER: When you heard the recording that came out, what did you think?

ELAINE BAYLOR, WIFE OF ELGIN BAYLOR: Vindication. I'm glad he said it. He's hung by his tongue. There's no way in the world it would be proven otherwise.

COOPER: That's the -- that's the Donald Sterling you know?

ELAINE BAYLOR: Yes, I mean, you know, he's not running around with a white robe on. You know, he's not that blatant. He's a very smart man but he communicates how he feels and what he wants, especially to people who work for him. So you know where he is and you know what he wants. And if you're going to work for him, somehow or another you're going to meet those requirements.

COOPER: This woman, V. Stiviano, when she was asked about that, she said, well, I think he's just from a previous generation. Is that an excuse?

ELAINE BAYLOR: I can't even relate to what she says.

(LAUGHTER)

I mean, I don't know where she's from. I mean --

COOPER: She makes no sense to you?

ELAINE BAYLOR: None.

(LAUGHTER)

I can't -- I can't -- I can't even make sense out of it.

COOPER: I understand that I believe in your lawsuit, as well, you said at some point, Donald Sterling would bring women into the locker room and point out the black players.

ELGIN BAYLOR: Oh, he did it on many occasions.

COOPER: What would he say?

BAYLOR: Look at those beautiful black bodies. That's what he used to say.

COOPER: So while the guys are naked or half naked?

BAYLOR: And while the -- and while the guys in the shower and everything else. On several occasions, I told them not to. You know, players were -- you know, they were mad. They were upset about it because I told him on several occasions and he kept doing it. Eventually, it stopped.

COOPER: Why do you think he's this way? I mean --

BAYLOR: Why? Why is he that way? I don't know. One thing to probably get attention. I know that. He likes that attention.

COOPER: He likes the attention?

BAYLOR: He loves attention.

COOPER: Do you agree with what the NBA commissioner has now done, banning Donald Sterling for life?

BAYLOR: Absolutely.

ELAINE BAYLOR: Absolutely.

BAYLOR: He's had problems with the NBA and I was there is with Dave Stern. I mean, he was after Donald but not signing players. He wanted to low ballplayers. And the way he was just running his organization.

COOPER: Do you think Donald Sterling is going to fight this?

BAYLOR: Probably. Donald likes the limelight whether it's good or bad. That's the type of guy he is. So probably, maybe, I don't know.

COOPER: You were asked I think during a deposition about whether he had ever made racist remarks to you. And you said that he hadn't directly said anything to you. Is that -- is that true?

BAYLOR: Not to me personally. Not to me personally, no. I would have knocked him out. No, he didn't say anything to me personally.

ELAINE BAYLOR: He's smart enough not to do it directly. But you know --

BAYLOR: No. And I would get in arguments with him all the time about it.

COOPER: Really?

BAYLOR: And he would say, well, that's the way I feel.

COOPER: So the issue of race would come up. A lot.

BAYLOR: Not a lot. You know, occasionally it might come up by players.

ELAINE BAYLOR: Donald thinks if it weren't for him, all of those guys would be playing basketball in the ghetto somewhere. Actually, when Elgin first started, he told Elgin to go out in the inner city and see if he could find some players on the basketball courts.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: He said just go out to --

ELAINE BAYLOR: Yes.

BAYLOR: As -- yes. You got to find those -- you know, some great black players out there, you know.

(CROSSTALK)

ELAINE BAYLOR: Yes. You know.

BAYLOR: Why don't you go to playgrounds to scout and look at players.

ELAINE BAYLOR: But it was like crazy. I mean, really crazy.

COOPER: Do you feel like this is vindication, as well? BAYLOR: Well, you know --

ELAINE BAYLOR: It's all right to feel good about it, Elgin.

BAYLOR: When I say -- well, justice has been served. You know I look at it that way. Justice has been served. Now they know what Donald was like and, you know, things I said before about Donald is absolutely true.

COOPER: When he was on the witness stand, he claimed that he didn't even know your history with the NBA.