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Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) is Interviewed on Impeachment Inquiry; Ken Frydman is Interviewed about Giuliani; Biden Hits Back at Criticism; Woman Killed by Officer Inside her Home. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired October 14, 2019 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: You're quoted as later saying, we need to tie things up. The longer we allow the damage to continue unchecked, the worse things are going to be for us.

Now, you have argued that Congress is not getting anything done, in your words, because of this impeachment inquiry.

REP. MICHAEL BURGESS (R-TX): Correct. Correct.

HARLOW: That's not true. There are 86 -- 86 bills and resolutions passed by the House and the Senate this year.

But given your belief in that, what's different now from your statement in 2011 to how you feel now, other than the fact that there is a Republican in the Oval Office?

BURGESS: Well, to the extent that it ties things up, that's accurate. Was it a good idea in 2011 in retrospect, perhaps not. But as we see right now, this impeachment is a national trauma. And it is affecting everything. We should be talking about the prescription drug bill, but I see in "The Washington Post" this morning that all bets are off between the White House and the speaker's office.

And then, even going further, there's the further consideration that the Democrats do not want to give the president a win on anything. And so that makes it extremely difficult to get a deal.

HARLOW: Do you regret those words in 2011 about potential impeachment?

BURGESS: Well, regret's not the right -- in retrospect, that was perhaps not advisable.

HARLOW: OK. OK.

BURGESS: But look at what we're dealing with now. And the here and now is that we've got a trade agreement that's languishing. The president is having to go into his negotiations with China with one hand tied behind his back because Congress won't approve the deal with the two biggest trading partners, Mexico and Canada. That's not right.

HARLOW: Congressman Michael Burgess, I think we all hope that Congress can make progress. And I appreciate you coming on and talking about these important issues. You're welcome back any time.

Thank you, sir.

BURGESS: Thank you.

HARLOW: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:36:31]

HARLOW: All right, President Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, may now be facing his own criminal investigation by the office that he used to lead. According to "The New York Times," Giuliani is being looked at for his dealings in Ukraine and whether he broke any laws. The former New York City mayor tells CNN he's not aware that he's under investigation. He calls this a, quote, political attack.

But despite the news, President Trump and Giuliani met for lunch over the weekend, an apparent sign of solidarity.

Ken Frydman is with me. He was the press secretary for Rudy Giuliani's successful 1993 New York mayoral campaign. I should note, he is a registered Democrat here in New York.

Thank you for being here.

KEN FRYDMAN, FORMER PRESS SECRETARY, RUDY GIULIANI'S 1993 NYC MAYORAL CAMPAIGN: You're welcome.

HARLOW: For anyone who has not read what you wrote over the weekend about Rudy Giuliani, let me read you -- read everyone part of this.

You write, quote, this is not Rudy vigorously defending Mr. Trump's bad behavior. This is Rudy, as a private citizen and personal attorney for the president, lamely acting as a shadow secretary of state and Trump enforcer by attempting to influence a 2020 election in favor of his client. You go on to call him a ferocious liar.

But you didn't think this even a year ago. This is someone who's meant so much to you. He married you and your wife. Why do you feel this way now and why say it so publicly?

FRYDMAN: Well, I feel this way for a lot of the same reasons that everyone else seems to. The Ukraine scandal.

I had a personal reason. At a dinner party, I mentioned to someone that Rudy had married us, and this stranger said to me, you're not really married because a guy who has been divorced three times can't possibly marry people. And it sort of triggered something to me. And our 25th anniversary was coming up on October 8th. And so I decided to put my thoughts on paper and submit them to "The New York Times." and they ran it.

HARLOW: I don't think it's going too far, and tell me if it is, to say you loved Rudy Giuliani. I mean -- FRYDMAN: I did. I did.

HARLOW: He meant a lot to you.

FRYDMAN: Sure.

HARLOW: So much so that even last year you wrote another op-ed defending him.

FRYDMAN: Yes. Yes. Well, I defended his defense of his client. As a consultant, I appreciated that. I didn't defend his tactics or strategies or comments. Those, in many cases, I can't defend.

HARLOW: So what happened? What do you think happened?

FRYDMAN: Well, I think he got seduced by power. It's very seductive. I mean he has one client and it's the president of the United States and there's only one president of the United States. So, he has become overzealous, though, in his -- in his defense. I sense a certain desperation.

You know, he lied to your colleague, Chris Cuomo, and then he quickly doubled back and admitted, no, he had talked to the Ukrainians about Joe Biden.

HARLOW: Yes.

FRYDMAN: So apparently they can't get their lies straight, the president and his personal lawyer.

HARLOW: What I -- what I do think is interesting, and perhaps moving the ground here, shifting a little bit, is that Republicans in Congress are calling on him to testify.

FRYDMAN: Yes.

HARLOW: They want to hear from him under oath.

Let's listen to just a few of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): I don't know what Rudy's been saying. I do know, though, that we should decide our elections. It should be the American people making those decisions.

MARGARET BRENNAN, CBS NEWS: And you do want him to testify before your committee?

CRUZ: I think it would make a lot of sense for Rudy to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I think Rudy's got a story to tell. I want him to tell it in my committee. He'd be respectfully treated.

And at the end of the day, I am going to shed lights on all things Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: There's the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

[09:40:01]

What do you think?

FRYDMAN: Well, he's right, Lindsey Graham's right, Rudy obviously does have a story to tell that the American people should hear.

HARLOW: Do you expect him to testify under oath? And what should the American people prepare for, if so?

FRYDMAN: Well, I can't imagine -- imagine him defying a subpoena, you know? When I met him, he was all about integrity. And -- and, you know, to defy a subpoena is -- is not a necessarily a good move. I mean, you know, it's about judgement here.

HARLOW: Yes. Look, it's a fascinating, important piece you wrote. Thank you for coming in to talk about it.

FRYDMAN: Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me.

HARLOW: Yes, I appreciate it. Good to have you.

FRYDMAN: Thanks.

HARLOW: OK, ahead of tomorrow's big night for the Democrats, the, of course, CNN/"New York Times" Democratic debate, Joe Biden is slamming what he calls the president's corrupt administration and seems to take a dig at the president's daughter and son-in-law. We'll talk about that ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:47]

HARLOW: All right, tomorrow night 12 Democrats will take the stage in Westerville, Ohio, for the biggest presidential primary debate in history in terms of numbers. Former Vice President Joe Biden will be at the center of the stage. Over the weekend, he tried to shut down questions about his son Hunter's business ties, as Hunter himself announced he was stepping down from the board of a Chinese-backed company.

Our political correspondent Abby Phillip joins me from Ohio.

Looking forward to tomorrow night very much.

What do we know about Biden's -- it seems like a new, much more aggressive strategy on this front and how that may play into what he says on the debate stage tomorrow night?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Poppy, it's going to be a big night tomorrow for a lot of the candidates, but really for Joe Biden. This issue has come to a head in the last weekend. And you've seen the Biden campaign trying to get ahead of this story line that the president and his allies have been pushing about his son Hunter Biden.

Now, we should say that there is no evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden or Joe Biden. However, Joe Biden has come forward with a new plan that he's saying is about combatting corruption and fostering good governance. And he's making a pivot straight to Donald Trump, drawing parallels between the president and his own children who, as we know, are White House officials in this current White House.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No one in my family will have an office in the White House, will sit in at meetings as if they're a cabinet member, will, in fact, have any business relationship with anyone that relates to a foreign corporation or a foreign country, period, period, end of story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: So that's the move, Poppy, Joe Biden really just pivoting to Donald Trump.

But that might get a little bit more complicated. We have learned this morning that Hunter Biden sat down for a pretty wide-ranging interview with ABC News. That's supposed to air tomorrow. And we don't know what's going to happen in that interview, but it's certainly going to be something that's going to be a big topic of discussion as we go into this presidential debate. And we'll also see whether his other Democratic opponents are going to raise the issue or address the issue in any way as well.

Poppy.

HARLOW: That will be fascinating to watch.

Abby, thank you for the reporting. We appreciate it.

And, of course, be sure to watch CNN and "The New York Times" as we co-host this Democratic presidential debate tomorrow night 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Ahead for us, a woman in Texas shot and killed by police in her own home. Now that officer who pulled the trigger set to be questioned today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:53:06]

HARLOW: All right, a grieving family in Texas is demanding answers this morning after a black woman was killed by police inside her own home. Atatiana Jefferson was shot around 2:30 Saturday morning in Fort Worth. Police were reportedly called to her house after a concerned neighbor saw an open door.

In body camera video released by police, the officer opens fire through a window just two seconds after shouting commands. The officer is now set to be interviewed today by the department's major cases unit.

Jefferson graduated from Xavier University in 2014 with a bachelor degree in science and biology. She worked in pharmaceutical sales and recently moved to take care of her ailing mother in her home.

Let's go to my colleague Omar Jimenez. He joins me in Fort Worth this morning with more.

What can you tell us?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Poppy, a lot of pain in this community over how a simple welfare check ended with 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson shot and killed inside the bedroom of her own home as her eight-year-old nephew looked on.

There was a vigil held here last night. A vigil that quickly turned angry. In fact, the mayor of Fort Worth showed up at one point and was escorted out by her security within minutes as the crowd began to turn on her.

Now, this all stems from a concerned neighbor who saw Jefferson's door open, wide open, past 2:00 in the morning. So he called the police non-emergency line. The police showed up just a few minutes later, parked near but not in front of the house. Police then released body camera footage, an edited version, and CNN has requested the unedited version.

But, nonetheless, what they released shows police officers making their way through the dark property with flashlights at the time and then one of the officers quickly makes his way towards a window, gun drawn, yells, put your hands up, and literally, within seconds, fires a single, fatal shot through the window.

[09:55:06]

Police never identified themselves as police before that shot came through. And a statement we got from the Fort Worth Police Department, they say that officer perceived a threat in the moment.

But what actually happened still remains to be seen. We are expecting a press conference later today from the family to hear how they plan to proceed.

Poppy.

HARLOW: Yes. Well, of course, they want answers. And, Omar, to your point, about CNN requesting the unedited body cam video, that's why that is -- that is so important.

Thank you so much for being there and for that reporting.

Our thoughts are with her family this morning, of course.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

HARLOW: A quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END