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Judge Rules Impeachment Inquiry Is Legal; Giuliani Talks Money And Bidens In Accidental Call To Reporter; Interview With Former U.S. Ambassador To Denmark, Laurie Fulton; Trump Organization Considers Selling D.C. Hotel. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired October 26, 2019 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:00:51]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. And welcome. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Breaking news on Capitol Hill amid another key development in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald J. Trump. Right now a rare hearing happening in the House. You see Philip Reeker walking in, one of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's deputies, arriving just moments ago. He is testifying today in front of the House Intelligence Oversight and Foreign Affairs Committees about details of an alleged quid pro quo between President Trump and Ukraine.

This after a bombshell federal judge ruling. The Justice Department must, this is according to the ruling, must now release redacted documents from Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

The move gives Democrats more solid legal footing toward the impeachment process. And it undercuts a key Republican argument that the probe has been invalid. The judge says it is valid and legal.

Meanwhile Republicans are scrambling to defend the President despite calls for the White House to bring in advisers to handle the impeachment process. President Trump says there is no need insisting he's innocent and saying he is his own team.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is on Capitol Hill this morning. Suzanne -- good to see you. So let's begin with what's happening there right now.

Philip Reeker testifying, giving his deposition in Congress. He is the acting assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs. What do we expect from him?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning -- Fredricka. This is really a rare Saturday session. It will begin momentarily. We did see him just arrive just a couple of minutes ago. But essentially we do not expect bombshells but he was not necessarily in the inner circle of Secretary Pompeo but certainly worked closely with him. He has been described as really a problem solver and a creative thinker. But a couple of things that Democrats really want to press him on. First, we do know from court documents that he was aware of the smear campaign against the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and who was behind that, what kind of discussions took place around that.

We also do know through court documents that he was aware that Rudy Giuliani, the President's personal attorney was involved in some sort of shadow diplomacy efforts in Ukraine and nevertheless said don't push it, don't press that to a subordinate.

So those are the kinds of issues that they're going to be pressing him on this morning. The Democrats, Fred, feel quite emboldened because of that decision that you had mentioned before by the federal judge saying that yes, this is a legitimate and legal process that the House Democrats are engaged in -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then Suzanne -- you know, the House will now have access to these redacted elements in the Mueller report, information coming from grand jury, you know, hearings. What does this mean for the impeachment inquiry moving forward?

MALVEAUX: Well, what this means is first of all it emboldens the Democrats. They feel like now they can take away, this is the redacted materials and look inside what was behind the secret grand jury proceedings. What was that information?

They think perhaps it will reveal discussions, what did President Trump know about his former campaign manager Paul Manafort's associations with those inside of Ukraine? And also was the President actually engaged in soliciting WikiLeaks to get dirt on his opponent Hillary Clinton? We saw that he asked for it publicly but was it orchestrated behind the scenes? Was he involved in that ahead of time? That may also be revealed in those documents -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Suzanne Malveaux -- thank you so much. We'll check back with you throughout the day.

All right. Meantime, a defiant President Trump ignoring Republican calls for the administration to build a team to handle impeachment. The President says he is his own best messenger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here's the thing. I don't have teams. Everyone is talking about teams. I'm the team.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House for us. So Kristen -- Republicans want the President to follow the format of former President Bill Clinton when he was being impeached but no signs that he will be taking that advice. So what is the plan moving forward?

[11:05:03] KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred -- yes. No signs at all

particularly if you look at his Twitter feed. Last night he was celebrating Jared and Ivanka's ten-year anniversary. He tweeted all night long, ranting about how the impeachment probe was a scam and then he was up doing it again today.

I'll read you one of the tweets here. It says, "The Ukraine investigation is just as corrupt and fake as all of the other garbage that went on before it. Even Shifty Schiff got caught cheating when he made up what I said on the call."

This is a pattern for President Trump. When he feels attacked he plays the victim, that everyone is there out to get him. And in fact, just yesterday, he seemed to liken the probe here to the injustices that African-Americans have faced in the criminal justice system. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We'll never let up on our efforts to ensure that our justice system is fair for every single American. And I have my own experience. You know that. You see what is going on with the witch hunt.

It is a terrible thing that is going on in our country. No crimes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So while Republicans are meeting on the Hill, meeting here at the White House holding phone calls, House Republicans sending out talking points -- all of that is moot if they try to get him to focus on the process and he doesn't. It doesn't really matter what they are doing because again he believes he is his own best messenger and he is a team of one.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kristen Holmes -- thank you so much from the White House.

Let's talk further now. With me now is David Swerdlick, an assistant editor for "The Washington Post" and a CNN political commentator; Zeke Miller is a White House reporter for the Associated Press; also joining me Ross Garber who teaches impeachment law at Tulane University and is a CNN legal analyst.

Good to see you all.

So Ross -- you first, you know, what is the significance of the judge's ruling ordering all the redacted grand jury information from the Mueller probe be released to inquiring lawmakers and how might it impact this impeachment inquiry?

ROSS GARBER, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: so it could be very significant because there could be a lot of material there, a lot of stuff we don't know about -- that's if that information is actually released. I would be surprised if there weren't an appeal here and who knows what happens on appeal? You know, the judge's ruling was long and it was well thought out but there were some controversial pieces to it. And what it really relies on is this notion that an impeachment trial is a judicial proceeding. Everything sort of turns on that.

And it is a concept that the Supreme Court certainly hasn't weighed in on and so this could be a decision that winds up getting reversed on appeal. I think for now the thing to look for is whether it gets appealed. I think it will. And what an appeals court does.

WHITFIELD: But then when you appeal, if you appeal there needs to be an argument. What would be the argument because you're talking about disputing the constitutional right of this coequal branch of government. How do you do that?

GARBER: Yes. So the basic argument is that under the federal rules of criminal procedure grand jury materials can be released only under these circumstances if there is a judicial proceeding and that commonly that means courts. And in a constitution, a judicial proceeding is left with a separate branch of government from congress. It's left with the courts.

And so Congress can't get this information would be the argument. Congress can do its own investigation but it can't act as a sort of judicial body and it is not doing a judicial proceeding so it doesn't get grand jury materials. It is actually -- it's a pretty reasonable argument and it's one a court might actually find persuasive.

Now, on the other hand, in the Nixon situation grand jury materials were given to the House for purposes of an impeachment investigation and in that case the court said that indeed, impeachment inquiries were preliminary to a judicial proceeding and an impeachment trial would be a judicial proceeding.

So there is precedent for releasing this information. You know, as with so many of these issues, we're sort of on the cutting edge of the law.

WHITFIELD: A lot indeed. So, David -- that same judge ruled that the impeachment inquiry as a whole, being held in Congress, is legitimate, is lawful, and this comes as "The Washington Post" reports, your paper reporting, you know, President Trump and his closest advisers now recognize that the snowballing probe poses a serious threat to the President and that they have little power to block it according to multiple aides and advisers.

So with that given, even if there is an appeal on one, you know, decision, that it seems that this is snowballing with these depositions particularly, what might be the strategy of the White House even though the President just came out yesterday and said, you know, I am the team.

[11:10:06]

DAVID SWERDLICK, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. Good morning -- Fred. I think the White House is still trying to figure out its strategy. On the legal front, I agree with Ross that we're likely to see an appeal and it is likely to even go to the Supreme Court at some point but these -- two things are running on parallel tracks.

Democrats are going to keep proceeding with their impeachment investigation whether or not they get certain grand jury materials that might help their investigation but ultimately are not probably from their point of view essential to their investigation. That is a political calculation that Democrats are going to have to make.

Meanwhile, Republicans are facing a reality that because they don't control the House of Representatives and don't control the relevant committees there is only so much they can do to sort of stop the impeachment train from pulling out of the station. That's what they're figuring right now.

The President doesn't want to have a war room or an emergency response because that is like admitting a problem. But the problem there is that they do have a problem.

WHITFIELD: So Zeke -- and I know folks really do need a flowchart because there is a lot going on at once. But, you know, Ambassador Philip Reeker who has walked in to testify or be deposed by three committees behind closed doors, he is now the ninth official, you know, in this administration to do this.

And he apparently, or his track record is, he has communicated with key officials including Rudy Giuliani the personal attorney of the President, Trump himself, Pompeo the Secretary of State and other top aides.

So Reeker's deposition now is coming after a full week of blockbuster, you know, testimony and developments in this inquiry as a whole. Bill Taylor, you know, giving devastating testimony when he told lawmakers that Trump pushed Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son in exchange for U.S. military aid to be released.

And then we also learned that lawyers for the whistleblower will not be testifying. And that is something that the President is jumping on to call this impeachment a hoax and a witch hunt. These attorneys saying, you know, the whistle-blower's testimony and identity to be revealed really is unnecessary because there have been so -- there has been such powerful depositions and testimonies taken already.

So Zeke -- is that argument on behalf of the attorneys for the whistleblower right? I mean, is that person's testimony, deposition even necessary at this point?

ZEKE MILLER, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: You know, in a lot of ways the attorneys and the whistleblower are arguing that the whistleblower has already done their job. They've already -- they started, sort of, the snowball effect here that we're seeing play out on Capitol Hill.

And to center right, that said, for Democrats who at a certain point this is not just a judicial proceeding, it's a political proceeding as well, they need to show the American people that they are dotting their is and crossing their ts. And hearing from the whistle-lower in some form or fashion may be essential to that at some point.

But really what is interesting here is, you know, compared to the Mueller investigation which lasted over two years and really began a year before Mueller was appointed when the FBI started the beginnings of the Russia probe this has been a month and a half now of sort of national headlines but the daily drip, drip, drip is really what is imperiling the President right now.

It is how quickly it is happening is making it much more difficult for the White House to formulate a response. And that's a little bit of what they're responding to. They're used to investigations, they're used to probes but they're not used to sort of the steady drip and the daily revelations that are coming out about the President and the people around him.

WHITFIELD: All right. Gentlemen -- stick around. Zeke, Ross and David -- we've got so much more straight ahead. Lots to cover. Including this unrelated -- or is it related? An accident butt-dial from Rudy Giuliani to an NBC reporter could put the President's attorney in more legal jeopardy. He is on tape smearing presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Plus the mystery behind Trump's call with Ukraine's president. Why did the President suddenly release $400 million worth of critical aid to the country?

And later, from top to bottom, the state of California on fire. Flames are tearing through multiple communities as hundreds of thousands are without power in northern California and southern California. Many are left to evacuate as well. We're live on the scene.

[11:14:33]

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WHITFIELD: The Ukraine scandal just took another strange turn and this time it involves butt-dialing and the President's personal attorney. According to NBC News Rudy Giuliani accidentally called a reporter there and left not one but two voicemail messages in which Giuliani is heard smearing former vice president Joe Biden and asking someone for hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can't make this stuff up. Just listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, TRUMP PERSONAL ATTORNEY: They don't want to investigate because he's protected. So we've go to force them to do it. And the Ukraine, they're investigating him. And they blocked it twice.

So what the President was (INAUDIBLE). You have to investigate this. And they say it will affect 2020 elections. Is Robert around? The problem is we need some money. We need a few

hundred thousand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh boy.

Here with me to discuss all of these things Giuliani. Ross Garber who is an impeachment attorney. Zeke Miller, White House reporter fort he Associated Press. And David Swerdlick, the assistant editor for the "Washington Post". All back with me.

All right. So, David, you get to begin this one. Giuliani, you know, once again seems to be operating in this kind of shadow-like, you know, way. Doing stuff, you know, it is difficult to figure out what it is but, you know, with the blessings of the President apparently and Giuliani has told our Dana Bash that the call shows he isn't doing anything dishonest. But what might that butt-dial reveal -- David?

[11:19:52]

SWERDLICK: Yes -- Fred. No, the information that is in that transcript that you just played there doesn't necessarily suggest anything criminal and it's hard to tell exactly what's going on and with the obvious caveats that we've all misdialed on our mobile phones -- here is the problem with Mayor Giuliani at this point.

His mission as far as we understand it from all of the reporting was to try and make Joe Biden and Hunter Biden look swampy. But the conversation, while it may not suggest any criminality or specific wrongdoing, makes him look more swampy. And by extension to the extent he is representing President Trump makes him look more swampy as well. And it sort of defeats the purpose.

This is why --

WHITFIELD: Because it has the elements. I mean you can't figure out the complete, you know, pathway of that discussion but it has elements of the President, of money, you know, of the Bidens. I mean -- so you've got those things in there, which are all potentially leading to incriminating conversations or details or plots.

SWERDLICK: Yes. Potentially. I mean, again, I think we should be careful to draw too close a conclusion but it just tightens this web, puts more bricks in the wall of what Democrats are trying to show in this impeachment inquiry.

You've got Mayor Giuliani there talking to someone named Rob who some of the reports speculated, we don't know, is one of his former legal partners who, if that is who it is, is a lobbyist for Turkey's government, number one.

And at the same time you've got him talking about the Bidens and saying this might influence the 2020 election. Well, that circumstantially suggests that one of his motivations for looking into this wasn't just a corruption probe but for a political outcome. We don't know that yet.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, Ross -- I mean I use the word "potentially incriminating". I mean I'm no attorney. You are. But I mean add to the litany of words that I mentioned, yes. There is Turkey in there, 2020 -- I mean what do you hear when you hear this kind of cryptic, you know, portion of a conversation? Portions.

GARBER: Yes. Here's what we know. What we know is it didn't help and it also wasn't planned and calculated and executed thoughtfully. So we know those things. And, look. You can imagine if you were a client in a very, very significant situation. That's not the kind of thing you want to hear from your lawyer. This is not the kind of distraction you want from your lawyer.

And at some point, you know, I think that the distractions caused by Rudy Giuliani, the issues caused by Rudy Giuliani for Donald Trump are just going to get to be too much that even Donald Trump with his pretty steadfast loyalty to Rudy Giuliani will have just had enough.

Rudy Giuliani is causing President Trump, you know, significant issues. This is just another issue that Rudy Giuliani has caused.

WHITFIELD: So, Zeke, you know, while there are many Republican lawmakers who seem to be distancing themselves from Giuliani. But, you know, those same, you know, lawmakers may not be distancing themselves from the President but instead, you know, defending him vociferously.

I mean can you do those two things and still be sending, you know, the same kind of message?

MILLER: Well, it is not clear if Rudy Giuliani is just acting for the President here. He had other clients we know and that is one of the things that has made him as Ross mentioned a headache for the President here that Rudy Giuliani didn't completely sever his business. All of his other business relationships as he was defending the President of the United States in these proceedings for.

And for the President there may be that choice coming up the same way that we'll be seeing some on Capitol Hill have to choose essentially between do you defend Rudy Giuliani who was for a while this iconic figure not just in Republican politics but in American society but has certainly had that fall. Do you sort of throw him aside as you try to protect the President?

The President also going to face potentially that decision as well. Does he side with Giuliani a long-time friend and ally or others in his administration Mike Pompeo and others who have had clear differences with Rudy Giuliani and certainly as Rudy Giuliani potentially becomes a liability for him legally and politically what does the President do? That is certainly potentially a preview of what is to come.

WHITFIELD: And then, Ross -- you know, federal prosecutors now have issued a subpoena to the brother of one of Giuliani's indicted associates. This comes as Republicans who accepted financial contributions from two of the men say they are now donating that money to charity.

So is it possible that the feds will, you know, still want to speak even to those politicians? Could they be in any potential legal trouble?

GARBER: Fred, maybe. We've talked about it before. I think this case involving these two guys who are colleagues of Rudy Giuliani who have now been indicted.

[11:24:52]

GARBER: I think that is something to watch very closely, because as we talked about, the indictment in that case specifically mentions that one of these guys was seeking the ouster of the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine at the behest of one or more Ukrainian officials.

And so, you know, it sort of -- it doesn't specifically mention Rudy Giuliani but it certainly sort of points in that direction. And we know from some very good reporting that Rudy Giuliani is at least a subject of an investigation in the southern district of New York.

So I think that case and what happens with it is very significant and prosecutors have said that it's no surprise to us that that investigation is ongoing. It is going to be an important case to watch.

WHITFIELD: Well, many thought you know, maybe Giuliani was, you know, kind of laying low, you know recently. This butt-dial certainly did kind of stir things up again.

All right. Ross Garber, Zeke Miller, David Swerdlick -- thanks so much.

SWERDLICK: Thanks -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Next, a fire emergency in California. New evacuations are under way. Massive power outages are planned for up to two million people as forecasters predict record high winds and extremely dry conditions.

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[11:30:04]

WHITFIELD: As wildfires burn in both northern and southern California, millions of people are preparing for a couple nights in the dark. Right now two major wildfires are burning, destroying tens of thousands of acres of land. In southern California the Tick fire is what it is called that has turned more than 4,000 acres, burning it into ash. And is currently only 25 percent contained.

And in northern California, more than 1,300 first responders are fighting the Kincade fire, as it is being called, and that has already scorched more than 25,000 acres and is only at 10 percent containment.

Power company PG&E says more than two million people in the northern part of the state could be impacted by a planned power shut-off tonight through Monday midday.

CNN Correspondent, Lucy Kafanov is joining us now from northern California. We see the destruction behind you. The haze from, you know, really the plumes of smoke and the burning embers still. But what are the conditions there? What are people thinking and feeling?

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred.

This is the heart of California's wine country and people are terrified here. They're bracing for more impact and they're also bracing for potentially historic wind events.

Let me show you little bit of what you're looking at. You can see there's a burnt out stove behind me. This is the remains of somebody's home. There is a satellite dish over there. A car that's been completely blackened out by the fire. The only thing left standing are those vineyards that you see behind me.

Now, more than 25,000 acres have been scorched so far -- Fredricka. And just to give you some context that is roughly the size of Disney World. 24,000 structures in this area are threatened.

The noise you hear behind me, fire trucks are going past this road. They're trying to prevent other areas from burning down. They're doing preemptive work at the moment as firefighters prepare for this blaze to potentially spread.

As you mentioned only 10 percent contained so far. And the worst is yet to come. There are dire predictions of strong winds for this weekend. Sunday through Monday we could expect up to 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts which is very strong. It could send those blazes out of control.

And I did meet one of the homeowners in this area. The home here completely burned out -- this guy was lucky. Take a look at his story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN SPIERS, GEYSERVILLE HOMEOWNER: It's all completely burned. And the bark of the landscaping is what I think caught fire because you could see it just spread both directions and then this structure caught on fire.

You can see the fire department pulled the siding off. All their hoses are still here. It looks like they put the fire out quickly and went to the next stop. So I do think had they not been here I probably would have lost certainly this structure and quite possibly all of the structures.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAFANOV: Now, it shows just how unpredictable this fire is. You can every single precaution there is to take and your home might burn down, it might not. Now, of course the firefighters here are working hard to prevent that from happening. PG&E, the state's largest utility as you mentioned earlier said that it is preparing for more power shutdowns, potentially two million customers could be affected. We are waiting for them to come out with those final numbers in the next few hours -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Lucy Kafanov -- thank you so much.

And of course, welcome to the CNN team.

All right. Meantime, several people are dead as first responders fight another massive fire across the U.S./Mexico border. Mexican authorities say at least three people have died from wildfires in Mexico's Baja, California. Two of the victims are teenage girls. So far the fires have also destroyed more than 120 homes. Authorities expect the wild fires to be contained by tomorrow.

Straight ahead as more witnesses testify in the impeachment inquiry, we're getting new information about the President's actions in the Ukraine scandal. Did pressure from one of Trump's Republican allies force his hand on military aid? We'll discuss, next.

[11:34:17]

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WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

As the controversy surrounding the President's actions on Ukraine grows, the answer to one key question remains a mystery. What ultimately changed President Trump's mind on releasing that $400 million in aid to Ukraine after months of delays?

Here is a look at some of the key events leading up to that decision on September 9th. The U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland warned Trump about concerns over a quid pro quo. Around the same time the White House was alerted about the whistleblower complaint.

And then on September 10th Trump fired national security adviser John Bolton. A day later Ohio Senator Rob Portman called Trump urging him to release those funds to Ukraine and that night the funds were released.

I'm joined now by Laurie Fulton, the former U.S. ambassador to Denmark under President Obama. Ambassador -- good to see you.

LAURIE FULTON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO DENMARK: Good morning -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: So the President released these funds after learning, you know, of the whistleblower complaint. What concerns do you have about the timing when you now hear about kind of the tick tock of events early September?

FULTON: You know, I think the most important thing for me as I watch all of this unfold is that we need to understand who is making the decisions and why. And as we see these various public servants and diplomats come forward and offer their testimony about what they know, as it unfolded, we need to keep that in mind. Who makes the decisions and why?

[11:40:05]

WHITFIELD: Yes. And you know, right now Ambassador Philip Reeker, you know, is testifying on the Hill in a rare, you know, Saturday deposition being taken there before three, you know, House Committees. He is the top State Department official, you know, overseeing U.S. policy in Europe and Eurasia.

But then, you know, first off, you know, tell me how potentially conflicted, you know, he and other diplomats, you know, from Marie Yovanovitch to you know, Bill Taylor might be feeling about having to testify under these kinds of circumstances?

FULTON: I know each of these ambassadors. Ambassador Yovanovitch and Ambassador Bill Taylor and Philip Reeker. And I know them to be straightforward, no-nonsense, career professionals, dedicated public servants.

And I think Ambassador Yovanovitch said it well in her written testimony. She said, as a foreign service officer, I take an oath of office that I think about every day and that oath of office is to protect and defend the constitution of the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic.

And when you look at these three top level diplomats who have come forward, I believe they are coming forward as an obligation under that oath of office that they have taken and, perhaps, there is something we can learn from them.

WHITFIELD: An obligation, if not maybe an eagerness to, you know, to fulfill that duty of sharing and being as transparent as possible?

FULTON: Exactly. And also, the lesson that these are public servants who serve day in and day out in this country and abroad. They serve whoever is the President of the United States, regardless of political party. They put the national interests of the United States first and foremost. Perhaps we can learn something from that also.

WHITFIELD: So what is going to be your best, especially since you know Philip Reeker -- what would be your best guess I guess on what lawmakers might be able to learn from him when trying to get a -- some clarity about where -- from where the direction came, what was the direction, and what was the motivation of the direction as it pertained to U.S. military aid being withheld from Ukraine?

FULTON: You will get at least the credibility of another career, well regarded career public servant, who will be able to talk about similarly some of the circumstances that are the most troubling.

For me, one of the most troubling was pulling our Ambassador from Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch who was doing an amazing job, so amazing she had been asked to stay. But she got pulled. Again, who made that decision? Who made that decision and why? WHITFIELD: You think he'll be able to answer that?

FULTON: I think he might not be able to answer exactly who made that decision but I do think he'll have a lot to offer on the why.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ambassador Laurie Fulton -- good to see you again. Thank you so much.

FULTON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Next, the Trump hotel in Washington has been mired in ethics controversies and lawsuits but could there be a sale in the works? Details on the Trump Organization's possible plans, straight ahead.

[11:43:40]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. The Trump organization is looking into selling its three-year-old hotel in Washington, D.C. amid a slew of complaints that President Trump is profiting off it.

Here's Cristina Alesci.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN POLITICS AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: well, the Trump organization says it is exploring a sale of the right to lease the hotel because of all of the controversy surrounding it but there is more to the story based on my reporting.

Eric Trump, the President's son who runs the company on a day-to-day basis tells us, quote-unquote, "People are objecting to us making so much money on the hotel and therefore we may be willing to sell."

Well, first off, ethics officials have a problem with any amount of profit the President makes from this hotel because they believe it is a conduit for corruption.

Two, there are open legal questions as to whether the President's company is legally allowed to accept payments from foreign and domestic governments at this property. That issue is the subject of at least three lawsuits.

Now, as for the claim that the hotel is making a ton of money, well, it's unclear. I've reported on this property for years and while it's true that the business profited during the inauguration, after that it appears that the hotel's business did trail off.

Remember, many companies that host conferences in D.C. or have their executives visit the city may not want to book there to avoid controversy. Also, the Trump Organization may be losing out to competitors on that specific front. And the company has to be more careful about marketing to foreigners. So the Trump Organization may have decided to explore how much it could make by unloading the property. Now, the "Wall Street Journal" is reporting that the Trump Organization wants $500 million for the lease rights to the building. That's a lot of money.

In fact, the paper says a deal of that size would make the transaction one of the biggest hotel deals in the city's history.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Cristina Alesci -- thank you so much.

All right. Next -- disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein confronted at a comedy club. It did not end well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOE STUCKLESS: I'll get out of here. That's fine. I am happy to leave when nobody is going to say anything. I'm going to stand four feet from a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) rapist and nobody is going to say anything. I'll go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[11:49:56]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A comedian and an audience member don't hold back when they spot disgraced Hollywood producer and accused sexual predator Harvey Weinstein attending a comedy show.

Here now is CNN's Brin Gingras.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody is going to say anything? Nobody is really going to say anything?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 21-year-old Zoe Stuckless enraged at the sight of Harvey Weinstein at a private event in New York City.

STUCKLESS: I'll get out of here. That's fine. I am happy to leave when but nobody is going to say anything.

GINGRAS: And unleashing their fury at the crowd.

STUCKLESS: I'm going to stand four feet from a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) rapist and nobody is going to say anything.

GINGRAS: Weinstein among those in attendance at Actor's Hour -- a monthly event in New York City that's dedicated to artists.

He's accused of sexual misconduct by more than 80 women and set to go to trial on sexual assault charges in January. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty in the criminal case and maintains the sexual encounters he's had with women have been consensual.

Stuckless told CNN they needed to confront the disgraced movie mogul after other people in the room seemed to welcome him being there.

"I kept thinking about the fact that we were in a room full of young artists, young women creating art and being vulnerable on the stage and this was the very community that Weinstein was able to terrorize for so many years."

The video shows Weinstein listened to Stuckless but didn't react. In a statement provided to CNN through his spokesperson Weinstein said, quote, "I am happy to address anyone's questions. We should all be offered the courtesy to voice opinions and be heard and to even get answers. I am glad we all still have these rights.

[11:55:05]

GINGRAS: Stuckless wasn't alone in the protest. Comedian Kelly Bachman who says she is a rape survivor addressed the, quote, "elephant in the room" during her act, calling Weinstein "Freddie Kruger".

KELLY BACHMAN, COMEDIAN: I didn't know that we have to bring our own mace and rape whistles to Actor's Hour.

GINGRAS: Some guests booed Bachman, even told her to shut up.

But she kept going.

BACHMAN: I have been raped, surprisingly by no one in this room, but I've never gotten to confront those guys so, just a general (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you.

GINGRAS: Bachman walked out of the club when Stuckless was asked to leave by the venue. It's unclear whether Weinstein was invited to the private event. The event organizer told CNN "I am deeply saddened that his presence was not only a trigger point for some attendees but that some women ultimately felt unsafe when a safe environment is what I set out to create for the acting community."

That New York City venue which caught a lot of heat on social media for kicking Stuckless out and actually has since deleted its Facebook page said in a previously posted statement that they really wanted to welcome everyone to the event and that includes treating guests equally with the same service and respect.

Brynn Gingras, CNN -- New York.

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WHITFIELD: Coming up next -- caught between a House subpoena and a demand from the White House to protect President Donald Trump's immunity. A key witness in the impeachment inquiry wants a judge to decide whether he should testify. [11:56:40]

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