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Hong Kong Chief May Turn to Chinese Army to Restore Order; Trump Says He'll "Strongly Consider" Testifying in Impeachment Probe; Week Two of Impeachment Hearings; Trump Reversing 60-Plus Years of Middle East Policy; Iraq Spy Chief Warns ISIS Is Rebuilding; North Korea: No More 'Useless' Talks with U.S.; Prince Andrew Opens Up about Friendship with Jeffrey Epstein; Trump's Immigration Architect Linked to Racist Theories. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired November 19, 2019 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause, live from Studio 7 at CNN World Headquarters.
Fears grow of a bloody crackdown with protesters holed up inside a university surrendered by riot police. As Hong Kong leader says if the violence continues to escalate, the People's Liberation Army could be activated.
The U.S. declares Israeli settlement do not violate international law.
Get set for days of public impeachment hearings and all eyes will be on Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the E.U.
Will he tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
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VAUSE: Hong Kong's chief executive has warned if the violent unrest continues to escalate and security forces are unable to restore calm, she may turn to Beijing and the People's Liberation Army.
The financial hub has been rocked by months of pro democracy demonstrators but in recent weeks the process have turned deadly and activists have clashed with police. Dozens of protesters are barricaded inside universities surrounded by police for almost a week. Live to Hong Kong and Paula Hancocks who is standing by with the latest.
How many are inside the university as this point and will it be resolved peacefully?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're inside the university right now and we have still seen dozens or more of these protesters. I will give you a look at what it looks like inside and the place has been trashed.
And this is where some of the fierce battles between police and protesters happened over the weekend. This is the main courtyard. A week ago, this would have been a surprising sight here in Hong Kong. This is becoming commonplace.
Boxes, crates, shopping trolleys filled with petrol bombs. Here you can also see gas canisters, lighter fluid, methanol, all those sorts of things you could actually find in laboratories.
Officials in the universities believed they have broken into the laboratories and have been making some chemical concoctions and explosive concoctions. What we have seen since we have been in here is a number of people actually leaving the campus.
Some of these protesters are deciding to give up, they are deciding they didn't want this particular fight anymore. They are going outside and giving themselves in. Those over the age of 18 will be arrested, we understand those under the age of 18 -- and there are a number of minors within this university, that have been holed up here for days. They will be sent to check for medical conditions and potentially won't be arrested.
First of all, there's actually a lawyer that is milling about here. He has come voluntarily to advise some of these minors and the others on exactly what they can do. Even though, according to Carrie Lam, the chief executive, 600 protesters have left this campus, she believes there is about 200 left. It's very spread out so it's hard to give a direct figure.
One of those staying is a 16 year old, he said he dropped out of school as soon as the protests started because he wanted to be part of the movement. He's a so-called frontliner and he said he will fight to the end.
These aren't just casually left here, these petrol bombs. Once these protesters do leave, there could be another clash. There are some that are determined to stay here until the bitter end. John?
VAUSE: Paula, very quickly, running out of time but we appreciate what you are seeing there. There's been another development. The Hong Kong high court ruled that the ban on face masks was unconstitutional and the local authorities had no right to issue that ban.
We're hearing from Beijing the announcement that the decision by the high court was not accurate. A statement issued out on the NPC website, basically challenging the authority of the judiciary in Hong Kong to make that decision, which is one of the complaints that the protesters have, that the mainland is encroaching on the independence of the judiciary.
They put out the statement, which is a little odd timing. But what is the implications of that right now?
HANCOCKS: This plays into the hands of what these protesters have been saying all along, that the Hong Kong government does not have the power. They are dictated by Beijing.
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HANCOCKS: And we have heard from many people that they still believe the judiciary is independent. They believe they will make their own decisions.
But you have that kind of announcement from Beijing challenging but the high court here has decided. It does raise concerns. When it comes to the actual anti mask ban itself, it is almost academic, it is a victory for the protesters, that the high court overturned that ban.
But it was almost impossible for police to enforce that ban, because everybody on the streets that was protesting was wearing masks and police have far more on their hands and trying to bring and enforce that ban. There's a lot more they have to deal with right now.
VAUSE: We will check in with you next hour. This story will continue to develop, especially in relation to Article 14 and the PLA garrison based in Hong Kong. Thank you.
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VAUSE: Just a few hours from now, coming to a TV set near you an important week in the Trump impeachment hearings. A big group. In the hot seat, Jennifer Williams, senior adviser to Mike Pence; lieutenant colonel Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council Ukraine expert; Tim Morrison, top NSC and Europe advisor and Kurt Volker, former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine.
Then Gordon Sondland on Wednesday, he has reversed his earlier testimony, admitting there was a quid pro quo, linking U.S. military aid to Ukraine with an investigation into the Bidens. There's a lot to follow here and Alex Marquardt has the details.
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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): This week poised to be the most blockbuster few days so far in the impeachment inquiry, after more revelations from two key players over the weekend place Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, at this center of the Ukraine scandal because of his direct access to President Trump.
REP. MICHAEL TURNER (R-OH): We will all have to wait for Sondland's testimony, which is direct testimony, not testimony of somebody who says they heard from somebody else that somebody else said something.
MARQUARDT: Sondland is set to testify in an open hearing on Wednesday. Former top National Security Council official Tim Morrison testified that Sondland was following the president's orders in demanding Ukraine launch investigations into the Bidens and the 2016 election, in exchange for a White House meeting and military aid.
"He was discussing these matters with the president," Morrison told lawmakers, according to a new transcript of his closed-door testimony released on Saturday.
According to Morrison, Sondland was told by the president that Ukrainian President Zelensky must announce the opening of the investigations.
Morrison also testified that Sondland spoke to Trump before the July 25 call between the two presidents, in which Trump asked for a favor.
REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-IL): We will be asking him a lot about the events leading up to the July 25 call, as well as the day of the call and events subsequent to that. He will be a very, very important witness.
MARQUARDT: Also on that July 25 call was a senior aide in the vice president's office, Jennifer Williams. In the just-released transcript of her testimony, she told investigators that parts of the call felt more political than diplomatic.
"I would say that it struck me as unusual and inappropriate," Williams said. "It shed some light on possible other motivations behind the security assistance hold."
Williams testifies in public tomorrow. President Trump not waiting, instead attacking her on Twitter as a never-Trumper, without any proof, while also reacting to this comment by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): The president could come right before the committee and talk, speak all the truth that he wants.
MARQUARDT: Trump tweeting this morning: "I like the idea and will, in order to get Congress focused again, strongly consider it."
The president testifying in Congress, of course, almost definitely will not happen.
But Speaker Nancy Pelosi is rallying her troops as both sides dig in. She has written a letter to Democrats today, saying that none of them came to Congress to impeach a president, but President Trump, she says, has abused his power for political gain, at the expense of national security.
Pelosi goes on to say that the verdict on the president cannot wait until the next election because Trump has already jeopardized the 2020 election -- Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
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VAUSE: With us is Larry Sabato. He is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
And it's always good to see you.
LARRY SABATO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thank you.
VAUSE: Let's pick up on that last point. The president considering testifying before Congress.
Remember when we were all distracted by him during the Russia investigation?
Here's what he said.
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TRUMP: I would love to speak. I would love to.
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TRUMP: Nobody wants to speak more than me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you be willing to speak under oath to give your version of events?
TRUMP: 100 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to talk to Mueller?
TRUMP: I'm looking forward to it, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But would you -- are you more likely to set an interview now?
TRUMP: My lawyers are working on that. I've always wanted to do an interview.
I would love to speak. I would love to go. Nothing I want to do more.
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VAUSE: I guess President Trump will testify before the impeachment inquiry just as soon as he's done with the Mueller investigation.
SABATO: He can do them both at once, maybe. Obviously that will not happen. It's possible he will send some answers in writing, which means his lawyers will write the answers.
But as far as testifying in person, this is Disneyland and nobody takes that seriously.
VAUSE: The president did provide answers to Mueller's questions but now that testimony is under investigation, it appears someone was not entirely honest.
Does this end up in the articles of impeachment, because so far the Democrats have been through laser focus on Ukraine.
What did we do with the other stuff?
SABATO: I would not be surprised if there are two or three articles of impeachment. One will be on Ukraine. But obstruction of justice, they can draw some of that from the Mueller report and also the way the president and some of his assistants have handled the requests from the House of Representatives for this inquiry.
VAUSE: We have another blockbuster week, potentially the biggest newsmaker could be the ambassador to the E.U., Gordon Sondland. He seems most out of step with the other witnesses so far.
In close to our testimony from David Holmes an aide to Bill Taylor, Holmes told the impeachment inquiry, I asked ambassador Sondland if it was true that the president did not give aid about Ukraine.
Ambassador Sondland that the president did not care about Ukraine. He stated that the president only cares about big stuff. I know there is big stuff going on in Ukraine, like a war with Russia and ambassador Sondland replied that he meant that big stuff that benefits the president, like the Biden investigation that Mr. Giuliani was pushing.
Holmes is the staffer on the phone call with Sondland. Someone has already corrected his closed door testimony once. He has firsthand knowledge of the president's involvement in the Ukraine investigations. So the unknown is, will he tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, because that has not been the case so far.
SABATO: There's always hope. Hope springs eternal and this is the time for him to tell the full truth, because I don't think he will get another chance, unless it's in a courtroom.
So he is going to have some tough questions. That is what is going to be fascinating. And if there are any new bombshells that we have not seen or heard so far, I think it will be from Sondland rather than anybody else.
VAUSE: He's the guy that could blow up the most recent Republican defense of Donald Trump, that there was no quid pro quo or anything going on.
SABATO: He can certainly comment on that and also contradict it. He is in a position where he ought to contradict it. At this stage of an investigation, usually it's every man or woman for themselves, you have to look out for your own legal necessities.
And I'm sure that's what his lawyers are doing. And probably his time as E.U. ambassador is limited anyway.
VAUSE: He did not bargain on that when he gave that donation to the Trump campaign. I want to get your opinion on this poll: 70 percent of Americans believe that Donald Trump was wrong for pushing Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden. That 70 percent believe he did something wrong; 51 believed he should be impeached and removed from office.
This is the place where Republicans in Congress will live, in that gray area, there was a belief that it was wrong but not bad enough for impeachment.
SABATO: This was always their ultimate fallback. Yes, Donald Trump did bad things, we're not surprised by that but it doesn't rise to the level of impeachment. In a sense, they can't be contradicted on that, because there are no
clear standards for impeachment, other than the generalities of the Constitution. This is a political process and they know that, as long as they present that kind of argument to Republicans, Republicans will stay with the president.
That's all they need in the Senate. If you don't have a bipartisan majority, a big bipartisan majority, there is no way to oust him. There's no way to convict him.
VAUSE: This is where it seems that John Bolton comes in, he's Republican, pure bred, been there since the Reagan administration and in the current administration. There's this new testimony released, the top Ukraine official on the National Security Council. Trump ordering staff to withhold military aid in exchange for those investigations. But also that Bolton tried to organize a revolt of sorts to get the president to reconsider.
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VAUSE: Question, did the president have a meeting with ambassador Bolton?
One-on-one meeting related to Ukraine security assistance.
The answer?
Yes.
Question, whether any obstructions from that meeting?
Answer, I was told to look for opportunities to get the principals together, to have to direct conversations about the president on this topic, to get the president to change his mind.
The principals are the vice president, the secretary of state, the Secretary of Treasury and the White House chief of staff, the most senior of the senior. That meeting never happened but nonetheless, this is John Bolton, who is describing it as a drug deal and not like a political deal.
This is a Walter White meth deal going on and these are Republicans, that's why I think Bolton is crucial to all of. This
SABATO: He is crucial and if he does get testimony, whether it's private or public, it's going to be fascinating and it will make headlines. The question remains, will he change the minds of enough Republicans to push senators towards ousting Trump?
And I think the odds are enormous that he will not. Trump will take after him, he will have a bunch of anti-Bolton tweets, he was essentially fired on Twitter so I guess he's used to that.
This is a situation, we have not encountered at all in modern times, if ever. It's a situation where a president has a base that is so strong, that you can't even enforce constitutional restrictions on that president.
VAUSE: It's incredible, I was speaking to some Trump supporters a few days ago and they believe that Joe Biden is the cause of all the problems and he should be investigated. It's like an entire different, parallel universe.
SABATO: It's like they say, the Trump people, when you ask them what if the president really did go down to Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and they say, sure, we would still support him. He probably had a good reason.
VAUSE: Good point to leave it there, thank you so much, it's good to see you.
Still to come, why now?
Why would the Trump administration decide now is a good time to make a major change to long-standing policy on Israeli settlements in the West Bank?
Also, Iranians are protesting on oil prices, met with a stark opposition from the Revolutionary Guards.
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VAUSE: The Trump administration is upending decades of Middle East policy.
On Monday Mike Pompeo announced that they no longer consider Jewish settlements in the West Bank to be a violation of international law. Palestinian officials have been quick to condemn the move while the Israeli prime minister has nothing but praise.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: To the people of Israel, this is a historic day and another great achievement to our policy. After President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, recognized our sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the U.S. administration has now put an end to the lie that settlements are illegal.
I thank President Trump and I thank secretary of state Pompeo.
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VAUSE: This comes after a general election which has left Israel's political factions struggling to form a government. The move is a big win for the right wing party as well as Donald Trump's number one supporter and current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Here's Oren Liebermann.
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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Trump administration's announcement that it no longer considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as consistent with international law is a change in decades of U.S. foreign policy but shouldn't come as that much of a surprise. The U.S. under Trump already stopped considering the West Bank occupied territory.
And a former official on the peace team, Jason Greenblatt, said settlements should just be called cities and towns. This appears to be just an extension of that policy. It's a blatant win for Israel's right wing and advocates of the settlements and they began celebrating immediately.
Some even saying the next step is to apply Israeli sovereignty to West Bank annexation. Palestinian leaders slammed the move and said nothing will change the fact that settlements are still considered illegal under international law whether the U.S. wants to recognize it or not.
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said it doesn't pre-judge the status of settlements and negotiations and this is nothing other than a green light for the continued expansion of settlements.
Pompeo said the administration has been working on this for a year. But there are two very conspicuous things with the timing of this announcement. It seems a direct rejection of last week's court justice ruling that products and goods produced in the West Bank have to be labeled as such. They can't say simply made in Israel.
Second, whether it was intentional or not, this is a major gift to prime minister Netanyahu, who called it historical truth. That as he finds himself in a perilous political situation. It's a boost to him and to Israel's right wing as a whole as Netanyahu tries to hang onto his position.
Who benefits the most?
That would likely be president Donald Trump. It's a decision that will go over incredibly well with his religion evangelical base who sees Israel as a key issue -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.
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VAUSE: The announcement is drawing condemnation from Palestinian groups, in particular chief negotiator Saeb Erekat who called on the international community to reject this change in U.S. policy.
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SAEB EREKAT, CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: The Palestinian territories are not only illegal under international law, they are war crimes. And the statement of Pompeo is absolutely rejected and must be condemned because one superpower has determined to undermine international law.
Once they become an administration that is pro Israel occupation, pro Israel war crimes, this constitutes a major threat to international peace and security.
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VAUSE: On Twitter, Jordan's foreign minister called the settlements a blatant violation of international law and warned the Trump administration's decision could have dangerous consequences.
A senior diplomat with the E.U. said it was a shameful decision that highlights the extent to which the Trump administration has departed from international consensus and is willing to give the finger to international law.
After a weekend of unrest, protesters are not backing down in Iran. A government plan to raise prices at the fuel pumps sparked protests on Friday. Security forces have clash ed with the crowds and the some protesters have been killed. State television reports say that the Revolutionary Guard Corps are warning of decisive action if this unrest is not end.
The president also are calling for calm but in a less confrontational tone.
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HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Protest is different from riots and the entire nation has the right to protest and they can protest, they can even criticize the government, even harshly and we welcome that.
There is no problem about whatever they say but we should not let any insecurity in the society. I own a card to use it, not to block the roads.
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VAUSE: Across the border in Iraq a warning: ISIS may be down but not out. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Iraq's military intelligence chief says some of the surviving ISIS leaders have managed to bribe their way from Syria into Turkey. He says they are creating new terror cells and plotting jailbreaks to free jihadi fighters.
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LT. GEN. SAAD AL-ALLAQ, HEAD OF IRAQI MILITARY INTELLIGENCE: (through translator): We have concluded that the real intention of ISIS is to begin a mission they're calling breakdown defenses, to storm jails inside Iraq and Syria to free terrorists.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What do you think should be done about them? AL-ALLAQ (through translator): There should be a large international effort to deal with this because these criminals could escape camps and go back to their countries. They pose a great danger to countries in Europe, Asia and North Africa.
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VAUSE: Of course it would be a catastrophe if ISIS gains control over the supporters.
Still to come, all talk, no action. North Korea says no more useless meetings with the U.S. until they get something in return. And new calls for one of the Trump top advisors to be fired after leaked emails reveal a disturbing link to the white nationalists.
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VAUSE: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm John Vause with headlines.
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VAUSE: It seems North Korea may have had enough of picture opportunities with the U.S. president, saying it is no longer interested in, quote, "useless talks" with the U.S. The foreign ministry adviser issued a blunt statement, just a day after Donald Trump went on Twitter, urging Kim Jong-un to get a nuclear deal done and saying, "See you soon."
But the North Koreans say they will no longer give the U.S. president something to boast about for nothing in return. Here's CNN's Brian Todd reporting from Washington.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN ANCHOR: North Korea's dictator is giving President Trump the cold shoulder. Kim Jong-un's foreign ministry issuing a statement, saying the regime is no longer interested in nuclear talks between the two nations, which, quote, "bring nothing to us"; that North Korea will no longer gift the U.S. president with something he can boast of, a direct reply to Trump's tweet over the weekend, telling Kim, "You should act quickly, get the deal done. See you soon!"
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they are prepared to walk away if they get nothing, say for example, over the next few months. And they're prepared to walk away. I believe they have calculated that Trump is not prepared to walk away.
TODD: North Korea has been very frustrated that, after three face-to- face meetings over a year and a half, talks over North Korea's nuclear program have completely stalled. Kim has given President Trump and his team an ultimatum, that more progress has to be made on a nuclear deal by year's end. If that doesn't happen, analysts say we could see see more provocations from the supreme leader, including some ominous ones.
BRUCE KLINGNER, THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: If they do an ICBM missile test or a nuclear test, that's going to cross Trump's red line; and then we're in very dangerous territory.
TODD: In that same tweet over the weekend, Trump responded to a North Korea statement issued a few days ago, calling Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden a "rabid dog," who quote, "must be beaten to death with a stick."
Trump responded, saying, "Mr. Chairman, he is not a 'rabid dog,' but I am the only one who can get you where you have to be."
Biden says he wears the North Korean insult as a badge of honor.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, one of the ways you measure who you are is by -- by the folks that don't like you.
TODD: For months, Biden has pounded on Trump for being too conciliatory to a brutal dictator, just to score a nuclear deal.
BIDEN: He embraces Kim Jong-un in North Korea. This is a guy who had his uncle's brains blown out, sitting across the table. This is the guy who's a thug, and he's writing love letters to him? No, I'm serious.
TODD: Biden has said he'd be much tougher on North Korea than Trump has been. Analysts say the North Koreans believe if Biden is elected, the U.S. could go back to the so-called strategic patience policy of the Obama years, with sanctions imposed, then waiting for North Korea to come around.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: North Korea would be much more worried about a Biden presidency then the reelection of Donald Trump.
TODD (on camera): Just hours before North Korea's cold shoulder statement on no longer being interested in talks, the U.S. and South Korea bent over backwards yet again to accommodate Kim's regime, announcing they're postponing their joint military exercises set to begin later this month in order to give diplomacy another shot.
Some experts believe that's a smart move, to give the negotiations every possible shot to succeed. Others believe it's a show of weakness, especially in the face of all of the threats North Korea has made recently.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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VAUSE: So if Prince Andrew was hoping his BBC interview explaining a long-time friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein would bring an end to this controversy, then he would be sadly disappointed. On Monday, a woman who says she was trafficked by Epstein when she was 15 years old decided to publicly speak out.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After I returned to Michigan from Zorro Ranch, I was contacted by one of Jeffrey Epstein's assistance, and invited to Epstein's island, where I was told Prince Andrew, among others, would be a guest. I declined the invitation out of fear. I'd only experienced a glimpse of Jeffrey Epstein's world, but it left me with residual trauma, which seriously impacted the trajectory of my life from that moment on.
I would also like to say that I agree with Gloria that Prince Andrew and any others who are close to Epstein should come forward and give a statement under oath on what information they have. All the information pertaining to and around this case is important. Just because Epstein is dead does not mean that others around him don't deserve their day in court, as well.
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VAUSE: And on top of all that, there are allegations that Prince Andrew used a racial epithet. CNN's Hadas Gold has been following the story and has more.
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HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A British royal source is strenuously denying to CNN that Prince Andrew ever used the "N" word after a former political aide to Prime Minister David Cameron is claiming that the duke of York used the term in 2012 conversation.
Rohan Silva, the former political aide who now works for "The Evening Standard" paper, is telling the paper that Prince Andrew used the term with him, while they were in conversation in 2012. He says, quote, that Prince Andrew said, "Well, if you'll pardon the expression, that really is the 'N' word in the wood pile."
Silva said that he did not confront the Duke of York at the time, something that he regrets doing.
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But a royal source is denying that the prince ever used that term, and said they have made the denial also in a legal letter to "The Evening Standard." Of course, this report comes at a sensitive time for the palace, after Prince Andrew's stunning interview with the BBC that aired on Saturday night, where Prince Andrew discussed his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and also allegations made against him by a woman, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claimed she was forced to engage in sexual acts with the Duke of York while she was a minor.
Now, Prince Andrew is denying all of the allegations, but his answers to the interview and his seeming lack of sympathy for some of Epstein's victims have caused an uproar in the British press.
When asked if Buckingham Palace had any reaction to the fallout from the interview, a spokesperson told CNN the duke's words speak for themselves.
Hadas Gold, CNN, London.
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VAUSE: Coming up here, he's the right-hand man to the president of the United States, especially influential on immigration issues. So what exactly is his connection with white nationalists?
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VAUSE: Some migrants hoping for asylum in the U.S. will be sent to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The Trump administration has spent months working on the so-called safe third country agreement, an effort to stem the flow of migrants coming across the border with Mexico.
The move comes as arrests at the U.S. southern border continue to decline. Customs and Border Protection says 42,000 migrants were arrested in October, down from a high of more than 130,000 in May.
There's new scrutiny on the man considered by many to be the architect of President Trump's controversial immigration policies. In leaked emails, it appears that Stephen Miller has been promoting stories and conspiracy theories put out by organizations with racist, white nationalist views.
CNN's Sara Sidner has more.
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SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A trove of emails released by the Southern Poverty Law Center show now senior White House advisor Stephen Miller pushing theories from white nationalist sources to far-right website Breitbart.
Miller emailed, suggesting that Breitbart use ideas from the book "Camp of the Saints." "You see the pope saying west must, in effect, get right of borders? Someone should point out the parallels to 'Camp off the Saints,'" he writes.
It's a book hailed by racists, which depicts white women being raped by immigrants and mass immigration destroying western civilization. Breitbart published the content Miller suggested.
In one email, dated October 2015, while Mueller still worked for then- Senator Jeff Sessions, he touts what he saw as the dangers of allowing hurricane victims from Mexico to come to the U.S. "They will all get TPS," he writes. That's temporary protection status.
He goes on to write, "That needs to be the weekend's big story. TPS is everything." Then, he send then-Breitbart staffer Katie McHugh an article from
prominent white nationalist website Vdare of the dangers of TPS. The website Vdare has espoused the sentiment that America was made for white people, and non-whites are destroying it.
Miller's sentiments began turning into policy when he joined the Trump administration. In 2018, well after Miller joined Trump's inner circle, the president tried to end the TPS status for several countries with predominantly black and brown citizens, but legal challenges so far have successfully kept the program in place.
McHugh, who gave the emails to the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Miller also asked her to use an article from American Renaissance. The website traffics in the idea that blacks are less intelligent than whites.
KATIE MCHUGH, FORMER BREITBART EDITOR (via phone): He would pull crime statistics from there and then try to funnel that through conservative media in order to target people of color.
SIDNER: In another email in July 2015, Miller sent McHugh a link from the website Infowars, which peddles in conspiracy theories. The Infowars headline quotes Reverend Franklin Graham: "We are under attack. Stop all immigration of Muslims to the U.S."
A year and a half later, shortly after the president took office and Miller was in the West Wing, the newly-elected president signed an executive order based on this campaign pledge.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.
SIDNER: Ultimately, the Southern Poverty Law Center says Mueller's efforts with Breitbart were meant to influence policy, and it worked.
MICHAEL HAYDEN, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: What you see in these emails is Stephen Miller creating an appetite for the type of anti- immigrant policies the Trump administration has enacted through Breitbart News.
SIDNER: Miller did not answer specific questions about his emails. Instead, a White House spokesperson sent us a statement: "SBLC is engaged in a vile smear campaign against a Jewish staffer. While Mr. Miller condemns racism and bigotry in all forms, those defaming him are trying to deny his Jewish identity, which is a pernicious form of anti-Semitism."
HAYDEN: It's an absolutely laughable and offensive attack. I think Miller is responding with these charges of anti-Semitism because he has no other answer to it.
SIDNER (on camera): A Breitbart spokesperson sent us a statement that "the SBLC claims to have 3- to 4-year-old emails involving an individual whom we fired years ago for a multitude of reasons, including lying," they say. "And you now have an even better idea why we fired her."
Having said that, the Breitbart spokesperson says it's not exactly a news flash that political staffers pitch stories to journalists. Sometimes those pitches are successful, sometimes not.
But McHugh says she is not lying. She has the emails to prove her point, and she says, actually, Miller was acting more as, like, an assignment editor or an editor for Breitbart than a source.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thanks to Sara Sidner for that report.
And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Stay with us. WORLD SPORT is up next.
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