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Former New York City Businessman Michael Bloomberg Making It Official, Announcing That He Is Running For President; Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is Out Of The Hospital; Public Hearings In The Impeachment Hearing Are Over For Now; Bill Weld Is Running For President. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired November 24, 2019 - 14:00   ET

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

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MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN HOST: Hello. Thank you for joining me. I'm Martin Savidge in for Fredricka Whitfield.

Let's begin with that breaking news. And that breaking news now is in New York city where we are talking about the former New York city businessman Michael Bloomberg making it official, announcing that he is running for president. He is a late entry into a very crowded field of Democratic candidates that now number, if you are keeping count, 18.

In his campaign ad announcing his candidacy, Bloomberg highlights his business and political background. And he vows that he is the candidate who could beat Donald Trump and rebuild America. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After witnessing the terrible toll of gun violence, he help create a movement to help protect families across the America. And stood up to the coal lobby in this administration to protect this planet from climate change. And now he Is taking on him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: CNN Politics and Business Correspondent, Cristina Alesci who has been following this for us.

And Cristina, it's a late entry into the 2020 race. Certainly not unexpected. It's been telegraphed time, but what did prompt Bloomberg to make this move now.

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN POLITICS AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, as the 2020 election cycle played out, he felt like this wasn't really playing out as he expected. And he felt like none of the field was really prepared to beat President Trump. But let's be here, Michael Bloomberg is trying to beat the odds, making a late entry into a packed race for the Democratic nomination. He hopes that his business record and that his record in philanthropy and being a huge Democratic donor will help him here.

And you know, the reality is he made this announcement in a letter today, and the letter said quote "I'm running for president to defeat Donald Trump and rebuild America. We cannot afford four more years of President Trump's reckless and unethical actions. If he wins another term in office, we may never recover from the damage. The stakes could not be higher. We must win this election."

Look. Although Michael Bloomberg has a lot to talk about, he does have some hurdles to recover and clear here. He faces some serious head winds, particularly because on the tactical side, it's very late in the primary cycle to be launching a campaign. And political analysts say that in modern U.S. history, no one who has entered the presidential race this late has ever clenched the nomination.

But Bloomberg, again, has other things he's going to have to talk about. For one, he is a billionaire at a time when the term is being used as an insult. And rising income inequality is a source of anger and frustration for many voters. Progressive candidates like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are trying to capitalize off those frustrations. Suggesting that billionaires' wealth should disqualify them from running.

Bloomberg might also struggle to win support among black voters. Black and Latinos were the primary target of police tactics called stop and frisk which the New York police department while Bloomberg was mayor. And it was only last week that he apologized for not stopping for not stopping use of that tactics sooner. But it's unclear whether voters believe it's a sincere apology, Martin.

SAVIDGE: How significant is it that Bloomberg's campaign is self- funded? I mean, that's got to be a huge benefit.

ALESCI: Absolutely. Look, Bloomberg's net worth is estimated at more than $50 billion. That's according to Forbes. And it's hard to overstate that advantage that it gives them a huge advantage. And he's self-funding the campaign. Sources close to him have told me the campaign has no budget ceiling. So he will spend whatever it takes to beat Donald Trump. And Bloomberg himself will spend as a self-funding as a positive that he can't be bought by special interests. And that he will make decisions based on whether he thinks it's the right thing to do free of outside influence -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Interesting. That's what Trump supporters said they liked about President Trump when he ran.

Cristina Alesci, thank you very much.

Also breaking, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is out of the hospital and now recovering at home following her latest health scare. The 86-year-old was admitted to John Hopkins hospital Friday night after she experienced chills and fever. The court spokesperson says that Ginsburg is quote "doing well after receiving IV antibiotics and fluids." Since last November, she has been hospitalized, if you are keeping track, at least four times including receiving treatment for pancreatic and the removal of two cancerous modules (ph) from her lung.

CNN Supreme Court Analyst, Joan Biskupic joins me now.

And Joan, as we point out, this is the fourth health scare in just over a year. And as her health issues mount, are there, I guess growing concerns that she may consider retiring from the bench?

[14:05:25]

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN SUPREME COURT ANALYST: There certainly are concerns, given the fact that she is the senior liberal on a very divided bench. She is a women's rights icon in America now. There have been health concerns about Ruth Baden Ginsburg since 199 when she first had colorectal cancer. But she survived that. Then in 2009 she survived the first pancreatic cancer. She keeps coming back.

Now granted, Martin, you have made a strong point about how we have had so many more health scares just in the last year. But she says she is going to keep going no matter what. She says that she actually feels her health improves as she settles down to the mission of her work on the Supreme Court, you know. She's taking more fluids and reading more briefs. So she is not going to go without a fight. Obviously, though, all these instances certainly concern Democrats.

SAVIDGE: And, of course, there are many, many people who want to see her continue on for as long as possible. But let me ask you, what would the political and legal ramifications be if she were to step down?

BISKUPIC: It would be seize mick. I'm talking more consequences than any other swath of a retiring justice and a new appointee for decades. First of all, this would be the third appointee of President Donald Trump. And the succession of a Trump justice for this liberal icon would be more stark than anything we have had in recent years. Frankly, in recent decades going all the way back to 1991 when Clarence Thomas succeeded Thurgood Marshall. So the difference would be striking.

It would probably mean much swifter, more competent action on the part of a conservative majority against things like abortion rights, affirmative action, gay rights. So you would have that. And then just think of where we're at right now on the cusp of an election year. And I probably don't need to remind you what happened in 2016 when Anton Scalia died suddenly and President Obama nominated someone who Mitch McConnell blocked from any consideration. We are not sure it will come to that, but Mitch McConnell has said if a Trump nominee comes forward, even in an election year, he would move that person as swiftly as possible on to the Supreme Court.

SAVIDGE: We will of course hope it doesn't come to that.

Joan Biskupic, thank you. It is good to see you.

BISKUPIC: Thanks, Martin. SAVIDGE: Still ahead, the lawmaker leading the investigation into

impeaching the President says that there is enough evidence to go to trial.

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REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: There is a sense of urgency when you have a President threatening the integrity of our elections. That we need to act now if we are going to act, and we can't allow this obstruction to succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: But even if his report is handed over, he says the investigation isn't going to end. CNN's one on one interview with the house intel chairman Adam Schiff. That is up next.

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SAVIDGE: Public hearings in the impeachment hearing are over for now, at least for now. As for what comes next, this morning CNN's Jake Tapper sat down with the chairman of the House intelligence committee, congressman Adam Schiff, to discuss just that. And who has made the case for why he says there is overwhelming evidence to continue the impeachment process.

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JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Presuming you impeach the President, it goes to the Senate. Chief justice Roberts presides and could theoretically compel John Bolton and others to testify. I have heard that a legal theory as to why you are doing it that way. Is there any merit to that?

SCHIFF: Well, I think there's certainly merit to the idea that we may get a quicker ruling from a chief justice in a senate trial if ever came to that than we would get by going months and months on/and litigating the matter. There's no guarantee of that. But I think that is entirely possible.

Ultimately, though, one thing is clear. Because we have adduced so much evidence of guilt of this President, so much guilt of serious misconduct. Any privilege the President would have would be vitiated by this crime fraud exception. So that will give way. And if it doesn't, to quote my colleague chairman Nadler, it will mean either justice Roberts or the Supreme Court itself is not really a conservative justice or court, merely a partisan one. And I have to hope that that's not the case for the country's sake.

TAPPER: What do you say to people who say you're accusing the President of using his office for political reasons, right, and abusing it. And you are making a decision based on politics itself. And the timing of this, it's going to take too long. I never heard you say it. But other Democrats have said they don't want to get in the way of the six Democrats in the Senate running for president. They don't want to have 2020 being the year the Democrats are shown for only impeaching President Trump as opposed to legislation, political arguments, essentially.

SCHIFF: I don't subscribe to the political arguments. I don't think people should be making them or thinking them. What we ought to think about is what does it mean to this office if we don't impeach the President based on the facts before us? What does it mean if we do impeach the President? What will this tell future Presidents about what they can get away with? What does this tell the American people about what they should now expect in their chief executive.

TAPPER: President Nixon resigned instead of being impeached. He was never actually impeached by the House. It was going through the process and he resigned before it could happen. Do you think President Trump should resign?

SCHIFF: Well, I certainly think that he has committed the most grievous misconduct. I have no illusions about Donald Trump doing what's right for the country or what's best of the country. That's never been where he is coming from. What my Republican colleagues I think need to decide and to search their own conscience about is why was it that in the past Republicans were willing to put country first? Why were there people like Howard Baker then but not now?

I would hope that there will be Republicans who will be willing to step forward and say whatever the political consequences, if this was Barack Obama had done this, they would have voted to impeach him in a heart beat with a fraction of the evidence. It shouldn't matter this is a Republican President.

I hope to hell, Jake, if this had been a Democratic President, I would be among those leading the way and saying we need to serious consider impeaching this President.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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SAVIDGE: Joining me now, the host of "STATE OF THE UNION," Jake Tapper.

And Jake, chairman Schiff made the point that just because the public hearings are over for now, this investigation will continue. What did you make of that, and how long could this stretch on?

TAPPER: Well, I think first, they are being pulled in two different directions. I mean, there is a political imperative, wrap this up, get it done. Although, chairman Schiff said that he doesn't think that should be part of it. But there are people in the Democratic Party pushing to get this over with. And then there's also the fact that there are people saying you know, this isn't really done yet. We haven't heard from all these major witnesses, et cetera.

One of the thing I thought was most interesting from the interview with chairman Schiff was his acknowledge the way they are doing it, the House intelligence committee essentially wrapping up although they reserve the rights to testimony if they need to, writing a report, giving it to the House Judiciary Committee, ultimately presumably there will be a vote to impeach the President that goes to the Senate.

Chairman Schiff acknowledging that chief justice John Roberts who would preside over any sort of Senate trial will be able to make a ruling on whether or not witnesses who have not yet testified like the White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney or former national security advisor John Bolton, he will be able to do that quickly. Whereas if the House Democrats were to sue Mulvaney and Bolton, that would winds through the courts and not end up in front of the full Supreme Court until next summer in all likelihood. He acknowledged that will be quicker. So that is a strategic decision in a way to force testimony sooner rather than later.

SAVIDGE: He also asked about the partisanship of this process and public support for impeachment. Support has been waning in recent polls. Do you think maybe it's a mistake not to take the public's support into account for him?

TAPPER: Well, he said that they need to do what they need to do regardless of the polls. Regardless of how it plays in battle ground states and we should point out that support for impeachment and removal from office is majority supported in recent polls across the country, but among independents and among voters in key battle ground states, a majority do not support it. A majority oppose it.

He said that Democrats and Republicans need to do what's right regardless of polling. And then when I said, you know, ultimately this could be a partisan impeachment theoretically if only Democrats vote to impeach President Trump and Republicans, and maybe a few Democrats vote against it. And he put the blame of that on the Republicans.

SAVIDGE: Tonight you're hosting a CNN Special Report: All the President's Lies. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The tariffs are not being paid for by our people. It's being paid for by China.

China is paying for the tariffs for the 100th time.

CHARLIE DENT (R), FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: It's a false statement. Donald Trump is a graduate of the university of Pennsylvania. Every time Donald Trump says the Chinese are paying these tariffs, that sound you hear is the sound of heads exploding at the Wharton school of business.

TAPPER: That's because those billions of dollars in tariffs President Trump placed on thousands of Chinese items entering the U.S. is usually paid for by the U.S. importer who often passes much of that cost to you.

GLENN KESSLER, FACT CHECKER, THE WASHINGTON POST: They are paid for by the Americans who are buying Chinese products. So rather than use the word tariff, we should sigh this is a tax on Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What Americans are hurting because of the tariffs?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, consumers have to Pay higher prices. Farmers have been hurt because of the retaliation.

TAPPER: Retaliation. China placed tariffs on hundreds of American products.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's a pretty typical plant.

TAPPER: Hurting farmers such as this man in western Pennsylvania who spoke with CNN's Gary Tuchman this summer.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What percentage of your soy beans is exported?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hundred percent of my beans.

TUCHMAN: Hundred percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

TUCHMAN: And how much of it goes to China before the tariffs?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I assumed it all went to China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Jake, in putting all this together, what surprise you the most?

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TAPPER: How seriously people who are nonpartisan and just elected government -- not elected. How people who are government officials unelected government officials, nonpartisan, how seriously concerned they are about what President Trump is doing to the very notion of empirical truth. Elected officials respond to the public and respond to their constituents, their party here and there. But people who are just -- their job is to focus on, for example, how does the public receive weather information?

SAVIDGE: What do you hope people will walk away with when they watch tonight?

TAPPER: Just the idea that there is a degree to which this President has undermined empirical fact and truth in the minds of the public like we have never seen before. That this isn't a partisan issue. This has to do with just the idea of truth being important. And I hope that people who don't like the President will respect these same reporters, experts, et cetera, for the Democratic President that comes whenever. And I hope the people who do like the President understand that he is really only harming himself and the public by lying so often. And that this isn't a partisan matter. I mean, the sun is in the sky is not a partisan statement. SAVIDGE: It looks like it's going to be a great report.

Jake Tapper, thank you very much. Great to talk to you.

TAPPER: Thanks, Martin.

SAVIDGE: And don't miss that CNN Special Report: All the President's Lies tonight at 9:00 p.m. only on CNN.

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SAVIDGE: The impeachment inquiry now goes from the spoken word to the written one. After five days of televised testimony, Democratic House aids are going to spend the holiday week writing a report spelling out the case for impeachment. Their work will then go to the House Judiciary Committee which historically is the panel that oversees impeachment. And while the next step is clear, counselor to the President, that is Kellyanne Conway, says today it's not clear whether the House will vote to actually impeach the President.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLYANNE CONWAY, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: Many of those Democrats, especially the ones who represent the 31 Trump/Pence districts from 2016. They have to go back home and say I know (INAUDIBLE). I know we promised to keep this great economy going. (INAUDIBLE). But we're busy impeaching a President. And they are getting blowback for that. So I think for those Democrats, it's not completely certain yet. Some of them have actually gone On the Record saying I'm not there yet. I have to see what the article say or what the report is and what the articles say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: However, Conway says the White House is preparing for an impeachment trial in the Senate.

Joining me now is a Republican challenging President Trump for the 2020 nomination, William Weld. He was Massachusetts's governor and U.S. attorney for that state.

Governor, thank you for joining us.

WILLIAM WELD (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Martin, my pleasure. Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Let me ask you this. Back in 1973 you were hired as council to research the sort of legal grounds for impeachment amidst the water gate scandal. So you are perhaps the best qualified person I know to ask to sort of compare the case to the impeachment today to the one against Nixon and how would you compare and contrast them?

WELD: Well, I would say the current situation is worse, Martin. There are three articles that kind of stand out. One would be the President extorting a foreign power to interfere in a U.S. election in which he is a candidate to benefit by harming his then chief rival for the nomination. There's never been anything like that in U.S. history. And foreign interference was the one thing the framers of the constitution, including the impeachment clause, feared most.

Article Two, a potential article Two would be the ten acts of obstruction of justice. Criminal obstruction that the President committed in ordering perjury by top aides and orders them to falsity documents so as to try to kill a duly authorized investigation. That's all laid out in the Mueller report. And more than 1,000 former federal prosecutors have declared in writing they were clear, convincing and unusually strong cases for indictment as obstruction of justice.

And number three would be similar to the third article in the Nixon impeachment, contempt of Congress. And this President, not only has withheld documents and ordered people in the executive branch not to testify without really any basis for it, but he has also declared both personally and through his lawyers in court proceedings that Congress has no right to investigate him. And that's based on a massive ignorance of the constitution and constitutes in itself a clear and direct violation of both article one and two of the constitution. So that's a pretty tidy package.

SAVIDGE: Yes, it is. It's a very strong case you outlined.

Regarding yourself, less than two weeks ago you said that quote "impeachment could put a lot of options into the room and a lot of oxygen that will fuel certainly the candidacy of people like myself." And I'm wondering, how can you say that when so much of your party is against impeaching President Trump? One poll says, I know, 76 percent of Republican voters oppose it.

WELD: Well, I'm looking at the law and I'm looking at the constitution. And I'm also putting myself in the head of those Republican senators who are going to have to vote on the evidence, and you are right. A good majority of Republicans are against impeaching and removing the President, but those senators can't take complete solace in that. Because in order to get reelected, they are going to have to win the final election, not just the primary. So I'm hopeful they will see and do their constitutional duty.

I'll tell you, in addition to all the talk about impeachment, I'm out there on the ground every day. And I see things that maybe armchair quarterbacks don't see. Yesterday I was marching in the holiday parade in concord, New Hampshire. I was the only candidate there.

And I was, you know, going from side to side to shake hands along the parade route, but when I was in the middle behind my banner, people were literally rushing into the middle of the street to tap me on my back, shake my hand, say get that guy out of there. Get him out of there. So they are thinking in those terms. And you know, as that popular sentiment, it may grow during impeachment proceedings, I think the members of Congress are going to have to take note of that.

[14:30:31] SAVIDGE: Well, there are some members, especially Republican

congressmen, Will Hurd, for example. He is former CIA. And he says what the President did in pressuring Ukraine was wrong, but not impeachable. He's a moderate. He's not running for reelection. So what do you think of his stand? And what does it say about the Republican party?

WELD: People quote sentences like that and that's not even an argument. It's simply a conclusion. And it's not based on any law. And it's in complete violence of the constitutional history, and the law as well. People who say, you know, the obstruction acts in the Mueller report are not criminal, baloney. A thousand federal prosecutors say in contrary. And I say it's clear and convincing. Well, people say, well, he extorted a foreign power to interfere one of our election, presidential election, where he was a candidate in order to harm his leading opponent. That's wrong, but it's not impeachable.

It's absolutely impeachable. If the President is not removed, how many times more do you think he is going to do it between now and the 2020 election? We might as well cancel the election which, of course, is exactly in my view what the President wants to have happen. He talks about that all the time.

SAVIDGE: I want to turn it back to your campaign, and ask you about the legacy and polling from mid November. More than 80 percent of Iowa Republicans surveyed weren't sure how they viewed you or didn't even know you. Plus, more didn't like you than did. So how do you overcome that? Because it's just a few months left before the caucuses.

WELD: Sure. I mean, I'll be spending more time in Iowa than I have. I have been in New England and New Hampshire more. And my strategy in a nutshell is to win and do much better than expected in New Hampshire and play in Iowa also, of course.

Then there's super Tuesday with Massachusetts and Vermont and California which Trump seems to have violent negative reaction to every time he thinks about it, Wisconsin. So come out of super Tuesday having won two, three, four, five states which is, you know, last time John Kasich is regarded as having been the runner up. He won one state.

Another point is there will be a Republican alternative to Mr. Trump. It's me. And after super Tuesday, so many ballot deadlines will have gone by that it will be too late for anyone else to get in. So if Mr. Trump is removed, I will be the only Republican candidate even if he's not removed, it would be too late for a Ted Cruz or a Marco Rubio just hypothetically to get in because they would not have time to get on the ballots.

SAVIDGE: Right. Bill Weld, it is good to flare you. Thank you very much for coming and speaking to us.

WELD: Thank you, Martin. Thank you. SAVIDGE: Michael Bloomberg says he is the one to beat President Trump

in 2020. But with such a late start in a very crowded Democratic field, what are the chances the former New York mayor could win? We will discuss that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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SAVIDGE: Michael Bloomberg, he is the latest to announce a run for president. The former New York mayor launched his run for the Democratic nomination with a campaign ad today touting his business and political credentials. Bloomberg joins a pretty crowded field, 18 candidates.

With me now is Molly Mitchell, a Democratic strategist and former director of media affairs for the Democratic congressional campaign committee. And Adam Green is a Democratic strategist and co-founder of the progressive change committee. Welcome to you both.

MOLLY MITCHELL, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thank you.

ADAM GREEN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Molly, I'll start with you. Bloomberg decided to get in because he believed there's not a Democratic candidate in the field, out of 18, who can beat Trump. Do you see a path to the democratic nomination for Bloomberg?

MITCHELL: There's definitely a path for Bloomberg if he can own and win the moderate lane. I think today if you are Amy or Joe or Pete, you are nervous with Bloomberg getting in the race. Because he has a ton of resources. And he is going to try to appeal to the moderate base. And that would be highly concerning. But, again, it is a big gamble, because it is historically incredibly late to be getting in. So we will have to see if this much money can help propel him to the front.

SAVIDGE: I'm sure he thinks it can.

Adam, Bloomberg is going, as we heard Molly outline, you know, the moderate wing of the Democratic Party. That's who he sees as his voter. He thinks Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have basically pushed this party too far to the left. Do you think that he is wrong about that?

GREEN: Well, not only is he wrong. But Bloomberg is really the human embodiment of Elizabeth Warren's case for becoming President. By him jumping in the race, it really centers the core ideas that have been responsible for her rise in the primary and that are popular in the general election. Taking on systemic corruption embodied by a billionaire trying to buy an election for himself. Taking on -- challenging powerful corporate interests, her life's work. And also, you know, he opposes things like a wealth tax which would fund other popular ideas like universal child care and affordable housing and making college debt free. So I think it is actually a game changer in a positive direction for

Warren that allows her to lift up things also play well in the general election. And as we said before, he will also likely cannibalize support from the other white males who are looking for more conservative or corporate leaning voters, mayor Pete and Biden primarily.

[14:40:07] SAVIDGE: It certainly gives both warren and Sanders talking points. In fact, here is Bernie Sanders. He just responded a short time ago and says that Bloomberg is doomed to fail. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We do not believe that billionaires have the right to buy elections. And that is why we are going to overturn citizens united. That is why multibillionaires like Mr. Bloomberg are not going to get very far in this election. That is why we are going to end voter suppression in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Adam, he is self-funded, Bloomberg is. And so, that means he can spend pretty much -- well, as much as he wants which is a considerable amount of money. But I'm also wondering is he somewhat tone deaf to this whole idea that a billionaire barging late in the game, buying a lot of campaign adds is the way you connect with the democratic public?

GREEN: Yes. So it is tone deaf if he actually thinks he is going to win a Democratic primary let alone the general election. If you think about how Donald Trump won, he railed against Wall Street interests, corporate trade deals and the swamp and corruption in Washington. And you know, that appeals to the basis of both parties.

However, one thing I'm looking for is does Michael Bloomberg keep his ads positive toward other Democrats and keep his ire focused on Trump? If so, if he spends $100 million, you know, making the case against Trump, that might actually yet again serve to help people like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders by making the entire field more electable against them. And most Democratic primary voters would prefer a progressive who can defeat Trump. So again, I'm hoping he stays focused on Trump and doesn't actually aim his fire at other Democrats.

SAVIDGE: Molly, what do you see as Bloomberg's message going after Trump or -- I mean, what is the focus? I got more money than he does? I'm going to be better than he is?

MITCHELL: I don't think Bloomberg is going to be touting that he is a billionaire in the Democratic primary. I think he will go after the business angle that unlike Donald Trump, I'm actually a successful businessman. And I can beat him. He will try to appeal to the moderate base.

And I think that the whole notion of Bloomberg trying to buy this, I understand the argument, but it really comes down to show me the money. Right? Where is he spending it? And historically he has spent it on democratic issues like climate change and gun violence prevention that does appeal to the base. And also he spent it in close elections like Georgia 6 last cycle that ultimately went to Democrats. So I think if he is spending money, it ultimately helps whoever the nominee is if it is on the case litigating it against Trump?

SAVIDGE: Well, in this case, he is spending the money on himself, $30 million on the niche ad buyout. That's a lot of money.

Molly Mitchell, Adam Green, thank you both.

GREEN: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Congressman Schiff claims the key witness in the impeachment inquiry like John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney could be compelled to testify in the Senate. But is that really likely? We will talk about the legal options next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:47:26]

SAVIDGE: After central figures refused to testify in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff says that there could be another way to get their testimony.

This morning Schiff told CNN's Jake Tapper that chief justice John Roberts theoretically could compel people like Bolton and Mulvaney to testify if it moves to a Senate trial. The chief justice would preside over the trial. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHIFF: Well, I think there's certainly merit to the idea that we may get a quicker ruling from a chief justice in a Senate trial if ever it came to that than we would get by doing months and months litigate the matter. There's no guarantee, but I think it's possible. Ultimately though, one thing is clear. Because we have adduced so much evidence of guilt of this President, so much evidence of serious misconduct --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: I'm joined now by CNN Legal Analyst, Ross Garber. He teaches impeachment law at Tulane law School.

Very good to see you, Ross. I really enjoyed your insights this past week. So it's been helpful in my understanding.

Do you agree with chairman Schiff that if, you know, there is merit to the fact that the Senate will have the ability to call these witnesses that apparently the house has not been able to do?

ROSS GARBER, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think there he said theoretically, and that would probably be the keyword. It's not going to happen. And here's why.

So the constitution says that the chief justice presides, but it doesn't say what that means. And historically in the two impeachment trials -- of Presidents that we have had, the chief justice has deferred to the senators and what they have wanted to do. And the rules for the Senate say the chief justice can make a decision on the issues or he can leave it to the senators to decide and remember the Senate is now controlled by Republicans.

And even if the chief justice makes a decision, the rules provides it can be overruled by the senators. It is very, very unlikely, and even if the chief justice were to make the decision, and the senate were to back it up, it would just leave us where we are now with the question of how do you enforce a decision like that. SO no, it is not going to happen.

SAVIDGE: How about John Bolton? This is a person many people have wanted to hear from. Do you think that, you know, he could be compelled to testify and if so, how or what would that look like?

GARBER: Yes. That is the big question. You know, can somebody like John Bolton or Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff or the secretary of state be compelled to testify. The best way to honestly test that is for the House to go to court, issue a subpoena, go to court, try to get it expedited decision on it. It could still take a long time. The House doesn't have great options, but that's probably the best.

[14:50:10]

SAVIDGE: Yes. Interesting. Though, that's something we heard Adam Schiff say, that they really weren't keen to do.

Ross Garber, appreciate it. Thank you very much.

GARBER: Good to see you, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Still ahead, got plans to travel for the holidays? Heavy rain, snow and ice. They are threatening to put a crimp in the plans, not just for you but for millions. Ahead, we will have a live report on what to expect.

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[14:53:56]

SAVIDGE: As we head into a very busy travel week, three storms could bring rain, snow and sleet up and down the east coast. And strong winds might mean that Macy's won't be able to fly inside iconic thanksgiving parade balloons.

Meteorologist Tom Sater is live in the CNN weather center.

And Tom, I do worry, of course, about everybody's travel plans, but I really do like those balloons. So how bad will it be and could it really impact them? TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I think the winds' threshold, we are

going to come pretty close to maybe seeing sustained winds at 25, 30 even 35. So that would keep them grounded.

But here is storm number one. Already one hour of flight delays in Newark. Two hours delays up in Boston. On a broader scale, I think this rain is going to come to an end by morning. There will be some residual snowfall. But the number of Americans that are under some sort of winter weather advisory or warnings in the New England area will grow across the country because that's storm one out. Out in the Denver, Central Rockies and the west coach, these are winter watches that changes to warnings.

Here comes storm number two across the Rockies. And on Tuesday a large area of snowfall from the Rockies up to the northern plains into the Great Lakes. Rain all the way down the golf coastal states.

And then we got a third system is moving in on the west coast. This is on Wednesday. So, again, travel is going to be impacted greatly with all of these storms and another surge of moisture comes into the desert southwest. So just kind of look at the areas of red here. These are trouble spots.

Now on Wednesday, flying from La Guardia, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit. This is going to be madness. And we are looking at a greater number of people hitting the roads.

So back to Macy's for you now Martin. Here's the forecast. Last year was the second coldest on record. I don't think we are going to have quite that problem. But the temperatures will come up, 40, 40. That's not bad, but it's the winds. And if you notice, as we get to around 11:00 a.m., you are look at 25, 35. That could keep those balloons grounded. But we are going to keep our fingers crossed. We know one thing for sure. We have a cornucopia of weather for the entire country coming this week.

[14:56:03] SAVIDGE: Yes, happy thanksgiving.

Tom Sater, thanks very much for the heads up and the warning. Appreciate it.

SATER: Sure.

SAVIDGE: Still ahead, Michael Bloomberg is in and Democratic rival Bernie Sanders is not happy about it. How the Sanders' campaign is responding now that the Bloomberg or mayor Bloomberg has made a sudden entry into the race.

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[15:00:03] SAVIDGE: Hello there. Thanks for joining me. I'm Martin Savidge in for Fredricka Whitfield.

We are beginning with breaking news in the 2020 race for President.