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Chuck Schumer Demands Documents and Witnesses at Senate Impeachment Trial; Newly Released E-mails Revealing Important Detail on Ukraine Aid; Harry Dunn Family Meets with British Home Secretary; Cancer-Causing Slime Found on Detroit-Area Highway; Graham On Pelosi: She Is Trampling On The Separation Of Powers; Newly-Released E-mails Reveal WH Order To Freeze Ukraine Aid Came Roughly 90 Minutes After Trump-Zelensky Call; Biden Storms Battleground Iowa On Two-Day Bus Tour; Eddie Murphy Returns to "SNL" After 35 Years. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired December 22, 2019 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:07]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again, everyone. And thank you so much for joining me. Happy Hanukkah. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

A new development in the battle over the upcoming impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate. Newly released e-mails show that congressionally approved aid to Ukraine was frozen about an hour and a half after President Trump's call with Ukraine's leader in July. That call is the centerpiece of the two articles of impeachment against the president. The new e-mails adding fuel to Democrats' demands for documents and witness testimony in the Senate trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The truth should come out on something as important as an impeachment. Well, this new information is rather explosive. What is a trial with no witnesses and no documents? It's a sham trial. And that's why we feel so strongly that there ought to be witnesses and documents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Kristen Holmes is in West Palm Beach near the president's Mar-a-Lago resort where he is spending the holidays.

So, Kristen, how are Democrats and the White House reacting to reports of these new e-mails?

KIRSTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, when it comes to the White House, the Budget Office essentially is just dismissing any sort of link between holding on to that aid and the phone call. But this is really giving Democrats a lot of ammunition in this ongoing stalemate of what this Senate trial would look like.

Because remember this, Fred, at the end of the day all of this, the reason Nancy Pelosi is holding on to these articles of impeachment, the reason why we are at an impasse is because Democrats believe a fair trial, the only way to have a fair trial is to have documents provided by the White House as well as witnesses. And we know that Republicans are on the other side of that. They believe less witnesses and a shorter trial is a better strategy for them. And no one seems to be breaking.

Take a listen to Chuck Schumer earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHUMER: So far Senator McConnell and President Trump have come up with no good reason why there shouldn't be witnesses, why there shouldn't be documents. We don't know what the witnesses will say, we don't know what the documents -- how the documents will read. They might exonerate President Trump or they might further incriminate him. But the truth should come out on something as important as an impeachment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And while both parties seem to have really dug in their heels on this issue of what this trial would look like, we did hear from the vice president's chief of staff, Mike Short, earlier today and he said that he thinks that a deal could actually be made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC SHORT, CHIEF OF STAFF FOR VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: I'm quite confident that this position is untenable and she's going to move it along, and that Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell will reach a deal on how it's going to proceed in the Senate.

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: So you think that she'll eventually give in.

SHORT: She will yield. There's no way she can hold this position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And I just want to correct myself there, it's actually Marc Short, not Mike like I said. But basically where we are at the end of the day is that there are so many unknowns. This is only the third president to have been impeached. They're really an unchartered territory and now all of this with a Congress that is not back in session until early January.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kristen Holmes, a wait-and-see game for sure. Appreciate it.

All right, let's talk more about all this right now. Let's go to political reporter Jeremy Herb in Washington.

So, Jeremy, let's talk about these e-mails and the timing right now and the involvement of Michael Duffey who is one of the four that the Democrats would like as a witness called in the U.S. Senate. So talk to me about the significance and the timing of all of this.

JEREMY HERB, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Fred. These e-mails potentially are significant and that they give us new details about exactly how this aid was held up as the president's call with the Ukrainian call was ongoing. Now, we're getting these e-mails now because a judge ordered them turned over to the Center for Public Integrity following a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

And what these e-mails show, while they are redacted, they show that Michael Duffey sent an e-mail less than two hours after the call had occurred between the two presidents the morning of July 25th. In these e-mails, Duffey said, "Given the sensitive nature of the request, I appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know to execute direction."

And what he's doing here is he's ordering the aid to be withheld while suggesting that this is a sensitive matter well before anyone in the public knew what was going on. Now the White House Budget Office says it's reckless to tie the withholding of the aid to the president's phone call saying that one e-mail pulling the line out is misleading and inaccurate.

Now we do know already the timeline here but what this e-mail does is kind of fills in the broad contours. On July 18th, a week before the call, the Trump administration told its agencies that the aid was going to be withheld but it was this day, the morning of the call of July 25th where the actual order has gone down.

And we don't really know is the context for how that happened. And so we've -- this obviously gives us a little more color into what Michael Duffey who executed that order was thinking, but he's defied a House subpoena to testify during the House's impeachment inquiry.

[16:05:08]

Now of course he's a key topic for the Senate as their trial potentially begins in January. Now what you want to look for when the Senate comes back in January is what do the moderate Republican senators do? Because you're going to need 51 votes in the Senate to get any witness to come in, whether it's a Democratic witness or a Republican witness. So the ones to watch are the moderates who might break with the Senate Republican leader -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Herb, thank you so much. Lots of thinking going on during their holiday break.

So the date of the upcoming impeachment trial might be in limbo, but the House has passed two articles of impeachment for the Senate to deliberate. Now the heart of the trial will be the allegations that the president withheld that aid to Ukraine in order to get that country's president to investigate President Trump's political rival.

Earlier today on CNN, Missouri Senator Roy Blunt dodged a question about the president's actions on Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: So you don't think that the House made its case. But let's just talk about some of the -- one of the basic things, which is the president asking a foreign country, the leader of a foreign country to investigate a man who is a political rival of his. Is that appropriate?

SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-MO): Well, at the same time you had the attorney general asking leaders of other countries to help them look into the 2016 elections. Whether it's appropriate or not --

BASH: Which is to benefit the United States. This is a specific ask, specifically about his political opponent. So do you feel that that's appropriate?

BLUNT: Well, the president and the secretary of State and the retired lieutenant general who's a foreign policy adviser all feel like that call was within the bounds of --

BASH: What do you think? What does Roy Blunt think?

BLUNT: You know, I think I've never been very happy with any of the Ukraine decisions since the Russians invaded Crimea. We told President Obama in December of 2015 to provide lethal aid, which he never did. You know, I've never been happy with the way any of this has been handled regarding Ukraine.

BASH: So --

BLUNT: And we're trying to do what we can now to be helpful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, with me now Julian Zelizer, a historian and professor of Princeton University and a CNN political analyst. Toluse Olorunnipa is a White House reporter for the "Washington Post" and a CNN political analyst.

Good to see you both. Happy Holidays.

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you. Happy Holidays, Fred.

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to be here.

WHITFIELD: All right, so, Julian, you first. Senator Roy Blunt, you know, was not answering the question that was being asked. Does that exemplify a struggle that some individuals have on trying to either explain publicly or decipher publicly what is at the core of these impeachment articles and why?

ZELIZER: Well, absolutely. The Republicans have generally not answered the question that was being asked there. When asked about the substance of what President Trump has done, they turn the agenda to something else. They're in that case talking about President Obama or talking about other investigations that were going on. And so ultimately I think Republicans have decided we just won't answer that question and that's the way in which we'll justify whatever kind of comes next in the way we support the president. WHITFIELD: And Toluse, now that there is this CNN reporting of these

e-mails, this chain involving, you know, Michael Duffey of OMB, and that the withholding of funds came just, you know, of aid came just an hour and a half after the call with the -- with two presidents of Ukraine and the United States and then it showed the timeline of when the money was eventually released as a result of the whistleblower complaint.

How does this assist Democrats who were saying we want witnesses to be called during this Senate trial? How much more difficult does this make it for Republicans to say no, no need to hear from witnesses?

OLORUNNIPA: This definitely helps Democrats make the case that if you want to know all of the facts, if you want to know what actually happened, if you want to get to the bottom of what happened with the withholding of aid and the phone call, then you would hear from everyone who was involved in the process, including Michael Duffey who now shows up on these e-mails indicating that he was involved in directing the Pentagon to hold this money right after President Trump had this phone call.

It makes it harder for Republicans to defend their process of saying we don't want to have any witnesses, we don't want to look further into this. It looks like they're just sort of covering their eyes and blocking their ears and saying we believe the president. We don't need to look at the actual evidence. We don't to hear from the people who are involved. And it does make it harder for Republicans to defend the president on the substance if they're trying to block the actual substance from coming forward in a trial.

And I think it will push Senator Schumer to try to push harder against Republicans and say that if we're going to have this trial, if we're going to come up with some sort of agreement bipartisan to push forward a trial, then we need to make sure that we're hearing from the people who have the actual evidence.

[16:10:08]

And these e-mails show that Michael Duffey is one of those people who was intricately involved in this process. And Democrats definitely want to hear from him. Some Republicans may want to hear from him as well. And whether they can reach some agreement will be key to determining what the trial will look like in January.

WHITFIELD: And, Julian, this two-week holiday break gives a lot of lawmakers a little extra time to, you know, do some thinking and reflecting. And, you know, former Republican Arizona senator Jeff Flake did a lot of reflecting and he wrote in "The Washington Post" that, you know, in his view many have a lot at stake in this impeachment proceeding, especially the president, and "Flake writes, you know, "President Trump is on trial but in a very real sense so are you. And so is the political party to which we belong."

And he goes on to talk about, you know, the constitutional, you know, duty of impartiality and he talks about the oath of office. So, you know, Julian, is this holiday season going to serve as time, you know, for some of these lawmakers to either reconsider, you know, reassess, hear from their constituents? Might it actually change any of their thinking on their strategy moving forward in this impeachment?

ZELIZER: I wouldn't bet any money on that. I think the fact this is coming from Senator Flake who's been very eloquent, but when he was in office he didn't really cause many problems for the president and ultimately was pretty loyal to the administration is very telling. And I think at this point in 2019/20, we see where the Republican Party is. This is about preserving partisan power and they are not budging from that position.

So Flake might be right about the long term but that's not how Senate Republicans see it. They're not going to go back to their states and change their position. And I expect there won't be a lot of introspection and come 2020 they'll be in exactly the same place.

WHITFIELD: And Toluse, you know, while the impeachment is kind of on the front burners, on the back burners is, you know, a real building of the president's legacy in the judiciary. I mean, while this week he was being -- the vote for impeachment was taking place, this Republican-led Senate confirmed an additional 13 district court judges.

When you look at the last 13 years, the president has installed 187 judges on the federal bench, including of course two Supreme Court justices. Listen to the president yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This week we confirmed 13 more highly qualified, brilliant federal judges to interpret the laws written.

(CHEERS)

TRUMP: Bringing the total to 187 federal judges right now. 187. Including two great Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. They always say judges are the most important thing a president can do.

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): I went to the floor of the Senate. I was the only member of the Senate sitting on the floor and listened carefully to what Senator McConnell said the other day and it was very clear to me. He's made up his mind. He's not interested in evidence. He's not interested in the facts. He wants to get this over with and move on to the appointment of more federal judges.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, Toluse, is that the legacy that the president has been focusing on as well as the Senate majority leader?

OLORUNNIPA: Yes, you ask a lot of times why all of these Republicans are willing to stick by the president, even though he does things that are not in line with their thinking or not in line on what you would expect from a commander in chief. He tweets all the time. But when you look at these judges, when you look at the conservative judges that he's put on the courts, that's something that all Republicans generally rally behind.

They support him on that because he's been able to do that and it is going to be something that outlasts this president. So you do see some Republicans holding their nose and not speaking out against the president because they want him to continue following Republican orthodoxy. This is something who came from left field and entered into the political atmosphere. And Republicans are overjoyed that he is continuing with their legacy when it comes to appointing judges.

And they don't want to do anything that would maybe convince him not to continue with that process. So I think he has been able to keep the Republican Party behind him in part because on a couple of issues, including on judges, he's been very much a traditional conservative and he's put a lot of judges on the courts. And Republicans are happy about that and they're willing to give him a pass on a number of different issues in part because of this issue.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Gentlemen, thank you so much. Toluse Olorunnipa, Julian Zelizer, have a great holiday season.

ZELIZER: Thank you. Happy Holidays.

OLORUNNIPA: You too.

WHITFIELD: Happy Holidays.

All right, still ahead, new developments in the case against the wife of a U.S. diplomat accused of killing this British teenager. What that boy's family is doing to ensure that she faces justice.

Plus, a toxic green slime is found oozing on to a Michigan highway?

[16:15:02]

What is that? And what's being done to clean it up?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. Britain is pushing ahead with its extradition efforts against an American woman who has been charged in the U.K. with killing an English teenager in a traffic accident. The family of Harry Dunn met today with the U.K. Home secretary to discuss the possibility of getting Anne Sacoolas back to England to face justice.

Sacoolas is charged with driving the wrong way and fatally hitting Harry Dunn's motorcycle in October. Sacoolas is the wife of a U.S. diplomat. She claimed immunity and fled England shortly after the crash. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says his government is pushing the U.S. at every level in the case but as Mark Bolton reports, there are many factors at work in this case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MARK BOLTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Highest members of the U.K. government, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, are combining their political influence in an attempt to bring back to the U.K. U.S. citizen Anne Sacoolas after Crown and Prosecution Service in the U.K. charged her with death by dangerous driving on Friday.

It's a charge that has a jail sentence potentially of up to 14 years. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already said he will push every level of the U.S. government that he can to see that extradition goes through.

[16:20:04]

Foreign Secretary Dominic Robb spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday when he reiterated the fact he felt Sacoolas that she should be made to return. And on Sunday, Home Secretary Priti Patel who will ultimately take the decision as to whether or not extradition proceedings go through met with the family to reassure them all was being done to see that justice will be done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRITI PATEL, U.K. HOME SECRETARY: I'm very grateful to the Dunn family today for making the time to meet and (INAUDIBLE) private meeting with them and it's very, very difficult in terms of what they're going through right now. All our sympathies and thoughts are with them. And for me it was a nice opportunity really to hear from them obviously about what they've been experiencing, what they've been going through and to reassure them as well obviously of what has been a very, very difficult and traumatic time for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLTON: Harry Dunn's mom was too emotional to attend that meeting but through a spokesman, his father said he felt very assured now this would be resolved through the rule of law. He was also told that Prime Minister Boris Johnson wanted to meet the family at Downing Street in the new year.

And big political backing is key here for the Dunn family if they're to get the justice they seek. Because ultimately it will come down to Priti Patel as Home secretary to decide whether or not formal extradition proceedings are put forward to the U.S. State Department if, of course, the request lands on her desk.

As for the criminal charge itself, Harry Dunn's mom said it was a crucial part of seeking justice and part of the promise she made to her son that she would get that after his death. But the U.S. State Department said they felt it was disappointing this charge was brought forward and said it was unhelpful. They said they feared it wouldn't help reach a clear resolution to the case.

And as for that conversation between Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State, Michael Robb and Mike Pompeo, the U.S. side of things said that no new situation had emerged from the discussion that they'd had. The question is, are the U.K. government by going so full force on

this backing themselves into a corner? How much political clout do they have, especially now, at a time when they need friends with regard to trade? Brexit looms, the transition period ends at the end of 2020. And as the U.K. seeks out a free trade agreement, they need the U.S. on the side.

Mark Bolton, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Up next, a cancerous, dangerous green slime seen oozing on to a Michigan highway. We'll talk about an environmental official to finding out more, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:26:44]

WHITFIELD: All right, just in to CNN, Virginia state police say 51 people were injured in that massive chain-reaction accident in eastern Virginia. They're also reporting that 69 vehicles were involved in the crash on Interstate 64 outside of Richmond because of foggy, icy conditions earlier this morning. No deaths have been reported.

This huge accident scene forcing authorities to close both sides of the interstate for several hours. The eastbound lanes were opened up a short time ago.

And a disturbing discovery outside Detroit, Michigan. Green slime oozing on an interstate. And officials say it contains the chemical hexavalent chromium which is often used in dyes and paints, and it's also known to cause cancer and poses serious risks to the body. It was the centerpiece toxic chemical at the heart of that movie "Erin Brockovich."

Jill Greenberg is with Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. She's joining me right now.

Good to see you. All right. First off, I mean, this is a toxic chemical. How did it get there? Why is it oozing on the highway, interstate?

JILL GREENBERG, MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, GREAT LAKES AND ENERGY: Well, we are looking into that right now. It appears to be connected to a nearby business and the liquid seems to have migrated down the embankment to where we found it.

WHITFIELD: OK. And has anyone come into contact with it? I mean, we know now that you can't drive on that highway, but what have been the dangers to people, animals, anything?

GREENBERG: Right. Our hazmat team has determined that there's no imminent risk to the public and there has been no impact upon air and drinking water. As long as you don't touch it, you should be fine. WHITFIELD: OK. As we're looking at that video we should say a

portion of that highway has been closed off but you do see vehicles going by. So then how do you go about cleaning this up, stopping it from doing any more, you know, potential damage?

GREENBERG: Well, so far we have cleaned out the catch basins and the sewers. In addition to that, we have set up a sump system in the basement of the facility to move the water to an on-site storage tank. But that's really just a short-term solution. EPA and EGLE are working together to look at what's going on and to come up with something for the long term.

WHITFIELD: So when you look at this image, and this is the only image I have, you know, to see this point of view, it appears as though, you know, it's coming from the ground or, you know, on the other side of that barrier there where you don't see any structures. You see, you know, land. So is it your concern that it is permeating through the soil, through what appears to be that brush on the other side of that embankment?

GREENBERG: Yes. We have determined that the liquid has significantly impacted that bank, so we are looking and teaming with our partners at the EPA and the Madison Heights Fire Department to look at next steps on how to remediate the situation.

WHITFIELD: So how urgent of a matter is this? What do you say to people who might be concerned about their health, whether they're passing it by, you know, in the cars or whether they should be concerned at all in nearby communities, whether that gets into groundwater --

[16:30:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All who might be concerned about their health whether they're passing it by in the cars or whether they should be concerned at all in nearby communities, whether that gets into ground water, et cetera.

JILL GREENBERG, MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT: Well, it's a significant issue and we at EGLE are very concerned for protecting the environment and public health. And we will continue to partner with our fellow agencies to make sure that we can find a safe resolution to the situation.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jill Greenberg with the Michigan Department of Environment, thank you so much for your time and all the best in the cleanup and the safe removal of that toxic matter. Appreciate it.

GREENBERG: Thanks for having me. WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi facing new attacks as Republican Senators demand a speedy senate trial. How much power does the speaker actually have during this impeachment process?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:35:00]

WHITFIELD: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is under fire today for refusing to send the articles of impeachment to the U.S. Senate. GOP Senator Lindsey Graham is now calling the decision unconstitutional.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: She's taking a wrecking ball to the constitution. This is the latest in a series of constitutional train wrecks orchestrated by Nancy Pelosi.

During the impeachment process, the president was not allowed to have counsel presenting during the intel committee. He could not call witnesses on his behalf. He could not confront his accuser. And now that he's been charged with two articles of impeachment, Nancy Pelosi is denying the president his day in the court in the senate. And she's actually trying to tell Mitch McConnell how to run the senate. She's trampling on the separation of powers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHIFIELD: Here with me now, Elliot Williams, former counsel to senate judiciary democrats and a CNN legal analyst. Elliot, good to see you.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, FORMER COUNSEL TO SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Of course.

WHITFIELD: All right. Senator Lindsey Graham has been in Congress a really long time. What he just said, is that right, that it's unconstitutional for Pelosi to take this amount of time. They only impeached him, the president, what, four days ago. And is it unconstitutional that she is abusing her powers?

WILLIAMS: Well, on your first point, he has been in Congress a long time, so long that he's largely changed his tune on impeachment. He, if you remember, was one of the impeachment managers that impeached President Bill Clinton. And so, let's take a lot of this with a grain of salt and a lot of this as the political theater that we see when every one of these things comes up.

Now, quick -- remember the 1970's "Schoolhouse Rock"? Quick little lesson about how these things work. Bills start -- can start in the House like any legislation. They get passed and they move over to the senate, right? But they could die in the House. It's not automatic. And impeachment to some extent is like that.

The House passed articles of impeachment, but they don't necessarily have to send them over to the senate. Now, obviously, the Speaker has an enormous political pressure and incentive to do so. And eventually, I think, she should or perhaps even will.

But the idea that the mere fact that the House has passed articles of impeachment does not mean that they automatically have to go over to the senate. And Senator Graham knows that. I think again, a lot of this is political theater and a lot of this is pointing fingers at the Speaker.

WHITFIELD: And there might be an objective to simply confuse people about it because he and House Speaker Pelosi would probably go toe to toe, you know, on knowing the rules and knowing, you know, the sequence of events that are supposed to happen and they both would be able to compare their notes on that.

So, let's switch gears a little bit if I could, then, on these newly released e-mails from a White House official, an official with OMB, Michael Duffey. And it highlights the sequence of the withholding of aid to Ukraine as a result of the phone call between the two presidents, the United States and Ukraine.

And then, so there's like a 90-minute gap apparently after the phone call was made. And then suddenly, you know, the withholding of aid. So, is this ammunition now for Democrats to make their case that they want to hear from witnesses in a senate trial if indeed there is a senate trial?

WILLIAMS: You know, absolutely, it's ammunition. So, a few things about it, number one, these are heavily redacted e-mails and we should be careful without the full context of what they said because we don't know, you don't know, I don't know.

Now, at the same time, under the best of circumstances, what these e- mails show or raise are questions about the process that happened in the White House at a minimum. At a maximum, what they show is corroboration of what we saw over weeks and weeks of testimony, what we saw through House articles of impeachment which is ultimately that the president conditioned foreign aid on the opening of investigations.

And what this is lawyers call it circumstantial evidence. It's proof that helps fill in the gaps that make it abundantly clear that there was a direct tie between the action taken by OMB, the office of management and budget, and the president and the holding -- withholding of that aid.

WHITFIELD: So, does this add to any pressure now being exerted on the senate majority leader?

WILLIAMS: Yes, absolutely. So, Michael Duffey is the individual whose e-mails were in question here. And this is one of the people, if you recall, that Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, specifically asked to have come in and testify.

So, this raises or elevates the volume around the calls for Duffey to testify. And frankly, it compounds the fact that in the House a number of people from the White House connected to the president just never came to testify. And frankly, the president was -- there was an article of impeachment for obstruction of Congress on the basis of not sending people like Michael Duffey to testify. So, absolutely, the fact that we now have e-mails for him makes the case even clearer that he ought to come in and speak to the senate.

[16:40:02]

WHITFIELD: All right, Elliot Williams, thank you so much. Happy holidays to you.

WILLIAMS: As always. Happy holidays to you. Take care.

WHITFIELD: Thanks for coming in again.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Right now in Iowa, with just 43 days to go until the first in the nation caucus, a slew of 2020 presidential hopefuls, including Senators Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bennet, Cory Booker, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Former Vice President Joe Biden all storming the battleground state.

Biden just wrapping up an event in Atlantic, Iowa as he winds down on a two-day bus tour. And that's where we find CNN political reporter Arlette Saenz. So, Arlette, what has the message been?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Fred, Joe Biden tried to bring his pitch here to Iowans to convince them why he is the best choice to be the democratic nominee.

One thing that he spoke about is the need for unity in this country. Talking about how bipartisan consensus is going to be a way forward. Even if republicans and democrats disagree with each other, he does find it important that the two parties work together in order to unite the country.

[16:45:03]

And Biden also did touch on the issue of impeachment, addressing the House's vote to impeach President Trump earlier this week. Take a listen to what he had to tell voters here in Atlantic, Iowa, a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fact is that it's really hard in the country, the impeachment. There's nothing -- there's nothing to celebrate about it. There's nothing to celebrate about when the nation goes through an impeachment process. It really is a reflection of at least the concern of thought of failure in our system. And the rest of the world looks at this and wonders what's going on.

But in this case, don't get me wrong, Donald Trump has brought this on himself. He indicted himself on the White House lawn when he said, we're left no choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, Biden here was stressing, as he has in the past, that while the House and Senate would be focused on impeachment proceedings, it is his goal to make the case to voters that they need to defeat President Trump, that he's their best option to do so.

He told voters here in Atlanta that it's time to give Donald Trump his walking papers. Now, Biden is still leading in national polls here in Iowa. It's a bit of different picture but he's going to be spending a lot of time here in January as we are 43 days out to the caucus. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Arlette Saenz, thank you so much.

All right. It was a reunion 35 years in the making. Eddie Murphy makes his triumphant return to "Saturday Night Live" and he brings back many of his most iconic characters. More coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:50:16]

WHITFIELD: All right. Legendary comedian, Eddie Murphy, does not disappoint in his long-awaited return to "Saturday Night Live."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDDIE MURPHY, ACTOR: Who is America's dad now? It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor. Could you be mine? Would you be mine? I think I just made a lot of bad choices. I don't mean with the cake. I mean like in general in my life. I just made lots of bad choices in my life.

AIDY BRYANT, ACTRESS: And why is it brown, Mitch?

MURPHY: I don't know. Why is anything brown?

How come your damn sister couldn't host?

RACHEL DRATCH, ACTRESS: Because my sister's house is a dump, Daniel.

MURPHY: You know I've got to pay for all this damn food? Oh, hell no.

As I have always said, this house is happier when it's full.

Get out the bathroom!

Ooh baby, (inaudible) that thing in the mirror I know.

They know who the hell it is. I'm Gumby, damn it! Look at this leg. Look at this leg. Yes, I found this laying down on the ground (inaudible) was popping elves in their mouth like Skittles, not even chewing, swallowing elves whole, pointed shoes and all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And that's just a tiny synopsis. Joining me right now, Nischelle Turner, the co-host of "Entertainment Tonight" and CNN contributor and Pete Dominick, a comedian and host of "Stand Up! with Pete Dominick" podcast. Good to see you both. I see you smiling the whole time while you were watching the clip again.

Nischelle, what was your point of view on return to some familiar characters, much different time but the same place?

NISCHELLE TURNER, "ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT" HOST, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. Listen, we wanted Eddie, we got Eddie. That's exactly what happened last night. We wanted the classics, we got the classics with some updated, you know, sketches. But I thought it was everything --

WHITFIELD: And in that moment right there that we're looking at too, you know, I mean other comedians who came --

TURNER: Oh, legendary.

WHITFIELD: -- Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, I mean essentially saying, hey, Eddie Murphy, you kind of opened the door here --

TURNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- at SNL for them to soar. How important was that?

TURNER: Well, not just in -- not just at SNL, but the mainstream comedy in a lot of ways. So, when you look at that picture and you have Tracy Morgan, Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Kenan Thompson all on the stage at one time that image is burned into my mind forever. It was a beautiful moment.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So, Pete, that was -- that was the unexpected. I mean, I guess there was an expectation that he would revisit some of those classic characters from SNL 35 years ago, which he did. But that kind of opening introduction, reintroduction of Eddie Murphy, how important, for you as a comic too, to see other comics who have made huge careers, made big marks, come back and embrace Eddie like that and, you know, pay homage, to him so to speak?

PETE DOMINICK, COMEDIAN, HOST "STAND UP! WITH PETE DOMINICK" PODCAST: It was absolutely amazing. I was performing last night at Gotham Comedy Club. I was in the lineup with three other comedians, all of which were black comedians. I mean, it doesn't matter your ethnicity. If you're a comedian, if you're in comedy, Eddie Murphy is one of the kings.

One night, I was at the Comedy Cellar in New York City where Chris Rock was performing and Dave Chappelle walked in the comedy club. And Chris Rock saw Dave Chappelle and said, ladies and gentlemen, the greatest comedian of all time. And Rock introduced Dave Chappelle. And then, Chappelle talked about Eddie Murphy. Of course, there is this kind of torch passing from prior to Murphy to Chris Rock to Chappelle and so many other comedians I mean. But I also saw comedian, Jo Koy, who's a Filipino last night. He's a huge comic now saying Eddie Murphy is the reason why I got into comedy.

So many comedians were tweeting that and talking about how much of an influence he was. But it's a huge risk for Eddie Murphy to go back and recreate those characters --

WHIFIELD: Yes.

DOMINICK: -- because what if it doesn't go well.

WHITFIELD: Exactly.

DOMINICK: Everybody thinks it went really well, guys.

WHITFIELD: And, you know, Nischelle, we talked yesterday about, you know, kind of the pressure. Is this Eddie Murphy who is going to be Eddie Murphy of 35 years ago? Is it applicable because comedy that, you know, may have been embraced then, the way in which it was delivered may not sit well with audiences today? So, how did you see him handling it, you know, Mr. Robinson's gentrification?

TURNER: Right.

WHIFIELD: How did you see that applying to today's audiences?

TURNER: Yes. I think that's what you saw. You saw the classics that he made relevant to today. So, what he did was take those sketches and, you know, wrap them around today's topics.

One sketch I was surprised to see him do and actually talked to him about this before was Velvet Jones. And I asked him specifically because Velvet Jones is a pimp and had the book "I Want To Be A Ho". And so, I thought, in today's climate, can that work. Would you do that? And he said that was tricky.

I was very surprised to see him do it last night. I thought it was hilarious. I know he stumbled a little bit in that sketch. But I just thought he picked all the right notes.

[16:55:08]

WHITFIELD: OK. And Pete, I'm sorry. Somebody was in my ear so I couldn't hear you. Stop talking. I was trying to listen to Nischelle.

TURNER: I can still talk (inaudible).

WHITFIELD: You know where I'm coming from (ph).

TURNER: What else do you need, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. So Pete, let's go back to that moment. And what was said. I mean I think you kind of felt the brotherly love, did you not, you know, when Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, all of them up there on stage. Let's watch and listen again.

DOMINICK: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRACY MORGAN, ACTOR: Welcome home, big homey (ph).

MURPHY: Yes, it's good to be here.

MORGAN: You know, I wouldn't miss this show for all the team (ph) Arizona.

MURPHY: Chris Rock, what are you doing here?

CHRIS ROCK, ACTOR: Come on, man. I wouldn't miss this for the world. My kids love Lizzo.

DAVE CHAPPELLE, STAND-UP COMEDIAN, ACTOR: (Inaudible). I followed your blueprint for my entire career.

MURPHY: Did you?

CHAPPELLE: Yes. I became the biggest star in television and then I quit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, Pete, you know, kind of put yourself in the shoes of Eddie Murphy or any of the other comics up there about what that moment must have felt like, you know, to deliver that, you know, the anxiety leading up to it and then that moment happens?

DOMINICK: You know, I'd love to put myself in the shoes of Eddie Murphy. I think they probably cost more than everything that I own, ladies. But I think that seeing those four up there last night was probably -- that was probably photographed.

That everybody was taking a picture of their television screen. I mean, I always take pictures of every time I'm on CNN. But everybody was taking a picture of all those comedians. There's a real solidarity amongst comedians, you know, across gender and ethnic lines.

But to see those four black comics on stage like that, these trailblazers, and Kenan Thompson as well on all of which he were on "Saturday Night Live" but Dave Chappelle, it was a really unique and special and magic moment in this world that we live in with all this divisiveness. I think it was a unifying moment for entertainment and for politics. Everybody loved it. It was amazing.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it was something else.

TURNER: Yes. And they mentioned -- I thought it was funny. They said this is half a Netflix budget up here on Wednesday. It was really good. But think about all the other comics and the players in "Saturday Night Live" who got to act with Eddie Murphy last night. I mean, what a night for them too. WHITFIELD: Yes. It was incredible. And while he's been away from SNL, he's been busy. And he's got more productions coming up -- at least two movies coming to America.

TURNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: You know, part two --

DOMINICK: And ten kids.

WHITFIELD: -- that's coming up. Yes, and ten kids. Oh, yeah, he's busy. He's busy. All right, Nischelle Turner, Pete Dominick, good to see you. Thank you so much and thank you everybody for being with me this weekend.

DOMINICK: Thanks, Fred.

TURNER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Much more straight ahead right after this.

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