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Bloomberg Team Responses To Report Prisoners Made Campaign Calls; Two Evangelical Publications: One Takes Pro-Trump Stance, Other Calls Out Trump For His "Immoral Words, Behavior"; Bethlehem Awaits Christmas With Parades, Carolling, Midnight Mass; Trump Rips Impeachment But Says McConnell Will Do What He Wants. Aired 2.30-3p ET

Aired December 24, 2019 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

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JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: It is breaking news now from the campaign trail. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg's team is responding to a report his campaign employed prisoners to make calls for the candidate. CNN Politics and Business Correspondent Christina Alesci is joining us now. Christina, walk us through these allegations. What are they saying?

CHRISTINA ALESCI, CNN POLITICS AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Busy day at Blumberg campaign head quarters for sure. And what they're trying to do right now is damage control and explain the situation apparently this was a vendor that the campaign had hired. That vendor went to a subcontract who hired a call centre subcontractor to go out and make calls for the campaign.

That company is called Procom, and it used imprisoned people to make calls. I believe the one prison was out of Oklahoma, and they used incarcerated people. They disclosed when they made those calls, the people making them that they were making them on behalf of the campaign but did not disclose that they were prisoners.

Now Mike Bloomberg issued a statement that essentially did not attack the press, but tried to clear things up saying earlier today a news outlet reported that prison workers were being used by a subcontractor to make telephone calls on behalf of my campaign. I am not attacking the news the story was fundamentally accurate. We only learned about this when the reporter called us but as soon as we discovered which vendor's subcontractor had done this we immediately ended our relationship with the company and the people who hired them.

So again the Bloomberg campaign trying to dismiss any notion that they directly did this that this was sort of two layers down from them surely this is not the kind of story you want associated or anyone being confused by the story, which is really the challenge for them going forward.

DEAN: Right. It want to put that distance in between the two. How is the Bloomberg campaign going? He is up on the air and so many of these states and it seems like that they're really putting a lot of money, resources into ads versus going - skipping the early states?

ALESCI: He is skipping the early states. And it is a risky untested strategy, as you know. We'll have to see. What they are trying to do is run a general election campaign during the primary by spending a lot of money, introducing voters outside of New York. One of the things that's really challenging for Bloomberg is that he's really widely liked in New York, and New York can be a little bit of a bubble.

DEAN: Sure.

ALESCI: In the sense that, know, it's not representative of the rest of the country.

DEAN: Yes.

[14:35:00]

ALESCI: It's challenging from that standpoint to hear such great accolades in New York but then to go outside and hear people say, Bloomberg who? What?

DEAN: What did you do?

ALESCI: Right.

DEAN: You got to sell yourself all over again.

ALESCI: New Yorkers know his story. New Yorkers know he's a self-made billionaire but the rest of the country doesn't at a time when the other Democratic candidates some of them are attacking billionaires saying that they shouldn't be in the race. Saying they shouldn't be buying elections. All of this may hurt him as he's trying to introduce himself, you know, as someone who is self-made but at the same time, you have these attacks saying billionaires shouldn't be buying it.

DEAN: Buying in and buying their 5 percent.

ALESCI: Yes.

DEAN: All right. Christina Alesci thanks so much for the update.

ALESCI: Thanks for having me.

DEAN: Evangelical are rallying around the President after a prominent Christian Magazine called for him to be removed from office. We're going to ask one faith leader why Trump has their unwavering support.

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[14:40:00]

DEAN: Divisions within the evangelical fold over President Trump are deepening. The latest sign of discord editor at the Christian post his quit. Matt Newsworth tweeted he is leaving because of the post "Decided to publish an editorial that positions them on team Trump" He added that Christian post has "Chosen to represent a narrow and shrinking slice of Christianity"

Reverend Tony Suarez is the Executive Vice President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. He is also a member of the President's Evangelical Advisory Board and one of the nearly 200 evangelical leaders who signed a letter criticizing last week's "Christianity Today" op-ed and expressing their support for President Trump.

Reverent Suarez thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate you coming on.

REVEREND TONY SUAREZ, SIGNED LETTER SLAMMING "CHRISTIANITY TODAY" OP- ED AGAINST TRUMP: Thank you for having me.

DEAN: A lot to talk about. Let's first listen to the Editor-In-Chief of "Christianity Today" telling my colleague Brooke Baldwin about why he felt moved to write that op-ed calling for President Trump's removal from office. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK GALLI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, CHRISTIANITY TODAY: And a lot people who disagree with my editorial are good friends who can remain convicted that the balance between the things Trump can do for the things we care about, prolife, religious freedom and the, his questionable moral character, all things that can be weighed in the balance and in good conscience can vote for the President.

For me the impeachment hearings were that moment that said to me the balance argument doesn't work anymore. I love my sisters and brothers that take that point of view. I'm trying to say I don't think it holds water anymore and it's time to think about this whole situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Reverend Suarez, I want to ask you do you think there's room for criticism of President Trump within the evangelical community.

SUAREZ: I think there's room for constructive criticism of any person. The issue with Mark's editorial is that it vilified not just the President but those of us that have supported and have voted for President Trump. All of us have a difference of opinion, but the steps taken by "Christianity Today" are unprecedented, and we felt like it was an unfair attack against those of are us has worked together.

Mark's right. We're friend. We've sat in rooms together. We've been in conferences together, but he attacked not just the President or a campaign, but a people group that stand behind the President because of what he's done to protect life, religious liberty and biblical justice.

DEAN: And so you feel like you were attacked in that, the people that you know were attacked in that same Op-ed?

SUAREZ: Oh, absolutely. I feel like Evangelical Advisory Board was attacked and anyone that who has voted for President Trump. He didn't just - he didn't just call out his concerns with the President. He vilified an entire evangelical movement and for what it's worth, I think that those that agree with Mark Galli are in an extreme minority within the evangelical community.

And furthermore, Mark waited until two weeks before his retirement to even write this article. So he - you know, he fires the shot, if you will, and then gets to ride off into the sunset while those of us that remain in the fight, if the will, have to live with the repercussions of such article.

It doesn't look like "Christianity Today" is backing downing. Their President released another article yesterday in essence defending the Editorial by mark. So apparently and very disappointingly, this is the stance that I guess the entire magazine is taking. It's not just the opinion of one man but seems like all of "Christianity Today" or there some are call it Christianity Yesterday, have taken this stance.

DEAN: I want to kind of understand this, though, because Christians are called to model their lives after Jesus, his teachings love, kindness, empathy acting servant leaders meaning putting others before themselves. Some people do see evangelicals support of the President as hypocritical in that way that Christians are called and to lead a life one way to held one standard but the President seems to get a pass in some cases. So how do you square those teachings of Christianity with some of President Trump's behaviour?

SUAREZ: We have a respect for the office of the President of the United States. The President of the NHCLC, the organization where I served as Executive Vice President, has been an adviser for four different presidential administrations.

Billy Graham was an adviser to Presidential administrations going back I believe it was all the way to Eisenhower.

[14:45:00]

SUAREZ: Our role in that position is not - it's not a commitment to a man necessarily as it is an office. So we feel that while there is an opportunity to speak truth, to speak conviction, to be there, to be a moral compass if you will, we feel it's important to be in that room. There have been calls from certain people or individuals or institutions to leave the table, but how could we be an influence if we're not at the table?

There is a biblical story of a man named Zacchaeus who was hated among the towns' people if you will but Jesus went and visited his house. A conversation between Jesus and Zacchaeus led to a confession. I'm in no way saying that we are Jesus or that any entity is Zacchaeus but the opportunity to come to the table and have conversations can lead to good. We've done it in other administrations. Why wouldn't we do it in this one?

DEAN: And so I guess what I'm wondering about is in the "Christianity Today" Op-ed they were offering some of that criticism I know that you felt like it was an attack and that some people do see it that way. But I guess my question is if you're at the table, when do you use your voice, then? When do you push back?

SUAREZ: We pushed - we use our voice when we are with the man. I find no - I find no benefit to attacking the administration via social media. Again, the editorial did not just offer constructive criticism. It's calling for his impeachment. And the question remains, if you impeach the President, I think it was James Dobson who asked the question.

If you impeach President Trump then as evangelicals what are we asking for? And I know some would say, well, Vice President Pence would step into office but an impeachment of Donald Trump is impeaching - it would be an impeachment of a complete administration.

Those that are calling - those within the conservative evangelical movement which, again, I think are a very small minority that would be calling for his impeachment have to answer the question, what are they asking for? If we stand behind candidates that are pro right, religious liberty that, who then comes to the table if we impeach the man that at this point has done more for our values than any other President that we have in modern history?

DEAN: Reverend Tony Suarez I've got to the leave it there. I really do appreciate you coming on. Thanks so much.

SUAREZ: Thank you for having me.

DEAN: It is Christmas Eve in the holy land where a relic has been returned more than 1,000 years after it was sent to Rome. We're going to be live as Bethlehem celebrates.

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[14:50:00]

DEAN: Here in the U.S. Americans are anxiously awaiting the stroke of midnight to celebrate Christmas. Meantime, the city of Bethlehem is already marking the occasion this Christmas Eve with parades, music and religious services that begin in just a few hours. CNN's Oren Liebermann is joining us now from the celebrations.

Oren, beautiful behind you there?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONENT: Once the sun sets here they start turning on the lights around the church of the nativity. Here behind me, and it is burl and truly it is beautiful and it makes it a very joyous occasion here. Has it has been throughout the day.

Earlier today we saw parades in Christian schools and organizations marching through Manger Square to the church of nativity. Playing traditional Christmas songs and adding a festive almost a vibrant atmosphere to Manger Square here.

The crowd has thinned out a bit. They were calling for rain up until yesterday yet it turned out be a gorgeous day barely a cloud in the sky and certainly it is a bit chilly as we get towards midnight mass but that of course to be expected. We're just about two hours away from the mass which is very much the highlight of the evening.

As not only the Christian faithful come out but also the tourists who want to be a part of this occasion on what is a very special night here in Bethlehem.

DEAN: All right. Oren, that's amazing. Tell us a little bit about the story behind the holy relic that's return to Bethlehem after more than 1,000 years, was it in Rome?

LIEBERMANN: Yes, it was. More than 1,000 years. At least most of that time. It is certainly a neat and very meaningful addition to Manger Square here and the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve. So this is believed to be a holy relic. A small piece of wood about an inch long or so that's supposed to be a piece of the Manger of Jesus Christ.

It was taken from here, from the holy land in the seventh century and spent most of the intervening years and hundreds of years, in Rome. It returned here just three or four weeks ago in time for advent and of course in time for Christmas Eve. It's now inside the church of the nativity here behind me and it will be part of Christmas services in just a short time here. Jessica.

DEAN: Wow, something to see. All right, Oren Liebermann thanks so much. Enjoy your Christmas. Well, this time next week, ring in the New Year with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen. Two best friends, one epic night. "New Year's Eve Live" begins at 8:00 pm right here on CNN.

Well, Christmas gift promise by Kim Jong-Un in North Korea military officials say they're expecting a missile test. President Trump says he hopes it's a beautiful vase. Why he's down playing the threat.

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[14:55:00]

DEAN: Top of the hour and you are watching a special holiday edition of "CNN Newsroom." Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean in for Brooke Baldwin this afternoon. The day before Christmas President Trump goes from season's greetings to spewing grievances after a holiday video conference call thanking U.S. troops--