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Interview with Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA); Apple in Encryption Disagreement with Bill Barr over Pensacola Shooting; Meghan Markle Did Not Dial in for Meeting with Queen. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired January 14, 2020 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:30:20]
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Today, Iran says it has arrested several people for their role in the downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet that killed all 176 people on board, including children. The deadly crash has sparked massive anti-government protests in Tehran.
Iran's president says he is calling on, quote, "dozens of experts" to investigate the disaster and that the government will punish everyone it deems responsible for it.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: We also have new reporting this morning on the threat posed by Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, State Department security officials tell our Kylie Atwood they were not notified of any imminent threat to four specific U.S. embassies leading to his killing. This is after the President said on "Fox News," he believed Soleimani was going to attack four U.S. embassies.
Republican Congressman Austin Scott of Georgia is back with us, he sits on the Armed Services Committee. So thank you for being here, for coming back. We had to cut the interview short last week after the Secretary Of State was speaking, so thank you for being with me.
REP. AUSTIN SCOTT (R-GA): Thank you.
HARLOW: The President also said in a tweet overnight that the threat was imminent but then said, quote, "It didn't really matter, it doesn't really matter because of his" -- Soleimani's -- "horrible past." Do you agree? Does it not really matter if the threat is imminent, to justify taking him out?
SCOTT: Well, I think it was a good strike. He was a terrorist, he was one of the most wanted men across the globe, it was a strike that occurred in Iraq, where the President clearly had the legal authority to do it. And so I absolutely support the strike. And I don't know anybody who is questioning the President's decision to take him out up here.
Now, I understand that some people -- different interpretations of the word "imminent" with regard to the threats, but I would remind you that we had brought in additional Marines and security personnel to the Baghdad embassy, there were riots that were already going on outside of the Baghdad embassy. So we were already at a heightened state of awareness.
HARLOW: Well, the President said that Soleimani was plotting, he believed to attack four U.S. embassies. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, when asked about that on CBS over the weekend, said, quote, "I didn't see one with regard to four embassies."
You were briefed, you're on the Armed Services Committee. Did you -- were you briefed on a specific threat to four embassies?
SCOTT: I saw all of the reporting, I saw all of the reporting that's out there from Secretary Esper and what President Trump had to say. I will tell you, it was a good strike. The President made the right call --
HARLOW: But were you briefed on four specific embassies?
SCOTT: I believe there was an imminent threat to our embassies. I believe that that is the reason there were additional Marines that were brought in. If you look at the protests that were going on outside of the Baghdad embassy, there was a reason that additional security personnel were brought in to protect our bases.
HARLOW: So -- but that's a no on -- you didn't get a briefing of these four specific embassies, is that correct? Just so we can move on.
SCOTT: I'm not going to -- I'm not going to answer that question directly. I will tell you, I have seen -- I have seen various types of reports. But the thing I will tell you is that we don't bring additional Marines and security personnel into an embassy unless we believe that we have a threat there.
HARLOW: All right. Let's move on to the broader threat, right? And when an attack is warranted and needed and when it's not.
Because just over the weekend, on Saturday in Afghanistan, the Taliban claimed credit for an attack that killed two U.S. service members. Let me show you who they are: Staff Sergeant Ian McLaughlin and also Private First Class Miguel Angel Villalon.
The secretary of state said in response to that, that the Taliban is still, quote, "an enormous risk." But you know, as of November, the U.S. has re-started negotiations with the Taliban. Why take out Qasem Soleimani and yet negotiate for the Taliban who just killed two U.S. service members over the weekend?
SCOTT: Those are two totally separate issues. I will tell you --
HARLOW: Well --
SCOTT: -- that if -- if the Taliban wants to have serious negotiations, then they need to abide by the ceasefire, and then we can have serious negotiations. But I trust the President and the Secretary Of State and our military generals, leadership to negotiate in the best interest of our country and especially of our soldiers. HARLOW: Well, as of now, the U.S. is still -- the President has not
ceased those negotiations with the Taliban since these two American soldiers were killed. Should he as a result, then?
SCOTT: I trust him to make that decision. I will tell you that I would lean towards the side of not stopping the negotiations.
HARLOW: Let me move on to --
(CROSSTALK)
SCOTT: I would lean towards that side, but I trust President Trump to make the decision in the best interests of the country.
HARLOW: Let me ask you about impeachment before we move on --
[10:35:00]
SCOTT: Sure.
HARLOW: -- there was a discussion, a debate in your party on the Senate side about whether or not Republican senators should vote to immediately dismiss the impeachment trial of the President, right, to essentially not hold a Senate trial. Is that justified, is that a prudent move? Or do you think the American people should watch this play out?
SCOTT: I don't think they'll immediately dismiss it. It's up to the U.S. Senate at this stage. My understanding is Pelosi is going to send the articles over this week. It was a purely partisan process on the House side, we'll see what happens on the Senate side.
The comments that I've heard from senators are that if there are witnesses that are called, then certainly if the Democrats get to call their witnesses, then the Republicans will -- the President will get to call his witnesses as well.
And so those decisions will be made on the Senate side. And what I do think you'll see on the Senate side is a much more fair process, a more equitable process than you saw on the House side.
HARLOW: Let's see how it plays out. Those articles, going over to the Senate tomorrow. Finally, on a very important issue that we think doesn't get enough attention, and that is national debt and deficits. You've been outspoken on it --
SCOTT: Sure.
HARLOW: -- we just learned, yesterday, that the federal deficit topped $1 trillion last year. This, after the President promised in that "Washington Post" piece a few years ago, that he could eliminate the national debt in eight years.
You said, on your website, "Washington continues to spend at unsustainable levels" -- this was back in 2013 -- and you called out -- SCOTT: That's right.
HARLOW: -- President Obama's, quote, "unwillingness to address this." Are you willing to call out President Trump on the exact same thing?
SCOTT: I'm willing to call out the legislative branch and the executive branch on this. The bottom line is, the Social Security and the Medicare formulas, whether it's on the revenue side or the spending side, simply don't work. We're not taking in enough revenue on the tax side to pay for the expenditures on the expenditure side with regard to Social Security and Medicare.
So we have to find a path forward that fully funds Social Security and Medicare. And if I'm not mistaken, that deficit this year exceeds 100 percent of the spending on national security-related issues, and almost reaches the total discretionary spending numbers of the country.
HARLOW: Yes.
SCOTT: So we've got to find a path forward. This is a danger to all of us, regardless of what party you're a part of --
HARLOW: Wow.
SCOTT: -- and certainly as a dad, I've got a 20-year-old, a 4-year- old and a 2-year-old. I'm extremely concerned about the impact that it has on them.
HARLOW: Well, look, every vote for spending or tax cuts can, you know, you have to ask who's going to have the stomach to actually make the hard choices. And both parties, on this. Congressman Austin Scott, thanks for coming. We'll have you back soon.
SCOTT: Thank you, ma'am.
HARLOW: Appreciate it.
SCOTT: Thank you.
[10:37:47]
SCIUTTO: Well, the Justice Department today is accusing Apple of not doing enough to help in the investigation of a terror attack at a Florida naval base. Apple says that's not true. We're going to have the latest, next.
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HARLOW: All right. Attorney General Bill Barr says Apple will not unlock two iPhones that belong to the shooter in last month's deadly terror attack at that naval station, Pensacola. But Apple says it is fully cooperating with investigators.
SCIUTTO: You'll remember on December 6th, a Saudi air force cadet in Pensacola killed three U.S. sailors before then killing himself. CNN's Evan Perez joins us now with the latest.
And, Evan, I remember you and I dealing with this after the San Bernardino shooter --
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right.
SCIUTTO: -- where Apple, at the time, as well, also refused to unlock but the FBI, what? They got a hacker to do it for them. I mean, tell us why Apple's refusing and then what happens now.
PEREZ: Well, what happens now, Jim, is that the attorney general and the -- you know, the people at Apple are sort of at loggerheads, right? They're at a crossroads here because the FBI says that they've done as much as they can with the information they have.
Apple says that they've turned over gigabytes of information from the Cloud and other parts, other aspects of this shooter's accounts. But what they cannot do is get into the two iPhones that the FBI says they need Apple's help to break into.
At the heart of this is the issue of encryption, right? And the fact that Apple has created an encryption system that they say that they cannot themselves get into. And it exists for a reason, and that is to protect the privacy of customers.
The FBI says, well, we have a court order and we should be able to ask a tech company to be able to get into an iPhone or to their technology in order to satisfy that court order.
I'll read you what Apple has said as a result of all of this, this back-and-forth with the attorney general. Yesterday, they issued a statement, saying, "We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys. Backdoors can also be exploited by those who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers."
And obviously, what Apple is referring to there is the idea that the FBI or the government would require them to build some kind of system back door that would allow them to get into these phones. This is, you know, the ultimate tension between national security and your privacy. And you can see where this will end up, is probably --
SCIUTTO: Yes.
PEREZ: -- as you said, Jim, you know, some kind of third party's going to have to try to break into these phones.
SCIUTTO: And it matters to Apple customers, right? There are a lot of people who suspect, oh, the government has back doors and --
HARLOW: Yes.
SCIUTTO: -- it affects their buying choices.
PEREZ: Absolutely. HARLOW: And Tim Cook has held the same position for a very long time
on the issue of privacy, so you -- I can't see Apple changing its stance here. We'll watch. Evan, thank you very much.
[10:45:04]
PEREZ: Sure.
HARLOW: OK, to the royals -- top story for Jim --
SCIUTTO: Yes.
HARLOW: -- has a crisis been averted? Harry and Meghan will get to step back from their royal duties, looks like, but there are still some roadblocks on the way to their new life.
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HARLOW: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, moving part-time to Canada with the queen's blessing. This is not a done deal, though. Apparently after that meeting yesterday, some major details of this transition still need to be ironed out.
SCIUTTO: CNN royal correspondent Max Foster joins us now from London. And, Max, we're learning that Meghan did not call into this meeting as planned? Does that matter? And what happens now?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting. So we were told that she was going to be dialing in, and we all thought that was a bit odd. Can't really imagine a situation where the queen would be sitting around a table with someone dialing in from Canada. You know, the security implications there as well.
But ultimately, they didn't think it was necessary, the duke and duchess of Sussex. And Meghan didn't think it was necessary, which does suggest that they knew what they wanted going into this meeting, and ultimately they got it. And the queen actually didn't get what she wanted, which was them to continue as working royals.
So the Sussexes had a successful meeting. The question now, as you suggested, is how they make this workable. And a suggestion of that came from Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, who said they're in very early discussions about engagement -- i.e. what sort of public roles the Sussexes might want in Canada. And off the back of that, what that means for security costs for example, which are enormous for the Sussexes, which I'm sure the Canadian taxpayers will want a say on.
That whole process is very complicated. It'll take a lot of time and it's just an indication of how complicated this process will be, going forward. It's not simply -- it's not as simple as just stepping back from the royal family and moving to Canada.
SCIUTTO: Yes. A lot of open questions. Max Foster, thanks very much.
Back here at home, LSU has capped its dream season with a win over Clemson to clinch the college football national championship.
Fans from both sides cheered the president and first lady, Melania Trump, as they walked on the field for the national anthem. When he was asked which team he preferred, the president diplomatically answered, "Both."
HARLOW: Coy Wire has more on the "Bleacher Report," live from New Orleans. What a game.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Historic, Poppy -- hi to you and Jim -- Joe Burrow of LSU arguably just put up the greatest title game performance in college football history.
Clemson was actually up in this one, early, 17 to 7. But in the second quarter, Burrow takes over. Unbelievable throws against the number-one defense in the nation, mind you. LSU put up 28 points in the first half. That's more than Clemson allowed in any game all season. The Heisman Trophy winner, racking up the most passing yards and total touchdowns in BCS and college football playoff title game history.
Burrow, also completing the greatest FBS season at quarterback. Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, you name them, Burrow was better. More passing touchdowns and total touchdowns than any other. It's hard to believe that Burrow is now getting a ring as a national champ, but was stuck as a backup at Ohio State before transferring to LSU.
The Tigers beat Clemson 42 to 25 to win their first national title since 2007.
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JOE BURROW, LSU QUARTERBACK: It's years of hard work, paying off. This is an incredible moment for our program, for Baton Rouge, for Louisiana. This is just so special, I'm kind of speechless.
ED ORGERON, LSU HEAD COACH: Give credit to Clemson, they competed very hard but we won and we're national championship, I'm so happy for this football team.
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WIRE: Congratulations to LSU.
Now, to another story this morning, the massive fallout from a cheating scandal in baseball. Houston Astros owner Jim Crane, firing manager A.J. Hinch and General Manager Jeff Luhnow for their roles in a sign-stealing scheme the team used during home games in their 2017 championship season.
Hinch and Luhnow were initially suspended for one year without pay by Major League Baseball, but the organization felt it needed to go further.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JIM CRANE, OWNER, HOUSTON ASTROS: Neither one of them started this, but neither one of them did anything about it and that's how we came to the conclusion.
We need to move forward with a clean slate. And the Astros will be stronger -- a stronger organization because of this today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: The Astros were fined by the league, a record $5 million and lost draft picks, both Hinch and Luhnow releasing statements accepting responsibility but more punishment likely to come. Major League Baseball's investigation found the Astros bench coach at the time, Alex Cora, was also deeply involved. He is now -- Jim and Poppy -- manager of the Boston Red Sox, likely facing a long suspension --
SCIUTTO: Yes.
WIRE: -- when the investigation wraps up.
SCIUTTO: That's a big story, raising real questions about that championship. I will say -- and you know, Coy, I don't like to claim credit, but there is videotape from yesterday with me predicting an LSU victory, just noting that. I could call it up.
(LAUGHTER)
WIRE: You are on record, Jim.
HARLOW: I said the Vikings.
WIRE: Let's make this a regular thing, I like it.
HARLOW: He likes it when he gets things right.
SCIUTTO: Yes, it's not that often. Coy Wire, thanks very much.
[10:54:55]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is suggesting that she will send the articles of impeachment over to the Senate tomorrow. A Senate trial of a sitting president would follow. We're right on top of it.
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[11:00:05]
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR, AT THIS HOUR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. Thanks so much for joining me. The impeachment standoff is --
