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Trump Scorns Legal Norms, Refuses To Acknowledge Election Results; W.H. Press Secretary Won't Say If Or When Trump Will Concede Election; Georgia Secretary of State Certifies Biden's Win; Biden: Trump Is "Totally Irresponsible" For Delaying Transition; Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) Is Interviewed About Donald Trump's Attempt To Overturn The Election. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired November 20, 2020 - 12:30   ET

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

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[12:34:10]

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Donald Trump is actively undermining the integrity of an election. He clearly lost to Joe Biden and it's been happening now for a couple of weeks and the President's actions are part of his long history of scorning legal norms, which now seem focused on assaulting Americans right to vote.

In a new piece on CNN.com, our Legal Analyst Joan Biskupic rights writes, "Trump's discard -- disregard rather -- for the right to vote, particularly when it comes to that for Blacks and Latinos culminates a pattern of scorning democratic norms that began four years ago. It is a pattern that has been deepened, disturbing, yet somehow so routine and predictable that it fails to provoke wide scale public outrage".

And Joan joins us now. And Joan, talk about the pattern of breaking norms that you write about in this great piece.

[12:35:01]

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Thanks, Dana. Good to see you.

BASH: Me too.

BISKUPIC: You know, it's such a familiar pattern, and we just didn't know where it was going to go when we were back in 2017. But what you've seen over all these years is this pattern of dehumanizing people and delegitimizing institutions. You know, just think of what he did on the campaign trail when he derided a federal judge for his Mexican heritage, a man who was born in Indiana, but happened to be of a Mexican descent, sort of scorning him.

And so many statements he made during the campaign that we wondered, would this all fall away when he became President? But right away, you know, we had the Charlottesville incident where he talked about the white supremacists almost on equal terms as the counter protesters saying after a young woman was killed in that car assault, there are very fine people on both sides. In fact, it's interesting. Dana, that that's one of the reasons that Joe Biden got into the race, was the racial rhetoric of President Trump back in 2017. So he was undermining individual judges. And then, you know, really compromising due process, questioning whether there should even be any kind of hearings for people who cross the border and are seeking asylum, questioning birthright citizenship, which is part of the Constitution's 14th Amendment.

But I think the thing that we're seeing today, as he attacks the institutions of state election officials, is this kind of disregard for the safeguards of the guardrails of U.S. democracy. I remember when Roger Stone faced his criminal charges, and the President suggested maybe he just had a bad jury, and all his attacks on the FBI during the, you know, stemming from the time of former FBI leader, James Comey, to the molar report incidents, all of these things just kept coming and coming and coming. And now, he's attacking what so many people regard as the most fundamental legal right and norm the right to vote, because if we don't have a fair set of elections, access to the ballot box, there isn't a chance for representation, and especially for Blacks, Latinos, other people of color who've come to depend on this --

BASH: Yes.

BISKUPIC: -- as the sort of the gateway to other rights that originate with the right to vote, Dana?

BASH: No, you're absolutely right. And the point that you make in detailing all of this, which is that we have become kind of numb to this because it happens so often, and when in kind of, you know, really rapid fire fashion, and it has culminated in this undermining of something that everybody no matter what your party should hold sacred. It's a fundamental of democracy.

Such a good piece. I encourage everybody to check it out on CNN.com. Good to see you, Joan. Thank you.

BISKUPIC: Thank you.

BASH: And still ahead, the White House defends its meeting with Republican leaders from Michigan. A live report from the White House. Stay with us.

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[12:42:52]

BASH: The White House Press Secretary was back in the briefing room this hour and, once again, lying from the podium. She gave no answer on when the President intends to concede, she misled on the coronavirus. She said President Trump was never given an orderly transition when he came into office. None of that is true.

Let's get to CNN's Kaitlan Collins who was in the briefing room. There's a reason why we didn't take that live because it's a whole lot easier to explain after what was right and what wasn't than to try to do it live on television, right Kaitlan? KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. And also it's been, you know, since October 1st since we actually had the White House Press Secretary briefing reporters in that briefing room. But one of the things, of course, that predictively she was asked about today, Dana, was that meeting that's going to happen here at the White House this afternoon and incredibly unusual meeting where the President has invited state lawmakers from Michigan Republicans, of course, to the White House, and that comes amid questions about whether or not the President's team is going to pursue this incredibly dubious. And it seems long shot of an option to try to convince these legislators in these states to appoint pro-Trump electors and basically override with the vote in the states is which, of course, in Michigan, we know they voted for Joe Biden by 150,000 votes more than they voted for Donald Trump.

And so, when she was asked about that meeting and what the intent of that meeting is, given it was not listed on the President's schedule, Kayleigh McEnany insisted that it is not an advocacy meeting.

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KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We will be meeting later on. This is not an advocacy meeting. There

will be no one from the campaign there. He routinely meets with lawmakers from all across the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Of course, Dana, there is no other reason why the President would be inviting Republican legislators from the state of Michigan to the White House a days ahead of when the Secretary of State is set to certify the results after the canvassing board agreed to certify the results in the counties in that state, other than he's unhappy with the results of the election and he is grasping at straws to try to change the outcome to where it's not Joe Biden is the next president, it's Donald Trump.

But, obviously, Kayleigh McEnany only taking a handful questions in her first briefing.

[12:45:01]

Since October 1st, she did not call on CNN, she said she does not take questions from activists. Of course, there are no activists in that room, there are only reporters in the White House press briefing room and McEnany chose not to call on CNN because she did not want to answer our questions, which is unsurprising given she has not taken questions from reporter's data and several weeks. Instead, she has chosen to appear in what she's calling her personal capacity as a Trump 2020 campaign advisor. Today, she was back to appearing in her professional capacity, but she did not take questions and then made that unprofessional remark at the end.

BASH: People who feel that they are on the right side of facts and of history, don't attack reporters for being activists. And the only thing that I would say you and those of us who seek the truth are active in trying to do is just that, get the truth, get the facts and report it out.

Thank you so much, Kaitlan, for all of your awesome work there.

And this just in, in Georgia, the Secretary of State there is taking a big step towards making President-elect Joe Biden's win there official. Let's get straight to CNN's Amara Walker, who has been covering this. Amara, what's the latest?

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there. Dana. Yes, it is official now. The Secretary of State of Georgia, Brad Raffensperger, has certified the results of the presidential election and indeed certifying that it is Joe Biden who has won the state. But, look, his signature may end this chapter of the drama, but it's not quite over yet and that is because President Trump under law is allowed to request a recount. He has to do so by Tuesday and Secretary Raffensperger tells me that he does expect that request to come through. They've already procured high speed scanning machines in every single county.

That recount would take about two to three days, we are told, and the results are expected to be virtually identical to what we saw in the hand audit. The next step also is from the Governor, Governor Brian Kemp. He has until Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to certify the 16 democratic electors here in the state.

We've reached out to his office because as, you know, he is a staunch Trump ally. He's been sitting on the sidelines, as we've seen the GOP in fighting a breakout here in the state. We've reached out to his office to ask, does the Governor intend to sign the certification? We haven't heard back yet. But we know by law he is required to do so, Dana.

BASH: He sure is. Well, the Trump campaign there, they are using their right by Georgia law to challenge the results. But as you said, there's no indication that it will be anything different than what was certified today, which is a big deal. As you know, you're in Georgia, which has not been certified for a Democrat for president since 1992. So that's almost three decades.

A big development there in Georgia. Thank you so much, Amara. Appreciate it.

And up next, serious concerns from the President elect's team about Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the election. We'll talk to a close friend of Joe Biden, the man who has his Senate seat Chris Coons.

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[12:52:45]

BASH: President Trump continues to stall the formal transition process for President-elect Joe Biden blocking the Biden transition teams access to federal agencies, to intelligence, top health officials, as the coronavirus pandemic, of course, worsens across the country. And despite that, or maybe because of that, President-elect Biden is moving ahead aggressively with things that he can do. He announced members of his White House senior staff today and will meet with the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in Wilmington later today. But this is what he said about President Trump's behavior.

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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: Let me choose my words here. I think they're witnessing incredible irresponsibility, incredibly damaging messages being sent to the rest of the world about how democracy functions. I don't know his motive, but I just think it's totally irresponsible.

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BASH: Joining me now is Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a close friend of the president-elect and a man who holds his Senate seat.

Thank you so much for joining me.

I want to start with the White House press secretary. She just had a briefing for the first time in a long time. She wouldn't say if the president would concede, she touted his popular vote total. Even though, as you well know, President-elect Biden has nearly six million more votes than him at this time on a national level.

What is your sense of the end insight? Where do you see it?

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Well, Dana, the end insight is that President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris are going to be sworn in, in the inauguration in January.

And the challenge that we're facing as a nation, which is making us less safe, less secure, and less healthy, is that President Trump and his facilitators and supporters continuing to indulge themselves in this fantasy, that it's not harming our nation, that they continue to resist cooperating with the transition.

And I think a striking move, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, not liberal groups, have all called on President Trump to begin the transition promptly. And the developments in Georgia today just reinforce the fact that there is no fact pattern under which the outcome of the election could be reversed or changed.

[12:55:05]

It's frankly past time for my Republican colleagues in the Senate and for President Trump himself to accept this and begin the transition process and the interests of our nation's security and health.

BASH: Well, let's start with what you just mentioned about your Republican colleagues in the Senate. I know you have real relationships across the aisle, you talk to them in private. What is your sense from those behind the scenes conversations about when they will finally come out at A and B, whether or not they think that will even have an impact or whether they're thinking and it's time to do that for history sake?

COONS: Well, I keep making the argument with a dozen friends, colleagues, who are Republican senators, that this is hurting us globally, that it is going to hurt us domestically, and that it's past time to make the case whether privately or publicly.

BASH: What are they saying to that response?

COONS: Some tell me that they are urging a transition. They're communicating with the GSA head or they're communicating with the White House. But, frankly, relatively few have stood up publicly and said, it's time the developments in Georgia and the developments in terms of the president's failed and flailing efforts at any litigation strategy, I think strengthen the resolve of a number of them to be more forceful, but frankly, it's past time.

So, I am testing some of these relationships and, in some cases, straining them by really pressing. But it's frankly, Dana, it's an embarrassment. And I'm clear that this is hurting us around the world. Our reputation as a democracy, where we have orderly peaceful, responsible transitions is being sorely challenged by President Trump's now two-week long temper tantrum and refusal to cooperate with the transition. And we're at a point where this is having an impact that is significant and real.

BASH: How so?

COONS: We are not -- So, President-elect Biden is not receiving the presidential daily briefing, he's not getting access to the highest level of intelligence. His COVID-19 team that is preparing for the handoff of responsibility for vaccinating more than 300 million Americans is not getting robust and real-time information about the challenges that operation warp speed may be facing.

It's this odd Kabuki, Dana, where all of the Senate got a briefing yesterday. Those of us who joined a call, it was a very constructive and forthcoming call by the general and the doctor who are leading operation warp speeds, preparations around vaccination. But that same information isn't being provided to the transition team in a robust and thorough way. So --

BASH: And --

COONS: -- whether it's public health or its security, those are harming us. But, frankly, there has also been actions taken by countries around the world, from China, in Hong Kong, to Uganda, to Egypt, where human rights advocates or candidates for office are being arrested or harassed in a way that I think shows that some of the nations that view themselves as being our potential allies or competitors are seeing this moment of transition as a moment of distraction in terms of America's leadership in advancing democracy on the world stage.

BASH: The irony is that the Vice President-elect is a sitting senator, and she gets a briefing in a way that the President-elect is not privy to because the President won't allow it. I want to ask about a substantive issue when you talk about being issues around the world. CNN is reporting that the Trump administration will take further steps in China before leaving office. The administration official tells CNN, "Newly installed Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller has been told to focus in these remaining months on cyber and irregular warfare with regard to China in particular, and that the administration is also hoping to pressure China to come to the table for nuclear talks with the U.S. and Russia before Trump leaves office in January".

I know, Senator, you spoke this morning to the Halifax International Security Forum about U.S.-China relationships relations. Real quickly, what are your concerns with what I just reported from our sources?

COONS: Well, Dana, there's been reporting across a number of different areas of effort, whether it's cyber actions with regards to China, a meeting that is reported to have occurred in the White House about potential action against Iran, or ways in which our situation in the world in terms of humanitarian relief may be impacted by actions by the administration. All of these are concerning because it suggests they may take bold action that will make certain situations worse or more complicated without consulting with the incoming administration. We need a smooth handoff.

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