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Biden to Nominate Buttigieg for Transportation Secretary; Vice President Pence Likely to Get Vaccine on Friday; GOP's McConnell Finally Acknowledges Biden's Win; Barr's Exit Note Filled with Partisan Praise for Trump. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired December 15, 2020 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who of course had a, you know, a very strong primary run back in the Democratic Primary, he is going to be nominated later this week to be the Transportation Secretary to join Joe Biden's cabinet.

He will be the first former rival to join the candidate, of course with the exception of Senator Kamala Harris. But it certainly will be an injection of new ideas and youth into this cabinet. We've seen a lot of experience from the Obama years, so certainly a sense of some new blood. We're also expecting more cabinet members this week and they're hoping for the full cabinet before Christmas -- Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Jeff, thank you, in Atlanta.

Finally today, 42 days after the presidential election with just 36 to go until President-elect Joe Biden takes that oath of office. This morning, Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, acknowledged reality.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY) MAJORITY LEADER: So today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He's devoted himself to public service for many years. I also want to congratulate the vice president-elect, our colleague from California, Senator Harris. Beyond our differences, all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president- elect for the very first time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And according to a source, during a conference call just a little while ago, leader McConnell urged Republican Senators not to join House members when they object to the electoral results that happens January 6. All of this, we're still not seeing any sign from President Trump that he's ready to admit he lost. Kaitlan Collins is at the White House for us, and Kaitlan, the

president is not only refusing to accept reality, he's still fighting the results. Trying to.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: At least trying to. Of course, he's had no success with that in court cases, but the president is not only denying reality, he is living in an alternate reality where he is continuing to push this idea that there was widespread fraud in this election, Brooke, even though his own government has said that's not the case.

And now you're starting to see major Republicans break with the president on what is seen as his efforts to just delay the inevitable. And so the White House wouldn't say if Mitch McConnell called the president before he made those comments today. They didn't say there'd been any conversation at all, though we do know he later spoke with President-elect Biden after making those comments, and they are expected to meet soon, according to Biden. So of course, the question is how does the president respond to what McConnell said?

Because that's someone he's been leaning on, and while McConnell has not repeated the president's claims about widespread fraud, he certainly did not use the last six weeks since the election to break with the president and to say that what he was saying wasn't correct.

So you heard from people like Senator Mitt Romney today who was saying Republicans don't only need to do what Mitch McConnell did earlier today, they also need to condemn the president's claims that this was a rigged election, because otherwise there is not going to be any confidence from the president's supporters in how this vote turned out.

But you're certainly not seeing that from the president, not from his Twitter feed. Instead today he was retweeting a pro-Trump attorney who was calling for Republicans in Georgia who campaigned and voted for President Trump to be jailed because they refused to break the law.

BALDWIN: Forgive me, I was pausing. I thought we had some sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president still has ongoing litigation related to the elections. Yesterday's vote was one step in the constitutional process so I'll leave that to him and refer to the campaign for more on the litigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: So you see there Kayleigh McEnany saying the president is still pursuing litigation, but Brooke, not answering any of their questions about that, even, of course, though she has oftentimes spoken for the campaign on other occasions.

BALDWIN: Yes. I want to ask you about, you know, COVID and Pence. We're getting word that the vice president is likely to get the vaccine by Friday. Any word on when other, you know, Trump White House officials will get the shots, too?

COLLINS: That's still a big question, and Kayleigh McEnany did say earlier during that press briefing that other officials will be getting it on camera. We are told that the Vice President Mike Pence is expected to be one of the first. We know that Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller did get it yesterday on camera.

But for other more public facing officials, we're still waiting to see when they're going to get it, if they're going to get I before the president actually gets it, because the White House would not say today when the president expects to do so.

They say he would only do so at the recommendation of his physician, though you've seen people like Dr. Fauci say that is important for the vice president and for President Trump to get it, even though the president had coronavirus in October.

So that remains to be seen but what -- how this is being described at the White House, Brooke, is kind of a difficult position. Because they feel like if too many people in the White House get the vaccine, then it's going to be seen as them skipping a line, but they also want to make sure they can get it so they can instill public confidence in getting this vaccine given it was produced so quickly.

BALDWIN: Skipping the line? But didn't we have a conversation last week about you know Trump's inner circle getting all these fancy COVID cocktails once they're sick? I feel like that doesn't really jive for me. Kaitlan, thank you for that.

Coming up here next on CNN, what does it take for Republicans to acknowledge the facts? We'll talk to former Republican Congressman Charlie Dent.

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BALDWIN: 36 days now until Joe Biden is sworn in as the next president of the United States, and some Republican leaders are finally beginning to acknowledge reality. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today finally saying it out loud that Joe Biden is the president-elect, and Senator Lamar Alexander saying this to my colleague, Manu Raju, just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-TN): I think for the good of the country, the president should put the country first, take pride in his accomplishments, congratulate the president-elect and help him get off to a good start. I mean that's the way we do things in our country. And that's the way we try to show the rest of the world we operate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:40:02] BALDWIN: Other Republican lawmakers are still playing games. Case in point, number three Senator John Barrasso calling a question about Biden's status a "gotcha" moment.

And top Republican Senator Rick Scott also still refusing to say if Joe Biden is president-elect. The Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has a message for him and other Republicans, just three words -- stop the shenanigans.

Let me bring in former Republican Congressman Charlie Dent, he is a CNN political commentator and just recently wrote a whole op-ed on all this on CNN.com. So Congressman Charlie Dent, good to have you back. Welcome.

Can you hear me? Just want to make sure you can hear me, Charlie Dent. Loud and clear?

CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I lost you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Oh, oh, I'm with you. We're live. Just give me a thumbs up, sir, if you can hear me.

DENT: I can hear you.

BALDWIN: OK, cool, OK, let's roll. So I want to start, Congressman, with -- I want to start with Mitch McConnell and his finally acknowledging the Biden win. Do you think this is a harbinger of the things to come regarding remaining skeptical Republican Party members, or is this the sign of a much deeper rift?

DENT: Well, Brooke, I certainly hope that this isn't the end of the game playing. I think too many of my former colleagues have indulged the president's false narrative for far too long and they've enabled it. I think it's now time for them all to hold hands and jump together and acknowledge what is a fact.

We've known this since November 7th that Joe Biden was the president- elect, and they should all step forward. I believe that perhaps McConnell will give some others the courage to do what they should have done several weeks ago.

BALDWIN: Do you think one of the reasons why they're not all holding hands and jumping together partially is because of these Georgia races, and that, you know, do you think this is prolonging Republicans from moving on because they want, you know, Trump voters to turn out?

DENT: Yes, I certainly think that's a part of it, Brooke. No doubt that the Georgia special election has created a bit more heartburn. But candidly, you know, the president has frankly caused more problems down there than he should have with his suppressing the vote by calling the whole system rigged. So I think that's part of it.

But we have to be honest. Many of the members are simply afraid of President Trump stoking up their bases. He's monetized his defeat. He's raised a pile of money, a few hundred million dollars so far, and he intends to use that going forward. And so that money's going to be out there for perhaps to fund primary opponents to many of these members who are looking over their shoulders. And my advice to them is move forward, President Trump was just rejected by the American people and down ballot Republicans were affirmed by their voters. So I don't understand the fear.

BALDWIN: He's still not publicly accepting what you just said, and according to sources, Congressman, you know, he's already looking past yesterday's electoral vote as he's looking for the, you know, one more chance to block Biden from becoming the next president, and that would be January 6 in the officially tallying of votes in the House.

House members just for everyone watching, you know, they can contest the results on that one day. How do you see this playing out?

DENT: Yes, I'm sure between now -- Brooke, between now and January 6th, there will be -- the president will further monetize defeat by stoking up some House Republican members and trying to get them to be disruptive and with some kind of "hail Mary" that they'll somehow be able to derail the affirmation of the Electoral College.

It's not going to happen. It might be a little disruptive. It might slow things down, but it's not going to change the outcome. So I simply don't understand why they're doing this other than this is a way to raise money for President Trump on his way out the door.

There is no reason, there is no rhyme or reason for this kind of behavior. Everybody knows it. They've known it since November 7th. All of them have known it. Some of them just won't admit it, but they've all known it. But just watch for the shenanigans on January 6th. There will be a little bit of drama but the outcome will still be the same.

BALDWIN: Last question, Congressman Dent. Do you think you're going to get your party back?

DENT: Well, Brooke, I've been very clear about this. The Republican Party needs to determine where it wants to go. Do we want to maintain this Trumpian future or Trumpism with all its populism, nativism, nihilism, protectionism, isolationism, unilateralism, does it want to go down that road that's rather exclusionary in nature.

Or as I've been advocating, and maybe I'm naive, maybe I'm the outlier here, but I have a vision for the party that it ought to become more socially tolerant and inclusive. I believe it's got to be more constructively engaged on the international stage, that it must be embracing free markets with moderate, reasonable regulation and have answers on policy questions where they're uncomfortable like climate change or immigration.

[15:45:03]

Simply complaining about AOC and the "squad" might excite the base but it simply does not present a forward-looking policy. So I think this is where the party has to go. It needs to be a forward-looking party that is about inclusion, not exclusion, addition, not subtraction, multiplication, not division. BALDWIN: Thank you, Congressman Charlie Dent, for all of that. Good to

have you on.

DENT: Thanks.

BALDWIN: Attorney General Bill Barr has written this glowing resignation letter after President Trump humiliates him. That's next.

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BALDWIN: When Attorney General Bill Barr penned his resignation letter to President Trump, he didn't simply say I quit. Even after the president publicly tweeted that Barr's performance was a disappointment, Barr lavished praise on Trump in his exit note. Quoting him here.

Your record is all the more historic because you've accomplished it in the face of relentless implacable resistance. Few could have weathered these attacks much less forge ahead with a positive program for the country. You built the strongest and most resilient economy in American history, one that has brought unprecedented progress to those previously left out.

Let's begin there with CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams who is both a former federal prosecutor and a former deputy assistant attorney general. So Elliot, good to see you. On Bill Barr --

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Good to see you.

BALDWIN: -- you know, yes, he came out and said there was, you know, not a single iota of election fraud. Yes, he, you know, refused to investigate Hunter Biden. But let's not forget about the last two years when he essentially acted like the president's personal attorney.

WILLIAMS: Right and look, it seems that there were three big areas you identified, two of them where it seems that Bill Barr just didn't do the president's bidding. Number one, saying there was no fraud in the election. Number two, not going public with the Hunter Biden investigation, which was the right thing to do. And number three, not issuing a report about Russia.

The problem with this administration and with this president is that he expects the attorney general to be acting in his personal interest and not in the interests of the United States, not in the interests of the rule of law, and that seems to be what did Bill Barr in, simply not giving the president everything what he wanted personally.

BALDWIN: So what did you think -- I want to read this one part of the letter. There was clearly some, you know, intentionality, careful language around this sentence.

I appreciate the opportunity to update you this afternoon on the department's review of voter fraud allegations in these 2020 elections and how the allegations will continue to be pursued.

I mean, what do you make that he announced the DOJ found no fraud, yet, Elliot, he includes this line in the letter?

WILLIAMS: It's as if he's just dangling out there the prospect to keep the president happy. You know, Brooke, look, you can go back to a cabinet meeting on June 12th, 2017. And you probably remember this where everyone in the cabinet went around and simply complimented Donald Trump and talked about, you know, you're the greatest leader, your leadership, we are so great to have you here.

This is all about the president and keeping him happy and not about representing the rule of law. Look, career prosecutors looked into these voter fraud allegations and didn't find any there, there. And at a certain point, the Attorney General needs to be the one to say, Mr. President, number one, you're on a wild goose chase here. Number two, the rule of law demands that you stand down and stop meddling in the affairs of the Justice Department.

So it's kind of silly what the attorney general seems to be doing of at least presenting to the president that there's more there than there actually is.

BALDWIN: Well, while we're talking about Barr in the last couple of years, you know, I remember just as you do those confirmation hearings and I remember

there were constant references to his time as A.G. in the Bush administration. You know, he could be this potentially stabilizing force in Washington. Elliot, what is his legacy now, are all those Bush years, just poof, gone?

WILLIAMS: Right, you know, it's interesting. The legacy is number one, I think hurt morale at the Justice Department. The bigger issue and the bigger problem that Barr presents here is that anyone who served in this role under Donald Trump -- you know we can almost question the judgment of going in to take the role of Attorney General under this president. Where, in effect, the president was the problem, and Barr was the symptom of that bad problem. When he had a president who simply didn't respect the rule of law and look at everyone who has held that role in these four years.

Number one, Jeff Sessions was pushed out for recusing himself from a case. The second individual Matthew Whitaker was a partisan. And the president went and made any number of statements about federal courts and what the attorney general should have been doing.

Serving in that role is itself a stain on the legacy of any individual and it's just, you know, this is what the president demanded of his attorneys general and this is how Bill Barr is going to be remembered through history.

BALDWIN: Last quick question. Just given the fact that you worked at DOJ. What are the next 36 days look like? Does Barr's resignation mean anything tangible?

WILLIAMS: Pardon me? Literally, it's open season for pardons right now and pardons should go through the Justice Department. There is an office of the pardon attorney that should approve them if we had a normally functioning government.

It seems that we at times don't right now. But I think we are going to see a lot of controversial or at least politically sensitive pardons coming through and the question will be, to what extent will the Justice Department actually weigh on them or will it be another like Sheriff Arpaio back in 2017 I believe where the president just went around the Justice Department and did it himself.

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He can, but the Justice Department has always been an important check on the president's acting unilaterally and hopefully he'll take the advice of the career attorneys again. Many of us don't have faith that he will, but we'll see.

BALDWIN: You and I will talk again when some of that starts happening in these waning weeks. Elliot Williams, good to see you. Thank you very much.

WILLIAMS: Take care, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Our breaking news coverage continues here on CNN. The U.S. death toll surges past 302,000 as COVID vaccines continue rolling out. How quickly can they start having a real impact?

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