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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is Interviewed about Boebert; Travis Scott Speaks Out about Music Festival Tragedy; Richard Norton Smith is Interviewed about Bob Dole. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired December 09, 2021 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Way she is leaning but has said it's the GOP's responsibility to deal with their people.

Joining me now is California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna. He also serves on the Oversight and Armed Services Committees.

Good to have you with us this morning, Congressman.

So, I know that discussions are still underway within the caucus about the best way to move forward here, but would you support a resolution to strip Congresswoman Boebert of those committee assignments?

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): I support a resolution to take some action and I trust the speaker and Hakeem Jeffries' ability to get consensus.

You know, I was talking to someone -- one of my friends on the other side of the aisle, and they said, are you going to strip me of a committee because I can go raise millions of dollars? So I think what the speaker is weighing is, how do we take decisive action to say that this was wrong, but not give a bigger platform to Representative Boebert.

HILL: And as you said, you'll do what they come up with essentially. But is there anything in your mind that would achieve that?

KHANNA: I think there are a number of options in terms of the actions. I mean it could be clearly condemning the comments and making it clear that they're unacceptable, there are other things being considered. I think what's important is that we come to a consensus and then we move on and deal with what the American people care about, which is getting more money in their pockets, inflation, gas prices.

HILL: So, as you focus on that, just last question on this, are you concerned, as part of that calculus, this promise of payback if Republicans retake the House in 2022?

KHANNA: I'm not concerned in terms of an individual on payback. I'm concerned that the American people have sent us here to deliver for them, not to get involved in tit for tat, so we have to condemn it. Clearly it was a racist comment. And then we have to move on and deal with what we were elected here to do, which is help people improve their lives.

HILL: One of the things that I know is -- is on your agenda in terms of doing that is Build Back Better. Now, we should point out, of course, you, as I mentioned, are on the House Armed Services Committee. But in terms of that vote, right, for the bill that just passed, the National Defense Authorization Act, you voted no and tweeted afterwards, you're telling me we're willing to spend $8 trillion on defense over the next ten years, but when it comes to investing in working families and preventing the climate crisis, $1.7 trillion for Build Back Better is too much?

As we all know, Democrats have been working for months now to get Senators Manchin and Sinema on board, which feels like where we're still at this morning. So I wonder, if they're not on board now, what do you think is going to change to get this done in the next couple of weeks? Is there anything that will happen?

KHANNA: Yes. Well, thanks for raising that, because our defense budget that we just passed, $780 billion, more than 50 percent of discretionary federal budget, comparatively the Build Back Better bill is only $175 billion. What's going to convince Senator Manchin is this is going to put money in the pockets of the working class. Gas costs too much. Food costs too much. This is going to give every family with kids $300 a month. It's going to -- with the earned income tax credit, give Americans a rise. It's going to lower the cost of prescription drugs. It's going to lower the cost of childcare. We need to do this given what people are struggling right now in the country.

HILL: As you know, he has consistently raised -- I hear what you're saying, but then I also hear what we hear from Senator Manchin, that he's concerned that this is going to cost too much, that it is going to have the opposite effect.

So, if we've been at this impasse essentially for months as we're watching this from the outside and watching what's happening among Democrats, do you think there is a message that's missing in terms of your colleagues when they're having these conversations?

KHANNA: One, I think it's important to look at the comparative costs. It's a third less than the defense bill. And I appreciate again you're raising that. Second, I do believe Senator Manchin will get to a yes because, ultimately, it's about helping working families. And inflation is an issue for the Fed. I mean I agree with Larry Summers, the Fed ought to stop buying back mortgages, and stop some of the quantitative easing. But this is fully paid for and it's not going to be inflationary as a result.

HILL: Real quickly, do you think -- you said you think Manchin will get there. Do you think he will get there before the end of the year? KHANNA: I don't know if it's going to be before the end of the year,

but I know this about Senator Manchin, he wants this president to succeed and he understands we have to pass this. So I think he's going to get to a yes. I can't predict whether it's going to be by the end of the year or not.

HILL: Really quickly, just want to get your take on sanctions. We have reporting this morning that the administration is looking into a number of options. But when it comes to energy sanctions, those are likely a last resort over concerns about domestic gas prices and the global economy. So, are the sanctions at this point, is that more about talk than about execution?

KHANNA: No, it has to be a very clear message to Putin that if he invades Ukraine, there's going to be devastating consequences and he should not invade. And I think the president and Jake Sullivan have done a very good job in conveying that and they have said that this is not going to be like 2014, we're going to use any sanctions available.

[09:35:01]

And we also want to have diplomacy in eastern Ukraine to resolve that tension there.

HILL: Any sanctions but likely not energy, as we're learning.

Congressman Ro Khanna, good to have you with us this morning. Appreciate it. Thank you.

KHANNA: Thank you. Appreciate it.

SCIUTTO: Still ahead, Travis Scott speaking for the first time since ten people died in a crush at his Houston concert. What he's saying about what he could hear during it all from the stage. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:04]

HILL: And we are awaiting now, just a short time from now, the late Senator Bob Dole arriving at the U.S. Capitol, where he will lie in state after serving, of course, for decades, for serving this country, 27 years as a senator, two-time Senate majority leader, Jim. And we will be seeing a number of officials coming to pay their respects.

SCIUTTO: Also candidate for vice president in 1976, candidate for president, Republican Party nominee in 1996. The last senator to lie in state at the Capitol, John McCain in 2018. Now that honor bestowed on Bob Dole, 98 years old. Survivor of just horrendous wounds in World War II, but went on to become a lion of the Senate. We will bring you the ceremony there as it begins, and as we noted earlier, President Biden will be making comments in the next hour.

HILL: Also new this morning, rapper Travis Scott speaking out for the first time since that chaotic concert in Houston. The Astroworld Festival. Ultimately, ten people died. That crowd, of course, surged toward the stage.

Well, Scott appeared on the morning radio show "The Breakfast Club" with Charlamagne Tha God, discussing the tragedy that has now led to multiple lawsuits against him, other performers and the concert's organizers. Scott addressed criticism that he continued his performance despite the presence of emergency vehicles in the crowd.

SCIUTTO: CNN's Rosa Flores has been covering.

And, Rosa, one of the key questions here has been, was he aware at all, was it communicated to him what was going on in the crowd as people were beginning to be injured? What did he say?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, about that point, Jim, Travis Scott says that he didn't know the severity of the situation at the concert. Now, that's what he has said in the aftermath of this tragedy.

Now, this is an interview that lasted about an hour long. I've no been able to go through the entire thing. What I can tell you is that he speaks about the moment that he learned that people actually died at his concert. And he says that this was moments before the press conference where this was announced.

Now, Charlamagne Tha God asks him about this raging -- this rage at the concert, at his concert, that he's known for, and Travis Scott says that that's about letting go, that that's about having fun. But he does mention something that I heard from concertgoers here on the ground, and that was about the moments during the concert where Travis Scott paused the concert to direct aid to certain portions of the venue.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRAVIS SCOTT, RAPPER: You know, people pass out, you know, people, you know, things happen at concerts. But something like that, it's just like --

CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD, HOST, "THE BREAKFAST CLUB": Yes, people said they collectively -- they collectively heard folks screaming help every time you stopped the song to get your attention. Did you -- did you hear any of those screams?

SCOTT: No, man. You know, it's so crazy because I'm that -- I'm that artist too. Like, you know, anytime you can hear something like that, you want to stop the show.

You know, I stopped it like a couple times to just make sure everybody was OK. And I just really just go off the, you know, the fans' energy as a collective, you know. Call and response. And I just didn't -- I just didn't hear that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) FLORES: Now, Travis Scott goes on to say that if something detrimental would have been happening, something urgent, that he would have thought that he would have been notified on stage to stop the show. And goes on to say that that did not happen.

Now, more than 140 lawsuits have been filed in this tragedy. The defendants include Travis Scott, Live Nation, the organizers. And the allegations are that there was negligence, gross negligence, and that the organizers, the star rapper, that they were made out to make a ton of money from the concert and that ten people have died.

During the latest court filings, Travis Scott has -- through his attorneys, has denied legal liability. And, Jim and Erica, we're still reaching out to a lot of these plaintiffs to get reaction from them, but, of course, they are displeased with this denial of legal liability from Travis Scott in -- just from the statement that we did get from the youngest victim, the nine-year-old's family, that attorney was very displeased, saying that the family did not accept Travis Scott's offer to pay for the funeral expenses, and that Travis Scott should take some responsibility.

SCIUTTO: Rosa Flores in Houston, thanks very much.

We're going to bring you back to live pictures from the Capitol now. This is the honor guard greeting the body of the late Senator Bob Dole as he is being prepared to be lain in state at the Capitol.

[09:45:04]

Twelve U.S. presidents have had that honor. A number of senators as well. As we said earlier, the most recent was Senator John McCain in 2018.

Let's listen in.

(INAUDIBLE)

SCIUTTO: There on the steps of the Capitol now, the late senator's widow, Elizabeth Dole. The late senator died a day before what would have been their 46th wedding anniversary. And that to the right, Bob Dole's daughter, Robin.

(INAUDIBLE)

[09:52:49]

SCIUTTO: There you see the casket containing the late Senator Bob Dole entering the Capitol to be laid in state. Following him there, his widow, Elizabeth Dole, his daughter, Robin.

Dole served decades on Capitol Hill. He was Republican leader. He was also his party's nominee for president in 1996 when he lost to Bill Clinton.

But also central to his story, his military service. A World War II veteran who suffered grievous wounds in 1945 on a hillside in Italy. He was left for dead. He has said he didn't know if he himself was alive or dead. But after 39 months in a hospital bed, he was able to walk again, though you would always see him on Capitol Hill clutching a pen in his right hand due to damage to that arm. If you ever had the pleasure of meeting him, he would shake your hand with his left hand.

There's the inside of the Capitol Rotunda, where his casket will be placed.

HILL: Also joining us is Richard Norton Smith, who was both a friend of the late senator, but also his speechwriter.

Richard, it's good to have you with us this morning just to give us, you know, more of a sense of who Senator Bob Dole was.

So many people, of course, had ideas about who he was. In his statement following his passing, President Biden called him an American statesman like few in our history, but also a friend. Talked about his trusted guidance, and also his humor, Richard, which was a central part of who he was and made up who he was as a person.

RICHARD NORTON SMITH, FORMER SPEECH WRITER FOR BOB DOLE AND LONGTIME FAMILY FRIEND (via telephone): Well, hello Erica (INAUDIBLE).

Three days after the 1996 election, which you may recall he lost convincingly to Bill Clinton, he did something very unusual. Most defeated presidential candidates fade away pretty quickly. Three days after the election, Bob Dole went on David Letterman's show, and he was funny. And I could not tell you, as long as I've known the senator, and it goes back over 40 years, people coming up to me and saying, I didn't know Bob Dole was funny. If I knew he was like that, I might have voted for him.

[09:55:02]

Well, (INAUDIBLE) funny. He was one of the very, very few people in Washington who didn't need a speechwriter, didn't need a gag writer when it came to humor. He had a marvelous sense of the ridiculous. And, in fact, sometimes there were people who thought it was a detriment he wasn't running for president so much as he was observing the process of running for president and offering wry commentary from time to time.

SCIUTTO: As you were speaking there, we saw Congresswoman Liz Cheney, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries there.

President Biden attending this as well.

I wonder, as you watch this here, Bob Dole, he fought hard for his party. He was a devoted confidant of Richard Nixon. He had the term "hatchet man" attached to him by Democrats. But he also, through the years, worked, was willing to work with Democrats on major legislation.

And I often wonder, as we see people like this pass away, whether it's a Dole or a McCain or others, that is that time in Washington lost, right? Are those folks willing to work across the aisle becoming fewer and fewer in your view?

SMITH: Well, I think the question, unfortunately, answers itself.

Let me tell you about the other side of that -- of the coin. Because of -- seeing those Capitol steps today brought back a memory. About 25 years ago, almost exactly, the day that he left the Senate, remember, his campaign in '96 was sort of dead in the water. The campaign strategist decided they needed a Hail Mary. And so it was decide he would leave the Senate, which he loved, I think second only to Elizabeth and Robin, and demonstrate to the doubters that he was really serious about trying to win the White House that fall.

Anyway, the handlers saw this as a great opportunity, the media attention would be focused on Dole, he would be in the spotlight for 24 hours, and they wanted to take advantage of that, understandably, by introducing a whole range of partisan or wedge issues to try to fire up the base in advance of the Republican convention that year.

And Dole being Dole, of course, didn't do that at all. What he did in his farewell remarks on the floor of the Senate was to remember the Democrats. People like George McGovern, with whom he had worked very closely in combatting hunger, or Ted Kennedy or Hubert Humphry. And he was in an age of political handlers, he was impossible to handle. And it drove people like that up the wall, but it's part of what endeared him to those of us who knew him perhaps a little better than the handlers.

HILL: In his -- in his final op-ed for "The Washington Post," you know, he talked about bipartisanship, and that it was the, I believe he said the minimum that we should expect from ourselves. There's been much made, too, about what the achievements were for Bob Dole. In his lifetime and also in his time serving the country as a legislator, and that it was really about getting things done. And perhaps, in some moments, things that may not have necessarily been expected.

How did those moments sit with him throughout the years, being a part of important moments like the Civil Rights Act?

SMITH: Well, you're absolutely right. He -- you have to remember, people talk about Dole, and it's easy to define (INAUDIBLE) the war and thereafter, grappling with adversity that most of us couldn't even imagine.

But the fact of the matter is, Bob Dole's character and the connections he felt to those in life who were perhaps in some ways, through no fault of their own, in need of assistance from -- from the government, that began very early. You know, he was a product of the depression, grew up in dust bowl Kansas. The family famously had to rent out the upstairs of their house during the depression and move into the basement.

And I think that experience, long before the war, gave Bob Dole -- well, I used to call him the original, compassionate conservative. I think long before the term caught on. He was certainly a conservative. He was certainly a fiscal conservative. And he could certainly be a very partisan Republican. But he also believed, at the end of the day -- he was a regeneration of (INAUDIBLE). People like Gerald Ford, who put him on the ticket in '76, who would fight very hard for their side, but at the end of the day, they were judged by the voters by what they got done.

[09:59:58]

And, today, by contrast, it often feels as if it's exactly the opposite, you're judged a success in Washington by what you prevent from