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Biden on First Official Trip to Asia Amid Crises in U.S. and Abroad; Lawyer Tries to Keep Trump's Notes From Jan. 6 Panel; Zelenskyy Says, There's Hell in Donbas. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired May 20, 2022 - 10:00   ET

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

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Jim Sciutto.

[10:00:00]

This hour, President Biden is in South Korea beginning the first leg of his first Asia trip as president. The mission, the reaffirm a key alliance at an uncertain moment in East Asia, reassuring America's Asian allies of its commitment to counter and contain certainly China and also North Korea.

While the war in Ukraine has been at the forefront for this administration, provocations from North Korea are intensifying, China as well continues to flex both its economic and military might in the region, clouding President Biden's first Asia tour as commander-in- chief are concerns that North Korea could be gearing up for another test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, like the one you see there.

Let's begin in South Korea. CNN's Jeremy Diamond and Paula Hancocks are in Seoul.

Jeremy, first, to you, tell us what the priorities are for the president on this trip.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, in his first remarks here in South Korea, President Biden hailed the U.S./South Korea relationship as a linchpin of peace, stability and prosperity. The president is trying to shore up that alliance with South Korea as well as Japan, where he has next after his visit concludes here in South Korea.

He wants to bolster that relationship at a time when U.S. intelligence is warning of a heightened threat of a North Korean missile and/or nuclear test, potentially while President Biden is here in the region. Certainly a moment of heightened tension and President Biden wants to send this strong message that the U.S. will defend its allies in the region.

Now, listen, President Biden is also making clear that this is about national security, it's also about economic security. And that is why we saw the president visiting a Samsung semiconductor chip factory earlier today. And the president there reinforcing his message about this region by talking also about the war in Ukraine and Russia, insisting that the U.S. and its allies should not be relying on autocracies for critical materials. And that's also a nod obviously to China. And we have heard administration officials repeatedly make clear that they don't see this visit and the focus on Ukraine that we have seen over the last several months as contradictory but rather reinforcing. And that's why I think you will hear that message from President Biden over and over again as he continues his trip in the region.

Meanwhile now, while President Biden is focusing on diplomacy, we have also learned of an incident involving two Secret Service employees. They were involved allegedly in an altercation with a Korean cab driver and two other Korean nationals. They have now been sent home, according to a U.S. Secret Service spokesman, and placed on administrative leave, that Secret Service spokesman insisting that there will be no impact on the security during President Biden's trip here.

SCIUTTO: Jeremy Diamond in Seoul, thanks so much.

Paula, you covered test launches by North Korea in the past. There's been rumbling about this for some time. What are South Korean officials saying about this, how they are preparing? And what will the significance be while the U.S. president is in the region?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, what we are hearing from South Korean officials is very similar to what we are hearing from the U.S. officials, that they believe that a test of a long-range missile, potentially an ICBM, an intercontinental ballistic missile, could be imminent.

Now, there was U.S. intelligence assessments that they could even be close to fueling this missile. And, of course, if that is the case, that's the final stage, and it could be imminent, suggesting that it could be while U.S. President Joe Biden is in country. It would be remarkable, Jim, if that were to happen. It hasn't, in my memory, happened before that North Korea has carried out any kind of weapons test or missile launch while a U.S. president is in the country.

Now, it's usually just before, just after to try and make some kind of a statement but it certainly would be one step further if it was while the U.S. president was either here in Korea or also in Japan.

Now, we know from Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, that there are contingencies in place. We know that the White House has been talking to allies here in South Korea as well. It appears there is some kind of a plan of action in place if this were to happen. And the fact is North Korea has been extremely busy this year. January was a record year when it came to the number of missile launches it carried out, and we are up to 15 already, and it's only May.

And bear in mind, Jim, North Korea just a week ago pointed out and admitted to the world that it has what appears to be a fairly serious COVID outbreak within the country, and yet we are still seeing missile launches happening and we are still potentially seeing what could be an ICBM launch imminently.

And we're also hearing the 7th underground nuclear test could happen before the end of the month, potentially not while the president is in the region, but certainly another nuclear test would be very significant.

[10:05:00]

And that would come under a lot of criticism around the world. Jim?

SCIUTTO: Yes, a missile test by itself, sometimes they don't go where they are intended to go as well, risks there on the ground. Paula Hancocks in Seoul, Jeremy Diamond as well, thanks so much.

New this morning, back here in the U.S., a late night court filing reveals what appears to show former President Trump's direct role and planning the strategy to overturn the 2020 election, even detailing handwritten notes from the former president to right-wing lawyer John Eastman, pictured there, helping to plot a strategy for overturning the election.

Joining me now is CNN Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez. Evan, so, Eastman is trying to shield this under attorney/client privilege, but what does it show exactly, that you would have handwritten notes between the outgoing president and this lawyer?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right. I mean, this is a rare time where apparently there are documents with Donald Trump, you know, directly saying the strategy that he wanted his lawyers to pursue in order to try to block the inauguration of the duly elected president, President Biden. And what they're doing here -- what Eastman is doing here is he's fighting over hundreds of documents at the January 6th committee, a judge has already said, should have access to, he says this is protected under attorney/client privilege.

He says that a lot of his communications were through aides, some of them campaign aides, some of them were aides in the White House. But, for the first time we are learning that he is saying he's got not only obviously direct communications with the former president but also handwritten notes that layout some of this strategy.

And, of course, the issue for Eastman is a judge has already ruled that some of these documents that the January 6th committee wants, even though obviously it would normally be shielded by attorney/client privilege, this judge has already said that there is perhaps evidence of a possible crime, which is one reason why he continues to fight. And the judge has already said, you know, this is something the committee should have.

SCIUTTO: It's notable too, right, because we know that Trump did not use email purposely, right?

PEREZ: Right, exactly. This is one of those few times. We covered the Mueller investigation, and that was one of the issues that came up in that. SCIUTTO: Evan Perez, thanks so much, a lot to follow there. We will see where it goes.

Well, the January 6th committee now says it has evidence as well that Republican Congressman Barry Loudermilk of Georgia led a tour of the U.S. Capitol complex the very day before pro-Trump rioters stormed the building. The committee has sent a letter to Loudermilk requesting his voluntary cooperation.

CNN Senior Crime and Justice Reporter Katelyn Polantz joins me now.

I mean, a couple issues here. One, was he truthful about this prior, but also then who is on this tour and why? And did he know?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Those are persistent questions, and this is really an 11th hour request from the House trying to get more information here. But Representative Loudermilk has been fairly open. He has spoken about this before, the possibility that he had people on Capitol Hill in a radio interview, not just on any day, but on January 6th in a radio interview with in Georgia, his home state. He says he was meeting with people the day before from his home state, and they had come into town for the Trump rally.

So, here's what he said on that radio interview to describe what the committee is pursuing now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BARRY LOUDERMILK (R-GA) (voice over): We actually had about a dozen people appear that wanted to come down and visit. We had them in our office. They definitely were, you know, peaceful people, people that we'd met at church. They were supporters of the president. They just wanted to be up here as if it was another rally. And we've actually checked on them to make sure that they're safe. When they saw what it was where, they immediately turned into, they immediately turned and went back down the mall to get away from the crowd here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: And so after he spoke about that, this request has come in now from the House. Loudermilk is even providing more information about what this group was. He said it was a constituent family with young children. They never went in the Capitol building. They were in office buildings on the Hill. But for some reason the House is saying the GOP said there was no security footage of tours of Trump supporters the days before the riot. The House is saying they have information that's directly contradicting that. They're going to Loudermilk. They're asking questions. We'll have to see whether he responds to them.

SCIUTTO: We'll see if it reveals more. Katelyn Polantz, thanks so much.

Coming up -- still to come this hour, quote, hell in Donbas, those words from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We will speak with the German ambassador to the U.S. next how western allies will define victory in Ukraine as the invasion rolls on.

Plus, a razor thin margin, the Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary seemingly destined for a recount. Sound familiar?

Plus, Michigan's top election official is warning about the dangers of unfounded election fraud claims after she says former President Trump suggested she be arrested for treason.

Also, Boeing is one step closer to sending a crude mission to space, finally launching its Starliner capsule after two years of delays. We are going to speak to the administrator for NASA, that's coming up.

[10:10:02]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: This morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine has been completely destroyed. He calls it, quote, hell there. Ukrainian military officials say that Russian bombardment killed 12 people, destroyed 60 properties in another region in east, Thursday. Russian forces did not appear to have made any headway on the frontlines in those regions in the past several days.

[10:15:02]

Joining me to now discuss Ukraine and broader issues involved, German Ambassador to the U.S. Emily Haber. Ambassador, thank you for taking time this morning.

EMILY HABER, GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Thank you for inviting me.

SCIUTTO: The New York Times editorial board writes about the necessity for Ukraine in its view to make what it calls hard decisions going forward, including the possibility of ceding territory to Russia. The Times writes, this is not appeasement. Do you agree?

HABER: The G7 has said last week very clearly that they will not recognize any territorial outcomes as a result of the war that would change the boundaries in which Ukraine had been recognized. From where I stand, it is the Ukrainians who are fighting the war, it is the Ukrainians that are losing lives, the Ukrainians who are suffering, and, therefore, it's for the Ukrainians to decide when and how to end the war. It's for us to support them and for them to decide. And, once again, the G7 has underlined its recognition of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this, because the U.S., at least, has expanded, at least in its public comments, its goals in this war. It started along the lines of what you are saying, helping Ukraine defend itself. But we've heard the defense secretary talk about weakening Russia. We have heard President Biden speak about the necessity for Putin to leave power. I wonder, how does Germany define success in this war? HABER: Well, first of all, I'd say, looking back, I see, as far as Russia is concerned, the conduct of the war linked to a series of failures. Russia had expected that Kyiv would fall within days. Instead, he has met with fierce Russian -- Ukrainian resistance. He had expected the west to be weak and divided and disunited, not able to muster the strength to adopt sanctions that could impose severe costs on Russia. Well, he is totally wrong. He has met with a strong sense of western unity, resolve and determination to put a price tag to this aggression and to isolate Russia. So, that's looking back.

Looking forward, I repeat what I said before. The Ukrainians are fighting the war. It's up to the Ukrainians to decide how and when to end it. But if we look ahead, say, five years from now, the questions in place where do we want to be. And I would argue that we want to live in a world where future aggressors or predators know that any such action will come at a huge price because we want to live -- and we want to live in a world where the legitimacy of and the respect for the international rule of law writ large, if you will, will be restored, because the aggressor has not prevailed. So, that will define our sense of are we in a better place after that war.

SCIUTTO: You know Putin particularly well. You have many years of experience with Russia and going back to the former Soviet Union. Will Putin ever, though, accept defeat in Ukraine, ever withdraw given he staked really his country's power's leadership on this.

HABER: We all focus so much on the psychology of this man. And it's true that as opposed to the former Soviet Union, where there were even checks and balances in place. A secretary-general would report to the (INAUDIBLE) and be accountable to it.

Here, we see Russia where the president, at the helm of the state, is actually not accountable. That makes it so difficult to gauge the situation. We know, in effect, probably very little about the inner dynamics of his circle, which makes it so important for all of us to be as clear as we possibly can, not to be misread, and to be united in our messaging to him.

SCIUTTO: The previous chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, she staked her foreign policy on engagement with Russia. And going back a number of years, Germany, along with France, they blocked NATO membership for Georgia as well as Ukraine. Did Germany fundamentally misread Vladimir Putin?

HABER: It is true that for many decades our strategy rested on the fundamental assumption was practically axiomatic, that interdependence would produce stability, predictability, and to some extent of a time, even alignment.

[10:20:12]

It was, if you will, our experience with regard to the G.R. before and with reunification and even with regard to the implosion of the Soviet empire. We now do see that interdependence can actually also produce vulnerability. So, this assumption, in effect, has been pulverized. SCIUTTO: To that point, it is about energy dependence, right, that is central to that. The E.U. has a plan to reduce its imports of Russian natural gas by two-thirds by the end of the year and ban all oil imports by the end of the year.

But, today, actually Russian revenue from sales of oil and natural gas, are up from where they were a few months ago. It is still financing the war. Is Europe moving too slowly on this?

HABER: They financed the war not with foreign currencies but with ruble. But, to your point, we have to reduce our dependence on Russian fossil fuels as quickly as we possibly can. We did on coal. We adopted an embargo. We are now discussing an oil embargo. And Germany is actually pressing for it. There are other options on the table as well, but all of them designed to make sure we are getting out of that dependence.

Gas is a more complicated story, because other than the oil market, it is not a global market. But we are diversifying, Germany is, at breakneck speed. We are ordering big contracts of LNG. We are building LNG facility, storage and reclassification facilities on sea. And our intention is to get out of Russian gas, let alone oil and coal, as quickly as we possibly can. We need to end that dependence, and it will be irreversible.

SCIUTTO: We'll be watching closely. Ambassador Emily Haber, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

HABER: Thank you for inviting me.

SCIUTTO: Still ahead this hour, U.S. Marine Veteran and former Russian prisoner Trevor Reed is speaking for the first time since his return home to the U.S. exclusively to CNN in a special report. A glimpse of what he experienced inside that Russian prison. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:25:00]

SCIUTTO: The race is tightening even more in the Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary. Celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz is ahead of former hedge fund manager David McCormick, but by fewer than 1,000 votes now, still too close to call, more ballots to count.

Former President Trump has, perhaps not surprisingly, urged Oz simply to declare victory while making, once again, unsubstantiated claims about attempts to, quote, cheat with the ballots there. It may sound familiar. We should note, there are no official allegations of voter fraud in that race.

Today, Michigan's top election official is urging voters to recognize the threat posed by unfounded claims of election fraud. Jocelyn Benson says, when former President Trump lost in 2020, he called for her to be arrested, tried for treason and potentially executed because she refused to overturn the state's results. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SECRETARY OF STATE JOCELYN BENSON (D-MI): This election denialism that we now see candidates all across the country, including in Michigan, Pennsylvania and elsewhere running on, is linked to the direct threats that election officials are receiving.

And I think it is also important to know that these threats are just threats against election officials, as awful as those in and of themselves are, these are threats to our democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Here with me now, Jake Tapper, CNN Anchor of The Lead and Chief Washington Correspondent.

So, Jake, I mean, certainly great dose of irony to see a Republican on Republican race with the same kinds of things we saw in 2020. They are still counting ballots. There are mail-in ballots. There are no real evidence of fraud, but you have the former president making those claim. And then the through-line back to 2020 with the attempts he made. I mean, what warning sign is this for the midterms and for 2024, frankly?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: I mean, the warning sign is obviously what we have been seeing since 2020, which is a real threat to democracy. And the idea that some of these leaders who held the line in 2020, Democrats and Republicans, the fact that some of them are resigning, some of them are being defeated, some of them are having to compete to keep their jobs against individuals who traffic in the big lie is evidence that there continues to be a threat to democracy.

You know, it's interesting, Jim, Tuesday night, I was anchoring our coverage of the Pennsylvania primary. And when I signed off just before midnight, Dave McCormick was in the lead by a few thousand votes. Sometime between midnight and 1:00, more ballots were counted and Oz took the lead. And now Trump wants his candidate, Oz, to declare victory.

I mean, if there aren't Republicans who see by now the evidence that this is just self-serving, corrupt tripe, the idea that Oz should declare victory while they're still counting ballots -- to his credit, by the way, Oz has not listened to Trump, at least not yet.

[10:30:03]

So, now is really the time for Republican officials across the country.