Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Voters in Five States Head to Polls For Primaries Today; Biden Heading Back to U.S. After First Official Trip to Asia; Spotlight on Georgia as Voters Head to Polls. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired May 24, 2022 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: A very good Tuesday to you. I'm Jim Sciutto.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Erica Hill.

We are following several major stories this morning, first up, of course, primary day in five states. We have eyes on several high- profile races in Georgia, Alabama and beyond. The key storyline, former President Trump's 2020 election lies, which are playing a key role in several of those matchups across the country.

SCIUTTO: You have several Republican candidates running on those lies. Incumbent Georgia Governor Brian Kemp endorsed, however, by former Vice President Mike Pence. He is facing a battle against former Georgia Senator David Perdue backed by former President Trump. Perdue has touted Trump's false 2020 election fraud claims throughout his campaign. Kemp, of course, resisted those in 2020. We will have much on the election in just a moment.

Plus this, President Biden wheels up following a trip to Asia, his first as president, this as he emphasized the U.S. strategy on Taiwan has not changed despite his very public comments about the U.S. defending Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasions. I'll discuss Biden's foreign policy with GOP Congressman Adam Kinzinger in just a few moments.

HILL: Let's begin this hour with the primary races in Georgia and Alabama. CNN's Kristen Holmes is in Atlanta this morning, Dianne Gallagher is in Huntsville.

Kristen, let's kick things off with you in Georgia. Walk us through what folks are watching out for today.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Erica and Jim. Well, it is a big day here in Georgia and, of course, the biggest race we're watching is that gubernatorial Republican primary, which has become a proxy war between Trump and the election-denying faction of the Republican Party and the Republican establishment, as you mentioned, former Vice President Mike Pence.

And this is really the biggest break we have seen the former vice president make from Donald Trump. Take a listen to how these two former colleagues describe the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: When you say yes to Governor Brian Kemp tomorrow, you will send a deafening message all across America that the Republican Party is the party of the future.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: David is the only candidate who can beat Stacey Abrams, because I don't believe Kemp can do it. He's got too many people in the Republican Party that will refuse to vote. They're just not going to go out after what they did to two senators and to a presidential election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So, what I want to point out there particularly is what Pence said. While he didn't mention Trump by name, he is clearly making a veiled reference to the future, the fact that Trump is focusing on the past, the 2020 election.

And today really is a referendum on Donald Trump or day of reckoning, one, because Trump has made it so clear how badly he wants to beat Brian Kemp. He has poured more than $2.5 million into this race, the most money he has put into any primaries so far, and, two, because of that big lie that both of you mentioned. He has perpetuated this, talked about it nonstop. And Perdue has made this a pillar of his campaign.

And we want to point out another race we're following closely because of that big lie, and that is the race for secretary of state. Trump has Representative Jody Hice over the current secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, who, as you'll remember, now famously refused to, quote, find votes for Donald Trump in 2020. So, again, a big focus on that big lie, and what direction Republican voters want to go in.

Now, there is one Democratic race we are watching very closely and that is between two current Democratic members, Lucy McBath and Carolyn Bourdeaux. They are now fighting for Georgia's newly drawn 7th District. They both flipped their districts in suburban areas back when they first ran. So, very interesting day here in Georgia, a lot of eyes on these races.

[10:05:01]

SCIUTTO: Yes, redrawn the map there by the Republican legislature reducing the number of Democrat districts.

To Alabama now, Dianne, Republican Representative Mo Brooks, he's fighting to advance to a runoff despite Trump rescinding his endorsement. At the same time, incumbent Republican Governor Kay Ivey looks to secure another four years in office. Tell us what's happening in the state of Alabama.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jim, really, this is a situation where voters are already out today. We are expecting Mo Brooks to actually come here to this location and vote in just about an hour, and, really, all eyes are on that Republican Senate primary here in Alabama and whether Mo Brooks' campaign is truly back from the dead two months after former President Donald Trump rescinded that endorsement, saying that he thought that Mo Brooks had gone rogue.

Now, I just want to emphasize here, this is Mo Brooks, who was a driving force behind Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He gave that fiery speech at the Stop the Steal rally just before people, you know, went and successfully stormed the Capitol on January 6. But he was out campaigning this week with Ted Cruz.

He had his campaign that was kind of really in the tank, and then we watched his opponents, Katie Britt and Mike Durant, essentially take that moment for those two months and attack each other, millions of dollars in super PAC money, and that appears to be where Mo Brooks may have found his lane. His campaign has surged in the past couple of weeks here.

HILL: Dianne Gallagher and Kristen Holmes on the ground with the very latest for us, thank you both.

And be sure to stay with CNN throughout the day as we cover these high-stakes primaries. Our special coverage, Election Night in America, begins tonight at 7:00 P.M. Eastern right here on CNN.

SCIUTTO: President Biden on his back to Washington after the last stop of his first trip to Asia as president, the last in Tokyo, not before using Russia's invasion of Ukraine to send a message to China that a similar attack on Taiwan will be met with a military response by the U.S.

HILL: CNN's Kaitlan Collins is in the Tokyo this morning. So, Kaitlan, the White House now taking a look, of course, at the overall trip there, are they feeling this was a success in terms of what the president set out to do and what was actually achieved?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think they feel strongly in the sense that maybe it wasn't as obvious publicly in his statement and whatnot, what he was saying, but this whole trip was really about countering China. That really was why the president came to Asia. That really was what he came to office hoping would be his number one foreign policy goal. And that is what he had talked about.

But, of course, you've seen it get thrown off course time and again with other things, and, of course, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has taken up so much of that space for the president for the last several months. But what you saw him do during his trip here to Asia, first in South Korea, then here in Japan, was use that and say that that should be a learning lesson for other nations when it comes to what could happen potentially with China and Taiwan, because that had been a longstanding concern before the president's arrival here. But I think watching Russia invade Ukraine has heightened those fears. And so the president is saying, let's not let larger nations swallow up smaller nations just because they want to and have that go unchecked in the global community.

And you really saw that come into focus on his last day here in Tokyo as he met with the prime minister of India along with the leaders of Australia and Japan. But when it comes to Prime Minister Modi, he stands out because he has been one of very few leaders who has been is reluctant to criticize President Putin for his invasion of Ukraine. He has continued to not only purchase Russian oil but accelerate imports of that. And he hasn't even really referred to it as an invasion or as a war. And you can see that in his public statements.

You saw President Biden here on the ground saying that this is a dark hour. He said that this is not just a Europe problem, this is a global issue that all of these nations have to deal with, seemed to be pointed remarks at Prime Minister Modi. And I think that is really the message that President Biden is obviously taking back with him knowing that this is only going to be something that he continues to deal with, continues to discuss, as now they move to focusing on what that $40 billion aid package that the president signed while he was here in Asia is going to go to when it comes to weapons for Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Can Biden move Modi? It's a goal of this administration. They haven't been able to do it yet on Ukraine. Kaitlan Collins in Tokyo, thanks so much.

Joining me now to discuss, Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, he sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the select committee investigating January 6th. Congressman, thanks for taking the time this morning.

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): You bet. Yes, great to be with you.

SCIUTTO: First on Taiwan, despite his aides' pushback, in effect, does the U.S. now have a new Taiwan policy, which is to say it will defend Taiwan militarily if China were to invade? Is that the reality?

KINZINGER: Yes, I don't know if it's a new policy.

[10:10:00]

Look, I mean, here's the interesting thing when you get into this kind of international diplomacy is kind of the unspoken thing is the intention is to defend Taiwan. That's one thing that's kept Taiwan from having to face China directly. China sets up basically mock invasions of Taiwan, there is a fight over the strait, it's just a constant back and forth.

And I think the president said what everybody really is thinking, which is, of course, the United States would intend to defend Taiwan militarily, whether that's direct action or even just sending aid, but it's the speed, the breakneck speed at which his aides walk back what he said. It's similar to when he was saying about Vladamir Putin kind of the off-the-cuff, this guy can't remain in power. Look, if I was president and people did that to me, they wouldn't have a job anymore, for sure.

SCIUTTO: So, let me ask you, for both Russia and China, should the U.S. be explicit to say, you invade Ukraine again, we will send U.S. forces, you invade Taiwan, China, we will send U.S. forces? Should the U.S. state that out loud explicitly? KINZINGER: Look, I think there is benefit in putting out sometimes in public what your red line is. So, with Ukraine, for instance, I think there is really benefit in saying, if Russia uses nuclear, biological or chemical weapons in Ukraine, that will lead to a NATO reaction, because that's something that's far broader than just Ukraine. That's the kind of thing that spreads around the world, not to mention, by the way, Russia's blockade of Ukrainian ports, which is going to create real starvation issues around the world.

And I think with Taiwan, you have got to be a little ginger on Taiwan, obviously, but I think we need to be clear that we have the capacity, we have the ability and the will to defend Taiwan if China attacks. Because, look, Jim, if we leave this kind of idea that maybe we're not going to do anything and we'll just kind of roll over, this is a lesson that we've like forgotten. Weakness invites things like this. Strength has the best shot at preventing war in the first place. We see that in Ukraine and I think that same situation exists in Taiwan.

SCIUTTO: January 6th, The Guardian Newspaper is reporting that the select committee will hold six public hearings in June. Can you reveal anything about the planned schedule for these hearings, how many and over what period of time?

KINZINGER: Yes. I don't want to confirm -- I don't want to get ahead of what the committee is saying, but let me say this. Obviously, it's going to be in June and we're going to put out a good case for the American people. And this is where I think people, if I could encourage you, just watch these things, make your decision, look at the story from the beginning to the end, to every aspect of January 6th. Like we may want to, quote/unquote, move on and move forward, but our democracy was threatened that day, Jim.

And what bothers me is I think we're almost in a worse situation than we were even a year and a half ago when I see some of my colleagues that still pretend like it never happened, that act like you can just, through the will of a state legislature, overthrow a presidential election. Democracy doesn't survive under those circumstances.

So, all these things we have a luxury to talk about, helping Ukraine defend itself, et cetera, is not going to be a real issue if we're fighting for our own democracy survival here at home.

SCIUTTO: Has the committee found evidence of criminal behavior by the former president?

KINZINGER: I think stand by for what we're going to present in June. And then the terms of exactly is it criminal, is anything now criminal, that will be a question for the DOJ, but we're going to put in front of the American people everything we know, and then the Department of Justice will be able to see that and make decisions.

SCIUTTO: We're seeing a remarkable dynamic here and that we have Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, openly challenge not just his candidates, say, in a state like Georgia, his endorsed candidates, but also, again, Trump's continuing election lies. If Pence were to run against Trump would you support Pence for the Republican nomination?

KINZINGER: Look, if it was Pence against Trump, sure, but Mike Pence enabled Donald Trump for four years. And, I mean, that even came towards the end.

Look, I'm proud of what Mike Pence did on January 6. He gets a lot of credit for that. He's been quiet until fairly recently. I will judge him by behavior going forward. But, look, to every other Republican elected official, whether you're a county board member or U.S. senator or congressman, you have to speak up now. Because I got tell you, every day that you're silent your people that follow you believe that the election was stolen, they believe the democracy doesn't work for them. Every moment you're silent, you have a responsibility, you have an oath, follow through on that oath or you'll be ashamed of what you did when you were in office in five or ten years, and, frankly, I have no sympathy for you when you are.

SCIUTTO: You've been tough on China for its trade violations and so on. President Biden says he is now considering cutting tariffs on Chinese goods put in place by the Trump administration. Given high inflation and the impact on consumers across the board, is now the time to do so?

KINZINGER: Look, I think that's a case-by-case basis.

[10:15:01]

Look, I think one of the things I've come to evolve on in the last even kind of ten years in Congress is we do have to defend ourselves better against China in the trade area. So, I think, to some extent, we have to keep these tariffs in place. What I didn't like what the prior administration did was putting tariffs on our friends in Europe, for instance. We need to be, in essence, fighting this global trade war with our friends.

So, I'll evaluate exactly what the administration is talking about, but now is not the time just because we have the situation in Ukraine and Russia, which is massive, it's not the time to forget that our long-term strategic competitor is not Russia. They're a failing country. It's China. And we can't take the eye off that ball.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Adam Kinzinger, thank you so much for joining us.

KINZINGER: You bet.

SCIUTTO: Still ahead this hour, our next guest says the power of a Trump endorsement only goes so far. The Republican Party's challenged to define itself, coming up.

HILL: Plus, new reporting that the Biden administration is still concerned about the surge at the U.S.-Mexico border. CNN is at a crowded camp in Mexico and speaks with migrants but hope to apply for asylum this week.

And the latest in the manhunt for a yoga instructor now suspected of killing an elite cyclist in Austin, Texas, why officials think she may still be in the area, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:20:00]

HILL: Right now, Georgia is top of mind for so many as former President Trump's grip on the GOP is put to the test there. Former Vice President Mike Pence campaigning with Governor Brian Kemp last night. The incumbent is facing a Republican primary challenge from Trump-backed former Senator David Perdue.

Trump lashing out against his former V.P. for supporting Kemp, the former president's nemesis since the governor refused to support his election fraud lies in 2020. Trump saying in a statement, as you see there, Mike Pence was set to lose a governor's race in 2016 before he was plucked up and his political career was salvaged. Now, desperate to chase his lost relevance, Pence is parachuting into races.

Joining me now to discuss, Jason Shepherd, former Chairman of the Cobb County Republican Party, he supports Governor Brian Kemp. Nice to have you with us this morning.

Boy, a lot of attention on the state of Georgia today. I don't need to tell you that. When we look at where things are this morning, specifically we just saw in terms of that statement from former President Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence out there campaigning for Governor Kemp, I know you said the shine has gone off a bit when it comes to endorsements from the former president, that some Republicans realizing it's great maybe to have that endorsement but it's not the end all, be all. How important do you think that's going to be moving into November?

JASON SHEPHERD, FORMER CHAIRMAN OF COBB COUNTY, GEORGIA GOP: Well, Erica, thanks for having this morning, glad to be with you. I think endorsements from anyone, whether it's a former president or any elected official, or media celebrities, like Sean Hannity, they have a bit of credibility, but especially in an election like this in Georgia where we have Republican incumbents who have records. Brian Kemp, four years of serving as governor of Georgia, Georgia voters know who he is, they know what he's capable of, they know how he will govern in a second term.

And with that, President Trump's endorsement, it's really the only thing that's helping David Perdue. I think we're seeing in the polls and I think we'll see tonight the fact that Georgians already know Brian Kemp and they don't need someone else to tell them about Brian Kemp. We'll make sure that Brian Kemp gets the nomination tonight and we can turn and focus on the November election against Stacey Abrams.

HILL: So, if he does, in fact, get that nomination tonight, do you think Brian Kemp will be able to pull over former Perdue primary voters and others who still support these election lies?

SHEPHERD: I think he will. When it comes down to the November ballots and you're staring at Brian Kemp versus Stacey Abrams, and you're a Republican who loves our state, loves conservative government, wants to make sure we stay the number one state to do business in, and remember how Brian Kemp reopened the state, was the first governor to reopen the state during the COVID panic, saving a lot of jobs and a lot of businesses. I don't think Republicans, whether they supported David Perdue, Candace Taylor, Donald Trump, or anyone else, are going to be willing to turn this state over to Stacey Abrams and her very left-wing liberal agenda.

HILL: Looking, bigger picture, pulling out on Georgia for just a minute, I'm not sure if you're able to hear it, but Congressman Adam Kinzinger was just on talking with my colleague, Jim Sciutto. And one of the things he talked about as they were discussing January 6, I'm paraphrasing her, but Congressman Kinzinger said it's a worse situation in many ways than it was a year and a half ago. He said a number of his colleagues act like it never happened and noting democracy doesn't survive under those circumstances.

Do you share those concerns about just how many people and how many people in the Republican Party and in places of power still support those election lies and the impact it could have on democracy?

SHEPHERD: I think at this point, Erica, it's a very small section of the Republican primary electorate. We see the number go down in the polls. What we know more than that is that Republicans across the country, in states like Georgia and Arizona and others, have passed legislation to secure our elections, to make sure that every vote that's cast is a legitimate vote and votes are counted fairly.

And we're seeing this in the Georgia primary with all the talk of our election reform being Jim Crow 2.0, as the president, Joe Biden, has called it.

[10:25:00]

The fact is numbers are surging in Georgia and we have the largest primary turnout for early voting ever in our state's history, more than double 2020.

So, we also have to contend with the lies from the Democrats that Republicans are suppressing the vote. Voters are coming out in droves in Georgia and showing their vote is not being suppressed, that they feel confident that their vote will be counted and counted fairly.

HILL: We should point out to folks that we have spoken with, and even from Emory University who are watching this very closely, have said, it won't be clear what the impact is of that bill really until the general election. Because as you know very well, primary voters, general election voters, very different in terms of what motivates people.

Really quickly before I let you go, I only have about 15 seconds. You've known Marjorie Taylor Greene for a very long time. Do you see -- or how should I say -- do you see her brand of politics fitting into the overall Republican Party?

SHEPHERD: I see Marjorie Taylor Greene as very much on the edge, just like AOC is very much on the edge of the Democratic Party. Congressional districts are so small that you can have a very extreme candidate on both sides. And people in San Francisco may say, how can the 14th District elect Marjorie Taylor Greene assuming she gets through her primary tonight. But people in the 14th District of Georgia wonder how people in San Francisco elect Nancy Pelosi over and over. So, that's sort of the nature of Congress, and you get characters in Congress from time to time, and Marjorie Taylor Greene and AOC and the squad are just different sides of the same coin.

HILL: Jason Shepherd, we'll have to leave it there. Good to have you with us today. Thank you.

SHEPHERD: Thank you, Erica.

HILL: just a reminder, CNN's live coverage begins tonight at 7:00 P.M. Eastern.

SCIUTTO: Still ahead, the new FBI report that shows a stunning increase in active shooter situations across the country in just one year. Why a trend of roving shooters is concerning the FBI and should concern us, that's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]