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Justice Department Investigating Trump Fake Electors Plot; Conservatives Suffer Double Losses in U.K. By-Elections; Regional Leader: Ukraine to Pull Out of Severodonetsk; Prince Charles Attends Summit of Commonwealth Leaders. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired June 24, 2022 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Conservative candidates in two by-elections. And in both cases, the final tally wasn't even close. We'll explain next.
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SOARES: Welcome back everyone. Let me get you up-to-date on our top story this hour. Three former Justice Department officials are providing firsthand accounts of Donald Trump's pressure campaign on them to overturn the 2020 election. Trump's acting Attorney General and two of his top deputies testified before the January 6 committee on Thursday. They said Trump demanded they declare the election corrupt and threatened to install a new Attorney General who would back his false claims. Have a listen.
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JEFFREY ROSEN, FORMER ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: He discussed a variety of election matters. He did say this sounds like the kind of thing that would warrant appointment of a special counsel. There was a point at which the president said something about glad you guys seized machines.
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SOARES: And we learned from testimony and emails that number of Republican members of Congress requested pardons after January 6. You are looking at them on your screen.
Well, Federal investigators are also looking into another part of Donald Trump's plot to overturn the 2020 election. CNN's Sara Murray has that story for you.
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SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Justice Department, escalating its criminal probe into the fake elector scheme.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For president, Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida, number of votes, 11.
[04:35:00]
MURRAY (voice-over): Federal investigators are pursuing information in seven battleground states Trump lost in 2020, but where his allies put forward fake electors anyway to try to help Trump overturn the result.
DAVID SHAFER, GEORGIA REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN: The great state of Georgia ...
MURRAY (voice-over): Among those subpoenaed, Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, sources tell CNN. The elector's plot, a reoccurring theme in the House Select Committee's January 6th hearing.
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): We've seen how President Trump worked with and directed the Republican National Committee and others to organize an effort to create fake electoral slates, and later, to transmit those materially false documents to federal officials.
MURRAY (voice-over): Congressional investigators laying out how the former president roped the Republican National Committee into his plans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did the president say when he called you?
RONNA MCDANIEL, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIR: Essentially, he turned the call over to Mr. Eastman who then proceeded to talk about the importance of the RNC helping the campaign gather these contingent electors.
MURRAY (voice-over): All while Trump and his allies tried to convince swing state Republicans to supplant the electors for Joe Biden and make way for Trump.
In Arizona, State House Speaker Rusty Bowers testified he got calls from Trump, Attorney John Eastman, and Congressman Andy Biggs.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): And what did Mr. Biggs ask you to do?
RUSTY BOWERS (R), ARIZONA STATE HOUSE SPEAKER: He asked if I would sign on both to a letter that had been sent from my state, and/or that I would support the decertification of the electors, and I said I would not.
MURRAY (voice-over): In Pennsylvania, a barrage of calls from Trump's attorneys to State House Speaker Brian Cutler.
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER TRUMP LAWYER: Mr. Speaker, this is Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis. We're calling you together because we'd like to discuss, obviously, the election.
JENNA ELLIS, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN LAWYER: Hello, Mr. Speaker. This is Jenna Ellis, and I'm here with Mayor Giuliani.
MURRAY (voice-over): In Michigan, a plan allegedly floated by a Trump campaign official for fake electors to hide overnight in the state capital.
LAURA COX, FORMER MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIR: Michigan Republican electors were planning to meet in the capital and hide overnight so that they could fulfill the role of casting their vote. I told him in no uncertain terms that that was insane and inappropriate.
MURRAY (voice-over): Officials like Bowers, Cutler and Cox refused to go along with team Trump's plans. But across the country, some 100 others complied, signing bogus selector slates that are now the focus of the criminal probe.
MURRY: Now a number of these fake electors, including at least one who spoke to the January 6 committee, said they believe the so-called alternate slates of electors would only be put forward if Trump succeeded in his legal challenges. Of course, now we know that Trump and his allies barreled forward with this plan even when it was clear their challenges were not going to succeed in court.
Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
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SOARES: How much longer can Prime Minister Boris Johnson hang on at number 10? Already riddled by scandals, Mr. Johnson's ruling Conservative Party just suffered two embarrassing election defeats. Both by-elections selected new MPs to her place to Tories. One who's been caught watching porn in Parliament. The other was convicted of sex offenses.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wakefield, Simon Robert, Labour Party 13,160 votes.
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SOARES: Labour took the Wakefield seat by 12 percent, a Liberal Democrat won the Tiverton and Honiton by a whopping margin. A short time ago the chairman of the Conservative Party informed the Prime Minister that he was stepping down over the poor results.
CNN's Nada Bashir is following this for us this morning. And what a morning it has been. Look, this is a crushing defeat no doubt for the Prime Minister because the swings are huge. But this resignation is telling, it's very telling. And could paint a picture of what the Prime Minister has coming for the rest of the year.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Yes, absolutely. What was interesting from that resignation that is the first that we've heard from anyone in the Conservative Party. Really expressing perhaps this quiet over these results, and they are pretty significant results. The Prime Minister facing two defeats in that by-election, a double blow to the Prime Minister and to the party.
We've already heard Conservative MPs expressing concern that this could in fact impact their general election -- what are the prospects for them in the upcoming general election. We're expecting that around 2024. And it is important to note of course, Wakefield, that is traditionally a Labour seat. The Conservatives one that in 2019. The first time in almost 90 years. So that is a significant win back for the Labour Party. We've heard from Boris Johnson speaking this morning, he has acknowledged that these are tough results for the Conservative Party. But he's also said that he is listening to the voters. Take a listen.
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Yes, it's absolutely true that we've had some tough election results. And they've been I think a reflection of a lot of things, but we've got to recognize that voters are going through a tough time at the moment.
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And I think that as a government, I've got to listen to what people are saying and in particular to the difficulties people are facing over the cost of living, which is I think for most people the number one issue.
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SOARES: Is it the number one issue?
BASHIR: The cost of living is certainly a key priority for a lot of voters, but it isn't the only issue the Prime Minister has been wrapped up in numerous scandals, namely the "Partygate" scandal. Of course, facing three separate inquiries. There have been a lot of questions around the Prime Minister's integrity, his ability to lead the country. There been allegations of sleaze within the Conservative Party. And it does seem to be one scandal after another for the Prime Minister.
We've already heard from the Conservative Party chairman this morning. Let me just read and you quit bit from his statement.
He says that this is the latest in a run of very poor results. He said that Conservative voters have been distressed and disappointed by recent events and that somebody must take responsibility. That's been issuing his resignation. But many critics that might say that actually should be the Prime Minister taking responsibility. We've already heard from those victorious candidates from the Lib Dem party and from the Labour Party. They said that it's time for the Prime Minister to go.
SOARES: Well, let's see whether others will follow Oliver Dowden's resignation there. Nada, thank you very much.
Well, while Mr. Johnson is facing those difficulties, that Nada was setting out at home in the U.K., he may also face some pushback in Rwanda where the Prime Minister is attending the summit of Commonwealth leaders in Kigali, Rwanda. Where he is set to hold a private meeting with Prince Charles in the coming hours. They may discuss Mr. Johnson's controversial plan to send refugees seeking asylum to Rwanda. A plan that the Prince has reportedly as, quote, appalling. The PM told reporters he would of course, defend the policy if it came up at his meeting with Prince Charles.
Mr. Johnson says that the U.K. and Rwanda have worked to make sure the policy follows human rights protocols.
Well, Boris Johnson is not the only high profile Brit in Rwanda right now, we'll tell you what Prince Charles is doing there as well in just a moment.
Plus, a crushing loss in Ukraine. We are live in Kyiv for you this hour for details of the eastern city that we're told has fallen to Russian forces and what that means, of course, crucially for this war. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.
[04:45:00]
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SOARES: Welcome back everyone. Let me bring you more now on that breaking news out of Ukraine this hour. The country appears to be conceding a key city in the east. A regional governor says Ukrainian troops will pull out of Severodonetsk where they have been fighting, of course, grueling street battles with Russia for weeks now. Salma Abdelaziz is following this breaking news for us and joins me now. And Salma, I know we've been expecting this for some time because I remember you telling me it was a question of if not when. But this is pretty significant, nevertheless.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely. Waking up to this news today from regional officials. I want to just read you exactly what they are saying about Severodonetsk because this is really important.
They appear now to be succumbing to this superior Russian firepower and they say they're going to withdraw from the city. I'm reading you exactly the words here.
Unfortunately, we will have to withdraw our military. It makes no sense to stay in positions broken after many months of hostilities because the number of dead and unfortified territories may grow every day. Our defenders who are there have already received the command to withdraw to new positions and to fully conduct hostilities from there.
So, it appears, Isa, that what Ukrainian forces now what do is pull back, pull out of Severodonetsk, that very important city where they were really holding the last stand. A last bit of resistance in this chemical plant, the Azot chemical plant. From there they had continue to try to hold the line. There was also civilians trapped in that plant. Now Ukrainian forces saying they're going to have to pull back, they simply have succumb to Russia's nearly 2 month long campaign, constant assaults by land and by air, backed by airstrikes, of course in that city.
And this is a place that's important. It's an industrial city that's been largely destroyed again in this artillery war, but it's hart of the Luhansk region, part of the wider Donbas region. And one President Putin's major goals is to take control of the Donbas. It is to have full occupation there and be able to use it as a territory to connect that land bridge all along the east toward Crimea to solidify those gains for Russian forces. And it seems they are one step closer to doing that.
And of course, it's very concerning for some 7,000 civilians that are estimated still trapped in Severodonetsk. So, we'll wait to see if there is an agreement made -- in the past has happened -- to allow those civilians to get out safely. But at times of course we've also seen civilians being forced in to Russian territory. So, we don't know what the fate of those civilians will be. But it's very clear now that Ukrainian defenders simply cannot hold out any longer -- Isa.
SOARES: Yes, and the regional leader also warning now that they're targeting Lysychansk. That seems to be the next city they're targeting, which we have seen intensify in the last few days. Thank you very much there with all the latest. Thank you.
Well, Prince Charles is at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth summit in Rwanda this hour, along with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Afterwards the leaders will take a group photo before the Prince of Wales hosts a reception for new heads of government.
Let's get more from CNN's Larry Madowo. And Larry, Prince Charles of course the next British monarch will be addressing the heads of government from 54, I believe, Commonwealth countries who may be looking to cut ties with the royal family. How contentious has this been? Will he address this do you think?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is likely something that he has to talk about, Isa, because you see for instance a big push from the Caribbean nations that are trying to drop the Queen as head of state like Barbados did. And within the wider Commonwealth, a lot of African nations that are former British colonies are also reconsidering and reviewing their relationship with the U.K. even as it tries to expand beyond what used to be the British Empire.
For instance, President Paul Kagame , who's speaking right now. At the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, points out that the fact that this meeting is happening in Rwanda, which has no traditional connection to the British Empire, speaks to how the Commonwealth is trying to reimagine a world and think about connecting and improving the lives of all their citizens.
During this summit, they might also be introducing and accepting into the membership countries like Togo and Gabon that didn't have a traditional connection again to the British Empire. But truly it's impossible to ignore that elephant in the room about these nations who are considering that it's time for them to drop the Queen as the head of state, to move away from the royal family and that connection and follow that example of Barbados. And especially after the death of George Floyd and the global reckoning of rape. This has become a much more important issue in the black (INAUDIBLE) here across the African continent.
[04:50:00]
So, it will be interesting to see how Prince Charles addresses that as the future King of England and if that will be satisfactory to the leaders who are there and also to the citizens across the Commonwealth.
SOARES: Indeed, Larry Madowo for us there this hour, thanks very much, Larry. Really appreciate it.
Do we have the live images of the royal portrait coming in? No. I think we don't. Anyway, Prince William -- well, as soon as we get it, we'll bring it to you of course. We are expecting a royal portrait there.
Principles William and Duchess of Cambridge are subject of a painting and in fact, their first official portrait of the future king and queen. The royal couple visited the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England on Thursday, where the portrait is on display. The oil painting shows them gazing off into the distance with Catherine wearing -- as you can see there -- the emerald dress she wore on a trip to Dublin back in 2020. The artist, Jamie Coreth, says he wanted to show them looking both relaxed and approachable as well as elegant and dignified. We'll be right back. We're taking a short break. See you in a bit.
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[04:55:00]
SOARES: Dreams became reality for some talented basketball players on Thursday night. The Duke University freshman Paolo Banchero went number one overall to the Orlando Magic. Banchero started all 39 games for the Blue Devils and led all freshmen in scoring.
Then Gonzaga University big man Chet Holmgren went number two to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The first three picks of this year's draft were all freshmen. Congratulations to them.
The New York Racing Association just suspended one of the most famous horse trainers ever, the ban for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert is one year, although he'll get credit for time served under temporary suspension after he was already suspended by the Kentucky Racing Commission. After his Derby winning horse Medina Spirit failed a drug test in 2021. The 69-year-old trainer has won the Triple Crown of U.S. horseracing twice in his career.
And sky watchers do take note, depending on your time zone, you may be right now at peak viewing of a rare five planet alignment. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all lined up in order. The events started the beginning of June but today's view should really be the best and the best time about an hour before sunrise. Planetary alignment is visible with a naked eye along the eastern horizon. The planets last aligned in 2004. The next chance to catch it will be in 2040.
And just before we go, Justin Timberlake is blaming his feet for making some pretty bad dance moves. Have a look at this.
Doesn't look too bad. The pop star apologized and Instagram story after doing an awkward dance routine at a music festival in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday there, as you can see. I don't know what you made of it. Doesn't look too bad. He also joked maybe it was the khakis after some fans described his pants as nerdy with dad vibes. Timberlake promise his feet would get it right next time. I don't think it was bad at all.
Anyway, that does it here for me on CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks very much for your company. Our coverage continues on "EARLY START" with Laura Jarrett. Thank you very much for your company. Bye-bye.
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