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Biden Arrives in Saudi Arabia as Part of Middle East Tour; Secret Service Denies Maliciously Deleting Texts from January 5th and 6th; Senator Manchin Derails Democrats' Climate, Tax Bill; Indiana Doctor Reported 10-Year-Old Rape Victim's Abortion; Buffalo Supermarket Reopens 2 Months After Mass Shooting. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired July 15, 2022 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

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POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Sciutto.

We are following several major stories this hour. First, the U.S. Secret Service is now pushing back on allegations it acted maliciously after a report claims the agency erased text messages from January 5th and January 6th, the day before and the day of the deadly Capitol Hill attack. According to a letter given to the January 6th Committee, the messages were erased after the DHS inspector general had asked for them.

HARLOW: Plus new overnight, in another major blow to President Biden's agenda, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin's team confirming that he will, quote, "unequivocally" not support any climate provisions in the Democrats' economic package or consider raising taxes on the wealthy or corporations.

And moments ago President Biden took off for Saudi Arabia in a highly anticipated and controversial meeting with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The president is seeking to boost oil flow and reset the relationship with the kingdom less than two years after vowing to make Saudi Arabia a pariah for its human rights abuses.

SCIUTTO: CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Wolf Blitzer are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the president will be visiting.

Wolf, to you first. The president, before he left the West Bank, met with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas this morning. He continues to advocate for a two-state solution, announced some aid, but there is right now no substantive talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Where do those negotiations stand and where does a two-state solution stand given that?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Everything I've heard from senior U.S. officials is that they think that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians are yet ready for a new round of direct peace negotiations, whether you want to call it shuttle diplomacy or get them all together in some sort of Camp David accord as has been tried in the past by U.S. leaders.

The Israelis, of course, they're in the midst of getting ready for new elections right now. The government fell. So there's going to be new Knesset elections, parliamentary elections on November 1st. So getting involved in peace negotiations in the midst of Israeli political season is going to be difficult. President Biden certainly appreciates that.

And from the Palestinian perspective, the U.S. fears that the Palestinian Authority leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, they're also not yet ready to sit down and do substantive peace negotiations. The last thing the Biden administration wants to do is have some high profile negotiations begin and then quickly collapse. It would be seen as a failure.

You know, it's interesting, we're here now, Kaitlan Collins is here with us, it's a hot day here in Jeddah.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is.

BLITZER: It's going to get hotter when the president arrives, he's going to be meeting with the Saudi leadership, and there are some real sensitive issues at stake, especially when he sits down, as he will, in the next few hours with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

COLLINS: Absolutely. And Wolf, it's not just what the substance of these meetings, it's also the style of him. And people are going to be watching very closely to how they greet one another. Of course this is someone that President Biden blasted on the campaign trail, criticized him for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, saying that he wanted to make Saudi Arabia a pariah because of that, and that the current government, which is still the government that he will be greeted by today, had little social redeeming value.

And so officials are kind of viewing this as a bit of a reset because they want to have this chance, the first time that President Biden and the Saudi crown prince are coming face-to-face with one another, to move forward with this relationship because basically they view it as practical. And so people will be watching because as President Biden arrives here shortly, he will first have a formal meeting with the Saudi king.

That is who the White House has said is his counterpart, that's the only Saudi official he has spoken with since taking office. But the Saudi king's health is deteriorating. And so not long after that, you're going to see President Biden go into a room and the person he's going to be dealing with directly, his counterpart, will be the Saudi crown prince. And so that's when the working session will begin.

And of course, big questions have been on whether or not he'd bring up Jamal Khashoggi's name. He would not commit to doing so during his press conference yesterday. But officials at the White House have said there's been so much focus on will they shake hands, will there be a photo of the two of them. They say they're not focusing on that as much.

They're focusing on, you know, maybe not in the immediate future when he leaves here but in the coming weeks, as there are going to be an increase in Saudi oil production. Are they going to commit to more of a Yemen cease-fire, extending it for longer, other developments on that front?

[09:05:01]

And so it will be a very interesting basically an ice-breaker between President Biden and the Saudi crown prince when he gets here.

BLITZER: And President Biden is also going to try to accelerate the improvement of relations between the Saudis and the Israelis. That's very important to the U.S., very important to the Saudis and to the Israelis as well.

COLLINS: And he'll be the first president to fly from Israel directly to Saudi Arabia.

BLITZER: Yes. Former President Trump flew from Saudi Arabia directly to Israel. And now This is the first time that an American president will be flying directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia. So these are all little symbolic moves but significant, given the history of what's been going on.

Jim and Poppy, back to you, guys.

SCIUTTO: Well, given MBS' youthful age, he may be dealing with many U.S. presidents to come.

HARLOW: Thirty-six. Yes.

SCIUTTO: For many years perhaps. Kaitlan Collins, Wolf Blitzer, thanks so much.

Well, this morning here back in the U.S. Secret Service, it is denying that it did anything malicious after a government watchdog report claims the Secret Service erased text messages on agency phones from the pivotal days of January 5th and January 6th, 2021, after, and this is crucial, oversight officials had requested those text messages. HARLOW: So the Secret Service claims that any lost data was due to a

planned tech migration and that those texts that investigators wanted were not among those that disappeared.

Let's bring in our law enforcement correspondent Whitney Wild with more.

Good morning, Whitney.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you. Jim and Poppy. This story was first reported by the "Intercept," and the summary of it is this. The Department of Homeland Security inspector general wrote a letter to congressional oversight committees this week alleging that many Secret Service text messages from January 5th and 6th, 2021, were erased from the system as part of a device replacement program.

The IG also wrote that the texts were deleted, again, as Poppy said, after the IG requested records of electronic communications from the Secret Service. However, the agency is saying that is not how it happened. They maintain that the system upgrade was planned and it was well underway when the IG asked for those records.

In a statement to CNN, the Service said this. "The insinuation that the Secret Service maliciously deleted text messages following a request is false. In fact the Secret Service has been fully cooperating with the OIG in every respect whether it be interviews, documents, e-mails, or texts."

Further, Jim and Poppy, they say they handed over volumes of records. They say they handed over hundreds of thousands of e-mails from around that date and nearly 8,000 messages by Secret Service employees referencing conversations and even operational details pertaining to January 6th, 2021.

The Secret Service also said that they notified the DHS OIG of the loss of certain phones' data but confirmed to the OIG that none of the text messages it was seeking at the time had been lost in that migration.

Certainly there are a list of other questions to ask the Secret Service as well as the IG. So we will keep reporting this out. But at present, the Secret Service vehemently denying that any of this was malicious and basically chalking it up to happenstance, that the timing here aligned with something that was already pre-planned.

Back to you.

HARLOW: OK. Whitney Wild, thanks very much for the reporting.

Let's get some analysis, some insights from former federal prosecutor and CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams.

So, Elliot, when you worked at DHS, you worked alongside some really top Secret Service officials. I just wonder sort of what your analysis is of the reporting Whitney just gave us and then what questions it leaves you with.

ELLIOT WILIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, and so to echo that, Poppy, you know, Secret Service agents and senior officials I worked with when I was at DHS were wonderful law enforcement officials, dedicated to the country and so on. But the Secret Service for a long time has been plagued by scandals going back to prostitution scandals involving Mike Pence's detail. Prostitution scandals involving Barack Obana's detail. And this is just the latest headache that they're having to deal with.

What's suspicious here and I think a congressional hearing needs to get to the bottom of, if they're migrating data from their telephones, why is at least some of it getting deleted? They were very clear in their statement that none of the requested data by Congress has been deleted. But what about other data? So something doesn't smell right here and somebody's got to get to the bottom of it.

SCIUTTO: Can I ask you a broader question here, given your experience, Elliot, about whether there's a broader question about best practices in the Secret Service as it relates to politics, right, because you have this, which is obviously a politically charged investigation. You had the reaction to the Cassidy Hutchinson testimony with a statement, sort of an official statement from the Secret Service implying that it wasn't true what she said, and now CNN's reporting is that another police officer has corroborated it.

But also just the very unusual situation in the Trump administration that a Secret Service agent became the deputy chief of staff to a president to help elect him in the next election. And I just wonder, does that fit in the Secret Service's mission?

WILLIAMS: You know, and it ought not to, Jim. The tricky thing with the Secret Service's mission is these folks swear an oath to essentially take a bullet for the president.

[09:10:05]

So the question is, does that extend to, if asked to carry out an order that might be impermissible on behalf of the president, would they do it? And it puts Secret Service agents I think in a very tricky and uncomfortable position here. But no, they ought to be operating outside of politics. If you notice, I cited scandals that applied to both Democratic and Republican demonstrations.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

WILLIAMS: But it's just, like I said, it just doesn't look right. And frankly the body to get to the bottom of the this isn't the January 6th Committee. It's the Oversight Committee, the Homeland Security Committee that oversees Secret Service.

HARLOW: Moving on a little bit more broadly to the committee -- the January 6th Committee and where it goes next, you had some interesting analysis that was, you don't think there was any upside to calling Pence or Trump as a witness. And like there's also the constitutional question that would need to be addressed in terms of, you know, one branch of government compelling the head of another -- former head of another to testify. But why would it not be at all advantageous?

WILLIAMS: Right. So a couple of things. One, I've been on with the two of you on this program probably a hundred times over the years and very rarely make hard predictions, crystal ball type things. I will tell you, Mike Pence and Donald Trump are not testifying live before the January 6th Committee, full stop. So there's a couple of reasons why. Number one, you're going to end up in court for a year or two, figuring out this question as to whether you can subpoena a former president to testify.

Now look, the answer might be that you can, but that's not my decision or yours or anybody else's, a federal court has got to sort that out, even if it's sort of a clunker of an argument from the president. So set that aside.

Number two, with Trump you end up turning the proceedings into a circus, we all know that, and also Mike Pence may not be that helpful as a witness given that you've already heard from Cassidy Hutchinson, his chief of staff Marc Short, his chief counsel Greg Jacob, and on down. It's those folks who have really filled in a very compelling story, and I don't know if Mike Pence future presidential candidate is really going to give you the testimony you need.

Any prosecutor or investigator got to decide what's worth it. That's not cowardice, it's just, you know, a simple analysis of where you're going to go in your investigation. I don't see much upside there.

SCIUTTO: There is a lot of reporting at our outlet and others that the former president intends to announce perhaps before the midterms, and a perception not only does he want to take away from some of the smoke around January 6th Committee and then what has been revealed there, but also make it more difficult to prosecute him or to potentially charge him. Is there any truth to that, given the way both the DOJ operates or a prosecutor in the state of Georgia?

WILLIAMS: Yes, so I think there is some truth to it. Now, number one, look, it's already hard enough to charge a former president with a crime and that's already a factor that the Justice Department is certainly considering. Number two, it opens up the door to the criticism that the Justice Department is engaged in a political prosecution. And I think that's something the Justice Department is considering.

Look, at the end of the day, if the evidence and facts are there to indict the former president, they ought to indict the former president, and I think they will if the facts and evidence are there. It looks like they're just taking their time with the case.

SCIUTTO: Elliot Williams, always good to have you on. We'll have you back for the 101st time.

HARLOW: I was just going to say that.

WILLIAMS: It's nicely done.

SCIUTTO: Coming up next, Senator Joe Manchin, this is significant, not just for the country but for climate policy, has torpedoed a climate and tax bill the Democrats had been negotiating for months, really years.

We're live on Capitol Hill with details on why he's opposed to it now and what happens as a result.

Plus, the supermarket that was the scene of a mass shooting just two months ago has reopened today with a new memorial, also increased security. I'm going to speak to Buffalo City Council president about how the city is recovering.

HARLOW: And ahead for us, the doctor who provided that abortion service for a 10-year-old rape victim is pushing back on claims that she did not report the case to authorities. She's saying she did, next.

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SCIUTTO: New overnight -- this is big -- Senator Joe Manchin has dealt a massive blow to President Biden's legislative agenda, effectively shutting down the latest economic package the Democrats have been negotiating for months.

The West Virginia Democrat says he will not support the bill's climate or tax provisions seven months after initially upending the larger Build Back Better plan in December. I mean, beyond the Democratic agenda here, this is enormous for the country's climate --

HARLOW: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Just not clear they're going to meet them.

HARLOW: Or the world. We're following so far behind. And remember this comes just weeks after the Supreme Court severely restricted the ability of the EPA to regulate carbon emissions that cause climate change. The only option left really was for Congress to do it and Manchin's decision means the votes aren't there.

Melanie Zanona joins us from Capitol Hill with the latest.

This is such a huge blow not only to the Biden administration but to Democrats on these two huge issues.

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely right. Democrats are outraged right now, to put it lightly. Senator Ron Wyden who chairs the committee which has jurisdiction over these climate and tax provisions that Manchin rejected said this may have been their last chance to truly reverse the impacts of climate change.

Let me read you a part of his statement, he said, quote, "I'm not going to sugarcoat my disappointment here. This is our last chance to prevent the most catastrophic and costly effects of climate change. We can't come back in another decade and forestall hundreds of billions if not trillions in economic damage and undo the inevitable human toll.

So, look, this is a devastating blow to Biden's economic agenda before the November midterms. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had been desperately trying to revive this economic package which they're trying to pass on a party line process, even offered concessions, but Senator Joe Manchin said he was just too concerned about spending more money when inflation is so high right now.

[09:20:02]

It's really worth reminding views how much has fallen out of this package. Initially Democrats wanted $3 trillion then Joe Manchin demanded it go down to $1.5 trillion, then he killed that package earlier this year, and now we're down to a potential package that only includes lowering prescription drug prices and expanding Obamacare subsidies. So the question now becomes whether frustrated Democrats are willing to swallow this pared down package. And the reality is it might be their only chance for a major economic victory before the midterms.

SCIUTTO: Yes. There were repeated assurances that he was going to come around. Right? Some of those come from the White House. I'm curious, you will often hear in moments like this, OK, President Biden, take executive action. You heard that after the Roe v. Wade, you know, Roe v. Wade being overturned. But the fact is the president's abilities enormously limited in terms of the scale of the climate commitments the country has made. But it's not clear how they meet them.

ZANONA: Right, I mean, if there's a magic wand, Biden would have waved it by now, not just on climate change but all these issues we talked about. And one other thing is the reason there's so much urgency right now is that Democrats realize that the control of the House might flip to Republicans. Control of the Senate is totally up for grabs. And so they are running out of time to address these critical pressing issues like climate change -- Jim, Poppy.

SCIUTTO: Melanie Zanona, good to have you on the Hill.

Other news, CNN has now obtained documents showing that the Indiana doctor who provided abortion services for a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio did in fact properly report the procedure as required by Indiana law.

HARLOW: So this comes after Indiana's Republican attorney general Todd Rokita claimed that the doctor, Caitlin Bernard, had a history of failing to report.

Our Jean Casarez is with us. So any claim that she didn't report here have been refuted by these documents. And what about that claim about her history?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, CNN, when we heard this, we immediately went to the Ohio Department of Health to get the records, to see exactly what the truth was, and we did get them late last night. And what they did show is that Dr. Caitlin Bernard did confirm with the Department of Health, within the time period that she was supposed to, officially saying that there was an abortion performed on June 30th of a 10-year-old girl. And she submitted that to the Department of Health on the 2nd of July, which is within that three- day time period.

Now CNN also reached out to the Ohio Children's Services to see what they know and the Indiana Child Services. What we are hearing is that due to confidentiality, and they also cited the law in Indiana, that confidentially precludes them from giving us any information on any reporting that occurred or any discussions that they had with the family. So it is important to note that what Caitlin Bernard was supposed to do, she did do. And we have also heard the investigation continues in Indiana, but at this point we do know she reported it.

Now, on the legal front, I will tell you that that is continuing and forensics testing is going on right now with the fetus because they need to have that confirmation forensically speaking because the charge of statutory rape was brought based on his confession and her identifying him as the perpetrator, according to legal documents.

We also know the next hearing is in the middle of July. We also heard in the arraignment that they're having difficulty identifying him because they don't have the documentation or any paperwork. This is the name, though, that he is giving them and he's being held on $2 million bond.

SCIUTTO: Also remarkable here, right, is it's not the first, it's the second claim about this case that's been knocked down. The first was --

HARLOW: It didn't happen.

SCIUTTO: That it didn't happen, right? It did happen. And now there's somehow failure to report but to your good reporting, we know that's not true either.

CASAREZ: Thank you.

HARLOW: Thanks, Jean, very much for the facts.

Texas is suing the Biden administration now over the guidance it had issued to emergency rooms about how to provide abortion services. Next hour we'll get reaction from the co-chair of the White House's Gender Policy Council who is really leading on this response.

SCIUTTO: Still ahead as well, the Buffalo supermarket that was the scene of a deadly, racist, just heartbreaking massacre, it's been renovated and it's reopened. The community is now trying to move forward the best it can in the face of ongoing fear and grief. We're going to take you there live.

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[09:29:11]

SCIUTTO: The Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, New York. You may remember the name. That's where a gunman killed 10 people in a racist attack. It's now reopened today.

HARLOW: It has. It's a very important day there for so many reasons. It has undergone a complete renovation. There is a memorial to the victims to try to help, of course, so many still grieving and traumatized in this community.

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FRAGRANCE HARRIS STANFIELD, TOPS FRIENDLY MARKETS EMPLOYEE AND SHOOTING SURVIVOR: No matter if all the justice that we deserve is given to us or not, we will still be able to move on from this. I just don't want it to be that we are expected to be so resilient that we forget that this happened or so resilient that we are forgotten about. But they should know that they can't break us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Our Athena Jones is live in Buffalo.

Athena, what's it like to be back there today? What are people saying?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Poppy and Jim, we've talked to folks yesterday.