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Senate GOP Worried Internal Issues Could Derail Path to Majority; Barr Slams Special Master Ruling But Doesn't Want Trump Indicted; South Carolina Legislature Debates Near-Total Abortion Ban. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 07, 2022 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Republican Senators are privately alarmed about two potential problems on their quest to regain the majority in November. Senator Rick Scott, the head of the fundraising arm admitted to having a money problem for the upcoming midterm elections.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: And on top of that Scott is feuding with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. CNN's chief Congressional correspondent Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill. Manu, what are you hearing from Senate Republicans about this?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Republicans are concerned about the cash issues at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. It has spent a lot of money early on ads -- on add campaign late in the campaign season. It is not flush with cash as it has been in previous election cycles.

One of the big fears right now is there they may not have enough to bank roll a campaign to turn out voters on election day. Typically, this committee would spend millions of dollars to try to send direct mail to voters urging them to come to the polls.

The question is how will they make up that shortfall? Behind the scenes Senators are looking at different ways to help candidates directly. Mitch McConnell's super PAC is planning or has been in the works for some time to spend tens of millions of dollars across the airwaves as McConnell leans on his super Pac instead to try to take back the majority. In previous cycles McConnell would be heavily involved in the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

And the leader of that committee, Rick Scott, has criticized Mitch McConnell's comments in the past questioning candidate quality as one reason why the Senate may not flip in this election cycle. Now, in talking to Republican, the big concern, though, is about money and the funding shortfall that Senator Josh Hawley indicated to me earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU: The funding shortfall at the NRSC and this feud that's happening between McConnell and Rick Scott and McConnell's comments about candidates may not be top quality here in the Senate race? SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): My philosophy on that, Manu, is let's just

win. I mean, Republicans need to win.

RAJU: You don't have the money to do it in the NRSC.

HAWLEY: Well, I'm concerned about the financial disadvantage that Republican candidates have. But that's just a fact.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU (on camera): Now, the Senators met behind closed doors for the first time since the recess, since the first time since news of the problems with the NRSC's cash flows have emerged. And the first time since Rick Scott wrote an op-ed that was widely interpreted as a rebuke to Mitch McConnell -- though Scott downplayed that rift yesterday.

And behind closed doors Republicans actually did not discuss this issue even though it has been dominating discussion in GOP circles for the last several days and weeks. Because Republicans Senators say they simply just want to move on, put this rift behind them, do whatever they can to take back the majority as they still stand the chance of winning back the majority even if it's a difficult road ahead -- guys.

CAMEROTA: OK, Manu Raju, thank you very much.

Let's bring in Alyssa Farah Griffin. She is a CNN political commentator and former Trump White House communications director. We also have Alice Stewart. She's our CNN political commentator and former communications director for Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Ladies, great to have you.

Alyssa, I'll start with you. Do you understand how Rick Scott burned through this windfall of cash that he had? I know he devoted it to a digital operation, but do you understand how he now is at such a deficit and do you think that changes the outcome of the midterms?

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, I think that Rick Scott went into this role of running the NRSC a very, you know, prestigious perch for anyone who has leadership aspirations in the Senate. Thinking that this was a way to also build his own profile. A lot of money -- this was reported in "The New York Times" -- was spent on ads actually featuring Rick Scott. So, I think that's one of the concerns.

But actually, Mitch McConnell's point is salient which is it's ultimately about the candidates. If you have good candidates, the money is going to materialize and our party did not do a good job at recruiting. The NRSC chairman has two jobs, raise money and recruit good candidates. Blake Masters in Arizona, struggling, not doing as well as he should be. J.D. Vance having a hard time in Ohio. Even Georgia, a seat that we shouldn't think about being in play as Republicans, Herschel Walker struggling. I think Republicans can pull it through by a hair but what's going to be funny is they're going to have to go back to the well and ask Mitch McConnell through Senate leadership fund to bail them out because of these bad spending early on.

BLACKWELL: Alice, what do you think, that the subpar fundraising is in part because of subpar candidates?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That could be one factor in some races, not all but in some. And I agree with Alyssa in that I do believe that Republicans can pull it out and take over in the Senate. And look, I know for a fact that the Senate committee was very conscious in their decision-making in how they spent their money.

They made the decision months ago to spend early. They raised a significant amount of cash and they wanted to spend early on ads and outreach and phone calls and social media campaigns to support candidates to get them through the primary.

[15:35:00]

And right now, sure, they're at a significant disadvantage. They understand Republicans on the Senate side have about 23 million and looking at 34 million by -- on the Democratic side. But that was a strategic decision that they wanted to do. They look at it from why spend all of this money in September and October if you're are your candidate is ten points behind. So, what they did is they spent on the front end to get candidates where they are. And they are sure they're going to have to go back and do more in terms of fundraising.

But what they wanted to do was get candidates to a good point right now. They feel confident with some of the races that they thought were going to be in worse shape now. Those races have tightened up and they're looking specifically in areas like Pennsylvania as well as Georgia where their candidates are where they want to be.

And as far as the rift between the candidate, look, I know people were in the room yesterday in that meeting and a lot of the sources that come out of that are consultants that don't like each other and want to fight with each other. But the people that matter, Senator Scott and McConnell, they are united. They are on the same page. They have put McConnell's comments about candidates in the rearview mirror. They're looking forward in the next few months and how they can win in November.

CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, Alyssa, let's talk about former Attorney General Bill Barr. Somebody has slipped him some truth serum and he's on a bit of like a radical honesty tour as far as I can tell. Where he is talking about -- I mean, to paraphrase -- how appalled he is at the top secret documents that were basically unsecured at Mar-a-Lago. So -- but, but, in terms of indicting the former president, here is what he still has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BARR, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: At the end of the day there's another question is do you indict a former president? What will that do to the country? What kind of precedent will that set? Will the people really understand this is not failing to return a library book, that this was serious. And so, you have to worry about those things. And I hope that those kinds of factors will incline the administration not to indict him. Because I don't want to see him indicted as a former president. But I also think they'll be under a lot of pressure to indict him because, you know, one question -- look, if anyone else would have gotten indicted why not indict him?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Well, there you go. I mean, I mean, I take his point. It will be disruptive to the country but is a president above the law?

GRIFFIN: Well, no, the president -- no one is above the law, and I'm here for Bill Barr speaking very honestly and I actually agreed with his analysis that the special master is more or less a delay tactic by Trump world. He makes a point that's valid though I slightly disagree. Which is if the former president, if DOJ ends up determining that they can and should indict him, they need to do that. It is critical for our democracy, for the rule of law that no one be above the law. But he's absolutely right, we have to then explain to the public. It needs to be communicated why such a drastic measure was taken or our country will be torn apart at the seams. There are people who are very, very fervently still with the former president. They've been really --

CAMEROTA: Yes, but who are they listening to? We explain it every day how serious it is obviously. Joe Biden can talk until he's blue in the face. Who would those people listen to?

GRIFFIN: Well, that's why you need more elected Republicans speaking out and saying what they know to be true. Because that's the biggest challenge. Is how do you get the truth to these individuals. But I do think he has a salient point there that you've got to at least communicate to the public why he is, in fact, if he ends up being indicted.

BLACKWELL: Alice, you said --

STEWART: I just --

BLACKWELL: Go ahead. Go ahead.

STEWART: No, I just think him speaking out on that network I think is important to Alyssa's point. You need critical thinkers, you need rational thinkers who don't have an axe to grind one way or the other, to explain it to the echo chamber that feels one way about this situation. And he made it quite clear it's up to the DOJ and the FBI to decide what to do moving forward. But he did say, look, by all accounts it looks as though the documents should not have been taken. They were not handled properly and they were deceptive to the government. Now it's up to the DOJ to decide how they want to proceed.

BLACKWELL: Alice Stewart, Alyssa Farah Griffin, thank you.

CAMEROTA: So, South Carolina is moving forward with a near total ban on abortion. State Senators there now debates whether to strip out virtually all exceptions including for rape and incest and fetal anomalies. We're going to speak to a Republican legislator about that next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: In South Carolina, the latest version of a controversial abortion bill strips out exceptions for rape, incest and fatal fetal anomalies. Leading to a near total ban on all abortion. Just last week the statehouse there did grant exceptions for rape and incest but this latest vote pits Republicans who want exceptions against Republicans who do not.

Joining us now is South Carolina state rep and Republican Neal Collins who had voted to include the exceptions last week. Representative, thanks so much for being here. Can we just start with the fatal fetal anomalies? Why would South Carolina Republicans want a woman to carry a baby with fetal anomalies to term when it's going to die?

NEAL COLLINS (R) SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HOUSE: Nice to see you. I believe the argument for that side is that they believe life begins at conception and that any termination of life would be considered a killing of a baby.

CAMEROTA: And do you agree with that?

[15:45:00]

COLLINS: I'm for -- I'm personally for exceptions but more importantly my constituents are. I live in arguably one of the most conservative districts in South Carolina and arguably the nation and I believe my constituents are also for exceptions.

CAMEROTA: That's right. I mean you've made this case. I think quite compellingly on the House floor. Your constituents and the people that you talk to, including a doctor, talked to you about the real-life consequences about some of these exceptions. And so, you voted to make an exception for the life of the pregnant woman and for rape and incest. Do you understand why your colleagues in the Senate, your Republican colleagues have voted to scrub all of that?

COLLINS: Well, so in the House, you know, last week we had our vote, and we were split. Our caucus in South Carolina we are two-thirds Republican in both the House and the Senate and on the House side we were split down the middle basically as far as whether we wanted exceptions or not. And that's what took -- that was the fault line in our debate and that line was 47-19 last week in the House, Republicans that did not want any exceptions versus those who did. So, it's a -- it's a tough issue and it's one that separates the Republican Party. But for at least on the House side, we were able to include the rape and incest exception and obviously the life of the mother, but yesterday the Senate took those two exceptions out.

CAMEROTA: Does that make sense to you?

COLLINS: I understand both sides and I do want to point out that, you know, we're dealing with an emotional, religious, moral, constitutional, human rights issue on both sides, and what I hope is that both sides can, you know, break bread together, understand each other, have civil discourse. So, long answer to say I understand their viewpoint, but for me I can't allow personally and I don't think my district would allow a teenager to be raped and have to carry a baby.

CAMEROTA: But that is what's -- I mean, isn't that what's going to happen if the Senate gets their way?

COLLINS: There's still a long process. The Senate is on the floor right now. They have been debating all day. They did vote down the rape and incest and I believe that vote was 23-6 on the Republican side. We will see if they pass the bill. There's a potential that the bill does not pass at all. There's probably if I had to predict there's probably a better situation of if they reinstitute the exceptions then they pass the bill as the House did.

CAMEROTA: You made this case after you spoke to a doctor who talked about what the complications are now for a woman having a miscarriage. The hospital would have to send her home. They can't help her medically and you made a compelling case that I just want to remind people on August 16th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The doctor told me at that point there's a 50 percent chance, well, first, she's going to pass this fetus in the toilet. She's going to have to deal with that on her own. There's a 50 percent chance, greater than 50 percent chance she's going to lose her uterus. There is a 10 percent chance that she will develop sepsis and herself die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So, representative, what would you say to that woman now if all these exceptions are taken out?

COLLINS: Well, the life of the mother is not on the table. It is going to be -- if something is passed it will definitely be in the South Carolina legislation, and, you know, I know I went viral with that clip, but what I was really talking about, again, is our -- the diligence that we need to have. Our due diligence in how we do this process. During that two-hour committee meeting that woman, that clip shows a little bit of it but, you know, we were cut off --

CAMEROTA: But you did mean it, right. I understand you've said that it wasn't -- we didn't show the full two hours. But you did mean it, right. You were concerned there about the woman carrying --

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely.

CAMEROTA: -- the fetus. And so, I understand we're talking about her life. And what about -- I mean, in here you talk about there's a 50 percent chance she's going to lose her uterus. Do you have to get to that point? There can be medical intervention as long as these exceptions exist for the health of the woman. I mean, why does it have to get to that point? Don't you still feel that way?

COLLINS: I do. And to be clear, the House bill included life and health of the mother and it also does in the Senate currently.

[15:50:00] So, I believe that the 19-year-old situation is protected and in fact I think one of the beauties to her story is that she made our proposed law even stronger. We made sure we listed not only her situation but nine other medical conditions for the life of the mother to be protected, specifically protected, along with the general idea. So, I believe that she and her story improved and helped our bill. It also helped my colleagues understand that this is not just an easy black and white pro-life or pro-choice issue.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I think that the health of the mother is still open to interpretation and the health of the mother is still up for debate I believe in the Senate -- from what I read in the Senate vote. But State Rep. Neal Collins thank you very much for explaining where we are today and will check back with you. We really appreciate your time.

COLLINS: Absolutely, thank you Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Very strong turn here. Apple unveiling the new iPhone 14 and Apple Watch. We'll have details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: The iPhone 14 was just unveiled alongside a new Apple Watch series.

[15:55:00]

CAMEROTA: Despite the new technology, there was no increase in price. CNN's Matt Egan joins us live. All right, Matt, tell us about all the updates.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, I don't know if there's any real game changers here. I think this was more evolutionary than revolutionary. But Apple did roll out a series of interesting upgrades here. Starting with the longer lasting batteries, faster computer chips for the higher end models. No more physical sim cards which actually makes it easier to switch carriers.

Big selling point is better cameras with cooler features trying to make your Instagram pictures and videos look better. And if all that isn't your thing, the new iPhone is trying to save your life. Apple rolled out these new safety features.

One, the new iPhone can detect severe car crashes and automatically contact emergency services on your behalf.

CAMEROTA: Wow.

EGAN: Yes, and also, there's a new feature called emergency SOS satellite. It helps people communicate when they're in areas that don't have cell phone service. Apple said that they designed and built a specific technology, so the iPhone 14 can connect with satellites. As you mentioned, in a surprise, no big price increases here. The cheapest model, the iPhone 14, starts add $799 -- unchanged from the iPhone 13. The flagship iPhone 14 pro starts at $999 -- also unchanged. And the pro Max is $1100 unchanged. The goal here, of course, is to try to get people to upgrade.

CAMEROTA: Really because Victor has an iPhone 6.

BLACKWELL: 6S.

CAMEROTA: 6S.

BLACKWELL: Put some respect on my iPhone's name.

EGAN: Apple wants Victor to upgrade.

BLACKWELL: It's not happening. And when this phone breaks, I'll get the 8.

CAMEROTA: Why not the 7?

EGAN: That's not the upgrade they had in mind.

BLACKWELL: Not doing it.

CAMEROTA: We've got to go. Matt Egan, thank you.

"THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts after this quick break.