Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

North Carolina GOP Nominee for Governor Made Dozens of Disturbing Comments on Porn Forum; Harris Shares Emotional Moment With Family of Mother Whose Death was Linked to Abortion Restrictions; Israel Says It Carried Out Targeted Strike in Beirut. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired September 20, 2024 - 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 ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. You are live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris heads to Atlanta after a blockbuster live stream event with Oprah Winfrey last night. Harris is expected to focus on reproductive rights. It's a topic that was brought up last night during an extremely emotional moment with the family of a Georgia mother. Pro Publica reported she died from a treatable infection because of delays to her medical care tied to the state's restrictive abortion law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Amber's story highlights the fact that among everything that is wrong with these bans and what has happened in terms of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, it's a health care crisis. It's a health care crisis that affects the patient and the profession.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Meanwhile, at an event focused on anti-Semitism, former President Donald Trump made an alarming pitch to Jewish voters this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I'm not going to call this as a prediction, but in my opinion, the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss if I'm at 40 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: We'll have more on that in just a moment. But first this morning, one of the GOP's most controversial candidates in a crucial battleground state is facing a shocking scandal stemming from his internet history. North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is vowing to stay in the governor's race after a midnight deadline to drop out has come and gone. This after a bombshell CNN investigative report unearthed a slew of explicit comments he made on a pornography forum more than a decade ago. Robinson has denied the post, which include everything from defending slavery to calling himself, quote, a black Nazi.

Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Robinson, but these new revelations are sending shockwaves through the party just weeks before the election, pushing even some of Trump's most ardent supporters to call for Robinson to get out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RALPH NORMAN (R-SC): Pretty sad to go this far along and then to the people who supported him, all the money that he's raised and I think he needs to drop out today.

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I definitely want to read what the allegations are and the comments on it. I myself can't support anyone if that all turns out to be true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Joining me now is CNN's Dianne Gallagher from Charlotte and Alayna Treene with reaction from the Trump campaign.

Dianne let me go to you first. What is Mark Robinson saying today?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Jim, Robinson remains a Republican nominee running for governor because the deadline for him to withdraw passed at midnight. So, he is in the race and he categorically continues to deny that he made those posts. And his party, at the state level, is publicly sticking by him, saying that this is, quote, the left trying to demonize him via personal attacks.

I will tell you that privately, many Republicans are concerned about the effect this is going to have both up and down the ballot as Democrats attempt to attach Republicans they're running against to Robinson and to this story after a KFILE investigation found that Robinson made a series of inflammatory posts on a pornography sites message board between 2008 and 2012.

Here is what Robinson, the current Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, told CNN KFILE's Andrew Kaczynski yesterday about those posts and speculating on how they may have come about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GOV. MARK ROBINSON (R-NC): Look, I'm not going to get into the minutiae of how somebody manufactured these salacious tabloid lies, but I can tell you this. There's been over $1 million spent on me through A.I. by a billionaire's son who's bound and determined to destroy me.

The things that people can do with the internet now was incredible. But what I can tell you is this, again, these are not my words. ANDREW KACZYNSKI, CNN KFILE SENIOR EDITOR: You mentioned A.I. Are you saying that somebody be at 15 to 10 years ago was. Somehow, manufacturing biographical details to exactly match you using your username? Is that what you're telling me here when you say that?

ROBINSON: Look, I have no idea how this was done. I have absolutely no idea how it was done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:05:00]

GALLAGHER: So, KFILE used multiple investigative tools, including WebArchive. The posts were made using a username that CNN was able to identify as Robinson by matching with a litany of biographical information and details and shared email addresses across multiple platforms. On that pornography site, Nude Africa, Robinson listed his full name on his profile, as well as an email address that he has used across numerous sites online for decades.

I do want to warn you that some of the details of these posts you may find disturbing. He refers to himself as a perv in one post. He graphically describes in great detail, becoming aroused by his own memories of peeping on women in a public gym shower as a 14-year-old. In another threat, commenters were considering whether they should believe the story of a woman who said that she had been raped by a taxi driver while she was intoxicated. The screen name for Robinson posted, quote, and the moral of the story, don't F a white bitch. Robinson posts include anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic and homophobic language.

And, look, polling in North Carolina has shown that Robinson is trailing behind his opponent, the Democratic attorney general, Josh Stein. This is, of course, not the first report or even the first K file investigation into controversial comments made by Robinson, but it did create a panicked stir yesterday, Jim, from Republicans who were calling me even before the story published, asking exactly what it included and how bad it was going to be to a level that I have not seen in years of covering politics here in North Carolina.

ACOSTA: Yes, and it is actually very bad. Dianne Gallagher, thank you very much. We appreciate that reporting.

Let me turn to Alayna Treene, who is with me here in the studio. And, Alayna, I mean, this is a man that Trump has put on a pedestal and referred to as Martin Luther King times two. What's the Trump campaign going to do about this?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, on the record, officially, they are not weighing in on any of the specific details in this KFILE investigation. But behind the scenes, obviously, it's a different picture. So, I've learned that, actually, some people in Donald Trump's inner orbit had been prepared for a very controversial, potentially damaging story for Robinson to drop this week.

Now, I think one very notable thing that we should be watching for is Donald Trump himself is going to be in North Carolina tomorrow. He has a rally in Wilmington. Now, we know that for most, if not all, of Donald Trump's recent events in North Carolina, he has had Robinson there with him. Just last month, he brought him on stage at an event in Asheboro.

But when I talked to Donald Trump's team, they said before this story had dropped, they had no plans to invite Robinson and, of course, now they are expecting that decision to hold. I think you can read between the lines there.

Now, another interesting thing, too, is when I've talked to people close to the former president, they say that they have long had concerns about Robinson and his gubernatorial candidacy. Because not only, obviously, learning about this story, but he has made several inflammatory comments in the past. He's mocked school shooting victims. He demeaned the civil rights movement.

So, they have had concerns about him. Of course, as you mentioned, that has not stopped Donald Trump from endorsing him, calling him Martin Luther King on steroids, praising him at all of these events. But in the most immediate term, they are trying to distance the former president from him.

I am told, however, there have been no movements as of now to try and get him to withdraw. They are hoping that Robinson and his team would do that.

ACOSTA: And at this point, Trump has not called for him to get out of the race or anything like that. Okay. All right, interesting. Alayna Treen, thank you very much.

The Harris campaign is also seizing on this scandal, posting this tweet as they seek to hammer home Robinson's ties to Trump.

For more on this, I'm joined by Adrienne Elrod. She's a senior spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign. Adrienne thanks for being here in studio with me. I appreciate it very much. What's the response to this Robinson story?

ADRIENNE ELROD, SENIOR SPOKESPERSON, HARRIS-WALZ CAMPAIGN: Well, I think the bottom line is this, Jim. I mean, Donald Trump has embraced Mark Robinson since the very beginning of his campaign. They've campaigned together throughout the state of North Carolina on multiple occasions. Alayna just hit the nail on the head going through all the times where he's compared Trump has compared him to Martin Luther King Jr.

You know, they are tied together. He, of course, is going to North Carolina. So, I think it is going to be extremely difficult for Donald Trump to distance himself from him. Mark Robinson is also somebody who has said when a woman gets pregnant, her body is no longer her own.

The bottom line is this. Donald Trump, Mark Robinson are way too extreme for North Carolina families. We've been very bullish on North Carolina for a long time, not only because it was a very close state in 2020, but it's also a close state for us now in 2024. And there are many reasons why we're bullish on this, but one of the very top reasons is it somebody running at the top of the ticket in the state for a statewide office, Mark Robinson does not share those values. You've got vice president --

ACOSTA: Do you feel like he puts the state in play to some extent?

ELROD: Yes. And I think the state doesn't play regardless. And then you add him to the equation and it's a whole different ball game.

[10:10:00]

So, the vice president, Governor Walz are spending a lot of time in North Carolina, you know, talking about the issues that matter to those families. That's something we will continue to do. But Trump and Mark Robinson are tied together. They do not share the values of North Carolina families. They are way too extreme for this constituency.

ACOSTA: I do want to talk about this event that the vice president had last night with Oprah Winfrey. Let's play a moment from that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amber was not a statistic. She was loved by a family, a strong family. And we would have done whatever to get my baby, our baby, the help that she needed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We trusted them to take care of her, you know. And they just let her die because of some stupid abortion ban.

HARRIS: I'm just so sorry.

This story is a story that is sadly not the only story of what has been happening since these bans have taken place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: That was a very powerful moment last night, Adrienne, and obviously that was the family of the mother whose death was linked to these abortion restrictions down in Georgia. Are we going to see her talk about that more today? I know she's down in Atlanta.

ELROD: Yes, she's giving her first abortion speech in Atlanta today. And this is something that she demanded from the campaign when she read the story, when she learned of these two women who were unfairly lost their lives, tragically lost their lives, because of Donald Trump's abortion ban, she immediately said, I want to go to the people of Atlanta. I want to have this conversation directly with them and really draw that contrast.

Absolutely powerful moment, heartbreaking moment, something that never should have happened. You know, Amber went in for a standard D&C, which is very typical, after taking an abortion pill. It's a very standard procedure. And she should not have died. She should still be alive today. That is something that the vice president has been talking about a lot on the campaign trail. This is Donald Trump's abortion problem. He will institute a nationwide ban if he's elected president. And the reason why we are in this position in the first place is because he said in 2016 when he was running for president, if I'm elected, I will make sure that Roe is overturned. He then, in turn, got three chances to appoint conservative justices to the Supreme Court, who made it very clear where they stand on overturning Roe.

This is because of Donald Trump. No matter how he tries to run away from it, his flip-flopping on abortion, his flip-flopping on IVF, he can't run away from it. Voters are smart enough and Amber should still be alive today.

ACOSTA: I do want to ask you about one other moment in the Oprah Winfrey event last night. Oprah asked Kamala Harris about the fact that she owns a firearm and she talked about this and she said at one point, well, if somebody tries to break into my home, they're going to get shot. She made that comment and then she said, well, my staff will go ahead and clean that up. You are on Kamala Harris' staff. Can you give us some more information? I'm just curious from a biographical background what do we know about this firearm that she owns and when did she get it.

ELROD: Yes, well look she has made it very clear that she staunchly supports the second amendment. She supports strong Responsible gun ownership and she does own a firearm So, you know, I don't know I can't really comment more than that except for the fact that she is somebody who does believe that if you are a responsible gun owner in this country and you want to have a gun in your home to protect your families, and if you want to have a, you know, gun to go hunting with, you are certainly able to. She just wants to make sure that we have restrictions in place to keep guns, you know, out of the hands of people who want to harm us or people with mental health issues.

ACOSTA: All right, very good. Adrienne Elrod, thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it.

ELROD: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, coming up, the Israeli military says it just carried out a targeted strike on the Lebanese capital. A key member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Democratic Congressman Jared Moskovitz, he joins me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Fears of a larger Middle East war are growing this morning as Israel and Hezbollah are trading fire to the extensive destruction being reported in Beirut after the IDF says it carried out a, quote, targeted strike in the Lebanese capital. A source tells CNN a senior Hezbollah official was the target of that attack.

Let's discuss more now with Democratic Congressman Jared Moskowitz of Florida. He's a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for being with us. Your reaction to this news about this targeted strike in Beirut. What's your reaction? REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-FL): Well, thanks, Jim. Well, obviously we don't know the full details of the targeted strike or why this particular strike was necessary. But this is obviously happening within the background of 8,500 rockets being fired from Hezbollah, the 16 people that were killed near that soccer field, the almost 100,000 people have had to flee the north since October 7th, and obviously Israel fighting back with Hezbollah, trying to degrade their military on Israel's border in the, you know, last week's or earlier this week's, the beeper, walkie-talkie attack, trying to disable their communication.

So, obviously, this is it clearly in a very unstable place at the moment. We don't want there to be a regional war. We don't want the war to expand between Hezbollah and Israel. But Israel has no choice, obviously but to move Hezbollah back away from Israel border to re- install deterrence. And hopefully after that happens, this can go back to some relative calm.

But we also have to recognize that we have to get the hostages home and we have to get to a ceasefire. That is a big piece to all of this.

ACOSTA: Yes. Are you concerned about things escalating in Israel's capabilities that have a two front war on its hands?

MOSKOWITZ: Well, they've had a two front war on its hands. I mean, you know, it's not been as hot, obviously, is what's going on in Gaza, but there's been a two front war.

[10:20:05]

I mean, 8,500 rockets being launched over your border. If that's not a two front war, what do we call that? 16 people being killed on a soccer field in Israel because they launched a rocket there. If that -- what is that?

And so this has been going on. Hezbollah's been striking targets in Israel. Israel has been striking targets. We've just not been focusing on it because it was less than what was happening in Gaza. But now that Gaza obviously has slowed down and we don't have an active war there at the moment, this is now heating up.

And so hopefully we can figure out how to get our hostages out. I mean, we got to talk about Sinwar more. Sinwar, the guy who's in charge of Hamas, the political and military head, he is the Osama bin Laden for this entire operation. He's sitting in a bunker somewhere still keeping the Palestinian people in harm because he's refusing to agree to a deal. We were real close a couple weeks ago, and then he changed the deal and wanted more prisoners released.

And so we got to figure out how to get the hostages out. Time is of the essence. And, Jim, I am worried that if that just continues, then, yes, this could become a much hotter war between Israel and Hezbollah.

ACOSTA: I wanted to jump some campaign politics last night at an event focused on anti-Semitism here in Washington. Donald Trump said Jewish voters would be partly to blame if he loses in November. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Any Jewish person that votes for her, especially now, her or the Democrat Party, should have their head examined.

And I will put it to you very simply and gently. I really haven't been treated right, but you haven't been treated right because you're putting yourself in great danger.

If I don't win this election, the Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Congressman, what do you make of Trump sort of preemptively placing blame on Jewish voters if he loses?

MOSKOWITZ: Yes. What's strange about those comments is that's literally the opposite of what every single solitary Jewish organization and Jewish group is doing around the country and here on Capitol Hill. They don't want Israel to become a partisan issue. They don't want anti-Semitism to become a partisan issue. They don't want the Jewish community to become a one party community. In fact, the state of Israel doesn't want to become a partisan issue. And so that goes just against the complete mission of what we're trying to fight, as we see kind of both parties flirting with anti-Semitism.

And so I don't even understand why that would come into his brain. It's obviously, you know, disappointing. We've continued to see this on the campaign. I don't even know who his audience is for that. I mean, he should be trying to play a game of addition. I can tell you, knowing the Jewish community, going out and telling them they need to have their head examined isn't a game of addition. It's a game of subtraction.

ACOSTA: Yes. I mean, he also said that he might -- that he's going to bring back the travel ban from his first administration if he's put back on the White House. That was the travel ban that barred people from predominantly Muslim countries. And he said that the U.S. will not be taking people from, quote, "infested countries." Your response to that, using that kind of rhetoric, infested countries.

MOSKOWITZ: Well, look, I hope the people of Michigan are listening, right? This is what we've been telling them because there obviously are disagreements within the Democratic Party on what's been going on in the Middle East. But this is -- there are two choices here. It's Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. You don't have to like everything about Kamala Harris. You can have disagreements. But look at the other choice. And staying home or voting third party only helps Donald Trump. And so I hope Michigan was listening as he said that last night.

ACOSTA: All right. Congressman Moskowitz, thank you always for your time. We appreciate it.

MOSKOWITZ: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Still ahead, the president of the NAACP in Springfield, Ohio, says she's, quote, very concerned about a possible Trump visit to her community after he spread false claims about Haitian migrants. She will join me live next. Stand by.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:25:00]

ACOSTA: We're learning new details on how the baseless rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio began. The town's mayor confirms to CNN that a staffer for Republican Vice Presidential Nominee J.D. Vance called the city manager a day before the presidential debate. That staffer was told there is no evidence to back up those claims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ROB RUE (R-SPRINGFIELD, OH): Not to go on about that rumor that was spread, but yes, that call was made, the answer was given, and what has happened since then has happened in the entire -- the national stage has seen that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Despite that call, former President Donald Trump still spreading the false allegations at the debate in front of millions of Americans. The mayor says Springfield has received dozens of violent threats since then.

And joining us now is the president of the Springfield chapter of the NAACP, Denise Williams. Denise, thank you so much for joining us this morning. We really appreciate it.

I just have to get your reaction to the fact that the people around J.D. Vance were told that these allegations were false Trump still spread the rumor on live television during that debate and they've been spreading it ever since. What's your reaction to that?

DENISE WILLIAMS, PRESIDENT, NAAZP SPRINGFIELD CHAPTER: Well, thank you, Jim, first of all, for having me. I just don't understand and why they keep saying these false allegations.

[10:30:03]

It has been said over and over again that we have no --