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Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Is Interviewed About Harris To Focus On Reproductive Rights At Houston Rally; Trump: U.S. Is "Like A Garbage Can For The World"; D.A. Recommending Resentencing For Menendez Brothers. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired October 25, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:04]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's get straight to Democratic Congresswoman. Jasmine Crockett of Texas joins me now. Congresswoman, I know you also serve as the national co-chair for the Harris-Walz campaign. As you know, there -- there isn't much time left in this -- in this race. Is it a good idea to go to Texas, go to Houston? It's deep red, probably too red for Harris to flip blue. Is -- is that good time spent do you think?

REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX): I absolutely believe it's great time spent. We know that Texas has been the epicenter when it comes to reproductive access, or the lack thereof. We know that in January, our state legislature is seeking to introduce the death penalty for abortion. We know that Texas is actually where we got Roe v. Wade. It's a case that came out of my district.

And so I think that while there's been so many stories about the struggle for reproductive access, the epicenter of it has been right there in Texas. And so I think you're going to hear from real Texas women right there in Texas talking about their struggles and the attacks that they've experienced because they have lawmakers that are not working to their benefit.

In addition to that, let's be real about this. You know, if there's anything that our Vice President is going to be able to execute on day one is going to take having a majority in the Senate as well as a majority in the House. And we know that there is a battle to topple Ted Cruz right now. And so this may be the injection that she needs to make sure that she can govern once she becomes the president of the United States.

ACOSTA: And I mean, as you were saying, I mean, she is going to be focusing on reproductive rights. Many states have abortion measures on the ballot this year. "The New York Times" says, quote, with Election Day closing in, there are signs that a small but crucial segment of voters may back both abortion rights and Republican candidates, dynamic that might hurt Vice President Kamala Harris and swing states and other democratic races, pivotal races. What do you think, is that -- is that a possibility? Does that concern you? CROCKETT: It doesn't concern me at all. Here's the reality. When we look at polling and when we look at the performance of Democrats since 2022, we have been over performing, specifically in the House, and even when you look at Alabama and how they flipped that state rep seat after the IVF decision came out from that Supreme Court.

And so I think that what we will see is an over performance. I think there are a lot of people that are not being counted in the abortion fight. We know that Dobbs has been something that is animated people all over the country. And you know, even when you talk about the fact that she's going to be in Texas regardless of the fact that she's going to be in Texas. Guess what? We're talking about it right now.

This is something that is going to be widely covered throughout the country. And so I think that it is going to bring it all home for people to understand that, number one, this is going to be a president that isn't just looking out for those in the states that voted her in, but she's going to be a president for the entire United States.

And so showing up in Texas, caring about Texas women is the message that she's going to send, even if you're in one of these deep red states, she wants to make sure that she is going to be a president for every single state. And I think that that matters.

ACOSTA: And I do want to ask you about, I mean the Vice President's message in this final stretch, she's been issuing some very stark warnings about what a future Trump administration might look like. And -- and we should note, a new "ABC" poll that just came out today found that nearly half of Americans, we can put this up on screen, nearly half of Americans see Trump as a fascist. Given all of that, are you concerned that the Vice President hasn't pulled away in the polls, that it is this tight with nearly half the country saying that they believe Trump is a fascist?

CROCKETT: Listen, I am concerned that this race is tight in general, for whatever reason, even if Americans didn't understand that he is a threat to our democracy and that he is a fascist. The reality is that he has 34 felony convictions that he's already been found guilty of. This means that there are states they won't even allow him, or there's countries they won't even allow him in, and he's supposed to be the leader of the free world.

The fact that he has been found liable for defamation, the fact that he has been found to be a fraud when it comes to his businesses, the fact that he's not allowed to operate a business in New York, but people believe that he is qualified to lead the United States. I mean, I have a lot of reasons that I am concerned that these polls are close.

But at the end of the day, the only poll that matters is the polls on November 5th, and I am begging and pleading with people to give a true leader, someone who will not embarrass us, someone that has a moral center, someone that doesn't -- that didn't come into this world and was given $400 million but someone who understands the everyday struggle of the American people and believes that we should all have access to the American dream. [11:05:09]

So the only thing that we can do is we can work, work, work, and run through the tape. And I can tell you, no matter what happens on November 5th, no one will be able to say that Trump and his acolytes outworked us. We are working day and night. I was in three different cities just yesterday, and I'll be in two different cities today.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CROCKETT: We are fighting for this because we believe in fighting for the American people.

ACOSTA: Well, I -- I'm sure you saw this, I do want to ask you on that note, Axios is reporting that a growing number of top Democrats privately telling them they fear the Vice President will lose this election. The reporting says that the common gripe among high-level Dems is that Harris does a nice job explaining why people shouldn't vote for Trump, but struggles to crisply explain why they should vote for her. In other words, she's a strong prosecutor, but struggles as a public defender.

I mean, that's their framing of it. I -- I don't know what you're hearing. I've talked to a couple of members on the Democratic side in the last couple of days who say they see this as a lot of hand wringing, a lot of bed wetting, I think was the word. One of them used to be. What do you see?

CROCKETT: Listen, you know, I see that we set up two different parameters in this race. I see that there's always some obstacle that is put in front of the vice president and some hoop that she needs to jump through. And at the same time, you've got Trump, who does rallies and decides to dance off beat, might I add.

Listen, this is someone who has laid out clear and concise plans that people can understand, such as $25,000 down payment assistance for those that are trying to get into a home so that they can start to build generational wealth. This is someone who is offering a million new loans when it comes to small businesses with up to $20,000 being forgivable. This is someone who believes that we should legalize marijuana recreationally on the federal level.

This is someone who believes that we need to bring back the child tax credit that the Democrats, when they control the House and Senate, brought about that allowed for people to have $300 per child that is given to them per month so that they can have the relief that they need when it comes to childcare. This is someone who believes in supporting unions instead of busting them up.

So listen, you can pay attention if you want to, and if you pay attention, you will find that she has an actual plan instead of concepts of a plan. Or we can just say, listen --

ACOSTA: Yes.

CROCKETT: -- at the end of the day, you can choose someone who has never harmed us, or you can go with someone who is absolutely at the epicenter of Project 2025. And you can Google your number one issue in Project 2025 and see how you like that. I am here to tell you this because this is someone who listens to us and responds and responds with policy ideas.

ACOSTA: Congresswoman, just as a -- as a follow up to that, there -- there's a new poll out today, a Siena College poll that shows this is the last New York Times/Siena Senior College poll, shows the race is deadlocked. It is tied Even Steven. And yet, you know, it's interesting, inside the Republican Party, on the Trump side of things, you hear a lot of confidence expressed that they're going to win this election. And on the Democratic side, there does seem to be this hand wringing, some of that gets pumped into the media, and I guess it becomes part of the narrative, and that's something you have to battle against. But what is your message to that? That -- is there some defeatism that isn't warranted in the Democratic Party right now, some -- some, you know, hyperventilating that isn't warranted right now?

CROCKETT: I -- I absolutely believe that. And here's the reality, though, I would rather we be scared and we fight it out, because I believe that that can lead to the result that we're seeking. Because we know in 2016 everybody sat back. We thought that we had it in the bag. We thought that there was no way that Donald Trump could win. All the polls had Hillary up.

And guess what? The only poll that mattered, unfortunately, sent Hillary home and sent him to the White House. So honestly, I would rather people be nervous and show up and stand in lines because they are fearful that he may end up pulling yet another coup on us. And so I'm -- I'm fine with it, but I wish that people would stop talking and get to working, because I know right now I'm not sleeping, because it's just that important.

And so I think that there's a ton of other surrogates. We had over 100 surrogates out spread throughout the country just last weekend. We are working day and night to earn the support of the American people.

[11:09:40]

ACOSTA: All right. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Texas, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: As we mentioned earlier, former President Donald Trump will also be in Texas today, where he's expected to hammer the issue of immigration again. Today's event comes on the heels of a rally in battleground Arizona, where he tried out a new line about his view of America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We're a dumping ground. We're like a -- we're like a garbage can for the world. That's what's happened. That's what's happened to our -- we're like a garbage can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Former Trump 2020 Director of Communications, Marc Lotter, joins us now. Marc, what do you -- what do you make of that message? Which part of America is like a garbage can? What -- what is he talking about?

[11:15:03]

MARC LOTTER, FMR. TRUMP 2020 DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: Well, I would anticipate that he's talking about on the illegal immigration side, when we see the hundreds of thousands of people who have convicted felonies and folks who are being basically let out of jails to come into our country illegally, they're dumping their worst into America. And it's something that I think a lot of people are tired of seeing.

ACOSTA: Marc, I -- I -- this whole dumping immigrants thing, can you point to something where that's been reported? I mean, Trump has talked about Congo doing it, and the other day, we did a fact check on this. That is not happening.

LOTTER: Well, there was -- there was a report out just recently by the Department of Homeland Security that said that there were hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants in our country who have felony convictions and who are either in our prisons or still roaming our streets, have not been deported back to the countries where they came from.

We obviously have 12 million or so illegal immigrants in our country, many of them unvetted, so we don't know their backgrounds.

ACOSTA: Yes.

LOTTER: I think there is a very real concern, especially when you see crime going up, you see crime in our communities. It's a problem --

ACOSTA: But actually, crime is going down.

LOTTER: -- that is on the minds of many of Americans.

ACOSTA: Marc, I always enjoy talking with you. I do have to do fact checks, though, if -- if we say -- if you're going to say things that aren't in line with facts, I have to -- I have to fact check it. Crime is going down in this country. That's been established. Anyway, I -- I -- I don't want to --

LOTTER: That was revised. Crime is now up again.

ACOSTA: No, no.

LOTTER: The FBI updated those numbers.

ACOSTA: The trend has -- the trend -- the trend is -- is going down. We're not going to do that going back and forth thing on that. I mean, I do want to get to some other things, Marc, and one of them is this poll that is out this morning from "ABC News." It shows just about half of the country, 49 percent see Donald Trump as a fascist. How big of a problem is this for the Trump campaign?

LOTTER: Well, I think it would probably be most of people who are planning to vote for Kamala Harris. You know, it's, you know, after all these name calling and after years of this and attacking Donald Trump, it's, you know, this is where the Democrat Party is right now, and that's where -- that's where they've made their closing message. I would think for the other half, they look to Donald Trump and see someone who delivered cheap gas and groceries, a secure border, a safer world and -- and that will probably bear itself out on Election Day.

ACOSTA: But that doesn't concern you, that -- that about half the country sees him as a fascist. And -- and this was -- this poll was taken before General Kelly made those remarks the other day where, you know, he said that he believes Donald Trump is -- it fits the definition of a fascist.

LOTTER: Well, the Democrats have been calling him that and comparing him, you know, and some of the worst names and -- and leaders in America for years now.

ACOSTA: Yes.

LOTTER: So it doesn't surprise me that it hasn't taken a hold in their base that will basically believe whatever they are told.

ACOSTA: Yes. But General Kelly -- but General Kelly, I mean, Marc, you have respect for General Kelly. I know you do. You worked in the Trump administration. You worked under Vice President Mike Pence, who is not supporting the former president. If -- if General Kelly says it, if somebody like the former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley says it, that Trump is fascist to the core, isn't that going to carry some weight?

LOTTER: Well, you know, I look at -- I look at the -- the 200 retired admirals and generals who are supporting Donald Trump. I also look to somebody like former vice presidential chief of staff, Nick Ayers, who worked right alongside General Kelly, was very close to President Trump, who says that none of these things and these allegations, in these stories, occurred because General Kelly would have made it known if he disagreed, or if a comment was made, he would have let the senior staff know.

ACOSTA: Yes.

LOTTER: And you know how that Trump White House was leaked, so I'm sure the mainstream media would have known about it back then, if these things actually occurred as they're being said.

ACOSTA: I -- I did -- and I do want to point out there are several former Trump White House officials who have put out a letter today backing up what General Kelly is saying, you know, we could show that and -- and these officials are saying because we know Trump and -- have worked alongside him, we are sadly not surprised by what General Kelly had to say. This is who Donald Trump is. Now, a number of these officials are people who have become Trump critics in recent years. But Marc, I mean, these are former colleagues of yours. You have John Kelly. You have Mark Milley. That doesn't carry any weight? Those are not Democrats. Those are all Republicans.

LOTTER: Well, I think there's a lot of people out there that are trying to get themselves booked on T.V. and stay popular in the D.C. cocktail circuit. I look at what the President Donald Trump, actually did in the White House. None of these things were true. We stayed out of new wars. We actually were -- he negotiated historic peace deals.

And so while there's a lot of fear mongering, and -- and that's what the Democrats closing argument is, is not about voting for them but about voting against Trump. They've got to try to make you afraid. And --

[11:20:04]

ACOSTA: Yes.

LOTTER: -- that just fits their narrative right now. I look at the President's record --

ACOSTA: Yes.

LOTTER: -- and it didn't show that.

ACOSTA: But Marc, your former boss, Mike Pence, is not supporting Donald Trump. That is, I mean, and -- and he isn't doing a whole lot of T.V., and that's not somebody who's trying to get on T.V. Your former boss not supporting Donald Trump. John Kelly says he's a fascist. Mark Milley says he's a fascist. You don't take that seriously?

LOTTER: Well, I think it's politics, because I also see three Democrat senators right now who are running ads in the blue wall states talking about how close they are with Trump on policy. So it's kind of, you know, traditional D.C. politics to, on one hand, name call him, and on the other hand --

ACOSTA: Yes.

LOTTER: -- use him to try to get yourself reelected.

ACOSTA: But I -- the party has changed, has it not? I mean, I do want to play a clip. This is from -- we played this in the previous hour. This is Ronald Reagan talking about a shining city on the hill. I want to play it again in case viewers missed it in the last hour. There are a lot of younger viewers out there who were not around when Ronald Reagan was president. This is how Ronald Reagan saw America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I thought a bit of the shining city upon a hill. In my mind, it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God blessed and teeming with people of all kinds, living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hung with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors, and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Marc, you and I have -- have been around for a while. You've been in the political world. I've covered politics. That is also -- I mean that -- what -- what has happened to Ronald Reagan's Republican Party right there. He not only talks about America being a shining city on the hill, he also talks about it being a city if it has a wall, it has a door. And -- and the people who have the wherewithal, the -- the spunk, the fight to get here, that they're welcome here too. And you have Trump out there calling this country a garbage can because of immigrants coming here. I don't -- I, you know, I don't -- I can't imagine you see America that same way. Don't you see it as the shining city on a hill?

LOTTER: I'll point to one of the other great phrases that Ronald Reagan ran on in 1980 which was, make America great again. And that does sound awfully familiar. And when -- when I hear Donald Trump talking about wanting to rebuild America, whether it's through our infrastructure, our economy, our energy, our military, I see him doing the exact same things.

And even when it comes to immigration, the president --

ACOSTA: Yes.

LOTTER: -- was very clear during his four years in the White House, he was for legal immigration, he wants to stop illegal immigration. And so I think that is still with the door that Ronald Reagan was talking about. But open the door, don't break through the window, don't come in over the wall or under it. Come in through the door legally.

ACOSTA: Yes.

LOTTER: And I think that's what President Trump's talking about.

[11:23:04]

ACOSTA: Yes. I just -- I think if people look outside, I mean, you don't have -- we don't have to do a fact check. You could just go outside your -- your -- your house, look outside the door, look outside the window. It's not a garbage can. But all right. Marc Lotter, thanks very much. We appreciate it. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: New today, the L.A. County District Attorney will recommend re-sentencing Erik and Lyle Menendez. That means they could soon walk free, 35 years after gunning down their parents inside their Beverly Hills mansion. The brothers claimed self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father. The case came under review after defense attorneys announced new evidence, including a letter that Erik allegedly wrote months before the murders, that alludes to his father raping him. And a new accuser has emerged who says their father, Jose, raped him as a child, decades ago. CNN correspondent, Elizabeth Wagmeister, has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROY ROSSELLO, FORMER MENUDO MEMBER: That's the man here. He does rape me. This guy does the pedophile.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Roy rose, a former member of the boy band, Menudo, alleging that he too was raped in the mid-80s by Jose Menendez. Then a top executive for RCA Records, infamously shot dead by his sons.

ROSSELLO (through audio translator): I was in terrible pain for a week. I could barely stand the pain. I couldn't even move.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): This account, first revealed last year in a Peacock documentary, is part of the evidence the Menendez brothers included in their petition to have their case reexamined.

ROBERT RAND, CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "MENENDEZ PLUS MENUDO: BOYS BETRAYED": The 1990s have caught up with the truth.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Journalist Robert Rand is a co-executive producer of "Menendez plus Menudo: Boys Betrayed." He uncovered Rossello's chilling account.

RAND: No other young man has ever come forward and said that he was raped by Jose Menendez. We believe that there might be other victims out there. And we are hoping that they'll contact us.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): His documentary is one of several Hollywood projects about the Menendez case released since 2023 along with both a Netflix documentary and a splashy drama from mega producer, Ryan Murphy. Earlier this week, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, up for reelection, told CNN, the publicity and renewed interest caused him to expedite his decision on the Menendez case.

GEORGE GASCON, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Given the public attention to this case, I've decided to -- to try to come with a decision earlier.

ESTHER REYES, DIRECTOR, "MENENDEZ PLUS MENUDO: BOYS BETRAYED": It is satisfying to know that, for example, our documentary was cited as evidence in the boys habeas petition.

[11:30:00]

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Esther Reyes directed the Peacock doc, and tell CNN, Roy Rossello, will testify if the court demands.

REYES: He's incredibly credible witness.