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New Trump Administration Takes Shape with Loyalists; Hegseth to Lobby for Defense Secretary; DOJ Wants Google to Sell Chrome; Trump Urges Republicans to Reject the PRESS Act Bill; Haley Slams Trump's Pick of Gabbard. Aired 10:30-11a ET
Aired November 21, 2024 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:30:00]
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: President-Elect Donald Trump will enter his second administration the same way, or much in the same way he entered his first, with a Republican controlled Congress. But this time around, Trump is looking to pad his administration with loyalists committed to making his agenda a reality.
And joining us now is Pat McCrory. He's the former Republican governor of North Carolina. Governor, great to see you as always. Appreciate you coming on. What's your assessment of these cabinet picks so far? I mean, it has been kind of a rocky rollout. What's your sense of it?
FMR. GOV. PAT MCCRORY (R-NC): Well, first of all, I'm rooting for President Trump to succeed. In fact, one thing that I was always impressed with President Trump was that he had never been around or tried illegal drugs or alcohol. And it surprises me that he had want to make as his attorney general, someone who allegedly was around Wallace, city member of Congress, parties in which there were potentially illegal drugs, maybe other illegal activity around him, whether he participate or not is another issue that needs to be resolved.
But even if you're there with -- and you're a sitting congressman, I wouldn't want someone with that lack of maturity and responsibility on my team, whether I was governor or a mayor, which I was mayor for 14 years here in Charlotte.
I do think some of the shots taken toward Tulsi during the past 20 minutes by the congresswoman, I think are cheap shots. I've met her. I disagree with her on her Ukraine stance, but I do trust her. Just because I disagree with her, I still trust her. She served in the military. She's mature. She's responsible. And I think some of these comments directed toward her are almost comments of malice.
And just because we disagree with someone, it doesn't mean --
ACOSTA: But, Governor, I'm sure you've seen -- yes, I'm sure you've seen --
MCCRORY: -- they're not qualified.
ACOSTA: Well, I'm sure you see -- I mean, the former U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, has even gone after Tulsi Gabbard. So, it's not just an (INAUDIBLE).
MCCRORY: Yes, I'm a fan of Nikki. We served as governor together. And we -- I agree with Nikki on policy. But I do think she's qualified, the congresswoman, and I do trust her. I don't like her policy, and I think that needs to be cleared -- clarified in the hearings, and there should be hearings on all of these people who are nominated.
ACOSTA: And I do want to go back to -- because we jumped around there quite a bit, your thoughts on Matt Gaetz. Do you think President-Elect Trump should pull that nomination?
MCCRORY: Absolutely, I do. I mean, the hearings would be better than reality TV, and that's what we don't need in Congress at this point in time.
ACOSTA: But I mean --
MCCRORY: We need mature, responsible people.
ACOSTA: I mean, reality TV, I mean, his choice for transportation secretary was a star from reality TV. Several of these picks were darlings and Fox News. It sounds like, maybe your dog even agrees with me there, Governor. I mean, you know, a lot of people might say this -- you know, I guess folks might say this dog won't hunt. But I mean, my goodness. There are a lot of dogs barking over these pits.
MCCRORY: We'll, he's -- my dog's a rescue dog, and some of these appointments maybe need to be rescued at this point in time. But being on Fox TV shouldn't be a disqualifier.
ACOSTA: No, I'm not saying it's a disqualifier, but it seems to be almost -- I mean, it seems to be -- I mean, the Fox thing seems to be almost at the top of the resume for a lot of these folks, don't you think?
MCCRORY: I don't know. I do know that some of these people have incredible military experience, and I've got to take that into account. I'm not going to disqualify someone because they're on TV. But I am concerned -- as someone who's hired a cabinet as governor and as mayor, I want to make sure they have the operational capability to run big departments.
And those are the things that need to be fleshed out during the confirmation hearings, which is a responsibility of the U.S. Senate. I know Thom Tillis, our North Carolina Senator. He was speaker of the House when I was governor. And he was very we had -- we had clashes at times, but I respected his respect for the role of the House and Senate and North Carolina legislature, and I anticipate him to respect the role of the U.S. Senate and their job.
ACOSTA: And are you having any conversations with the transition?
[10:35:00]
MCCRORY: I am not. I am not. I had conversations about eight years ago this month, and I recommended to President Trump -- or President- Elect Trump at that time to maybe look at combining environment or EPA Interior and Energy Department to look for efficiency and avoid the complete confusion about who's in charge of energy and environment. I think they ought to be under one house. Maybe Elon Musk can take that advice eight years later.
ACOSTA: All right. We'll see what happens next. Former Governor Pat McCrory, thanks a lot for your time. We appreciate it. Say hello to your rescue dog.
MCCRORY: Thank you very much.
ACOSTA: They're great. Appreciate it. All right.
MCCRORY: I will. Thank you.
ACOSTA: All right. Coming up next, why the Justice Department wants Google to break up with Chrome. That's coming up.
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[10:40:00]
ACOSTA: Major changes could be coming to how you browse the internet. The Justice Department is urging a federal judge to force Google to sell its web browser, Chrome. This comes after a landmark court ruling earlier this year that found Google violated antitrust law. The DOJ says a partial breakup is needed to fix Google's search monopoly. If successful, this could change how you browse for information and use Google's products. The company has promised to appeal.
In the meantime, Donald Trump is issuing a new call to Republicans in Congress. He wants them to reject a bipartisan bill that would give journalists more protection from government spying. CNN's Brian Stelter joins me now. And, Brian, Trump's opposition obviously is highly important here, given that he's going to be coming into the White House in a couple of months.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, and this bill was probably not going anywhere in the Senate anyway, but that's why I'm so intrigued that President-Elect Trump bothered to weigh in. This is one of those cases, Jim, where we can measure words versus deeds. This bill is called the PRESS Act. It has been passed by the House for the past two years in a row. Right now, it's held up in the Senate, reportedly by a group of Republican senators, including Tom Cotton.
This bill would prevent the government from forcing journalists to reveal their sources, and it would limit the seizure of their data without knowledge. It's called a Federal Shield Act. These exist in most states. But it would be helpful for journalists to have it on the federal level. That's why newspaper editorial boards and media outlets and advocacy groups have been pushing the Senate to try to get this through in the lame duck session. But like I said, it was probably not going to get through because COD and others have a hold on the bill.
What's notable, Jim, is that yesterday on Truth Social, in between all of his announcements about cabinet picks, Trump went on in all caps and said, Republicans must kill this bill. Now, that's probably going to seal the PRESS Act's fate, at least for this year. But this is one of those words versus deeds situations.
Because just the other day, Trump told Fox City values of free, fair, and open press. But when it comes to a specific action that would actually help to protect journalists, including conservative pro-Trump outlets, well, Trump is saying this bill should be killed.
ACOSTA: Yes, actions I think we can speak a lot of the words. No question about it. And what are you hearing from other folks in the media about this?
STELTER: Right. I asked Cotton's office if it's true that he's holding up the bill and why they have not responded. But I spoke with Trevor Timm, one of the lead advocates here, director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation. He said Trump should reconsider his opposition to the PRESS Act for the following reason. He said this bill protects conservative and independent journalists, just as much as it does anyone in the mainstream press. He pointed out that past Democratic administrations have abused their powers to spy on journalists. So, this is not a partisan issue. And that is why this bill passed the House with strong bipartisan support.
But it seems to me, yesterday, Trump links to a PBS NewsHour segment promoting the bill. It seems to me he heard about this law and he said this is not good for him. He wants these powers perhaps in order to force journalists to expose their sources. And so, maybe that's why he wants this bill rejected.
ACOSTA: And perhaps put a chill on the press and what they do as well. Brian Stelter, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Press freedom is, of course, a pillar of America's constitutional democracy. So, is freedom of speech. 70 years ago, CBS News journalist Edward R. Murrow warned about the dangers of confusing dissent with disloyalty.
Murrow slammed Senator Joseph McCarthy at that time and his anti- communist crusade that ended up smearing innocent Americans. The legendary journalist ended one of his broadcasts this way, telling Americans we will not walk and fear one of another.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDWARD R. MURROW, JOURNALIST, CBS NEWS: We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine. And remember, that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:45:00] ACOSTA: President-Elect Donald Trump's former U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, has some strong words about his pick for director of national intelligence this time around. Listen to what Haley said about Tulsi Gabbard as the nation's possible spy chief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY, FORMER U.N. AMBASSADOR UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP: This is not a place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathizer. DNI has to analyze real threats. Are we comfortable with someone like that at the top of our national intelligence agencies?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Let's discuss now, Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky and former senior adviser to Republican Senator Rick Scott's campaign Brad Todd. Brad, let me start with you first. I mean, Nikki Haley said that. What are your thoughts?
BRAD TODD, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO GOP SENATOR RICK SCOTT'S CAMPAIGN: I'm a big fan of Nikki Haley's, but she now has a radio show and she's too -- that's good for ratings to be controversial. And so, I suspect that's what's going on. I think when you look at the whole national security team, you know, from Mike Walls at NSA to Marco Rubio at state to John Ratcliffe. I think that's the part of this cabinet nominees that most Republicans are comfortable with.
ACOSTA: Julie, I mean, Tulsi Gabbard has said Syria's Bashar al-Assad is not an enemy of the U.S. She expressed sympathetic views toward Russia. She even said Trump was Saudi Arabia's B word. We can put this up on screen, back in 2018. What do you think about what Nikki Haley is saying? Is she just being controversial for ratings? Is that what she's doing here, Julie?
JULIE ROGINSKY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: No, if she wanted ratings, she'd go full MAGA like Tucker Carlson and other people who used to have, you know, some sort of independent mind and then decided to go full MAGA for ratings.
[10:50:00]
She actually, I think, is speaking the truth, and I fully agree with her. Tulsi Gabbard has been a bigger concern to me than this other clown car of a nominating contest. And so, for me to say that actually means something because we're -- she's competing with people like Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth. So, I don't say that lightly.
But Tulsi Gabbard effectively parrots pro-Russian talking points, and I happen to speak fluent Russian, so I actually watch Russian TV once in a while to see what they say. And it's almost like in -- out of their mouth into Tulsi Gabbard's, virtually verbatim. I'm not saying that she's a Russian asset, I'm saying that she's what the Russians would call (INAUDIBLE), which is a useful idiot. And that's exactly what she is, because all she does is completely parrot every single thing that Vladimir Putin has said about the United States, including the facts that we are somehow responsible for his invasion of Ukraine, which is absurd. It's like saying that somehow the United States was responsible for the Sudetenland being annexed by Adolf Hitler back in 1938.
Look, for her to say this is important for Republican senators who actually have an advice and consent to hear it is even more important. This is the person who will be giving the president his daily brief every single day. You cannot have somebody like that in charge of our national security.
ACOSTA: Go ahead, Brad. Yes.
TODD: She's going to have to answer questions about this. And, you know, the House -- the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on the Republican side is full of hawks, right? These are people who are pretty strong hawks on -- against Russia and would be concerned about those questions. I think some of those questions are going to be tough. And if she doesn't answer them well and to the satisfaction of those conservative hawks, then our nomination won't go through.
I mean, most presidents lose a couple nominees. Barack Obama lost three. Donald Trump lost three. Bill Clinton lost three. George Bush lost two. I mean, not everybody's going to make it through there, but she'll have to answer those in the hearing. That's why we have this advice and consent function.
ACOSTA: Yes. And, Julie, I mean, I do want to move to another story at CNN's KFile, our friend Andrew Kaczynski recently uncovered harsh descriptions of Trump and his supporters that RFK Jr. previously applauded on his radio show in 2016, Trump's pick to lead health and human services agreed that Trump's base is full of, quote, "idiots and bootlickers." He also likened Trump to Adolf Hitler. In a statement to CNN, RFK Jr. now says he supports Trump's vision and regrets his past comments, saying he no longer holds these beliefs. Julie, what do you think about all that?
ROGINSKY: I mean, it's a long line of people who have bent the knee to Donald Trump. Marco Rubio, I'm old enough to remember, used to make fun of Donald Trump's genitalia. Pete Hegseth, who I used to work with at Fox, privately would say ridiculous things about Donald Trump, things that Trump would not want to hear. And so with Tulsi Gabbard, would trash Donald Trump repeatedly. And so, on and so forth. And so, did the majority of the Republicans who serve in the United States Senate now until they all bent the knee. They all knelt before Zod.
ACOSTA: Yes.
TODD: But wait just a second. We just had an election where a lot of Democrats who ran for the U.S. Senate talked about how well they worked with Trump. Tammy Baldwin bragged on Trump. Bob Casey bragged on Trump. Sherrod Brown and John Tester bragged on Trump. So, let's --
ROGINSKY: And they lost except for one.
TODD: Well, let's make sure we --
ACOSTA: And I also think that, I mean, Trump kind of collects past critics like infinity stones, if I could throw an Avenger's reference there. I mean, that is something he's done time and again, and it seems to -- he seems to be doing it with a lot of the picks in his cabinet, and maybe even his vice president.
TODD: Well, over time, he's actually gotten to where he can get over past criticism. You know, that's a thing he's grown toward. He doesn't change much, but that's one thing he's changed on.
ACOSTA: All right. Julie, Brad, thanks guys. Appreciate it very much. Thanks a lot.
ROGINSKY: Thanks.
ACOSTA: All right. It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is a week from today. Plan to start your Thanksgiving morning right here on CNN. We'll have parades from across the country, music and celebrity appearances. Thanksgiving in America kicks off at 8:00 a.m. right here on CNN. We'll be right back.
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[10:55:00]
ACOSTA: All right. Thank you very much for joining me this morning. Before we go, you may or may not know this name, Pamela Hayden, but you certainly know her voice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAMELA HAYDEN, VOICE ACTOR: I'm Pamela Hayden, hi.
Wow, cool.
I do Jimbo Jones, one of the boys. Don't mess with me. I'm Rob, and sometimes Todd. And my main guy is Milhouse.
This is where I come to cry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The longtime "Simpsons'" voice actor is hanging up the mic after 35 years. The show posted this tribute to Hayden on Instagram. Her last episode will be on Sunday. The series is planning on casting replacements for all of her characters.
And I do want to toss it over to my good friend and colleague Pam Brown. Pam, when I saw that this has been going on for 35 years, I said, don't, a la Homer Simpson. But --
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: That was a good one. That was a good one, Jim.
ACOSTA: That's as good as it -- or ay caramba, maybe.
BROWN: Ay caramba. Wow. She is a legend. That is for sure. All right, Jim. Thanks so much. ACOSTA: All right. You got it. Have a good show.
BROWN: A lot of news to cover today, that is for sure. Transition troubles. The allegations against Donald Trump's controversial cabinet picks are piling up and making some senators very anxious. We're going to discuss the serious accusations against two of them this morning.
Plus, one of the biggest rabble rousers in Congress is getting a new job, one that could put her at the center of Trump's quest to shrink the federal government.
And later a mother sits on death row in Texas, even after a judge decided that she was actually innocent of killing her daughter. Why is she still there then? Will she walk free?
[11:00:00]
