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Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) Weighs In On The GOP's Speaker Nominee Mike Johnson And Today's Floor Vote; Police: Arrested Off-Duty Pilot Says He Was Having A Nervous Breakdown; House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) Joins CNN This Morning. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired October 25, 2023 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Congressman, it is Wednesday. You and I speak every Wednesday about whether or not there is going to be a speaker. My question on this -- clearly, there is unity and there is momentum behind Mike Johnson's candidacy at this point. There were 20- plus Republicans who did not vote last night.

Why should we assume after the last 21 days that everyone's going to get in line?

REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): Well, it was late, and those 20 were out. Some of them had dinner. Some of them had receptions.

But I think what you need to understand about Mike Johnson is just who he is. You know, this town is bucking, and there's much mashing of teeth and wringing of hands last night from the lobbyists and the special interests. You know, this town is languishing in moral and fiscal ambiguity and he will restore that.

Mike Johnson is a good man. And I think as you saw last night, that we are ready for a leader. We don't -- we don't deserve a leader like Mike Johnson but dadgummit, we're going to get him. And I think he's going to carry us over the finish line.

He is an excellent man. He's a family man. He's a fine Christian. And he is a -- I think he'll be a giant. He's not very tall physically, but in these halls he is -- you will stand in his shadow.

MATTINGLY: We will not criticize height on this show, Congressman.

I think to some degree, that gets to the point -- I was talking to a Republican -- one of your colleagues -- last night who said he's the only guy right now in the race who, like, doesn't have a bunch of people who hate him.

Is that the threshold here, basically -- if you don't have enemies it's your only pathway to 217?

BURCHETT: No -- no, not at all. As a matter of fact, last week, on Saturday, I texted Mike. I was sitting with my wife and were talking and she said who do you think has got a shot at this thing? And I said well, it's always the first few that hit the beach that end up getting killed, and that's what -- exactly what happened. And I said I would hope that we would get someone like Mike Johnson. And I -- and I actually had texted him at that and I reminded him -- and he reminded me of that last night.

And so, you know -- and the other question is -- I get asked is was it worth it? And I said absolutely, it was worth it. It was -- as I've stated many times, I've prayed about it. It was the right thing to do. And I think you're going to see a great leader.

I think the lobbyists are doing everything they can right now to generate, as they did last night in our meeting. You saw some of the old guard trying to rally support for a bogus write-in-type situation. And then that's why we forced the vote on a -- on a -- on an actual voice vote -- a roll call vote -- so people had to stand up. And then you saw everybody gathering around him at the podium. So, I think we are on our way to electing a speaker today at noon.

MATTINGLY: I think, Congressman, my biggest question right now is whoever your next leader was going to be -- and if it's Mike Johnson, which it appears there is momentum to that case -- that person will have 23 days until the government is set to shut down again. He has committed to --

BURCHETT: Yeah.

MATTINGLY: -- standalone appropriations bills, of which I believe your chamber still has eight to pass. The Senate is just starting to move on its first three.

Is there a way to reconcile 12 bills in 23 days? And you guys don't support a continuing resolution, so how does the government not shut down?

BURCHETT: We follow the rules. You know, how -- where was everybody yelling when we took off the entire month of August and two weeks into September when we knew September 30 was the end of our fiscal year?

You know, what's going to have to happen? Some of these guys are going to have to get out of bed before noon and come down here and work. That's what's going to have to happen.

The rest of the country is. I can guarantee you the good folks in Tennessee right now are on their way out the door. They're taking their kids to school. They're heading to work. They're going to the factories -- whatever.

MATTINGLY: Right.

BURCHETT: And you know what? Congress needs to get off their butts and get to work. And that's what needs to happen and that's what can happen when -- you know, we roll out of here. We set a meeting for 10:00, and then we cater in a hearty lunch at taxpayer expense, and then we leave by 2:00. And we walk out with our Brooks Brothers suit unbuttoned and our jacket thrown over our shoulder and we -- and our ties undone, and we say to America, we've been working hard.

Well, you know what? That's an insult to hardworking Americans everywhere from the north to the south. America isn't buying that anymore. There's a new sheriff in town and his name is Mike Johnson, and dadgummit, he's going to deliver.

MATTINGLY: And we're going to see in about 4 1/2-5 hours whether or not that's actually the case.

Congressman, I appreciate your time as always, sir. Thank you.

BURCHETT: Thank you. And next Wednesday you can call me and we'll --

MATTINGLY: We'll talk policy.

BURCHETT: -- have breakfast. Yeah, we'll talk policy.

MATTINGLY: Thank you, sir.

BURCHETT: Thank you, brother.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: I am a fan of Brooks Brothers.

All right, Phil. Thank you for that.

[07:35:00]

Also, this. A surprise move by the United Auto Workers union heating up their strike against the Big Three automakers. UAW members walked off the job at General Motors' largest plant yesterday -- the biggest plant. That assembly plant is in Arlington, Texas. And that brings the total number of UAW members on strike to 45,000 workers.

The economic losses caused by the strike, so far -- it's in its sixth week, by the way -- has surpassed $9.3 billion. That's according to the Anderson Economic Group.

MATTINGLY: Well, we have new details this morning about an off-duty pilot accused of trying to cut the power on an Alaska Airlines flight. Now, he denied taking any medication, but what he says he did take -- that's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL)

HARLOW: So we are learning some new details this morning about the off-duty pilot who is now facing 73 counts of attempted murder for trying to shut down the engines of an Alaska Airlines plane mid- flight. Court documents show that Joseph Emerson told police he was having a nervous breakdown and that he had warned the crew that he needed to be -- warned that the crew needed to be subdued. He also said that he took magic mushrooms 48 hours before this happened.

Pete Muntean joins us now. Quite a development.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, a huge development, Poppy. This is a guy who immediately realized what he did and essentially told other members of the flight crew "I'm not well. I'm a risk to the safety of this airplane." These are some of the incredible new details coming out after Joseph Emerson's appearance in an Oregon court last night.

[07:40:11]

This all comes from information that police got from a conversation they had with Emerson after they met the flight on the ground in Portland.

Now, this incident took place at 31,000 feet. Emerson was seated in the jump seat. That's a small seat in the cockpit behind the pilots used by other airline pilots to deadhead from one airport to another.

Now, Emerson said he reached up for two big red handles at the top of the cockpit. Those are the engine fire extinguisher handles that first cut off the flow of fuel. And Emerson told police he pulled those handles because he thought he was in a dream and wanted to wake up.

Then there was a struggle. Pilots reset that system. They say they prevented the airplane from becoming a glider in a matter of seconds.

Emerson left the cockpit -- according to police -- closed the door, and told a flight attendant "You need to cuff me right now or it's going to be bad." Flight attendants restrained Emerson in the back of the plane and police say that's where he also tried to open an emergency exit.

But it's the conversation that police had with Emerson on the ground that really gives the most insight into why this may have happened in the first place. Emerson told police he was in a mental crisis. He hadn't slept in 40 hours. That he consumed magic mushrooms 48 hours before this incident.

Now, Emerson faces an attempted murder charge for each of the 83 other people on board this plane.

But the conversation in the flight -- pilot community right now really focuses on this. Emerson told police he had been depressed for years. And pilots often fear speaking up about their mental health because they're worried that they'll lose their FAA medical certificate and throw away their career. It's a really sad tale here.

Now, Emerson told police he admitted to what he did was wrong and he realized it. But right now, he's pleading not guilty to the state charges. He's expected to face a federal charge in court tomorrow -- Poppy.

HARLOW: It's a really important point you made, Pete, about the broader picture here and fear among pilots as well. Thank you for the reporting.

MATTINGLY: Well, after a late-night scramble to secure a nominee, the House is once again set to vote on a new speaker just a few hours from now. House Democratic leader Congressman Hakeem Jeffries joins us live to discuss, next.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:46:28]

MATTINGLY: This morning, the House is expected to have yet another floor vote for speaker. This comes after Republicans, last night, picked Congressman Mike Johnson as their latest speaker designee. The big question: can he get to 217 votes that he's going to need to actually when the gavel?

After weeks of frustration, Republicans seeming to get behind Johnson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): This has been a wasted three weeks and has really prevented us from doing the important work. So, to me, it's important we elect a speaker and get back to work.

REP. BILL HUIZENGA (R-MI): This is the closest that we have come to being able to cross that finish line. So I think Mike's got the ability to do that.

REP. MARIO DIAZ-BALART (R-FL): It derailed our agenda for a number of weeks, but we're back.

REP. BOB GOOD (R-VA): You go through tough times together that you wouldn't want to repeat. They make you stronger. You're better for them. We're more united because of what we went through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Joining us now is the House Democratic leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Sir, we appreciate your time this morning.

To start with, on Congressman Johnson. Given the fact that there appears -- at least based on that sound -- that there is momentum behind him, is this somebody you believe Democrats can work with across the aisle?

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Well, good morning. Great to be with you.

I don't know Mike Johnson well. Based on his track record he appears to be an extreme right-wing ideolog. Mike Johnson wants to criminalize abortion care and impose a nationwide ban. Mike Johnson was one of the chief architects of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Mike Johnson also wants to end Social Security and Medicare as we know it. Those are extreme views and House Democrats will push back aggressively against that.

However, at the same period of time, we've said from the very beginning of this Congress and demonstrated that we are ready, willing, and able to find common ground with our Republican colleagues in order to advance bipartisan solutions to solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers. And all Mike Johnson will need to do is to meet us in a bipartisan way in that fashion and we'll be able to work together whenever and wherever possible. MATTINGLY: Mr. Leader, I was talking to a Republican congressman last

night that I wouldn't put in the Mike Johnson category ideologically. He said look, we have to do something. That's why people are moving in this direction, framing it as if there was no other alternative.

Had a resolution been put on the floor or if a resolution is put on the floor to more broadly empower the speaker pro tem, do you think Democrats would support it? Would you ask your members to support it?

JEFFRIES: Well, we would have to have a caucus discussion. But we have made very clear from the beginning that we looked toward a bipartisan path to reopen the House.

And one of the possible routes was to provide support necessary in order to empower a speaker pro tem to reopen the House in order for us to be able to consider bills that are important to the health, the safety, and the economic well-being of the American people, to fund the government, to avoid a shutdown. To make sure that we are standing by our friends and allies, like Israel and Ukraine, during their time of need, as well as to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians who may be in harm's way.

These are important items and if reopening the House required a bipartisan agreement with respect to the speaker pro tem, I think that is something that we would have been open to, as we have repeatedly expressed publicly and communicated to our Republican colleagues privately.

[07:50:05]

MATTINGLY: You have 23 days until the government is set to shut down again. This process, if it ends today, has burned 21 days -- 22 days at this point in time.

I believe Mike Johnson was committing to once again doing standalone appropriations bills. There's no way to reconcile all 12 of them in that amount of time.

Are we headed for another government shutdown or towards the possibility of a government shutdown?

JEFFRIES: House Democrats, along with President Biden, Senate Democrats, and Senate Republicans are prepared to do what's necessary to meet the needs of the American people and avoid a government shutdown.

And the path to doing so is for House Republicans to adhere to the agreement that they, themselves, negotiated in May of this year with respect to the Fiscal Responsibility Act. That set topline spending numbers for us to utilize in order to reach agreement on the spending priorities and needs for the American people.

And it was the Republicans who, less than a week after supporting that agreement that they negotiated with President Biden, broke their word and abandoned the agreement. And that is why we're facing a possible government shutdown. And so, the notion of doing individual appropriations bills at this point, after Republicans have been wasting time mired in chaos, dysfunction, and extremism, doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

MATTINGLY: Would you accept some reduction in the top line of a continuing resolution in order to help a new speaker?

JEFFRIES: No. An agreement is an agreement. And basically, we have all adhered to the parameters of what was agreed upon and passed in law, which meets the needs of the American people. The House Democrats are in agreement with the Senate Democrats. We both are in agreement with Senate Republicans. All of us are in agreement with President Biden.

It's the extreme MAGA Republicans in the House who are on -- who are on an island. They need to get off that island and join us in a bipartisan way so we can fund the government responsibly.

MATTINGLY: Another issue this, to put it kindly, circus has delayed is the consideration of the $105 billion supplemental aid request that includes money for Ukraine, as well as for Israel and humanitarian support for citizens of Gaza.

Would you be willing to separate those out, particularly the Ukraine- Israel humanitarian aid issue, given some of the Republican opposition there?

JEFFRIES: No. It's my expectation that the Senate will send over a bipartisan bill that meets the needs of the American people from a national security standpoint. And that necessarily involves being supportive of Israel in its war against Hamas.

Being supportive of the Ukrainian war effort against Russian aggression. It's in the best interest of the free world that we stand by Ukraine. That Ukraine prevail. It's in the best interest of democracy, and freedom, and truth -- values that we hold dear here in America.

And we also, of course, must meet the humanitarian needs of people throughout the world, including Palestinian civilians who may be in harm's way.

That bipartisan package, when it comes over from the Senate, shouldn't be broken up. The time for partisanship is over. The time for gamesmanship is over. The time for extreme MAGA Republican brinksmanship is over.

We need to reopen the House and get back to doing the business of the American people. Let's do it in a bipartisan way so we can solve problems for everyday Americans.

MATTINGLY: I understand your opposition to where Mike Johnson stands ideologically and on policy, but you're known -- and this might surprise some people outside of Washington -- to have good relationships with members across the aisle. You had a good relationship -- had -- have -- TBD with the former speaker, Kevin McCarthy.

Have you spoken to Mike Johnson in the last 24 hours? Do you plan to speak to him right away if he ends up becoming speaker?

JEFFRIES: I have not spoken to Mike Johnson over the last several weeks at all during this period of Republican chaos and dysfunction. However, we should always agree to disagree without being disagreeable and find common ground in order to meet the needs of the American people.

And so, if Mike Johnson does emerge as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, I do look forward to having a conversation with him to figure out how we can agree upon a bipartisan agenda that is designed to put people over politics. We can fight collectively, as Democrats have been doing, for better paying jobs, and lower costs, and safe communities, and to build an economy from the middle out and the bottom up as opposed to the top down.

MATTINGLY: What is your relationship like with Kevin McCarthy now?

JEFFRIES: Well listen, we had a very positive forward-looking relationship. I haven't spoken to him in the last few weeks. But if Kevin McCarthy remains a member of Congress I expect that we'll find opportunities to be able to work together whenever and wherever possible to meet the needs of the people that he represents in California and that I'm privileged to represent in New York City, as well as the needs of the American people.

[07:55:10]

MATTINGLY: All right, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. It's been a long three weeks. We'll see how things go today. Thanks so much for your time.

JEFFRIES: Thanks, Phil.

HARLOW: Ahead, former members of Donald Trump's inner circle appear to be turning on him under legal heat. We'll tell you why, next.

MATTINGLY: And Turkish President Erdogan saying, quote, "Hamas is not a terror organization but a group for liberation." We'll discuss the impact that has on the region. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR, "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT": Quote, "It's coming." That is the message of the Israeli prime minister.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hamas operatives used hardwired phones in the tunnels over a period of two years.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fueled the center of the hostage negotiations and of the desperation of getting aid to people inside. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:00:00]