Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Today: Trump's Former Fixer to Testify; Sen. Vance: I Will Accept Results If Free & Fair Election; Severe Storm Threats for Texas and Gulf Coast. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired May 13, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It's Monday, May 13. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING, Michael Cohen set to take the stand. How Trump's former fixer could become the star witness in Trump's hush money trial today.

[06:01:11]

Plus, bipartisan backlash for President Biden after his warning to Israel about U.S. weapons shipments.

And a rare sight in the skies above Washington: civilian aircraft flying right over the National Mall's heavily restricted airspace. Our Pete Muntean was in the sky.

All right, 6 a.m. here in Washington. A live look at the White House on this Monday morning.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us. I hope you had a happy Mother's Day yesterday. Today's going to be a busy one here.

The stage is set for a dramatic courtroom showdown as former attorney Michael Cohen is set to testify against the man he once said he would take a bullet for: his old boss, Donald Trump.

Manhattan prosecutors in the hush money trial expected to call the fixer turned foe to the stand, hoping to link the $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Cohen has repeatedly said he's been ready to testify against the former president. Here's what he told CNN's Erin Burnett back in February.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: I had no problem the last time at the New York attorney general's case of being in the same room as Donald. I'm not the only one who has said this. I felt nothing. There's no intimidation by him. He's the one that's sitting at the defendant's desk, not me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right. Our panel's here: CNN legal analyst, former federal prosecutor Elliot

Williams; former advisor to Tim Scott's presidential campaign, Matt Gorman; and CNN political commentator and former White House policy adviser Ashley Allison is here, as well.

Elliot, at blockbuster day.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Blockbuster.

HUNT: Here we are right now.

WILLIAMS: We are.

HUNT: We're going to be back here probably again later for hours and hours and hours, I would imagine.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

HUNT: What are you watching for today from Michael Cohen?

WILLIAMS: Is it over? It's not over yet.

HUNT: No.

WILLIAMS: It's not? Oh, God.

HUNT: It's just begun.

WILLIAMS: OK.

HUNT: It's barely begun.

WILLIAMS: Barely -- we've only just begun to -- you know, I think let's put it this way. I think there's good, bad, and ugly around Michael Jackson [SIC] -- Michael. Early. Six a.m. Monday morning. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.

About Michael Cohen's testimony. I think good for prosecutors is that when you have a criminal prosecution about the intersection of someone's personal and political lives, the most valuable witness that can come up is the guy who knows virtually everything or knew virtually everything about that defendant's personal and political lives.

He was involved in virtually every detail. And he -- he literally has said, and others have said about him, he knows where the bodies are buried and has, quote-unquote, "the receipts." So he's a valuable witness.

Now, the bad is that he has a very long list of strikes against him as a witness that are going to come up at trial. He's got a number of criminal convictions for, I believe, tax evasion, campaign finance related issues, and lying to Congress. That's not good.

He wrote a book --

HUNT: We can put those up next screen.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

HUNT: We have a little graphic. Continue.

WILLIAMS: He wrote a book literally called "Revenge," which is the title of his book. Now, what's the revenge against? Well, it's the defendant. And that's going to come up in front of the jury, that this is the kinds of material you've been putting out.

He's got a YouTube channel, Twitter feed, all of this -- I believe TikTok -- where he savages the former president regularly.

HUNT: Right.

WILLIAMS: And all of this again, will come up in front of the jury against them.

And I just think the ugly is, it's a personality clash. And I think you put this man on the stand looking at the defendant. He said in that clip there that no, you know, I was able to do this once before. And can do it without losing my cool.

But I don't know, over several days of really harsh questioning, how Michael Cohen will hold up.

So it's big, and this is a consequential witness for the prosecution. It just remains to be seen how it's going to work.

[06:05:00]

HUNT: Yes. So I actually talked to Michael Cohen about his credibility, or lack thereof, back in 2022 in March. This -- at the time, the big question was around the -- the inflation of the value of Trump's properties, which ultimately was not something that he ended up being tried, charged with criminally.

But here's how Cohen explained to me when I asked him about whether he discussed his own credibility as a witness with the D.A., Alvin Bragg's, office. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Did you ever talk to them about your credibility? Did they ever talk to you about your credibility?

COHEN: Absolutely. I spoke with ten different law enforcement agencies. What I did, you probably remember this at the House Oversight -- I brought in documentary evidence. I didn't want anyone to question my credibility.

You know, this is something that irritates me, right? Because Donald Trump is the one who labeled me a convicted liar.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNT: So I will say, Matt, I mean, he -- he did plead guilty to lying to Congress. So it's not just Donald Trump --

MATT GORMAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Not just Trump.

HUNT: -- who has leveled that at him.

But I mean, this is going to be the question.

GORMAN: It is, and like, look, I think you've seen in the last couple weeks, you know, folks like Stormy Daniels, folks like Michael Cohen have given interviews and done public statements for years now, saying how much they hate Trump and want to see him convicted. This and that of various sorts.

And OK, now you have every right in the world to make those statements. But the rights (ph) to everyone in the world to use that against you, question your credibility right now.

And I think, you know, look, I don't necessarily expect him to lose his cool, but he could look, you know -- forgive me -- like, kind of like an idiot, if you will, like, on the stand, like for lack of a better term. That's, I think, what I'm curious about.

And again, a lot of this, you know, Cohen is where there's two audience here, the jury and the voters. Cohen is a perfect person to punch holes in for also the voters, too.

HUNT: And speaking of voters, Ashley, I mean, where do you think -- the president was fundraising over the weekend, called -- said that Trump has become totally unhinged. We played Donald Trump. We're going to show everyone again later in the show what he had to say about Hannibal Lecter on the boardwalk at the Jersey shore. I shouldn't necessarily -- I don't know if he was actually on the boardwalk or not, but he was in Wildwood, New Jersey.

Where is kind of the Biden team as they watch this unfold? And -- and what does -- does Cohen play any role in their thinking at all?

ASHLEY ALLISON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, if you're the Biden team, I'm not going to, like, hang my coat on Cohen, right?

HUNT: Right.

ALLISON: Like, out of all the things in the world of Donald Trump that you can kind of go after.

Maybe the case writ large is something to talk about and say, like, I'm out here talking about the issues of the American public while Donald Trump again is, you know, having to defend himself for nefarious behavior.

But it's not because of Michael Cohen -- is really. I do think, though -- I'm interested to see. Stormy Daniels last week was not combative, but she stood up for herself on the stand. I don't know if Michael Cohen should do that. Like, I don't think he should present himself as a combative witness that is argumentative with the attorney.

I think he just needs to continue to, like, put his statement of facts out there where he is and kind of lay it down.

But for the Biden campaign, I -- I think I want to turn the page on the next couple of days and get back to the contrast of chaos versus, you know, working for the American people.

HUNT: All right. We're, of course, going be talking about this all throughout the morning.

Just ahead here, Republican Senator J.D. Vance answering questions on CNN. Is he auditioning to be Trump's running mate?

Plus stunning tornado damage in Tallahassee as residents brace for more severe weather.

And Jerry Seinfeld's commencement speech at Duke. He faced a walkout.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:12:58]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Will you commit to accepting the results of this year's election?

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH): Look, Dana, I totally plan to accept the results of 2024. I think that Donald Trump will be the victory. And if it's a free and fair election, Dana, I think every Republican will enthusiastically accept the results.

BASH: Even if Joe Biden wins?

VANCE: Sure. If it's a free and fair election, I will accept the results, Dana, whoever wins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: "If." If it's a free and fair election. That was Ohio Senator J.D. Vance with our own Dana Bash.

Some top Republicans have, of course, been giving quite elusive answers to that question.

Vance also went on to say this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: We have to be willing, as Democrats did in 2000, as Democrats have done in the past, and certainly, as Republicans did in 2020, is if you think there were problems, you have to be willing to pursue those problems and try to prosecute your case. And certainly, if we have a free and fair election, I'll accept the results.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: All right. And joining us now is CNN chief political correspondent and the host of CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" and "INSIDE POLITICS," Dana Bash.

Dana, good morning.

BASH: Good morning.

HUNT: This was a great interview. What did you make of his answer there?

Because it does seem to have the echoes of like when you ask Donald Trump about is there going to be violence? He said, Well, if the election -- if I win the election, no.

And in this case, he's saying, Well, if the election is free and fair, sure.

BASH: Yes.

HUNT: I'll accept the results.

BASH: I honestly wasn't sure where he was going to go with that answer, because he hadn't answered that. I think "The New York Times" had done a survey of all the potential vice-presidential running mates for Donald Trump. And that was one that they didn't get back on. So -- and I hadn't seen it anywhere else.

The answer to your question, my sense is that, given the fact that he clearly likes being in the running --

HUNT: Right.

BASH: -- I thought he would be a little bit more Trumpian than he was.

HUNT: OK.

BASH: Because when I pushed him on the fundamental question, which you played, like, OK, but what if Joe Biden wins?

HUNT: Right.

BASH: He did say yes. "Yes, but." There was a "but" in there, but at least there was a "yes." Which is not what we saw in 2020. Not, obviously, from Donald Trump and not by people like J.D. Vance who just didn't accept the results.

[06:15:16]

Now, they argue that, not that -- Well, Donald Trump argues that it was rigged. He did it again Saturday night. That's just -- there's no evidence to show that.

The argument that they make beyond that, of course, is that, because it was COVID, a lot of the states and cities and locales changed the rules to make it easier for people to vote. And that was not right.

I don't know what -- if -- if there's a similar sort of excuse that they can find --

HUNT: Yes.

BASH: -- in 2024. If Donald Trump does, in fact, lose, you can bet they'll look for one.

HUNT: Yes. I mean, Matt Gorman, as someone who's previously worked for someone who is on the V.P. shortlist, in Tim Scott. I mean, there is a spectrum of answers on this question about whether or not --

GORMAN: Yes.

HUNT: -- they're going to accept the results. Where would you put Vance on that spectrum?

GORMAN: You know, he was pretty clear. He was pretty succinct, which I think you -- what he said you could put on a chyron pretty easily, which can't be said for kind of all of them.

And look, I think, at the end of the day, you're not going to get -- for someone wants to be in the V.P. shortlist. Just like honestly, any other issue, you're not going to get someone to go out there and say something diametrically -- diametrically opposed to what Trump is saying on this.

HUNT: Right.

GORMAN: There is -- in that spectrum, there's kind of almost guardrails that you hew towards. And I think what you saw, Vance was certainly on one side of that. And I was surprised how succinct and how kind of clear he was, at least relatively when he went on Dana's show.

HUNT: Well, of course he -- Trump appeared with Doug Burgum over the weekend at his rally, which seems to suggest Burgum may be rising up the list.

BASH: It certainly does. And look, we have to remember that Donald Trump likes to play with us, play with everybody. He -- this is something that he likes. The kind of who will it be, who won't be. But he does -- and it's not just by watching Donald Trump over the weekend with Doug Burgum. It's also reporting that I have from people around him.

He really, really likes the idea of Doug Burgum. The fact that he's a businessperson, the fact that he is central casting, which is not nothing.

HUNT: He looks the part, shall we say?

BASH: But when it comes to Donald Trump. Yes. And he's -- and he's a nice person. He's a nice person to be with. Genuinely a nice guy. And, you know, that's something that Trump likes. HUNT: Right. Unobjectionable, really.

I mean, , we also saw Trump over the weekend shoot down the idea that Nikki Haley was anywhere on his list, right? Like actually posted about that.

That does seem to suggest like -- I mean, it seems like there's still a major opening for the Biden team to go looking for Haley voters, considering how he talks about her still.

ALLISON: Yes. I'm sorry. I'm like trying to hold back my laughter that Trump likes nice people.

HUNT: That's all right.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: You know what? You know what? Let me -- let me correct the record, please, your honor. And I want to -- I want to actually associate myself with the word that Kasie used, which is unobjectionable.

ALLISON: Yes. Thank you.

BASH: That's a better word. That's a better word.

GORMAN: He's a nice guy. He's a nice guy.

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: No, it's not that he's not a nice guy.

GORMAN: Yes, yes.

BASH: But Donald Trump.

(CROSSTALK)

GORMAN: OK. OK. I see the bird's eye (ph).

(CROSSTALK)

ALLISON: No, no, no. The fact that Donald Trump is caring about people being nice is what took me --

GORMAN: Yes.

ALLISON: Back to the question of Nikki Haley, look, Nikki Haley was one of the few people in the Republican primary, very late in the primary, but at some point in the primary, who actually went after Donald Trump. And that's not what Donald Trump wants in anybody being considered to be his No. 2. He wants someone who will fall in line, which Doug Burgum -- You're from (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- like people are doing to potentially be tapped.

And Nikki Haley has yet -- has actually been rather silent since she has dropped out of the race, other than getting 150,000 votes here and there in post primary since being out of the race.

So I think that the Biden campaign is trying to figure out how to go after those voters, because they -- Haley voters actually were a part of the coalition in 2020.

He did get some Republicans. We got some independents, and then we got a majority, a large historical number of our base. So yes, Biden is interested in courting those voters. How he courts them, I think, is important, and I think will be much more aggressive once the V.P. is announced as a contrast.

HUNT: Right.

All right. Dana Bash, thank you so much for joining us.

BASH: Thank you.

HUNT: We really appreciate you being here.

BASH: Appreciate it.

HUNT: It's great. Great interview.

All right. Coming up here, Hannibal Lecter. What's he have to do with the election? Apparently, we're going to need to ask Donald Trump that question.

And lift-off from Cape Canaveral. We'll bring you the details on the latest SpaceX launch coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:24:07]

HUNT: All right, 23 minutes past the hour, five things you have to see this morning.

Parishioners at a Louisiana church stopping a 16-year-old armed with a rifle from getting inside. A live stream caught the moment that the priest ducked behind the altar, and children ran for cover. Police arrested the teen, and thankfully, no one was hurt.

A large explosion and a building collapse in the Russian town of Belgorod following Ukrainian shelling on Sunday. The region's emergency ministry says at least eight people were killed and 19 injured.

Jerry Seinfeld interrupted by student protesters during his introduction at Duke University's commencement ceremony. Around 30 students left the stadium as the comedian began his speech, eliciting both boos and cheers from the crowd.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one. Ignition and liftoff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:25:03]

HUNT: A successful nighttime launch for SpaceX at Florida's Cape Canaveral on Sunday. The reusable Falcon 9 rocket carried 23 Starlink satellites and landed successfully just a few moments later.

NASA releasing these stunning new pictures of the solar explosion -- explosions triggering mash [SIC] -- massive flares that launched particles directly at Earth, ultimately creating the auroras all over the globe as they reached our planet's magnetic field. Maybe you got a chance to see some of this over the weekend.

All right. Time now for weather. A waterlogged Texas could see even more rain as the South braces for severe storms, powerful winds, possible tornadoes. Our Weatherman van Dam here to break it all down for us.

Derek, good morning to you. What are you seeing?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kasie. I saw the aurora borealis, the Northern lights in Atlanta this weekend. That was super cool.

HUNT: Not the North. Atlanta is not the North.

VAN DAM: Yes. Yes. I mean, just just amazing spectacle. Brought my children outside way past their bedtime. Everybody loved it.

Of course, headed outside this morning to see if we could see them, but not the case, because we've got clouds moving in with rain. But there's also the severe weather threat that's ongoing, as well.

So this is newly issued from the Storm Prediction Center, a severe thunderstorm watch until roughly noon today, Eastern Standard -- or Central Daylight Time, I should say.

Here is a look at this line of storms. This is called a mesoscale convective system, and it's -- notice that little bowing feature to it. That has gotten a lot of wind and energy associated with it. So as it traverses across the border of Mississippi and into Alabama, it could pick up some intensity and create a swath of stronger winds and heavier rainfall across the Deep South.

There's also potential of a spin-up or two of tornadoes, 5 percent risk today, and that extends as far West as New Orleans, all the way to about Houston.

But this is where we're highlighting our greatest chance of large hail, two-inch in diameter, anywhere you see that hashed area, including much of Louisiana and into Southeast Texas. Not one but two rounds of severe storms anticipated over the next 24 hours.

So with this amount of whether moving through, better believe there's a flood threat, as well. Flood watch in effect anywhere you see that shading of green. That includes the Florida Panhandle right through Texas and Louisiana. Three to six inches of rain. This is through Tuesday. That is a lot of precipitation on a very waterlogged area.

That's why the Weather Prediction Center still has this moderate risk of excessive rain. That could lead to some localized flash flooding.

So from aurora borealis to severe storms to flood threat, we cover it all here at CNN Weather -- Kasie.

HUNT: Sure, we do. All right. Our Weatherman van Dam. Derek, thank you very much. I really appreciate it.

All right. Coming up next, Donald Trump praising a serial killer from the movies. Here's what's -- we'll play for you what he says about Hannibal Lecter, of all people.

And a rare sight in the skies above Washington. Civilian aircraft flying right over the National Mall's heavily restricted airspace. That is our Pete Muntean in that little plane right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:30:00]