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CNN This Morning
Trump Pushes Forward With Matt Gaetz Pick; Today: Laken Riley Murder Case Resumes In Georgia; West Coast Braces For "Bomb Cyclone". Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired November 19, 2024 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:34]
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It's Tuesday, November 19th.
Right now on CNN THIS MORNING:
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JOEL LEPPARD, ATTORNEY: Representative Gaetz paid my client, both of my clients for sexual favors throughout the summer of 2017.
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HUNT: Speaking out. Tthe lawyer for the women who told the House Ethics Committee about Matt Gaetz going public with their story.
Plus --
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SEN.KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): You have to, you know, determine whether or not the cost of getting them across the finish line is worth it.
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HUNT: Not backing down. Donald Trump now calling senators, trying to get Gaetz confirmed as attorney general.
And misreading the room. How Trumps cabinet picks could turn away voters who helped him secure victory?
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HUNT: All right, 5:00 a.m. here on the East coast. A live look at the U.S. Capitol building where all this action is going to play out over the course of the next few months.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us on this Tuesday morning.
Donald Trump already trying to flex his power over Republicans in Washington. The president-elect moving forward with his controversial pick to lead the Justice Department despite apprehension on Capitol Hill. His selection, former Congressman Matt Gaetz, was, of course, at the
center of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. A lawyer for two women who testified to the House Ethics Committee about their experiences with Gaetz spoke to CNN last night.
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LEPPARD: The testimony before the House was yes, that Representative Gaetz paid my client, both of my clients for sexual favors throughout the summer of 2017, all the way to the beginning of 2019.
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HUNT: The lawyer also said that one of the women testified to the congressional panel that she witnessed Gaetz having sex with her friend in 2017. The friend, a minor at that time. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.
The lawyer said his client testified she did not believe that Gaetz knew her friend was underage when this happened. Still, sources tell CNN Trump has made it clear Gaetz is the most important member of his incoming administration and that his confirmation should be a priority for the Senate GOP. Trump is calling senators directly, two sources familiar with his outreach tell CNN.
Still, some senators are calling on the House to release the ethics report on Gaetz, which was set to be released shortly after Trump announced the pick. Gaetz, of course, promptly resigned.
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CRAMER: I do, but more importantly, I want the Judiciary Committee to be able to see it prior to the hearings. And then after that, depending on what happens, then, of course, it could be released to the to the other members that are going to at some point have a vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Joining us now, national political reporter for "The Hill", Julia Manchester.
Julia, good morning to you.
JULIA MANCHESTER, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE HILL: Good morning.
HUNT: Wonderful to see you.
So we're reporting this morning that Donald Trump is personally calling senators to push them on Matt Gaetz. What impact does that -- does that have on this process?
MANCHESTER: Look, it could be seen as a pressure campaign, maybe a charm offensive if you will. We'll see what the tone of those calls are. But look, what Donald Trump is realizing is that the Senate might be harder to control versus the House. I thought it was interesting this week, we saw -- this weekend, we saw
Speaker Mike Johnson going with Donald Trump to the UFC fight, certainly a show of unity. But I think the Senate like I said, a different game. And he's going to have a very different partner in the Senate in someone like a John Thune. And he's realizing it, not only with these appointments with Gaetz and some of the pushback on that with Republicans but also on recess appointments.
We know that the former president is certainly pushing to get those recess appointments through. But no indication they will. And certainly some questions from Republican senators about whether they're really needed.
HUNT: So if you're Donald Trump, I mean, why is Gaetz the most important person here for you, right? I mean, he's said that according to our reporting. I mean clearly, he has a lot of feelings and has focused a lot on what Republicans call lawfare and how the Department of Justice investigated Trump himself. I mean, why is this person who is by far, far and away the most controversial of these? I mean, it's a series of controversial picks but Gaetz is really at the top of the list. And if you're Trump, why push on that?
MANCHESTER: I think in many ways, it's personal. For him, the Justice Department, this is a department that, you know, Donald Trump has tangled with really for the last eight years or so, particularly the last four, you know?
[05:05:07]
And we've seen Donald Trump, you know, attack the Justice Department, particularly under the Biden administration. Donald Trumps allies believe that the Justice Department is simply sort of geared against him. So Donald Trump and his mind wants an ally, someone who is very loyal like Matt Gaetz.
But also, you know, it's not just this cabinet pick. There's other cabinet picks, too. He wants someone in Washington to shake things up, and it makes the biggest splash in the Justice Department.
HUNT: So let's -- let's listen a little bit more to this is attorney Joel Leppard who basically -- this is information that was already given to the House Ethics Committee, right? These two women that this attorney Joel Leppard represents testified to the House Ethics Committee about what they learned, what they knew, what happened to them.
Let's watch a little bit more of what he said. He was on with my colleague Erin Burnett last night. Watch.
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LEPPARD: She was invited to a party in July of 2017. She testified to the House that as she was walking out to the pool area, she turned to her right and she witnessed her client, I'm sorry, her -- her friend having sex with Representative Gaetz and her friend at that time was 17. She testified to the House that Representative Gaetz did not know her
friend's age at the time. They had sexual intercourse, and when he found out about her age that Representative Gaetz stopped having sexual intercourse with her, and he only started the sexual intercourse, interactions later on when she turned 18.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: So, I mean, these are details. I mean, we're talking there about the incident with the minor. This is also two women who, while they were of age, they were, you know, they were still teenagers when this started and they were paid by Gaetz to be in these -- at these parties where they had sex with him. What does it say that these are the allegations and were still pushing the president -- former president is still pushing forward with this?
MANCHESTER: Look, I mean I think it shows that the president simply doesn't care about these allegations or he's, you know, doesn't think they're enough to sink the nomination. I mean, he is dead set on getting matt Gaetz through. But taking a step back, I think there's a risk to going through with this nomination.
Obviously, Donald Trump views it as him pushing against what he says is the media and political establishment wanting to make a splash in Washington. But Donald Trump himself is someone who has been the center, and you know, accused of sexual misconduct himself.
So I think it threatens to you know, shine a spotlight not only on Gaetz but also on his past. You know accusations against him.
HUNT: Although I guess we I guess we learned that voters took that all in and said they wanted to reelect him anyway.
Julia Manchester, thank you very much for starting us off today. I appreciate it.
All right. Straight ahead here on CNN this morning, the Laken Riley murder trial resumes this morning. The details we learned about the moments police confronted the man suspected of killing her.
Plus, women voters helped Trump win the popular vote. Are some of his cabinet choices straining those gains? And the president elect's wishes to bypass Congress to install his nominees? As we've been discussing getting pushback.
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SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): This commotion about recess appointments in which Trump would get some of his cabinet picks in place without hearings and confirmation votes, is incredibly disturbing because there are some really serious unanswered questions about his team.
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[05:12:54]
HUNT: Welcome back.
In just a few hours, the murder trial against the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley resumes in Georgia. On Monday, we heard FBI analysis showing the cell phone location of the suspect Jose Ibarra very close to Riley at the time of her killing. Prosecutors also played a recording of a phone call between Ibarra and his estranged wife that happened while he was in jail, where she confronts him over his arrest. An FBI specialist provided a Spanish to English translation of the call on the witness stand.
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ABEISIS RAMIREZ, FBI SPECIALIST: She's saying that she's fed up, that he has her tired, and if he can just tell the truth. She continues to ask him what happened with the girl. She tells him that he has to know something, and he just continues to tell her like Layling, enough, Layling, enough.
She thinks it's crazy that they don't have anyone else's DNA. They only have his. And she says she doesn't understand how someone can see someone dying and not call 911.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: For more on how this trial is unfolding, let's bring in CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson.
Joey, good morning to you.
So what does this call tell us? This is jailhouse call between the defendant and his estranged wife, and she's asking what happened to the girl?
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yeah. Kasie, good morning to you.
It tells us nothing good with respect to his innocence. That is, to be clear, if you're confronted by your wife concerning what you're doing and where you are, I would suspect that. And the judge presumably expects that there would be. What are you talking about? I don't know what you mean, wasn't there, have no clue.
Not you saw someone and you didn't, you know, think it was your duty to call 911, et cetera. So it both places him there and certainly the testimony is contrary to what a normal person might do under the circumstances of seeing someone dying. And so, to that extent, it's damning, Kasie.
HUNT: So, Joey, what else did we learn in the course of the testimony yesterday that really stood out to you about what -- what may what the next turn may be in this trial?
JACKSON: Well, there's a few things.
[05:15:01] The first thing is that which we just saw and that is remember, there's no expectation of privacy in jailhouse calls. So when you're speaking to your wife and confronted with an issue, you certainly had every ability to give a narrative that was not what he gave. And so that was certainly.
Number two, I think the issue with his cell phone data, which puts his cell phone next to her cell phone again, putting him there as the call with his wife put him there. That was certainly damning.
Number three, when you have a person who is on the trail who said another jogger that morning who saw someone who was wearing specifically what it is that he was wearing in terms of the jacket, the gloves, et cetera, who was looking down and certainly looking suspicious, that seems to give the indication that he was there.
All these things showing that you were there, you match that up with again, something else that's powerful and that is the injuries he had on him in terms of the scratches. We know the DNA is underneath the fingernails. We see the phone activity there.
Technology, wow, so important. So conclusive. Because you don't only have to rely upon a witness saying you saw him on the trail or the wife's call or the, you know, you just look at this, right? The cell phone data, which limits him to the actual specific place and location where she was.
And so that's important. And so you go back to the scratches that I was talking about in the DNA underneath the fingernails, and it all spells someone who clearly appears to look like he committed the murder of Laken Riley.
HUNT: Yeah. Joey, what can we expect going forward here? I mean, how long do we think this is going to continue for what evidence are we still waiting for?
JACKSON: Yeah, prosecutors have given the indication that they're going to wrap up today. And so, I think that certainly you establish the specific cause of death. I mean, its been noted the cause of death being not only the blunt trauma to the head but the suffocation. I think they clear that up in terms of medical testimony. I think that they just have a summary witness to give all the indications that he was there, what he was wearing, what the DNA shows, what the evidence amounts to.
And then it looks like they wrap up their case and thereafter the defense appears to have subpoenaed the two brothers of Mr. Ibarra with testimony they'll give will certainly be for positive for the defense. How credible they are remains another story and then the case will wrap up.
So there's not much left here. We know it's a bench trial. A judge will make the assessment of guilt or lack thereof. But I think that's coming soon.
HUNT: All right. Joey Jackson, for us, this morning -- sir, always grateful to have you. Thank you so much for being here.
JACKSON: Thank you, Kasie.
HUNT: All right. Coming up here on CNN THIS MORNING, Donald Trump signaling he's going to use the military for mass deportations. Ahead, the potential roadblocks to his plan and who is trying to stop it?
Plus, FEMA in the hot seat. The head of that agency set to face a grilling on Capitol Hill today. We'll bring you that in our morning roundup.
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[05:22:29]
HUNT: All right. Twenty-two minutes past the hour. Here's your morning roundup.
A decision is expected in just a few hours on whether Donald Trumps hush money conviction will be overturned. New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan delayed the ruling from last week until today giving prosecutors and Trumps lawyers more time to figure out how to proceed. Now that Trump has been reelected.
Also today, FEMA Director Deanne Criswell will testify in front of two House committees after the agency fired a supervisor for telling hurricane aid workers in Florida signs. But the now fired FEMA worker told CNN last night that she was following agency protocol.
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FEMA WORKER: I did not act on my own volition. I don't create policy. FEMA does. I just implement it in the field.
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HUNT: Criswell called the findings, quote, reprehensible.
Thieves broke into London's Windsor Castle and stole two farm vehicles. Police say the suspect scaled a fence to get onto the property. They escaped with the royal's pickup truck and quad bike. No arrests have been made so far.
All right. Time now for weather, from flood watches to blizzard warnings, parts of the West Coast bracing for a significant weather event this morning.
Let's get to our meteorologist, the weatherman, Derek Van Dam.
Derek, good morning.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. Good morning, Kasie.
This is a big event and we're highlighting the West Coast and starting there this morning because of how significant it will be. So much so that we're actually calling this a bomb cyclone. That is just a term but an actual phenomenon in the meteorological community about a low pressure that deepens and strengthens very quickly.
Watch this thing form just off the West Coast. Several rounds of intense rain, wind and high elevation snow will impact much of the western coastline and into the interior of the Western parts of the U.S. going forward. So, a lot of energy with this system. Wind gusts could exceed 70 miles per hour in some of those high elevation areas, gusty near the surface as well.
Lots of snow. In fact blizzard warnings just east of Seattle into the cascades and a flood watch issued just recently across northern California.
Look how the threat increases through the course of the week in fact, a rare high risk just issued across northern coastal California for the potential for over 6 to 10 inches of rain.
Elsewhere across the country, a little bit more of a quieter weather pattern with the exception of our ongoing drought and fire risk across the Northeast. A few showers and thunderstorms will blanket the Southeast.
And here's a quick look at your temperatures for the day today. Atlanta 63 and where you're located, D.C., 63 degrees for you as well -- Kasie.
[05:25:04]
HUNT: Yeah, still -- still not all that chilly here. And we're at what November 19th, I think, maybe by Thanksgiving.
VAN DAM: The warmest fall on record.
HUNT: Yeah, for real.
All right. Derek Van Dam for us this morning, Derek. Thank you.
All right. Still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, women and Latinos helped fuel Trump's election victory.
Our next guest has a warning, though, about how his first moves may risk alienating those supporters. Plus, as Trump pushes a set of controversial cabinet picks, there's growing pressure on the use of recess appointments.
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CRAMER: I just think it sets it would set the attorney general up to not have all of the confidence and the strength that that person needs.
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