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Erin Burnett Outfront
White House Won't Say If Flynn Broke The Law; Rep. Connolly: No Question Flynn Broke The Law; Jungle Blocks Part Of Trump's Sanctuary Cities Order; Ivanka Trump Heckled in Berlin for Defending Her Father; Trump Voters: Not the Perfect President But Still Hopeful. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired April 25, 2017 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:01] ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next, breaking news. The White House denying a request to release crucial documents, documents related to the former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Did he break the law? Plus more breaking news. Another federal judge blocks Donald Trump, this time, blocking him from cutting funding from sanctuary cities. How big of a setback is it for the president?
And Ivanka Trump standing up for herself tonight after she was booed and hissed for defending her father. Let's go OUTFRONT. Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news. Stonewalling, the White House denying a request for crucial documents. Documents related to President Trump's former national security advisor, General Michael Flynn and contacts he may have had with foreign officials after inauguration.
The allegations that Flynn may have broken the law. In the disclosure forms which Flynn completed in order to get top security clearance, the general didn't disclose payments for business dealings with foreign countries, including more than half a million dollars in payments from Russia and Turkey. And now democrats on the House Oversight Committee say the White House is refusing its request for documents related to Flynn's vetting and the White House tonight is firing back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECETARY: And they asked for documents prior to January 20th. As you know through the constitution. We didn't assume the White House until January 20th at noon. So we don't have the documents prior to assuming the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: In other words, don't ask us. The White House obviously trying to wipe its hands clean of the Flynn problem but that isn't going to be easy. Tonight even republicans openly questioning whether Flynn committed a crime. Congressman Jason Chaffetz who was the chairman of the Oversight Committee said today he has seen nothing to "support the notion that General Flynn complied with the law."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. JASON CHAFFETZ (R-UT), OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: As a former
military officer, you simply cannot take money from Russia, Turkey, or anybody else. And it appears as if he did take that money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Now, the Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer jumped on the breaking news also saying it "maybe the tip of the ice berg." Manu Raju begins our coverage OUTFRONT on Capitol Hill. And Manu, how much trouble is all of this?
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, one congressman says that Michael Flynn actually could be facing up to some serious fines and up to five years in prison if he did not fully complete his security clearance forms and did not legally required -- did not complete those forms accurately. This comes as Michael Flynn is now at the center of several investigations on Capitol Hill. And one top republican saying that he will not get immunity to testify under oath.
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D-MD), OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: This is a major problem.
RAJU: New problems for the White House over Russia. Tonight, a top republican suggesting the president's former national security advisor may have broken the law. From what you've seen so far, do you believe that Michael Flynn broke the law from either not disclosing it, these payments on the security clearance are not getting permission for getting these foreign payments?
CHAFFETZ: Personally, I see no information or no data to support the notion that General Flynn complied with the law. I see no evidence that he actually did that.
RAJU: As a former military officer, Flynn was supposed to get permission from top defense officials for payments that he received from foreign government and and the law required him to list those payments including more than a half a million dollars in Turkish lobbying fees, and $45,000 in piece for 2015 speech in Moscow paid by the Kremlin-backed television network, R.T. During that same trip, Flynn was pictured nets approved in a fancy dinner. Now house lawmakers say, Flynn may have knowingly falsified the concealed information on his forms, a felony. And you think, Congressman that this could be punishable up to five years in prison?
(CROSSTALK)
CUMMINGS: I think it definitely -- that's why I cited a code but that's going to be left up to others to decide. I just want to know what his exposure is.
RAJU: In a statement, Flynn's attorney, Robert Kelner said his client briefed the defense intelligence agency extensively both before and after the trip. But sources tell CNN that Flynn did not disclose that he was paid a fee for the trip as required. And today, a new question whether Flynn told the White House about these payments as he was vetted to become Trump's national security adviser. The White House's Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short said in a letter that it would not provide some documents about Flynn because they were outside the scope of the committee's inquiry. But the White House won't say if Flynn broke the law.
SPICER: I don't know what he filled out and what he did or did not do.
RAJU: The top democrat in the senate decline to rule out pushing for a subpoena to force Flynn to testify.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: These are extremely, extremely allegations today.
RAJU: Is it necessary to issue a subpoena?
SCHUMER: Well, we'll see.
RAJU: And tonight, the GOP Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee rejecting Flynn's offer to testify in exchange for immunity. Is there any way you give Flynn immunity to testify?
SEN. RICHARD BURR (R-NC), CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: No.
RAJU: There's no way?
BURR: No.
RAJU: And other place that Flynn will be in the crosshairs of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee which announce today that we will hear testimony on May 8 from Sally Yates, that former Obama Justice Official who alleged privately that Mr. Flynn could have been subject to blackmail by the Russians. Lindsey Graham is the chairman of that subcommittee telling me earlier today, Erin that he does plan to ask Sally Yates about that allegation and we'll see if she says anything publicly for the first about that issue. Erin?
BURNETT: So that's going to be crucial here when he gets the motive. Thank you very much, Manu. Our chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto is OUTFRONT in Washington. And Jim, you know, here's the thing. When people wonder how significant this is, right? He -- General Flynn had to fill out these forms in order to get top secret clearances, right? You have filled out a form like General Flynn had to fill out. Is it possible that you could skip or forget to disclose half a million dollars in payment on a form?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESOPONDENT: In a word, no. I mean, on these forms, you -- your -- you have to report all your foreign trips and foreign contacts particularly with foreign officials, law enforcement, military officials, et cetera. And the idea that you would not list, one, a visit to Russia, two, a meeting at that the level and a payment of some $45,000 from R.T. Russia today which is recognized by the state department as -- in effect a propaganda arm of the Kremlin just defies the leaf, so that's really an issue here and that's why it was remarkable.
I have to say, Erin, to see both the ranking democrat Elijah Cummings but also the GOP Chairman of the House Oversight Committee standing shoulder to shoulder and raising the prospect. Not just the misbehaviour here but breaking the law. And that unity on this issue is remarkable but the other point I would make too, is the White House clearly putting a lot of daylight between itself and Flynn, which also defies belief because remember, this was president's national security advisor. The idea that the White House had no involvement in or responsibility for the vetting of a senior national security official like that also defies belief.
BURNETT: Yes. Absolutely. When they're saying, oh, well, as of -- if it was before noon on January 20th, don't ask us. All right. Thank you very much.
SCIUTTO: It doesn't work that way.
BURNETT: Yes. It doesn't work that way. All right. I want to go now to a member of the House Oversight Committee, the Democratic Congressman Gerald Connolly. And thank you very much for being with me, Congressman. I just get straight to the question here. Do you believe General Flynn committed a crime?
REP. GERALD CONNOLLY (D), VIRGINIA: Well, there's no question that he committed a crime because the form he had to fill out, SF-86 specifically says you must answer completely and truthfully. He did -- he did neither. It was not complete and it wasn't truthful. So there's no question about a violation of law. And by the way, it's a felony, it's a federal felony to knowingly withhold information for that form.
So the question is, was it wilful, was it accidental? You mean you just forgot that you made $70,000 from an appearance on R.T. in Russia and an appearance in Turkey? That's hard to believe, and we won't know the answer to that until the White House provides the documents requested, any and all documents pertaining to Mr. Flynn and this matter.
BURNETT: So, I want to get to the White House in a second. But first, your sense of motive. Why do you think General Flynn did it? Why did he fail to disclose what could be half a million dollars from government entities in Turkey and Russia?
CONNOLLY: Well, I guess we could all speculate as to that. This is the same guy who at the republican convention was leading the cheer to lock her up because of Hillary Clinton and the e-mail problems she had, but she didn't break the law. He has broken the law. So, if she was worthy of being locked up, what is he worthy of being? And that's why we have to get to the bottom of this.
BURNETT: And now, you heard Elijah Cummings there say obviously that the -- that this could go with five years prison, is that what you also think could happen if indeed it turns out that he did this?
CONNOLLY: That's the specified penalty, that's right, for a federal -- for a federal felony like this. He could go to jail for five years. BURNETT: So you heard the White House. Sean Spicer was saying look, if it was before noon on January 20th, that was before we were actually in office, so it's not on us. Obviously, it's fair to say that doesn't make sense because they would have been involved in the vetting of the national security advisor. Here's what Sean Spicer said today when he was asked directly whether General Flynn broke the law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPICER: That would be a question for him and a law enforcement agency whether or not he filled -- I don't know what he filled out and what he did or did not do. That all happened -- he filled that form up prior to coming here and so it would be up to the committee and other authorities to look at that, I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: He says he doesn't know if he broke the law. It's not their responsibility of the documents. You say?
CONNOLLY: I would say that's Sean Spicer doing a bad imitation of Melissa McCarthy. Michael Flynn was applying for job in the Trump White House. When he filled out the form is irrelevant. It was this White House that had to process that form, had to approve that form and it was this White House that hired him to be the national security adviser to the president of the United States. Not a trivial position. So, nice try, Sean Spicer, but that won't cut it.
BURNETT: So I wanto ask you because obviously if we're going to talk about General Flynn's disclosures, we should ask about the disclosure of the person who is perhaps the top nationality security official in this country, that's Jared Kushner. So far, we know he did not disclose meetings he had with some foreigners which is required obviously for the top security clearance which she now has. For example, he didn't detail a meeting with a Russian bank that is under U.S. sanctions? Do you see this as the same as general Flynn? Is this also possibly a crime by Mr. Kushner?
CONNOLLY: I think it's in the same category of nondisclosure and noncompliance and a violation of the law and I think he has to account himself as well. Well, big difference being Jared Kushner is still in the White House. And has a position of maybe arguably equal responsibility. So we've got to -- an outbreak here of violations of the law and nondisclosure as required, and we need to get to the bottom of it by getting our hands on the documents we've requested from the White House.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much. I appreciate your time, Congressman Connolly.
CONNOLLY: Thank you.
BURNETT: And OUTFRONT next, breaking news, another major blow to Trump's agenda tonight. A federal judge shutting down part of another crucial executive order on immigration. Plus Ivanka Trump in Berlin heckled and hissed for defending her father and under fire for docking a simple question.
IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I am rather unfamiliar with this role as well as it is quite new to me.
BURNETT: And Jeanne Moos on the internet having fun with the president's signings ceremonies.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: Breaking news. A step back tonight for President Trump. A federal judge blocking part of the president's executive order to cut funding to sanctuary cities, it's a significant blow and Jason Carroll is OUTFRONT live at the White House. Jason, you know, this is a big deal for the president. He obviously vowed during the campaign to punish cities that protected illegal immigrants from deportation. A blow to that tonight.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It is a blow or setback, whatever you want to call it, Erin. It's definitely going to be something that the administration is not happy about. You recall it was just last week that the justice department had sent letters to several jurisdictions basically asking them to provide proof that they're complying with this executive order. And now a federal judge from California, William Orric has ruled that the executive order is unconstitutional.
Here is in part what he said. Federal funding that bears no meaningful relationship to immigration enforcement cannot be threatened merely because a jurisdiction, chooses an immigration enforcement strategy of which the president disapproves. This ruling comes after two jurisdictions sued San Francisco and Santa Clara County in California. We're still waiting to see what the president has to say about this.
White House officials, Erin, say that they are reviewing the ruling and that they will eventually prevail but once again, waiting to hear what the president is going to say on this as you know, he's been very critical of judges in the past who have defied executive orders specifically the one on immigration, that immigration banned. Nancy Pelosi though has weighed in on this issue basically saying that this is a ruling that is a victory for public safety. Erin?
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Jason. And of course the judge, San Francisco Judge of course sanctuary city there. OUTFRONT now, Van Jones, former special adviser to President Obama, Jeffrey Lord, former Reagan White House Political Director. First, I want to go to Mark Preston who's here with me, our senior political analyst. So, you know, this was important to the president. This executive order, right? He had said he was going to do this and he did. He was blocking the funding to the sanctuary cities. How big a blow is this to him tonight? What are they going to do?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it is a big blow because again, it's another major loss. I mean, it's not something that's final. I mean, we know that the judge --
BURNETT: Right.
PRESTON: -- didn't call it unconstitutional but said, in fact, that these cities could be irreparably harmed if this money is withheld. So it is a big blow especially seeing what we saw in the first weeks, month of his administration, Erin, when he tried to block people of Muslim faith from coming here to the United States. Not very good at all.
BURNETT: Right. And so far he hasn't said anything, he hasn't commented on Judge (INAUDIBLE) San Francisco.
PRESTON: No. Not at all.
BURNETT: No comments as of yet. But Jeffrey look, this was a key component of the president's campaign to rid the U.S. of what we all know. He dubbed bad hombres, right? That was all part of this sanctuary city, push. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Administration will cancel all federal funding to sanctuary cities and we will cancel all funding for sanctuary cities. I'm going to cut off federal funding for sanctuary cities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: First, the travel ban, now this. Jeffrey, this is a pretty tough blow from the legal system.
JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, there's It's no question it's a setback, Erin. But I have to say, you know, we're going to be spending a lot of time this week here and elsewhere in the media talking about his first 100 days. By definition, when we talk about a president's first 100 day, that means by my account, President Trump has 1,341 days left. That's a long time to be able to deal with the setbacks like this and correct them.
So, that's number one. Number two, it's very interesting that to hear my liberal friends think that this is a victory. This apparently means that a mayor of any city could declare let's say they're pro- life, they could declare their city to be an abortion-free zone, an abortion-free sanctuary. I mean, on and on nad on if we can go with the list of policies that mayors might disagree with and apparently they're thinking this is all right. I find that very interesting.
BURNETT: Van?
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, that's not a good example, Jeffrey. There may be others but there's a constitutionally protected right that women has. So whereas there is not -- the constitution is not involved here. Let me just say a couple of things though. I think that for ordinary people, if you don't live in a city where you've got a lot of immigration, this might just seem weird like, why would a mayor not want to cooperate with the federal government in the first place on some of this stuff? BARTIROMO: Right.
JONES: And so, I think in -- for those of us who live on the coast where, you know, 30, 40 percent of the city are immigrants. The reason that mayors don't want to have to be turned into arms and agents of the federal government in every case is because you have whole communities that would just stop cooperating with law enforcement or may not be willing to come forward. You have -- you have a very big county here and you got to let mayors make their own decisions and law enforcement locally make their own decisions about what they're going to prioritize and what they're not going to prioritize to maintain public safety. If you create a situation where essentially the federal government could deputize and turn every single law enforcement agent into an extension of federal government, that would be a loss of liberty and it also would reduce public safety, it wouldn't increase.
Van, where would you when the justice department went into pharmaceutical, Missouri?
LORD: So Van, where were you when the justice department went into Ferguson, Missouri?
JONES: What do you mean where I was? I was right there in Ferguson getting tear-gassed with everybody else with CNN. Why did you ask?
LORD: Yes, yes. And you wanted the federal government to come in and stop it, yes?
JONES: Yes. Because --
(CROSSTALK)
LORD: When there's a cause you favour, you want the federal government to clamp down when there's on others, you want the federal government to clamp down when there's a cost that you don't favour, you want the federal government to butt out. That's really all this is about.
JONES: No, in fact, I love that you raised this, Jeffrey because it's actually not true. There are -- you have a constitutional right as an American citizen to -- for instance choose abortion. That's actually been litigated. So, you raise that as an issue. You have a constitutional right to be free --
(CROSSTALK)
LORD: It's constitutional right on the dispute.
JONES: By you. You also have a constitutional right in this country to be free from unlawful search and seizure from the police and all the other sorts of things that were going on in Ferguson. And so yes, the federal government should defend civil and constitutional rights. That's part of its role but it should not deputize every single law enforcement agent in the country to do its bidding. That's not in our constitution. BURNETT: Jeffrey, why do you think this is the same?
LORD: Well, because -- I mean, my friend Van is being selective as my liberal friends often are. They want the federal government involved at the local level when it's a policy that suits their beliefs. When it's a policy that does not suit their beliefs, they want them out of it totally. And the fact of the matter is, the federal government by election has changed hands.
(CROSSTALK)
LORD: This is the policy that was presented -- was presented by Candidate Trump as opposed to Candidate Clinton and Candidate Trump is now the president of the United States. The American people voted knowingly for this.
JONES: Erin --
LORD: And they want to see it done and I might add politically speaking, this is another argument about Supreme Court appointments and the rest and the federal judiciary is getting conservatives who are going to be originalists on the -- on the bench instead of letting people who are going to -- judges who are going to decide that they are going to make immigration policy or foreign or whatever and have a expansive attitude about the role of a federal judge.
BURNETT: OK. Van, you waited?
JONES: Look, Erin, the numbers of things that are happening here. The president of the United States can run for office saying he wants to do whatever he wants to do. When he or she gets there, there has to be a legal basis for that person to act. The reality is there is no legal basis for the president of the United States to withhold completely arbitrary funds that have nothing to do with immigration away from these cities.
Now, if you want to pass a law and that gives him that power and he uses it, you got a republican congress. But the problem you have with this president is he thinks that if he ran for office and said that the sky is plaid, now that he's president, the sky is plaid. You can't -- you don't change the law, you don't change the constitution just by winning an election.
BURNETT: All right. And quickly before we go mark. Do we expect him to say --
LORD: Where were you the last eight years, Van?
(CROSSTALK)
LORD: Look, right now, we don't know, we haven't seen anything yet which is certainly uncharacteristic of him but, you know, just one point here, Erin.
BURNETT: Yes. LORD: The fact of the matter is withholding this money from local large enforcement agencies who are supposed to be protecting these communities in subways just to make a whole lot of sense. In fact, Kevin de Leon, the senate democratic president and leader of California --
BURNETT: Yes.
LORD: -- fighting the Trump administration is making that point tonight.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you all. I appreciate it. And next, no translation needed. Ivanka Trump booed, hissed in Berlin today. Tonight, she's fighting back. And our special series this week, red, purple and, and blue. Trump supporters grade the president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He can do greater if he would be allowed to. He (INAUDIBLE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: New tonight, Ivanka Trump firing back in the Germany newspaper during her trip to Berlin. The paper calling her the first whisperer questioning whether she will be a moderating force on her father or a loyal accomplice. Ivanka from pleased with that term.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I don't like the intonation of that, which, you know, assumes that I think, you know, I don't like the word accomplice because, you know, in this context, I don't know that that's productive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: This as she found herself booed and hissed as she defended her father in a women's conference today. Kate Bennett was there and she's OUTFRONT tonight in Berlin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First daughter and adviser to the U.S. president --
KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Sharing a stage in Berlin with some of the most powerful women in the world, Ivanka Trump faced pointed questions.
MIRIAM MECKEL, EDITOR WIRTSCHAFTSWOCHE MAGAZINE: Who are you representing? Your father as the president of the United States, the American people or your business?
TRUMP: Well, certainly not the latter and I am rather unfamiliar with this role as well as it is quite new to me.
BENNETT: Boasting about her father's support for paid family leave, the president's daughter and top advisor received hisses and boos and from sceptical crowd.
TRUMP: He's been a tremendous champion of supporting families and enabling them to thrive. And the new reality of --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You hear the reaction from the audience. So I need to address a lot more point. Some attitudes toward women your father has publicly displayed in former times might leave one questioning whether he is such an empowerer for women.
TRUMP: I've certainly heard the criticism from the media, and that's been perpetuated. And I think the thousands of women who have worked with and for my father for decades are a testament to his beliefs and solid conviction in the potential of women.
BENNETT: She later brushed it off telling reporters, quote, "Politics is politics. I'm used to it. It's fine."
She also downplayed her brother Eric Trump's suggestion that she was the one who convinced the president to launch the strike against Syria. "That would be a flawed interception," she said, adding that the decision was "incredibly well-informed and advised at every level."
Her visit at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel comes just weeks after a rather chilly first meeting between Merkel and the President Trump at the White House.
REPORTERS: Can we have a handshake?
BENNETT: The invitation may be an attempt to warm relations. German media has deemed Ivanka, quote, "The first whisperer to President Trump."
I. TRUMP: Thank you for having me in.
BENNETT: The international spotlight followed as Ivanka played the role of chief diplomat, touring a technological school.
I. TRUMP: Maybe we'll have you try it first.
BENNETT: Ivanka, who converted to Judaism before she married her husband Jared Kushner, then toured the Berlin Holocaust Memorial.
Her visit coinciding with President Trump's remarks at a Holocaust Remembrance back in Washington.
TRUMP: Thank you very much.
BENNETT: President Trump spoke with Chancellor Merkel on the eve of his daughter's trip and she will cap her day by dining with the German leader -- an opportunity to make an impression on her father's behalf just as he gears up to visit Europe next month.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BENNETT: Well, whether or not this visit helps President Trump's trip to Europe, Angela Merkel certainly made inroads with Ivanka Trump and vice versa today on the panel. Merkel announced that she would support a global fund supporting female entrepreneurs, help put in place by Ivanka Trump. And no matter how things went today, she certainly faced her first test as international emissary for her father's administration.
Back to you, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Kate, thank you very much. That's for sure.
And OUTFRONT now, former "Apprentice" contestant, Erin Elmore. She worked extensively during the campaign with Ivanka Trump on women's empowerment issues and knows her very well, former communications director for Senator Ted Cruz, Amanda Carpenter, is also with us.
So, Erin, let me just play again that moment, the reaction that Ivanka Trump got in Germany as she, you know, spoke about what she said is her father's commitment to women's issues. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
I. TRUMP: He's been a tremendous champion of supporting families and enabling them to thrive and the new reality --
(BOOING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It appears that the reaction from the audience --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Erin, are you surprised that she got that type of reaction, the boos that you could hear?
ERIN ELMORE, WORKED WITH IVANKA TRUMP DURING CAMPAIGN: I find that to be such a small part of the conversation. If you look at Ivanka's Twitter feed she said she got a great welcome and a great time at this summit.
And she really is a great voice for women and has been for a very, very long amount of time. Before her father was even involved in politics, she had the Women Who Work campaign. So, she herself is such as strong advocate and a strong voice for women.
I think she brushed this off. And if this is the worst thing that's happened to Ivanka Trump this week, she's having a pretty good week.
AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I would say anytime an American goes abroad as a representative of U.S. government, the story is they got booed, that's not a good story for that person or America.
But when I see Ivanka taking on this role, I really see her becoming like Hillary Clinton in the worst ways. She's sort of becoming increasingly unlikable. She's trying to get these jobs she's not qualified for based on family connections. Every time when given the chance, she's asked about President Trump's poor track record towards women, she defends the bad conduct that he's exhibited in the past. So I don't see how this is going to work out for her in the end. I
think she'd be much more well-suited if she kept outside of the government role and quite playing this thing I am a first daughter, anytime things get inconvenient for me and a serious adviser every time I want to get a fancy role at a high profile conference overseas.
BURNETT: So, Erin, let me ask you about this, though, because, you know, when she went in to specifics at the conference, you know, to your point, she came back. She said she's heard the criticism that her father doesn't support women, of course. But she knows otherwise because of what she's seeing with her own eyes, and she specifically said thousands of women have worked for him.
That's a huge number, Erin. Do you have any idea where it comes from?
ELMORE: I'm sure it's whether it's in New York at the Trump Organization and his various projects around the world. I had the pleasure of working with him on "The Apprentice" and thereafter and I saw him as nothing but a class act and a gentleman and he treated me with tremendous amount of respect. His most prized employee might be Rhona Graff. And she's been with him over 20 years and says nothing but wonderful things about him as well.
This is sort of old news. And if you look at numbers and if you look at exit polls from the election, even CNN reported that 54 percent of American women voted for Donald Trump. That has to say something about how women see Donald Trump, right, Erin?
[19:35:00] CARPENTER: Well, I think if looking at how women abroad are teaching Ivanka Trump in this role, she got a really bad reception. I couldn't believe they played clips of John Oliver making fun of her while she was there. They get the joke. It is a joke that our government is holding Ivanka Trump up as a symbol of female empowerment when she's gotten everything in her life because of her father. They get the joke, we get the joke.
They're asking the questions that we have to why are you here, what is role, because I think we are putting foreign leaders in a very uncomfortable position trying to babysit the first daughter on these national stages, and clearly, they don't appreciate it and we're getting bad messages out of it on the national stage.
BURNETT: Erin, is it nepotism or feminism?
ELMORE: Well, mean, first of all, that's so hypocritical. Ivanka's a graduate of an Ivy League college.
CARPENTER: There's thousands of those.
ELMORE: Let's just not interrupt. I let you talk. Thank you so much.
Absolutely, it has nothing to do with nepotism. She has been nothing but a leader her whole entire life. I've often talked about the children of celebrities, specifically knowing Donald Trump and his children, you don't see them on the cover of tabloid magazines. You don't see them falling out of nightclubs and into taxis. You don't see them with mug shots.
They've been nothing but pillars of the community, philanthropist and good hard-working children. Ivanka has her own clothing brand, and, by the way, it's also doing amazingly well right now.
(CROSSTALK)
CARPENTER: To make herself like Hillary Clinton, to pretend she's some international icon for women when on the national stage, she defends terrible conduct that her father has demonstrated towards women.
(CROSSTALK)
ELMORE: No one agrees with you.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Erin --
ELMORE: Obviously, you're talking about a very small number of people and to focus on the negative isn't to focus on how the whole world sees the narrative. So, you can focus on the negative, but I'm going to focus on the true narrative like the American people have been doing since election day.
CARPENTER: But it was a failed trip abroad as a representative for the U.S. government. She failed as a spokeswoman, whether first daughter, president's advisor, whatever. When the headline is you got booed on the national stage like that.
BURNETT: Erin, I do want to make a point.
ELMORE: And you got to consider who's saying those headlines.
BURNETT: -- 54 percent of women voted for Hillary Clinton, just to be clear, Erin.
ELMORE: No, that's a statistic I saw on your website actually, 56 percent of women voted for Donald Trump. So, we can pull it up but yes -- I mean, he won the election, let's face it.
BURNETT: We're going off exit polls. But there's no need to get into that. But, yes, those are our exit polls, 54 percent.
All right. Well, thank you both very much. I appreciate it. There was a lot to that conversation.
ELMORE: Thank you.
BURNETT: Thank you.
And OUTFRONT next, campaign promises broken. But are Trump voters sorry they supported him. Answers in our special series debuting next, red, purple and blue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One hundred days in, I'm not pleased.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not pleased.
SAVIDGE: What don't you like?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And Jeanne Moos with some executive orders you may not have seen until tonight OUTFRONT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:42:01] BURNETT: Breaking news, President Trump's agenda taking two major hits tonight. Republicans privately proposing a funding bill that doesn't include money for the president's wall. That's Republican. And moments ago, a federal judge blocking part of the president's order to ban federal funding to sanctuary cities on immigration. Those, of course, were two key campaign promises.
And Martin Savidge is OUTFRONT now.
And, Martin, despite those setbacks, Trump's voters -- how do they feel now almost 100 days in?
SAVIDGE: Well, you know, Erin, that's exactly what I wanted to know. I've been having these conversations with those who voted for the president since even before the election. I thought I'd heard just about everything. Oh, no. There's more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Asheville, Alabama, the sun's been up for three hours and Greg Weston's been up for six. He's a farmer. What he grows, he and his wife, Brandi, sell on an old gas station on the edge of town.
Around here, the only thing redder than the maters (ph) is the politics. They voted 89 percent for Trump.
(on camera): How do you think Trump is doing?
GREG WESTON, FARMER: I think he's doing good.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): They like Trump even though his first actions haven't helped really them. Trump's tough immigration talk has made it harder for Greg to find migrant workers to harvest his crops.
G. WESTON: (INAUDIBLE) you're in trouble.
SAVIDGE: Then, there's Trump's efforts to replace Obamacare, which Greg and Brandy are on.
(on camera): Why do you like about -- why do you like it?
G. WESTON: Well, I pay $88 a month for me and my wife, which before Obamacare come in, I spent like $660.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Obamacare is working so well, Brandy feels guilty. She says she knows people who can't afford their private insurance or they can't get insurance at all. She's OK with Trump's efforts to replace.
BRANDI WESTON, FARMER: It still it doesn't make sense to pay so little and still the poor people get nothing.
SAVIDGE (on camera): You think you should pay more?
B. WESTON: Yes. In other words, yes.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): In Birmingham, it's also another long day for Quinton Posey, a cab driver. In the past, he's voted Democratic. But in 2016, voted Trump.
QUINTON POSEY, TAXI DRIVER: The thing about a businessman is there is action, and it's not policy.
SAVIDGE: Black Trump voters are rare in the South, only about 9 percent. Quinton's even more rare since he's black and gay.
(on camera): 100 days in, how do you feel?
POSEY: One hundred days in, I'm not pleased.
SAVIDGE: Really?
POSEY: I'm not pleased.
SAVIDGE: What don't you like?
POSEY: He's a little too brash. Is that the word?
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Quinton hasn't seen as much change as he expected and he worries about what a Trump budget might cut.
(on camera): I mean, do you wish you hadn't voted for him?
POSEY: I don't wish I had because -- I mean, according to the alternatives, I don't have any alternatives.
[19:45:02] SAVIDGE: Right, you were not going to vote for Clinton.
POSEY: I'm not going to vote for Clinton.
SAVIDGE: In Des Moines, Iowa, I find another surprise named Alberto Alejandre, a 32-year-old public school teacher who teaches Spanish to inner city kids.
(on camera): Who did you vote for this go around?
ALBERTO ALEJANDRE, SCHOOL TEACHER: I voted for Trump.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Born in Mexico, he became an American through an amnesty program in the '80s. Yet voted for a president who has called Mexicans criminals and threatens mass deportations.
ALEJANDRE: Here we are, 100 days after he was sworn in, and he has not acted against innocent undocumented workers.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Some would disagree, but what's certain is that Alberto feels good about the administration so far, including on immigration.
ALEJANDRE: Being in America, to begin is, isn't a right. It's a great privilege.
SAVIDGE: Madison County, Iowa, famous for its bridges and home to a man many people personifies America, John Wayne.
Brian Downes knew the dude and found similar qualities in the Donald when he met Trump at a campaign event.
BRIAN DOWNES, TRUMP VOTER: Meeting him, that made a huge difference. Yes, made a huge difference, because he's somebody who we really felt like one of us. I had that feeling.
SAVIDGE: The big campaign issue for Brian was the same as Alberto.
DOWNES: Borders, immigration, and I think that national security is all part of that.
SAVIDGE: And like Alberto, Brian is pleased by Trump so far.
DOWNES: I think he's doing great.
SAVIDGE: And he also admits that Trump's had to deal with a bit of a learning curve.
DOWNES: And he has as much has admitted, I didn't know it was going to be this complicated.
SAVIDGE: From the birthplace of John Wayne, to a scene right out of the old west.
John Platini's (ph) family has been raising buffalos since the '60s. Today, the Durham ranch has more than 3,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're a great story. I mean, they have a great comeback story, you know?
SAVIDGE: Wyoming may be the Cowboy State but here, coal is king. But a King Kong scale, Wyoming produces 40 percent of America's coal, dwarfing West Virginia and Kentucky. There's also oil, natural gas, and wind.
MAYOR LOUISE CARTER-KIG, GILLETTE, WYOMING: We are the energy capital of the nation. SAVIDGE: Here, if you're not mining or drilling, you're selling to
those who do. This past election only one issue really mattered: jobs and energy. Yes, that's two but in Wyoming, they're one and a same.
Jeff Dale runs a business running industrial generators. He voted for Trump saying Democrats were anti-energy.
JEFF DALE, BASIN ELECTRIC POWER: The path that we were on was definitely crippling this industry. So, there are too many regulations and too many hurdles.
SAVIDGE: That could explain why Wyoming was the reddest state of all.
Michael Wandler's family owned business has been repairing monster size mining machinery for decades. He voted for Trump and says things have been improving ever since.
MIKE WANDLER, L & H INDUSTRIAL INC.: Business is better now. We had our worst year since 2008 last year. It's better now. We feel like it's going to be 10 percent better, maybe 20 percent better this year.
STACEY MOELLER, COAL MINER: A spot at the table.
SAVIDGE: Stacey Moeller is a single parent, a grandmother, and a coal miner. She operates a P&H 4100 electric shovel, that's larger than her house.
(on camera): One mistake and you really could do a lot of damage.
MOELLER: Yes, yes. We don't make mistakes.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): She also voted for Trump, even though she was reviled by his words and actions toward women.
MOELLER: I was offended by his words about women, but it was not about me. It was about the people I work with, and the people I love. I had to make a choice that was bigger than me, so I did.
SAVIDGE: For Stacey and all the voters I talked with, Trump was not a perfect candidate and is not a perfect president. They voted for him believing he would make their lives better and 100 days later, they still do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: Incredible story telling there and meeting some fascinating people. When you spoke to them, Marty, was there something specific, when they said, OK, here's what President Trump could do differently now, could change. What do they say?
SAVIDGE: Usually I put that to them in the form of a question, well, if there was advice you could pass along to the president, what would it be? It was unanimous. Stop tweeting.
They find that his tweets are distracting for him and taking him away from the agenda that they believe is vitally important. They believe that sometimes what he says, although they like the communication, just throws the whole administration off track. So, stop tweeting.
BURNETT: Pretty -- and that would be uniform from them.
All right. Thank you so much, Marty. Excellent piece. Fascinating piece. Our series will continue tomorrow.
Next, we know about fake news, how about fake executive orders presented by the one and only, Jeanne Moos.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:53:33] BURNETT: Well, President Trump has signed 66 executive orders so far, none quite as funny as those Jeanne Moos has uncovered tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump rarely seems happier than when signing executive orders.
TRUMP: Anybody would like to sign?
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: And he's getting lots of practice.
He'll have signed more executive orders in his first 100 days than any president since World War II, and we used to bash President Obama for doing it.
TRUMP: And he goes around signing all these executive orders, it's a basic disaster. You can't do it.
MOOS: Oh, yes, he can.
TRUMP: So, do we have the executive order, please?
MOOS: But holding up an executive order can leave the president holding the bag, make up the fox or the panda or the microwave. At the Twitter account Donald Trump draws, the president draws like a kid and spells like one too. Often the drawings relate to the news.
For instance, when the president informed China's leader over dessert that U.S. missiles had been launched over Syria.
TRUMP: And we had the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you've ever seen.
MOOS: That resulted in this: "New York Magazine" says an L.A. visual effects artist who wants to remain anonymous, told the magazine that the Twitter account wrote itself when he saw the leader of the free world holding up paper.
[19:55:01] There's even a meme generator that lets you create your own executive orders. For instance, you could decree "free raisins for everybody," or after
an audience in Berlin dissed his daughter, "hissing at Ivanka Trump shall be punishable by flogging."
So, the next time the president holds up one of those executive orders, blowing his own horn, that order could keep on trucking who knows where.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: Among all the things you got to give Jeanne great credit for, finding that horn blowing, it's top of the list for that piece.
All right. This week, on our new series "Soundtracks", the songs that lifted the nation after 9/11.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SINGING): I'm in a New York state of mind --
DWAYNE JOHNSON, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, CNN SOUNDTRACS: The music and the artists post 9/11, they're reflective of the many emotions we feel.
BILLY JOEL, MUSICIAN: We ain't going anywhere.
We played for an audience of police, firemen and emergency rescue workers and they needed a boost.
I put a fireman's helmet on the piano just to help me concentrate because if I didn't have that, I might have just lost it.
It is kind of an anthem for New York City. I didn't think of that when I wrote it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The events that transpired defined the music and made it bigger than it was intended to be.
JOHNSON: The music will always remind us that it is possible.
RANDY JACKSON, MUSICIAN: Somebody's got to put this into words and emotions. That is what anthems are made of.
ANNOUNCER: "SOUNDTRACKS: SONGS THAT DEFINED HISTORY," Thursday at 10:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: And thanks so much for joining us. Don't forget, you can watch OUTFRONT anytime, anywhere. You just go to CNN Go.
Thanks for joining us. We'll see you tomorrow night.
"AC360" starts right now.
