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Inside Politics

Credibility Question for Trump White House; Sparks Fly at GOP Town Hall; Source: Comey Didn't Ask for Dinner or to Keep His Job. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired May 12, 2017 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:05] JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: -- 36 percent approve of how he's handling his job, 58 percent disapprove. Note, they were here, a slight drop among Trump base voters especially non college educated whites. We'll keep an eye on this one.

And you move forward, again, the president trying to get big legislation initiative through. Now, with all this Comey dustup, only 21 percent of the American people support -- approve of the new Republican repeal and replace ObamaCare plan. The last only 17 percent so I guess you could call it an improvement. But 21 percent, that's a tough sell.

The president's tax plan, only 30 percent so far based on what they know of Americans say they approve of the president's tax plan. So at a time of a lot of dusts in Washington over the Comey firing, bad numbers for the president on two important initiatives and look at this. Quinnipiac also asked the respondents to its poll, we're going to say, Donald Trump, you give me a one word answer of what you think of President Trump and these results are horrible to the president.

The number one answer, idiot, followed by incompetent, followed by liar. Leader came in next, unqualified after that, then president, strong, and businessman. Again, it's one poll but if you're in the middle of all this and you have numbers like that, it's bad, embarrassing to the president of the United States. Nonetheless as he believes things are off to a good start and that he is mastering the work of governing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you miss the campaign? You seem to be in your element when you're at the rallies and the crowds are (inaudible). Do you miss that on a daily basis?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I like this even more. I love governing. I love, I love creating great health care.

I love the process. I love the management of it. I love the governing of it. And I think we're doing a great job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Help me understand this moment. I know the midterm election is 18 months away but you know how this works. The House members are home this week. They see the Comey firing, they see the conflicting information out of the White House. They see now a tweet threatening the FBI director and then even before that they see numbers about the president of the United States. What does it do?

AMY WALTER, THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT: It makes -- it should make them very, very nervous. In fact, I would argue in some ways not having the spotlight on the health care right now might be better for Republicans given how unpopular it is much more unpopular even then ObamaCare and the intensity on the side of folks who say they dislike it. In some cases, three or four times more than the people who feel strongly supportive of it.

If you are a member up in 2018 as a Republican, you start thinking about things like, do I want to go through a tough election like this? Do I want to put myself out there knowing it could be a waive election? If you're a Democrat and talking to the democratic congressional campaign committee, they are (inaudible) right now with recruits.

They are (inaudible) in some of these districts were they haven't had particularly strong candidates. Ten and 12 deep number of candidates coming in to around 300 or so candidates already announcing. We're only 110 days into this campaign.

This is the problem that the president is running into right now is that he believes that the 2018 campaign or the way he governs should follow the same pathway that the 2016 campaign did. You can be semi- unpopular or really unpopular when you're running against somebody who's also really unpopular and still win even with just your base behind you. There is no Hillary Clinton on the ballot in 2018. It's a referendum on him and right now the biggest concern he should have is he's somewhere between 36 and 44 percent. His base not enough especially when the other side is more motivated to turn out than his side.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: And that's a great point. I mean, you're -- historically their numbers are going to go down the longer you're in office particularly in that first two years. And the first two years -- the first midterm and the new president's tenure tends to be pretty difficult for his party. So what does that mean for his agenda going forward? He's going to have to ask some of these members to take tough votes for him. And if he is not able to give them political cover because his numbers are anemic, it's going to be very difficult for these members to decide I'm going to do this because a president can protect me when he can't because he's so unpopular.

KING: You look at the Quinnipiac numbers and we'll see if other polls back this up. That has a slight drop among his base. Just like the one thing in the president's favor, he's kept his base pretty solid. And they have essentially said, he's new to Washington, he will figure it out. The obstruction is coming from Congress, you know, including the Republican congressmen.

So they've had patience with the president. But if you're trying to build into the midterm climate, look at it. They ask the characteristics questions at the Quinnipiac poll. Sixty-six percent of registered voters say the president of the United States is not level headed. Sixty-two percent say he's not strong, 61 percent say he's not honest. Fifty-six percent say he lacks leadership skills and 56 percent say he's not intelligent.

Now, those numbers have been relatively static. But if you're the president of the United States, that first 110 days to your point was supposed to be to convince the skeptics, give me a chance.

[12:35:03] CAROL LEE, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: And he hasn't done any of that. If anything he's given people more doubts by the some of the things that he's done. And there's a few take at his legislative agenda and the big promises that he made. He also hasn't really made many of the answers there.

And so I think while his core supporters are giving him some time to work that out, as you were talking about, you know, if he can't get Republicans in Congress to do what he wants to and every time he is tweeting about and threatening the FBI director that he fired, it makes it harder and harder. Then he's got to where he really runs into problems. Then he's eroding that base and not expanding his support.

WALTER: Yes.

KING: And Republicans want to pass their agenda very much so in some ways that's why they mute their criticism of the president when they tell you things privately they don't like things. But if the numbers stay like that, are they going to go out there and (inaudible) every second that passes gets you closer to an election. I know a lot of people watching at home are saying, oh come on it's just May. I'm with you but that's not what people in the ballot think. We've all seen this throughout our career here.

WALTER: But just given to the point about broadening his base. This is a president who theoretically could have come in because he doesn't have the sort of ideological core. He's not philosophically bound to any one of the elements of the Republican Party to come in and created new coalitions, to have broadened his base in a way that we hadn't seen before in Washington. But instead what he's decided to do is to double and triple down on this base building, going to the rallies, talking to his people, attacking the fake media, attacking Democrats. He's given folks who didn't vote for him no reason to come out and try to support for him, even the one in Congress who may want to work with him.

KING: And we'll see (inaudible) everybody. Sit tight, the House is off this week but no vacation for many congressman or women. They may have avoided the problems here in Washington but they're facing a little bit of frustration back home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:40:07] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- my money and give it to that woman and raise my taxes and give it to that woman and take the billionaire's money and give it to that woman. Here. Don't be pandering to the billionaire. There you go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: The man in the jacket there, Republican Congressman Kevin Cramer of North Dakota facing some frustration as you can see at the town hall back home. Washington consumed with the James Comey firing at the moment but House members back home this week are facing much more diverse mix of emotions. And a lot of it is negative.

I'm not sure what that was about. (Inaudible) spending reallocation of resources. The gentleman shoving some money into the congressman's pocket and he's saying, take my money and give it to somebody else. It is a reminder when they go home, again, and when they come back to Washington, if they're getting kick back home, whatever the question it affects what they do when they get here.

RAJU: Yes. So much for North Dakota, nice. That -- Kevin Cramer also -- interestingly, he's also considering a Senate run in this -- back home. We'll see if he does that. But, look, there's a reason why the House pushed to get this -- the health care bill done before the recess because members are going to hear outbursts like that back home and it may force these members to come back and be a little bit resistant to supporting this bill maybe when they're passed.

And one thing to watch for, though, is that the Congressional Budget Office estimate of the House passed bill has not come out yet and it will come out soon. And watch the reaction from voters back home when they see, you know, the initial estimate is 24 million people could lose their coverage. Will it be more than that? How will people react then? The pressure back home is not insignificant and that's one of the reasons why you're seeing this time line shape up on Capitol Hill the way it has.

KING: You mentioned the health care bill. The key architect of one of the amendment (inaudible) was Tom MacArthur from New Jersey. He has been to his credit doing some town hall this week although perhaps sometimes he might have second thoughts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what you did to us. In this district, you do not listen. And when 17 percent of the population said don't do it, you did it. This man is correct when he said that you brought it back from death.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My concern is what's going to happen to them when they are 17, 18, 20, 30, 40, 50 and they are denied health care because our state of New Jersey is losing jobs at an alarming rate and Medicaid is own skyrocket.

REP. TOM MACARTHUR (R), NEW JERSEY: Members of Congress don't vote on the bill they wish that was in front of them. They vote on the one that it is in front of them. And I think this is protecting people from the current crack. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Congressman MacArthur has a swing state. That's in the most democratic part, he's a Republican congressman. That's him and again to his credit, he's going to his district and he's taking it, but what happens when you go home and you see the national polls at -- with a 21 percent. We'll see if those numbers change when the CBO score comes out.

But I just really fascinated by these guys go home, they know the election is next year. They go, history tells you a president's first midterm year is usually bad. I wan to go back to 2010 when the Democrats lost 53 seats, is that right after they passed ObamaCare. What does it do to their mindset when they're facing anger like that?

LEE: Well, that's part of what we're talking about -- that's the concern whether it could change their mind as they -- this is bill that's going have to go through the Senate and come back to the House. They'll be multiple votes going forward and the concern of that it will change their mind and the party will not be able to reach some sort of consensus around health care. But they're taking it around multiple angles.

You have people who oppose ObamaCare and -- but think this doesn't go far enough. And then you have people who think -- that are worried that these changes are going to hurt their current health care. And I think what we're seeing partly is just anger that is been out in the country since the great recession, since 2008 which reflected in that election. Every election since and the idea that they were going to elect Donald Trump and take care of that, you know, is really called into question because Republicans are going to have to deliver or else that anger is going to continue and that's what we're seeing as these congressmen (inaudible).

[12:45:07] KING: And part of it is fault of their own. They're just in charge now. They're just in charge now and people are mad. But to the point -- you listen there to Democrats in Tom MacArthur's district where we assume most of the people are Democrats from the perspective they argue against the bill there. And yet, so if Tom MacArthur says, I need to listen to them, if they don't pass something or if they pass something the Republican base does not like, midterm elections are all about the base.

WALTER: It's a squeeze, right. It's a squeeze. They can't win.

KING: But which way you're going to go?

WALTER: The (inaudible) done Independents and Democrats -- well, it's not just Democrats anymore. This is a president -- he was elected with 46 percent of independents. He now has an approval rating among Independents, somewhere between 36 and 40. That's a dangerous place to be. So you should be just as worried about losing Independents as you're about losing your base.

KING: All right, the midterm election coming up. All right, next, big news, Sean Spicer is back today and his alter ego, Spicy. Well, Spicy is back too with no shortage of material.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA MCCARTHY AS SEAN SPICER: -- to move you because I came out here to punch you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:50:13] KING: An update (inaudible) some of the big news today about the Jim Comey firing as FBI director. A source familiar with the matter telling Pam Brown the FBI Director James Comey is not worried about any tapes saying, if there any tapes as the president (inaudible) during the conversation, that there's nothing -- there would be nothing on those tapes for Jim Comey to worry about. The source also saying that Comey is disputing the origin of the dinner with the president back in January. The president saying James Comey asked for that dinner and at that dinner asked if he could keep his job.

The source familiar with the matter tells our Justice Correspondent Pamela Brown that Comey says that's not the way it went. That it was the president who asked for the dinner. This back-and-forth as you're on the air, the story is moving as we speak because of this ping-pong of credibility here. Is there anything --

WALTER: If you were worried about leaks in the White House from the FBI, this is not helping your case, right. I mean, if you (inaudible) over at the FBI. You think we're not going to hear lots and lots of other things that sound a lot like this. You know, what's out there and what's not?

RAJU: And as I'm saying earlier there's a lot of interest from members of Congress about what James Comey's account that's why he's being called before a closed session at the Senate Intelligence Committee next week. Wait until he's in that open session and dispute what the president is saying. It just going to perpetuate of what's going on what the president himself started.

LEE: And by the president talking about this so openly, he -- there's some people who believe he's waved executive privilege in terms of Comey's ability to talk about this very openly.

KING: That's a very interesting point. I just want to continue a little more of Pam's reporting. The source says Comey is not likely to testify next week to the Senate. As of this morning Comey is not responding.

She goes on to say the source said Comey was aware, it was always possible he could lose his job especially when he refused to pledge loyalty to the president. The source said though he at least expected a phone call. He was fired in whatever you think whether it's the right thing or the wrong way to do, a pretty classless way. He was in a room with FBI employees in Los Angeles and saw it on television.

LEE: And I didn't do well with those employees either. You know, they had their director there ready to direct them and they lived it. So, you know, it was a very unceremonious way of firing him.

JOHN YANG, PBS NEWSHOUR: In way which (inaudible) yesterday I think this makes the FBI agents who are working on this investigation that much more determined to carry it out and to carry it out fully.

RAJU: I fully agree with you.

KING: You have to assume that if you're one of those agents that you think -- you know, the president by going after Comey like this is trying to intimidate you.

RAJU: Right, exactly.

YANG: And they're going to show him that they can't be intimidated.

RAJU: And I agree with you. This makes a lot of folks to say that they're going to push pretty forward on this investigation. Even Richard Burr was pretty upset about the way the firing took place. He was also upset -- the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman was upset about Trump calling this a taxpayer-funded charade. He believes this is a serious investigation. So the things that the president are saying may come back to counter.

KING: And at the top of the hour, Sean Spicer is supposed to brief the White House should be coming back today. (Inaudible) some conversation in the last couple of days with Sarah Huckabee Sanders (inaudible). That was a tryout and Sean Spicer was over at the Pentagon until (inaudible) duty so he wasn't pushed out. He was doing his military commitment which we applaud him for.

Is this a real? Is this just constant White House Peyton place tabloid drama or is the president looking for a new press secretary?

LEE: No. It's always a question but I think, you know, there was a lot of chatter and I think that Sean Spicer wanted to put to rest some of that chatter so he came back a little bit early.

KING: All right. And for those of you who enjoyed the comedy of this, there's a lot of gravity in the issues before the country at the moment. But if you like "Saturday Night Live" we can show you a little video. Melissa McCarthy will be back at the podium, you might say Saturday night.

She is hosting "Saturday Night Live" and she gave the podium a tryout today driving you through the streets of New York. I was hoping we could show you a little bit of that if you haven't seen it. There you go right there.

The real Sean Spicer will be briefing just after the top of the hour. He's at the White House. Thanks for joining us in the Inside Politics. I'll see you back here Sunday morning, 8 a.m. Moments away from that White House briefing. Wolf Blitzer takes over our coverage after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [12:58:09] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer. It's 1:00 p.m. here in Washington. Wherever you're watching around the world, thanks very much for joining us.

We start with breaking news. Take a look at this, live pictures coming in from the White House briefing room. Any moment now the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, he'll return to brief the news media and take reporters' questions.

Spicer had been on the naval reserve duty over at the Pentagon. That assignment that has been cut short by one day putting him back on duty over at the White House. There will certainly be a lot for him to unpack during the course of this upcoming briefing especially the contradictions that have come from the lectern in the three days since President Trump fired the FBI director James Comey.

Then there's this threatening tweet from the president earlier this morning aimed at Comey, quote, James Comey better hope that there are no, quote, tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press. Let's go to right to our Justice Correspondent Pamela Brown and our Senior White House Correspondent Jeff Zeleny who's already in the briefing room.

Pamela, first to you. You have new information on former director Comey's response to the president and this tweet from this morning. What are you learning?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. In the wake of this tweet I talked the a source familiar with the matter who says former FBI Director James Comey is, quote, not worried about any tapes and the source added that if there is a tape out there about the conversation he had with the president, there's nothing he's worried about, nothing he's ashamed about that could be on these tapes that the president referred to in the tweet. And the source I spoke with today said of that Comey and Trump dinner that it happened on January 27th and that actually came at the request of the president and that this was a one-on-one-dinner.

Now, this conflicts with what we heard from President Trump yesterday speaking to NBC, he said that Director Comey requested the dinner because he want to keep his job. And the source I spoke to said that it's absolutely untrue that he did not go to this dinner asking to keep his job. And here's what James Clapper had to say about the meeting. The former head of the DNI, he actually spoke to --