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NATO Offers Ukraine Path To Membership, But No Timeline; Biden: U.S. Doing "Everything We Can" To Support Ukraine; Biden, G7 Leaders Unveil Security Guarantees For Ukraine; Zelenskyy: G7 Security Commitments A "Victory" For Ukraine; FBI Chief Testifies Before House Judicial Cmte; FBI Chief Spars With House GOP Critics; Inflation Cools For 12th Straight Month. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired July 12, 2023 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Today on Inside Politics, we're not going anywhere. You're stuck with us. Those promises to Ukraine came directly from the president of the United States today. That is, the west outlines that country's path toward NATO membership. But exactly when Ukraine can walk down that road remains a life-or-death decision.

I'm Dana Bash in Washington.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM WITH WOLF BLITZER: I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting live from Vilnius in Lithuania, where this hour we expect to hear directly from the president of the United States, Joe Biden. Biden's speech here in Vilnius will follow a rather contentious few days. Ukraine has very publicly questioned, why its western allies are waiting to formally admit the countries into NATO.

Today, once again, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, struck two very different tones. He says that he is grateful for the great unity, his words great unity, and for new long lasting American security guarantees. But he also used rather stark terms to describe the costs of NATO's decision to keep Ukraine at arm's length.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is over at the University of Vilnius where the president is getting ready to speak later this hour. Arlette, you're there at the university. What do we anticipate the president will say in this rather important speech?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Biden is expected to emphasize the unity and support that has come out of this summit for Ukraine, while also talking about the strengthen NATO alliance, which has really been one of his key priorities, as he's traveled here to the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Now this summit got off to an incredibly tense start, as Zelenskyy had expressed frustration with the fact that NATO was not outlining a timeline for when his country could join the alliance. But both the president and Zelenskyy sat in a room together side by side and tried to put some of that tension behind them, as the U.S. and as G7 allies tried to share how they were trying to support Ukraine in this very moment and what they could do down the road. The president and G7 leaders were rolling out a series of historic security commitments to offer to Ukraine as it remains outside of the NATO alliance. These leaders will now jumpstart talks with Ukraine to establish some bilateral security commitments that President Biden said will help Ukraine not just in this moment, but also to deter future aggression that his country could face.

It's really capping off a moment at this summit, where the president has tried to stress that a strong NATO is needed in this world at this moment. And that includes trying to bolster Ukraine in any way they can, as they are facing that war against Russia.

And so much of this summit has also been aimed at sending a direct message to Russia, that the NATO alliance remains united, and that perhaps some of his worst fears have happened, as you're seeing in an expansion in the NATO alliance. And it's this continued support for Ukraine.

So, in just a few moments, we're expecting President Biden to speak here at a local university. Once again, say arguing that the U.S. and western allies will be there with Ukraine for the long haul.

BLITZER: Very significant, very historic moments indeed. Arlette, thank you. We'll get back to you. I want to go to CNN's Alex Marquardt. Right now, he's inside Ukraine. Alex, we got some very different tones today from President Zelenskyy. Tell us about that.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, it's been quite the about faced by President Zelenskyy in the last 36 hours. As he came to this summit alongside other Ukrainian officials, he understood that he would not be getting an invitation to NATO that Ukraine would not indeed be getting a timeline for when and how Ukraine could join NATO.

So, he lashed out on Twitter saying that that was unprecedented and absurd. As Arlette was just touching on that tone, and it has really softened. We're now hearing from Ukrainian officials that they believe that this NATO Summit was in fact a success for them because of both the short-term and the long-term assurances that they have been given.

We've heard from President Zelenskyy in just the last few moments after his meeting with President Biden wrapped up. I want to read you a little bit what he said on Twitter. He called the meeting very good and powerful. He said it went twice as long as it was supposed to. They touched on all the topics, long-term support, weapons and politics.

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But make no mistake, Wolf, Ukraine did not get out of this summit what they intended to. They did not get that concrete timeline, essentially, what they got was a set of very robust consolation prizes. In the short-term, you have a slew of countries, and we're still waiting to hear from the U.S. But other countries, rolling out all kinds of new military aid packages in the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars. The French offering long range cruise missiles, the Brits armored vehicles, the Germans new Patriot systems.

And then as Arlette mentioned, the G7. So, the seven biggest economies in the world. Those countries saying that in the longer term, they want to help Ukraine with democratic reforms, with economic support, and of course, more military aid. So that is their vision for Ukraine, essentially, after this war.

President Zelenskyy seeing these longer-term security guarantees, the security assurances, as something that will basically help Ukraine on its path to NATO. NATO has made clear that Ukraine will join one day. It's really just a question of when? When the allies are all in unison, and when those conditions have been met, Wolf?

But for the meantime, they're going to have to be content with the security guarantees. And we should note, Wolf, the Kremlin has responded to that news coming out of Vilnius, saying that those security guarantees could mean extremely negative consequences because they encroach on Russian security. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Alex, in Ukraine, stay safe over there. We'll get back to you as well. President Biden trying to reassure Ukraine that the United States is doing everything he can to help them win this war of survival. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, 46TH U.S. PRESIDENT: Your resilience and your resolve has been a model for the whole world to see. And the frustration I can only imagine. I know, you're many times frustrated about what things get to you quickly enough and what's getting to you and how we're getting there. But I promise you, United States is doing everything we can to get you what you need as rapidly as we can get it to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The former Deputy Director of National Intelligence Beth Sanner is joining us now from Washington, CNN White House and national security reporter Natasha Bertrand is with me here in Vilnius in Lithuania. Beth, let me start with you and get your thoughts. If you were giving the president United States some advice. What would you have him say in the middle of this where rather sensitive testy week with Ukraine?

BETH SANNER, FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Well, I think he just did a masterful job. In that clip you just showed in that press conference with Zelenskyy. It was intimate, it was honest, and it was heartfelt. And he said, what Zelenskyy needed to hear in the most direct way possible that the communique did not say, which was, you are going to be NATO members. It is when not if.

And I think that, you know, repeating that, certainly the president will do that. But in the speech coming up, what he will try to do is try to raise this up a little bit higher than that and make this much more strategic. You noticed in that press conference with Zelenskyy, he brought in Japan, which seemed a little bit off topic. But I think it gives us a hint that this speech is going to talk about how this summit is bad news for both Russia and China. And we have seen this summit really bring together in the communique, the strongest communique ever calling out China as a threat to NATO interests, values and security. So, it's going to be this elevation.

BLITZER: Standby Beth. Natasha Bertrand is with me here in Vilnius. Did you see any softening in the remarks from President Zelenskyy?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE & NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: I did, Wolf. And I can tell you that just being at the forum itself, NATO leaders were seeing a sigh of relief today after Zelenskyy appear to kind of come around to the kind of security guarantees that they were offering him short of NATO membership.

Now, he still maintains that he wants more specificity and what kind of conditions are required before Ukraine can actually join NATO. And he says that that is necessary for the Ukrainian people to understand just what they need to actually do before they can join the alliance.

But ultimately, I think that he was very reassured by the security guarantees that he received from the G7. And from the remarks that his Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak made, afterwards he actually described this as a victory. So that is a very far cry from what we heard from Zelenskyy yesterday where he called NATO's language absurd, and he was very worried that they were essentially deciding Ukraine's fate without Ukraine.

Well now, he is going to get bilateral security commitments from members of the G7 and that includes specific sustained security assistance in the face of a future Russian armed attack as well as modern military equipment and enhanced intel sharing. So, all things obviously that Ukraine really needs in the long-term short of becoming a NATO member, which we know, Wolf, is not going to happen in the short-term until Russia's war at.

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BLITZER: So, the bottom line is these new, these latest U.S. security guarantees, additional weaponry from the United States and other NATO allies very significant indeed and should presumably reassure President Zelenskyy.

BERTRAND: Well, I think President Zelenskyy would always want more, right? And that is part of the frustration that we saw today from the National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, as well as the U.K. defense secretary Ben Wallace, who both said, look, we wish that Ukraine would express a little more gratitude for the aid that we're giving them. In fact, Ben Wallace said, we are not an Amazon. We can't just keep producing at every beck and call of the Ukrainians.

But at the same time, you know, the Ukrainians understand what they need to succeed on the battlefield. And that is what they have been communicating to the U.S. Of course, they want the long-range missiles from the U.S. They want more ammunition to sustain their counter offensive. But the U.S. now says, look, this is what we can give you, and the U.K. and the other G7 allies saying this is what we can provide you at this moment. Zelenskyy seems happy with that because it shows Russia and shows Putin that he has the world's strongest economies and militaries behind him.

BLITZER: Good point. Don't go too far away. Beth, as you know, there are a lot of grievances that were expressed either publicly or privately by the Ukrainians toward the United States. Are those frustrations real? Or is there an element of performance here?

SANNER: There's always both. I think Natasha laid this out very well. There are absolute needs and desires on the Ukrainian side that we can never meet because of Article 5 and concerns. I wish we would go faster. I wish we would have delivered more quickly. But Zelenskyy needs to keep the pressure on. And so, you're going to continue to see hints from him on the same path because these additional security guarantees need to be codified and implemented.

BLITZER: Important point indeed. Standby, we're going to get back to you soon. Meanwhile, the president United States getting ready to address this critical huddle of NATO nations, 31 NATO nations who are here in the -- here right now in Lithuania, right now. I want to go right back to Dana Bash, who's in Washington, following all these historic very critical moments. Dana?

BASH: Thank you so much, Wolf. It's really interesting discussion there. And here in Washington, a Republican led panel is trying to out soundbite one another in their hostile questioning of the FBI Director Christopher Wray. What they're saying and how Wray is responding. That's next.

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BASH: Right now, FBI Director Christopher Wray has testified before the Republican led House Judiciary Committee. In other words, he's in the lion's den.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MATT GAETZ, (R-FL): People trusted the FBI more when J. Edgar Hoover was running the place than when you are. And the reason is because you don't give straight answers. And it appears as though, you're whitewashing the conduct of corrupt people.

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: Respectfully congressman, in your home state of Florida, the number of people applying to come work for us and devote their lives working for us is over -- up over 100 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: CNN's Alayna Treene is live on Capitol Hill. Alayna, the FBI director was clearly briefed for the people he was going to face and was ready with some responses. But it's been tough and not surprisingly, extremely partisan.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Right, exactly. I mean, we often see these hearings, particularly the hearings with the House Judiciary Committee become very political. But from the Gaetz, even with opening statement, this hearing took on a very partisan tone. Republicans have been eager to grill Wray for months now on a series of topics that they've been investigating.

And some of those topics include, talking about censoring speech online, whether Catholics were wrongly labeled extremists, and other big things that they've done, like looking into the Hunter Biden investigation and other acts of the FBI. But for Democrats, on the other hand, they've been really focusing a lot of their questioning on Donald Trump. Let's listen to what Hank Johnson had to say regarding his questioning on this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JERRY NADLER, (D-NY): Them this hearing is little more than performance art. It is an elaborate show designed with only two purposes in mind, to protect Donald Trump from the consequences of his actions and to return into the White House in the next election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, Dana, that was clearly Jerry Nadler, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. But like Nadler, many other Democrats also focus their questioning for right on Donald Trump. We heard from Adam Schiff and Zoe Lofgren, two members who were previously on the House January 6, committee pressure and question Wray on whether he was potentially not going far enough in their handling of the investigation following January 6, and their handling of Donald Trump specifically.

And so, clearly, we're seeing the two different sides and how they're questioning right today. Republicans very focused on the key things they've been investigating with regards to a series of different issues and Democrats really focusing on Donald Trump.

BASH: Absolutely. And it's continuing as we speak. Thank you so much for that reporting. And let's get reporting and insights here at the table from CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson, CNN's Jeff Zeleny, and Margaret Talev of Axios. Hello, everybody. Happy Wednesday. (crosstalk) Jeff Zeleny, this is such fodder for Republicans out on the campaign trail where you spend a lot of time.

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And when I say this, I mean, the FBI is the enemy. The FBI is weaponized against Republicans. And so, it is not surprising that they are actually using their power of the gavel to have a hearing, oversight hearing which they should be having and there should be oversight of the FBI and every other agency in the executive branch. But to specifically, kind of check off the grievances that are on there -- in their playbook.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It's stunning, really, when you think from campaign cycle has gone bad. Gone by that Republicans are questioning and so sort of anti-law enforcement. It's sort of mind bending that we are at this point, but we absolutely are. And at every Republican campaign event, every Republican candidate really running for office at any level, there is this skepticism built in of the FBI, of the government of law enforcement because of Donald Trump. I mean, that's what we're talking about.

So, this is a manifestation of the Trump era here. Look, I'm not sure anything was accomplished this morning in terms of advancing the ball at all with the aside from just question after question being asked about this. It's almost a performance a Republican candidate has to do this. They have to question the FBI.

But nevermind the people who are actually working in the FBI, there are a couple of them get headlines for, you know, some of their roles in investigating the former president, but the vast majority of them are, you know, hard-working Americans, many Republicans, some Democrats, et cetera, some non-partisan and it's a little depressing.

BASH: Well, and you heard Wray this morning reveal that the FBI had to set up a new unit to focus on threats against FBI personnel.

ZELENY: Because of this.

BASH: That have increased because Republicans have gone after the FBI, for lots of reasons, but primarily since they went into Donald Trump's house to get classified documents that he refused to give up voluntarily.

Nia, I want to play for you in exchange that Jim Jordan chairman of the committee had with Christopher Wray, about something that Alayna was talking about, which is a question about the FBI inappropriately investigating Catholics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WRAY: It was a single product by a single field office, which as soon as I found out about it, I was aghast and ordered it withdrawn and removed from FBI systems.

REP. JIM JORDAN, (R-OH): You were aghast and why don't you let us talk to the people who put it together? That's pretty fancy language for they're trying to put informants in the parish, in the church. That's what this memorandum said, director, I think priests should be informants inside the church, director.

WRAY: We do not recruit open or operate confidential human sources to infiltrate target, report. On religious -- -

JORDAN: But that's not what they said. It sounds like you were trying to do it in Richmond, Virginia.

WRAY: No, sir. (END VIDEO CLIP)

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, listen. I mean, this is part of -- sort of two Americas, right. The Republican version of the FBI is that it is a weaponized agency that they are going after Catholics that they're going after parents, who are complaining at school boards.

And you see as a result of that, people who are campaigning for president saying, they're going to defund the FBI, that they are going to fire all the officers and sort of build it from the ground up. This is a result, as you said before, of, you know, sort of Donald Trump's America weaponizing of the idea that the FBI is out to get average Americans, particularly going after Republicans and conservatives.

MARGARET TALEV, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, AXIOS: Well, God forbid there be an actual, like, domestic terror event or something where the credibility of the FBI is important for all Americans across partisan lines of trust and in the institution. I mean, that's the real risk here, the risk is that it's going to be more difficult to recruit people to join and stay in the FBI that it's going to be more difficult for Americans to have confidence and faith in the FBI's work.

When there really is something of an urgent matter that involves the protection of all Americans. Matt Gaetz, you played the clip, talking about how Wray has less credibility than Hoover. I mean, that's probably percentage wise, technically true for a couple of reasons. Every institution in America, from the press to the Supreme Court to the military is under stress, but also Republicans are actively campaigning to undermine the credibility of the FBI.

BASH: Absolutely. And look, I just want to say that it is the job of the United States Congress to have oversight. And there are questions. I mean, Wray admitted that there was a mistake made in the Richmond office when they deal with the Catholic church. But the question is, kind of is everything at an 11 to "spinal tap" (Ph), which I know you love to do that.

All right, everybody standby. Ahead, a sigh of relief. In the White House, the president tries to take credit for cooling inflation what you need to know and how it impacts your wallet. Stay with us.

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BASH: The president wants you to see this chart over and over again. The chart showing that inflation cooled down last month. Yes, it is still growing, but only a 3 percent clip, that's a world away from the 9.1 percent pace at this time last year. That is good for Americans.

Wages are finally going up faster than the cost of your life, and your price at the pump is way down compared with last year. Inflation is still stubborn at the grocery store and when you send that rent check every month. But overall, this is a very welcome report for the president's reelection team. Talking Bidenomics as a reason for another term.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is out the White House. Jeremy, the markets like the news as well. The White House I'm sure is racing to as many microphones as they can find.

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