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Dem Convention Begins With Harris Holding Narrow Leads In New Polls; Biden To Address DNC Tonight As Dems Finalize Switch To Harris; Soon: George Santos Set To Plead Guilty To Federal Charges. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired August 19, 2024 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:29:47]

SEN. LAPHONZA BUTLER (D-CA): She was able to convey a vision of how she would execute the office of the state of attorney general in the state of California in a way that that they really had great confidence and she was willing to work a day in their shoes.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Tell me about that.

BUTLER: Yes. So she went --

BASH: That was a requirement.

BUTLER: It is -- it's a requirement for SEIU endorsement. You had the walk a day in the shoes of our member and -- of our members. And she went to Oakland. It's actually in her book. She talks about spending a day with home care worker, Wendy Koh, in Oakland, California.

And, you know, she just didn't roll walk in and watch. She actually, you know, rolled up her sleeves and did the work. And so she was able to show the members of our union that she was not only willing to earn their endorsement, but do the work to earn their support and the election. And they have made that connection and that connection between her and our members became a connection between she and I.

BASH: So Kamala Harris did run for president once before, way, way back in 2019. I want our viewers to listen to part of her announcement speech for the 2020 cycle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: With faith in God, with fidelity to country, and with the fighting spirit I got from my mother --

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: -- I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: Her announcement was a high point of that campaign. It didn't end up going very well, and she got out of the race very early. You were part of that campaign. What do you think is the most important thing she learned from that ill-fated run that she is taking with her on this run?

BUTLER: Yes. You know, Dana, it's interesting. I actually reject the premise.

BASH: OK.

BUTLER: I think that the -- what she was trying to do in that -- in 2019 was not only to win the presidency. She would -- wanted to introduce herself to the rest of the country who had seen her through the lens of her work, mostly in the Senate as the part of the Judiciary Committee. And there's just so much more to how she sees her leadership and her offering.

BASH: Well, she was running for president. She would have liked to have won.

BUTLER: That's -- of course.

BASH: Yes, yes.

BUTLER: I started by saying she not only wanted to win and to win, she needs to introduce herself to the rest of the country. And I think what has transpired since 2019 until now is that she's actually been able to continue to do that, to serve in the role of the vice president as a governing partner to to President Biden. She has not only been able to introduce herself to the country but champion a vision for working families all over this country and indeed to be a global leader on behalf of our nation.

BASH: My colleague Isaac Dovere has some really interesting reporting that's out today on CNN.com talking about how she is approaching her campaign right now. And there's one anecdote about the -- excuse me -- for one second, I'm interrupting myself because we have a moment that's happening right here.

This is the benefit of being inside the hall. They just announced Hillary Clinton is going to come and she's going to do a little prep here. While I have you here -- let's see. We don't have her yet. OK, she's not there yet.

Let me finish with my question and then we'll go and talk about that in a second.

BUTLER: Sure.

BASH: But let me just give you some of his reporting. First, stop saying we're not going back. This is what some Biden pollsters said in a call with Kamala Harris and other people and part of her team. It wasn't focused enough on the future, he argued.

Second, lay off all the weird talk to negative. Harris's advisers listened, they considered the arguments, they decided to stick with what the crowds were chanting in the arenas. That's really striking because there are a lot of advisers, as you know, you have been one of them.

Now you're a principal, but you were an adviser, who say a lot of things based on a lot of data. And this was a moment where they said, OK, thank you very much, but we're out here in the world and we're going to stick with what we have.

BUTLER: Yes. Look, these are -- political campaigns have take on, you know, dynamics and energy of their own. This is a campaign where you're seeing it and energy really emerge amongst voters across the country. And that energy has to be free to be expressed how it shows up for people.

And I think it's the right advice when, you know, the crowd and the community has really taken up a mantra. The best thing for a candidate is to truly just ride the wave and the emotion of what is coming from the people. What -- pollsters do their best but people actually vote.

BASH: One quick policy question for you. The Vice President unveiled her economic agenda on Friday, and she's facing some criticism on some of it, including for some -- from some Democrats and a not exactly a conservative forum. The Washington Post editorial board said, "The times demand serious economic ideas. Harris supplies gimmicks."

And this particular criticism is about price gouging, saying it's not really a thing that affects people's lives and inflation and that there are other things like big government spending that should be addressed. What do you think about that?

[12:35:13]

BUTLER: Look, I think anybody who's been to the grocery store now, you know, since pre-pandemic knows what the cost of bread and milk and eggs and chicken is. And you know what, what it was before the pandemic.

Sure, there are some supply chain challenges. Absolutely. But to say that grocery owners, large grocery owners are not experiencing some of the highest profit margins that they have in the history of our country, I just think is not necessarily an appreciation of the whole story.

And frankly, you know, let's figure out what are the actual policies that are being put forth by President Trump. He talks about inflation all the time. Has he actually put out a policy? Is the post-editorial page actually asked him what his economic proposals were?

Look, the Vice President is putting out an ambitious policy proposal on a set of cost drivers in the lives of everyday people, the cost of food and housing, health care and prescription drugs. She actually wants to be a president and a leader who will bring Congress and the people of this country together with industry to do something about it. And that's the kind of leader that we need in this moment. BASH: Thank you so much. Sorry about the fake out. Hillary Clinton didn't come for her own prep, but maybe she'll come back later. Really -- also, you're speaking tonight. Look forward to that.

BUTLER: I am. Thank you.

BASH: Thank you, Senator.

Coming up, a key architect of President Biden's 2020 run. Longtime Biden adviser Anita Dunn will join me in Chicago right here to talk about what it's been like since he dropped his re-election bid and how the party is now rallying behind VP Harris.

And later, disgraced Congressman George Santos is expected to plead guilty to federal charges later today. Is he headed to prison?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[12:41:33]

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: I hope you all pay a little bit of attention to me because I'm one of the most important men in America. And what I have to say is bound to intrigue you. As a matter of fact, I'm sure none of you out there, when you were just told that Joe Biden was going to be the speaker, wondered who in God's name is Joe Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: We don't wonder that anymore. Welcome back to Inside Politics. That was then Senator Joe Biden 44 years ago, almost to the day, addressing the 1980 Democratic Convention. He is going to get a very different reception this time around when he takes the stage behind me later tonight. He is going to prepare, or he is preparing, to cap off his 50-year career in politics after passing the torch to Kamala Harris.

Joining me now is former senior adviser to President Biden, now a consultant with Future Forward Super PAC, Anita Dunn. Thank you so much for being here.

ANITA DUNN, SENIOR ADVISER, FUTURE FORWARD SUPER PAC: Dana, thank you for having me today.

BASH: It's great to see you. Such a different convention. I mean, it's like different people, different worlds, obviously, very different times. It was nice to see that flashback there and see how much things have changed, but he is going to be announcing tonight that he is going to -- well, we already know he's going to take a step back, but he is going to sort of formalize that instead of taking center stage and speaking on Thursday, which was the plan until a month ago. What do we expect to hear from him?

DUNN: Well, I think first and foremost, you can expect to hear a resounding argument for why Kamala Harris should be elected president in 2024 and his absolute commitment to doing whatever he needs to do to get her elected. I like to joke now that he's the volunteer in chief along with his other jobs, but he feels very strongly that Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy, that he help save democracy in 2020, that under him, we've proven that democracy can actually deliver results to people.

And now it is time for Kamala Harris to get elected and to continue that work. So he's going to be giving a speech. I think that will look very much forward as her campaign is into what comes next.

BASH: So less about him and his legacy and more about her and her campaign against Donald Trump now.

DUNN: You know, this is not a time for legacy. This is a time for arguing why Kamala Harris is the best candidate and also for his -- he's making a strong case for why the choice that voters made in 2020 was the right choice. The progress we've made reminding people what it was like when he and Kamala Harris took office in January of 2021 and how far this country has come.

BASH: I want you to listen to what a close ally of President Biden, the governor of where we are right now, the state of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, told Jake Tapper yesterday.

DUNN: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D), ILLINOIS: There is a danger on the horizon here and that is that Donald Trump might become president again and it's a danger that a majority of Americans will reject, but they need to know that who they're voting for is somebody that they can be excited and electrified by. And I think they weren't feeling that about Joe Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Does that validate the decision that President Biden made? And did you see that, that the crowds weren't there, the electrified feeling as he described it wasn't there than they are now?

[12:45:05]

DUNN: You know, I think what the President has said is that, you know, he's very comfortable with the decision he made. He believes it was the right decision that there's nothing more important to him than defeating Donald Trump. And, you know, if you look around over the past 29 days, this is a party that is energetic, that is excited, but also has to understand, as Governor Pritzker said.

It is a very tough race, and that all of us need to join together to win this thing. And it's not a time for looking back, it is a time for looking forward.

BASH: You said in a lengthy interview with Politico recently that the President didn't get out of the race because of the debate, he got out of the race because of other Democrats. I just have to tell you, Nancy Pelosi was just speaking to reporters after addressing the California delegation here, and she said, "If they're upset, I'm sorry for them. But the country is very happy. I don't know who they are, but that's their problem, not mine."

DUNN: Oh, listen, nobody wants to have a fight with Nancy Pelosi at this time because we're a united party, and we're going to be moving forward. What Kamala Harris is offering the American people is a chance to move forward, and style of leadership that is going to put the interests of working families of middle class first, that's going to take on the powerful interests as she has done throughout her entire career, whether it was taking on banks that were ripping people off.

And during the mortgage crisis, whether it was taking on the oil and gas industry, whether as a full partner with President Biden taking on the pharmaceutical industry. So it is a leadership that is very different from what the Republicans are offering. And that is really what we're going to talk about this week. And what we're going to talk about through the general election.

BASH: I appreciate you saying that you don't want to get into a fight with Nancy Pelosi. I wouldn't --

DUNN: Who does?

BASH: I wouldn't either. But, yes, there are some hard feelings. One of the things that she said to me, and then she said afterwards, when she was talking about her book a couple of weeks ago, was that she hasn't spoken to President Biden. Do you expect them to make amends soon?

DUNN: You know, I left the White House a few weeks ago, so I don't know the facts here. What I would say is that, you know, President Biden is firmly focused on what he needs to get done between now and election day to continue pushing forward his agenda and then to make sure that Kamala Harris gets elected. And that's what he's thinking about.

BASH: Anita, you had a front row seat on and off for four years --

DUNN: Yes.

BASH: -- for the past I guess three and a half years to the Joe Biden- Kamala Harris relationship. Can you tell me what it was really like and what it is really like, the working relationship?

DUNN: You know, he chose Kamala Harris because he felt she was the best qualified person to be vice president. And he also felt that if something happened, she'd be qualified to be president. And he also admired her enormous political skills. He got to know her originally when she was an attorney general and his son, Beau, who was an Attorney General and then Attorney General Harris worked with then Attorney General Biden together on taking on the banks around the mortgage crisis. Their relationship is one where she not only gets the last word, but she asked the tough questions of the staff. She is a voice that he looks to to bring a different perspective and a different set of experiences, which is another reason he picked her. And I would say, you know, he's made it clear to us since the beginning of this administration that, you know, she's a full partner and she's going to get treated like a full partner and that was his expectation of the staff.

BASH: Anita, we're out of time. I hope you come back and talk about the Super PAC that you're working on, that you're leading in order to try to help get Kamala Harris elected. Thank you so much.

DUNN: Thank you for having me, Dana.

BASH: Appreciate it. Good to see you.

DUNN: Better (ph).

BASH: It's OK.

DUNN: Oh my God.

BASH: Please.

DUNN: It's only Monday.

BASH: Please believe me. You don't even know the half of it.

Former New York Congressman George Santos is expected in court. We are live outside the courthouse next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:53:43]

BASH: Disgraced former Congressman George Santos will be in court in New York about an hour from now, two hours. We'll see him there, expected to plead guilty to federal charges. He is facing 23 charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, identity theft, and embezzlement.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is live outside the courthouse. Brynn?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Dana. Listen, George Santos has been adamant all along ever since these charges came forward last year that he would never take a plea deal in this case, even up until last week when he was in this courthouse behind me for a hearing about the trial that was set to go to trial in just a couple of weeks.

And when prosecutors said that they had dozens of witnesses that were going to come forward for that trial. But here we are, like you just said, we are expecting the former congressman to appear in court and to plead guilty to at least some of the 23 charges that he is faced with. Now it's unclear exactly what's going to happen in court and whether the sentencing likely will happen a little bit later from now. Will he face any jail time? But what we can expect likely is that he's going to have some form of allocution, right, where he is going to have to admit to the charges and great detail that he pleads guilty to. But what a dramatic fall from grace for this former congressman of the third district here in New York.

[12:55:04]

Like I said, he faced these charges last year, 23 in total, including stealing from donors and using that money to buy lavish clothes and lying on campaign finance reports. Lying about his unemployment and getting COVID benefits during COVID.

So it will be interesting to see what he says again, because he's so adamant that he was never going to plead guilty at all to any of these. But we possibly could hear from him after this trial or rather this hearing takes place at three o'clock, and it's possible we might also hear from the U.S. Attorney's office. So we'll stay tuned for that, Dana.

BASH: We sure will. Brynn, thank you so much for that reporting. Really appreciate it. And thank you --

GINGRAS: Yes.

BASH: -- for joining us on Inside Politics. Live today from the Democratic National Convention. CNN New Central starts after a quick break. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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