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Homeland Security: Hackers Targeting Election Agencies; Was Russia Behind The Cyberattacks?; Trump Touts Debate Performance At Florida Rally; CNN Town Hall With President Obama Tonight 9PM ET; Clinton Hits Trump Over Insults To Women. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired September 28, 2016 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:05] SEN. ANGUS KING (I), MAINE: Well, I don't think the FBI has said definitively it was -- it was Russia, but I thought that was a very odd moment in the debate because there's a lot of evidence that it was Russia. It's likely that it was Russia and this is their way of operating.

I was in Ukraine, and Poland, and Berlin last spring with the Intelligence Committee and one of the things -- a theme that we picked up was the Russians mess around with elections, and this is a common theme in Europe. They are trying to -- so distrust of the election process, putting out disinformation. This is a conscious Russian strategic -- they even have a Russian word for it -- of disinformation. I can't say it in Russian.

But this is what they do and now they're doing it here. It's highly likely, according to all the sources that I've seen, that Russia is behind this. And it's unclear now whether they're trying to, number one, just undermine confidence in the election process or to go a step further and influence the outcome. We really don't know. But now, as you mention, 18 states have asked for help.

The good news is our election system is very decentralized and it's going to be hard, other than those registration rolls. That could be the problem.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Hillary Clinton said all, you know -- when they were discussing this, Trump said what he did about we don't that it's Russia. Clinton suggested that we have all these other tools that could be used to fight back and we don't want to invite a new wave of warfare, but you also don't seem to be able to stop any of this hacking. I mean, what's the reality?

KING: Well, that's been a really hot discussion around here for the last year or so. The point now is that we're on the defensive. We're trying to stop hackers, trying to put patches in, put in security and all those kinds of things.

But at the same time, the question is should there be consequences for people that hack us. For example, the Sony hack by the North Koreans or if we determine for sure that it's the Russians messing around with our elections, shouldn't there be some response? My belief is that there should be. It doesn't necessarily have to be cyber, it might be something else.

But the idea that you're going into a fight and all you're going to do is duck and dodge and never punch back, I think, invites aggression on the other side. We need a -- I call it "deterrence 2.0". We need some deterrence to other countries. If you mess around in our -- in our systems, in our power systems, electric systems, natural gas, there is -- there are going to be consequences, there are going to be results.

And I think Sec. Clinton was right about that. It's got to be calibrated. You know, we can't start World War III in cyber over some minor intrusion. But right now we are under cyberattack, there is no question. And my concern is that the next Pearl Harbor could by cyber. The entire financial system, for example. We're very vulnerable, Chris.

CUOMO: Let me play you some sound from the director of the FBI about the evolving terror threat. What he called an expectation that the diaspora will spread of terrorist states. Let me play it for you.

KING: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES COMEY, DIRECTOR, FBI: The so-called caliphate will be crushed. The challenge will be through the fingers of that crush are going to come hundreds of very, very dangerous people. They will not all die on the battlefield in Syria and Iraq. There will be a terrorist diaspora sometime in the next two to five years like we've never seen before.

We must prepare ourselves and our allies, especially in Western Europe, to confront that threat because when ISIL is reduced to an insurgency and those killers flow out, they will try to come to Western Europe and try to come here to kill innocent people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: But there is this expectation -- there is this talk in the campaign, mostly on Trump's side but a little bit echoed by Clinton as well -- we will beat them, crush them, stamp them out -- pick your language. It is a false premise, Senator, and you know this. You know it's not a ground war. That it will spread like any other infection until the underlying reasons of desperation, disenfranchisement, the idea and the war within Islam for its own soul, are addressed.

KING: I agree. And, you know, you use words like crush -- I do think Director Comey is right that the sort of organized caliphate is definitely on their heels. Now, you know, things can change but they've lost a lot of territory in the last year. There's a -- the invasion of Mosul is in preparation. It looks like that's likely. But you can't -- it's very hard to kill an idea and, really, that's ultimately where this is going to have to be decided.

But the other piece is, though, he is right. If and when the caliphate -- this artificial state shrinks down -- and, by the way, that's very important because a fundamental part of the ISIS eighth century ideology is holding land, is having a physical place and to the extent that is destroyed, that takes away a lot of their appeal.

[07:35:00] But you're right, they're going to -- like Comey says, they're going to slip out between the fingers. I liken it to squeezing Jell-O. It's going to come back out and we've got to really be thinking about how we're going to protect ourselves and be sure that we have very thorough vetting processes about who's coming in here, who's coming into Western Europe.

But fundamentally, yes, we've got to deal with this issue in the realm of ideas and that, ironically, is where we're losing. I mean, we're the country that invented Facebook and Hollywood and these guys are killing us on social media and radicalizing people in our own country. We've got to do a much better job.

Chris, in 1998 -- I think it was '98 or '99 -- we wiped out USIA, the part of the State Department dealing with information. Everybody said well, the Cold War is over, we don't need it anymore. We need it and we need that capability and we don't have it, and that's got to be one of our, I think, highest priorities of the new president.

CUOMO: Senator, appreciate you talking about what matters to us here on NEW DAY. You're always welcome. Thanks for being with us.

KING: Thank you, Chris.

CUOMO: Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Well, the Clinton and Trump campaigns hitting the final stretch as President Obama shifts to focus on his own legacy. And our own Jake Tapper will sit down with the president and members of the U.S. military in a town hall tonight and Jake Tapper previews it with us, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:40:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Last night was very exciting and almost every single poll had us winning the debate. Almost every poll, so that was an exciting evening for me, folks. That was an exciting evening and it set the all-time record for debates, and maybe television, who knows.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Well, that was Donald Trump declaring himself the winner of the debate after criticism for his lackluster performance. Our CNN scientific poll does not show him winning the debate.

CUOMO: The only real poll. An online survey is not a poll. It's not a semantic difference. You can flood the zone, you can organize different people to come in and click. A lot of them you can vote more than once. It's just not the same measure. CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton also has a new spring in her step. She seems to be taking a victory lap.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Did anybody see that debate last night? Oh, yes. One down, two to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Here to discuss that, as well as tonight's town hall with President Obama, focusing on the challenges facing U.S. veterans and President Obama's legacy as commander-in-chief, we have CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent, Jake Tapper. Jake, great to see you this morning. So let's talk about what's happened since the debate.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: You know, before the debate Donald Trump seemed to be gaining momentum in the polls. Where's the race post-debate?

TAPPER: Well, I don't know. As Chris and you have pointed out, those online surveys are garbage so they're not really worth anything. I would be very interested in seeing not just a post-debate poll like the one that CNN did immediately after, but more to the point in battleground states. How many people in Colorado saw the debate and were affected by it. How many people in North Carolina or Virginia because that's really the test.

As you point out, Hillary Clinton had a slight edge but Donald Trump had all the momentum. The poll numbers were going his way, not just nationally but also in these battleground states. I wonder if this debate did anything to change that. In 2012, Mitt Romney had a great first debate, President Obama had a bad one, and Romney got a four- point bump in the polls. Although, obviously, he did not ultimately win.

CUOMO: You know, let me ask you something else about this Jake because you've got such good eyes on the election. Before Trump started doubling down and getting into a defensive mode in the debate, there was a very good exchange about what the state of play is here. He is bringing the complaint of the American people. He is bringing the unrest and the desire for change.

How do you think Clinton did in addressing that need and putting herself out there as a potential change agent, which is hard for her given her connection to the administration?

TAPPER: Well look, frankly put, she is status quo in a change election and the only reason that this race is still competitive is because of so many concerns that swing voters have about him and his temperament.

I don't think she did as much as she needs to do in that first section of the debate to convey that she gets it when it comes to why people are mad at Washington and why people are mad, for instance, about the trade deals in places like Ohio and Pennsylvania. I don't think she has really shown a great ability to connect with the people who are so mad at Washington.

Lucky for her, that was just the first 20 minutes or so of the debate and then it went completely off the rails for him for the rest of it. But that is a real area of weakness, I think, for her in terms of her communication skills.

CAMEROTA: President Obama gave his take on the debate on a radio show yesterday so let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Anybody who was watching the debate, I think, got a sense that you've got really sharply contrasting visions about where we should take the country. And, you know, I'm admittedly biased. I have worked with Hillary, I know here. She is well-prepared. I would say that the other guy doesn't have the preparation, the temperament or, you know, the core values of inclusion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So Jake, I mean, how much does President Obama and him weighing in on the campaign trail help Hillary Clinton's momentum?

TAPPER: Well, his support is going to be key and, in fact, the White House says that he's going to be hitting the road and doing campaign events for Hillary Clinton at least once or twice a week from now through the election. Obviously, he's going to be pivotal to bringing out the African-American vote in places like Philadelphia. You can lose almost every county in Pennsylvania but win Philadelphia and the surrounding counties and win the state.

[07:45:00] Another thing to really look for is millennial voters where Hillary Clinton is really underperforming. In fact, Gary Johnson has picked up some in some polls I've seen. A recent Q poll showed that they've left her -- many millennial voters have left her and gone to Gary Johnson. They're not going to Donald Trump.

And what's important about that is if you look at the percentage of the vote in 2012, actually there were more millennial voters, people under 25, than there were Latino voters. We talk a lot about Latino voters this election, but actually there were more millennial voters and Hillary Clinton really needs them to join her.

CUOMO: Jake, let's talk about tonight. Your personal and professional connection to the military is well-known. The president is coming out there tonight. What do you want people to get from the event?

TAPPER: I want people to really hear the service members and the veterans and their families and the questions that they have about their role in society, about the future of this country. We have some really good people to ask questions. A really great group with questions all over the map in terms of issues of importance. And some of them are kind of tough questions and I -- and I know and I expect President Obama will take their questions and give candid answers to them.

And I'm really looking forward to this. It's a very rare opportunity to bring these important people -- the one percent that sacrifice everything for this country -- together with the commander-in-chief. I'll just be there kind of as a facilitator.

CAMEROTA: Jake, we're really looking forward to it. Thanks so much for previewing it with us.

CUOMO: Join us tonight. President Obama --

TAPPER: Thanks, guys, great to see you.

CUOMO: Absolutely, Jake. As always, it's a great thing you're doing -- sits down with Jake Tapper. He's going to discuss the challenges facing U.S. veterans, his legacy as commander-in-chief, as well. It is a special CNN town hall tonight at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific. Both coasts get it at the same time.

CAMEROTA: Well, Donald Trump lashing out at a former Miss Universe after Hillary Clinton brings her up at the debate. So will the woman's stories of weight shaming come back to haunt Trump? We debate that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:55] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: One of the worst things he said was about a woman in a beauty contest. He called this woman "Miss Piggy" then he called her "Miss Housekeeping" because she was Latino.

TRUMP: She gained a massive amount of weight and it was -- it was a real problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Well, it's the presidential candidate versus a former beauty queen. Donald Trump doubling down on his attacks on 1996 Miss Universe, Alicia Machado. How will voters, especially female voters, respond to this?

Joining us now our CNN political commentator and Trump supporter, Kayleigh McEnany. And CNN political commentator and vice chair of the New York State Democratic Party, Christine Quinn. Ladies, great to see you.

CHRISTINE QUINN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Kayleigh, this can't help win over female voters that he would, once again -- you learned just this week -- say that she was basically too fat for his liking after she became Miss Universe.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, this is when you wish you had a fact-checker at the debates because what Ms. Clinton presented as fact was, in fact, an allegation denied by the campaign. And we look into --

CAMEROTA: Meaning he didn't call her fat?

MCENANY: Those terms that were just played on the screen by Clinton --

CAMEROTA: Oh, "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Housekeeping" thing.

MCENANY: Yes, those were unsubstantiated. When we look at Ms. Machado, what we find is that she was actually -- called Judge Fuenmayor, according to an A.P. report, threatened to kill a judge. And last night on Anderson Cooper she was asked about that and she said well, the past is the past. So when I'm looking at who to believe on this issue, I'm going to go with Donald Trump over someone who has quite a checkered past.

CAMEROTA: OK, let's talk about this, Christine, because Miss Machado was never charged --

QUINN: Right.

CAMEROTA: -- with anything.

QUINN: Right.

CAMEROTA: She was never indicted for anything, she was never convicted of anything --

QUINN: Right.

CAMEROTA: -- however, there were accusations. Does that mean there wasn't proper vetting of her from the Clinton campaign before they used her as a symbol of humiliation at the hands of Donald Trump?

QUINN: Well look, the issue here is -- and again, you said it right. There's been no charges, there's just been allegations, and that can be said about many people out there. But what is a fact is that Ms. Machado was Miss Universe. And what is a fact -- again, we saw on television, Donald Trump criticize her for gaining weight -- say it was an enormous problem. We know he brought reporters to watch her work out.

CAMEROTA: So, what about that?

QUINN: That's a fact.

CAMEROTA: I mean, those -- these things are --

QUINN: That's demeaning.

CAMEROTA: -- a fact. We have video of that. She says that she felt wildly humiliated when suddenly there was this impromptu press conference. (Video playing) Look, we have the video right here.

QUINN: Right.

CAMEROTA: And reporters came to watch her have to work out because Mr. Trump called her fat and he didn't like that she was fat. So here's the press conference. This is from, you know, these days back when she says he called her "Miss Piggy". So that is really sort of unpleasant.

MCENANY: What is also a fact is that he fought for her to keep her crown. This Miss Universe board wanted to remove her. He fought for her to keep her crown. And part of that was this agreement that they highlight physical fitness which, like it or not, is a part of Miss Universe. Physical fitness is one-third of the scoring. So this was an opportunity to display working out and exercising and how important it was. And Ms. Machado does not look too upset in those tapes. She was hugging Donald Trump.

CAMEROTA: She says that she couldn't speak English. That she didn't know -- she said she was blindsided by the reporters showing up because she couldn't speak English well. But then fast-forward 20 years. Just this week he said well, that it was a problem, she was fat.

QUINN: A big problem. He said it was a big problem.

CAMEROTA: I mean, he said it again.

QUINN: Yesterday.

MCENANY: The weight-gaining comment,I don't think he should have made because first of all, it continued the story. So that aside, that was the part -- we don't know what her contract said. This physical fitness event is not unusual for Miss USA, Miss America. They do events like this all the time. It was about promoting physical fitness and she was very happy to be a part out it clearly in those tapes --

QUINN: We don't know that she was very happy.

MCENANY: Well, why is she saying this now, 20 years later when the spotlight --

QUINN: Well, wait a minute. She has said it not before now, A. B, physical fitness is a great thing. Physical fitness and being thin are not necessarily the same thing. She could be very physically fit and, perhaps, have gained a little weight.

MCENANY: Of course.

QUINN: He's not saying she couldn't run a four-minute mile. He's not saying she couldn't do the long jump. He's saying specifically that she got fat.

(CROSSTALK)

MCENANY: He never used the term -- he never used the term fat.

[07:55:00] QUINN: He did, too.

CAMEROTA: He did use the term fat, Kayleigh.

QUINN: Can I bring up something else? Let's not change the story here. Donald Trump did something demeaning and inappropriate. Trotted that woman out like she was a cattle to be -- a piece of cattle to be sold at auction -- and he doubled down yesterday. He is owning it. I don't know why his supporters aren't.

MCENANY: He did not.

QUINN: And it's another example of how he only sees women as objects of beauty and sex objects. And he said if you're not a 10, he has no use for you.

MCENANY: At the very first, he never called her fat, number one.

QUINN: He did.

CAMEROTA: Well, he says she gained a massive amount of weight --

QUINN: And it was a huge problem.

CAMEROTA: -- and it was a problem.

MCENANY: And he fought for her to keep her title, much like he did Tara Conner who tested positive for drugs.

QUINN: Look, then why can't --

MCENANY: He has done a lot of good for women --

CAMEROTA: OK, fine. Let's --

MCENANY: -- empowering women in his organization.

CAMEROTA: Let's not focus on her looks and her weight. Is this a winning strategy to, once again, talk about it on "Fox & Friends" as he did this week? She gained a massive amount of weight. He sounded disgusted. Does that -- how does that help?

MCENANY: It doesn't help and it's not a winning strategy and he should move on. Every time he's asked about this he should say let's talk about the issues that the American people care about. Secretary Clinton brought this up but I want to talk about how to help the American people.

QUINN: But can I say something? You know, this is how he treated a human being. I mean he called this woman horrible --

MCENANY: There's no proof of that.

QUINN: He criticized there. There is proof.

MCENANY: No, there's not. Where's the proof? QUINN: He treat -- please, please, Kayleigh, I didn't interrupt you. Is this not so much about strategy or anything, it's about how you treat other human beings. And if you can't treat someone who works with you well, if you can't not embarrass them in public, how are you going to be -- do you have the moral compass to be president? I don't think so.

This is so sad to me that we're talking about this in the context of a president and then talking about it in strategy, not about human relations and how we treat each other.Children are going to see this and they're going to think it's OK to criticize each other.

CAMEROTA: Clinton has made hay of that in terms of sort of a fixation, it seems, on physical appearance. But let's just -- for the record, let's just go to January 1997 and listen to some of what he said at that press conference where he called reporters in to see her weight. Let's watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: She weighed 118 pounds or 117 pounds and she went to up 160 or 170, so this is somebody that likes to eat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So, she says that she was humiliated by that, that he said that. She says that she didn't gain that much weight that he's saying. But why was he -- he appears to be fixated on looks over other things.

MCENANY: No. The Miss Universe board was fixated on looks and he said you shouldn't be, we should retain her as Miss Universe. And I know Christine and Ms. Clinton want to treat third-party hearsay as fact. If Sec. Clinton wants to go down that road we'll look into the accusations by Ronald Kessler who has a dozen Secret Service agents who said she repeatedly told them to "bleep" off every time Secret Service agents said good morning to them. There are a host of accusations --

CAMEROTA: What does that have to do with it?

QUINN: What does that have to do with anything?

MCENANY: Because this is third-party hearsay. The terms that you are screening --

CAMEROTA: But it was the woman. She said that she --

(CROSSTALK)

QUINN: This is the woman.

MCENANY: Right, that's hearsay and all these Secret Service agents said --

QUINN: No, no. MCENANY: -- Ms. Clinton said these things to them. So we could bring on -- if we brought on Ms. Machado last night we can bring on these Secret Service agents who have said these things about her.

QUINN: Look, but we --

(CROSSTALK)

MCENANY: And these Secret Service agents all have statements about the thousands of things that she said to them.

QUINN: First of all, Ms. Machado has put herself in the public light, right? She sat, she said this, she's repeated it, so it's not hearsay. I didn't hear it on the corner. She said it to -- you just ran a video of a press conference Donald Trump called where he raised how much weight she'd gain and another video said it's a big problem. And then said she's a woman who likes to eat. So we didn't make this up.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: Hold on -- hold on one second, ladies.

QUINN: I'm talking about is what he's done and the woman he did it to.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

QUINN: The effect it had it on her. This is not --

CAMEROTA: Yes. I think that that's part of the problem is that she says that she was humiliated and she says that she was traumatized by this. Let me just play for you what she said last night on Anderson Cooper's show. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICIA MACHADO, MISS UNIVERSE 1996: He was really aggressive. He was really rude. He was a bad person with me and that is the story that I need to share for my community. We can't accept -- we can't accept more insults for my Latin community. I know very well Mr. Trump and I can see the same person that I met 20 years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK, so she says she felt insulted. Should he apologize to her?

MCENANY: No, because the last question asked in that interview -- and I hope viewers go look -- discredits her entire testimony. She admits to threatening the life of a federal judge, Judge Fuenmayor.

CAMEROTA: No, she didn't. No, she didn't.

MCENANY: She was asked about it --

QUINN: She did not.

MCENANY: -- and she said well, the past is that past.

QUINN: She did not.

(CROSSTALK)

QUINN: That is not an admission.

MCENANY: And the judge came out and said it. I'm taking the judge's words over hers. She's bringing up these allegations now, 20 years later, because it's convenient for her.

QUINN: We see this all the time. When the Trump campaign has a factual accusation put against them what do they do?

MCENANY: It's not factual.

QUINN: They attack the messenger. They try to bring people down, discredit the messenger. We've seen it all the time. I saw Corey do it in that chair with a "Newsweek" reporter a couple of weeks ago. It's attack the messenger, demean the messenger. It's what they do when they're backed into a corner.