Return to Transcripts main page
New Day
Sessions Considers Investigating Clinton; Trump Jr. And WikiLeaks Messages; Bush Faces new Groping Claim; UCLA Players to Return to States; New Blood Pressure Guidelines. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired November 14, 2017 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:00] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: I'm hitting both of us with the same stick right now. Do you think we're getting ahead of ourselves in terms of what his intentions are? I mean I know you'll ask him today and we'll get it.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R), OHIO: I -- yes --
CUOMO: I'm just asking because this special accounts -- the special counsel, whether any matters merit the appointment, it was literally like the third option in one sentence of what they might be pursuing going forward. Do you think that they're really thinking about it or you want to nudge him to think about it?
JORDAN: Well, it's the latter. And the truth is, we don't know. But what we do know are, all the things that we have learned in the last few weeks, on top of what Mr. Comey did in 2016 relative to the Clinton e-mail investigation, all that combined certainly warrants a special counsel. Jim Comey called the Clinton investigation a matter, not an investigation, attempting to mislead the American people. Jim Comey began drafting an exoneration letter prior to interviewing Secretary Clinton, prior to finishing the investigation. Jim Comey, when he gets fired, leaks a government document through a friend to "The New York Times" for the stated purpose of creating a special counsel to look into possible Trump campaign and collusion with Russia, which there have been no evidence of that. So all that goes on.
And now we learn here, in the last few weeks, about what took -- what took place when Bob Mueller was FBI chairman regarding the Uranium One deal. And all the facts that have come out regarding the dossier, who paid for it, how it was financed, was it turned into an opposition research turned into an intelligence doc. All that together, if that doesn't warrant a special counsel, what the heck does? So, obviously, there needs to be one. That's what we're going to push Attorney General Sessions on today.
CUOMO: Well, it's obvious to you. I mean everything that you've just stated is either known or seen very --
JORDAN: It's obvious to Americans, Chris.
CUOMO: Well, I don't know that. How do you know that it's known to Americans? JORDAN: It's -- sure are in the fourth district because I talk to them
every week when I go home and they bring it up, when are people going to be held accountable? When is there going to go -- are we going to get back to this fundamental principle in this country that it's equal treatment under the law. It's not two standards. It's not one standard for you and I and a different one for Secretary Clinton.
CUOMO: Right.
JORDAN: One standard under the law. That's how it's supposed to work. That's what I hear from constituents back in the fourth district of Ohio.
CUOMO: So you have -- you have confirmation that someone that -- an organization that Mike Pompeo, and pretty much everybody in the intelligence community thinks in WikiLeaks is a hostile, non-state actor, abetted by Russia --
JORDAN: Yes.
CUOMO: Was communicating with Donald Trump Jr. and he put out a link for them and who knows what else happened, and that doesn't raise to the top of your agenda today but Clinton does.
JORDAN: No, no, no, Chris --
CUOMO: Why?
JORDAN: Chris, Bob Mueller's going to look into that. We know that. There's a couple e-mails that Donald Trump Jr. responded to. OK, Bob Mueller will look into that. What I want to know is, who's going to look into the fact that the DNC and the Clinton campaign financed through their law firm Fusion GPS to put together the dossier. And it sure looks like that dossier became the basis that was presented to the FISA court to get a warrant to spy on Americans associated with the Trump campaign. That should not happen in this country.
CUOMO: But you know you've heard --
JORDAN: That is just fundamentally wrong. If, in fact, that did happen, it should not happen. So someone needs to look into that fact patter.
CUOMO: But what we -- what would have been -- what would have been wrong? As you know -- as you know, when they went for that FISA warrant, not only did they have to make a cause showing in front of a judge, but they said that it wasn't the basis for their getting a FISA warrant. But --
JORDAN: We don't know that. Everything points to they did use it as a basis for that.
CUOMO: But you --
JORDAN: We don't know -- we don't know for sure which -- how it was used. But it sure seems like it was presented to the FISA court. CUOMO: But you have reporting coming out of there that it wasn't the basis for the warrant, that they had other elements when they made their show to a judge who had to find this (INAUDIBLE) --
JORDAN: You know what?
CUOMO: Finding for a warrant. But, more importantly, why do you believe that what Clinton did sizes up as any type of collusion? Why?
JORDAN: They paid for it. The press had this dossier. No one would print it because they viewed it as "National Enquirer" and -- you know, garbage and bologna. They wouldn't print it.
CUOMO: Some of it --
JORDAN: But then suddenly it gets -- it gets presented to a FISA court --
CUOMO: Some of it was in the --
JORDAN: And that's the basis for putting a wiretap on Carter Page? Really?
CUOMO: But we don't know that any of that's true, what you're saying.
JORDAN: And then Jim Comey -- Jim Comey goes on January 6, 2017 to New York, briefs President-elect Trump on it. Shortly thereafter it is leaked. Someone leaked it to the press. And the fact that that meeting took place and the dossier was discussed. And then, lo and behold, CNN reports it and Buzzfeed prints the entire dossier. Imagine that. So those kind of facts I think need investigating too. And that's all we're asking. That is all we're asking.
CUOMO: Investigating to what -- to what end, because it sounds like just a political spitball contest. So where would it lead?
JORDAN: I -- Chris, Chris, Chris, an opposition research document gets turned into an intelligence document, presented to the FISA court, where -- and the benefit was what?
CUOMO: We don't know that it was presented to the FISA court as if it was the basis --
JORDAN: We don't know. So why don't they tell us? Why don't they -- why don't they (INAUDIBLE) and tell us, did you use it or not?
CUOMO: I know, but -- but I think you have -- you have heard -- but you have heard reporting where they said, no, the dossier was not the basis of our investigation.
JORDAN: Why? Why the reluctance to tell us? Why the reluctance of the FBI? Just tell us, did you use it or not? Did you take it to the FISA court or not? Was it a basis for this wiretap or not? Just tell us. Because if --
CUOMO: Well, isn't that a answer that you could get without a special counsel?
JORDAN: Well, we're trying, but if we can't, we need a special counsel to get it to. I'll be asking those kinds of questions today.
CUOMO: So it's not just political tit for tat?
JORDAN: Of course. It's about getting the truth for the American people. It's about equal treatment under the law. That's what this is about. So what's -- what's --
[08:35:00] CUOMO: Well, but I thought it was about Russian interference and who may have cooperated and coordinated with Russia interference? What does this have to do with it?
JORDAN: Exactly. And the Clinton campaign and the DNC paid Fusion GPS to go over and get information about President Trump that doesn't -- that's not accurate.
CUOMO: Right, but they weren't approached --
JORDAN: They worked with Russians to get that. So that's -- that's --
CUOMO: They weren't approached by Russian agents. They weren't asked to set up meetings and they weren't offered information by Russian agents.
JORDAN: You don't -- Chris, Chris, you don't think it's interesting that the DNC paid for this dossier? You don't think it's interesting that the Clinton campaign paid for this dossier, and we just found that out a few weeks ago that that, in fact, took place? And maybe -- and maybe, Chris -- and maybe -- maybe --
CUOMO: Well, how is it any more interesting than when he went to WikiLeaks and asked them for stuff that he could help in a Trump PAC? I mean this is a dirty business.
JORDAN: And you're making my -- Chris, you're making my point. All this needs to be investigated. Let's get the answers to all these questions. Let's find out the truth so the American people can evaluate it and get the truth for the American people. That's what I'm about.
CUOMO: But -- but you asking, Congress asking, which is being done with Uranium One and some of this other stuff, that's one thing. A special counsel is another thing. That's all I'm saying.
JORDAN: Do you think Robert Mueller -- do you think Robert Mueller can, because he was the guy at the FBI --
CUOMO: Yes. I'll jump your question. Yes.
JORDAN: Do you think -- do you think he's -- do you think he's not compromised when it comes to examining the Uranium One deal --
CUOMO: NO.
JORDAN: And all the things -- the extortion, the bribes, the kickbacks, also (INAUDIBLE) --
CUOMO: No, I haven't seen any proof of that.
JORDAN: With the businesses in Russia who were trying to get part of the uranium business here in the United States. You think -- you think (INAUDIBLE) that.
CUOMO: I haven't seen any proof of that. You guys talk about uranium like it was weapons grade stuff. It wasn't. It's all for domestic use here. This is about an energy contact.
JORDAN: Why did -- why did this -- why did Bob Mueller --
CUOMO: But you guys loved Mueller when he was appointed. You loved him when he was appointed.
JORDAN: I never. I never. I didn't say that. I --
CUOMO: The Republicans loved him. He's one of your own. He's a lifer. He's a decorated veteran.
JORDAN: Not me. I know -- I know the answers I got from him when I first questioned him about the IRS scandal.
CUOMO: All right.
Well, no, that's true, you have your own individual issue with that. There's no question.
You're always welcome on NEW DAY to discuss it. Let us know what you think about your interview with AG Sessions today.
JORDAN: I will do it.
CUOMO: You're always welcome. Be well, congressman.
JORDAN: Thanks, Chris. Take care.
CUOMO: Alisyn.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, another accuser is coming forward saying former President George H.W. Bush groped her when he was a teenager. How he's responding, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:40:54] CUOMO: Breaking news. The mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is asking the public to withhold judgment as the state investigates an officer--involved shooting. There were protests last night after a Baton Rouge officer fatally shot a man during the struggle at an apartment complex. Police say the officer was escorting a caseworker from Louisiana's Department of Children and Family Services through the complex when the man began to fight with the officer.
CAMEROTA: Fears of a possible serial killer loose in Florida following a deadly shooting in Seminole Heights, that's the same Tampa neighborhood where three other murders happened last month within days of each other. The latest victim was found around 5:00 this morning and investigators call the man's death suspicious, but say it's too early to know if this shooting is linked to the previous murders.
CUOMO: Deliberations in the trail for Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez are going to resume this morning. The jury informed the judge they were deadlocked on all 12 counts in the corruption case. The judge ordering them all to go home and, quote, clear their heads, and then try to keep in the process of reaching a verdict. Menendez faces charges of conspiracy, bribery and abusing his power in office.
CAMEROTA: A woman coming forward to say that former President George H.W. Bush touched her inappropriately when she was a teenager. Her story is similar to those of others who say he touched them during phot-ops.
CNN's Athena Jones is here with more.
What do we know, Athena?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.
Well, Rosyln Corrigan says the former president groped her when she was just 16 years old. This incident, which she says happened 14 years ago, left her horrified and confused.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONES (voice-over): President George H.W. Bush facing new groping allegations, this time from a woman who says she was 16 when he touched her inappropriately. Rosyln Corrigan told "Time" magazine the incident happened in November 2003 when she posed for this picture at an event at the CIA's The Woodlands' Texas office with her father and his fellow intelligence officers.
CNN has not independently confirmed Corrigan's account, but she told "Time," as soon as the picture was being snapped on the one, two, three, he dropped his hands from my waist down to my buttocks and give it a nice, ripe squeeze, which would account for the fact that in the photograph my mouth is hanging wide open. I was like, oh, my goodness, what just happened?
Corrigan's story sounds remarkably similar to the accounts shared by at least three other women, one of whom asked to remain anonymous, who said the former president touched them in photo-ops between 2013 and 2016. Actress Jordana Grolnick met Bush last year at a theater in Maine.
JORDANA GROLNICK, BUSH ACCUSER: There was a photo-op at intermission. He came backstage to take a picture with a group of girls. And he was in a wheelchair. And he reached his hand around and said, to the group, who's the -- do you who my favorite magician is? And we said, no, who? And he said David cop-a-feel. And at that moment I felt him grab my behind.
JONES: "Time" spoke with seven people, including family and friends of Corrigan, who said they learned of this incident before the other allegations surfaced last month. In response to this new charge that the former president groped Corrigan, Bush spokesman Jim McGrath told CNN, George Bush simply does not have it in his heart to knowingly cause anyone distress, and he again apologizes to anyone he offended during a photo op.
That sentiment was echoed by former First Lady Laura Bush, Bush '41's daughter-in-law, after the initial allegations reported last month.
LAURA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: I'm just sad that we've come to this, that was something that was very, very innocent that he's been accused of. But I know he would feel terrible. He would, never in any way, hurt anybody.
JONES: The Grolnick and Corrigan accounts are similar to the accounts shared by at least two other women, including actress Heather Lind, who appeared in AMC's series "Turn: Washington Spies."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Now, after the first allegation surfaced last month, I spoke with a couple of doctors about the idea that the former president may have begun acting inappropriate in the last few years due to his illness. He suffers from Vascular Parkinsonism, which is a form of Parkinson's disease. They told me that illnesses like his can affect things like judgement, forethought and impulse control, and that people who have never acted inappropriately their whole life can all of a sudden begin to do things that are out of character. So it's significant that this alleged incident with a 16-year-old happened many years before the allegations we reported on previously and before the former president began to suffer from the physical limitations that have affected him in recent years.
[08:45:34] Alisyn. Chris.
CAMEROTA: Thanks so much for that context.
CUOMO: Appreciate it.
We have a new development breaking this morning in the case of the three UCLA basketball players accused of shoplifting in China. Coy Wire has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."
What do we know now?
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Chris.
This new, just in, moments ago, reports that the three UCLA players who were detained for a week in China are set to fly back to the states later today. This just hours after President Trump says he talked to Chinese President Xi, who as has says has been helpful in working to resolve this case. Remember, the three UCLA freshman, including LiAngelo Ball, brother of Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, were arrested last week and were questioned about stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store near the team's hotel.
All right, let's get some NBA action.
LeBron James and the Cavs in New York City last night taking in the sights of the subway. All smiles, underground, but a different story on the court last night. Madison Square Garden, King James, the Knicks center, Enes Kanter, with some chest bumping and shoving. Kanter looking like Cuomo, putting the interviewee on the hot seat. Look at this. Well, that led to some technical fouls, but King James would channel that anger late in the game. Just about a minute to go. The game is tied and the three-pointer over Porzingis (ph). Look at that. I mean that gives them the lead and the -- they kept it, 104-101. They overcame a 23-point deficit to steal victory there in the big city.
Guys.
CAMEROTA: I'm glad there is a camera separating Chris from some of his interview subjects. You're right, Coy.
CUOMO: No, no, no, it's all love. Just testing. No hostility. Although I have some towards LeBron. Those are my Knicks.
CAMEROTA: Got it.
All right, meanwhile, you may have high blood pressure, not just because of what Chris does. The new guidelines, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:51:38] CAMEROTA: More than 100 million Americans are about to have high blood pressure based on new guidelines just released.
Joining us now is preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Haitham Ahmed.
Doctor, thanks so much for being here.
Let's just put up the numbers for everybody. The old numbers used to be 140 over 90. That was the old standard. The new standard is 130 over 80. Why? Why is this changing?
DR. HAITHAM AHMED, PREVENTATIVE CARDIOLOGIST, CLEVELAND CLINIC: That's correct, Alisyn.
So just to illustrate this to your viewers, using a brief analogy. Your blood vessels are like pipes. They transport oxygen, blood, nutrients all over your body. And if the pressure spikes in that pipe for a minute or a day or a month, nothing bad is going to happen. But over a year, three years, ten years, the pipes just start to corrode faster. And so now trials with over 140,000 patients have shown that reducing the blood pressure under 130 over 80, lower than what we thought before, prevents more heart attacks, prevents more strokes and prevents death. And so that's why the guidelines have changed.
CAMEROTA: That's a good analogy. That is really helpful to understand what's going on there. This means, though, these new guidelines mean that the number of men under 45 years old with high blood pressure will now triple, the number of women under 45 with high blood pressure will double.
So, you know, I've heard some people suggest that these new guidelines are sort of just an advertisement or at least assistance for pharmaceuticals, because that means millions more people will have to be on medication of some kind. True or false?
AHMED: That's not necessarily true. So only about 2 percent of patients will be recommended to take medications. The overwhelming majority of patients who are now categorized as having too high of a blood pressure will be recommended to make lifestyle modifications. So that's just some natural things that everyone should be doing first as the first line.
So there's four major things that everyone can do that can really make a big difference.
CAMEROTA: OK, such as?
AHMED: One is reducing your weight. Two, reducing your sodium or salt intake, keeping that to under 2,500 milligrams per day. Reducing your alcohol intake, because alcohol can really spike the blood pressure. So the recommendations for women are less than one drink per day and for me less than two. And then exercising regularly. So the American Heart Association recommends half an hour of moderate aerobic activity most days per week.
If you just do those four things, you can reduce your pressure by up to 10 millimeters of mercury, which will get most people out of the high blood pressure range into the normal category.
CAMEROTA: OK. So for people who now have 130 over 80 blood pressure or higher, you suggest what?
AHMED: Ah, well, first --
CAMEROTA: That they start there with those things or should they see a doctor or what are your recommendations today?
AHMED: Both. So I think every viewer watching today, please go get your blood pressure checked. You can check it at home using an automated blood pressure cuff, check it at the pharmacy, check it at your doctor's office, and then talk about that number with your doctor. I think if every American does that this morning, this year alone we could prevent tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of strokes and heart attacks. And certainly the first line would be the lifestyle changes that would help you get into that normal blood pressure category.
CAMEROTA: OK. Dr. Ahmed, thank you very much for giving us all of that free advice.
[08:55:01] AHMED: My pleasure.
CAMEROTA: "The Good Stuff" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CAMEROTA: OK, so yesterday was World Kindness Day. And in response to World Kindness Day, a group of special kids are hoping to spread kindness. You may already be familiar with the movie "Wonder." It's going to hit theaters this week. It's based on a book about a boy with facial anomalies. But it's a very real story for thousands of children. Today, filmmaker Jen Greenstreet introduces us to a few of the kind kids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's important to me that people understand what I say.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't talk for them and I don't walk away while he's talking. I just tell people to hold on and let Billy finish what he's saying.
[09:00:01] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you could just give someone ten seconds. Ten seconds
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMEROTA: For more information, you can go to justlikeyoufilms.org.
CUOMO: Unfortunately, ten seconds is nine and a half more than too many people are giving each other.
