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Federal Judge Blocks Trump's DACA Plan; Interview with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired January 10, 2018 - 07:30   ET

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

ALISYN CAMEROTA: A federal judge is temporarily blocked president Trump's plan to end projections for dreamers. This ruling came on the same day as Mr. Trump's lively meeting with law makers searching for a permanent solution to this issue. So what was it like for the law makers who were in that meeting? Republican congressman Mario Diaz Balart was there and he joins us now. Good morning congressman.

MARIO DIAZ BALART: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: So listen, watching this meeting from the outside as sort of a fly on the wall was remarkable. What was it like on the inside?

BALART: You know I've been to a lot of meetings with this - on this issue. This is I think probably the most effective one that I've been to in a long, long time on any subject matter. The president was obviously engaged knowledgeable. He wanted to hear different opinions, he was willing to negotiate. This is an issue he wants to get done and therefore get everybody together. The only surprise to me because I've dealt with him on a lot of difficult issues and that's the way he is. He's engaged, he knows the issue, he likes to hear different opinions.

The only difference was, right that the cameras were there and the American people got to see what those of us who have dealt with this president for a year now, see everyday. And I think that was good for the American people to see.

CAMEROTA: And were you surprised that the cameras where there?

BALART: Alisyn I actually kind of forgot that they were there after a little while. You know usually the cameras are there for a little while then they kind of escort them out.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BALART: But, but it proves to me -

CAMEROTA: But did you know that they were there? I mean - did you think the cameras were behind you?

BALART: You know they were kind of to my left and so I could see them but as the meeting started progressing it didn't take long for - as you saw - to really start getting into the depth of the issue. And all this - I pretty much just kind of lost track of who was there. I was kind of looking forward, looking at the president, looking at the other folks who were in this conversation.

And kind of really kind of forgot that the cameras were there. And I think what you saw was everybody being very spontaneous, throwing out ideas, the president who was willing to negotiate give and take. You know there's certain things that he needs to have. I think therefore - and you saw that nobody argued to those very basic principals that have to be done.

And now we have to hash out the details.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BALART: I think the fact that the cameras were there will make it a little bit more difficult for some folks. And I'm not saying that this would ever happen Alisyn but some folks who might want to back out, might not want to get this done. Now there on record agreeing to those four principals to negotiate and hash out those four principals.

CAMEROTA: Explain that to me. Because from watching on the outside it was hard to know where you all did land. So who do you think might sort of try to change course?

DIAZ-BALART: I -- I -- I hope nobody does. I hope nobody does. Look, there are difficult issues. These four issues that we agreed to have together, right?

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: Yes. But hold on a second. What did you agree to? What -- what is the upshot is the upshot of that meeting? What do you think came out of it?

DIAZ-BALART: Well we agreed to, in essence, two things. Look, there are folks that want to do a lot of different things. There are folks that want to include a lot of different things, exclude a lot of different things. What was agreed or in essence, really two things.

The four areas that we're going to discuss as part of this. And those are the only four areas are (ph) going to be that. And it's obviously DACA, a permanent solution for DACA for those individuals, deal with chain migration, deal with this diversity visa which is you know, this lottery visa system.

And then border security, real border security. Not wink and nod, but real border security. Those are the four issues we're going to have to hash them out. We're going to have to negotiate them. That was a big deal.

CAMEROTA: Right. So just -- but just -- OK. So fair enough. So I hear the headlines--

(CROSSTALK)

DIAZ-BALART: The other thing was to start talking right away. I mean, there's -- the leadership there, House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats said we're going to get a calendar together. The president said, don't delay, start tomorrow.

He says, if you want to use this office, you're willing to use my conference room to -- you guys have to hammer this thing out right away, you know, quickly. The president wants to get it done. There is bipartisan support to get this done, whether it's border security, whether dealing with the issue of -- of diversity visa or if whether it's dealing with the DACA thing.

CAMEROTA: Yes. But listen, I mean Congressman, not to interrupt, but the devil is in the details, as you well know.

(CROSSTALK)

DIAZ-BALART: Oh, yes.

CAMEROTA: So today as you sit here this morning -- stand here this morning, do you understand what the deal is, where the president is on how you're going to protect the DREAMERs?

DIAZ-BALART: Oh, absolutely. I mean, look, we have to hash a lot of the details. And you're absolutely right. The devil is in the details. But the fact that we got a large bipartisan group of folks, House and Senate, to agree on the principles of what we're going to be negotiating, agree to the fact that the United States has the right and the obligation to secure its borders.

I don't think anybody argues against that publicly, sometimes privately you will hear some differences. But -- and the fact that we're going to deal with these -- this DACA population in a legitimate permanent fashion and then deal with the other two issues that I already mentioned, that's a big deal.

And the fact that we're all committed to doing it and we have presidential leadership now, pushing us to doing that. I think this was -- this is -- this was a very good moment for the country, for the congressman, particular, I think the American people got to see the president that I have been dealing with on very -- look, you know the I met with the president on some very tough issues, foreign policy issues, Venezuela, Cuba. That's the president I know.

CAMEROTA: That's good to know.

DIAZ-BALART: Engaged, smart, knows what he's doing. Likes to hear different points of views.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

DIAZ-BALART: But ultimately has a goal. And by the way, so far has been able to achieve his goals every single time.

CAMEROTA: But let me just ask you about that goal. Because are the -- is the DREAMERs protection connected to building the wall and getting funds appropriated for the wall? DIAZ-BALART: What we agreed in a bipartisan fashion and the vast

majority of this meeting was visible to the American people, was that as part of, again, having a permanent solution for the DACA individuals, was we're going to secure the border in a real way.

CAMEROTA: With a wall.

DIAZ-BALART: We're going to deal -- we're going to deal with -- yes, and we have to work out the details. Is it 1,000 miles, 700 miles, is it some fencing, is it technology? All of that has to be a part of this border security. We're going to deal with this problematic issue that's been around for a long time of this diversity visa, which is a lottery system which a lot of people have had a problem with.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: But let me just ask you about comprehensive immigration reform. Because you know that that's sort of a catch word and loaded.

DIAZ-BALART: Right. For everything else. For everything else.

CAMEROTA: And so it sounded like at times you were all trying to negotiate that. Where are you with that today after this meeting?

DIAZ-BALART: Again, what was agreed to was that we're going to deal with these four issues as a package. We're going to deal with these four issues. What the president did say, and I said this, I think even with you a number of times is that if we can get this done, I -- I would like to deal with the entire broken immigration system.

CAMEROTA: After (ph) that (ph)?

(CROSSTALK)

DIAZ-BALART: The president is amenable to doing that as well. But we have to do this first. This has a heavy lift.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: Yes. For sure. So not a clean bill, just so I'm clear. Not a clean bill for the DREAMERs, this is a foursome as you're talking about all of this together?

DIAZ-BALART: All of this together. If we get this thing done, not only will we deal with the DREAMERs in a legitimate, you know, legal, permanent way. We'll have real border security, we'll deal with some of these other issues that have been problematic for decades. And I'm hoping if we get this done it will show the framework of how in a bipartisan way we can hopefully do more big things. That would be a huge favorable step for the United States.

CAMEROTA: OK. Congressman, Mario Diaz-Balart, thank you very much--

DIAZ-BALART: Always a pleasure.

CAMEROTA: --for sharing that meeting with us. All right. Meanwhile, testimony about that infamous Trump/Russia dossier revealed after seeing what the head of the firm behind it said. Will the president's supporters still try to discredit the author? We ask one, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: All right. Big development yesterday. The testimony given to Congressional investigators by the head of the firm behind the infamous Trump/Russia dossier is now public. Did you read it? You should. It answers so many questions that so many of you have. The man's name is Glen Simpson and he told lawmakers that the author of the dossier, Christopher Steele, acted on his own when he went to the FBI over concerns then Candidate Trump was being blackmailed. Because there's been a lot of suggestion. In fact, senators have called for Steele to be criminally investigated for being put up to or forwarding the cause of a political agenda. Joining us now is Michael Caputo. He is a former Trump campaign adviser. Always good to see you.

MICHAEL CAPUTO, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISOR AND POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Good to see you, Chris. Great show last night by the way.

CAMEROTA: Thank you. A work in progress. It will be a fun few weeks. I hope we will get you on there. So, don't distract me Caputo. The idea of what we learned in the transcript. After looking through it, I read every page. Does it seem clear to you that Steele is not a boogeyman. He's not a bad guy. He's not a plant. He was someone acting out of conscience. Do you believe this?

CAPUTO: Well, what I know is this and I think we all know this - that a foreign spy, Christopher Steele, was working for Hillary Clinton partisan project that was being, that was costing millions of dollars and he was paying Russian intelligence services for rumors. That's what this - if you think that's a straight, a stand-up guy, good for you? But I'm telling you --

CAMEROTA: Okay, hold.

CAPUTO: I'm telling you -

CAMEROTA: Hold.

CAPUTO: I mean if -

CAMEROTA: I hear your assertion. Let's test. One, was Clinton a funder of it To our best understanding? Yes. Was she the only? No. It was a process. Is this a partisan investigation? Glenn Simpson insists it is not, that he has journalists and clients from both sides that he has gone after and worked with and against both sides. Also, Christopher Steele paid for sources. You do not know that. And Glenn Simpson in the transcript, which is the closest that you can get to that information said he was never invoiced for any money that Christopher Steele would have paid. So we do not know that, Caputo. Fair point?

CAPUTO: I know this for a fact that the KGB general who was killed because of Christopher Steele's work, was in the private security, private investigation business just like Christopher Steele was in retirement. KGB generals do not work for free. They never work for free. And Christopher Steele -

CAMEROTA: Well first of all, we do not know that at all. That's your assertion, again. Field intelligence can -

CAPUTO: It an informed opinion.

CAMEROTA: -- can involve, let's talk about how informed it is. We don't know why the guy died. There's been no investigation of it. The only suggestion of it in this transcript which is where it came to life for so many people is when Simpson's lawyer brings up they're worried about security because someone died after the release of the dossier and then we learned that certain Russian operatives may have been taken out and we're not sure why. However, to your point, field intelligence work often involves cultivation of people to help with sourcing, help with information. That's different than paying for a take like a gossip columnist. That's different. You're painting it unfairly. What we saw in this transcript was, there is no proof, after nine hours of questioning, that Fusion was doing anything other than its job. It wasn't working an agenda. It was looking for information on Trump, just as it had been asked to do by Republicans and Democrats.

CAPUTO: This, vet-- Chris Steele job, you know Glenn Simpson's job, General Oleg Erovinkin's job was not intelligence gathering. It was political opposition research to win a partisan election. Calling this intelligence is just a misnomer and spin. Oleg Erovinkin was murdered because he was

working for Christopher Steele. We know that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee paid millions of dollars to Fusion GPS who paid a lot of money to Steele, we don't quite know how much yet, to work with a retired KGB general was then murdered who never worked for free in his life. As far as I'm concerned calling this intelligence is just flat incorrect.

CAMEROTA: Well, but even if that were all true, it wouldn't make it not intelligence. Just because somebody died --

CAPUTO: Sure it is. It's political research.

CAMEROTA: But if it was being done by an intelligence agent from the UK who was -

CAPUTO: Not anymore. Both retired. Both in the private Investigation.

CAMEROTA: That is what he is. That's why he was respected by The FBI when he came.

CAPUTO: Not anymore.

CAMEROTA: That's why James Clapper says this is a man who's got a very sterling background and reputation. You may not like the conclusions that --

CAPUTO: He's not in intelligence work anymore, Chris.

CAMEROTA: Right.

CAPUTO: He's not in the intelligence business anymore.

CAMEROTA: That's a semantics (inaudible).

CAPUTO: He is in the political opposition research business. There's a big difference.

CAMEROTA: That's a fair point. That's a fair-well, I don't know that it is in terms of assessing the character of the person involved. But in terms of what his job was, you're right. He was doing opposition research. You people do it all the time, Caputo. You love it.

CAPUTO: No doubt. No doubt, but we don't call it intelligence and we don't go to the FBI with it.

CAMEROTA: But certainly, if you were to learn -- that's one of the problems that the Trump team seems to have. When you get information about something that could be proof of a crime or criminal intention, specifically by a foreign and inimical entity, you should go to the FBI. You guys don't in the politics game because you would rather play to advantage. What Christopher Steele did is was he went to the FBI because he thought it mattered. It mattered to the U.S. Government and maybe to the U.K. Government, and that seems to be a distinction between him and the Trump team. You guys get approached by the Russians, and don't say anything. You get offered dirt on Hillary Clinton, you take the meeting instead of telling the FBI. Not good instincts.

CAPUTO: Well, I'll tell you on the Hillary Clinton campaign was working with Russians, General Erovinkin, for example. Hillary Clinton's campaign was working with Ukrainian intelligence trying to get information on Paul Manafort. They didn't report that to the FBI either. There is enough blame going around on both sides it.

CAMEROTA: It was plain that there was evidence of a crime or something that was pernicious to American stability. You really believe you high ground when it comes to working with Russians and Ukrainians when -

CAPUTO: That is opinion.

CAMEROTA: You're campaign chairman. Well documented and admitted relationship with Ukraine and a pro-Russia party and all the meetings and all the contacts --

CAPUTO: Understood.

CAMEROTA: -- and two guys busted for lying about contacts with Russians. You think you are going to point the finger at Hillary Clinton or

anyone else that way?

CAPUTO: I definitely think I can. I definitely think I can. I also they're pointed at the double standard here. But let's, let's get past this partisan point. Let's get past this partisan point for a minute. The one thing I noted from the transcript, which I read front to back. I did not see anywhere where we understand why this former British spy, who is now a political partisan researcher, thought that President Trump was -- might be getting blackmailed. Was it -- for what reason did he think?

CUOMO: Good question.

CAPUTO: Was it because of this fantastic idea that...

CUOMO: Good question. And you know why you want to know?

CAPUTO: ...I mean, was it the presses fantasy that the President was doing something in a hotel room?

CUOMO: And why don't you know?

CAPUTO: If that was the reason he went to the FBI, that was pure crap.

CUOMO: And why don't you know? We don't know that that's why he went to the FBI, but you know what the answer to your own question is? Because the questioners...

CAPUTO: I want the answer and should want the answer too.

CUOMO: I damn straight want the answer and I'm working hard at getting it.

CAPUTO: And no Congressman asked him either.

CUOMO: You know what, that's right. You know why? Because...

CAPUTO: They didn't. I don't know why.

CUOMO: ...the Republicans weren't interested in the damn answer. That's why. They just wanted to undermine the...

CAPUTO: Well apparently neither were the Democrats.

CUOMO: No, no, no.

CAPUTO: But listen, neither were the Democrats.

CUOMO: The questioning of nine hours. I read every page too. I didn't nap, like an idiot yesterday, but I won't make that same mistake today, not about me. They were after steel and fusion and GPS, trying to make them look like Democrats, make them look like partisans. They weren't drilling down on the interference. That is the tragedy, the shame and the sin that is revealed by this transcript. It's not about getting to the truth of Russian interference Michael, it's about playing political scorekeeping and settling. That's what's clear from that transcript.

CAPUTO: I disagree. I disagree.

CUOMO: Well, you just said it yourself.

CAPUTO: I disagree. This whole thing has been about politics from the very beginning.

CUOMO: You said you couldn't get the answer why he went to the FBI, because they weren't asking him about that. They didn't give a damn.

CAPUTO: Neither were the Democrats, Chris. The Democrats didn't ask him either.

CUOMO: The questioning was overwhelming Republican.

CAPUTO: Nobody did.

CUOMO: Take a look.

CAPUTO: I understand that, but nobody from either party asked that question. It -- we're dancing on a head of pin here.

CUOMO: No, no.

CAPUTO: I want to know that answer. I think the Congress does too.

CUOMO: Well they should, that's what their whole mandate is, is they're supposed to figure out interference, not figure out how to protect themselves. Michael...

CAPUTO: Well, they're going to miss a question now and then.

CUOMO: Well, they missed a damn nine hours. Anyway listen, it's good to have you discussing these things. They matter. You're welcomed back to be tested. I appreciate you taking the opportunity.

CAPUTO: Have a great day Chris. Take a nap today.

CUOMO: Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Maybe you don't need a nap. All right, from girl power to the American woman, CNN's Brooke Baldwin, is going to join us to tell us about her new fabulous series.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: There are far fewer women behind the scenes in the world of film and television than men and that's especially true of women of color. In this new digital series, "American Women" Brooke Baldwin, spoke to one woman trying to change all that, here's director Ava DuVernay.

(VIDEO CLIP BEGINS)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Who is helping you? Do you have a woman like holding your hand at all?

AVA DUVERNAY, FILMMAKER: No, through my films is how I met and connected with other women. On the film festival circuit, in the independent film scene. I started to see that I was part of a small tribe of women filmmakers, a smaller tribe of black women filmmakers, and I started to feel very empowered.

It's not even 10 percent of directors in Hollywood are women, not even 10 percent that are people of color, that's 90 percent of everything that you watch on television and film being controlled. Those images, those ideas, those scripts, the way the camera moves, the way that women dress, everything is controlled by men.

BALDWIN: How do young black girls grow up in a house like this and think I can and I will?

DUVERNAY: Because they see it. They see Issa Rae, you know what I mean? They see me, Tracy Reese, Jennifer (ph) Spikewood (ph), Jill (ph) Soloway, Glen (ph) Shelkin (ph), they see these women doing it in a way that might not have been as amplified before. No it starts being amplified for people like, people like me, we loud. We're not going to go quietly.

BALDWIN: We have a voice.

DUVERNAY: Yes, we have a voice.

(VIDEO CLIPS)

CAMEROTA: This is--

BALDWIN: Don't you love her?

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BALDWIN: It's amazing.

CAMEROTA: And I love you for doing this. I mean, it's such a great series. Brooke Baldwin joins us now. So what do we need to know about the American woman?

BALDWIN: So just has this -- I had this idea. You know, we all crisscrossed the country covering the presidential election, went to a lot of rallies, you know, spoke with a lot of people, a lot of debates and just listened. And listened and I heard a lot of American women. And -- and I think a lot of people showed up, a lot of it especially young women hoping to see the first female president.

Some of them actually said to me, we're good. We're going to vote for someone else because we think it's going to happen in our lifetime. You know, but when that didn't happen, I kind of wondered, well where did these women go?

Fast-forward to, you know, being in Washington, covering the inauguration, then covering women's march, and standing off stage and seeing these thousands and thousands of women who come from far and wide to be heard. I wanted to do something about it.

And so I really just dedicated all of last year to shooting these more recognizable women like Ava DuVernay. We chose her specifically. We were on the set of her show Queen Sugar down in New Orleans because every single episode of that show is actually directed by a woman.

She -- you might have seen her at the Golden Globes Sunday night, sitting at the table with a woman by the name of Oprah. She's directing her in Wrinkle in Time. And so she's just one of several we talked to. Dianne van Giersbergen, Pat Benatar, Issa Rae--

CAMEROTA: Sheryl Crow.

BALDWIN: Sheryl Crow, Betty White, Tracy Reese, all part of a series. That's was just a snippet. So please the full interviews, the full series, it's all online, go to CNN.com/Americanwoman. And thank you for your Instagram video.

CAMEROTA: My pleasure. I'm an American woman and I tell you why on Instagram. But it's just so great. It's really inspiring. It's great to hear all the voices.

BALDWIN: I want to inspire, we all want to inspire, especially just, you know, younger girls and younger women who are watching. And that's the great thing about the women we selected for the series, they didn't just shatter their own glass ceilings in their respected field, they want to reach back and help other women realize their dreams. And that is so special.

CAMEROTA: It's a great series. Thanks so much for sharing--

BALDWIN: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: -- with all of us. To see Brooke's full interview with Ava DuVernay and the rest of the American Woman series, you can go to CNN.com/Americanwoman. We're following a lot of news this morning, so let's get right to it.

(VIDEO CLIP BEGINS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aa federal judge temporarily blocking the president's effort to end DACA.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A solution will not be found by either a judge or president.

TRUMP: If we do DACA, you're not so far away from comprehensive immigration reform. I'll take the heat, I don't care.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seems as though the president understands that the physical wall across the entire border doesn't work.

TRUMP: I would love not to build the wall but you need the wall.

CAMEROTA: He's not clear at all where he really stands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, you need to close the deal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dianne Feinstein decided to release the Fusion GPS transcript.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Simpson (ph) pushed back against GOP arguments that the dossier was directed by Democrats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In some ways this is the signal, the end of bipartisan cooperation.

(VIDEO CLIP ENDS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is New Day with Chris Cuomo and Alison Camerota.

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everybody. Welcome to your new day. It is Wednesday, January 10th, 8 o'clock in the east. Up first, a federal judge in California temporarily blocks the Trump administration's effort the Trump administration's efforts to end the program protecting DREAMERs from deportation. This injunction comes on the very same day that President Trump met with lawmakers in this remarkable hour long televised event that gave us a rare glimpse of the presidents negotiating skills.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: And the feud over that infamous Trump/Russia dossier intensifying. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein released the transcript of an interview with the head of the firm behind it. What is it that transcript will make a big.