Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Supreme Court Battle; U.S. Passes Grim Milestone Of 200,000 Coronavirus Deaths; Interview With Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); Trump's First Reaction To 200,000 U.S. Coronavirus Deaths; FBI Warns Against Foreign Disinformation Regarding Election Results; Biden Announces John McCain's Widow, Cindy, Will Endorse Him. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 22, 2020 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:07]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

We're following a moment of staggering loss in this country that once would have seemed unimaginable, the death toll from the coronavirus now surpassing 200,000, higher than any other nation in the world.

Dr. Anthony Fauci calls the number sobering and stunning, as he warns we're entering a truly risky period right now in the pandemic on this, the first day of fall.

But President Trump continues to downplay the virus, after falsely suggesting that virtually nobody young is affected.

Also breaking this hour, "The Washington Post" reports that the FDA is now expected to announce tougher new standards for a COVID-19 vaccine, in hopes of boosting public trust. That would make it very difficult for a vaccine to be cleared by November 3, Election Day, here in the United States, a timeline the president has been touting, in defiance of so many of his own health experts.

Let's first go to our national correspondent, Erica Hill. She's in New York for us.

Erica, Americans are facing a new level of suffering and grief in this pandemic.

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, they are, hitting that grim milestone of 200,000 deaths of coronavirus in the country.

It's important to remember that each one of those losses is a person who mattered to someone, whose life meant something to them and to others. And for so many people in this country, Wolf, they took their last breath unable to have a loved one by their side, and now they are among those lives brought us to this number.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HILL (voice-over): Twenty thousand small flags dotting the National Mall to memorialize 200,000 lives lost.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NIAID DIRECTOR: The idea of 200,000 deaths is really very sobering and, in some respects, stunning.

HILL: Stunning because it didn't have to happen.

ANDY SLAVITT, FORMER ACTING ADMINISTRATOR, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES: It feels like a day for some humility.

HILL: Two hundred thousand lives, that's more than the entire population of Little Rock, Arkansas, gone, families forever changed.

SHERYL PABATAO, DAUGHTER OF CORONAVIRUS VICTIMS: It's beyond hurt. It's beyond pain.

HILL: And yet 24 states now reporting an increase in new cases over the past seven days.

But look at the same map this time last week, just nine states on the rise then.

FAUCI: If we don't get that baseline down sharply to a very low level, when you have a lot of cases floating around, it's much more difficult to contain that than if you have a relatively low number.

HILL: Troubling trends in Wisconsin, which has seen a steady, sharp rise in new cases over the past month, steep climbs in North Dakota too.

The president sticking to his narrative.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're rounding the turn. And it's happening. It's happening.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: In some states, thousands of people, nobody young, below the age of 18, like nobody.

SLAVITT: Unfortunately, when the president makes comments like that and minimizes the virus and tells people that, unless you're old, you're not going to get it, that encourages more spread. It encourages more reckless behavior.

HILL: The University of Colorado at Boulder moving classes online for at least two weeks in an effort to slow the spread, Texas announcing more than 4,500 positive cases at its public schools, just over half of those in students.

There are positive signs. California, which struggled over the summer, now has a positivity rate just under 3 percent. But cold weather and flu season loom.

FAUCI: We have got to be in this together. We have got to start acting now to do the things that we have all been saying.

HILL: As the president continues to push for a vaccine...

TRUMP: We're developing a vaccine in record time.

HILL: ... approval before the election now looking less likely.

The FDA is poised to tough new standards for emergency use authorization of a coronavirus vaccine, according to "The Washington Post," part of an effort to renew confidence in the agency and to increase public trust in a vaccine.

DR. JAY VARKEY, EMORY UNIVERSITY: I think, mentally, the sooner the general public realizes that this is likely to push well into 2021 and that introduction of this vaccine is only beginning of the endgame to this pandemic, I think the better.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: We're also just learning that Broward County in Florida, the school board there voting -- that they will have a vote, I should say, on reopening schools for in-person learning next month.

They're looking at a possible date of October 16. The superintendent noting that perfect shouldn't stand in the way of good and saying -- quote -- "There's no guarantee we will have a 100 percent-COVID free environment. Issues will emerge. We will correct them and we will learn from them," Wolf.

[18:05:02]

BLITZER: Erica Hill in New York for us. A little windy over there. Erica, thank you very much.

Now to the White House on the defensive tonight over the pandemic death toll here in the United States and the president's false statements.

Our Chief White House Correspondent, Jim Acosta, is joining us.

Jim, the administration's spin on this isn't squaring with reality.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.

White House officials are trying to do some cleanup after President Trump said the coronavirus -- quote -- "affects virtually nobody" when it comes to younger Americans. That's just not the case.

The president made these false comments as the U.S. reached this horrific milestone of 200,000 lives lost from COVID-19. When asked what he thinks of the administration's response to the virus, top White House health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said, just look at the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ACOSTA (voice-over): With the U.S. now soaring past 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus, White House officials are trying to pull a fast one, insisting the administration has beaten expectations, when the reality is, they haven't.

(on camera): What do you say to Americans who are outraged over this and blame this administration for so many lives lost in this country?

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, as you have heard several doctors in the task force note from this podium, we were looking at the prospect of two million people potentially perishing from the coronavirus in this country.

ACOSTA (voice-over): But hold on. That initial forecast of two million deaths was based on the administration doing nothing.

Top health experts like White House Coronavirus Task Force Dr. Anthony Fauci aren't giving the U.S. an A-plus for its response, as Mr. Trump did this week.

FAUCI: The idea of 200,000 deaths is really very sobering and, in some respects, stunning. Take a look at the numbers and make up your own mind. I mean, we don't need a sound bite from me. Take a look at the numbers.

ACOSTA: Still, the president continues to spread false information at his rallies, maintaining COVID-19 does not pose a threat to younger Americans, even though they can spread the virus to the elderly.

TRUMP: Take your hat off to the young, because they have a hell of an immune system, but it affects virtually nobody. It's an amazing thing.

ACOSTA (on camera): Shouldn't the president be telling the truth about the virus at these rallies?

MCENANY: The president is telling people the truth. And you're right, Jim, that he was talking about...

ACOSTA: No, he's not. He's saying it affects virtually nobody and that it doesn't affect young people. He's not telling the truth.

MCENANY: Jim, but you're again taking the president out of context. I have his full quote here. And you're right that he was referring to young people. He said this.

ACOSTA: I'm not taking it out of context.

MCENANY: It's not a disease that affects young people in the same way as older people, which is the exact point the president was making last night.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Another whopper from the president, he claims he's seeing plenty of masks at his rallies.

But those rally-goers in masks tend to be positioned behind Mr. Trump, while most in the crowd aren't protecting themselves. TRUMP: I must be honest. I see a lot of people with masks. I also see

a little bit of a spreading out. One of the reasons I do the rallies in outside settings is because it's much better. It's recommended.

ACOSTA: In a virtual speech to the United Nations General Assembly, the president is blaming it all on China.

TRUMP: As we pursue this bright future, we must hold accountable the nation which unleashed this plague on to the world, China.

ACOSTA: On the White House push to quickly replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Republican senators are falling in line, even occasional past Trump critic Mitt Romney.

SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): I have indicated that what I intend to do is proceed with the consideration process, and if a nominee actually reaches the floor, then I will vote, based upon the qualifications of that nominee.

ACOSTA: With Federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett looking like the clear front-runner, GOP leaders are pledging to support the president before he's announced his pick.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): The nominee is going to be supported by every Republican in the Judiciary Committee. And we have got the votes to confirm the judge, the justice on the floor of the Senate before the election, and that's what's coming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And the president said earlier today he will announce his Supreme Court pick here at the White House on Saturday.

In the meantime, we want to take you out to Moon Township, Pennsylvania, where the president will be holding a rally later on this evening. Our crew on the ground is noticing that more people tonight, Wolf, are wearing masks in the crowd than we usually see at these rallies, though we should point out not everybody is wearing a mask, and, of course, they're not social distancing.

The Trump campaign, the president continuing to flout this administration's own guidelines for preventing the coronavirus -- Wolf.

BLITZER: He's doing basically one of these campaign rallies almost every single day in these key battleground states like Pennsylvania. He's outside of Pittsburgh. He will be outside of Pittsburgh at his rally later tonight.

All right, Jim Acosta, thank you very much.

ACOSTA: You bet.

BLITZER: Let's discuss what's going on with our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Sanjay, as we mourn the loss of 200,000 Americans from this virus, what do you think the American public needs to keep in mind right now?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, it's obviously a really sad day, Wolf.

And I can tell you, talking to a lot of family members of people who have died, they don't like this being described as preventable or inevitable. I mean, the idea that you tell somebody's family that their loved one's death was preventable is a tough thing for them to hear, even though -- even as they might acknowledge it.

[18:10:17]

I think -- I think, to your question, I think the idea that we're still in this, there's still things that can be done, that many lives can still be saved as we go into the fall, I think, is the most important message.

And it's -- as Dr. Tony Fauci told me this morning, it's not rocket science. Basic public health measures, things that have been -- that we have known about in the world for hundreds of years and have been applied around the world throughout this pandemic very successfully, can work here as well.

So I hope it happens, because I think the numbers of people who might still die would be just still unimaginable, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, there have been some projections that, if those public health measures are not taken right now, that 200,000 number could double by January 1. Another 200,000 Americans who don't need to die, sadly, would die.

So the country has got to do something about that.

Sanjay, "The Washington Post" is now reporting that the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, is planning to put tougher new standards in place for a vaccine to get an emergency use authorization.

Explain the possible changes that could happen and what that might mean for the vaccine timeline.

GUPTA: Yes, there's a few different things in there. But I think there's two primary things, Wolf.

One is something that Moncef Slaoui has sort of talked about. He mentioned this to me a couple of weeks ago, this idea of, after you give the vaccine, in this case, for, some of them, two shots, after they get the second shot, these volunteers, how long do you wait to basically say someone's not developing some sort of side effect?

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: And let me interrupt you for a second, Sanjay.

Those two shots would have to be, what, at least a month apart? Is that right?

GUPTA: That's right, about a month apart.

BLITZER: Yes.

GUPTA: So, 28 days or so for some of these.

So, then, after that second shot, what they're saying, suggesting is that you wait at least two months, because if you look at the FDA data for previous vaccines, if someone's going to develop some sort of side effect, it typically happens within those first two months.

So now they're saying they will probably wait two months to just get that safety data. And the other thing, Wolf -- this is a little bit more nuanced -- but what you're looking for is to see if people in the placebo group are more likely to develop infections than those in the vaccinated group.

But how serious does the infection need to be? If it's a mild infection, would that count? Or does it need to be a more severe infection? If it's a more severe infection occurring the placebo group, you would have more of a difference between the placebo group and the vaccinated groups showing that the vaccine works.

What the FDA is saying is, they do want a certain percentage of the infections that are occurring to be more severe, because that would show that the vaccine is actually being preventative?

So that's just going to take more time off to gather that sort of data. And I think it does push the timeline back in terms of actually being able to tell whether or not one of these vaccines should be authorized.

BLITZER: Yes, that new timeline makes it very, very difficult, if not impossible, for the president's wish to have a new vaccine ready to go by the November 3 presidential election.

That's simply, under these new guidelines from the FDA, not going to happen.

You interviewed and had a very excellent interview with Dr. Fauci today, Sanjay. And a viewer asked how Dr. Fauci would grade the U.S. response after President Trump gave himself not just an A, but an A- plus, how he's handled this over the past seven months or so. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: Take a look at the numbers and make up your own mind. I mean, we don't need a sound bite from me. Take a look at the numbers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: I think it's safe to say he doesn't agree that the president has done A-plus.

So what do you think?

GUPTA: Yes.

Yes, I think you're right, Wolf. I mean, you know Tony Fauci, Dr. Fauci, very well, and he's always -- he's careful. And he's got to be diplomatic. But that's clearly what he was saying, Wolf.

I think the larger point is -- and this has been a source of frustration, I think, for a lot of people. If you say, this is an A response, you're basically saying this is the best that the United States of America could do. The best that this country could do was be the worst in the world in terms of overall number of deaths, that we'd have the most deaths, 20 percent, roughly, of the world's deaths, and not even 4 or 5 percent of the world's population.

Is that what we're saying if we give ourselves an A grade? I don't think so. I don't think so.

And to your earlier question, Wolf, it matters still. This isn't over. We're not sort of doing the post-analysis on this. We're still in it. So, if we want to get an A grade, we really got to behave like we have an A grade.

We can do it still. Even without the vaccine, even without some significant therapeutic breakthrough, we could make a significant, significant impact in saving lives over the next several months.

BLITZER: Sanjay, thanks very much. Appreciate it, as always.

[18:15:01]

GUPTA: You got it.

BLITZER: Just ahead, we will have more perspective on how the United States has reached 200,000 and why no other country comes even close to that number right now.

Also, a new warning just out from the FBI about foreign disinformation campaigns regarding the 2020 presidential election results here in the U.S.

I will get reaction from Senator Richard Blumenthal.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're getting new reaction this hour to the U.S. coronavirus death toll rising above a truly horrific new level of 200,000.

We're also following breaking news on a new warning about foreign interference in the upcoming U.S. election.

Joining us now to discuss this and more, Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat who serves on both the Judiciary and the Armed Services committees.

[18:20:03] Senator, thanks so much for joining us.

Let me get your reaction to this new warning from the FBI about foreign actors -- that's how they call it -- foreign actors working to spread disinformation about the results of the upcoming November 3 election here in the United States.

How concerning is this to you?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): I have seen these classified reports, Wolf.

Let me just say bluntly, these reports of foreign interference in our election are absolutely chilling. They should be declassified. The American people deserve to see them. They need to understand the magnitude of this attack on our democracy.

The State Department released a report on global interference by Russia just a few weeks ago. It makes the 2016 interference look like child's play, as directed at democracies around the world.

That's Vladimir Putin's objective, to sow discord. There's no reason to think that the United States would be immune from it. And the American people need to see what I have seen, these classified reports.

I am barred from talking publicly about the details because I'm sworn to secrecy in that classified setting. The American people deserve to know.

BLITZER: And when they say for foreign actors, I assume they're referring to the Russians. Is that right?

BLUMENTHAL: It is principally the Russians.

Other countries have the capability to do so. There's some question about how actively they are doing it around the world, according to that State Department report.

I am not at liberty to talk about the details, but Vladimir Putin is intent on sowing discord and division in the United States. It's an attack on our democracy.

And, unfortunately, Donald Trump has failed to stand up to it, just as he has the reports about bounties put on our service men and women.

BLITZER: Let me give you a reaction on a different subject.

The president just told reporters that he's going to announce his Supreme Court nominee, a new justice for the U.S. Supreme Court, at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. He says he's going to have a news conference and make that announcement.

I assume whoever he's going to pick will be there together with him.

This is moving very quickly. And it looks right now, Senator, like the Republicans have the votes, barring something strange going on, to get this individual approved, confirmed for the U.S. Supreme Court, the third Trump nominee for the Supreme Court, approved by the November 3 election.

What do you think?

BLUMENTHAL: No matter who the president nominates, this process totally lacks legitimacy.

The Republican majority has broken its word. We can't force them to keep their word, any more than we can force them to care about the health care of their constituents. The president is nominating someone who will strike down protections for people with preexisting conditions, including people who have suffered from COVID, because he has said, the strong test, in his words, for his nominee will be striking down the Affordable Care Act and overturning Roe v. Wade.

He's doing it at a time when we have just reached that horrible $200,000 -- 200,000-life death mark.

BLITZER: The vice president, Mike Pence, said today that, within the next two weeks, the administration would come out with a new executive order guaranteeing that preexisting conditions would be honored in any new health care plan.

The president has said this repeatedly over the past year or so. Every two weeks, he seems to be saying there will be a new plan for preexisting conditions, a new health care plan within two weeks.

Now the vice president said it today. So, I assume they're going to do it at some point. Would you trust that?

BLUMENTHAL: I have no trust in Republicans saying they have any sort of replacement for the Affordable Care Act and its protection for people with preexisting conditions, because they have been saying it since 2011, when they first sought to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

And they promised a replacement. Again and again and again, they say there's going to be a replacement, just as they say they have a coronavirus relief package. Instead of nominating a justice who would strike down the Affordable Care Act in a case that's now pending before the Supreme Court -- it'll be argued in early November -- they should be pushing for a new relief bill for the families that are struggling to put food on the table, businesses striving to keep their doors open, all of us now reaching this heartbreaking 200 (sic) lives lost.

[18:25:00]

BLITZER: Yes.

Despite your complaints, the president looks like he's going forward with a nominee 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. And it certainly looks like Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham are going to go forward and try to get this approved by the Republican majority in the Senate before November 3. We will see what happens.

Senator Blumenthal, thanks so much for joining us.

BLUMENTHAL: Thank you.

BLITZER: Just ahead: The new 200,000 death toll here in the United States is only one aspect of the truly enormous pain and loss in this country right now. So, what more can be done to ease the suffering?

And new information emerging on how the Russians and other foreign actors may try to influence the 2020 election and undermine confidence in the results.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

BLITZER: We're back in our breaking news coverage of the coronavirus death toll here in the United States, now surpassing 200,000 Americans. President Trump was asked about the milestone a little while ago. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I think it's a shame. I think if we didn't do it properly and do it right, you'd have 2.5 million dead.

But it's a horrible thing. It should have never, ever happened. China let this happen.

The original numbers were around 200,000 if you do it right if you did a good job and if the public worked along. And if we didn't do it right, you'd be at 2 million, 2.5 million. Those were the numbers. But this should have never happened. This should have never come out of China. They should have never let it happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, let's discuss with Dr. Richard Besser, a former Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He's now the President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

When you hear what the president is saying now about those numbers, what's your reaction?

DR. RICHARD BESSER, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, CDC: I think it reflects a different reality to what we're seeing here in America. 200,000 deaths, that's a grim, a grim milestone, Wolf. And when you look at the comparison to other countries and what's happened there, you know that there are thousands of deaths in the United States that could have been prevented.

And the undue toll that's been felt in communities of color, black Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, lower-income people in America have been disproportionately affected by this. It's really a tragic day, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes. When the president speaks about there could have been 2 million, 2.5 million deaths, that's if the U.S. would have done absolutely nothing. And let's not forget the first U.S. deaths at the end of February, early March, happened the same time the first deaths were occurring in South Korea, a country of 55 million people.

They don't have thousands of deaths. They have under 500 deaths right now. We have 200,000 deaths. What they did right with testing, with all sorts other precautions obviously worked. What we did failed.

BESSER: What we're seeing here, Wolf, is a failure to be driven and led by the science. And the science has helped countries around the globe get this under control. And we know how to do it. The message that's come out loud and clear from public health at the federal, state and local level, wearing masks, social distancing, hand washing, doing testing and tracking and providing resources so people can isolate and quarantine, that works.

But when the political message from above is that there's nothing to worry about and when not wearing a mask is seen as an act of loyalty to the president, we end up in a situation where there are thousands of people who have died and those lives could have been saved.

BLITZER: As someone who previously led the CDC, how do you think the U.S. response to this crisis will be judged? And I ask the question because the president says he deserves not just an A, but an A+, in how he handled this coronavirus pandemic. If you were a professor looking at how we handle the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Besser, what grade would you give him?

BESSER: Well, what I would say is what has happened to the CDC during this pandemic is devastating. And if the agency is not rebuilt and trust isn't restored, it's going to have impact not just for the COVID response but for control of diseases around the globe, control of diseases here around the United States.

You know, when you do surveys of the federal government and trust, the CDC always ranked right near the top. But that trust has been going away because of how they've been treated during this pandemic, the intentional efforts to undermine the agency. And if that doesn't change, I really worry about the impacts for public health going forward.

BLITZER: I take it you wouldn't give them an A+, right?

BESSER: Well, you know, the numbers speak for themselves, Wolf. Dr. Fauci was right about that. If you look at the numbers, 200,000 deaths is not a passing grade.

BLITZER: Yes, obviously. All right, Dr. Besser, thank you so much, as usual. I appreciate it very much.

Just ahead, there's more breaking news, a new warning from the FBI that foreign actors and cyber criminals are likely to spread disinformation regarding the results of the 2020 presidential election. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:00]

BLITZER: We're following more breaking news. This time, a new and very disturbing warning from the FBI just announced, that foreign actors, their words, foreign actors could use delays about the results of the 2020 presidential election here in the United States to spread disinformation aimed at undermining voter confidence.

Let's discuss with Washington Post Columnist and CNN Political Analyst Josh Rogin, as well as former FBI Acting Director and CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst, Andrew McCabe. He's also the Author of a new book entitled The Threat, How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump.

You know, Josh, let's talk first all. I want to get to your report on that highly classified report that you reported today in The Washington Post.

[18:40:04]

But let me go to Andrew first and respond to this new warning from the FBI, this warning that foreign actors, I assume they're referring to Russians, but you know better than I do, that are going to try to sow political chaos, destruction, all sorts of problems here in the United States if there's a delay, which there clearly could be, in announcing a winner after November 3rd.

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, thanks for having me, Wolf. I have to say, and I don't have the benefit of having seen the recent, of course, classified intelligence, but I can tell you that this is right out of the Russian standard playbook.

The Russian's first goal in all of these active measures campaigned, the one that we saw in 2016 and, of course, the one we're seeing now is to sow division, disunity and chaos in the American public and to undermine the public's confidence in our own democratic process.

You know, in a united United States, one that's committed to free and fair democracy and opening up free and fair democracies around the world, that is Russia's existential threat. So anything that the Russians can do to undermine our own faith in our own system is a win for them. That's always their first goal.

BLITZER: Which leads me right to Josh's excellent reporting in The Washington Post today. Josh, your report, and the first line of this highly classified report from the U.S. intelligence community, it says this. We assess that President Vladimir Putin and the senior most Russian officials are aware of and probably directing Russia's influence operations aimed at denigrating the former U.S. vice president, supporting the U.S. president and fueling public discord, fueling public discord, here in the United States.

Tell us about what you've learned because this is so disturbing that Putin personally probably is orchestrating and doing all this. Give us the latest.

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right, Wolf. Well as you just saw what the FBI and the U.S. government is putting out publicly is quite different from the level of concern and the detailed intelligence that they are communicating amongst themselves on these highly classified systems, the peak of which I got in terms of the CIA assessment, which was on the CIA worldwide intelligence review August 31st.

And, basically, the big difference is that the public statements talk vaguely about Russian interference. They have named this Ukrainian Lawmaker, Andriy Derkach, as an active Russian agent, but, in public, the U.S. government never has said that this is probably directed by Putin himself and his senior officials, and they're definitely aware of that. But that's what our intelligence community, at least big parts of it, have concluded and that's what was in this assessment.

And the reason that that's important is because it ties the senior Kremlin leadership to a Ukrainian lawmaker who happens to be good friends with the president's personal lawyer and it says that this Ukrainian lawmaker has been spreading and disseminating, amplifying information using American lawmakers, American media organizations, American lobbyists, all of whom are either wittingly or unwittingly becoming agents of Russian and influence and part of an attack on our democracy.

And the natural question is, well, why won't they say that out and the best answer I could glean was that these intelligence officials don't want to incur the wrath of the president, who is probably definitely on the side of Rudy Giuliani, actually definitely on the side of Rudy Giuliani. And we see what happened to people --

BLITZER: How do we know, Josh? How do we know that some of this Russian disinformation is getting in the hands of lawmakers in the House of Representatives? We're talking about Republicans, and in the U.S. Senate, who are putting together reports right now targeting Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden?

ROGIN: Well, that's just it. The assessment itself doesn't name the lawmakers. It says that Derkach has been working to employed lawmakers in his scheme. We know that he has said publicly that he's given this information to several GOP Senators, including Ron Johnson, including Chuck Grassley, including Senator Lindsey Graham. Those senators have denied they took the information from him.

But at the same time, Johnson is doing an investigation on the exact thing that Rudy and Derkach were peddling, namely accusation that Hunter Biden and Burisma, and Joe Biden were corruptly working with the Ukrainian government at the time and that the Ukrainian interfered in the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton. And these are the things that Rudy has been pedaling all this time, since the impeachment and he's still doing it and so the intelligence community still investigating it.

And these lawmakers, they may say that they're not getting information from the Russian, but if it's the same information, in this case, the same disinformation, it's not hard to pick -- put those dots together, and that's what the intelligence community is doing, again, on a very highly classified investigative level.

BLITZER: Andrew McCabe, how do you see it?

[18:45:00]

MCCABE: Well, Wolf, the fact that Putin has now been exposed or the intelligence community believes that he's personally involved or has conveyed his approval on this covert action campaign is not surprising. There's a very important work that was our assessment in 2016, that Putin had direct involvement in it, so it's not surprising that he does again today as well.

The question that your viewers should be asking you is -- or asking themselves and asking their government is why? Why is the Russian president so insistent? Why did he intervene in 2016 to insure the election of Donald Trump and why is he directing his people to intervene in 2020 to make sure this president stays in office?

Why does our president refuse to confront President Trump on all of his -- on all of his misdeeds? The recent poisoning of Alexander Navalny (ph), his acceptance of the Russians' denial of interference in 2016 rather than accepting the intelligence from his own agencies?

These are very important questions that we still don't know the answers to and the work to uncover those answers should be done.

BLITZER: Andrew McCabe, thanks very much for joining us.

And, Josh Rogin, excellent, excellent reporting on your part. Thanks to you as well.

Also tonight, we're very proud to tell you what THE SITUATION ROOM is being honored for our reporting on Russia. Our chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward's investigative report on Putin's private army just won an Emmy. It was one of seven news and documentary Emmys won by CNN last night. That's a record for this network.

So, congratulations, congratulations to all the winners.

Just ahead, we have breaking news coming into THE SITUATION ROOM. Joe Biden is announcing that the widow of late Senator John McCain, Cindy McCain, is endorsing, endorsing his presidential campaign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:46:32]

BLITZER: We're following more breaking news.

Joe Biden announcing just a little while ago that Cindy McCain, the widow of the late Senator John McCain, is now publicly endorsing his presidential campaign.

Our political correspondent Arlette Saenz is joining us. He's covering the Biden campaign for us.

So, give us the latest, Arlette. What are you learning?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Joe Biden made a little bit of a surprise announcement during a fund-raiser tonight when he said that Cindy McCain, the widow of John McCain, would soon be endorsing him.

He told donors he was going to jump on a Zoom call with Cindy McCain and she specifically pointed to those comments from President Trump that were reported first in "The Atlantic" where he made denigrating comments about veterans and those killed in battle. Biden said that that was one of the reasons Cindy McCain would be endorsing him.

And we've asked the campaign for clarification about when the endorsement might be coming, but Biden did make that announcement during a fund-raiser. Cindy McCain did appear during the Democratic convention. She actually -- her voice appeared. She narrated a portion of the video about Joe Biden and McCain's relationship. They served for many years together in the Senate.

And, of course, President Trump and John McCain had also had some issues between the two of them. You'll remember that when President Trump was running for president, he suggested that John McCain was not a war hero because he was captured. You've heard the president express frustration with McCain even since he has passed.

But this endorsement from Senator John McCain's wife Cindy McCain certainly would be a boon for the Biden campaign as they continue to try to emphasize these comments from President Trump about those veterans as that is something Biden's campaign has been talking about on the campaign trail because they believe that will sit with veterans and military families for the president to talk about them in that way.

BLITZER: I assume Biden is spending some quality time getting ready for the first presidential debate, Arlette, that's a week from today, right?

SAENZ: Yeah, the first presidential debate between Joe Biden and President Trump will take place a week from today in Cleveland. Biden yesterday travelled to Wisconsin. Tomorrow, he will be in North Carolina.

He told our own Anderson Cooper that he is reading up on some briefing books about this, trying to understand what the president has said and how he wants to lay out his own record as they are set to face off for the first time next week.

BLITZER: We'll have, of course, live coverage of that debate, and the two other presidential debates, one vice presidential debate. Lots going on.

Arlette, thanks very much. We have some more breaking news just in to THE SITUATION ROOM. The House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin just announced agreement to keep the government funded through December 11th. The final test is still being drafted, the final text I should say is still being drafted. But the government could have shut down at the end of this month when the fiscal year ends if there was no agreement. But now, there's going to be what's called a continuing resolution to keep the government funded at least until mid-December.

Much more news right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Finally tonight, as the U.S. has now surpassed 200,000 -- 200,000 -- coronavirus deaths, we're even more committed to remembering the truly wonderful individuals we've lost.

Priscilla Webb Linsey (ph) of Texas was 79 years old, a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Her son Deaver (ph) says she dedicated much of her life to her faith, getting a theology degree, preaching and staying active in her church.

John Hogue of Colorado was 75, a U.S. military veteran, married for 46 years. His daughter Kelly says he found Joy in his six grandchildren and had an uncanny ability to make strangers life long friends, winning them over with his smile. May they rest in peace, and may their memories being a blessing.

I'm Wolf Blitzer. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @WolfBlitzer, tweet the show @CNNSitRoom. Thanks very much for watching.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.

[19:00:00]