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Trump: FBI Should Do What They Need to Do on Kavanaugh Probe; Trump Says OK if Kavanaugh and All Accusers Are Interviewed; GOP Senators Believe Limited FBI Probe on Kavanaugh Over Soon; Trump Denies White House Interfering with FBI Kavanaugh Probe; Trump on Kim Jong-Un: "We Fell in Love". Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired October 01, 2018 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:31:12] President Trump said he wants a thorough investigation into the allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, but also wants it done quickly. When asked if the Supreme Court pick should be interviewed by the FBI this week, this is what the president said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Should Brett Kavanaugh be interviewed by the FBI?

DONALD TRUMP, PRSIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think so. I think it's fine if they do. I don't know. That's up to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining us now, Chris Swecker. He's a former FBI assistant director for the Criminal Investigative Division.

Chris, thanks so much for joining us.

What do you expect your former colleagues, FBI investigators, to discuss if they actually do a separate interview with Judge Kavanaugh?

CHRIS SWECKER, FORMER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE DIVISION, FBI: They are not going to cover old ground as part of this special White House enquiry follow-up. They will cover the allegations and elicit as much detail as they can. They are not going to re-boil the ocean here.

BLITZER: I assume, if they go do a separate interview with Judge Kavanaugh, that would be the last thing on their agenda after they interview all the others on their list?

SWECKER: Probably right. They are going to gather as much information as they can from anyone who may have knowledge about any one of these three incidents and get as much detail at their fingertips as possible, as much corroboration or contradiction from records or any other contemporaneous records and books and documents they can put their hands on. Then probably have a final interview with the candidate.

BLITZER: The president said the White House is not directing this investigation. They are only doing what the Senate is asking for. Walk us through the process. How is this supposed to work from the FBI's perspective?

SWECKER: The FBI has the mandate to do what we call special inquiries. These are background investigations for White House nominations for cabinet level positions, judgeships, federal judgeships. They have done thousands of these. They are all done the same way. They are basically interviews and record checks. They are not investigations in the traditional sense of the world. They don't use grand juries or subpoenas and wiretapping and undercover operations and all the techniques they use in real investigations. To distinguish this from a traditional investigation, they call it a special inquiry or a spin. Again, they are done the same way every time. Often, the originator, which is the White House, will ask for a follow-up. That's what they've done here. He's left the discretion up to the FBI as to where to go with it. They know how to do these things. They will know what needs to be followed up.

BLITZER: President was asked today about all three of the allegations from the three women who came forward leveling the charges against the Supreme Court nominee. The president said he would be all right with the FBI interviewing all three of the women. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Just to be clear, should the FBI interview all three of Brett Kavanaugh's accusers?

TRUMP: It wouldn't bother me at all. Now, it depends. I don't know all three.

(CROSTALK)

TRUMP: Certainly, I imagine they will interview two. The third one I don't know much about, but it wouldn't bother me at all. I have heard that the third one has -- I have no idea if this is true -- has very little credibility. If there's any credibility, interview the third one. But I want it to be done quickly because it's unfair to the family and to the judge. It's unfair -- it's so unfair to his kids and his wife.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So far, Chris, only Debbie Ramirez, who was has classmate at Yale University during his freshman year, only she, we are told, so far has been interviewed. Will the other two women specifically be interviewed in the next few days?

[13:35:04] SWECKER: I think so. If the FBI is left to its discretion and judgment, and this is potentially derogatory information, they will do an interview. There has to be a scoping letter that came to the White House over to the FBI with at least some broad parameters just so they don't go too far afield. They are going to focus on the issues at hand, which are derogatory information coming in that may have some bearing on the decision maker who are, in this case, the congressional or Senate committee.

BLITZER: You think the FBI can complete this over the next few days?

SWECKER: They have the resources and the experience to do that. It'll be all-hands-on-deck. They are pretty well into it right now. The only wild card is whether people make themselves accessible. They start setting conditions and making it difficult for the agents to conduct the interviews. Then all bets are off. They will complete it by Friday with what they have, and turn in. If they are asked for more follow-up, they will do it.

BLITZER: Chris Swecker, thanks for joining us.

SWECKER: Thank you.

BLITZER: Speaking of -- we are just now learning some new information about the FBI investigation, including when the Republicans think this entire round of questioning could wrap up. Also, whether Judge Kavanaugh's drinking past will be included.

Stand by. We will share with you when we come back.

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[13:41:08] BLITZER: We are following the breaking news on the FBI investigation on Judge Brett Kavanaugh. On Friday, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, told the White House that given the limited interviews being conducted, it seems reasonable that the FBI could be done with this investigation within a few days, maybe as quickly as today or tomorrow.

Joining us now, our CNN global affairs analyst, Max Boot. He's the author of a new book -- you see the cover -- "The Corrosion of Conservatism, Why I Left the Right." That book will be out next week. Also with us, our CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, Laura Coates, and our CNN political analyst, Ryan Lizza. He's the chief political correspondent for "Esquire" magazine. Also a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

The news --

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Well, Max is the senior fellow on the Council on Foreign Relations, not Ryan. Maybe one of these days.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL ANAYST: Everybody can be a senior for office.

BLITZER: You're the senior. Let's talk about the news.

Dana Bash is now reporting that McConnell thinks that given the limited scope of the investigation, the whole thing can be done today or tomorrow. The report could be submitted. They set the stage for a full Senate floor vote.

LIZZA: Dana's reporting suggests, shows that Trump was accurate when he said he going to let the Senate decide who to interview. It also suggested that the three Senators, Flake, Collins and Murkowski, they are in the driver's seat. Her reporting suggests that they said they wanted the FBI to interview the four people.

BLITZER: Right.

(CROSSTALK)

LIZZA: The White House turned that down.

BLITZER: The four people that the Senate wants the FBI to interview are P.J. Smyth, Leland Keyser, Mark Judge and Deborah Ramirez, the Yale University classmate.

LIZZA: That's the recommendation that the White House took and sent to the FBI. This suggests that any complaints about the breadth of the White House -- excuse me -- the FBI investigation should go to Flake, Murkowski and Collins. They are the ones in the driver's seat. They control the votes.

BLITZER: Deborah Ramirez, the Yale University student, who made serious allegations against Kavanaugh. The other three, P.J. Smyth, Leland Keyser and Mark Judge, they were supposedly at that party when he was in high school and Professor Ford made the sexual assault allegation.

LAURA COATES, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Remember, P.J. is one of the people named by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, in her testimony saying this was a nice person who was in the house at the time of the alleged attack and was down stairs. She doesn't remember how she got home that day, doesn't remember a whole lot of information surrounding the alleged attack. But you have this person who could put her at the same location as Mark Judge as well as Brett Kavanaugh. May have some insight as to whether or not she left in a fury or agitated or emotional or simply left the party. He could either put a bow on it or simply say, as Mark Judge said, I don't recall the event at all. Which is not the same as saying it didn't happen. Also Leland is somebody named by Brett Kavanaugh in his testimony, very, very adamantly, that he doesn't know me and doesn't recall this incidence ever happened. Now you have a chance on at least two occasions to have somebody that bolster credibility of Christine Blasey Ford or to go along with the same story, which is not saying it's fabricated, as I don't recall this event at all or what happened. But either way, this is a foregone conclusion that people like Mitch McConnell that he wants to dot his "I"s and cross his "T"s and not simply look for all the exhausting information on this allegation.

BLITZER: What do you think?

MAX BOOT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I think what the Republicans are trying to do is basically do the absolute bare minimum to get the votes they need. As Ryan was talking about, if this was something that Collins, Murkowski and Flake will go along with, that's what they'll do. But they are not interested in a serious investigation because anybody who wants the truth of these matters would look beyond the four people. Running down alibis, for example, in the way Christine Blasey Ford said she ran into Mark Judge in a Safeway, well, get the Safeway employment records, if still available, and find out exactly when he was working there. Investigate what happened on July 1st of 1982, which on the evidence presented in the Kavanaugh hearing, that's the most likely date, according to Brett Kavanaugh's calendar, for when the party that Christine Blasey Ford described could have occurred.

It was a classmate of Brett Kavanaugh's at Yale saying he was drinking heavily. And the image he presented in this hearing, that he had a few beers and that was about it, that's not accurate. He was a very heavy drinker. And that would go not just to what he was doing in 1982, but to the veracity of what he said last week, which ultimately could be the most important point in determining whether he gets an up-or-down vote. I'm disappointed they are not doing more. It needs to be a more in-depth investigation.

[13:45:49] BLITZER: The Republicans clearly want this wrapped up in a couple of days.

There was an extraordinary moment at the news conference in the Rose Garden when the president levelled a charge against a Democratic Senator. He said this. Let me play the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You know, I will tell you what. I happen to know some United States Senators. One who is on the other side who is pretty aggressive. I have seen that person in very bad situations. OK? I have seen that person in very, very bad situations. Somewhat compromising. You know, I think it's very unfair to bring up things like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Somewhat compromising. Later, he was asked to name that Senator and he declined.

LIZZA: A lot of things with Trump, usually, when you know someone might do it privately behind the scenes, he is publicly saying, cut it out and don't go after my nominee or else. He is publicly threatening a United States Senator. He didn't name the person, so that's one line he didn't cross. But this is behavior that no other president has ever engaged in publicly. I think we all can agree on that.

BLITZER: It was stunning when you heard the president make a charge like this. COATES: It is. It's not much of a veiled threat at all. Also,

there's no real meat behind it. He made a comment that he hasn't provided evidence for. Which ironically, that's what he is criticizing this investigation about, about the idea of a witch hunt and a fishing expedition, and now he casts a line. He put a green mask on somebody unnamed in the Senate doing the exact thing he accuses.

One important thing, Wolf, just last week, we heard explosive claims about a fourth person or third person, Ms. Swetnick. That is not on the list. Somebody talking about not Brett Kavanaugh at Yale, somebody who knew him in high school, who said he was present and/or, ambiguously, a participant in a gang rape or at least in line for it. That's not being investigated at all. The president has drawn a line about who he thinks is credible. At the same time, he's trying to distract, talking about other Senators in compromising positions.

BLITZER: Max, very quickly.

BOOT: I would throw the B.S. flag. I very much doubt he has any incriminating information because he's been saying stuff like this for years. He's been claiming he has the goods on everybody who criticizes him or clashes with them and they have to be careful. This is also a president who, at one point, said a lot of people are saying Barack Obama's birth certificate was forged. He says a lot of stuff. It's hard to take it seriously. But as Ryan said, it's disturbing that he's engaging in what seems to be blackmail, even if he doesn't have information.

BLITZER: The president of the United States in the Rose Garden, he levels a charge like that. Very, very serious.

All right, guys. Everybody, stand by.

There's more news we're following. While the FBI is in the middle of its investigation into Brett Kavanaugh, the president is doubling down on his defense of his nominee, citing the trauma that he's undergone since his accusers have come forward.

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[13:53:07] BLITZER: All right. We're continue to follow the breaking news. Major developments unfolding in the confirmation process of Judge Kavanaugh.

But very quickly, there's another development -- over the weekend, Max, the president said this about Kim Jong-Un of North Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And you know, what's interesting. When I did it and I was really being tough, and so was he, and we were going back and forth. And then we fell in love, OK?

(LAUGHTER)

No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters. And they're great letters. We fell in love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: "We fell in love." He fell in love with Kim Jong-Un.

BOOT: Wow. The love that dare not speak its name. I mean, this is crazy. I recall what Donald Trump himself said about North Korea just in January of this year, in his State of the Union, where he said, no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea. And he introduced the parents of Otto Warmbier, the American student, who was killed in North Korea. This is the same regime. It hasn't changed one iota since January. This is the same murderous thug that he was rightly denouncing in February, and now he's in love with -- I mean, literally in love with. This is crazy. I can't imagine any former American president saying anything remotely like this, and if he had, Republicans would have gone crazy, and rightly so. This is just so -- I mean, I don't know what to say beyond the fact that it's crazy, deranged, and makes no sense.

LIZZA: One of the important things that a president needs to do is be realistic and honest about the threats that the United States faces in the world, right? Not to overhype them, not to under hype them. But his entire view of threats is based on his personal relationship with the leader. And it's bizarre, to say the least.

BLITZER: To say the least.

And, Nia (sic), very quickly, all of a sudden, the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee want 24 additional interviews -- 24 interviews to be conducted by the FBI this week in connection with the Kavanaugh confirmation.

[13:54:58] COATES: And a lot of these people on the list are people that came from the testimony of Brett Kavanaugh, through interviews on different media networks, saying that they knew Brett Kavanaugh at that time, that he had belied this impression of himself by talking about this stoic or this altar boy. Leslie Brooks is on the list, of people who talked about. She came on Chris Cuomo's show a couple of days ago, talking about how this was a real injustice in a way, talking about his alcohol record, et cetera. So the list of people are derived from his own statements, proving again, whatever you do or say in a court of law can be used against you.

BLITZER: Everyone, stick around.

We'll continue to follow the breaking news. Judge Brett Kavanaugh also under fire for what some are calling lies regarding his past drinking habits in high school and college. And yearbook entries. How the president of the United States is responding. That, and a lot more, right after this.

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