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More Cabinet Picks For Trump Administration; Political Panel Discusses The Possible Cabinet Picks. Somali Community Leader Talk about OSU Attack; OSU Attacker's Family Saw No Warning Signs; Terrorism a Possible Motive in OSU Attack. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired November 29, 2016 - 13:00   ET

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


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: -- here in Washington, 9:00 p.m. in Moscow, 3:00 a.m. Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea. Wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us.

Up first, filling the cabinet. We're learning more of President-elect Donald Trump's picks for key positions in his administration. His choice for transportation secretary is Elaine Chao. She was labor secretary under President George W. Bush and deputy transportation secretary under George H. W. Bush. She's married to Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell.

The president-elect has also decided on key positions that could affect Americans' health care. Republican Congressman Tom Price from Georgia is his pick for Health and Human Services secretary. Price is the chairman of the House Budget Committee and was early Trump supporter. He's an orthopedic surgeon and a staunch critic of Obamacare.

Seema Verba -- Verma, I should say, is Trump's choice for administrator of Medicare and Medicaid services. She's founder and CEO of a health policy consulting firm. She worked with Governor and now Vice President-elect Mike Pence to revamp Medicaid in Indiana.

Our Correspondent Phil Mattingly is joining us now. He's outside Trump Tower in New York City. Phil, what more can you about these latest cabinet picks? Why were they chosen?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I think we have to look at the importance as they pertain to actual policies and the agenda of the president-elect.

And if you look at these three selections, they fill in quite nicely with very key issues that the president-elect made major campaign issues throughout.

Now, if you want to talk about health care, obviously, Tom Price, as you noted, a Republican congressman from Georgia, while he was very opposed to the Affordable Care Act and Obamacare, he's also noteworthy because he was the House Republican that was really leading the way on an alternative. So, he understands the policy.

When you talk to Trump advisors, and, frankly, Wolf, when you talk to Republicans on Capitol Hill, why they like this pick, why they are obtrusive (ph) in their praise for Congressman Price is he understands the complexities that are necessary to grasp if you want to not just repeal the Affordable Care Act, but also try and figure out a way to replace it as well.

The same goes for Seema Verma who's very well respected from Republicans, very happy to know that she will be terming -- teaming with Tom Price here.

But then, also, Wolf, it's important to note, what is one of the key issues the president-elect kind of talked about repeatedly throughout the campaign? A very large infrastructure proposal.

Elaine Chao, as transportation secretary, will absolutely take -- help run point on that. Having somebody of her caliber who, as you noted, with her many government positions, understands Washington, understands how the federal government works.

And, obviously, has a very close relationship with the Senate majority leader. That seen as a net positive, not just inside Trump Tower but with Republicans on Capitol Hill -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Phil, as you know, Donald Trump is going to have dinner tonight with Mitt Romney. What does this say, the suspense, the intrigue surrounding the possibility that Mitt Romney could emerge as the secretary of state?

MATTINGLY: Yes, it's interesting to watch these other cabinet picks roll out with very little to no drama at all. And most of them lauded by Republicans across the board. Not so much with the secretary of state position.

We've been watching the last 72 hours as all sorts of names have bubbled up. People have come in to meet. But Mitt Romney is the individual that stands out.

And, look, it's no secret that there are individuals inside the president-elect's team, most notably is former campaign manager, now close advisor, Kellyanne Conway, who are very opposed to the idea of the 2012 nominee joining the cabinet.

Still, Mitt Romney will be the first individual who has had second face-to-face meeting with the president-elect during this transition process. This isn't just any meeting. This is a one-on-one, principles-only dinner tonight in New York City.

Does this mean he's got the job? When you talk to transition officials, they say, no. No decision has been made yet. But it's very clear, despite the very clear opposition inside the transition operation, Mitt Romney, at least at this point, Wolf, still in the running.

BLITZER: Do we know where they're having dinner?

MATTINGLY: We don't yet. We don't yet. We know that there will be a dinner and it's going to be off-site. But we haven't been told the specific location yet.

As you know, Wolf, though, chasing the president-elect throughout this transition process can sometimes be a harrowing and surprising endeavor. But we'll definitely let you guys know when we figure that out.

BLITZER: Yes, I hope they let that press pool in the motorcade so at least they can follow the president-elect wherever he's going. They don't have to go inside for the dinner. That's a private dinner. Let them enjoy their dinner.

But that press pool, as we all know, should be part of that motorcade. Wait outside and just make sure that everything is OK.

Thanks so much, Phil, for that report.

Let's get some more on the Trump transition from our panel. A.B. Stoddard is joining us. She's associate editor columnist for "Real Clear Politics." Our Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny is with us and our CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger is with us as well.

Let's talk about, first of all, some of the appointments or the choice of Tom Price to be the secretary of Health and Human Services. He is a physician himself.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. He's been very involved in crafting alternatives to Obamacare. He believes it needs to be repealed but he actually has ideas, conservative ideas, for replacing it.

[13:05:01] He has laid out a plan, and he has brought it to Congress already. Where you give tax credits to people to buy their own insurance. You establish health savings accounts.

And so, this is somebody that -- and the reason that -- one of the reasons Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House, is so pleased is that there is no learning curve for Tom Price when it comes to Obamacare. He's ready to go on day one.

He has said his plan is quite conservative but he has also, you know, made the case that he's open to compromise, if need be.

And we already know that the president-elect has talked about keeping -- allowing people to keep the provisions that say you can't be denied insurance for preexisting conditions or keeping your adult children on your plan.

BLITZER: He says he was influenced by President Obama in that meeting. Kids up in -- children up until the age of 26 can remain on their parents' health insurance programs as part of Obamacare.

What do we know, Jeff, about Seema Verma who's going to be taking over as head of the administrator of Medicare and Medicaid services?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, she's from Indiana. And, I think, that is very important here and not a coincidence. Of course, she's very close to Mike Pence, Vice President-elect. And she has largely overseen the Medicaid issues in the state of Indiana.

She's viewed also as a conservative. Not a surprise, of course. And this is the Trump administration here. But this is not a confirmable position. This is someone who will be working on this.

But I think it also shows what role of influence Mike Pence, the Vice President-elect has on all this. He's very close to Tom Price. Served alongside him in the House.

So, I think that these, taken together, show, A, that they are serious about doing something about this as a major issue. And, B, that the vice president-elect is very involved in this.

And one other thing about Tom Price is very. Watch an early confirmation on him, potentially. But, again, he's one of those numbers Congress, somebody who people are very familiar with.

Even though Democrats won't agree on this, Republicans don't need Democratic votes for this -- for these confirmations.

BLITZER: And it's interesting because you make a good point. Mike Pence, A.B., clearly has the president-elect's ear. He's very influential in emerging with some of these picks. And I assume he was very influential in having Elaine Chao be selected as the new transportation secretary.

A.B. STODDARD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND COLUMNIST, "REAL CLEAR POLITICS": Elaine Chao obviously has -- comes to this ready to go just like Mike Price -- Tom Price, excuse me. Elaine Chao served in the Bush administration as labor secretary.

She's, obviously, well versed in the legislative battles that go on between the executive branch and the legislative branch, her husband being Senate majority leader.

And I think she is a consensus pick that everyone is really thrilled about. And I know several Trump supporters and surrogates also are really applauding this pick.

I think that Mike Pence is a really interesting part of this. He's took over the transition effort. Has been -- was far more influential in, sort of, Trump's ear, guiding him be -- during the campaign, before the election than I think than people realized.

Mike Pence also was a fan of the Romney pick. I think that's probably going nowhere and I think the dinner a final good-bye. And it looks like this entire thing was an effort to humiliate him.

I'm absolutely willing to be surprised by Donald Trump, --

BORGER: I'm not so sure.

STODDARD: -- always is full of surprises. But if Romney makes it over the finish line, I'd give a lot of credit to Mike Pence.

BORGER: Well, and I'm not so sure that -- I mean, I talked to somebody involved in the transition last night who said to me that the Romney dinner was quite meaningful. But cautioned me that throwing Petraeus into the mix could potentially up-end everything. But that Pence is not pushing for Romney --

STODDARD: Right.

BORGER: -- necessarily.

STODDARD: Not a heavy hand.

ZELENY: But supportive of the idea.

STODDARD: Yes.

BORGER: But supportive of the idea. And, you know, I think what you see is Mike Pence, excuse me for using a Yiddish term, he's kind of the yenta here in fixing people up and bringing people in to see how they get along with Donald Trump. Because these are people that perhaps Donald Trump doesn't know well, Mitt Romney not being one of them.

But all of these policy people, for example, are people that Pence is familiar with.

ZELENY: And these one-on-one meetings, the dinner tonight. I mean, advisers can say what they want to say, but this is something that is Donald Trump's choice and this is something that's very personal to him. So, I think that any speculation about what this means --

BORGER: Right.

ZELENY: -- we're going to have to hold off for a while. Because this is -- the idea that he invited him there, I would be surprised if that was just, you know, see you later. He didn't need to have him in.

I think he's still very much keeping an open mind about it, at least that's what Romney intimates will say. They say they frankly don't know. But they do say, if Romney is asked, he will almost certainly serve because that is in his DNA.

BLITZER: It certainly is in his DNA. And -- but all of these -- with the exception of Bob Corker, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We know the history of Mitt Romney, what was -- the words that were exchanged during the campaign.

With Rudy Giuliani, there's apparently a lot of foreign business entanglements that could be a problem during confirmation process. And we know the conviction of General Petraeus, that could be a potential problem during confrontation.

[13:10:08] Bob Corker, A.B., he's the one who seems like the safest bet to sail through, first of all, his own committee and then the Senate. STODDARD: I agree. And I think it's interesting. You know, he was on -- he was in the veepstakes for a bit. He actually, sort of, took himself out of it. He would be a good fit for this job. And you are right. It is the safe choice of all these others. I think Rudy really has problems. Even those closest to Trump are worried he couldn't really pass the vet.

Petraeus brings up the same other, sort of, hypocrisy charges that you campaigned against Hillary Clinton for all these reasons. And both Rudy Giuliani and General Petraeus bring that to the table. I'm surprised we haven't seen more, sort of, meetings with Corker.

And I'm surprised we haven't seen a meeting with Josh Bolten. I just -- there are these other dark horses, I believe, could still end up being the pick that we haven't been paying the most attention to.

BLITZER: Yes, you think Corker would be the safest selection right now?

ZELENY: Sure. In terms of being confirmed I think absolutely. And I think the -- he would be safe among the people who are criticizing Romney and supporting Romney. So, he probably falls in the middle there.

But, again, this is going to be a choice that Donald Trump is clearly not in a hurry to make here. He's naming all these other people. He wants to give it some time here. But, sure, he'd be safe if the idea was to confirm him quickly.

BORGER: You know, I think that what we know about Donald Trump is loyalty is key. So, the fact that Romney is even -- is even on the docket here as a potential secretary of state is a big deal.

I'm wondering whether the conversations are about loyalty and about the campaign? And, look, you did this. I'm the boss. If you disagree with me, will you go out there and say what I tell you to say? And the answer I'm sure from Romney would be, yes. He's used to being the boss. He demands that of his own people.

But I wonder whether they're -- Donald Trump is looking for a way to get there, because his gut may not be there yet. Because he understands what Kellyanne Conway is saying. He gets that.

BLITZER: He authorized her to go out there on the Sunday shows and utter those words about Mitt Romney which were pretty tough.

BORGER: Right. And she's not the only one who feels that way internally.

BLITZER: But she's a senior adviser there right in the middle of all of this.

BORGER: Right. But she -- as she pointed out, she's not making the decisions.

ZELENY: We're seeing a very unusually open, in some respects, sort of, you know, argument for this. There's a pros side of Romney, a con side of Romney, obviously. But, again, Donald Trump knows. But I think Gloria is right. You've spent so much time with Governor Romney. You know everything about him.

And I think that having that one-on-one face-to-face, I was told, a meeting of just the two of them. I don't believe any advisers or spouses or anything. That is a time where you could ask for loyalties. So, interesting breaking bread tonight.

BORGER: And one little piece of history here which is Romney is often governed by what his father did. His father, George Romney, served in Richard Nixon's cabinet. And then, ended up quitting the cabinet. And he was HUD secretary. And he ended up quitting the cabinet over a policy issue. And writing Nixon, what is now a famous letter, about how he disagreed with him.

And, you know, think about that in the back of -- in the back of Donald Trump's mind, in the back of Mitt Romney's mind, that his father left rather than be disloyal.

BLITZER: Yes. All right, we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens at that dinner tonight. I suspect that Donald Trump, or the president-elect, is getting closer and closer to a key decision.

Coming up, investigators are searching right now for a motive in the attack at Ohio State University, hoping the attacker's recent social media post may offer some clues. What they have found. We have new information.

And a secret ballot cast tomorrow will determine if the House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, keeps her job. And some members of Congress came out this morning in support of her rival, Congressman Tim Ryan. He's standing by to join us live. We'll have the latest from his perspective on this enormous battle that's emerging over the House Democratic leadership race.

We'll be right back.

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[13:17:51] BLITZER: At Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio, students are back in class today after that terrifying rampage that wounded 11 people on campus. Police are trying to pin down the motive as details emerge about the attacker. Authorities say Abdul Razak Ali Artan appears to have posted a message on social media shortly before ramming his car into a group of people on the sidewalk and charging at others with a knife. The post says in part, quote, "my brothers and sisters, I am sick of tired of seeing my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters being killed and tortured everywhere."

CNN's Rosa Flores is in Columbus for us.

Rosa, you have a guest there, someone who has spoken with the family, is that right? ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's correct. This is Hassan Omar.

He's a community leader here in the Somali community. And, Hasan, I want to go straight to the question, because one of the big questions right now is, why? Police are looking at terror as a possible motive. You've talked to the family. Could you shed some light on what they think happened?

HASSAN OMAR, SOMALI COMMUNITY LEADER: First of all, the Somali community condemns this horrific action. The senseless violence. We've been here in Ohio for the last 20 years. We have never seen any problems at all. And this has been a very shock, become a shock in our community. As you mentioned, not only the family, but the whole Somali community here in the United States, in Columbus, we are feeling real (INAUDIBLE). It's a bad time for us.

Secondly, as you mentioned, I met the mother and I saw her last night. And she told me that her kid was a normal kid. He went to school yesterday morning. She was not expecting him to commit any crime or anything. And then she was absolutely told me that, but you can imagine that somebody who was (ph) his family.

FLORES: Any idea what made him snap?

OMAR: Really, no. She doesn't know at all. She doesn't know. She said, my kid was the best of guy (ph). She's been here for two years and has already has three -- two graduated college. (INAUDIBLE) associate degree. It was a third year (ph) in college. So imagine somebody who came to this country for two years ago, and a third year in college. So she said he was good (INAUDIBLE), good for the family, and he never had a problem. So she hadn't experienced any change.

[13:20:07] FLORES: So there was no change leading up to this event? Nothing weird that she noticed, suspicious?

OMAR: That's what -- that's what she told us, really. And she was scared for the community itself. The Somali community. The backlash. Because, you know, these things happen. When things happen, we always see people who commit a crime around the nation. Last week I was watching in New Orleans, somebody, you know, shot some -- other people, and then all of a sudden -- yes. So this is very bad for us.

FLORES: Any idea as to what inspired him to do this?

OMAR: Really, no, I -- we don't have an idea. You know, it's law enforcement are investigating the case. They are working on it. And I' not the law enforcement. I represent for the community. As far as I know, and I met the mother and also I met the community wide and I spoke to so many people. I haven't seen anybody tell me that any different, you know, information.

FLORES: Any sign of -- of inspiration of some sort?

OMAR: Any sign of inspirations or motivation or any other thing, really.

FLORES: Hassan, thank you so much. OMAR: You're welcome.

FLORES: I really appreciate it.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: All right, Rosa, thank you very much.

Let's get some more now. Joining us, Paul Cruickshank. He's a CNN terrorism analyst, the co-author of the book "Agent Storm: My Life Inside al Qaeda." Also Kimberly Dozier is with us, a CNN global affairs analyst, contributing writer at "The Daily Beast."

So, Paul, after reading this FaceBook posting in which he complained about Muslim -- his Muslim brothers and sisters being persecuted, if you will, and there were other reference. There was a reference to Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born al Qaeda cleric, if you will, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike. Do you believe this was an act of terror?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Short answer, yes. Very strong indications indeed that this was an act of Islamist terrorism on that FaceBook page talking about Anwar al-Awlaki, an American Yemeni cleric who called for a relentless campaigns of attacks against the United States, as our hero, saying that he believed in retribution against the infidels, believed that up to a billion of them could be killed. This was clearly, according to his own words, an act of Islamist terrorism. Also calling on the United States to make peace it appears with ISIS to stop these kind of lone wolf attacks. He attacked civilians. He was imbuing these attacks with a clear political objective. That is the very definition, Wolf, of terrorism.

BLITZER: So at a minimum, do you believe, Kimberly, that he was inspired on social media, for example, by the likes of Anwar al- Awlaki, to go out and to commit murder -- he didn't kill anybody, but he certainly tried to, ramming his car up on this pedestrian sidewalk. And then once the car stopped, getting out with a butcher's knife and starting to slash pedestrians?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, officials I've spoken to were scrubbing his social media to try to see, did he have some contact? Was he visiting websites?

BLITZER: One thing is contact with an individual, but another thing is inspiration. Was he inspired as a minimum? Obviously, if there was a direct contact, a direct exchange with somebody from ISIS or al Qaeda or al Shabaab and some other terrorist group, that would be even more significant.

DOZIER: Yet the only post he had pointing in that direction was on the day of the attack. So what they're looking for is sign or signs prior to this that they could have spotted. They're trying to find out, was he self-radicalized or in communication with someone. They also are interviewing family members. One of the things that, as we just heard from the interview, that they would look for beforehand was, had his behavior changed? He seemed to have been masking that at home, according to his own mother.

So they say to themselves, well, how could we have spotted this? He came in as a refugee with his mother. He would have been interviewed as part of the family unit by officials, but there is no follow-up at this point a couple years down the line to visit these refugees. That is something that's being considered in Congress, but its legislation that hasn't passed.

BLITZER: I assume a Trump administration will even be more forceful in those reconsiderations, if you will.

He was only 18 years old. A third-year student at Ohio State University. Graduated from Columbus State, a community college, apparently with honors. He seemed like a very bright kid. Only in the United States since 2014. The family was originally from Somalia, but then wound up, for some reason, in Pakistan and after a thorough vetting, I assume, the family was allowed to come to the United States. How unusual is that?

CRUICKSHANK: Well, we see those stories time and time again. I mean there are a lot of refugees that have come to the United States. The vast, vast majority of them never get involved with any kind of violence. But, obviously, we've seen a small -- very, very small minority who have. He was just 16 when he came into the United States. May not have been radicalized at all. It maybe have been pretty recent that he was radicalized.

But that FaceBook posting, the language he uses suggests that he had been sort of deeply animated by this jihadis ideology, that it was something that was propelling him towards action. [13:25:09] He also talks about the oppression, the killings against Muslims in Myanmar (ph). That's something that the United Nations drew attention to just last week saying that there was a campaign of ethnic cleansing by the regime there against Muslims in the north of the country. In the posting saying that that tipped him towards boiling point. Why would he blame the United States on this? Well, under the Obama administration, there's been a (INAUDIBLE) with Myanmar (ph) and sanctions were only lifted last month.

BLITZER: So clearly he's -- he was spending a lot of time, I assume, on social media learning about all the -- these kinds of alleged atrocities that are going on against his fellow Muslim brothers and sisters and even if his family, even if his parents weren't aware, something was going on inside of him that compelled him at that moment yesterday to start slashing people, if you will. This was a horrendous, horrendous act.

All right, guys, we're going to continue our analysis. We're going to get more information. Thanks very much for joining us.

Coming up, we're less than a day away from learning who will lead House Democrats. The minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, trying to hang on to her seat, but Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan believes he's best for the minority leader job and the right person to take on President-elect Donald Trump. He's standing by live. We'll discuss, when we come back.

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