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Trump Jr Suggests Government Conspiracy Against His Dad; Christie Speaks Out Against Jared Kushner; Paul Ryan Unsure If He'll Run for Reelection Next Year; Tough Talk from Ambassador Nikki Haley at U.N. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired December 20, 2017 - 13:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:32:34] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: The president's son, Donald Trump Jr, believes the Russia investigation is part of a government conspiracy to block his father's agenda. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP JR, SON OF PRESIDENT DONALD TURMP: My father talked about a rigged system throughout the campaign and people were, oh, what are you talking about? But it is, and you're seeing it. There is and there are people at the highest levels of government that don't want to let America be America. They don't want to let the little guy have a voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Donald Trump Jr made those comments at a conservative right- wing student activist event in Florida. It came on the same day Andrew McCabe, the deputy director of the FBI, was grilled by members of the House Intelligence Committee during a closed-door session. The interview comes as Republicans call for McCabe -- at least some Republicans -- to be fired. They claim he has conflicts of interest because his wife in Virginia formally ran for political office as a Democrat.

Let's get perspective. Joining us, our senior politics reporter and editor-at-large, Chris Cillizza. And our chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, who has been covering all of this.

When you heard Donald Trump Jr, Jim, say what he said, is it all that different than what we've heard the president say about a hoax or witch-hunt and all of that?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It's part of a disturbing trend. Certainly, the Trump administration and the Republicans, some Republicans today aren't the first to say that a government institution or investigation isn't fair. Go back to the Clinton days or go back -- that's Bill Clinton, but Hillary Clinton with the FBI. They felt horribly done by the FBI.

What's different about this is this is a broader, more insidious accusation about the nature of our government, that there are people at the highest levels he says. This is about this deep-state conspiracy, which is an idea that in previous years you might expect to live only in the alt-right Web sites of the world. But now it's come forth. You have the president's son, and the president has said the same thing, about multiple institutions. The president said the Intelligence community is behaving like Nazis, the FBI is part of the deep state.

(CROSSTALK)

SCIUTTO: And this is insidious. These are institutions that are part of our system. And I can tell you dealing every day with people inside each of these institutions, hard-working people who dedicate their lives to government, civil servants who do so for multiple administrations of different parties, it's upsetting and concerting.

BLITZER: The words, "There are people at the highest levels of government that don't want to let America be America."

CHRIS CILLIZZA, CNN POLITICS REPORTER & CNN EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Yes.

[13:35:06] BLITZER: That's Donald Trump Jr.

CILLIZZA: I mean, look, the literal translation of that is there are people who are rooting against -- people who are working actively to undermine American and American values.

SCIUTTO: Who in America?

CILLIZZA: Right. Now, I don't know -- my guess is he doesn't know the sort of impact of words like that -- Don Jr, he's speaking in front of a friendly audience and he just talks and talks. But it's part of this broader embrace of this conspiracy theory that Donald Trump Sr has shown a willingness to do from the second he was a candidate, right? I saw thousands or hundreds of Muslims celebrating on New Jersey roof tops on 9/11. No proof that that's true. Maybe Ted Cruz's father was involved in the assassination of JFK. No proof that that's true.

SCIUTTO: Birth certificate.

(LAUGHTER)

CILLIZZA: Right. How could I forget?

The origin of the candidacy, Obama not being born in the country. So the problem here is it's not Donald Trump or Donald Trump Jr saying -- this is either the president or the eldest son of the president saying these things. Which I think Jim makes the good point, this used to be the stuff that would be in the fever swamps of the far right. And also, the far left had their own conspiracy theories. But the president has mainlined these things. He has taken them into the mainstream and said, I'm not saying this is true, but I'm not saying -- you know, simply by airing it, it gives it a level of credibility.

BLITZER: The New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, Jim, he's been pretty loyal to the president, but he is defending the Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Jared Kushner, the president's son- in-law, senior adviser. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R), NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: I'm telling you that he deserves the scrutiny. You know why? Because he was involved in the transition and involved in meetings that call into question his role. OK? If he's innocent of that, then that will come out as Mueller examines all the facts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A pretty startling statement coming from a Republican supporter of the president.

SCIUTTO: It is. Keep in mind, he's not the only Republican who has said and shown that they believe these investigations have merit. Look at Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He has said repeatedly these are open questions about involvement not just with Jared Kushner but there could be evidence of collusion, cooperation, et cetera. When you hear that, of course, this has the added personal tone because it was Chris Christie who happened to put Jared Kushner's father in prison for crimes. So we know they have some -- they certainly have bad blood there.

But it does show that when all Republicans make the charge, Mueller, the FBI, are all deep-state Democrats who have it in for the president, remember, that's not true. There are substantive Republicans, folks like Christie, who supported the president, Richard Burr, who campaigned for the president, Mike Conway, the acting chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who do not dismiss these civil servants, these institutions of being biased against the president.

CILLIZZA: To add to Jim's point, I always remind people, the reason we have a special counsel is because Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general in the Trump Justice Department, decided we needed one. Bob Mueller was appointed FBI director by George W. Bush. The idea that Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are behind the scenes orchestrating this is not born out on facts we can all agree on. This is the Trump Justice Department, not the Clinton Justice Department or the Obama Justice Department.

BLITZER: Chris and Jim, thanks very much. Good analysis.

Just over an hour or so from now, President Trump will be joined by congressional Republicans for a tax bill-passage event at the White House. We'll have live coverage of that. It comes as a new CNN poll shows the bill is very unpopular with the American public. Might it cost the GOP at the ballot box in November? Our panelists are standing by. They'll weigh in on that and a whole lot more.

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[13:43:25] BLITZER: Showing you live pictures coming in from Capitol Hill where Republican members of Congress are loading on to buses and ready to drive down Pennsylvania Avenue over to the White House. On the right side, a live shot of the White House. In just under two hours, that's where they'll be celebrating passing tax reform legislation with President Trump. I should say, in about an hour and fifteen minutes precise, 3:00 p.m. eastern. That's when the ceremony at the White House is scheduled to begin. Sometimes they run a few minutes late. We'll have live coverage of that coming up.

This legislation, now passed by the Senate and House, is the first major legislative victory for President Trump. House Speaker Paul Ryan so proud of the accomplishment that he posted this video online that shows him talking about passing tax reform throughout the years, going back all the way to the '90s. But today, at what could be the pinnacle of his time in office, this is what he said when asked about his personal future in the House of Representatives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN, (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I'm not going anywhere any time soon. I'm so focused on getting our agenda done. On questions way down the line, I'll address those way down the line. But in the meantime, we have a lot of work to do. I'm here to stay. I'm not going anywhere. If something changes down the road in the future, I'll address that down the road.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But you haven't decided to run for reelection yet?

RYAN: I haven't even -- it's not even 2018 yet. That's something my wife and I discuss later in the campaign year, something we haven't even discussed yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Let's discuss it amongst ourselves. Joining us, our CNN congressional reporter, Lauren Fox, CNN politics senior writer, Juana Summers, and CNN political director, David Chalian.

What's your reaction to those precise words the speaker used?

[13:45:07] DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: They were precise because they had no information in them. When I heard this, I sat there and said, that is the sitting speaker of the House of Representatives who is just coming off his biggest legislative victory of his career, who is unable to say 10 calendar days away from the election year whether or not he's seeking reelection in his congressional district next year. That's not the normal answer you give if you're all systems go. So for all the batting down of rumors he's been doing and trying to get donors to calm down that he is going to be around, there's no specificity to a timeline. To me, that's only going to raise more questions, not tamp them down.

BLITZER: Juana, how do you see it?

JUANA SUMMERS, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER: I covered Paul Ryan when he was running with Mitt Romney in 2012, and one thing that's important, he said he hasn't even talked to his wife yet. If you know Paul Ryan well, one thing you know is he has three young kids, who are about to be teenagers, so I think there's truth about it, these are conversations going on at home.

The other thing I think you need to know about Paul Ryan is that he's a policy guy. I don't think he has a lot of appetite for the bickering that goes back and forth between segments of his own party and the House. This is a crowning achievement for him, something he's wanted for years and years. I can understand how he'd be having soul searching. To David's point, the answer he gave won't quiet the chatter around what he plans to do.

BLITZER: It's been 30 years-plus in the making, Lauren, this major tax reform, tax cuts that the president is about to sign into law. The Republicans are thrilled right now, but should they be politically thrilled because the polls show, not so popular.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: That's right. And this was something majority leader, Mitch McConnell, had to address at his press conference when they're celebrating his big win. He said, look, I look forward to selling this to the American people. If we can't sell it to the American people, maybe we need to get different jobs. He was definitely pressing on that he looks forward to making red- state Dems uncomfortable with the fact they didn't vote for the bill. So I think a lot of Republicans believe, look, a lot of Americans will see more money in their pockets and they'll be happier with the tax bill once they see results, even though Democrats are messaging this as a tax cut for corporations.

BLITZER: Democrats are excited right now, too. They're looking at the polls. One poll that -- a CNN poll shows 56 percent of the people say they're more likely to vote for a Democrat in the midterm elections. Now there's a long time between now and November. Clearly, a lot can change. But you see right there, 56 percent say they're ready to vote for a Democrat.

CHALIAN: That 18-point gap, 56 percent Democrat and 38 percent Republican on the generic congressional ballot, that's huge. If that is the reality of the landscape right now, Republicans need to prepare for a potential big Democratic wave. As you said, there's time. This is matching what we're seeing on the ground in elections, New Jersey, Virginia. Even House races this year, where the Democrats came up short and didn't win, their enthusiasm and their turnout was higher than in the past. They have a 20-point advantage in our poll, Wolf, among those who say they are very or extremely enthusiastic about voting next year. Something Republicans are hoping this bill will start energizing their base.

BLITZER: Juana, what happens if the economy continues to hum along very nicely, 3 percent growth, maybe even more unemployment record slows, stock market record highs, and middle-class families, starting in February, they see their paychecks and they're getting a few hundred dollars, a little bit more money in the course -- because of the result of this tax cut? That could help the Republicans.

SUMMERS: It could, but that remains to be seen. Again, the head of the Republican Party, the person at the head of the ticket is Donald Trump, and while you've seen the economy to come along well and he has this victory, his favorability has not risen as those things have happened. So it remains to be seen because, at the end of the day, the president is the leader of the party. Can Republicans, while they still have an unpopular president, ride that wave in 2018? Not sure.

BLITZER: Lauren, you cover Congress for us. Are they going to get this temporary spending bill passed by the end of this week, so the government does not shut down?

FOX: That's the major question right now. We saw Senator Susan Collins, who argued part of her vote on the tax bill would be making sure she got the Obamacare stabilization bills. She says she is comfortable with the fact that won't happen at the end of the year. That was a key sticking point between House Republicans and Senate Republicans. House Republicans said we're not willing to be jammed with that at the end of the year. So I think that that is progress moving forward but, stay tuned, we have about two days left.

BLITZER: It would be a very short term continuing resolution, until January or so, just to keep the government going.

CHALIAN: Just to keep it going where it is now because they have these outstanding issues they need to resolve, and they realize they won't resolve it if they want to get home for Christmas.

BLITZER: What's happening, Juana, with the DREAMers, the DACA. Jeff Flake, among others, voted for this tax cut because he was assured, yes, these 800,000 or so DREAMers, the children brought here by their parents illegally, we be allowed to stay, that have grown up here in the United States.

[13:50:11] SUMMERS: I believe we saw Senator Flake say on Twitter there will be a vote on that sometime after the first of the year. That's one of the biggest issues lawmakers have to confront as we are looking forward into what is the biggest priorities and the biggest deals ahead of 2018.

BLITZER: Juana, Lauren, David, thanks, guys, very much.

Ambassador Nikki Haley over at the United Nations issuing a stern warning to both foes and friends of the United States, saying she's, quote, "taking names" of any country which votes in favor of the United Nations resolution to condemn America for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capitol.

And look at this. Right now, Republican lawmakers once again boarding buses, getting ready to drive over to the White House. They'll join the president over there in what's being billed as a celebration of the just-passed tax bill. We'll have live coverage and a lot more when we come back.

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[13:55:30] BLITZER: Once again, members of Congress, Republicans in this particular case, getting ready to board the buses to take them to the White House for this ceremony celebrating the passage of the tax reform legislation with the president. That's coming up in an hour or so. We'll have live coverage of that.

In the meantime, there is other news we are following. The U.S. ambassador to United Nations, Nikki Haley, has issued a stern warning to her U.N. counterparts. It comes ahead of the U.N. General Assembly vote to reject President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capitol and to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. She tweeted this, "At the U.N., we are always asked to do more and give more, so when we make a decision at the will of American people about where to locate our embassy, we don't expect those we've helped to target us. On Thursday there will be a vote criticizing our choice. The U.S. will be taking names."

The threatening line came after Ambassador Haley was outnumbered, 14- 1, in a U.N. Security Council resolution vote.

Let's discuss this with my next guess, CNN military and diplomatic analyst, retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby. He served as former State Department and Pentagon spokesman during the Obama administration.

John, thanks very much for coming in.

REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY, CNN MILITARY & DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: Yes.

BLITZER: So the president, he echoed just a while ago what Nikki Haley just said. Listen to the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I like the message that Nikki sent yesterday at the United Nations. For all these nations that take our money and then they vote against us at the Security Council, or they vote against us potentially at the assembly, they take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us. We are watching those folks. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care. But this isn't like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars and nobody knows what they're doing.

So, Nikki, that was the right message that you and I agreed to be sent yesterday. And I've had a lot of good comment on it, believe me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: It sounds like the president is going to be watching, you know, U.S. foreign-aid recipients, close friends of the United States, whether Jordan, or Egypt or other Arab countries, Muslim countries, that receive significant U.S. foreign aid. And he's at least threatening, you know what, that money will be shut down if you vote in favor of this resolution criticizing the United States.

KIRBY: Yes, it's a very transactional way of looking at diplomacy. Goes to his idea of competitive diplomacy. But unfortunately, he'll be cutting his own nose to spite his face, because the foreign aid and assistance that we give, that's, indeed, what he's talking about cutting. It actually goes to help security and stability issues in places where they need the help and assistance and where maybe we can prevent conflict and prevent threats that could eventually challenge the homeland. There is a purpose for aide and assistance. It's not charity. There is a real political and diplomatic reason to do that. So I think it's insane and self-defeating for him to make a threat like that.

BLITZER: In the letter she circulated to other members of the U.N., Nikki Haley said, what the U.S. has done with President Trump is simply say the U.S. embassy eventually will be moved and that the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capitol. But she goes into detail saying there is no decision about the sovereign borders of Jerusalem, there's no impact on the holy sites, the status quo will continue. The president, she writes, clearly voiced support for a two-state solution, Israel, Palestine. She wrote at length to say, you know what, you guys are overreacting.

KIRBY: They want their cake and eat it, too, Wolf. Yes, it's true his declaration didn't talk about specific boundaries and final resolutions about that, which has always been the discussion about the fact that the status of Jerusalem would be an outcome of negotiations between the parties. But they want their cake and eat it. They want to be able to say, well, yes, Jerusalem is the capital city. Wolf, they have to live with that now. They knew before they made that declaration it would be controversial and not well received around the world, and now they have to live with it in the U.N. That's big-boy diplomacy. That's what working inside the U.N. is all about. They need to stop acting like kindergarteners.

BLITZER: And 14 members of the U.N. Security Counsel -- there's 50 members all together. The United States voted against the resolution. All the others, including close allies, Britain, France, among others, voted in favor of that resolution.

KIRBY: Absolutely.

BLITZER: All right, John Kirby, we'll see what happens tomorrow at the General Assembly.

That's it for me. Thanks very much for watching. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. eastern in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

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