Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

Brett Kavanaugh And Christine Blasey Ford Prepare To Testify To The Senate; Trump And Rosenstein Meeting Postponed; President Trump Claims Of China Interference In Midterm Election; Donald Trump Receives New Letter From Kim Jong-Un; They Were Laughing With Me, Trump Says On U.N. Speech. Aired at 8-8:30a ET

Aired September 27, 2018 - 08:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:00:00] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to "News Stream."

Historic hearing, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and one of his accusers prepare to testify.

Claims of interference, China pushes back on the U.S. president's comments that Beijing is trying to meddle in the U.S. midterm elections.

And beautiful piece of art. Donald Trump waxes poetic about a new letter he has received from Kim Jong-un.

And we begin in Washington on a day that is both high stakes and historic. Now, those words, they may seem over the top to some but it is hard to

oversee the gravity of this moment in U.S. politics, in law and culture.

Now, let's bring up for you live pictures from Capitol Hill where in just a few hour from now President Trump's pick to join the Supreme Court will

fight to keep his nomination alive amid growing accusations of sexual misconduct. And hanging in the balance, a chance to alter the direction of

the Supreme Court for decades as well as a potentially defining moment in the MeToo Movement.

Three decades after they first met as teenagers, Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, they will testify to the U.S. Senate. At the center

of it all, Ford's claims that Kavanaugh assaulted her during a party in 1982.

A veteran sex crimes prosecutor picked by Republicans will question Ford first followed by Kavanaugh. While Ford will be the only accuser in

Congress today, she was not alone. At least four others have come forward with claims about Kavanaugh in recent days. Two of them publicly, the other

anonymously.

But we should be very clear here. Kavanaugh has denied all of these allegations. And today's hearing brings to mind another critical Supreme

Court showdown more than 20 years ago when then nominee Clarence Thomas faced off against Anita Hill over her claims of sexual harassment. Thomas

would go on to be confirmed as an associate justice by a narrow vote.

Let's go now to Capitol Hill in Washington and straight to CNN's Sunlen Serfaty, and Sunlen, this again, is a high stakes hearing, not just the

Senate, but the world is waiting to hear what Christine Blasey Ford has to say. How is this hearing going to unfold?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're absolutely right, Kristie, and that this is a make or break moment. It is veru hard to

oversee just how large this moment is for Capitol Hill, for Brett Kavanaugh, for the Supreme Court.

There of course have been lots of fast moving (inaudible) development, many twist and turns, new allegations and new denials. But it does all come down

to this moment. We will hear for the first time today, we will see her face, we will hear her voice, Christine Blasey Ford and her story through

her own words. We also will hear from Brett Kavanaugh who, of course, is fighting for his future.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SERFATY (voice-over): Embattled Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, (inaudible) string of unsubstantiated new allegations ahead of today's high

profile hearing with Christine Blasey Ford. Ford is accusing Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in high school.

In prepared testimony released in advance of the hearing, Ford says the memory of the alleged assault has haunted her, writing, "I am here today

not because I want to be. I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me." Kavanaugh's testimony about

Ford expected to echo this denial from an interview with Fox News earlier this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRETT KAVANAUGH, U.S. SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I am not questioning and have not questioned that perhaps Dr. Ford at some point in her life was sexually

assaulted by some one in some place. But what I now is I have never sexually assaulted anyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: The judge's prepared testimony casting the barrage of accusations he is facing in last minute smears stressing, "I will not be intimidated

into withdrawing from this process. This effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out."

The Senate Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley responding to criticism that the committee is not taking the allegations against Kavanaugh seriously in

releasing a detailed timeline of their investigation. The new document revealing three conversations committee staff had with two men who believe

they, not Judge Kavanaugh had the encounter with Dr. Ford in the summer of 1982, but is the basis of his complaint.

The judiciary committee also releasing two transcripts from conversations they had with Kavanaugh, which revealed that the committee also questioned

Kavanaugh about two other anonymous accusations of sexual assault, relayed to Senators Corey Gardner and Sheldon Whitehouse.

[08:05:06] Kavanaugh denied both allegations. And the individual who reached out to Senator Whitehouse appears to have retracted his statement

online.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY, CHAIRMAN, SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: We have had accusation after accusation and accusation. Very few of them or if any

corroborated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: These new details coming after a third woman, Julie Swetnik, in a sworn statement to the Senate, alleges that she saw Kavanaugh at high

school parties drinking excessively and engaging in sexual misconduct, claiming she saw Kavanaugh and his classmate, Mark Judge, try to get girls

inebriated and disoriented so they could be gang raped.

Swetnick writing that she was a victim of gang rape at a party Kavanaugh allegedly attended. Kavanaugh, responding in a statement writing, "This is

ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone. I don't know who this is and this never happened."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My client came out because she wants the truth known and she was very disturbed by the fact that people were casting aspersions

related to Dr. Ford and the believability of her allegations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: President Trump claiming he maybe persuaded by today's testimony from Ford.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to be watching, you know, believe it or not. I'm going to see what is said. It's possible

that they would be convincing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: But defending Kavanaugh in personal terms and suggesting the MeToo movement unfairly threatens powerful men.\

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I've had a lot of false charges made against me so when I see it, I view it differently than somebody sitting home watching television. In this

case, you are guilty until proven innocent. I think that is a very, very dangerous standard for our country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SERFATY: In the middle of the drama over today's hearing, it is certainly worth taking a step back and looking at the math (ph), which is so

important to hear. You have Republicans heading into this committee knowing that they very likely at this point do not have the votes that they need to

confirm Brett Kavanaugh.

And that's why this testimony today is so important. We will be paying very close attention to the likes of Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Jeff Flake.

Key undecided Republican swing votes here that could very well tip this for or against Brett Kavanaugh, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Someone's history will be (inaudible) at this hearing and you'll be there to cover it all for us. Sunlen Serfaty, reporting live for us from

Capitol Hill, thank you. Let's talk more about this historic hearing with CNN legal analyst Shan Wu in Washington and in New York, CNN's senior

political analyst John Avlon.

Greetings to you both. Thank you for joining us here on the program. John, we're going to start with you. This has been called historic. This hearing

is going to have ripple effects on Congress, on the Supreme Court, on the American people. What is your thinking right now about what is going to

happen? What's a stake here?

JOHN AVALON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, an enormous amount is at state. This is of course a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court and

this is one of those days, one of those moments where the three branches of government collide with massive implications and nobody is sure how it is

going to turn out.

There are hard partisans on either side. Then debate has been dominated by tribalism, but the key votes in the Senate will be those swing voters.

There are three Republicans and three Democrats who everyone is looking at to see if they can cross the 50 percent threshold.

This is unprecedented. Not, you know, contentious hearings certainly, but these allegations of sexual assault dating back to somebody's high school

era when he already been serving on a district court. There are intense feelings on both sides. There is a sense the court itself, of course, has

become politicized and that increases the bitterness.

And then it's all against the backdrop of the MeToo Movement and women speaking out and the president throwing some flames on the fire when he

says that this is an issue of innocent -- guilty until proven innocent. But this is history in the present tense. These are high stakes hearings today.

Can't be overstated.

LUS STOUT: John in New York, let's go to Shan who is standing by in Washington, D.C. And Shan, Christine Blasey Ford says that she was

assaulted a this house party in 1982. Kavanaugh says he wasn't there. I mean, this is literally a case of she said/he said. But legally, where is

the burden of proof?

SHAN WU, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's not an actual court proceeding. It certainly not a criminal trial so, there really isn't a burden of proof in

the usual sense. There is obviously in the political sense, as John was alluding to, this very high stakes political issue. There is a burden of

persuasion and the persuasion is that the Senate has to be persuaded that this is the right person for the job.

So with regard to these allegations, I have to say legally looking at it as a former sex crimes prosecutor, there is a very troubling pattern that is

emerging. The combination of the alcohol, the actions alleged towards the women, that's a pattern for which if I was looking at this from the point

of view of investigator in being no brainer this deserves very careful investigation.

[08:10:06] And for this he said/she said aspect of it, that's actually a pet peeve of mine as a former prosecutor. That is sort of a fiction. It's

never just the case that there are only two people in a vacuum that this happened between. There is always evidence that can corroborate it or not.

People that saw them before, people saw them afterwards, statements they may have made.

And it's very telling here that the majority in control of the committee wants it to be a he said/she said. They've put them in a vacuum. They won't

have any other witnesses. They don't want any trauma experts. They want it to be just one person's word and then the other person's word. So, it's a

very troubling situation not really well suited for revealing the truth to the American public.

LU STOUT: Got you. Now, let's give the conversation back to you, John Avalon, standing by in New York and joining us, you heard Shan say just

then, this is not an investigation, it's a hearing. This is about perception and persuasion. We know that a vote is scheduled for tomorrow.

Do you think this vote is going to go ahead to advance Kavanaugh's nomination?

AVALON: That is one of the big questions. Republicans understand or should that if they through with the vote tomorrow, they will be accused of

rushing this. As Shan said, they have not called other witnesses. Indeed, there is one individual, Mark Judge, who is alleged to have been in the

room when this incident occurred with Professor Ford.

They have chosen not to take up any of the other accusations that are out there, two of which are public and two of which are anonymous. So there

will be calls for them to slow the roll. Republicans want to push this through because we have the politics of this. The midterm is looming.

Democrats on their side will say Merrick Garland, President Obama's nominee, eminently respectable (inaudible) 62-years-old jurist, was denied

a vote at all in a political play. So those are some of the pressures behind it.

And then what it will be interesting to see is whether this flood of accusations, the impact it has on senators who maybe, you know, still --

that precious few that haven't made up their mind yet because there is certainly with the volume of accusations as such, is this could be an

attempt to do death by headline where it's (inaudible) of accusations as oppose to evidence.

And that may come into people's mind as well. But this is not a legal proceeding. This at the heart of the matter is political, it's perception,

and those two things are next to (inaudible).

LU STOUT: Absolutely. Let's take it back to Shan Wu. And Shan, again, this is about perception. This is political. It's not legal, but we do know that

a veteran sex crimes prosecutor will be there at this hearing questioning Blasey Ford. You know, this is a very intimidating scenario. What kind of

questions -- what line of questioning should we expect from her?

WU: Well, it's a very odd situation, actually. I think this is rather disgraceful that the senators have advocated their role in asking a

question. I mean, silly, they can't ask their own questions. It's an odd role for sex crimes prosecutor because usually she would be on the side of

the survivor presenting the evidence. We don't know. Maybe that's what she'll be doing.

But the questions would be to very methodically elicit the facts of what she recollects and putting it forth. I think the big question is whether

she is actually going to be more of an inquisitor and be cross-examining the survivor in this case, which is just the opposite role of what she

usually has.

Now, with Judge Kavanaugh, he's really in more of the role of the defendant in this case and normally a prosecutor would be cross-examining him, would

be looking for inconsistencies in his recollection, admissions he may have made, his walk back a little bit, his claim that he really never drank the

excess. So, those are areas that you would look for here to be pushing hard in.

LU STOUT: Is this something a day of reckoning in the U.S. Senate and the world will be watching. Shan Wu, joining us live from Washington, D.C.

John Avlon, live from New York, a big thank you to you both. You can see all of the U.S. Senate hearing of Brett Kavanaugh right here on CNN. We're

going to have extensive special coverage starting in just about 15 minutes from now.

U.S. President Donald Trump is now suggesting that the embattled deputy attorney general may not lose his job after all. Rod Rosenstein, who

oversees the Russia probe was scheduled to meet Mr. Trump today at the White House for a conversation that could see him resign or be fired. It

follows some media report that Rosenstein discussed secretly recording the president and getting the cabinet to remove him from office. But here's

what Mr. Trump said on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: He said he never said it. He said he doesn't believe it. He said he has a lot of respect for me and he was very nice, and we'll see. He's a

member of the Trump administration in that sense, it's the Justice Department. I would certainly prefer not doing that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The president also said he may delay today meeting with Rosenstein in order to avoid competing with the Kavanaugh hearing. The

meeting is not on the White House schedule. Coming up right here on "News Stream," Donald Trump accuses China of meddling in U.S. midterm elections.

But he doesn't offer any proof.

[008:15:06] Also ahead, after a week of tough talk from the U.S. president at the U.N. General Assembly, a letter from Kim Jong-un inspires a softer

tone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's a historic letter. And it is a historic letter. It's a beautiful -- it's beautiful piece of art.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: China has been attempting to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election.

They are trying to meddle in our election.

They would like to see me lose an election because they've never been challenged like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: U.S. President Donald Trump making those charges at a U.N. Security Council meeting that he was chairing. The subject of the meeting,

it was supposed to be non-proliferation, but Mr. Trump used the occasion to hurl the election interference accusation at Beijing. And China denies the

claim.

Now, CNN's Steven Jiang joins me now live from Beijing. Steven, good to see you. Thank you for joining us. President Trump conveyed this accusation

with very little details or evidence, and again, during a session that was meant to focus on proliferation issues. Was Beijing kind of blindsided by

this?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well Kristie, yes and no. The Chinese probably weren't expecting Mr. Trump to raise this issue on this particular

occasion but it was not the first time Mr. Trump making these accusations. He tweeted about it actually just a few weeks ago saying the Chinese

terrorist on American agricultural products and the industrial goods were targeting American farmers, ranchers, blue collared workers, people who

have voted for him in 2016 and attempt to impact the election. So, the Chinese probably saw it coming.

But so far, I think as you mentioned, Mr. Trump has been talking in broad and vague terms with very little details and not much specifics. I think

that's the key difference between the case against China versus the case against Russia as many have pointed out.

Now, for its part, the Chinese government has strongly denied these allegations, both in New York by the country's top diplomat, Wang Yi, but

also by a foreign ministry spokesman here just a few hours ago. That spokesman even took a swipe at the U.S. saying the whole world knows which

country is actually best known for interfering in other countries' domestic affairs, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Trump said that Beijing was interfering, meddling with the midterm election, again, with very little proof to back up that accusation.

He said that they were doing so because they did not want his Republican Party to do well given that the party has this tough stance on trade. Is

there actually some truth to that?

[08:19:53] JIANG: Well, some would actually agree with that. Ever since the Chinese have announced their list of tariffs against thousands of

American products, many have pointed out agricultural products featured prominently on that list including things like soy beans, and these are

definitely things are grown in the sates that went for Trump in 2016.

So people say these things are politically driven. Now but the thing is, these latest accusations, Kristie, along with the ongoing trade war, the

terrorist, and other recent White House move such as punishing the Chinese military for buying weapons from Russia and flying bombers to airspace

considered sensitive by the Chinese military.

All these things are only going to make the Chinese leadership more convinced. But one thing, that is the U.S. is out to get China because U.S.

is trying hard to contain the rise of a China. So that's only going to make this relationship add in to more uncertainty, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yes. And the U.S.-China relationship reaching new lows. Steven Jiang reporting live from Beijing. Thank you.

Donald Trump says that a second summit with North Korea's leader Kim Jong- un will happen fairly quickly. After Kim wrote a quote, "very beautiful letter" asking for one. Mr. Trump also called the letter extraordinary and

said that the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Pyongyang next month to setup a sequel to the Singapore Summit in June.

Now CNN's Will Ripley is here in Hong Kong. He joins us now, and Will, it seems that North Korea's so-called letter of diplomacy is working with

Donald Trump.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, wouldn't you like to know who is writing all of these letters? I mean, you know, presumably these are the

words of Kim Jong-un himself, but obviously people prepare these. And for President Trump to say incredible, extraordinary, beautiful, I mean, listen

to the colorful description that he gave about all of these.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: We have a very good relationship. He likes me. I like him. We get along. He wrote me two of the most beautiful letters. When I showed one of

the letters, just one, to Prime Minister Abe he said this is actually a groundbreaking letter. This is an incredible -- this is a historic letter,

and it is a historic letter. It' a beautiful -- it's a beautiful piece of art. And I think we're going to make a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: So, President Trump has letters. He has the returned 55 sets of purported U.S. service member remains from the Korean War. He has North

Korea either in the process of pledging to start to dismantle some of their testing sites regarding a nuclear program, but they still have all of the

nuclear missiles and he certainly doesn't have any agreements from the North Koreans to freeze their nuclear development or to start to dismantle

and get rid of their arsenal.

And he's now saying that it could take five years or however long, which is you know, obviously a 180 from when they were saying they wanted this done

in a matter of months. So, the letters, Kristie, obviously, having quite a powerful effect on President Trump.

LU STOUT: Yes, absolutely. And some also more interesting claims made by Donald Trump on Wednesday. He also made this claim without evidence that

former U.S. President Barack Obama newly launched a war with North Korea, and Will, can you fact check that for us

RIPLEY: Yes. That is flat out false according to members of the Obama administration. Every U.S. president, Obama, George W. Bush, Clinton, had

very detailed plans for what a war would look like on the Korean Peninsula and Obama ruled out military conflict because of that fact that it would

have been catastrophic for South Korea where there are 28,000 U.S. troops and tens of millions of people potentially in harms way.

So, the Obama administration was not on the verge of attacking North Korea. A war with North Korea with millions of people killed was not inevitable

had President Trump not been elected. But what is clear, Kristie, is that President Trump was very seriously considering a military option, you know,

until this diplomatic thaw begun.

And so, if there was any president that came very close, aside from perhaps President Clinton back in the spring of 1994 where we were all also very

close, it might be President Trump himself.

LU STOUT: Will Ripley as always, thank you. Now, one of the most head scratching moments from the bizarre news conference that we're just talking

about concern his opening statement at the U.N General Assembly. Now, do you remember this one from Tuesday?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: My administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country. America is -- so true. I

didn't expect that reaction, but that's OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Mr. Trump actually says that the diplomats, they weren't laughing at him but with him.

BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I heard a little rustle (ph). As I said, our country is now stronger than ever before. It's true. I mean, it is true. And I heard a

little rustle (ph) and I said its true and heard smiles and I said, oh, I didn't know if they'd be like that.

[08:25:02] They weren't laughing at me. They were laughing with me. We had fun. That was not laughing at me. So, the fake news said people laughed at

president -- they didn't laugh at me. People had a good time with me. We were doing it together. We had a good time. They respect what I've done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, there isn't much on the president's plate today at the UNGA after a morning meeting with U.N. Mission. He heads to back to Washington.

And before we go, it is a slimy slap in the face --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Under water?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: I'd watch it over and over again, but none other than hunting seal with a giant octopus in its mouth. Now a group of unsuspecting

kayakers, there were off the coast of New Zealand's South Island when this happened. They experienced this extraordinary raw moment of nature. You

know, it sure brought the group a lot of laughter and even more attention on social media. And we spoke with the marine biologist who is not that

surprised.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INGRID VISSER, MARINE BIOLOGIST: What you saw was a New Zealand fur seal feeding on an octopus and that's very typical to the species. They will

grab the octopus and bring them up to the surface and then trash them around like you saw and that is done for a couple of different reasons.

One, is to try and kill the octopus. The other one is also to dismember it because as you can see in the video, it's a pretty large octopus and it's

difficult for the seal to swallow it unless it can break it up into pieces. So that's what it was doing and the kayaker just happened to be in the

right place at the right time or maybe in his mind, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Well, if you ask me, I'm not sure who is more, stunned, the seal, the kayaker or the octopus. That is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu

Stout, but don't go anywhere. CNN's special coverage of the Brett Kavanaugh hearing with Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper starts right after the break.

[08:27:09] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END