Transcripts For CNNW Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer 201808

CNNW Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer August 24, 2018 22:00:00

A look at breaking news, politics and reports from around the world. A source familiar tells us that weisselbergs interview happened weeks ago and that it focused on Michael Cohen and the Hush Money Payments to two women who said they had affairs with trump, which trump denies. Weisselberg is a major player, in the secret reporting from a few weeks ago, cohen says he consulted with weisselberg, and in the plea deal, hes referred to as executive one, who arranged 420,000 in payments to cohen to pay him back for the payment he made to stormy daniels. He wrote please pay from the truth, post to Legal Expenses when he forwarded the invoices to another executive. Its very clear that hes played a key role. Athena how big a there et to President Trump is it that prosecutors are talking to weisselberg . This is certainly a big deal. Were talking about a person who has been working for trump for decades. He is the chief finance officer different way for the past, you know, year, certainly in the past six months, trying to deal with this disease, but he still tried to engage as much as he could with his staff, his family. Hes also somebody, wolf, who has been very clear about what he thinking americas place in the world is, what his place in the world is. He has written so extensively along with his longtime collaborator marc salter. One of the things he said, an allusion for Ernest Hemingway i hate to leave it, but i dont have a complaint, not one. Its been quite a ride. I think we all keep that in mind, his own words as hes clearly in his final days. Quite a ride indeed. What does this mean practically speaking for the u. S. Senate . For the u. S. Senate and for politics in general, it is no secret that john mccain is no friend of President Trump, and not just a friend. Hes something who thinking hes destroying the institution of the presidency, never mind americas leadership role around the world. So i want to play for you part of an allusion to that, that Senator Mccain talked about in his most recent book, which was just out in may before i leave i would like to see our politics returns to the purposes and practices that distinguish our history from the history of other nations. I would like us to recover our sense that were more alike than different. Thats not happening. The man in the white house hasnt heeded that. The people who serve with him in congress have not heeded that. As were on the precipice of what we knew was coming, it makes it even tougher, because we understand what john mccain has striven for, has wanted, has spent his lifes work doing, is from his perspective is being undermined by the body politics. Whether its the senate which he loves, or his fellow republican in the white house. Our deepest, deepest thoughts and prayers are with the senator, his loving family and close friends. Absolutely. These are very difficult times. Thank you, dana. Coyning us now someone who worked closely with Senator Mccain, senator jack reed. Hes the chairman of the committee first, lets begin with the breaking news, the important developments in the case of Michael Cohen. Do you believe the Immunity Deal granted to statistic chief Financial Officer weigel berg means that President Trump potentially is in serious legal jeopardy . I think this is indicative of the net whiening in terms of personalities that will be caught up with him, based on what mr. Cohen pled under oath. 9 suggestion that the president was involved is quite clear. This gentleman is the chief financial adviser, and what i think the president should have done a long time ago, in order to try to resolve this if he could, would be to release his taxes, because theres an indication that something might be amid. He could put that to rest, and also sit down with the Special Prosecutor mr. Mueller and answer those questions. If he has nothing to hide. If he can refute what people have suggested, he should do it immediately and put this drama behind us, so that the American People and the system can get on with our point work. This is being carried out by prosecute owes with the southern district of new york, but the Michael Cohen case was originally handed also by the Southern District of new york, referred to them by rob mueller here in washington, do you think this ultimately will tie back to the Special Counsels russia probe . It could. It depends on where the evidence leads. All of these are investigated. Its significant to note that these are career federal prosecutors. These are not individuals that are directly related to the Mueller Investigation. These are professionals. Their job is to union hold the constitution, to ensure that the laws are enforced to ensure that no individual is above the law. Theyre doing this job professional, competently and with great diligence, as indicate fred their guilty plea obtained by mr. Cohen. The president said going after his business and personal finances would control what he called a red line. Do you think it will trigger the president to fire Robert Mueller, even though this is coming from prosecutors in new york . The only line that should be relevant here is legal versus illegal. Thats the province of professional prosecutors to make a determination based on the facts and the evidence, not assumptions. Facts in evidence, to look for the facts in evidence, and ultimately the judgment will be rendered by individual americans, as they did in the manafort trial. Those are 12 americans who listened to evidence. Both sides had the opportunity to make their case, and they decided convincingly against mr. Manafort in multiple counts. So the issue is not red lines versus the president s sensitivities. Its the law and following the law. No one should be above the law. The president is again going after publicly and brutally the Attorney General of the United States, Jeff Sessions. Are you surprised at the same time that republican senators, including lindsey graham, for example, once said there would be holy hell to pay if the president got rid of the Attorney General, but some of them, at least now, are open to the possibility of replacing him immediately after the midterm elections in november . As he should, he indicated though hes going to ensure that the Justice Department is not run based on a political agenda, but run based upon the xwaerchl enforcement of the laws of the United States. Thats a position every Attorney General should have. I would hate to see his position jeopardized by standing up for the laws of the United States and the constitution of the United States. Lets turn to the very sad news were all getting today from the family of senator john mccain. The family says he has decided to discontinue treatment for his very aggressive brain cancer. You have served alongside Senator Mccain for many years on the Armed Services committee. What has he meant to you and also to the u. S. Senate . He is a remarkable american hero. He will go down in history as one of the greatest senators because of his service in the senate, because of his willingness to reach across the aisle, because of his courage to take tough decisions, because of his unwavering commitment to this country in many different ways, as a navy pilot, with the courage to go through Enemy Aircraft and to be shot down. I was with him in hanoi in 2015. We were in the hanoi hilton. It was a moment to me i will never forget, being in that place with that courageous hero, and his whole life has been about service. He learned that from his father and his grandfather, both navy admills, but i think he learned it from the young men and women, who all we are with him. He never forgot that what he did in the senate, regardless of whether its a Military Issue or anything else, ultimately it was affecting or helping in some way these young men and women. It was about america. Hes a remarkable man. This day we know is going to come, but its a derereflect even more about how lucky we are to have him. Senator reed, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks, wolf. Just ahead well have more on why the president S Tom Money Man was granted immunity by the feds, and what he may have told the prosecutors, and also the growing concern that President Trump is dangling a pardon in front of manafort. Could that be considered obstruction of just . Just . 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We dont know yet, but certainly after they speak to Michael Cohen and debrief him, there will be more questions, and well see if they can bring any other cases. Theyve got to get something major in return. How much do you suspect weisselberg is giving them right now . Federal prosecutors dont grant immunity unless they need the testimony in question. When they threaten to assert the Fifth Amendment, the prosecutors have a choice to may. They decline the testimony or offer immunity. So its significant that they are people they want the information more than the possibility of prosecuting these people. We dont know if its use immunity or transaction immunity, but normally they dont offer any forms, because it becomes incredibly complex. The question question is, who is the ultimate target . If the hint is weisselberg and pecor are not people that the prosecutors are going after and they dont think they can indict a sitting president , then who is the target . Its hard to imagine that Michael Cohen is the ultimate big fish. Because they had a lot of evidence without necessarily weisselbergs testimony. Is he also cooperating with rob mueller and others at the Justice Department . Not necessarily. As susan mentioned, there are different types of immunity. We dont know exactly what deal his attorney struck with those prosecutors. It may be the case its very limited. Our Report Sergeant this int reporting is that this interview happened weeks ago. It may be wrapped up. The number of people in trumps inner circle that have now turned turned to be on the states side. Its much harder, i think, to say this is some democratic conspiracy. By the way, if i could just add one thing. We now know there are State Investigations as well, of the trump organization, perhaps just the charities t. Cohen, pecor, weisselberg, will all be interviewed in state in the state investigation as well, which is not under the control of the federal government, the Justice Department. The new york City District attorney, the Manhattan District Attorney is an elected official here. This investigation is going broader than anything related to the Justice Department. Its not just the 23rd, the New York State District Attorney, the District Attorney in manhattan, hand possibly the Taxation Agency in new york as well. So ryan lizza, how do you think hes dealing with it . The number of people close to him, around him, people who were importance advisers, who know all of his secrets, the number of people cooperating is sort of breathtaking. Its not to mention that ohm rosa and other people just spilling all of his secrets. He must feel under siege right now. Hes dealing with just a series of metastasizing criminal investigations. We havent even talked about some civil suits coming to a head soon. This thing is snowballing right now. He must be feeling an enormous amount of pressure, and omarosas new book debuted number one on New York Times best sellers list. Guess who helped her get it there . Donald trump. That must be irritating to the president as well, knowing how he feels about he did by tweeting incessantly about it. Jeffrey, i want you to listen to what the president said during the campaign in 2016 about granting immunity to individuals. If youre not guilty of a crime, why do you need immunity . The reason they get immunity is they do something wrong. If they didnt do anything wrong, they dont think in terms of immunity. Did anybody ever seen so many people get immunity . Everybody. Youre guilty, youre guilty, well give everybody immunity. Why do you need to investigate if everybodys going to get immunity . The context he was complaining about individuals being questioned involving the Hillary Clinton matter and other related Democratic Party issues. He was screaming at them for the immunity they were getting. 200 years of Civil Liberties out the window listens to those comments. We have a Fifth Amendment, the right against selfincrimination was something we thought was important, that we dont force people to talk, and giving people immunity when they take their Fifth Amendment rights does not mean that theyre guilty. It does not mean that david pecor or mr. Weisselberg of guilty of anything. That was true of the obama people as well. Its a way of prosecutors getting the testimony of individuals who take the Fifth Amendment. But taking the Fifth Amendment in the United States is not a confession of guilt. I notice donald trump thinking is, at least he thought it was when obama people were taking the fifth, but the basis of our constitutional system is that taking the fifth is not an admission of guilty. Susan, your take . I dont think he necessarily has had a change of hard. He just says whatever is convenient at that moment whoever he can attack. This is a question of sort of 9 president being not just unable to r

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