Transcripts For CNNW The Lead With Jake Tapper 20200220 : vi

Commercial breaks. And the next intelligence chief and Election Security boss short on exper tees, long on loyalty. Why the president s pick for acting director of National Intelligence is setting off some alarm bells. Welcome to the lead. Im jake tapper. We start with breaking news. Just hours after his longtime friend and adviser roger stone was sentenced by a judge to three years, four months in prison, President Trump just moments ago dropped some strong hints that stone might never see the inside of a jail cell. Roger has a very good chance of exoneration in my opinion. In terms of a pardon, President Trump said he would not take any official actions now since he would like to see the process play out. They make a determination at a later date. And in his view, stone was treated unfairly. Stone was convicted by a jury last fall of lying to congress and threatening a witness. The president has in the past attacked the prosecutors in the case and the judge in the case. Today he specifically singled out for criticism the forewoman of the jury. The woman who was in charge of the jury is totally tainted. When you take a look, how can you have a person like this. She was an antitrump activist. Theres no evidence shes an antitrump activist. The woman is a democrat and had run for office before, but stones attorneys were well aware of this. They asked her if she would be capable of judge iing the case without bias. She said yes. They took no actions to remove her from the jury. We should also note the president s attorney general seems to think quite the exact opposite about the fairness of the case as he told abc news just days ago. The stone case was prosecuted while i was attorney general. I supported it. I think it was establish ed he was convicted of obstructing congress and witness tampering. I thought that was a righteous prosecution. And i was happy that he was convicted. Trumps comments come in the midst of his post acquittal tour, where he seems to be punishing his enemies ask rewarding his loyalists. Cnns sara murray pick kiks off our coverage. Reporter she delivered a a scathing condemn in addition of the actions of President Trumps longtime friend and political adviser. It arose because roger stone injected himself smack into the middle of one of the most significant issues of the day. Jackson said the dismay and disgust over stones behavior should Transcend Party lines. Stone was not prosecuted for standing up for the president. He was prosecuted for covering up for the president. Stone stood quietly, his hands in his pocks, slightly slouching as jackson delivered the charges. Obstructing a procedure and lying to congress. Including lies that protected the president. The fact is that roger stone was treated horribly and so were many other people their lives were destroyed. Reporter the case played out amidextraordinary political intervention. As trump called the prosecution unfair and suggested the judge was biassed. The judge and government prosecutors appeared determined to defend the judicial system in the the face of trumps attacks. Prosecutors asked the government to sentence stone to seven to nine years. But william barr overruled the recommendation in favor of a lesser sentence. In response before prosecutors resigned from the case. The new government prosecutor name to the case defended the original trial team. This prosecution is righteous, he said. Jackson drove home the seriousness of stones crimes. Roger stone left court today without speaking on his behalf. He did not speak in the courtroom. He did the not speak to the press when there was a frenzy on the way out. He left here and went to washington, d. C. Restaurant. Where he watched the president s remarks about him on his phone. Hold on right there. I want to come pack to you. President trump just went off about roger stone while speaking to a group of tomorrower prisoners a at a criminal justice event. As we keep refreshing his twitter feed to see if hes going to make an official comment about whether or not hes actually going to issue a pardon before stone goes to trail jail. Lets bring in Kaitlyn Collins a at the white house. The president did not say a pardon is coming. He said he wanted the process to play out. He was clear he doesnt like the way this has gone down and roger stone is going to be exonerated. I want to highlight where the president made these comments. Hes speak at the Las Vegas Police department at a Graduation Ceremony for former prisoners reentering society where he indicate d hes not going to pardon roger stone right now. But he is leaving the toor open to doing so in the the future. Im mot going to do anything in terms of the great powers bestowed upon a president of the united states. You want the process to play out. I think thats the best thing to do. Because id love to see roger exonerated. Id love to see it happen. Reporter the president down played roger stones crimes saying they say he lied, but other people lied too. Stay there. Sarah, take a listen to President Trump just moments ago talking about the forewoman of the jury. Its my strong opinion that the forewoman of the jury, the woman who was in charge of the jury, is totally tainted. When you take a look, how can you have a person like this. Fact check that for us. Reporter you know, theres a foreperson of the jury that roger stone and his allies have taken issue with. And actually used jury misconduct as a basis for a new kritrooil. And the predom innocent thing that got their attention was the foreperson posted on social media about how she was defending the integrity of the prosecutors. The prosecutors who reseened from the case, the president s allies have attacked. Now roger stones allies flagged other social media posts trying to headache this woman appear to be antiroger stone, completely antitrump. And look, this is an appeal thats before the judge. The judge said shes going to consider it, but they also had an opportunity to remove this person from the jury at the beginning and didnt do so. Thats right. Its not like we live in a world where only democrats are on juries for democrats and republicans for republicans. Take a listen to what a different member of the jury told our chris cuomo last night. She was perhaps the strongest advocate in the room for the rights of the defendant. And for making sure that we took it seriously and looked a at each charge. Without her in the room, we have returned the same verdict and would have returned it more quickly and without looking as toeply into the evidence. Say whats on your mind what President Trump is saying. It does undermine what trump is saying. You see any member of the person saying this person made us lock harder at the facts. When we talk about how it was selected, the judge was one of the people getting out any bias. But roger stones team also had an opportunity to question these jurors about political bias before they were selected. It wasnt just the judge hand picking these folks. Its not like roger stones team is learning about this member of the jury for the first time. Its ultimately up to the judge who evaluate facts to decide whether roger stone deserves a new trial. This is not someone who was flagged to be removed from this group at the beginning when they were screening for political bias. Take a look at what President Trump tweeted this morning. The same time that roger stone was being sentenced by the judge. The president tweeted, they say roger stone lied to congress. I guess he was watching cnn. Then the president says, so did comey and he leaked classified information for which everyone goes to jail for a long time. So did andy mccabe. Fairness . I find it very difficult to imagine President Trump just letting the system play out and if that includes roger stone going to jail. And you would be right. The president is essentially saying lets let this play out. We know roger stone wants a new trial. The president is making pretty clear hes indicating if that does not play out to his satisfaction, a commutation is in the future. Roger stones allies have been lob big the president for months to pardon roger stone if he did get jail time. He did not get a short sentence from the judge today. So its hard for the people who know the president to see how he does let this go. Its a shorter sentence than the original recommendation. But still three years, four months in jail is not pleasant for anyone. Coming up, how new attacks could have a Lasting Impact on the judicial system. Its not as if hes overseeing multiple u. S. Intelligence agencies. President trump a names a new acting director of National Intelligence who has key expertise missing from his resume. Stay with us. A sommelier searches for the perfect wine. But i hear a different calling. The call of a schmear of cream cheese. For i, am a schmelier. I practice my craft at philadelphia. Here, we use only the freshest milk. That one go go and the finest ingredients. What is this . Until perfection is achieved. Shes ready. Schmears philadelphia. Schmear perfection. A clear plan for retirement to help cover the essentials, as well as all the things you want to do. Because when you have a retirement partner who gives you clarity at every step, theres nothing to stop you from moving forward. Who gives you clarity at every step, and i like to question your im yoevery move. N law. Like this left turn. Its the next one. You always drive this slow . How did you make someone i love . That must be why youre always so late. I do not speed. And thats saving me cash with drivewise. My son, he did say that you were the safe option. And thats the nicest thing you ever said to me. So get allstate. Stop bossing. Where good drivers save 40 for avoiding mayhem, like me. This is my sons favorite color, you should try it. [mayhem] you always drive like an old lady . [tina] youre an old lady. 1 in 3 deaths is caused by cardiovascular disease. Millions of patients are treated with statinsbut up to 75 persistent cardiovascular risk still remains. Many have turned to fish oil supplements. Others, fenofibrates or niacin. But heres a number you should take to heart zerothe number of fda approvals these products have, when added to statins, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Ask your doctor about an advancement in prescription therapies with proven protection. Visit truetoyourheart. Com woman no matter what business you are in, Digital Transformation never stops. Verizon keeps business ready for whats next. man we weave security into their business. second man virtualize their operations. third man and could even build ai into their customer experiences. We also keep them ready for the next big opportunity. Like 5g. woman where machines could talk to each other and expertise could go anywhere. woman when it comes to Digital Transformation, verizon keeps business ready. My skin hurt, i felt gross. But then i started cosentyx and i havent really had to think about it. Real people with psoriasis. Look and feel better with cosentyx. Dont use if youre allergic to cosentyx. Before starting get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. Tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen. Or if youve had a vaccine or plan to. Serious allergic reactions may occur. Ask your dermatologist about cosentyx. At outback, steak lobster oh no its gone phew its back, with lobster mac cheese. Its gone again its back, with shrimp now steak lobster starting at only 16. 99. And if you want outback at home, order now outback steakhouse. Sglmplgtsds roger has a good chance of exone see roger exonerated. I would love to see it happen. I personally think he was treated unfairly. Im going to watch it closely. And at some point, i will make a determination. But roger stone and everybody has to be treated fairly. This has not been a fair process. That was President Trump just moments ago in las vegas doing nothing to dispel the rumors that he will pardon his longtime friend roger stone he went off about the tearness of the conviction and all by but assured that stone will be exonerated. Lets chew over all of this. He said hes going to be watching the president prost. The next step in the process is that the judge will consider whether this petition from stones lawyers that the whole case should be thrown out and retried because there was a foreperson who had said things critical of President Trump on her social media post. Whether or not that would necessitate a new trial. Assuming that does not happen and im pretty sure it wont, dont you think hes going to pardon him . I think he just set it up to pick a time frame. Maybe second week of november of 2020. If you look at the way he was talking, he was clearly way leiing out i want all the appeals. Even used some of the defenses points on the chairperson in their appeal for a retrial. So i think hes set it up for that. But i was not happy with the the sentence guidelines. I thought the prosecutors overstepped their bounds. Obviously, the judge agreed. My argument is this is a really a great day for the Judicial Branch. She could have taken emotion into this and given him a lot more time. She had the document in front of her. She said the fair sentence is this basically three years, four months. I argue this is a great day for the Judicial Branch of the united states. It shows despite the misgivings and the teams there could have been a circus. She came out ask based on the facts she heard before her and what she was doing, gave a fair sentence. Thats a good day. I feel more confident about the Judicial Branch moving forward and doing the right thing. So lets because you have tried cases. A hot of people may not be familiar with the process of selecting a jury. This woman ran for office. Shes a democrat. She said negative things about President Trump and social media. That doesnt sound fair. Explain how the process works. The lawyers knew that that she was a democrat. Knew she ran for office. They went through the voir dire process. Thats the process of select ing the jury. So lawyers ask a whole series of questions to try to discern whether or not a jury would have bias or not. They want they have a an option to ask not to be part of the the jury. So in this case, the lawyer delirium tremens ask fer a series of questions. Some that are revealed that she had been a candidate for some kind of Political Office herself. That she had heard a little bit about roger stone in the news. So they did not request she be excluded from the jury. So that was the process. They are going to use that information to try to argue that he should have a new trial, but based on what we have seen so far in terms of whats been reported and that record in the case, i dont think it looks like theres a substantial basis on which a judge would decide he is deserves a new trial. The other side issue here is attorney general bill br. Had wished President Trump would stop tweeting and interfering in carrying out justice. This is what barr said just a few days ago about this specific prosecution. The stone was case prosecuted while i was joern general and i supported it. It was established, he was convicted of obstructing congress and witness tampering. I thought that was a righteous prosecution. And i was happy that he was convicted. President trump says not a fair process. Hes getting ready to give him some sort of clemency. The attorney general says its a righteous prosecution. How long can barr stay on the job with President Trump doing this . Those are completely different messages. Not only is barr seeing a righteous prosecution, President Trump is attacking the prosecutors. He attack iing the judge and the foreman of the jury. That makes it impossible for him to do his job. When the president keeps tweet ing about a legal case, he cant do his job. The president continues to comment and tweet about the case. It does make it harder to have credibility in the Justice Department that hes willing to stand up to the president and if hes not willing to stay on, theres barr is not going to defend the independence of the Justice Department. And during sentencing, judge jackson said, quote, the truth still exists. The truth still matters. Roger stone is insistent that it doesnt. His lies are a threat to our most fundamental institutions to the foundations of our democracy. The president took into account that roger stone didnt tell the truth and everybody lies. This boils down to loyalty. Roger stone has been a friend of the president s for several decades now. And as roger stone does, that trumps what the attorney general says, what the judicial system decided. Its the feel for the president. Everyone stick around. Attacks have not ended after the debate. Why one candidate says the real winner of the debate wasnt even on the stage. Stay with us. Knowing youre on the right path isnt always easy. Thats why its important to be prepared for anything life brings. At fidelity, well help you build a clear plan for retirement. One that covers health care costs, taxes, and any other uncertainties while still giving you the flexibility to make changes to your plan as often as you need. Because when youre with fidelity, a partner who makes sure every step is clear, theres nothing to stop you from moving forward. Heres wishing you the bluest sky theres nothing to stop you from moving forward. [cheering] when you need the fuel to be your nephews number one fan. Holiday inn express. Try to win by attacking, now, we know the trump strategy distorting, dividing. Mr. President it. Wont. Work. Newspapers report bloomberg is the democrat trump fears most. As president , universal healthcare that lets people keep their coverage if they like it. A record on job creation. A doable plan to combat climate change. I led a complex, diverse city through 911 and i have common sense plans to move america away from chaos to progress im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. After the most contentious debate this cycle, Election Security<\/a> boss short on exper tees, long on loyalty. Why the president s pick for acting director of National Intelligence<\/a> is setting off some alarm bells. Welcome to the lead. Im jake tapper. We start with breaking news. Just hours after his longtime friend and adviser roger stone was sentenced by a judge to three years, four months in prison, President Trump<\/a> just moments ago dropped some strong hints that stone might never see the inside of a jail cell. Roger has a very good chance of exoneration in my opinion. In terms of a pardon, President Trump<\/a> said he would not take any official actions now since he would like to see the process play out. They make a determination at a later date. And in his view, stone was treated unfairly. Stone was convicted by a jury last fall of lying to congress and threatening a witness. The president has in the past attacked the prosecutors in the case and the judge in the case. Today he specifically singled out for criticism the forewoman of the jury. The woman who was in charge of the jury is totally tainted. When you take a look, how can you have a person like this. She was an antitrump activist. Theres no evidence shes an antitrump activist. The woman is a democrat and had run for office before, but stones attorneys were well aware of this. They asked her if she would be capable of judge iing the case without bias. She said yes. They took no actions to remove her from the jury. We should also note the president s attorney general seems to think quite the exact opposite about the fairness of the case as he told abc news just days ago. The stone case was prosecuted while i was attorney general. I supported it. I think it was establish ed he was convicted of obstructing congress and witness tampering. I thought that was a righteous prosecution. And i was happy that he was convicted. Trumps comments come in the midst of his post acquittal tour, where he seems to be punishing his enemies ask rewarding his loyalists. Cnns sara murray pick kiks off our coverage. Reporter she delivered a a scathing condemn in addition of the actions of President Trump<\/a>s longtime friend and political adviser. It arose because roger stone injected himself smack into the middle of one of the most significant issues of the day. Jackson said the dismay and disgust over stones behavior should Transcend Party<\/a> lines. Stone was not prosecuted for standing up for the president. He was prosecuted for covering up for the president. Stone stood quietly, his hands in his pocks, slightly slouching as jackson delivered the charges. Obstructing a procedure and lying to congress. Including lies that protected the president. The fact is that roger stone was treated horribly and so were many other people their lives were destroyed. Reporter the case played out amidextraordinary political intervention. As trump called the prosecution unfair and suggested the judge was biassed. The judge and government prosecutors appeared determined to defend the judicial system in the the face of trumps attacks. Prosecutors asked the government to sentence stone to seven to nine years. But william barr overruled the recommendation in favor of a lesser sentence. In response before prosecutors resigned from the case. The new government prosecutor name to the case defended the original trial team. This prosecution is righteous, he said. Jackson drove home the seriousness of stones crimes. Roger stone left court today without speaking on his behalf. He did not speak in the courtroom. He did the not speak to the press when there was a frenzy on the way out. He left here and went to washington, d. C. Restaurant. Where he watched the president s remarks about him on his phone. Hold on right there. I want to come pack to you. President trump just went off about roger stone while speaking to a group of tomorrower prisoners a at a criminal justice event. As we keep refreshing his twitter feed to see if hes going to make an official comment about whether or not hes actually going to issue a pardon before stone goes to trail jail. Lets bring in Kaitlyn Collins<\/a> a at the white house. The president did not say a pardon is coming. He said he wanted the process to play out. He was clear he doesnt like the way this has gone down and roger stone is going to be exonerated. I want to highlight where the president made these comments. Hes speak at the Las Vegas Police<\/a> department at a Graduation Ceremony<\/a> for former prisoners reentering society where he indicate d hes not going to pardon roger stone right now. But he is leaving the toor open to doing so in the the future. Im mot going to do anything in terms of the great powers bestowed upon a president of the united states. You want the process to play out. I think thats the best thing to do. Because id love to see roger exonerated. Id love to see it happen. Reporter the president down played roger stones crimes saying they say he lied, but other people lied too. Stay there. Sarah, take a listen to President Trump<\/a> just moments ago talking about the forewoman of the jury. Its my strong opinion that the forewoman of the jury, the woman who was in charge of the jury, is totally tainted. When you take a look, how can you have a person like this. Fact check that for us. Reporter you know, theres a foreperson of the jury that roger stone and his allies have taken issue with. And actually used jury misconduct as a basis for a new kritrooil. And the predom innocent thing that got their attention was the foreperson posted on social media about how she was defending the integrity of the prosecutors. The prosecutors who reseened from the case, the president s allies have attacked. Now roger stones allies flagged other social media posts trying to headache this woman appear to be antiroger stone, completely antitrump. And look, this is an appeal thats before the judge. The judge said shes going to consider it, but they also had an opportunity to remove this person from the jury at the beginning and didnt do so. Thats right. Its not like we live in a world where only democrats are on juries for democrats and republicans for republicans. Take a listen to what a different member of the jury told our chris cuomo last night. She was perhaps the strongest advocate in the room for the rights of the defendant. And for making sure that we took it seriously and looked a at each charge. Without her in the room, we have returned the same verdict and would have returned it more quickly and without looking as toeply into the evidence. Say whats on your mind what President Trump<\/a> is saying. It does undermine what trump is saying. You see any member of the person saying this person made us lock harder at the facts. When we talk about how it was selected, the judge was one of the people getting out any bias. But roger stones team also had an opportunity to question these jurors about political bias before they were selected. It wasnt just the judge hand picking these folks. Its not like roger stones team is learning about this member of the jury for the first time. Its ultimately up to the judge who evaluate facts to decide whether roger stone deserves a new trial. This is not someone who was flagged to be removed from this group at the beginning when they were screening for political bias. Take a look at what President Trump<\/a> tweeted this morning. The same time that roger stone was being sentenced by the judge. The president tweeted, they say roger stone lied to congress. I guess he was watching cnn. Then the president says, so did comey and he leaked classified information for which everyone goes to jail for a long time. So did andy mccabe. Fairness . I find it very difficult to imagine President Trump<\/a> just letting the system play out and if that includes roger stone going to jail. And you would be right. The president is essentially saying lets let this play out. We know roger stone wants a new trial. The president is making pretty clear hes indicating if that does not play out to his satisfaction, a commutation is in the future. Roger stones allies have been lob big the president for months to pardon roger stone if he did get jail time. He did not get a short sentence from the judge today. So its hard for the people who know the president to see how he does let this go. Its a shorter sentence than the original recommendation. But still three years, four months in jail is not pleasant for anyone. Coming up, how new attacks could have a Lasting Impact<\/a> on the judicial system. Its not as if hes overseeing multiple u. S. Intelligence agencies. President trump a names a new acting director of National Intelligence<\/a> who has key expertise missing from his resume. Stay with us. A sommelier searches for the perfect wine. But i hear a different calling. The call of a schmear of cream cheese. For i, am a schmelier. I practice my craft at philadelphia. Here, we use only the freshest milk. That one go go and the finest ingredients. What is this . Until perfection is achieved. Shes ready. Schmears philadelphia. Schmear perfection. A clear plan for retirement to help cover the essentials, as well as all the things you want to do. Because when you have a retirement partner who gives you clarity at every step, theres nothing to stop you from moving forward. Who gives you clarity at every step, and i like to question your im yoevery move. N law. Like this left turn. Its the next one. You always drive this slow . How did you make someone i love . That must be why youre always so late. I do not speed. And thats saving me cash with drivewise. My son, he did say that you were the safe option. And thats the nicest thing you ever said to me. So get allstate. Stop bossing. Where good drivers save 40 for avoiding mayhem, like me. This is my sons favorite color, you should try it. [mayhem] you always drive like an old lady . [tina] youre an old lady. 1 in 3 deaths is caused by cardiovascular disease. Millions of patients are treated with statinsbut up to 75 persistent cardiovascular risk still remains. Many have turned to fish oil supplements. Others, fenofibrates or niacin. But heres a number you should take to heart zerothe number of fda approvals these products have, when added to statins, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Ask your doctor about an advancement in prescription therapies with proven protection. Visit truetoyourheart. Com woman no matter what business you are in, Digital Transformation<\/a> never stops. Verizon keeps business ready for whats next. man we weave security into their business. second man virtualize their operations. third man and could even build ai into their customer experiences. We also keep them ready for the next big opportunity. Like 5g. woman where machines could talk to each other and expertise could go anywhere. woman when it comes to Digital Transformation<\/a>, verizon keeps business ready. My skin hurt, i felt gross. But then i started cosentyx and i havent really had to think about it. Real people with psoriasis. Look and feel better with cosentyx. Dont use if youre allergic to cosentyx. Before starting get checked for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. Tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen. Or if youve had a vaccine or plan to. Serious allergic reactions may occur. Ask your dermatologist about cosentyx. At outback, steak lobster oh no its gone phew its back, with lobster mac cheese. Its gone again its back, with shrimp now steak lobster starting at only 16. 99. And if you want outback at home, order now outback steakhouse. Sglmplgtsds roger has a good chance of exone see roger exonerated. I would love to see it happen. I personally think he was treated unfairly. Im going to watch it closely. And at some point, i will make a determination. But roger stone and everybody has to be treated fairly. This has not been a fair process. That was President Trump<\/a> just moments ago in las vegas doing nothing to dispel the rumors that he will pardon his longtime friend roger stone he went off about the tearness of the conviction and all by but assured that stone will be exonerated. Lets chew over all of this. He said hes going to be watching the president prost. The next step in the process is that the judge will consider whether this petition from stones lawyers that the whole case should be thrown out and retried because there was a foreperson who had said things critical of President Trump<\/a> on her social media post. Whether or not that would necessitate a new trial. Assuming that does not happen and im pretty sure it wont, dont you think hes going to pardon him . I think he just set it up to pick a time frame. Maybe second week of november of 2020. If you look at the way he was talking, he was clearly way leiing out i want all the appeals. Even used some of the defenses points on the chairperson in their appeal for a retrial. So i think hes set it up for that. But i was not happy with the the sentence guidelines. I thought the prosecutors overstepped their bounds. Obviously, the judge agreed. My argument is this is a really a great day for the Judicial Branch<\/a>. She could have taken emotion into this and given him a lot more time. She had the document in front of her. She said the fair sentence is this basically three years, four months. I argue this is a great day for the Judicial Branch<\/a> of the united states. It shows despite the misgivings and the teams there could have been a circus. She came out ask based on the facts she heard before her and what she was doing, gave a fair sentence. Thats a good day. I feel more confident about the Judicial Branch<\/a> moving forward and doing the right thing. So lets because you have tried cases. A hot of people may not be familiar with the process of selecting a jury. This woman ran for office. Shes a democrat. She said negative things about President Trump<\/a> and social media. That doesnt sound fair. Explain how the process works. The lawyers knew that that she was a democrat. Knew she ran for office. They went through the voir dire process. Thats the process of select ing the jury. So lawyers ask a whole series of questions to try to discern whether or not a jury would have bias or not. They want they have a an option to ask not to be part of the the jury. So in this case, the lawyer delirium tremens ask fer a series of questions. Some that are revealed that she had been a candidate for some kind of Political Office<\/a> herself. That she had heard a little bit about roger stone in the news. So they did not request she be excluded from the jury. So that was the process. They are going to use that information to try to argue that he should have a new trial, but based on what we have seen so far in terms of whats been reported and that record in the case, i dont think it looks like theres a substantial basis on which a judge would decide he is deserves a new trial. The other side issue here is attorney general bill br. Had wished President Trump<\/a> would stop tweeting and interfering in carrying out justice. This is what barr said just a few days ago about this specific prosecution. The stone was case prosecuted while i was joern general and i supported it. It was established, he was convicted of obstructing congress and witness tampering. I thought that was a righteous prosecution. And i was happy that he was convicted. President trump says not a fair process. Hes getting ready to give him some sort of clemency. The attorney general says its a righteous prosecution. How long can barr stay on the job with President Trump<\/a> doing this . Those are completely different messages. Not only is barr seeing a righteous prosecution, President Trump<\/a> is attacking the prosecutors. He attack iing the judge and the foreman of the jury. That makes it impossible for him to do his job. When the president keeps tweet ing about a legal case, he cant do his job. The president continues to comment and tweet about the case. It does make it harder to have credibility in the Justice Department<\/a> that hes willing to stand up to the president and if hes not willing to stay on, theres barr is not going to defend the independence of the Justice Department<\/a>. And during sentencing, judge jackson said, quote, the truth still exists. The truth still matters. Roger stone is insistent that it doesnt. His lies are a threat to our most fundamental institutions to the foundations of our democracy. The president took into account that roger stone didnt tell the truth and everybody lies. This boils down to loyalty. Roger stone has been a friend of the president s for several decades now. And as roger stone does, that trumps what the attorney general says, what the judicial system decided. Its the feel for the president. Everyone stick around. Attacks have not ended after the debate. Why one candidate says the real winner of the debate wasnt even on the stage. Stay with us. Knowing youre on the right path isnt always easy. Thats why its important to be prepared for anything life brings. At fidelity, well help you build a clear plan for retirement. One that covers health care costs, taxes, and any other uncertainties while still giving you the flexibility to make changes to your plan as often as you need. Because when youre with fidelity, a partner who makes sure every step is clear, theres nothing to stop you from moving forward. Heres wishing you the bluest sky theres nothing to stop you from moving forward. [cheering] when you need the fuel to be your nephews number one fan. Holiday inn express. Try to win by attacking, now, we know the trump strategy distorting, dividing. Mr. President it. Wont. Work. Newspapers report bloomberg is the democrat trump fears most. As president , universal healthcare that lets people keep their coverage if they like it. A record on job creation. A doable plan to combat climate change. I led a complex, diverse city through 911 and i have common sense plans to move america away from chaos to progress im Mike Bloomberg<\/a> and i approve this message. After the most contentious debate this cycle, Michael Bloomberg<\/a> is declaring President Trump<\/a> the winner of democratic debate to which the president tweeted i fwrae. Theres other good news. A new poll shows for the First Time Ever<\/a> more people approve of the job President Trump<\/a> is doing than disapprove. That job approval poll is an outlier, be but it comes as new polls in battleground states that Hillary Clinton<\/a> lost last time find trump leading the top democratic contenders in wisconsin. Though hes trailing or about even with the Democratic Candidates<\/a> in michigan and pennsylvania. A reminder democrats only pick back up pennsylvania and michigan but not Wisconsin Trump<\/a> get res eles reelected. The race right now is shaping up to be Bernie Sanders<\/a> to lose. How is was your night . Michael bloomberg today joking around hoping to move past his lackluster debate performance. Even as Elizabeth Warren<\/a> kept piling on. I bet hes reaching in his pocket and spending 10 million more on advertising to try to erase everyones memory of what happened last night. Reporter but at a Campaign Stop<\/a> in utah, bloomberg kept his eye on the front runner. If we choose a candidate who appeals to a small base like sanders, it will be a fatal error. Reporter Bernie Sanders<\/a> telling me that bloombergs attacks are not what democratic voters are looking for. We have more wealth inequality they any time in the last 10 years. Bloomberg is worth more. Sanders seeming to survive with the focus on the new dpie on stage. Democrats take a huge risk if we substitute one arrogant billionaire for another. I dont think you look at donald trump and say we need someone richer in the white house. Not just bloombergs billions. His opponents also attacked his past. Joe biden raising bloombergs previous support for stop and frisk policing. Its the policy. The policy was abhorrent. And it was, in fact, a violation of every right people have. Reporter while warren challenged bloomberg to release women who have alleged sexist behavior by bloomberg and from nondisclosure agreements. Are you willing to release all of those women from their nondisclosure agreements so we can hear their side of the story . We have a very few nondisclosure agreements. And let me just theres agreements between two parties that wanted to keep it quiet. Thats up to mem them. One of the big knocks on Bernie Sanders<\/a> from his democratic opponents is he wont have the ability to unite the Democratic Party<\/a> should he win the nomination. To that and i ask sanders today about his outreach to former president obama, who promised to play a big role once the contest completes. Sanders said hes a regular contact with president obama talking to him a couple times in the past month or two and he is very confident that should he win the nomination that barack obama will be at his side. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Lets chew over all this with our political experts. A lot of people think Elizabeth Warren<\/a> had a good night. Id like to talk about who were running against. A billionaire who calls women fat broads and horsefaced less bee yans. No, im not talking about donald trump. Im talking about Michael Bloomberg<\/a>. Bloomberg denies saying those things from a joke book from 30 years ago. Some people say he did say them. I do wonder. Do you think that ultimately the debate benefitted Bernie Sanders<\/a> because there was so much attention on bloomberg and not any really on the front runner Bernie Sanders<\/a> . 72 hours before the nevada caucus caucuses, youre in nevada. Theres a front runner standing next to you for nevada and you attack somebody else. Somebody not even on the ballot. Youll never see a debate like this where theres a clear front runner. Bernie might run away with it in nevada. He has a lead there. And yet no one slowed his role. I have never seen anything like it. Warren was trusk. Maybe this will get her some traction. It was a bank shot when you had Bernie Sanders<\/a>. He skated on his pledge to release medical records. He skated standing in the shadow of a spot where 68 people were slaughtered with assault weapon. He opposed the assault weapon ban. He wasnt call ed on that at al. Its aa missing. Bernie sanders should be very happy today. Take a listen to bloomberg today and his take on the debate. Look, the real winner in the debate last night was donald trump. Because i worry that we may very well be on the way to nominating somebody who cannot win in november. And it we choose a candidate who appeals to a small base like Bernie Sanders<\/a>, it will be a fatal error. What do you think . I think hes rooigt on the merits. This debate sofs many things. Democrats saw potus take the beast around daytona and they are like how do we compete . Wednesday night raw. Warren with several folding chairs. Bloomberg who was just getting pummelled for the first half comes in with the surprise arm bar on the socialist to make him lift his houses. It was magnificent is. It may mark the decision degree ga dags of the republic. But this real housewives dinner party was what i was here heart. Bloomberg had the worst debate performance of in the history of president ial debates. Not only did he show he cannot defeat Bernie Sanders<\/a>, he showed he isnt is capable of defeating donald trump. Thats fun. Pete buttigieg was the only one other than bloomberg to try to take a shot at Bernie Sanders<\/a>. But when it comes to warren, i wanted to say the reason she didnt go after Bernie Sanders<\/a>, theres no money in that. Theres no fundraising in going after Bernie Sanders<\/a> if youre Elizabeth Warren<\/a>. Theres certainly is with Michael Bloomberg<\/a>. We saw that last night. She even got a superpac she didnt want after the fact. Im glad you brugt that up. Shes been really talking about how evil superpacs are. Its all this unregulated money and all this stuff. But today she said, superpacs are okay. I dont have the exact quote. There was something because the male candidates have superpacs while she and Amy Klobuchar<\/a> do not. So shes flipflopped on superpacs. The purity test were so in vogue at the beginning of the process are starting to fall by the wayside as some candidates realize they are running out of time. If they dent show up in the next couple race, they have to drop out. Whether it means having a superpac or whether it means moving on some of their policy position, they are trying to do whatever they can to stay in the race. When you have bhoom bloom coming in with hundreds of millions of tlars, it big target. Its part of the reason b they spent so much time focusing on him and not the front runner in Bernie Sanders<\/a>. Hell are is a lead in delegates. You know who is upset about this flipflop . Democrat who is ran for president , did not have superpacs because they were afraid of Elizabeth Warren<\/a>s purity test facing them and ultimately had to drop out. How will kamala harris, tim ryan, how are they taking the news . Thats a really good point. I suppose senator warren is thinking sometimes the politics you have to rise above principle. And thats what shes doing. Shes terrific. I dont have a candidate in this rays. But she seemed to stand for reform. And i used to help run a superpac. I dont think they are per se immoral at all. Priorities usa, i have no longer affiliated with them, but they are not evil this my view. But im not senator warren telling everybody else that you have to meet my standard of purity. I doubt actually its going to hurt her very much. I think she will plow ahead. I just saw her debate performance sofs impressive. She will probably raise some muff off of that. I dont know if its going to be enough to climb back the liberal lane from bernie, who has a commanding lead. Nobody among the moderates has a lead that bernie has. Elizabeth warren used to have that lead and then it changed last fall. More to talk about. Coming up, its not just as competitors expressing concerns. Members of one very powerful group are raising concerns. Stay with us. All around the wind blows we would only hold on to let go blow a kiss into the sun we need someone to lean on blow a kiss into the sun all we needed somebody to lean on the new xc90 plugin hybrid electric. Xc90. Recharged. How we worship, or who we love. And the 2020 census is how that great promise is kept. Because this is the count that informs where hundreds of billions in funding will go each year for things like education, healthcare, and programs that touch us all. Shape your future. Start here. Learn more at 2020census. Gov were back with our 20 heed. While Bernie Sanders<\/a> emerged from the debate relatively unscath unscathed, its a battle with the union that could hurt his chances in the caucuses. As even a promise on last nights stage may not be enough to calm fears about what sanders medicare for all proposal might mean for Union Members<\/a> who have Generous Health<\/a> insurance plans. Just hours to the the nevada caucuses, the 60,000 member Culinary Union<\/a>. Is fights on the picket line to unionize more workers. My husband has asthma. We fought for that because we couldnt afford it. Now i can can. And he can. And he could be with me longer. We should be able to have that. Its our choice. Shes talking about her union health care. In one building she gets doctors visits, prescriptions and eye covered. A vote for Bernie Sanders<\/a> and his medicare for all plan would mean an end to union health care. Im not sure about medicare for all if thats a good idea or not. It always sounds good, but im not sure. The battle spilled on to the debate stage. Youre the one at war with the Culinary Union<\/a> mere noo las vegas. We have more Union Support<\/a> than you have ever dreamed of. My food friends in the workers union, i will never sign a deal that will reduce the benefits they have. One by one, every top candidate on the nevada ballot except for sanders marched with woerks. While medicare for all is not a deal breaker for every union member, it is weighing on susan. She met at the Culinary Health<\/a> care center. Medicare for all will replace this and take care of everybody. No i really dont believe that. Where are we going to go . Reporter while the union made clear what they think about the health care plan, they specifically did not endorse a candidate. Heres Something Else<\/a> to know. It is powerful. It is also majority latino. Bernie sanders made efforts here in nevada. The question will be is if this issue with the union will blunt his campaigns efforts. All right, thank you so much. Obviously, the nevada caucuses coming up on saturday. Fresh off the democratic debate, president ial hopefuls joe biden and Elizabeth Warren<\/a> will join cnn for a live town hall this evening at 8 00 p. M. Eastern tonight only on cnn. Coming up, the one quality President Trump<\/a> seems to value above all else. Loyalty to him. Well ask a former director of intelligence how much that will help or hurt trumps new acting intelligence chief. [ distant band playing ] have you ever wondered what the motorcade driver drives when theyre not in a motorcade . [ upbeat music starts ] [ engine revving ] this one drives a volkswagen passat. It made her feel proud. They saw us, they recognized us. Ancestry\u00ae specifically showed the regions that my family was from. The state of jalisco. The city of guadalajara. The results were a reflection of our family and the results were really human. I feel proud about my identity. Greater details. Richer stories. And now with health insights. Get your dna kit at ancestry. Com. President trump accused of loyalty to him above all other qualities. Critics such as nancy pelosi are arguing the appointment of richard grin knelt is just the latest case in point. The current ambassador to germany is hardly known for his intelligence, per tees. He is primarily known and beloved by conservatives for his outspoken defense and advocacy of the president and his policies. Grin knelt has a long his oi of knife fighting as a fierce and vicious partisan. Reporter its a job that by definition demands experience. It requires objective presentation of intelligence and a nonplait political approach. The president has chose b the direct opposite. I found the position of director of National Intelligence<\/a> a very tough so i cant imagine the challenge that somebody has. Committee blasting the choice today. That echoed by nancy pelosi today who said the soul qualification is his absolute loyalty to the president. Senior republicans though are silent over making gre ining hi acting director. He has a history of lull vvulga tweets about women including about Hillary Clinton<\/a> and Michelle Obama<\/a>. Saying Michelle Obama<\/a> is working out on the biggest loser. Shes sweating on the east room carpet. There are times what was intended to be humes rous turned out to be not so humorous. While trump want to see the president tweet less, he supports it. It makes my job easier. I like having a president who is willing to be tough. Grin knelt replaces mcguire. Mcguire stayed urn the president s radar rarely speaking in public, but he did voice his support for the whistleblower who sparked the investigation that led to the impeachment of President Trump<\/a>. I want to plooef the whistleblower have acted in good faith throughout. So this now means that yet another player in this ukraine investigation is being pushed out. The news coming the same day that a top pentagon official who is also involved was asked to resign. Truth tellers and nonloyalists clearly not valued by the trump administration. Meanwhile he tweeted today this is a temporary appointment and that the president will nominate someone else to be director of National Intelligence<\/a> soon. Thank you so much. Joining me to discuss is retired admiral dennis blair. He served as the director of National Intelligence<\/a> under president obama. Thank you for being here. We appreciate it. What are the most important qualifications for this job . This position was created after 9 11. So what do you need to do to be able to to it well . The fundamental skill and mission of the director of National Intelligence<\/a> is to integrate the 17 agencies each with matchless skills, but the real challenge of intelligence is putting them together to steal the secrets of people and countries that are against us and feed them to policymakers and troops in the field who are are trying to do their job and make the picture to do it better. Is it important to have expertise in intelligence . Yes, it is. Like all complicated organizations, the person at the top ought to have experience of whats going on down below in order to be able to make it better. We all try to leave it better than we found it. You have to know something about it. So the ambassador to germany attended harvards kenny school and worked at the u. N. Based on what you know about his expertise s that enoughf dependr hes a good manager or thinking and if he listens to his people. I dont know the gentleman. So if you look at temporary appointment, hes the fourth director of National Intelligence<\/a> within the last year. And now were heading into an election. The place will be basically treading water for awhile no matter how good he is. Without experience, even if he is good as the manager, hes got to take time to learn the issues and so it will be much better to get someone with experience to move things to give us better intelligence for the country. Its hard to not look at this in terms of how President Trump<\/a> picks people. He wants loyalty to him. Not necessarily the best person for the job. He wants somebody that he can trust 100 and i dont think its any secret that joseph mcguire, who is on his way out the toor, by saying the whistleblower in the ukraine scandal acted with integrity and backing that up and ultimately geting the whistleblower report to congress as he was required by law to do that its easy to see how that person could have run afoul of President Trump<\/a>. I know joe mcguire. I think he can pass the big test, which was can we look in the mirror when were shaving the next morning and be proud of what we see. I think theres one thing thats important to note. The National Intelligence<\/a> enterprise is a huge over 60 billion for the people. Hundreds of thousands of people. What they do with the president is only a tiny fraction of what they actually accomplish, which is providing intelligence to the troops in the field and diplomats, to policemen, to the director of homeland security. So what we read about in this interaction with the president , the Daily Briefing<\/a> is really just a tiny fraction. 99 of the intelligence professionals are working with people who value intelligence and want want it to be good and tell the intelligence people if they get it wrong. Work together to make it better. It makes for better policy and better actions. Fewer americans hurt and killed. Dont be distracted by the sort of at the top. Its whats going on with the huge organization a big part of our National Security<\/a> apparatus. With all certainly hope he figures it out quick olympic thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Mick mulvaney taking a a shot at his own party for something he actually is in charge of. Thats next. Jay . 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Can it help me fall asleep faster . Yes, by gently warming your feet. But can it help keep me asleep . Absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. So, you can really promise better sleep . Not promise. Prove. Dont miss the final days of the ultimate sleep number event, save 50 on the sleep number 360 limited Edition Smart<\/a> bed. Plus 0 interest for 24 months on all smart beds. Ends sunday. Tths obese ever expanding elephant in the room. In a speech in the uk yesterday, the acting white house chief of staff said, quote, my party is very interested in deficits when theres a democrat in the white house. Then donald trump became president and were a lot less interested as a party. The deficit is expected to hit 1 trillion this year. Again something he called exfrom ordinarily disturbing. Experts say the deficits increasing in part because the tax cuts in a budget deal that boosted federal spend iing. If only he knew somebody powerful who might be a able to work on solve iing the problem. Coverage on cnn continues right thousand. Thank you for watching. Im wolf blitzer in the situation room. Were following major stories including a 40month pregnaniso sentence for roger stone. They dismissed claims he was singled out for politics saying he was prosecuted not for standing up for the president , but covering up for him instead. Trump says he wont pardon stone at least not now. But he thinks he has, quote a good chance of exoneration. Were also following the race for the white house. 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