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Pelosi Endorses Harris For President; Secret Service Director Testifies In Contentious House Hearing; Bipartisan Anger, Calls For Secret Service Director To Be Fired In House Hearing. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired July 22, 2024 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: But I think this time they don't feel that they are running against a, quote, "normal Republican candidate."

Someone said to me, "This is not Mitt Romney, this is Donald Trump." This source said to me, democracy in peril is not a campaign slogan.

And so there was this tug in the party, do we open it up and see if there might be someone stronger or do we coalesce? Is Vice President Harris, the best one?

In 24 hours, with all the money that's been raised and this flood of endorsements, they've been very disciplined.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: That's what I wanted to ask you about. Because it's nearly $50 million in small dollar donations. This is -- these are not megadonors. These were small dollar donations they can, in theory, go back to again for her to get that support, grassroots support.

How much of that played in to her convincing, perhaps, maybe some people who we're skeptical?

GANGEL: So money plays a role in the party. Our colleague, Pamela Brown, and I did a story yesterday about big donors, megadonors, who said they were going all in.

One donor says to me, I'm going in big. Emphasized "big." So they know she's someone who can raise money.

But I also think, at the end of the day, they we can't ignore that she was the vice president. She is part of the Biden-Harris team. And there's also the structure of that campaign that she can inherit.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And so now it is the veepstakes. I mean, there is some mystery to what --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: -- comes next. And that is -- that would be, if you expect that she is overwhelmingly likely to be the nominee, who then is going to be on the ticket with her?

GANGEL: So what we keep hearing -- we started yesterday -- four names being floated. They all have one thing in common. They are white men. I think that the party feels that, for balance and for swing states, battleground states, they need that kind of balance.

And the four are Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who I'm told Vice President Harris knows very well and likes very much. That's certainly a swing state.

And then you have Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

That doesn't mean that there might be someone else, but those were the four names that are being floated as really the leading contenders.

DEAN: Let's bring in David Axelrod. I believe he's here with us. Of course, a former adviser to former President Barack Obama.

David, great to have you here.

We're getting this great reporting from Jamie Gangel, who's sitting here with us

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right. Great reporting.

DEAN: but we're expecting -- as always, great reporting that's right. That we're expecting do you hear these endorsements from Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries as soon as today. We just got this endorsement from Nancy Pelosi.

There are still eyes on the former president, former President Obama. What might be going through his head right now, as all of these pieces start to appear to settle into place?

AXELROD: Well, I haven't spoken to him today. So let me be clear, I'm not speaking for him.

But, you know, he has made clear that he wants to play the role that he's played before, which is to help pull the party together. He didn't want to put his finger on the scale of the -- of the choice that the party itself would make.

And -- but, you know, what's very clear now is, now there used to be, Jessica, a speaker of the House in Illinois years ago, who, when a legislative deal was coming together, he would say, I can smell the meat a cooking.

(LAUGHTER)

AXELROD: Well, the meets a cooking and the deal is done. And I think that, you know, President Obama is aware of that. And I'm sure that he'll have something to say soon.

Because this decision has made every single person who was considered a potential candidate, other than Kamala Harris, has now endorsed her. Nancy Pelosi, obviously, had been a proponent of a kind of competition for this among some of those contenders, has now endorsed her.

I mean, you know, you don't -- you don't have to be a political genius to understand what's going on here.

DEAN: Totally.

KEILAR: What would have happened, David, if there were more options for people, which I think ultimately, in the absence of there being a President Biden running for reelection, a decision that probably some voters' wishes have been made instead a while ago, that they would have actually had -- had more choices.

What would have happened if they had that, at this point in time?

AXELROD: Well, I think you would have had a robust competition. The Democratic Party has a lot of talent. And some of them were just on the screen, of that list of potential vice-presidential candidates that Jamie Gangel shared with you.

[13:35:07]

And so I think you would have seen some of those people and others in an open competition. But that's not where we are right now.

And the vice president has great advantages, not just internally, but also in terms of the experience of three-and-a-half years of being vice president. That, in this short timeframe, made it a pretty obvious decision.

So, yes, I mean, we can go back in the Way Back Machine and ask what would have happened, but what's happened now is a coalescence around her.

And honestly, a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement that I've seen. You know, I just think there's a sense of relief. A day ago, there was a sense of despair. And today, there's a sense of possibility and excitement.

And that's all you can ask for at this juncture. A lot of work for her to do ahead of this, you know, after this. This is just the beginning.

And the first order of business, in some ways, is maybe picking this V.P. because, if they do an early endorsement by -- by -- you know, a virtual endorsement in the next week, they're going to need a ticket.

So I would expect that we get a pretty quick answer on the vice- presidential nomination.

DEAN: And, David, I just want to ask you one more quick question about just the apparatus of the Democratic Party coalescing around Harris. Not necessarily the -- the leadership, but -- but campaign operatives, donors, fundraisers.

AXELROD: Yes. DEAN: It seems like there is an all hands on deck back for people I'm talking to. It's -- it's all hands on deck and everybody wants to be a part -- or a lot of people want to be a part of this.

AXELROD: Well, I don't think there's any question about that.

Listen, everybody accepts the gravity of this election. Everybody understands the stakes and the consequences of this election.

And I think that, you know, the whole gamut of people who are involved in Democratic politics are of one mind, that they -- that she is going to be the candidate and they want to help.

And so I never thought that -- you know, there was talk about money and if it we're one candidate or another candidate. Their money is going to be there. And I think the volunteers are now going to be there. And the energy is going to be there.

You know, there's been a sea change in people's mood in the last 24 hours.

KEILAR: And, David, if you can stand by for us.

I do want to go to CNN's Steve Contorno, who is in Middletown, Ohio, which is J.D. Vance's hometown, ahead of a J.D. Vance event.

And I wonder if we're probably going to hear more of this attack line from J.D. Vance. We've heard it from him. We've heard it from other Republicans.

Where they are now taking aim at Kamala Harris, basically saying that she -- that Biden is not fit to be president right now and this is something that Kamala Harris has enabled.

I wonder how Republicans feel about how that attack line works. Steve. Because listening to some Democrats, they don't think it works. Of course, it will be up to the voters to decide.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Yes, clearly, this is a campaign still trying to figure out a new messaging strategy around this massive change in the Democratic ticket.

And this -- this is preparations that began in earnest about three weeks ago. Right around then, the Trump campaign realized that the Democratic hand-wringing over the Biden's debate performance wasn't going to end.

And so they started researching the potential replacement Democrats. They started really zeroing in on Vice President Harris as the most likely person to replace Joe Biden.

They did that internal poll, pitting Donald Trump against Harris and seeing how they locked in certain swing states.

And now they've started already on their messaging and attacking Vice President Harris. You are seeing -- you saw at the convention, she was the most attacked person on that stage, other than Joe Biden.

That was something that the Democrats that the Trump campaign had reached out to surrogates, suggesting that they do.

We also have seen new ad from a super PAC supporting Donald Trump, which has already on the air in four different states, in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania, where they are going to try to hurt her early and often, try to identify her before she can get up on the airwaves herself.

And we're going to see now from Senator J.D. Vance, in his first appearance as a candidate by himself, he is going to be testing some of those lines. We're going to get an early window into how he intends and the Trump campaign intends to attack Senator Harris going forward.

This is a big event for him. It's in his hometown of Middleton, obviously, the setting of his memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy." And it's going to be the first chance for Republican voters to really hear from him just by himself.

KEILAR: All right, Steve, we'll be waiting for that.

Steve Contorno, thank you so much.

And thanks as well to Jamie Gangel with her excellent reporting and David Axelrod and his analysis.

[13:40:04]

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Happening right now, a contentious hearing on Capitol Hill where lawmakers are grilling U.S. Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, about security lapses that led to the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.

We're going to pick this back up and listen in.

KIMBERLY CHEATLE, U.S. SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR: -- for you the moment I received notification.

REP. LISA MCCLAIN (R-MI): But you can't remember? You got a little Alzheimer's dementia going? I mean, what, you can't remember?

CHEATLE: I have several active investigations going on and an operational agency to run.

MCCLAIN: OK. All right. But you want to take accountability, right? The buck stops with you, right?

CHEATLE: I'm taking accountability.

[13:45:01]

MCCLAIN: Super. So let's start with trying to answer some questions.

You keep referring to the FBI. When I ask how many shell casings were on the roof, you refer to the FBI. When asked if there were explosives in the car, you referred to the FBI. When asked if Crooks was acting alone, you refer to the FBI.

See a common theme here? I can go on and on.

My question is, who at the FBI should I speak with? Wait for it. Wait for it.

CHEATLE: The FBI is responsible for the criminal --

(CROSSTALK)

MCCLAIN: Is there a name?

CHEATLE: I'm not certain who at --

MCCLAIN: I'm not certain --

CHEATLE: at the FBI --

MCCLAIN: Not certain. I don't know. Let me ask a different question. Have you been in communication with the FBI?

CHEATLE: Yes, I have.

MCCLAIN: With whom?

CHEATLE: I speak with the director and the deputy director.

MCCLAIN: OK. And what have they shared with you about this investigation? So I'll give you an -- an opportunity to answer again. Did they share with you how many shell casings were on the roof?

CHEATLE: They have shared with me the --

(CROSSTALK)

MCCLAIN: Did they share with you how many shell casings were on the roof?

CHEATLE: Yes.

MCLAIN: OK. How many we're there?

CHEATLE: I would refer to the FBI for how many --

MCLAIN: How many were there?

CHEATLE: -- and their information that they need to share in their investigation.

MCCLAIN: So they've shared the information with you. You just don't want to share the information with us, correct? CHEATLE: We have concurrent investigations that are going on.

MCCLAIN: So they have shared this information with you. You know the answer to the question. You just refer -- refuse to answer the question from a member of Congress, who has subpoenaed you to be here.

Is there a different answer to that question?

CHEATLE: I was always willing to come here and testify before this Oversight hearing.

MCCLAIN: Beautiful. Then let's do that. Let's -- let's, for once, have your actions match your words.

So you've been in -- in communication with the FBI. You know the answers and you refuse to tell us the answers.

So I will ask you again. You know how many shell casings were on that roof. What is the answer to that question?

CHEATLE: I think it's pertinent --

(CROSSTALK)

MCCLAIN: What is the answer to that question?

CHEATLE: I think it's pertinent to talk to you about the information that the Secret Service has and that the Secret Service knows, really -

(CROSSTALK)

DEAN: I'm asking you an answer to the question. If you're supposed to be in charge, if the buck stops with you, how come you can't share the answers? What are you covering up? What are you hiding, my friend?

CHEATLE: I'm not covering anything.

MCCLAIN: Then why can't you answer a simple question?

CHEATLE: I would leave it to the criminal investigation to answer questions related to that.

MCCLAIN: When you talk to the FBI and you ask them how many explosives -- well, let me ask you, did you ask them how many explosives were on the roof? Did they answer that question? Or in the car, excuse me. Did they answer that question for you?

CHEATLE: Yes.

MCCLAIN: Yes. So you know the answer to that question that my colleagues have asked you. But again, you refuse to give us the answers. You're playing, this wasn't me.

Well, I submit to you, if you can't -- and it's not a can't. It's a won't. It's not a can't. It's a I don't know. It's I choose not to answer the question.

Well, let me tell you, Ms. Cheatle, if you're going to lead, you need to lead. If you want to be in charge, then answer the question or step aside and have someone with the courage and the guts to answer to the American people the questions that they deserve answers to.

And with that, I yield back.

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY), CHAIRMAN: The chair recognizes Ms. Boebert from Colorado.

REP. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-CO): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I'm going to continue down that vein. You have been here sitting today, Director Cheatle definitively able to dismiss erroneous information and speculation.

However, you are refusing to answer questions that we now know that you have the formation for. You are saying that you are wanting to answer questions that the Secret Service has information to.

Well, Ma'am, you are the Secret Service. You are the director. You have said that you are the best for the job. So I'm going to ask you some questions now, now knowing that you do have answers from the FBI, whom you have been passing the buck to this entire day.

And I'll start with something that, you know, maybe the FBI doesn't know because it has to do with you personally. You said you spoke with President Trump after the assassination attempt.

And I want to know, did you apologize to him directly for nearly having President Trump killed?

CHEATLE: Yes, I did.

BOEBERT: I appreciate that. I appreciate that you recognize that this was your failure.

[13:50:02]

Now, since the assassination attempt -- you are under oath, reminding you -- have you communicated with anyone at the White House on an encrypted messaging app like signal?

Yes or no?

CHEATLE: No, I have not.

BOEBERT: Are you willing to surrender your personal phone for analysis?

CHEATLE: If I am required to do so.

BOEBERT: OK. I will look into making that request because I would like to see your personal phone to see if you're communicating over an encrypted messaging apps. Have you ever turned down enhanced security requests from Donald

Trump's detail and his special agent in charge, Sean Curran? Have you ever turned that down?

CHEATLE: No, I have not.

BOEBERT: Have there been -- has your team, has the Secret Service? Maybe not you personally?

CHEATLE: I believe, as I mentioned earlier, there are times when requests are made for --

(CROSSTALK)

BOEBERT: You can't deny them. They have been denied.

CHEATLE: A denial -- a denial doesn't --

(CROSSTALK)

BOEBERT: Had the Trump campaign made requests for additional assets that have been denied?

CHEATLE: Denial doesn't mean vulnerability.

BOEBERT: Have there been additional requests for enhanced security at Mar-a-Lago?

CHEATLE: We have made a number of enhancements to --

BOEBERT: Do you confirm that there were bomb sniffing dogs that were provided. You failed to confirm if there were aerial security surveillance assets that were provided.

So yes or no. Was that provided?

CHEATLE: At the rally?

BOEBERT: At the rally. Yes, Ma'am.

CHEATLE: We had overwatch provided at the rally.

BOEBERT: You've confirmed that the assassin was identified as suspicious --

KEILAR: We're bringing in Andrew McCabe, former FBI deputy director, and CNN senior law enforcement analyst, who has been watching this contentious hearing with the director of the U.S. Secret Service.

Who, by the way, we just ended on a question there, Andrew. She's been asked about overwatch at the rally. But she's not providing details. And some of this is quite performative, of course, on the part of some of these members of Congress.

But there's also a very legitimate frustration with her appearance there today. ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, I think that the keyword there, Brianna is "legitimate."

So I have to say, I mean, my heart goes out to her. This is a really tough day. Anyone who's running an agency and has had to go before Congress and answer these questions in the aftermath of some sort of problem, it's never pleasant. So, and I feel bad for on that count.

However, I think she's made some really serious tactical mistakes in the way that she has chosen not to provide factual information that she has. And the provision of which would not jeopardize really any sort of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Often, we are in the unenviable position of having to say we can't share information because it's part of a criminal investigation. A defendant's rights are at risk. We don't want to compromise evidence that might be used in the investigation. That's sort of thing.

That is obviously not the case here. She could have come in today and said, I don't have complete information, we haven't finished our investigations, but I will share with you what we know so far.

With the caveat that some of these facts may change as we learn more, and just been more transparent about what she knows and doesn't know.

And I think things would have gone a little bit better. You know, they're there to perform and beat up on her, no matter what she says. So you would have seen some of that anyway.

But, yes, I think some mistakes were made here on the part of the Secret Service director.

DEAN: Andrew, why do you think she's choosing to go that route and not doing what you just laid out?

MCCABE: You know, it's -- that's a really tough question. I would -- I think we have to recognize that the Secret Service has really mishandled the communications part of this attack from the first day.

From refusing to show up that night at the law enforcement presser and then in the conflicting statements, some of which have been made by her subordinates about whether or not requests for resources were denied. Some of which were made by her. Crazy -- I mean, things that just made no sense.

When she initially made comments that seemed to attack their local law enforcement partners. That was a terrible mistake.

Putting out that, well, we wouldn't have had people stand on a roof because it was sloped when there's a hundred pictures of her own agents standing on a much more pitched roof than the one she was talking about.

So they've not been good from the very beginning. I think she probably suffered today from some bad advice and some terrible preparation. There were facts that were asked of her, which she clearly didn't have

command of. So that backs you further into that position of saying I can't share that with you.

[13:55:04]

I just think it's a series of errors in their entire approach to communications that's really put them in a very bad spot. They're behind the curve right now on the public relations side of this. And that's never a good place to be.

KEILAR: I do wonder why she isn't kind of caught trying to be as transparent and engaged as possible. And whether it is what -- she is saying or even her demeanor, you're not getting that.

One of the things we learned during this hearing, Andy, is that she hasn't gone to the site. And I don't know -- maybe you can give us some idea of this. I don't know if that's normal, that she should or should not go to the site.

But I think it could certainly help one's understanding of what happened to go and get a sense of things.

MCCABE: No question. I mean, first of all, nothing about the situation is normal, right? Assassins aren't taking shots at former presidents every day. So there's no rule book for this one.

Especially when they realized what a, what a challenging spot she was in on the communication side of this. Just to go out there to send that message, first and foremost, to her troops that she cares, that she wanted to see it for herself.

That she has that deep an interest in the facts and what happened and getting to the bottom of this, that she went out they are put her own hands on it. I mean, that would have been very effective and important thing to do. It would have also helped her today in her answer to that question.

But again, another decision or an omission of a decision that really has come back to hurt her and put her in a very bad light.

I think she's an honorable person and has served our country well for many, many years. I don't want to -- I don't want to throw all kinds of rocks there. But, boy, it seems like she's in a very, very tough spot on this right now.

DEAN: Yes, and getting it from all sides.

KEILAR: Andrew McCabe, great insights. We appreciate them.

And still to come, minutes from now, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaking to the media as were learning that he, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, will soon endorse Kamala Harris for president.

Stay with CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)