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CNN This Morning
Ankush Khardori is Interviewed about Hunter Biden; Kremlin Hopes Trump will Side with Russia; McConnell Charts new Path; Walmart Rolls back DEI. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired November 26, 2024 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[06:33:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUGH HEWITT, HOST, "THE HUGH HEWITT SHOW": Will you pardon Hunter Biden?
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENT-ELECT: Uh, I wouldn't take it off the books. See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they've done to me and gone (ph) after me so viciously, despite what - and - and Hunter's a bad boy. There's no question about it. He's been a bad boy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: As President Biden's time in the White House comes to a close, a big question looms, will he help his son avoid prison before he leaves office?
Hunter Biden is set to be sentenced in a few weeks. He could face years behind bars. The president has publicly ruled out pardoning his son or commuting his sentence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARINE JEAN PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I haven't spoken to the president about this since the verdict came out, and as we all know, the sentencing hasn't even been scheduled yet. But you saw the president do an interview just last week when he was in Normandy. You have his own words. I just don't have anything beyond that.
REPORTER: Can you explain that just -
REPORTER: You're not ruling out that he would commute the sentence?
JEAN PIERRE: What I'm saying is that the president - I have not spoken to the president about this. And what I'm saying is, he was asked about a pardon. I don't have anything beyond what the president said.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HUNT: A new piece in "POLITICO Magazine" argues the president should rethink that. Former federal prosecutor, senior writer for "POLITICO Magazine," Ankush Khardori, writes this, quote, "there would be no real precedent for Biden to weigh, but of course, there's no real precedent for any of this. The cases against Hunter Biden were ultimately the result of a Republican pressure campaign, and Garland's decision to let Weiss," the special counsel in the case, "pursue the case as a special counsel. Trump and his Republican allies would likely bristle at any intervention by Biden, but there's no reason to take their complaints seriously. After all, Trump abused the pardon power more than any president in our lifetimes in order to protect his political allies."
And Ankush Khardori, the writer of that piece, joins us now.
Ankush, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it.
So, in reading this piece, and obviously we know what the president has said. He did that interview with David Muir when he was over in Normandy. He said, I'm not going to do this.
[06:35:01]
It was a little unclear if it was a pardon - just the pardon or the commutation. Either way, you say that the things that happened to Hunter Biden only happened because Joe Biden was president of the United States. Can you explain why?
ANKUSH KHARDORI, SENIOR WRITER, "POLITICO MAGAZINE": Yes. So, there are two sets of charges, obviously, he's facing. One is, he was convicted in this case for having - acquiring a gun while he was a drug user in Delaware. It is extremely rare for cases like that to be brought, particularly standalone cases. And virtually no precedent in Delaware for a case like that.
The other set of charges concern tax fraud issues, tax underpayment issues. The amount of money he has now admitted to not paying is relatively small compared to what the department usually charges in criminal cases.
HUNT: It's 1.4 million, right? So, I think for people at home, that seems like a lot.
KHARDORI: Correct.
HUNT: Put it in context.
KHARDORI: I'll put it in context. During Trump's administration, there was a high-level executive who resolved, in a civil case, a tax case where he had underpaid $200 million, or hundreds of millions of dollars.
A lot of this turns on intentionality, and the context in which these underpayments are occurring. But it's very unusual for an underpayment case at that magnitude to be charged through a criminal case. They're usually resolved through civil payment, some sort of civil mechanism, and fines.
HUNT: So, the $200 million guy just had to pay a fine and not go to prison.
KHARDORI: He did not go to prison.
HUNT: OK.
KHARDORI: So - and then, you know, if we think back to last summer, right, obviously you - you - I'm sure you all remember, there was a deal in place - a plea deal in place in which Biden was going to resolve these charges without having to serve any prison time. And the - the judge presiding over the case in Delaware, a Trump appointee, balked. Republicans in Congress balked. And the deal unraveled as a result.
And now we face this situation, just to take a step back here, where Donald Trump may be returning - is returning to the White House, and Hunter Biden might be going to prison as a result of these cases. I find this to be extremely remarkable and a little unseemly under the circumstances.
HUNT: Really interesting.
So, Kendra Barkoff, you, obviously, worked closely with President Biden over many years. Can you help us understand his thinking around this? Because I - you know, I - certainly as a parent, it seems like there would be a lot of parents out there who might understand if he decided, hey, this is a power that I have. Obviously, Ankush has laid out this series of facts as he sees them. What does the president think?
KENDRA BARKOFF, FORMER PRESS SECRETARY TO JOE BIDEN: I mean, I haven't talked to him, obviously, or his team about this.
I will say that he has such great love for his son. He and his son are very, very close. Doctor Biden, the first lady, and Hunter are extremely, extremely close. So, there's no question about his love and - and that he would do anything for his son.
I do think, at the end of the day, though, this is about Joe Biden's legacy. This is about his word as a Biden, as he likes to say. He - you know, if he puts - if he sets a marker down and says, I am not going to do something like that, it is a very, very rare thing that he walks it back. And - and I think, at the end of the day, he, on his Wikipedia page, for his legacy, it's going to want - he's going to want that to focus on his years in the Senate, his time as vice president and all the good that he accomplished there and his presidency. And I just don't think he's going to want that to be in the top part of his Wikipedia page.
HUNT: Making decisions like this for Wikipedia pages? I'm having trouble getting my head around that.
BARKOFF: Well, you - you get my point.
HUNT: But, yes, I do. I do.
BARKOFF: It's not about the Wikipedia page, but it - you get the legacy piece.
HUNT: I understand your point.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: And he talked about it this summer to David Muir, but that's when he was still running for president. So, that's the last time we've heard him talk about this. That was in June. So, a lot has changed, obviously.
This is going to be a very difficult thing for him to weigh. I'm not sure if he decided to do it, it's going to be a besmirching his whole legacy. It will be one piece of it, certainly. But as history goes on, I think that might recede to the background.
But there's no doubt. I'm wondering, is there going to be a split in the Biden family on this? Does Doctor Biden view this differently than President Biden? We shall see. But this certainly will be one of the things that weighs on him in the final days.
HUNT: Well, and, Ankush, do you see a difference, or how do you understand the difference between the full pardon option and just commuting the sentence?
KHARDORI: Thank you for asking that because it's a critical point. I'm not suggesting that he pardoned Hunter Biden. That would wipe the conviction, suggest potentially he's innocent and allow him to forego any sort of collateral consequences that a conviction would entail. And they're significant ones.
I'm suggesting that he commute any sentence of imprisonment that may be imposed as a result of these charges when the judge has sentenced him in a few weeks, which would eliminate his prison time but still let the conviction stand.
And I would just say just one thing, because I've heard this, the notion that, you know, Biden wouldn't want to go back on his word. He's a man of his word, this and that. He has gone back on his word in a very significant way this year when he stepped down as a Democratic nominee. And I think it is very important what Jeff said, which is the context in which he was making those statements was when he was still running. I'm not suggesting he should just go back on his word willy- nilly, but I do think we have to try to put ourselves in his position now and think about how he would be approaching this issue given where we are today.
HUNT: Yes. All right, Ankush Khardori, thank you very much for joining us. I hope you'll come back on the show.
[06:40:00]
KHARDORI: Thank you.
HUNT: All right, as the inauguration of Donald Trump nears, officials in Russia have been closely observing his Kremlin-friendly inner circle. People like possibly Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson. They are hoping that it leads to a desired outcome in their war with Ukraine.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As Ukrainian forces grow ever more desperate trying to hold off advancing Russian troops, the Kremlin is growing ever more hopeful the incoming Trump administration will try to end the war on terms favorable for Moscow.
"The words peace or peace plan come from Trump supporters and those nominated for future positions in the upcoming administration," the Kremlin spokesman said today.
The Russians irate after the Biden administration allowed Ukraine to use longer distance U.S. and U.K. supplied missiles to strike deeper inside Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in return, firing a new, powerful intermediate range ballistic missile into central Ukraine that's never been used in war.
President-elect Trump's pick for national security advisor confirming ending the Ukraine war will be an urgent priority.
MIKE WALTZ, TRUMP'S PICK FOR U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: President Trump has been very clear about the need to end this conflict. And so, what were - need to be discussing is, who's at that table?
PLEITGEN (voice over): And from Trump insiders and cabinet picks, proposals seemingly in line with Moscow's demands. Elon Musk posting his ideas on his X account in early October 2022, calling for U.N. monitored referendums in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia, for Crimea to be recognized as Russian, and for Ukraine to remain neutral.
Ukraine's president, who has said he does believe the war will end faster under Trump, also said last week in a radio interview that Ukraine cannot be forced into talks. Musk then trolling Zelenskyy once again.
Despite Elon Musk giving crucial battlefield support to Ukraine by providing Starlink satellite internet to its troops, Russians we spoke to in Moscow unequivocal, they like him.
He's an extraordinary personality, this man says. And since he fulfilled himself and his business, society will work with him well.
I think Elon Musk is a good example of the future of our planet, she says. He's doing a lot to bring our planet forward, and it's a good development.
Others in Trump's orbit with clear pro-Kremlin views. Former Fox Host Tucker Carlson traveled to Moscow in February, where he praised Russian supermarkets.
TUCKER CARLSON, HOST, TUCKER CARLSON NETWORK: It's pretty non- sanctioned to me.
PLEITGEN (voice over): Before sitting down with Vladimir Putin for an extended interview.
CARLSON: Tell us why you believe the United States might strike Russia out of the blue. How did you conclude that?
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I didn't say that. Are we having a talk show or a serious conversation?
PLEITGEN: The Russian leader patient saying he's willing to listen to the Trump administration's proposals.
What was said concerning the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, seems to me to be at least worthy of attention.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNT: All right, our thanks to Fred for that report.
And, Mark Preston, I mean, really striking to, of course, watch what Tucker Carlson did there again as we head towards Donald Trump, you know, going to the Oval Office.
Go ahead.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: No, no, I mean, please. I mean, it does bring us back to the time when - when Tucker Carlson went over there and we all kind of watched in just amazement that, you know, Tucker Carlson, this - this American journalist, I guess, American commentator goes over there and really bowed to Putin. It was just a strange -
HUNT: Well, and we, you know, since then have seen him campaign repeatedly with Donald Trump.
And, Jeff, there's also, of course, Elon Musk has been on phone calls with President-elect Trump and the Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelenskyy. I mean it's a really remarkable situation.
ZELENY: Remarkable and not surprising. Look, all of this was out in the open when Donald Trump was campaigning, and the American people elected him.
I think the big question here is, what is Elon Musk's role going to be? And a bigger question is, we were talking earlier about all the things that the president will do on day one. I think Ukraine is probably chief among them. Look for something very expedient there, right, when he comes into office.
So, yes, this will be - a conflict in Russia remains - looms large, as always.
HUNT: Yes. OK. Do you want in? Very quickly.
BRAD TODD, PARTNER, ONMESSAGE INC.: Well, I want to say, you also have to look at Marco Rubio, who - we can't evaluate this question - Donald Trump picked Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state. Marco Rubio is the biggest Russia hawk in the U.S. Senate. He authored sanctions ten days before Trump came into office on Russia for what they were doing to Ukraine. So, this is a little more complicated.
HUNT: Yes, good point. Glad you mention it.
All right, ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, new allegations about a member of Trump's inner circle getting rich on the transition.
[06:45:05]
How those closest to the president-elect are responding to this report.
Plus, Mitch McConnell may - may not be the Republican Senate leader next year, but could he be a bigger obstacle than ever for Donald Trump?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENT-ELECT: We do have to do something about Mitch McConnell. He's - he's a disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: He's kind of a liberated person and he's one of this group of senators that I think is unthreatenable. You know, they're not susceptible to the normal political machinations of some of the rest of the people in the conference.
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HUNT: Aa liberated person.
Senate Republicans heading into the next Congress with a new majority, and they will have a new majority leader.
[06:50:00]
Mitch McConnell is stepping down from his role as Republican leader after 16 years. That's the longest anyone has served in a role like that.
But according to a new report in "The New York Times," quote, "in recent days, including a late-night session of votes on the Senate floor last week, Mr. McConnell, 82, has told colleagues that his impending exit from leadership has left him feeling liberated." And, "he has signaled skepticism about some of the president-elect's most divisive picks for his administration."
Trump and McConnell's relationship has famously soured since Trump left office four years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY) (February 13, 2021): President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (November 29, 2022): If Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination, would you support him?
MCCONNELL (November 29, 2022): Look, let me just say again, there is simply no room in the Republican Party for anti-Semitism or white supremacy.
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENT-ELECT (January 12, 2022): Mitch McConnell is a loser.
TRUMP (March 13, 2023): We do have to do something about Mitch McConnell. He's - he's a disaster.
TRUMP (November 5, 2022): Mitch McConnell, and his wife, coco chow. Coco. We got to get the McConnells of the world to do their job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: Oof.
Brad Todd, what do you think, is McConnell going to actually buck Trump on some of these nomination votes?
TODD: I think he will. But the key is whether he can get a fourth person. You know, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski are going to oppose some of these nominees. Mitch McConnell would be three. There are 53 Republicans. So, the question is, can McConnell recruit one more Republican? I don't know if he can on all of them, although it will depend on how the hearings go for a couple.
I think that a lot of Republicans in the Senate would love to see Mitch McConnell liberated from Chuck Schumer though. Their critique of him the last couple of years is he's done Schumer's bidding when it comes to spending deals and CRs at the end of it. So, if Mitch McConnell feels liberated from Chuck Schumer, he can go back to being the old Mitch McConnell that jammed Supreme Court nominees through, Republicans will be happy with that.
BARKOFF: See, and I remember the Mitch McConnell that is a full institutionalist of the Senate, who, as - as I think may throw his own bombs in the way that Mitch McConnell can. I mean he worked together with Joe Biden on the on fiscal deals. He worked with him to stop the debt limit. I think these are things that he's going to go back to his roots. Fundamentally, he is an institutionalist at heart.
ZELENY: He's not going to oppose, I don't believe, the Trump nominees just for the sake of opposing them. But one fine line that he really wants to hold is on Ukraine, is on being a hawk. He's deeply troubled by the foreign policy that has emerged in this era of the Trump Republican Party. So that, I think, is where he's going to lay down his marker on some of these.
HUNT: Yes, this is why Tulsi Gabbard is really the person that I am watching.
ZELENY: For sure. Yes.
TODD: So, he also - and he -
(CROSS TALK)
ZELENY: And the defense secretary possibly as well.
TODD: He also -
HUNT: Yes.
(CROSS TALK)
TODD: He believes in deferring to the president, though, both Democrat and Republican, in getting their nominees and forming their government. He and Lindsey Graham both do. So, there's going to be some tension here. I think he is skeptical of some of Donald Trump's instincts, but he also believes the president has a right to build his cabinet.
HUNT: Fair enough.
All right, 52 minutes past the hour. Here's your morning roundup.
Bird flu detected in a batch of raw milk sold in California. The state warning residents not to drink any of the affected product. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has said in the past that he will end the FDA's, quote, "war on raw, unpasteurized milk."
Two plane collisions at Boston's Logan Airport in one day. An American plane being towed, clipping a Frontier passenger plane's wing on Monday. No one was hurt. And a tug vehicle towing a JetBlue aircraft struck a Cape Air plane earlier. The FAA is investigating both incidents.
Walmart scaling back its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Some of the programs being cut include specialized training for employees and a philanthropic commitment to racial equity. Walmart joins Harley- Davidson, Tractor Supply Co, John Deere and other companies that have scaled back or canceled their DEI programs.
Mark Preston, what do you make of this? I mean Walmart is just the latest in a long list of companies that are doing this.
PRESTON: You know, I do - we talk about this sometimes. I do a lot of work behind the scenes for the network and including working on other - other news issues that people would find interesting. DEI, I will say, three years ago was hot. It was extremely hot. And every company was doing it. They were putting a lot of money into it. Then came the next year where they kept talking about it, and they actually had pulled their money out.
So, this is - this isn't necessarily new. This is something that has been going on for a couple of years, slowly, where companies talked about their DEI initiatives. However, they weren't necessarily funding them.
HUNT: It's very - it's interesting.
You want to jump in.
TODD: Corporate America has been whipsawed, right? They've - the political winds shifted left and they immediately overcorrected and put a bunch of DEI stuff in their - in their protocols. Now they've realized they've overdone it and they're moving back.
But the Republican Party now is a populist party and is skeptical of corporate power and corporations weighing in on big political issues. You're going to see more of this.
[06:55:01]
HUNT: And we also didn't - I mean we didn't mention the influence of Robby Starbuck, who is the activist that has been behind this campaign. And when he has turned his sights on a particular company, we often see the result we've seen here with Walmart.
All right, let's turn now to this.
Lawyers for Donald Trump conducting an internal investigation into allegations that one of his top aides was involved in a pay to play scheme. Boris Epshteyn, one of Trump's most loyal advisors, accused of asking for money in exchange for promoting candidates to administration positions. In one instance, he allegedly asked for as much as $100,000 a month for his services. Epshteyn says the claims are fake. Eric Trump, the president's son, weighed in on that with a caveat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC TRUMP, SON OF PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP: I've known Boris for years, and I've never known him to be anything but a - but a good human being. So, I - that said, I will tell you, my father has been incredibly clear, you - you do not - you do not do that under any circumstance.
I certainly hope the reporting's false. And I can also tell you, if it's true, you know, the person will probably no longer be around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: The person will probably no longer be around. Jeff, I mean, that's - that's a warning shot.
ZELENY: It absolutely is. I mean, look, this is - I mean, he's not even in office yet. It's just the beginning of a reminder of what the first Trump administration was like.
But there is a cardinal sin in Trump world to the eyes of the president-elect, and that's profiting off of him. Many people have, obviously, but he does not like it. He doesn't accept it.
But this is interesting in the - the accusations are that he was trying to get people's names in front of the president-elect.
And Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary nominee, or who will be, refused to pay as the internal investigation shows. So, this is not finished yet. But we will see if Boris returns to the White House. If this is true, he will not.
HUNT: Yes, well, I mean, and how this has come out is kind of interesting as well, because it was with a journalist that's known as being close to the Trump team, John Solomon, who had this originally, had an interview with Trump about it. I mean, clearly, they think there's some there there.
TODD: Steven Cheung, the spokesman for the transition, last night said there's a broad review underway. And there is a cottage industry of a few grifters who have - have ripped people off. I mean, Donald Trump makes his own decisions. I think the whole country's pretty clear on that. And people have conned people into paying them to not influence Trump while they say they have.
I would not be surprised if this investigation does turn up some things and people are iced out.
HUNT: I'm reminded of Michael Cohen. I was - also, I pulled out this. I don't know if you remember Carl Paladino. Do you remember him, from New York?
BARKOFF: I do - I do not. I probably blocked it from my memory.
HUNT: Well, he ran for Congress recently after the gubernatorial run that perhaps the rest of us remember him for. He complained to "The New York Times" he was not exactly sure why he had paid Mr. Epshteyn $20,000 a month because he was not endorsed by Mr. Trump in his 2022 race. "He was highly recommended as having good relations with some people that worked for Mr. Trump, Mr. Paladino said in 2023. I was told it would be in my interest if I sent money to this Boris. I did, and we heard nothing" from the man. He was totally useless.
PRESTON: Well, a couple things. One is, this has been going on since, you know, politics, you know, was invented, that - that there was this - you know, behind the scenes money grifting.
ZELENY: Sometimes more gracefully though.
PRESTON: But not to the level - BARKOFF: Isn't this called lobbying? Isn't this called lobbying here?
PRESTON: Not to the level that we've seen.
ZELENY: Right.
PRESTON: And I would say this, if Boris Epshteyn does get pushed out of Trump orbit, I guarantee you he will be back.
We've seen it with everybody else.
HUNT: Fair enough.
PRESTON: Corey Lewandowski, you know, scene four.
HUNT: Yes, that's true. All right, I'm going to leave you with this.
As we all prepare to give thanks and reflect on the past year, an Australian dictionary has chosen its word of the year. And it is, well, let's just say, I'm going to let the host of Australia's ABC News say it for us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Macquarie Dictionary has crowned its word of the year. And the winner is, enshittification. According to Macquarie, the term describes the gradual deterioration of a service or product, especially when it comes to online platforms like social media.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: So, it was a little hard to read on that like chyron there, but you did hear it correctly. Let's listen again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today we have another word so perfect and so lewd that I'm only allowed to say it once. So, kids, it's time to put on those swearing earmuffs. Enshittification.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beg your pardon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: En-what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: En-(EXPLETIVE DELETED-ification.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoa.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: En-(EXPLETIVE DELETED-ification?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: On Macquarie Dictionary's website, the committee in charge of selecting the word of the year says it describes, quote, "what many of us feel is happening to the world." A Canadian-British journalist and author named Cory Doctorow says,
he's the one who came up with the term. And what was that term again, Cory?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CORY DOCTOROW, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: I have a somewhat notorious name for this that I - I coined. I call it enshittification.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNT: I'm a fan of the f-word. So, I'm not a fan of this word.
Jeff.
BARKOFF: So, I want to know, if I say this word out loud, do I have to put $5 in the swear jar is what I really want to know. Is that, have we crossed that line?
[07:00:00]
TODD: No, it's embedded. It's embedded with suffixes and prefixes, so you're fine.
BARKOFF: Cool.
HUNT: I mean it is supposed to be a family program. I will say that. So, my apologies. I do - I do have a friend who consistently sends me pictures of her four-year-old daughter watching the show. So, I'm sorry for that. I apologize.
Thanks to you guys for being here this morning. Thanks to all of you at home for joining us as well. I'm Kasie Hunt. Don't go anywhere. "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.
