Return to Transcripts main page
Erin Burnett Outfront
Chinese Woman Arrested For Illegally Entering Mar-A-Lago During Trump's Visit; Authorities: Chinese Woman Charged With Illegally Entering Trump's Mar-A-Lago Had Four Cell Phones And Malware; Chinese Woman Charged With Illegally Entering Trump's Mar-A-Lago; Dems Serve Four Subpoenas To Trump Admin Officials; Trump: Dems Are "Ridiculous" For Threatening Subpoenas For Full Mueller Report; Trump Weeks Ago: "Let It Come Out"; Schiff: Mueller Testifying Before Congress Is "Inevitable"; Trump Doubles Down On Shutting Down Border Even As He Admits It'd Have "Negative Impact" On U.S. Economy; Trump Doubles Down On Border Threat Even If it Hurts Economy. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired April 02, 2019 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR, CNN: Nic Robertson reporting for us from London. Nic, good reporting. Thank you very much. And to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @WOLFBLITZER. Tweet the show @CNNSITROOM. Erin Burnett OutFront starts right now.
ERIN BURNETT, ANCHOR, CNN: OutFront next, breaking news. Federal prosecutors charging a Chinese woman with illegally entering Trump's Mar-A-Lago. She had four cell phones, a laptop, a hard drive and a thumb drive with malware. This as the President was spending the weekend at Mar-A-Lago. Plus, breaking news, House Dems serving White House staffers with four subpoenas. That news literally coming in this hour and the President threatening to shut down the southern border. Republicans now ardently against it. Is the President bluffing empty threats? Let's go OutFront.
Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OutFront tonight, the breaking news, a stunning security breach. Authorities arresting a Chinese woman for trying to lie her way into Mar-A-Lago last weekend while the President of the United States was staying there. And what she had on her is raising serious concerns tonight, according to prosecutors, we have the entire document here of what they're filing.
She was holding two passports from the Republic of China, four cell phones, a laptop computer, an external hard drive and a thumb drive that contained malicious malware. According to prosecutors the woman claimed a Chinese friend named Charles told her to travel from Shanghai to Mar-A-Lago to speak with a member of Trump's family. Shimon Prokupecz is OutFront.
OK, Shimon, look, on a lot of levels, pretty disturbing. For some of it you go, "Oh, my gosh, this is real life." OK, it is. Do investigators have any idea who this person really is and what she was doing at Mar-A-Lago.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER, CNN: So that is the big question certainly at this hour, Erin, is exactly why was she there. Authorities not telling us why she was there, why they think she was really there. They're obviously investigating the Secret Service, other law enforcement partners are looking into this.
The thing is what's really troubling is, A; yes, she got on the grounds. She was able to communicate to Secret Service agents and she was there - at first she said she was there to go to the pool. When she went to a separate area, another checkpoint she said she was there to talk to the President's family. She wanted to talk about relations, economic relations with the Chinese.
Obviously, all very troubling because the Secret Service agents started discovering that her story wasn't making sense. And one of the most troubling things I think in reading all of this is this thumb drive that you just about, that there was this malicious software on it and the whole point of this is and what authorities want to know is was this designed in a way, was this thumb drive designed in a way to deliver this malicious software and was there something else going on here?
And obviously the big question for them is who sent her, was she sent there by somebody or did she come up with this whole idea herself. A lot of questions certainly under counterintelligence side and what this is really about for authorities as they try to dive into this. And they certainly are, they're going to go through her computer. They're going to go through her cell phone. That thumb drive they already know what's on there and they have to figure out now and they can do this Erin, where does this malware from.
Perhaps is there a country that it's associated with, all of that is going to be key parts of this investigation for law enforcement.
BURNETT: All right, thank you very much, Shimon. I mean, it is deeply concerning how far she got. By the way, to make it very clear she didn't have anything to go swimming in her bag, so she was really there with this malware, and her four cell phones and her two passports.
OutFront now Jack Weiss, former Federal Prosecutor and Cybersecurity Expert, Juliette Kayyem, former Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security, and Bob Baer, former CIA Operative. So Bob what does this look like to you?
BOB BAER, FORMER CIA OPERATIVE: It looks like a Chinese operation. The fact she came from Shanghai is - Chinese would sent her from Shanghai. Republic of China passports, they use this all of the time to deflect suspicion in an operation like this. Clearly, Erin, it was very clumsy but normal people don't carry four cell phones and malware with them, especially going into what's essentially the White House in Florida.
BURNETT: Right. I mean - and Juliette she shows up and at first sort of acts like she doesn't really understand English. And part of the reason she got as far as she did is her last name is Jang which is a - it looks like Zhang in English and there's someone who's a member of Mar-A-Lago with that last name, so they let her in as far as she got. And she acts like she doesn't really understand English.
But then when they apprehend her and start talking to her and handing her pieces of paper to read, they say she exhibited the detailed knowledge of and ability to converse in and understand even subtle nuances of the English language. Which it seems like she was pretending she couldn't do.
JULIETTE KAYYEM, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND: Right. So she was pretending to be this sort of not English-speaking cousin of someone who was a member trying to get in and then she knows that and possibly that she's exposed.
[19:05:02]
I'd agree with Bob, this looks like some entity, it could be a corporation or the Chinese trying to get in. I think the only question I have now is essentially why does it look so clumsy. I'm always curious when things look really clumsy, did they intend for her to get caught, was this a statement by a country or corporation knowing how open Mar-A-Lago is knowing that the Trump administration has not been good.
And every story this week has been about security clearances, about the openness of secrets and accessibility by our enemies and sort of disappointment by our allies who know how clumsy this White House is and it's giving security clearances to people we don't know. So I think all of these stories are connected which is essentially a door wide open is what the White House is telling to our enemies about the secrets of the United States and our National Security.
BURNETT: I mean Jack when you look at what she had, four cell phones, laptop external hard drive, thumb drive which had malicious malware on it, what do you make of all of that whether this was clumsy or not?
JACK WEISS, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, the only thing she didn't have is a bathing suit and she said she was going swimming there. So I make of it what Juliette and Bob make of it. I would add, OK, if she's clumsy, how many people have gotten into Mar-A-Lago over the past two years who weren't as clumsy? I mean it's stunning how far she got in. And so my suspicion is she's not the first. And Juliette is right, this is a week with the security clearance issue, we see the front doors and the back doors open to this administration.
BURNETT: Well, this has been a big concern Bob, is Mar-A-Lago and its susceptibility to foreign influence. All these people, you pay your money, you become a member of the club.
BAER: Exactly. And we know we've talked about this, Erin, that if you want to get to the President you go to Mar-A-Lago. You can get around the Secret Service, because it's a private place. And everybody knows that from the Russians to the Chinese any hostile intelligence service if you want the President's secret, go to Mar-A- Lago, whether it's somebody who owned a massage parlor or somebody with malware go to Mar-A-Lago, you can get all of the secrets you need. Don't try it at the White House which is well protected. BURNETT: So Juliette according to the charging document, I want to
read one other thing, this whole issue of how she said she got there. She claims, OK, her Chinese friend Charles told her to travel from Shanghai to Palm Beach to attend this event. "It was a sort of a U.S.-China event," she said and attempt to speak with a member of the President's family about Chinese and American foreign economic relations. Then the agents tried to get more information about Charles, Zhang claims she had spoken to him through a messaging service popular in China. They don't know anything about this guy, anything, it seems so bizarre.
KAYYEM: Yes. And I mean one has to assume that that this is all a lie that she's essentially an agent of someone. And I keep mentioning corporation because Chinese corporations are also very interested in our secrets, our National Security secrets as we well know in terms of telecoms and missile deployments or missile buildings and things like that. So she's an agent of someone and just comes up with a story, there's no Charles in China. There's just no Charles in China or whatever his name is and she tries to essentially get out of it by trying to sort of concoct this story.
I think there's a gem of interesting aspect to this part of the law enforcement materials which is they don't seem shocked in what they wrote that someone from China is trying to get to Mar-A-Lago to talk to the President or his family about an international or business deal. That's not the surprising part to them because one has to assume that's happening all the time as we well know.
What's surprising is, of course, that her story doesn't match.
BURNETT: Right. I mean, Jack, that is the point that that in and of itself they were able to check and say there was no such event happening. But the fact that there would be an event happening while the President was there, that was between the U.S. and China didn't in and of itself cause any concern.
WEISS: Yes. No, it didn't and let's face it when we all read this arrest warrant, the Secret Service does not come off looking great in this. She gets past.
BURNETT: No, they do not.
WEISS: Check after check and because her name sort of kind of sounds like Zhang, they let her through.
BURNETT: Which in and of itself is like - it mean whatever word you want to use, culturally clueless, racist, you would think they would do a little better.
WEISS: Yes. No one comes out looking good as far as Chinese intelligence, maybe she's just cannon fodder. They send one person trying to go swimming a week at Mar-A-Lago until someone gets through.
BURNETT: Right, and Bob that's the question is, what she would have done with the malware. BAER: Well, Jack is going to know this. I mean, once you get into
the WiFi logs and the rest of it and you always want to do an entry if you have a choice into a building as opposed to standing away and trying to --
BURNETT: So they do something to the WiFi.
BAER: Yes. They could get conversations. They could do harmonics turn on microphones and parts of the system. The Chinese are very good. And by the way, all of their signals intelligence whether it's corporate or not runs through the Chinese army.
[19:10:05]
There is a law that they have to report to the Chinese army. Juliette is right, even if it is a corporation that messed up, they're still at the end of the day reporting to the Chinese army.
BURNETT: And of course now we got this arrest here and what happens to her, Jack, from here, of course, whether - extradited, we don't know.
WEISS: It's interesting whether they turn this into an espionage case depending on what they find, but then they need to prove knowledge on her part.
BURNETT: Right. OK, thank you all very much. And next breaking news, Democrats just serving White House officials with four subpoenas tonight. Plus, President Trump replacing Mexico with a new villain as he threatens to shut down the Mexican border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we don't make a deal with Congress, the border is going to be closed hundred percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And President Trump ripping into the mayor of San Juan, calling her crazed and incompetent. Well, guess what, she's OutFront. She'll respond.
Breaking news, the House Oversight Committee just serving four subpoenas to the Trump administration. One issued for testimony on security clearances, three issued on the 2020 census including subpoenas to Attorney General Bill Barr, and the Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Kaitlan Collins is OutFront at the White House.
And Kaitlan, obviously, this is a big step here.
[19:15:02]
These have actually been issued. It's not just a threat, it's starting. Is the White House going to comply or fight the subpoenas?
KAITLAN COLLINS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN: So far Erin the White House has not commented on the fact that these subpoenas have actually been served to these officials. But we know they're thinking especially when it comes to these security clearances. So far the White House has said they do not believe the Democrats on Oversight have any right to get access to this information with the White House Counsel Pat Cipollone making the argument that President Trump has the authority here to either grant or deny these clearances.
So far the White House has not given the Oversight Committee a single document related to their clearances requests, so that kind of leads you to believe where this is headed from here. However, it doesn't seem that this is the last subpoena that they're going to get related to these clearances because Cummings has said if they do not comply with this, he's only going to continue to push and take additional steps.
Now, the other subpoena was about that citizenship question on the census form. That is one that actually had a Republican vote to authorize that subpoena. But we know with this that so far the White House has argued that this is going before litigation, because the Supreme Court is set to consider that decision in about three weeks or so, so the White House could potentially argue that.
Now we heard from President Trump actually just this morning weighing in on this, saying that he believes the census would be meaningless without that question on there. So whether or not they comply, we are still waiting and watching to see what their response is going to be to this Erin.
BURNETT: All right, Kaitlan, thank you very much and I want to go now to Harry Sandick, former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Laura Coates former Federal Prosecutor. Harry, does the White House have a choice? Obviously, this is the beginning of an onslaught, but these are the first ones, do they have a choice to comply or fight?
HARRY SANDICK, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: I think they do have the choice to fight. I mean, you could definitely construct arguments. You could think about executive privilege or as we were just saying the existence of ongoing litigation. To me I don't think those arguments are very strong, but as we saw with the Manafort sentencing different judges can come out different ways on these issues and it can take years to resolve them and so sometimes ...
BURNETT: And that's the game they want to play.
SANDICK: It could be. This will continue even up to the election.
BURNETT: If they want to run out the clock. I mean, Laura we're also today - we've got those subpoenas and now the President is slamming Democrats who, of course, are threatening to issue more subpoenas very specifically, right? Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he wants the full unredacted Mueller report. He wants it now. He's not waiting to see what Bill Barr gives him. He's going now. He wants the subpoena now and here's the President's response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think it's ridiculous. We went through two years of the Mueller investigation. The Attorney General now and the Deputy Attorney General ruled no obstruction. They said no obstruction. And so there's no collusion, there's no obstruction and now we're going to start this process all over again? I think it's a disgrace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right, so he doesn't want it out there, Laura, but it's quite a change from the President just a few days ago on releasing the Mueller report. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Let it come out. Let people see it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Sounds like a real change of tune to me, am I right Laura?
LAURA COATES, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Of course. I mean, it's a total about-face and it seems to be perhaps either foreboding or you have us wondering why the about-face, do you know something that's inside of it or is it that it's not the complete exoneration the President has promised. Remember part of the issue here is the President fundamentally understands one thing and that is in addition to the Muller investigation, there was always intended to be a congressional probe.
Their functions and roles are very different. They're supposed to legislate if there is some basis in order to do so. They try to change the ability of foreign people from trying to interfere in our elections. They always had this parallel track. They played second fiddle, Erin, because the Mueller probe had criminal consequences and a lot of the witnesses did not want to be forthcoming if they had the threat of imprisonment on their side.
So there was always suppose to happen like the President just wanted it to end with Mueller, but there was always supposed to be a dual- track.
BURNETT: Right. And, of course, you know, and prior investigations, Harry, is that dual track which has resulted in action in Congress, it is often that way. The New York Magazine's Olivia Nuzzi reporting tonight that Trump's own aides are worried. They're afraid that he's over selling the Mueller report. He's telling everybody exoneration and that's not going to be the case.
One senior White House official telling her, "There will be plenty of unfavorable things about the President in the full report which we think will eventually come out. So let's not go overboard saying there's no wrongdoing."
SANDICK: I think that whoever is advising the President that is giving good advice, we know there were 500 search warrants executed, a search warrant requires showing to a judge that there is probable cause to believe a crime is being committed.
BURNETT: Right. Mueller can't just say, "OK, I'm coming in," to make it clear.
SANDICK: Yes.
BURNETT: You have to show to a judge, it's legit.
SANDICK: Exactly. So there was some evidence of criminal wrongdoing and maybe considerable evidence. Now that doesn't mean that there was enough to charge anyone and that's a high standard and prosecutors should be reluctant to charge, but the idea that there was no evidence of anything which is what we heard people saying the day or two after Barr's report just seems likely to be wrong.
[19:20:02]
BURNETT: And Laura you've got the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee as you point out, very different role than Mueller, but he is now saying tonight to CNN that Bob Mueller is going to testify before Congress. Here's Adam Schiff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAM SCHIFF, CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I think it is inevitable that Bob Mueller is going to have to testify and I would presume that he may testify before multiple committees.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: That would be something else. What do you say, Laura, will happen?
COATES: Well, we hope that it happens because, of course, we have not gotten an answer to the question of why Mueller has punted on the question of obstruction to Bill Barr. Did he intend to punt to Bill Barr or to Congress, what was it that he was unable to reach a conclusion about which was part of his mandate?
And remember we've only seen, what, about 101 words from Robert Mueller since 22 months of the indictments he actually issued. But the people want to actually hear from him as Special Counsel, not a political appointee. I'd be surprised if he didn't testify. Having said that, I'm sure that Barr will be the person who will be the immediate liaison between this actual report and the American people whether that will satisfy people like Adam Schiff, it should not, given that he is a political appointee who essentially gave a 19-page explanation that coincidentally coincided with what he decided on obstruction of justice.
BURNETT: Harry, does Bob Mueller want to testify? I mean, I know he's a private person but I mean does he think that to put the truth out there that he needs to testify or is he going to avoid it like hell?
SANDICK: I mean, it's hard to mind-read and ultimately it wouldn't necessarily be his decision alone even if he wanted to testify because he did that work for the Department of Justice. I would think that they could say, "Look, you're not allowed to just call any employee of the department." But one does wonder as all of this talk swirls about what the report is if whether he or the people who work with him are getting a little bit irritated about some of the claims being made by the administration and by people in the public.
BURNETT: All right, thank you very much both of you. And next, President Trump says he may have no choice tonight but to shut down the border. The threats keep coming. They keep coming. They keep coming. Does he really understand what that threat even means? We're live on the border tonight with a reality check. Plus, the Mayor of San Juan is OutFront. Her response to the President's attack on her deeply personal, he's calling her incompetent. And the White House spokesperson who today called Puerto Rico 'that country'.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOGAN GIDLEY, WHITE HOUSE PRINCIPAL DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: Because we've done in that country, we've had a systematic mismanagement of the goods and services we've sent to them ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:25:00]
Tonight, President Trump saying 100 percent he is ready to do it to shut down the southern border, but he is changing the terms. The President is no longer threatening to shut down the border because of Mexico's failure to stop migrants from coming into the United States. No, he has moved on. Mexico is not the villain. Now, the new villain is Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Mexico is now stopping people coming - very easy for them to do stopping people coming in through Mexico. Let's see if they keep it done, if they keep doing that. Now, if they don't or if we don't make a deal with Congress, the border is going to be closed hundred percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Hundred percent. Well, the President then went on to admit that closing the border would have a negative impact on the economy. Those were the words he used. But he said loud and clear that is not what matters most and that puts him on what seems to be a very different page than both the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK SCHUMER, MINORITY LEADER: Economic disaster to the country would be huge.
MITCH MCCONNELL, MAJORITY LEADER: Closing down the border would have potentially catastrophic economic impact on our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Well, that is agreement, disaster and catastrophe from the top Democrat and top Republican in the Senate. I mean just here's an example if you look at the auto industry, according to a leading automotive expert, the entire U.S. auto industry would shut down within a week if the border is closed even if it's anything close to that it gives you a sense of the magnitude of this and who would that hurt? If you look at the pain in the automotive industry alone, highest percentage of auto workers Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.
You can look at where those states voted in the election. Does the President understand the consequences of shutting down the southern border or did he come out with a big bellicose threat without thinking it through or learning the facts. Ed Lavandera, is OutFront on the ground.
ED LAVANDERA, CORRESPONDENT, CNN(off-camera): Border residents have heard the repeated threats for weeks and they're trying to figure out if President Trump is just flirting with disaster or serious about closing the border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We got to stop the crime. We got to close up. We got to the borders.
I'm telling you right now, we will close the damn border.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA(off-camera): The ports of entry in border crossings are a lifeline between the tightly integrated communities where Mexico and the United States blend together. There are 24 ports of entry that dot the southern border from Brownsville Texas to Southern California. And beyond that, there are dozens of border crossings where a steady stream of people cross bridges and customs checkpoints daily.
Silvestre Reyes spent nearly 30 years working as a border patrol agent. He was also a Democratic Congressman from El Paso. He describes the idea of shutting down the border as lunacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SILVESTRE REYES, FORMER BORDER PATROL SECTOR CHIEF: I scratched my head and wonder how much longer they're going to get away with it, because it can't be good for the President of the United States to be threatening or even just talking about shutting down the border is nuts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA(off-camera): The port between Tijuana, Mexico and California is massive and sprawling where people can wait for hours to drive across. Laredo, Texas is the largest inland port along the border with special bridges designed to accommodate nearly 4.6 million trucks every year, carrying everything from car parts, food, clothing and electronics. And there are even tiny crossings like this in Far West Texas where you can take a rowboat across the Rio Grande to the other side. All of this would theoretically grind to a halt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON BARELA, BORDERPLEX ALLIANCE CEO: Across the United States between 5 and 6 million American jobs directly rely on trade with Mexico.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:30:00]
LAVANDERA(off-camera): Everything from Fortune 500 companies to the mom and pop shops that are part of the colorful border landscape would feel the pain says Jon Barela. He's the CEO of a group called ...
HERE
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): -- Fortune 500 companies, to the mom and pop shops that are part of the colorful border landscape would feel the pain, says Jon Barela.
[19:30:08] He's the CEO of a group called Borderplex Alliance that advocates for hundreds of Mexican and American businesses that rely on international trade. And the pain won't be restricted to border towns.
JON BARELA, BORDERPLEX ALLIANCE CEO: It would impact the entire country. Uncertainty is the enemy of jobs growth and investment. And closing the border creates an air of uncertainty. Even the threat of closing the border creates that air of uncertainty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: And, Erin, tonight on border towns as we see people walking back leaving work tonight, and you can see there in the distance all of those people who have probably been waiting hours to get from Mexico into El Paso, people really dealing with -- we've been asked multiple times is the border closed? Can we get cross?
People worried about whether or not if it indeed this does happen, if they're on the right side of the border. So, these are real life concerns that these folks are dealing with.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: All right. Ed, thank you very much. I can see that line behind Ed as he's speaking.
I want to go to now the assistant house speaker, Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, who's OUTFRONT.
Congressman, you're from a border state, New Mexico. You're obviously along the border in Texas tonight. Do you think the president is going to go through with in threat that
he has been so adamant making, he has been so black and white about making? Is he going to shut down the border?
REP. BEN RAY LUJAN (D-NM), ASSISTANT SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Well, first, Erin, this is bad idea no matter how you look at it. I think many of us are very concerned that the president may go through with this. You spelled this out very clearly. If the president closed down the southern border, this would devastate the auto industry across America, including all those manufacturing jobs where they are assembling vehicle. It would devastate farmers who already feel the squeeze because of president's games with tariffs.
And in addition that, you look at the health care facilities cross America that depend on equipment that's also coming into the United States through the southern border. It would devastate the ability to access care in many communities. So, this is bad all around.
And I can't imagine that the president won't come to his senses to stop this senseless political game. We shall be working together to make sure we're addressing challenges. I just can't imagine why he is doing this.
BURNETT: All right. Well, he doesn't like to be told what to do. We all know that. And the more he hears from people like you or Mitch McConnell, sometimes he goes the opposite way. Today, he tries to say he is not mad at Mexico anymore.
Now, he puts on the onus on you, on Democrats, specifically, saying you guys have to come the table. Let me play again what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we have to do is Congress has to meet quickly and make a deal. I could do it in 45 minutes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Can he do it in 45 minutes? Will you give him 45 minutes?
LUJAN: Look, if the president wants to work with Congress, Congress is willing to work with him. But the president will invite in the cameras make a deal and walk away from it. And again, all the president's doing here is playing political games and posturing.
Why would he threaten the U.S. economy, threaten the entire auto industry, threaten farmers across America with these idle threats? Look, Mr. President, if you want to work the together, reach out to Congress. We're willing and ready to get to work --
BURNETT: They haven't done that? There's been no invitation that you've gotten?
LUJAN: Well, not that I'm --
BURNETT: You're the assistant House Speaker, you'd know.
LUJAN: Not that I'm aware of, Erin.
Here is the thing we passed an important package that opened up the government that included investments in border security and humanitarian aid to the border. Is the president even using those funds? And there is a question mark surrounding how this administration and the secretary of the Homeland Security Department are operating.
BURNETT: "Politico" is reporting tonight that House Democrats are considering a vote to condemn the president over his calls to shut down the border, a formal statement. And I guess the question is to you, are you considering that just to force Republicans to go on the record and oppose the president? Is that what you are doing trying to force the hand of your colleagues across the aisle?
LUJAN: Look, I think it's important that Democrats and Republicans come together on this issue. And we're hearing pushback to the president's threats to should down the border which would devastate the U.S. economy. We're hearing a condemnation coming from Democrats and Republicans here. So, if the president wants to work with us we should work together, but it's important that Congress use every tool we have to be loud and clear this is a bad idea and the president should walk away from it.
BURNETT: Tonight, the president responded for the house -- there was a house vote to subpoena the full Mueller report. And he originally has you know had said absolutely no problem I want the American people to see it. Very different tonight. Here is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think it's ridiculous. We went through two years of the Mueller investigation. The attorney general now and the deputy attorney general ruled no obstruction.
[19:35:01] They said no obstruction. And so, there is no collusion. There is no obstruction. And now we start the process all over again. I think it's a disgrace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So what's going on here? He said he wanted everybody to see it. No problem. Is he caning his tune? You think he is block going or not.
LUJAN: Look if the president has nothing to worry about he should fully support releasing the report to the American people. Congress has already voted, 420-0. Democrats and Republicans came together to say make this report public.
So, again, this doesn't surprise me the president may change his mine, because he seems to do that a lot. Again, Mr. President, you got nothing to worry about make the report available to the American people and to the Congress. BURNETT: Congressman Lujan, thanks for your time.
LUJAN: Thank you.
BURNETT: And next, a White House spokesperson calls Puerto Rico, quote, that country. And the president calls the mayor of San Juan crazed and incompetent. Well, she is going to respond OUTFRONT, next.
Plus, freshman congresswoman speaking out, fighting back against sexism they say they experience on Capitol Hill constantly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KATIE HILL (D), CALIFORNIA: And I'm like, he needs to know. People need to know you can't say that kind of thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: New tonight, President Trump spokesman referring to Puerto Rico as another country. Here is Hogan Gidley.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOGAN GIDLEY, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SPOKESMAN: With all we've done in that country, they have had a systemic mismanagement of the goods and services we've sent to them.
[19:40:05] HALLIE JACKSON, MSNBC HOST: I think you referred to Puerto Rico as that country.
GIDLEY: A territory, yes. I'm sorry that was a mistake.
JACKSON: Slip of tongue.
GIDLEY: I want to clarify that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Gidley's comment coming as President Trump escalates his feud with Puerto Rico's leaders, tweeting, quote: FEMA and the military worked emergency miracles but the politician like the crazed and incompetent mayor of San Juan have done a poor job of bringing the island back to health.
Well, OUTFRONT now, the San Juan mayor, Carmen Yulin Cruz.
And, Mayor Cruz, thank you very much. So, I would be remiss I didn't start with the president here. He calls you crazed and incompetent. Your response?
MAYOR CARMEN YULIN CRUZ (D), SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO: Look, the president lives in an alternative world where he tries to pin people against one another. I guess it's easier for him to try and put me down. He cannot. You know, one -- Eleanor Roosevelt used to say, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Well, Mr. President, we don't consent. You aren't (ph) worthy of being president. You don't know what you are talking about. You continue to lie and you continue to mistreat people.
And that's just the way you do policy. One of the things, Erin, if he doesn't get his way, he'll throw a little temper tantrum and he would just try and ditch anybody he can. He did it a few weeks ago when he couldn't get the money for the border. He left 800,000 federal employees without the ability to take food to their families. That's exactly what he is doing to Puerto Rico, 1.3 million Puerto Ricans need some sort of feed stamp assistance to put food on the table. Out of that 45 percent are children, elderly and disabled citizens.
It is remarkable that the president cannot understand that he has gotten this all wrong. And it's like a virus. It continues to sift down. You just quoted the deputy communications officer from the White House, calling us that people. Rick Scott, senator recently coming into the Senate saying that he will only support the kind of aid that the president is going to approve. Well --
(CROSSTALK)
BURENTT: And the president himself -- Mayor, the president himself -- you point out what Hogan Gidley said, obviously referring to it as that country. The president himself tweeted: Puerto Rican politicians, quote, only take from the USA.
I mean, does the president even recognize in any important way, meaningful way that Puerto Ricans are citizens of the United States of America?
CRUZ: Well, the president doesn't care. He has proven time and time again that he is in this to look good. You know, he thinks this is about him.
He never got it when I pleaded and I asked him for help. He never got this was about saving lives. He doesn't get that this is about putting food on the table.
What does he do? He tries to pin Puerto Ricans against farmers in the Midwest who are also in dire need of getting the help -- this is not help. This is what governments that have a moral platform to stand up, which, of course, a president does not do. When the people that are governed by them need assistance, they provide assistance.
And moreover he lies, $91 billion have not gotten to Puerto Rico. The "Washington Post" says that between $11 billion and $13 billion have gotten to Puerto Rico.
BURNETT: Yes.
CRUZ: Three thousand people died on his watch and he is not embarrassed by that.
BURNETT: So, to make your point about the $91 billion. "The Washington Post" says it's only $11 billion got to it and rest is money set aside and eventually money that may be need. The number doesn't add up at all.
But the president says the money Puerto Rico has it has not been spent wisely. Here is how he put it, Mayor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You do have a mayor of San Juan that, frankly, doesn't know what she is doing. And the governor -- they got to spend the money wisely. They don't know how to spend the money and they are not spending it wisely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Obviously, personally, again, striking at you as well as the governor. Puerto Rico Puerto Rico did declare $123 billion essentially in bankruptcy, which is the first time in history a state or a territory of the United States has done so.
Does he have a point at all, Mayor, about Puerto Rico accounting for the money you are receiving?
CRUZ: Oh, absolutely. And one of the things that I have asked Bennie Thompson, the president of the Homeland Security Committee, is to set up some sort of a -- a computerized data point where we can all see where the money has gone. But let me give you one point. For example, FEMA right now is in the process still of providing the cities of San Juan and all the rest of the cities in Puerto Rico the money that they are supposed to be reimbursed.
[19:45:10] And this is from the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. So, of course, people have to be accountable for the money that is given ford to do the reconstruction and the recovery.
But he doesn't have to lie. You know, why he lies because he made this and spun this as a good news story. This is Trump's Katrina. This is not a gad news story. It's never been a good news story for him.
The Pentagon knew it. That's why they wrote him emails telling him to ignore when I called for help back in September and October of 2017. The American people, who are so much different from the United States -- from the president of the United States know that's why they flocked to Puerto Rico by the hundreds to help us to feed us, to tend to our wounds.
So, of course, one has to be accountable for the money. But the president is unable to give one example of where that money has been misused. He is all about the talk. He is not about doing what is right or -- or really trying to get people to come together.
BURNETT: The empathy.
All right. Mayor Cruz, thank you so much. I appreciate your coming on tonight. CRUZ: Thank you very much.
BURNETT: And next, the new women in Congress calling out male coworkers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D), NEW YORK: We feel empowered to call it out. And say, hey that's not cool.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Plus, when it comes to golf, is the president the commander in cheat?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:50:29] BURNETT: Tonight, a freshman congresswoman warning her male colleagues, men need to know you can't say that kind of thing. Congresswoman Katie Hill of California, one of several freshmen saying they have had enough of what they say is rampant sexism on Capitol Hill.
Sunlen Serfaty is OUTFRONT.
(BEGN VIDEOTAPE)
OCASIO-CORTEZ: It's systemic and it has an impact.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New freshmen members of Congress are pulling back the curtain on what many see as a pervasive culture of sexism on Capitol Hill.
HILL: It's archaic sexism. You say hi, and they'll say hey, beautiful, or hey darling, and that's every day, that kind of thing happens.
SERFATY: California Democrat Katie Hill revealing a conversation she had with a male member of Congress about one-minute speeches on the House floor. He joked to her that he can be a Mr. Five Minute Man or Mr. Whatever Minute Man you want.
HILL: I'm like ooh, he needs to know. People need to know you can't say that kind of thing.
SERFATY: These freshmen women coming in with record-breaking numbers on Capitol Hill say they are confronting what needs to be changed by calling out the old ways directly.
HILL: The only way it can be broken down is by seeing women as your peers and over and over and over again, and having those kinds of behaviors not be accepted.
SERFATY: Georgia Democrat Lucy McBath facing comments from outside the Capitol, sexist attacks from this conservative radio show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're there to knock Lucy McBath back into the kitchen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the hell out. Yes, go back to sewing stuff and, you know, needlepoint and things like that. That would be great.
REP. LUCY MCBATH (D), GEORGIA: I laughed. I thought this is just so archaic. These kinds of sentiments about women.
SERFATY: McBath firing back and raising money off it online.
MCBATH: It fuels the fire for me and all the numbers of women and grassroots organizers that are women that have been standing up.
SERFATY: New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez too has been no stranger to hitting back. When criticism of her work attire spread online like wildfire within her first few days on Capitol Hill, she was quick to label pictures taken of her clothes and backside as misogyny.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Just those lings things kind of add up to a larger culture, but I think things are different now because we feel empowered to call it out and say, hey, that's not cool.
SERFATY: A huge part of that empowerment, their very powerful social media platforms that these women are weaponizing as they call out bias.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Highlighting a lot of the stuff that we have been dealing with that hasn't been OK but we've just been told to grin and bear it.
(EN VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY: And all of this comes in the wake of the #metoo moment, the #metoo wave that has hit Capitol Hill, and over the course of the last year, of course, has led to members of Congress resigning their positions over allegations of sexual misconduct and new laws on the book for both members and their staff as far as how they deal with sexual harassment legislation.
Notably, many people up here saying that should go farther. That does not go far enough. And, of course, many members also bringing a personal touch, many revealing their own stories, Erin, of sexual harassment they faced in the past.
BURNETT: Sunlen, thank you so much.
And next, Jeanne tees off on Trump and how he allegedly cheats like a mafia accountant?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I actually said I was the best golfer of all the rich people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:57:58] BURNETT: Tonight, Trump's golf game. Here's Jeanne.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's enough to make an avid golfer feel like he's landed in a sand trap, trapped just hearing the title.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Commander in cheat.
MOOS: And the author giving all those interviews.
RICK REILLY, AUTHOR, "COMMANDER IN CHEAT": He cheats like a mafia accountant.
BERMAN: You write to say Donald Trump cheats at golf is like saying Michael Phelps swims. He cheats at the highest level.
REILLY: Golf is like bicycle shorts. It reveals a lot about a guy.
MOOS: Bicycle shorts are one presidential revelation we can live without.
This is really going to tee off the president, over 250 pages accusing him of cheating at his beloved sport.
Others, like Samuel L. Jackson have said they have seen President Trump cheat.
SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ACTOR: We clearly saw him hit a ball, hook a ball into the lake.
MOOS: Somehow, his caddie found it.
JACKSON: He took off founding. The next thing we know, I found it, Mr. Trump.
MOOS: But this a whole book filled with examples.
REILLY: He actually did cheat Tiger Woods.
He kicks the ball out of the rough so many times, the caddies call him Pele.
MOOS: The soccer great, but forget the president's feet.
TRUMP: These hands hit a golf ball 285 yards. Look at these hands.
I actually said I was the best golfer of all the rich people.
I know how to win. I have won -- these people will tell you. Have I won many club championships?
MOOS: Eighteen championships by his own count.
REILLY: I'm like, you liar, because you told me how you did it, when I played with you.
MOOS: Author Rick Reilly demolishes Trump's 2.8 handicap, the lower the better. But experts say he's probably a 9.
Online, the president was compared to Goldfinger, hitting the ball into the rough, then having odd job drop a new ball down his pants for better positioning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If that's his original ball, I'm Arnold Palmer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm standing on it.
MOOS: 007's solution was to counter cheat.
Cheating at golf doesn't rise to the level of accusations about Russia. But it tees up this tweet. There was no collusion with my caddy.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: And thank you for joining us.
Don't forget, you can watch OUTFRONT anytime, anywhere. You just have to go to CNN Go.
"AC360" with Anderson starts right after this.
