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CNN: Haspel Offered To Withdraw Nomination On Friday; CNN Poll: Melania Trump Approval Rating At 57 Percent; Rep. Nunes Threatens Sessions With Contempt In Russia Probe; Sen. McCain Planning Farewell While Battling Brain Cancer. Aired 12:30-1pm ET

Aired May 07, 2018 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:02] PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: -- torture, that she is somebody that should be atop the agency and that should help clear her path forward. By no means it's going to be easy and I think a lot of people have said watch the hearing. How she answers these questions will actually be-all, end-all, but heading into the hearing I think she's in OK shape, all things considered.

SEUNG MIN KIM, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: I think that's exactly right. I mean, speaking about the intel officials, you have Leon Panetta out there supporting her nomination, that should be very influential with Democrats.

JOHN KING, INSIDE POLITICS HOST: John Boehner and Jim Clapper, guys will constantly in war with the Trump White House with the Trump White House on this one.

KIM: And I think that helps her dramatically on the Hill. And I think what's interesting too is that the White House in recent days has ramped up its public relations campaign on that behalf of Gina Haspel. When Pompeo's nomination was going through read your word from the White House about Gina Haspel even though we were seeing her as the bigger issue at that time, now that Pompeo is done and Ronny Jackson has withdrawn his nomination, they're clearly focusing and doing all they can to ramp up the public relations campaign, and I think it's helping a little bit.

KING: Let's do the math as you can -- please jump in, but as you saw a the math, you said a bunch of Democrats who were looking at it, and I think as of today barring a setback at the hearing, several of those Democrats up on top there. You have Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin was been mentioned West Virginia, Joe Donnelly was in that Senate race in Indiana, Claire McCaskill on the ballot in Missouri, Bill Nelson on the ballot in Florida, and Doug Jones is elected in Alabama, Angus King is an independent caucus with the Democrat.

The key part is that the Republicans lose any, as Susan Collins and Rand Paul at the bottom there. That's what the Senate is so evenly balance and especially with John McCain not here to cast the vote. But that's the first you look at, is she losing any of the GOP side and then can you get the flip side on the Democrats.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's essential think to watch, but I think one thing we learned in the Pompeo confirmation, Rand Paul will likely support this President. I mean, he has, you know, raised objections but it seems like he is coming down on the side of the Trump's side.

I think the question here, there was all this Democratic support for her. It might be helping her on the Hill, but does that sort of create any issues with the President? Does he sort of wonder, why are all these Democrats supporting her? Sort of an odd things? But I think that is the thing to keep an eye on, but everyone I'm talking to at the White House is more confident than a week ago but not sure how she'll perform on Wednesday.

She is someone who's been in the agency forever but we've not really heard from her before.

KING: interesting insight for the President.

ZELENY: It is.

KING: Something he should be celebrating.

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Is this a part of a deep state? Is this part of other things going on here?

JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS; WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: And I think that's the key thing, too, her performance in the hearing. I mean, one of the things that we know that's been going on at the White House and elsewhere is preparing her for these hearings. And given that she has had a fair amount of momentum leading up to the hearing coming up, the fact that she would have volunteered to step aside indicates that there is something going on in those preparations that is either rubbing her the wrong way, has rubbed the President the wrong way, or somebody is having last-minute reservations or worries about whether she's going to be able to get through this with her credibility intact, with the credibility of the agency intact.

And I do think that it could be an issue here of, you know, they've been so focused on these mini crises and large crisis surrounding Ronny Jackson, for instance, that they haven't really gotten down to the basics until now. And this is the time when she has to be ready to answer these questions.

KING: She has to be ready and she's someone who has been a covert operative most of her life. She lives in the shadows. That's the basic -- basis of her job is to be in the shadows. Now she's going to be very publicly do know the questions about her. But also Democrats are going to ask her because of her former role in the involved the torture.

Remember the President during the campaign, do you agree with this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Torture works. OK, folks? Torture -- you know, I have these guys -- torture doesn't work. Believe me, it works, OK? And waterboarding is your minor form. Some people say it's not actually torture. Let's assume it is.

They asked me the question, what do you think of waterboarding? Absolutely fine. But we should go much stronger than waterboarding. That's the way I feel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: So when those Democrats -- she's going to have to say the President, my boss, is wrong.

KIM: And notably, the White House press briefing last week Sarah Sanders got asked about his current position on torture in light of the contacts of the House nomination and Sarah Sanders said, not answering.

KING: Not answering. OK, coming up for us, CNN has new polling on the first lady who's she's raising her profile to the Rose Garden event later this afternoon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:38:40] KING: Topping our political radar today, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice instituting a new policy that will criminally prosecute anyone cut illegally crossing the border. This is accordance with the DOJ's, quote, zero tolerance policy for border crossings. That new direction could end up separating families at the border.

Sourcing said the White House preparing now to send an outline of new cuts to Capitol Hill tomorrow. The rescissions that they're called would slash around $15 billion from the federal budget. The cuts do not affect the $1.3 trillion on the spending plan has back in March. Congress has 45 days to consider the package. Once it arrives on Capitol Hill, don't bet on it passing the Senate.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meeting with the British counterpart, Boris Johnson, here in Washington today. The two discussing the Iran nuclear deal ahead of Saturday's big deadline. The U.K. and other European allies trying to persuade President Trump to stay in that deal. The President, though, seems to have other ideas.

In a tweet he's calling on the deal's architect, the former Secretary of State John Kerry, to stop what the President calls, quote, possibly illegal Shadow Diplomacy. Secretary Kerry has been privately meeting with Boris on both sides in recent weeks hoping to find a way to preserve the deal. The spokesman for Secretary Kerry responded to the President by saying, he stays in touch with former counterparts vote just like every previous Secretary of State.

The First Lady Melania Trump stepping into the spotlight today, announcing her eagerly awaited platform at a Rose Garden ceremony later this afternoon.

[12:40:06] She said to be expanding her key note cause when she's affecting children. The reveal comes just as a new CNN polling release this hour shows Americans feels pretty good about the first lady. 57 percent now hold the favorable opinion of her, her highest numbers to date up 10 points since January.

Among Republican voters to First Lady has an 85 percent favorable rate, Independents all inline with the national average, 56 percent, while just 38 percent of Democrats hold the favorable opinion but we should note that 38 percent is on the way up.

Our White House Reporter Kate Bennett standing by ahead of the big announcement. Kate, the First Lady has to like it. Good, new numbers as she prepares for a big new announcement.

KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Absolutely. This is actually a very large surge for the First Lady of 10 points. And you mention she's up among Democrats, she is also up among women about 13 percentage points. Now women find her in a favorable position than unfavorable, which is interesting.

Of course, she's had a high profile lately. We saw her do the state dinner, we watch her in that white hat that everyone talked about that day. And we've also seen her be quiet and sort of precede business as usual since January when these last polls numbers were taken. Of course right around the same time, the Stormy Daniels scandal broke.

You know, this indicate that the First Lady is gaining some sympathy perhaps among those who are now liking her a bit more than they were back in January. She's also indicating that she's doing more. You know, today's announcement about her platform indicates that they're probably getting a bit more used to seeing the First Lady. Of course, she didn't move into the White House until June of last year. She hasn't been living there full-time yet for a year.

But these poll numbers do indicate that she is the most popular Trump family member, and she's definitely above her husband in terms of approval and favorability. He hasn't seen numbers this high in CNN polling since 1999. We compare these numbers, however, with her two most recent predecessors Michelle Obama and Laura Bush.

And around this time in their 10 yeas as First Lady, they were in below 60s, so then Melania Trump is behind them a little bit. This still a very positive sign for the First Lady.

KING: Going to where on Kate says it's not her fault, she's behind them a little bit that comes -- some other factor in American politics. I just leave her in that, Kate, thanks for sharing your insights today.

If the first lady for any president is interesting, Melania Trump more so in the sense that her husband is in political controversy all the time and she heard much of the presidency so far, just keep the law profile. But stepping up a little bit today, more focus on children. She has been mocked in the past sometimes by saying she's going to make cyberbullying a focus. And people say focus more at home.

DAVIS: Actually, you know -- and she heard that advice from inside the White House as well, because everybody knows that in focusing on cyberbullying, you are going to call attention to the President who goes on Twitter every day and sometimes hurls abuse at people and uses that media in a way that's not exactly uplifting. I think Kate hit on an important point which is, to the degree that people do not like Donald Trump or feel negatively toward him. I think she gets a lot of the flip side of that, but she gets sympathy for being the one who is -- when she is out in public which is much more seldom than others first ladies that we've seen, which I think is part of the reasons her numbers are lower.

She is seen as sort of hanging back of it from him, separate from him, and she's been able to sort of divorce herself a little bit -- pardon the word, I'm not basing that on anything -- but just to sort of stake out a separate territory from him, and I do think that that has helped boost her a bit in the eyes of the public.

KING: And whatever your views of Donald Trump and Melania Trump, one of the hardest things to do in this town is raise a child at the White House and everybody took it privately, gets her enormously high marks or taking care -- and I'm sorry you're about to say something.

ZELENY: Keeping an on the President this afternoon who's schedule is conspicuously free around 3:00. So we'll see if he's in the audience to watch her.

KING: All right, keep an eye on that. You got it.

House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes at it again. Why he's taking on the Attorney General Jeff Sessions. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:48:11] KING: Welcome back. The House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes is back in the news. He wants Congress to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt. Nunes says the DOJ is withholding classified materials related to the Russia meddling investigation. The Justice Department says, yes, it is withholding some sensitive information with the support of the White House, the FBI and other intelligence agencies. Quote, disclosure of responsive information to such requests can risk severe consequences, including potential loss of human lives. To that Nunes said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEVIN NUNES, CHAIRMAN, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: We're just not going to take this nonsense of every time we peel something back, every time we need information we get ignored, we get stalled, we get stonewalled, and then low and behold, we get accused of we're going to destroy the nation's ability to keep it secure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: So a champion of truth, justice and transparency or shell man for the President on television?

MATTINGLY: So the interesting part here, not to directly answer your question, is there is an element of truth to this. When it comes to the Justice Department or just the national security side of things in general, when it comes to responding to questions from Congress, they often use this as an excuse not to give them what congressional oversight demands and, frankly requires, and is constitutionally allowed to get. And I think that's always been frustrating for lawmakers.

What's so different is this is a Justice Department run by a Republican and a Republican Congress which is furious about all of these different types of issues, and that there's just I think a lot of winking and nodding about they're actually going after a lot of these documents. But this idea that Congress and the Justice Department of the intel community and national security just in general are fighting with one another about the amount of disclosure is the oldest in time at this point. I think it's the kind of the underlying what is the real intent behind these questions and these documents they're asking. And more importantly, will any of this one, can you keep it secret, most of the things leak from all committee.

And two is it going to have to do with the actual investigations that are ongoing right now. That's where a red line should be drawing typically as well.

[12:50:03] KING: And you this it's not just Devin Nunes, there are Jim Jordan of Ohio, Mark Meadows of North Carolina, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Ron DeSantis of Florida, these are the most likely to see on another cable network, screaming at the Justice Department and defending the President. Mark Meadows tweeting this, same story -- more obstruction, enough is enough. It's time to hold DOJ officials in contempt of Congress.

Now the DOJ response is that, you know, we give you what we can, but in the middle of ongoing sensitive informations, we can sort of brief you on the broad parameters. We can't tell you everything in the middle of an investigation. They don't call us in six months, they're call us in a year, and then if we did something wrong, then sue us. But that's not good enough for these guys.

ZELENY: Right. And most of those members of Congress are also on the President's speed dial. He's friendly with all of them. It's all part of -- since we're part of this effort to discredit, you know, the entire thing here and to blur the lines on, you know, in all the investigations going forward.

KING: Back home, Devin Nunes is a vulnerable House Republican. There is a question what happens in the primary, who is going to vote against him. But Miguel Marquez who's out in that district, and this is just one voter, but some voters out there think, you know, they'd rather he be talking about maybe the farms, or the businesses and the community, not so much about Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Have you voted for Devin Nunes in the past?

BEV PETERSON, REPUBLICAN VOTER: Yes, because he was Republican.

MARQUEZ (on camera): What is it that upsets you? Is it the Russia stuff? Is it the --

RON SCHAFER, REPUBLICAN VOTER: The backing of Trump no matter what.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: In California the backing of Trump no matter what could hurt you, but we'll see how that one plays out.

DAVIS: Well, and Devin Nunes has staked out a position for himself now for months as President Trump's prime defender on Capitol Hill. They tried to insulate him from various aspects of the investigation, briefing him in advance on things the committee had found. And there was, you know, there was a lot of talk about that last year.

And now Phil is right. There was a long tradition of Congress and the administration facing off on matters of disclosure and oversight, but it speaks to the degree to which Republicans in House have really positioned themselves, and Devin Nunes chief among them as protector of the President, that that sort of debate is no longer seen as a standard institutional debate, but instead a really partisan one.

KING: He is a chairman but he tarnished himself early on in the House Intelligence Committee investigation had to step down because he was so close to the Trump White House. Or any of the people saying as we look at Mark Meadows, if you look at Jim Jordan, if you look Matt Gaetz, if you look at Ron DeSantis, if you look at Nunes now in his diminished role, do any of these have leadership or are they guys just talking?

KIM: I mean, there are -- they don't have much sway with the congressional leadership. But these days that doesn't really matter if the President is on your speed dial or vice versa. I mean, we hadn't really even heard about Congressman Matt Gaetz, he's a first- year lawmaker, but he is getting trips on Air Force I, he has the President's ear and that, you know, goes a long way in this Washington.

KING: In this Washington. Very well output (ph).

Up next, John McCain home in Arizona planning his own goodbye.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

12:57:04] KING: If you watched "The View" before checking in with us, you noticed Meghan McCain missing today, because she is spending a long week and back home with her father in Arizona. Senator John McCain does hold out hope of being able to return to Washington. But as he battles brain cancer and the complications of his treatment, he's also planning his farewell.

He wants rivals George W. Bush and Barack Obama to speak in his funeral and he wants President Trump to stay away. And this line jumps out from a weekend piece in the New York Times on McCain's final chapter. "And some of his associates, though not his family, have started to quietly put out word that they want a McCain person eventually appointed to fill his Senate seat, a roster that includes his wife, Cindy."

That is the fascinating dynamic in the sense that I hope this is a very premature conversation and whatever your politics Senator McCain get his strength back and come back. But as he's planning his own farewell, associates in the Jonathan Martin pitch (ph), a great piece, if you haven't read it, Cindy McCain, that if John McCain were to step aside or were to pass, Cindy McCain for the seat that would be a tough sell in a Republican governor would it not?

ZELENY: I think it certainly would. I think it's, you know, it's very premature at this point, and it's unclear if she would want a position like that. But I think what is so extraordinary about Jonathan's piece over the weekend and our reporting as well is that the two men who stopped Senator McCain's quest for the presidency, George W. Bush in 2000, Barack Obama in 2008, he wants them to speak. That says so much about his view of politics and so much about how -- that doesn't exist anymore.

KING: It's a bit of a poke it (ph) then because of the rivalry but also a bit of (INAUDIBLE) because they made peace.

ZELENY: Right.

KING: They made peace. That's John McCain's way of doing business. I may punch you today but I'll be with you tomorrow.

DAVIS: And above all it's a poke at the President, I mean, to make it clear that you want your former rivals who you've, you know, battled with in the political arena to speak, but you don't want the current president to come and speak or eulogize you. I mean, that just say a lot about how deeply he holds his views about President Trump, and not just personally, but in terms of, you know, what his presidency has meant.

Just going back to Cindy McCain for a moment, you know, this is something that we used to see happen a lot, right? When senators or members of Congress would pass away or have to step down because of health concerns, oftentimes the spouse would step in and it would be an interesting choice. But I do think, as Jeff said, it would be a tough sell for the now Republican governor.

KING: But he has one of the most fierce, loyal small groups around him, John McCain. If they are putting this word out, it's for a reason.

MATTINGLY: Yes. I mean, I don't think he read that and didn't think that there's some intent by. I think Julie's point, that's been kind of a tradition. We saw it with Senator Kennedy. When Senator Biden became vice president, Ted Coburn (ph), came in that something you do as a hold over, I don't think what it will play.

KING: Timing matters. Because after June, if it's after June 1st, that would be through 2020. So for June 1st would be a special election issue. Six months versus couple of years is big deal.

KIM: Exactly. And I think especially because of the dynamics in Arizona right now, we're looking at the seat for the exiting Senator Jeff Flake being one of the most competitive seats.

KING: All right, more on that as pass (ph), sorry to catch up to you. Thanks for joining us in INSIDE POLITICS. See you back here tomorrow, big primary day. Just subscribe through our podcast as well. Wolf Blitzer starts right now.