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Pelosi Tells GOP to Take Back Party from Trump; January 6 Commission Bill Faces Uphill Fight in Senate; Kevin McCarthy: Pelosi 1/6 Commission is Just Politics; Sources: Biden Increasingly Impatient with Netanyahu; Capitol Hill Divided on U.S./Israel Relationship amid Ongoing Conflict. Aired 12-12.30p ET

Aired May 20, 2021 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Hello everybody and welcome to Inside Politics. I'm John King in Washington. Thank you for sharing a very busy news day with us. Israel's security cabinet is meeting right now to discuss the possible ceasefire.

That session follows the demand by the American president de escalate. But it also comes after more Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. There's also important Coronavirus progress today. 19 states have now fully vaccinated at least half of their adults but talk of booster shots down the road does pose another back to normal challenge.

Plus new CNN reporting this hour on how Speaker Nancy Pelosi's future up first though for us the choice now for Senate Republicans and it is this pursue the truth or give Donald Trump another pass.

Give them a pass does appear to be sadly the safe bet this hour. Ten Senate Republicans would be needed to break from their leader and join Democrats to approve a commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol insurrections.

The commission bill passed the House yesterday. 35 House Republicans voted yes, that is not a small number, especially given the House GOP leadership urging a no vote. And the former President Donald Trump making clear this is a loyalty test, Democrats this morning sending a very clear message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): My Senate Republican colleagues must now ask themselves, are they going to join us in pursuing the truth? Are they going to cover for Donald Trump and his big lie?

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): To my Republican friends and I do have them, take back your party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Let's get straight up to Capitol Hill and CNN's Lauren Fox. Lauren describes the fate of this bill in the Senate. Is it on life support? Is it dead on arrival? Do we know?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point, it sounds like it is either dead or is going to be dead very soon. And you're hearing that from not just Republicans who don't want to support this legislation, but also from some Democrats who are very concerned about where this commission could be headed, which is troubling for a lot of lawmakers.

Because they want to go back they want to get a sense of exactly what happened on January 6, so they feel like they can protect themselves up here on Capitol Hill when it comes to security. Now I asked one Republican Senator Dick Shelby and about whether or not this bill was actually dead.

This is what he told me this morning, "it's not dead, it's been slow walked and it is short of a breath" John. I think that that gives you a very good glimpse as to where all of this is headed.

Now, one of the chief arguments you have heard from Republicans, including McConnell, is the fact that there are already investigations underway both by the department of justice.

And right here on Capitol Hill, we expect that in a few weeks, we are going to see a bipartisan report from the homeland committee and the rules committee, a bipartisan report that Senators have been working on for several months together about what exactly transpired.

And that's why you have some Republicans saying it's just not necessary. You also have some Republicans arguing that this bill is just too political in nature. Of course, it's structured very similarly to how that 911 commission was structured.

So I think that that talking point is really something where Republicans just don't want this to continually be in the spotlight as they are trying to take back the Senate and the House in 2022, John.

KING: And that is the key points right there at the end the 2022 politics, Lauren Fox grateful for the live reporting up on Capitol Hill. Let's continue the conversation with me in studio to share their reporting and their insights CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson, Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post, and let's pick it up right there. Richard Burr, let's show the numbers.

Actually there were seven Republican Senators who voted to impeach Donald Trump. So you would think if you're looking for 10 votes for this commission, you would start there. However, one of them is Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, who just said these investigations are being led by the committees with jurisdiction I believe, as I always have, this is the appropriate course.

I don't believe establishing a new commission is necessary or wise. So there you have it. The math is simply not there. I thought Speaker Pelosi was interesting today. She could have just immediately got after the Republican, she said let's give it a chance.

Let's see if they read it. Let's see if they change their mind. But that from Senator Burr right tells you this is most likely dead. And here's the point. They say yes, these committees are looking into it or any of these committees going to ask to hear from Donald Trump?

Are any of these committees going to ask to hear from the House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, who spoke to President Trump that day, then President Trump that day, who President Trump allegedly said nice things about the rioters. So they prefer the whitewash.

SEUNG MIN KIM, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Exactly and I think you know, with Senator Shelby's quote earlier saying that the prospects of this were shorter breath I think Richard Burr basically sort of punched it in the gut and killed it all together.

Because think of the gravitas that Richard Burr would have brought to this if he had supported the January 6 commission. He obviously led the bipartisan Russia Investigation as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee. He voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial.

He's also retiring, so he doesn't have these political considerations. So the fact that he came out just moments ago against this commission means a lot of Senate Republicans will be opposing.

[12:05:00]

KING: And let's listen to House minority leader, Republican Kevin McCarthy taking some questions right now, let's go a lot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): Hi everybody. This Pelosi commission that we tried to work on for quite some time, remember, I asked Pelosi for one on January 13, she spent four months just playing politics with it.

In that time period, an officer got killed on Good Friday, just across with this Capitol. She didn't want to have the scope to do that as well. I just felt we're going to have four things happening right now.

You've got two committees in the Senate already doing their investigation. I believe in two weeks to already have the report back, even though Pelosi wasted all this time. You got the architect of the Capitol, given $10 million to study what we need done here to protect it.

And then you got the justice department rightfully, does a much better job than we could ever do have rested already 445 people, probably more another 100 coming.

That's the type of work we want to make sure done that it never happens again, that those who participated in and caused it to be held accountable, and that we secure this capital, and we don't play politics with it. I just think a Pelosi commission is a lot of politics. Yes. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why didn't the language of the bill limit the scope

of the commission? It says it can look at any no--

MCCARTHY: No, it doesn't say--

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Know its influencing factors now. It's relevant, that would be an influencing factor potential.

MCCARTHY: I have a difference of opinion here than the other legal counsel does, too. So I gave language to Speaker Pelosi, I sent her two different letters she never would communicate at all in that process. I think the scope needs to be expanded.

If you look at the 9/11 Commission, we looked at what happened on 911. And what the build up for that was. And I think that would be important to hear as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kevin McCarthy--

MCCARTHY: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think it's a conflict of interest for members to be voting on a commission that they might have to potentially be witnesses for and provide information on?

MCCARTHY: No, because who knows what they're going to do on the commission. So no, I don't think so.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely Sir and that none of your members were in any communication with any of the people who swarmed Capitol Hill.

MCCARTHY: Thank you for the question. Everybody have a nice day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Right there, folks, I don't care if you're Democrat or Republican and Independent, wherever your politics you're watching right now, let's listen here it comes back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there anything else that your conference can do or plans to do to change the mass requirements currently on the floor?

MCCARTHY: Well, we would just like to abide by the science. What's interesting is you look at this building, there's a chamber for the House and a chamber for the Senate. But apparently COVID works differently in both chambers, because in the Senate, you don't wear a mask. In the House, you have to wear a mask. The only difference is the speaker. She doesn't want to abide by the CDC rules.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: There you see the House Republican Leader - proving my point, everything you need to know about the current House Republicans. The minute they start asking reporters start asking tough and fair questions about this commission that the Republicans are trying to kill the House Republican start to walk away.

Then there was a question about masks and Kevin McCarthy comes back and misrepresents the issue as well. There's still a mask mandate in the House because so many of the Republican members in the House refuse to get vaccinated.

That's so the science says if you're not vaccinated, you wear a mask simple there. But let's come back to the point about the commission. Leader McCarthy keeps calling it the Pelosi Commission. He empowered the Ranking Republican member of a committee to negotiate a bipartisan deal.

The member did so. The Democrats conceded a lot in those negotiations, which is why 35 House Republicans yesterday voted for it because they have the courage to say this was done in good faith. January 6 was a --

We should have an independent commission. Manu Raju asked Leader McCarthy at that press conference. Would you testify? His answer was next question. Again that's all you need to know about the current leader of House Republicans and those who follow him.

That is the issue. He spoke to then President Trump that day, in the middle of it when they wanted help that this - that right now the Congressional committees' God blesses their work about securing the Capitol about what they know what happened that day.

It's very important, but they are not dealing with the question of, did the president say no, when people are asking to authorize the National Guard? What he told leader McCarthy, Hillary Clinton leader McCarthy testified to one of the Benghazi committee hearings.

Why don't you have the same courage speak up and say, you know what, let's make this all go away? I will testify not going to happen.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Not going to happen because he's afraid of angering Donald Trump. He's afraid of drawing his ire. He wants Donald Trump's backing for his future political plans. If he's to be speaker of the House going forward he's going to need that they want Donald Trump's fundraising prowess and his megaphone in his backing.

They are clearly trying to rate reframe this as the Pelosi commission. I don't know how it would be the Pelosi commission with five people appointed by Republicans, five people appointed by Democrats.

Kevin McCarthy himself could appoint I think it's two people and then have a say, into who is the vice chairman of this. As you said, Pelosi gave in everything that they essentially asked for and even with the scope, you know, they could broaden the scope. If there was actual reason to do it there likely isn't much reason to do because this was a singular event in American history. And that would be the focus with someone like Kevin McCarthy and Donald Trump likely being cold as witnesses.

[12:10:00]

KING: But they fear the truth for two reasons. Number one, it would make Donald Trump read all, but that's how they think it would make Donald Trump mad. We can't have that.

Number two, if Donald Trump is mad, they think it blocks their path to power in the 2022 midterms because there's all this dissonance and chaos in the Republican Party. So they don't take back the House and they don't take back the Senate.

The proof of that is here. First leader McCarthy remember he had some tough words about President Trump right after the insurrection that he went to Mar-a-Lago and he changed his tune and he changed his story. So did Mitch McConnell, who now will control the fate of this commission. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): There's no question done. There President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.

I've made the decision to oppose the House Democrats slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of January the six.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: If I could continue the sentence, these are my words, not his because I want to be majority leader again.

KIM: That's kind of the true line that we've seen through all of these Republican battles over the last several weeks that unity is what they want ahead of the 2018 midterms, both in the House and in the Senate. But we also have to just kind of step back and examine this for history purposes.

And what Donald Trump knew what his actions were, is so critical to this piece of the puzzle, not just because he's such a big, not just because he's such a big figure of the party, not just because he may run again in 2024.

But this was the worst breach on the Capitol since the war of 1812. And just for - to ensure this never happens. Again, you know, there is a need to get down to all the facts of this. And I think what you said earlier with Speaker Pelosi's comments was pretty interesting. You know, she really could have come out and blasted Republicans, especially in the Senate for rejecting this outright.

But she is trying to kind of give show as bipartisan a show that she could be as bipartisan as possible, even kind of being open to the - to addressing one of the complaints from some Republicans saying, well, maybe we will add more Republican staff, for example. So I think she was trying to give them all the reasons to not say no.

KING: And she spoke in those days, I remember I was covering the White House in those days, it was hard to get the 911 Commission, Democrats and Republicans had concerns about the commission at the beginning.

But she talked about the victims and the families of the victims who came forward and essentially created this a political environment. We could not say no, she's clearly hoping I think the numbers are stacked against it. But she's hoping there's some creation of that.

One of the reasons it's hard to believe that will happen is because many Republicans continue to live in a parallel universe. They want to deny this for whatever reason you can figure out at home. This is Senator Ron Johnson, January 6, yes, you know, something happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): Even calling it insurrection, it wasn't. You know, I condemned the breach, I condemned the violence, but to say there were thousands of armed insurrectionists. And you know, breaching the capital intent and overthrowing the government is just simply false narrative.

By and large it was - it was peaceful protests except for there were a number of people based basically agitators that whip the crowd and breach the Capitol.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Again, you can find the video you don't have to believe me; you can find the video hang Mike Pence. Find Speaker Pelosi don't let them certify the election. That's what that was about.

Whatever Senator Ron Johnson and his deniers fellow deniers want to say, hang Mike Pence, he's a Republican Senator. Find the speaker to lay the Electoral College disrupt the Electoral College a Signature Day in an American democracy.

HENDERSON: And you can tell by the behavior of the Senators and House members, what were they doing? They weren't going out to greet those folks, right. They were running for cover in their offices because the Capitol was under attack.

And the people that they were directing their ire at were the people who were going about the business of certifying this election and continuing the peaceful transfer of power.

But we have seen this continued sort of trying to erase what happened. And listen, it started right away really this idea that these are really folks who are ANTIFA agitators, I think is the word that he's using. That sort of means that same thing.

And so this will happen and listen, it all goes back to Donald Trump they do not want to make their dear leader angry.

KING: Fear of Trump.

HENDERSON: Yes.

KING: Fear of Trump, fear of Trump. That is today's Republican Party. That is it's organizing principle. Up next for us the Israeli security cabinet meeting right now among those demanding an immediate ceasefire, a very frustrated President of the United States.

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[12:15:00]

KING: We are at a critical moment in the Israel Hamas crisis. The Israeli security cabinet is meeting right now to discuss a possible ceasefire. International demands for an immediate end to the violence are growing, including from the United Nations Secretary General just a short time ago, but there was another wave of Israeli airstrikes across Gaza this morning.

Now among those described as increasingly impatient is the President of the United States. President Biden yesterday made clear he wanted a quick de escalation. Prime Minister Netanyahu, however, is testing that relationship by continuing major military actions into today.

With us now to share their reporting and their insights CNN's Nic Robertson, he's close to the Israel/Gaza border and our Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins. Nic, let's start with you, as this security cabinet meeting unfolds, do we know what to expect?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, I think we can expect probably some kind of statement within the hour because the main Israeli evening news broadcasts go on air at the top of the next hour.

So we likely to have some kind of indication by then, what we have heard is the Defense Minister saying that Israel is capable and prepared and ready to continue with the military operations, that it feels that it has the capacity to do that.

So I think what we've heard that from the military side is giving Prime Minister Netanyahu the political space to go in either direction. He can either had for that ceasefire that is under so much international pressure for or follow the domestic pressure that is on him to make sure that Hamas cannot come back and target Israeli citizens.

[12:20:00]

ROBERTSON: The exchange of fire that we've seen around us here today in the last couple of hours, makes you feel John that this could still go either way, there have been plenty of intercepts in the skies above us.

I'm looking over my shoulder at a big plume of smoke rising up from what was an airstrike inside of Gaza. It's impossible to say standing here, what we're going to hear in the next few minutes, either standing down or more of the same.

KING: Nic Robertson, grateful you are there at this moment. Let's go to the White House. Now Kaitlan, the president has increasingly in recent days made clear what he wants. And we are learning from your reporting and that of your colleague, he's increasingly frustrated, he is not getting at least not yet what he wants.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right and that has led to this impatience that you're seeing within the walls of the White House coming from President Biden following that phone call that they had yesterday, which we were told was more blunt than any of the calls that they have had since Biden took office.

And certainly, since any of the calls that they've had, since this violence has now stretched into its 11th day and a senior administration official describe that call is direct, frank and candid.

They said that President Biden did not hold back when it came to Netanyahu. And I think part of what you're seeing with the impatience and given what we've seen play out overnight over there in Israel and in Gaza, is that President Biden felt like he waited to actually deliver that blunt warning to Netanyahu.

He gave him several days, where instead in those statements, they were not using the word ceasefire, they were saying that Israel has the right to defend itself. And they support that.

And that came, you know, as you saw a lot of criticism from Democrats, saying Biden needed to be more critical. And I think one risk that they took in talking about a ceasefire and calling for one was that there would not be a ceasefire would stretch into several more days. And that is what I think the White House is concerned could happen right now.

KING: Kaitlan Collins live at the White House important to watch as this plays out in the next hour or two, appreciate the live reporting back with me, CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson and Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post.

And so one of the things that we know the president has told the prime minister is look, Israel politics here in the United States are changing, sir. And you need to pay attention because I'm taking incoming from my own party, both in the House and Senate progressives introducing resolutions.

They're not binding; it's not going to happen. But they're trying to air their displeasure with a plan big arms sale to Israel. This is Bernie Sanders. This morning at a moment when U.S. made bombs are devastating Gaza and killing women and children, we cannot simply let another huge arms sale go through without even a Congressional debate.

On the House side, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, the United States should not be rubber stamping weapons sales to the Israeli government as they deploy our resources to target international media outlets, schools, hospitals, humanitarian missions and civilian sites for bombing.

The question is Prime Minister Netanyahu served in the United States for a long time at the United Nations. He understands American politics quite well. Does that matter to him?

HENDERSON: You know he is in a precarious position himself politically. It hasn't seemed like the whims of Democrats and certainly progressive Democrats had to have mattered much to him.

He was in a much better position under the previous administration, Israel in a much better position of with Trump and Jared Kushner kind of pulling the strings in terms of the approach to Israel.

Now there is a different president, any different Democratic Party right, if you think about conservatives and Republicans, they have gotten much more conservative on Israel. And the same thing has happened in the opposite way, among Democrats.

And you see them are really voicing displeasure in seeing the conflict much more through the lens of the civil rights of Palestinians, rather than the way he was viewed before. This you know, sort of bill that would pass and in arming, giving the arm sales to Israel normally would just pass without comment.

And here you see Sanders and AOC, who are much more vocal part of the Democratic Party than they were in previous years, really trying to draw a line in the sand, at least symbolically.

KING: Right. And so you watch President Biden, who very much so has said I defend Israel's right to protect itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks on civilian areas. Not so much a fan of Netanyahu, but a fan of the principle that Israel has every right to defend itself.

The politics here are quite interesting because Netanyahu has such a great relationship with Trump. It's a more tenuous relationship, even though they know each other very well. So it's - there's a lot of knowledge between the two of each other.

But a tenuous relationship with Biden at a time Republicans here are trying to suggest if President Biden listens to these progressives well then he soft on Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Right now the Democratic Party is governed and led by the extreme left by the squad by AOC and to leave and Omar whose statements might as well be issued on behalf of Hamas.

SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): House Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Rashid Tlaib want to prevent a resupply to Israel the only Jewish nation in the world when it's under terror attack by Hamas.

SEN. TODD YOUNG (R-IN): The state of Israel has a right to defend them to defend themselves against these terroristic rocket attacks. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:25:00]

KING: It is interesting Senator Todd Young who you saw last year of Indiana, he also signed on to a letter early in the week asking for a ceasefire. So he's getting a push and tug, if you will too.

KIM: And it's exactly backtracked a little bit from that bipartisan statement was Senator Murphy calling for a ceasefire. And that's part of the message that Republicans have been trying to tag Biden with on so many things that he's being pulled and dragged away from his more moderate instincts either on domestic or foreign policy, by the squad by the - by the progressives in his base.

But certainly I mean, he is reflecting on an accurate political situation when in these private conversations with the prime minister, the political situation and that traditional support for Israel and the United States Congress is changing.

And going back to your point earlier about the disapproval of resolution for the arms sales, the interesting difference between the House resolution and the Senate resolution, it's easier to force a vote in the Senate.

So does Bernie Sanders try to put members of his party on the record on this very serious and potentially divisive issue among Democrats will be really interesting to watch.

KING: That is a great question and the decision of the Israeli security cabinet in the next hour or so might have some impact on that. Seung Min and Nia are going to stay with us. The COVID case count is down many Republican Governors say now it's time to tell local governments and school districts you can no longer require masks.

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