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Trump: Cohen Should Give Information On His Father-In-Law, Senate Dueling Bills To End Shutdown. Aired 09:30-10a ET

Aired January 24, 2019 - 09:30   ET

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


[09:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He should give information maybe on his father-in-law because that's the one that people want to look at, because where is that money, that's the money of the family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN PRIME TIME: It's okay to go after the father-in-law?

RUDY GIULIANI, TRUMP'S ATTORNEY: Of course, it is if the father-in- law is a criminal. He comes from the Ukraine. The reason that's important is he may have ties to something called organized crime.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: So there you have it, the President's lawyer and the President in effect encouraging a criminal investigation of Michael Cohen's father-in-law. As a lawyer yourself, does that constitute intimidating a witness?

RENATO MARRIOTTI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It looks like it does. Now, the question is whether that could be proven in court beyond a reasonable doubt. That is not entirely clear to me because you'd have to prove that not only that this was intimidation, that it was done done for the purpose of delaying his or impeding his testimony and so on, but it sure looks like it. I've got to say, I mean, this is totally reprehensible behavior. It's unbecoming of the President of the United States.

And when you're in law enforcement, when I was a Federal Prosecutor, if I did something like this, I would be fired, I mean, straight up. It's totally improper.

SCIUTTO: Listen, it happens every other day, so we sort of - we talk about it and you forget about it because you'll hear something else in the same category. Let me ask you this though. So Michael Cohen is going to appear, February 7th, and something of a surprise yesterday withdrawing, citing these witness intimidation, as his lawyer calls it, do you believe there is something else behind Cohen's reluctance to testify before Congress?

MARRIOTTI: Yes. I suspect that this is not solely because of these comments by Trump and Giuliani. And I commend his lawyers for focusing on that because it's probably better than what the other reason might be. But the prosecutors in the Southern District of New York who brought the initial case against Cohen made very clear to the judge that he was not completely forthcoming to them. They said he did not receive a cooperation deal because he repeatedly refused to disclose all of the criminal activity he was involved in and knew about. So he's holding something back. I think he's concerned that he wouldn't have the ability to take the 5th before Congress. He would have to reveal some of that information to them.

SCIUTTO: Yes, that's the thing. When you're looking for a deal, you have got to be an open book. You can't give a little. You've got to just sit down and proffer, as they call it, everything.

Let me ask you about Paul Manafort, if I can now. So the Special Counsel accused him of violating his cooperation deal by lying. His lawyer is coming back saying, he wasn't lying. It's just that there's a lot of stuff to remember and he didn't remember it all right. Is that a credible defense?

MARRIOTTI: Well, it's a common defense. It's usually happens in a situations like this. And it's why proving that somebody lied under oath is more difficult than it might seem so some of our viewers who are watching this, because you have to prove that somebody wasn't just forgetful or mistaken but that they actually willfully decided that they wanted to lie.

I think, unfortunately, for Manafort and his lawyers, there is just too much here to explain away. There are so many lies. They seem to be about very important matters. There are times where he was confronted and wasn't immediately truthful at that point. So I think he's not going to be able to get away with doing that here.

SCIUTTO: Renato Marriotti, we know you're going to keep on top of it. Thanks very much as always.

MARRIOTTI: Thank you.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: All right. So the President yesterday broke on our show, recognized the opposition leader in Venezuela over President Maduro. Well, now, Maduro is shooting back and telling U.S. Diplomats they have 72 hours to leave the country. U.S. Diplomats saying they are not going anywhere. What happens now?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:35:00]

[09:38:10] HARLOW: The president of Venezuela, Nicholas Maduro, is set to speak Venezuela Supreme Court just over an hour from now. This is as he is fighting to hold onto power in that country. This also comes as he says he's cutting diplomatic relations with the United States, says U.S. Diplomats in the country have 72 hours to leave. Of course, in response to the bold move that President Trump made to officially recognize his opposition leader, right, who you see on the other side of the screen there, Juan Guaido as, the country's legitimate president. SCIUTTO: Meanwhile, ten people are dead, 175 others have been arrested after two nights of violent protests there, this according to a local NGO. CNN Senior Diplomatic Correspondent, Michelle Cozinski, is at the state department with more. And, Michelle, I imagine that there are genuine concerns about the safety of U.S. Diplomats in Venezuela.

MICHELLE CONZINSKI, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT: There absolutely are. I mean, after Maduro issued this order, that we he was cutting off ties, everybody get out, he said, during this speech yesterday afternoon, you have 72 hours to leave. There was this big question mark of, okay, well, the U.S. declared that they see his opposition as the legitimate president of Venezuela, what do you do now?

And then we heard from a Senior Administration Official saying that Maduro's order is meaningless. That means that for now, U.S. Diplomats in Venezuela are staying put. We know that there has been a security alert issued so they are limiting the types of things they're to do at the embassy in Caracas. They're only going to deal with people on an emergency basis, they're limiting Diplomat's travel, they're keeping their kids home from school. So there is still this question of how safe are they today and then how safe are they going to be tomorrow. The state department is obviously watching this closely.

[09:40:00]

But this administration has said that all options are on the table in terms of taking additional action. That's causing concerns around the world. And one of the backers of Maduro, Russia, right now, we're hearing from their Foreign Minister, warning the U.S. not to add fuel to the fire. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEI RYABKOV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I truly feel there are dangerous signs of something going on along these lines. We warn everyone, not and just the U.S. but some others who may entertain these ideas, from this type of action. The resort to military power would be catastrophic. We face now a scenario that may lead to further bloodshed in Venezuela.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONZINSKI: I mean, the violence has been there. This is a precarious situation. So, obviously, from the U.S. side, they are looking at what happens now with Venezuela. The U.S. is only going to deal with Juan Guaido, Head of the National Assembly, who now has declared himself the legitimate President of Venezuela, and the U.S. says, yes, we are going to work with you as you make this government work with the National Assembly. But the immediate question is how do you keep Americans there safe, what happens with those Diplomats, when are we going to see people coming out if that is necessary.

And already we're hearing from some Foreign Service officers who are watching the situation too in the region. They are worried about it, saying, well, shouldn't people now at least be given the option to leave if they want to for their own safety.

HARLOW: Yes.

SCIUTTO: You could end up with a hostage situation there in effect for U.S. Diplomats.

HARLOW: Okay. Michelle, thank you for that important update from the state department.

We're going to head to Michigan next, the really important county in Michigan. Of course, it's a key state that the President flipped blue to red in 2016. But for some, his push on this wall funding is backfiring, even among some of his most ardent supporters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

[09:46:36] HARLOW: All right. So very soon, Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine will hold a news conference with air traffic controllers and FAA employees who, of course, continue to work without pay. Airline industry professionals are warning not just of not getting paid but of the serious safety concerns they have for the American public as the shutdown drags on.

SCIUTTO: It's a real one. We have heard it from multiple people involved. And now in a joint statement, representatives for air traffic controller, pilots, flight attendants said, quote, in our risk averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play nor predict the point at which the entire system will break. It is unprecedented. I mean, those are strong words there.

HARLOW: Yes, very.

SCIUTTO: The President's approval rating, taking a hits as this government shutdown pushes into its second month. Now, some voters in Michigan who helped turn that state for Trump in 2016, they are having second thoughts as well.

HARLOW: And that matters for 2020. Our Vanessa Yurkevich is in Macomb County, Michigan. You are racking up those miles. You're somewhere new every day, and we appreciate you bringing us these voices. I think Macomb County is so fascinating because it was a It was a 12-point flip. A lot of people that voted for President Obama twice flipped for trump, but are they standing behind him on this wall push?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. We are in a northern part of Detroit, Michigan, in a suburb here where this area was really hit hard by the recession. But around 2015 when the President entered the race, the local economy here started to pick up, and Trump picked up a lot of support. Macomb County ended up voting for the president and ultimatelyhelping him get into office. So we wanted to come back to town to see how people were feeling, like here at the pit stop diner inNnew Baltimore, and we asked them how are they feeling about the President and the shutdown as we are now in day 34.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YURKEVICH: There's a split of opinion on Lane 10.

TROY: He's not taking the right side about being a Trump supporter.

YURKEVICH: Troy is a Trump supporter. His bowling partner, Chelsea [ph], is not.

TROY: He's not scared. He'll get jobs done that we need to get done. He's not afraid to stand up for our country.

CHELSEA: I'm terrified to tell people that I'm not a Trump supporter because they go crazy.

YURKEVICH: You - obviously, you don't agree?

CHELSEA: No, no, not at all. No. I feel like the shutdown has definitely lasted too long.

YURKEVICH: The pair were bowling with their children at the local alley in Cacomb County. Obama won here twice. But trump flipped the county in 2016, winning by more than 11 points. But what the president has done recently has both of them unhappy.

Do you think the shutdown is worth the wall?

TROY: No, I do not think that - no. I think it's a waste of time, money and it's causing way more problems than it's helping anything.

CHELSEA: It's definitely not worth a wall for the government to be completely shut down for this.

YURKEVICH: But just down the road is Robert Rash (ph) who works in the auto industry and runs a family clothing business. He says both jobs are doing well thanks to hard work and President Trump.

ROBERT RASH: We see growth in the United States. We see growth here in our town. This used to be the home, the Motor City, the capital of the tool and die and the tool and die industry, the automotive industry, and it's starting to finally come back.

YURKEVICH: And he likes that the President isn't backing down on his wall, even if it means shutting down the government.

[09:50:00]

RASH: You have to do what you have to do. It's something that is necessary to come to the United States. You have to come the right way.

YURKEVICH: Do you think that there is anything that the President could do that would make you shy away from him at all?

RASH: No, because, you know what, I've only been around 54 years, but I just think to take that position, God bless him.

YURKEVICH: Is there anything the President could do to put him in a better light in your eyes?

MARK ASTER: If he step down.

YURKEVICH: In another part of the county over a plate of goulash, Democrat Mark Aster is eager to talk about the shutdown.

Do you see this being resolved anytime soon?

ASTER: I don't. He is that stubborn. And I'm glad Schumer and Pelosi are pushing it so that hard to him. I really am.

YURKEVICH: Do you think they should give in at some point?

ASTER: No, I wouldn't. Just for what Trump has said in his campaign. All along, he was saying, Mexico is going to pay for it. Mexico is going to pay for it. Have at it, bud. Have at it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YURKEVICH: Aand what we have been hearing across the country amidst this shutdown and what we are hearing right here in this diner is Americans helping other Americans, Jim and Poppy. There is a gentleman at the breakfast bar behind me. His name is Dennis. He is picking up food for his neighbor. That gentleman works at the Coast Guard. And as we know, Jim and Poppy, they are not being paid right now.

SCIUTTO: And some of their families are going to food banks. I mean, it's a remarkable reality.

Vanessa Yurkevich, thanks very much for being on the story for us.

Just hours from now, dueling bills but they don't have a chance. So what happens next on day 34 of this shutdown?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:55:00]

[09:56:01] HARLOW: The new CNN, and it is extraordinary, Three Identical Strangers. It explores an astounding true story about triplets separated at birth then reunited 19 years completely by coincidence. And it dives into the medical science behind twins and triplets.

SCIUTTO: Well, the research also inspired a NASA study on astronauts. Mark and Scott Kelly, they're only pair of identical twins to ever travel to space. CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joins us now live.

You said that this NASA study is a really big deal. What have they discovered?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they tested everything because it was the perfect sort of scientific study. You had twins. One who was going actually go into this environment unlike anybody else, very few had gone, and one was going to be studied simultaneously here on earth.

Scott and Mark Kelly, take a look at how it unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Scott and Mark Kelly, truly remarkable and rare brothers, the simultaneously served as astronauts in the United States space program, making them the perfect duo to understand what prolonged space travel does to the human body. In order to try to answer that question, Scott went up to space for a year while Mark stayed home on earth.

Your family, do they worry? I mean, how much do they worry for you, Mark, when you were up in space?

MARK KELLY: I think our mother and father get pretty freaked out, especially on launch day and more for me because they like me better.

GUPTA: It wasn't until Scott's fourth and final trip to space that this revolutionary scientific study took shape. Scott, the test subject, Mark, the control, a scientific gold mine.

KELLY: We know the environment in space. It's high radiation, CO2 levels are higher. And to have me being there for such a long time, they can see how the environmental effects us on a genetic level and what that means to our health.

GUPTA: For the twin study, NASA closely monitored everything, Scott's diet, movements, vitals on board the International Space Station and the same for mark back on earth.

KELLY: I got the impression there were some people that were surprised we said, yes.

GUPTA: Was there any reservation on your part?

KELLY: No, not really. Overall, I mean, I think this is important research. And I think what NASA does, I'm 100% behind NASA's mission. We both flew in space four times and for a really long time. So we're committed to this and committed to the science.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scott Kelly back on mother Earth.

GUPTA: When Scott returned home for a year in space, he was five milliseconds younger and two inches taller, though gravity soon shrunk him back to normal. And three years later, new findings are still being released. Researchers found that there had been a change in 7 percent of Scott's gene expression, not the genes themselves but the way they react to the environment around him. Despite this change, Scott and Mark are still very much identical twins and now retired astronauts whose greatest legacy may be in helping all of us understand what our bodies are truly capable of.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: just incredible brothers and incredible family too, just a public service-oriented family. This is - the study really fundamentally is about Mars. That's what you find out, that Mars would be three years to go and come back. Why are they testing someone like Scott to see how he lasts for a year in space? It gives you a little bit of an answer of how three years might go. But keep in mind, after a year or so in space, you probably lose all communication. So not only would you be still flying towards Mars, you wouldn't have any contact anymore with the outside world. So that's something they are testing as well.

But again, Mark and Scott end up being the perfect test subjects for this.

SCIUTTO: That's incredible prospects. Thanks very much.

[10:00:00]

HARLOW: Thanks, Sanjay. Good to see you. All right.

And all of this leading up to, again, just a remarkable film, the award winning CNN original film, Three Identical Strangers, it premieres this Sunday night here on CNN.