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Kushner Attorney: Lawmakers Playing "Gotcha Games"; Sessions Changed Statements on Russia; Trump: "Should Have Left Players in China"; New Hope in Search for 44 Sailors Lost on Submarine; America's Role Questioned as Crisis in Yemen Escalates. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired November 20, 2017 - 13:30   ET

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


[13:30:00] JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: In light of these occasions against Senator Franken, he is a member of your party, but do you believe he should resign?

REP HAKEEM JEFFRIES, (D), NEW YORK: I think we have to let the process play out in terms of the Senate ethics investigation. Sexual assault, sexual harassment, unwanted touching or advances are not acceptable in any way, shape, or form. We all need to condemn it and make sure we can create an environment on Capitol Hill and beyond where everyone feels comfortable in the workplace and interacting with their elected representatives, be it in the House or the Senate or whatever the case may be.

SCIUTTO: Not much to ask.

I want to move on now to Russia. They said that the House Judiciary said the son in law, Jared Kushner, in an interview with CNN, his attorney said that lawmakers are playing, in his words, "a gotcha game" with his client after the Judiciary Committee claimed Kushner did not disclose key documents with Russia. It went on to make a charge about who is the actual hero in this investigation. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBE LOWELL, ATTORNEY FOR JARED KUSHNER: If you look at the contents of these e-mails, he's the hero, saying there should be any contacts with foreign officials or entities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: I would like you to react to that. Do you see Jared Kushner as the hero?

JEFFRIES: Not at all, Jim. This is classic spin from Trumpland where facts don't matter and hypocrisy not a constraint to behavior. They want to convince the American people that black is white and up is down and the sun is the moon. The facts are clear. Jared Kushner has been less than truthful when it comes to disclosing contacts between himself and the Trump campaign and Russian operatives at the same time that they were attacking our democracy in order to artificially in their view place Donald Trump in the White House. That's why Jared Kushner has been compelled to amend his security clearance forms on multiple occasions in order to include meetings with Russian operatives that he somehow conveniently forget. He does not deserve the benefit of the doubt at this particular point in time. He deserves bipartisan scrutiny and the Senate Judiciary with leadership from the chair, Chairman Grassley, as well as Senator Feinstein should be commended for their actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Of course, Jared is not the only one who has changed his story and not disclosed meeting meetings. Jeff Sessions revealed past meetings and changed statements about Russian interference. You took him to task to some degree in his appearance before the House Judiciary Committee.

I want to play that and have you react.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFRIES: While serving as U.S. attorney, you once prosecuted a young police officer who lied in a deposition. In that speech, you decided to prosecute that young police officer even though he corrected his testimony. Let me be clear. The attorney general of the United States of America should not be held to a different standard than the young police officer whose life you ruined by prosecuting him for perjury.

JEFF SESSIONS, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Mr. Jeffries, nobody, nobody, not you or anyone else, should be prosecuted, not me, or accused of perjury for answering the question the way I did in this hearing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you this. As I said before, it's not the first time that the attorney general changed his story or recalled something he didn't previously reveal in testimony where he is required by law to answer truthfully. Do you believe the attorney general should step down?

JEFFRIES: I think that the attorney general needs to be truthful with the American people where he has given opportunity to explain what happened in terms of his involvement with Russian operatives at the same time they were attacking the democracy to elect Trump. We have a criminal investigation that is ongoing right now. All of us in Washington with the exception of Donald Trump have confidence in Bob Mueller. He's a good man and a great American and great lawyer to get to the bottom of what occurred. To the extent of the special prosecutor deciding to subject Jeff Sessions to scrutiny because of his inaccuracies and possible involvement, that's to be determined moving forward. It is problematic, however, that the nation's top law enforcement official, Jeff Sessions, would seek to hold to a standard different than what he held Bill Clinton to when he tried to throw Bill Clinton out of office because of perjury as alleged by House Republicans during the preceding impeachment proceeding.

SCIUTTO: Isn't the standard clear for everybody? If you come before the committee and testify on the Hill, just like if you were being interviewed by the FBI, the standard is you have to tell the truth and there are penalties?

[13:35:17] JEFFRIES: Absolutely. He should be held accountable and it's not within the jurisdiction of the committee to make a determination as to whether his mistruths or half-truths or selective amnesia qualifies for the level of criminal scrutiny. There is reason to believe that something is amiss. Why have all of the president's men constantly failed to disclose their communications with Russia at a time when Russian spies were invading our democracy. That's something we need to get to the bottom of for the sake of our country.

SCIUTTO: "I don't recall" is a new favorite answer.

I want to talk about a different topic. In Trump's cross hairs this weekend, the three players released by China, and saying he should have left them there after the father of one of them questioned whether the president had a role in their release. What's your reaction to the president taking such sharp aim in.

JEFFRIES: This is another example of Donald Trump continuing to distract the American people. We are trying to focus as Democrats on creating better wages and a better future for the American people and he is tweet being Lavar Ball. This is what he does when he wants to cover over the failures of his administration. You would think he would be proud of the tax bill that House Republicans have just passed, but my suspicion is he doesn't want the people to discuss it or understand it because it's going to raise taxes on 36 million middle class Americans and undermine Medicare and explode the debt. Even as it relates to his foreign trip to Asia, you would think he wouldn't want to talk about closing the trade deficit with China or the North Korean nuclear crisis or the human rights abuses in the Philippines. He failed to address the issues when he was over there, and instead, he wants the American people to be critical of three young men for the father of one of them for allegedly not being thankful for what he allegedly did to get him out. It's the classic Trump smoke and mirrors simply designed to distract.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Jeffries, thanks for taking the time.

JEFFRIES: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: New details coming up on the desperate search for a missing submarine and 44 sailors on board. What a senior Navy official said they are now hearing underwater.

(COMMERCIAL BERAK)

[13:42:09] SCIUTTO: There may be new hope in a desperate search for 44 sailors lost on a submarine lost at sea since last week. The sonar systems on two Argentine Navy ships picked up noises that sounded like tools banged against the hull of a submarine, according to an official from the U.S. Navy, which has now joined the search.

I want to bring in Admiral John Kirby, a senior military and diplomatic analyst.

They are here banging on the hull, what may be. Explain how that came about.

JOHN KIRBY, CNN SENIOR MILITARY & DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: So they're in the search for this submarine, what they're doing is pinging active sonar for 12 or 13 minutes-

SCIUTTO: They're sending signals ---

KIRBY: Into the water.

SCIUTTO: OK.

KIRBY: -- in the hopes that the crew will hear it. They are stopping for three to four minutes and listening --

SCIUTTO: To wait for a response.

KIRBY: -- to wait to see if there is a response.

SCIUTTO: The crew would here like in "The Hunt for Red October," they would hear like a ping.

KIRBY: You would hear it in the atmospherics. You don't need a system to hear active sonar.

SCIUTTO: No power would be necessary?

KIRBY: No power would be necessary. So the two ships are listening and heard sounds that sounded like the banging on the hull, with sort of metal tool. That's what it sounded like to them. They coordinated the line of bearing to that spot, X marks the spot, and 35 square kilometers around as a search grid. A U.S. Navy P.A., sub hunter aircraft, one of the most sophisticated in the world -

(CROSSTALK)

KIRBY: Yes, we have. Is now flying over that square mileage to see if they can detect anything on sonar.

SCIUTTO: Based on the technology, the sound of a bang, is that enough information to zero in on the location?

KISH: If you have it coming from more than one source, you can triangulate to the area, which is what they've done. It's imprecise and they only heard it once. I haven't heard reports they heard it more. That's why the search area is still so big. It's also, the area that is fairly deep. It goes from about 600 feet deep to thousands of feet deep because it's on the edge of a trench.

SCIUTTO: The maximum depth you do a live rescue?

KIRBY: About 600 feet to do a live rescue.

SCIUTTO: We're praying for them.

John Kirby, Admiral, thanks very much.

KIRBY: You bet.

[13:45:23] SCIUTTO: Millions of people on the brink of dying, hunger, thirst, or victims are war. America's role is being questioned as the crisis in Yemen escalates to a near horrific level.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: The country of Yemen is in the midst of an escalating humanitarian crisis. The United Nations estimates a child under 5 dies in Yemen every 10 minutes from preventable causes. Almost 400,000 are at risk of death from malnutrition. Aid agencies say the situation is going to be much worse unless the Saudi led coalition lifts the blockade on Yemen.

That's just a small part of what journalist, Iona Craig, witnessed while she was there.

I want to warn you, the picture you're about to see are extremely disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IONA CRAIG, JOUNALIST: It's the impact on the wider civilian population that you often don't really get to see.

Abdul Aziz is a 9-year-old boy in hospital. And as you can see from the footage, he is suffering from severe, acute malnutrition. While it is very shocking to see a young boy in a state like that. He is skeletally thin, and he was lifeless, just lying there while the doctors were trying to administer glucose to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:50:07] SCIUTTO: Sadly, that young boy you saw there, he passed away several days after those scenes were recorded.

Joining me now is CNN senior international correspondent, Nima Elbagir.

Nima, you were in Yemen at the start of the blockade. It's a country you've covered many times. You and your crew were the first journalists in during that time. Tell us how the U.S. factors into this crisis. It's largely seen from the outside as a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, how big is the U.S. participation in this war?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are real key concerns and questions about the extent of the U.S.'s involvement and the U.S.'s complicity, not just ethically, but legally. Back in May, President Trump signed $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Jared Kushner was actually seen high-fiving H.R. McMaster.

But the reality is it has deeply implicated the U.S. in a conflict where there are genuine concerns about the human rights violations being carried out by the Saudi-led coalition. They are currently blockading much-needed aid going into the country. And that's why the U.N. is ringing these alarm bells. And they're concerned about the potential deaths of 50,000 children unless that blockade is lifted. And the worry is, Jim, that in return for that arms deal that perhaps the U.S. has bartered a lot of that key leverage that needs to, at the moment, be applying pressure with.

SCIUTTO: And to be clear here, what is the -- what is the value of the blockade in military terms? What is Saudi Arabia's justification for a blockade which, of course, is harming many civilians, as well?

ELBAGIR: The Saudi-led coalition says that this is because the Houthi militants are backed by Iran and the rearmament and the ability for Iran to get supplies in to these rebels. But in all conflicts, whether it is the conflict in Syria where the anti-ISIS coalition crates corridors for civilians fleeing ISIS knowing that ISIS fighters are fighting amongst them, they are always the balance they have to strike. The fundamental international laws governing the rules of engagement says you have to allow civilian supplies in, no matter what the cost is to you militarily.

SCIUTTO: Nima al Elbagir, thanks very much. We know you've been on the ground there many times.

Coming up, the stunning remark from the U.S. president saying he should have left three American citizens inside a Chinse jail after feeling insulted by one of their fathers. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to weigh in soon when the White House press briefing begins. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:57:03] SCIUTTO: The election of Donald Trump and this year's political landscape has transformed late-night comedy television. And that is now the subject of a new CNN special report, "Late Night in the Age of Trump," hosted by Brian Stelter, airing tonight at 9:00 eastern time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT & CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES (voice-over): Late night now has a blueprint. New shows responding new talent.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Jon Stewart is a jumping off point for --

(LAUGHTER)

-- Stephen Colbert.

JOHN STEWART, FORMER HOST, THE DAILY SHOW: Mr. Trevor Noah, thanks for joining us!

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Trevor Noah.

JOHN OLIVER, COMEDIAN: Welcome to "The Daily Show."

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: And John Oliver. STELTER: That late-night lineup exploded with Trump, all of them

covering politics and the president 24/7.

STEVE BARDO, MANAGER, THE DAILY SHOW: The pace of the news. So much faster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trevor Noah!

STELTER: Steve Bardo now runs the show with Trevor Noah, who took over as host in 2017. They invited us in for a sneak peek behind the curtain of the show.

BARDO: We watch clips and throw jokes around the room.

(LAUGHTER)

I like that better than we -- it takes me an hour and a half to re- write the show. Tape it at 6:30 and get to go home. That's the normal way. It doesn't happen very much anymore.

ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FORMER WHITE HOUSE SPOKEMAN: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

STELTER: In the age of Trump, shows are sometimes turned upside down.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Scaramucci has just resigned.

STELTER: At the 11th hour.

BARDO: The Mooch couldn't make it to day 11.

TREVOR NOAH, HOST, THE DAILY SHOW: The guy got fired before the day began.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: The host of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter, also hosting tonight's special. He joins me now.

Brian, I want to ask you this. Late-night comedy has always been somewhat brutal with presidents and politician, I suppose you could say more biting under this president. How much more in your view? How much of a qualitative change did you find?

STELTER: These hosts, especially the Stephen Colbert's and Trevor Noah's, they're reacting to their viewers and what the audiences want and what the audiences want is Trump's downfall. A lot of the viewers of the shows, whether it's "The Late Show" or "The Daily Show," many of these audiences, left-leaning or moderates, they want to see Trump another resign or have him impeached and the comedians are channeling that, Colbert, or Myers have called for Trump to resign. That's unlikely to happen and they view this as a career and crisis moment. They've had a huge career opportunity. In this case, Anthony, he plays the president for Comedy Central. The Trump presidency has been a big boon to him and he's disturbed by what he sees at the White House and there's the tension with the documentary tonight.

SCIUTTO: It's going to be fascinating to watch.

Brian, thanks very much for joining us today.

STELTER: Thanks.

SCIUTTO: Don't forget to watch Brian's special tonight 9:00 eastern time and pacific time right here on CNN.

Coming up this hour, the White House briefing. And there is a lot for press secretary, Sarah Sanders, to discuss, from Roy Moore to the president's remarks to leaving UCLA's students jailed in China. It all begins right now.

[14:00:11] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Jim Sciutto, we'll take it from here.

Good to be with you. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching --