Transcripts For CNNW CNN Tonight With Don Lemon 20180831

Word, i mean, is best. Be best, right . Lashing out at anybody he perceives as an enemy, including his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions. Trump telling Bloomberg News that sessions job is safe until the midterms, but declining to comment really beyond that. Which is not exactly a ringing endorsement, right . But its par for the course for a president whos been slamming his attorney general ever since sessions recused himself from the russia investigation. Im very disappointed with the attorney general. The attorney general made a terrible mistake when he did this and when he recused himself. So he made what i consider to be a very terrible mistake for the country. I put in an attorney general that never took control of the Justice Department, Jeff Sessions. Never took control of the Justice Department. And its a its sort of an incredible thing. So in that same interview, the president , whos supposed to be defending the rule of law, said he considers the Mueller Investigation to be, quote this is a quote an illegal investigation. Illegal . Okay, so, listen, i just we showed this to you, but i need you to take a look at it again. The docket officially appointing Robert Mueller as special counsel. There it is on your screen right there. Mueller authorized to investigate, quote, any links and or coordination between the russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of president donald trump. And this, quote, if the special counsel believes it is necessary and appropriate, the special counsel is authorized to prosecute federal crimes arising from the investigation of these matters. That document signed by trumps handpicked acting attorney general. You cant get any clearer than that. So the fact is, muellers investigation is 100, as we say. 100 legit. And then and legal. And then there is the twitter tirade this morning. Did you see that . Its just getting worse. The president of the United States slamming cnn and then turning his anger on nbc, implying with absolutely no evidence theres no evidence that the comments he made to lester holt about why he fired james comey, those comments were on tape, by the way that they were somehow not real. Even though you can hear every word with your own ears. Play it oh, i was going to fire regardless of recommendations. So there was really he made a recommendation. Hes highly respected. Very good guy, very smart guy. The democrats like him. The republicans like him. He made a recommendation. But regardless of recommendation, i was going to fire comey. Knowing there was no good time to do it. And, in fact, when i decided to just do it, i said to myself, i said, you know, this russia thing with trump and russia is a madeup story. Hmm. He said it, but he i said that, but i didnt say it. You didnt hear me say that. Oh, that was widely reported on more than a year ago. Wouldnt you think this wouldnt you think the president , if he thought it was inaccurate in some way, that he would have cried foul sooner than now . Hasnt said anything. Like, right away, right . He didnt, though. And he is offering zero evidence to support his vague accusation. Its all part of a pattern when President Trump is confronted with facts that he doesnt like. He denies the evidence or outright tries to bury it. We learned today that trump and his former attorney, Michael Cohen, tried to buy decades worth of dirt on him collected by the National Enquirer. That is according to the new york times, which reports that the plan was never finalized. And lets face it. None of this is a surprise. After all, President Trump is the man who said this just remember, what youre seeing and what youre reading is not whats happening. So contrast that with a true American Hero. John mccain, who will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda before his funeral at the Washington National cathedral on saturday. President trump in that bloomberg interview defended his response to mccains death. We had our disagreements, and they were very strong disagreements. I disagreed with many of the things that i assume he believed in. But with that being said, i respect his service to the country. So but i want you to listen to this. I want you to listen to the former Vice President joe biden paying tribute today to the late senator. It wasnt about politics with john. He could disagree on substance, but it was the underlying values that animated everything john did. Everything he was. You could come to a different conclusion, but where hed part company with you is if you lacked the basic values of decency, respect. Knowing that this project is bigger than yourself. Hmm. Statesman. Statesmanship. Decency. Respect. Bigger than yourself. Not a lot of that happening these days. Lets bring in now cnns chris cillizza. He is our politics reporter and and editor at large. And april ryan, author of under fire reporting from the front lines of the Trump White House. We have a lot to get to tonight, including a new report, a new attack on the Justice Department. But the contrast today, chris, and quickly, because i need to get to this breaking news. Sure. The contrast today between what we see and hear coming from the leader of the free world is just completely blaring, glaringly obvious that we have were in a period of degradation. Yeah, i mean, i feel like i say this every time im on with you, don, but i do think that donald trump does not conceive of the presidency as a seat of moral leadership. A place to take the high road, to think of the we over the me. I think that is brought into very stark relief when you see joe biden talking about john mccain. This idea that what unites us is far greater than what divides us. That partisanship is not a value. Honor, decency, respect are values. Being partisan, even if it might work politically, is not a value. Mmhmm. What do you think, april . You know, this is a president who some would say has put this nation in a crisis, a political crisis. And were working through it, trying to figure out where we will land. When i look at how donald trump handles things, joe biden was absolutely right. There was a relationship with john mccain and joe biden. And there are so many on capitol hill who have had that kind of relationship. Its not about party. They can still talk about an issue. Whereas this president has clearly made a dividing line that, you know, democrats are evil, we dont want to talk its not about unity, its not about the good of the country, its about a kneejerk reaction, in a lot of ways, it all centers around how he thinks or how it affects him. Even from his Supreme Court nominee down to a promise he wants to keep about a wall that mexico probably wont pay for. And also, you know, just how he thinks of this russia investigation and what he says about the press. Its all about him. Weve gone into a totally different day, don. Were going to talk more about that, but i want to get to this new reporting tonight. Okay, a new attack, i should say, on the Justice Department. Watch this. Our Justice Department and our fbi have to start doing their job and doing it right and doing it now. Because people are angry. People are angry. Whats happening is a disgrace. And at some point, i wanted to stay out, but at some point, if it doesnt straighten out properly, i want them to do their job, i will get involved and ill get in there, if i have to. Hmm. So, what is he talking about, chris . What does he think hes going to do . I i dont think he knows, to be totally honest, don. Look, this is all in keeping with the deep state conspiracy that donald trump, frankly, bias buys into. He talks it up more when hes at campaign rallies, but he believes it. You see it in his tweets which is an accurate reflection of what hes talking about, and you see it in these speeches. He uses that line over and over again. Ill remind people, hes talking about the trump Justice Department. When he calls the Mueller Probe a witch hunt, hes talk about a probe that began under the fbi. It was created, a special counsel, by Deputy Attorney general rod rosenstein, a trump appointee, and is being run by Robert Mueller, a republican in his former life. Those facts will not get in the way of people clapping when he says this and believing that somehow the Justice Department is out to get donald trump. It should, because those are the facts. But it wont. The president , april, telling Bloomberg News that he views this Mueller Probe as an illegal investigation. I mean, pair this with the twitter tirade. Is this a president whos on edge right now . Whats going on at the white house . Oh, yes, hes on edge. Hes been on edge for a while, particularly after cohen did this he pleaded guilty. Heres the bottom line. This president understands the severity of this. And he is very clear minded as to whats going on. What hes trying to do is create the conspiracy that its a witch hunt. Hes trying to create this, this silver ball for his base who supports him on russia, to believe him and not the truth. His own Justice Department is not conjuring occupy something to go against him, even though he and sessions have this hate relationship. This is real. This is about rule of law. This is not about a witch hunt. And this is something that the president clearly understands. But once again, hes trying to create a conspiracy theory, just like he did with birtherism and had to go back and say, thats not true. Hmm. Interesting. Because, you know, chris, the president is saying again and again, hes saying again now that democrats cant impeach him because he is doing a great job. Is he forgetting that bill clinton had a booming economy, too . Yeah. I mean, yeah, i never know, you know, how much strategy is behind these things. He said this before he said or even if he knows the process. Maybe he just doesnt understand the process. I dont know i mean, again, impeachment is a political maneuver. Its not a legal maneuver, its a political maneuver. But simply because things are going well by your definition doesnt mean you havent potentially committed crimes that would warrant it. Not saying we have any proof donald trump has done that. But the economy doing well is neither here nor there in that discussion. I dont know if he knows that. I do think it is worth noting, don. He does mention impeachment, its the second time in about the last ten days hes used that line. How can you impeachment me when everythings going so great. I think hes thinking about it more. You said, is he on edge . I do think he is more and more and more focused on it, particularly as the midterm elections get closer and predictions and history suggest democrats are likely to take over the House Majority and that would bring him much closer to impeachment. Make it a little bit more of a reality for him, though i would say, still very unlikely, 67 senators, but well see what mueller finds. 67 senators would need to vote for his impeachment for it to actually happen. But the process of impeachment is much closer if democrats control the house. And i do think he understands that. April, you heard what trump told bloomberg about sessions. Heres more right now. I just like to have Jeff Sessions do his job. And if he did, i would be very happy. But the job entails two sides. Not one side. So trump confirming that hell keep sessions on until at least november. Do you think that thats a relief to republicans on capitol hill . I dont know if its relief or theyre just trying to figure out what to do. One, don, you have to look at this. The midterms are very important. They play into this. Its about, if he does this, it could be a fractured party. Also, there would be hell to pay with confirmation hearings if he does try to do this. And its about politics. Its about the midterms. This president is keenly aware that hes got a lot of senators who are very upset with him about Jeff Sessions. So hes got to play this the right way. And hes trying to use his wiggle room by pressuring them to do it, to get him out, to get sessions to leave versus him doing it, where it could be obstruction of justice. But it just, the optics of this are just totally off. For this president to be wanting to do this, when Jeff Sessions is the head of the Justice Department, that is overseeing or in charge of this Mueller Investigation, this is just, its just the optics are terrible for this president. April, ive got to ask you about your new book. I havent had a chance to talk to you about it on the air. Yes its called under fire reporting from the front lines of the Trump White House. What can readers expect . Yes. The truth, the other side of the story about stories that affect people that this white house wants to change the narrative on. And when you report the truth, they go after you. And how there is a lingering effect that lingers, not just on me, but on others. If they could do what theyre doing to me, they can do to others and they have done it to others. Theyve tried to discredit me. They have lied on me. Theyve even said that i have taken money from Hillary Clinton, which is a total falsehood and a lie. You know, this book, it reads like a novel, but its the truth. But its about the first amendment. And what people need to understand and the takeaway is, is if they do diminish the press, specifically, someone whos been there, and considered a dean for 21 years. If they diminish us this is something john mccain said, if you suppress the press, it begins a dictatorship. But not only that, but if you suppress the press and stop us from asking questions or that piece of accountability, the american public, taxpaying public does not find out whats going on in the house that the person that they elected to be in the seat of power is doing. So its important that with the Founding Fathers put in place is still in place. Under fire reporting from the front lines of the Trump White House, april ryans new book. Pick it up. Thank you, april. Thank you, chris. Appreciate it. When we come back, the president falsely calls the Mueller Investigation illegal. Ill ask former director of National Intelligence James Clapper to weigh in on that, that charge. Thats why capital one iss feel the building something completely different. Capital one cafes. Welcoming places with people here to help you, not sell you. With savings and checking accounts with no fees or minimums. That are easy to open from right here or anywhere in 5 minutes. No smoke. No mirrors. This is banking reimagined. Whats in your wallet . Anncr as you grow older, your brain naturally begins to change which may cause trouble with recall. Learning from him is great. When i can keep up anncr thankfully, prevagen helps your brain and improves memory. Dads got all the answers. Anncr prevagen is now the numberoneselling brain Health Supplement in drug stores nationwide. She outsmarts me every single time. Checkmate you wanna play again . Anncr prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Breaking news. President trump ramping up his attacks tonight on the Justice Department and the fbi. I want to bring in now Cnn National Security analyst, James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence. Good evening, director. Appreciate you coming on. Before we get to the business of the day, i know that you felt very strongly about john mccain, by the way, who is lying in state now in the Capitol Rotunda until his funeral at the National Cathedral on saturday. What would you like to say . Well, just to say that, like so many other people, you know, he he touched my life, as well. Thats not to say that all of our exchanges were pleasant. They werent. He could be very irascible when youre a witness and hes running a hearing. But i grew to develop a great deal of respect and admiration for senator mccain and the nation has lost an icon, in my view. And i thought this week, the tremendous outpouring, and by the way, the superb coverage by cnn of this weeks events related to senator mccain has been great. And so i appreciate the opportunity to say a couple of words about senator mccain, whom i just had great admiration and respect for. I went to vietnam myself, 1965 and 66 and it was 47 years before i went back. And i spoke with senator mccain before i went. And he and i was going to hanoi and he suggested i go by the lake where he was shot down and theres a very crude monument to him. And i had a picture taken, standing next to that monument in hanoi, which he autographed, which is something i will treasure for the rest of my life. Hmm. And again, he will be lying in state at the capitol until his funeral at the National Cathedral on saturday. His body arrives there tomorrow. Thank for saying those kind words. So lets talk about the president. When you hear the president tonight renew his attacks on the department of justice and the fbi and say people are angry and if they dont do their jobs, that hays going to get involved. What does that sound like to you . Is he implying that they should be acting as a personal Investigation Force . Well, exactly. Thats i think hed much prefer that the attorney general acted kind of like Michael Cohen, you know . Have the department of justice be an institutional fixer for him. And to do his bidding in terms of who to investigate. And the disgrace in all of this, a word he likes to use a lot to describe doj and the fbi, regrettably applies more to him than to the doj or the fbi. Its interesting, because he continues to talk about, you know, Hillary Clinton should be investigated, Hillary Clinton should be investigated. Does he not remember all of the investigations into Hillary Clinton that went on over the last few years . Well, yeah, its obviously a convenient memory. You know, don, what all of this means to me, frankly is these tweets and these tweet storms and these outbursts of his, which increasingly are irrational, is emblematic of somebody whos under a lot of pressure and who doesnt have control anymore, as he once did, in trump world in new york. And i think its i think its really starting to get to him. And this absurd allegation about nbc, somehow fudging on the tape, which youve pretty much skewered in your opening monologue is, to me, signifies whats going on here. And i think all of that, all of these revelations about him and his past, against the counterpoint of the adulation and praise for senator mccain, i think this has made for another tough week in the white house. Hmm. You know, the president is now saying it was his decision to get rid of the white house counsel, don mcgahn. Do you think thats going to impact the Mueller Investigation, director . Well, you know, ive been thinking about that. I think from the president s point of view, i guess, mcgahn has done all the damage hes going to do. And whats key, crucial here, and you know, there was a teaser from the president about who the successor to mcgahn might be. And i dont know, but it just appears to me that mcgahn did understand that he was a counsel to the office of the presidency, not the president himself, which is not a distinction i think im not sure the president understood that. Yeah. Well, what about him hinting that he might fire the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, after election day . I mean, the president blames him for there being a special counsel. So if he fires him, what does that tell you . Well well, first of all, putting it off until the midterms just kicks the can down the road. Clearly, given the relationship there, and i think that then, if he does fire the attorney general, either now or after the midterms, it doesnt make a lot of difference, its still going to be, i think, very complicated and very difficult for him to get anybody confirmed, unless its someone who will pledge publicly that he, too, or she he or she would continue to protect the Mueller Investigation. Director clapper, thank you for your time, sir. Appreciate it. And thank you for the kind words about john mccain, as well. A real American Hero there. Thanks for the opportunity. Absolutely. When we come back, decades of dirt. How President Trump reportedly tried to buy back all the scandalous stories the National Enquirer reportedly had on him. From the very beginning. It was always our singular focus. To do whatever it takes, use every possible resource. To fight cancer. And never lose sight of the patients were fighting for. Our Cancer Treatment specialists share the same vision. Experts from all over the world, working closely together to deliver truly personalized cancer care. And these are the specialists were proud to call our own. Expert medicine works here. Learn more at cancercenter. Com Appointments Available now. And im the founder of ugmonk. Before shipstation it was crazy. Its great when you see a hundred orders come in, a hundred orders come in, but then you realize ive got a hundred orders i have to ship out. Shipstation streamlined that wh the order data, the weights of , everything is seamlessly put into shipstation, so when we print the shipping ll everythings pretty much done. Its so much easier so now, were ready, bring on t. Shipstation. The number one ch of online sellers. Go to shipstation. Com tv and get two months free. Thanks, janet. Its welcomemy happy place. Store. You can learn how to switch to xfinity mobile, a new Wireless Network that saves you cash. And you can get 5 lines of talk and text included with your internet. And over here im having my birthday party. Dj fluffernutter, hit it dj fluffernutter simple. Easy. Awesome. Ask how to get 300 back when you sign up for xfinity mobile, and purchase a new samsung phone. Visit your local xfinity store today. President trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, reportedly sought to buy up all the dirt about trump that the National Enquirer spent years collecting. That is to the new york times. So lets discuss. Cnn contributor, frank bruni, a columnist for the times is here now. Thank you so much. So what do you think about that . This is lets put up the times report here. It says, Michael Cohen devised a plan to try to buy three decades worth of dirt the National Enquirer had collected. Trump trying to buy back his own secrets. It doesnt get more trumpier or more new york than that. Im going to buy those secrets. Its a perfect metaphor for the amount of control he wants to exert and tries to exert over his media coverage. This is extraordinary, though, first off, three decades of secrets, what are those three decades of secrets . Secondly, the reporters, Jim Rutenberg and Maggie Haberman make a great point on the story. Which is that david pecker, trumps friend, the chairman of American Media, he sort of sits over the largest gossip empire in american news. And for American Media, for the National Enquirer to stand down on a candidate for the duration of his president ial campaign is quite a boon. Its quite an advantage. And here, you know, trump is so obsessed with who is at a disadvantage, who is at an advantage, you had a news entity that normally would have been all over a candidate like donald trump, but was standing down because of this very strange and apparently deep as these things go in trump World Friendship between donald trump and david pecker. Talk about fake news. Its always projection with him. Now, that is fake news. Yes. It is always projection. Thats not fake, but its always him buying back the secrets or whatever and controlling the news narrative in that way. Thats the terrible part of the news, something that the Mainstream Media doesnt do. But he always says that, you know, he always projects that on to us. But getting to that, speaking of Mainstream Media and cnn. This corroborates those tapes, remember those tapes we had on last month . Yes. Cohen apparently secretly recorded discussing buying back watch this and then well talk about it. I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend, david, you know, so that im going to do that right away. Ive actually come up leave it to me and ive spoken to Allen Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up with so what are we going to funding yes. And its all the stuff, all the stuff. Because, you know, you never know where that company, you never know where hes going to be maybe he gets hit by a truck. Correct. So im all over that. Hmm. So it seems like theyre really concerned about what the enquirer had. Im wondering, what is there . And weve read, there has been some reporting that some of it was in a safe, where they put the sensitive stuff. That tape, when we heard it, some of it was immediately clear what we were hearing, some of it was free floating. All of our info regarding our friend, david, well, this is made very clear, theyre talking about three decades worth of secrets that American Media was sitting on, and thats what Michael Cohen is talking about getting back and sealing away for all eternity. In case he gets hit by a bus. In case david pecker gets hit by a bus, yeah, lovely thought. The times reports in 2016, pecker kept his staff from going back through the old trump tip and story files that dated to before mr. Pecker became Company Chairman in 1999. So clearly the publication and pecker were incredibly loyal and protective of trump, while at the same time, in full attack mode of the other candidates. Thats right. And look at those covers. Theres a lot of Hillary Clinton up there, but i dont really see do you see any trump . I dont you know, don, i dont think this is the last were going to read about this, because the question that all of this begs is what, what cements this friendship between donald trump and david pecker . Why does david pecker feel this sort of allegiance to, you know, this fidelity to donald trump . Ive not read anything that explains that fully, and i think that is a story thats going to come along at some point in the coming months. I just wonder you know, because we have said that the deal was never completed. But i just wonder if Trump Supporters would care. They didnt seem to care about the access hollywood tape, so why would they care about more dirt out there . They just seem to forgive everything, overlook, oh, this is okay, thats okay, its okay. This particular news that trump is trying to buy back, suppress, whatever, i dont think this is about what his supporters would care about. I think this is just about his vanity. I mean, he was so uneasy and so freaked out before the Stormy Daniels interview, when she was going to go out there. And the idea that a woman, by her account, and a convincing one, had slept with him and was going to go out and talk about it, that unnerved him to no end. Well, he denies it. Well, he denies sleeping with her, still. He no longer denies the hush money. The hush money that was paid for a handshake, right . Thats what youre supposed to believe. Really . In all of this rigmarole, because of that. My point is he gets very uncomfortable when he feels like his life between the sheets, with his private life is about to be exposed. So youre right, i dont think anybody who stuck with trump through the access hollywood tapes is going to bolt because of something in a National Enquirer safe, but it doesnt mean that he doesnt want control over it and it doesnt mean that hes not embarrassed about it at the thought of it becoming public discourse. But dont you think people would feel a lot differently about it if the same people who are involved now in this thing, oh, its not a big deal, its not a big deal, that its the exact opposite of what they said about bill clinton during the Kenneth Starr days. I think weve seen a lot of that already. The hypocrisy has already ran rampant, so i think weve played that out. Thank you, sir. When we come back, don mcgahn is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to white house staff departures. So the is Trump White House prepped for a possible blue wave come september and the possible investigations it could bring. Oh oh ozempic® vo people with type 2 diabetes are excited about the potential of onceweekly ozempic®. In a study with ozempic®, a majority of adults lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than seven and maintained it. Oh under seven . vo and you may lose weight. In the same oneyear study, adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. 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Some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. I discovered the potential with ozempic®. Oh oh oh ozempic® vo ask your Healthcare Provider if ozempic® is right for you. But, with more exercise and a change in diet, it can be reversed. Ive tried exercising. It just makes me hungry. For bacon. I love bacon, too. And who really likes to exercise . Not me. Me neither nobody [both laugh] so, were good . What . Oh, you still have prediabetes. Big time. The president on twitter, of course, denied reports his daughter, ivanka, and soninlaw, jared, helped push out White House Counsel Don Mcgahn and added that the media, in his words, love to portray chaos in the white house when they know that chaos doesnt exist, just a smoothrunning machine, with changing parts. Lets discuss now with cnn political commentator Scott Jennings and jen psaki. Come on, even the trump supporter, really, chaosfree, smoothrunning machine . Well, it is true. They are understaffed. I mean, jen can also speak to this. When youve got so much to do as president , you cant really afford to be understaffed on a normal day. And what theyre facing, possibly in january, is having to run the government and try to process the president s agenda, while at the same time facing down maybe impeachment and certainly a whole bushel of investigations that are going to come at them if the democrats take over the house. So, right now theyve got to get their Staffing Levels up can i ask you, scott, whats the concern level of the republicans, honestly, about that . Because, you know, some people seem to be blowing it off, like, theres not going to be a blue wave. I dont know if there is going to be one, but is it a real concern . Well, with i dont know what the number threshold is for a wave, but i certainly think that the probability exists that the democrats are going to take the house. The possibility exists that they wont, but the probability is, that they will take the house. Which means youre going to get anyone whos ever been within a hundred foot of donald trump is going to get a subpoena. Thats going to include government officials, nongovernment officials, white house people. So this is a real possibility of happening. You have to be staffed up for it. Now, fortunately, i read that emmet flood, a lawyer they hired some months ago is possibly going to take over for don mcgahn when he leaves as white house counsel. Emmet is one of the most experienced investigations lawyers in washington. So theyve got the right quarterback, but hes going to have to hire an army of lawyers to fight all of this stuff off. So lets talk more about this then, because, angela, some of the folks that have left the administration, look up on the screen, since this began sorry. Thats a lot of people, in the first year, the Trump Administration had the highest turnover of any presidency since reagan, thats according to the wall street. Is it possible to have a wellrun operation with this much turnover . Smooth. Smooth. A real a wellrun oiled machine, i think, is what the rnc chair said. I think its really difficult to have any type of, whether its well oiled or well running, either way, its hard to have a machine, when everyone in the machine is departing. Its hard to have a machine when people are writing tellall books who are part of your administration and doing what you do best, recording conversations. Its hard to have a welloiled machine when theres a dark cloud of, not just chaos, but collusion and investigations and even potential impeachment hanging over the white house. The fact that there is someone at 1600 whos not trustworthy and has demonstrated that, by the fact that people who are nearest to him, in his closest circle, have recorded conversations with him. I think the fact that he has been caught in a lie by Washington Post well over 1,500 times since he was inaugurated demonstrate that there is not only a credibility problem since, i think, cword is what the republican chairman said, theres chaos, theres collusion, and theres a credibility issue. And so theres nothing well oiled about that particular machine. Oh, wow. So a little alliteration for you. It is. So im going to put up the quote from the Washington Post, jen, but i want to ask you the question, because you worked in the obama white house. Is it difficult to prepare for what might be next, if they do have so much turnover there . The last line is, its like tumbleweeds rolling down the halls over there. Nobodys prepared for war, if there is a blue wave, though. Well, i think understaffing is hardly the biggest of their problems. This is a white house most republicans i talk to say this is not a white house thats attracted the best and the brightest of the republican party, either. And youve seen how theyve handled crisis, how theyve handled even daytoday operations. Theyre just not up to the task. So i think thats a basic problem. Turnover is a huge problem that often comes after two years. It is correct that there will likely be a bunch of investigations and subpoenas if the democrats take over, but for good reason. We didnt deal with that when i was in the white house because there wasnt there were some absurd, ludicrous investigations like benghazi, but in this case, the epa should be looked into. The health and Human Services overseeing health care should be looked into. Its not just russia, its a number of the areas of this government that have been corrupt, that have not been operating aboveboard. And i think if democrats take the house, they will justifiably conduct a number of investigations. I do not think this white house is prepared. Its not just the legal office, its everybody in the white house. And in agencies who will have to be prepared to deal with that. So the president is not offering some folks some raises, he says the government cant support it, right . But he wanted that military parade. And also, were going to talk about kanye west. Yeah, we will. Oh, boy yeah, well be right back. The president scrapped pay raises for nearly 2 million federal Government Employees today, citing the need for fiscal sustainability and just hours later, boasted of what he calls the best economy in the history of the country. So back now with me, Scott Jennings, jen psaki, and angela rye. Okay, so, scott, the president says that it is the best economy ever, right . And yet his administration cant give Public Service a 2. 1 raise . Well, it is true. We are running a massive debt in this country. And so, i take the president at his word that he wants to rein in federal spending. I dont think most people are going to have a problem with a oneyear freeze on giving federal workers a pay raise. I hope they get a raise some time unless youre a federal worker whos not getting the pay raise. Whats that . Unless youre the federal worker whos not getting the pay raise. Im not a federal worker, but ill tell you this, im a private worker, and i know a lot of people in the federal sector and they dont get guaranteed pay raises. They have to work for everything they get, unlike the state workers who tend to. I mean, i dont think thats a fair comparison. What is the median salary in washington, d. C. . I think washington, d. C. Does pretty darn well. Government workers are in kentucky. Theyre in every state of the country. Theyre middleclass americans who hes not giving a pay raise to. He showed no concern about running up the deficit for things like giving tax cuts to okay, you guys, you run on pay raise for federal workers, well run on more jobs for private sector people. And well see who comes out on top. I think, scott, if youre a person sitting in your house in kentucky or missouri and you look at what donald trump cares about, hes cutting the pay. Hes not increasing the pay for people who are keeping our airports running, who are doing basic jobs around the country every single day while you know, people who are Running Companies are getting pay increases. Thats people understand that. And thats not going to sit well. All right. Angela, go ahead. Yeah, just really quick. I think its important to understand that there are levels to this. And i think we should help people understand the levels to this. There actually are people who are guaranteed pay raises, scott. Theyre called bonuses in the private sector. And the unfortunate part of that is, again, there are levels to this. And let me explain this level. Theres a substantial gap in the private sector. When im talking about the folks on that bottom level that cant get their minimum wage or a livable wage. And so were talking about people who can barely make ends meet. And those people, not only are they not guaranteed a raise, whether were not talking about federal government workers here. Im just talking about private sector workers. You guys dont want to pay them a 15 minimum wage. You all call that socialism, right . I think just to be fair we should absolutely acknowledge that if youre talking about the greedy angela, i dont mean to cut you off but i want to put this up because one of the scrapped raises was the one adjusting for a cost of living increase. It would have cost 25 billion. Okay . So let me just put that in perspective. That was less than the 43 billion apple saved thanks to the tax bill. Just over twice the amount the Trump Administration is proposing for farmers as relief from tariffs that they are imposing. And meanwhile, the tax cuts are expected to add 100 billion a year in debt over the next ten years. So the pay raises seem like small potatoes and maybe, maybe the priorities arent in the right place. Scott, ill let you respond quickly because i want to move on to a different subject. Yeah, this is not going to impact anybodys vote in november, and it is certainly not going to be met with the same outrage in Middle America as it is in washington, d. C. I think the president s on the right track. Its not outrage, though. Its just not compassionate. Angela, i need to change topics. This is a bit of what kanye west said on chicago radio. This was on wednesday about the president. Youll recall just a few weeks ago kanye west was asked by jimmy kimmel why he thinks the president cares about black people. Watch this. I feel that he cares about the way black people feel about him. And he would like for black people to like him like they did when he was cool like in rap songs. He knows he cant be the greatest president without the acceptance of the black community. I want to get your reaction. Do you remember in living color, oswald bates . I dont remember in living color. The explanatory of the coupalrelation of the you remember that guy . If you listen to the entire interview, thats what it sounds like. Its like a word salad where you realize that kanye west, entitled to his own opinion, but is not very bright and not very aw. Im talking about this issue. Not overall. But when it comes to these issues hes not clued in. He needs to read about it before he speaks about it. Im not saying hes not a bright person. I take that back. Thats not what i meant. But when it comes to this particular issue he needs to look at a book, read some history and understand what hes talking about. So okay. Heres what i think. I believe that kanye west believes that donald trump cares about what black people think about him. That does not mean that donald trump cares about black people. Right . Theres an entire body of work or lack thereof. There are discriminatory things that hes said. There are you know, the moments where hes trafficked in racism. There are the doj housing discrimination cases. Theres the central park five issues. Blah, black, blah. Weve gone on and on about this since the campaign. What we know is what donald trump actually does. And so what i would encourage kanye to do, kanye, if youre listening, please go back and read all the things that exist. It doesnt even have to be a book. It could be the articles, it could be the tweets, the timelines weve all put out since the campaign showing that donald trump does not care about black people. If he cares about what black people think about him, he should start doing right by black people. Its cool that he got Alice Johnson out. Thats amazing. It sucks that he decided to take criminal Justice Reform off the table until after the midterms. What it shows is that donald trump cares about the victory even if it means riling up his base and appealing to the ugliness of what america has become thanks to donald. We can respect his opinion but we dont have to respect his ignorance. Go ahead, jen. Do you want to Say Something . Look, i think angela said it quite well. You can Google Donald trump racism or racist comments and im sure there will be many, many things to look up and see. So its not hard to find. As ive watched kanye west, like his music like many people, but there is a certain contrarian aspect of this thats a shame because a lot of people look to him and what he has to say and think of what he has to say as fact. And what he was stating is not fact. And thats the power of pop culture and the power of famous people like him. Quick response from you, scott, if you will please, sir, if you care to weigh in. You know, i dont typically take my political advisings from kanye west. In this particular case i think hes entitled to his opinion and clearly it makes people on the left mad that he likes donald trump and i guess that makes me happy. So thank you. It makes me sad. Thanks, yall. Well be right back. Thanks, don. If you have moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, Little Things can be a big deal. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats differently. For psoriasis, 75 clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. And for psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. And the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. Otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. 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Its a little past 11 00. 11 00 on the east coast. President trump wrapping up a Campaign Event in indiana for Senate Republican candidate mike brawn. It happened a short time ago. An event where he threatened the Justice Department with this. At some point i wanted to stay out, but at some point if it doesnt straighten out properly, i want them to do their job. I will get involved and ill get in there if i have to. Well, the president definitely has a Justice Department and his attorney general on his mind. And his own as his own troubles heat up. In a wideranging interview with Bloomberg News tonight he said Jeff Sessions job is safe until november but in true trump fashion declined to say what would happen after that. And as the nation mourns john mccain tonight President Trump refused to back down from his failure to pay tribute to the late senator. We have a lot to discuss. I want to bring in first margaret, cnn political analyst and senior White House Correspondent for Bloomberg News and margaret, good evening to you. Were going to get to the rest of the folks in just a minute. Margaret, you there . Im right here. All right. Good to see you. Sorry. We brought ourp manual whos next. Michael dantonio. David swerdlick. You asked President Trump about whether he would comply with a subpoena from Robert Mueller, what did he say about that and the investigation . Don, he said hed have to wait and see and then quickly reframed it and said he didnt see it that way because he saw mr. Muellers probe as a, quote, illegal investigation. He said that all the great legal scholars had also co