GOP Senator: We Are In A "Crisis Of Public Trust"; Trump Angry, Frustrated At Staff Over Sessions Fallout
BROWN: Word tonight from people close to President Trump. That it's not the most comfortable weekend to be a senior White House staffer. The President were told is more upset than many people have ever seen. And he's aiming that anger at everyone from the Chief of Staff down. It all since from a very roller coaster week at the White House a short time ago. I got the full story from CNN's Jim Acosta.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We can tell you that President Trump was very frustrated with his Senior Staff and Communications Chief. On Friday morning, just before he departed for Mar-a-Lago, according to one source that I spoke to quote "nobody has seen him that upset" and quote. Feeling being inside of the Oval Office -- and we had a camera there that was rolling where you can see officials having a heated conversation with one another. The feeling inside the Oval office according to sources we're talking to is that the communications team and the press team of the White House had allowed the news of Jeff Sessions recusing himself from the Trump campaign and Russian investigation that sort of overtaken the narrative of the week.They were feeling very enthusiastic after the President's performance at that speech to a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday. And from what we're hearing from sources the President was very upset that Sessions had even recused himself from the case. That was something according one source said that the President thought was hasty and over kill. He was hot, he was exasperated over this because he felt that basically they were just giving their adversaries up on Capitol Hill more ammunition by having Jeff Sessions recuse himself. The other thing that we are hearing from sources close to all of this is that Reince Priebus, the White House Chief of Staff and Stephen Bannon, the Chief Strategist who were the President will both scheduled to go down with the President yesterday but those plans, those travel plans abruptly changed. Now, we should point out -- while Priebus did not make trip, Steve Bannon did go down today and he's having dinner right now along other top officials with the President there at Mar-a-Lago. Jeff Sessions, Attorney General, Homeland Security Kelly, and so on. But Pamela, no questions about it, this breaking news we saw late in the week where Jeff Sessions recused himself because he did not accurately talk about his -- having met with the Russian Ambassador to the U.S. and that entire story just infuriated the President. And in the words of one source that I talked to, the President basically told his team that the staff fumbled on all of this, Pamela.</s>BROWN: All right. So that was Jim Acosta. I want to get to Andre Bauer now, he is the former Republican Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina and CNN Political Commentator, and Democratic Strategist Keith Boykin. Thank you both for coming on. Andre, I want to start with you. This anger at the President's staff, does it seem misguided to you. Would you expect him to be more angry at Jeff Sessions?</s>ANDRE BAUER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well number one, I'm angry and I'm sure he's angry that somewhere along the line, someone in his staff as has let this get back to ABC. And there used to be absolute stop hole that when express to something -- if in fact he did express this, that he doesn't leave that room. So he's got a problem somewhere along the line if this is in fact true of loyalty and loyalty is a big thing with Donald Trump. And so, I would say, first off, he's got to find that and stop it if in fact that's true. But look, if people are lying about your friends or saying things that aren't true about someone you revere, you're going to be upset. You're going to be agitated. And when he had -- the biggest week was probably was President seen unifying in bold statement in the State of the Union that was received overwhelming by the Business Committee and the American people to derail that with this continuing drumbeat of almost</s>BROWN: Just -- I just want to understand. You said when someone lying about your friend, what do you mean by is that?</s>BAUER: Well, we may continue to say Jeff Sessions met with -- you know, with the Russians. Well, he met with different capacity. He thought he was answering to the questions --</s>BROWN: Well, he did. He met with Russian. He did. He met with the Russian officials and that was the Russian Ambassador of the U.S. Kislyak. I mean, that's true.</s>BAUER: Of course. Kislyak is --</s>KEITH BOYKIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: He met --</s>BAUER: I'm sorry. Go ahead.</s>BROWN: Keith, did you want to say something.</s>BOYKIN: I was going to say he met with Sergey Kislyak two-times. Once in Cleveland and once in his own office in Washington D.C. and he denied having met him. When he was asked the question by Al Franken, he practically said he had no idea who the person was. He said he had no contact with Russia and he considered himself a surrogate. I think that's a -- that's a -- that's a misleading statement at best. I think some people would consider that a lie. And it's definitely worthy of an investigation. But here again, we have a problem with Donald Trump not taking responsibility. I mean, he's trying to blame everybody but himself for the problems he is facing. He's blamed Hillary Clinton, he's blamed Barrack Obama, he's blamed the media, he's blaming his staff, he's blaming the communications, he's blaming Sean Spicer, he blaming Jeff Sessions. What point will Donald Trump finally wake up and accept responsibility. the buck stops here in the Oval Office with the President of the United States not with everybody else. It's time for him to man up and be the President, not the blamer and chief.</s>BROWN: Andre? Do you have a point?</s>BAUER: These were two public meeting. No he does it. These were two public meetings. If he were trying hide something, it would be a meeting held in some private ally. It would be -- he met in his United States Senate office with the ambassador. That's not something anybody can hide. I mean, there's press everywhere, there's staffers everywhere, there's senators from other party everywhere. That's not something you lie about under oath. And what he meant to -- absolutely he just probably forgot about it. He meets with so many people. It was an inconsequential meeting. But this --</s>BOYKIN: You don't forget a meeting with --</s>BROWN: So let's --</s>BOYKIN: -- the Ambassador to Russia when the company is in the midst of a discussion about Russian interference in the election. That's an implausible scenario, Sir. I'm sorry Andre, that's not --</s>BAUER: I know --</s>BOYKIN: -- that's not -- that's not a tenable answer to that question.</s>BAUER: I know you love to beating this Russian drum, as if he only met with him.. But he met with the democrats, he met with the President. This is a continuing drumbeat, instead of tackling the issues that affect American lives and improve American lives that the people who voted for Donald Trump want to see happen. This is just that continual beat, did not have anything happen positive but just try to beat down the guy that is now the Commander in Chief of this country.</s>BOYKIN: But this --</s>BROWN: Let me ask you this Andre. Hold on, let me ask this. I mean, did the President sort of add to that drum beat by tweeting out today that President Obama was wired -- you know, wiretapped his phone during the campaign as part of an investigation. I mean, did Trump fuel that fire, Andre?</s>BAUER: He controlled the narrative. Which he does most of the time. But he's almost now dictating the media where they go with their stories. But he didn't like -- evidently he feels like, most -- I would say this, most of the time when he has pointed this out, he's been right. He's been able to back it up. As the stories progress, they went "wow, he actually -- he knew what he was talking about." And that happens --</s>BOYKIN: No. That's not true. That's not true.</s>BROWN: Keith, go ahead.</s>BOYKIN: When did he -- when did he back up the three to five million illegal votes?</s>BAUER: But that's going to be too much --</s>BOYKIN: When did he back up fact the he was the largest of all the</s>BROWN: Andre?</s>BAUER: So, Detroit didn't have more votes that people that showed up? Are you denying that?</s>BOYKIN: See, again, this is what happens with Donald Trump: he puts out a tweet or a false statement, there's no evidence to back it up including a three to five million vote allegation. And then his surrogates like Andre, go on television and defend the indefensible. This is as impossible to have intelligent dialogue with people who won't stand up, and hold their own President accountable.</s>BROWN: Let me ask you this. OK. Andre.</s>BOYKIN: Andre, this is unacceptable. This is just unacceptable. You should be ashamed of yourself for defending this.</s>BAUER: There is not --</s>BROWN: OK. Let me just ask you this. Because, it appears that the President relied on right wing media allegations about President Obama, and spying on the Trump campaign --</s>BAUER: How do you know that?</s>BROWN: That's what I said, White House officials -- White House officials speaking to my colleague Jeff Zeleny, has said this Breitbart report circulated. Now, we're waiting to hear more from the White House. I mean, we would like a full statement to understand a little bit more about what was behind this tweet. But presumably, Andre, the President wasn't being briefed before dawn on a Saturday morning on intelligence. For a President to make an allegation like that against the former President, that he was wiretapping, I mean what kind of proof would you want -- burden of proof before a President go out two tweet like that?</s>BAUER: Well, the New York back in January -- January 19th, they reported interception of Russian communications as part of an inquiry to Trump associates. I don't know if you remember that story so. The New York has already said, that several of his contacts have actually had intercepted communications. So, he feels like he already being wiretapped and they've reconfirmed that.</s>BROWN: But --</s>BOYKIN: But Donald Trump this morning, at 6:00 a.m. or some time like that, sent out -- sent out a series of tweets accusing President Obama of engaging in behavior that was illegal. He said it was a low blow. He said the President Obama was a sick person. This the President of the United States at 6:00 a.m. in the morning; getting up today, yes, he's -- he's defining the narrative but not in a positive way. He's an embarrassment to our country, and an embarrassment to the world to have this man as the leader of the free world, who can't control his impulses early in the morning. He needs to have some sort of restraint and discipline, he's incapable of doing that. And you, Andre, as a Republican should have the -- have the gall and -- no, maybe not the gall but just the courage, the courage to speak up to him. At least someone should have the courage to speak truth to power. No one right now is doing that in the Republican Party, and that is the real crisis in our country.</s>BROWN: Quickly, final word Andre.</s>BAUER: Look I'm on a very -- OK. And so, you keep hammering. I know you like to be the Vice, and then keep hammering me as a Republican. I'm on America --</s>BOYKIN: The President is divisive. The President is the one --</s>BROWN: Let's listen to what Andre says.</s>BOYKIN: My gosh!</s>BAUER: I mean, it's -- it's -- again, it's a continual drum beat and try to make it partisan. The American people want change. They elected him. I know you don't like that. I know you wish there was somebody else in there but, get used to it. You're not going to like it. He's going to do things you that don't agree with. He's the President of the United States. And he's going to fight the media when he doesn't believe what they're saying are disagreeing with him. It's refreshing to me and a lot of Americans that he's not backing down, and he's got some enough gumption to say, I'm not going to take it anymore. Because I'm one of the people that had the media beat on me, and I would immediately back down because it was powerful. This guys has enough backbone to say, I believe in what I believe in. And I would say stay tuned, that if he tweeted that this morning, he's probably got a way he's going to back it up. And people go, oh, wait a minute. And he'll going to be back in --</s>BROWN: We would all -- we would all want to know, what he was basing that on? And then again, we're still waiting for the official White House response on that. Andre Bauer, Keith Boykin, thank you to you both. We do appreciate you coming on the show for that lively discussion there.</s>BAUER: Thanks.</s>BROWN: And coming up right here on this Saturday: I'll speak with Republican Steve King, a Congressman who did not want to see Attorney General Jeff Sessions recuse himself. Does he know anything we don't know about President Trump's stunning allegation today against President Obama. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.