Exclusive: FBI Refused White House Request To Knock Down Recent Trump-Russia Stories; Exclusive: White House Wants Intel Report To Help Justify Travel Ban
ERIN BURNETT, ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT HOST: OutFront next. Breaking news. Exclusive, CNN reporting the White House asked the FBI to knock down media reports. What was the FBI's response? Plus Senator Bernie Sanders ready to launch more than 100 rallies across the nation. He talks President Trump and the GOP town hall outrage. He's my guest tonight. And Trump's right-hand man Steve Bannon making a rare public appearance. The adviser once portrayed as the Grim Reaper, breaks his silence. Let's go OutFront. Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OutFront tonight. The breaking news. We have exclusive new reporting tonight that the White House asked the FBI to knock down media reports about contacts during the presidential campaign between Donald Trump's associates and Russians known to U.S. Intelligence. Pamela Brown and Evan Perez broke this story along with Jim Sciutto, Shimon Prokupecz, and Manu Raju. Pamela and Evan are OutFront. And Pamela, let me start with you. What are you learning tonight?</s>PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, CNN is told that the FBI rejected a recent White House to publicly knock down media reports about communications during the 2016 presidential campaign, between Donald Trump's associates and Russians known to U.S. Intelligence. Multiple U.S. Officials telling CNN that the White House sought the help of the bureaus and other agencies investigating the Russian matter, to say that the reports were wrong and that there had been no contacts whatsoever. You'll recall CNN and the New York Times first reported that just over a week ago, the reports about these contacts that were made during the campaign. And Erin, so far the White House has not commented.</s>BURNETT: Yes. And this was a very significant report. I mean, Evan, this is not a typical request. I mean, it's pretty stunning when you hear it on the face of it. How did it start? EVAN PEREZ, Well, Erin, a U.S. Law Enforcement Official tells us that this began when the FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on the sidelines of a separate White House meeting on the day after those stories were published. A White House official says that McCabe told Priebus that the New York Times story vastly overstated what the FBI knows about the contacts. The White House official says that Priebus later reached out again to McCabe and to the FBI Director James Comey asking for the FBI to at least talk to reporters on background to dispute the stories. But a law enforcement official says that McCabe didn't discuss aspects of the case, but we don't know exactly what McCabe told Priebus. And I should add that the FBI has declined to comment on the story.</s>BURNETT: So, Pamela, the White House Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, Evan, so I think about him, he denied the story. This is what he said on Fox News Sunday earlier this week.</s>REINCE PRIEBUS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: The New York Times last week put out an article with no direct sources that said that the Trump campaign had constant contacts with Russian spies, basically, you know, treasonous types accusations. We have now all kinds of people looking into this. I can assure you and I've been -- and I've been approved to say this, that the top levels of the intelligence community have assured me that that story is not only inaccurate, but it's grossly overstated and it was wrong. And there's nothing to it.</s>BURNETT: So, Pamela, is the investigation still going on?</s>BROWN: It is going on and the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, also several members of the house and senate intelligence committees tells CNN that congress is still investigating those alleged contacts. That has begun and they are starting to collect documents and records as well, Erin.</s>BURNETT: Which is obviously important. That's just going to determine what really happened here an answer all the questions so many have. Evan, this is not a typical back and forth though between a White House and the FBI. There may be disagreements, but this is not how it usually plays out, right?</s>PEREZ: That's right, Erin. The communication between the White House and the FBI is unusual because of a decade-old restriction on such contacts. The request of the White House is technically a violation of these procedures that were meant to limit communications with the FBI on pending investigations. Now, the Trump administration's efforts to Press Comey to run contrary to justice department procedure memos that were issued in 2007 and 2009 that limit direct communications on pending investigations between the White House and the FBI. The FBI Director Comey rejected the request that came from the White House according to sources we talked to because the alleged communications are still the subject of an ongoing investigation, Erin.</s>BURNETT: All right. Thank you both very much.</s>BROWN: Thank you.</s>BURNETT: Also breaking tonight, CNN learning that the White House asked for an intelligence report to prove the security threat for the seven countries in Trump's travel ban is substantial. But some in the intelligence community are concerned. They're worried about what they're being asked to do to prove this. Jake Tapper broke the story. He's OutFront now. And Jake, what are you learning tonight?</s>JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Erin, this temporary travel ban is on individuals from seven Muslim majority countries, those countries being Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. A Senior White House Oofficel tells me that the Department of Homeland Security and justice department, "Are working on an intelligence report that will demonstrate the security threat from these seven countries is substantial and that these seven countries have all been exporters of terrorism into the United States." The situation has gotten more dangerous in recent years, the official says. And more broadly he says, the refugee program has been a major incubator for terrorism. Now, this report was requested in light of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals 's conclusion, you might remember, Erin, that the Trump administration, " Has pointed to no evidence, that any alien from any of these countries named any order has perpetrated a terrorist attack in the United States." But CNN has also learned that, as you mentioned, some current intelligence officials are concerned about this assignment.</s>BURNETT: Jake, when you say that, I mean, you know, when you're talking about that White House official, you said that person told you the refugee program has been a major incubator for terrorism. These are things they're asking intelligence officials to corroborate, right? To say this is true. What are the concerns from the intelligence community about doing so?</s>TAPPER: Well, first of all, some in the intelligence community disagree with the Trump White House position, sources telling CNN that the Department of Homeland Security's in-house intelligence agency, which is called the Office of Intelligence and Analysis or I&A, that they filed a report disagreeing with the Trump White House view that blocking immigration from these countries strategically makes sense. Some DHS officials have said they do not think nationality is the best indicator for potential terrorism. Now, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed our report saying, "While DHS was asked to draft a comprehensive report in this issue, the document you're references was commentary from a single intelligence source versus an official, robust document with thorough interagency vetting." And the Department of Homeland Security went onto -- on the record disparage its own intelligence division report. It's quite remarkable saying, "The I&A report does not include data from other intelligence community sources. It is incomplete. Pointed internal discussions about the merits of various intelligence products and whether they have sufficient supporting data from the broader intelligence community is an integral part of developing any official DHS intelligence assessment."</s>BURNETT: I mean, it's pretty stunning, you know, intraagency sniping like this, public. I mean, that is --that is troubling on so many levels. You're also reporting, Jake, on concern within the intelligence community that the White House is going about this entire premise, right? The wrong way.</s>TAPPER: That's exactly right. The notion of the Trump White House seeking an intelligence report to fit its pre-existing policy instead of the other way around, is an issue for many in the intelligence community, sources are telling CNN. Sources also telling CNN's Pamela Brown there are those within the Department of Homeland Security who have concerns that intelligence at the department might be politicized. But a department spokeswoman called that accusation absurd and not factually accurate. Now, according to the Senior White House official we should point out, the president and his team are determined no matter what to prove that the Ninth Circuit argument is wrong as are any of those in the media and democrats who have made the same argument. For instance, Congressman Jerrold Nadler who appeared on CNN last month.</s>UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE FOR NEW YORK: The various people who have in fact committed terrorist acts in this country from 9/11 onward, none of them came from any of the seven countries that are the subject of the president's executive order.</s>TAPPER: This is what the important thing is for the White House, the Senior White House official telling me that that argument is using the most narrow definition of the term committed a terrorist act that you can use. It means that the definition of a terrorist attack is only those attacks in which an innocent civilian has been killed. And for instance, that definition would not include, you might recall, the Ohio State attack last November when a Somali born student, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, he arrived in the U.S. in 2014, he attempted to run over and stab 13 innocent people on campus. He did not succeed. That would not fit in the definition of the Ninth Circuit or Congressman Nadler. But the White House hoping to bolster its case for the ban is using a broader definition which would include non- lethal failed terrorist attacks, investigations and convictions of any individual attempting to join or support terrorist groups.</s>BURNETT: All rightr. And certainly one that may convince many out there. Jake Tapper, thank you so much.</s>TAPPER: Thank you.</s>BURNETT: And OutFront next, breaking news. You're looking at live pictures of town halls under way or about to start across this country. Protesters and angry constituents are lining up. What are they accomplishing? My next guest will answer that question, Senator Bernie Sanders is OutFront. Plus, deportation stoking fear in the immigrant community, now growing underground network of safe houses, basically an underground railroad. We're going to take you inside. And Steve Bannon, a top Trump adviser rarely heard from, speaking out today about the president.</s>STEVE BANNON, WHTE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: He's laid out an agenda with those speeches for the promises he made and he's man moniachly focused on that.