Two of 52 Republican Senators Not Sure on ExxonMobil CEO As Secretary of State
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. President-elect Donald Trump is telling us exactly what he thinks of the CIA's assessment that Moscow meddled in the election with the intent to help Trump win. Here is the president-elect earlier today on FOX News.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it is ridiculous. It is just another excuse. I don't believe it.</s>CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Do you think that CIA is trying to overturn the results of the election or somehow to weaken you in office?</s>TRUMP: Well, if you look at the story and you take a look at what they said, there is great confusion. Nobody really knows. Hacking is very interesting. Once they hack, if you don't catch them in the act, you're not going to catch them. They have no idea if it is Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace. I mean, they have no idea.</s>WALLACE: Why would the CIA put out the story that the Russians wanted you to win?</s>TRUMP: I'm not sure they put it out. I think the Democrats are putting it out because they suffered one of the greatest defeats in the history of politics in this country.</s>HARLOW: He didn't offer evidence to support that. What he meant by Democrats putting it out. Let's get more on that in just a moment because if Trump's team thinks they can blame this on the Democrats, the only problem is key Senate Republicans are also promising a full investigation.</s>SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: It is clear the Russians interfered. Now, whether they intended to interfere to the degree that they were trying to elect a certain candidate, I think that's subject of investigation.</s>HARLOW: And expect the words "Russia" and "Putin" to come up with a lot when it comes to be the man reported to be Trump's favorite right now in his secretary of state search. Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson has close ties to Moscow. Such close ties that he was awarded an order of friendship award by the Russian president just a few year ago. That prompted this clip from Republican senator Lindsey Graham. Quote to the "Washington Post." I don't know the man much at all. But let's put it this way. If you received an award from the kremlin, an order of friendship, then we're going to have some talking. I want to get straight to Ryan Nobles outside of Trump tower in New York. And Ryan, Trump was specifically asked if he has certain skepticism toward the intelligence community as a whole.</s>RYAN NOBLES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. He was, Poppy. And he didn't go all the way to say that he does have that skepticism. But he certainly eluded to that fact. Then he was asked whether or not he wants to continue to receive daily intelligence briefings. There are reports right now that he is receiving the briefings once a week. When Chris Wallace pressed him on that, asking why he wasn't receiving the press briefings more than once a week, this is what Trump had to say.</s>TRUMP: Well, I get it when I need it.</s>WALLACE: But is there some skepticism?</s>TRUMP: First of all, these are very good people giving me the briefings. And I said if something should change from this point, immediately call me. I'm available on one minute's notice. I don't have to be told, you know, I'm a smart person. I don't have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years. Could be eight years, but eight years. I don't need that.</s>NOBLES: And Democrats, of course, seizing on Donald Trump, saying he is smart enough and doesn't need to receive these intelligence briefings every day. They say this shows a lack of understanding of the responsibilities that Trump has in front of him as he becomes the next commander in chief. But right now, Poppy, he seems to be skeptical of the intelligence community. He even told Chris Wallace he is prepared to bring his people in once he becomes president of the United States. And perhaps that leads to a different direction at the CIA - Poppy.</s>HARLOW: Perhaps. When we look at the secretary of state selection, we know they're getting closer and closer and likely to be announced -- I don't know when. I think that really is the question. Because Rex Tillerson is the man leading the pack right now. But when do you think we'll get official word from team Trump?</s>NOBLES: Well, the transition put out on their official twitter handle this morning that the announcement won't come until next week. Now, next week is kind of an open question. On a Sunday, does that mean tomorrow, beginning next week, or could it be a week from now?</s>HARLOW: Right.</s>NOBLES: It could come any day, frankly. And actually, Donald Trump himself tweeted about the speculation related to Rex Tillerson. His tweet read, whether I choose him or not for state, Rex Tillerson, the chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil is a world class player and deal maker. Stay tuned. And Trump was asked about that. About Tillerson and Tillerson's role and the criticism that he has received. A lot of these attributes about Tillerson. The fact that he has close ties to Russia, the fact he is a CEO of a major oil company. Those are all things that Trump views as attributes and it is one of the reasons, Poppy, that he is seriously considering him as the next secretary of state.</s>HARLOW: Right. And he said he's made the deals all over the world. He knows these leaders. That'd be a great qualification, says Trump. Other Republican senators have a lot of questions. Ryan Nobles, thank you very much. Let's go to our political panel and commentators now. Trump supporter Jeffrey Lord is with us. Also Ryan Lizza, a Washington bureau correspondent for the "New Yorker." Jeffrey, let me begin with you. The early reaction to Tillerson as a possible secretary of state pick has not been the most supportive. I mean, you've seen it. Not just from Democrats. It is from Republicans, too. This morning, you had Senator Marco Rubio of Florida tweeting this. Being a friend of Vladimir Putin is not an attribute I'm hoping for from a secretary of state. If Tillerson is the pick, walk us through what you think this confirmation process is going to look like because you've already got two of 52 Republican senators saying, not so sure.</s>JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Actually, Poppy, there were a book and a movie about this in the late '50s and early '60s. It was called "advise and consent." it is about the nomination of somebody for secretary of state by presumably a liberal president who nominated an athlete Stevenson-type in the day to be secretary of state and there was too controversy over it. These things happen. And I have to tell you, Poppy, as somebody who worked in Washington a long time, worked in the White House and on Capitol Hill, Washington has a -- this is something of a tribal ritual. They pick somebody out there. They put them under the glare, which is fine. I mean, all these nominees for anything should answer questions. That's fine. But there is sort of, you know, burn the witch at the stake aspect of this. And this smacks just a little bit of what that might be. And I would just suggest with respect to the senators, if they're --</s>HARLOW: Do you think --</s>LORD: If they're going to - Sure. If they want to question his relationship with Vladimir Putin and Russia and Russian influence, yes. But again, I would say, broaden the investigation. Let's see what -- I mean, you don't have to be a Russian to hack. I mean, there could be a hacking in the American electoral system from other sources right here in this country. Investigate that.</s>HARLOW: That is what our intelligence agencies, the best of the best have been doing, and the CIA concluding, and others, you know, as far back as October --</s>LORD: The FBI -- I mean, I just --</s>HARLOW: But Jeffrey, I can't get into a debate over that right now. I hear your point. I'm telling you what our reporting is. Ryan, to you on this issue of the CIA's reporting, that Russia's meddled in the election. When you look at the Trump team and how they are responding, we heard from the president-elect just there. And also now, let's hear from Reince Priebus, his incoming chief of staff. The MOM seems to be, it is not true. It is not true. It is not true. Listen.</s>CHUCK TODD, HOST, MEET THE PRESS: Does the president-elect believe that Russia was trying to muddy up and get involved in the election in 2016?</s>REINCE PRIEBUS, INCOMING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Number one, you don't know it. I don't know it. There's been no conclusive or specific report to say otherwise. So that's the first thing. The second thing I would tell you is that you don't have any proof that the outcome of the election was changed. Forget about who did the hacking.</s>TODD: Do you want to know?</s>PRIEBUS: Someone did the hacking. You don't --</s>TODD: Does president-elect Donald Trump want to know?</s>PRIEBUS: What specific -- of course we want to know.</s>TODD: He wants an investigation on Capitol Hill?</s>PRIEBUS: Of course -- listen, I don't know what investigations he wants.</s>HARLOW: It was a much longer, Ryan as you know, back and forth between the two of them this morning on "Meet the Press." But he's saying, what's your source? What's your evidence? Talking about intelligence officials. At the same time, the president-elect on the interview on FOX this weekend said, I blame the Democrats. But he didn't put a source out for that.</s>RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. Look, Reince is right. There is some ambiguity about what happened here. And in October, the intelligence agencies did put out a statement that was general about Russian hacking in the election. What was new this week is apparently, they told some members of Congress that the intention of that hacking, which they have never been firm on, was, in fact, to support Trump's election. That's a pretty serious allegation. That's a big deal. And look, I understand why president-elect Trump is concerned about this, because it affects his mandate. It will affect his legitimacy in some sense, if it is proven that the Russian government instituted a massive propaganda campaign to help elect him. So the only -- this issue is way too important to have anonymous, sourced commentary from members going to the hill and briefing members of Congress. This, I mean, to me, this screams out for a comprehensive investigation. Get to the bottom of it.</s>HARLOW: That's --</s>LIZZA: Put it behind us. Look, he is going to be the president no matter what. It's not like there is a case for someone else as president. Whatever problems there were in the election, he's the president-elect. But we need to know as a country whether one of our major adversaries hacked our system and propagated a propaganda campaign. Whether it helped him or someone else, it is much bigger than Donald Trump. We need to -- and so I think Reince is right. We don't have all the information. And going forward, we need to have it.</s>HARLOW: So that is being called for, deeper investigation. As you both know, we have this bipartisan group of senators. Chuck Schumer, Jack Reed, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, calling in this joint statement that says, in part, we have the obligation to inform the public about cyber-attacks that cut to the heart of our free society. Democrats and Republicans must work together in the Congress to examine these recent incidents. Jeffrey Lord, your reaction to that and what you would like to hear from the president-elect about that. Given that this is, you know, prominent Democrats and Republicans calling on this together. Do you want to hear more supportive words from the president-elect about such an investigation?</s>LORD: I want them to come up with the evidence. If they've got evidence, let's produce it. I mean, Chairman Priebus was --</s>HARLOW: But they were saying, let's dig in. We need to dig in more on this.</s>LORD: OK.</s>HARLOW: Do you want to hear the president-elect say, you guys are right, go for it?</s>LORD: I would hope the president-elect would say, OK, dig in. Because the other week, he talked about fraud in voting are illegal immigrants voting, non-citizens voting. This is all part and parcel of the same thing. At the end of the day, it doesn't make any difference whether it is a Russian hack or a non-citizen of the United States actually physically voting. You are influencing the U.S. election system. And either way, if we're going to have an investigation, do it. Let's get it on. Let's really dig into it.</s>HARLOW: Ryan.</s>LIZZA: Yes.</s>HARLOW: Go ahead.</s>LIZZA: No, I was just going to say, look. From what I have seen, there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. We do have the intelligence community saying publicly that the Russians had an intelligence operation against --</s>LORD: Not by name though, Brian.</s>LIZZA: But -- fine. If there is going to be an investigation into voter fraud, do it. But this issue is far too important to get bogged down in defensive politics because you think it is going to damage Donald Trump's reputation. This is bigger than him. This is our electoral system, Jeffrey. I know there is --</s>LORD: I understand.</s>LIZZA: -- instinct to defend your guy. But Jeffrey, as an American, you and every Republican, every Trump defender, every Democrat should want to get to the bottom of Vladimir Putin interfering in our election.</s>LORD: I do.</s>LIZZA: If Jill Stein had been elected --</s>LORD: You're an illegal immigrant voting, you are interfering with our electoral system. I agree with you.</s>LIZZA: Do you think that's the same thing, Jeffrey?</s>LORD: Of course it is.</s>LIZZA: Really? You think --</s>LORD: Of course it is.</s>LIZZA: Propaganda campaign from a foreign adversary is the same as illegal immigrants voting in an election?</s>LORD: If you are influencing the election by showing up to vote when you have no right to vote, yes, you are doing exactly the same thing.</s>HARLOW: What Ryan is asking you is the magnitude of the threat.</s>LORD: Poppy, that's --</s>HARLOW: Are they equivalent?</s>LIZZA: Jeffrey, you're throwing out peripheral issues. This is our country, Jeffrey.</s>LORD: Ryan, you are trying to defend --</s>LIZZA: Jeffrey, I'm not -- I'm not defending either party. I'm defending American democracy, Jeffrey. We have a foreign power --</s>LORD: Me, too.</s>LIZZA: -- that our intelligence agencies are credibly telling us interfere in our election. Every Trump supporter on TV gets their back up and gets defensive. It is not an attack on Trump. It is not. It is an attack on American democracy.</s>LORD: Foreign citizens voting in this country is an attack on American democracy, just like Russia.</s>LIZZA: Where is the evidence of that, Jeffrey? Where is the evidence because that that is an important issue? Tell me the evidence.</s>LORD: the government accountability office reported back in 2005 there was evidence of this.</s>LIZZA: It is 2016, Jeffrey. The issue before us is --</s>LORD: Right.</s>LIZZA: -- Russian interference in the election, not a 2005 report.</s>HARLOW: I have to get a break. You'll both be back with me. It is important. We'll keep debating. You'll be right back. Thank you very much. Coming up, we have a big hour ahead. Counting down to a very special, non-political event. Our tenth annual CNN heroes: all-star tribute. Our Deb Feyerick is live on the red carpet. Hey, Deb.</s>DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Poppy. Well, it is star studded event. A lot of people here. Celebrities who are honoring people who are making a difference in the lives of a lot of people. We'll have all that after the break.