The Lead with Jake Tapper Aired May 17, 2024 - 17:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [17:00:26] JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour this is what the House Oversight Committee looked like last night. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. MARJORIE TAYLR GREENE (R-GA): I think your fake eyelashes are messing up. REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): Oh and nothing. Oh girl, baby girl. Oh really? Don't even play. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody's bleach blonde, bad built beach body, that would not be engaging in personalities Correct? REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): A what now? (END VIDEO CLIP) TAPPER: Is this the Congress of the future? Plus the loyalty test on full display at the New York hush money cover up case. Today, we learned a co-defendant of Donald Trump and his Georgia case was also up in the Manhattan courtroom this week. Why? We'll talk to Anthony Scaramucci, he was briefly Trump's White House communication's director. And leading this hour the horrific new shocking video obtained exclusively by CNN's Los Angeles Bureau showing Sean "Diddy" Combs on a rampage in 2016 barely holding onto his bath towel as he attacks his then girlfriend Cassie Ventura coming after in a hotel hallway. In a lawsuit settled last year Venture alleged Combs paid that Los Angeles hotel $50,000 for security footage of this attack. A warning to our viewers that the surveillance video we're about to show you is violent and disturbing. Let's bring in entertainment lawyer Lisa Bonner and CNN's Josh Campbell. Josh, walk us through this video and how it fits in to all of the allegations against Diddy from Cassie's lawsuit to the other lawsuits. JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jake. This video obtained exclusively by CNN very disturbing, quite stunning as you see these images. And as you pointed out, what we're about to see matches allegations that Ventura made in a lawsuit that was filed in November. Now as we play this video again, the warning this is disturbing, this was from March of 2016 at the InterCon hotel here in Los Angeles. What we see is Ventura exiting a hotel room and walking towards a bank of elevators. Now Combs is holding a towel, he then starts running down the hallway after Ventura. At one point we see him grab her and then by the neck and then throw her to the ground. There's this ongoing assault that's happening as she's sitting there motionless. Now he retrieves a purse and some other items and then proceeds to again kick her. Now she is then seen a bit later trying to reach for a phone there on the wall. He appears again and then starts strikes her there's another vantage point of this video where we see him seated and then grabbing an object off the table and then throwing it at Ventura. So really, really stunning and disturbing footage here. It's worth pointing out that we've reached out to attorneys for Combs, we're waiting to hear back from them. And attorney for Ventura said that the gut wrenching video is only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. It's worth pointing out, Jake, there are also questions for the InterContinental Hotels and Resorts group about what if anything they did with this video, whether they called a police to file a report after seeing this abuse. So, a lot of unanswered questions there. And then finally, it's important to note for any of our viewers who may be experiencing domestic violence, there is help available, you can confidentially reach out to the National Domestic Abuse hotline by texting the word start, Jake, to 88-788. TAPPER: So, Lisa, the questions Josh just raised, one, is the InterContinental Hotel responsible? Should they have reported a crime? Are they liable for not reporting the crime? It's obviously a crime. And also, what about selling the footage? Is that legal? LISA BONNER, ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER: You know, this whole thing is so unusual. I mean, surely they should have reported it because domestic abuse appeared -- took place on their property. So, the fact that they did not report this is very concerning. They should have reported it anytime somebody is abused on your property. You absolutely have a duty to report that to the police. And I think everybody is kind of scratching their heads trying to figure out what is going on here. Why wasn't this turned over? What happened? Was this, you know, paid for? Did somebody pay them off and then now what next? This is very unfortunate and very disturbing. TAPPER: Josh, Diddy had denied Cassie Ventura's claims of assault in the lawsuit that she filed. But now we see the video backs up her story. She wasn't lying. She was telling the truth. He and his lawyers are lying. Other lawsuits have accused him of additional heinous behavior. Will this video renew the spotlight on their claims? And what's the status the DHS, Homeland Security raided his Miami and Los Angeles homes and then I never heard anything else after that. [17:05:15] CAMPBELL: Yes, you know, for all the denials that we've heard, there's nothing like seeing this disturbing video actually for yourself. It's hard to refute that when you can see the actual assault taking place. As you mentioned, Jake, he's now facing at least five other separate civil lawsuits, accusing him of sexual misconduct, other illegal activity, he has denied all of those allegations. But of course, the big question here pertains to that dramatic raid that we saw at properties in late March, both here in Los Angeles and also in the Miami area where federal agents from Homeland Security investigation went and conducted a search warrant at these properties. A law enforcement source told me that that was pertaining to a sex trafficking investigation. And of course, what we're all still waiting to hear is, to what end? Did investigators find anything during the course of those searches that will potentially lead to federal charges? And of course, how the victim statements and other allegations actually play into what the Feds ultimately do. Sometimes these investigations take time. I mean, this is quite rapid to see the end of last year, some of these allegations and the now the Feds actually going into these properties. But again, we're waiting to see whether this actually results in any type of criminal charge at the federal level, Jake. TAPPER: Lisa, are you surprised that Sean Combs hasn't faced any charges yet? BONNER: No, I'm not because it does take time to build a case like this. You have so many different accusers that have come forward. You have several different houses across the country. Apparently, when they raided it, they took, you know, they took tons of video footage, surveillance footage, computers, other kinds of electronics, so they really have to comb through all of this evidence and really try and build a case. So that does take some time. So I do expect especially with the corroboration and the release of this. But other -- I'm sure this this matched the allegations pretty much word for word in the complaint. So I'm sure there are many more allegations similar that that she has made and other people have made that could be backed up by the bladder footage and the other electronic surveillance they've taken from his house -- his homes, actually. TAPPER: Yes, Lisa Bonner, Josh Campbell, thanks to both of you. And again, if you or anyone you know is a victim of domestic violence and you need help, you can call the domestic violence hotline and the number is 800-799-SAFE. 800-799-SAFE. In our sports lead, the world's top golfer had to play with something of a handicap today. Scottie Scheffler was handcuffed, arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer while he was on his way to the golf course for the second round of the PGA Championship this morning in Louisville, Kentucky. A big mess based on what Scheffler is calling a, quote, "misunderstanding" which ended in a hospital visit for the detective involved, the law enforcement officer and a mug shot for the world's number one golfer. Still Scheffler ended his second round this afternoon with a solid five strokes under par tying for third place. Here he is right after his round. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, WORLD NO. 1 GOLFER AND MASTERS CHAMPION: I feel like my head's still spinning. I can't really explain what happened this morning. I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell that was a first for me. (END VIDEO CLIP) TAPPER: Patrick Snell of CNN World Sport and Luke Kerr-Dineen of Golf Digest join us now. Patrick, exactly what happened that got Scheffler in so much trouble? What exactly went down? PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORT ANCHOR: Jake, absolutely surreal scenes. I've been covering golf majors for three decades, never before have I witnessed anything like this. It all started in the 6:00 a.m. hour. And Scheffler, the world's top ranked men's player in the world, trying to get to the course ahead of his second round. But the previous hours had been very sadly, Jake, a fatal, fatal traffic accident and loss of life of one individual. So there was increased police presence already on scene. And Scheffler tried to circumnavigate the crash scene to get to the coarse to begin his warm up players typically need about an hour to fine tune their game and get into the swing of things before they actually start play. But it really was a surreal chain of events as to what happened with the police. This is per ESPN, the police officer in question, yelling at Scheffler to stop the vehicle, Scheffler per scene and continuing for about another 10 per ESPN for -- continuing for another 10 to 20 yards towards the entrance. And then this really, really hard to imagine scene where the officer in question purportedly attaching himself to the vehicle and this is where the injuries came into play here. Scheffler detained, the rest of the video of him in handcuffs, images that went global or went viral that shocked the world, Jake. He then was released though in time to play and make his tea time the second round of play here having me delayed by some one hour and 20 minutes it gets to the tee box in time to play and he had a really impressive round, I will say, of 66. But his play today is not a story. It is what has been happening off the course. [17:10:15] TAPPER: Luke, Scottie Scheffler is a brand new dad. He has a very squeaky clean image. He's a devout Christian. Does this risk tarnishing his image at all? LUKE KERR-DINEEN, EDITOR, GOLF DIGEST: I don't think so. You know, Scottie Scheffler has built up a lot of goodwill among his fellow players. The fans were out there in full force with him, more fans may have been following him today than Tiger Woods and they were screaming his name, they're supporting him. The minute he walked on property, Rickie Fowler was the first person to come up to him and wish him luck and shook his hand. There's been a lot of goodwill. I think the entire golf industry really sees this as something that started as a horrible accident. And Scottie Scheffler says it ended in this big misunderstanding that resulted in him being detained today. TAPPER: Patrick, what is next for Scheffler legally? SNELL: Now, that is the big question. It remains to be seen, Jake. But I will say, to echo Luke's point, massive support out on the course for him. Legal steps, Scheffler's attorney telling CNN that he does plan to plead not guilty to all charges. And we can also reveal, Jake, that there is an arraignment hearing scheduled for Tuesday of next week. It is not clear though, at this point, Jake, whether Scheffler himself will be required to attend. TAPPER: Luke, golf is -- I mean, it's such a mental sport as I don't need to tell you. Are you surprised that Scheffler had such a strong performance today after this ordeal? KERR-DINEEN: Absolutely. You know, Scheffler said this was maybe the best round of his career, certainly one of the best rounds of his career. And it's amazing. You know, Scheffler has this reputation of being really unflappable, very calm, even keeled demeanor. It's something that it's still a player's respect so much about him. And he said that he was so rattled and confused, processing this incident that he was shaking. He was shaking all the way to jail. He was shaking on his way back. He was taking -- I was watching him on the driving range. He was taking these big deep breaths because he said his heart rate was just through the roof. He was trying to calm himself down. And he said he didn't start to feel comfortable and calm until two, three, four holes into his round today. It was just a constant battle. And for him to put up the number that he did today, it's incredible in a few different levels. TAPPER: Patrick and Luke, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Former Trump White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci is going to join us next. What does he say went wrong in the relationship between Donald Trump and Michael Cohen? What does he say that could have been avoided to prevent this New York hush money case against the former president? Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [17:16:39] TAPPER: In the Trump trial we are arriving at the moment of truth, if truth was an easy to get commodity in this trial. Michael Cohen is set to return to the witness stand Monday when defense attorneys will finish their cross examination of them. This comes as we've seen a slew of Trump supporters traveling to New York to attend the former president's trial. To name just a few, we've seen House Speaker Mike Johnson and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former presidential campaign rival Vivek Ramaswamy, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, Congressman Matt Gaetz. Now we're learning that Jeffrey Clark was in the courtroom yesterday. Clark, you might remember, had been indicted in Georgia for aiding Trump and his efforts to overturn the 2020 elections in that state, and possibly would be part of a second Trump administration if Donald Trump is reelected this November. Former Trump communications director Anthony Scaramucci joins us now. Anthony, good to see you. What do you make of all the support we're seeing Donald Trump get in the courtroom from these high ranking Republican officials? ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, it's a section of high ranking Republican officials, but it's an obligatory loyalty test by all of them. They're using the same head and singles as Donald Trump. They're wearing the same outfits as Donald Trump. But it'll never be enough for Donald Trump. And so, unfortunately for all of those guys, Michael Cohen has learned this other people, myself included, that have worked for Mr. Trump, there's no pleasing him, and he's incredibly transactional. And so, if he has to run you over the bus or hit you with a car, five minutes after he shook your hand and smiled at you charmingly, he'll do that. TAPPER: So Michael Cohen has testified about his years of loyalty and looking up to Donald Trump. That all changed around the time. Trump went to the White House and didn't bring Michael Cohen into the administration. What do you think ultimately went wrong in that relationship that leads us to this moment? SCARAMUCCI: Well, I've said this, Jake, you know, it's a groupie thing. You know, Michael, by his own self admission, he was in love with the atmospherics around Donald Trump. He was loved -- he was in love with the access to the television stars and the apprentice, and a result of which he went overboard. And I think this is a learning lesson for everybody, particularly those politicians standing outside the courthouse. Don't be anybody's groupie, because once you become somebody's groupie, you start to lose your judgment and you start projecting. So when Michael said, I'll take a bullet for the guy, he was really hoping from a projection point of view that that Donald Trump was thinking that about him, but of course, Trump thinks that about nobody. So, what went wrong is when Michael got in trouble for something he did for Donald Trump, and Trump walked away from them. That started the loyalty break. And remember, for viewers and listeners out there, loyalty is symmetrical. Love may be unconditional, that you as a parent with your children, hopefully you with your spouse, but loyalty is symmetrical. And Mr. Trump believes in asymmetrical loyalty. This is why all of his relationships end in this type of darkness. TAPPER: During Michael Cohen's cross examination, Mr. Trump's defense attorney Todd Blanche rattled off a list of people whom Cohen has blamed for his wrongdoing, for his guilty plea. Blanche said, quote, "You blame a lot of people over the years for the conduct that you were convicted of. Cohen, "I blame people, yes." Blanche, "You blame your accountant?" Cohen, "Correct." [17:20:08] Blanche, "At times you blamed the bank? Cohen, "Correct." Blanche, "You blame federal prosecutors?" Cohen, "Yes, sir." Blanche then added judges and Donald Trump to which Cohen also responded yes, yes. There are a lot of people who think yesterday was a good day for Donald Trump in court that Michael Cohen, his credibility was really undermined. What do you think? SCARAMUCCI: Well, as I read through the transcript, and I think what Trump's defense attorney was trying to do is show the grievance. And he was trying to position Michael as having a pity party for himself. And the problem with all of this is Michael is under oath. He's already had a problem with perjury before. And so it would have been impossible for him to answer those questions any other way than the way he answered them. I'm sure on redirect, the prosecutor is going to bring out that Mr. Cohen, through this testimony, even the rough parts of the testimony has been extremely honest. And of course, it'll be up to the judge to explain to the jury. That it's their job to look at the facts of the case. And if you believe the veracity of the case that Michael Cohen has brought the receipts, then it's your job to opine on the law, as it is written, not your opinion. And so, I think it was a rough day optically, but not a rough day substantially. TAPPER: So you're not a lawyer, but you did go to Harvard Law. Do you have a prediction? How do you think it's -- the jury is going to find? SCARAMUCCI: You know, Jake, yes, to remind my mother that I'm not a lawyer. I mean, you know, I mean, I got to call my agent after this. No, I'm kidding. You know, what I would say here is that Mr. Trump is guilty. And I know he's innocent until proven guilty. So we'll give him the benefit of the doubt, let the jury decide that. But he's guilty. He's guilty on the facts of the case. What I worry about as it relates to justice is there, one, possibly two MAGA types on that jury that can't be persuaded by those facts. I mean, that's the case, it's a hung jury, and life goes on. Mr. Trump is the presumptive nominee, whether he's guilty or not. And the battle will begin when the case is over. It's -- the battles there now, but I'm talking the heightened level of combativeness will happen when this case is over. TAPPER: But what do you think is going to -- what is your gut telling you is going to happen? I've spoken to people who support Donald Trump. And, you know, who are rather clear eyed about this trial who think that there probably will be at least one or two jurors who will say that they have reasonable doubt. What do you think? SCARAMUCCI: Yes, so then you got a hung jury. He gets effectively acquitted. He'll try to use that in his fundraising. He'll try to suggest that this was a political theatrics and a stunt. But then, you know, the country has a short attention span, we'll be moving on to the issues related to the campaign. If he is guilty, though, and there are people that are better experts at this than me, I can honestly see how he goes to jail, Jake. I don't think the U.S. Marshals or the Secret Service are going to want to see that from a logistical point of view. And so, he probably ends up with some level of confinement and a fine, that may slow down the campaign a little. But I don't see any permutation or outcome here where this is a real marker in the campaign. Meaning he's found guilty. Judge says, OK, you got to go to jail for three years, something like that. I don't see any possibility of that happening. So, we'll see what happens. But here's one thing I will say, if he's found guilty, and it's a felony, and that's harped on in November, there are independents have said that they would drop any potential support for him. And I know his campaign. I know the people there very well, I know they would be bummed out about that. TAPPER: Yes. Anthony Scaramucci, thank you so much. Have a great weekend. Just in the last hour Donald Trump says his campaign has accepted the invitation to yet another debate, this one for a vice presidential faceoff. But we're not hearing the same from the Biden Harris campaign. We'll dive into that next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) …