Electoral College Expected to Formalize Trump Win
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: That's a good "GOOD STUFF." Time for NEWSROOM with Carol Costello. Good morning, Carol.</s>CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. That is a good "GOOD STUFF." You guys have a great day. NEWSROOM starts now. And good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. The Electoral College on track to seal the deal for President-elect Trump. Today, 538 members will cast ballots across the country. The process, largely seen as a ceremonial one, now taking an unusual step into the spotlight. Next hour, electors at Indiana, in New Hampshire, Tennessee, and West Virginia all expected to begin voting, and the pressure is on. Some electors are now being urged to break their Party's pledge and vote their conscience. Recent revelations of Russian hacking only adding fuel to the fire. But in order to block Trump from the White House, 37 Republicans electors would need to switch their votes, something highly unlikely. Let's begin, though, with CNN's Jessica Schneider. Hi, Jessica.</s>JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. That's right, Michigan's 16 electors will cast their vote right here at the state capitol starting at 2:00 this afternoon. This is largely ceremonial. It will be presided over by the Governor here, Rick Snyder. Now this vote is actually organized by the Republican Party. All of the electors were chosen at the state party convention back in April. All of these electors are party loyalists. But you know, despite that, these electors here in Michigan and all over the country, they've been receiving letters asking them to go rogue, to vote their conscience. In fact, one elector right here in Michigan said he's even received death threats. You combine that with the fact that Michigan's own Michael Moore has even taken to Facebook to pledge to pay the fines of any electors who do vote their conscience and don't vote for Donald Trump, both here in Michigan and all over the country. But as you'll know, 28 states have faithless elector laws. Michigan is one of those states. That means that all of the electors are bound to vote for the candidate that their state voted for. And Republican Party officials right here in Michigan tell me that if one of their electors here was to go rogue, which they say will not happen, they would just simply replace that elector with someone who actually will cast their vote for Donald Trump -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: All right. Jessica Schneider reporting live from Lansing, Michigan this morning. So let's talk more about this. With me now is one of those electors, he's from Rhode Island. He's name is Clay Pell. He's a Democrat, and he'll cast his vote in the Electoral College sometime today. Welcome.</s>CLAY PELL (D), RHODE ISLAND ELECTOR: Good morning. Thanks for having me, Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Thanks for being here. So what time do you cast your vote?</s>PELL: So we, in Rhode Island, will meet at noon in the state house here in Providence, and we will each cast our vote here in Rhode Island. We're all planning to vote for Hillary Clinton.</s>COSTELLO: So you were one of the electors who signed a letter and then sent the letter to the Director of the National Intelligence Agency asking for a briefing on Russia's role in the election. Did you ever hear back?</s>PELL: We did hear back. And unfortunately, the information about this unprecedented hack was not released. That's unfortunate because, in the absence of facts, people make up their own facts. And that's why today, in our Electoral College meeting, we will be calling upon the Congress to go ahead and proceed with a bipartisan, independent commission to make sure that the American people have the full information about this unprecedented foreign intervention into our election.</s>COSTELLO: We have found no evidence that that you're going to get 37 Republican electors to switch sides, and Donald Trump knows that. In fact, he kind of twisted the knife in Alabama for those electors hoping that things will change. He taunted Clinton supporters for assuming this big win before all was said and done. Listen.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I spent $7 million on fireworks, and they knew something was wrong. One of their people, who's a high level guy, said we made a big mistake. We made a big mistake. We're going to lose. And he was telling that to people, and I felt we were going to win. But then all of a sudden, they canceled their fireworks a week in and I said, because you know what? I found fireworks just don't work when you lose. Do you agree with that? Just to be cute, we sent an offer in. We offered to buy their fireworks for 5 cents on the dollar.</s>COSTELLO: So Trump appears to be saying, either jump on the train or get left behind, it is over, stop it.</s>PELL: Yes, I think that, I mean, President-elect Trump will be formally elected today. And I think it's very important that he focus not on the election and continued divisiveness, but instead on making sure that he stands with the intelligence community and stands up against this Russian intervention. This is not a partisan issue. That's why we're calling for a bipartisan investigation. And this is something that, I think, all Americans can stand behind.</s>COSTELLO: Well, I think that even lawmakers are calling for a bipartisan investigation. But I think that when electors in the Electoral College try to convince others to change their vote, then it becomes, in some Trump supporters' minds, sore losers. And again you got to get on the train, because it's over.</s>PELL: Oh, well, President Trump is going to be formally elected and that really is going to be the outcome, so our focus is not on persuading or suggesting to others what they should do. Our focus is defending the integrity of the American democracy. And really that's something that all Americans including Trump supporters can get behind. This ultimately will help the legitimacy of President-elect Trump as well.</s>COSTELLO: Clay Pell, thanks for joining me this morning. The Russians, namely Vladimir Putin, are shaking the political world in the United States. Senator John McCain said the Russian election related hack threaten to destroy democracy. President Obama is demanding a quick end to the investigation, yet the whole confusing ordeal has made its way into our popular culture and not in a good way.</s>BECK BENNETT, ACTOR: Mr. Trump, I'm here because your CIA is saying that we Russians tried to make you win election.</s>ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: I know. All lies made up by some very bitter people who need to move on.</s>BENNETT: So you trust me more than American CIA?</s>BALDWIN: All I know is I won.</s>BENNETT: Wow. Wow, this guy is blowing my mind.</s>COSTELLO: Sometimes you just need to laugh, right? But it's no laughing matter in Russia. Clarissa Ward is following the story in Moscow. Hi, Clarissa.</s>CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Well, so far the Kremlin will not really be drawn on in terms of responding to President Obama's press conference. They said that we have given our answer so many times to this issue. We have objected strenuously to these accusations since they first emerged two months ago. And there has not been really, Carol, any shift whatsoever in that. CNN did try to ask the Kremlin spokesperson today, as well, what the content of the conversation between President Obama and President Putin back in September was. You may remember that, in his press conference, President Obama said that he told Putin, quote, "to cut it out," but the Kremlin spokesperson said he would not be revealing any details of those conversations because they are private conversations. Unofficially, though, I think it's fair to say that Russia is kind of relishing its moment in the sun here, relishing the idea that it could have the kind of power and sway that would be needed to pull off such an audacious move such as swinging the U.S. election. And as far as the party line goes, it's really just a case of the Russians are saying there's no credible, physical, tangible evidence here. What you are bringing to the table is circumstantial evidence. We are not seeing actual proof of any Russian involvement, and until we do see that proof, and, Carol, perhaps once we see it, even, we will continue to deny it. Carol.</s>COSTELLO: All right. Clarissa Ward, stay with us because still to come in the NEWSROOM, Russians hacking the U.S. election, the Chinese stealing of an American drone submarine, the slaughter inside Syria. Why Senator John McCain says, right now, we may be witnessing the unraveling of the world order.