John Bolton Invited To Testify In Impeachment Inquiry; ISIS Raid Images; Interview With Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL); White House Denies Witness Claim Of Omissions In Call Transcript; Lawyer: Bolton Won't Appear at Impeachment Probe Without Subpoena; Thousands Evacuate As Hurricane-Force Winds Stoke Wildfires.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: This as we're learning more about John Bolton's concerns that politics was influencing Mr. Trump's Ukraine policy. Transcript omission. New questions tonight about the White House record of the president's very controversial phone call with Ukraine. A major witness revealing that key words were left out of the transcript, including a reference to Joe Biden. ISIS raid images. The Pentagon just released the first video from the U.S. raid that led to the death of the terrorist leader Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi. What do the images reveal? And hurricane-force. Ferocious winds stoke California's rapidly growing wildfire disaster, the flames threatening thousands of homes and coming dangerously close to the Reagan Presidential Library. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in</s>THE SITUATION ROOM. ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>BLITZER: We're following breaking news on what could be one of the most important witnesses yet in the impeachment investigation. Sources tell CNN that House Democrats have invited former National Security Adviser John Bolton to testify behind closed doors next week. The impeachment probe is moving at a rapid pace tonight, with growing evidence against the president just hours before the full House votes on formalizing the investigation. Also breaking, a new fire in Southern California forces about 26,000 people to evacuate the blaze, fanned by hurricane-force wind gusts. At one point, the Reagan Presidential Library was completely surrounded by flames. I will talk with House Intelligence Committee member Mike Quigley and "New York Times" columnist Tom Friedman. And our correspondents and analysts are also standing by. First, let's go to our Congressional Correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty. Sunlen, the impeachment witness list keeps growing and growing, Democrats now want to hear directly from John Bolton.</s>SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. This will certainly be a potentially huge moment on Capitol Hill in the House Democrats' impeachment probe. Now, it's not clear at this point if John Bolton will appear without a subpoena, but the House committees have officially made the request to him to appear, potentially next week. Now, this comes as another key witness, Tim Morrison, who's a top White House official on Trump's National Security Council, he is set to testify up here on Capitol Hill tomorrow, but sources now confirming to CNN that he is going to be stepping down and leaving his job soon. Certainly, a flurry of fast-moving developments in the impeachment probe.</s>SERFATY (voice-over): Tonight, House investigators have extended an invitation to former National Security Adviser John Bolton to testify next week, according to a source familiar with the matter. Bolton would be the most senior official to testify in the impeachment inquiry, though it's not clear Bolton will agree to appear without a subpoena. Sources also tell CNN Bill Taylor, the president's top diplomat in Ukraine, is willing to return to Capitol Hill to testify in public, a particularly monumental moment in the House Democrats' intensifying impeachment inquiry. Taylor's testimony last week behind closed doors sent shockwaves through the Capitol, where he completely undercut the administration's defense that there was no quid pro quo with Ukraine. Meantime, two new witnesses testifying on Capitol Hill today. Christopher Anderson, aid to former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, speaking to lawmakers behind closed doors, about the concerns voiced by Bolton over Rudy Giuliani's shadow Ukraine operation. Anderson, according to his opening statement obtained by CNN, saying Bolton "cautioned Mr. Giuliani was a key voice with the president on Ukraine, which could be an obstacle to increased White House engagement." Catherine Croft, a State Department special adviser for Ukraine, also appearing today, corroborating the testimony the committees have heard from other witnesses about the push to oust the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and testifying today she was informed that acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, put an informal hold on security assistance to Ukraine. "The only reason given was that the order came at the direction of the president," Croft said today. All of this as the fallout continues from the explosive testimony on Capitol Hill Tuesday of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council's top Ukraine expert. Vindman, who was on that now-famous July 25 phone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president, directly contradicting Trump's public description of the transcript released by the White House.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had a transcript done by very, very talented people, word for word, comma for comma, done by people that do it for a living. We had an exact transcript.</s>SERFATY: President Trump touting over and over again that it was an exact transcript of the phone call. The White House in September saying the ellipses that showed up did not represent missing words or phrases But not so, says Vindman, who told lawmakers what the White House released was not exact and had at least two parts omitted, a reference to a Joe Biden tape and a specific mention of Burisma, the company where Biden's son Hunter was on the board, Burisma, according to Vindman, appearing in the transcript as just the company. Sources tell CNN Vindman testified that he tried to make changes to the rough transcript, but his efforts were blocked.</s>SERFATY: And back on Bill Taylor and the potential for a public testimony, sources tell CNN that a public testimony request has not officially been made by the committees yet, but certainly many Democrats see him as a very ideal first witness, as they move to the next phase of this investigation, Wolf, the public phase -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right, Sunlen, thank you, Sunlen Serfaty on Capitol Hill. As Democrats are urging John Bolton to testify, President Trump is on the attack once again against another key witness in the impeachment probe. Let's go to our chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. Jim, there's a new White House response to Lieutenant Colonel Vindman's testimony about omissions in the rough transcript of the president's Ukraine phone call.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. The president shifted his attacks today from the whistle-blower to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the White House official who says he was alarmed by some of those admissions in the administration's transcript, as he described them, of Mr. Trump's phone call with the leader of Ukraine. Those admissions, of course, raise serious questions about the president's claim that the White House provided an exact transcript of that call, as it appears now that is not the case, but the White House is insisting tonight it is the case. The White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, just released a statement. We can put this up on screen and show it to you. It says on all of this and some of the testimony from Alexander Vindman: "President Trump released a full and accurate transcript of his call with President Zelensky, so the American people could see he acted completely appropriately and did nothing wrong. The media is reporting that Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman claims he proposed filling in words that were missing in areas were shown in the transcript. That is false." But, Wolf, there are other aspects of Vindman's testimony that may cause trouble for the White House.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): With more administration witnesses stepping forward in the impeachment inquiry, the president is taking swipes at Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council official who raised questions about Mr. Trump's phone call with the leader of Ukraine. The president tweeted that the Army officer and Purple Heart recipient was a never-Trumper witness who could find no quid pro quo in the transcript of the phone call. But sources tell CNN Vindman testified that aid to Ukraine was contingent on an investigation of the Bidens. Mr. Trump is urging Republicans, as he tweeted, to go with substance and close it out. But top GOP lawmakers are still quarreling with the process, complaining that the upcoming vote on the House impeachment inquiry is too little, too late.</s>SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): No due process now, maybe some later, but only if we feel like it, is not a standard that should ever be applied to any American, and it should not applied here to the president of the United States.</s>ACOSTA: Democrats say they want to talk substance.</s>REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): The president was pressuring a foreign government to target an American citizen. That's an abuse of power. The president said, focus on substance. We're going to focus on substance.</s>ACOSTA: One key piece of testimony from Vindman, that he was concerned about glaring omissions in the White House transcript of Mr. Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president. That flies in the face of what President Trump has repeatedly told the public.</s>TRUMP: An exact transcript of my call, done by very talented people that do this, exact, word for word. It was an exact transcription of the conversation. I released a transcript of my conversation, an exact transcript.</s>ACOSTA: Democrats are firing back at some of the president's defenders.</s>JOHN YOO, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: I find that astounding, and, you know, some people might call that espionage.</s>ACOSTA: Who question Vindman's patriotism. Presidential contender Pete Buttigieg, a veteran himself, says that crosses a line.</s>PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ours is the patriotism that would never question the integrity of someone who blows the whistle on official misconduct, least of all a war hero, acting out his loyalty to the republic for which we all stand.</s>ACOSTA: More questions are being raised about the operation to take out ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. At a briefing behind closed doors, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted administration officials for leaving top Democrats in the dark on the mission. Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney was also briefed on the operation after it was over. But a White House official pushed back on the notion that Mulvaney was out of the loop, saying: "He was home for the weekend family. The operation began very quickly and, while he was not able to get a secure location in time to participate, he was briefed on its success upon conclusion." Mulvaney has been on shaky ground since he acknowledged a quid pro quo with Ukraine earlier this month.</s>MICK MULVANEY, ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I have news for everybody. Get over it. There's going to be political influence in foreign policy.</s>ACOSTA: But the president has found somebody under his command to praise, the dog from the Baghdadi image, tweeting this Photoshopped image of the canine commando receiving a medal.</s>ACOSTA: Now, with the whistle-blower and Vindman offering damaging testimony in the impeachment inquiry, there are growing concerns about the safety of both men. The whistle-blower has been on the receiving end of some threatening messages. And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier in the day that he has sent a letter to the Pentagon requesting that efforts be made to guarantee Vindman's safety -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Let's hope that happens, that he is secure. Thank you so much, Jim Acosta, over at the White House. Let's get to another breaking story right now, the Pentagon just releasing the first video from the raid that led to the death of the ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the images just declassified. Quickly want to go to our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. Barbara, what are we seeing, what are we learning from these images?</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Extraordinary to see this, Wolf. This is a highly classified mission. Clearly, President Trump wanted the world to see these images. Three videos were released a short time ago here at the Pentagon. The first one shows as U.S. helicopters are beginning to approach the compound to land U.S. commandos to begin the mission. They come under fire from the ground. There are other militants there not to be believed to be ISIS, and those on board the helicopter quickly fire back and eliminate this opposing force on the ground. Then they rapidly move towards the compound, an extraordinary image here. Hopefully, you can take a second and see there are dark figures moving towards the compound. These are U.S. Special Forces. They are moving in, and they find Baghdadi in a tunnel area. That tunnel collapses, fills with water. There are wires there. It collapses because, in part, he has detonated, obviously, his suicide vest. That is -- the tunnel is where two U.S. service members and the military working dog are injured with electrocution injuries. All three have returned to duty. A very interesting detail coming to light here. General McKenzie, who briefed the Pentagon press corps a short time ago, says they are looking at this. They think it is possible that Baghdadi fired his weapon back. General McKenzie, along with the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, publicly unable to confirm the president's account that Baghdadi died whimpering or crying. They say they simply don't know anything about it. And the last video we see is, of course, U.S. aircraft rolling in, destroying the compound from the air. General McKenzie saying they wanted to do that to make sure that it did not become a shrine and that this is simply just another piece of ground. So, one of the most interesting things is, they were certain Baghdadi was there. And it was not an area of Syria where they expected to find him. So, when these missions are planned, it is with certainty that they know, not just when they're taking off, but when they land, that their target will still be there. And he was -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Very dramatic video, indeed. Thanks very much, Barbara Starr, at the Pentagon. Joining us now, Congressman Mike Quigley. He's a Democrat, serves on the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. I want to get back to the breaking news on the impeachment inquiry. You have now invited the former National Security Adviser to President Trump John Bolton to testify next week. Many different witnesses have testified about Bolton's role in all of this. How important is it, Congressman, for all of us, for you specifically behind closed doors next week, to hear from him directly?</s>REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): Well, we have learned from other testimony how important he would be as a witness. I'm hoping that he really wants to testify to show the courage that the others have so far, Colonel Vindman and the ambassadors who have testified so far. They have shown real -- and the whistle-blower. They have talked truth to power, that the president of the United States abused their power and muscled an ally who is very vulnerable at this time. And if indeed what we have learned is true, that he thought this was a drug deal, he thought that Mr. Giuliani was a hand grenade, that he was repulsed by this and canceled a meeting and said, go talk to the lawyers, then tell the American people, because they have a right to know. And I think he's also very concerned about Ukraine and its importance. All the more reason for him to let the public know what happened, and try to make sure it never happens again.</s>BLITZER: How confident are you, Congressman, that Bolton will appear? His longtime aide Charles Kupperman has decided not to testify until a federal court weighs in.</s>QUIGLEY: Look, there are people close to the White House -- and every time I show up to hear testimony, I think it's probably 50/50 whether or not they will show up. I would like to think that he could show the same courage that was seen with the witnesses so far, those who have put their careers on the line and, unfortunately, with the whistle-blower, those who had to put his life on the line to tell the truth.</s>BLITZER: The top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, is willing to testify publicly. He's already been deposed behind closed doors. How influential will he be in an open hearing?</s>QUIGLEY: Look, just taking -- working from his opening statement, it's clear he was witness to this scheme. And he details this scheme of a shadow foreign policy led by someone who has no security clearance, no foreign policy experience, operating under directions by who knows who, Mr. Giuliani. So, he was an extraordinary witness. I think his presence, again, just working off his opening statement, will be commanding.</s>BLITZER: We just heard from our correspondent Kylie Atwood that Tim Morrison, the top White House official on the president's National Security Council for Europe, he's leaving his job. We expect that he will be leaving his job very soon. He's supposed to testify behind closed doors before the impeachment inquiry tomorrow. What do you anticipate from that?</s>QUIGLEY: I -- here's what I expect from all such witnesses, first, that they will tell the truth, that they will show courage to do so. None of them have contradicted the transcript, the complaining witness, and the text that we have learned so far. I think the majority of the case have been put before the American public. They know that the president abused his power. All the witnesses have done so far is to corroborate that, to build upon that case, and to continue to fill in the gaps of knowledge.</s>BLITZER: You were in the room today, the closed-door room following -- during the depositions of two more witnesses. What sort of context did they provide on the timeline of this pressure on Ukraine and Rudy Giuliani's specific role?</s>QUIGLEY: Yes, and I can't talk about specific testimony, but I will say the witnesses continue to be uniform, not contradictory, corroborating what we learned at the very beginning, building the case, filling in gaps. Often, what one witness does is lead us to questions, other questions, and other people we would like to bring before the committee to ask questions about.</s>BLITZER: Are you any closer to fully understanding, Congressman, why the nearly $400 million in U.S. military aid that had been appropriated, authorized by Congress, signed into law by the president, was actually frozen by the president at the last minute?</s>QUIGLEY: I personally have no doubt as to why it was frozen. The president of the United States was using whatever leverage he had, military assistance and a meeting in the Oval Office, to get the Ukrainians to do research for him, to do his political dirty work against his opponent. I don't have any doubt about that. But we continue to build the case, because the American people has -- a right to learn about other crimes and misdemeanors and how to fill in the gaps of the existing case.</s>BLITZER: Have witnesses confirmed what you're telling us?</s>QUIGLEY: Oh, I -- all they have done is -- even if all you did was read the opening statements, I think all they do is corroborate the original whistle-blower complaint and the transcript that the White House released. All you can do is build upon that. The fundamental case is there. There's a lot more to learn, but I do think the body of the case is there. The American public is well aware that the president abused his power.</s>BLITZER: The Austin Army Lieutenant Colonel Vindman serves on the president's National Security Council, testified yesterday that the White House omitted additional mentions of the Bidens and Burisma -- that's that Ukrainian natural gas company that Hunter Biden was on the board of -- in the rough transcript of that July phone call between President Trump and President Zelensky. How do you interpret that? As you just heard the White House is formally denying to assertion by the lieutenant colonel.</s>QUIGLEY: Yes, I guess I would ask the American public. We don't leave our common sense at the door. If the White House was so forthcoming about this, why did they hide this phone call in a secret server right out of the back? Why did they try to hide this? And why have they tried to obstruct every witness who would come forth in front of the American public, through its elected body of Congress to tell us exactly what took place? They don't want the American public to know all the details.</s>BLITZER: Tomorrow, the House will vote on the impeachment inquiry moving into this new official formal phase, a full vote on the floor of the House of Representatives. You speak to a lot of members, including your Republican colleagues. Do you expect to get any Republican votes?</s>QUIGLEY: You know, I don't. It's unfortunate. We know one member has left the Republican Party and has talked about why the president of the United States should be impeached. But other than that, I don't. First, the Republicans talked about wanting this resolution, this vote, and then, when it's being offered, they're saying, oh, it's not enough. It's just proof that they want to talk about process because they don't want to talk about what the president did. And the fact is, I have been part of this investigation since day one. And can I tell you firsthand that the Republicans have worked hand in glove this administration to obstruct all of his crimes and misdemeanors. It continues today.</s>BLITZER: Congressman Mike Quigley, thanks so much for joining us.</s>QUIGLEY: Thank you.</s>BLITZER: Just ahead, will John Bolton agree to testify in the impeachment investigation? We're going to talk about the breaking news story that's unfolding right now with "New York Times" columnist and author Thomas Friedman. He's standing by. There you see him. He's here with me in THE SITUATION ROOM. And we will also go live to Southern California, where wildfires and hurricane-force winds are raging.