Tshisekedi Elected Leader of DRC; Manafort Shared Polling Data with Russian Contact.
CHURCH: Welcome back. The electoral commission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has announced a winner in last month's election. They have declared opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi as the president-elect. This provisional result paves the way for the first handover of power in the DRC in nearly two decades. Our David McKenzie joins us now from Johannesburg with more. David, what has been the reaction to this result and how likely is it that the tallies will be disputed?</s>DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly they'll be disputed in this election. It was a delayed election already by more than two years initially because of -- of Joseph Kabila, the outgoing president, clinging onto power. Now the election did happen; in several key areas, though, voters were barred from voting. And the reaction, certainly for the official opposition, will be one of jubilation. It is a surprise announcement for many observers of the DRC. There was a feeling that Joseph Kabila may try to push in his presumptive right-hand man, former interior minister, Emmanuel Shadary. But in this case it seems like the opposition leader, Felix Tshisekedi, will be the next president. But there's strong counteraction from the -- from Martin Fayulu, who was the presumptive leader in the polls ahead of this election and here he is reacting to this announcement.</s>MARTIN FAYULU, LEADER, ENGAGEMENT FOR CITIZENSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT PARTY (through translator): To all those who learned of the ballot boxes, especially to the Congo's National Bishops Episcopal Conference Center and the church of Congo LCC through historical observations, we ask you to reveal to the Congolese people and to the whole world to name the person who really was our people's choice.</s>MCKENZIE: There was no international observers during the election. But the group he's referring to is the Catholic Bishops Conference. They had a lot of people, several thousands across the country, observing this vote. Last week they said they knew who the winner was and they would reveal the results after the official announcement. That will be the key moment perhaps later today. Already some questions from the international community, the foreign minister of France, speaking to French media, saying he was surprised by the announcement and seeking clarity about this because it didn't mesh -- and I'm paraphrasing -- with certain evidence they had from parts of the Congo. This will be a disputed poll. The official ratified results are due January 15th and they have to be ratified by the constitutional court -- Rosemary.</s>CHURCH: We'll see what comes of the dispute over those results. David McKenzie, joining us live from Johannesburg, many thanks. Well, the head of Israel's security agency is warning a foreign country will try to interfere in the elections this April. The ISA chief wouldn't say which nation is suspected but analysts were quick to blame Russia. One expert says that rather than helping any particular candidate, Russia would try to destabilize the political system and reduce public trust in democracy. Russia denies any intent to interfere in Israel's elections. There's new evidence of cooperation between the top levels of Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia. A court filing from former campaign chairman Paul Manafort's legal team revealed he shared polling data with a suspected Russian operative. We now know that data was intended for two Ukrainian oligarchs who owed Manafort millions. CNN's Sara Murray has more.</s>SARA MURRAY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Democrats today seizing on the revelation that Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort shared campaign polling data with his Russian associate Konstantin Kilimnik before the 2016 election, raising concerns about whether that intel could have been used to meddle in the election.</s>SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA.), VICE CHAIR, SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: If what the Manafort lawyers by mistake revealed is accurate, how is that not evidence of an effort to collaborate in some way, particularly when we saw, subsequent to this sharing of information, the Russians use their social media army to, in effect, try to influence the election?</s>MURRAY: According to prosecutors, Kilimnik has ties to the same Russian military intelligence unit that hacked the Democratic Party. Democrats are asking whether it's possible that the Russians could have also used Manafort's sensitive polling data to help direct Russians' propaganda and disinformation campaigns in 2016.</s>REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CALIF.), CHAIR, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Why is the campaign chairman for a us presidential candidate providing campaign polling data to someone linked to a foreign adversarial intelligence agency?</s>MURRAY: Republicans quickly insisted the new details, which Manafort's attorneys inadvertently revealed in a court filing, don't amount to collusion.</s>SEN.  JAMES LANKFORD (R), OKLAHOMA: Communicating with someone about polling data and what's going is no secret thing in that sense. So I'm -- again, looking for that as the smoking gun, I think, would be a pretty big stretch.</s>MURRAY: Still, Manafort's contacts with Kilimnik, which continued after Donald Trump was elected, offer the clearest public evidence yet of coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians, all of this emerging amid indications that special counsel Robert Mueller's probe may be winding down. Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein is planning to voluntarily leave the Justice Department shortly after William Barr, President Trump's nominees for attorney general, is confirmed, a source tells</s>CNN. ROD ROSENSTEIN, U.S. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: Bob Mueller or Rod Rosenstein or Matt Whitaker or Bill Barr, that investigation is going to be handled appropriately.</s>MURRAY: Rosenstein, the primary man overseeing Mueller's Russia investigation, has signaled to other officials that he intended to leave DOJ when he was satisfied the Mueller probe was completed or at least close enough to completion that it was protected. As Barr made the rounds on Capitol Hill Wednesday...</s>SEN.  CHARLES GRASSLEY (R), IOWA: Congratulations on your -- the president nominating you.</s>MURRAY: -- lawmakers tried to allay fears about his plans for the Mueller probe.</s>SEN.  LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: That he has a high opinion of Mr. Mueller, has no reason for Mr. Mueller to stop doing his job and is committed to allowing Mr. Mueller to finish.</s>MURRAY: The hearing is set for mid-January, so he could be on the job through February or longer -- Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.</s>CHURCH: For people living along the southern U.S. border, the wall is more than a political debate.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an occasional problem but not a crisis. Actually, I do feel safer. We actually don't even lock our doors. The doors are always open. We don't fear getting robbed or anything.</s>CHURCH: Coming up, what local residents think about building a barrier in their community. Plus as Nicolas Maduro celebrates his second term as president of Venezuela, the neighbors ruin the party. Some countries refuse to recognize him as a legitimate leader.