Interview With New York Congresswoman Kathleen Rice; Trump Praises North Korean Dictator; Administration Defends New Trump Outreach to Brutal Strongmen.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Preexisting confusion. Tonight, Republicans are struggling to lock up support for a new health care compromise, as the president insists that coverage for preexisting conditions is guaranteed. Is this new attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare in danger right now of falling apart? And running for reelection. His term has barely started, but the president is out with a brand-new campaign ad, as some of the biggest aides in the Democratic Party are also trying to grab the political spotlight. 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 multiple breaking stories, including the president's new outreach to brutal leaders with blood on their hands. Mr. Trump now declaring that he would be "honored" to meet with Kim Jong-un under the right circumstances, even as the North Korean strongman threatens nuclear war with the United States, this just hours after the president invited the leader of the Philippines to meet with him at the White House, despite Rodrigo Duterte's horrendous human rights record and allegations of mass murder. Also breaking, Vice President Pence goes to Capitol Hill as the new GOP to repeal and replace Obamacare appears to be in serious jeopardy right now. Multiple Republicans have come out against the new health care confidence, with at least a total of 21 lawmakers now publicly opposed, that by CNN's account. House leaders now at risk of failing once again to secure enough votes to pass a health care bill. The Trump White House facing new challenges and controversy, as the president continues to tout his first 100 days as a success. In one of several head-scratching interviews, Mr. Trump insisted his unsubstantiated wiretap claim had been proven very strongly, while also saying he doesn't stand by anything. Then, chafing at the question, he cut short the interview. We are covering all of that, much more this hour, with our guests, including Congresswoman Kathleen Rice, a Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee. And our correspondents and analysts are also standing by. First, let's go to CNN's Brian Todd with more on the president's rather surprising remarks about Kim Jong-un and the North Korean threat. Brian, what the latest?</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the president's comments are causing concern tonight, not only here in Washington, but also in Seoul and in Tokyo. Many observers warning tonight that just talking about meeting with the North Korean leader could undermine Mr. Trump's relationships with his South Korean and Japanese allies at a time when tensions have rarely been higher.</s>TODD (voice-over): Kim Jong-un's never met face-to-face with any foreign head of state since taking power. The only high-profile American he met with, former NBA star Dennis Rodman.</s>DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER NBA PLAYER (through translator): Happy birthday to you.</s>TODD: Kim's never even left his country since taking power. But, tonight, President Trump is opening the door to a meeting with the violent, erratic North Korean dictator. In an interview with Bloomberg News, the president says -- quote -- "If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would, absolutely. I would be honored to do it, if it is under the -- again, under the right circumstances." What circumstances would be appropriate for the president to meet with Kim?</s>SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: If North Korea were ever serious about completely dismantling its nuclear capability and taking away the threat that they pose both to the region and to us, that there's always going to be a possibility of that occurring. That possibility is not there at this time.</s>TODD: Tonight, analyst warn a Trump meeting with Kim Jong-un risks legitimizing a leader who has killed, imprisoned and starved his own people, while building a nuclear arsenal that threatens the region and the</s>U.S. THOMAS WRIGHT, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: That definitely helps him consolidate his power furthermore -- further in North Korean. It strengthens him, possibly vis-a-vis China, and will damage morale, I think, in South Korea, will really treat this with dismay.</s>TODD: While Mr. Trump presents the jarring possibility of a face-to- face meeting, he says in an interview with FOX News how much danger Kim Jong-un has placed American troops in the region in.</s>TRUMP: Well, nobody's safe. I mean, who's safe? The guy's got nuclear weapons. I would like to say they are very safe. These are great, brave soldiers. These are great troops. And they know this situation. We have 28,000 troops on the line. And they are right there, and so nobody is safe. We're probably not safe over here. If he gets the long-range missiles, we're not safe either.</s>TODD: In fact, several conflicting messages on North Korea have come from the president over the past few days. He said he -- quote -- "wouldn't be happy" with another nuclear test from the regime. He left open the possibility of military action, but in an interview with CBS, he praised Kim.</s>TRUMP: He's dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular the generals and others. And, at a very young age, he was able to assume power. A lot of people, I'm sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. And he was able to do it. So, obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie.</s>TODD: Tonight, another warning for the president of what could go wrong in a meeting with the young tyrant he seems to admire.</s>VICTOR CHA, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBER: Because, if that negotiation fails, there's nowhere else to go. And that's a very dangerous place to put any president.</s>TODD: Not to mention the history involved. Analysts say President Trump in any negotiation with Kim Jong-un has to realize the North Koreans have reneged on just about every agreement they've made with the West over their nuclear program for the past 23 years -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right, Brian, thank you. Tonight, the White House says President Trump stands by his widely debunked claim that he was wiretapped by President Obama. Mr. Trump clearly getting upset, peeved, shall we say, when he was asked about this ongoing controversy. Let's bring in our senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. Jim, the president seemed to be thrown by this subject coming up in a new interview to mark his 100 days.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. It was a puzzling exchange that President Trump had over his still unfounded claim that former President Obama wiretapped him at Trump Tower. The president appeared to defend his allegation in an interview with CBS, but almost in the same breath, he seems to say he doesn't stand by the comment. What makes the exchange even more baffling is that the president also appears to describe the accusation as his opinion. Here's what he had to say.</s>TRUMP: Well, he was very nice to me, but after that, we have had some difficulties. So, it doesn't matter. You know, words are less important to me than deeds. And you saw what happened with surveillance. And everybody saw what happened with surveillance.</s>JOHN DICKERSON, HOST, "FACE THE NATION": Difficulties how?</s>TRUMP: I thought that -- well, you saw what happened with surveillance, and I think that was inappropriate.</s>DICKERSON: What does that mean, sir?</s>TRUMP: You can figure that out yourself.</s>DICKERSON: Well, the reason I ask is you said he -- you called him sick and bad.</s>TRUMP: Look, you can figure it out yourself. He was very nice to me with words, but -- and when I was with him -- but after that, there has been no relationship.</s>DICKERSON: But you stand by that claim about...</s>TRUMP: I don't stand by anything. I just -- you can take it the way you want. I think our side has been proven very strongly, and everybody is talking about it, and, frankly, it should be discussed. I think that is a very big -- surveillance of our citizens, I think it's a very big topic, and it's a topic that should be number one. And we should find out what the hell is going on.</s>DICKERSON: I just wanted to find out, though. You're the president of the United States. You said he was sick and bad because he...</s>TRUMP: You can take any way -- you can take it any way you want.</s>DICKERSON: But I'm asking you, because you don't want it to be fake news. I want to hear it from President Trump.</s>TRUMP: You don't have to ask me. You don't have to ask me.</s>DICKERSON: Why not?</s>TRUMP: Because I have my own opinions. You can have your own opinions.</s>DICKERSON: But I want to know your opinions. You're the president of the United States.</s>TRUMP: OK. OK. It's enough. Thank you. Thank you very much.</s>ACOSTA: Now, at the daily briefing, today, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was asked about all of this, about the president's comments. Spicer very quickly said the president continues to defend this accusation. Here is what he had to say very briefly today.</s>SPICER: Clearly stands by that.</s>ACOSTA: And that's it, clearly stands by that. That's what Spicer said about those comments. But, Wolf, we should point out, to date, the president and the White House have not provided any evidence whatsoever to back up the president's wiretapping allegation. They have since broadened that accusation to mean overall surveillance at Trump Tower. But even Republican leaders on Capitol Hill say there is no proof of that either -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Yes, and the FBI director says there is no proof, no evidence of that either. All right, Jim Acosta, thank you very much. Let's get more on all of this from Congresswoman Kathleen Rice. She's a Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee. Congresswoman, thanks for joining us.</s>REP. KATHLEEN RICE (D), NEW YORK: Thanks for having me, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Do you believe that being open to a direct meeting with Kim Jong-un is a good idea?</s>RICE: No. And I think most people feel the same way. It's baffling to me how the president of the United States can use the word "honored" in talking about meeting with a dictator who kills members of his own family to assure his power. But the international community all agree that, right now, the facts are just not there to support any kind of in-person meeting at all. In fact, until Kim Jong-un stops with the testing and shows that he ratchets down all the actions that he is taking now to show his force, until he stops doing that, I don't see how there is any way to have any kind of meeting at all. It is important to have diplomatic conversations to get conversations going. But, at this point, Kim Jong-un has shown absolutely no desire to engage in those talks at all.</s>BLITZER: Because the argument is it potentially could help ease some of the tensions. And these tensions are enormous right now. And in the process, the U.S. would know more about this closed-off nation.</s>RICE: Well, but this is the problem, Wolf. We have a president who shows a disturbing penchant for authoritarian figures, for dictators, for any world leader who will compliment him, whether that's Vladimir Putin, Duterte, Kim Jong-un. And that's really disturbing. This is the president of the United States, you know, talking about being flattered, having his ego stroked by people who engage in such violent, terrible behavior and want to do harm to us. So, I just don't understand. When is he -- when is the president going to learn that every single word he says has meaning, and it affects how our allies abroad see our commitment to them, to protecting them? And this is just a perfect example of that. How do you think people in Japan and South Korea feel when the president of the United States says he would be honored to meet with a man who wants to kill them, who wants to destroy them? So, I just -- it is so disturbing. What other word can you use to describe it?</s>BLITZER: The White House press secretary said a meeting -- a presidential meeting with the Philippine President Duterte is in the national interest precisely because of North Korea. Do you believe that President Duterte could help when it comes to dealing with North Korea? As you know, the president in that interview over the weekend invited -- in that phone conversation he held with Duterte, invited him to come to the White House.</s>RICE: It's possible that it might be able to help. I think, right now, what we need to do is reach out to allies, allies first and foremost. Duterte may be able to help, but he has a disturbing record of extrajudicial killings of drug dealers. Actually, Donald Trump has lauded the way that he is dealing with the drug problem in his country, which, again, is just a disturbing feeling of thought that the president expressed once again. But -- so, I think you would have to acknowledge that he is doing the -- Duterte is doing bad things in his country. But, look, we need a broad coalition of international people to help with this issue of Kim Jong-un, and if this particular leader might be able to do that, then I guess it might be worth it. But acknowledge him for what he is and who he is.</s>BLITZER: I want you to react, Congresswoman, to what President Trump said about the wiretapping allegations he has leveled against President Obama, that he -- in this interview, President Trump said he doesn't stand by anything, that he thinks his side's been proven very strongly on these allegations. What more would you like to hear from him on his own claims that his campaign has been wiretapped by the Obama administration? Does an answer like that hurt U.S. credibility?</s>RICE: So, here's my theory on that, Wolf. It seems that any time Donald Trump's mouth get him into trouble, he says outrageous things, he said the 100 days matter -- now it doesn't. Yes, they do. No, they don't. It seems that he likes to go to his failsafe. Right? What can I say now that might -- you know, what's the next shiny object that might be able to take people's attention away from these crazy and outrageous things that I'm saying? And he brings up a claim that every single person, every single person in the intelligence community, on both sides of the aisle here in Washington have said, it's not true. There was no wiretapping. But I think he just -- the president has a disturbing penchant for repeating things that he knows are not true, that everyone knows are not true, in the hope that maybe people will just say, OK, well, maybe it is, even though the facts show that they're not. So, I have no idea why he is bringing this up. This is a claim that has been debunked since the first time he said it. So, I just -- my -- again, my theory is that he's just trying to distract people away from some of these other outrageous things that he is saying.</s>BLITZER: Yes, on the issue of Russia's interfering in the U.S. presidential election, now, in this last interview, the president said, it could have been Russia, could have been China, could have been others. He is apparently not convinced what the U.S. intelligence community is convinced of, what the FBI director is convinced of, the director of the National Security Agency, and the Republican leadership, as well as the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate. What do you say to that?</s>RICE: Well, he happens to be the only human being on the planet who has questions about that issue. I mean, I don't even know how to explain that. This is well- documented. Everyone accepts it. This is stuff that Russia is doing all over Europe. And we're the latest victim of it. So, literally, I think he is the only person on the planet who doesn't accept that fact.</s>BLITZER: Congresswoman, there is more to discuss. There are developments happening in the latest effort to repeal and replace Obamacare. We will continue our conversation right after a quick break.