Trump Orders Expulsion of Russian Diplomats; Stormy Daniels Sues President Trump's Lawyer for Defamation.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: You can follow the show on Facebook and Twitter on @TheLeadCNN. That is all for us today. I'm John Berman, in for Jake. Now time for Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news. Expelled. The Trump administration expels 60 Russian diplomats identified as intelligence officers and orders the closure of a Russian consulate in response to the nerve agent attack in Britain. Russia says the United States is making a grave mistake. So what's the next move? Rebound. Our new poll is out, and President Trump's approval rating rebounds to its highest point in nearly a year, but that's still only 42 percent. Apart from the economy, the reviews are negative; and most Americans say they believe the women alleging affairs with Donald Trump, although only 21 percent believe the president. And Stormy sues. Porn star Stormy Daniels sues the president's lawyer for defamation, accusing Michael Cohen of calling her a liar. As Daniels goes public about her alleged affair with Donald Trump and says she was threatened, the White House says the president still denies an affair and rejects her claims. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in</s>THE SITUATION ROOM. ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>BLITZER: Breaking news. As President Trump orders the expulsion of 60 Russians in response to the nerve agent poisoning in Britain, the White House says it's not closing any doors on direct action against Russia's President Putin. And while the White House says the president still denies the claims by porn star Stormy Daniels, a new CNN poll finds just 21 percent of Americans believe the president's denials of the affair. I'll speak with Senator Richard Blumenthal of the Judiciary Committee and Armed Services Committees. And our correspondents and specialists, they're standing by with full coverage. First let's go straight to our chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. Jim, the expulsion of dozens of Russian diplomats sends a strong message.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It really does, Wolf. The Trump administration abruptly changed course on Russia today, getting tough with this announcement that Russian diplomats will be expelled from the U.S. But the president was oddly silent on this subject, as he was on another matter, Stormy Daniels. But sources tell me, Wolf, that the president was advised to avoid commenting on Stormy Daniels, because he, quote, "knows the stakes."</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): It's the kind of move critics of President Trump from both parties have been demanding. In response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil, the Trump administration announced 60 Russian diplomats are being expelled from the U.S., as well as the closure of a Russian consulate in Seattle because of its close proximity to a submarine base. The White House held out the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who's suspected of ordering the attack on the ex-spy, could be sanctioned himself.</s>RAJ SHAH, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: I wouldn't close any doors. I wouldn't preclude any potential action, but the president doesn't telegraph his moves.</s>ACOSTA: The administration's retaliation against Russia was somewhat unexpected after the president neglected to mention the poisoning to Putin during a phone call last week. White House spokesman Raj Shah didn't really answer why that didn't come up in their conversation.</s>SHAH: The president has made his position and the country's position pretty clear.</s>ACOSTA: The expulsions are also aimed at showing solidarity with more than a dozen another countries taking similar steps, as the British prime minister again scolded Moscow over the attempted murders.</s>THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Sergei and Yulia Skripal remain critically ill in hospital. Sadly, late last week, doctors indicated that their condition is unlikely to change in the near future, and they may never recover fully.</s>ACOSTA: Russia's ambassador to the U.S. indicated Moscow is likely to retaliate.</s>ANATOLY ANTONOV, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: I am sure that time will come. They will understand what kind of grave mistake they did.</s>ACOSTA: But even some of the president's critics welcomed the news, with GOP Senator Ben Sasse saying in a statement, "Good, this is kind of strong and unambiguous message the United States ought to be sending." Still, the president did not tweet about the expulsions, instead opting for another attack on the media: "So much fake news. Never been more voluminous or more inaccurate. But through it all, our country is doing great." That appeared to be a swipe at the "60 Minutes" interview with porn star Stormy Daniels, who has alleged an affair with the president and a payoff to buy her silence. The lawyer says more is on the way.</s>MICHAEL AVENATTI, ATTORNEY FOR STORMY DANIELS: It is just the beginning. We have a whole host of evidence. This is not going away. And Mr. Cohen and the president better come clean with the American people, and they'd better do it quick will.</s>ACOSTA: A new CNN poll finds most Americans believe the president is dishonest. Still, the White House wants Americans to trust Mr. Trump and not Daniels.</s>SHAH: The president doesn't believe that any of the claims that Ms. Daniels made last night in the interview are accurate.</s>ACOSTA: Now, the White House did confirm one thing in connection with the Stormy Daniels story, saying that over the weekend, the president's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who allegedly paid off Daniels, did in fact, have dinner with the president at his resort at Mar-a-Lago. And as for the perpetual White House chaos we've been seeing over that we've been seeing over the last several weeks, Wolf, we should also point out that the White House did not exactly give a ringing endorsement to David Shulkin, the secretary of veterans affairs. When asked about his future, the White House spokesman here said there are no cabinet announcements at this time, Wolf. Of course, it's only Monday -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Yes, not exactly a ringing endorsement, indeed. Thanks very much, Jim Acosta at the White House. Let's bring in our chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto. Jim, how significant is this move? And what kind of message is the U.S. now sending to Russia?</s>JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It's significant. It's interesting. You here that even from members of the Obama administration. I spoke to Lisa Monaco short time ago, and she said this is a significant move and a change from the Trump administration, which as you know and we've spoken about this a number of times, has not been particularly forward leaning in its criticism of Moscow, particularly from the president himself. So significant in that sense. Big statement from the U.S. Significant that it came from multiple western allies at the same time. So these are dozens of diplomats, quote unquote, diplomats who are really intelligence officials, operatives in these countries who can no longer be able to operate there and gather intelligence. That's a big deal. Now, on the flip side, of course, Russia's going to pay back, right? It's going to expel Americans. It's going to expel British diplomats, et cetera, so there will be a payment, in effect, a cost to this. But significant it's happening at the same time. The finer point I would make is this. When you look at this attack, this was an attack, not just on that former Russian spy and his daughter walking through the streets. But as Theresa May, the U.K. prime minister, noted today, there are dozens of bystanders, citizens, passersby who were contaminated, as well, with what is a nerve agent. This was, in effect, a chemical weapons attack on British soil by Russia. And in a very top-heavy organization in Russian, where you would have to guess that this, to some degree, had the approval of the president, the Russian president himself. It was a significant attack, and that's why you're seeing this significant response.</s>BLITZER: Yes, 48 Russian diplomats -- quote, "diplomats" -- here in Washington and their families. Another dozen at the Russian mission to the United Nations. They're shutting down the Russian consulate in Seattle, Washington.</s>SCIUTTO: Yes.</s>BLITZER: But as you point out, Russia will retaliate and do the same thing to American diplomats in Moscow and elsewhere and probably shut down a U.S. consulate, as well. That will reduce U.S. intelligence- gathering capabilities.</s>SCIUTTO: Absolutely. And you note the move in Seattle. Why Seattle, folks at home might say? There's a major U.S. submarine base there. There's a big competition going on under the waves around the world. We did some reporting on this, and it appears to be sensitivity about the possibility of Russian surveillance of that base may lead to that connection with those expulsions there.</s>BLITZER: A lot of high-tech companies in Seattle, as well, that the Russians presumably are interested in. Jim Sciutto, thanks very much. Joining us now, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. He's a member of the Judiciary and Armed Services Committees. Senator, you've been a critical of the Trump administration's treatment of Russia, suggesting it's been too weak. Do they deserve credit now for a tougher response?</s>SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT: This response is significant, no question. Not only because it involves 60 intelligence agents expelled out of 100 that there are estimated to be in the United States, probably a low figure, but also because it's coordinated with our allies. Remember that president Trump has been very dismissive of NATO, of our allies. And this coordinated response is significant. But the president's silence speaks volumes. Because his failure to use the White House as a bully pulpit against Putin, against this Russian aggression against the continued, concerted attack on our democracy, is profoundly significant, maybe even as significant as the expulsion.</s>BLITZER: The Russians have promised, as you know, to respond in kind. How do you think Putin will retaliate?</s>BLUMENTHAL: I think Putin will retaliate by expelling some of our diplomats, some of our intelligence agents. But remember, what Putin did here -- and there's no question he did it personally -- was order a chemical attack, poison military-grade chemicals, on the soil of one of our closest, maybe our closest ally. The U.K. was attacked by the use of this military-grade poison. Imagine what past president Ronald Reagan, for example, would have said about that kind of attack. Or any of our Republican, Democratic president. The president's silence, I think, is aimed at maybe reducing the significance of the response by Putin. What we should be doing right now is preparing to use sanctions on the oligarchs, attacking financial institutions as well as using cyber. We have a lot of tools at our disposal, regardless of what Putin does in response.</s>BLITZER: When the Russians expel -- and I assume they will -- several dozen American diplomats, and some of them presumably will be CIA clandestine officers, spies, how much damage to U.S. intelligence capability do you think will be impacted?</s>BLUMENTHAL: It will be damaging. But at this point, without going into classified briefings, there are a lot of means we have to do surveillance and intelligence gathering through cyber and aerial surveillance, space, and other means, that are important to us. But obviously, the human intelligence is very important, as well. So it will degrade our intelligence gathering activities but by no means cripple them severely.</s>BLITZER: As far as we know, Senator, the administration still hasn't taken any direct action against those Russia agencies responsible for election meddling here in the United States. What specific steps does the president, from your perspective, need to take, in addition to what was just done today?</s>BLUMENTHAL: There are some very clear steps that need to be taken. No. 1, to crack down on the financial dealings of his oligarchs, the Russian business people who actually finance the Internet Research Agency that was the agency attacking our democracy. So using the kind of sanctions on finance institutions that so far have not been imposed. They were authorized by Congress. The president has not used them in the degree or dimension that he should. Second, the use of cyber, which really, we have been very laggard and lax in applying. We have the tools, but we simply haven't used them. They're using cyber against us. I've raised this issue repeatedly in Armed Services Committee hearings, as have a number of my colleagues. John McCain has been very vocal on this topic. And so I think steps in those domains and defining what is an act of war. In my view, the Russians actually committed an act of war. They said it was informational warfare, and we need to respond much more robustly.</s>BLITZER: The president's incoming national security adviser, John Bolton, as you know, he's a hard liner when it comes to Russia. Do you think he'll be able to change the president's thinking, the president's words? Will we see the president actually say something personally critical of Putin, start tweeting about the Russians?</s>BLUMENTHAL: The Russian policy of the United States must change. John Bolton can be a change agent, and that may be one of the bright spots of his appointment. His hawkishness and warmongering with respect to North Korea and Iran, obviously, are extremely concerning and I think will be met by strong and vigorous opposition on both sides of the aisle in the United States Congress.</s>BLITZER: Senator Blumenthal, thanks for joining us.</s>BLUMENTHAL: Thank you.</s>BLITZER: There's more breaking news we're following. The porn star, Stormy Daniels suing the president's lawyer, Michael Cohen, for defamation, saying he cast her as a liar for alleging an affair with Donald Trump. That comes after Daniels goes public, saying she was threatened.</s>STORMY DANIELS, ALLEGES AFFAIR WITH DONALD TRUMP: I was in a parking lot going to a fitness class with my infant daughter. And a guy walked up on me and said to me, "Leave Trump alone. Forget the story." And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, "That's a beautiful little girl. It would be a shame if something happened to her mom." And then he was gone.</s>ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Your took it as a direct threat?</s>DANIELS: Absolutely.