>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYONE!
WE'RE BACK WITH JAKE TAPPER!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) SO SENATOR GRAHAM, MY HOME STATE
OF SOUTH CAROLINA, COVERING SOUTH CAROLINA WITH GLORY ONCE
AGAIN, HE WAS McCAIN'S WING MAN.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: HE WAS McCAIN'S RIGHTHAND GUY.
NOW HE SEEMS TO BE TRUMP'S WING MAN.
>> HE IS, ABSOLUTELY.
>> Stephen: ARE YOU SURPRISED BY HIM SWINGING FROM McCAIN TO
THE MAN WHO McCAIN PROBABLY HAD MORE CONTEMPT FOR THAN
ANYONE ELSE?
>> I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY PROBABLY ABOUT IT.
HE ABSOLUTELY HAD MORE CONTEMPT FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP THAN HE HAD
FOR ANYONE ELSE.
>> Stephen: WHY DO YOU THINK?
POLITICIANS ARE POLITICIANS.
POLITICIAN DO'S WHAT THEY NEED TO SURVIVE.
LINDSEY GRAHAM IS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA, WHICH DESPITE
THE SMALL POCKET OF YOUR RELATIVES, IS A VERY, VERY RED
STATE, A VERY -- >> Stephen: YOU HAVE NOT MET
ALL OF MY RELATIVES.
( LAUGHTER ) MY FAMILY'S PURPLE.
I'VE GOT A PURPLE FAMILY OUT THERE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) BUT IT'S ONE THING TO, LIKE,
SURVIVE AND NOT GO AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.
IT'S ENOUGH TO BE SO HEAVILY IN THE PRESIDENT'S --
>> WELL, HE'S UP FOR REELECTION IN 2020, AND LINDSEY GRAHAM, WHO
DOES GO OUT ON A LIMB ON SOME ISSUES AND REACH ACROSS THE
AISLE, SUCH AS IMMIGRATION REFORM, THAT'S ONE, IS
PERPETUALLY VULNERABLE TO A PRIMARY CHALLENGE, AND THERE
WERE, UNTIL RELATIVELY RECENTLY, UNTIL HE AND TRUMP WENT GOLFING
THAT TIME, THERE WAS A BUZZ ABOUT A NUMBER OF REPUBLICAN
MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE RUNNING AGAINST HIM IN THE PRIMARY AND
NOW THERE ISN'T BECAUSE HE HAS COZIED UP TO PRESIDENT TRUMP.
BY THE WAY, I THINK HE IS ALSO A PARTISAN REPUBLICAN WHO DOES NOT
LIKE WHAT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN DOING IN ALL THIS.
>> Stephen: SURE.
BUT IN TERMS OF GOING FROM, YOU KNOW, McCAIN'S WING MAN TO
TRUMP'S WING MAN, I THINK IT'S A BIG QUESTION OF, WELL, WHO WAS
THE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE IN 2008, OKAY, WHO WAS THE
PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE IN 2016, OKAY, I NEED TO GO WHERE THE
PARTY IS GOING.
>> Stephen: ON STATE OF THE UNION THIS PAST SUNDAY, IT WAS
JAKE TAPPER AND AN ALL FEMALE PANEL OF GUESTS INCLUDING
KELLYANNE CONWAY AND AMY KLOBUCHAR.
>> AND A PANEL OF FOUR WOMEN GUESTS AS WELL.
>> Stephen: DO YOU THINK THIS STORY WILL CHANGE HOW REPORTERS
COVER NOT JUST ACCUSATIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT BUT THE ROLE OF
WOMEN IN WASHINGTON POLITICS, THAT IT'S GOING TO CHANGE SORT
OF THE PRIMACY OR IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN'S VOICES?
>> I THINK SO.
I'VE HAD ALL-WOMAN PANELS LOTS OF TIMES, BUT THIS SUNDAY I FELT
WE'D HEAR FROM MEN ENOUGH.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( PIANO RIFF )
AND -- >> Stephen: WELL WITH, I DO
NOT HAVE A COPY OFFIT OUT HERE, BUT YOUR BOOK "THE OUTPOST" IS
NOW BEING MADE INTO A MOVE YMPLETS YEAH, THEY'RE FILMING IT
IN BULGARIA.
>> Stephen: AND IT'S ABOUT A UNIT FIGHTING IN AFGHANISTAN.
>> YEAH, IT'S A REAL STORY ABOUT AN INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS BATTLE
IN AFGHANISTAN IN 2009, WHERE ABOUT 50 OR SO U.S. TROOPS WOKE
UP ONE MORNING AND ABOUT 300 OR 400 TALIBAN AND INSURGENTS WERE
ATTACKING THEM.
>> Stephen: IT WAS ANNOUNCED FOR A WHILE IT WOULD BE MADE A
MOVIE AND IT HAS ORLANDO BLOOM.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: NOT PLAYING YOU?
YOU THINK I WOULD CAST ORLANDO BLOOM AS ME?
>> Stephen: WELL, WE DID.
WE CAST ORLANDO BLOOM AS YOU.
( LAUGHTER ) WE ALSO CAST ORLANDO BLOOM AS
YOU WHEN HE WAS NAKED ON THE PADDLE BOARD WITH KATY PERRY,
BUT THAT'S THE ONE CBS SAYS I CAN'T SHOW ON AIR.
I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU PRIVATELY BACKSTAGE.
>> THANK GOD FOR CBS.
>> Stephen: JAKE, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
"THE LEAD" AIRS WEEKDAYS ON CNN.
JAKE TAPPER, EVERYBODY!