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Donald Trump Talks Unity In Wake Of Assassination Attempt; Donald Trump Appears At Convention After Assassination Attempt; Investigators Search For Motive In Donald Trump Rally Shooting; Questions Over Security After Donald Trump Assassination Attempt; Trump Selects Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as Running Mate; Biden Says Media is Focusing on His Gaffes Instead of Fact-checking Trump; Private Efforts Urging Biden to Exit Race Continue; Judge Dismisses Trump's Classified Documents Case; Special Counsel to Appeal Dismissal of Trump Documents Case; Trump Supporters Pray at RNC Vigil After Shooting. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired July 16, 2024 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:32]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Just ahead, emotions run high on day one of the Republican National Convention, as Donald Trump makes his first public appearance since the assassination attempt.
And amid growing scrutiny of these Secret Service agency in the wake of that shooting, the director breaks her silence, calling the incident unacceptable.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, This is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: Fight, fight, fight. That was the chant on day one of the Republican National Convention. Those same words came from Donald Trump's Saturday following the assassination attempt.
Trump appeared at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee Wisconsin Monday night after the party formally nominated him as their candidate for president. He had a white bandage on his right ear, which was hit by a would be assassin in Pennsylvania.
Trump was accompanied by his vice presidential pick freshman Senator J. D. Vance of Ohio. If elected, Vance would be one of the youngest vice presidents in U.S. history at 39 years old.
The opening night of the convention feature stonewalled Trump supporters. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota. There was also controversial speakers including House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene all mentioning Saturday's assassination attempt. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): On Saturday, the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle. But an American lion got back up on his feet and he roared.
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): Two days ago, evil came for the man we admire and love so much. I thank God that His hand was on President Trump.
GOV. KRISTI NOEM (R-SD): Prior to this week, we already knew that President Donald Trump was a fighter. He is the toughest man that I have ever met. Nobody has endured more than what he has gone through. They've attacked his reputation. They impeached him. They tried to bankrupt him, and they unjustly prosecuted him.
But even in the most perilous moment this week, his instinct was to stand and to fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: More now from CNN's Kristen Holmes in Milwaukee.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a very emotional scene on the ground in Milwaukee, Wisconsin tonight as for President Donald Trump walked out for the first time in public since that assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania over the weekend, he had a bandage on his ear. He looked at times softer, almost as though he was going to cry, spoke to a number of aides and allies, supporters, all of whom had not seen him yet. And they were shocked at what they saw. They believed that this was almost scary and also, again, incredibly emotional.
And there are a lot of tears in the audience here. People who felt like this was a patriotic moment, one of the things that we had heard from a number of people he had spoken to that Donald Trump himself has said over and over again, that he feels he is lucky to be alive, that he believes there was some sort of divine intervention.
And talking to the people in the crowd here tonight, they think they saw that in his face. A number of them saying they think he is now a changed man. Now what we do know is that Donald Trump himself has been focusing on this concept of unity when he is talking to again aides, allies, supporters.
But whether or not that holds, that, of course, is going to be the big question moving forward. Donald Trump has not really been wanting to focus on unity. There have been brief moments of this in the past.
But right now we are told that he scrapped his entire speech that he had written or at least had an idea of in his head before that shooting took place. And now he wants to focus on unity. And that was also really what we saw a lot of in the speeches today, maybe not necessarily a big focus on the concept of unity, but really staying away from the more violent rhetoric that we have heard in months past, weeks past from a lot of these Republicans who were on the stage tonight.
Now, of course, we don't know if this is going to be the only time we see the former president before he takes the stage again on Thursday. I know that he has been eager to be interacting with supporters and allies. That was very clear here tonight, because one point there was a question of whether or not Donald Trump would actually come yesterday to Milwaukee.
[02:05:14]
But he didn show up here. So, very interesting to see how the rest of the week plays out. Of course, the big news again, coming out of today was one, the first time we're seeing him in public and two, his announcement of Ohio Senator J. D. Vance to be his running mate.
Kristen Holmes, CNN, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, CNN spoke with people in the crowd about J. D. Vance's securing Trump's pick as his running mate. And despite the senators past criticism of Trump, he got glowing reviews from the party faithful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP JR., DONALD TRUMP'S SON: I've seen him on T.V., I've seen him prosecute the case against the Democrats. I think no one's more articulate than that. And I think his story, his background really helps us in a lot of the places that you're going to need from the electoral college standpoint, and I think he's just going to be a great choice.
GOV. HENRY MCMASTER (R-SC): A lot of good people to choose from that I think J. D. Vance is perfect. Those two men think alike. They like each other. They want to take the country in the same direction. I think they'd be great, great team, maybe the perfect team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, the White House is also reacting to Trump's new vice presidential pick. Biden campaign officials say Vice President Kamala Harris reached out to Vance and left him a voicemail, congratulating him on his election. She hopes to meet with him at a vice presidential debate.
But the Trump campaign has not yet accepted that invitation. President Biden though isn't surprised by the pic referring to Vance as "A clone of Trump on the issues."
Speaking with NBC, the president pointed to Vance's shift in politics in recent years to align closer with Trump's platform. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's going to surround himself with people who agree completely with him, a voting record. I support him.
Even though if you go back and listen to what J. D. Vance said about Trump.
LESTER HOLT, NBC NEWS HOST: Well, he said some things about you, yes.
BIDEN: Well, he says something about me but see what he said about Trump. What's with you guys? Come on, man.
Look, the point I'm making is that J. D. Vance has adopted the same policies, no exceptions on abortion, making sure that a huge portion of the new $5 trillion tax cut that Trump wants to give in the next administration, signing on to the whole notion of whether or not we're going to -- he says there's no climate change is happening. I mean, he signed on to the Trump agenda, which he should if he's running with Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Ron Brownstein is CNN's senior political analyst and the senior editor for The Atlantic. He joins us from Los Angeles. Good to have you with us.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Lynda.
KINKADE: So, Ron, we saw Trump at the Republican National Convention for the first time since that assassination attempt. He will speak Thursday, and apparently he's ripped up his speech, his team are reworking it. What stood out to you on day one, and what do you think you'll hear when Trump speaks?
BROWNSTEIN: I think what stood out to me the most on day one was how they tried to have representatives who would kind of chip away at the Democratic coalition. You know, a number of Black male speakers, women speakers, Latina speakers, and of course, the -- maybe the most interesting event of the night was the speech by the head of the teamsters union, which was critical of both parties. And kind of difficult to kind of figure out, exa -- I think a lot of delegates had trouble figuring out exactly how they were supposed to react to the speaker at the Republican Convention, you know, praising unions and denouncing corporate power.
So, it was, I think, a confident kind of first night above all, obviously, it showed that this is Trump's party, the rapturous reception that he got, the kind of the tracking shot of him coming into the hall reminiscent of what Bill Clinton did in 2000, which was self-reminiscent of good fellas and Martin Scorsese.
So, I think it was Trump's party, and it's a party that feels confident enough that they can try to make inroads into the Democratic coalition, which in fact, polling shows that they are in position to do and that is the main reason why he's in a stronger overall position than he was at this point in 2020.
KINKADE: And, of course, Trump announced his running mate, a former Yale graduate who once likened Trump to Hitler. Let's just take a listen to what he said in the past.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Half of the things that he says don't make any sense or a quarter of the things that he says are offensive. I might have to hold my nose and vote for Hillary Clinton.
I can't stomach Trump. I think that he's noxious and is leading the white working class to a very dark place.
I'm a Never Trump guy. I never liked him.
He seems to like actively antagonizing a lot of the black photo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: So, that's Senator J. D. Vance, who once called himself a Never Trump guy who is now Donald Trump's running mate. Trump had other options. Why him?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes, for J. D. Vance, a reminder of the old Soviet lifeline nevermind.
[02:10:05]
Look, I think J. D. -- I think he picked J. D. Vance, because he wants a successor and an acolyte more than any me electoral advantage.
I mean, there are others you know, with Virginia suddenly in play, Glenn Youngkin would not have been a crazy pick with their inroads among Black men, Tim Scott would not have been a crazy pick.
But I think J. D. Vance offers him someone who in a way of repenting from that earlier resistance to Trump has become one of the most full throated advocates of the national populist MAGA agenda, you know, and it's gone from basically arguing, as you saw in that clip, that Trump represented a dead end for the white working class to kind of preventing -- presenting him to salvation. I think it suggests that he sees Vance as an inheritor of his movement.
You know, it's not a pick that does an enormous amount in kind of immediate electoral sense. I think Democrats don't view Vance as really expanding Trump's reach in any important way. But it does give him someone who is not going to challenge him.
And you can bet, if it somehow came down to it, he would not make the kind of decision that Mike Pence did on January 6th, in fact, he has openly said -- Vance has openly said that, you know, Trump should be willing to defy Supreme Court decisions. So, I think it's loyalty and succession more than immediate political
benefit.
KINKADE: You make some good points. I have to ask you, though, Ron, politically speaking, what does the assassination attempt mean for both Trump and Biden?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, look, one thing it clearly does, and you saw that tonight, and this was something Trump was good at, anyway, it is going to mean enormous Republican turnout.
I mean, this Republican idea that Trump is being persecuted, and his success at convincing the Republican base that he's being persecuted on their behalf. Obviously got turbocharged.
Now, you know, we don't know anything about the motive of the -- of the shooter, what we do know, you know, does not accord with the narrative that somehow this is the left targeting Donald Trump.
In fact, you know, neighbors were telling Pittsburgh television, they saw Trump signs in front of the house, but I think at the least it does that.
Second, it does complicate for Democrats, the democracy argument, you know, what you saw the president today kind of struggling in his interview with Lester Holt to figure out exactly how to talk about, you know, Donald Trump and his relationship to democracy.
I mean, Donald Trump is still the same person who said his opponents are communists and Marxist and fascists and live in this country like vermin. You know, that is still Donald Trump, the Republican platform still talks about mass deportation.
So, everything that was true about Donald Trump before the shooting is true after the shooting, the challenge of how you express that in this environment, I think is going to be an issue for Democrats.
But I also think that, you know, any more than the debate, I'm not sure this fundamentally changes the dynamic Trump is ahead, because voters are dissatisfied with Biden's performance, and two thirds of them think he is too old, Biden has an uphill climb if Democrats stick with him, but I'm not sure this fundamentally puts the race out of reach as some Republicans are saying, particularly if Democrats do switch their nominee which looks less than less likely.
KINKADE: Yes. All right. We'll leave it there for now. We will talk again soon, no doubt. Ron Brownstein, thank you.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
KINKADE: Well, we are learning new details about the investigation into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and the movements of the shooter ahead of that attack. We'll have the latest when we come back.
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KINKADE: U.S. President Joe Biden is defending himself against criticism over his own rhetoric admitting his bullseye comment about Donald Trump was a mistake.
Mr. Biden's words on the campaign trail are under the spotlight in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on the former U.S. president on Saturday. President Biden had said it's, "Time to put Trump in a bullseye during a call with donors last week." He explains what he meant to NBC's Lester Holt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLT: The term is bullseye.
BIDEN: It was a -- it was a mistake to use or I didn't -- I didn't say crosshairs and I've said bull's eye, I meant focus on him. Focus on what he's doing. Focus on his -- on his policies. Focus on the number of lies he told on the debate. Focus --
I mean, there's a whole range of things that, look, I'm not the guy that said, I want to be a dictator on day one. I'm not the guy that refused to accept the outcome of the election. I'm not the guy who said that won't accept the outcome of this election automatically. You can't only love your country when you win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, in that interview, President Biden also said the U.S. Secret Service has his full confidence amid questions over the agency's security preparations following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
The director of the Secret Service spoke for the first time since that weekend shooting, calling the violence "unacceptable," and saying the buck stops with me.
Those comments coming as we learn new details about the investigation. A source telling CNN that snipers were inside the building where a gunman was on the roof before opening fire.
CNN's Danny Freeman has more details from Butler, Pennsylvania.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANNY FREEMAN (voiceover): On Monday, we learned a tremendous amount of new information not only when it comes to what exactly happened, and how was this shooting able to happen behind me at the fairgrounds here in Butler, Pennsylvania. But also we learned more information about the shooter's movements leading up to this assassination attempt.
But first, I'll start with that question of what happened here. Well, we did hear from a Secret Service spokesperson earlier on Monday saying that they did not sweep the building that Thomas Crooks the shooter was perched on top of when he fired those shots.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service said that it was actually local law enforcement who was responsible for searching and covering that area because it was outside of the perimeter of that Trump campaign event.
But the Secret Service did not say specifically who in local law enforcement was responsible for this. Well, what has resulted is a bit of a blame game and finger pointing.
And we spoke with the Pennsylvania State Police who told us that they were not responsible for that particular area.
And furthermore, they reiterated that they gave Secret Service all of the resources that Secret Service asked for when they were asking state police to help provide security for this particular event.
And that's why the State Police emphasized that in these sorts of events which they've done multiple of, Secret Service is the one who is the lead organization for these types of rallies.
Now, I want to move on to the new information that we learned about the shooter's movements prior to the event. We're learning from CNN's John Miller through law enforcement sources, that back on Friday, a day before the shooting, Thomas Crooks actually went to a gun range. And that's important because Thomas Crooks belong to a particular gun range of sportsman's club where there was a range that was about 200 yards, that's notably just a little bit farther of a range than the distance between where the gunman was perched on that rooftop and former President Donald Trump onstage at that rally.
Then, according to CNN's John Miller, the shooter on Saturday morning, purchased a ladder then later in the day purchased 50 rounds of ammunition from a local ammunition store in the area near not too far, I should say, from his house.
But here's the thing, even though there has been all this evidence and all of this investigation, and that is included the cell phone of the shooter that the FBI is now telling CNN they have now finished processing, we have learned that through law enforcement sources, the FBI still has not been able to come up with a solid motive for this case. And that's after searching his phone, that's after interviews with family, interviews with friends and going through the shooter's search history leading up to this particular incident.
[02:20:13]
The FBI at this point, and law enforcement sources telling CNN that they just do not have an ideology and a motivation for this shooting.
So, that mystery at this point still open. Still a number of questions remaining about how this all came to pass.
Danny Freeman, CNN Butler, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE) KINKADE: Charles Marino is a former Secret Service special agent and former adviser to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He joins us now from Columbia, South Carolina. Good to have you with us.
CHARLES MARINO, FORMER SECRET SERVICE SPECIAL AGENT: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: So, you've been a Secret Service special agent under three presidents in various locations and while in transit. There are many unanswered questions with regards to this attempted assassination.
The biggest question I have is how did this happen while Trump was under the protection of the Secret Service at a planned event?
MARINO: Well, I can tell you, Lynda, the Secret Service spends a lot of time on what I would call the proactive side that is identifying and mitigating risks. They send agents out in advance of the event taking place. They survey the setup for the particular event and the surrounding environment.
The formation of the security plan is based on three concentric rings of security, the inner, the middle, and the outer perimeters of security.
This building fell within the outer perimeter of security. The Secret Service relies heavily on the support of state and local law enforcement no matter where they go in the United States.
And as a result, the Secret Service puts together and is responsible for the overall security plan and the implementation of security resources that includes both special agents with the Secret Service, uniformed division officers and state and local law enforcement.
State and local law enforcement is primarily positioned within the middle perimeter and the outer perimeters and the Secret Services responsible for identifying those risks, like direct line of sight, elevated buildings, similar to where the shooter positioned himself to carry out the attack.
And then they are to position state and local law enforcement officers to mitigate those threats and advise the counter sniper team, which you saw eliminate that threat the other day to those threats.
KINKADE: And speaking of that outer perimeter, we understand that local police were charged with securing that building. In fact, the chief of the Secret Service said local police were in the same building as the gunmen. What does that tell you?
MARINO: Well, the Secret Service bears responsibility on the implementation, the effective implementation of the security plan, that is to check and check again, to make sure that areas of concern on the outer perimeter, keeping in mind this building was approximately only 130 yards away with a direct line of sight of where the president was be speaking, to make sure that the local police departments supporting them are doing what's been requested.
This is a continuous responsibility of the Secret Service to make sure that any areas of concern have been and continue to be addressed during the duration of the event.
KINKADE: Interesting to hear that a friend of a suspected gunman says he didn't get into the junior varsity rifle club because he was a terrible shot. Yet he was able to shoot and strike a former president from this rooftop that was 450 feet about 140 meters away.
And some people attending that rally claimed that they told police before the shooting that they've spotted this person. If that's true, what does that tell you about the communications between local police and Secret Service?
MARINO: Yes, that's a good point, it's going to be an area of concern. And you know, what happens when you have a catastrophic failure like this as you begin to uncover other failures, other systems in place that didn't work and communication is going to be one of them.
Not only the fact that this shooter was spotted, acting suspiciously, and in some cases, while being armed, but also why wasn't this information getting to where it needed to get in a more timely manner?
For example, if the shooter was identified by all reports, as early as 30 minutes prior to the event, why was the former president ever brought to the stage until being informed that this threat was mitigated or discovered, police couldn't find this individual, they were still searching for this individual. And yet, the president took the stage.
[02:25:14]
So, this tells me that the inner working detail that's permanently assigned to the former president may not have been informed about the threat. That's a problem.
And also what was the communication like, between local law enforcement and the counter snipers from the Secret Service and local authorities that were on the roof that eventually solved that threat and mitigated it, but only after the firing started?
KINKADE: There are, of course, multiple investigations underway. The chief of the Secret Service says the buck stops with her. What other outstanding questions do you have as these investigations get underway?
MARINO: Well, you know, I appreciate the statement from the director of the Secret Service, but then you can't turn around and blame state and local law enforcement authorities for causing this, which is what happened. And this can have an extremely detrimental effect on the relationship between the Secret Service and local authorities around the world, because they're all watching what's going to happen here.
And if they're worried that they're going to get blamed in the event, that something happens, something goes wrong, then they're going to hold back and be more cautious about providing that assistance when the Secret Service calls in the future.
KINKADE: Charles Marino, we'll leave it there for now but hope to get you back on the program as these investigations unfold. Good to have you with us. Thank you.
MARINO: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: Still to come, Donald Trump let's this suspends bill before finally naming his running mate. More details in the former president's appearance at the Republican National Convention when we come back.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is therefore, my honor to nominate Ohio Senator J. D. Vance for the office of Vice President of the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:30:00]
KINKADE: Senator J.D. Vance is Donald Trump's running mate, the former U.S. president announcing the Ohio Senator as his VP pick via social media on Monday. Trump and Vance appeared together at the Republican National Convention Monday evening. Trump's right ear bandaged because of his wound from Saturday's assassination attempt.
The Trump campaign is working to win back black voters. But while black voters overwhelmingly vote for Democrats, President Joe Biden's advantage among the group is not as wide as it was four years ago. Monday night's RNC speakers featured a number of black Republicans who praised Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN JAMES, (R-MI): I heard a little earlier today, if you don't vote Donald Trump, you ain't black.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SEN. TIM SCOTT, (R-SC): America is not a racist country.
(CROWD CHEERING)
AMBER ROSE, MEDIA PERSONALITY AND INFLUENCER: I realized Donald Trump and his supporters don't care if you're black, white, gay, or straight. It's all love --
(CROWD CHEERING)
ROSE: -- and that's when it hit me, these are my people, this is where.
(CROWD CHEERING)
KINKADE: Trump called (ph) Vance on Monday to officially offering the spot just 20 minutes before the former president made the announcement on social media.
He wrote that after lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I've decided that the person best suited to assume the position of vice president of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the great state of Ohio. Speaking to Fox News later that night, Vance shared Trump's explanation as to why he picked him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE, (R-OH) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He just said, look, I think we got to go save this country, I think you're the guy who could help me in the best way. You can help me govern; you can help me win. You could help me in some of these Midwestern states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and so forth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Vance posted on X late Monday that he is just overwhelmed with gratitude to be Trump's running mate. He'll speak to the Convention Wednesday, followed by Trump's speech on Thursday. CNN's Phil Mattingly reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF U.S. DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: For delegates here on the floor, the first day of the Republican National Convention was news-wise, by far the most important issue was J.D. Vance, the Senator from Ohio, is now the vice presidential running mate for former President Donald Trump. That was the big breaking news the day -- the big breaking moment of the night, without any question at all, was the appearance of the former president for the first time in front of a major crowd since the assassination attempt, the attempt on his life that left him with a bandage over his ear, joining several top allies and family members in the VIP box to watch several of the speeches tonight.
Also, getting a roaring, roaring welcome from a Republican Party that I don't (ph) think without any question, was unified going into this first night of the Republican Convention, even before the assassination attempt. Now, there's no question about it. They believe that Donald Trump is not only going to be the next president of the United States, they also believe that he is the party, and there's no question about that. You saw it at every single moment of that first day. You are certainly going to be seeing it in the days ahead.
Phil Mattingly, CNN, in the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Donald Trump reportedly received some help from his inner circle with choosing Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate. CNN Political Analysts, Maggie Haberman, describes the hours leading up to the former U.S. president's big announcement. MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: People were calling Donald Trump, telling him to pick Vance, not to pick Vance. I think that he had an idea of what he wanted to do for a while, but he tends to second guess himself and he tends to leave things open until the last minute. He did absolutely want to have a surprise, there's no question. He wanted to control the announcement. He likes to narrate everything he does, including his own indictments and convictions and so forth. And so, this is not a surprise.
When we started hearing that people had been getting calls, that it wasn't them, it became pretty clear where this was headed and this was -- there were --there was a group of people who are pushing Vance who were very vocal, Donald Trump Jr., not just behind the scenes, but also publicly. Trump cares a lot about chemistry and the only one of the top three who he really has chemistry with is J.D. Vance, number one. Number two, money, which was a big concern for a while for the Trump campaign, was something that donors suggested was an issue why he should pick Burgum or Rubio that Vance didn't have the same connection with donors.
Trump's campaign has raised so much money since he was convicted and since his indictments, and I think since the weekend and the attempt on his life, that I think money became less of a concern.
KINKADE: Well, Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., is supposedly one of Vance's biggest supporters. Sources say he and some others (inaudible) the Senator would be the most loyal to Trump.
Well, U.S. President Joe Biden is slamming news media for focusing on his gaffes in last month's debate instead of fact-checking his opponent, Donald Trump. Speaking to NBC, Mr. Biden struck a defiant tone when asked if he'd consider doing another debate before the next scheduled one in September.
[02:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's going to surround himself with people who agree completely with him. I have a voting record. I support him. Even though if you go back and
listen to the things that JD Vance said about Trump --
(LAUGH)
LESTER HOLT, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Well, that -- he says some things about me, but see what he said about Trump. What's with you guys? Come on, man. Look, the point I'm making is that J.D. Vance has adopted the same policies. No exceptions on abortion, making sure that he supports a new $5 trillion tax cut that Trump wants to give in the next administration, signing on to the whole notion of whether or not we're going to -- there's -- he says there's no climate change that's happening. I mean, he signed on to the Trump agenda, which he should if he's running with Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, the public calls from Democrats urging Joe Biden to exit the presidential race have quietened in recent days, but several Democratic sources tell CNN that private efforts to nudge the president and his top aides continue. Those efforts include numerous memoirs from seasoned Democratic Pollster, Stanley Greenberg, who claims Mr. Biden is on track to lose the election and potentially lose so big that it hurts other Democratic candidates as well.
David Axelrod, CNN's Senior Political Commentator and former Senior Adviser to President Barack Obama, says President Biden may, to some extent, not fully comprehend his poor polling and just how concerned some Democrats are over his decision to stay in the race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: There's no dearth of information, no dearth of people who are delivering the same message. And of course, the leaders are very concerned about what the implications are for their members in the fall and particularly, if Donald Trump wins the presidential election, that gives them a greater sense of urgency to try and at least hold one of the -- win one of the Houses.
But all of this only -- it always comes down to the same thing. First of all, what information is actually reaching the president? Because he has a very insular group around him and they filter the information that gets to him. Does he understand where he really is in this race? Because I think that people who come with discouraging information are sort of not invited back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, in a stunning ruling, a Florida judge has dismissed the classified documents case against Donald Trump, but the legal wrangling is not over. We'll explain what happens next when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: An astonishing decision in the classified documents case against Donald Trump, a federal judge dismissed the case Monday, saying Special Counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutionally appointed. CNN's Evan Perez explains the decision and what might happen next.
[02:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: A federal judge in Florida on Monday dismissed the classified documents case against Donald Trump. It's a surprising ruling that for now, clears away one of the major legal challenges facing the former president. It was a 93-page ruling from Judge Aileen Cannon and she said that the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith violated the constitution because he was not confirmed by the U.S. Senate. And she didn't rule on the specifics of the charges that Trump faces for allegedly mishandling classified documents. Now, it is a ruling that goes against rulings by multiple other judges in and other similar cases which have upheld the legality of special counsels. Cannon wrote, "In the end, it seems the executives' growing comfort in pointing regulatory special counsels in the more recent era has followed an ad hoc pattern with little judicial scrutiny."
The special counsel's office says that the Justice Department has approved plans to appeal Cannon's ruling. They said, "The dismissal of the case deviates from the uniform conclusion of all previous courts to have considered the issue that the attorney general is statutorily authorized to appoint a special counsel."
Now, Smith had charged Trump last year with taking classified documents from the White House and for obstructing the government's attempts to retrieve those materials. He has pleaded not guilty. The former president also faces charges brought by Smith in Washington, D.C. for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. A judge there had rejected the same Trump claims over Smith's appointment.
Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.
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KINKADE: Bradley Moss is a national security attorney. He joins us now from Washington. Good to have you with us.
BRADLEY MOSS, NATIONAL SECURITY ATTORNEY: Absolutely happy to help any time.
KINKADE: So, this ruling was an absolute shock. This federal judge appointed by Trump in 2020 has dismissed Trump's classified documents case and in her ruling, Judge Cannon said the clerk is directed to close the case, any scheduled hearings are canceled. Her reason was that the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith violated the constitution. Explain why.
MOSS Yes. So the crux of the challenge that Donald Trump was bringing in this particular motion was the idea that the appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel, through the special counsel regulations, was unconstitutional in the sense that it violated what's known as the appropriations clause and the appointments clause. Specifically, what Judge Cannon focused on was the idea that Jack Smith was improperly appointed, that the Justice Department doesn't have the authority, absent some kind of delegation from Congress, to create that role and specifically not for someone who is at that time a private citizen.
This ruling rather controversial in the sense that it flies in the face of decades of precedent, institutional precedent, case law, policy, as recently as the Mueller probe during the Trump presidency, this very same issue was litigated with someone who was at the time of private citizen and it was upheld. This flies in the face of everything that had previously existed. It will automatically be appealed, but it's going to take time and delay is Donald Trump's best friend. KINKADE: Yeah. As you say, we've seen so many administrations do this in the past. In terms of the appeal, the Justice Department has already said it's going to appeal. On what grounds?
MOSS: So it's going to be an immediate bill (ph) as the case is over right now. As far as everybody is concerned, the case is dead. She threw out the indictment. It's over against Donald Trump and his co- defendants. It's all based on the idea of whether or not the government had the authority through Jack Smith to bring the case itself. So they're going to bring this now to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals to review the legal appropriateness of Judge Cannon's ruling. The Eleventh Circuit has already previously twice ruled against Judge Cannon in this matter. That was during the pre- indictment phase, when she tried to point a special master, they rejected her on that. It's almost certain that they will reverse her here. But if they do, no matter who wins or loses at the Eleventh Circuit, the loser will appeal to the supreme court.
KINKADE: And of course, this case was considered the most serious case against Donald Trump. There are, of course, other cases pending. What does this mean for the other cases?
MOSS: So, it's almost certainly going to come up in the D.C. case because that's the other case that Jack Smith has brought, that obviously was the election interference case. Once the mandate comes back down from the supreme court, that issue (ph) that immunity decision. Judge Chutkan out there in D.C. is going to almost immediately be faced with a motion from Trump's team to throw out that indictment on the same exact arguments, citing to Judge Cannon's analysis.
Judge Chutkan will then have to basically decide whether Judge Cannon got it right or if she did in fact conflict and rule against everything else that have been established.
[02:45:00]
Whatever Judge Chutkan decides, of course, will ultimately be resolved based off how the Florida appeal goes, since that will almost certainly go to the supreme court.
KINKADE: And it's interesting to note though that several special counsels, even during Trump's last administration, were run this exact same way. There is, of course, the case against Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, who was prosecuted by a special counsel. What could this ruling mean for him?
MOSS: It could absolutely implicate that case, although that is slightly different because David Weiss, who is a special counsel in the Hunter Biden matter, is already an existing U.S. government employee, so there could be an argument that there is a distinction.
But the irony, all of this -- of this ruling is that the Robert Hur investigation into President Biden is by virtue of what Judge Cannon just concluded, an entirely illegal investigation. That whole report that was issued, all of the subpoenas that are coming out from Congress, trying to get tapes from the Justice Department, according to Judge Cannon, the Robert Hur investigation would be unconstitutional, illegal as well, and that whole report is apparently a nullity because that would have been an improper appointment.
This is what happens when judges -- these random rogue district court judges, issue these rulings flying in the face of established precedent and established policy. It's going to have temporary effect most likely; it's going to have to go through the appellate litigation now.
KINKADE: So, we will see this appeals process play out. Is there any chance that the Justice Department could simply appoint another special counsel?
MOSS: No, they're not going to go that route (inaudible) other reason, that doesn't solve anything for them. They'd face the exact same motion, exact same challenge. You can't just swap someone in and out. They're going to appeal -- they've already announced they're going to bring this before the Eleventh Circuit. The only question is how expedited a treatment the Eleventh Circuit gives it. Do they resolve it in say the next six weeks to nine weeks, or do they resolve in the next six months to nine months? Nobody knows yet.
KINKADE: All right. Bradley Moss, good to have your analysis. We appreciate your time. Thank you.
MOSS: Of course.
KINKADE: Just ahead, President Donald Trump and calls from his supporters to tone down the political rhetoric as they gather in Milwaukee for the National Convention of the Republican Party.
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KINKADE: The shocking violence at Donald Trump's Pennsylvania rally has shaken a nation with the attempted assassination of the former president playing out before cameras and his supporters. A CNN Investigation has tracked those moments minute by minute using footage from that day. CNN's Alexandra King has the details.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Donald J. Trump.
ALEXANDRA KING, CNN DIGITAL PRODUCER (voice-over): On Saturday, July 13th at 6:02 p.m., former President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Approximately 11 minutes later, he will leave the stage, having survived an assassination attempt. Here we show you what happened in those 11 minutes from multiple angles and perspectives, captured by both CNN's cameras and witnesses at the rally.
CNN has synched footage taken by spectators with the official feet (ph) of the Trump rally by matching the audio of Trump's onstage remarks, which can also be heard in the videos filmed by rally-goers.
[02:50:00]
(CROWD CHEERING)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a big crowd -- this is a big, big, beautiful crowd.
(CROWD CHEERING)
KING (voice-over): Minutes after Trump says this, at 6:09 p.m., a person just outside the rally spots and begins filming what appears to be a man cooling on a roof.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, on top of the roof, look. There he is right there. Right there, you see him? He is lying down. You see him?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, he is lying down.
KING (voice-over): For several seconds, spectators attempt to draw attention to the man on the roof. The building is located approximately 400 feet to 500 feet away from the rally stage. A spokesperson for the United States secret service told CNN that the agency did not personally sweep the building, but instead leaned on local law enforcement to conduct security at that location.
TRUMP: That job that I love so much.
KING (voice-over): The Pennsylvania State Police said that they were not responsible for the area where the building was located. CNN has reached out to the local Butler County Police Department for comment but has not heard back.
TRUMP: They are getting better with time. My guys, take a look at that chart. Take a look at the arrow in the bottom, see the big red arrow, right?
KING (voice-over): Trump asks his staff to pull up a chart on in nearby screen to show the audience Border Patrol statistics. Trump will later say that his decision to turn his head away from the crowd, something he says he rarely does at rallies, so that he can look at that chart, caused the would-be assassin to miss and likely saved his life.
At 06:11, shots rang out.
TRUMP: Take a look at what happened.
KING (voice-over): Trump grabs for his ear, then gets down on the stage as he is rushed by secret service agents. About a minute later, a spectator captures footage of other rally-goers calling for medical aid, indicating that an individual has been shot in the head. The man who later died was identified as Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer firefighter and father of two from Pennsylvania.
Two other rally-goers were in critical but stable condition two days after the shooting. During this time, the mic picks up someone saying that the shooter has been killed.
As he gets to his feet, the mic also picks up Trump asking to put his shoes back on.
TRUMP: Let me get my shoes.
KING (voice-over): He later told the "New York Post" in an interview that when the secret service came to his aid, they inadvertently tackled him out of his shoes. After rising to his feet, before leaving the stage, Trump raises his fist and appears to mouth the words (inaudible).
(CROWD CHEERING)
KING (voice-over): Trump is then whisked away in a vehicle to safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see the guy down. I think they hit him, the guy is (inaudible).
KING (voice-over): Footage captured after the shooting shows the lifeless body of Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The secret service said that a counter-sniper killed Crooks. The FBI have not yet been able to determine a motive for the shooting, but are investigating it as an attempted assassination and potentially an act of domestic terrorism.
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KINKADE: Well, CNN is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where some Donald Trump supporters are warning their fellow Americans against ascending into deeper political division after the assassination attempt on the former president Saturday.
Our Donie O'Sullivan went to a vigil outside of the Republican National Convention the day after the shooting, but Trump supporters were praying and discussing the state of political rhetoric in America.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was actually in the airport when the news broke.
CHRIS, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I was at home sitting on my couch. I couldn't believe my eyes. I mean, this is America.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are here for a prayer vigil just outside the main security perimeter of the RNC in Milwaukee. This event was put together at last-minute after the attempted assassination of former President Trump last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe the Lord Almighty was with Donald Trump yesterday. God's hands of protection was around him as we have prayed for him many, many times before.
[02:55:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've worked elections for 18 years. Side-by-side some of my best friends for over the last 18 years are Democratic voters and poll workers. And they are as appalled as we are about this.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This shouldn't happen in America.
O'SULLIVAN: Of course.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- shouldn't. This is not a third world country.
CHRIS: It's because of the rhetoric. Look, everybody is so divided.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah.
CHRIS: No one likes extreme left and no one likes extreme right. We got to find some consensus in the middle and people might talk about that but both sides do it, they vilify each other. It's ridiculous. It's just got to stop.
O'SULLIVAN: Is that on both sides?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On both sides.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, absolutely. Oh, absolutely. How can we call each other names? And then have Republicans and Democrats win and have them sit at the same table and negotiate when you've called each other morons and idiots --
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- and Nazis? It's not conducive to having a real dialog and getting things done.
O'SULLIVAN: What do you think has happened for, I mean, I know you're holding this sign that says fight, fight, fight. I take it, you obviously don't want to see more violence (inaudible).
CHRIS SLINKER, RNC DELEGATE: No. No, no. I don't think it's a violent fight.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes.
SLINKER: I think this is a fight that can be won intelligently. I think it's about fighting to restore decency to this country.
O'SULLIVAN: There has been pretty universal -- on the part of Democratic leaders, elected officials, Biden --
CHRIS: Yeah.
O'SULLIVAN: -- there's been pretty unanimous condemnation of the attempted assassination of Trump.
CHRIS: And there should be, yep.
O'SULLIVAN: I've seen some Democrats make the point --
CHRIS: Yep.
O'SULLIVAN: -- that when it came to Paul (ph) Pelosi and other things, that Republicans were not as straightforward saying, we condemn this, that there was people joking about it. There was --
CHRIS: Oh, yeah, you don't joke about when somebody gets hurt. I don't care what their --
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah.
CHRIS: -- political feelings or what side they lean.
O'SULLIVAN: Yeah.
CHRIS: You don't joke about that.
O'SULLIVAN: How do you think the temperature can be turned down a bit?
SLINKER: I'm not interested in toning it down. They've almost just killed our president. They almost just murdered him. This isn't a time to tone down; this is a time to turn up.
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KINKADE: Well, thanks for your company this hour. I'm Lynda Kinkade. "CNN Newsroom" continues in just a moment with my colleague, Rosemary Church. Stay with us. You are watching CNN.
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