Return to Transcripts main page
Erin Burnett Outfront
Trump Fires Campaign Manager; Son-in-Law A Key Player in Trump's Inner Circle; Official: New Video of Orlando Gunman Practicing with Rifle; FBI Releases Full Transcript of Killer's 911 Call; Police: Man Drove to Las Vegas to Try and Kill Trump; Navy SEAL Killed in Battle with 100 ISIS Soldiers. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired June 20, 2016 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:09] ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Next, breaking news. Fire. Donald Trump's campaign manager out tonight. New details on how it went down and why the Trump family called an intervention.
Plus, more breaking news at this hour. A man arrested for trying to kill Donald Trump at a rally. New details just coming into CNN.
And a Navy S.E.A.L. dead after a firefight with ISIS. What happened? The exclusive. Let's go OUFRONT.
And good evening, I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news. Fired. Donald Trump in the most significant shakeup of this election telling controversial campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski he's out. It was a dramatic move coming less than month before the GOP convention and acknowledgment by the presumptive nominee that his campaign needs a new direction and needs it fast. Lewandowski escorted out of Trump Tower today after being fired. Talked to our Dana Bash and what was at times a very surreal conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First, from your perspective, what happened? Why were you fired?
COREY LEWANDOWSKI, DONALD TRUMP'S FORMER CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Yes. I don't know. I don't -- I don't know the answer to that. Things change as a campaign evolves and a general election campaign against a very well-funded, giant organization like the Clinton campaign is very different than running against those smaller, primary state elections.
BASH: Were you surprised? Were you blindsided?
LEWANDOWSKI: Yes. I don't know if it's so much of that. You know, there's been a lot of conjecture in the media lately about what's going on well and what isn't going on well in the campaign. I think a lot of that is just a media trying to hype up a campaign.
BASH: Sources who I've talked to and others have talked to said that they described you as a hot head and that you just didn't treat people right. What do you say to that?
LEWANDOWSKI: I think I'm a very intense person. And my expectation is perfection. Because I think it's what Mr. Trump deserves. I think he deserves the very best because he has put his life and his fortune into this campaign.
BASH: But this is -- my question is about you.
LEWANDOWSKI: I understand. Because leadership starts at the top. And I see what he's put into the campaign and when I see someone who I don't think is working as hard as the person who is funding the campaign as the campaign principle, meaning the candidate, yes, that bothers me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: That firing comes amid sagging poll numbers, fund-raising problems and talk of a delegate revolt against Trump at the convention. But Trump in an interview with FOX News just moments ago shrugged off the entire shakeup. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: With Corey, I'm really proud of him. He did a great job. But we're going to go a little bit of a different route.
BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: All right. So, it's a different style -- different style, and you're bringing in some --
TRUMP: A little different style, yes.
O'REILLY: All right.
TRUMP: Little different style.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right. My panelists here including Dana Bash, who obviously you just saw in that interview. I want to begin, though, with Phil Mattingly. Because Phil, we have heard so many stories about battle inside the Trump campaign. What did today tell us about how those battles are finally shaking out?
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's family above all else, Erin. When it comes to Corey Lewandowski, one of the longest serving lieutenants inside the Trump campaign, it seemed for many, even amid all of those fights that he would never be dislodged. But over the course of a couple of weeks, Donald Trump's family lining up against Corey Lewandowski, and today his reign came to an end.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: Corey, good job, Corey. Good job.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Today Donald Trump's embattled campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski is out.
BASH: What happened? Why were you fired? LEWANDOWSKI: I don't know. I don't -- I don't know the answer to
that.
MATTINGLY: Lewandowski started the day on a regularly scheduled RNC messaging call. One person on the call making clear, nothing seemed strange or different. Yet within hours, he would be escorted out of Trump Tower by security according to one source. Part angry, part relieved and no longer the unlikely insurgent campaign manager for the unlikely insurgent campaign that has turned 2016 on its head.
LEWANDOWSKI: I give my opinion probably to my own detriment too many times. And I will fight for my opinions, forcefully. At the end of the day, there's one person who makes a decision on this campaign as it goes forward and it should be that way.
MATTINGLY: Lewandowski's sudden departure coming on the heels of long running tension between him and other Trump insiders. The final straw, according to sources, Trump family members finally had enough. Trump's daughter, Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, were instrumental in convincing Trump to cast off his controversial campaign manager, sources say. But Lewandowski tells CNN's Dana Bash, he has no hard feelings.
LEWANDOWSKI: Yes. I had a nice conversation with Mr. Trump and I said to him it's been an honor and a privilege to be part of this. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I think as you look at how small this team has been, and how close-knit this team has been, it's really important to know there are highs and lows in every campaign and we have been through them together. And in order to be successful, we need to continue to build that team and build those relationships within the RNC and realize the resources that they have available to us. So that's where the campaign is going, and it's been a great privilege. And, look, I wouldn't change one second.
MATTINGLY: The move, a clear acknowledgment from Trump that change wasn't just necessary, but desperately needed as he heads into the general election. But what sources describe as a sudden move, still may not be enough to calm rest of Republicans who believe the problem isn't the staff, but the candidate himself. And they're pushing to dump Trump at the Republican convention next month.
[19:05:46] STEVE LONEGAN, SPOKESMAN, COURAGEOUS CONSERVATIVE PAC: I don't care if we go to 5:00, 6:00 in the morning, 35, 36, 37 ballots. We are going to pick the candidate best suited to beat Hillary Clinton and advance to the Republican Party. We can't allow Donald Trump to take the Republican Party down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: Now, Erin, while a convention coup is certainly unlikely, there is no question Republicans across the ideological spectrum of the party are very nervous, very uneasy about what they have seen over the course of the last couple of weeks. The reality here is this. Donald Trump's children plus Paul Manafort, the chief strategist now, new campaign manager, were brought in to professionalize this campaign. BURNETT: Uh-hm.
MATTINGLY: Yet Hillary Clinton has ten times more staffers, hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank. Donald Trump Erin doesn't have a single general election ad up in the air right now. If change is going to happen, certainly this is a harbinger of that, but a lot of Republicans right now asking, is it too late -- Erin.
BURNETT: Is it too little and too late. Thank you very much Phil Mattingly.
And now Mark Preston, our executive editor of Politics, Hillary Clinton supporter Basil Smikle. Donald Trump supporter Kayleigh McEnany. Dana Bash, our chief political correspondent. Trump supporter Jason Osborne and Bob Vander Plaats who was the co-chair for Ted Cruz's campaign, attending a meeting with Trump and evangelical leaders tomorrow. Not a never Trump or a stop Trumper, but maybe one day, we shall see. We're going to ask you.
But Dana, let me start with you. Corey Lewandowski there, almost crying when he was talking to you. And his answers completely at odds with the reporting.
BASH: I mean, at one point in the interview, I said to him. People watching this might think that you're on kind of a different planet than we are in that just a few hours before we talked, he was fired. And he was talking about everything and I really went through the infrastructure, the structure and then, of course, the personnel issues that we have been reporting on that Phil talked about in his piece. And, you know, from his perspective, at least in the interview, everything was fine, everything was great.
I think that speaks to a lot of things. But most importantly, the fact that that he is going to be loyal and is going to continue to be loyal the way he believes that Donald Trump was loyal it to him. Didn't cut him loose at a time when most politicians on the planet would have done so when Corey Lewandowski got into trouble and was arrested. And you know, sort of -- didn't go through.
BURNETT: Right. Right.
BASH: But for manhandling a reporter.
BURNETT: That's right. I mean, Kelly, the thing is, though is that -- as Dana is saying, hours before, he's on a conference call with Reince Priebus, he's on the conference call with the RNC and then he gets escorted out of the building. Fired. I mean, this is an unprecedented situation. We are weeks away from one of the most watched conventions in American history.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Yes. But it is still June, there's a lot of time to -- between now and then. There are some things that need to change. There's no doubt about it. Like you have pointed out and I think that the fund-raising structure is one of them. This is a big shakeup. Maybe it's one that's needed. But I do think Corey Lewandowski deserves a lot of credit to have come in and to have gotten more votes than any Republican -- for any Republican nominee than anyone in presidential history.
I mean, that's pretty remarkable what he did, coming in and shaking up this campaign, someone with no political experience. He was the man behind that operation. And that interview showed a lot of grace and a lot of dignity on his part that he exited today so gracefully. And with pride and with honor.
BURNETT: Grace and dignity, Basil, or a nondisclosure agreement with signs?
BASIL SMIKLE, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: Yes. That's what I think. You have a nice severance package in a nondisclosure agreement. But even if he didn't, you know, he stayed on message.
BURNETT: He did stay on message.
SMIKLE: He stayed on message. I don't know if that's enough to allay the fears of Republicans who are really concerned about where this campaign is going. Substantively, I don't really see how the campaign changes. You are really just going to roll back everything that Donald Trump has said in the last few months to make him more palatable to voters? I don't think so. Operationally, maybe he does bring on more staff and raise some more money. But does it really help in all those down ballot races that you need to elevate the ticket.
BURNETT: On this issue, though, of staffing, Mark, okay? Seven hundred thirty two employees for Hillary Clinton, 70 for Donald Trump. Now, that's the latest data. Those numbers are going to have gone up on both sides. One would presume. But still -- but still. You're going to tell me that you're going to close that gap with quality and people who are in the know and can get it done? There's no way.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Right. Right. And look, this campaign has been marked by defining moments, okay? More so than any other presidential campaign, I think. And this was a defining moment today. What we are going to see, perhaps, and quite frankly, Donald Trump's candidacy really hinges in his success in November, hinges on what happens in the next two or three weeks. And the reason being is, if Manafort really is leading his campaign, then he --
[19:10:18] BURNETT: That is, of course, the new campaign manager.
PRESTON: The new campaign manager. Then he does have to hire staff. He does need to put a ground game in place. They do need to raise money. These are all things that in the end might have been the undoing of Corey Lewandowski. Because I think the kids look at Corey Lewandowski and said, why don't we have any of this? You know, not only was Donald Trump off message on many things, but he didn't have the infrastructure behind him.
BURNETT: Right. But Jason, you also have this issue of how do you catch up, okay? You look at all those early states. Hillary Clinton, spent all this money on ads. Donald Trump hasn't spent a single dollar. That is something he has bragged about. BASH: Forty million versus zero.
BURNETT: I mean, that is not something to brag about at some point.
JASON OSBORNE, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: We talked about this a couple of weeks ago. In the sense that the recommendation at the time was that Hillary needs to spend this time improving her image. And that's exactly what she is doing. What Donald Trump is doing is, he's putting together an operation that his general election focused and we can talk about whether there's --
BURNETT: His unfavorables got ten points worse in the past month.
OSBORNE: Based on media manipulation of things that he said. He is not a politician who is going to sit there and talk about issues like a normal politician would. And that's refreshing to a lot of people. So when we're talking about 700 staffers for Hillary versus 70, let's keep in mind what Kayleigh just said. Seventy staffers -- actually less than that, achieved something that no other Republican nominee had achieved before. And that's 14 million votes. So Donald Trump operates and starts with that operation --
BURNETT: And sees a different point --
OSBORNE: Tomorrow nobody is going to know who Corey Lewandowski is or Paul Manafort. They're going to be focused on Donald Trump and his message moving forward.
BURNETT: All right. Paul Manafort, though, has been on this campaign, he's now won this battle, Bob. He is now the campaign manager. He's run a lot of campaigns in the past. Of course, in this country and around the world. He now has the title. Does it make you more likely to vote for Donald Trump, because he's put this guy who knows what he's doing and is a real operative in charge?
BOB VANDER PLAATS, FORMER NATIONAL CO-CHAIR FOR TED CRUZ: Well, I think what Donald Trump recognized today and maybe what his kids recognized earlier, he needs to change the narrative. You have a lot of people on edge. The families on edge, the delegates are on edge. You have a past president on edge, you have a last nominee on edge. He needs to change the narrative and that's a Donald Trump issue. So what Mark said a little bit earlier, the next two or three weeks of this campaign are going to be crucial for his success going into Cleveland. Because right now, for anybody to say their Republican Party is united, it is not united. I'm a friend of Donald Trump.
BURNETT: There were a thousand people on a delegate conference call last night.
PLAATS: To be clear, I wasn't on that call. But what is -- I'm a friend enough to Donald Trump to say, hey, you've got to shore things up right now. His family, his inner circle said. Donald Trump, you need to shore things up right now. And so Corey Lewandowski, yes, class act interview with Dana Bash. But what he's trying to do is, change the narrative. We're trying to right the ship right now. BURNETT: All right. Well, of course, right the ship, the words Paul
Manafort actually used to me when he came on board 10 weeks ago, 12 weeks ago, he's using those words again now. How many more times can you do it?
Next, the new power player emerging from Trump's inner circle, what he's telling Trump behind closed doors.
Plus, breaking news, disturbing new video of the Orlando gunman shooting his rifle at a gun range. Was another warning sign missed? Yet another one.
And this man arrested for plotting to kill Donald Trump at a Trump rally. The terrifying story. How close did he come? We'll have the story tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:16:50] BURNETT: Breaking news. New details about the war inside the Trump campaign, the cost campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski, his job today. CNN confirming Lewandowski was on the outs with Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner. One source saying Kushner was intimately involved in the firing and that the final straw for Ivanka was when Lewandowski tried to plant negative stories in the press about her husband.
Miguel Marquez is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: And Jared married to my daughter Ivanka.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jared Kushner, son-in-law/top adviser to Donald Trump.
TRUMP: Jared is a very successful developer, and he just loves politics now.
MARQUEZ: The real estate and media mogul, a fixture on the campaign trail.
TRUMP: Stand up Jared. Say hello to the crowd.
MARQUEZ: It's now clear that Kushner has a major influence on Trump, and the campaign.
BASH: Our understanding is that Ivanka Trump's husband, Jared Kushner, has been intimately involved in saying it's time for you -- for Corey to go. Can you tell me about your relationship with him?
LEWANDOWSKI: I've had a great relationship with Jared.
MARQUEZ: But behind the scenes, it was a different story.
GABRIEL SHERMAN, NATIONAL AFFAIRS EDITOR, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: He was advocating for a more serious campaign adviser. He was not happy with Corey Lewandowski.
MARQUEZ: Gabe Sherman rights extensively about the Trump campaign and New York media for New York magazine.
SHERMAN: Jared Kushner has ties to Wall Street investors. The Jewish community and New York City and also the media community. He owns the newspaper, "The New York Observer" and he also close personal friends with Rupert Murdoch.
MARQUEZ: If you're a Republican running for president, not a bad connection to have. Kushner, who unlike Trump, shuns the spotlight, was born into his own real estate empire.
JARED KUSHNER, DONALD TRUMP'S SON-IN-LAW: I have people moving to my apartments on the Upper East Side, because they can't afford Brooklyn.
MARQUEZ: In 2006, then only 25, Kushner paid $10 manage for the New York Observer. A paper focusing on the city's movers and shakers and in March when Trump made a highly publicized speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee --
TRUMP: My daughter Ivanka is about to have a beautiful Jewish baby.
MARQUEZ: Kushner helped write that speech. Even having his New York Observer editor Ken Kurson, look it over. And in a small world twist of fate, Jared Kushner has connections to another Trump adviser. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who as U.S. attorney in 2005 put Charles Kushner, Jared's father, in prison for two years. The elder Kushner pled guilty to 18 counts of illegal political donations, tax evasion and witness tampering.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: It is our obligation to act swiftly and surely to end the obstruction.
MARQUEZ: There are a lot of connections here for Mr. Kushner and Trump, by all accounts. He is a soft-spoken, almost shy guy. But now he has an increased stature in an evolving campaign. A stature he inherits whether he wants it or not -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Miguel. Panel is back with me. So Dana, let me start with you again.
CNN reporting Lewandowski was planting negative stories about Jared Kushner, which would certainly be a -- take a lot of guts to do in this situation. That's the reporting.
BASH: It is. And I specifically asked Corey about that today in my interview. He denied it. He said he wasn't doing any such thing. But the bottom-line is that that kind of allegation, rumor, whatever you want to call it, was sort of exhibit A of the kind of thing that we have been seeing, and hearing about inside the Trump campaign that has made it just untenable for it to continue and to expand and to expand and to work the way a campaign needs to work in order to run a general election campaign and run against a major machine like the Clinton campaign. You know, Miguel has reported about Jared Kushner. I'm hearing
similar things that he is somebody who is so much more involved in the inner workings, whether it is, you know, not just raising money from people who he knows, who have deep pockets, but also the inner workings and infrastructure. And he is an increasing role, there. Which came to a head when he really did work with his wife and her siblings to try to push Corey out.
[19:21:10] BURNETT: And his wife and her siblings, Jason, really instrumental in this. They have by all accounts complained about Corey Lewandowski for quite some time. They finally, you know, succeeded today. Donald Trump Jr. actually spoke out about it and admitted that they were behind it. And here's how he put it today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, JR., SON OF DONALD TRUMP: Were we involved in talking about this with him? Sure. But he's always going to come up with his own mind. And I think we left in a good way with Corey. We have a good relationship with Corey. He has done something that's incredible. And, you know, I wish all separations of this nature went that well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OSBORNE: You know, I would expect nothing less from any campaign, you know, the first thing when you start with a candidate is you ask is your family behind you. And so Donald Trump clearly has a very smart family, a very involved family and a very close family.
BURNETT: Right.
OSBORNE: And so I would expect that they're involved in almost every decision. Because they're his best surrogates. He trusts them the most and he listens to them the most. And so for them to come out and say, you know, look, we think that you need to go in a different direction, of course he's going to listen to that and he should.
BURNETT: Without a doubt, they are his most important surrogates, his best surrogates, Mark. There is no question about that. But you now have an inner circle. Right? They don't have political experience. But they're the only ones he would listen to on this. If indeed he even did listen to him. They all had to gang up and go in together. I mean, it wasn't as if and they have been doing it for a while.
PRESTON: So, he's blessed to have kids who are very intelligent, who as Jason says, really have become his best surrogates.
BURNETT: Yes.
PRESTON: But the bottom-line is, to your point, you do need political professionals. Okay, you need people who understand how to get people to the polls. You need professional message, people to come in and tell you, this is how this is going to work out politically. We know that you have been very successful in business. This isn't business. It is a different animal, it's a different beast. And the likes of Paul Manafort if he is able to take these reins and pull them tight --
BURNETT: Yes.
PRESTON: -- then perhaps, you know, we will see an operation spring out a whole clap basically and come into action. But we'll see.
BURNETT: All right. We will see. And of course, Corey Lewandowski in the interview with Dana trying to be very nice about everybody. We can, everyone can get the point here. But here's exactly how he answered the question about the Trump children who was ostensibly is the reason he got fired specifically.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEWANDOWSKI: I've always had a great relationship with the family and I think I continue to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Kayleigh, can he though cause major damage to this campaign, to the Trump family, because he knows where the skeletons are. He has spent now a year embedded. He knows. He has heard phone calls, he has seen things, he knows things.
MCENANY: But he's also very grateful to the candidate and I think that came across overwhelmingly in the interview. He knows that he was put in this place and given these opportunities by Donald Trump and thinks very highly of him and thinks he's the best thing for this country. And I think really what this whole situation boils down to is we saw two philosophies really embodied in the different vine personalities of Paul Manafort and Cory Lewandowski.
There is the let Trump be Trump personality in Lewandowski and there was more of the, how do we put this rogue outsider inside a conventional campaign vehicle. That was the Paul Manafort kind of philosophy and they class shed. But now that it's a general election, it's time to do the latter, to put this outsider person who is immensely popular to the voters, inside a conventional campaign vehicle that can take you to the White House. So, I think that this was a good decision at the end of the day.
BURNETT: And Basil, we mentioned a moment ago, I mentioned the ad numbers. And Dana was pointing out, $40 million spent by Hillary Clinton, zero by Donald Trump in this crucial states. How confident does this make you? Are you worried now that Paul Manafort is in charge that Hillary Clinton is something to be scared about?
SMIKLE: No. A lot of ground to make up. But going to Jason's point earlier, you talked about this money being used to sort of help Hillary's image. I actually think quite differently. I think this money and the ad buys are being used to define Donald Trump, right now. And throughout the rest of this campaign. Something that I don't care how much money Donald Trump is going to be able to raise. I don't really see him making up that ground in that time. BURNETT: And Bob, just a final word to you. What do you say? Are
you -- you're meeting with him tomorrow, you're meeting with the evangelical leaders. Can he say something that's going to convince to you publicly get on board?
PLAATS: Right. I think what he needs to do, he needs to ease a lot of people's fears. And the big thing when you're hiring any leader, especially the President of the United States, can we trust you. Who are you going to put around yourself? I mean, who is going to be the VP choice? Who is going to be your cabinet members? And for Republicans more than anything, what is going to be your basis for appointing Supreme Court justices?
So, when I talk to a lot of conservatives, they say, at least he's better than Hillary and I say that shouldn't be our bar and then they go right to the Supreme Court. But if he'll appoint Supreme Court justices, I'll be with him. So he needs to bring this together, he needs to put the foundation in place to try to build that campaign. So, tomorrow is going to be a key meeting. I'll let Ford to be a part of that.
BURNETT: Yes. All right. And of course, he did already put out that really conservative list which I note was not enough for you to get on board. Supreme Court justices. Topic for another day. Thanks to all.
And next, the breaking news. New video of the Orlando shooter practicing with a deadly weapon. We have that for you. Another warning sign. And, a plot to kill Donald Trump. One man under arrest tonight. How close was he able to get?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:29:56] BURNETT: Breaking news. Investigators right now reviewing new and disturbing video of the Orlando gunman practicing with the rifle that he used. That rifle in the deadly massacre.
[19:30:06] Officials telling CNN the video is from two weeks ago. It shows Omar Mateen firing from the hip, rather than the shoulder. Something the shop owner says is forbidden.
This comes as the FBI releases the chilling words of what Mateen told authorities during the terror attack in which 49 people were murdered. According to the documents, Mateen pledged his allegiance to ISIS, and its leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.
Ed Lavandera is OUTFRONT with more breaking details tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After blasting his way into the Pulse nightclub, and unleashing the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, Omar Mateen called 911.
RON HOPPER, FBI ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Why the killer made these murderous statements, he did so in a chilling, calm and deliberate manner.
LAVANDERA: During the 50-second call made at 2:35 a.m., roughly 30 minutes after the shooting started, Mateen says, "I'm in Orlando and I did the shootings." "What's your name?" "My name is I pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi of the Islamic State."
The FBI initially released a transcript of the call that omitted references to ISIS and its leader, but released the full transcript after facing backlash from many Republicans.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, said, "Selectively editing the transcript is preposterous. The administration should release the full, unredacted transcript so the public is clear-eyed about who did this and why."
The FBI had said it redacted portions so it wouldn't give Mateen a platform for his propaganda.
HOPPER: We're not going to propagate their violent rhetoric and we see no value in putting those individuals' names back out there.
LAVANDERA: The FBI also revealed Mateen spoke with negotiator three times for 28 minutes. During the calls, he claimed a vehicle outside the Pulse nightclub contained bombs and said he was going to put four bomb-filled vests on victims still inside the club. No explosives were ever found.
For shooting survivors like Leydiana Puyarena even seeing the words of this killer is excruciating. Puyarena says she could hear the killer talking on the phone inside the club, but couldn't understand what he was saying.
LEYDIANA PUYARENA, SURVIVOR: I don't agree with them releasing it at all. We're never going to know what motivated him to that. We're just going to assume and think, but at the end of the day, we're not going to know anything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: Investigators say they're also still continuing to look at the role that homophobia played in all of this, and investigators say they are aware of the reports that perhaps Omar Mateen was gay himself. They're urging anyone who had contact with him in the months or years leading up to this to continue to come forward.
And here in Orlando, Erin, tonight, investigators wrapping up their work at the scene of the Pulse night club, and they hope to have the street here reopened by tomorrow morning -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Ed, thank you.
OUTFRONT now, Art Roderick, former U.S. Marshall, and Phil Mudd, former CIA counterterror official.
Let me start with the breaking news about this surveillance video that they now say they have of him two weeks ago with the rifle he used in the shooting, Art. Shooting from the hip, not the shoulder, and apparently someone went over and said you can't do that.
ART RODERICK, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Right.
BURNETT: He's doing that. They didn't call the FBI until after the shooting.
RODERICK: Yes. I mean, basically, it -- these public ranges, you see a lot of strange things people are doing with their weapons. Side shooting, shooting from the shoulders --
BURNETT: You're saying that wouldn't even be a red flag?
RODERICK: No, it's a safety violation on the range. In and of itself, to me, it doesn't mean anything. It's just a safety violation. They came out and warned him, you can't shoot from the hip, shoot from the shoulder. I guess he complied.
In hindsight now, yes. I mean, obviously, now, we're looking at is somebody that used that particular weapon to kill 49 people.
BURNETT: Pretty stunning people are doing this at ranges and it's business as usual.
PHIL MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: I guess so. But we're looking at this through what we call hindsight bias. That is we're looking at pieces of the story. He had a troubled childhood. He was an abuser of a spouse. He was reported to the FBI by co-workers, shot from the hip on a range.
In a country that's 330 million people, we're now looking back as all humans do and say how do we make a coherent story about this? And I don't think it is a coherent r story -- at least not at this time.
BURNETT: All right. What about the issue of the FBI? Start off with it was pretty ridiculous they didn't release the whole transcript, right?
MUDD: Can we take a summertime time-out? It's time for vacation in America.
If you're at the FBI, ISIS has already used this for recruitment, and you're deciding maybe now in retrospect after ISIS has used it, let me excise a few words. Meanwhile, let's go down the street to the Congress of the United States, Democrat, Republican, I don't care who you are.
The speaker of the House says it is preposterous that they excised a few words? Can we focus on something significant? I think both sides made mistakes. The FBI shouldn't have excised. The other side of the aisle should have said mistake, let's move on.
BURNETT: All right. So, Art, this issue of -- you don't think the FBI excised it for political reasons.
RODERICK: No. [19:35:00] I think -- I mean, you know, the reports have come out they
did it internally. I think in hindsight, yes, it's a mistake, they admitted to it. They came out, you know, took the redactions back.
BURNETT: Yes.
RODERICK: But the odd thing, we're sitting here talking about the redactions as opposed to what's actually in the transcripts, which to me is very important.
BURNETT: All right. So what stands out to you when you get this transcript? Do you hear him pledging allegiance to ISIS, you hear him calling negotiators three times. He spoke to them in 40 minutes.
RODERICK: Yes, there's a couple things. One being it corroborates everything we heard from the chief and commander from the SWAT team. That all measures up.
The only thing we don't have in there is the three calls placed during the negotiation. We don't have that transcript, which would be very interesting. And the third thing being there was nothing in there about hatred of the gay community.
BURNETT: Right. Now what do you make of that, Phil? Because if this -- if this is supposed to be about that, perhaps even more than ISIS, as a lot of people are suggesting last week, wouldn't he have said something?
MUDD: I don't think so. We have a whole history of him and we're taking one incident and saying that overrides everything and we know about his troubled background. Let's offer a different perspective. He says nothing about the club. He calls, which indicates to me he wants to publicize what he's doing.
BURNETT: He wants attention.
MUDD: That's right. And when he wants attention, he says only one thing, ISIS. Is that because he's a member of ISIS or is that because he wants to sidestep other issues that might have led him to a club? I don't think this gets us that far down the road, Erin.
BURNETT: So you don't think this means --
RODERICK: No, I mean --
BURNETT: He's not gay or didn't have gay tendencies.
RODERICK: When you look at this, he went in there to kill people. He pledges allegiance to ISIS. The issue of hatred of the gay community falls right under ISIS ideology.
So, you know, I think we're splitting hairs here. But either way, I mean, it's pretty clear, he pledged allegiance to ISIS several times on that particular phone call.
BURNETT: He certainly did. Thank you both very much.
And tonight, Fareed Zakaria investigates what motivates terrorists, "WHY THEY HATE US", it's called. It airs tonight at 9:00.
And OUTFRONT next, the breaking news details of a plot to kill Donald Trump at a campaign rally.
And shocking new information about the death of a Navy SEAL. He was killed in a firefight with more than 100 ISIS fighters. The exclusive, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:41:13] BURNETT: Breaking news: a deadly plot thwarted after a man is arrested at a Donald Trump rally. Nineteen-year-old Michael Sanford says he was plotting to kill the Republican presumptive nominee. He was arrested. He tried to grab an officer's handgun just feet away from Trump's podium.
Jim Acosta is OUTFRONT live in Washington.
And, Jim, what do you now know about Sanford's plan?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to this criminal complaint field in federal court, a U.S. Secret Service special agent says the suspect at that Trump rally over the weekend, Michael Sanford admitted to grabbing a Las Vegas police officer's gun at the event with the intent to shoot and kill Donald Trump. That filing says Sanford, who was a British citizen, told the agent he drove from California to Las Vegas last week to, quote, "kill Trump". Those words are in the document.
The next day, according to the same agent, Sanford went to a Las Vegas gun range to learn how to shoot a gun, something he told the Secret Service he had never done before and at the rally over the weekend, Sanford told the Secret Service, he approached that officer, saying he wanted to ask Trump for an autograph and then grab the officer's gun, because he thought the officer's holster was unlocked.
Now, the Secret Service agent who interviewed Sanford says he gave him his Miranda rights and so forth and freely volunteered all of this information, Erin, and says the suspect told him he planned to travel to other cities to carry out these plans, if his plot in Las Vegas was unsuccessful.
We should point out, Sanford scheduled to make an appearance in court just a few hours ago, and other charges are pending in this case.
BURNETT: So, Jim, let me ask you, I know there have been reports, of course that, Donald Trump at times will wear a bullet vest, that he has been very concerned about security. You have been to a lot of Trump events. How tight is security?
ACOSTA: Security is very tight. People cannot bring firearms into these events. There are signs saying you can't bring firearms into these events, which is why presumably this man from Britain decided to hatch the scheme where he thought he could get hold of a police officer's gun.
But I can tell you, having been at these events, Donald Trump is essentially blanketed by Secret Service agents.
And, Erin, you'll recall, earlier in the primaries, there are a couple of incidents where people try to jump those bike racks, those barricades that they put around the candidate and at that point, they started positioning more Secret Service agents around Donald Trump. You're looking at one incident right there.
And so my guess is, having covered these events for many years and dealing with the secret service, there will be some sort of after action report. They will look at how security was handled at the event in Las Vegas, what could be done better in the future to prevent this from happening again. And there will be some sort of action taking place after all of this is looked at by the Secret Service.
I can't imagine that they will just look at this incident and then not change anything moving forward, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Jim Acosta, thank you.
Jonathan Wackrow is with me here in the studio, former Secret Service agent.
How dangerous could this have been?
JONATHAN WACKROW, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: This is a very dangerous situation, because we had an individual that showed up to a Trump event that had the means, the opportunity and the intent to cause harm. So, this is, you know -- we always look for those three metrics to basically gauge the validity of a threat and now we hit all three of them, you know, right on the nail of the head here. So, this is a very dangerous situation.
BURNETT: And this is something he's concerned about -- reports he would wear a bulletproof vest, as Jim is reporting. He has a phalanx of security and yet, he is still so vulnerable. You have thousands of people at these rallies often not at rallies. He's often not at rallies. He might be in the street. He might be signing autographs.
WACKROW: Absolutely. I mean, listen, he's the Republican nominee. He is putting himself out there, as much as possible. He is trying to get to the public, have as much exposure as he can as a political candidate should.
With that exposure comes increased risk. That's why you know, candidates are afforded the Secret Service protection that they are.
[19:45:01] BURNETT: And I mean, can they -- there is no way to be completely safe. But, of course, luckily, we have not had anything awful happen in this country in decades. But we have seen things, right, of course, with Ronald Reagan, George Wallace when he was running. WACKROW: Absolutely. But let's look at this incident for a moment.
What it comes down to is the training that that officer had. His weapon retention, his immediate action to --
BURNETT: That he was able to protect the weapon.
WACKROW: Protect the weapon. That mitigated a major threat and I don't want that overlooked in this story. That officer really should be commended, because listen, complacency kills at the end of the day. And that was something that law enforcement officers talk about.
BURNETT: This guy able to get right up next to Trump. Right there in the front.
WACKROW: It's a political rally. You can get very close. This is the point of political campaigns, to get those candidates out in front of the public as close as humanly possible.
If it was up to the Secret Service, we would have major barriers and walls and things separating but we can't. This is a political candidate.
And it's the same for both sides. You see Hillary Clinton is doing the exact same thing. She's out there trying to get as close to the public as possible. Secret Service has a very difficult job on their hands to protect against these incidents.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, I appreciate it.
WACKROW: Thank you.
BURNETT: And next, a Navy SEAL killed during a ferocious firefight, 1 against 100 -- 100 ISIS fighters. We have the exclusive.
And Jeanne Moos on why auditioning for V.P. can truly be the hardest job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TIM KAINE (D), VIRGINIA: You know, I really love my job.
SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO: I love the job I'm doing.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I love the work I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:50:16] BURNETT: Tonight, stunning new details emerging about a major firefight involving a fallen Navy SEAL. More than 100 ISIS fighters attacked Charles Keating, IV, in this previously unpublicized battle, 100-to-1. The fight so intense, he was awarded the Silver Star, one of the highest valor awards in this country.
Barbara Starr is OUTFRONT. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(GUNFIRE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a firefight last month in Northern Iraq against 100 ISIS fighters that lasted more than two hours. When it was over, Navy SEAL Charles Keating was dead on a tour of duty that was not to involve combat.
Hundreds of family and friends gathered to remember him. He was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third highest citation for valor. But not for the battle north of Mosul that killed him, but for a different fight, two months earlier, one that was not disclosed until after his death.
That March 4th morning, Keating SEAL Team and local Kurdish forces were attacked by more than 100 ISIS fighters. The initial assault was pushed back. Keating kept up a counterattack running back and forth along the front lines to stop the enemy advance, exposing himself to automatic weapons, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenade.
When a suicide car bomber approached the position, his team attacked with sniper and rocket fire.
Then, on May 3rd, it happened all over again. ISIS assembling a large attack force again in northern Iraq. Keating's unit was behind the front lines as advisers with local Kurdish forces. At 7:30 a.m., the SEALs and local forces are attacked by more than 100 ISIS fighters who charged the front lines with bulldozers, trucks and weapons. At 7:50, the Americans call for help. Keating and about 20 other SEALs arrive quickly. The SEALs move to each side of the front line.
Military source tell CNN, initial battlefield reports describes fighting so intense, ammunition was running low. Then, Keating's weapon malfunctioned. He went to a nearby vehicle for a new weapon and more ammunition. Now, equipped with his sniper rifle, he climbed on top of a building and began firing at ISIS when he was hit.
His death and the two firefights, a stark reminder that U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria are in combat more than the military discloses.
Former Navy SEAL Jeffrey Eggers says there are new dangers for Special Forces.
JEFFREY EGGERS, SENIOR FELLOW, NEW AMERICA: What's new in this environment is that the advisory mission, even though it's not supposed to be doing the majority of the fighting themselves, is close to where the fighting is taking place.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: The Pentagon will not say how often or even where troops are getting into these times of firefights. They say it's because these are special operations force, maintaining the secrecy and security of their operations is paramount. But even today, we learn that four additional forces were lightly wounded earlier this month. All of it underscoring how dangerous this is in this new so-called "gray zone" between peace a war -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Barbara, thank you very much.
Of course, we said there would be no combat in the field. And the SEAL lost his life.
Next, Jeanne Moos on why Hillary Clinton is having such a hard time picking a V.P.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:38] BURNETT: All politicians eventually learn how to dodge tough questions. For those rumored to be possible Clinton V.P. pick, they're getting quite a bit of practice.
Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's like a dating game, but the only date that really mattered is when Hillary Clinton actually picks her V.P., until then, it's guesswork.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Your name has been mentioned.
STEPHEN COLBERT, THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT: There are rumors you are in vice president training camp.
MOOS: V.P. training camp involves lavishly praising your possible boss, even paraphrasing a Bon Jovi tune.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: While in the singer's presence.
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D), NEW JERSEY: I hate to contradict Bon Jovi, by dear God, Hillary Clinton, you give love a good name.
MOOS: A good V.P. candidate has to master the art of deflection, the ability to bat away those pesky V.P. questions without ever saying never.
But sometimes while batting away, they swing and they miss.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you being vetted?
(CROSSTALK)
REP. XAVIER BECERRA (D), CALIFORNIA: That's -- thank you, happy Father's Day, your father as well -- to my knowledge, I don't -- I can't tell you I know.
MOOS: Our favorite technique is to laugh off the question.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: You wouldn't say no, would you?
(LAUGHTER)
BOOKER: First of all, I'm already her V.P., her vegan pal.
MOOS: If you're not a vegan, you can always cite your current job.
WARREN: I love the work I do.
KAINE: You know, I really love my job.
MOOS: Or you can dismiss the question entirely.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Would you say yes?
JULIAN CASTRO, HUD SECRETARY: That is not going to happen. So I'm not gone hypothesize about that.
MOOS: Some don't bother coy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously, it would be hard to say no.
MOOS: But only a comedian would announce he's running for a V.P.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need a good slogan.
JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: A good solid number two, that's my --
MOOS: Sometimes a potential candidate would be a little too solid, a little too honest.
REPORTER: Do you think that you would be qualified to be vice president?
GOV. JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D), COLORADO: That depends on what's your range of assessment is.
MOOS: Let's try that question again.
RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC ANCHOR: I want to know if you think you could be?
WARREN: Yes, I do.
MOOS: Apparently saying, "I do," applies to political marriages as well.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: All right. Thank you so much as always for joining us. Don't forget, you can watch OUTFRONT anytime, anywhere, on CNN Go.
"AC360" with John Berman tonight begins right now.
