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Erin Burnett Outfront
Trump About to Speak at Wisconsin Rally; FBI Sends Clinton Email Investigative Report to Congress; Interview with Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin; Family: Son Killed By Neighbor Who Called Him "Dirty Arab." Aired 7-8p ET
Aired August 16, 2016 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:08] ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, breaking news, Donald Trump says he won't pivot, this, as he faces more bad news in the swing state, in Wisconsin tonight. We will going to bring that to you live.
Also breaking, the FBI releasing new details about an interview between Hillary Clinton and federal agents. The Clinton campaign's response tonight.
Plus, was this a hate crime? A man allegedly shoots and kills his neighbor after calling him a dirty Arab.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, Donald Trump in a defiant interview telling his critics, quote, "I am who I am, I don't want to change." We are waiting, Donald Trump speaking live and about to rally supporters in Wisconsin, a crucial swing state for Trump. He lost it of course to Ted Cruz in the primary, he is trailing Hillary Clinton there by 15 points in the latest CNN poll. Now he says he's not going to pivot. This is just a day after "The Wall Street Journal" called for Trump to essentially pivot, be more presidential or turn the race over to Mike Pence. Here is Trump's response moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You know, I am who I am. It's me. I don't want to change. Everyone talks about oh, well, you're going to pivot. I don't want to pivot. I've been, you have to be you, if you start pivoting, you're not being honest with people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Also breaking tonight, Trump posting on Facebook, just moments ago, this pledge he says, quote, "This is my pledge to the American people. As your president, I will be your greatest champion. I will fight to ensure that every American is treated equally, protected equally and honored equally." We will reject bigotry and hatred in oppression all its forms and seek a new future built on our common culture and values as one American people."
Now, tonight's rally is a crucial one for Trump and it comes a day after a major Trump speech on foreign policy. A speech seen as many as an attempt to pivot his campaign and show case a candidate focused on the issues after a week filled with controversy. The latest polls, two battleground states showing Clinton with an eight-point lead in Virginia and a surprising nine-point lead in Florida where most polls have shown the two neck and neck for months.
Trump will be appearing with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker tonight and I am going to be interviewing Governor Walker coming up in just a few moments OUTFRONT.
But I have my panel here with me for the hour tonight. We begin though with Jason Carroll OUTFRONT at the Trump rally in West Bend, Wisconsin.
And Jason, this is going to be a crucial rally, a crucial state, some bad polls and a big statement from Trump tonight. He will not pivot.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. And he says he will not pivot, but when you read into that statement it does seem like a different side of Donald Trump in some ways. So I think many people will look at that statement, Erin, and say this was in some ways a pivot. In terms of what we plan to hear later on here tonight. I think in terms of what Donald Trump said in an interview a little earlier today may give us more insight in terms of what we're going to hear.
The reporter asked him how would you fix a community like Milwaukee that is dealing with so much unrest and he said two things, bring in economic development and once again, you have to have someone in there who can bring law and order.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): Donald Trump back in Wisconsin for the second time this month to again emphasize his belief that he is the law and order candidate.
Today, touring, a memorial with veterans and members of law enforcement in Milwaukee. A city still recovering from rioting which erupted after a police-involved shooting this past weekend. His campaign is betting he will make up ground in the badger state. And there's a lot to make up. A poll just last week shows Trump trailing Hillary Clinton by 15 points. Clinton at 52 percent, Trump at 37. CNN has learned Trump will receive his first classified intelligence briefing Wednesday in New York.
It will cover major threats and concerns facing the United States. Tonight, Trump is expected to say, Clinton lacks the strength and stamina to lead the fight on terrorism continuing his line of attack from his national security speech Monday. Today, the Clinton campaign releasing a video criticizing Trump's proposal to have extreme vetting of people coming to the country along with the tweet, "Donald Trump says he'll create a new test for immigrants, a test he'd fail."
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Those who do not believe in our constitution or who support bigotry and hatred will not be admitted.
CARROLL: The Trump campaign has been in need of some serious life support and Wisconsin, a state he lost in the primary to Senator Ted Cruz is crucial and with the first presidential debate just five weeks away, sources tell CNN ousted FOX News Chairman Roger Ailes is now helping Trump prepare for the upcoming presidential debates. Ailes resigned last month after allegations surfaced he sexually harassed female employees.
The Trump campaign released a statement pushing back on the initial "New York Times" report saying, "This is not accurate. He is not advising Mr. Trump or helping with debate prep. They are longtime friends, but he has no formal or informal role campaign."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[19:05:19] CARROLL: And Erin, a little bit more about that pledge, that statement that Donald Trump released just a short while ago. I mean, if you look closely at that language that's really not the language we're accustomed to hearing from Donald Trump. I want to read just one little passage for a minute that says we will reject bigotry, and hatred and oppression in all its forms and seek a new future built on our common culture and values as one American people.
Again, not the type of language we're accustomed to hearing from Donald Trump, perhaps this is an attempt to quiet some of his critics who have repeatedly said that he's run a divisive campaign, a campaign that's not inclusive. So perhaps what we're seeing here, even though he says he's not going to pivot is, a little bit of a pivot on paper in terms of a statement --
BURNETT: Yes.
CARROLL: -- but in terms of what he says vocally, publicly out here tonight that's what we're going to hear about the law in order -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right, Jason. Thank you very much.
OUTFRONT now, I want to get to our panel Brian Stelter, host of "RELIABLE SOURCES." Kellyanne Conway, senior advisor and pollster for the Trump campaign. Corey Lewandowski, former campaign manager for Donald Trump. Karine Jean-Pierre, Hillary Clinton supporter and Bill Kristol, editor of "The Weekly Standard."
Of course, we have got this crucial rally now, Corey. Which is, this is a very important one tonight, it's in a crucial state and it's coming as he is saying he is not going to pivot. You are the guy known for supporting that. For saying, let Trump be Trump. Is he doing the right thing by saying he will not pivot?
COREY LEWANDOWSKI, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think what you have to have whether you're a candidate for city council or state Senate or the president of the United States and you have to be honest with yourself. And what you're doing is you're telling people who you are when you're running for office and they have to make a decision based on who you are or what you tell them, if they're going support you or not.
So, trying to change or be perceived as changing when he's not looking to do that because his positions have been clear, he knows who he is internally, he wants to relay that that to the people and then you're up for the people when they go to the ballot box. So, by pivoting, that's not to say he's not going to provide more details. It's not to say he's not going to be more inclusive. That's not the case, but he's going to remain true to himself which is what this campaign has been about.
BURNETT: So, this pivot though Bill has become a crucial work. OK? I've talked to people who are in the room during some of these conversations during the summer. They got very heated about whether Donald Trump was pivot or not and at one point he said get out of the room. I don't want to hear the word. He banned the word. OK? He banned the word.
BILL KRISTOL, EDITOR, "THE WEEKLY STANDARD": It's an idiotic word, I would sort of the few things I agree with Donald Trump on. He is who he is. He's done what he's done.
BURNETT: You just agreed with Corey for the first time.
KRISTOL: Look, if he had kept Corey he'd be better off. I really, I believe that. I love the image of it. Now, Roger Ailes were giving him advice. Donald Trump regaling Roger Ailes and Paul Manafort and Bill Gates, his top campaign guys with stories with how he's made fun of disabled reporters and POWs and Gold-Star families. Manafort and gays can talk about how they worked for every dictator and thug in the world abroad and they also can talk about how he's harassed vulnerable young women. FOX News is really can be quite a scene there at the Trump headquarters. What does a pivot mean when you're a man like Donald Trump?
BURNETT: Kelly, what does a pivot mean, all right? Because you are a pollster. Trump says he won't pivot, he doesn't want change. That means more of some things that some people in his inner circle really don't want more of. They want some of the things but they don't want other things like his fight with the Gold-Star family and some of these other things that have happened all since the convention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KHIZR KHAN, GOLD STAR PARENT: You have sacrificed nothing.
TRUMP: I think I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs. If you look at his wife, she was standing there, she wasn't allowed to have anything to say.
President Obama, he is the founder of ISIS. She gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know. Obviously I'm being sarcastic, then -- then -- but not that sarcastic.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNETT: Kellyanne, when you don't pivot you would get more things like that, is that OK?
KELLYANNE CONWAY, SENIOR ADVISOR AND POLLSTER, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN: That's not true at all. So what this issue is authenticity. Eleven percent of Americans according to the new NBC poll think that Hillary Clinton is honest. That's a remarkably low number to me, 11 percent. That means the plurality of Democrats agree with that. Authenticity is very important to voters, Erin, because they want to know that you're comfortable in your own skin.
They don't see Hillary Clinton that way. So, that's one of the Donald Trump has. He's talking authentically, I'm not going to change me, I am not going to change me, I am going to be true to myself as Corey says. And he's also really smoking out Hillary Clinton here who is unable to do that. And secondly, there is a difference between tactics and style and substance. Look at the man's substance.
[19:10:09] Yesterday he gave a foreign policy speech that the Reagan, the foreign policy people should be very thrilled with. He basically said to the American people we've been at war for 15 years. I'm going to talk to you like a grown up. This is what we name, this is how we fight it. We've created a vacuum in Libya and Iraq and Egypt and Syria, where ISIS has been able to flourish.
BURNETT: Yes.
CONWAY: Thirty three thousand people dead between ISIS and its predecessors and 80 percent of them since 2013. The birth and growth devices. And then of course he should, you know, we're going to use the word pivot which I think I agree with Bill is sort of a silly word because it's more about style and substantively, Donald Trump say was all over the fact that ETNA now joins United Healthcare in masses, hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits pulling out of the ObamaCare exchange. ObamaCare is a disaster that Hillary Clinton's already own.
BURNETT: OK. But on this issue of pivot because you raised the issue of Roger Ailes. Let me ask you Brian because you've been reporting on this. Roger Ailes, sourcing telling you could be now advising. Trump is seeking the advice of Roger Ailes, he's a man he's known a long time. By the way, a man who when it comes to operating political campaigns and media organizations has been incredibly successful.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Yes.
BURNETT: But a man who is now basically been fired, whatever word you want to use, for sexually harassing multiple women allegedly.
STELTER: Right. He continues to deny the allegations and they have piled up. His reputations changed a lot in the past months. But go back two months back in time before aggression calls and sued him. Ailes is someone you would want all on your corner. You know, I had joined CNN a few years ago from "The New York Times," he gave me some of the best advice about television that I received from anybody. He's a television mastermind. So, he is someone that would bring a lot of benefits to Donald Trump,
and I am sure they are informally talking and counseling each other as they did even on the week when Ailes resigned under pressure and Donald Trump became the nominee. There won't be a formal relationship with the campaign, you could imagine the kind of controversy that would create given these allegations of her husband, but informally, I'm sure the two men are talking and Ailes is helping Trump.
BURNETT: And would he help, Basil?
BASIL SMIKLE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NEW YORK STATE DEMOCRATIC PARTY: All right. He may help in some respects. I don't know if he would help him become more authentic. I do, you know, agree with anybody else, that authenticity, authenticity is very important. I think he may get him to be, I don't even know if we can get him to be more TV friendly. I mean, the guy has a reality show star. So, I don't even know to what extent he could be more, be made more TV friendly, maybe he gets him to read the teleprompter more.
I have no idea, but the truth of the matter about going back to the point about authenticity. I have to disagree with my friend Kellyanne over there. I think Hillary is incredibly authentic. I think the voters on the street respond to her in ways that are incredible and I am okay with Donald Trump becoming or being and staying authentically, authentically bigoted and authentically xenophobic. That is what the country is responding to.
(CROSSTALK)
I won't pivot. That's exactly right.
BURNETT: All right. Pause for a moment. All coming back with us because next the breaking news in the FBI. New details out tonight from an interview with Hillary Clinton. It's an unprecedented move and the Clinton campaign has just responded moments ago, we're going to have that breaking news.
Plus, the calls for Donald Trump to shape up or ship out. The Wisconsin governor, former Trump rival Scott Walker responds OUTFRONT. He's my guest.
And how Ivanka Trump tried and failed to do damage control on this now infamous line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All of that and Donald Trump live. We are counting down the moments. He'll be live on this stage. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:16:39] BURNETT: Breaking news tonight. An extraordinary move, the FBI has given Congress its report on the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation. Now, what this means is they've got the notes from an FBI agent who was in the room who interviewed Clinton. Members of Congress are now reviewing these notes. It's an extremely rare move in a case where charges are not filed and usually no charges, no notes. They said, they'll going to put everything on the table now.
Suzanne Malveaux is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The FBI sending Congress its classified investigative report into Clinton's private e-mail server. The report includes notes of their three-hour interview with Clinton. The Clinton campaign crying foul, releasing this statement, "They should be released widely so that the public can see for themselves rather than allow Republicans to mischaracterize them through selective partisan leaks.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Hello, Philadelphia!
MALVEAUX: Clinton's focus was elsewhere in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania today. For a second day in a row. Here in West Philadelphia, eager to pump up voter registration and a record turnout. She is courting a critical voting bloc, African-Americans.
CLINTON: Don't be complacent, my friends, because even though we're doing fine right now, I'm not taking anybody anywhere for granted.
MALVEAUX: Monday, Clinton was in Scranton with Vice President Joe Biden trying to appeal to white working class voters who have not fully embraced her.
CLINTON: I always remember I am the granddaughter of a factory worker and the daughter of a small business owner, and I am so proud of it.
MALVEAUX: Her team is confident Pennsylvania is winnable. Her current lead in recent polls is so commanding. Clinton's Super PAC Priorities USA is pulling its own TV ads from the state in early September, along with two other key states, Colorado and Virginia. The strategy to spend the money elsewhere where resources are more needed. A new Washington Post poll shows growing momentum for Clinton now out of Virginia. A stunning 14-point lead over Donald Trump, this in a state that --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, Virginia!
MALVEAUX: -- only eight years ago then Senator Obama flipped from red to blue for the first time since 1964. The Clinton camp is already thinking beyond November. Clinton named her transition team for pivoting into the White House. Its chief, Ken Salazar, the first secretary of Interior under President Obama.
(END VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX: Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings, who is the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee who has access to these FBI notes is trying to head off any potential leaks criticizing Clinton stating this evening that Republicans are now investigating the investigators in a desperate attempt to resuscitate the issue, keep it in the headlines and distract from Donald Trump's sagging poll numbers. And Erin, I heard your panel talk about a pivot. Hillary Clinton is going to try to pivot away from the e-mail controversy tomorrow when she focuses in Ohio talking about the need for voters to get out and vote.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Suzanne.
Our panel is back with me. I think we all can agree, whatever you think about the substance of what the word means. The word is becoming a bit annoying. OK. So, Karine, Hillary Clinton said she never sent or received e-mails marked classified. FBI Director Jim Comey said they were emails more classified. Clinton said she never emailed anybody, classified material. Comey said she did. She said she returned all work-related e-mails to the State Department. She didn't. OK. There were thousands that weren't. So now, we're going to get the notes of this interview. Are you worried that there could be more damning things in there?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, NATIONAL SPOKESWOMAN, MOVEON.ORG: No, I'm not worried at all. I actually think the FBI should release it to the public, right? Not just to the Republicans or to the Congress, I should say, to be clear there because here's what's going to happen. The Republicans are going to get it. They're going to leak out what they care about and hold on to the things that, you know, they don't and they'll stay classified. And if you don't believe that, then you don't understand politics, right? If you don't think that the next three days we're going to see leaks then you don't understand the state of politics.
BURNETT: Basil, the thing is though, what I just listed out is the problem. OK? That is a problem. You know, on the Republican side, first of all, 80 percent of voters say they're bothered by the used of the e-mail and that means Democrats are bothered as well as Republicans, right when you look at that overall number. And Republicans keep pointing to the fact that Comey admitted that she might be fired if she'd had her job when this was found out, but yet she's now perhaps going to be president of the United States. How do these notes help you with that issue?
[19:21:10] SMIKLE: Well, the notes help in the sense that she wants to be more transparent and she's calling for them to be released to the public. The timing is a little suspect to me, quite frankly, but the fact is that she wants this to be released. So I am confident that there's nothing --
BURNETT: Why is the timing suspect --
SMIKLE: Well, because we were just 80-something days outside of the election, 84 if I remember correctly outside of the election, number one. And number two, beyond the timing, I think it's interesting that for so long, Director Comey was beyond reproach but Republicans feel now that they should be looking over his shoulder at every step of this investigation. So now calling for these notes to be released at this juncture in the campaign cycle.
So, I thought this was put to bed, Republicans clearly want to keep this an issue, and I think they will do their best to do that. But Hillary said, they should -- they should be released to the public and I am confident that even if that's the case the campaign is still in good form.
BURNETT: Can that help her, Bill, that she's saying I'm not afraid. Go ahead. Put them out there. She's not trying to keep them back?
KRISTOL: Yes, it's the right thing to say but look, she's paid a huge price for the email server which she left the secretary of state. She had a favorable impression. People thought pretty well of her. By the time she started to run for president, she had a higher unfavorable than favorable, and that state. The majority of the public does not want Hillary Clinton to be president. They don't think she's honest. They prefer someone with fresh ideas and with higher ethical standards.
Unfortunately, the alternative -- the only alternative they seem to have right now is Donald Trump and given the choice, a majority or plurality right now is going to go with Hillary Clinton. And I don't think -- and I myself, I really -- I don't support Hillary at all either. I don't think she should be president, but I've got to say that, with Trump as the alternative she can probably just tough it through on these e-mails unless this is a new bombshell which there could be, of course as you probably can make it. I don't think this will --
BURNETT: All right.
If people don't think Trump is qualified to be president, they think Hillary Clinton is even a little more dishonest than we already thought she was? That's not going the --
BURNETT: They do think she is qualified.
(CROSSTALK)
LEWANDOWSKI: Maggie Hassan, the governor of the state of New Hampshire was asked a direct question three times by a CNN reporter. Do you think Hillary Clinton is honest? She couldn't answer a simple question. She's a candidate of the United States Senate and what the network did is they went to all the other candidates who were in tough races and ask the same question with the pleasure of hindsight, so they're going to say, yes, of course we think she's honest. The bottom-line is the governor of the State of New Hampshire running who is running as a Democrat could not answer the question if she thought Hillary Clinton was honest. Because she knows she's not honest --
(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
LEWANDOWSKI: But the bottom-line is, the Governor doesn't think she's honest. The people of New Hampshire don't think she's honest. She's consistently lied about this e-mail issue. Now she's saying to release it so that she can get in front of this. But the bottom-line is, she has deleted 33,000 e-mails, she never turned them over.
CONWAY: So, I'll jump in there on behalf of the Trump campaign. Look, if there is nothing to hide, get them out there. But so far there was a lot to hide, Erin. People say --
BURNETT: But there hasn't nothing proven. Right? Someone asked for a job. They didn't get the job, right? There's been no smoking gun yet.
CONWAY: Do you think nothing in -- do you think there are 33,000 e- mails worth of recipes and yoga?
BURNETT: I'm simply saying at this point, we have no proof that there is anything.
CONWAY: I think part of why she said release them to the public is because they fear they'll going to be released to the public through a third party anyway. So, they're trying to get ahead of that. Bill is right. This has dogged her from the beginning. Actually, it's really increased by that 12 to 13 points since she started running for president. You would think since her campaign spent $52 million in ads, $39 million in ads -- and she should --
BURNETT: Unfavorables Basil, if she weren't running against Donald Trump, she would be the least liked person ever to run for president in a matter of years.
SMIKLE: I don't know if that's true. I am always concerned about these sort of nebulous, unfavorable ratings because campaigns are about growth, right? In her campaign right now, she has brought on the folks that supported Bernie Sanders, they are now unified in support of her. There are Republicans that are saying that they'll going to support her. All Donald Trump is doing is hemorrhaging support. And Hillary Clinton is going to support --
CONWAY: What do you say to the 80 percent --
(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
SMIKLE: And if you take two important numbers, one the numbers -- the number of folks that she's gotten in the primary, two, the fact that the poll --
CONWAY: Now you're defending and explaining.
SMIKLE: -- poll after poll is saying that she's now moving further and further ahead --
CONWAY: Her fundamentals are still bad.
PIERRE: At the end of the day these e-mails should not be used as a political bargaining chip, period. They should not sway the election. Period. (TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
LEWANDOWSKI: Bill Clinton said Director Comey's statements were b.s. Right? Now you're saying, oh, she's above reproach. That's not what Bill Clinton said. Her own husband said that --
(CROSSTALK)
The deal is -- the deal is she should have been prosecuted for this. She clearly violated the rules, that's what it comes down to. Release all the 33,000 e-mails that are missing. Release all the transcripts of the FBI investigation. Let the American people decide.
[19:26:10] BURNETT: There is that. There is that. If you really surmise, if you go through then, there would be nothing there and they'd have nothing to argue about, right?
PIERRE: I agree.
BURNETT: Why not put them all out? Put them all out there so everyone can see. All right.
STELTER: Detesting politicians is the best American past time.
BURNETT: That's true.
STELTER: That's what unfavorables are all about.
BURNETT: That's a fair point. All right. And next, we are waiting Donald Trump live in Wisconsin, that State's Governor Scott Walker, once a fierce opponent of Trump criticizing him, actually pretty significantly in the past few weeks, side by side with Trump tonight. He is my guest.
Plus, how Trump's comments about Mexican rapists surprised even those closest to him. We have a special report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:30:38] BURNETT: And the breaking news, we are awaiting Donald Trump rallying in the crucial battleground state of Wisconsin, going to start speaking in moments and it comes as polls show Trump trailing Hillary Clinton in some crucial key swing states.
Florida, nine points down against Hillary Clinton. The Sunshine State has 29 electoral votes. And in Virginia, Clinton beating Trump by seven points in the home state of her running mate, Tim Kaine. It's a crucial swing state.
Sara Murray is OUTFRONT.
And, Sara, you know, this is poll after poll after poll at this point. This has to turn around for Trump to win. How worried is the campaign?
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Erin, I think that they knew Virginia would be a struggle for them, especially after Hillary Clinton picked Tim Kaine as her running mate, a senator from that state.
But when you look at Florida, that's an alarming gap for Trump. Florida is definitely a state that Donald Trump has to win.
Now, part of the reason that they wouldn't necessarily have to be completed alarmed by Virginia is if Donald Trump's Rust Belt strategy was panning out the way he hoped and that was turning good numbers in Wisconsin, turning good numbers in Pennsylvania, excuse me, and trying to put Michigan in play.
But Erin, what we're seeing is Trump is just not getting the numbers he needs in those states either. We're even seeing Hillary Clinton with a slight lead in Ohio. But the reality is unless he can turn his states around in places like that and certainly in Florida, it's going to be very difficult for him to get to where he needs to be in November.
BURNETT: All right. Sara Murray, thank you.
And OUTFRONT now, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.
And, Governor, thank you so much for being with us tonight. We appreciate your time.
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: Thank you.
BURNETT: You're going to be with Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton, of course, holding a double-digit lead over Trump in your state right now, 15 percentage points in the latest poll. Trump lost Wisconsin in the primaries, of course, to Ted Cruz whom you have endorsed.
Does he have a chance now?
WALKER: Yes. I think it's going to be a bit of a roller coaster. A couple of days after the July 5th announcement by the FBI director about Hillary Clinton's e-mails, that same poll had her up by only about four points. I think you see if the campaign's about Hillary Clinton, it's more likely to be close. If it's about Donald Trump and other issues, the gap will widen.
And I think that's because the American people and people here in Wisconsin understand that if you look at the facts and you want to change, Hillary Clinton is not the person to make that change happen.
BURNETT: Now, when you say, you know, if it's about Donald Trump and other issues it could widen. "The Wall Street Journal" editorial board has urged Republican leaders like yourself to dump Trump if he doesn't start acting more presidential. And in part wrote, "If they can't get," again referring to people like yourself, "If they can't get Trump to change his act by Labor Day, the GOP will have no choice, but to write off the nominee as hopeless. As for Mr. Trump, he needs to blaming everyone else and decide if he wants to behave like someone who wants to be president, or turn the nomination over to Mike Pence."
Do you agree?
WALKER: No, I think the focus has got to be on the two candidates. If Donald Trump talks about Hillary Clinton and he talks about himself, what he's going to do when he's president to make people's lives better, to talk about the kind of things that you talk about, and more importantly his children talked about at the convention where they talk about builder who could relate to the brick layers just as well as anybody else and talk about how he's going to look out for them and families like them.
In contrast with Hillary Clinton, if the election is about her and about those issues and about Americans wanting a change, she's not the right answer.
BURNETT: The issue, though, with Donald Trump, if he continues to bring up things or create fights that are not about the core issues as you see them, do you agree with "The Journal" that he has a deadline of Labor Day and he should consider getting out himself?
WALKER: I mean, I think the reality is Americans know the election this November is going to be between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. There's not some other candidate. There's not some other choice. A vote for anyone other than Donald Trump is to factor a vote for Hillary Clinton. And I for one is not going to be party to that. I don't --
BURNETT: You say that, but, of course, your support of Trump is not overwhelming when it comes to Trump himself, right? Before the convention, you told delegates to vote how they saw fit when Trump said he wasn't ready to endorse Paul Ryan in your state. This month, you tweeted that same day a picture of you and Paul Ryan saying, we stand with Paul Ryan. In the wake of Trump creating the Muslim Gold Star parents, you said of all Gold Star families, I'm quoting you, Governor, "I respect them, they deserve our respect no matter what the political situation is."
Look, your personal feelings about Trump seem to come through in all of those things. I mean, what makes you decide to stand by him today, with him physically?
WALKER: Well, my point is that I do not endorse everything that Donald Trump has said or done, and that's why, again, I ran for president, I didn't endorse him initially and didn't endorse him in Wisconsin.
[19:35:10] But I said last year and I meant it, I wasn't holding my fingers behind my back, that any of the 17 candidates running for president of the United States as Republicans I thought were better including Donald Trump, and I believe that.
BURNETT: There's been great inequality and great debate in your own party about where the money should focus, 83 days to go, Governor. Is there a time that the Republican Party should say, all right, forget about Trump. He'll do what he's going to do and we need to save the Senate, save the House, Senator Ron Johnson's bid reelection, of course, crucial to you. Marquette University Law School poll right in your state has Russ Feingold leading Johnson, 49 to 43 percent.
Is there a time when that money should go to those races?
WALKER: Well, I think the two go together. I think you can't abandon a presidential candidate no matter who it is and expect another candidate's down ballot to be reasonably well. I think there are cases where in some states, historically, senate candidates or gubernatorial candidates have polled better than the vice presidential candidate and vice versa.
But Donald Trump needs to perform well for candidates all across America to perform well, it's why he has to focus, I believe, on the race between him and Hillary Clinton. I just can't say enough, if the race is about Hillary Clinton and the Republicans win not only the presidency, they'll win in the U.S. Senate, they'll win in the House, and they'll win in other races.
BURNETT: Governor, I want to talk about the violence that has rocked Milwaukee. The fatal shooting of a black man last week by police. Now, obviously, it was calm in the city overnight. This morning, you said Clinton is inflaming the situation in part by saying that there needs to be trust rebuilt between police and communities.
What specifically is wrong with that? The concept between rebuilding trust between police and communities?
WALKER: I think long term it was more in the context in which the comments were raised. I think trust is wonderful. I've had a lot of meetings about it today.
But I think trying to imply that the police did something wrong here when I think it's important for nobody to rush to judgment, and I would hope the leaders of either party would do that, say let's -- there is a process. Let's let that be.
In the larger context, sure, we can talk about rebuilding trust across America, but that's registered a line of distinction.
BURNETT: Look, it's a fair point, you have to let the process play out. But I do want to understand, it was the context in which she said that, what exactly it is that you find problematic? Let me play again what she said for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Look at what's happening in Milwaukee right now. We have urgent work to do to rebuild trust between police and communities and get back to the fundamental principle -- everyone should have respect of the law and be respected by the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, what is the issue with that?
WALKER: Well again, the concept is not a bad one, but I think that's proactively -- you asked me a question and I answered. I didn't proactively come out and say the police were right and the individual is wrong. I said there is an independent process out there.
And I think that's just what leadership requires, even in the midst of a political campaign to not say, I'm going to make statements one way or the other.
BURNETT: All right. Governor Walker, thank you so much for your time tonight.
WALKER: Thank you.
BURNETT: And tomorrow on CNN, get to know the Green Party candidates during a live town hall. Scott Walker says you have two choices, but you actually have more and you will see the Green P[arty here on CNN.
OUTFRONT next, we are standing by live for Donald Trump to take the stage any moment at this rally in Wisconsin. It's crucial. Moments ago, he said he's going to be who he is, he's not going to pivot. And this will be his first rally since.
Plus, new details about how Ivanka Trump tried to do damage control on her father's comments about Mexicans and rapists.
And a man allegedly shoots and kills his neighbor on his front lawn. The family calling this a hate crime tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:42:41] BURNETT: And we are awaiting Donald Trump's rally in Wisconsin. You can see there, he's going to be appearing on that stage any moment. Obviously, he's hoping to score big tonight in the key swing state actually in the interview, talking about how Ronald Reagan won Wisconsin, not though, promising he would do the same. The polls obviously do not look good or him right. There he says he could turn that around.
This comes as a video deposition could be released very soon, and in this Trump admits that multiple business deals have soured because of his campaign. I mean, it's on video in this deposition. Also, he says his daughter Ivanka tried to do damage control on one of his most controversial comments. This is Donald Trump himself saying this.
Drew Griffin is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists and some, I assume, are good people.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Newly released court documents reveal companies begun pulling away from doing business with Trump almost immediately after his now famous campaign announcement.
TRUMP: I am officially running.
GRIFFIN: Macy's Department Stores ending its affiliation with Trump clothes, Serta Mattress Company not renewing its agreement with Trump, and high high-end restaurateur seeking to break his lease and plans to open a restaurant in Trump's major Washington, D.C. project, a renovated old Post Office building.
In the court documents, Trump described the business backlash saying, "I guess they didn't like my comments." Trump is suing the restaurateur for backing out of the deal. The lawsuit has led to deposition taken this past June where it's revealed internally, in the Trump organization, the political statements concerning Mexicans were taking a toll on business.
Donald Trump's deposition, the picture is rosy. The Trump building under construction is a hot hotel, he says. "Our bookings are very good, but I think it would have been much better had the restaurant stayed."
IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF DONALD TRUMP: He wasn't talking about the Mexican people.
GRIFFIN: Initially, it was Trump's daughter Ivanka who attempted to make things right. In her deposition a year after Trump entered the race, it was again, daughter Ivanka under oath who recalls her attempts to rescue her father from his own words.
"I had suggested a clarification because I felt his comments were being misconstrued", she told the court. "Not a retraction. I don't think that's my place. I drafted something for myself," she says.
[19:45:01] "I wrote something down, but it was not used. Basically, I was playing around with the idea of the fact that the media was spinning what he said to be about Hispanic people generally as opposed to illegal immigrants."
This was that attempt to clarify. Laredo, Texas, July, 2015.
TRUMP: I have a great relationship. Over the years, thousands and thousands of Hispanics have worked for me and now work me, and the relationship is very good.
GRIFFIN: E-mails released in the lawsuit show the clarification wasn't working, an assistant to the proposed restaurant's head chef is sent to Ivanka Trump. "We need to talk," he writes, "getting crushed over DJT comments about Latinos and Mexicans."
Ivanka forwards the email to an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, David Orowitz who responds, "Ugh, this is not surprising and I would expect this will not be the last we hear of it". He then goes on to suggest that formal prepared speeches can someone vet going forward.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Erin, the Trumps in their depositions make it clear they just don't know how much yet or even if Donald Trump's comments on Mexicans are hurting his business, both Ivanka and Donald Trump testified that they had done any analysis to determine if fewer or perhaps even more Latinos are patronizing Trump properties since he begun his run for president.
BURNETT: I mean, it's pretty stunning, though, Drew, when you say that and you can imagine, yes, they're sitting here, this is the first time we've actually heard that she tried to get him to issue a clarification.
You know, as you have gone through this, it seems that there were several warning signs for the Trump campaign right in this deposition.
GRIFFIN: Yes, and they come from Ivanka. Behind the scenes, she is trying to deal with these businesses and trying to convince them that what her father says on the campaign trail has nothing to do with the Trump business.
They were not convinced, Erin. That should have been a warning sign that some voting blocs were want going to be convinced about what me was saying, but I thought the real warning sign was that executive vice president the guy who wrote, ugh, we're going to have to deal with this going, in the future, and he says can't somebody vet what this guys is going to say in the prepared statements.
I think those are warning signs that I wish -- I bet they wish they had that.
BURNETT: Yes, I'm sure they did and obviously still having that discussion now about vetting and prompters and going off script.
Thank you so much, Drew.
And OUTFRONT next, after years of terrorizing an Arab family, a man allegedly shoots and murders his next-door neighbor? Was it a hate crime? It is a horrific story. That's next.
On a much lighter note to end our show, Jeanne Moos on this lingering moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:51:20] BURNETT: Tonight, a 35-year-old man arrested and charged hours ago with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of a New York imam and his assistant.
Now, we are learning about another murder, this one also a possible hate crime in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This man accused of shooting and killing his neighbor, a 37-year-old Lebanese-American man. He and his family allegedly harassed for years, taunted with slurs.
Brynn Gingras is OUTFRONT in Tulsa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dirty Arabs and dirty Lebanese are just some of the insults Vernon Majors allegedly called his neighbors.
His anger towards the Jabara family turned deadly on Friday when police say he shot and killed Khalid Jabara. Majors is no stranger to the family. For years, the Jabaras who are Christians of Lebanese descent said that Majors would terrorize them call them names.
In 2013, the family filed a protective order which prevented Majors from having contact with them. But records show, Majors violated that order.
In September of last year, Majors allegedly hit Khaled Jabara's mother Haifa with his car, putting her in the hospital for weeks.
Majors was arrested and charged with felony assault, two judges denied his request to be released on bond. But three months ago, a third judge, against the district attorney's wishes, allowed the 61-year-old to post bail, releasing him until his trial in 2017.
Neighbors who did not want to be identified say they are not surprised by the allegations against Majors, saying he had a history.
UNIDENTIFED NEIGHBOR: He'd walk on to our property and started screaming to my family and told us Mexicans we are here and stuff like that.
GINGRAS: On the night he was killed, Khaled called police to report Majors had a gun after getting a tip from someone Majors lived with. According to the Tulsa police department, officers responded, but could not go inside Majors' home so they left.
Later, police say Majors walked up to the front steps of his neighbor's home and shot and killed Khaled Jabara. His mother says she was on the phone with her son when it happened telling CNN, "They should have looked at his history to see this is a dangerous guy. They could have spared my son's life. My son is gone. My son is gone."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GINGRAS: After the shooting, police found Majors hiding behind a tree here at this library. He's now charged with first-degree murder and this time he's being held without bail.
The D.A. did release a statement saying this family did everything they were supposed to do and the system failed them. And, Erin, I did just talk to the Jabara family before we came on the air and they were surprised by that and right now they are focusing on arranging funeral arrangements for Khaled.
BURNETT: All right. Brynn, thank you.
Well, next, we're awaiting Donald Trump. He's going to take the stage live in Wisconsin, a crucial rally tonight. He's going to be appearing with the governor who you just saw here on our show.
Plus, Jeanne Moos on the latest awkward Joe Biden hug. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:55] BURNETT: Joe Biden, vice president and America's hugger in chief? Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are hugs where you just throw up your arms and go for it, and then there are hugs that keep going and going and going.
Joe Biden wouldn't let Hillary go if they met on the tarmac at Scranton airport. About four seconds into the hug, they semi- disengaged. Nothing to see here, right? Wrong. Because the vice president wouldn't unhand Hillary for almost 16 seconds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Notice how many times she tries to tap out. She lets it go, he does not. She tapped out. No -- no, he's still holding on. Second tap out, for God's sake, Joe, you've got to let go.
MOOS: This latest awkward hug would want have been micro-analyzed if it wasn't for the other overly handied Biden moments, critics collect them. Times when he poses when he poses with young girls and behaves like a doting grandfather, arranging and rearranging hair.
There's nothing pervy here, the V.P. knows he's on camera at the swearing-in ceremonies and the right there.
The V.P. is known as a close talker. He even does it to the president.
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a big (EXPLETIVE DELETED) deal.
MOOS: Perhaps his most famous hands-on moment came when he put his hands on the wife of Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
ASH CARTER, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We got a lot of things to give out.
MOOS: Conservatives panned it.
GLENN BECK, RADIO HOST: This is the creepiest thing.
MOOS: And so did some liberals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That ain't right, man! Why are you -- appear to smell her hair!
MOOS: At least the V.P. didn't get that close to Hillary.
Now, Hillary and President Obama in their history of hugging.
From the paltry excuse for a hug eight years ago after he defeated her to this -- a hug so close that Hillary closed her eyes. They even gazed into each other's eyes. This was a hug so novel for these two, it looked like the cover of a
romance novel.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS: And thank you so much for joining us.
"AC360" starts right now.
