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Quest Means Business
Report: addam Posed No Imminent Threat in 2003; Dow Gains After Release of Fed Minutes; Clinton Attacks Trump's Business in Atlantic City; Former Executive Defends Trump's Atlantic City Legacy; Blair: British Soldiers Didn't Die in Vain; Former Host Sues Fox News CEO for Sexual Harassment; Portugal Beat Wales to Reach Euro 2016 Final; Lionel Messi Sentenced for Tax Fraud. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired July 06, 2016 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:00] MAGGIE LAKE, CNN ANCHOR: After some early losses they managed to but themselves back into the black. It's Wednesday, July 6th. Tonight
a war that was flawed from the start. A British inquiry slams the decisions to invade Iraq. British pound keeps falling with your bank
heading in the same direction. And Hillary Clinton heads to Atlantic City telling voters don't gamble on Donald Trump's presidency.
I'm Maggie Lake and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS, good evening. Tonight it was a war launched too soon and whose end the British government failed to
prepare for. Those are the conclusions of the Chilcot report, a seven-year investigation into Britain's decision to join the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Speaking after the report's release, The Prime Minister at the time, Tony Blair, said he feels more sorrow and regret over the war that people will
never know. But he also defended his actions. Insisting the world is better off without Saddam Hussein. According to the inquiry there was one
overriding concern that drove the Prime Minister's decision. Phil Black has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Everyone knew at the time they were tight. Now the Iraq inquiry has ruled they were too tight. That Tony
Blair was too worries about Britain's spent bond with the United States. He said it was wrong to think breaking with the U. S. on Iraq would break
the relationship. And wrong to believe he could guide George Bush's thinking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN CHILCOT, CHAIRMAN, IRAQ WAR INQUIRY: Mr. Blair overestimated his ability to influence U.S. decisions on Iraq.
TONY BLAIR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I took the decision after 9/11 we should be America's closest ally. Again, you can disagree with that. I
personally think when you're fighting this terrorism in the world today, it would be better if Britain today had a really strong tight relationship
with the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: The report says Tony Blair often failed to consult widely across his own cabinet administers. That too few senior people were aware of
policy decisions, and example. It quotes from a long personal included a letter Blair wrote to George Bush in July 2002 in which the British Prime
Minister told the U. S. President, "I will be with you whatever." Senior minister didn't see it. The report says they should have and gives other
examples too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHILCOT: Despite promises that cabinet would discuss the military contribution, it did not discuss the military options or their
implications.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: Blair is criticized strongly for not pressing the U.S. on his concerns about managing Iraq after the invasion. He says he knew the
significance of the post conflict phase, but didn't rethink Britain's involvement or make it contingent on having a strong plan ready to go when
the fighting started. Tony Blair has often said the huge security problems which developed through outside actors trying to tear the country apart
couldn't have been predicted. The inquiry disagrees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHILCOT: The risk of internal strife in Iraq active Iranian pursuit of its interests, regional instability, and Al Qaeda activity in Iraq were each
explicitly identified for the invasion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: Little surprise the report found the war was justified using faulty intelligence. Of course, there were no weapons of mass destruction. But a
crucial point for Blair, it says there's nothing to indicate his people exaggerated or created information to help sell their case for war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: please stop saying I was lying or --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: The report says it doesn't question Blair's belief, but it found his assessment to the threat posed by Saddam Hussein they went too far
ahead of the available intelligence. For that and Valerie O'Neill says she'll never forgive him. Her younger son Chris was killed by a roadside
bomb in Basra in 2007.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VALERIE O'NEILL, SON KILLED SERVICE SEEN IN IRAQ: He didn't listen to the intelligence. He listened to what he wanted to listen to. No matter what
was said to him, Tony Blair was going to war with George Bush.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: The report doesn't say explicitly the decision to invade Iraq was a mistake, but it comes close.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHILCOT: Intervention which went badly wrong with consequences to this day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: Tony Blair responded at length. Passionately declaring his sorrow and accepting responsibility while insisting he acted for the right
reasons. In the world is still better off without Saddam Hussein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Blair: I mean, I didn't regret taking the decisions.
BLACK: He's been arguing that difficult and highly unpopular case for more than 13 years. And now the Iraq inquiries definitive account of a war that
it says was unnecessary, can only damage Blair's determined efforts to resurrect his legacy. Phil black, for CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[16:05:00] LAKE: Tony Blair says the Chilcot report shows there was no secret commitment with President Bush to go to war. But still the report
mentioned the inquiry noted the cozy relationship between the British Prime Minister and the American president, and highlighted in this letter from
Tony Blair. He told George Bush, "I will be with you, whatever." The man who has the prime minister's job today said the Chilcot report should not
be allowed to threaten cooperation between Britain and the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It would be wrong to conclude that we shouldn't stand with our American allies when our common security
interests are threatened. We must never be afraid to speak frankly and honestly, as best friends always should, and where we commit our troops
together there must be a structure through which are views can be properly conveyed and differences work through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAKE: Joining me now from London, James Ruben, served as U.S. assistant secretary of state. Robin Oakley, is a CNN political contributor. And
Robin, I want to start with you. This was a massive report. Seven years in the making and then and extraordinary nearly two-hour passionate
rebuttal coming from Tony Blair. What has been the reaction at the end of this day?
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Their reaction is that Tony Blair's reputation is further damaged because of the precise language of
Sir John Chilcot's inquiry. Most of the areas that he discussed, these criticisms have been aired before. But there was a definitive nature about
the way he put these things across. And he basically making the case that Tony Blair had exaggerated what kind of threat Saddam Hussein represented.
That he'd been too ready to push. Take bits of intelligence and turn them into a convincing case that there was a threat to Britain at the time,
which the Chilcot inquiry says quite clearly there was not.
And it's not really still the anger of the families. Partly because when Tony Blair was asked, "What are you actually apologizing for," by
questioners. He said, "Oh well, I'm apologize for mistakes in planning and process." And he's entirely unrepentant of Britain playing a part in
toppling Saddam Hussein. And he says, he will never believe that the lives that were lost, were lost in vain. So the families I think, are still
frustrated about Tony Blair's lack of apology in a rather different degree to the one he's offered so far, Maggie.
LAKE: James, you know it's interesting -- to pick up on that point -- listening to Tony Blair live this morning, he outright rejected this idea
that taking down Saddam Hussein caused this threat of terror. And instead he laid out that the environment of terror after 9/11 and the seismic
change that that caused fed into the thinking. He really tries to bring us to that moment and what it was like as they try to grapple with what was a
new landscape.
JAMES RUBEN, FORMER U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: Will I think Tony Blair is correct -- oh, I thought it was for me.
LAKE: Yes, James, if you can go ahead.
RUBEN: yes, Tony Blair is correct that in the United States after 9/11 something fundamentally did change. And there was an acceptance that risk
was no longer as tolerable after 9/11 as it was before 911. And also there was a willingness to take casualties. Prior to 9/11 America was very
averse to the loss of soldiers. After 9/11 when so many police and firemen and citizens were killed in those buildings, there was a sense of national
unity. That there were risks in the middle east worth fighting for and never again should we let a problem out there that is untended and not
managed and not dealt with, come home to the United States with such great power. And that was a fundamental change and I think Blair was right about
that.
And Robin, the report seems to say, if you believe that in his core, he didn't do enough to bring in consult his government and get them on board.
That was one of the main criticisms coming down today. That the government didn't really function as it should and they didn't do enough. He didn't
consult enough people.
OAKLEY: Yes, I remember reporting on the debates at the time. And remember, the streets of London were filled with protesters on a scale that
we had never, ever seen before. You were talking to MPS about the prospect of supporting war and they were really resting with their consciences. And
then they found out that, you know, Tony Blair -- confirmed by the inquiry, that Tony Blair had been discussing things with President Bush in a way
that he had never discussed with his senior ministers.
The Chilcot inquiry says that serious questions about military preparedness and so on, were never going through the full cabinet process at the top of
the Democratic pile.
[16:10:00] And are too many decisions were being taken by what they call, sofa government. Tony Blair and a small coterie of advisors in Downing
Street. And not opening out enough to the ministers who might perhaps would have held him back a little bit longer from the action that he took,
Maggie.
LAKE: Jamie, I wonder if this report is now going to strain their relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. We have an election coming
here. Already Donald Trump was discussing Saddam Hussein last night. Coming under criticism for seemingly praising him. Do you think that it's
going to feed in not only to our election, but perhaps alter the relationship between the U.K. and the U.S.?
RUBEN: I don't think the Chilcot report will seriously damage the U.S./U.K. relationship. I think the lessons that it discussed however, may
become important in the future. And let's face it, there are two basic models for how a British Prime Minister can work with an American
president. Maggie Thatcher and Ronald Reagan was one model, and in that case, for example, with his famous "Star Wars" program. Margaret Thatcher
managed to get Ronald Reagan to adjust his policy, to agree to certain terms that she wanted.
Unfortunately, Tony Blair was not able to get adjustments in George Bush's policies. But I think, the biggest thing about this report is what the
magnitude of the failure of Iraq, the incredibly negative consequences, the damage done, the costs to the world, to Iraq, to the Europeans, to the
soldiers for an admittedly modest gain. Will never know what terrorism would have existed if Saddam Hussein had still been in place. I don't
think Donald Trump quite understands the Middle East. The terrorism in Syria has got nothing to do with Saddam Hussein. It was a function of the
Arab Spring where the people rose up. And there's a huge vacuum there. The new Islamic state is filling it. So there are many, many problems that
have caused the chaos and danger in the Middle East. Surely one of them, though, was the chaos that occurred in Iraq for all these years that has
allowed jihadists and extremists and dangers from all over the world to see a rock as the place to fight the West, fight the United States and launch
these terrible attacks.
And we see this playing out on our air every day. JAMES Ruben, Robin Oakley, thanks very much to both of you.
We're going to stay on that theme of the war and its aftermath has left hundreds of thousands of Iraqi casualties in a shattered country still
gripped by violence. Ben Wedeman is in Baghdad and has been speaking to people on the streets there. And Ben joins me now. And Ben, you've been
speaking on the street. You also had a front row seat over the course of this better part of a decade, to see the aftermath firsthand. Tony Blair
rejecting the idea that removing Saddam Hussein cause some of the terror that we see today. What's the feeling there?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The feeling is very much that when the United States and U.K. invaded Iraq, and in a sense in
the in the words of Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League, it opened the gates of hell. You removed a dictator that had been in power
for 30 years. It created a vacuum. The Americans and the British simply didn't have plan in place to deal with the day after that so many people
warn them about.
Into that vacuum rush not only Al Qaeda, which morphed into ISIS. But also Shia militias, which have been fighting one another to this day. And so
many Iraqis we've spoken to do blame the United States, the United Kingdom, Tony Blair and George Bush, for creating the conditions that allowed all of
this to happen. All of this fighting that goes on to this day. The terrorism that goes on to this day. Iraqis are still reeling over this
weekend truck bomb that left more than 250 people dead. And when talking about the Chilcot report, how many British servicemen died in Iraq, 179.
Two hundred and fifty Iraqis died just on the weekend. The Chilcot report was quoting what is generally considered the minimum number of Iraqi
casualties caused by the invasion and the occupation, 150,000. Others say the number who died as a result of the invasion tops 1 million. So there's
plenty of blame to go around, but many Iraqis do blame Tony Blair and George W. Bush, Maggie.
LAKE: Ben, we heard Tony Blair in his two-hour rebuttal really talking about what a threat, what a tyrant Saddam was. What he had done to his
people.
[16:15:00] Why they were so concerned about him. What's the feeling today as we look back on that. You were there at the time. It's been a long
time. Some people are not that familiar with this situation and may forget. What's the feeling now in a rock toward Saddam Hussein in those
days?
WEDEMAN: It depends who you talked to. Some people remember fondly the days of Saddam Hussein. They'll tell you that under Saddam's reign that as
long as you stayed within certain boundaries. You didn't talk about politics. You didn't demonstrate in public. You were fine. You are safe
in your home. There were no bombs in the streets of Baghdad. Very few checkpoints, no blast walls. The city functioned, not quite in a normal
way, given that it was a dictatorship. The country did afternoon 1991 suffer for well over a decade under UN impose sanctions. But, yes, some
Iraqis look back to those days and wish -- one Iraqi I know always tells me he wishes Saddam could come back from the dead.
However, there are other Iraqis who are delighted that he was removed and continue to be so. A few months ago, I was sitting around a campfire with
Kurdish commanders, we were talking about the upcoming U.S. elections and they volunteered odd of the blue that they would like George W. Bush to
run for president again. Another one chimed in saying they'd like to see Tony Blair as prime minister of Britain. So you have a vary it's of
opinion, not necessarily the kind of opinions that Tony Blair would like to hear, but nonetheless they're there.
LAKE: They are, and perhaps underscoring what a complicated situation this remains. Ben Wedeman with the view from Iraq, thank you, Ben.
It was a hard day for European markets. Bank stocks dropped. The pound reaches a new low and forth British property fund suspended trading this
week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LAKE: Stocks in the United States have returned to their winning ways. After a slow start to the session on Wall Street, the Dow has finished 77
points higher. CNN's Paul la Monica is at the New York Stock Exchange and joins us now. Paul, it looks like it with us going to be a rough day when
you and I spoke at the opening bell. What happened? What turned it around?
PAUL R. LA MONICA, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it with us very interesting, Maggie. It seems that investors are focusing more some decent
economic data and hoping the jobs report this Friday will be, you know, much better turnaround from the awful jobs report that we had last month.
I think there's a growing sense of optimism that despite Brexit, maybe this is going to be something that is more of an issue for European banks but
less so for big American giants.
[16:20:00] But, still, I think there's some fear out there. When you look at gold. Gold surged again, nearing $1,400 an ounce. That's not a sign of
a healthy economy that's worry free right now.
LAKE: Yes, and some people actually saying that even U.S. stocks look attractive compared to some of the fear out there when you're looking
abroad.
LA MONICA: Yes. I think that's a great point. There is this sense that even though U.S. growth is pretty weak and we're not even expecting
earnings to increase for the S&P 500 when all these companies start reporting their latest results in a few weeks, it's still better than the
alternatives, namely Europe and also China. Because remember, Maggie, the fears about China slowing down. They may have fallen off the front pages
if you will, but they haven't completely dissipated. They've just been obscured by all Brexit all the time for the past two weeks.
LAKE: That's right. We'll see if the CEOs during earnings period put them back on the front burner On the front burner. Paul, thank you so much.
Paul La Monica for us.
LA MONICA: Thank you.
LAKE: Now, the financial fallout from Brexit continues to roil markets in Britain and beyond. Bank shares, in particular, dragged European markets
down in Wednesday's trade. The Euro stock banking fell down 2.6 percent. Deutsche bank led the way down as shares lost 5.6 percent to hit a record
low. Credit Suisse and Germany's Commerce Bank also hit new lows. The pound falls again to new lows against the dollar at one point touching
$1.28 with many feeling it could fall further.
Amid the volatile markets, Henderson Global Investors is the fourth U.K. property fund suspends trading this week. In a statement the fund says
that while its portfolio is strong, the move is in response to uncertainty following the Brexit vote and suspension by other property funds. CNN
Money's John Defterios has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN MONEY EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: The pounds fall into a better than a three-decade low is making life particularly tough for the UK
property sector. In a span of just days there are now four investment companies that have frozen their commercial property funds. Henderson
Global Investors suspended $5 billion worth of assets to plug redemptions by investors. Henderson joins M&G, Standard Life, and Aviva and taking this
action. Those three froze assets totaling just under $12 billion. While the moves have raised some alarm about such a drastic measure, property
strategists suggest there was little choice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reality is the nature of the beast is open-ended funds. There's always a risk as you get short term uncertainty, money will
move out of the funds. Actually, it's difficult to come square with the very liquid nature of the assets. So actually, you often then get this
reaction that some funds have to close until they can actually release them cash through sales of assets down the line.
DEFTERIOS: Bailey notes that when it comes to residential real estate, two distinct camps are forming, those hoping for some sort of EU trade
agreement. And the others who see the pounds steep drop as reason enough to move in on potential targets. In the meantime, investors continue to
hunt down save havens. Gold hit a two-year high and demand for Swiss and U.S. government bonds is strong. The bank of England Governor, Mark Carney
is trying to restore confidence stating that liquidity remain a priority and capital requirements for banks ease. But this has not alleviated
pressure on property funds as the market remains alarmed about the pound. While it has tumbled about 15 percent since the referendum vote, that fall
is just half of what took place during the days of the global banking crisis. John Defterios, CNN Money, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAKE: The sense of instability and uncertainty is spreading across the globe. In Italy regulators temporarily ban short selling in one of Italy's
biggest banks. Shares of BNPS rebounded after hitting an all-time Low. They European Central Bank has been pushing the bank to clear out
underperforming loans.
Japan yields on 20-year debt went below zero for the first time ever. 30- year government bonds are just above zero as investors flee to safety. And in the United States, today's Fed minutes taken before the referendum
itself warned of turbulent financial markets and negative effects on the U.S. economy. Harvard University professor and former IMF chief economist,
Ken Rogoff joins me now from Boston. Ken, it's great to see you.
I heard repeatedly from people last week after the surprise Brexit outcome that this is a political event. It is not a financial event. And yet we
see property funds halting trading. We see pressure on Italian banks. Does that statement remain true? Is this only a political event?
KEN ROGOFF, PROFESSOR, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Well, I think it's a slow burn. It's something that will have a big effect in the long run, and probably a
big effect across Europe over the medium run. But it's not as much a banking event. Commercial property had been falling before the Brexit vote
and it looks to accelerate.
[16:25:00] I think it's a big question of what will happen to the housing market in general and the feedback on consumption. Because housing prices
in London just went up and up and up. They never had the dim they had in the states. They might now.
LAKE: And we've seen this before. Of times of pressure You see the weak points or the problem areas that everybody knew about become more in focus.
Let's talk about the contagions. So if it's not a banking sector issue is it only a U.K. issue? Is the U.K. economy the most vulnerable, the most
likely to take a hit? Or could there be unintended consequences for Europe and particularly the U.S.? A lot of people feel like the U.S. is immune to
this. Is that true?
ROGOFF: Well, I populism that under lies Brexit is going to express it elsewhere. And I think what everybody is wondering, are we going to have
every six months the market holding its breath over another referendum that potentially is even more damaging than this one. And obviously there's the
election in the United States. So I think, you know, it portends a lot of moves toward policy changes that will probably slow the global economy.
But not necessarily undermined the banking sector. The British banking sector is pretty well-capitalized. The risk is more asset prices falling,
consumption falling and recession.
LAKE: And what about business investment? In this time we've heard everyone saying if you don't know what's going to happen, it's hard to make
long-term investments. We're going to hear from a lot of CEOs in this earnings. They're trying to grapple with this. They have no idea what the
future holds. Is that going to dampen investment deal activity and does that have a negative effect?
ROGOFF: It will in the U.K. I mean already companies that were planning to hire workers are now looking into downsizing. Workers who are thronging
say the budding tech industry in the U.K. and Fintech are now turning down jobs to go elsewhere. But it's hard to get real good information early on.
Let's face it, we don't know what's going to happen yet in the U.K. They might end of having a very Brexit light. They might end up smoothly going
to some Norway type arrangement and nothing really changes. It could be a lot uglier.
LAKE: Brexit light. I think we have a new term to ad add to our jargon list. Ken, always great to catch up with you, thank you so much, Ken
Rogoff, for us.
The pound is falling and is having an impact on the United States' special relationship with British tourists. I spoke some visitors from the U.K.
who still brave the trip to New York after falling pound hiked up American prices.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAKE (voice-over): A hangout, GMT, New York's Greenwich Village, British visitors hope Euro 2016 football can bring a welcome reprieve from what has
been a sobering couple of weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The U.K. has voted to leave the European Union.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAKE: The U.K.'s shock decision to leave the European Union sent the pound skidding to a three-decade low against the dollar, and left many tourists
recalibrating their holiday plans.
LINDA HANNA, U.K. TOURIST: It made a difference because we're paying for the hotel because we're here. The first hotel was okay. We got a good
exchange rate, but the second one wasn't any good.
SIMON DUNNE, U.K. TOURIST: I don't think it will drop any more. I think it will balance out. I just don't think you're going to get two dollars
for a pound ever again.
LAKE: Across New York currency exchanges are trying to ease nerves, but few British tourists are fooled. Pounds are worth about 10 percent less
here now, some got lucky.
BETH GREEN, U.K. TOURIST: I got my dollars out. I exchanged my pounds for dollars a few days before, like we left the EU. So I was fine, but like,
if I had left a couple of days I would have to pay a lot more.
LAKE: But others fear that U.K. tourists who were planning a summer trip will now think twice before booking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little bit of England.
LAKE: At Tea & Sympathy, a home away from home for Brits in New York, owners say the impact will be immediate.
SEAN KAVANAGH-DOWSETT, CO-OWNER, TEA & SYMPATHY: I think it will happen right now. I think there's people that are suddenly realizing, oh look, I
had 1000 pounds to spend. That was almost sort of 15, 16, $1700 and now it's $1,300. Maybe that's not going go as far and should we go.
LAKE: That's troubling for tourism industry here in New York. 1.2 million British tourists visited the city this past year. The U.K.'s New York
biggest overseas market by far. And tourism officials want to keep it that way.
CHRISTOPHER HEYWOOD, SENIOR VP, NYC & COMPANY: We're monitoring it very, very closely. Certainly this is a key market for New York City and we'll
be adjusting our messaging if necessary to really highlight more of the value and affordability message.
LAKE: Brits we caught up with are trying their best to keep a stiff upper lip.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we'll still come. But they were saying that a lot of people might take holidays back home and not go aboard, go to
Europe or stay home. I don't know. I can't see us doing that, but we might.
LAKE: For others the question isn't whether to take a holiday. It's whether to make it a permanent one.
[16:30:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I might stay here actually. It's so dreadful to go back.
LAKE: Regret and a new reality as the pound gets pounded.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAKE: Trump could bankrupt America like he's bankrupted his companies. That's the case Hillary Clinton made today in Atlantic City where Trumps
casinos have gone bankrupt four times. We'll meet a former executive who's ready to defend Trump's record.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LAKE: Hello. I'm Maggie lake. Coming up on the next half hour of QUEST MEANS BUSINESS, the chairman of Fox News faces a sexual harassment lawsuit
from one of his former anchors. Lionel Messi is sentenced to nearly 2 years in prison for tax fraud, but the football star probably won't spend a
day behind bars. Before that, these are the top headlines on CNN this hour.
A report from the U.K. lists numerous failures in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Among them, intelligence failures and not
planning for the terrorism that followed. Former prime minister, Tony Blair, expressed sorrow while standing by his decision to go to war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: The decision had to be taken. And it was mine to take as prime minister. I took it. I accept full responsibility for it. I stand by it.
I only ask with humility that the British people accept that I took this decision because I believe that it was the right thing to do based on the
information that I had and the threats I perceived.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAKE: A judge in South Africa has sentenced Oscar Pistorius to six years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, three years
ago. The Olympic sprinter described by the judge as a fallen hero, Must serve at least half of that sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Portugal is leads Wales, 2-0, with about 15 minutes to play in their Euro 2016 semifinal match. After a scoreless first half, superstar Cristiano
Ronaldo broke through in the 50th minute header that found the back of the net.
Standing in the shadow of Donald Trump's former Atlantic City casinos, Hillary Clinton launched a full-fledged attack on the business record of
her Republican opponent. Trump's businesses have filed four bankruptcies since 1991. All of which surrounded his Atlantic City holdings.
[16:35:00] Trump says he merely used U.S. law to benefit his company and employees. Today Hillary Clinton claimed he stiffed contractors and
spurred job losses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Remember what he promised. I'm going to do for the country what I did for
my business. Well, we should believe him and make sure he never has the chance to bankrupt America the way he bankrupted his businesses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAKE: Senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar joins us from Washington. Brianna, going on the offensive, attacking Donald Trump and
also presumably trying to move her e-mail scandal out of the headlines.
BREANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, and it's not quite moving out of the headlines for sure. Republicans are
on the offensive on that. For instance, House Speaker, Paul Ryan, saying she shouldn't receive classified briefings while she is a candidate.
But she's going after Donald Trump when it comes to his business practices and she's doing this because she's trying to turn one of his strengths,
which is how voters think he would do on the economy into a weakness. So she's trying to capitalize and there have been some subjective stories that
are well reported out that show some of his business practices, specifically pertaining to some of his hotels, where he perhaps didn't pay
contractors. And how there's been a lot of litigation of contractors who are really small businessmen or vendors who end up trying to take Trump to
court to get paid money that they're due. And, of course, his legal recourses far surpass theirs. So there have been these instances the
Clinton campaign is trying to seize on of where Donald Trump is kind of not been doing well by the little guy. And she's trying to highlight that with
this trip to Atlantic City today where three e of his four bankruptcies affected the companies and ventures there.
LAKE: And Breanna, she's also trying to at the same time woo Bernie Sanders supporters, reach out to people she's had a hard time getting
traction with. The polls, some of them are still close despite all the controversy that surrounds Trump.
KEILAR: That's right. We see this today, Maggie, in how she's moving closer to his proposal for free college. Free tuition for public colleges
and universities, that was something that Bernie Sanders had promoted that was so popular especially with young people who are paying for college and
struggling financially. Hillary Clinton had really painted it as this pie in the sky thing. Well look, now she's coming around to it today.
She has a proposal out today. And what it would do is that for families of four that make up to $85,000 and over the course of four years moving that
cap up to $125,000, they would get free enrollment in public in-state colleges and universities. How is she going to pay for that? Because her
initial proposal for basically working and going to college was $350 billion price tag. I wanted to make sure I got that right. She would pay
for this by targeting specific loopholes that Wall Street money managers use like private equity firms, hedge funds, that kind of thing. The math
will tell you. The math is a little squishy. It's a little unclear. And I think there would be a lot of skeptics, including some Democrats, who say,
wait, how are you going to pay for that.
LAKE: As we know in elections though, Breanna, the math doesn't always matter to voters. So we'll see if it does in this case. Breanna Keilar for
us.
Now at its peak Atlantic City was splashed with the Trump brand. In the last 30 years the New Jersey town once known as America's playground has
fallen on hard times. While the glitz and glamour of Atlantic City has faded, there are still people who defend Donald Trump's record there. Augie
Renna was an executive at Trump Plaza back in its heyday. He said Trump was an excellent leader and an excellent boss. Augie Renna joins me now
from Atlantic City. Thank you so much for being with us. You heard the criticisms leveled today that he has bankruptcies, that he protected his
businesses at the expense of some of the contractors that work for him and small businesses. What do you make of that, Augie?
AUGIE RENNA, FORMER EXECUTIVE, TRUMP PLAZA: I don't make much of it. Hillary came to Atlantic City at the expense of, I guess, her campaign to
tell the people here things they already knew. They don't seem bothered by it. First I also want to also congratulate the Britons for getting out of
the EU and I also want to congratulate the United States on gathering against Trump because that's where we're heading when Trump becomes
president.
As far as Donald Trump he had 400 or 500 properties. He had some in bankruptcies, a very, very small percentage of that. And he admits to that.
And Atlantic City basically started that process after he left. And he was no longer involved other than the name on property.
[16:40:00] He was a great boss. He was a honest boss. All Hillary does now, Hillary shows her commercial some years ago. She wants to show a soft
side that she still doesn't have. Then she trashes Trump every time she gets a chance when it's filmed, and what the problem with that is Hillary
needs to work on herself. People want to hear why she's not a thief, why she is not that type of person. Instead she takes -- she uses the
diversions by talking about Trump and showing videos from a long time ago.
LAKE: Augie, and as we know, this is part and parcel of what a tough general election is on both sides. I want to ask you. You know, Donald
Trump does point to Atlantic City as well as his vast real estate empire to talk about how successful he is as a businessman. And you to say that he
would parlay that if he got to the White House. Does it bother you he hasn't released any financial information, any income, any tax returns as
he said he would? That's still not in the public realm. Does that lack of transparency bother you at all?
RENNA: What bothers me is that there are people who listen to a tape that actually is not what Trump is all about. They listen to what Hillary's all
about, and she's not all about that. It's a one-way street. You can tell by the decision that was made recently by the FBI. I think the FBI agents
are pretty upset about it. The thing is Donald Trump is going to put a team together. Donald Trump is a quick study. He doesn't have to be
because he knows quite a bit about what he needs to do on immigration. He needs know a lot about how to bring jobs back to America. And Hillary just
wants to trash him. What is she going to do? All she says is she wants to have the same thing as Obama has and I think a lot of these people in the
United States are against that. And that's why I congratulate the Britons. Because I think we're headed in the same direction. We're going to be our
own people. We're not going to be the people of the Congress and the Senate. We're going to tell them what to do.
LAKE: And this is an election. Around the world that's marked with that sentiment of populism. Augie, thank you so much for joining us today.
Augie Renna for us.
Returning to our top story tonight, the inquiry into Britain's decision to invade Iraq 2003. Shaun Brierly was 28 years old, a Lance Corporal in 212
signal squadron. He died just months after the Iraqi campaign began when his Land Rover overturned. Shaun is one of the 179 British service members
who did not make it home. His father insists Shaun's death was preventable and the blame for his death lies with Prime Minister Tony Blair. Isa
Soares has that report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Peter has waited seven long and painful years for this moment.
PETER BRIERLY, FATHER OF SHAUN BRIERLY, KILLED IN IRAQ: This is all I have to show for it that it's true that they did mislead on the legal advice.
SOARES: Now, with a Chilcot report in hand.
BRIERLY: If he had had that on his vehicle, he would not have been killed.
SOARES: He says he can breathe a little easier.
BRIERLY: I have always said, Tony Blair to welcome you know.
SOARES: What he feels is anger, a disdain. After all Tony Blair was the man who sent his 28-year-old son, Lance Corporal Shaun Brierly, to war, a
radio assistance operator, Shaun died in a traffic accident in Kuwait in 2003, because, his father says, his Land Rover wasn't equipped properly.
BRIERLY: They were driving in the pitch black desert and they hit some debris in the road that would have been shown by a headlight if equipped
properly. The Land Rover turned over and Shaun was thrown out.
SOARES: It's this memory of how his son died that Peter's had to live with for 13 years. He's been comforted by the letters he's received from his
son's old colleagues.
BRIERLY: I got a letter from a lad who served with him. And this one's said, Shaun really looked at me. It was my first time away from home.
Sometimes I'd end up sitting in a corner crying. Shaun came up to me. Shaun got me through all that.
SOARES: In his father's eyes Shaun was a gentle giant whose life was taken away be a man who sent soldiers to war unnecessarily.
SOARES (on camera): Peter, let me tell you what Tony Blair said. "The decisions I took I took in good faith and what I believe to be the best
interests of the country." Do you truly believe that?
BRIERLY: I don't believe that at all. No. If that had been the case, then they wouldn't have agreed 12 months before to go to war.
SOARES: Now that this report is out, you've been waiting for it for seven years, can you look to the future?
BRIERLY: This report is the future. Eventually I have to accept that that's it, we can go no further. Hopefully, they will be arrested and
being caught and in prison.
[16:45:00] SOARES (voice-over): In the meantime, Shaun's father refuses to succumb to hate.
Brierly: I don't hate Tony Blair. Hate is an emotion that if you live with it, if you live with it long enough, it will actually destroy you.
SOARES: Isa Soares, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAKE: And we will be right back with more in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LAKE: A former Fox News host says she was fired last month after refusing the sexual advances of the network's CEO. Gretchen Carlson claims Roger
Ailes repeatedly propositioned her and made sexist comments in conversation. Carlson's tenure with Fox News ended in June when her
contract was not renewed after more than a decade with the network. A short while ago CNN's Senior Media Correspondent, Brian Stelter, explained
the allegations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Essentially that Roger Ailes over a long period of time sexually harassed Gretchen Carlson. She
was most recently the 2:00 p.m. host on Fox News. But she'd also been the host of the morning show earlier. She'd been there over a decade. So she
and Ailes had a long history. She left the job, left the show two weeks ago. We didn't know why. It turns out her contract wasn't renewed. She
said that was retaliation for spurring her sexual advances.
LAKE: There probably going to say it's sour grapes and she's upset that she doesn't have a job. This is always what happens and he said she said.
But in this case that he is an incredibly powerful person that you're talk about.
STELTER: Yes, and so far uncharacteristically silent. Haven't heard from Ailes or from Fox today. It's important to note Gretchen Carlson is only
suing Ailes. Only suing the boss not suing the network as well. I spoke with the attorneys for her. They say there's no evidence that they found
that Fox News and that other executives were involved. It was only the boss, Roger Ailes, who was engaging in this pattern of sexual harassment.
We don't know of any documentary evidence and recordings, anything besides this lawsuit to back up her claims so far. But the lawyers say they're
very confident they have ample amounts of evidence including something not in the lawsuit for them to go forward. What I wonder, of course, right
away is whether there will be some sort of settlement or something, if this does not go to trial. Roger Ailes, as you said, one of the most powerful
men in media.
He had been running Fox News for more than 20 years. He runs it with an iron fist. His employees are usually very loyal to him. That's one of the
reasons why this is so surprising. Now usually anchors and hosts at fox talk about him in glowing terms. Saying that he is a wonderful boss.
However, he also speaks bluntly. We know that. I myself know that as someone who's seen him at events over the years. He has a reputation for
speaking his mind. According to Gretchen Carlson that goes into this realm of sexual harassment.
LAKE: Have we ever heard of any other allegations leveled against him? I mean, we know he's very powerful in the media. We should point out that
he's incredibly powerful in the world of politics as well. This is an election year. There's been a huge focus on Fox on their coverage of
Donald Trump.
[16:50:00] It's amazing that it's coming at this time. Is there a hint of anything like Ailes' past?
STELTER: There have been scattered allegations in the past of harassment from other women. This came up in a 2014 book by Gabriel Sherman, called
"The Loudest Voice in the Room."
There were women quoted in that book who said that he also had made unwelcome advances toward them. But nothing to the level that Gretchen
Carlson described and nothing that resulted in the lawsuit we've seen today. So this is a big dramatic development for Ailes. And it comes,
perhaps in the twilight of his career. Last year he renewed his contract with Fox with the Murdochs, with Rupert, and Locklin and James He reports
to all three of them and sort of a strange relationship or strange arrangement that reflects his status at Fox. He runs Fox News all by
himself. But people have wonder if this is going to be his last contract. And now, today in TV newsrooms there's curiosity about whether he might end
up staying a little less long as a result of this allegation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[16:55:16] LAKE: The final whistle has blown and Portugal has defeated Wales, 2-0 to advance to the Euro 2016 final. After a scoreless first
half, Portugal's offense proved too much for Wales. Superstar Cristiano Rinaldo broke through in the 50th minute with a hatter that found the back
of the net. Portugal scored again three minutes later to put any Welsh come back out of reach. Portugal now advances to take on the winner of
Thursday's match between France and Germany.
Christina McFarlane is with the Wales fans in Cardiff. Christina, I know there must be such a sense of disappointment.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yes, there really is. What a disappointing to Wales' run here into the semifinals. Heartbreak for
Wales. Heartbreak for the 30,000 fans who showed up here tonight with the expectations and the hope of going all the way through to the final. Of
course, it's Wales' first time back in a major footballing tournament in 58 years. You know, in the first half of this game, Wales, we're edging
Portugal. They look to be the stronger side. But then into the second half, of course, two goals in quick success from Portugal. Rinaldo and
Manny and I can tell you the mood did begin to drop fairly quickly.
And behind me you can see the fans heading for the hills here, heading back to the valleys fairly quickly. You know, there is an overwhelming sense of
pride here in Cardiff, in Wales, to the fans I've been speaking to earlier today. That their team have managed to get to this point. Remember, they
qualified from their group stages. They beat Belgium, the number three ranked team in this competition and now they've been put out by Portugal.
That I can certainly hold their heads high. I can tell you, this is not the end for Wales. Remember, we have a world cup in two years' time and
now this Welsh team can hold their heads high with every other big footballing nation in the world.
LAKE: That's right. They're going to carry those expectations with them. Christina, thank you so much.
A Spanish court has found Barcelona football star, Lionel Messi, guilty of tax fraud. Messi had been fined $2.3 million and has been sentenced to 21
months in prison. We'll have more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:55:18] Portugal has defeated Wales 2-0 to advance to the Euro 2016 final. In case you missed it. Cristiano Rinaldo broke through in the 50th
minute with a header that found the back of the net. Portugal now advances to take on the winner of Thursday's match between France and Germany.
Meanwhile Lionel Messi has been fined $2.3 million and sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud. CNN's World Sport anchor, Patrick Snell
joins us live from the CNN center. Is this famous footballer actually going to go to jail, Patrick?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: As we understand it, Maggie, no, the answer to that. Quite simply because under the legal system in Spain,
the three counts upon which he was convicted, each count resulting in a seven-month sentence. If you are without incident as it were up to that,
then then you total less than two years. And you have the chance of probation. That's what's likely to happen here with Messi. Though I can
tell you that both he and his father, Jorge, will appeal this decision we understand, Maggie. This is highly damaging, of course, to his legacy,
irrespective of jail time or not. This is a five-time FIFA world player of the year. He is also Argentina's most decorated goal scorer as well.
I want to read you statement though from his club Barcelona. In it they say, "The club in agreement with the Government prosecution service,
concerning the player, who has corrected his position with the Spanish Tax Office, is no way criminally responsibility with regard to the facts
underlined in this case." So he's getting support there. Most ostensibly from his club SE Barcelona, Maggie.
LAKE: And fans are OK with it too. They want him still playing for the club. Patrick, thank you so much.
That's it for QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'm Maggie lake. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.
END
