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Rubio hit Minnesota gone hard after Donald Trump; Mitch McConnell distancing his party from Donald Trump; Documents from the Osama bin Laden raid in Pakistan, now declassified; 3:30-4p ET

Aired March 01, 2016 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Just about the bottom of the hour. You're watching CNN.

Only four states have voted so far and he still has exactly zero wins. He is hoping that changes and he can stay in the race. Rubio hit Minnesota after lunch today going hard after Donald Trump who he linked to former Minnesota governor and pro-wrestler Jesse Ventura.

CNN national correspondent Jason Carroll was at that event.

And Jason, what exactly did he say?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we heard a lot of what we have heard before. A lot of this criticism we have heard especially lobbied at Donald Trump. One of the Rubio advisers telling me, Brooke, in terms of the outlook tonight, they are not lying down any markers in any of the states. They are hoping in any state where they can come ahead of Ted Cruz that, they say, would be a good thing for them.

In terms of the comparison that you were talking about, as Rubio addressed the crowd, he warm about the pit bulls of electing another celebrity to office. Of course, referring to their former governor, former pro-wrestler Jesse Ventura.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If any state in the country has experience with electing someone who runs on the promise of being some great celebrity, this tough-talking celebrity, well, how did that work out with Jesse Ventura? Jesse Ventura was an embarrassment. No, let me rephrase that, Jesse Ventura is an embarrassment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: He also feels as though Donald Trump is an embarrassment. One Rubio adviser also telling me he feels as though Trump's angry message is not something that's going to resonate with voters here in Minnesota. As for Rubio, he is heading back to his home state of Florida where he will have a watch party tonight. That is his home state, as you know, Brooke, and a must-win state for him come March 15th.

BALDWIN: Jason Carroll, thank you so much.

Meantime, Donald Trump is expected to take the majority of delegates up for grabs today. But his stumble when asked to condemn white supremacist groups is continuing really to haunt him. The senate top Republican Mitch McConnell distancing his party from Donald Trump just a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MAJORITY LEADER: There's been a lot of talk the last 24 hours or so about one of our presidential candidates and his seeming ambivalence about David Duke and the KKK. So let me make it perfectly clear. Senate Republicans condemn David Duke, the KKK and his racism. It has nothing that is not the view of Republicans that have been elected to the United States Senate. And I condemn his comments in the most forceful way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And house speaker Paul Ryan also calling on Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: If a person wants to be the nominee of the Republican Party there can be no aviation and no games. They must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry. This party does not prey on people's prejudices.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Joining me now, David Chalian, CNN political director and Dana Bash, CNN chief political correspondent.

Listen you two. And Dana to you first. I mean, hearing from Mitch McConnell, hearing from Paul Ryan, and beyond, in terms of Republican leadership this has to be a tough spot for these leaders to be in.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Incredibly tough spot. And it should be noted that at least I know in the case of Paul Ryan, that was unsolicited. He didn't wait for a question about it, which was inevitable. He came out of the gate with this prepared statement. You could see him reading from it. And I am told that although there is kind of an understanding at this point that Republican leaders really can't do anything about Donald Trump, that that time has passed, that they might have missed the boat, that they'd be sitting on their hands too much and thought it would work itself out.

But given that what Republicans leaders feel is that in big moments where -- whether it is when Donald Trump called for a temporary ban on Muslims or now with this KKK issue, the leaders want to be out there on record as opposing this because they know that however this ends up, the Republican Party is in a very, very new place where it is kind of -- it's combustible right now. And so they want to be on the right side of the major issues that have repelled a lot of voters that they have needed. Hispanic voters, black voters and you know, you run the gambit. So that's why they make a point of coming out at these big moments where the rest of the time they think it will probably, you know, help Trump rather than hurt.

BALDWIN: Agreed that you point out it was unprovoked and they are officially here on the Record. That's the Republicans. We talked a lot about the Republican Party. What about Super Tuesday, David Chalian? Happy super bowl to you.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Thank you. Happy Super Tuesday.

BALDWIN: Thank you. What are the three things you will be watching for tonight?

CHALIAN: First and foremost, I'm looking for Trump's margin of victory. Obviously, heading in to Super Tuesday in a lot of these states across the 11 states where we have Republican contests, he'd leading in most of the pre-election polling. Now we have to see how far he ends up winning a lot of these states because that will help determine if he develops a sort of unbeatable delegate lead is sort of what the margin of victory will help determine. If he is at 40 or 45 percent in some of these states and Rubio and Cruz and Kasich and Carson are down below 20, he is going to rack up all these delegates. So that's the first thing I'm watching.

The second thing I'm watching is Cruz versus Rubio. One of these guys is going to end up emerging tonight with a stronger rationale for continuing their campaign. A greater ability to rally donors. A greater ability to rally the establishment, the cause, the anti-Trump cause. One of them emerges tonight with the stronger rationale to do that. I'm curious to see how that shakes out.

And third on the Democratic side, I'm looking to see Hillary Clinton's delegate lead at the end of the night because if she puts a delegate lead so far ahead of Bernie Sanders that it is impossible for him to ever catch up because of the way the Democrats apportion their delegates, they do it proportionately from now all the way through June in every contest, but if he can never catch up to her, if she has such a big lead at the end of the night tonight, then the burden turns to him about what is he looking for here if he is never going to be able to overtake her to actually become the nominee.

[15:36:25] BALDWIN: Let me step back half a beat and Dana, to you. You know, on the Republicans and specifically Rubio, we were just talking to Jason Carroll and we played the sound of Rubio, you know, saying what he did, essentially telling voters, listen. If you vote for Donald Trump, you're essentially electing a celebrity. Saying everyone who supports him is an embarrassment and then saying he's as bad as Jesse Ventura. What did you think about that?

BASH: That was probably the nicest thing that he said about Trump in the last three or four days. And, remember, Brooke, you're not old enough to remember this, but I am and David, you're definitely not. Jesse Ventura what was a popular governor for a little while. I mean, you know, things have changed. Times have changed. A whole bunch of things have happened. But he was pretty popular. I remember back in 2000, I was covering Al Gore's campaign and he was

appearing with Jesse Ventura because he thought it would help him. So, you know, it sort of -- as I said, any chance and any opportunity Marco Rubio is getting at taking a whack at Donald Trump, you know, he is doing, it seems as though the kind of personal insults and the you know kind of vulgar jokes and things like that, that's one thing. And maybe it's his way of getting attention. It's the specifics that he's hitting Trump on. That the way he unloaded his campaign's opposition research book starting last Thursday at our debate and continuing. That is probably going to have the most effect, if any. And I underline if any.

BALDWIN: Right, but didn't this whole notion of, hey, you would be electing a celebrity argument, didn't John McCain, David, didn't McCain use that against Obama in '08?

BASH: Yes.

CHALIAN: I think it was actually literally one of the names of his ads was called celebrity. And he tried very hard to take all the huge crowds that Barack Obama was getting when he went on his Europe trip to Berlin.

BALDWIN: Yes.

CARROLL: That added to this notion of celebrity and that somehow equaled lightweight --

BALDWIN: And they compared him to Paris Hilton.

CHALIAN: That's right, and it did not stick. It did not work, Brooke. And I don't know -- if I read the Republican electorate the way it has been reading so far this year, what we have seen in polls, I don't believe they are open to some argument that Trump is somehow not appropriate for the office. That has not seem to take hold yet as an argument that wins.

BALDWIN: OK. David, Dana, we'll see you later. Thank you both so much.

Meantime, Donald Trump is expected to speak live any moment. We're checking in with all these different candidates of course all day long. Live pictures at his event in Louisville, Kentucky. For his final pitch. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:43:26] BALDWIN: Eleven states are voting today for their choice of Republican nominee. For Senator Cruz, his home state of Texas matters the most. He is obviously counting on a win there to remain in the race for the White House. A loss there would be a massive embarrassment. Senator Cruz voted hear his home in Houston just a short time ago.

And Ed Lavandera is standing by for us now at a polling station in Collin, Texas, just outside of Dallas. Ed, how's turnout?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the turnout is rather impressive. And we have seen that in the early voting weeks leading up to election day here, Brooke. The Republican Party chairman here in Collin County, which is just north of Dallas, and it is an area full of sprawling suburbs where Republicans have done very well for many election cycles. This is the kind of place where Cruz needs to do very well.

The Republican Party chairman tells me the voter turnout has already set new record levels. And that was before he got to Election Day. But this is already the highest voter turnout in Republican primary history, in this county's history. So that gives you a sense of how much interest there is in this race, as we've been reporting. Ted Cruz needs to do well today. It is one of the few states where someone other than Trump is leading in the polls, leading into Super Tuesday.

And just a short while ago, Ted Cruz was talking after he voted down in Houston today saying that any candidate that can't win his own home state is in a lot of trouble. So he is rather setting the bar high but he is also clearly sending a signal there to Rubio it indicates are Rubio is coming in second right now in polling to Trump in his home state of Florida.

So really Ted Cruz hoping after Super Tuesday they can solidify this and make this a two-person race and other candidate fall off. But there's a great deal of interest at these polling locations throughout Texas today, Brooke.

[15:45:13] BALDWIN: I bet there is. Ed, thank you so much in Texas for us.

You know, Cruz, he obviously has a shot at a win there in the lone star state. But Florida senator Marco Rubio has no home state advantage in today's primaries. He also has no clear path to victory in any of the states in play today.

Let me bring in Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy. He has endorsed Marco Rubio for president.

Congressman, welcome. Good to see you, sir.

REP. SEAN DUFFY (R), WISCONSIN: You, too, Brooke, thanks.

BALDWIN: All right. So in order to convince your party that your candidate should be the nominee, you have to win. And I know you'll tell me it's all about the delegates. But what state will he win tonight?

DUFFY: So I think he has a good shot at Minnesota, Colorado and Virginia. But listen. I think you look at all the polling and I think that undermines the fact that Marco Rubio has momentum on his side. Since he started going after Trump, you have seen his rallies go from 1,000 people have turn out to 5,000, 8,000, 10,000 people. You're covering those now live. And so yes, he takes some shots at Trump.

BALDWIN: You like him taking the shots?

DUFFY: Well, I think he has to but about 80 percent of what he's doing is talking about policy, how you make America work again, put people back to work, better paying jobs. Give us a more security America. And that's what people want. Republicans don't want someone just to throw out big words and big slogans, they want to win and they want to fix their country. If you listen to Trump, this guy, I mean, he doesn't have any policy depth. He was talking in your debate about the lines. That's how he was going to fix health care.

This is complicated stuff that we need conservative solutions for, Brooke, if we're going to make America great again and Trump hasn't had the curiosity to even look at to come up with ideas that can actually fix it but to solve it.

BALDWIN: Here is what I want to you. You know, we talk about the rhetoric, specifically with Marco Rubio, and yes, he has definitely been hitting back. You know, we just played a clip saying listen, electing Donald Trump is like electing a celebrity. My question is where was Marco Rubio doing this back in July? It could have been effective then. It's Super Tuesday now, congressman.

DUFFY: No, you make a really good point. But I think most presidential candidates want to stick to policy and ideas and how we can go from eight years of progressive liberals and from Barack Obama and how we fix the country.

BALDWIN: But isn't it too late?

DUFFY: No, no. But I think people have stop there, but they see the media follows Trump and so a little bit of a pivot here.

BALDWIN: We are following all of them.

DUFFY: I don't think it's going to be too late. I think what Marco has done in the last week is going to be effective and you are going to see the results of that tonight. I was in Minnesota when Jesse "the body" Ventura was elected. Absolute disaster. I think making the comparison especially in Minnesota between Trump and Jesse "the body" is a great one because they know what a disaster when you elect someone who has no experience and talks big but doesn't have any policy experience to fix the problems.

BALDWIN: Congressman Duffy, were you the genesis of that line? Was that you?

DUFFY: No. I can't take credit for it. But I lived it and it was not pretty, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK, I don't know if you've seen this but Ben Carson, we haven't talk a lot about Dr. Carson. Ben Carson has just - he has come out. He issued this statement. Personally calling for a private meeting of all the candidates ahead of the debate in Detroit Thursday. And he wrote this. the American people deserve so much more from the candidates who are seeking the most powerful position in the free world and I share their concern that this race has taken a turn for the worse to the point of embarrassment on the world stage.

Your candidate did recently talk about the size of Donald Trump's hands for example. Should Marco Rubio accept that invitation?

DUFFY: Sure. Listen. I think to have the candidates sit down and talk is a good thing. But make no mistake, Marco Rubio focuses a vast majority of his comments and his rallies on policy. At the debate, it's focused on policy.

Now yes, he's taken a half a page out of Donald Trump's playbook and started to punch him back. The thing that's great about it is he is having fun, Brooke. He's not angry. He's not mean. He's having a good time. He's laughing. He's a happy warrior which is what I think conservatives and Americans actually want. So they want a leader who is strong but also has policy depth to fix the country.

And I think what also he's done, Brooke is no one's called out Donald Trump for -- whether it's the bankruptcies, the illegal immigrant workers, Trump University. All of these things are bringing questions in to the minds of voters of can Trump win in November. And when you put $1 billion of Hillary Clinton money behind ads against Donald Trump, this is a disaster for the party. So let's rally around a guy who can unify the party, bring out a conservative message, puts America and truly make it great again. That's Marco Rubio.

BALDWIN: All right, Congressman Sean Duffy. Thank you, sir, for the time. I appreciate it.

DUFFY: Thank you. Brooke.

BALDWIN: You got it. Coming up next here, taking a minute away from politics because we have to talk about this find, Osama bin Laden's will is now public. This is just one of more of some 100 personal documents released hours ago. We will tell you where he wanted his money to go and what he wanted to happen on the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:54:13] BALDWIN: Stunning, never before seen documents from the Osama bin Laden raid in Pakistan, now declassified including his last will and testament and handed letters.

CNN chief national correspondent Jim Sciutto joins me. What the heck did these letters say, Jim?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I will tell you, Brooke. Remarkable insight into the organization, Al Qaeda, but also the man. You see in Osama bin Laden who was obsessed you might say with his own death. He had a last will and testament in there. He claimed to have a lot of money $29 million in Sudan alone. And his plans in that will were, one, to stage a major terror attack there, but also he named specific family members he wanted some money to go to if he was killed,. So he was always thinking about that. But it is also interesting, when you think of the organization because

he talked about establishing a caliphate and said, listen, this is too difficult for us to do as an organization. It would be too unpopular, something to sort of push done the line, of course, in retrospect, we've seen ISIS kind of the child of Al-Qaeda that's managed to establish the caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

[15:55:20] BALDWIN: Thirty seconds, Jim, what was his plan for the tenth anniversary of 9/11?

SCIUTTO: So, you might call him ambitious. He wanted to reach out to western media organizations, named specifically CBS but Al-Jazeera. He talked about planning a sort of moderated conversation led by the journalist Robert Fiske, he said, he claimed that he might be able to get him, all to commemorate tenth anniversary of the attack and, at the same time, he said, claim credit for the financial crisis of 2008. So in that little compound, he still had big, you might say, dreams, disconnected from reality for advertising, in his view, Al-Qaeda's success.

BALDWIN: Unreal. Unreal. Jim Sciutto, thank you. And thank you.

Donald Trump, by the way, speaking live. We'll take it live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: And Super Tuesday is under way. Are there any surprises up.

"THE LEAD" starts right now.