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Trump's Field Director Quits; Presidential Race; Clinton Finance Rules; Reince Priebus Talks About Rules. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired April 19, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: That it's for me. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. Eastern in "The Situation Room." The news continues next on CNN.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

It is a big day here on this Tuesday. This is the first New York Republican primary in generations that counts. In fact, voters right now playing a direct part in who the next presidential nominee will be for both parties. And as New Yorkers are out and about casting their ballots as I speak, two of their own are fighting to remain out ahead. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton both today voting, both also face rival who are coming off of a string of victories. Talk about momentum there.

While Secretary Clinton needs a simple win, Donald Trump needs a little bit more than that. He needs to break 50 percent statewide in New York and within each congressional district that way all 95 Republican delegates are his. Trump needs every single delegate in his pursuit of that magic number 1,237, the number of delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination and he needs to do this as his campaign leadership is going through massive shakeups. We have more on that in just a moment here.

But first to the poll, to the New Yorkers themselves. My colleague Brynn Gingras is live at a polling location in Brooklyn.

Brynn, what are people telling you?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know what, Brooke it's actually a little quiet right now but that's really not a good indicator of how busy these polling places have been, at least here in Brooklyn. We've been talking to election observer who sort of moved around the borough and have said that turnout seems to be pretty high.

But I want to walk you through the process that people who want to vote in this particular location go through. So when they walking in, they actually talk to one of these nice ladies that are here. And then, of course, considering who you are with, you get either the Democratic ballot or you get the Republican ballot. And then what you do is you head on over here - you can see it's quite empty right now, but this is where you actually fill in with that pencil who you are casting your vote for. And then, and here's the line that we were waiting for, there's a little bit of a line as they take these paper ballots and they put them through the electronic system and then your vote is cast.

So, of course, what we're seeing right now, a lull. But we did see longer lines earlier this morning. There were actually lines down the hallway here. And maybe that is because it was the early morning rush and we do expect possibly the same thing once we get into the later afternoon hours.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: All right, Brynn, thank you so much, in Brooklyn.

Back to something I mentioned a moment ago in the Trump campaign. While Donald Trump is hoping for a sweep in his home state tonight, he's also shaking things up a bit with regard to his campaign staff as he looks to step up his ground game moving ahead. His national field director, Stuart Jolly, is out. Jolly resigned just two days after Trump met with his senior staff. At that meeting, Trump bumped up Rick Wiley to be in charge of ground operations. Wiley happens to be the former campaign manager of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

So, how does Trump feel about his campaign moving forward? Here is what he told CNN after he voted today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's great. I think the campaign's been doing well. Many, many senators, governors, they're all gone. We have tremendous support. And, you know, having Ben Carson and having Chris Christie and so many others supporting me, Senator Sessions. We have amazing support. But I'm really honored and putting in that vote today was really something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Joining me now, Healy Baumgardner. She is the senior press representative for the Trump campaign.

Healy, nice to see you.

HEALY BAUMGARDNER, SENIOR PRESS REPRESENTATIVE, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Nice to see you.

BALDWIN: So we talked about, you know, the field operations manager, Jolly, he's now out. There's also been reports about maybe a shrinking role for campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Can you just tell me, under Trump, who's steering the ship now?

BAUMGARDNER: I think, you know, what we're seeing happen is we're bringing on the top talent in order for us to get to 1,237 so we, you know, don't have to worry about a contested convention. You know, we - we bring on the top-notch talent in order to do that. And that's exactly what you're seeing. We are very -

BALDWIN: So who's in charge?

BAUMGARDNER: Corey Lewandowski remains the campaign manager, absolutely.

BALDWIN: OK. Is his role - so it's not shrinking whatsoever?

BAUMGARDNER: No. This is complete media speculation. We are adding talent to our roster in order to, you know, secure the path to victory.

BALDWIN: Adding talent to the roster. Has Trump not felt strong enough about his campaign or staffers for a need to do so?

BAUMGARDNER: Again, I think that's speculation. I don't think there's any feelings or sentiment like that whatsoever. You know, we're at a very -

BALDWIN: I'm just asking the question.

BAUMGARDNER: Yes, yes, we're at a very critical time and we're bringing on added talent in order to fill the needs of the campaign. And that's what you're seeing happen. Every campaign just like every business, has to grow at a certain point and that's the point that we are - that we are in.

[14:05:08] BALDWIN: Let me play some sound for you. This is Tana Goetz. She is the adviser and chair of Trump's Iowa campaign. And she had a thing or two to say about Ted Cruz. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TANA GOETZ, IOWA CO-CHAIR, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: I mean what I've just seen is the corruptness, the rigged - the rigged system that Mr. Trump talks about. I've seen it in action here in Iowa.

I have seen shady behavior. Let's just call it that. And until we get the specifics of what actually transpired in the shady behavior that I've witnessed with my eyes, then I'll come back on your show and tell you more about that. But until I speak to Mr. Trump, I'm not at liberty to discuss this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So we just wanted to ask you, Haely, do you know anything about the shady behavior of which Tana speaks?

BAUMGARDNER: I don't know what she is specifically referring to. I mean I have said on the record prior in interviews that, you know, Ted Cruz is a snake in the grass and he will stop at nothing to slither his way into the White House. He's full of dirty tricks. So who knows what she's referring to? But, you know, I wouldn't doubt anything that he has up his sleeve.

BALDWIN: Snake in the grass. I mean, I know Trump has accused the Cruz camp of winning and dining delegates or potential delegates. Have you seen any of that with your own eyes?

BAUMGARDNER: I have not. You know, I'm very busy. I travel. I do a lot of events. I'm out on the front line with voters on behalf of Mr. Trump and his campaign. So I have not seen Ted Cruz or his campaign up close, but, you know, I know that - that that is happening.

BALDWIN: Final question for you, Healy, and then I'll let you go. You know, there's obviously a lot more at stake beyond here in New York and there's a report that Trump is giving his top adviser something like $20 million budget to spend in - on these upcoming contests. Can you confirm that for me?

BAUMGARDNER: I am not privy to actual advertising budgets or those type of dollars or those type of activities, quite frankly. However, I do think that we're going to be engaging a lot more on multiple fronts, including advertising, events and just being out there engaging with voters from all walks of life because every voter is important to Mr. Trump in making America great again.

BALDWIN: OK. Haely Baumgardner, thank you so much. Good luck today.

Let's talk a little bit about what Haely just told me and then beyond. I have the author of "The Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton." CNN political commentator Carl Bernstein. And also with us, aren't we lucky, normally he's in D.C., Bob Cusack, editor in chief of "The Hill."

Gentlemen, good to see you both.

BOB CUSACK, EDITOR IN CHIEF, "THE HILL": Good to be here.

CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to be here.

BALDWIN: Just piggybacking off of a little bit of what Haely said, beyond, you know, calling Ted Cruz a snake in the grass, earlier she still said that Corey Lewandowski is the campaign manager for the Trump campaign despite conflicting reports that perhaps his role was shrinking. What are you learning about the shakeups?

CUSACK: Well, I think this is a new phase for the Trump campaign. They're so close to getting the 1,237 that they need and they're bringing in really establishment figures to help them get 1,237.

BALDWIN: Yes.

CUSACK: Because I think the Trump campaign feels like if they don't get to 1,237, who knows at the convention and then I think the momentum moves to Cruz, because that's his strategy. Trump is really the only one who can get to 1,237. So I think that's part of it. And - and they're starting to say, OK, let's - let's take this guy away and replace him with this one. And - and I think that's part of a strategy that we have not seen before. The Trump campaign, Trump himself is being a little bit more careful, not going on the Sunday shows as much as he used to. So he's trying to close this out and this is his strategy.

BALDWIN: Think about, Carl, just campaigns past. Is this something, though, you have this sort of nasint (ph) small campaign and suddenly it's quite successful. You know, you're operating out of like a phone booth and all of a sudden you're the frontrunner of the Republican Party for the nomination to be the president and then changes. This is happening before, yes?

BERNSTEIN: Sure. And there are times when the ground game changes. And, look, he's looking to establish that he can play within these rules and somehow this arcane super delegate business that he can prevail. The important thing - you said, who's in charge? Donald Trump is in charge. And it's him that brought them this far. Not any of the other guys. It's easy to get too wrapped up in inside baseball. The real thing is, he's adjusting because he knows he now does have to get to these establishment figures to win.

BALDWIN: Do you think it's smart that he moves in hiring these new people?

BERNSTEIN: Yes. I think what's smart is that if he brings in the right people who know the inside game at this point, but it's the outside game that Donald Trump invented and has made monkeys of the press, has made monkeys of the Republican establishment that's worked so far and he'll continue to run that outside game.

BALDWIN: But again, if Trump - and, of course, Donald Trump ultimately is the one in charge, then, Bob, would he be the one who should also be accountable to the failures in terms of outmaneuvering and lack of delegates and that kind of thing?

[14:10:02] CUSACK: Well, Brooke, I think this is a response to that and a response to how effective the Cruz campaign has been really superior on the ground. Now, Trump has been superior in the air, because he's been on the air all the time, and they are going after Cruz saying - basically calling him a liar, as they have, dirty tricks, trying to really go after his integrity. And that's part of their game plan of getting to 1,237 because they know - they're worried about Kasich in New York. But beyond that, it's Cruz. Indiana's a state that they're worried about Cruz winning. So I think the Trump campaign is evolving. And if you're not evolving, well, you're not improving. And if you're not improving, you're not going to win this thing because it's going to be awfully close. I'm not sure he's going to get to 1,237. I know it's going to be close.

BALDWIN: Let me play a little video. CNN, our wonderful folks with CNN Digital, have put together this clip showing - it's a mashup of the arc, we'll call it, of the relationship between the Clintons and Mr. Trump. Here you go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (April 20, 2006): Hillary Clinton is a fantastic woman who I've known for a long time.

(February 16, 2016) Hillary Clinton is a joke. If she gets in, she's like a joke.

(December 21, 2015) She got schlonged. She lost. She's terrible.

(December 24, 2006) Well, I'm a big fan of Hillary's. She's a terrific woman.

(December 21, 2015) Everything that's been involved in Hillary has been losses.

(March 21, 2016) I say she does not have the stamina to be a good president.

(September 24, 2006) She's a friend of mine.

(February 29,2016) She should not be allowed to run.

(September 24, 2006) I think she was treated very poorly.

(December 21, 2015) Hillary, that's not a president.

(August 6, 2015) With Hillary Clinton, I said be at my wedding, and she came to my wedding. You know why? She had no choice because I gave -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Listen, there's a lot of fun and interesting with that, that we could - we could talk ahead about the general election and these two potentially pitted against one another. But my question is this, Carl Bernstein, is here you have these two, and essentially their - their homes or their adopted homes, still fighting the good fight. They don't have this thing locked up. What is this, like April 19th? You know, don't you think that's fascinating?

BERNSTEIN: Of course it's fascinating. Remember, we never thought Donald Trump was going to be here. We did think that Hillary would have it wrapped up. Not only does she not have it wrapped up, the issues have been defined by her opponent, not by her, and she has moved closer and closer to her opponent, to Bernie Sanders' position. So - but we're also talking about nuts and bolts.

BALDWIN: Yes.

BERNSTEIN: And now what we're seeing in Trump's campaign, he's going to attend to the nuts and bolts. He's got the big picture. Now he needs some help. And that's what we're seeing here.

BALDWIN: OK. Carl Bernstein and Bob Cusack, thank you both so much.

Just a reminder, of course, we have the New York primary covered for you from every angle here on CNN. Keep it locked right here all day long. Special coverage of this crucial New York primary beginning at 4:00 Eastern.

Coming up next on the Democratic side, the Bernie Sanders campaign making serious accusations against the Clinton camp, arguing that she and the Democratic Party broke campaign finance rules. We have that and we'll get responses from both sides.

Plus, they're known as the loud guys who drink beer and argue politics on the train home in New York. Today, they will join me live to reveal who earns their vote today and why they do not agree.

And the vice president of the United States says the White House is, quote, "overwhelmingly frustrated" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Harsh words for an ally. Hear why he's saying this, next. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:17:23] BALDWIN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Here in New York, the showdown is on, of course, for both parties. We're going to focusing on Democrats right now. I can tell you that secretary - former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she can, quote, "wrap up" the nomination with a big win here. But the one person standing in her way, Brooklyn native Bernie Sanders, on a mission to slow her down. In fact, Senator Sanders' campaign leveling serious accusations at Secretary Clinton, suggesting the Hillary for America camp set up a joint fundraising system that skirts existing finance laws. So joining me now, Clinton supporter and New York Congressman Steve Israel. He's the former chairman of the DCCC, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Congressman, sorry you're not back here home in New York, but good to see you, sir, nonetheless.

REP. STEVE ISRAEL (D-NY), CLINTON SUPPORTER: It's great to be with you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Let me right out of the gate talking about these allegations from the Sanders campaign pointing out Clinton's, you know, campaign allege misuse of funds in this letter to the DNC. DNC said it signed the very same agreement with the Sanders' campaign. I was talking to Joel Benenson earlier this morning, adviser for the Clinton camp, you know, very directly saying, Brooke, this was desperate, this was false, this is wrong. I want your response.

ISRAEL: Well, look, it's really unfortunate that Bernie Sanders, who promised to be a different kind of candidate, run on ideas and aspiration, is engaging in nothing but insinuations and low blows. On this issue of joint accounts, I wouldn't mind Bernie Sanders making that accusation except that he himself has had joint accounts. This is perfectly normal. It is absolutely legal. Lots of people do it. Both parties do it. And so I - look, Bernie Sanders won't take my advice with respect whether he should quit this race, but I do wish that he would quit these attacks against Hillary Clinton, leave those low blows to Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich.

BALDWIN: Hmm. Let's stay on the theme of money. I know you wrote this opinion piece in "The Times" a couple of months ago essentially saying, you know, you spent so much time in office as a politician, you know, trying to raise money than doing your job, and I know that that's a turnoff for you. And George Clooney, I know, you know, not a member of Congress, but he raises a lot of money for politicians, he might agree with you. Would you support - do you support George Clooney doing what he hates, helping raise an obscene, his word, amount of money as he did this weekend for Hillary Clinton and the Dems, something he disagrees with, in order to get his favorite people in office? ISRAEL: Well, I'm just thrilled to be in the same company as George Clooney. That's a big -this is a big deal for me. But, look, I think our system is broken. It's one of the reasons I've decided not to run for re-election. And it is the primary reason why I'm supporting Hillary Clinton. She supporting citizen empowered elections. She supports rolling back Citizens United. She supports an executive order that would say that if you're getting a federal contract, you have to disclose your political contributions. And it is because she's been such a leader on reforming the system and bringing the middle class and working families' voices back into the system that I support her so strongly. The problem is, under the system that we have now, you got to raise the resources to win an election to change the rules and unstack the deck. And that's exactly what's happening.

[14:20:32] BALDWIN: OK. We're looking at pictures of George Clooney. But, here we go, just as I'm talking to you, congressman, stay with me, we're now getting some pictures of Melania Trump, she's exercising her right to vote here in New York. So there you have that.

We can stay on the picture, but, congressman, let me just follow up. You know, as former chair of the DCCC, among your myriad responsibilities, you worked to protect vulnerable incumbents. And when you hear Donald Trump say both the Republican process, the Democratic, you know, primary processes, that they are rigged, that the system is broken, i there any piece of that that you would agree with?

ISRAEL: No, I fundamentally agree with the fact that we now have a political process that is broken, broken mostly by the Supreme Court which had the Citizens United ruling that changed everything. That said that if you're a billionaire with a super PAC, you can spend anything you want, try and buy yourself a congressional election and not even disclose why you're doing it, where you're doing it or how much you're spending. That's fundamentally wrong. That's why people are so angry right now. The thing is, we need a president who's not just going to rail about it. We need a president whose actually going to produce results. And that's why I think Hillary Clinton is so strong. She's going to get it done.

BALDWIN: OK. Congressman Steve Israel, thank you so much for the time, in Washington.

ISRAEL: Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Appreciate that.

Coming up, a power struggle at the heart of the Republican Party. Donald Trump says, as we just mentioned, that the rules are rigged against him. Today, the RNC chair meeting privately with House Republicans about what to expect at the convention in Cleveland in July. What was said behind closed doors?

And later, what happens when you mix a little beer with some politics on a New York commuter train? Answer, unfiltered New Yorker opinions. We will ask these riders who they're voting for today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's making it a very interesting campaign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is so unpresidential it's unbelievable. I would take (ph) four more years of Obama over this guy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:26:56] BALDWIN: No matter what happens in today's New York primary - again, these are pictures of Melania Trump, Donald Trump's wife, out moments ago exercising her right to vote. We've seen a number of the candidates throughout the day casting their ballots in the state of New York. The Republican Party is probably still headed to a contested convention. Nervous Republicans in Congress, they got a chance to talk to party chairman Reince Priebus, talk about exactly how it should all play out in Cleveland in terms of rules, if there is no clear nominee going in. CNN senior political reporter Manu Raju joins me now from Capitol Hill.

Manu, I know you have the scoop. Tell me what happened in the meeting.

MANU RAJU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Reince Priebus sort of laid out exactly how the delegates are selected, the rules of the party and now this is done sort of on a state by state basis. A lot of our members are hearing concerns back home from constituents about what exactly is going on. How is the party's presidential nominee going to be selected, particularly as Donald Trump has raised questions that this is a rigged system.

So Priebus actually did not take any questions from members raised, laid out exactly how the nominee is selected, nominees are selected. And when I got a change to ask Paul Ryan about this presentation, Paul Ryan gave a vote of confidence for Reince Priebus, who's been in this fight with Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: Reince was received extremely favorably. I am so pleased that such a meticulous attorney is the head of the RNC because he is making sure that the rules are the rules, that we follow the rules. And so what Reince was doing was basically walking the members through how a convention is organized, what are the convention standing committees, how those committees are selected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Now, Reince's counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, just had a chance to talk to reporters about the delegate selection process. Over the weekend he said that he was optimistic that this would go to a second ballot of the convention. Now that was widely interpreted as saying, well, does that mean that he does not support Donald Trump? When we asked him about that, McConnell walked that back, said, you know, he made those comments somewhat in artfully. He was just explaining how the process would work. And I asked him, well, does that mean that you don't want Donald Trump to be the nominee? And he declined to comment, Brooke.

BALDWIN: No surprise there, but good on you to ask with the follow-up. Manu Raju, thank you so much, on Capitol Hill for us.

Speaking of Donald Trump, you know, he is expected to win. The question is really how big he wins in New York. It's possible he sweeps all 95 of those Republican delegates up for grabs, but Trump still has his work cut out for him to ultimately clinch the nomination. And as Ted Cruz continues to slam him in the hunt for delegates behind the scenes here, I should point out, Ted Cruz, remember he was in Towson, Maryland, yesterday. He is - he has moved on, campaigning there and holding a rally just a couple of hours from now in Philadelphia. Not in New York.

But back here in New York, the Texas senator certainly not forgotten. I want you to listen to what Congressman Peter King says he would do if Senator Cruz was the one to win the nomination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: Well, in case anybody is confused, I am not endorsing Ted Cruz. I hate Ted Cruz. And I think I'll take cyanide if he ever got the nomination. Now, having said that -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:30:06] BALDWIN: OK. There's that. Let's talk to someone who knows the delegate system well. He is Mike Shields. He is a CNN delegate analyst and a former chief - did we lose him?