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Rubio Reverses Course; Baylor Shake-up; Cleveland Prepares for RCN Convention. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired May 27, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00] PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Pamela Brown, in for Carol Costello on this Friday. Thanks so much for spending a part of your morning with us.

Marco Rubio is reversing course, it seems, vowing to help Donald Trump win the White House despite calling him a con man and a fraud just a few months ago. The idea of another Clinton presidency moving the Florida senator to action, even though he still hasn't endorsed the GOP's presumptive nominee.

Joining me now to discuss all of this, Tara Setmayer, CNN political commentator, Angela Rye, former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Jeff DeWit, a Trump surrogate.

Great to see the three of you on this Friday morning.

Tara, I'm going to start with you here because this is really quite a shift for Marco Rubio, who tells CNN that he wouldn't even speak on Trump's behalf at the Republican convention. This is a man who was once very critical of Trump, as we said, calling him a con man. Why the about face?

TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, I have to say, this was really disheartening for me. And I really liked Marco Rubio. And, you know, the attack that Marco Rubio went on against Donald Trump were - were points that were valid, that many of us agreed with, and I don't know how you reverse course there.

This is exactly why so many voters are sick and tired of politicians because they say one thing and then they're emphatic about it, you expect them to be - to stand on principle, and then they do a complete 180 like this when it' politically expedient to them. I'm so disappointed in Marco Rubio for doing this because how do you put the genie back in the bottle? If you go back on his Twitter feed, back to when it was at the height of the primary season, the things that he's tweeted and is still there are those things, a con man, a fraud, he'd be catastrophic for this country, he's no different than Hillary Clinton. And we can go down the litany of criticism, all valid.

So what happened to that? All that's changed now? So I think what's going on is that he's reconsidering possibly running for Senate in Florida. There are some Senate colleagues that are asking him to change his mind about retirement, and he knows that Donald Trump is popular in Florida and he may need his help to do that. So it's the typical political expedient answer. You're a single seeker of re- election. You're going to do what you need to do for self- preservation. And I think that's unfortunate and that's why so many people are sick and tired of politicians.

BROWN: So you don't buy his reasoning, that, look, Donald Trump is better - would be better as president than Hillary Clinton? That's why he says he's going out there and now, you know, offering to speak on behalf of Trump. You don't buy that?

SETMAYER: No, I don't think he believes - I don't think he believes that. If he - either he's lying now or he was lying back when he was - when he was saying the things that he said, which was that, you know, he's dangerous and unfit to be president of the United States. I don't think - I think that what changed between then and now? Nothing. Donald Trump hasn't changed at all. He's actually continued to go on and say things that are completely incoherent on foreign policy. He hasn't given any kind of really substantive answers on how he plans on moving forward a domestic policy agenda. So what's changed between now and then?

BROWN: Well, let's talk about that, Jeff, because that is a big question, will Donald Trump change to widen his base? You know, his actions and what he is saying so far is continuing to sort of galvanize his supporters, his angered supporters, but will he do anything to widen that base, especially among women and Hispanics where his unfavorable are so high, Jeff?

JEFF DEWIT, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Well, remember that - that everybody is coming around. He is bringing unity to the party. And when you look at Marco Rubio, the obvious answer is, what Marco Rubio was saying months ago was completely off the mark, as many people said. So when he was going after Donald Trump, it's because he was running against Donald Trump. Now that's he's not running against Donald Trump, the truth comes out and he says, you know, Donald Trump's a good guy and he would make a good president. And he's saying all, you know, fine things about him now because he's not running against him. And Marco Rubio is not running for another office. He has no reason to say that. So now we're seeing the true story, which is Donald Trump is a uniter. He's bringing everybody together and everybody's getting on board. So, you know, Donald Trump will continue to -

BROWN: What do you make of these -

DEWIT: Go ahead. I'm sorry.

BROWN: Well, just really quickly, Jeff, though, and, Angela, I promise to get to you. But, Jeff, what do you make of these Republicans, like Marco Rubio, coming out and basically - it seems like in a sense begrudgingly saying, I'll support Trump, I'll speak on his behalf, but not really coming out and endorsing him? We've seen it in other examples beyond Marco Rubio.

DEWIT: Well, with somebody like Marco Rubio not endorsing yet, I think there's still that - that glimmer of hope he has in the back of his mind that maybe there will be a chance at the convention. Once the convention is behind us, I think then even his former rivals, the few that might hold out because they - they have some delegates and they might have some hope, they will get on board and they will endorse, if not before that.

BROWN: OK, well when -

DEWIT: Because now this is a new development, the fact that we have the 1,237 delegates as of yesterday.

BROWN: Right.

DEWIT: And so I think we're going to see that happen and other Republicans fall in line and get behind the nominee very quickly.

BROWN: And, Angela, I want to switch to the Democrats, because Hillary Clinton went on this uncharacteristic media blitz, really pushing back on that sharply critical inspector general report that she didn't follow the rules on her private e-mail server. How effective do you think that media blitz was? Do you think it helped sort of counteract some of the negative attention she received after the report?

[09:35:02] ANGELA RYE, FORMER EXEC. DIRECTOR, CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: I do. And I think part of it has to do with Hillary Clinton's accessibility. What we saw yesterday is her saying, you know what, I have to get out there, I have to get ahead of this story, or at least be proactive in responding to what the I.G.'s report says. I think the challenging piece is, everyone is compounding all of these pieces together. The I.G. report is specifically addressing state's regulations as it relates to the Federal Records Act, and other pieces are still out there that - whether we're talking about judicial watches lawsuit or we're talking about the actual FBI investigation.

So it's smart for her to get out ahead of this. It's still very confusing. Facts are still very much muddled for folks who are watching this and just listening to the pundits (INAUDIBLE) respond to it. But I think it was very effective for her to get out there and to call into an interview for once, just like her opponent, Donald Trump.

BROWN: All right, Tara Setmayer, Angela Rye, Jeff DeWit, thank you very much. I do appreciate it.

DEWIT: Thank you.

RYE: Thank you.

BROWN: And still ahead on this Friday, a shake-up at Baylor University as sex assault allegations and the school's response to them sends shockwaves throughout the campus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:08] BROWN: Well, Ken Starr, the man who's investigation led to Bill Clinton's impeachment, has been demoted from his job as president at Baylor University. He'll remain Baylor's chancellor and a professor at its law school. All this after a probe into the school's handling of sex assault allegations called Baylor's response, quote, "a fundamental failure." The school's football coach has been fired. Some of those claims involved his players. The chair of Baylor's board of regents saying that he is outraged and horrified by the report's findings. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on this developing story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Baylor University is demoting its president, Ken Starr, and firing their head football coach, Art Briles. Members of the university's board of regents saying they are, quote, "horrified" by the findings of an independent investigation.

The scathing report found a fundamental failure to respond to students' sex assault allegations and detailed troubling mishandling of rape by players on the Texas school's nationally ranked football team. The Baylor bombshell happened under the leadership of Starr, who led the impeachment of then President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. Starr hasn't responded to CNN's request for comment. An attorney for one sexual assault victim and former Baylor student, Jasmin Hernandez, isn't surprised by the findings.

IRWIN ZALKIN, ATTORNEY: This is a serious issue. And I think in terms of Jasmin's case, we're going to be able to show Baylor had prior knowledge of a huge problem with sexual assault on their campus, especially through the athletic program. And they just did nothing. They did absolutely really nothing to protect these female students.

LAVANDERA: Baylor is apologizing, and pledges to do better. Hernandez is suing the school for how they handled her rape by football player Tevin Elliot back in 2012. Elliot, one of two football player whose was ultimately convicted of sexual assault, is serving a 20 year sentence.

JASMIN HERNANDEZ, FORMER BAYLOR STUDENT: I'm just still always a little bit surprised that they never did anything except kind of reroute me to other people who in turn rerouted me to other people that I never really got help.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: And, Pamela, you remember, Ken Starr has not been fired. He's become the chancellor there at the university and will remain a professor at the Baylor Law School as well. We asked several board of regents yesterday about why, if the football coach was fired, why wasn't Ken Starr fired. Baylor - several Baylor rents very kind of defensive about those questions, say they would not get into the reasoning that went into keeping Ken Starr there at the university.

But I did speak with one of the victims that was looked at in this report, and she said she felt vindicated by what this report said. And that for a lot of the women who had been reporting this over the last couple of months and years, that it was some sort of vindication for what they have been saying and ignored for so long.

Pamela.

BROWN: Yes, I imagine so.

Still to come - thank you, Ed Lavandera. Still to come, violent protests erupting outside of Trump rallies this week. Will the Republican Convention be different? That's exactly what my next guest is worried about. The head of Cleveland's police union will join us up next, right after this break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:47:48] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now with a nominee. Now with a nominee. We're going to have a great convention.

We're going to have a great time in Cleveland and we're going to have great unification.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Well, Donald Trump says it will be great. But there are major concerns about keeping the peace at the convention in Cleveland. That's after protests like this outside Trump's rally on Tuesday.

(VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So this was in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The city now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of suspects accused of attacking police officers. Today, police in Fresno, California, say they've been reviewing video footage of the protest as they prepare for a Trump visit to their city today, an event that could draw as many as 11,000 people.

Joining me to discuss growing fears of violence at the July convention, Stephen Loomis. He is the head of the Cleveland Police Union.

The city of Cleveland says it is recruiting more police officers and also bringing in additional equipment, like more police motorcycles and riot gear. But, Stephen, you say you're concerned it's not happening fast enough. Why so?

STEPHEN LOOMIS, PRESIDENT, CLEVELAND POLICE PATROLMEN'S ASSOC.: Well, we're measuring people for riot gear, politically correct, it's protective gear. And we're measuring for it. We don't have it.

BROWN: And what exactly is that? What is politically correct protective gear?

LOOMIS: Well, it's just the term for riot gear. We're not allowed to call it riot gear any more, but that's exactly what it is. It's to protect the officers. We have - we're way behind. We don't have any of it. We don't have our gas masks. We don't have helmets. We don't have protective chest gear. They ordered this stuff, and now, in fact, tomorrow, they're going to be measuring people prior to - or after they already ordered it. It's a - it's a ridiculous notion.

And you know, the men and women of the Cleveland Police Department and the officers that are going to come help us are going to do the absolute best that they can do with the equipment and with the numbers and with the training that they get. The problem is, is that we're not getting enough of any of that right now. And that's cause for concern for us.

[09:50:00] BROWN: But city leaders, including the police chief, are pushing back, saying they are prepared. What is your response to them?

LOOMIS: They're politicians. They have to say that. They're looking at life through rose colored glasses. I'm looking through life as a member of the police department that's going to be in the trenches during this thing. It's apples and oranges.

You know, for anybody so say that we're going to have 5,000 people here, police officers, it's disingenuous and I want it to be very, very clear that we are going to do the absolute best that we can do. We have all the respect in the world for Chief Calvin Williams, and we trust his leadership, but he's hamstrung too by the amount of people, by the amount of support that he's gotten.

We have not - we just ordered bicycles. We're just now doing bicycle training, mountain bike training. Cities are pulling out of this thing like crazy right now, and that causes us all a great amount of concern. You know, we know that there's an inherent danger to our jobs, and we're not disputing that, and we're willing to go do that as police officers, and that's across the country. But the cities have an obligation to provide us with the absolute best training possible, with the absolute best equipment possible, and with the numbers that we need to do the job as safely as possible, because when the police officers are safe, then everybody else is going to be safe around us. And, unfortunately, I don't think that we're there yet. We're, what are we, 50 days out? It's - we have grave concerns.

BROWN: So you see what happened in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with those protests there. When you see that looking ahead to July to the convention, what is your big concern, your fear of what might happen given what you say is the case?

LOOMIS: Well, you know, this isn't about the presidential election. The problems that we're going to have are about these militant groups that want to get out there, that know that there's going to be 1,500 media outlets, international media outlets here in Cleveland. And they're going to do whatever they can do, or whatever they need to do, to get the cameras to point towards them so they can, you know, talk about their cause or show grounds for their cause.

We're not concerned with the homegrown Clevelanders. We're not concerned with the people that have a concern about the presidential election. The police officers are going to protect everybody there. Anybody that has something to say - that's what's great about this country is that you can come to these things, and you can say whatever you want to say. Don't throw rocks at my guys because then bad things are going to happen. And things that we don't want to happen are going to happen. We need to train for the absolute worst case scenario.

BROWN: And - and you feel like they're prepared to handle a situation that? LOOMIS: Sure. They would go in, in shorts and a t-shirt. That's what

police officers do. That's what firemen do. We go towards the problems. They'll do the absolute best that they can do with the resource that they have. But the city and the Fed have an obligation to get us the equipment that we need, to get us the training that we need. I have FEMA instructors here. We had 600 guys go through a three-day course. That's the amount of the training that we've had, most of us have had for this thing. And the FEMA instructors are horrified at - they're horrified at the state that we're at right now and where we're going with this. And the potential for disaster is real, and the potential for serious injury is real. And we need to be prepared for that, and I have concerns that we're not.

BROWN: Stephen Loomis, thank you. Do appreciate it.

LOOMIS: Thank you very much, Pam.

BROWN: And still to come on this Friday, forget protesters, Trump gets another unwanted visitor at his rally.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:57:58] BROWN: Well, Donald Trump touts border security and an intruder infiltrates his hair. Jeannie Moos has the buzz.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNIE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump loves to speak on the fly, but suddenly there's a fly on The Donald. Where else?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Whether we love it or hate it, it's my hair.

MOOS: The fly sure seemed to love it, as TV cameras zoomed in for the close-up.

TRUMP: We're going to |have the wall. We're going to have the wall. We're going to have that wall.

MOOS: No wall would have kept out this fly. Even when The Donald turned, the fly stuck with him. It was still there when he turned back around.

TRUMP: So -

MOOS (on camera): No, The Donald didn't swat at it. He didn't seem to know it was there.

MOOS (voice-over): But at least flies are bipartisan. In 2008, they buzzed Democrats at debates from Joe Biden to Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's in the hills between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

MOOS: And Condi Rice had to fend one off on a Sunday morning talk show.

CONDI RICE: This is the about the Pakistani people. We've got a failed state in Afghanistan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry about that fly that's in your -

RICE: Yes, me too.

MOOS: But sometimes a flying intruder is welcomed. Remember the bird that landed on Bernie's podium? It got rousing applause. Why not the fly?

MOOS (on camera): Trump may talk the talk of a tough guy, but when it comes to actually slaying flies -

OBAMA: Hey. Get out of here.

MOOS (voice-over): President Obama is the one dubbed the human flyswatter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice.

OBAMA: Now, where were we?

MOOS: The president even picked up the corpse. The fly on The Donald was only visible for 30 seconds, but the Internet pounced. This fly has found his Disneyland in Trump's hair. Tweeted another critic, "it can smell the bs." Honestly, who wants to be a fly on the wall when you can be a fly in The Donald's hair? We can just imagine what that fly is saying.

[10:00:00] TRUMP: Wow!

MOOS: Jeannie Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Wow.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.