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News Conference About Death of Christina Grimmie; Donald Trump takes Aim at Mitt Romney; Trump Expected to Speak Any Minute; Clinton Camp has Responded to Drew Griffin's Reporting. Aired 11a-12p ET.
Aired June 11, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:02] VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: We'll look out for that one.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Also, waiting on a news conference to find out exactly what happened in the death of "The Voice" finalist Christina Grimmie overnight. We're going to toss it over to Suzanne Malveaux who is watching both of those stories and bringing them to you live as they happen.
Good morning Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, it's 11:00 in the East Coast. I'm Suzanne Malveaux, in for Fredericka Whitfield. NEWSROOM is starting now.
Two big stories that we are covering this hour, Donald Trump is set to speak to at a rally. This is at Tampa, Florida. He's been hit with some of the harshest criticism yet by Former GOP Candidate Mitt Romney. We're going to see if Trump fires back.
And here in Orlando, Florida, police are about to hold a news conference on the cold-blooded killing of a pop singer, Christina Grimmie. She was a finalist on "The Voice." She was shot and killed as she met fans in sign autographs after her concert.
Let's go to the press release.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MINA, ORLANDO POLICE CHIEF: ... anything and some more updates in reference to the shooting last night at the Plaza Live. So, about 10:30 last night, we received multiple calls about shots being fired from inside the Plaza. Our officers responded within two minutes and immediately cleared the scene and secured the scene. And inside, found two people that had been shot.
So based on our investigation thus far, it appears that a white male, 21 years of age, approached Christina Grimmie. This was after the show. There were about 120 people inside the Plaza. And she was doing like a meet and greet, signing autographs and selling merchandise.
So, this white male approached her and opened fire, striking her. At that, almost immediately, her brother Marcus Grimmie tackled the suspect to the ground. Shortly after that, the suspect killed himself. And obviously, as we know, unfortunately, Christina Grimmie succumbed to those gunshot wounds she had. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends and fans of Christina. And our detectives are meeting with her parents today.
The suspect in this case is not from Orlando. The suspect traveled to Orlando, apparently, to commit this crime. And then had plans to travel back to where he came from. So, what we're doing at this point, we're not identifying his name right now. But we will have that shortly for you near the end of the day. What our detectives are doing right now is they're going through the suspect's cell phone and computer to see if they could find a motive for this crime. The suspect had two handguns on his person. He had two additional loaded magazines for those handguns and a large hunting knife.
So, at this time, we will take a few questions, but bear in mind, that it is a very active investigation. And we may not be able to answer all of your questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where did he come from? And what is going on and was there somebody filling in for security? And then, where exactly (inaudible)?
MINA: Right. As far as security, the Plaza does have security guards who wear polo shirts. They are unarmed. They do check bags and purses as people enter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then, how far did you have to go through the door? Could you describe a little more...
MINA: In the back? Yeah. In the back? Where did it happen? Inside -- in the back or in the...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It happened at the end of the -- at the end of the concert, it happened in the back of the hall, all the way in the back by the doors at exit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, is there any indication that he knew her? Or that they knew each other?
MINA: No, there's no indication that he knew her. We're looking into that and trying to find a motive for the crime.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chief, do you think people's bag or purse, are they patted down, do they go through any sort of like metal detectors?
MINA: There are no metal detectors. As far as I'm right, people are not patted down. I'm told that the security measure is in place where the people open their bags and security people look inside those bags for weapons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does this person have a restraining order in any way or does he have a history of stalking or anything related?
MINA: Not that we know of at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a question. Where did he drive -- well, first of all, did he drive or fly and were the guns that he had legal, were they registered to him?
MINA: We are taking a look at the guns right now to see where they came from. I will say that he traveled here from Florida, from another city in Florida to here and had plans to travel back to that city. That's all I'm going to say about exactly where he's from right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he ever contact her on any social media or Twitter post or anything to your knowledge right now?
MINA: Not to my knowledge. And that's what we're hoping to find in the phone. Maybe that will lead us to a motive of why he did this. But, that's where we look through his phone and also his computer.
[11:05:02] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you had any case like this before, any kind of (inaudible)?
MINA: No, we have never had an issue here that I'm aware of especially anything of this magnitude. No issues like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, the suspect hasn't had criminal history or also...
MINA: None that we've located thus far. So, none that we've located thus far.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The suspect, the second fire, was it an accident or just fired when the scuffle with her brother or did he...
MINA: That's all part of the investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you confirm that she was shot in the head. And was -- it sounds like this was a target. He came here to do this. Can you explain a little bit more about that for us?
MINA: It does appear that he came here to commit this crime, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And can you confirm that she was shot in the head for us?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not going to confirm that right now because we haven't met with her family yet and we need to go over the details with them first.
MINA: Yeah. So, detectives are meeting with her family later today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have (Inaudible).
MINA: I don't have the time now but it will be later today. Our plans are to get you that information as quickly as possible. And like I said, we want to go through the phone and go through the computer and search the residence, all that as well. So, there's a travel challenge for our detectives but we're working on all of that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's been a lot of discussion about club security. Do you know if they have changed things just recently or any plans? Can you...
MINA: I'm not aware of any changes but I think it's important to note the type of crowd that attends this. We're talking about young kids. This isn't a crowd that you would suspect would be carrying guns into a venue like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you tell me about the brother and the heroic action in preventing him from doing anything more than what he did?
MINA: Absolutely. You know, like I said, the suspect was armed with two handguns, had additional magazines. Unknown what his plans were for after killing Christina but very heroic actions by Marcus Grimmie to jump in and definitely could have prevented future loss of life there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How old is her brother?
MINA: I'm not sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you said you're still searching for a motive, but there's the hunch that he's just a deranged man?
MINA: That'd be speculation but that's what it's looking like. I mean, we believe he came here to commit this crime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did this happen in front of a number of fans and witnesses?
MINA: Yeah, there were multiple witnesses who saw this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many people were in there?
MINA: About 120 people were in, the show was over, but like I said, they were doing a meet and greet, selling merchandise, signing autographs so about 120 people inside the club.
(CROSSTALK)
MINA: Was it backstage?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MINA: No, it was not backstage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe he attended the concert and the performance or he just showed up afterwards?
MINA: I'm not sure. That's all part of the investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you working with any other police departments? You said he's from a different city, in a different part of Florida right now so are other law enforcement officers doing a search of his apartment or his house or any kind of property that he might own to find more details?
MINA: Well, certainly, anytime we have a suspect that's not from our jurisdiction, we do get the assistance from other jurisdictions. But we would be doing all that searching.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he drive here or did he fly here?
MINA: I'm not going to say at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. And then, so you just said that you would be doing the searching, do you have officers in the other city right now doing search of his apartment or anything of that thing?
MINA: Yeah, I'm not going to say it at this time right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have -- what information do you have that why you believe that he came here for Christina...
MINA: That all will come out later but we can tell you that he came here to commit this crime and had plans to travel back to where he came from.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And just to be clear, am I understanding the venue was not last night (inaudible)?
MINA: Right. There were no extra duty police officers. No off-duty police officers at this venue last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he have a note or anything in his car or anything like that that might explain anything?
MINA: We're still looking through everything but I'm not aware of any note or anything like that. I think that we were hoping that once we are able to get into the phone and into the computer that it will shed some light on why he did this.
(CROSSTALK)
MINA: No, I'm talking about the computer maybe where he lives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think it will have -- I mean, if that so, is that why you're holding of that?
MINA: Well, anything, maybe contact on social media. You know, everything, you know, our lives are always now on our phones so we're thinking that that will hopefully lead us in the right direction to find the motive for this crime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have any trouble unlocking the phone or gaining access?
MINA: Not that I'm aware of.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chief, can you explain why you're not naming the suspect? I don't know (inaudible).
MINA: Yeah, we won't have the opportunity. Like I said, the suspect is from another jurisdiction so there's a travel challenge for us.
[11:15:03] We just want to give the detectives time to complete their preliminary investigation as far as the search of the suspect's homes, cars, and everything involved in that as well as all of the suspect's electronic material.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there a surveillance video taken in the club outside?
MINA: I'm not sure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you say outside of Florida, do you mean Central Florida, or outside of Central Florida which has got (inaudible)...
MINA: Outside of Central Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Outside of Central Florida.
MINA: Right?
(CROSSTALK)
MINA: And just to answer that, there is no video that we're aware of.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you contacting his family members?
MINA: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're cooperating?
MINA: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you comment on what part of Florida he might have traveled from?
MINA: No, not at this time. But like I said, we'll probably have that before the end of the day, we'll get that to you. We know people want some answers to these questions to why this person may have done that and who this person is so we're going to get to that information as quickly as we can, without trying to interfere with the detectives' investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You said he was getting ready to travel back (inaudible).
MINA: No, that would only be speculation. Maybe he wasn't planning on being tackled to the ground. I don't know. But he did have two handguns on him, with additional magazines and a hunting knife. So, unknown why that happened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he fire both guns?
MINA: That's unknown at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you find his car or anything in the parking lot? Have you taken that in for investigation for searching down -- he got here somehow?
MINA: Yeah, there is no car that we're looking for.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you have a car then.
MINA: No, he didn't come here in his own car, if that's what you're asking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, how did he get to...
MINA: We're not going to release that right now. He did make travel arrangements to come here and then travel arrangements to get back to where he was going.
As far as we know, he was alone. And we're still trying to sift through all of the evidence and stuff but hopefully we'll have that for you in the next few days.
All right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So then, if he didn't have a car, he did travel via bus or a plane, how would he bring the car -- the guns with him?
MINA: It's all part of the investigation. So, we'll let you know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he have a bag? Did you ask them about that, it's been on the person, the weapons?
MINA: I'm not sure exactly how he got those guns into the venue right now. It's all part of the investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The venue has signs that say no concealed weapons inside the building. It's on the front door. Those signs are very new. Were they put up -- were they there prior to last night's events or has those going up since the event took place last night?
MINA: Yes, you got to ask the Plaza about that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know if they did pat down those individuals or they have checked people maybe after the concert let out?
MINA: As far as I'm aware, there were no pat-downs done to people entering.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was there another concert (inaudible)...
MINA: I'm unsure at this time. You'd have to ask the Plaza about that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chief, is this shooting getting the same importance as other shootings in the city, or is this getting a higher importance given the victim?
MINA: Well, I will say that our homicide detectives treat all of these homicides or shootings very, very seriously. And, you know, we work very hard to bring people to justice to bring closure to the families in every single case. And I think that was evident, you know, especially with the homicide that they solved yesterday, the victim Gino Nicolas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So when the suspect is dying, was it suicide intentionally, or was it a stray bullet that happened to dislodge from the...
MINA: We believe at this time that he killed himself.
(CROSSTALK)
MINA: Yes, yes. We believe at this time that he killed himself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell us the type of handguns that we're dealing with?
MINA: Small caliber handguns.
All right. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: We've been listening to Police Chief John Mina of the Orlando Police Department giving us the details about the terrible tragedy, the murder of "The Voice" Christina Grimmie, one of "The Voice" finalists.
And Nick Valencia has been following the story. He is joining us here on -- and also with us, CNN Law Enforcement Analyst Art Roderick.
So, Nick, I want to start off with you because we're listening to this together. It sounds certainly like this 21-year-old targeted the singer. It did not sound like it was something that was random. It also sounded like he was pretty well armed.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It sounds like it was a deliberate motivated attack that this was a targeted attack that he was looking specifically for this 22-year-old singer. We don't know the motive, that was not made clear at this press conference but what we were told is that this was a targeted attack. A white male, 21 years old approaching the 22-year-old singer after the concert that she was performing at was over. It was during the meet and greet with fans and autographs signing, so to speak.
[11:15:08] The suspect was almost immediately tackled by Christina Grimmie's brother. And that's when the suspect apparently killed himself.
There were earlier indications from reports on social media coming out of Orlando saying that this suspect may have been familiar, that the family may have been familiar with this suspect. But at this press conference there from the police chief in Orlando, he said there was no indication that this suspect knew the singer and of course, no motive.
But he was there with this intention. Two handguns, small caliber handguns, two magazines for these handguns, and also a hunting knife, of course, they're going to be scouring his social media, his cellphone, his computer to try to figure out exactly what led up to this and what was the motivation to kill this greatly talented singer.
She was so young, prime of her life, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: That's a shame. I wanted -- while you're staying with us, I want to bring in Art into the conversation. Art, there are a couple of things that I heard that stood out.
First of all though, the police chief was saying that there was a plan that they have some evidence that he wanted to return to wherever he came from outside of Central Florida. And yet, they're calling this -- ruling this as suicide in his own shooting, the shooting of the suspect here. What do you make of that?
ART RODERICK, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, there's a couple of things. First, I, you know, my thoughts and prayers go out to the Grimmie family. This is a horrible, horrible tragedy. And, you know, I've been in law enforcement for 40 years and this just cuts me to my core. This is just one of these senseless killings that never make any sense. But that was an excellent press conference by the chief. He put out a lot of information.
The interesting thing is you're right, Suzanne, that he did have plans to go back, which to me, if he didn't have a vehicle there, he must've had a bus ticket or some type of indication that he was traveling back.
I don't think aircraft, if he took the weapons with him that he would have a chance being picked up with the weapons trying to get on an airplane. So to me, a bus ticket or some other type of travel on the road is probably how he's going to get back to, I think the chief have mentioned, outside of Central Florida. So, from that perspective, that's probably what they're looking at.
And again, if somebody's willing to die, it's very difficult to stop anybody from committing a crime like this.
MALVEAUX: And when you listen to the venue here, the fact that -- sorry there's a little echo in my ear. But when you see this venue and you listen to it and you know that this is kind of a medium-sized venue, this was outside of the concert area and yet, inside of the building that there is no video. Is that typical that you would have no type of magnetometers that they will just open their bags, the level of security that was there?
RODERICK: Yes, it sounds like this is probably standard operating procedure for this type of event at this type of venue. I think this is another indication of somebody picking a soft target, knowing that that type of magnetometer or x-ray machine wouldn't be there, and that there's just individuals looking in bags and backpacks. Of course, the two small caliber weapons are fairly easy to conceal on your purse and then just walking through security by that means.
MALVEAUX: And Nick, I want to bring this back to you because this was such a talented young person. She had so many followers. People loved the way she sang and they loved the way they made her feel. She had a following here. I mean, she wasn't the winner of The Voice but she certainly had a presence, as we know, and a very bright career.
VALENCIA: She came in third during that contest but she won over the hearts of all the judges, all four chairs flipped around, you know. You know, I think you're familiar with "The Voice." You know that that's a big achievement for anybody getting up there in front of that stage.
But she had three million fans on YouTube. Not only that, but she had millions of views. She built that in partly back into a chance to be on The Voice, where she had just an incredible career in front of her performing at these small venues.
One of these outstanding questions that we kind of got answered at this press conference was how this individual was able to make it inside the venue with these handguns. Where was the security at? We heard from that chief there that there were unarmed security at the venue that there was a presence there but that they weren't armed and perhaps they weren't properly checking.
We did reach out to that venue's owner and we have yet to hear back certainly some questions outstanding for him.
MALVEAUX: That's right. And Art, I want to ask you, what are -- if you're handling this case, what are you looking for? Because we know we have the weapons seized. We know that they're looking at the computer as well as the cellphone. What would you be trying to track? And are you actually confident that they don't have video of this? They say, at this point, they don't know but they don't think that there's video of the actual incident of the shooting.
RODERICK: Well, the chief was pretty accurate on a couple things. I mean, the cellphone, the social internet, the social media aspect of this is going to be key. I mean, had he made threats before? Is he a deranged fan? Did he, you know, take on this persona that a lot of these individuals do that, "Oh, you know, we know each other. We're familiar with each other." I think it was some social media that had that information out there.
[11:20:03] But I think, with the fact that he did show up there with a couple of handguns but had plans to go back, that's of interest also. And I think once they've put all this together, they'll have a pretty good picture of what was in this individual's head and what were his plans.
And I think the brother very possibly could've saved a lot of other people when he tackled this individual and then he -- the individual decided to commit suicide.
MALVEAUX: That's absolutely right. Well, thank you so much, Art Roderick and as well as Nick Valencia on all the details again of this tragic story.
And also recapping here, police is saying now that Christina Grimmie had just -- she just finished her performance when this man, armed with the two guns, shot and killed her. She was signing autographs for fans at that time. And just before last night's performance, Grimmie recorded a video and she tweeted it out to her fans, watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
CHRISTINA GRIMMIE, LATE POP SINGER: I came in like a wrecking ball. I never hit so hard in love. All I wanted was to break...
(END VIDEOCLIP)
MALVEAUX: Grimmie rose to fame on Season 6 of "The Voice" and wows the judges with her performance.
And also, "The Voice's" host, Carson Daly tweeted his reaction saying, "So sad, @TheRealGrimmie. I'm still in shock. She was special, had it, talented, kind, funny, loving, courageous. We hurt with her family."
And also a reminder, we are waiting, Donald Trump expected to take the podium any minute in Tampa. I'm going to take you there live. Stay with us, after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:25:16] MALVEAUX: Republican presumptive Presidential nominee Donald Trump expected to speak any minute at a rally. This is Tampa, Florida this morning.
He took aim at Mitt Romney, tweeting the former Republican candidate, "Choked like a dog against Barack Obama in 2012." Well, he was responding to Romney's allegation that a Trump presidency would legitimize racism.
Here's what Trump said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANIDATE: I am the least, just so you know, I am the least racist person, the least racist person that you've ever seen, the least. I mean, give me a break.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Our own Jeremy Diamond is at that rally so hi, Jeremy. What do we think that Trump is going to say that's any different than what we've heard before?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've seen him now emphasizing this idea that, you know, he's not racist. He's "the least racist person there is," and he's also been emphasizing this idea that his slogan, "Make America Great Again" which Hillary Clinton criticized just yesterday, saying that it meant to take America backwards to a time when there was less racial equality, less opportunity for all. Donald Trump is now emphasizing the fact that his slogan is for all, to make America great for everyone is what he said yesterday when he addressed the Faith & Freedom Coalition, for example.
So he has been kind of adjusting his message a little bit, adjusting his rhetoric, particularly as he's faced criticism on this issue of the judge, who he said was bias against him because of his Mexican heritage. He's been taking criticism from Democrats but also Republicans so we're seeing Donald Trump adjust his rhetoric a little bit to ensure that he can kind of quell that criticism.
And also, keep in mind, he's pivoting to the general election here. You know, he's in the battleground state of Florida today. He's got several thousand people here already for him.
And Donald Trump is pivoting to the general election in this battleground state, where he is going to need to convince independent voters and others that he can tone it down, that he can be a little bit more presidential. So maybe we're seeing some of that.
But again, he's going to be off the cuffs again today, not using a script like he did yesterday, during the day in his speech in Washington. And so I think that's what we're going to see more of from Donald Trump today.
MALVEAUX: And Jeremy, real quick before we let you go, how is the crowd receiving this? What are they making of this kind of new tinkering of his message that he's including everyone?
DIAMOND: Yes, well, people here seem pretty fired up but there's no line outside, by the way. That's something typically Donald Trump wants so. There's thousands of people outside. No lines to speak up today. The place is about half full. But people who are here are definitely energized. Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right, Jeremy. Thanks. We'll get back to you as soon as that starts live.
Coming up, Mitt Romney reiterates why he won't vote for Trump. Our exclusive interview, next.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've decided that a person of that nature should not be the one who, if you will, becomes the example for coming generations or the example of America to the world.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:32:41] MALVEAUX: As we wait to hear what Donald Trump has to say he's coming off possibly his toughest week at the Republican Party's fragile plans to unite behind Trump especially breaking up now with the GOP convention just around the corner. Well, many have been pushing and speculating that Mitt Romney might make a third party run against Trump. Romney saying, well, no, he's not doing that. He spoke to our Wolf Blitzer about all of that in his exclusive interview.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: As an individual, I simply can't put my name down as someone who voted for principles that suggest racism or xenophobia, misogyny, bigotry, who's been a vulgar time and time again. And the most recent attack on Judge Curiel, a racist approach is one which I think says to me I can't be a part of that, I will not sign up for that. I don't want to be associated with that in any way, shape or form.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: So what do you say to people like your vice presidential running mate Paul Ryan who is very critical of Donald Trump. Does that like, any of the words he said about Judge Curiel called it a textbook definition for a racist comment. But he still says he's going to support Donald Trump.
ROMNEY: Well, I don't argue with people who convoluted for conclusion. They're looking at two candidates and deciding who they think is best able to serve our country at this time. And I'm sure there's some things they like to change. And whoever they're going to support, every candidate has a problem or two or maybe more than that. But for me, Mr. Trump's problems are such a dramatic nature, such a departure from the values of our country and my own personal values that I can't sign up to be part of this campaign.
BLITZER: Are you disappointed that Paul Ryan has endorsed him?
ROMNEY: I wish everyone in the Republican Party have rejected Mr. Trump and chosen someone else. But my choice is different than that at the other people. And I'm sure they're not going to argue with them about their choice. Their view is that Secretary Clinton would so dramatically change the nature of the Supreme Court that that represents a threat to our future. I understand that perspective. But I find that compelling but also the Donald Trump failures also compelling.
BLITZER: He did tone down his rhetoric in that speech the other day from a tele prompter Reince Priebusm, the chairman of the Republican National Committee was here this weekend with you. He called it a great victory speech and the right approach. Trump says, it's time to move on right now. Is that OK with you if he moves on and you forget about the all other stuff? I don't think you -- do you think it's a time to move on?
[11:35:15] ROMNEY: Well, I can imagine that Mr. Trump would like to have people move on and forget what was said during the primary process and what's been said over the years. But we actually take the measure of an individual over their entire career and during the primary as well. And on that basis, we get a sense of the person's character, integrate, honesty, their values with regards to race and religion and gender.
And Mr. Trump has made that pretty clear to the campaign to this point. I'm absolutely convinced that Reince Priebus is right when he says that Mr. Trump will be able from the text and present a different image going forward. But that is not something which is consistent with who he is as demonstrated by his past.
BLITZER: So you don't think he should get a pass if he stops talking about Judge Curiel?
ROMNEY: Well, everyone can make their assessment. But he indicated what he believes in his heart about Mexicans and about race, by the comments he made about Judge Curiel. And he may and try and distance himself from that today. But we know what he believes based on what he said. And by the way, he didn't just say it once. It wasn't a slip of the tongue which he went back and apologized for. First of all, he's repeated it time and time again.
And secondly, he's never apologized for it. So, he obviously sticks by what he believes.
BLITZER: What would he have to do to win your support?
ROMNEY: Well, I don't think there's anything I'm looking for from Mr. Trump to give him my support. He's demonstrated who he is. And I've decided that a person of that nature should not be the one, who, if you will, becomes the example of coming generations or the example of America to the world.
Look, I don't want to see trickle down racism. I don't want to see a president of the United States saying things which changed the character of generations of Americans that are following. Presidents have an impact on the nature of our nation and trickle down racism, trickle down bigotry and trickle down misogyny. All these things are extraordinarily dangerous to the heart and character of America. And so I'm not looking for Mr. Trump to change a policy that more alliance with my own. This is not a matter of just policy, it's more a matter of character and integrity.
BLITZER: Do you think he's a racist?
ROMNEY: Oh, I think his comments time and again appeal to the racist tendency that exists in some people. And I think that's very dangerous.
MALVEAUX: And up next, our panel reacted to that exclusive conversation. Stay with us.
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[11:40:54] MALVEAUX: You're looking at live pictures from Tampa, Florida, where Donald Trump is expected to speak any moment now. We'll going to take the live to the rally as soon as it starts.
Just moments ago you heard Mitt Romney tell Wolf Blitzer that a Trump presidency would change America with his "trickle down racism." I want to talk about that more with Scottie Nell Hughes, she's a Donald Trump supporter. Lanhee Chen, he's a former policy director for Mitt Romney and was also policy adviser for Marco Rubio in his campaign bid.
Well, first of all, Trump responding to Romney's remarks in a tweet this morning as we would expect saying "Mitt Romney, had his chance to be a failed president, but he choked like a dog. Now, he calls me racist. But I am the least racist person there is."
So Lanhee, first of all, your response, you know Romney very well.
LANHEE CHEN, FORMER MITT ROMNEY PUBLIC POLICY DIRECTOR: Well, you know, stay classy Donald Trump is the typical kind of response we hear from Donald Trump. I think Governor Romney has made clear what his concerns are with a Trump candidacy and a Trump presidency, he did so yesterday.
You know, I wouldn't expect too much different from Donald Trump. And I think that's the kind of campaign he's going to run going into the fall. It's a personality-based campaign. Sometimes, it's entertaining for Republicans. But a lot of times, I think we have few step back and say, "Look, what is this guy going to do for the country, what are his plans, I don't know that he's really laid any out. And so as a result, I think a lot of Republicans remain concern his on.
MALVEAUX: And Scottie, I mean, what do you think of trickle down racism, when we're talking about racism, bigotry, misogyny, these are very serious charges against Trump. And it seems to me at least in his messaging today, he is trying to push back on that saying that make America great for everyone. Does he this that that's going to work?
SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, POLITICAL EDITOR, RIGHTALERTS.COM: Well, he's hoping because it looks like history is repeating itself Suzanne. Let's remember in 1964, Mitt Romney's father Governor George Romney, from Michigan actually after Barry Goldwater had the nomination did everything he could do work against him which ultimately gave the Democrats the White House gave to Lyndon B. Johnson and got the United States in the Vietnam War.
So it looks like Mitt is just trying to fulfill his daddy's shoes. And you can't sit there and tell me that the guy that made the 47 percent comment which did a very damage to his campaign talking about wealth redistribution brought that whole argument up, has any basis whatsoever to call Donald Trump racist. And the fact is, he just needs to go on and retire and go away. He had his chance. And all his comments are doing are being used against Donald Trump just like his dad's comments were being used against Barry Goldwater back in 1964.
MALVEAUX: And the 47 comment do you think that's a racist thing that Romney said?
HUGHES: I actually think, when sit there and you talk about and that is basically, if it's not being a snob, it's top level because what it is was show the inequality, wealth and equality that existed between the different wealth curves within this country, middle class, lower class, upper class, and how the upper class felt like they were so much more economically off than the middle and lower class.
You could sit there and try to move it around. And but like I said -- he has no reason whatsoever. He has no criteria whatsoever to criticize Donald Trump in this area.
MALVEAUX: Lanhee, do you want to respond to that? Please, please respond, yeah, I mean that's a very serious charge saying it's just as bad for let's say eclecticism, I suppose?
CHEN: Yeah, I mean, look, this is the kind of flailing response that we've come to expect from Donald Trump and from his surrogates. Look, at the end of the day what you have is a guy who made comments which were outrageous and racist when he talked about Judge Curiel the way he did, to try to compare those remarks, to remarks that other presidential candidates past or present have made is simply not appropriate.
Look, at the end of the day what we want is we want to more inclusive Republican Party. I think that that would be the stated goal of all Republicans. The reality, though, is that Donald Trump has made it just that much harder for the Republican Party to garner the votes of people on the Hispanic community, the Asian community, the black community, you name it.
And so the question really is, what is Donald Trump going to do over these next four or five months?
Now, Republicans had hoped he would build a campaign, he would try to change who he was to become somebody who would realize the value of a broader Republican Party. But so far, he has not built a campaign that's going to be ready to win. And he hasn't change himself because that's just who he is. So I think at the end of the day we have to be clear about who Donald Trump is and what kind of campaign he's going to run. I think those are very unfortunate thing Suzanne.
[11:45:09] HUGHES: OK, here's the question, how do you know what type of campaign he has build because as long as people like Mitt Romney are trying to get the spotlight on them ...
CHEN: He hasn't built a campaign Scottie, that's the problem.
HUGHES: This is my -- you don't know what kind of campaign he's built because as long as people like Mitt Romney after trying to make these charges that are being used against our own party and sitting there trying to garner attention because I guess there, you know, he's bored. Then you have to what -- I mean what good does it do? This is something that Democrats don't do? They don't sit there and publically go after their own. They don't eat their own.
The Republicans however try to ...
CHEN: That is the same.
HUGHES: Did they do at press conference, they sit there -- well, if there's issues, let's handle this like mature adults. Mitt, why don't you pick up the phone and call Donald Trump say, "Here's my issues." But instead, what does he do, he gathers 300 very bitter leaders over there and did this little conference this weekend, that was just meant to show how divided the Republican Party is which, you know what, I think it's the exact opposite when you're sitting there at thousands upon thousands ...
MALVEAUX: So Scottie, I want to ask you a very quickly here. Let me just interject here, I mean if Mitt Romney did picked up the phone and called Donald Trump, would Donald Trump, first of all, answer the call and do you think it would be helpful? I mean do you think an olive branch would bring these two together? It does not sound like they anywhere close to being on the same page?
HUGHES: Well, obviously worked with Speaker Paul Ryan. Let's remember back in 2012 Donald Trump was one of best surrogates for Mitt Romney. He donated millions, he max out to Mitt Romney and then he was on the speaker and the stump trail for him as well.
So obviously at that point, Mitt Romney did not think Donald Trump was racist. Obviously thought he was a good enough guy to speak on his behalf. And now it's amazing because I guess it's a part of his whole political narrative. He's doing everything he can to derail this idea of Donald Trump being president. I don't know if it's over bitterness or jealousy or whatever you want to ...
CHEN: Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Lanhee, please respond. I mean obviously, you know, she's saying Mitt Romney should pick the phone, that this conference is not been useful in terms of bringing the party together, your thoughts.
CHEN: Well, you know, first of all, this conference has been a gathering of all sort of different Republicans. We have people here who support Donald Trump, we have people who oppose Donald Trump that been here this weekend.
As for Governor Romney, I think he's made his views clear. He's not out there campaigning against Donald Trump if people ask him his point of view. He's going to give them his point of view. And that's what we have. This is what Mitt Romney has said, he's express the point view about a Trump candidacy and a Trump presidency. This is not a campaign or a crusade against Donald Trump. But Mitt Romney is the last nominee of all Republican Party. He's going to make his views heard. And we'll have to see what happens going forward. But I think Governor Romney has made his views entirely clear.
MALVEAUX: Lanhee Chen, Scottie Nell Hughes, we're going to have to leave it there, of course will be very interesting to see you if somebody picks up the phone, and if these two guys talk to each other. So, again, thank you.
We're awaiting Donald Trump to take the stage, this out of Tampa, Florida. We're going to take you live to the rally when that starts.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [11:51:09] MALVEAUX: You're looking at live pictures from Tampa, Florida, that is where Donald Trump is expected to speak momentarily. We'll going to take you there live as soon as the rally starts.
Hillary Clinton under fire for appointing a major Clinton foundation donor to a sensitive intelligence board while she was secretary of state, this is an issue that Donald Trump is now hammering on the campaign trail. And today Clinton's campaign, they are dismissing these claims of wrongdoing.
Our Drew Griffin has the story.
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RAJ FERNANDO, FOUNDER AND CEO OF CHOPPER TRADING: Hi. I'm Raj Fernando, founder and CEO of Chopper Trading.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Raj Fernando is a Chicago-based stock trader. And for a very short period of time, he was an appointee to the U.S. state department's international security advisory board. What qualifications did he have for that? Apparently, none.
What he does have is big money ties to Bill and Hillary Clinton. He has donated between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation. He's donated to Mrs. Clinton's 2008 primary campaign and even served as a so-called bundler of large campaign donations for Democrats. On the campaign trail today, Donald Trump called his appointment just another example of his crooked Hillary campaign theme.
TRUMP: She even appoint, to the national security board someone with no national security experience. Instead, he was a donor, a recent donor to Hillary Clinton's Campaign.
GRIFFIN: It is clear Raj Fernando had no diplomatic experience and no background in international security affairs which could explain why just one month after taking this photo during his very first meeting with the board, Raj Fernando was writing a letter to Secretary Clinton, resigning. And e-mails just released show behind the scene political panic was setting in, as a state department official struggled to explain what this big donor to the Clinton foundation was doing with top security clearance inside the state department.
On August 15th, 2011, an e-mail from an ABC News producer asked for Fernando's qualifications. The follow-up e-mail show state department officials scrambling to come up with an explanation. They discussed how the appointment came directly from Hillary Clinton's longtime aide and state department chief of staff, Cheryl Mills. The true answer is simply that Cheryl Mills added him, the state department official writes in an e-mail. "He was added at their insistence." Someone else writes, "Can we dig up a short paragraph about his distinguished career and a sentence about our selection and approval process?"
The next day, a senior adviser e-mails, "We must protect the secretary's name, as well as the integrity of the board." And through a colleague, Cheryl Mills chimes into the e-mail chain, asking the state department to stall in its response to ABC News for 24 hours.
No real qualifications for Fernando were ever sent. Instead, the next day, August 17th, Raj Fernando suddenly resigns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy Friday.
GRIFFIN: At the state department today, answers on why were hard to come by.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he was at all qualified, why did he resign so suddenly after ABC News started asking questions?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, you would have to ask him.
GRIFFIN: Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Well, the Clinton camp has now responded to Drew Griffin's reporting saying, quote here, "This was an unpaid, volunteer advisory board, and one of several foreign policy focused organizations that he was involved with. As the state department itself ha said, the International Security Advisory Board charter calls for a diverse set of experiences for its members. That's all there is to it."
[11:54:58] Well, to talk about this donor controversy, let's bring in our panel, Marc Lamont Hill, CNN Political Commentator, Democratic strategist, good to see you, and professor of Morehouse College and also with us, Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. So thanks for joining us.
Marc, let's start with you. Does this look like is going to impact her campaign in any way? Does this play into this narrative we're hearing from Trump, calling her Crooked Hillary?
MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it certainly plays into the narrative. The evidence looks bad. The stalling, the delays, the clear evidence that this -- that Raj was unqualified for the position, the stonewalling. All of it looks bad and plays into the narrative. When -- It's compounded, of course, by the-mail scandal. It's compounded by all the questionable Clinton Foundation questions that have been raised or issues rather, that have been raised over the last few years. Whether it will have an impact on her campaign remains to be seen, largely because, there are so many other issues of ethics overshadowing the campaign.
The one thing I'm going to add, though, is we don't -- we can't look at this in a vacuum. It's really important to recognize that all presidential campaigns, all presidential administrations, all state departments have things where people sort of pay to play, where people leverage relationships to get positions. So I don't want to make Hillary Clinton look as if she's standing outside of very common tradition whether we like it or not is one thing. But Hillary's not alone here.
MALVEAUX: All right, let's listen to how Trump hit her on this one, and then Larry, I'll bring you in on the other end.
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TRUMP: They all look and say, "Where did this guy come from?" He made a contribution of $250,000. And all of a sudden he's on this very important and vital board. This position dealt with tactical nuclear weapons and had top secret clearance. And he knew nothing about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right, Larry, you and I know a little bit about the State Department here. I mean, is that an overstatement there? What this advisory board does? I mean, does he make the point, or does it sound like a rather big exaggeration?
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Well, he may be exaggerating it, but I also think it's legitimate.
Look, Suzanne, the truth is, and Marc hinted at this, our campaign finance system is rotten to the core. And yes, it affects both Democratic presidents and Republican presidents and Democratic secretaries of state and Republican secretaries of state, but people need to focus on how this gentleman got on that board. He was completely unqualified for it. It certainly covered materials that were sensitive, for which he had no back ground. And that's inexcusable.
Remember, this isn't just about his contributions to Hillary Clinton's two presidential campaigns. It's about his giving $1 million or more to the Clinton Foundation. And let's just predict, flatly, right here that the Clinton Foundation is going to present problem after problem for Hillary Clinton between now and November 8th.
MALVEAUX: And so, Marc, let's talk about that a little bit because here you have Hillary Clinton coming off of a very good week. I mean, with the endorsements of the president, Elizabeth Warren, the vice president, I mean this is something that she is going into the next week with the wind behind her sails there. And then this comes out, this piece of investigative reporting, a very well-sourced. What do you think of -- ultimately, is this something she's going to have to address on the campaign trail? Clearly, reporters are going to be asking her about this? Can you just kind of push it aside with a statement?
HILL: I think that the statement is insufficient. I think she'll have to actually publicly address it on the campaign trail, but then I think she moves on. She's had an incredible amount of momentum over the last week from as you said Elizabeth Warren to President Obama, to Joe Biden. And also Trump continues to double down on his own comments about the Judge, Judge Curiel.
And so when those things are happening, she's in a place of strength. And I think the worse thing she could do is ignore this and allow it to build up, where it looks like a bigger deal than it is. I think the American voter can ultimately say, hey, we don't like this choice. It's clearly a pay to play situation. Clearly this person got a job they weren't qualified for that. But I think they'll situate that within a conversation that says, hey, all politicians do this. This isn't a good choice, but we can probably live with it.
MALVEAUX: Do you think that's the case Larry with Bernie Sanders supporters because ultimately she's going to need them to come onboard to her side. And that sounds like a, you know, an argument there that people who are very much in his camp and in his corner are going to reject.
SABATO: That's a very good point. And, you know what, would be refreshing and also helpful to her? Is if she actually came out without prepared talking points and having memorized nothing and said, "I don't care how this happened, it's wrong, it should not have happened. This gentleman should not have been appointed. Our system is rotten and here's how I'm going to change it." That would get her a lot of supporters from Sanders. It would also get her support from other quarters.
MALVEAUX: All right, we'll leave it there. Larry Sabato, Marc Lamont Hill, appreciate your time. Good to see you both and your perspectives.
Tomorrow, don't miss Bernie Sanders, that's right, on CNN, sitting down with our own Jake Tapper. That's going to happen at 9:00 a.m. eastern on "State of the Union." And the next hour, CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
[12:00:14] And hello, thanks for joining me.
