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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield

Sanders Endorses Clinton After Platform Concessions; Obama To Arrive In Dallas Next Hour To Speak At Dallas Officers' Memorial; Castile Family Attorney Plans To File Lawsuit. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired July 12, 2016 - 12:30   ET

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

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: What Donald Trump is proving throughout his entire campaign is that he lacks substance on issues that we care about. You can't go down the issues of health care, college education and minimum wage and you see how far, you see that the gulf is the size of the Grand Canyon between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

[12:30:23] So that's going to be very, very difficult for him to overcome, even on trade. Just the highlight with you and Gloria we're talking about a minute ago, even on trade, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are right in the same vein when it comes to TPP.

The issue with the platform committee was not as much about them having any disagreements with each other as it was not having an affront in the platform to the president of the United States. So, that's where we are.

But today, you cannot underscore the value of Bernie Sanders hug. You can't underscore the value of his full-throated endorsement. And the only other thing we're waiting for on our team is the vice-president of the United States whomever that may be. Because if you look at the fact that we have a team that includes Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton, now Bernie and James Anderson. It's an amazing team versus Donald Trump and rug tag bunch of misfits who you put on stage with him.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: So, Bill Press as a Bernie supporter when you look at that hug and the wave and the full-throated endorsement, how are you feeling about it today? And more importantly, how do you think the rest of the folks like you are feeling about that today?

BILL PRESS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first of all, I got to tell you, I am very happy because to me this is a glorious end to a very robust, a very progressive and vigorous and important primary campaign. It couldn't have ended any better.

Will this bring the Bernie Sanders people over? Inherited in your question, absolutely. First of all, just to the repeat, registered number, 85 percent of them are already there. That's a lot faster than the Hillary Clinton people back in 2008 moved to Barack Obama.

And if there were any people still on the fence, I think Bernie Sanders convinced them today. And I thought it was masterful the way he did it. He took issue by issue, every issue that he talked about in the campaign and then he pointed out Hillary Clinton stands, talking to his supporters, stands with us on this issue. And then, on every one that he pointed out that Donald Trump was on the other side.

And that leads to the conclusion, his conclusion that it comes to the end, we -- there's only one choice. There's only one path for Bernie supporters to go and that is with him endorsing Hillary enthusiastically.

Just one final thing is, I thought Hillary Clinton put the icing on the cake with her outreach at the very end of her talk to Bernie Sanders supporters, was brilliant, when she said, "You will have a seat at the table whenever -- when I'm in the White House." I thought that was perfect way to enter.

BANFIELD: And I'm grateful.

PRESS: Yes, right.

BANFIELD: I think she should have said, very, very, very, very grateful. But, hey, you know, David Gregory, did you hear what Bill Press just said with the adjectives that he was using to describe this campaign, robust and there were couple of other really nice euphemistic adjectives. All I was waiting to hear was ugly, prolonged nasty. But he didn't say that. And it made me wonder what are the odds, what are the odds that we might actually see an announcement that he would be the V.P. choice for Hillary Clinton?

DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Why, I think it would be highly unlikely. I don't think the progressive wing of the party is the heart of when Hillary Clinton believes is a Democrat. I mean, I think she's much more of a centrist Democrat. And I think that Sanders has had an impact on her on aspects of the agenda moving forward. And here he is trumpeting the fact that he has helped to create the most progressive party platform in the history of the Democratic Party.

We know what the reason for that is, we want Hillary Clinton wants to demonstrate today to the Democratic Party complete unity, a united front and she' trying to gin up as much as enthusiasm as she can master. And she's got a problem with that. We've talked about a new polling today showing that I think it's 29 percent of young people 18 to 35 have a negative view of her or rather have a positive view of her. Only a 49 percent have a positive view among Hispanics.

She's got to work on those numbers to deliver that part of the Democratic coalition. And I think being a standard bearer of the Democratic Party with such a progressive agenda I think opens her up to criticism that she is not genuine. And I think it could be that criticism from his own supporters.

And say, look, this is too good to be true. She's just saying this stuff. She's not going to be with us in the end. And that's where I think Trump will try to go to work.

Ashleigh, I don't think he thinks he can get Sanders' supporters over to his side maybe working class whites on the issue of trade and they say like Pennsylvania. I'm sure she hopes for that.

I think what Trump is interested in doing is making mischief here and in trying to keep down those numbers, when Bakari says that united front, the president, vice president, Michelle Obama and others that it's too hard for Hillary Clinton to deliver the same numbers that Barack Obama did in '08 in 12 of that democratic coalition.

[12:35:09] The Trump factor is the biggest one though because what you're hearing for Bernie Sanders today, we are hearing from Hillary Clinton, is that there is no choice. That the stakes are too high, the danger is too great for -- to go to Trump even if you don't love Hillary Clinton.

BANFIELD: Funny, you said that she's just saying these are term empty promises. I'm paraphrasing you of course because guess what, Jeb Bush just said the exact same thing but not about her. Not who you would expect him to say it about. He was instead saying it about his party's presumptive nominee, Donald Trump.

I had that standby, I just wanted to make sure we have that ready to go because it's worth hearing. Jeb Bush say this about Donald Trump and the promises that he has made to all of those people who support him. Here is how Jeb Bush actually characterizes it.

We don't but guess what, I have it printed out. So I'm going tell you, because it's worth noting. The tragedy of this Jeb Bush said, is that there isn't going to be a wall built and Mexico is not going to pay for it and there's not going to be a ban on Muslims. This is all like an alternative universe that he created, meaning Trump.

Jeb Bush goes on to say, the reality is that it's not going to happen. And people are going to be deeply frustrated and the divides will grow in our country extraordinary still the greatest country in the face of the earth. We'll continue to stagger instead of soar. And that's the heartbreaking part of this. I think people are going to feel really betrayed.

Gloria Borger, David Gregory said that some people feel that about Hillary Clinton. Clearly Jeb Bush says, "I'm not the only person who feels this about Jeb Bush." Is it now that the contest between the two candidates were less likely to betray you?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, these are two of the most unpopular candidates in American history. One of the reasons that they're unpopular is because people don't trust either one of them, right? And so it's a problem when it comes to getting your voters out to vote. And that's what this election is going to be about.

This election is not so much persuasion but it's about motivation. And where Bernie Sanders can help Hillary Clinton is by getting those young voters out by explaining the stakes in this election to young Democratic voters. And that is what his speech was about today. And that is what he's trying to do. And he becomes in a sense a character witness for Hillary Clinton.

To those voters, his supporters who don't trust her, he is the character witness saying, look, I've checked it out OK. I've checked it out. I've done my due diligence. Here is where we are on the platform. If you trust me you can trust her to deliver on this because now I trust her. And that's what's it was about today.

BANFIELD: And the reason I love you other than your political management, second is that you bring up actual character witness on the "Legal View". Thanks to you.

BORGER: Oh well, sure.

BANFIELD: I appreciate it. She's brilliant. She doesn't know how smart she is. Gloria Borger, thank you, David Gregory, Bakari Sellers, Bill Press, Jeff Zeleny, thank you to all of you.

We're going to continue to cover this of course throughout the day.

Coming up next though, another big story that it's in the headlines, mourners who are gathering together right now to honor five fallen police officers, look at the image on your screen.

Five empty chairs with folded American flags in Dallas, Texas in a venue that can hold about 2,000 people. It is reserved for officers who have come to mourn those five Dallas, Texas officers who were shot execution style by a racist sniper.

I think it's fair to say murdered by a racist sniper last week. And one of those seats off camera will be occupied by none other than the president of the United States. But can his words, President Obama's words, alongside former President George W. Bush and other dignitaries.

Can anything help to ease the city's pain and heal the nation's wounds? We're covering this live right after break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:41:12] BANFIELD: I want to take you to some live pictures if I can right away in Dallas Texas because we've been awaiting the arrival of the Air Force One in that city. And this is where the president is destined to arrive in actually probably the next hour we expect.

There are the five officers, their images at the front of the Grand Auditorium in downtown Dallas where about 2,000 people are gathering for what's being build as an interfaith tribute to these officers. And the list of dignitaries is profound. Not only the president of the United States and his wife, the first lady, also, the former president of the United States George W. Bush and his wife, the former first lady, Laura Bush. The Chief of the Dallas Police, Senator John Cornyn as well as Senator Ted Cruz is expected to be there.

Those seats have been reserved for any officers who have traveled to be part of this as well. So it is not necessarily so open to the public as it is really for dignitaries and officers to pay their respect in Dallas, Texas.

We're going to be live wall to wall on that for you. You're not going to miss any part of the tributes that will be paid to these five officers.

But tomorrow, it's going to mark one week since Valerie Castile lost her son Philando who was shot to death during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. His final moments, you'll probably know by now were live streamed on Facebook as he was actually dying beside his girlfriend.

And, you know, Philando hasn't even been buried yet if you can believe it but his mother has a quest for justice. She says it has now begun in earnest.

The family is now planning on filing a lawsuit and they have representing them, a prestigious Judge Glenda Hatchett who is going to represent them in all civil, legal matters. She's kind enough to join us now from St. Paul, Minnesota along with Valerie Castile, Philando Castile's mother.

Welcome to the both of you. And Valerie, may I just send you my heartfelt condolences on what you have had to cope with just in the last seven days. There's just been so much to sort of take in from your own personal perspective and then on a national perspective as well.

And as I understand it, Valerie, you had a phone call just today from the president of the United States?

VALERIE CASTILE, PHILANDO CASTILE'S MOTHER; Wow, you got that fast. Yes, I did. And he was very pleasant. And he spoke of his concerns and sent his condolences as well as Michelle. And that was awesome.

BANFIELD: It must have been quite a moment for you amidst a lot of terrible moments. At least you have that support right from the top.

He is going to be speaking, Valerie, in Dallas today. I mean, because as you know, there were two significant losses of life in the community prior to five significant losses of life in the Dallas community. There's a memorial service where he is headed right now in Dallas. What would you personally like to hear from the president?

JUDGE GLENDA HATCHETT, HATCHETT FIRM: She was saying, what would you like to hear from the president in terms of what he says at the memorial service about the slain officers? What would you like him to say?

CASTILE: I would just like for him to give them his condolences as well. Because nobody deserves to die at the hand of another because of violence. Violence begets violence. And yeah, I think he should represent those officers because they are public servants and they are here to serve and protect. Yeah.

[12:45:03] BANFIELD: And Glenda, as you step into this leadership role with, you know, Valerie and her family, on behalf of Philando and the memory of Philando, this is a really delicate emotional walk for you. Because on one hand, as I -- I'm gathering from Valerie, she's very sympathetic about the loss of, you know, the five police officers. But at the same time, there's a police officer who I'm assuming, you know, enter your loss that you feel has created a terrible injustice for you.

HATCHET: You know, Ashleigh, you know me. We've known each other for a long time. And I wouldn't be here if I were not absolutely passionate about this situation.

My heart is broken yet again. And when I arrived in Minnesota and went to see Miss Castile, my first reaction to her was not as I am here as Judge Hatchet. I am here as another mother, a mother with two young men, black sons.

And what we're saying over again and over again Ashleigh is that this time, this is a man who was complying. He had a job, he was doing everything right. He was not combative. He was not trying to get the police upset. He was fleeing from the scene. This time he was there being a lawful citizen. He had a permit for his gun.

And so our hash tag for this is going to be, this time must be the last time. And this is back to the situation that not only brings attention of what's happened in this community Ashleigh, but what we are doing nationally. And we better make a difference. We've got to make a change. And if I didn't believe that with all my heart, I would not be here.

BANFIELD: And Valerie and Glenda I'll ask you both if you could weigh in on this. Even Hillary Clinton and her last speech said that we need to call for national standards on, you know, dealing with, you know, police interactions. We also need to deal with -- I think she called it, intrinsic biases. I'm probably butchering that as well though.

But that is -- it's easy to say that. But actually making it happen is another thing all together because as you know in Dallas, they were the model for that. They were the model for community policing. Their crime rates have been plummeting. Their relationships with their communities of color were relatively positive. And this befell that community.

So I'm just wondering from both your perspectives. What needs to happen? What tangibly needs to happen in this country so that I don't have to do interviews like this?

HATCHET: Valerie is having a little bit of a problem with ...

So let me just say, she's asking what needs to happen if Hillary Clinton is asking for a national standard. So why don't I start first since I heard the question.

Basically we want and we invite and we encourage and we would urge the federal government to look at national standards. We're talking about hiring, retention, training in these communities. You know, what constitutes a lawful stop? Why was Philando stopped that day? But not just his situation, where are we looking about some consensus for national standards? But Ashleigh, I wish I had the magical answer.

And what we are saying is that this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. But that we are raising these questions because at the end of the day, we do not want Philando to be just another statistic. We want to move from just the rhetoric to the reality there to your point of not having to keep doing these over and over and over and over again.

And one of the things I so love and admire about Miss Castile and has endeared her. You can see her strength, her courage, her tenacity, her determination. I am just in all of her. But what she has said to me, clearly, she says, "|Judge, we got have to make a change." We don't have all those answers today but we are going to be working on those. We are.

BANFIELD: We'll, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. And Glenda, you'll have to tell Valerie, because I know she can't hear us very well that I really appreciate her coming out to speak with us today. I know it's not easy. And that we are sending her, you know, all of us at CNN, our condolences and our wish for, you know, meeting on under better circumstances.

HATCHET: Thank you, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Thank you, Judge Hatchet. It's good to see you again.

HATCHET: I will, and the service will be this Thursday. And so we're going to let her focus as much as we can on that glorious celebration as she tells me over and over of your king.

CASTILE: My king.

HATCHET: Yes. Thank you Ashleigh, I appreciate you doing for this.

BANFIELD: God bless for both of you. It's good to talk to you. I hope to talk under better circumstances next time. Judge Glenda Hatchet joining us live from St. Paul and Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile.

I'm going to go back to Dallas for a moment because right now that community has been gathering in a massive hall in the heart of Downtown, Dallas of 2000 expected to attend. It was been built as an interfaith memorial service for the five fallen officers who were gun down execution style by a sniper who held them on taking white lives and is he told the police, specifically cops, white cops.

[12:50:24] Well, there are a lot of police faces that audience today. Black and white and everything in between and many of them there for the same reason, to honor those who died serving those who had the right to protest what has been increasingly seen as a problem across the country between policing and the communities being policed. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:55:24] BANFIELD: Some pictures earlier today as the president and his family headed off to Joint Base Andrews to board Air Force One on route down to Dallas, Texas. He'll be landing there with the first lady, the vice-president and Jill Biden. Dr. Jill Biden will be headed to Dallas, Texas for the interfaith memorial service for those five fallen officers.

This is a solemn duty that he has performed ten times before in 7 1/2 years in office. We're hearing applause as some people file into the hall in Dallas. I can't tell you exactly who it was they were applauding. We don't know if it was the camera angle or if it was someone else at the Myerson Symphony Center. A beautiful facility fits 2000 plus in Downtown, Dallas. The president will be of the speakers this afternoon at this memorial to get another mass shooting.

In this case five police officers who were executed shot, executions style, the sniper fire while in Dallas, while guarding a peaceful protest. One of the 2000 seats at the Symphony Center, actually five of them are sitting empty and in their place will be five American flags. You can see them in the front belonging to those five officers. I'll name them for you, Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Krol, Lorne Ahrens and Michael Smith. We're going to bring you this ceremony live start to finish as it gets under way right here on CNN.

I also want to take this opportunity to talk more about what the president's aim is as a peacemaker between the police and the communities that don't feel as though they are served and protected.

Cedric Alexander is a CNN law enforcement analyst and a member of President Obama's own task force on 21st Century policing which wrapped up his work in May of last year.

So Cedric, I'd love for you to sort of help me navigate through the issues that the president is facing as he takes to that stage. This is not like the other ten memorials that he has visited where there have been mass shootings during his tenure as president. This is different. There is an audience that on both sides of this debate is desperate for a message that will resonate, what kind of tight rope does he need to walk. What do you want to hear him say?

CEDRIC ALEXANDER: Well, as a law enforcement official, myself, and of course being a member of the president's task force that put together 59 recommendations for this nation to have a road map as to how we begin to build relationships between police and community.

It has been a -- certainly has been a challenge. We have seen progress. But of the same time as well to a couple of days ago, we find ourselves in this position that we are in between police and community, a loss of life there in Baton Rouge and also in Minnesota.

And today, we are burying five courageous police officers in a city that is pained and gripped by the tragedy that occurred.

I would hope today to hear from the president his resounding. And I'm very confident of this, his resounding commitment to help bridge those relationships between law enforcement and between communities that have been challenged for a very, very long time.

And I think what we are going to hear from him today is a great deal of compassion and love that he have for the profession and for this nation. And regardless of what we may all hear various things about, I think you are going to hear from the president in a very sincere way, a very genuine way. It is the way I have always seen him over the last 7 1/2 years of his tenure. So this is a very tough day for all of us in our law enforcement community. But we all have to come to a point of reckoning as well to Ashleigh, as to we got to work together. We can't be separate from each other.

I put up by a post today on a CNN blog opinion page that talks specifically to where do we go from here. And one thing I will conclude by saying is this, is that where we go is that we have to be on the same team. And that is police and community. We cannot fight against each other. We cannot be an odd with each other. We need each other in order to survive.

So today hopefully will be a new beginning for all of us and to keep holding down but getting back up.

[13:00:02] BANFIELD: Yeah, I was just going to say I expect we will hear those words or something like them at the ceremony today.

And Cedric, thank you for your time, as always. I'm going to turn the mic over to Wolf Blitzer who's going to continue our coverage right now.