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Clinton Back on Campaign Trail; UNC Student Accuses Classmate of Rape. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 15, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Bottom of the hour, you're watching CNN, I'm Brooke Baldwin. Breaking her silence, Delaney Robinson claims she was sexually assaulted back in February by a university of North Carolina football player by the name of Allen Artis.

She went to the hospital where she says this photo was taken. She turned in a rape kit and after months of waiting, anonymously, to hear whether her alleged attacker would be charged she decided to take matters of the judicial system in her own hands. She walked into a court, told her story directly to a judge, the judge determined there was enough evidence to move forward and issued a warrant for Artis to be arrested.

Robinson then held a news conference this week where she showed her face. Shared her story. The accused football player now faces misdemeanor charges, sexual battery and assault on a female. Alan Artis turned himself into police less than 24 hours after this young came forward publicly.

He is out on a $5,000 bond. The district attorney's office there is still deciding whether to move forward with felony charges. CNN has reached out to the young man's attorney. There has been no comment from that side but I did take a moment earlier today to talk to Delaney Robinson and her attorney, Denise Branch. Here's our interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Delaney, I went to North Carolina, I graduated in 2001, I am a proud tar heel so let me just say I am paying extra close attention to what happens here. Let me begin with -- you decided to go public because you -- from what I understand you were frustrated by the process. Delaney, what specifically frustrated you?

DELANEY ROBINSON, ALLEGED RAPE VICTIM: The most infuriating thing and the moment that I really resolved myself to go public was when I watched the videos and recordings of DPS's interview of my rapist. They spoke to him in a tone of camaraderie, they joked with him, they reassured him.

[15:35:00] That's when I realized I needed to shed light on what was happening so no one else would have to go through this.

BALDWIN: So we'll talk more about that in a second. But that was when you decided enough is enough, I'm going to the magistrate. Is that how that worked?

ROBINSON: Yes.

BALDWIN: All right. Now from CNN's conversations with the district attorney, he wasn't finished with his investigation which, as you both know, could bring much weightier charges, i.e., felony charges. Let me play sound. This is what the Orange County D.A. told CNN yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM WOODALL, ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Is there evidence that prove this is case beyond a reasonable doubt and I think the UNC Police Department has been working in that vein, and it can take a long time in certain cases to gather that type of evidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So what gave you all the impression that the D.A. investigation was complete? Did you think you had no shot at felony charges therefore you went to the magistrate for the misdemeanors?

DENISE BRANCH, ATTORNEY FOR ROBINSON: I had been following up with Mr. Woodall's office as well as the department of public safety from the beginning, and meeting in Mr. Woodall's office and the assistant district attorney Jeff Nieman made the comment to me that unconsciousness as rape, blackout drunk, is not rape.

I had little confidence the case was going forward but continued to follow up in the hopes they would move the case forward but in August I received an e-mail from assistant district attorney Jeff Nieman that told me he had been in communication with the department of public safety and they felt that there was not significant evidence in the case that rose to the threshold of charging.

And they made that decision together and I took that as a declination from Mr. Woodall's office and that left with us with no choice but to seek the misdemeanor warrants.

BALDWIN: I understand, although, again, the D.A. telling CNN, he is still investigating and there is potential for felony charges, he's saying to us this is unprecedented. Delaney, when all of this happened back in February, I understand you went directly to the hospital. You said yes to a rape kit, you reported it to the university. Can you talk to me about the questions they asked you?

ROBINSON: I was treated like a suspect. I was asked "What were you wearing? What were you drinking? How much were you drinking? Do you often have one night stands? Did you even say, no. How many men have you slept with, what's your sexual history?" Questions along those lines.

BALDWIN: And who was asking you those questions?

ROBINSON: DPS investigators. BALDWIN: You mentioned a moment ago that you were -- and this is all

form my understanding part of title ix, you are allowed to hear the audio recording between the accused and police. You mentioned a piece of that. You used the word camaraderie. What specifically did you hear and how did it make you feel?

ROBINSON: My rapist was asked if he had received my phone number that night. He said, no but he managed to get other girl's phone numbers and the DPS investigator replied "rock on." That was infuriating to hear. That was the night he raped me that they were talking about so that was just really disgusting.

BALDWIN: Rock on. And he said something about being a football player, didn't he, according to you?

ROBINSON: He said, yes, he said "Don't sweat it, keep on living your life and keep on playing football."

BALDWIN: Let me tell you that we reached out to police, they deferred to the university statement. University statement is as follows. "We are deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our students and take all allegations about sexual violence or misconduct extremely seriously."

Delaney, Artis, the accused because he's facing misdemeanor charges, per UNC policy he's suspended from playing football, we know he turned himself in, he hasn't made any statements. What do you make of his silence?

ROBINSON: I'm glad to see that they're following their own policies in accordance with whatever guidelines they have. I can't speak for him but I'm glad to see it moving forward.

BALDWIN: Last question, Delaney.

[15:40:00] You're starting your sophomore year at Carolina and despite all of this that is swirling for you, does the campus there feel like home? Do you want to stay? Do you want to continue your study there in Chapel Hill?

ROBINSON: Yes, absolutely. It's my home. My friends are there, my family and I've received so much positivity that I'm really grateful for, it's good to see this talk on campus and there's been a lot of proactive talk at that.

BALDWIN: Delaney Robinson, thank you so much. Let's stay in contact. Denise Branch thank you as well.

Now to Greensboro, North Carolina, we go. Here she is, she is back from recouping from pneumonia. Note, she walked out to the stage to James Brown's "I Feel Good". Here she is, Hillary Clinton.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ...It means so much to have her here along with her wonderful daughter Sara and her mother Barbara and the story she told is really one that motivates me every day. Because it is kids like Sara that led me to politics in the first place to try to make our country and our world better for them.

So to see Sara grown up and thriving is very special and your whole family's support means the world to me. Thank you, Martha, Sara, Barbara.

Have to say, it's great to be back on the campaign trail. As, as you may know, I recently had a cough that turned out to be pneumonia. I tried to power through it but even I had to admit that maybe a few days of rest would do me good.

I'm not great at taking it easy, even under ordinary circumstances but with just two months to go until election day. Sitting at home was pretty much the last place I wanted to be. But it turns out having a few days to myself was actually a gift, I talked with some old friends. I spent time with our very sweet dogs.

I did some thinking. The campaign trail doesn't really encourage reflection. And it's important to sit with your thoughts every now and then and that did help me reconnect with what this whole campaign is about. People like me, we're lucky when I'm under the weather -- I just want to have a conversation and other people can wave their arms and their signs.

But I wanted you to think with me for a minute about how I certainly feel lucky when I'm under the weather I can afford to take a few days off, millions of Americans can't. They either go to work sick or they lose a paycheck, don't they? Lots of Americans still don't even have insurance or they do but it's too expensive for them to actually use.

So they toss back some Tylenol, they chug orange juice and they think the cough or the virus goes away on its own. Lots of working parents can't afford child care which, in many states, costs as much as college tuition so for millions of moms and dads, if they get sick, there's no backup, on their own, aren't they? That's the story for too many people still in America when illness strikes or an accident happen, you feel you're on your own.

If you lose your job or can't afford college, you're on your own. If your aging parent starts needing more help and you don't know what to do, you're on your own.

[15:45:00] Life events like these are catastrophic for some families but mere bumps in the road for others. I've met so many people living on a razor's edge, one illness away from losing their job, one paycheck away from losing their home and that goes against everything we stand for as Americans.

Because some things should not some things should be within reach for everyone, no matter what like financial security? Like affordable health care? Like the peace of mind that comes with knowing that if something goes wrong your family will be OK and, above all, the knowledge that no matter what your president is fighting for you and will always have your back that right there, that's why I got into this race, I am running for everyone working hard to support their families. Everyone who's been knocked down but gets back up the factory workers

on their feet all day and the nurses all night. I'm running for young people like so many of you here who dream of changing our world for the better and for all the parents and grandparents supporting dreams by dedicating every dollar they can spare to your education.

I'm running for the LGBT teenager here in North Carolina who sees your governor sign a bill legalizing discrimination and suddenly feels like a second-class citizen. And if anyone wonders what is the cost of discrimination, just ask the people and businesses of North Carolina, look at what's happening with the NCAA and the ACC.

This is where bigotry leads and we can't afford it, not here, not anywhere else in America. I'm running for women like Janelle Turner. Back in May of last year, Janelle was diagnosed with breast cancer, she went through months of very tough treatments. Last October she brought her eight-year-old daughter to one of our rallies in Iowa. And they made a huge sign that read "13th chemo yesterday, three more, hear me roar."

Wouldn't you want to meet the woman behind that sign? Well, I sure did. So we got talking and we stayed in touch. She keeps promising me she'll see me at the inauguration and I tell her I'll keep working to get there but she'd better be there, too. I'm running for her and all the mothers and fathers trying to get and stay healthy so they can be there for their kids but perhaps most of all I'm running for those kids.

For children has been the work of my life. As a lawyer with the Children's Defense Fund, as first lady in Arkansas, in the White House, as a senator I have fought for kids housed in adult jails, kids who have been neglected and abused, kids who wouldn't get health insurance because of pre-existing conditions, kids with disabilities so they could go to school.

You heard today from someone I've known for a long time, now grown up and a lovely young woman, Anastasia Somoza. I learn, from my family and my Methodist faith that we are each called to do all the good we can for all we can for however long we can.

[15:50:00] And to me that means making sure all our children have the chance to live up to their god given potentials.

So when I meet a little girl in Nevada terrified her parents from going to be deported, it hits me right in the gut. When I meet a little boy in flint, Michigan, who can't drink the water at home or in school because it's poisoned with lead, that gets me going. All I want to do is get to work making things better for them. That's why I care so much about national security, too. I want to give our kids a safer world.

To me that means a world with strong allies, more friends, fewer enemies and fewer nuclear weapons. It also means leading the fight against climate change so we can leave our kids a healthy planet. My opponent in this race disagrees with me on every one of these fronts. If another country's troops taunted ours -- not fired at them but

taunted them, just taunts -- he'd respond -- he would respond by blowing them out of the water. That that is just one more reason, my friends, why the stakes in this election are as high as any in our lifetimes. You know, I've been involved in politics it is not an easy business it can get rough, and I've built up some defenses.

When it comes to public service, I am better at the service part than the public part. But this is why I do it, and this is who I am in it for. To make life better for children and families, and that's what this race has always been about for me. Well, now we're in the final stretch. Than the public part. But this is why I do it, and this is who I am in it for. To make life better for children and families, and that's what this race has always been about for me.

Well, now we're in the final stretch. There are just 54 days until election day. Just 54 days until the most consequential vote of our lifetimes. Just a little more than a month until early voting starts here in North Carolina.

Let's make these days count, particularly here, because you know what your governor and legislate tried to do, make it harder for young people to vote, harder for people of color, harder for people with disabilities, harder for the elderly. There can't be any more motivation than that to make sure every young person, every person of color, every person with a disability, every older person turns out and votes!

So in these final days, let's try to tune out all the chatter and the nonstop analysis that doesn't often have much to do with what the next president has to do, to create good jobs, to create opportunity, to make it possible for every young person to afford to go to college or get the skills that you need for the jobs of the futures. Let's talk about what really matters. And here is my promise to you.

I am going to close my campaign the way I began my career and the way I will serve as your president, should you give me that great honor, focused on opportunities for kids and fairness for families. Next week I'll go to Philadelphia to talk about challenges facing our young people. In Florida to focus on building an economy that welcomes everyone's contributions, including people with disabilities.

Then I will be back here in North Carolina to meet with more working families. From now until November 8th, I am going to talk about my ideas for our country. You know, my campaign has rolled out detailed plans in 38 different policy areas. Yes, somebody actually counted. Everything from reining in wall street to creating good paying jobs to fighting Alzheimer's and supporting people with autism.

[15:55:00] I have this old-fashioned notion that, if you are running for president, you should say what you plan to do, how you're going to get it done and how you're going to pay for it. You can read it all on my website, HillaryClinton.com. We even put it in a new book called, you guessed it, "Stronger Together".

It tells you everything Tim koine and I intend to do. Now, like a lot of women, I have a tendency to over prepare. I sweat the details. Whether we're talking about the exact level of lead in the water in Flint or how many North Carolina kids are in early enrichment programs or the precise interest rate on your student loans, right down to the decimal.

You know what, it's not a detail if it's your kid. It's not a detail if it's your family. It's a big deal. And it should be a big deal to your president. Now, I confess, I will never be the showman my opponent is. And that's okay with me. Just look at -- look at the show he put on with Dr. Oz today.

But I am going to deliver as I did for Sara all those years ago with the children's health insurance program that gave her the chance to be the extraordinary young woman she is. And I'll tell you something else. People accuse me of all kinds of things. You probably have seen that. But nobody ever accuses me of quitting. And I will never give up. I'll never walk away.

No matter how tough the going gets. I am asking Americans to hold me accountable for my ideas and hold my opponent accountable for his. We don't need a president who says the minimum wage is too high. We need a president who knows that Americans deserve a raise to get to a living wage! We don't need a president who wants to take away people's health coverage. We need a president who wants everyone to have quality, affordable health care. And we don't need a president who apparently thinks only married people deserve paid leave and only mothers ever stay home with the kids.

We don't need someone who rushes out a half-baked plan just weeks before an election after decades of ignoring or putting down working moms. We need a president who has spent years fighting for these issues, who has a plan to support all families in all their various shapes. Ask yourself, which candidate you can count on to be on your side, respect your family, stand up and fight for you and your kids.

That is who you should vote for on November 8th. Because as Michelle Obama said in her fabulous speech at the Democratic convention, when we go to the polls this November, the real choice isn't between Democrat or Republican, it's about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four years of their lives. It's also about the kind of country we want to be and what we want to leave behind for future generations.

People have to decide, are we going to make our economy work for everyone or just those at the top? Are we going to bring people together or pit Americans against each other and rip our country apart? Are we going to work with our allies to keep us safe, or are we going to put a loose cannon in charge, who would risk everything generations of Americans have worked so hard to build?

Now, I have a lot of confidence in the American people and in our country. My opponent keeps running us down, saying we are weak, a disaster, an embarrassment. Things like that, I think about Janelle and her strength in the face of cancer, or Martha and Sara in the face of their health challenges, and that little boy every day and goes to school even though he can't drink the water. See, my opponent has America all wrong. There is nothing we can't do

when we come together as one nation, set big goals, and pursue them! And the American dream, the American dream is big enough for everyone to share in its promise/ The minimum wage should be a living wage, that no one who works full-time should have to raise their child in poverty, join us. If you believe that every man, woman and child in America has the right affordable health care and women should be free to make our own health decisions, join us!

If you believe -- if you believe you as a working mother, deserves equal pay, then join us! Get involved these last 55 days. Go to HillaryClinton.com or text 47246, we need volunteers right here in North Carolina. We can't do this without you. And remember, the presidential race isn't the only one this fall. We have got a lot of important statewide races. Let's come together and send Debra Ross to represent the people in the senate.

Starting on October 20th, you can register and vote early at the same time, at any one-stop early voting site in your county. So the heat is on. Spread the word! Tell your friends, your family, your neighbors. If you share our vision for America's future, come be part of helping us shape it. We do not have a minute to lose. We have so many blessings. Now it's our job to deliver on those. And to make sure every single person and particularly every child, no matter who they are, what they look like or who they love, is part of the American dream now and way into the future.

Let that be our message, let that be our mission, please come out and help us fight. Fight for you, fight for our children, fight for our families. Let's make American all that it should be. Thank you and god bless you.