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Trump Won't Apologize for Attacks on McCain; Family Says Gunman Had Mental Health, Drug Issues; Pro Surfer Speaks Out about Shark Attack; Remembering the Victims of the Chattanooga Shootings. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired July 20, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRSPONDENT: Donald Trump remains defiant, ramping up his attack on John McCain, saying, "The reality is that John McCain, the politician has made America less safe" and "McCain has abandoned our veterans. I will fight for them."

[07:00:13] The billionaire sparked a fast and furious bipartisan backlash over the weekend, taking direct aim at McCain...

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's not a war hero.

BASH: ... who still wears the scars of five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, after his plane was shot down.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: His name is Admiral John McCain.

BASH: Even turning down early release, because of his father's high rank in the Navy. Trump was speaking at a gathering of conservatives in Iowa Saturday.

TRUMP: He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured. OK? I hate to tell you.

BASH: He tried to clean up his comments at first with reporters.

TRUMP: If a person's captured, they're a hero as far as I'm concerned.

BASH: And on Twitter, saying, "Captured or not, all soldiers are heroes." But that didn't stop the deluge of disgust from Republicans, most who hoped to knock the real-estate mogul from his surprise stop atop the GOP presidential field.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not just absurd. It's offensive. It's ridiculous. And I do think it is a disqualifier as commander in chief.

PERRY: Donald Trump owes every American veteran and, in particular, John McCain an apology.

BASH: Even the Republican National Committee said, "There is no place in our party or our country for Trump's comments."

Trump's words only escalate an ongoing feud with McCain over illegal immigration. McCain had accused Trump of rallying crazies with his event a little more than a week ago in McCain's home state of Arizona. In his new op-ed, Trump said McCain "would rather protect the Iraqi border than Arizona's."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Trump continues to talk about how much he has done for veterans, donating his money and his time to a New York City memorial. But veterans groups, they're not buying it. The commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars said, for someone who never served a day in uniform, which is true about Trump, to criticize the service and sacrifice of a wounded veteran, Chris, he called that despicable.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Dana. Thank you very much.

Let's bring in some people to discuss the political -- political implications of all this. All right.

We have CNN political commentator, Republican strategist Mr. Kevin Madden; and former Reagan White House political director and contributing editor at "The American Spectator," Jeffrey Lord.

Gentlemen, thank you very much. Kev, let's start with you.

KEVIN MADDEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes.

CUOMO: He said it, he meant it. He then said as many as four times, we're told, "No, no, no, if you're captured, you're really a hero." Does the apology matter, and what's the net effect?

MADDEN: Look, I don't think the apology will matter. I think the original statement that he made is going to -- so many people are going to find it offensive that this is probably starting of the beginning of the end for Donald Trump.

He had a lot of attention because of his announcement. He had a boomlet here. He made some headway because of some of the immigration comments that may have solidified part of -- a sliver of the electorate.

But now, what you're seeing is the level of scrutiny that Donald -- that Donald Trump is going to get is starting to reveal questions about, I think, amongst voters, about his character and his temperament. And I think when those questions come forward for a lot of voters, you're going to see that that boomlet that he had originally start to comes back to Earth.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Kevin, a couple things. I mean, you say you think this is the beginning of the end. I mean, by Trump's account, and by those in the room, he got a standing ovation this weekend, even after he said the John McCain thing. So it doesn't -- I mean, but there's no poll yet to suggest that this is the beginning of the end, the end for him.

MADDEN: Not yet. Not yet.

CAMEROTA: Yes, I mean, basically, all we've heard in terms of the pushback are fellow Republican candidates.

And Jeff, let me bring you in, because I do want to show you something that -- this is what Mitt Romney tweeted out about this whole kerfuffle. He says, "The difference between Senator John McCain and the @realDonaldTrump, Trump shot himself down. McCain and American veterans are true heroes."

But what do you think, Jeff? Is this the beginning of the end or to supporters, is this just more of the Trump they like?

JEFFREY LORD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR": This is more the Trump they like.

You know, Rush Limbaugh said the other week that the reason all these folks want to talk about Donald Trump is because they don't want to talk about the issues that Donald Trump is trying to talk about and that Americans care about.

There's a divide here that's pretty big between the base of the Republican Party and the establishment of the GOP. And this is a pile-on. And this is the second time. This is very interesting. He said something that's pretty unremarkable. And, you know, he said, immediately, four different times, as Chris noted, that, you know, John McCain is a hero.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: But some of that was sarcastic. Jeff, I just want to stop you for one second, because he said -- he said, "He's a hero because he was shot down." He's a hero because he was shot down. He was saying it in a sort of sarcastic way that people didn't always believe was genuine.

LORD: Well, he's saying it. And, you know, I call this the shiny object of politics, you know? The old lawyer's trick: "Look -- look over here. Don't pay attention to the facts. Look over here at this." This is what's going on here. And it goes on, you know, all the time with Donald Trump, because they don't want to listen to what he's saying. He does, in fact, make the establishment Republicans very uncomfortable.

[07:05:19] Ronald Reagan used to do the same thing.

MADDEN: Donald Trump is the king of the shiny object. I mean, the reason he's in this race right now is to draw attention to Donald Trump. He'd rather be talked about negatively than not talked about at all.

So I think -- the key here, though, is that what you saw emerge was a question about his character and about his temperament. I think a lot of voters did -- they gravitated towards Donald Trump, because they saw him as this straight-talking truth teller, this anti-politician. But now, what we saw was a revelation of somebody who would go and insult somebody who is -- who is known to be a hatred and to be a hero.

CUOMO: Go ahead, Jeffrey.

LORD: ... this morning, I went back and took a look at some of the things that were being said about John McCain once he was nominated for president by the mainstream media. There was one incident -- there was a whole -- there were tons of articles about his temperament, just the kind of things you're suggesting about Donald Trump. And yet, nobody raised any objection when people are out there saying, "Well, he pushed the mother of -- the wheelchair of a mother of a veteran," of a missing soldier in Vietnam. Outside his office, that he raised his hand to strike her...

CAMEROTA: But Jeff, that's your point, saying Donald Trump is getting more heat for his temperament?

LORD: What?

CAMEROTA: Your point is that Donald Trump is getting more heat from the press about his temperament than John McCain ever did?

LORD: I'm saying that when these kind of issues were raised about John McCain, the Republican establishment just -- you know, they didn't jump in and say, "John McCain should resign from the ticket."

MADDEN: He questioned John McCain's hero -- he questioned John McCain's status as a hero and a patriot. That's what he questioned. That's the reason that he's getting this level of scrutiny.

(CROSSTALK)

LORD: ... hero. I mean, this is the shiny object. And, you know, you go right back to his original announcement speech, where he's talking -- he was talking in the context of illegal immigration. And suddenly, now, everybody keeps wanting to say that he's talking about Mexican immigrants, which is not true. That's the shiny object.

CUOMO: Right, but Jeffrey, you know what? It also goes -- it is the price of candor. You know, if you're going to be out there and be provocative of what you say...

LORD: Yes.

CUOMO: ... you're going to get parsed in politics, and frankly, Donald Trump has given people a lot to work with.

But you are suggesting something that's going to be difficult for you, Kevin, and for the team to deal with, which is yes, maybe Donald Trump is just sugar for the voters in that it will burn off, and they'll be wanting more. But where is more? People jumping on Donald Trump for going after POWs is easy. That's cherry-picking, and it's low-hanging fruit. He's at the top of the polls, my friend, because your team isn't offering anything better than him. How do you deal with that?

MADDEN: That's not true. I think he is at the top of the polls because he got a lot of attention. There's one thing Donald Trump is really good at; it's getting a lot of attention. And just remember here: he's at about 16 or 17 percent. That means probably over 80 percent of the voters inside the Republican primary contest are looking at other candidates right now.

CUOMO: But they would have -- those candidates...

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: They would have kicked him out of the race. He would not be registering if he weren't resonating. And if he's resonating, then you've got to think about what it is.

MADDEN: He's resonating...

CUOMO: And once you figure out what it is, you've got to figure out how to be that for your own base. And who -- if someone were, they would take up his momentum.

MADDEN: He's getting a lot of attention. You don't want that kind of momentum, first of all. You don't want that sugar high. What you want to do is build a much broader base of support amongst Republican voters so you know that you have an ability to win in the general election and an ability to actually lead the country. Donald Trump is not going to be able to do that through the course of this contest.

LORD: Well, that's the kind of thing I heard that said we were going to make Mitt Romney president and John McCain president and Bob Dole and Gerald Ford. This is the same old moderate mush. It loses every single time it's tried.

When you draw a stark difference, when you say these things -- Ronald Reagan used to call these people the Fraternal Order of Republicans. He couldn't stand them. And he made the point that you've got to draw a bright line continuously between you and your opposition. And what you're suggesting is, I would distinctly say, exactly why we keep losing presidential elections.

MADDEN: And I would never use Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan in the same sentence when trying to compare candidates.

CAMEROTA: That's an interesting point. Jeff, would you -- are you comparing Donald Trump to Ronald Reagan?

LORD: In a sense. I mean, no two people are alike, obviously. I mean, that's -- for the start. But, in appealing to people and speaking his mind, that -- which is what Ronald Reagan did. You know, as late as March of 1980, former President Ford was out there saying Ronald Reagan was too extreme to ever win a presidential election. So we've been around the block with this kind of thing before. Reagan is too extreme; he can't win. You know, it's the Romneys and McCains can win. And Gerald Ford himself lost.

MADDEN: Jeffrey, Ronald Reagan won because he promoted ideas and a vision for the country. Donald Trump is about Donald Trump.

[07:10:04] CAMEROTA: All right, guys. We've got to leave it there.

CUOMO: Shiny object.

CAMEROTA: On that note.

CUOMO: Jeffrey Lord says Donald Trump is the next Ronald Reagan. No, he didn't say that, but that's how it will be construed by some.

CAMEROTA: Kevin, Jeffrey, thank you.

Meanwhile, there is new information this morning about the troubled past of the 24-year-old shooter who carried out two deadly attacks last week at Chattanooga military facilities. Family members say the suspect suffered from depression and had a history of drug abuse. This as investigators dig deeper into his recent trip to Jordan.

We begin our coverage with CNN's justice correspondent, Evan Perez. He's live in Washington, D.C. What have you learned, Evan?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

A more complicated picture is emerging today of the Chattanooga gunman, Mohammad Abdulazeez. Family members interviewed by the FBI told investigators Abdulazeez was abusing drugs and suffered from a manic-depressive bipolar disorder. That's partly why his family sent him to Jordan last year, to get away from friends they felt were bad influences on him.

The FBI is looking into these mental health and drug use issues, but they're also examining evidence that may suggest Abdulazeez was radicalized before the shootings. That includes his time visiting relatives in the Middle East last year.

The family members have told the FBI that Abdulazeez had trouble keeping a job because of these mental health and drug issues. They also say that they thought he was improving more recently.

The family members knew about Abdulazeez's purchase of high-powered weapons, but despite the mental health issues, they didn't find it unusual, because he often went out shooting as a hobby.

Now Chris, FBI investigators say they've not seen any indications that Abdulazeez was inspired by or directed by any terrorist group.

CUOMO: Evan, thank you very much. Please stay on it for us.

So up to 60 days of debate kick off today in Congress after the White House submitted the Iran nuclear agreement to lawmakers this weekend. Which way will they come out on it and why? That's the question.

Who you're looking at now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He's already calling on Congress to reject it, saying the deal feeds, not deters Iran's nuclear ambitions.

If lawmakers vote to reject the agreement, then the president has the right to override. He said he will do that and veto, and then they'll have to override the veto. Not so likely.

CAMEROTA: We have some breaking news this morning from Libya. Four Italian workers kidnapped from oil fields along the country's western coast. The Italian government working to track down the four employees and their abductors. Italy closed its embassy in Libya earlier this year and urged all of its citizens to leave the country.

CUOMO: All right. This video, this shark video, boy, I know on the show we've said sharks, you know, they're not really out to hurt you. This professional surfer in South Africa -- and by we, I mean I.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CUOMO: This guy is in a surf contest, and that's a huge Great White Shark that just came up behind him. Mick Fanning, they call him White Lightning. It goes on the attack. He's using his surfboard to fend off. He told us that it was holding his leash. It was holding his leash, the thing that holds him to the board. A Great White Shark had it in its teeth.

CNN's David McKenzie joins us from Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. He just spoke to Fanning. I mean, this story, it doesn't get more real than this, my friend.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chris, morning. Yes, it doesn't get more real like this. I've been on these waves surfing, growing up here in South Africa. This is one of the most famous breaks in the world here at Jeffreys Bay. A popular spot on the pro surfing circuit. All being played out live, and then this happens. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: You can hear the shrieks from the shore. The announcer realizing what is going on, and this Great White Shark, we believe. Probably a youngster, well, a young Great White Shark is, like, the size of a sedan car.

And I spoke to Mick Fanning just a little short time ago. And he's clearly rattled by this incident but is amazed that he got out alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICK FANNING, PROFESSIONAL SURFER: I found myself getting dragged under by my waist, and -- and then next thing I know, I saw his fin and, you know, I went on my board. And I just smacked him in the head. I think I tried to punch it. I was like -- and then it started, like, dragging me under, and dragging me by my leash. And yes, I was like, I didn't know what to do. You never know. Like, you're just lucky. You just thank whatever gods are out there or whatever. Just say thanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Well, he's on his way back to Australia to home. He said his mother, who was watching live on TV as this all went down. He said she told him she wanted to reach out and grab him from the TV and pull him to safety.

[07:15:02] So it's certainly a good end to the story. But the surfing community clearly, clearly rattled by this. But, you know, very happy that Mick Fanning is OK. He says he'll get back in the water, just like those surfers behind me. But it might take him a few weeks at least -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh. David, thanks so much for that.

It's amazing he didn't lose a limb, as we've seen in North Carolina...

CUOMO: At least.

CAMEROTA: ...this summer. But why is the shark so close to shore? Aren't they supposed to be further out?

CUOMO: They can be. But you know, that's where the food is. I don't mean the surfers. But I mean, there's confusion, because of the sound and the movement. It makes it easier for them to come up on prey. It makes it harder for prey to get away because of the movement and confusion. And a lot of fish feed that way, and they're apex predators.

It's good that Mick is going back to Australia, because there's no worry about any sharks there. That's for sure.

CAMEROTA: If only.

CUOMO: Of all the places to go to escape what just happened with a Great White, he's going home.

CAMEROTA: Can you imagine his mom watching this unfold live? That's scary.

CUOMO: Wanting to pull him out of the TV and save him.

CAMEROTA: Can you imagine?

CUOMO: All right. So four Marines and a sailor killed by a gunman in Chattanooga. You know the story. We're going to talk to a friend, though, of Sergeant Thomas Sullivan. He's one of the victims of the attack. He's being called everything that a Marine should be. We're going to take you behind his incredible life of service and put the focus where it belongs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Thomas Sullivan is being remembered as everything a Marine should be. A hero to the end, the 40-year-old gunnery sergeant ran into the danger in Chattanooga to check on those inside. He did not even think of running for safety.

Joining us this morning, Michael Bizzoco. He served as a sergeant in Iraq with Sergeant Sullivan in 2004 He joins us now from South Carolina. [07:20:11] I am sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for the loss of a

fellow Marine and a friend. Thank you for joining us to talk about him.

SGT. MICHAEL BIZZOCO, SERVED WITH SERGEANT THOMAS SULLIVAN: Thank you, sir.

CUOMO: So, who was Sully?

BIZZOCO: Thomas Sullivan was a workhorse and an all-around -- a mentor to all of us, all of us union Marines. And he was definitely a role model to us, to kind of aspire to be a noncommissioned officer like him. He was extremely selfless in everyday activities, not just solely his actions in combat.

CUOMO: What did he mean to you as an example and as a comfort in harm's way?

BIZZOCO: He was someone that I could confide in. He was close to a lot of us. And he was someone that I was able to go to with things that I was struggling with. And there was no judgment. There was only words of comfort and very strong guidance.

CUOMO: What would he tell you to keep you focused on where you had to be?

BIZZOCO: That, you know, everything that I had done and not to doubt myself and any actions that I take and not have any regrets about anything that I've done.

CUOMO: How would he help in the hardest moments? What was something you remember him doing?

BIZZOCO: He was just always there next to you. For someone that was your supervisor, more or less, he was always next to you. And he was always there, sometimes even if it was to make you laugh to kind of take some of the stress off. That's kind of how he would help carry you through.

CUOMO: What did he care about?

BIZZOCO: His Marines, first and foremost. Always our welfare; and always put himself last.

CUOMO: Funny guy?

BIZZOCO: Absolutely. Absolutely.

CUOMO: I keep hearing that he had a great sense of humor, even when the situation around him seemed anything but funny. How did he do it?

BIZZOCO: It just kind of come to him. He would just kind of maybe see you and that you were stressed and that lightheartedness and that funny would just kind of come out. And it would help.

CUOMO: When you heard that he was going to go back and get involved with the reserve center and recruiting, you say you weren't surprised. Why?

BIZZOCO: Because that's what he did overseas with us, and that's just his character and his nature. He wouldn't have left Marines that needed help behind, even if that meant putting his own life out there. He was going to make sure that they got the help they needed to the very end.

CUOMO: What you lived through, what he lived through in Iraq, most of us could never even imagine. For him to be taken back here at home in this way, how do you handle it?

BIZZOCO: I'd be lying if I said it wasn't difficult. It's not supposed to happen here. That's why we went there, to keep that over there and to help them and keep it away from our shores. But it's here now; and it shouldn't have happened to him, but it did. And we just have to honor and remember his life and just try and get through it as best -- as best as we can.

CUOMO: We try to keep the focus where it matters in these situations. You know why there's a fascination with why it happens and who does it, but the victims matter. The good men and women who serve matter. Men like you and the men who raised you, like Sergeant Sullivan. What do you want people to remember about your friend, and your supervisor and your fellow Marines?

BIZZOCO: I just want them to remember that he was not only a great Marine but a great man. And I would also just -- the families of everyone that sacrificed that day. Every service member that lost their life, all the families, to know that we're here for them. And all of you are in our prayers, and if anything is ever needed, please try to reach out to any one of us, and we will help you. Because you are part of our family.

CUOMO: Semper fi stays the motto long after you leave the field of battle. Is that true?

BIZZOCO: Yes, sir.

CUOMO: I know this is incredibly difficult for you, and I know you've dealt with a lot of difficulty. Your friend is gone. But I hope you hold in your heart the memories you had with him and what he taught you that helped you then and will help you now. And thank you for coming on to talk to about your friend, Sergeant Bizzoco. Appreciate it.

[07:25:12] BIZZOCO: Thank you. Thank you.

CUOMO: Good luck to you, and I'm sorry for your loss.

BIZZOCO: Thank you, sir.

CUOMO: Sergeant Thomas Sullivan, he was one of those taken in Chattanooga, and we should remember him -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Thanks for that, Chris. Well, moving on to politics. How will Trump's latest brush with

controversy affect his campaign? John King will shed light on all of it. That's coming up on "Inside Politics."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: We have a Donald Trump development for you. As you know, he was stepping up his attack on Senator John McCain, saying in an op- ed in "USA Today" last night that "McCain has failed our veterans and made America less safe." He also lashed out at his Republican rivals.

All this follows Trump saying that Senator McCain was a Vietnam War hero only because he was captured. Well, here's the development. Trump just spoke to NBC's "Today Show." And here's what he had to say about his critics and the media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP (via phone): You're the media, and you do the same thing. The next sentence was, "He is a war hero." I said that. But they never want to play it. And you don't want to play that. If you would have let it run just another three seconds..."