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Bernie Sanders' Rise; Trump/McCain Comments; Cosby Paid Women to Keep Secret. Aired 8:30-9:00a ET
Aired July 20, 2015 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:33:24] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Is Bernie Sanders the Democrat's Donald Trump? No, not a dispositions, dyspepsia or demagoguery, but is he tapping into the passion of his Party perhaps more than even the frontrunner, at least thus far? Witness, he drew his biggest campaign crowd yet, 11,000 people, packing a rally in Phoenix. CNN's Jeff Zeleny's been on the trail with Sanders, joins us now from Washington.
What do you see, my friend?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Chris, good morning.
I mean when you spend some time on the road with Bernie Sanders, the first thing you notice is all the people. Thousands and thousands of people. Now, there's a sense of pure excitement at his populist message. He's railing against Wall Street and he's vowing to be a champion for the little guy. Now, winning the Democratic nomination may still be an uphill climb for this self-proclaimed socialist, but he's already winning something else, the enthusiasm primary.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is the largest turnout. Thank you!
ZELENY (voice-over): Bernie Sanders is the summer sensation on the campaign trail.
SANDERS: This is not about me, it's about us.
ZELENY: Just look at the size of these crowds. From Phoenix, Arizona, to Portland, Maine, his rallies are bigger than all of the other presidential candidates combined. The enthusiasm has astonished everyone, including Sanders, a 73-year-old Vermont senator who proudly calls himself a Democratic socialist.
ZELENY (on camera): Have some of these crowds even surprised you though?
SANDERS: The answer is yes, they surely have. What I've been delighted about, especially, Jeff, is seeing a lot of younger people coming out.
ZELENY (voice-over): It's not only young people. The faces of Sanders' supporters are young and old, men and women. A lot of women. Some turn out because they like him.
[08:35:08] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He speaks for the middle class.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's out telling the truth.
ZELENY: Others are searching for an alternative to Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wish her well, but she's not my candidate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's very tied into Wall Street.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I - I thought she's too connected with Washington.
ZELENY: It's that sentiment that explains why the Clinton campaign isn't really worried, at least not yet.
ZELENY: Are they under estimating Bernie Sanders?
SANDERS: People often have underestimated me. I'm in this race and we're running to win.
ZELENY: His liberal message is big and bold.
SANDERS: We have a message tonight to the billionaire class. And that message is, you cannot have it all!
ZELENY: On income inequality.
SANDERS: We have got to raise the minimum wage to a living wage, $15 an hour!
ZELENY: Whether or not Sanders wins the Democratic nomination, he's already shaping the race. All of these supporters will become bargaining chips to keep progressive issues alive.
SANDERS: No president - none, no matter how good he or she may be, can bring about the changes that we need - desperately need in this country unless there is a political revolution.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZELENY: Now the question for Sanders is whether he can build that political revolution and become more than just an insurgent candidate of the summer. For now, Hillary Clinton remains the undisputed Democratic frontrunner and many of the people in the crowd we talked to say she would be their second choice. But for now, they're more excited about his candidacy and his unabashed liberal message.
Alisyn.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Sure looks like it. OK, Jeff, thanks so much for that.
Well, despite calls to apologize to John McCain and to POWs, Donald Trump remains defiant. What is it exactly about Donald Trump that is resonating with so many voters? We get answers, next.
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[08:40:58] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He hit me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a war hero.
TRUMP: He's not a war hero.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a war hero.
TRUMP: He is a war hero -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five and a half years in a POW camp.
TRUMP: He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, OK, I hate to tell you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Bad joke. How he really feels? Either way, Donald Trump not apologizing to Senator John McCain. He said that it is the Arizona senator who owes an apology to the Arizona voter.
Joining us now is chairman of the Maricopa County Republican Party, Tyler Bowyer.
It's very good to have you with us. You were in the room. How did those remarks go over when he first said them about why he wasn't a hero just because he had been caught?
TYLER BOWYER, CHAIRMAN, MARICOPA COUNTY GOP: Well, you know, those remarks weren't said in our event in Phoenix, they were said afterwards. But, you know, some of the commentary that was made on Senator McCain by Donald Trump was - was warmly received. And I think it has - it just goes back to the Arizona voters and Arizonans being keyed in on the issues. And that's one of the main reasons why I think we had so many people there in Phoenix last week anyways. They were interested in hearing Donald Trump talk about immigration, which I think would be any presidential candidate that came to town. So -
CUOMO: And so you think that what he said about the POWs, that people just took that in stride, is that he's angry at John McCain for how he's dealing with the issue and it wasn't about veterans and POWs and disrespect. That's your take?
BOWYER: Well, I mean, look, I don't look at what Donald Trump says. I don't follow Donald Trump's Twitter and hang on his every word and, you know - you know, wouldn't it be wonderful if we spent as much time hanging on the words of let's say Planned Parent - the woman at Planned Parenthood the last week or, you know, all of - focusing on all of the failed immigration policies that the Obama administration has really supported, you know, whether it's the sanctuary city policies, the catch and release issues that we have now today. And so, you know, I don't focus necessarily on what Donald Trump is saying all the time, but what they - the voters are interested in talking about, which is clearly immigration. And so that's -
CUOMO: So then for you it's not so much - it's not so much a Trump fascination, it's the issues that he's outraged about that you want to hear more about and he's become the proxy. That's what you're saying?
BOWYER: Yes, I mean, what else could draw 10,000 people in Phoenix downtown, right? I mean, look, we're - we have lots of characters showing up to Phoenix. We have Bernie Sanders did the same thing last week. And, you know, this is - this is something that's really important to - to Arizona voters. It always has been. You know, immigration to Arizona is like if a presidential candidate is talking about fracking in North Dakota, it's going to draw a lot of people, right? So it's not necessarily about Donald Trump, it's not necessarily about John McCain and how they offend one another and offend Republicans. You know, I'm a big believer in Reagan's 11th commandment, that we shouldn't speak ill about any other Republicans. Whether that's our Republican voters or other Republicans running for president.
CUOMO: Well -
BOWYER: And that's - that's one of the main things that I think we need to focus on. That's the path to victory for Republicans today.
CUOMO: The Donald was also talking about religion a little bit this weekend and maybe that's why he's rejecting that 11th commandment. Bernie Sanders, you mentioned he showed up. He got over 10,000 people who came for him as well. So is there something - there's - is there a commonality to what people are hungry for out there in your state?
BOWYER: Well, and that's part of the reason why we - we do what we do in the Republican Party is we provide opportunities for voters to engage the presidential candidates. I mean what other place could you have Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders attract the amount of people that they have all in the same week, downtown Phoenix. People are interested. They want to hear out the candidates. They want to know who they're voting for. And they want to have a discussion about the policy issues.
And that's where - you know, I'm from a new generation of Republican leadership. I'm one of the youngest in the country. And being in my 20s, you know, I'm interested in talking about what's going to move this country forward? And I think that's what most voters want. I mean, quite frankly, that's what they want. They want to know what - what are these guys, who think that they're going to be president, what are they saying? And so that's - that's the key issue right now and that's what's going to unite and galvanize the Republican Party is hearing that out and having - you know, providing more opportunities for people to show up and talk.
[08:45:17] CUOMO: So - so if Trump is starting the fire, metaphorically speaking, do you think he winds up in for the long haul? Is there a chance he gets your vote for president of the United States? BOWYER: Well, as far as, you know, I haven't made any decisions, but,
you know, regardless of who's going to be the presidential nominee for the Republican Party, we have to talk about these issues. And if it's Donald Trump that's starting the conversation that's healthy for Americans to be able to voice their opinions on issues like immigration. I mean immigration - this is - this is one of the key topics.
CUOMO: Right. Does it bother you that he doesn't have any fixes when he talks about the topic? That he says it's a problem, he says it's broken, he says it's terrible, but he doesn't say how he would fix it. Is that part of the conversation that you want to have?
BOWYER: Well, once again, I'm not focused on Donald Trump, but we have some solutions out there that are - are viable and they're great. I mean, right from Arizona, in Arizona, we have Congressman Matt Salmon who is sponsoring two bills, one is called Grant's Law, the other is Kate's Law, that - that does isolate the immigration issue and talks about solutions. So there's tons of solutions that are coming out of the Republican Party right now for fixing the immigration border security problem, and that is where we need to focus our attention. And, you know, if Donald Trump's going to be the fire starter that starts the fire and the flame is carried and more people learn about those issue, that's great. That's a great thing for the Republican Party and that's a great direction that we're going.
CUOMO: Tyler Bowyer, thank you very much. Good luck with your discussion. We'll be following it as it goes along with the election. Thank you, sir.
BOWYER: Thank - thanks a lot, Chris. Have a wonderful one.
CUOMO: Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: OK, Chris.
This morning, Bill Cosby under fire. Newly obtained court documents with confessions from the comedian himself. We'll go through them.
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[08:50:38] CAMEROTA: Shocking new revelation in the Bill Cosby scandal. In a newly released deposition from 2005, obtained by CNN, the embattled comedian admits to paying women to keep affairs from his wife and he reveals how he claims he seduced many of them. Will there now be legal consequences for Cosby?
Let's bring in attorney and radio personality, Mo Ivory
Good morning, Mo. Great to see you.
MO IVORY, ATTORNEY & RADIO PERSONALITY: Good morning.
CAMEROTA: Before we get to the legal consequences, I just want to share with our viewers all of your connections to Bill Cosby and to his family because they're interesting. You went to Spellman College, as did a couple of Cosby's children, I believe. You also went to Temple University for law school, which is where he went. And you knew his kids. And you say that now some of the things that you saw are making more sense to you. Can you tell us about that?
IVORY: Yes. Well, I mean, just in terms of their family dynamic in general. You know, one of his daughters, you know, battled with a drug problem. You know, I was in - unfortunately his son passed away. He was a very - he was one of the most stable, I feel, of the Cosby children. But I just think that, you know, there was some times a lot of disconnect between the children and the parents. And so I think that seeing that from a college level, which, of course, is a very distance level to see it from, not at all an insider, but just sort of seeing things on the outside, you know, I kind of could see that if this was the time all of these things were going on, which was in the late '90s, you know, late '80s, early '90s, you know, I can see how they were a family that, you know, was a little bit disconnected.
CAMEROTA: So let's talk about the 1,000 pages from this deposition that have now become public. He says that he did have many extramarital affairs, he calls them. He acts as though they were all consensual, though he does admit giving Quaaludes to some of the women. Do you believe that there are any legal ramifications from these new revelations?
IVORY: Well, no, not from the new ones because, again, these - these revelations all come from that same deposition that, you know, we heard about several weeks ago, which, you know, sort of was the big admission from Bill Cosby. Again, it doesn't change that the statute of limitations has run up for many of the women that are complaining about it, but it just real gives more light to a possibility of defamation claims, which are still out there for a possibility, and then also for the woman in - who met him at the Playboy mansion who may still fall within the statute of limitations in California.
CAMEROTA: That's an interesting case because that one was from 2008.
IVORY: Yes, '08, right.
CAMEROTA: So that is within the statute of limitations. He could be prosecuted if the - if the authorities decide to go forward with that one.
IVORY: Sure. Again, and it - yes. And it falls - it could fall within the statute of limitations, but again, the prosecutor has to feel that they have enough evidence to actually prosecute the case. So it's not just about whether it's within the time frame, but it's whether they really feel that they can prevail on what they have. They don't have any, you know, date rape test kit. They don't have any of that kind of stuff. So they still have to feel confident that they can move forward and win. Which, in the past, prosecutors in Pennsylvania have not felt like they had enough to move forward.
CAMEROTA: Yes. Very quickly, you believe that he had an inner circle that protected him. And we've heard this from other people as well, that there were managers and lawyers and staffers that were around that may have witnessed this. He addresses this a little bit in this deposition where he talks about a confidentiality agreement that he had staffers sign. Let me read you just this - a short portion of this. The lawyer - oh, the lawyer asks, "we ask them - they have a choice." Oh, no, sorry, Cosby says, we asked them to sign and they have a choice. And the lawyer says, "and if they don't sign, what happens?" He says, "we kill them," which he's obviously kidding. He says, "no, they just don't sign." It sounds as though some staffers didn't have to sign a confidentiality agreement. If they come forward with some sort of witness testimony, would that change any prosecution?
IVORY: Well - well, again, it depends on what they're going to say. You know, I don't - don't think it's very different or not in the norm for a celebrity of his nature to ask people around him to sign confidentiality agreements, and then also to have people that may not sign them and then may later turn and give out information. But that's, you know, that's - we don't know how that will play out in a court of law. Will they be able to bring that kind of firsthand - will it be firsthand information? Will it be about the women? Will it really have any bearing on whether there can be a criminal prosecution?
[08:55:01] CAMEROTA: Right.
IVORY: But, listen, you know, there are two courts going on here with Bill Cosby. It's the court of public opinion and the actual things that will happen.
CAMEROTA: Sure.
IVORY: It's really, really slight that a slight chance that there are going to be criminal charges brought against Bill Cosby.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
IVORY: But the damage that has been done to his legacy, to his reputation is just really awful.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
IVORY: And on my radio show, we talk about this very topic all the time.
CAMEROTA: Yes, the court of public opinion it what does seem to have changed here today. Mo Ivory, thanks so much for your insight into this. Great to talk to you.
IVORY: Absolutely.
CAMEROTA: We have "The Good Stuff" coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CUOMO: "Good Stuff." Seafood store on Long Island just got the catch of a lifetime. Check this out. That big boy is 23 pounds!
CAMEROTA: No! CUOMO: Estimated 95 years old. It arrived at Jordan Lobster Farms as a
surprise from the fisherman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He shipped it in. He didn't even tell us. He told us to look in the crate. We opened it up. It was like, whoa!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: So grab the butter. He's going directly to the plate.
CAMEROTA: Yum!
CUOMO: Yum yum. No, stop it. Stephen Jordan says this crusty crustacean is so special he's going to donate him to the Long Island Aquarium.
CAMEROTA: That's a waste.
[09:00:01] CUOMO: What?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's almost like a dinosaur, you know. You don't want to - you like to see it continue on. I think they would take good care of it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a nice thing for him to do. That the kids get to see it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's more cool to watch it and look at it than eat it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: That's right. Listen to that man.
CAMEROTA: Yes, I'm sure. It would be a little --
