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Donald Trump to Visit Laredo, Texas; Donald Trump Discusses Issues Surrounding Mexican Immigration; Interview with Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired July 23, 2015 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: So Trump is expected to tour the U.S./Mexico border this morning. This follows the firestorm he ignited with the divisive remarks about undocumented Mexican immigrants that you remember. While, this morning a possible snag in his plans. Chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash is tracking Trump live from Laredo, Texas. What is the latest?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Let's start with the report from "The Hill," the interview that Donald Trump did with "The Hill." What is new in there isn't so much that he is threatening to be a third party candidate. He has said that to Anderson Cooper and others. What appears to be new is a threat to the Republican national committee, don't push me too far, warning that if they are unfair to him maybe that could be something that pushes him to run independent of the Republican and Democratic parties.

And the reason why this matters is because historically when somebody who could get a significant chunk of the electorate runs as a third party candidate it hurts the Democrat and not the Republicans. So that is what that is very, very interesting.

The reason why I am here and Donald Trump is coming here to Laredo, Texas, is so he can get a look at the border, have a photo-op at the border. Of course the whole issue of illegal immigration and his stance on it in pretty colorful terms to the point where he offended a lot of people, that is what actually helped him with some of the key voters in the Republican Party in Iowa, in New Hampshire, in South Carolina, and beyond, people who think that the rest of the very large field, they are ignoring the problem this cycle with illegal immigration. That's why he is going to come here and he's going to highlight it. The question is whether he will get a tour because we are hearing there might be pushback from the local border patrol union. We'll see.

CAMEROTA: All right, Dana, keep us posted on all of that, please.

And about that third party run, I had a chance to ask a group of supporters yesterday, about the idea that he might be considering this third party run. So here is what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think he would want to go out and

hurt the Republican Party's chances. I don't think any other Republican candidates can win therefore if Trump doesn't get the nomination. I can't see myself personally actively supporting someone else other than Donald Trump.

CAMEROTA: Why not say if he runs a third party candidate? You don't think he can win that way?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then it splits the votes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK, so you heard them. They didn't think that he would want to hurt the party by doing that. Then today this news that he is actually considering it.

Let's talk about all of the latest developments in the Trump campaign with a man who just had a long sit down with Donald Trump, Anderson Cooper is joining us. Great to have you here.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, nice to be here.

CAMEROTA: All right, what were your impressions, the headlines?

COOPER: I never made it out of the lobby of the Trump Tower. Every interview has to be in the lobby of the Trump Tower for some reason. I've never got to go up to the inner sanctum. So we'll see, maybe the third time is the charm.

It's always interesting to talk to Donald Trump. He's got a big entourage. It's a wide ranging interview. He said let's not talk for more than 30 minutes. We went over 30 minutes. Nobody gives you a sound cue. It is sort of, I've got to say, refreshing. And it is like verbal chess. He has a set number of things which he tends to say, and you try to get him to actually say some specifics.

CUOMO: You make a move and he wipes the pieces off the board.

(LAUGHTER)

COOPER: But I enjoy the entire process. And I tried to pin him down on specifics as much as possible. Easier said than done. I did ask him about his trip to the border, and does he have any actual evidence when he keeps claiming that the Mexican government is sending over this wave of illegal immigrants? Here is that part of the conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: You are heading to the border tomorrow. You've made trips to the border in the past. You have been invited by a group of border patrol officers. You keep saying Mexico is sending these people across.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mexico is sending -- you said it properly. Thank you.

COOPER: But you have offered no proof. And that is what people say about that.

TRUMP: You may have proof very soon. All you have to do is speak to border people.

COOPER: We've talked to immigration officials who say they have never heard of that, there is no evidence of that. Of all the people that have been arrested --

TRUMP: Do you remember many years ago Fidel Castro when he emptied prisons and sent everybody to the United States, very famous, right. This is a much more sophisticated version of the same thing.

Mexico doesn't want to -- excuse, this animal that killed Kate, he came across five times, five times. Maybe he came across because he thought the weather was nice. Maybe he was pushed across by Mexico officials.

[08:05:00] Mexico's leaders are much smarter and sharper and more cunning than our leaders. They are doing things we don't even know about. Let's see what happens. I'm going to speak to a lot of people. There are a lot of people very excited that I'm going to the border tomorrow. I may never see you again, but these are minor details.

COOPER: You are telling me that one may not have a slip of paper or something that would indicate he was sent?

TRUMP: We're going to find out. We're going to see. I think it's common sense. Mexico doesn't want to house somebody for 30 years in a prison when the United States will do it.

COOPER: You keep saying everybody knows this is the case.

TRUMP: I think a lot of people know. I think smart people know. I think the streetwise people know. And I think border guards know.

COOPER: But do you have evidence?

TRUMP: You are going to find out if I have evidence. I'm telling you now, but you're going to find out.

Obama, I never thought he was qualified to be president. But the one thing I thought he would be good at is being a cheerleader for the country. Actually he is very divisive. I really hit them hard over the last two days on the flags. Why aren't you for the five marines that were killed? Finally he lowered the flags. I don't want to take credit for it, but I hit him hard. You saw that.

Why doesn't he call up the parents of Kate? Kate is this incredible young woman shot and killed by an illegal immigrant. He called other people. They send staffs of White House people to other funerals. They never called the parents or Brad, the brother, of Kate. Why? Why can't he put in one phone call to the parents or brother of Kate?

COOPER: Well, as much as I'll push back, as you know, on these kinds of things, you didn't lower your flags until the same day the White House.

TRUMP: Mine were lowered the day before yesterday.

COOPER: Tuesday

TRUMP: Whatever. They were lowered. I'm not the United States. You would think that would be automatic.

COOPER: I talked to Brad, the brother of Kate, who said you did not call.

TRUMP: I spoke to him numerous times. I spoke to him last night. He is a great guy.

COOPER: Subsequent you called, but --

TRUMP: Excuse me. I had to leave a period of grieving. I'm Donald Trump. I'm a private person. Of course I don't want to call the day of the murder, which is exactly when this animal came in five times. So I wanted to wait. And I explained that to Brad. I said I had to leave a period of grieving. I couldn't call you. The president could call immediately. The president could have called that day, the next day, or the next day. I'm a private citizen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: A private citizen asking for a very public office. Did he talk about the fact that he would have to shift tone and shift the way he is acting?

COOPER: He did say he would shift tone if he became president. I kept asking him, is this presidential? Is giving out Lindsey Graham's private cellphone number, is calling everybody an idiot and now he is call the RNC foolish, is this presidential behavior. He said, look, this is a race. When you're president it's a whole different thing, and that he would shift his tone. That he's and operating in boardrooms, he's operating in the business world, and a President Trump would be different than his attitude on the campaign trail.

CAMEROTA: What did he say about poll numbers since they are high on some polls?

COOPER: He mentioned they were high. He's doing incredibly well among Republican voters. There's no doubt about it. The "Washington Post"/ABC News poll, I actually started off the interview talking to him about that. I also mentioned another Quinnipiac survey that come out yesterday. He got upset that I mentioned this Quinnipiac survey.

CAMEROTA: Because his Unfavorability rating is higher than his favorability rating. COOPER: Both he and Hillary Clinton in this Quinnipiac survey in

three swing states have in a general election matchup have high unfavorables.

CUOMO: Do you think he has proof that the Mexican government is sending the worst people it could find?

COOPER: Of course not. If he had proof you are telling me Donald Trump would not be waving the proof on day one?

CUOMO: The danger is he has people believing this. That is why it is important to push him on this as many times.

COOPER: I think he is in many ways impervious to facts. I don't say that in a disrespectful way. I think he is an incredibly talented guy. He's a very smart guy, as he will point out. But you can present him with all the facts, you can present him with, well, you haven't presented any facts, and he -- I don't think among his supporters that really matters at this stage of the game. Maybe later on in the race when he is on the stage against other folks from the GOP and they are citing studies he is going to have to. But at this point it doesn't seem to be hurting him.

CUOMO: Facts matter, as you say, and let's get to somebody who can help us fill them in a little bit here, Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, Laredo, Texas. That's where Donald Trump is going today. That's Cuellar's district. Its' good to have you with us. Congressman, have you ever heard with a reasonable and rational basis a case to be made that the Mexican government is behind sending the worst it can find to America?

REP. HENRY CUELLAR, (D) TEXAS: That's not true. And I think once he goes to Laredo, which is my hometown, he is going to realize that there has been people of Mexican dissent that have been living there for many hundreds of years there.

[08:10:04] And he is going to find out that Laredo, according to the U.S. census, is the most Hispanic city in the whole country. He's going to find a federal judge that was born in Mexico, is not a U.S. federal judge. My parents were born in Mexico and now their son has become a U.S. congressman. My brother is the sheriff there.

He is going to find a city, I hope he goes there not for political experience but for a learning reason.

And finally, talk about violence, if you look at the FBI statistics he will find that Laredo had three murders per 100,000. Washington, D.C. where I work had 16 murders per 100,000 which means it is more violent here where he wants to get a new job, or if you compare it to New York City he will see that New York city per 100,000 is more violent than border areas like Laredo, my hometown.

COOPER: So in terms of crime you have not seen this kind of wave that Donald Trump is talking about of criminality of coming across the border? CUELLAR: Well, again, like any other place there are problems,

but if you look at the FBI statistics, rape, murder, assaults, you will see using the FBI statistics that the crime rate across the border is lower than the national crime rate. If you pick my hometown where he is going to, he is going he is going to see the murder rate for 100,000 compared to New York or even Washington, D.C. is lower there than what the crime rate is in my hometown of Laredo, Texas. And by the way, Laredo is the largest inland port. I hope he sees that 40 percent of all of the trade between the U.S. and Mexico comes from one city. That's Laredo, Texas, my hometown.

CAMEROTA: But, Congressman, even if he does agree that Laredo is a vibrant community of Mexican immigrants, how does that change his position which is that people shouldn't be coming here illegally?

CUELLAR: Look, again, I believe in immigration reform. We have to have sensible border security, not a wall. A wall is a 14th century solution to the border. We have to have a guest worker plan. We have to have a plan, how to deal with the 11, 12 million undocumented persons who are here?

Now, if someone is a criminal, I will be the first to say that person should be kicked out of the United States. We don't want criminals here. But, again, we have to have a sensible immigration reform.

PEREIRA: Congress, in terms of the conversation that has been happening since Donald Trump made those comments about your fellow Mexican-Americans, I'm curious what kind of reception you think he is going to get in Laredo. And I'm curious if you think that, as some have suggested, that his comments will actually do more to drive more Latinos to the voting box?

CUELLAR: Well, again, if he is looking at this on a political sense he is not doing anything to win the Hispanic vote. I can tell you that, number one.

Number two, he is going to find out people in Laredo are caring people even though he has different opinions. People will treat him with respect even though he said very harsh things. Now, there might be some protesters that might come in from outside the city or maybe even from there that just don't agree and will protest them.

But the people, I've talked to the mayor and other folks, they're going to treat him -- the Laredo police, which is made up of mainly Hispanic officers are going to protect him. The border patrol agent that invited him, a friend of mine, is Hispanic. A lot of the border patrol CBP officers are of Hispanic descent, Mexican descent. And he is going to find that Laredo is a different city. And I hope he goes to understand. He did make a comment, I am going to the border. I might not make it back. He is going to see, and, again, he is a smart man. He says things because politically it strikes to certain people. But, again, He is going to see that Laredo is a safe city.

CUOMO: Sanctuary cities, let's take Trump out of the equation, they have been raised as the big reason that we are having so much trouble in America getting criminal illegal aliens, that's what they are being called by this faction, off the streets. Do you believe that sanctuary cities are the problem, or do you think they are a reaction to the problem on the federal level?

CUELLAR: I think in many ways, again, it's not the solution that gets the criminals out. I think we need to enforce the law. ICE has priority, so anybody who is a threat to border security, national security, or even public safety, ICE is focusing on kicking those folks out. I have also said we ought to get those folks out. I don't want criminals here. I don't want to see rapists. I don't want to see murderers. I don't want to see those people in our country. They should be deported. But again, again, whatever our feelings are on immigration reform, whatever the laws are now, we need to obey the federal laws.

CAMEROTA: Congressman Henry Cuellar, thanks so much for making time for NEW DAY. We will be very interested to watch what happens at the border this morning. Great to see you.

CUELLAR: Thank you.

[08:15:00] CAMEROTA: And Anderson, great to see you. And we will be watching tonight your show of course for more.

COOPER: Happy to be here.

CAMEROTA: Donald Trump --

PEREIRA: You want to stay?

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: We'll give you a mug.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: For you guys, do you guys want some --

CAMEROTA: Thank you.

COOPER: All right.

PEREIRA: All right. Let's give you a few more head lines.

We know that a sexual assault lawsuit against Bill Cosby is moving forward. The California Supreme Court rejecting request from the comedian to toss out the civil claim from a woman accusing Cosby of assaulting her when she was 15 years old. Can Cosby be forced to answer questions under oath?

Jean Casarez is here for the very latest for us -- Jean.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that is question, Alisyn.

The case against Bill Cosby brought by accuser Judith Huth can now proceed. The California Supreme Court denied a review of the case that was requested by Cosby. Huth says that when she was 15 years old, Cosby allegedly molested her at the Playboy Mansion, after meeting the (INAUDIBLE) when he was filming a movie.

According to the complaint, Cosby invited Huth and his 16-year- old to a tennis club the following weekend where he served them alcoholic beverages. After that Huth said it was on to the playboy club where he assaulted her in the bedroom after she had gone in there to use the bathroom. Cosby in a legal response says the allegations are absolutely false and that Huth tried to extort Cosby for money.

The year was 1974 but Huth has been allowed to bring this case because of California law allowing for a possible extension of the statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims. Next, Huth's attorney Gloria Allred says she wants to take the deposition of Bill Cosby -- Chris.

CAMEROTA: Jean, I'll take it because I just want to let everyone know that straight ahead, in just a few moments, we will be speaking with Bill Cosby's attorney. Monique Pressley will be here. This is the first time we will be hearing live from Bill Cosby's attorney. So stick around for that.

Jean, thanks so much.

CUOMO: Important conversation.

Also, there are a lot more questions than answers in the death of Sandra Bland. The jail officials claiming it was suicide. Her family does not buy it. There are new developments. And we're going to test what's out there with someone who is close to the family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:48] CUOMO: We're learning more about the jail cell death of Sandra Bland. Officials have released documents that show Bland told jail staff she had previously tried to commit suicide. Bland's family disputes that.

From somebody to give their perspective now, DeWayne Charleston. He's a former Waller County justice of the peace. He's actually the first African-American justice of the peace ever elected there and he also knew Sandra Bland.

Thank you for joining us. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances.

The family rejects what was supposedly written by Sandra on the form about what she tried to do to herself in 2014. Why?

DEWAYNE CHARLESTON, FORMER WALLER COUNTY JUSTICE OF THE PEACE: Well, thank you, Chris, for letting me have a word. And I want to let the Bland family know that we still are in prayer for her and Prairie View and the whole community is in actually mourning.

I read a little bit about that, and I've -- that drives me crazy because -- about what they are saying about what she tried to do in 2014. I do not believe for one moment that Sandra Bland committed suicide. But if she did, if she did commit suicide she would have done it in the care, custody and control of the Sheriff Glenn Smith. If anyone would leave their child to be baby sat by a babysitter and they paid the salary of that babysitter and they came home and found the child hanged in the kitchen, in the bedroom, in the bathroom with plastic trash bag, would they keep that babysitter?

Not only would they keep the babysitter but would they let other people be subject to the care, custody and control of that babysitter? I think not. So, I think it's really somewhat irrelevant from my perspective because the main issue is that she was in his care, custody and control. They had maybe -- maybe they didn't information about her mental state. It really doesn't matter. She was in his care, custody and control and he bears responsibility.

CUOMO: I understand what you're saying, I think, but there is concern about whether or not this was suicide or homicide, and this being offered up as proof of a past of trying to hurt herself, maybe instructive on that as it's being investigated. You raise a different point that this is the sheriff's fault.

What do you think of the fact that if that jurisdiction receives information that someone may be of harm to themselves which saying you tried to kill yourself in 2014 with pills may well qualify, they were supposed to go and alert a crisis center and a magistrate. That does not seem to not have been done. What does that mean to you?

CHARLESTON: Well, I think it plays right into the scenario that black lives don't matter, and especially black women lives don't matter.

But I think if we really want to get to the point of it, we can be very transparent like the lieutenant governor said. We can be very transparent and we can call on the Judge Karisch, the judge who went into the cell with her, the judge who did the inquest, and within days, he can have a formal inquest hearing. Within days, he can call out every single jailer, he could call out even the medical examiner. He can call out the mortuary, who transported her body presumably directly to the medical examiner's office, but probably back to the funeral home before he went down to Houston.

We can have a formal hearing. It can be transparent in the Judge Charlie Karisch's court within four or five days before everybody has a chance to synchronize their arguments.

CUOMO: And you are saying you don't know why that isn't happening.

That goes to the idea of what will change in the aftermath of this. The police came out and said the officer involved wasn't following their protocol. He is off the street.

Is that enough? What else needs to happen?

CHARLESTON: Well, he needs to leave. I think that ultimately he was symptomatic of what occurs every single day in Prairie View. You have a half a mile of stretch of street that leaves the campus. It's patrolled by five different jurisdictions.

You've got the city of Prairie View, the campus police, you've got Parish County sheriff's deputies at patrol it, you've got state troopers that patrol, you've got Waller County sheriff's officers that patrol it, all because they are trying to pull somebody over perhaps with a chance that they are smoking a joint.

[08:25:00] They find they are smoking a joint and they put $5,000 into the economy of Waller County. It's harassment, continued harassment. And all 9,000 students of Prairie View will attest to the fact that they are continually harassed by this police state. So, what needs to change is they need to come in and be more transparent and get off everybody's backs.

CUOMO: We are looking for that transparency and we'll stay on this story.

DeWayne Charleston, thank you very much for offering your perspective this morning on NEW DAY.

CHARLESTON: You're very welcome, Chris.

CUOMO: Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: OK. Chris, a civil suit accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault is getting the go ahead. In a few moments, we will get Bill Cosby's response. His attorney is here. That's three minutes away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: The California Supreme Court says that a civil lawsuit accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault can move forward. Judy Huth is one of Cosby's many accusers. She says the comedian molested her in 1974 when she was just 15 years old.

We want to bring in now, Monique Pressley. She is an attorney for Bill Cosby.

Ms. Pressley, thanks so much for being on NEW DAY.

MONIQUE PRESSLEY, ATTORNEY FOR BILL COSBY: Thanks for having me. Good morning.

CAMEROTA: It's very nice to have you here because it has been a challenge for the past nine months to cover this story without hearing from Bill Cosby.

So, what does Mr. Cosby say about this now more than 25 women who have come forward to accuse him of sexual assault and rape?