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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
FBI Releases Files From 2001 Bill Clinton Pardon; Clinton Campaigning Tonight in Florida; Trump Campaigning Tonight in Wisconsin; New Polling Shows Race Tightening; New Polling Shows Race Tightening; What Voter At Candidates' Rallies Are Thinking; Iraqi Forces Outskirts Of ISIS-Held City; Early Voting Trends. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired November 01, 2016 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[20:00:13] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: And good evening. Thanks for joining us.
There's breaking news. Perhaps more appropriate to Halloween in the day after. A dead man's ghost returning if not to haunt a presidential campaign, then at least to torment and then rage one of the candidates and open the already embattled FBI to fresh criticisms. Former Bill Clinton Marc Rich, the late Marc Rich, surfacing in an FBI document dump, all in connection with a 15-year-old investigation that turned up no wrongdoing, a 15-year-old investigation that was closed 11 years ago about a guy who's been dead three years.
Now, if you are wondering why it's coming up now so close to Election Day? Let's just say you're not the only one.
CNN justice correspondent Pamela Brown joining us now with the latest.
So, why now?
PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Anderson, the FBI is supposed to be in a political agency but it has found itself in the middle of this political firestorm with today's unexpected document dump. And the timing is only igniting tensions and sending off Democrats already fired up over Director Comey's letter to Congress last Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN (voice-over): Tonight, the FBI under increasing scrutiny, after releasing heavily redacted documents from its 2001 investigation into President Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich, a donor to his presidential library foundation.
The timing seven days before the election and the on the heels of the FBI director's controversial letter to Congress invited more criticism of the bureau. Clinton's spokesman Brian Fallon tweeting, "Absent a FOIA litigation deadline, this is odd. Will FBI be posting docs on Trump's housing discrimination in the '70s?" A case settled years ago. And FBI officials insisted to CNN, today's release was not political,
and that Freedom of Information Act requests are automatically posted to the account when they're ready for the public to view. The FBI says not posting the documents would have been a change in standard procedure.
The FBI also this weekend posted documents relating to Donald Trump's father. Today, Director Comey appeared at a memorial service in Washington, alongside Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
CNN has learned the two talked on Monday for the first time since Comey went against the department's recommendation not to inform Congress of e-mails found on Anthony Weiner's laptop. Comey is a Republican who has donated in the past to GOP candidates like Mitt Romney and John McCain, but has not made contributions since appointed FBI director by President Obama.
But tonight, Democrats say there is a double standard, speaking publicly about the Clinton server investigation before there is clarity but not about investigations connected to the Trump campaign, those around them and connections to Russia.
Sources tell CNN, multiple FBI investigations into allegations of connections between Russia and the Trump campaign have yielded little so far. Including into his former campaign manager's alleged ties to pro-Putin forces in Ukraine and Trump supporter Roger Stone's role into the Clinton campaign chairman's hacked e-mails released by WikiLeaks. This is what Stone recently told NBC.
ROGER STONE, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: I have a back channel communications with WikiLeaks. But they certainly don't clear or tell me in advance what they are going to do.
BROWN: The Clinton campaign is crying foul. Amid reports Comey argued against publicly tying Russia to the hacks of the Clinton campaign because it was so close to the election.
ROBBY MOOK, CLINTON CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: And they don't say a thing when it comes to Donald Trump and investigations against him. Yet when it comes to Hillary Clinton for some reason, they are more than happy to talk.
BROWN: CNN sources say Comey's decision not wanting to name Russia had nothing to do with the election.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: What more is the FBI saying about the timing of this?
BROWN: So, hours after the document dump, the FBI released a statement saying by law, FOIA materials that have been requested three or more times or posted electronically to the FBI's public reading room shortly after they are processed. Per the standard procedure for FOIA, these materials became available for release and were posted automatically and electronically to the FBI's public reading room, in accordance with the law and established procedures. So, essentially, the FBI is saying, look, the documents were ready.
We had all of these FOIA requests. They are ready so we're going to post them. We're not going to hold off on posting them for political reasons.
But what just made matters worse for the FBI was that it was automatically tweeted and when you went to the Twitter account, you saw there weren't any tweets for an entire year and suddenly they started on Sunday with a tweet about Donald Trump's father. We're told that there was just an issue with the account. They fixed it on Sunday, but all of this is just horrible timing, obviously, Anderson.
COOPER: It's fascinating. Pamela Brown, thank you.
Hillary Clinton for her party is not focusing on this. She's going back to one of the things polls show worked best for her, cranking up the spotlight on Donald Trump's character and temperament, or at least her opinion of it, and counting on the likability of her surrogates, President Obama included, to help her carry the day.
CNN's Joe Johns has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hillary Clinton in battleground Florida today.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He had shown us who he is, let us on Tuesday show him who we are.
JOHNS: Looking to shift the focus from the FBI e-mail investigation to a familiar line of attack -- Donald Trump and women.
CLINTON: It's not OK to insult people. It's not OK. And look at what he does. He calls women ugly, disgusting, nasty, all the time.
JOHNS: Clinton joined in that effort by former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, who accused Trump of calling her Miss Piggy after she gained weight.
ALICIA MACHADO, MISS UNIVERSE 1997: He does not respect women. He just judges us on our looks. He thinks he can do whatever he wants and get away with it.
JOHNS: It's a message the Clinton campaign is driving home in a new television ad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you treat women with respect.
DONALD TRUMP, BUSINESSMAN: I can't say that either.
JOHNS: Highlighting Trump's past offensive remarks about women.
TRUMP: Grab them by the (EXPLETIVE DELETED). And when you are a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. JOHNS: CNN has learned the Clinton campaign is going on the air in
Colorado, Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia and New Mexico, looking to block any efforts by Trump to make inroads in its Democratic firewall.
Tim Kaine campaigning today in Wisconsin which hasn't backed a Republican for president since 1984.
SEN. TIM KAINE (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Can't take anything for granted because polls can be wrong. You can't take anything for granted because it's kind of been a season of surprises.
JOHNS: That as Clinton zeros in on Trump's fitness to be president.
CLINTON: One week from today, we will be choosing our next president and commander in chief of the United States. I don't think the choice could be any clearer.
JOHNS: A new Gallup poll shows Clinton has the clear edge among likely voters in the personality and leadership qualities a president should have. And while Clinton is selling her leadership skills across Florida today, she has a high profile team of surrogates blanketing key battleground states on her behalf -- President Obama in Ohio.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Who you are, what you are, does not change once you occupy the Oval Office. If you disrespected women before you were elected, you will disrespect women once you're president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And Joe Johns is in Sanford, Florida, for us tonight, just outside Orlando.
Hillary Clinton wrapping up a speech there. Did she even mention the e-mail situation?
JOHNS: That was yesterday in Cincinnati, Anderson. But tonight here in Sanford, Florida, earlier today, Dade City, Florida, she didn't mention them at all. And I think after these two events, it's pretty clear what the campaign is trying to do. They are simply trying to shift the focus away from the e-mail controversy and back on to Donald Trump, though if you talk them, what they will say they are trying to reframe the choice for voters in the final days before they actually go to the polls next Tuesday.
This was also very much a get out the vote rally for Hillary Clinton. She started out talking a little bit how she had a unified positive vision for the country. And then she went into her greatest hits, some of the biggest attack lines that got the most applause against Donald Trump.
So, Hillary Clinton tonight staying away from the issue of e-mail controversy and trying to get back to get out the vote -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right. Joe Johns, thanks very much. Mrs. Clinton now on her way to Fort Lauderdale for another event
tonight. And as the Clinton campaign stays tightly focused on battlegrounds, the Trump campaign today went looking for states to flip, hitting Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
More on why they're making what some election watchers see as a detour now from our Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Pulling into a Pennsylvania gas station, one week before Election Day, Donald Trump's campaign is hardly ruing on empty.
With the race tightening, Trump is eager to flip the state that's become a Democratic firewall, appearing with his running mate Mike Pence for a tag team assault on an issue that rallies Republicans. The healthcare law, GOP congressional leaders tried dozens of times to kill.
TRUMP: When we win on November 8th --
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: -- and elect a Republican Congress, we will be able to immediately repeal and replace Obamacare. Have to do it.
I will ask Congress to convene a special session so we can repeal and replace.
ACOSTA: But Trump would need to call a special session as Congress would already be in Washington following inauguration.
[20:10:01] Still, the GOP nominee is gaining steam at a critical time, cutting Hillary's lead in CNN's poll of polls in half in just one week, a momentum shift that started before the former secretary of state's new e-mail mess. And as she is questioning the FBI's handling of the matter, Trump is so far staying on message.
TRUMP: To accomplish our goals, we must cut our ties with the small bitter, petty politics of the past.
ACOSTA: And he's expanding his ad campaign into states like Pennsylvania that seem safely in Clinton's column.
AD NARRATOR: Donald Trump will bring the change we're waiting for. America, better, stronger, more prosperous for everyone.
ACOSTA: But Trump is still struggling to close the deal even inside his own party. Ohio Governor John Kasich, a former Trump foe, wrote in John McCain for president, even as he voted for the other GOP candidates on the ballot.
House Speaker Paul Ryan told FOX he voted for Trump while appearing to avoid uttering the GOP nominee's name. REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I am supporting our
entire Republican ticket. I have been all along. What my focus, which has not changed at all. My focus right now is saving our House majority.
ACOSTA: Pence said it's time for Republicans who bailed on Trump to get back on board.
GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Time to come back home and elect Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. It's time to come home and reelect Republican majorities in the United States House of Representatives and the Senate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And Jim Acosta joins us from Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Did Trump go after Clinton's e-mail controversy tonight?
ACOSTA: He did, Anderson. He went right after Clinton's email saga, saying she had nobody to blame but herself for all these problems. And at one point, he talked about the WikiLeaks scandals and some of these e-mails from her campaign manager John Podesta at one point during this rally. He got a thunderous round of applause when he restricted that old line from his show, "The Apprentice", and he said, John Podesta, you're fired.
But, Anderson, we must point out, piggy backing off Joe Johns, Donald Trump is not taking the bait, at least not right now from Hillary Clinton. He did not comment on Alicia Machado at either debate today. He was more on message than we've seen in some time. And the speeches have actually been shorter today, I think the theory inside the campaign is do no harm with everything happening with the Clinton campaign.
And another interesting thing to note, Anderson, on stage here tonight in Wisconsin, a state that traditionally votes Democratic in presidential cycles Donald Trump had on stage with him the Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Reince Priebus, the RNC chair, even Ron Johnson, a senator who's in a tight reelection battle is here campaigning with Donald Trump. There was one Wisconsinite who not in attendance at this rally. That is the House Speaker Paul Ryan, earlier today in an interview on another network barely mentioned Trump's name. So he's not completely united but pretty close and that is a sign that the Republican Party is starting to come home to Donald Trump -- Anderson.
COOPER: Jim Acosta, thanks very much.
Seven days to go, six of which are going to be devoted to introducing our panel. "INSIDE POLITICS" anchor John King, CNN senior political analyst and bipartisan senior White House senior adviser, David Gergen, CNN senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, CNN chief political analyst, Gloria Borger.
Also, Trump supporters Jeffrey Lord and Jack Kingston, and Clinton supporters Maria Cardona and Bakari Sellers. Maria served as a senior advisor of Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign. Bakari and Jack are former legislators. Jeffrey is a former top political gun for Ronald Reagan.
Jeff, first of all on this whole Marc Rich document dump from the FBI, is it just a coincidence that it happened now?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, perhaps. It is certainly bizarre. As someone who has made FOIA requests to the FBI, they are notoriously terrible about responding to them. They take years. They don't release documents in any sort of orderly or consistent way.
I mean, it is conceivable that this was just a coincidence. But coming on top of the Director Comey's, you know, very unusual and controversial release last week, it just makes the FBI look like a wing of the Republican Party.
COOPER: Would that be something that Comey would weigh in, saying, OK, yes, put out the documents now or is that much lower level?
TOOBIN: It is much lower level. But certainly some supervisor had to say, you know, maybe we shouldn't do this. Maybe we should put it off.
You know, the Clinton campaign is saying, you know, why don't they disclose how the investigation of the Trump people. I think that is a terrible idea. The Justice Department operates on a principle or at least it should that investigations should not be disclosed until they are completed.
COOPER: Right.
TOOBIN: Put up or shut up. What made Director Comey's statement so controversial was not just that it was just on the eve of the election. But that it was incomplete and it was just not --
COOPER: Raised more questions than answered.
TOOBIN: Raised more questions than answered. And if they did what the Clinton people suggested, it would just make the situation even worse.
COOPER: It is interesting, David. I mean, would there have been a clamoring of people saying, well, they held back this Marc Rich information for eight days.
[20:15:06] I'm not sure that they would, but that they say this is just procedure.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: So, clearly, when releasing sit violation of their other procedural rule, which is don't throw anything in the middle of a political campaign. And that is wt they did.
It does raise questions, I must say, Jeffrey, about who the heck is in charge of the Justice Department? Where is the attorney general? Why isn't she ordering a stop to these things? Why isn't she weighing in? I mean --
(CROSSTALK)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are no clean hands in this mess.
GERGEN: There are no clean hands, but it's a circus. And last 24 hours, the director is not going say anything more about the e-mails and we've also been told the Justice Department is rushing the investigations so they can see if something can be resolved before election. Which is it?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it's like the gang that couldn't shoot straight.
GERGEN: Absolutely.
BORGER: And the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing out of the picture totally.
TOOBIN: What's not stopping are the leaks. Lots of leaks from the FBI --
BORGER: Personally, I'm not opposed to leaks.
TOOBIN: That is the problem. We're compromised here.
BORGER: Yes, exactly.
TOOBIN: We always are seeking out leaks.
BORGER: Sure.
TOOBIN: We want to get this information. You have partial disclosures only coming out.
COOPER: People leak for certain reasons.
TOOBIN: That's right. So, you have information continuing to come out of the FBI and that is yet another reason why I think it was improper --
COOPER: John?
KING: There is just no question there is a lot of dissatisfaction, a lot of grumblings, a lot of animus in some cases towards the Clintons within the investigative staff of the FBI.
If you want to go all the way back to Marc Rich, I was standing right there, covering the inauguration parade, waiting for the inauguration on that morning when President Clinton pardoned Marc Rich on inauguration day. It was a huge deal. I remember calling into the White House for people who are still involved in this campaign, asking them, whoa, because it was such shocker that you do it at the last minute like that.
And even then, law enforcement agencies were not happy. They were not happy. They thought Bill Clinton made a political pardon at the last minute without giving them due process to argue against it. So this bad blood about Marc Rich goes back years in the investigative community and we know there's been some frustration that the FBI Director Jim Comey in July said case closed.
BAKARI SELLERS, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: Anderson, may I point something out quickly. I think that Pamela mentioned something as she was finishing her report. But the Twitter account, from this Twitter account, it hadn't tweeted anything since October of 2015. It's the first tweet was on Sunday after the FBI director made his comment and sent his letter on Friday.
So, we can say that it's not nefarious. And we can say that, you know, that this was all just happenstance. I might have been born it night but I wasn't born last night, Anderson, and this --
(CROSSTALK)
JACK KINGSTON, TRUMP SUPPORTER: -- why are we even talking about this? We're talk about this because Hillary Clinton --
COOPER: By the way, the tweet was about Trump's father --
KINGSTON: We're still here because of one person. And when that Hillary Clinton decided to use her own private server in violation of State Department procedures.
GERGEN: No, no, we're also here because of Mr. Comey.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That's right.
(CROSSTALK)
KINGSTON: We're here because she did -- she decided to use a private server. And then she decided not to cooperate, not to turn over the e-mails and to destroy --
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Let's talk about the next six days here. Clearly the Clinton campaign is attempting to fight on two prongs. One, go after the FBI, raise questions about the FBI, raise questions about Comey which something Donald Trump was doing previously, and now, the Clinton campaign doing this and at the same time try to get the talk back unto their opinion for Donald Trump's character.
CARDONA: Onto their turf.
COOPER: Is that going to be enough? I mean, is that actually working? Because there is nothing really new there on the Donald Trump, her interpretation of Donald Trump's character?
CARDONA: Well, actually, I think what has been one of the most interesting things that's happened in the last day and I think this shows how much oxygen the Hillary Clinton e-mail stuff has taken, but this has been a bad news cycle, 24 hour news cycle for Donald Trump. If you see all of the stories that have come out about him, you have the story about the legally dubious maneuver to not pay any taxes.
There is a story about -- in "The Washington Post" about, again, his charitable donations or lack thereof. There's a story in "Newsweek" about he and the Trump organization erased hundreds of thousands of e- mails and information during deposition of court dates. And, you know, that's a reason why a lot of these court dates haven't happened.
And so, you have a lot of these news focuses for Donald Trump that could certainly be made an issue. And what Hillary Clinton is going to do is she's going to package all of that up and focus on the unfitness of Donald Trump to be commander in chief.
COOPER: OK. If those stories were so powerful, I mean she's bringing Alicia Machado again.
[20:20:03] CARDONA: That is the most powerful one obviously, but I'm saying that these --
(CROSSTALK)
LORD: The very fact that she is FBI, this is like Ken Starring of James --
COOPER: But wait a minute. But Donald Trump has been attacking the FBI for --
LORD: I know, but Donald Trump doesn't have a record in office of going after a special prosecutor, which the Clintons did. Let's remember that special prosecutors once upon a time
COOPER: He does have familiarity with the Justice Department.
LORD: Once upon --
KINGSTON: And by the way --
LORD: Wait, wait. Once upon a time, special prosecutors were sacred. And one of the interesting things here, David, you were there in the Nixon administration, that when Richard Nixon demanded of the Elliot Richardson --
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: No, wait a minute. He's been going after the FBI saying the whole thing is rigged, that they are rigged, that they are in on it.
LORD: Anderson, he's not a sitting president. He's not a sitting member of the administration.
KING: What's different?
LORD: What's different is you have FBI agents who are angry as heck because they believe the administration is quenching an investigation that the Clinton Foundation, Hillary Clinton.
COOPER: OK.
Bakari, then we got to go.
SELLERS: First of all, I have the repeat this, because I said it to you once before. But Ken Starr, who he's talking about is now a Clinton supporter. That's first.
But second, the reason that she's bringing out Alicia Machado and all these other things is because the Clinton campaign has switched into another gear. They have identified voters and now they are in the GOTV mechanism, get out the vote --
COOPER: And they believe that's the most effective --
SELLERS: And the best way to get Democrats out is Donald Trump.
COOPER: All right. We're going to take a quick break. Coming up next, new information to help voters reacting to all these headlines and why the race appears to be tightening as Election Day gets closer.
And later, Donald Trump says he knows more about ISIS than the generals do and he's been sharply critical of the operation to retake Mosul. Tonight, one former soldier and current military expert is fighting back. He joins us ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:25:31] COOPER: Well, five days since the FBI director knowingly or not set off a political wildfire. The question is, who if anyone is getting burn?
We've been watching polling. Tonight, we're finally getting enough of it to have at least a sense of the impact with so little time left in the nearly 25 million early ballots already cast. The latest ABC News/"Washington Post" tracking poll shows a one point Trump lead, a statistical tie.
In the meantime, our poll of polls, which compromises five polls, including the one just mentioned, has Hillary Clinton up four. And that's far from the only read on what appears to be a tightening race and what that means for the path to 270.
John King is back with a quick rundown by the numbers.
So, still not a lot of new state polling this week, John, but there are a couple of signs about the impact of the FBI announcement. No?
KING: That "Washington Post" national poll does tell you, you have a tightening race. Never invest in one poll, but it is the first time he's been ahead in that poll for months, back to May. So that's one piece of evidence.
Some other places, Virginia is a state Hillary Clinton has led consistently. New data in Virginia still shows her ahead but by six points. Republicans say that is some evidence of tightening.
They don't link it to the FBI. They link it more to Obamacare. They link it more late in the race, but a chance possibly to put Clinton campaign back in play. The Clinton campaign says it's just closer. Don't worry too much about that.
Another place is a must-win for Donald Trump in North Carolina. New Elon University poll, important to look at the dates, just the beginning of the FBI, shows still a statistical tie there. So, North Carolina still in play for Trump. A huge priority this is the big blocking state for Hillary Clinton.
And one more, we talked about this last night. I'm going to show again because of the date of this poll in New Hampshire. This one does capture through the 30th. So, it does capture some voters, consuming the FBI news and Hillary Clinton with a big lead there.
So, if you talk to the campaigns, it is not so much the public polling but look at the candidates. Hillary Clinton going back on TV today in Colorado. Increasing her ad buys in Wisconsin, going back up in Michigan as well.
So, the Clinton campaign advertising spending tells you they're concerned. I wouldn't say they are panicked yet by any means.
COOPER: Trump and Pence were in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin after being in Michigan yesterday. Any evidence the Republicans are in position to turn these traditionally blue states?
KING: Not yet. Let me go back to the 2012 map, just so people can see this. When you look at Pennsylvania, Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, look how big of a lead that was. That's five point race for then President Obama four years ago. Michigan was even a bigger race for President Obama, even though that was Mitt Romney's home state. You go next door to Wisconsin, it wasn't very close.
These are states where Clinton has consistently had anywhere from a five to sometimes up to a 10 or is 11-point lead, when you talk about Pennsylvania. In those states, though, especially in Wisconsin, of them, you do hear from both strategists in both parties some tightening. There is nobody yet.
Even the Republicans involved in the Senate races in those states say there's no evidence yet that Donald Trump is in play to take that state. But they do see a little movement. What they are hoping in the Trump campaign is that there is something boiling just underneath the surface and after a couple more days of that story sinking in, it will blow up.
They need to look at it though because they need to turn some of these big blues. If they are going to get to 270, even if they're perfect in the other battleground states, they need to turn one, maybe two of the big blues. That's why they're trying, even though the odds are stiff.
COOPER: Hillary Clinton is going to be in Arizona tomorrow, which was announced before the FBI news. Is that a risky play now?
KING: Yes and no. Yes because you don't want to put your candidate way out west when most of her other targets are back the other way. But, remember, she has the president, she has the first lady, she has Bill Clinton, she has the vice president, she has Bernie Sanders getting the band together for a cross-county tour.
So, she has the surrogates. Plus, they are ahead at the moment in the public polling in Arizona. They think the biggest drive out there, yes Donald Trump but also Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Maricopa County is on the ballot and they say that is getting Latinos to register and turn out today. Think they have a chance.
And Anderson, we have Hillary Clinton across the finish line right now. Let's just go through this a little bit. If she can take Arizona, if she can keep that one blue, puts her up to 280, right? Let's say Donald Trump takes Nevada, I know Maria is going to argue with me, but I'm just going to give Donald Trump Nevada. I'm going to leave Utah alone, because a lot of people think the third party candidate Evan McMullin could take Utah, let's leave it as a tossup.
If Donald Trump is perfect, gets Florida, gets North Carolina, and gets Ohio, completely within reach. All of those states. The Clinton campaign is fighting more in Florida and North Carolina than Ohio, but that's possibility Trump wins them all.
Where is he then? At 247. How does he get to 270? That is why these are so important.
He has to turn a big blue and that is why you see him testing the waters there. Maybe he'll do better out there. Maybe he'll get Nevada and Utah. But even if h does that he needs one of the big blues.
So, has he turned them yet? No. Should he be trying? It's his only choice.
COOPER: All right. John, thanks very much.
I want to bring the rest of the panel. Also joining us is CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash.
So, let's turn to our partisans, though first, as John rejoins the panel.
Jeffrey, where do you see his best bet of turning one of those blue states?
[20:30:03] LORD: Well they're trying Pennsylvania. And, you know, I think that they stop for a bit there and I think there internal polling is telling them. I mean there's only one reason to go back there and that is because the polling is telling them -- I mean there's only one reason to go back there and that is because your polling is telling you this, and he going to exactly the right place, which is those suburban counties Valley Forge today this urban counties around Philadelphia. Western Pennsylvania I checked with the source today is really very strong for Donald Trump, as central Pennsylvania. So you need that that to help carry you through the east. And if he can turn any one of those counties then he may be able to scary the state.
COOPER: Maria, do you think Pennsylvania is likely.
CARDONA: I think that's certainly what they're looking at in terms of the possibility for Donald Trump, that I think that also tells you why, you know, we talk a little bit about in the earlier segment why Hillary Clinton is focusing Alicia Machado. That's why. It's because a all of these suburban women, the issue of how Donald Trump treats women is incredibly powerfully. Incredibly impactful.
And I think what you saw, you just saw from John is how difficult it really is even know. Even as the polls are tightening. Which by the way we all expected him do that the Hillary Clinton campaign certainly expected to that and what she has is the ground game, the volunteers, the focus on pulling everybody out, every single one of her voters out to vote. This is the infrastructure that she's been built for the last year and a half and I think it is going to pay off.
COOPER: John?
KING: One thing Pennsylvania does not have is early voting. It is -- it works to the Democrats -- it's one of the states that does not have early voting, this is one of the reason why Trump is smart to focus up Pennsylvania. Can he get it? Incredibly hard, George W. Bush wanted it, Mitt Romney want it, they pour time and money into it, they couldn't get it, it's a very frustrating ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does.
KING: ... to the Republicans, because it looks winnable but it's 20. That's why you look at it. It's 20.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
KING: You know, Michigan is only 16, Wisconsin is only 10. If you're Donald Trump you need a big blue. There is 20 right there, so that's where ...
COOPER: The Trump campaign also does points to Michigan as a state where Hillary Clinton didn't do well during the primary.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: They do and they're going to Michigan as a place where they think that there is a classic Trump voter in that peop -- there are a lot of people who are, you know, have lost their jobs, lot -- maybe long ago. To trade wars and other things. And there are people who just feel like they can't catch a break. Even if they do have jobs. They're not well-paying and so on and so forth.
And I remember back during the primaries talking to senior Democrats in Michigan, very, very worried about right now. About the general election that Donald Trump is going to pull a lot of those old time classic Reagan Democrats over. But it -- there is no evidence that he's going get enough of those voters to actually make that ...
COOPER: Is it possible though that the whole impact of the Obamacare issue, the premiums going up but also the FBI, that it takes longer than this to actually register in poll.
BORGER: It does. I mean I was talking to some people who were doing Republican Senate races today and they were saying we have to kind of wait to the end of the week for all of this to kind of click in. They believe they are seeing a tightening but they are not sure yet if it is a natural tightening or if it is a tightening that's a result of all these things.
I want to just said one thing ...
COOPER: Yeah.
BORGER: ... that Trump today on the campaign trail was telling people who have voted in early states to change your ballot. He is -- they are -- they -- Donald Trump is saying if you have voted earlier in the case of Pennsylvania ...
LORD: Right.
BORGER: ... I guess if you voted absentee, there is a way for you to change your mind. I believe in Pennsylvania you might just have to show up and change your mind and ...
(CROSSTALK)
LORD: In my case I'm doing both an absentee and ...
BORGER: And your right.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: David and we're going to go.
GERGEN: I think the impact of the FBI and Obamacare spike in that sure thing, is not just in the polls. It is the way the campaigns are being refashioned and that is Hillary Clinton two or three weeks ago we're trying to expand beyond their base. She is now trying to consolidate within their base. It looks like the Senate race is maybe more difficult to win for the Democrats and very important from governing, her ultimate victory is she is victor rows may be a smaller victory would otherwise be ...
KINGSTON: And now the part of it is not only is the FBI story something that concerns voters but it is a big infusion of money for our team.
COOPER: Right.
KINGSTON: (Inaudible) with $25 million other donors getting off the sideline and focusing on the swing counties in those swing states. Now you know where you have to go and you design your ad just for those areas. COOPER: We're going to have more from the panel ahead.
Up next, how Clinton supporters and Trump supporters feeling about the candidate's characters' one week to go until the election. We're going to hear from voters at rallies in Wisconsin as well as Florida, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:37:59] COOPER: In the home stretch of this election there are so many voices vying to be heard when in the end all that really matters is what the voters themselves think.
Tonight we have reporters talking to the people, Gary Tuchman is at Clinton rally in Florida, Randi Kaye is a Trump rally in Wisconsin. We start with Randi's report. Randi asked supporter about -- for Trump about the issue the Clinton campaign clearly wants back on the front burner. Donald Trump's character. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHIRLEY, TRUMP SUPPORTER: They have no real issues that they can win on. So all they can do is try to pick on Trump and his character. And try to make that be the issue.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump supporters in Eau Claire, Wisconsin defending their candidate and his character despite a new ad from the Clinton campaign.
What do you think of Donald Trump's character?
DEBBIE SHIELDS, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Awesome. Beautiful. Donald Trump really has a character of god. A loving compassionate father. Donald Trump was the man that god shows for a time is this.
KAYE: Are you concerned that all about your candidate's character?
SUE RASMUSSEN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Absolutely not. No. I think we've all fallen short of, you know, of what got in expects of all of us. So we've all missed the mark. So he missed the mark a few types.
KAYE: This voter originally support, Ben Carson but now is backing Trump.
RON LOVELIN, TRUMP SUPPORTER: He's not perfect. I'm not looking for perfect, I'm looking for somebody to save this country.
KAYE: Many here admit that Trump has flaws but given the options they say they can look beyond them. They are even willing to forgive him for bragging about groping women on that "Access Hollywood" tape.
Does it bother you hear him talking about women that way or no?
PAUL ROBERTSON, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Yes. But is it a deal breaker no.
SHIRLEY: Some of the media has media has made it be worse, than what it is. It doesn't bother me.
KAYE: The tape is the tape. I mean he said those things on the tape.
SHIRLEY: Yeah, it doesn't bother me.
KAYE: What about the women accusing him of sexual assaulting them? Not even that makes women voters here question Trump's character.
CAROL ROBERTSON, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I think those women need to grow a set personally. You know, it's been a lot of years. Get over it.
KAYE: Despite this ugly clash between supporters and protester, those in Trump's corner went on to suggest it was a joke that Hillary Clinton would even attempt to hit Trump on the issue of character.
[20:40:09] TOM MROZEK, TRUMP SUPPORTER: He may have said things but Hillary has done the things.
P. ROBERTSON: Her character is so flawed and got so many problems. Who is she to point the finger?
KAYE: What do you think about her character, where do you see problems?
P. ROBERTSON: Well obviously with her e-mails and Benghazi and all of the other troubles that she's caused in the world.
LINDA SCHINDLER, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Can I do a Hillary pivot and just say it is not that he's unfit. It is that she's unfit. She has done everything that's been illegal and has done everything she possibly can to sell this country out.
KAYE: And about those Clinton e-mails.
LOVELIN: That her mouth is moving she's not telling the truth.
MROZEK: I just can't trust her as a candidate. She's not reliable. She's not honest.
KAYE: The last thing this country needs Trump supporters say is another career politician, even if their man isn't perfect.
P. ROBERTSON: I think he's better suited to run the country. Because it's more of a business that this country needs rather than the corruption that Hillary represents.
KAYE: So it sounds like you are willing to look past of his character flaws to have the president that you want.
P. ROBERTSON: Yes, absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: And Randi joins me now from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It does seem I mean like the gentlemen you just talked to there at the end that even if they see some character flaws they are willing to look past it and say see far more in Hillary Clinton.
KAYE: Oh, absolutely Anderson. And they don't see any major flaws in Donald Trump. That's the thing. You know, one guy told me he talks too fast without thinking. But nobody here talked about the major issues that we hear so much about the comments that Donald Trump has made about women in the past. That just doesn't register with his supporters here at least those we talked to.
In fact his apology after the "Access Hollywood" tape came out really played well his supporters here. And Anderson those who I spoke with today, every single one of them told me that they think Donald Trump is flawed. It's not just one or two with them. We all know they thought Hillary Clinton is flawed. But they are now saying Donald Trump is flawed, but it doesn't matter to them, they still think he's the guy to move the country forward and his new ad that is attacking his character from the Clinton campaign means nothing to them, Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Randi Kaye, Randi, thanks very much.
As we mentioned Hillary Clinton spending the day in Florida for three events, the last of which is set to start any moment now in Fort Lauderdale.
Gary Tuchman spoke with her supporters about much the same issue that Randi did at the Trump's, the closing argument of a character. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The November sun is still broiling in Florida. But the heat doesn't seem to be wilting the spirit of these Hillary Clinton supporters awaiting her arrival.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am wildly enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton.
TUCHMAN: The people in place at this rally in Pascal County, Florida are a part of the campaign's home stretch.
Do you think in this last week as she makes her closing argument about why she should she be president should she be talk about Donald Trump a little bit reminding people maybe other side about ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She should be talk about Donald Trump and continue to challenge him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't like him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's awful.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Wow.
TUCHMAN: And during this rally Clinton spent considerable time challenging Trump.
CLINTON: When I think about what we now know about Donald Trump and what he's been doing for 30 years, he sure has spent a lot of time demeaning, degrading, insulting and assaulting women.
TUCHMAN: But most of the people we're talking to here feel Hillary Clinton should focus on Hillary Clinton in order build up enthusiasm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Donald Trump can speak for himself and get himself in trouble without Hillary's help. And so I believe she should continue to talk about herself, her vision for this country for the next four years and hopefully the next eight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think America knows where he stands. I think it's been very clear. The news has covered it extremely well.
TUCHMAN: Polling indicates that Hillary Clinton has an enthusiasm gap.
How many of you are enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton?
Not among the devoted supporters that go Hillary Clinton rallies but among other who don't like Trump and might not be motivated to vote for Clinton. However even among the faithful here you notice something.
Do you like Hillary Clinton? Are you enthusiastic about it? Are you more enthusiastic about her than you were Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
TUCHMAN: You like Barack Obama more?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we love Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But Hillary is cool too.
TUCHMAN: And similar sentiments from those a bit older than the millennials.
How many of you are more enthusiastic about Barack Obama than you are Hillary Clinton. In the back there. Little bit. Little bit. So who's more enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton than Barack Obama? You what?
(OFF-MIC)
TUCHMAN: You think you are?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think so, I think I had a bit Barack Obama supporter but we're excited to see a woman breakthrough and move forward and set history as Barack Obama did the same thing.
TUCHMAN: Hillary Clinton may not have the enthusiasm levels that President Obama had we ran. But that's why Clinton, her staff and her supports are pleased the president is on her side.
[20:45:04] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Republicans created Trump, the monster. Now they have to deal with him. We are going to win.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are going to win by a landslide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: And Gary joins me now. I mean it is such an interesting comparison to Trump supporters what they are talking about. Do they -- do the Clinton supporters address the e-mail thing? Do they bring it up? Do they talk about would they any flaws they may see in Hillary Clinton?
TUCHMAN: Yeah, they say that they hear the Trump supporters talking about the e-mails. But they point out that Hillary Clinton has said now repeatedly that she made a mistake. She has no excuses and that's enough for them. They say they agree. Hillary Clinton has made mistakes but it say it pales compared to what they believe Donald Trump has done much of his career and certainly for the last 15 months she's been out on the campaign trail. Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Gary, thanks very much.
Just ahead tonight the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS at a critical junk, the latest on that. Plus, Donald Trump's criticism of the battle plan. I'll talk to a former dean of the Army War College that Trump says could learn a thing or two from him. His response ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, the final week of the presidential race is overlapping with one of the biggest battles yet against ISIS. Tonight, Iraqi forces are within striking distance of Mosul. They've captured an ISIS-held village on the city's outskirts, opening a pathway into Mosul. CNN's Arwa Damon has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:50:10] ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Iraqi counterterrorism forces moved and over the course of the last two days attempted to sweep through from multiple directions, coming across what are now fairly common ISIS tactics, the suicide bombers, suicide car bombers, roads in lain with IEDs.
But we also saw is something else that ISIS has been doing fairly frequently, and that is leaving behind small groups of fighters, two, three, four people who lay and wait and then launch counterattacks at Iraqi forces, more fixed positions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well the fighting in the days ahead expected to be fierce. ISIS has controlled Mosul for more than 2 years now. The battles are free, it is been in the planning for months and has not been a secret, the Iraqi military wanted to give civilians time to flee and warn them. Donald Trump, who obviously does not have military experience, has criticized the lack of secrecy surrounding the offensive. Here's what he said in the last debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me tell you. Mosul is so sad. We had Mosul but when she left, when she took everybody out, we lost Mosul. Now we're fighting again to get Mosul.
The problem with Mosul and what they wanted to do is they wanted to get the leaders of ISIS who they felt were in Mosul. Whatever happened to the element of surprise? OK. We announce we're going after Mosul. We've been going after Mosul now for about how long is it now, three months?
These people have all left. They've all left. The element of surprise. Douglas McArthur, George Patton, spinning in their graves when they see the stupidity of our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well Trump's remarks didn't say well with some actual military experts, including retired colonel Jeffrey MacCausland, a former dean of the Army War College, told the "New York Times", "What this shows is the Trump doesn't know a damned thing about military strategy."
The Colonel's opinion didn't seem to phase Trump, who doubled down when he was asked about it in an ABC News interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The resistance is much greater now, because they knew about the attack. Why can't they win first and talk later? Why do they have to say three months before the attack, we're going in? So you can tell your military expert that I'll sit down and I'll teach him a couple of things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, Colonel MacCausland joins us tonight. First of all, when you heard Donald Trump say that he could teach you a couple of things, I mean after your decades of experience, what did you think?
COL. JEFFREY MACCAUSLAND, U.S. ARMY (RET): Well, I thought I'd be delighted to have the opportunity to sit down with Donald Trump and have him teach me something about military strategy. And I'd be happy to compare my experience across 45 years working in national security affairs with his anytime he would like to do that.
COOPER: So this notion that Donald Trump has often repeated about, you know, Patton would be rolling in his grave, McArthur, because secrecy, there's no longer a thing a secrecy, that they're telegraphing, oh, we're going to go into Mosul. What -- how do you respond to that?
MACCAUSLAND: Well strategic surprise is what he's talking about. And there's a political, and practical, and humanitarian reason why that's either impossible or not advisable. On the political standpoint, we have to understand this is an Iraqi imperative politically to announce in advance. As you said at the top, ISIS has controlled this city for two years and ever since he was captured by ISIS, Iraqi government, Prime Minister Abadi had to say repeatedly to Iraqi people, we will liberate Mosul. You know, there's an old fresh in class (ph) strategist Karl Wenclas (ph) would said, war is politics by other means.
COOPER: Right.
MACCAUSLAND: And second of all, of course ...
COOPER: So the political imperative your saying is to basically give hope to Iraqis that this is not going to be permanent. We are going to retake this.
MACCAUSLAND: Absolutely. Absolutely. He has a politic imperative.
COOPER: Just like I guess McArthur said, you know, I'll be back ...
MACCAUSLAN: I'll return.
COOPER: ... I will return.
MACCAUSLAND: I will return, exactly right. We'll be back -- we'll go back to Normandy. And to go to the historic metaphor he uses. You know, the Germans knew we were going to invade France in 1944 and are there say in the spring of 1945, the Japanese knew that we were coming to Iwo Jima and Okinawa as we move closer and closer the whole mountain (ph) and they fortified those islands, not unlike the ISIS is doing in Mosul.
So there's a practical part of this, as well. And that is, how do you disguise 45 to 50,000 troops out in the desert? You've got to secure certain areas outside the city, which we've already done for logistical support and air bases. And the last but not least, for humanitarian reasons. We dropped millions of lethalists in the city, why?
COOPER: A humanitarian to warn civilians?
MACCAUSLAND: Exactly. There's over a million civilians. Think about it for a moment in this particular city. And we want to, A, reassure them that we are, in fact, coming. Leave the Iraqi government in particular. It's not going to all give them guidance, how they can best protect themselves and their families during this particular very, very difficult offensive.
COOPER: The other thing that Donald Trump has repeatedly said and he said it really starting early on was, you know, we should have taken the oil from Iraq. That to the vic -- he has quoted the old saying, "To the victor go the spoils", which is not really something that most modern militaries actually use as a slogan anymore.
MACCAUSLAND: No.
COOPER: It seems more something from like the ...
MACCAUSLAND: Medieval.
[20:54:58] COOPER: Medieval times, yeah. But the notion -- what I -- I've never understood of this, and I've tried to ask him about it a lot, Iraq is a sovereign nation, they're actually our allies. Of the people who don't already hate us in Iraq, wouldn't taking their oil which is their future, alienate just about everybody who doesn't think badly of the U.S.?
MACCAUSLAND: Absolutely. Think about it. How many troops would it take to control all those oil fields? And does anybody really believe that 26 million Iraqis are going to sit idly by while we loot their country of the major resource they've got? How many additional casualties will we take doing that? And if you even secure that, how many additional troops is going to take to secure the pipelines from all of those oil fields to get to a port so you can in fact export it expeditiously, and how many casualties are you going to that?
We had enough trouble trying to do that in support of the Iraqi government because we wanted their economy to recover. And oh by the way even when I was in Iraq, a lot of Iraqis believe we were behind the insurgency, because it gave us an excuse to stay in the country, because the rumor they had, was were looting the country of the oil back then.
COOPER: Colonel McCausland, it's a pleasure to talk to you, thank you so much.
MACCAUSLAND: My pleasure.
COOPER: It's an honor. We are just seven days of course from Election Day. When that day comes, we'll actually have nonstop coverage right here on CNN. Be sure to join us for that.
Much more ahead tonight in the second hour of "360," nearly 25 million votes have already been cast. How is the early voting shaking out? John King is going to break it down for us "By The Numbers".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And thanks for joining us for this hour of "360." We are busy tonight. So are the presidential candidates. Both holding late rallies.
[21:00:01] Donald Trump targeting states where he's running behind, trying to plant the seeds of an upset in those places. Hillary Clinton focusing squarely in the battlegrounds hitting central Florida. Earlier this evening speaking Fort Lauderdale any minute.
