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Rand Paul to Suspend Presidential Campaign; Clinton, Sanders Prep for CNN Town Hall; Judge to Decide If Cosby Charges Will Be Dismissed. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired February 03, 2016 - 09:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

[09:00:41] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, I'm Carol Costello. We do start with breaking news this morning.

Rand Paul is suspending his presidential campaign. Another Republican dropping out of the race.

Mark Preston, our CNN Politics executive editor broke the story moments ago. He's here now live to tell us more.

Good morning, Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Good morning, Carol. Yes. Our own John King late last night was hearing rumblings that Rand Paul was looking at dropping out of the race suspending his campaign, running again for Senate a second term down in Kentucky.

Working the phone overnight, Manu Raju and Dana Bash who have covered Rand up on the Senate, we finally were able to pull it together just a short time ago that in fact Rand Paul is going to drop out of the race.

Now significant here in New Hampshire because there is a large segment of the Republican Party that is libertarian. These are supporters, voters who would back his types of policies. Where will those voters go now, Carol? We would expect that the likes of Ted Cruz and Donald Trump will try to make a play for them, although Trump and Rand Paul have not gotten along very well during this campaign. It's unclear if Rand Paul will endorse him this campaign, certainly at this time, but we wait to hear what he says when he comes up publicly to announce, Carol, that he has decided to suspend his campaign.

COSTELLO: All right. We just got a statement from Rand Paul's presidential campaign. I just want to read it to our viewers right now. I just got it. So give me one second.

All right. So, Rand Paul says this, "It's been an incredible honor to run a principled campaign for the White House. Today I will end where I began, ready and willing to fight for the cause of liberty. Across the country thousands upon thousands of young people flocked to our message of limited government, privacy, criminal justice reform and a reasonable foreign policy. Brushfires of liberty were ignited and those who will carry on as I will.

"Although today I suspend my campaign for president the fight is far from over. I will continue to carry the torch for liberty in the United States Senate and I look forward to earning the privilege to represent the people of Kentucky for another term."

Mark, a question for you because I interviewed someone a couple of days ago about Rand Paul's Senate race in Kentucky because he's running for that office as well, and Republicans there were a little worried that he was going to get a strong contender from the Democratic side and they were urging him to drop out to concentrate on his local run in Kentucky.

PRESTON: Well, yes, and look, that has been a big question. We've been focusing so much on this presidential race, Carol, without spending that much time on the battle for the United States Senate. There is a belief that Democrats, if they have somebody at the top of the ticket that they feel is strong, could actually take back the U.S. Senate.

This is significant because anything that happens in Washington has to go through Congress. And if Democrats are able to take back the U.S. Senate and a Republican is elected president then that Republican is going to have to work with Congress. Right now Republicans control the House and we do not expect them to lose control of the House. But Rand Paul is one of the key building blocks for Republicans to maintain control of the Senate.

So yes, the likes of Mitch McConnell who is the Senate Republican leader I'm sure is breathing a sigh of relief right now that Rand Paul has decided to run again in Kentucky -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. I want to bring in CNN Politics reporter Sara Murray to further parse this out.

Sara, when Rand Paul entered the presidential race a lot of people were excited. He brought this libertarian message. Young people rallied around his father. He thought that would translate to his campaign but it never really did, did it?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. And I think part of this, like Mark was saying earlier, is the Donald Trump effect. It's been very hard for anyone to get attention. And when you look at these libertarian folks, especially in a place like New Hampshire, these are the kinds of people who could also be attracted to Donald Trump's message.

But I think the broader thing here, Carol, is the only thing harder than running one campaign is running two campaigns at the same time. And that's essentially what Rand Paul was trying to do. He was trying to run for president. He was also trying to run for reelection in the Senate. That's a very difficult thing. And I think once you get past Iowa and it looks like, you know, Rand Paul had a pretty respectable showing there. Especially when you look at some of the other folks that he was able to beat out like Governor Jeb Bush, but if it doesn't look like you are going to be able to win, you have to have some hard conversations and say, is this really worth to continue this fundraising spring, to potentially be going into debt over something that doesn't look like it's going to pay off?

[09:05:03] COSTELLO: All right. Sara Murray, Mark Preston, thanks so much.

So let's discuss this further. I'm joined by the former chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, George Bruno, and Doug Heye, a former deputy chief of staff for Eric Cantor, and former communications director for the Republican National Committee.

Welcome to both of you.

DOUG HEYE, FORMER DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR ERIC CANTOR: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Doug, I'll start with you.

GEORGE BRUNO, FORMER CHAIR, NEW HAMPSHIRE DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Are you surprised?

HEYE: I'm not surprised. One of the things that the Iowa caucus does. We focus so much on who's first, second and third. It is not so much necessarily about who wins. But who also winnows the field down. So as we saw Mike Huckabee announced very early the other night that he was stepping down, now Rand Paul. That's how the Iowa caucus works. It winnows down the field so we get to a small -- smaller slated candidates moving into New Hampshire and then the other states. This is how the caucus is supposed to work and it's working.

COSTELLO: And George, I want to ask you this question because I interviewed Rand Paul not so long ago and asked him about his Senate run in Kentucky. He seemed sure that that was going smoothly and it wouldn't affect his run for president. So what do you think changed his mind?

BRUNO: Well, I think it's exactly correct that Iowa and New Hampshire winnows the field down. We expect out of New Hampshire probably to be about four candidates will still be alive and then go on to South Carolina and Nevada.

COSTELLO: Doug, do you think this will radically change the race for president? Will Rand Paul's endorsement matter to any one candidate?

HEYE: Well, it will matter to any candidate who gets it. Look, this is so much about momentum now. If you can get an endorsement, it doesn't who it's from, you want it, and you want to tout it. A Rand Paul endorsement would help whatever candidate that goes to. But they should also do I'd say two other things. One is signal to candidates like Rick Santorum or Carly Fiorina who've also really been left out of the conversation that maybe it's time to further winnow down that field so we can focus on the real viable candidates moving forward, which we'll certainly see coming out of New Hampshire also.

The other things is for folks like myself who have said that a Donald Trump nomination would be a disaster for the House and Senate to maintain majorities there, this announcement by Rand Paul is really good news. We'll hold on to Kentucky which is something that would have been a real threat if Rand Paul hadn't made this move and if Donald Trump was our nominee.

COSTELLO: George, do you think that Rand Paul's endorsement will help any one candidate? I just want to pick your brain about that.

BRUNO: I think it will in New Hampshire. New Hampshire is a libertarian state. It's -- the motto of the state is live free or die. I think his votes are up for grabs and you will see the other Republican candidates hit the phones and try to corral the Rand Paul supporters in New Hampshire. The campaign is hot and heavy in the Granite State right now and candidates will behind every tree.

HEYE: And Carol, keep in mind, New Hampshire is typically a very late breaking state. The voters there make up their minds at the last minute. Any bit of good news that you can get as a candidate in these final days going into New Hampshire is something you really want to have.

COSTELLO: All right. I have to leave it. George --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Go ahead. Go ahead, George.

HEYE: Thank you.

BRUNO: Thanks. I was just going to say just following up on that last point, a recent survey came out within the past few days that 30 percent of all the voters in New Hampshire are new to voting. They have either moved to the state or they didn't vote in the last election. So I think you may see some surprises out of New Hampshire.

COSTELLO: We'll see. George Bruno, Doug Heye, thanks to both of you.

HEYE: Thank you.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Coming up in the NEWSROOM, we're hours away from the CNN Democratic town hall. Are we about to see a whole other side of Bernie Sanders tonight? We'll find out at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:13:11] COSTELLO: Big stakes, small state. The presidential candidates are blitzing New Hampshire. And as the Republicans go on down the road, the two remaining Democrats go primetime. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton getting ready for tonight's town hall meeting right here on CNN. And Sanders after rallying to a virtual tie in Iowa offers a glimpse of the sharper elbows to come tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hillary Clinton has a super PAC. I don't have a super PAC. You have a super PAC which has $25 million from Secretary Clinton. $15 million coming from Wall Street. Our campaign contributions are $27 a piece coming from $3.5 million individual contributions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Joe Johns is live in Manchester with more. Good morning.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good Morning, Carol. You know, this is all about expectations right now. Bernie Sanders has been leading in the polls here for months so he's going to be seeking to build on that well. On the other hand Hillary Clinton who has been behind is going to try to appear competitive in a state where she's just not doing that great in the polls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I feel really great being back in New Hampshire after winning in Iowa and having a chance to come here.

JOHNS (voice-over): Riding high on the narrowest victory in Iowa caucus history, Hillary Clinton taking the showdown over votes to New Hampshire.

SANDERS: We fought Secretary Clinton to a virtual tie. And I don't even know yet. We've not even seen all of the breakdowns of the election results.

JOHNS: Bernie Sanders feeling good about his odds in the Granite State where he's been polling ahead for months. His double-digit lead fuelling the campaign's confidence.

SANDERS: If we can win here in New Hampshire.

[09:15:00] AUDIENCE: When. When. When --

SANDERS: All right. Let me rephrase it. When we win here in New Hampshire --

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

JOHNS (voice-over): While Clinton won the New Hampshire primary in 2008, the state has often supported neighboring politicians possibly giving Vermonter Sanders an edge.

After nearly beating Clinton in Iowa, the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist says he raised a staggering sum, $3 million online in 24 hours, commanding a huge base of support among younger, newer voters.

Secretary Clinton vying for the chance to take back some of that support. CLINTON: I'm going to have some work to do to reach out to young

voters and I intend to do that.

JOHNS: The stage is set for both candidates to make their final case before the New Hampshire primaries, facing tough questions from voters at tonight's CNN town hall in Derry.

CLINTON: I'm looking forward to every opportunity. Because I know that people here have a choice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: So, it is pretty clear Hillary Clinton is kind of bearing down here in New Hampshire. She has three events today, while Bernie Sanders has a news conference and a rally.

So, they will both have plenty of warm up before they get to the forum this evening, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Joe Johns reporting life from Manchester this morning.

Joining me now to talk further about this, Chris Kofinis, Democratic strategist, and Hillary Rosen, an adviser to the Democratic National Committee and CNN political commentator.

Welcome both of you.

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey, Carol.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

So, Chris, both sides are prepping for a battle for the hearts and souls of New Hampshire voters, a battle that gets supercharged tonight with CNN's town hall. What can we expect?

CHRIS KOFINIS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think you are going to expect a much more pointed affair. You are down to two candidates. Senator Sanders I think clearly smells blood. He's got momentum. He's in a strong position in New Hampshire right now.

So, I think he's going to come out and make a very pointed contrast. I don't think he's playing to New Hampshire. He's playing to a larger audience in particular trying to make inroads in South Carolina in the larger states because once I think we move past New Hampshire, the calendar becomes and the states become more unfriendly for him.

So, I think it is going to be a different tone than maybe we've seen in other debates or forums.

COSTELLO: We'll see.

So, Hilary, "The New York Times" writes in part. "The Clinton campaign considered shifting its focus to Nevada and South Carolina but Mrs. Clinton with the strong support of former President Bill Clinton decided she would help herself more by closing the gap in New Hampshire.:

She's down double digit. So, how does she make up for lost ground?

ROSEN: I think the -- first of all, the decision to stay in New Hampshire and fight is a little around the calendar obviously. There is an event tonight with CNN town hall. Tomorrow night, there's a debate on another network, and Friday night, there is going to be a New Hampshire Democratic dinner. So, in essence, they are stuck there for a few days anyway, might as well make the most of it.

What Hillary Clinton also sees New Hampshire as a place where she does not give up. You know, she had a very emotional time there in 2008 showing that emotion to the voters actually worked for her. I think that she feels like going back to New Hampshire, staying in this state. Fighting for every last delegate is what people want her to do. I think people across the country actually want to see that heart as well.

COSTELLO: So, Chris, if Bernie Sanders doesn't blow Clinton away in New Hampshire, is that a win for Clinton? Or does she really need an upset or maybe a win?

KOFINIS: Well, you know, part of this is an expectations game. Both campaigns are playing. We've seen that post-Iowa.

I mean, Sanders obviously I needs a win. And I would say, you know, a significant win. How significant? I guess everyone is going to debate that.

Secretary Clinton can afford to lose New Hampshire. A blowout obviously would not be great obviously. But the problem I think really becomes at least from my perspective what happens in Nevada to a lesser extent, but really South Carolina.

South Carolina is the firewall. Everyone I think is assuming that Senator Sanders is going to win New Hampshire. South Carolina becomes a state that if it's close or Sanders win, that's a major problem.

I think you are going to see a lot of focus very quickly on that state from both campaigns even though they are playing in New Hampshire for at least the next week.

COSTELLO: Something else -- you know, before you go, Hillary, I wanted to ask you about. The Sanders team just keeps raking in the money. He claims to have raised $3 million after the Iowa caucus.

Does that give him the longevity in the race, even if he heads into South Carolina and doesn't do so well?

ROSEN: Candidates really drop out of big races for one reason. Not because they don't have support but because they run out of money.

Bernie Sanders has a huge well of resources with internet fundraising. It is a code the Clinton campaign hasn't cracked well enough yet. But that money will keep him in this race for a long time to come. The other thing is just -- it is the hardest thing in these campaigns

is to stay in the moment. In this age of social media and a camera on you every second, staying in the moment, making every second count, every interaction with voters count, everything is captured on camera. That is the hardest thing. Looking ahead to Iowa -- to Nevada and South Carolina is really tempting but really every day she and Bernie Sanders are in New Hampshire, the voters across the country, Democrats are watching them and they have to practice that discipline of making this moment matter.

COSTELLO: All right. I have to leave it there. Chris Kofinis, Hillary Rosen, thanks to both of you.

Keep it here on CNN because today at 1:00 Eastern, Wolf Blitzer talks to Bernie Sanders about Hillary Clinton, the town hall and what it is like to be the frontrunner in New Hampshire.

And tonight, Clinton and Sanders answer questions directly from voters, at a presidential town hall in Derry, New Hampshire. It's moderated by Anderson Cooper. That's tonight 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

Still to come in THE NEWSROOM, will the race between these two Democrats come down to two words, youth vote?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:25:27] COSTELLO: Bill Cosby back in court this morning. We could find out if a Pennsylvania judge will toss out criminal sexual assault charges against the comedian.

The former D.A. who prevented Cosby from being prosecutor more than a decade ago testifying yesterday he hopes these charges stick.

CNN's Jean Casarez has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, I'm standing right here outside the Montgomery County courthouse. The hearing continues today and the only issue is should the one criminal count be outright dismissed? The defense yesterday put one witness on the stand. It was the former DEA who in 2005 did not bring criminal charges.

He testified that at that time he didn't bring charges because the case was so very weak. And made the decision saying to himself that he would never bring criminal charges against Bill Cosby in regard to this case forevermore. He said he did it because he wanted Andrea Constand to get money and he was confident at this point she was a millionaire.

He did say that he communicated it to one of the defense attorneys of Bill Cosby, who is now deceased. He did it because if a civil case is filed and if that deposition took place, that bill Cosby wouldn't have a fifth amendment right against self incrimination because there was no possibility there would be criminal charges. He also ended his direct testimony by saying, you know, defense, I'm not on your team, I'm on their team -- looking at prosecution.

Well, the cross-examination was brutal and began by saying why didn't you ever tell anyone inside the district attorney's office about this decision that you made?

He replied testifying that he believed he told his first assistant who then become the district attorney who actually brought the charge against Bill Cosby on December 30th and if he didn't tell Risa (ph) at the time, it was implicit in the press release and implicit with what he was doing.

He was also asked why didn't you put anything in writing? He said in implicit. You will see exactly what my intent was. More witness testimony today and the judge says he will and should have a decision at the end of this hearing.

Carol, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you for joining me.

The fight ramping up in New Hampshire, and Hillary Clinton is aiming to hit Bernie Sanders where it counts, right in the youth vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I'm going to have to work to reach out to young voters, maybe first time voters who have to make a tough decision as they evaluate who should be our president, our commander in chief and I intend to do that. Laying out my case where I contrast on the issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Well, that won't be easy.

According to Iowa entrance polls for Democrats, those between 17-29, only 14 percent chose Clinton. Eighty-eight percent chose Sanders. With young voter support like that can Clinton even make a dent?

Mark Preston is in New Hampshire with more on that this morning. Good morning.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Hey, good morning Carol. Yes Hillary Clinton certainly telling the truth there when she says she needs to make a better effort to get the youth vote, particularly young women as well. Hillary Clinton does well with young women. But young women who certainly have a longer political life ahead of them are not so infatuated by the idea that they need a woman as first president right now. There is always time.

So, Hillary Clinton will be making a hard run at them. But Bernie Sanders as you said, did so well in Iowa. Proof of concept he was able to get them to the polls. He said he is not going to take the youth vote for granted. He said it yesterday in Keene. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: Secretary Clinton ran here in 2008. Secretary Clinton won here in 2008. Secretary Clinton has a very formidable political organization and as, you know, has virtually the entire political establishment on her side. So, you know, we are taking nothing for granted. Trust me, we are not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: Carol, certainly now over the next few days, paced specifically to the messaging that we are hearing from Bernie Sanders and from Hillary Clinton, it is all about getting these constituency groups.