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Sander's Campaign Says That Asking for Health Records Is A Smear; Buttigieg Fires Back After Limbaugh's Homophobic Attack; "New York" Magazine Says Obama Assured Sanders He Won't Intervene; Mom Featured in Bloomberg's Super Bowl Ad Speaks Out. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired February 19, 2020 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: -- the spokesperson for a national candidate, you can't make mistakes like that. And I believe she also exaggerated the sexual harassment cases and things against Bloomberg yesterday as well on another network.

I mean it is -- she -- it's irresponsible, and you can't do that. If you're not ready for prime time, they shouldn't be putting her out there, and making those kinds of mistakes. That's number one. And that's coming from a former spokesperson for an elected official.

The other thing too, another mistake that she made but I don't know -- while this probably wasn't a mistake, this was on purpose, comparing this to birtherism, which is outrageous saying that the demand for the right to know whether Bernie Sanders is healthy enough, the American voter should know that.

He did have a heart attack. He would be 79, I believe, when he's sworn in if he did win. The American people have a right to know if he's healthy enough to handle the rigors of the job. People want more transparency, not less of it especially with what we're dealing with, with this current President.

So it is cut from the same political cloth somewhat of the Trump play book. You've got two demagogue disrupters out there at the same time and a spokesperson using inflammatory language like comparing this to birtherism, which is outrageous, nowhere close to that.

It's just irresponsible, and I think that now that Bernie's coming under more scrutiny because he has been now given the front runner moniker, some of these things, they better be better prepared for, but the oppo on him is going to be fierce moving forward and his people better be ready for it.

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think that's really the point.

BALDWIN: But the original point is that voters deserve to see his full picture of medical records, do they not? ROSEN: He apparently thought so at one point after his heart attack

when he said that he would release his medical records, and he wasn't in the lead then. And --

BALDWIN: That changed things.

ROSEN: Now that he's in the lead, he's pulling back and having a different story, and I think that's the problem is that do you get to do that and how do people trust you? But look, you know, between Michael Bloomberg, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump, we have, you know, men in their late 70s. Voters have questions about all of them, and that's OK.

BALDWIN: Speaking of the younger set, Pete Buttigieg -- and the double standard, no, I hear you on that. I do want to get to Pete.

SETMAYER: I was just going to say with the way they treated Hillary Clinton and her health questions and now they're saying --

BALDWIN: When she was stumbling.

ROSEN: When she barely had a cold, right, or something.

SETMAYER: Right.

BALDWIN: Pete Buttigieg, Town Hall last night, so he's up there and he responds. Now, to Rush Limbaugh's homophobic assault about his marriage. Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The idea of the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Donald Trump lecturing anybody on family values. I mean I'm sorry, but one thing about my marriage is it's never involved me having to send hush money to a porn star after cheating on my spouse with him or her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: This comes after Rush Limbaugh said on Monday that he is not apologizing because the President called him and told him not to, quote, this is Rush talking, Limbaugh talking.

He calls when I am moments away from commencing a medical procedure, and I had to tell the doctors you've got to give me a half hour. The President's calling. OK, we'll wait a half hour. Then I told the White House, look, I've got a medical procedure in ten minutes, can you have the President call me back in 35, and they did. So he called back, and he said, Rush, I just got to tell you something, never apologize. Don't ever. And I said for what?

There's obviously the piece of what Pete Buttigieg said last night, but now it's also knowing that the President took the time to pick up the phone and call Rush Limbaugh to say don't apologize and then he had a medical procedure, and he's like OK, I'll call you back, but don't apologize. You know, Tara, how do you -- how do you see that?

SETMAYER I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous. First of all, it's melodramatic because that's what Rush does. So going through the whole thing about, oh, the President called me back and I was having a medical procedure. I mean, the whole thing is so reality show dramatic that it's hard to take any of this seriously, and the fact that the President did that, if he actually did do that, I wonder, but if he did, it just goes to show you the things this President's obsessing over. Like this is what they're worrying about?

And the two of them are the biggest hypocrites when it comes to that. Pete Buttigieg had a brilliant answer to it, and I just think it just furthers this sensationalism that's coming from the rightwing media and rightwing talk radio to gin people up. And to go try to make these kinds of issues, especially about Pete Buttigieg being married to a man. They've telegraphed that that will be something they will go after because they know the social conservatives that listen to them intently will find this something that's fodder for them.

[15:35:00]

And I think it's not right. It's disrespectful to gay families in this country, but it's not surprising because they debase themselves this way in talk rightwing radio for many years now with this.

BALDWIN: We've got to go, but I think also my point of bringing that up and you made the point, the President's governing the country and instead this is what he's choosing to spend --

ROSEN: And he's getting away with hypocrisy on gay rights issues forever.

SETMAYER: Yes.

BALDWIN: Hilary Rosen, Tara Setmayer, thank you both very much.

Coming up next, how President Obama will factor into this 2020 race. What he's saying behind the scenes and why he has yet to weigh in on the divide between moderates and progressives in this heated Democratic primary.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Mike Bloomberg's rise in the polls and growing list of endorsements have propelled him into his first Democratic presidential debate, but the one endorsement many candidates are hoping for from former President Barack Obama remains elusive.

He has been quiet thus far leaving everyone wondering what he is going to do, and more importantly, when. But a new report in "New York" magazine says that President Obama promised Democratic front runner Senator Bernie Sanders that he would not weigh in at all on the primary. Of course that hasn't stopped some candidates from using Obama's likeness in their campaign ads.

Gabriel Debenedetti is a national correspondent for "New York" magazine. Who first responded the Obama/Sanders conversation and he is with me now. Gabriel, welcome.

GABRIEL DEBENEDETTI, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thank you very much.

BALDWIN: So for everyone out there who's wondering what does former President Obama think about these candidates, when do you expect people to hear from him?

DEBENEDETTI: He's made pretty clear to not just Senator Sanders but all the campaigns and lots of people who come to him saying hey, man, do you want to weigh in? Basically saying, you know, I'm not going to do anything at this point, until there's a nominee. He's not going to weigh in with an endorsement until it's very clear who the nominee is going to be for a few reasons.

One is what he thinks that the party is going to need a lot of uniting later this spring or early in the summer, and he thinks as the most popular figure in the party with the widest appeal, he's probably in the best position to do that.

But part two, he knows he's going to have to play a pretty big role in the general election. And he doesn't want to weigh in now before the race is over and effectively divide the party and limit his own appeal. So he's waiting in the wings. He's made it clear to all the campaigns that if they have questions for him, they can reach out to him, but he's not reaching out to anyone to offer advice proactively.

BALDWIN: Going into tonight, the debate, Bernie Sanders is the front runner, you know, you report that team Obama has talked to team Sanders directly during this election cycle. If, Gabriel, if Bernie Sanders becomes the nominee, is it safe to assume that Obama will throw his support behind him even though they represent very different wings in the Democratic Party?

DEBENEDETTI: Yes, let's make no mistake that President Obama has made his reservations with Bernie Sanders pretty clear. You know, in the past he's gone out of his way to essentially say they don't agree ideologically, and obviously they've had a complicated history personally, but he has also made clear to friends, President Obama has, that if Bernie's the nominee he will support him.

He hasn't said that on the record, obviously, out loud, but people have asked him about this over and over. And he's made this clear to Bernie Sanders' camp, people around President Obama have talked to them about this, because there have been rumors every few months that President Obama might be afraid of what Bernie Sanders would do. But listen, Obama has said over and over to people who ask, I will support Bernie if he's the nominee. That doesn't mean that, of course, he's backing him now, and of course Bernie Sanders isn't claiming support from Obama, but you know, lots of other candidates are using Obama in their ads. BALDWIN: Well, let me -- thank you for teeing up any next question.

Mike Bloomberg, Mike Bloomberg, you know, as you report one of the few serious contenders actually not to give Obama the heads-up that he's entering the race. And he has included Obama in recent ads, you know, giving off this impression that they're these long-time friends. What are Obama whisperers telling you about that?

DEBENEDETTI: Yes, well, Bloomberg is one of the other people in this race that has a really long complicated history with Obama, too. Lots of people around President Obama like Michael Bloomberg, but there are also a lot of people in that inner circle who sort of find this a little bit annoying, the degree to which Obama is being used in these ads.

Both David Plouffe and Axelrod, the two strategists behind President Obama's '08 campaign have gone on record and said, people keep asking them why Obama has endorsed Bloomberg, which of course is not the case. It's just that the ads sort of make it seem that way.

There are people in that orbit who sort of remember and often bring up, well, you know, Bloomberg didn't endorse Obama in 2008. He only endorsed Obama at the very end in 2012. And he's been very critical of Obama, some of his key positions, whether it's Obamacare or, well, a wide range of different issues.

And you know, Joe Biden, by the way today released a video hitting Bloomberg on that very fact. Effectively saying stop pretending that Obama supports you. Obama is being neutral right now for a reason.

BALDWIN: Sure that's a preview of some of what we're going to hear from Joe Biden tonight at the debate. Gabriel Debenedetti, in Vegas, thank you very much. Great reporting.

DEBENEDETTI: Thank you.

BALDWIN: The post-impeachment purge continues, another official who raised a red flag about the delay in Ukraine aid is forced out. We'll have those details ahead.

And I'll speak live to the mother who was featured in Michael Bloomberg's Super Bowl ad. Hear why losing her son to gun violence has led her to back the former New York City Mayor.

[15:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALANDRIAN SIMPSON KEMP, APPEARED ON BLOOMBERG'S GUN SAFETY SUPER BOWL AD: When I heard Mike was stepping into the ring, I thought now we have a dog in the fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: For the very first time the voters will see a new face on the 2020 Democratic debate stage tonight, billionaire Mike Bloomberg. He will be going to head-to-head with those who have criticized him for trying to buy his way into the White House. So Bloomberg has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on campaign ads, far more than any of his rivals. And my next guest appears in one of Bloomberg's most expensive ads which aired during this past Super Bowl. And she is endorsing him for an extremely personal reason.

[15:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEMP: George started playing football when he was 4 years old. He would wake up every Saturday ready for the game. That became our life. He had aspirations about going to the NFL. On a Friday morning, George was shot. George didn't survive.

So I just kept saying you cannot tell me that the child I gave birth to is no longer here.

Lives are being lost every day, it is a national crisis. I heard Mike Bloomberg speak. He's been in the fight for so long that he heard mothers crying and so he started fighting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And that mother featured in the ad, Calandrian Simpson Kemp, is with me now. Calandrian, thank you so much for joining me.

KEMP: Thank you so much for having me. I really and truly appreciate it.

BALDWIN: I just want to begin with your personal story. Can you just tell me a little bit about George and how you feel his death could have been prevented?

KEMP: My son, George Kemp, was my only son. And he was just a special child. George not only loved football, but George loved his horses and George loved to help his friends become who they could be. He was always been a mentor to someone. And just to know that my son, George Kemp's life was taken by a gun is very hard, but I believe that his life could have been -- this could have been prevented by not having young adults having the access to guns.

BALDWIN: In the wake of George's death and you being active in Moms Demand Action then play it forward for me, how you first meet Mike Bloomberg?

KEMP: Well, being involved in Moms Demand Action, I met Mike Bloomberg at a breakfast in 2019. And we sat down and I brought him a picture of my son, George, and I was really wanted to hear what he had to say about ending gun violence. And he really listened.

But the main thing about it was because mothers all across this country are in so much pain from losing their children, and they just want answers. They want more than just thoughts and prayers. They want solutions. They want to use their voice to get into the fight to end gun violence.

And Mike was like, he heard many mothers crying across this country, especially in New York and he wanted to do something about it. And he had a plan.

And so just that meeting, that is what really made me say, OK, then let's do this. And so I feel like my son's life is not in vain.

BALDWIN: I know that initially when Beto O'Rourke was in the race, you had supported him, he's out.

KEMP: Yes.

BALDWIN: Mike Bloomberg comes in, you threw your support behind the New York Mayor and just a question on policy, Calandrian, while Bloomberg's plan will reinstate the federal ban on assault weapons. Current assault weapons owners will be allowed to keep their guns but will have to report them to federal officials. Do you think that plan goes far enough?

KEMP: I think it does. I think, it's not about for me, it's about the safety. And anything that we can do to preserve the lives of our fellow citizens is fine. I think about when you think about the assault weapons and all that, I think about all the mass shootings and I think about the children having to do active shooter drills. I mean, have we really thought about the long-term effect that we have it on children? So I believe that anything that we can do in the law that will preserve lives is well worth it.

BALDWIN: I know that this is about your son, and this is about guns for you, but, you know, we have to obviously look at the candidates in totality, and Bloomberg has been receiving the criticism over stop and frisk. He's also faced claims of sexist workplace conditions, and I'm just wondering, Calandrian, does any of that gives you pause?

KEMP: It gave me pause at first, but then knowing that Michael Bloomberg has openly apologized for those policies and the things that he said, and I believe that everybody deserves a second chance. And I believe that especially with the stop and frisk, making it right is by having the Greenwood Initiative that will help uplift the communities of color through creating homeownership and as well as businesses.

BALDWIN: Calandrian Simpson Kemp, thank you for using your voice and for coming on. It's a pleasure. Sorry about your son.

KEMP: Thank you so much.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

KEMP: Thank you so much.

BALDWIN: Still ahead here on CNN, a much-anticipated update on the condition of Ryan Newman, the NASCAR driver who ended the Daytona 500 in that fiery crash.

[15:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Some encouraging news for veteran NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, he's been released from the hospital following that fiery crash in the Daytona 500. His racing team shared this photo of him heading home with his cute little ones. Another snapshot here of Newman posing with his two daughters in his hospital room. Racing officials say he was showing great improvement and was fully alert walking around and joking with staff, family and friends. And of course, we wish him well.

I'm Brooke Baldwin, thanks you for being with me. Let's go to Jake. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.