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Erin Burnett Outfront
Riot Police Arresting Anti-Trump Protesters; Trump Slams Prominent Women in Both Parties; State Department Report Slams Clinton's Handling of Email; DNC Chair at Risk of Being Ousted; Interview with Congressman Steve Israel of New York; Interview with Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired May 25, 2016 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:10] JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, breaking news. Protests and arrests tonight after a Donald Trump rally. We will have a live report.
And more breaking news. Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, they will speak one-on-one tonight. Is Trump about to win a crucial endorsement?
Plus, Trump's war with women, calling Hillary Clinton low-life and labeling Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas. Tonight those women are firing back. Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening, I'm Jim Sciutto in tonight for Erin Burnett. And OUTFRONT tonight, breaking news. Anti-Trump protesters fighting with heavily armed police in riot gear, demonstrators throwing rocks. Police making arrests tonight. The clashes following a large Trump rally in Anaheim, California. Just days before that state's primary. And it comes on top of last night's protests in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Also, erupting after a large Trump rally.
This as we are also following more breaking news. CNN learning that Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, will speak one-on-one tonight. Trump still seeking Ryan's crucial endorsement. A key to getting the party behind his campaign. We will have more on that in a moment.
But first we want to go to Kyung Lah, she is OUTFRONT tonight at the site of those riots in Anaheim, California. Kyung, tell us what's happening there right now.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're looking here, Jim. I want to try to walk you through some of the police officers here. These are officers you can see that they're clearly dressed in riot gear. What they are doing now, and I'm going to have my cameraman, Mike Love, take a look down. You can see the police officers on horseback. They're still trying to clear the streets here. We just spoke to a city spokesperson. And what they're doing is attempting to open the streets. There have been three pockets of protesters -- of protest groups outside, beyond the original protest site, right outside the Trump rally.
So these are three different small protest sites around the city. These are protesters who have broken off, trying to get them off the street. What we have seen Jim, and I want to show you this tape that we have been sending back to CNN for the last hour or so. We have seen at least five arrests. Now we did call the city to find out what's happened with the people who have been taken into custody. And what's happened is that they don't know at this point if all of those people will be booked, but what we have seen are police officers targeting the protesters who appear to be the main leaders of these protest groups, taking them into custody, and trying to clear the street.
So back here live, you can see that officers, again, dressed in riot gear. They are walking the streets, trying to make sure that traffic ask move through the city of Anaheim. We should point out, Jim, too, that I can see Disneyland from the position that I'm walking. This is a major destination in Southern California. The city tells us they have not had any interruptions with Disneyland, but certainly this is a major public safety issue for the police officers who are here on the street -- Jim.
SCIUTTO: Enormous police turnout. It does look like they have it well under control there. Kyung Lah, live from Anaheim, California.
Also tonight, Donald Trump unleashing a biting verbal assault on prominent Democratic and Republican women. Trump lashing out at both Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, GOP PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Pocahontas. That's Elizabeth Warren. I call her goofy. She's got a big mouth, and that's about it. But they use her, because Hillary is trying to be very presidential. She's stopping with the shouting, okay? But then I listened before, and I'll be honest with you. I cannot listen to her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: And Trump, who is trying to make in roads with Latino voters, attacking New Mexico's Republican governor. That is Susana Martinez, she is one of the most prominent Latinos in the Republican Party and the nation's first Latina governor.
Jim Acosta is OUTFRONT tonight. Really an interesting target for him to pick a fight with, Jim. Jim, are you hearing us there?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jim. Yes, I can. That's right, Donald Trump has no shortage of targets this week. All of the main people that he is going after are not only in the Democratic Party, they're also Republicans, as well. And they all happen to be women. But Jim, they are all firing back tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): Donald Trump is on the general election war path, unleashing his arsenal of one-liners in every direction. On Hillary Clinton --
TRUMP: Crooked Hillary. She's as crooked as they come.
ACOSTA: Trump is tangling with his likely Democratic opponent over his comments on how he was looking to make money buying cheap real estate during the housing crisis.
TRUMP: She goes, and Donald Trump is a terrible person! And he wanted to buy housing when it was at a low point! Who the hell doesn't?
ACOSTA: Clinton ripped into that.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He bragged about what he did. He said, profiting off working people losing their homes would be a, quote, "good result." So a good result in Donald Trump's world is, he gets his and you get hurt.
[19:05:30] ACOSTA: The presumptive GOP nominee is also firing off his patented zingers at Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren who is emerging as the Democrats' Trump troller in chief. He is hitting her past claims of her native American heritage.
TRUMP: Pocahontas. That's Elizabeth Warren. I call her goofy.
ACOSTA: But when Trump tweets, goofy Elizabeth Warren is all talk, no action, she seems to enjoy the fight. Responding, fling as much mud as you want. Your words and actions disqualify you from being president and I won't stop saying it. After violent protests both inside and outside his rally in Albuquerque, Trump is also mixing it up with New Mexico's Republican Governor Susana Martinez. A GOP rising star who still hasn't endorsed his campaign and skipped his event.
TRUMP: She's not doing the job. Hey, maybe I'll run for governor of New Mexico. I'll get this place going.
ACOSTA: A Martinez spokesman wasn't amused, saying in a statement, "Trump's pot shots weren't about policy, they were about politics. And the governor will not be bullied into supporting a candidate until she is convinced that candidate will fight for New Mexicans." A Trump adviser said the real estate tycoon was only responding to a snub.
SAM CLOVIS, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Like most campaigns, elbows get up under the basket. We saw a lot of that last night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: But Donald Trump has other worries inside the GOP after a Trump campaign source told reporters yesterday that House Speaker Paul Ryan was on the verge of endorsing the presumptive GOP nominee. A Spokesman for the speaker said that is not the case, and then Ryan said later today that Susana Martinez is a good governor. Trump and Ryan are scheduled to have a phone call to iron out some of these differences later on tonight. And Trump is hoping that Clinton's e- mail scandal will rally Republicans, Jim. Today, he joked that Vice President Joe Biden may swoop in for the Democrats and rob Bernie Sanders of the Democratic nomination. Of course, that's wishful thinking. That is not likely to happen -- Jim.
SCIUTTO: Jim Acosta, covering the Republicans tonight.
OUTFRONT tonight, former communications director for Marco Rubio, Alex Conant, former communications director for Senator Ted Cruz, Amanda Carpenter. Co-chair for Donald Trump's campaign here in New York Joseph Borelli. Bernie Sanders supporter Jonathan Tasini. Hillary Clinton's supporter Ruben Diaz, Jr. And Trump supporter Scottie Nell Hughes.
Scottie, we begin with you. So Trump's meetings with Ryan, you know, these phone calls, like we're going to see tonight, they're intended to unify the party. And yet in the last 24 hours, we have Donald Trump going after really one of the rising stars of the Republican Party. The first Latina governor in the country. How does he square that circle?
SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Well, I think Governor Martinez needs to take a hint from Paul Ryan. Follow her suit. Paul Ryan actually sat down and met with Mr. Trump 50/50. Mr. Trump is not going to sit there and pander to politicians. And these politicians that expect him to come with hat in hand and sit there and try to work for their vote. That's not how it works. They all need to work together for the people. Somehow we lost that kind of balance within the Republican Party. And so, you know, what Mr. Trump did was after Susana Martinez actually said, I'm too busy to come meet with Mr. Trump when he's in town.
Well, considering her state last year in 2015 was the number one -- received the most money, basically on food stamps, relying on the federal government, I think she needs to have a pretty good relationship with possibly the next president of the United States. It was she who chose this, and he was just saying, listen, you've got to work with me. I'm not going to come and pander to you like so many other politicians obviously have.
SCIUTTO: So Amanda, do you think that's fair criticism? Is that the requirement, you have to short of show your loyalty to get those --
AMANDA CARPENTER, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR SEN. TED CRUZ: I think Donald Trump would like people to do that. What I think is really interesting with Paul Ryan and the governor of New Mexico, he's essentially trying to bully them into endorsements that the Trump campaign is saying, oh, Paul Ryan is about to endorse me. Then the Ryan people said, no, no, no we're not. Paul Ryan i think has played some pretty good ground work. Before he said I'm not ready to endorse Donald Trump.
He said, he should, I think, follow that up by saying, he's three things that I want to work with Donald Trump on. Maybe tax reform, maybe ObamaCare repeal. Pick few issues to meet Trump come your way. Because Republicans right now do have leverage against Trump, if they will use it to push him where they should go on these issues. But if you're just going to let it be wide open and say, I'm not going to meet with him, then Donald Trump is going to make a fool of you when he comes into his state. Because he has no shame when it comes to this. So I think --
SCIUTTO: Joe, I do have to ask you, is it bullying? I mean, those are strong words. Is he bullying Republicans to come out and support him?
JOSEPH BORELLI, NEW YORK CO-CHAIR, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN: No. It's not bullying. I mean, you see from Paul Ryan, the one thing you don't see, rather, from Paul Ryan is really any declarative statement that he's not going to endorse Donald Trump. And I think at the end of the day, there's no question in anyone's mind that the two of them will come together. As far as Susana Martinez, I mean, she should be ashamed of herself that to some degree, she's the governor of a state, you have the presidential candidate of her party in her state, and she decides to snub her? If she thought that Donald Trump wasn't going to hit her back, she obviously isn't even watching the news.
[19:10:22] SCIUTTO: To be fair, she's not the only Republican who has been slow to endorse him. I mean, is that a snub to wait to --
BORELLI: No.
SCIUTTO: To endorse?
BORELLI: No, we had a divisive primary. We all know that. We have covered that to a great extent. But now you see Paul Ryan making the roads to come on board. You see people like Rick Santorum. You see a lot of people, establishment Republicans, conservative Republicans, getting on board. Shame on her as the head of the Republican Governor's Association for not.
JONATHAN TASINI, BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTER: There's two different things going on here, though. There's the -- how do you get on board, how do you agree on policy or disagree. Versus Donald Trump's abusive language. And he's abusive towards women, he's abusive to whether Democrat or Republican women. This is the kind of standard and the environment that he's creating. And it's a sham. It's a complete --
(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
What I'm saying -- what I'm saying is, it's fine to say come and meet, let's talk about policy. How do we come together and unify. But the kind of abusive language that Donald Trump uses repeatedly against particularly women but against men and women --
(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
SCIUTTO: Is the language abusive, Ruben?
RUBEN DIAZ, JR. (D), BRONX BUREAU PRESIDENT, CLINTON SUPPORTER: Well, if you look at when he went to go and see Paul Ryan -- so and now to say that Governor Martinez should come and see him, there's a double standard here. There's a difference in treatment. Paul Ryan still hasn't said he endorses Donald Trump. And so she has every right to hold off, just like Paul Ryan is. But again, to attack her and whatever he feels she's doing -- and not doing --
SCIUTTO: Let me get Alex in here for a --
(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
ALEX CONANT, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR MARCO RUBIO CAMPAIGN: The only chance that Donald Trump has to win this fall is first and foremost, he has to unite the Republican Party. He has to earn the vote of Republican leaders like Ted Cruz. Like Paul Ryan. Like Governor Susana Martinez. And when he goes out and attacks them as he did last night, that is a step in the wrong direction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's his style.
SCIUTTO: How can you unify with that kind of back and forth inside the party?
HUGHES: The politician or the people? Mr. Trump has sat here and time and time again, we had record turnout, turnout for the GOP --
(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
Hold on. Hold on. But now let's also realize -- let's get the facts right here. The facts do matter. She first came out and assaulted him and talked bad about him in front of the Governor's Association. Verbally assaulted him first.
CARPENTER: She loudly criticized.
TASINI: What did she say? What did she say?
HUGHES: That was the Governor's Association.
TASINI: What language did she use then?
HUGHES: When she was going -- when he was coming to her state.
TASINI: What language?
(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
HUGHES: Well, the criticism, he was not being very presidential and she didn't like his remarks. But --
(TALKING OVER EACH OTHER)
TASINI: You can't justify the language he's using based on what she said, which is --
DIAZ: Supporters throwing chairs across --
HUGHES: It makes me a little bit upset. You were very sexist. You immediately said Mr. Trump uses this language against women. Just because Susana Martinez --
(CROSSTALK)
And -- you said mainly because it's a sexist. I'm sorry, Mr. Trump is sitting here, he's not going to -- be nice to politicians. He puts the people -- which, by the way, the Republican Party, he actually has a lot of leverage, because he has incentive, he engaged more people than any other politician in Republican history. To go to the polls.
TASINI: A small thing which is, he's an equal abuser. He abuses people. He abuses people equally with just horrific language that is debasing the political debate.
SCIUTTO: Not the end of this discussion. We're lucky, we're going to have the whole panel for next block. But OUTFRONT next, she is one of the most powerful women of the Democratic Party. Why is her job said to be on thin eyes?
Plus, Trump wants to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. So why is he investing in a country with largest Muslim population in the world.
Plus, Hillary Clinton's e-mail use slammed in a new State Department report. Will it hurt her on the campaign trail?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:17:08] SCIUTTO: Tonight, a scathing new report by the State Department's inspector general has found that Hillary Clinton never got permission to use a personal e-mail or personal e-mail server as secretary of state. And that there is no evidence she even asked for it. That directly contradicts Clinton's repeated statements that she did have approval from the State Department. The report also revealing that there were attempted hacks of her personal e-mail and more than one time.
OUTFRONT now, CNN Justice Correspondent Evan Perez. So Evan, a lot in this report. But one thing that was clear, it wasn't just one time that Hillary Clinton had said she was allowed to use personal e-mail on a private server. It was, in fact, multiple occasions. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I did was legally permitted. Number one. First and foremost.
Was allowed under the rules of the State Department. And again --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So nobody signed off on it.
CLINTON: No, no. It was allowed.
I saw it as a matter of convenience. And it was allowed. Others had done it.
My personal e-mail use was fully above board. It was allowed by the State Department as they have confirmed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Evan, did the report back that up? EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: No, it did not, Jim. The
report says that this -- the setting up of the server and using this private e-mail server exclusively for her time as a secretary of state was not only in violation of State Department rules, but also in violation of the presidential records act. She was supposed to when she left office turn over all government -- all e-mails, having to do with government business. She did turn over 55,000 pages, 30,000 e- mails. But only way, way, way later after she had left office. Because the State Department was being sued under Freedom of Information Act requests.
SCIUTTO: Another key issue here, of course, is the security of this server. Hillary Clinton said and has said repeatedly, there were never any security breaches. Here is her saying that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: There were no security breaches. So, I think that the use of that server, which started with my husband, certainly, proved to be effective and secure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: So did the inspector general back up that it was secure to use the server?
PEREZ: No. The inspector general certainly raised a lot of concerns about whether or not the system was secure. And it reported that there were a couple of attempted hacks. There is no proof that anybody actually got in, Jim. But it does describe a really remarkable sequence, where Secretary Clinton reports that she feared that she was getting hacked. She reported to an adviser that she thought she was being hacked. And the adviser's solution to this was to unplug the server. Which is certainly not the way to deal with something like that. According to the inspector general. And so that clearly was not the right way to deal with the -- with a security situation like that.
SCIUTTO: No question. Evan Perez, thanks very much. My panel is back with me now, along Basil Smikle, he's the executive chairman of the New York State Democratic Party, he is a Hillary Clinton supporter.
Ruben, I do want to begin with you. We heard this explanation from Secretary Clinton repeatedly over the last several months. I had permission. The State Department lawyers knew. Now the State Department inspector general found that is not true. In fact she never asked, there was no record of her asking for that --
DIAZ: Well, we actually welcome the conclusion of this review by the inspector general. Because it confirms a number of things. Number one, it confirms that her actions were consistent of that of a former secretary of state. It also confirms --
SCIUTTO: Not entirely true. The report did say she used personal e- mail far more than -- her predecessors. DIAZ: But they all used personal e-mails, as well as members of their
staff. It also shows that none of the -- her server was never, ever hacked. And she, unlike everyone else, she put forth 55,000 pages of e-mail, and no was ever subjected to putting that much information forward.
SCIUTTO: To be fair, you didn't answer the initial question was. She said she had permission. The report found she does not have permission. How damaging is that?
DIAZ: I don't think it's that damaging. I think that this continues to put us step forward in terms of the conclusion of this issue. When we go around and we speak to many voters and we speak to folks, they want to talk about the real issues at hand, just like Bernie said early on in the presidential primaries. We need to move forward on the server issue.
SCIUTTO: So Jonathan, remind our viewers, you're a Sanders supporter. I have to ask, you famously said, as Ruben said here, we're sick -- America doesn't want to hear about your e-mails. Does Sanders see an opportunity here? Does this keep him in the race longer?
TASINI: Well, he's in the race until the convention. Because we will not have a nominee and I keep repeating this to everybody, we will not have a nominee until the super delegates vote at the convention. I do think that we will make the argument and the super delegates will see this. This is a question of credibility. We don't have to make that argument, because Donald Trump is going to make that argument. And if we want to put forth the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump in the fall, it's clearly going to be Bernie Sanders, because he's believable. He's trustworthy. And he's not someone who will be challenged and questioned about these drip, drip investigations. It is clear, as you introduced this. Hillary Clinton told everybody there was nothing there. The State Department has found the contrary to that. We still have to wait for the Department of Justice investigation that may look --
SCIUTTO: I want to get a Republican view if I can just quickly. Amanda?
[19:22:30] CONANT: Let me just add. As a communications professional, I don't understand why the Clinton campaign is not able to get ahead of this scandal.
CARPENTER: It was coming.
CONANT: Crisis 101, get in front of the problem. Don't surprise people. And yet today they were clearly surprised by this report. And they were surprised by the inaccuracies in the report. They were surprised that -- how is it that we learn from this report that she refused to cooperate with the IG? Why wouldn't she be more up front about that?
SCIUTTO: Amanda, quickly, the Republicans viewed is, how much are they salivating over this revelation? CARPENTER: This is tremendous, largely because Hillary Clinton is
whiffing on it so hard. But the one thing that this IG report confirmed is that Hillary Clinton lied. She misled the public at every opportunity in this investigation. And it shows that she cannot be trusted with matters of public record and a long-standing history with problems of public disclosure.
SCIUTTO: Accusation of a lie.
BASIL SMIKLE, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: No. Listen, there is nothing untoward here. The fact of the matter is, this report doesn't shine any light on anything new. Everything -- everything that this report says -- everything that this report says is consistent with Hillary Clinton.
SCIUTTO: To be fair -- to be fair, that point about her not having permission, that part is new.
SMIKLE: Or -- the fact -- the fact of the matter is that her predecessors did the exact same thing. Her predecessors did the exact same thing.
CARPENTER: No, that is not true.
SMIKLE: And the truth is, she was concerned about cyber security, raised it and the majority of this report actually does talk about that. So I don't really see the inconsistency. I don't see the newness of this report. And truth be told, you know, I honestly think that the American public, as Ruben has said, wants to move past this. The scandal that has been -- the so-called scandal in this does not exist.
CARPENTER: Relying exclusively on a public server for official business.
SMIKLE: But others have done that. But others have done that.
TASINI: It's one thing for the Republicans. But Basil, this is not good for us. Because it clearly does show that Hillary Clinton was not forthcoming, and not transparent about this. This hurts --
CARPENTER: This can be trusted.
TASINI: Excuse me. This hurts us if she's the nominee in the general election. And you're not telling -- we have to be honest as Democrats here, you're not being truthful about this.
SMIKLE: I am being truthful.
TASINI: This report says that Hillary Clinton did not tell the truth.
SMIKLE: Well, was Bernie Sanders truthful when he said -- the American public is ready to get past this? If there was an opportunity for him to attack her on this, he chose not to.
SCIUTTO: Folks, we're going to -- (CROSSTALK)
TASINI: Forget the -
SMIKLE: That was the most important.
SCIUTTO: We're going to have to leave it. One thing proves, this conversation is certainly not over.
OUTFRONT next, while Republicans worry about a fractured party, is it actually the Democrats that are unraveling? As talk over ousting the party's chair increases and despite his calls to ban Muslims, Donald Trump is doing big business in the most populous Muslim nation in the world. We'll have a special report tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:29:18] SCIUTTO: Developing tonight, a showdown among Democrats that could shake the party to its core. Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is right now at risk of losing key support and her job. As Democrats become increasingly concerned that she may be too toxic to unite the growing divide within the Democratic Party.
Our Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny, OUTFRONT live from Los Angeles. Jeff, you're talking to both campaigns tonight. What are they saying about the fate of the head of the DNC?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, it's no surprise. The Sanders campaign would like to see a change in leadership at the DNC. But that is not their decision to make here. They can have a say in that, of course. There are three players, one is the White House. The President will have a say in this and the other is Hillary Clinton, of course.
[19:30:02] Now, the Clinton campaign is fine publicly with what's going on at the DNC. They believe none of these grievances here are the fault or responsibility of this particular leadership. She didn't make the superdelegate rules. Everything that the Sanders campaign is angry about, this is not her doing.
But, Jim, we were struck today by the lack of support that was sent her way. Chuck Schumer, who's going to be the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, told our Manu Raju today no comment when he asked if he supported her staying in that position.
That no comment carries a lot of weight, Jim. He's not saying, you know, it's up to someone else. He just wouldn't answer. Several other senators said the same thing.
So, I'm told that the Clinton campaign will be willing to discuss some type of new leadership if that would bring unity between the Sanders side and Clinton side after all of this is over.
But, Jim, this is still a long way to go, just a series of conversations here now about this. But as for Debbie Wasserman Schultz, she is saying tonight, that she's talking to reporters just a short time ago on the Hill. She said, look, I'm staying focused on the general election here. The Democratic National Convention starts in 60 days from today.
She would not entertain any speculation about her future. Jim, I can tell you tonight, she's thinking about that privately. These conversations are very real -- Jim.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Jeff Zeleny, thanks very much.
And OUTFRONT now, Democratic Congressman Steve Israel from New York. He's also the former head of the House Democratic campaign arm, the DCCC.
Congressman Israel, thanks very much for joining us tonight.
REP. STEVE ISRAEL (D), NEW YORK: Thanks for having me on, Jim.
SCIUTTO: You have come out publicly in support of the DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. You don't believe that replacing Schultz would solve anything. Why is that?
ISRAEL: Look, I have two concerns, Jim.
First, Debbie Wasserman Schultz is not the issue. Democratic Party unity is the issue. And for as long as we are divided on who is chairing the DNC, we're not united.
We have to consolidate our vote. Donald Trump is out there, he's cleared the field, he's just wailing away at Hillary Clinton. And we shouldn't be talking about who the next chair of the DNC is. We ought to be talking about issues that count.
Which brings me to my second concern, you know, I represent the quintessential competitive moderate suburban district of New York. If I walk into a diner and said to people, who -- what's your position on who the DNC chair would be -- should be, they would say, one, why is hamburger so expensive? Two, why is there so much traffic? And three, why aren't you talking about how to defeat the head of ISIS? Why are you talking about the head of the DNC?
These are the issues that matter. For as long as we're debating this issue of who the DNC chair is, we're not connecting with the American people.
SCIUTTO: So, to be fair, back and forth we have seen between Schultz and Sanders. It really escalated aft he criticized Sanders' response to the chaos sparked by his supporters at a meeting in Nevada. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL), DNC CHAIR: Unfortunately, the senator's response was anything about acceptable. It certainly did not condemn his supporters for acting violently or engaging in intimidation tactics. And instead, added more fuel to the fire. SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In all
due respect to the current chairperson, if elected president, she would not be re-appointed to be chair of the DNC.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
SCIUTTO: So, these were pretty strong words. Particularly from the head of the DNC going right after -- you know, a very close second candidate for the Democratic nomination. I mean, when you look at that, you know, can your party afford to get into that kind of fight right now, when -- as you even reference, the national polls show Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton very close.
ISRAEL: Yes. And the polls will get better when we're talking not about Bernie Sanders and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, but when we're talking about how we're going to strengthen paychecks, and rebuild the middle class, build the infrastructure, and keep people safe, which is why we all need to leave his debate.
Look, let me be personal. I chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, not the DNC, the DCCC. I woke up every morning with people angry at me. I went to bed every night with more people angry at me.
Some of the criticism was deserved, some wasn't. But we've got to keep our eye on the ball and the ball is beating Donald Trump.
SCIUTTO: Twenty percent of Sanders' supporters say they can't see themselves supporting Clinton and would actually even back Donald Trump. As we look at this, if it's not important to the big issues of the campaign, would it give Sanders say over the next head of the DNC, but by giving him, say, would that be enough to get his supporters to back Clinton? I mean, is there something there, a quid pro quo that's possible?
ISRAEL: I just don't believe that people -- choosing between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are going to have their votes guided by who the chairwoman or the chairman of the DNC is. There are important issues at stake. That's one of the reasons that include many Sanders' choices on the platform committee.
So, their view and their voice will be heard at the convention. They'll have their time and place to prosecute their argument. But if we continue to fight amongst ourselves, we will give Donald Trump a clear field to be attacking Hillary Clinton and all the things that Democrats stand for.
SCIUTTO: Congressman Steve Israel, thanks very much.
ISRAEL: Thank you, sir.
SCIUTTO: Back with me now, Jonathan Tasini, Ruben Diaz, Jr., and Scottie Nell Hughes.
Jonathan, you heard Congressman Israel there saying that this kind of in-fighting over the DNC head only helps Trump in the fall. What's your response?
JONATHAN TASINI, BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTER: I don't agree. Last week, I wrote a piece for CNN.com saying here are the two reasons the president should replace Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
First of all, she's incompetent in her job. If you look at her so- called leadership, and the number of seats we lost at the state legislative level, over 900 seats, a dozen Senate seats. The Republicans having historic majority in the House, that's under her so-called leadership. She should have been fired long ago. Now she has no credibility in terms of being unbiased.
I wrote in the piece that any of the vice chairs of the DNC would be acceptable and would be seen as unbiased, and sitting in the chair making decisions at the conventions that everybody would be comfortable with.
SCIUTTO: Ruben, aren't there bigger fish to fry now for the Democratic Party?
RUBEN DIAZ, JR. (D), BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT, CLINTON SUPPORTER: Absolutely. And the Congressman Israel couldn't be more right. The fact is that it's unfortunate only one making Debbie Wasserman Schultz an issue is Bernie Sanders. Mathematically, he just can't get it done and it's time for Bernie Sanders and supporters to unite so we can go and target down Donald Trump in November, because look at everything that's at stake here.
So, I know that it's a difficult personal decision for him to make. But to make Debbie Wasserman Schultz the issue is just -- you know, something that we need to get past.
SCIUTTO: Scottie, the narrative to this point has been turmoil within the Republican Party. And there are still divisions, as we know. Paul Ryan still has not yet endorsed. The Republican -- presumptive Republican nominee. As you watch this from the other side, does this take away some of that hit to the Republican Party?
SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: I enjoy watching it as a Republican. But I'll say this, even if you were to replace her at this appointment, what makes you think that's going to bring peace to your party? That's going to cause more turmoil because do have an alliance behind her.
And I agree -- she's accomplished nothing. She has lost. But that's something you guys should have decided last year, two years ago, and then you can look at the day after the election. But right now, it would only guarantee even more instability in a party that is at each other.
TASINI: It's a problem because Debbie Wasserman Schultz has not said this is not about me and my ego. I should step aside. Donna Brazile, a CNN commentator, also vice chair of the DNC, would be fantastic. To preside over the convention and then like --
HUGHES: It's a problem now -- you were complaining -- (CROSSTALK)
TASINI: Debbie Wasserman Schultz is not loved outside of the Sanders camp. This is something that's widely held in Democratic Party, including at the White House.
DIAZ: This is just creating the perception of division in our party. It needs to stop. We need to get to the issues at hand and we need to beat Donald Trump in November.
SCIUTTO: Scottie, Ruben, Jonathan, thanks very much.
OUTFRONT next, Donald Trump famously told CNN, quote, I think Islam hates us. So, why is he spending on billions in hotels and the most populous Muslim nation in the world? Our report is next.
And Trump's campaign to unite Republicans behind him. Is he making progress winning over GOP women? I'll ask my guest, Congressman Marsha Blackburn. She is OUTFRONT tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:42:06] SCIUTTO: Tense moments tonight between pro and anti-Trump demonstrators. Earlier, some in the crowd were attacking Muslims, rhetoric similar to what we've heard from the Republican presumptive nominee. Even though Trump may have made some less than flattering comments about Islam, he is now banking that a predominantly Muslim country will make him money.
Here's Ivan Watson with a story you'll see only here on OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to what Donald Trump's company says will one day become the next generation of luxury hospitality.
This is the Lido Lakes Hotel, a resort that feels long past its prime.
(on camera): This hotel feels a little scruffy and forlorn. And yet Donald Trump and his Trump Hotels Company have announced that they're going to help turn this place into a new, ultra luxury, six-star resort.
And here's the thing. We're currently in Indonesia. It's the world's most populous Islam country.
(voice-over): This Southeast Asian country is home to more than 200 million Muslims. Many of the Indonesians we talk to say they're offended by the things Donald Trump says about their faith, and his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Islam hates us. There's something -- there's something there that -- there's a tremendous hatred there. And we have to be very vigilant. We have to be very careful. And we can't allow people coming into this country who have this hatred.
WATSON (on camera): Has Donald Trump's rhetoric been worrying your community?
YAHYA STAQUF, NAHDLATUL ULAMA: Not worrying. But you know, revoking, you know. Provoking. It's like that he wants Muslims to hate him.
WATSON (voice-over): Yahya Staquf is a top official in an Indonesian religious group that claims to be the largest Muslim organization. This month, they organized an international conference of moderate Muslim leaders to denounce violent Islamist extremism. But the cleric warns a ban on Muslims by a possible future President Trump would be disastrous.
STAQUF: It would be -- well, potentially dangerous, because it would ignite misunderstandings through the Muslim world.
WATSON: Trump has since softened his stance on the ban.
TRUMP: We have a serious problem. It's a temporary ban. It hasn't been called for yet, nobody has done it. This is just a suggestion, until we find out what's going on.
LUHUT PANJAITAN, GOVERNMENT MINISTER: I don't think that America can survive alone.
WATSON: Either way, Trump's proposed ban on Muslims entering the U.S. has raised questions at the highest levels of the Indonesian government.
PANJAITAN: Not allowing the Muslim people to come entering America while he has money in Indonesia, investment in Indonesia.
WATSON: Trump Hotel says it's developing two luxury resorts in Indonesia.
(on camera): Trump's company does not specify whether the new resort will include a mosque, such as this one, which currently stands at the Lido Lakes Hotel.
(voice-over): Despite some politicians calling for a Trump boycott, the Indonesian government says it won't cancel his hotel deals here. Donald Trump may not trust Muslims, but that hasn't stopped him from trying to make money in this majority Muslim country.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Chegambong (ph), Indonesia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: OUTFRONT next, Donald Trump speaking on the phone tonight with House Speaker Paul Ryan. Is that key endorsement any closer? I'll ask my guest, a prominent GOP congresswoman.
And Jeanne Moos with President Obama and Vietnam's queen of rap.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Do you like a low beat?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do.
OBAMA: Go ahead. Come on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:50:01] SCIUTTO: Tonight, the Trump campaign is working overtime to enhance its standing with Republicans. A meeting just wrapped up moments ago between Donald Trump and members of Congress. It was set up by the NRA just days after the gun rights organization endorsed the presumptive nominee.
And OUTFRONT now, one of the lawmakers who attended that meeting. She is Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
Marsha, Congresswoman Blackburn, thanks very much for joining us.
REP. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R), TENNESSEE; DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Sure. Good to be with you. Thank you.
SCIUTTO: So, tell us how many members inside that meeting and what was Donald Trump's message?
BLACKBURN: Well, it was Donald Trump Jr. And yes, there were probably 15 members who were there today for the meeting. It was a message of support for the Second Amendment, support for our fundamental freedoms and I appreciated that Donald Trump Jr. actually used that term.
Looking at our Bill of Rights is something that's foundational and fundamental to our freedoms in this country.
SCIUTTO: So, I'm sure you're aware that Donald Trump Sr. is speaking tonight with Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House.
Is there disappointment for you or other members who are present tonight that Paul Ryan is yet to endorse the Republican nominee?
BLACKBURN: Listen, it is all a process. Speaker Ryan is doing great job. He's got a full plate working through the issues here in the house. We're still here tonight voting.
I think you will see that endorsement come. They are building a relationship. Speaker Ryan is focused on bringing forward the House agenda project which we will be unveiling next month. And I think you're going to see a lot of energy between the things that Donald Trump as President Trump will talk about and get done and that Speaker Ryan will be able to move forward through the House.
SCIUTTO: What if Paul Ryan doesn't get there? What if he doesn't hear enough of what he's looking to hear? BLACKBURN: Oh, I think he's going to get there. He's going to get
there. You're going to see a very united -- you know, Jim, I think quite frankly we're going to have the most robust campaign we've ever had. As you look at the fall campaign, I think there's a lot of energy. There are over 10 million new voters that have come to the Republican Party. They want to make certain that they beat Hillary Clinton.
She's proven herself to be ineffective and so they are focused on putting somebody who has the can-do spirit and right attitude in the White House and they see that in Donald Trump.
SCIUTTO: Let's be frank. There's still very severe divisions within the Republican Party. We saw that breakout with Donald Trump's verbal battle with Susana Martinez. She's considered a rising star in the Republican Party, two term of New Mexico, a key state. How does that help unify the party?
BLACKBURN: Well, I think you all like to focus on the things where there may be a difference but the differences are showing up in the Democrat Party much more than they are the Republican Party. I think you're going to see a very unified party and a terrific convention as we head into the summer.
SCIUTTO: Donald Trump's campaign chairman, he recently met with Senate Republicans and said it was totally fine if candidates believe they need to distance themselves from Trump to win re-election in the fall. Have you considered this at all or will you embrace Trump through November in the election?
BLACKBURN: Oh, I've endorsed him. I'm going to do everything I can to be certain that he wins and that we get everybody on the same page to get some things done. National security, a huge issue. Jobs and economic security, a huge issue, retirement security, which is a primary issue with female voters and they want to make certain that we have a team that is going to deliver. I think it's going to be a very aggressive first hundred days of President Trump administration.
SCIUTTO: Congressman Blackburn, thanks for taking the time tonight.
BLACKBURN: Good to be with you. Thank you.
SCIUTTO: And OUTFRONT next, Jeanne Moos with President Obama's beat box moment in Vietnam.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:57:51] SCIUTTO: President Obama knows how to lay down a beat.
Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've seen him dance with Ellen, tango in Argentina and sing at the Apollo.
OBAMA (singing): So in love with you --
MOOS: But in Vietnam, President Obama got serenaded.
SUBOI, RAPPER: I'm a rapper here.
OBAMA: Are you a rapper?
SUBOI: In Saigon, Vietnam.
OBAMA: Oh, yes?
MOOS: It took a nudge from the president.
OBAMA: Why don't you give me a little rap? We'll see. Let's see what you got.
MOOS: He even helped with a little beat boxing.
OBAMA: Do you need a beat?
SUBOI: Vietnamese or English?
OBAMA: In Vietnamese, of course.
MOOS: Her wrap was about people with money and big houses but are they happy?
(RAPPING)
SUBOI: My name is Suboi, by the way.
OBAMA: Well, that was good.
MOOS: She wasn't just some random audience member. She's known in Vietnam as the "Queen of Hip-Hop". Her name Suboi comes from the nickname Su and her tomboy style.
She's got music videos and tens of thousands of fans. She's been in movies and performed on "Vietnam Idol".
No wonder she wasn't nervous rapping to the president.
SUBOI: Actually, I was actually shaking. I was so excited and overwhelmed.
A lot of like stereotype, you know, like me, Asian rappers. Looking at cute girls and, you know, people don't know --
OBAMA: Is that what they're thinking?
MOOS: Suboi says she taught herself English rapping along with Eminem.
Who curses so much that's why she says her English is bad and rude.
How does she rate President Obama's beat boxing? OBAMA: Do you need like a little beat?
(LAUGHTER)
SUBOI: He tried it.
MOOS: Hey, beats beating this box.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Thank you for joining us tonight. I'm Jim Sciutto. We'll see you tomorrow night.
"AC360" with Anderson Cooper starts right now.
