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Erin Burnett Outfront
Obama Endorses Clinton, Sanders About to Speak; Senator Elizabeth Warren to Endorse Clinton Tonight; Warren to Endorse Clinton, Attacks Trump; More Republicans Turn on Trump. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired June 09, 2016 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:13] ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, breaking news. Democrats out in full force, standing up for Hillary Clinton unleashing a barrage of attacks on Donald Trump. Vice President Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren, both live this hour. Both going to fight.
This is the GOP is in disarray. More Republicans slamming their presumptive nominee over remarks about a federal judge. Can Trump stop the bleeding? And campaign cash. Top donors saying they won't give to Trump. I'm going to talk to his top money man tonight. Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news. Guns blazing. The big guns coming out for Hillary tonight. And they're firing directly at Donald Trump. The biggest of them all, President Barack Obama, endorsing Clinton today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES: I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And live in this hour, more guns about to come out blazing tonight. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a progressive icon, speaking in Washington, just moments from now. We're going to bring you that, live. She is set to attack Trump in the most scathing language you have heard to date. Warren also expected to announce her endorsement of Clinton tonight. And then also live this hour, you can hear Vice President Joe Biden taking to the same podium to slam Trump on a day when more leading Republicans have spoken out.
Criticizing Trump's attack on the judge in the Trump University case. The wild card for the Democrats in all of this tonight, you're looking at it live. Bernie Sanders is going to be speaking. He is fighting on, about to rally thousands of supporters in Washington, D.C.
We begin our coverage with all of this with Michelle Kosinski, OUTFRONT tonight at the White House. President Obama, Bernie Sanders met where you are today, Michelle. And Sanders not ready to step aside.
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Right, not exactly. And you know, it was clear that this meeting between the President and Sanders today was exactly what the White House was waiting for, before the President was going to endorse Hillary Clinton. They wanted to hear Bernie Sanders out, work on a constructive path forward and as soon as that meeting was over, bam, that endorsement was out there within two hours. What we didn't hear from Sanders, was I'm bowing out or I'm now supporting Clinton. He did approach those things in essence though, saying that now he will work with her and the White House toward that unified Democratic goal of defeating Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OBAMA: I want to congratulate Hillary Clinton.
KOSINSKI (voice-over): A presidential endorsement in the form of a slick campaign video released on Twitter.
OBAMA: I know how hard this job can be. That's why I know Hillary will be so good at it. In fact, I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office.
KOSINSKI: Just yesterday, the White House wouldn't even call Hillary Clinton the presumptive nominee. In less than 24 hours, what a difference.
OBAMA: I am fired up, and I cannot wait to get out there and campaign for Hillary.
KOSINSKI: The President now unleashed, hitting the trail on Wednesday, with Clinton, in Wisconsin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Trump!
KOSINSKI: Donald Trump's twitter reaction was fast and furious. Obama just endorsed crooked Hillary. He wants four more years of Obama, but nobody else does. Hillary Clinton responding, "Delete your account." For the Democrats right now, unity is what they're all looking for. And that's the picture they're careful to project. Bernie Sanders meeting with the President, Vice President, top Democratic senators. They wanting to hear him out find out how he envisions staying engaged and rallying his many supporters, ultimately for Hillary Clinton. Progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren also endorsing Clinton tonight. Still after his long private discussion with the President in the Oval Office, Sanders said he's not leaving the race just yet.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will, of course, be competing in the D.C. primary. Which will be held next Tuesday.
KOSINSKI: Hitting his points hard.
SANDERS: Donald Trump would clearly, to my mind and I think the majority of Americans, be a disaster as president of the United States. It is unbelievable to me, and I say this with all sincerity, that the Republican Party would have a candidate for president who in the year 2016 makes bigotry and discrimination the cornerstone of his campaign.
KOSINSKI: No endorsement from him of Clinton here. But he laid out his path forward, joining forces.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSINSKI: That right there is key. And Sanders says he plans to meet with Hillary Clinton soon, talk about how they might work together. The White House wants his supporters. There are many of them, although you do hear from many of them still Bernie or bust. Not sure that they can support Hillary Clinton. So many Democrats feel that Bernie Sanders' own voice will be crucial in rallying those supporters, ultimately to Clinton side, as well as will be the President's voice, since he is so influential among younger voters -- Erin.
[19:05:14] BURNETT: All right. Michelle, thank you.
And Sunlen Serfaty is outside where Senator Elizabeth Warren is going to be taking the stage at any moment. And Vice President Joe Biden expected to speak right after. Sunlen, Warren has not endorsed Clinton, but she is going to speak in the most scathing language we have heard yet about Donald Trump. And, of course, a big endorsement expected tonight.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Erin. Elizabeth Warren is anticipated to endorse Hillary Clinton tonight. Sources telling CNN, Jeff Zeleny that that will come in the form of a video message sent to our grass root network of as well as in a TV interview. But this is such a coveted endorsement for Hillary Clinton. Elizabeth Warren is such a progressive powerhouse, really seen as a star, and certainly will be an important role going forward. And really trying to help bridge the divide between Bernie Sanders' supporters and Hillary Clinton supporters, widely seen as being able to get a lot of those Sanders supporters, potentially on board with Hillary Clinton.
But tonight here at this hotel in Washington, D.C., we will see Elizabeth Warren in a role that she has really fully embraced recently, and that's of a de facto attack dog of the Democratic Party, taking on Donald Trump directly. Tonight she will say, according to her prepared remarks, she'll call Donald Trump a thin-skinned fraud, someone who is only looking out for himself, and as you noted, Vice President Biden also be here at the same event. He notably has not made an endorsement yet in the presidential race, not endorsing Hillary Clinton yet. He did meet with Bernie Sanders just hours ago here in Washington.
Now, according to the Vice President's office, the Vice President will serve up some red meat against Donald Trump specifically going after those controversial comments he made over the judge in the Trump University case. So tonight, Erin, just a small preview of a potential full force of surrogates that could be at Hillary Clinton's disposal to take on Donald Trump -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Sunlen. OUTFRONT now, Sanders' supporter Jonathan Tasini who is joining us
from Sanders rally in Washington. Our chief political analyst Gloria Borger. Political analyst Maggie Haberman. Executive editor of politics, Mark Preston. Trump supporter Jason Osborne. Republican political contributor Tara Setmayer and Clinton supporter Basil Smikle.
And I'm glad we have all of you because we have so much happening tonight. Jonathan, let me start with you though at the Bernie Sanders' rally. You have President Obama, Bernie Sanders, they meet. Sanders leaves, he goes to a rally, he says he's fighting on through next Tuesday, at least. He doesn't drop out. President says, okay, endorses Hillary Clinton anyway. Did the President move too early?
JONATHAN TASINI, BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTER: Is the what? I didn't hear the last part.
BURNETT: Did the President move too early? Should he not have endorsed Hillary Clinton today?
TASINI: Well, look. The President can do what he needs to do, whatever he felt very pushed to do. But I think that that has not stopped, as you can hear the enthusiasm behind me now. Ben Jealous is warming up the crowd, former head of the NAACP. And I think at least from the enthusiasm here in the crowd, people have not been affected by that endorsement.
BURNETT: Which is pretty interesting.
And Basil, that's an interesting point. It's not that you're suddenly saying, everybody, you know, like lemmings come over to Hillary Clinton.
BASIL SMIKLE, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: Well, no, it is going to be a process. It's a process for the candidate, it's a process for the supporters. I expected Bernie Sanders to go to D.C. But if I'm the president of the United States, I'm saying, look, I've got to start getting out there and attacking Donald Trump. I've got to start protecting the Democratic shield. That's why I think he did it. It's not just about Hillary Clinton. It's also about his legacy. If a Republican gets in office, if Donald Trump gets into office, it's an attempt to roll back everything that he's done. So he's -- it's -- for him, it's dual purpose.
BURNETT: And Gloria, what we are seeing today is something that's clearly choreographed, you have, for the president. You have the vice president, not endorsing Sanders, but coming out and he is going to slam Trump tonight. Elizabeth warren, who has never been a real lover of Hillary Clinton.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: No.
BURNETT: Right?
BORGER: No. The only woman in the Senate who hadn't endorsed her until this evening. BURNETT: Going to endorse tonight.
BORGER: Right.
BURNETT: And then we're about to hear the speech, she's going to talk Donald Trump is a disgrace and a whole lot more. Incredibly organized tonight.
BORGER: Yes. I think, first of all, the kind of soft diplomacy had to go on with Bernie Sanders with all of the appropriate meetings, with the President, with the Vice President, talking to Hillary. And then now you're in the second stage, where you've got this choreographed, massive, top-level endorsements from the President to the Vice President. And, of course, you know, Bernie Sanders' great ally in progressive politics, Elizabeth Warren out there. And all of this is about mobilizing the Democratic Party.
Because what they're trying to do is make sure, first of all, about a quarter of Sanders' supporters say that there's no way they could support Hillary Clinton. So they want to change their minds.
BURNETT: Uh-hm.
BORGER: But also, they want to mobilize those Democrats to go out and vote in November, and this is the beginning of that long process.
[19:10:06] BURNETT: And Maggie, this all comes on a day that for Donald Trump, right? He was meeting with CEOs, he was not out in public. OK? He was trying to stop the bleeding, for the Mexican- American judge issue. And now you have several major Republicans now adding, right? It's not going away. He said I'm not going to talk about it anymore, it's over. But that's not what seems to be happening. Here's what some major Republicans said today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why would I feel compelled to support somebody whose positions I'm kind of fundamentally disagreeing with?
PAUL RYAN, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: He has a way to go to give us a campaign that we can all be proud.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's not yet the nominee, officially. That won't happen until the middle of July.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I think it's still time for him to begin to act like a presidential candidate. Should be acting. And though I haven't given up hope, but certainly last week was a -- was not a good week for Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: That's pretty stunning, that we're seeing this at this point, in a campaign.
MAGGIE HABERMAN, PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: So you were saying how Donald Trump is trying to stop the bleeding. Donald Trump's campaign is certainly trying to stop the bleeding. We won't know what Donald Trump is trying to do until the next interview he gives or the next time he speaks or the next time he tweets. You know, the other night, after the primaries were over on the Republican side, he gave this very sort of humble speech of I recognize the task before me and I'm not going to let you down, and the very next morning, he was back tweeting at a media personality in one of his policy advisers referred to Judge Curiel as being a member of an anti- American society.
So, we have to see whether Trump can sustain a couple of good weeks. He has had as Mitch McConnell said, a bunch of pretty bad days. And it is taking its toll. But to your point, it is extremely rare, especially in this partisan environment, to hear such senior Republicans saying what they are saying about their nominee. Mitch McConnell is concerned about saving the Senate. That is his goal. And you're going to see a lot of that soon.
BURNETT: Jason, I mean, the deep fear, I think as Maggie points out, is that there is Donald Trump and then there's the people around Donald Trump. And they may want him to say this or do this or stem this tide or whatever. But he's been going to do whatever he's going to do.
JASON OSBORNE, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Right. I mean, Donald Trump is his own person. And he speaks for himself. I think it's interesting, though that we continue to talk about, you know, John Kasich and Scott Walker, two people that to the end still did not want to support Donald Trump, because John Kasich was still running for president. I don't think it's any surprise that they are going to come out and continue to say this. So, I think Donald Trump over the next several months is going to explain why he's better than Hillary Clinton.
What I think is interesting is that for Hillary Clinton and her supporters, it's not so much -- that she needs -- she has three categories of supporters that she has to reach out to. One is the folks from Sanders that are going to automatically go with the Democrats. The second is, the folks that just want to stay home. She needs to get those folks to get out and vote. And the third, those that are generally inclined to support someone like Donald Trump, just because he is anti-establishment. And he is not going to do business as usual.
BURNETT: Right. Well, some of those people, of course, are going to be at this rally tonight with Bernie Sanders. I just want to listen to this briefly. Because obviously -- meeting with the President, as of yet, he has not said anything about stepping aside. Let's listen in for a moment.
SANDERS: The fact of the matter is, even excluding the issue of Washington, D.C., not having elected representatives in the Congress --
(CROWD BOOING)
-- is that all of you know that increasingly, big money is buying elections.
(CROWD BOOING)
Right now, you have a couple of brothers called the Koch Brothers.
(CROWD BOOING)
They are worth tens of billions of dollars. And they are determined to purchase the United States' Senate for right wing Republicans.
(CROWD BOOING)
When you have a handful of billionaires spending unlimited sums of money, you can call it whatever you want, but it sure is not democracy.
(CROWD BOOING)
In fact, it sounds to me like oligarchy. And what this campaign has been talking about from day one is the trend that we are seeing in our political life, in our economic life, in our media life of fewer and fewer wealthy people controlling this nation. And that type of drift toward oligarchy is something we must prevent.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And that means overturning this disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
[19:15:08] It means moving to public funding of elections.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Can you imagine two people, the Koch Brothers, one family, in the process now of purchasing the United States Senate? Might view is, not only should we overturn Citizens United, but we should move toward public funding of elections.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
BURNETT: Bernie Sanders there speaking at a rally, and Mark Preston, Elizabeth Warren started speaking, we're going to that live in a moment. But he has not, at least speaking here, this is the same old Bernie Sanders. This is not a man about to say I concede, I now endorse.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: No. And I think there's something to be said about him staying true to his word that he's going to stay in through the District of Columbia. You know? He said he was always going to do that. He is going to do that. Although I think today when we saw him outside the White House, he conceded in a very uniting way that after D.C., they're coming together. Now, what I can tell you is, behind the scenes talking to folks, his conversations are going -- are going very well. Here's the thing, though. Bernie Sanders is the team player today. Bernie Sanders is the team player tomorrow. Will the Clinton campaign start to be the team player back? Will they give on policy issues that he wants?
BURNETT: Crucial issue.
PRESTON: Will they get rid of some folks on these committees, such as Governor Malloy of Connecticut and former Congressman Barney Frank who was very critical of Bernie Sanders and the Sanders people don't want them involved in the convention.
BURNETT: On the big crucial question, of course, is what Elizabeth Warren will have to say about all of this. An impressive icon, the person many say Bernie Sanders wants to be on that ticket with Hillary Clinton. Senator Elizabeth Warren is speaking live, she is expected to endorse Clinton tonight and take Trump down. I can tell you, some of the language you're going to hear in just moments is going to be scathing. You are going to hear this. Somebody taking on Trump in a way you have not heard before. Vice President Joe Biden then also speaking live this hour. We will bring that to you, as well. And more top Republicans attacking Trump today. Can the GOP fix it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:21:18] BURNETT: Breaking news. Senator Elizabeth Warren going to war with Donald Trump. She is speaking right now, and in just a moment or two, is going to be speaking about Donald Trump. She's going to be giving her coveted endorsement to Hillary Clinton, and as I said, talking about Donald Trump in words we have not heard yet before from anyone. In fact, words very much like Donald Trump might use in a speech about someone else.
Maggie, how significant is this, this speech tonight by Elizabeth Warren, taking on Donald Trump in an attack dog way that we haven't heard anybody else do, endorsing Hillary Clinton?
HABERMAN: I think all of those things matter. Because they're happening at the same time. I think that Elizabeth Warren is one of the only people who could signal to the Bernie Sanders' supporters, look, it's time to get on board, you've got to get on board when he is not yet at the point he wants to do that. But Elizabeth Warren we saw for several weeks was sort of framing the argument against Donald Trump in a way that Hillary Clinton's team was still struggling to do. Some people believe she might be trying to audition for the traditional role of VP which is attack dog that comes with risk if you had two women on one ticket.
But she is framing the case against Trump, not just in a way that other Democrats have struggled to do, but in a way that Trump has done against other people. She is really going right at him, with both eviscerating language and repetition, which is what Trump does. He says the same thing repeatedly about a rival. Whether it breaks through and sticks remains to be seen but that is what she's going for it.
BURNETT: And she is moments away from this crucial part about Donald Trump. And Tara, how significant do you think this is? As somebody, you know, you have said as a Republican, you're never going to get on board with Donald Trump. Elizabeth Warren, now you're unlikely ally.
TARA SETMAYER, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR REP. DANA ROHRABACHER: I found myself on the same side as many people that I never in my life thought I would. And I fought my entire adult life in politics against the policies of people like this. But you can have a difference in policy, but principles still remain the same. What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong. And in this situation, you have politically, you have Republicans that are been chasing their tails for the last week-and-a-half, trying to defend the nominee of our party who is unfit to be the nominee. But he is, so they have excused away things that they would never excuse away any other time.
If he had been a Democrat behaving the same way, saying similar things, the Republican Party would be collectively up in arms saying that this person is unfit to be president. And you have even Marco Rubio coming out again today, saying, well, I still think he's unfit to have the nuclear codes. But sort of I stay -- I stand where I stand, and I mean, everyone is trying to walk back the support, because you have a nominee who you have no control over, who doesn't have a coordinated message.
You referred to it earlier. I mean, his campaign doesn't even have a communications director. There is no solid messaging. So this week and today now, Donald Trump is not controlling the new cycle. Hillary Clinton is. And every time he doesn't and he goes underground a little bit like this, he comes back usually with a doozy. So God knows what's going to happen after this.
BURNETT: Well, this is my question to you, Jason. So, tonight -- just under a minute away from this crucial part about Donald Trump. She's going to go through bit by bit by bit, his comments about this judge.
OSBORNE: Right.
BURNETT: Does that influence anyone? And what does Donald Trump do? This is the big question. Does he keep calm and say, I'm not going to engage with it or does he engage with Elizabeth Warren?
OSBORNE: Well, I think there's a couple of things here. One is that a lot of people are going to be scratching their head, because she was kind of attacking Hillary Clinton over the last several months in terms of, you know, Bernie Sanders is better, not necessarily endorsing him. And so now they're -- she's shifted her attack to Trump. And it's red meat to obviously the Bernie Sanders supporters. But at the same time, they have to give Bernie Sanders supporters a reason to vote for Hillary, not just because it's Donald Trump. And I'm not hearing any of that today. All I'm hearing is attacking Donald Trump.
BURNETT: Well, what about this, though. Endorsing Hillary Clinton -- this is an interesting point, though. The endorsing Hillary Clinton part. You talk about how significant it is, Maggie. RNC came out in a statement that I think is pretty interesting because in a lot of ways, it's true. By endorsing Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren has shown herself to be a sellout. Whether it's the Wall Street speech transcript she refuses to release, her ties to the fossil fuel industry, or coziness with big banks, Hillary Clinton represents everything Elizabeth Warren supposedly stand against. There is something to be said about that.
SMIKLE: Well, I think Elizabeth Warren will deal with that. But the truth of the matter is, if she's at a point where she can say whatever differences we have, our ticket is stronger and better, that's the message that she's going to come out with. And I think oh -- and I have always said this. I think there's more similarities between her and Hillary and Bernie supporters and Hillary supporters as there are differences. Bernie did not run a quixotic campaign. He ran a substantive campaign that I think Democrats can all buy into. And Hillary is the nominee. So I think it's incumbent upon all of us to sort of get behind the nominee.
BURNETT: And yet here, Elizabeth Warren is literally taking the stage here on national television from Bernie Sanders. Let's listen to Senator Warren as she is about to eviscerate Donald Trump.
[19:26:06] SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: He faces historic disrespect from the Republicans who control the Senate. It is despicable. It must end, and we must end it.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
The goal here is pretty straight forward. It's to tilt the game. And it's working. Eighty six percent of President Obama's judicial nominees have either worked as a corporate attorney, a prosecutor or both. While less than four percent have worked as lawyers and public interest organizations. You know, professional diversity is missing from the federal bench. And justice suffers for it. But even disqualifying judges based on their professional background isn't enough for Donald Trump tells everyone who will listen that he is a great businessman. But let's be honest. He is just a guy who inherited a fortune and kept it rolling along by cheating people.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And you know, when that's your business model, sooner or later you're going to run into legal trouble. And Donald Trump has run into a lot of legal trouble. Oh, yes. Trump University. Which his own former employees refer to as one big fraudulent scheme. Now many of Trump University's victims ended up deep in debt. Sometimes tens of thousands of dollars in debt. And no way to pay it off. Trump's employee playbook said, look for people with financial problems, because they make good targets. He even encouraged his sales force to go after elderly people who are trying to create a little financial security, because Trump figured they were vulnerable. Now, I taught law for more than 30 years. And you can ask any lawyer in America, and they will tell you, that's like fraud. And --
(LAUGHTER)
I'm just saying. And by the way, that is exactly what Donald Trump is being sued for. He's being sued for fraud and worse, for targeting the most vulnerable people he could find, lying to them, taking all their money, and leaving them in debt. Now, some of these people are fighting back. Because in America, we have the rule of law. And that means, no matter how rich you are, no matter how loud you are, no matter how famous you are, if you break the law, you can be held accountable, even if your name is Donald Trump.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
But Trump doesn't think those rules apply to him. So in a political rally, two weeks ago, and almost daily since then, the presumptive Republican nominee for president of the United States has savagely attacked Gonzalo Curiel, the federal judge presiding over his case. He's explained, we are in front of a very hostile judge, Trump said. Frankly, he should recuse himself, he has given us ruling after ruling, negative, negative, negative. Understand what this is. Trump is criticizing Judge Curiel for following the law instead of bending it to suit the financial interests of one wealthy and oh-so-fragile defendant.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
[19:30:10] Now Trump also whined that he's being treated unfairly because the judge happens to be, we believe, Mexican. And when he got called out, he doubled down by saying, I'm building a wall. It's an inherent conflict of interest.
(LAUGHTER)
He's personally directed his army of campaign surrogates to step up their own public attacks on Judge Curiel. He's even condemned federal judges who are Muslim --?on the disgusting theory that Trump's own bigotry compromises the judges' neutrality. You just can't make this stuff up!
(APPLAUSE)
Now, like all federal judges, Judge Curiel is bound by the federal code of judicial ethics not to respond to these attacks. Trump is picking on someone who is ethically bound not to defend himself -- ?exactly what you would expect from a thin-skinned, racist bully.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, Judge Curiel can't respond -- but we can. We can tell his story.
Gonzalo Curiel was born in Indiana -- not Mexico?-- to immigrant parents who worked hard their entire lives and were handed nothing. He went to Indiana University for undergrad and then for law school.
For thirteen years, he worked as a federal prosecutor in Southern California, fighting the Mexican drug cartels as a leader of that region's narcotics enforcement division. He collaborated with top Mexican officials to disrupt the culture of corruption between the Mexican government and the most powerful and deadly cocaine smugglers in North America. And the effort was pretty impressive. On both sides of the border, money launderers, street gangs, and assassins were arrested and prosecuted.
But that success came at great cost. Witnesses were killed. Mexican officials were murdered. Judge Curiel himself was the target of an assassination plot and he spent the better part of a year living officially in hiding, under the protection of U.S. Marshals.
Later, after his years of service as a prosecutor, Judge Curiel was appointed to the California state courts by a Republican governor who calls him an "American hero." He was nominated to the federal bench by a Democratic president, and he was confirmed by a voice vote in the Senate.
That's what kind of a man Judge Curiel is.
What kind of a man is Donald Trump?
Donald Trump says "Judge Curiel should be ashamed of himself."
No, Donald, you should be ashamed of yourself.
(APPLAUSE)
Ashamed for using the megaphone of a Presidential campaign to attack a judge's character and integrity simply because you think you have some God-given right to steal people's money and get away with it. You shame yourself and you shame this great country.
(APPLAUSE)
Donald Trump says, "They all look into Judge Curiel because what Judge Curiel is doing is a total disgrace."
No, Donald, what you are doing is a total disgrace. Race-baiting a judge who spent years defending America from the terror of murderers and drug traffickers simply because long ago his family came to America from somewhere else. You, Donald Trump, are a total disgrace.
(APPLAUSE)
Judge Curiel is one of countless American patriots who has spent decades quietly serving his country, sometimes at great risk to his own life. Donald Trump is a loud, nasty, thin-skinned fraud who has never risked anything for anyone and who serves nobody but himself.
(APPLAUSE)
[19:35:10] And that is just one of the many reasons why he will never be President of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
But here's the thing, in spite of these shameful attacks, nobody doubts that Judge Curiel will continue to preside over Trump's case as a fair and neutral judge. Because Judge Curiel is a lawyer with integrity -- and that's what lawyers with integrity do.
Judge Curiel has survived far worse than Donald Trump. He has survived actual assassination attempts. He will have no trouble surviving Trump's nasty temper tantrums.
You know, when first asked, though, about whether he would condemn Trump's comments about Judge Curiel, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, said, well, gee, you know --
(LAUGHTER)
"Donald Trump is certainly a different kind of candidate."
(LAUGHTER)
And then after days of pressure, McConnell finally said attacking the judge is stupid and that Trump should, quote, "get on script."
What script is that, exactly? And where do you suppose Donald Trump got the idea that he can personally attack judges, regardless of the law, whenever they don't bend to the whims of billionaires and big business?
Trump isn't a different kind of candidate. He's a Mitch McConnell kind of candidate. Yes.
(APPLAUSE)
He is exactly the kind of candidate you'd expect from a Republican Party whose "script" for several years has been to execute a full- scale assault on the integrity of our courts, blockading judicial appointments so Donald Trump can fill them. Smearing and intimidating nominees who do not pledge allegiance to the financial interests of the rich and the powerful.
Now, Trump is also House Speaker Paul Ryan's kind of candidate. Paul Ryan condemned Trump's campaign for its attacks on Judge Curiel's integrity. Great.
Where's Paul Ryan's condemnation of the blockade, the intimidation, the smears, and the slime against the integrity of qualified judicial nominees and Judge Garland? Where is he?
(APPLAUSE)
Yes, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell want Donald Trump to appoint the next generation of judges. They want those judges to tilt the law in favor of big business and billionaires like Trump. They just want Donald to quit being so vulgar and obvious about it.
(LAUGHTER & APPLAUSE)
So, look, Donald Trump chose racism as his weapon, but his aim is exactly the same as the rest of the Republicans. Pound the courts into submission for the rich and the powerful. Senator McConnell recently said he's, quote, "pretty calm" about Donald Trump because "what protects us in this country against big mistakes being made is the structure, the Constitution, the institutions."
Mitch McConnell is 100 percent wrong. Our democracy does not sustain itself. Our Constitution does not sustain itself. The rule of law does not sustain itself.
There have always been those --
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Elizabeth Warren speaking there, just completing her comments about Donald Trump.
Gloria Borger, thin-skinned, racist bully. She uses the word "nasty" multiple times. We have not heard anybody speak like this against Donald Trump yet.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Not since Marco Rubio really or Jeb Bush tried.
Look, I think that the Democrats and she's been brilliant at it, because she's attacked Trump on Twitter.
[19:40:07] So, you know, the Democrats learn from the Republicans. And they right out of the box, they didn't give, and they're not giving Donald Trump any oxygen to breathe. You know, Republicans waited for him to implode and he didn't implode. The Democrats are going right at him.
And what he has done, the last few weeks, is sort of squandered that moment when he was out there all alone, and could have taken advantage of it as the Republican nominee. Instead now, they're all going to be ganging up on him. And this is the beginning of that process. And she is attack dog number one at this point. And she is doing a pretty good job of it.
BURNETT: This is nasty, to use her own word. This is very aggressive, what you just heard.
JASON OSBORNE, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Yes.
BURNETT: Donald Trump's reactions, wherever he is watching.
OSBORNE: You know, listening to her speak, I have several different reactions. I can't keep up with how many different things I'm thinking about.
I mean, say what you will about Donald Trump. But I mean, one thing we're going to talk about is at least he never did anything that risked the lives of U.S. soldiers or had anybody killed.
Say what you will about lawsuits. When she is saying that Donald Trump gets sued over and over again, the federal government, how many cases have been against Hillary Clinton or Bill Clinton?
BURNETT: OK. But you're trying to do what you want him to do. You're trying to completely switch the topic.
I asked you a question. What's his reaction to what he just heard Elizabeth Warren say. This is a woman who he called Pocahontas on Twitter.
OSBORNE: Right. I think his reaction will be the same as mine. Which is, again, if you're here endorsing Hillary Clinton, then say something nice about Hillary Clinton, because she's not doing any of that. And she's throwing red meat out to Bernie Sanders supporters who have been hearing for months about how Hillary Clinton is bad. So now she's just going to attack Donald Trump.
BURNETT: All right. We're going to take --
OSBORNE: Throw something to Hillary, at least.
BURNETT: All right. We're going to take a quick break here, because Senator Warren is wrapping up. Vice President Joe Biden about to stake the stage also expected to deliver very harsh words against Trump in this all-out assault tonight. This could be -- Vice President Biden. We expect this could be his strongest words yet.
We're going to have that live after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:45:54] BURNETT: Breaking news: we are waiting for Vice President Joe Biden to take the stage there, right after Elizabeth Warren. He is now going to be speaking.
While Democrats are uniting behind Hillary Clinton, the Republican Party, though, is at odds over whether to support Trump as party's nominee.
Sara Murray is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS REPORTER (voice-over): Tonight Donald Trump still grappling with the fallout from his attacks against a federal judge.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: Why would I feel compelled to support somebody whose positions I'm fundamentally disagree with?
MURRAY: As some Republicans say, they just aren't ready to commit to Trump, particularly after his claim that a judge was biased because of his Mexican heritage.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I have a judge who is a hater of Donald Trump. A hater. He's a hater. His name is Gonzalo Curiel.
MURRAY: Now, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is joining the chorus, suggesting he may not support the presumptive nominee after all and saying he's still waiting for Trump to renounce his prior criticism of the judge.
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'll be watching. We'll wait and see what happens going forward. It's sad in America we have such poor choices right now.
MURRAY: Even House Speaker Paul Ryan, privately pushing party unity, kept up his criticism today.
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This is something that needed to be condemned. That comment is beyond the pale.
MURRAY: All of this as Trump's backers in Washington are struggling to calm the storm.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: Trump is learning how to be a candidate. Nobody has ever done what Trump come from totally outside, never run for office.
REP. CHRIS COLLINS (R), NEW YORK: Last week a distraction. I believe Mr. Trump realizes that, as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MURRAY: Now Erin, we have seen some rumblings in the past couple days from Republicans who would like to be able to pull off a coup at the convention, ultimately block Donald Trump from accepting the nomination.
But while we have seen this from many prominent Ted Cruz supporters, we have not seen a groundswell of support from this idea from Republicans more broadly, even from delegates that are going to their convention.
So while it may be a Hail Mary pass, I just think it's so far-fetched, I can't believe it would ever possibly happen. But, you know, this is a campaign for not being able to predict what happens next.
BURNETT: Right. Everyone is saying, well, this could never happen and now here we are. It's a fair point.
All right. Sara, thank you very much.
I want to bring back my panel as we await Joe Biden, speaking about Donald Trump.
Tara, I mean, this is like your dream, right? Your dream if it something happens at the convention. And you get a different nominee. Do you think it could really happen?
I mean, you've got the former national co chair of Ted Cruz's campaign, Bob Vander Plaats, saying they're going to go for it.
TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, well, this whole episode is a nightmare, for most of us, believe me. I wish someone would wake me up. Of course, there are many people, and I've got news for you, there's
plenty of elected Republicans who haven't had the backbone to stand up and say this guy is not acceptable for us, doesn't represent the Republican Party. He's going to destroy us with minorities like the way Goldwater did to us.
But there are single seekers of re-election and there are political opportunists, so they jumped on the, quote, "Trump train" with many regrets. Because I can only imagine what Paul Ryan is going through, the day he decides to endorse Donald Trump is when all of this went on. So whether this will happen or not, I think it depends on how many other things Donald Trump says that are this bad.
BURNETT: OK.
(CROSSTALK)
SETMAYER: There's a little, you know, germ natured possible seed here. But it depends on what Donald Trump does between now and then.
BURNETT: And yesterday when I spoke to Mitch McConnell, Gloria, he said -- he was very clear. There is nothing Donald Trump could do or say that would make him take back his endorsement because the will of the people have spoken. And he's going to go with that.
BORGER: He's in the Senate and he's going to have party unity.
BURNETT: Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, though, came out and said something different. This was a man who have been moderating several of the Trump debate. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HUGH HEWITT: It's like ignoring stage-four cancer. You can't do it. You've got to do it. You have got to attack it. And right now, the Republican Party is facing -- the plane is headed towards the mountain after the last 72 hours. I want to support the nominee of the party, but I think the party ought to change the nominee, because we're going to get killed with this nominee.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BORGER: He wasn't a Never Trump guy, Hugh Hewitt.
BURNETT: No.
BORGER: He is a conservative but he wasn't a Never Trumper. So, I think what Hugh said is important statement.
And, look, I talked to a Republican strategist this week that said here's what I'm telling my clients, OK, I'm telling and he does Senate and House races, I am telling them say whatever you want about Donald Trump, you can criticize him all you want, because even people that support him have misgivings.
[19:50:06] But what you cannot do under any circumstance is say you're supporting Hillary Clinton, which, of course, Susan Collins today intimated that perhaps she could go there, she didn't say she would, but that's kind of the Rubicon.
So, I think for Republicans, anything goes, because they have to save their own skins right now. And so, this is the new normal I think in the Republican Party. They're going to be able to say whatever they want.
SETMAYER: Gloria, do you know how hard it will be for them?
BORGER: Yes.
SETMAYER: I can see in the fall ads being cut, Paul Ryan's words about this is textbook racism, Mitch McConnell, everybody, a litany of people that condemned Donald Trump, and then asking people to basically say, well, we know we're on the Titanic but you have to sink with the ship instead of getting on a life raft because you bought a ticket for the trip.
(CROSSTALK)
BASIL SMIKLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: First of all, I think what we are experienced it is not an apostasy with respect to the Republican Party. Folks not endorsing Donald Trump are Republicans and still want their races to be run-down ballot. For all of the folks Donald Trump brought into the election cycle, if they're talking about or calling themselves Republicans, they're going to go out and do whatever activity is necessary to support the ticket top to bottom.
So, it is important to all of this, particularly Democrats in my position to attach every down ballot candidate with Donald Trump, no matter how far they try to distance themselves.
SETMAYER: There's ads already.
BURNETT: Is there fear in the Trump camp this could happen? I mean, I can tell you I know talking to potential donors, they're not stepping on board, they're mad. They're upset about the judge issue. They're upset about other things. They are not writing the checks.
OSBORNE: No. I think, honestly, if a candidate is relying on the top of the ticket to help them win the race, then they haven't done their job as a senator or congressman. I think what people are forgetting are 15 million came out and voted for Donald Trump.
When we're still seeing polls in Pennsylvania and Florida, where Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are neck in neck, clearly, there's some group out there that supports Donald Trump and I think it's going to go. I think as we get through the election and we stop talking about these kind of Donald Trump said this and Donald Trump said that, and we start talking about the issues, there's going to be a clear difference.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: You start having tonight though Paul Ryan and Elizabeth Warren sounding like the same person. Here's Paul Ryan this morning on ABC News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN: This is something that needed to be condemned, that comment is beyond the pale, that's not political correctness. Suggesting a person can't do their job because of race or ethnicity, that's not a politically incorrect thing to do. That's just a wrong thing to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Paul Ryan, here is Elizabeth Warren moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN: Someone who is ethically bound not to defend himself, exactly what you would expect from a thin skinned racist bully.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: I mean, it's interesting, they are in different ways saying the same thing, that it l wrong to suggest that a person cannot do their job because of their race or ethnicity. Paul Ryan and Elizabeth Warren, unlikely bedfellows.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Two people on the opposite ends of the profession. But let's take what Jason said and let's take what Gloria said and let's put it together.
If you're a candidate right now and you are running a race and you are hoping that Donald Trump is going to help you win the race, you will lose that race, OK? That's number one. Number two, any thought, all due respect, any thought Donald Trump is going to be removed as Republican presidential nominee is the most ridiculous thing that's been discussed over the past couple days.
Bob Vander Plaats is one who's proposing it, he's not even on the committee. It's really important to note, that will never happen. If it does, Cleveland will burn in summer as we all thought it would be before. So, it's not going to happen.
He will be the nominee. He will be the nominee.
SETMAYER: Delegates from pulling a revolt at the convention, whether successful or not, you know, remains to be seen.
PRESTON: That's right.
SETMAYER: I think you're going to see it is not going to be smooth sailing.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Mitch McConnell said nothing will get me to change my mind because of what you point out, those 13 million votes, 14 million votes. But what if somebody very significant does say, I can't do this anymore, I tried and tried, I can't do it, whether it's Paul Ryan or Mitch McConnell, does it matter?
MAGGIE HABERMAN, PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: Yes.
BURNETT: You think it will matter.
HABERMAN: But you're talking about gradations, right? Are you talking about, does it matter that he'll be the nominee. He will be the nominee as Mark said.
Does it matter in terms of him winning election? Yes, it matters a great deal. I think there's a limit to which if you put together the contrast right now from what you are seeing on the Democratic side versus the Republican side, it is stark. You are seeing Democrats, even Sanders saying I'm going to keep going until D.C. this week, you know, but he is going to make sure Trump is not the president, that's very different than what you're saying on the Republican side, which is sort of extensive condemnation, and can Donald Trump go, you know, 72 hours without back sliding?
[19:55:12] BORGER: You know, this is a different context from the primaries. When the establishment went against Donald Trump in the primaries, Donald Trump triumphed, that was one thing. Now, it is a general election context. And he's got to attract some new voters.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: OK. Quick break. When we come back, Vice President Biden speaking live, expected to attack Trump at the same podium you heard Elizabeth Warren speak at. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: All right. In Washington, Joe Biden, you see him there, going to be speaking in a couple of moments, going to deliver an attack on Donald Trump. That speech is expected to start any moment now.
You will hear it in full here on CNN. Thank you for joining us.
I'll see you back here tomorrow night. Don't forget. You can watch our show anytime, anywhere on CNN Go.
In the meantime, "AC360" with Anderson Cooper begins right now.
