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Erin Burnett Outfront
Pence Releases Tax Returns; Trump Holds Out; Obama: North Korea's Nuke Test A Grave Threat; Larry King Speaks Out on Trump's Interview on Russian TV; Pence Admits Obama Born in U.S., Trump Stays Silent; New Pics Show Trump, Bill Clinton Laughing It Up. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired September 09, 2016 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:00] ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: OUTFRONT next, breaking news, Mike Pence releasing his tax returns. Why won't Donald Trump do the same?
Plus, more breaking news tonight, North Korea exploding its most powerful nuclear warhead ever?
Could Kim Jong-un launch a nuclear attack on the United States? And Larry King speaking out about his controversial interview with Donald Trump. What really happened behind the scenes? He's my guest. Let's go OUTFRONT.
Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett, OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, taxing news for Trump. Mike Pence, Donald Trump's running mate of course releasing his income tax return and releasing ten years of them. Pence following a decades-old tradition for both presidential and vice presidential candidates putting out that in 2015 he and his wife Karen made a combined $113,026 in adjusted growth income. They paid $8,956 in federal income tax. Now, that means their effective income tax rate was eight percent.
The move now places the burden on Donald Trump to release his. I mean, after all, eight percent, well, I mean, maybe his rate is lower than that. But might be a little bit higher. We shall see. If he will not refuse them. He continues to refuse to release them. He said they're nobody else's business.
Sunlen Serfaty is OUTFRONT tonight in Pensacola, Florida. Donald Trump is about to rally supporters gathering behind you, Sunlen right there tonight. Trump still not releasing his taxes, but what are we learning from Mike Pence's?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, I think there are a few key takeaways from what we've seen so far. First and foremost we're not seen some big seven-figure salary coming from Mike Pence. These are relatively modest numbers that we're seeing especially when you think about the potential to be compared against his running mate at the top of the ticket. But our team is still going through this. But during some interesting things jumped out at them really showing us some insight on how the Pence family earns and in this case loses their money. In 2006, it appears that the Pence family, they lost about $670,000
when their family business went bankrupt. That was the Keel Brothers oil and oil distributor. And Mike Pence's father worked there. The spokesman for Pence calling out that Pence specifically, he had a minority interest in the company. But beyond the specifics of his tax returns, as you noted, this most certainly keeps the issue front and center for Donald Trump that he has simply refused to release his own tax returns, and it has long been an issue on the campaign.
Donald Trump has said that he will not release them until -- because he's under audit right now although we do know most recently a letter from his tax council revealed that certain years in the years of 2002 to 2008 are no longer under audit meaning, Erin, that he could potentially release these tax returns. Again, this is just a very big issue dogging the Trump campaign and this is shining a spotlight once again on Trump's refusal to do so -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Sunlen, thank you very much. Obviously crucial, 2002 to 2008 aren't under audit that obviously includes the first year of the financial crises and when Trump is supposedly betting against the housing market, a lot of crucial information could be even in those years alone.
Also tonight, both candidates talking tough in the face of a new threat to U.S. National Security and I'm talking about North Korea's massive nuclear test. That's what it was. It was twice as powerful as the test just nine months ago. Clinton today calling it an outrageous threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We are not going to let anyone who is a treaty ally and partner of ours be threatened and we are not going to let North Korea pursue a nuclear weapon with the ballistic missile capacity to deliver it to the United States territory. That is absolutely a bottom-line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Trump, meanwhile, laying the blame for the test squarely on Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Just today it was announced that North Korea performed its fifth nuclear test. Its fourth since Hillary Clinton became secretary of state. It's just one more massive failure from a failed secretary of state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Jeff Zeleny is OUTFRONT with the Clinton campaign. Jeff, Clinton met with national security experts today before making her comments about North Korea. I know you were there, and she was talking about North Korea. Also saying the Obama administration's plan isn't enough. So criticism there. JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Some criticism
Erin, perhaps trying to put a little distance between herself and what clearly hasn't always been successful by this administration and administrations before it. But she did say this requires a rethinking of the U.S. strategy. Now perhaps that sounds obvious just given the news of the last 24 hours, given the successful test of yet another nuclear weapon but she called for more direct conversations on this.
In fact, she was asked if there could be direct conversations like the Iran deal and she said she would be open to more of that, but she also talked directly about China. This is perhaps the most interesting thing in terms of how she was trying to differentiate herself from the Obama administration. She said, we do have more leverage with China than you may think. She didn't necessarily elaborate, but she said, this is something that has to be made clear to China that, you know, that they are deeply involved in this and have to step up in this, as well.
[19:05:31] So, the leverage to China was interesting. All of this is coming as this presidential campaign suddenly got very real today. This threat from North Korea making crystal clear the threats that are facing either of these two running to be commander-in-chief. That's why she was holding the meeting of her national security advisers and this North Korea threat just happened to happen after she scheduled that. So, clearly, she was trying to show that she was presidential here but clearly shows her owns the Obama administration's record on this as well.
BURNETT: She certainly does and obviously Donald Trump trying to point out that the four tests since she came into office, three of them of course after she left office.
Thank you, Jeff Zeleny.
President Obama promising significant consequences from North Korean, very unclear on what those might be though. In a statement, during the quote, "Unshakeable U.S. commitment taking necessary steps to defend our allies in the region." This was a major, major test of possibly new capabilities for North Korea.
Will Ripley is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): North Korea is sending shockwaves around the world, detonating a nuclear bomb.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
The triumphant announcement is Kim Jong-un's fifth successful nuclear test and perhaps North Korea's most powerful to date. Seismologists detected a blast they say was slightly smaller than the bomb that fell on Hiroshima triggering a 5.3 magnitude earthquake in the same area as four previous North Korean nuclear tests in 2006, 2009, 2013 and in January. This latest test still unverified by the U.S. believed to be ten kilotons, twice as powerful as the last. Even more concerning, North Korea says it detonated a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on a ballistic missile that could someday hit the U.S. The regime has successfully tested four missiles in just the last two weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are deeply concerned by the continuing act of provocation by the DPRK regimes.
RIPLEY: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon joining a chorus of world leaders strongly condemning Pyongyang's latest provocation. President Obama called the nuclear test a grave threat. The Japanese prime minister said it was absolutely unacceptable. The President of South Korea called Kim Jong-un's regime fanatically reckless as the U.N. Security Council called an emergency meeting.
CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA: Clearly, they don't care what we think. They don't care about our admonitions. They don't care about joining the international community.
RIPLEY: Believed to be in his early 30s, Kim's profile and power inside North Korea continues to rise.
In May, I went to this rare gathering of North Korea's newly reshuffled ruling party which unsurprisingly unanimously approved Kim's plan to aggressively expand North Korea's arsenal. Unprecedented sanctions, even those naming Kim Jong-un himself have failed to stop or even slow North Korea's weapons development.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: So why would Kim Jong-un invest so heavily in these weapons programs given the sanctions and the likelihood of more, given the isolation and the suffering that his people endure as a result? The answer is clear. One, he wants to preserve his regime and by projecting power both internationally but even more importantly at home he gives an image that he is firmly in control of this growing nuclear arsenal.
Plus, North Korea could eventually sell these weapons, every time they perfect a weapon, they sell it. They could sell it to a terrorist organization, other states and he feels that this type of weapon will give him leverage, Erin to force the United States and the international community to recognize North Korea as a nuclear power even though President Obama strongly said today that absolutely won't happen.
BURNETT: Will Ripley, thank you very much.
OUTFRONT now, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers who is also advising Trump's transition team on national security. Clinton supporter Juliette Kayyem, a former assistant secretary of Homeland Security. And Barbara Starr, a Pentagon correspondent. I mean, Barbara, this is pretty stunning, right, that this was double the size of what they were able to test earlier this year. It is -- there's major concern here.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, really across the world, Erin, because the North Koreans are saying and they are claiming that they tested a nuclear warhead. If that is true, then that is a stunning development because it begins to put them much more firmly on the path. A missile, a warhead on the front of that missile and the possibility that they could put it all together and put it on a mobile launcher and it is very hard to keep track of in times of war and have a range to hold South Korea, Japan and even parts of the United States at risk. It's unprecedented.
BURNETT: I mean, it is unprecedented and it truly is terrifying, Mike, when you put this in context. And when you talked about the size, you just heard Will Ripley talking about it as slightly smaller than the Hiroshima bomb. Obviously, this is something that could kill, I mean, you know, what you're talking about now depending on what sort of the metro area you hit millions of people.
[19:10:46] MIKE ROGERS (R), FORMER HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Yes. Obviously, this is very, very concerning for a couple of things. They've ramped up their testing. Their first test was in 2006 and 2009 and 2012. Multiple tests now in 2016 and there are three components you worry about on this, Erin, that weaponization part that Barbara Starr talked about, that's the hardest part. Missiles, we've seen them fire missiles from a submarine. We've seen them test fire scud missiles in rapid fire to try to counter air defense systems in places like Japan.
Recently, all of this is recently. And now they're saying they have this standardized, weaponized nuclear tip on these missiles. I'm a little skeptical that they've gotten that far on that, but I will tell you, this is a very -- they're playing a very dangerous game as they move forward with all of these tests. It's two-thirds of the size of the bomb that we dropped in Hiroshima. That is big and it is dangerous.
BURNETT: I mean, and Barbara, you mentioned here looking at the map, you know, you say they could hit obviously elsewhere in Asia, but also the United States. This has been their goal. This is something some in the U.S. military are deeply, deeply afraid of when you look at the -- they can strike the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, down into California is the goal. Did U.S. even know? Do we even know where they have or where they are?
STARR: Well, I mean, if you look at the map, I mean, that's just a stunning part of the globe that they could hold really at risk with their nuclear weapons. I agree with Mike. I think it remains to be seen how much of this arsenal right now really could work, but if they are on the path and they are having a successful test program, they can get there eventually and sooner rather than later, maybe, and that's why you saw President Obama today remind the world that he will not -- he says he won't allow them to become a nuclear state and a nuclear power and he talked about the full U.S. capability to protect our allies in the region and what he's really talking about is reminding Kim Jong-un, the U.S., too, has nuclear weapons.
BURNETT: Of course though, using them is something we say we never consider doing. Julia, Donald Trump today comes and says, look, this is the fourth test North Korea has performed since Hillary Clinton became secretary of state. Now, granted, three of those tests were after she was secretary of state. But he is saying, her leadership or lack thereof is part of what caused this. Why can you put someone in the White House? Why we should put someone in the White House who was unable to stop what could be a great existential threat to our nation.
JULIETTE KAYYEM, FORMER ASSISTANT HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, there is no question to existential threat. And there's also no question of the first nuclear testing was in the previous administrations. Let's just get the calendar straight right now. I also think it's worth noting, right, at least, that there's only one solution to this problem and it's called China. That is it, unless you're going to commit us to --
BURNETT: Using nuclear weapons.
KAYYEM: Right. Using nuclear weapons, right. Exactly. The solution is China because the only reason why the North Korean regime actually can survive because everyone's starving. It has no economy is because of the influence and investments by the Chinese. So why do we have this concerted effort of outrage? It's not just because people are only talking, it is to convince the Chinese that there are going to be penalties to China and particularly in Asia if they don't start to focus on either changing this regime or stopping this regime.
Now, this is like, oh, if only I had been president, Donald Trump, everything would be fine. This is a problem that China has had, Japan has had, South Korea has had --
BURNETT: Right.
KAYYEM: And there's only one solution.
BURNETT: All right. But Mike Rogers, this is something Donald Trump does say. He says, he is going to take on China, easier said than done though. I mean, if it were that easy, just go in and say, hey, China, do it or else, President Obama would have done that if it were that easy. It is not that easy.
ROGERS: Well, here is the challenge for the next president. So, there's probably a several steps that they're going to have to take. A, I think this administration show that it is serious in the sense that there's also this military option that is short of nuclear weapons. We don't -- I don't believe the President really actually meant he was using nuclear weapons. I think he meant that we have kinetic strike capability that would far exceed the North Koreans' ability to stop it. Meaning they could target their nuclear weapon program.
I think, Mike Rogers thinks that's what he was trying to say and that's actually the right statement to say for the North Koreans and that is a bit of a deterrent. We're also going to have to bring joint exercises closer to the Korean Peninsula with Japan and other allies in the region that risk -- that are at risk including South Korea, that are at risk from these nuclear or missiles. The other part of this, by the way, on China. It's not just China. We can get to the public on top of the table trading issues. I think those are easier to get to.
What China will and has not done is stopped the black market trading on the north border. That's how they're surviving. The black market economy is huge. China doesn't want to touch it because they're in some economic tough times, as well. We'll going to have to get at that.
[19:15:34] BURNETT: All right. Thanks to all. And next, Larry King on what happened behind the scenes in his now very controversial interview with Donald Trump.
Plus, Trump's closest aides say that he believes President Obama was born in the United States. Why are they the ones saying it? Why can't Donald Trump say it himself?
And surprising new photos of Donald and Melania hanging out with -- Bill Clinton in a swimsuit model.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:19:17] BURNETT: Breaking news tonight. Larry King speaking out after a controversial interview with Donald Trump. The Republican presidential nominee defending Russian President Vladimir Putin during an interview with King which aired on a television network owned by the Kremlin. Here's what Trump said to King about accusations that the Russians hacked Democrats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I think it's probably unlikely. I think maybe -- maybe the Democrats are putting that out. Who knows? But I think that it's -- it's pretty unlikely, but you know, who knows? I hope that if they are doing something I hope that somebody's going to be able to find out so they can end it because that would not be appropriate at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: The Trump campaign claims it had no idea that that interview was airing on a Russian network.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: A former CNN superstar Larry King has a podcast and Mr. Trump went on his podcast. Nobody said it was going to be on Russian TV.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Joining me now by phone Larry King, host of war TV's "LARRY KING NOW" and "POLITICKING WITH LARRY KING." So, Larry, let me just start by asking you the very basic question. How did this interview come about?
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Let me give you a little history, Erin. BURNETT: Yes.
KING: I find this amusing and it's a mountain out of a mole hill. I've known Donald Trump for almost 40 years. I've interviewed him probably 100 times. The last time before this time, was he did a podcast. My wife and I do a podcast once a week, on Podcast One and he guested on that about six months ago. In the interim, I've talked to him on occasion, and I said you've got to be my TV show and he said, I'm working on it and finally it was out of my hands and my producers worked with Donald Trump's people whoever they are and they finally settled on, okay, he can do it whenever that was, Wednesday morning, early in the morning.
Our deal. I do "LARRY KING NOW" three days a week "POLITICKING" two days a week and we are distributed by various people, our own Aura.tv, that's our company. Hulu (ph) distributes us. R.T. -- they pay -- I don't even know what they pay. They pay the company to carry our show. We are carried by cable companies all over the world. We just signed a deal with China. I just broadcast Erin, like you do.
You go in and you broadcast. I go in and I broadcast. I don't know what Trump do. He could have known it was a podcast because he just did my podcast. So -- by the way, on R.T. -- on most of our politicking shows, I would say 50 percent of the time Russia is criticized. Putin is annihilated and they have never edited it. So what's the deal?
BURNETT: All right. Your show as you say airs on various distribution channels among them, Aura TV, Hulu, RT. Our senior media correspondent Brian Stelter does report that RT is the main distributor. So, if that is the case, let me just ask you the question point-blank, have they ever exerted any editorial control over you, asked you what you have on? What you're going to ask, ask you to make edits in any way?
KING: Never in my life. Erin, I've been on the air 60 years. Twenty six of them at your network. I have never been told what to ask or not to ask. I have never been sued. I have never had -- I have never had that in my whole career and the proof would be, if you got every tape I've done the last three years on "POLITICKING," Putin is criticized almost once a week, and they have never -- and if they would edit it, I would demand that we stop having them license us.
BURNETT: So, have you had a chance to speak to Donald Trump since this interview or your producers to speak to his campaign?
KING: No, I have not. No one's called me. I mean, I'm friends with Donald. I am friends with Hillary. I know a lot of people for a lot of years. I never say who I'm going to vote for. I'm always fair. We were doing an interview and it was supposed to be for ten minutes and right at the end of ten minutes I stopped. I never got to say good-bye. I don't know why I stopped so abruptly. But if Donald said he thought it was a podcast that stretches it a little because he just did my podcast. I did not make the arrangements for him to be on the show. My producers talked to his people, and they made the arrangements. So I never know what was said to him except he was doing my TV show.
BURNETT: Now, is there any chance that they wouldn't have known that this was airing on R.T.? I mean, as you know, as I was saying --
KING: I have no idea.
(CROSSTALK)
I have no idea.
BURNETT: So I want to play, Larry, that moment because you say he hung up abruptly after ten minutes. It was very strange, here is the end of the moment interview. You actually asking Donald Trump about immigration, and here's how that played out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[19:24:15] KING: On this immigration issue, what are your feelings about Mexican immigrants? What are your -- what do you feel about this?
Donald, are you there? I don't know what happened there. We did not lose the connection so something happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Larry, what do you think happened? Was he uncomfortable with talking about immigration? Mexican immigrants? I mean, what happened? Those are very strange.
KING: The strange part is that the producers called my -- this is my producers telling me this, I did not speak to them and apologized. They said that a girl came in and for some reason told Donald he had something else to do and he had to leave. It just was strange and not only did they apologize, but they were planning to reschedule another appearance next week.
BURNETT: And at this point it's unclear, right? Whether he's going to do that or not.
KING: Erin, all I do is do a show. Like you're doing the show now. I do a show.
BURNETT: All right. Well, Larry King. Thank you so much. I appreciate you taking the time and coming on and explaining your side of this, thanks.
KING: Erin, stay well.
BURNETT: All right. And next, a lot to talk about to our panel. They're all with me. Trump's closest advisers all letting go of the birther conspiracy theory, will Donald Trump do the same? Get ready guys.
And then Donald Trump and Bill Clinton in supermodel company. Coming up, just-released photos of the two men cavorting together and we're standing by for Donald Trump who is about to speak live in Pensacola, Florida, at that rally. And that's coming up, just ahead live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:29:53] BURNETT: And you're looking at live pictures out of Florida right now. Donald Trump is going to be speaking at a campaign rally there in Pensacola in just a few moments. As we await that, tonight top members of the Trump campaign are all agreeing on something and that is that President Obama was born in the United States. The one person who actually has not said that directly though is Donald Trump himself.
Miguel Marquez is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): His campaign manager says it.
KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: He believes President Obama was born here.
MARQUEZ: So do his surrogates.
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: I believe it. He believes it. We all believe it.
MARQUEZ: Even his running mate says it, telling reporters this week, "I believe Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. I accept his birthplace."
So why won't Donald Trump?
BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: Do you think your birther position has hurt you among African-Americans?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I don't know. I have no idea. I don't even talk about it anymore.
MARQUEZ: But just last year --
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you accept that President Obama was born in the United States?
TRUMP: I really don't know.
MARQUEZ: The reality show man built a political name for himself in the run-up to the 2012 race by questioning President Obama's citizenship.
TRUMP: Why doesn't he show his birth certificate? You know what? I wish he would because it's a terrible pale that's hanging over him.
MARQUEZ: That was March 2011. For weeks, Trump railed on this single issue.
TRUMP: There's no birth certificate. There's only a certificate of live birth which is a totally different thing. Barack Obama should give his birth certificate.
MARQUEZ: In June 2008, Obama released a short-form birth certificate. To mollify critics, chief among them Donald Trump, in April 2011, he released his long form birth certificate.
TRUMP: Today, I'm very proud of myself.
MARQUEZ: Trump claimed victory, sort of.
TRUMP: I want to look at it, but I hope it's true.
MARQUEZ: A year and a half later in October 2012, an emboldened Trump insisted on even more documents, passport and college applications to bolster a birth certificate he still questions.
TRUMP: If he releases these records it will end the question, and indeed, the anger of many Americans.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Donald Trump is here tonight.
MARQUEZ: Trump's single-minded focus on the president's birthplace became a joke to the president himself.
OBAMA: No one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald. And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like did we fake the moon landing?
MARQUEZ: Trump, not laughing today. Also not saying whether he thinks his birther obsession was a mistake or whether he now believes Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUEZ: Now, the only thing that Mr. Trump will say today is that he won't talk about that issue anymore, but even his most proponent African-American supporter, Ben Carson, says it's probably a good idea that Mr. Trump apologize for his stance on the birther issue, something that Mr. Trump seems not likely to do -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Miguel, thank you very much.
And OUTFRONT now, presidential campaign correspondent for "The New York Times", Maggie Haberman, senior adviser to the Trump campaign, Boris Epshteyn, Hillary Clinton supporter Basil Smikle, and "Washington Post" political reporter Philip Bump.
Boris, let me start with you.
Donald Trump's campaign says Trump believes that President Obama was born in the United States. Mike Pence says Obama was born in the United States. Why can't Donald Trump say it directly? President Obama was born in the United States.
BORIS EPSHTEYN, SENIOR ADVISER, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Let's go to the facts here. This whole issue is born out of Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign. It was a failing campaign and she tried to ask the questions and she could get an answer.
Donald Trump then succeeded in getting an answer and the answer is that Barack Obama was born in the United States. Donald Trump has moved on. The campaign has moved on, let's move on to the issues that matter, immigration, national security and whatever you want to talk about.
BASIL SMIKLE, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: That's fascinating.
MAGGIE HABERMAN, NEW YORK TIMES PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT: Hillary Clinton did not try to get answers about that. Donald Trump has never said publicly that he disavows what he has said and he is the person who brought it very prominently into the public light in 2011. It skyrocketed him in the polls and he saw it, was aware of it, his aides were aware of it. It was actually something that movement conservatives wished they would stop talking about it at the time, because they considered it a fringe movement that was basically debunked over and over again.
What I think is going to happen is Donald Trump will likely get asked about this at least one of the debates and I suspect that some of this is either has advisers trying to talk to him over TV or in person or what have you to get him to focus this, but this issue is not going to go away.
EPSHTEYN: From someone who has talked to him on a lot of issues, this is not an issue that is in the top ten of this campaign.
This is an issue --
(CROSSTALK)
EPSHTEYN: Hold on. If people at this table have questions about Barack Obama's birth, you can talk about it. Our campaign, Donald Trump, do not.
BURNETT: Donald Trump, but why Donald Trump has not directly said it, Philip, is the point, right?
PHILIP BUMP, POLITICAL REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: In January, Wolf Blitzer, who was following up on the question when Donald Trump was accusing Ted Cruz, you know, having been born in Canada, therefore ineligible, Wolf Blitzer asked him, and he said, who knows? Who knows where he's born? He doesn't want to focus it.
Like, right now, the Donald Trump is extensively reaching out to African-American voters. They're doing all this outreach, it is clear this is an issue among African-American and that's why --
(CROSSTALK)
BUMP: Let me finish, please? And that is why if the Trump campaign, if Donald Trump were serious about reaching out to African-American voters, this is a fairly easy thing to do and yet, I agree, it's odd that he's not.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Basil?
SMIKLE: He's made an excellent point. Your outreach to African- Americans did not include an apology for the birther comment. It's an abject failure --
(CROSSTALK)
SMIKLE: Let me talk. It's an abject failure of this outreach and indeed his campaign because this comment a birth, that he's not born here is a proxy for delegitimizing this man. The fact that a sitting president had to do a press conference -- the fact that a president had to do a press conference to produce his birth certificate. What does that say?
(CROSSTALK)
SMIKLE: She did not.
(CROSSTALK)
SMIKLE: And the fact of the matter is to this day most Republicans and probably 20 percent of this country believes that he is foreign born.
(CROSSTALK)
SMIKLE: In many polls -- in many polls -- at least 50 percent -- 50 to 54 Republicans --
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Hold on one second everyone because here's part of the issue, Boris. The issue is he says now he doesn't want to talk about it, but since President Obama released the long form birth certificate, which the Obama administration said they did because of Donald Trump, right? They have admitted that that's why they did it. Since he released that, here's a few of things Donald Trump has said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Who is satisfied? All you have to do is pick up the newspapers and there are many, many people, tremendous numbers of people that are not satisfied. There's tremendous skepticism as to what he presented.
Some people say that was not his birth certificate. I don't know. Nobody knows.
John McCain failed and couldn't get it, but Trump comes along and said birth certificate. He gave a birth certificate. Now all to do is find out whether or not it was real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
EPSHTEYN: You plan on telling me --
BURNETT: Don't you need to say you're sorry?
EPSHTEYN: No. There's no --
BURNETT: That's absurd, Boris.
EPSHTEYN: This is an issue that's been put to bed and it's absolutely resolved. Barack Obama was born in the United States and now, we're moving on. The campaign has moved on. Donald Trump has moved on. He said so last week.
Hold on -- he said last week, I'm not talking about this anymore. We're moving on.
(CROSSTALK)
EPSHTEYN: Now let me finish.
As far as African-American outreach goes, we're at 8 percent. Mitt Romney received 6 percent. McCain received 2 percent. We're obviously doing well because the voters out there don't care about this. They care about the economy and national security.
SMIKLE: Have you gone to the African-American community and asked them if they care about this because that's real outreach.
EPSHTEYN: We delve on the polls.
BURNETT: Maggie?
HABERMAN: The point I was trying to make before is the point that Philip made is black voters do care about this and polls have shown it. And so, when you have -- they have. And when Trump is reaching out to black voters to engage them or to try to change opinions of him among other voters, there is a very easy way to put this to rest as Hillary Clinton saw yesterday by answering her e-mail questions at the press conference, reporters eventually stop asking.
(CROSSTALK)
HABERMAN: Boris, give me a second, OK? When people eventually handle something and do put it to bed, that's the end. It is not going to suffice in a presidential campaign for a candidate to have advisers say it and that's just going --
(CROSSTALK)
EPSHTEYN: If there is someone out there who doesn't believe it, they can go follow up. We, as a campaign, are stating -- let's move on to the real issues.
BURNETT: I think the bottom line is Maggie's right. He's going to be asked that question and he's either going to give a direct answer saying, that did he believe that the president was born in this country or not? And if he doesn't, it's going to become a big issue.
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: Well, next, we're awaiting Donald Trump because he's about to rally supporters in Florida, a key state where the race is neck and neck.
Plus, newly released photos, Bill Clinton hanging out with the Trumps at the time they were dating, Melania and Donald. You see them there and you see Bill Clinton. Who is the man who donated a whopping $20 million to beat Donald Trump? Our special report coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:43:13] BURNETT: Tonight, new photos released that show Bill Clinton palling around with the Trumps. The Clinton presidential library putting them out, not by choice, after a Freedom of Information request from the media.
Here's a picture showing Bill Clinton with his arm wrapped around Melania who, of course, is now married to Donald Trump, at the time was his girlfriend. Trump's arm wrapped around "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit model Kylie Bax in this picture. And then, here's another one, Clinton and Trump both laughing, having a great time together.
Brianna Keilar is OUTFRONT.
Brianna, you know, look, these pictures, both Trump and Clinton have tried to downplay their ties over the years, right, saying, no, no, no, no. You know, Clinton even said, oh, I happened to be in Florida, so I went to Trump's wedding.
These photos show something that seems to be very different.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they do. I mean, it's hard to know because obviously, if you've been around Bill Clinton, he is someone who engages with a lot of people in a very familiar way. He loves people and is very outgoing, but you see in these photos that they're laughing. There are big smiles. They're kind of palling around.
The Clinton Library actually put these photos out, 22 of them because there was a Freedom of Information Act request from "Politico" and these were put out.
So, in them, you see Clinton here and they were the final months of his presidency with Trump, and it's actually official White House photographs. This photo you're looking at now, this is when Bill Clinton went to a fund-raiser and Donald Trump and they're wearing the suits there and the more casual dress was because it was taken in a box during the U.S. Open.
But it's pretty interesting, because as I mentioned, this was a FOIA request. These were newly public. They are also according to the National Archives which runs the Clinton library, Erin, 59 photos that they found of Hillary Clinton in 1994 at a fund-raiser that Donald Trump attended.
They are not going to release those. They say those are personal which protects them from release.
[19:45:03] But it's unclear how many of these may be pictures of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton together, but those would be some really interesting photos to see.
BURNETT: They certainly would. Thank you, Brianna.
And OUTFRONT now, the communications director for the RNC, Sean Spicer.
And, Sean, you see these photos and Donald Trump laughing it up with Bill Clinton and posing for photos, very friendly.
Trump has run on being an outsider, constantly slamming the Clintons for their connections. Doesn't this prove he's friends with them and make his criticism ring hollow?
SEAN SPICER, RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: No. It means that he's a businessman and he's made very clear his connections to not just the Clintons, but politicians in the past and he's a successful businessman that played in the political world, but as a donor and a successful businessman, more than a politician.
So, this is something that he's talked about in the past, his association with prominent politicians, and he's a former president and a successful businessman that connected. It's nothing that unusual.
BURNETT: So, he's facing criticism today, Sean, for giving an interview to Larry King. Of course, the interview aired on Russian Television and he had said some positive things there about Russia. The Trump campaign said it didn't know that that interview was going to air on Russian Television because they thought it was for a podcast.
But I just talked to Larry King. He told me this, quote, "If Donald said he thought it was a podcast that stretches it a little bit because he just did my podcast." At the least, doesn't this show the Trump campaign isn't organized to know where interviews will be airing, which is a basic thing that they need to know?
SPICER: Well, unfortunately, the difference is that Larry King and Donald Trump go back farther. So, it's not -- in a lot of cases, people who have known Mr. Trump for a long time including members of the media, have called and we'll go through a different channel, if you will.
And again, I've done Larry King's podcast and his show to be honest with you and several people have done it and part of it is because Larry King has a lot of great connections, knows a lot of people and he's a legacy-type journalist so people do it because he's got multiple platforms and sometimes people just don't ask. Frankly, when I did it the first time, I didn't even know where he
was. People called and said Larry King wants to put you on his show, and I just did it.
BURNETT: So, Sean, the chairman of the RNC, Reince Priebus, of course, your boss, tweeted on the national security forum this week. "Hillary Clinton was angry and defensive the entire time. No smile and uncomfortable, upset that she was caught wrongly sending our secrets."
Look, a lot of critics have said this was sexist and I think at the least, Sean, it does not seem that is not a tweet that would have been sent about a man. I mean, what is the relevance in smiling, in fact, during a national security forum one would think it was a negative that one would be smiling a lot.
I mean, do you wish he hadn't sent that tweet?
SPICER: No, let's go back to the predicate of the tweet, right? She had been talking, having to defend her improper use of classified information, her improper setup of this illegal secret server and the point was, is that she looks uncomfortable.
Frankly, just -- let's be honest. Maggie Haberman from "The New York Times" sent out a tweet that said she looked irritated and angry. David Axelrod today on your air said she looked irritated.
The Clinton campaign is pivoting to an entire new strategy of trying to be positive. Then, they went out and attacked Matt Lauer as the moderator. I mean, the reality is, she did look irritated, and angry, and upset. She had a bad night. She was on --
BURNETT: But irritated and angry, but why no smile? I mean, irritated and angry, why say smile relevant?
SPICER: Well, look, I think you're interacting with folks. I think part of it is to show that you're comfortable part of media training 101. Go out there and look like you're enjoying it, interacting, it was a town hall forum. You're being asked by voters and interacting with them.
I think that the Clintons realize they had a bad night and what did they do? They went and blamed people because they went out and recognized the obvious. And then, second, they went out and blamed Matt Lauer for saying he was over the top. It was other veterans that asked those questions, too. Are they mad at them?
At some point, they have to take responsibility for their own actions. Hillary Clinton has a history of making everything about somebody else's problem. It's always someone else's mistake that caused her to do something. It's the policies of this. It's someone's bad advice. It's Colin Powell's bad, you know, advice.
It's never her fault for not obeying the rules that everyone has to obey.
BURNETT: Sean Spicer, thank you very much.
SPICER: Thank you. Have a great weekend.
BURNETT: And next, a man called the world's youngest self-made billionaire donating $20 million of his own dollars to stop Donald Trump and help Hillary. Who is he? Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:53:24] BURNETT: Tonight, a man you've most likely never heard of shaking up the race for the White House.
Dan Simon has tonight's "Big Number".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He shared a dorm room with Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard and was co-founder of Facebook. Now, 32-year- old Dustin Moskovitz is donating $20 million to help defeat Donald Trump.
In a blog post, he writes, quote, "If Donald Trump wins, the country will fall backward and become more isolated from the global community. This distinction is starkly caricatured by his number one policy position, the literal building of a wall between us and our neighbor."
"Forbes Magazine" once named Moskovitz the youngest self-made billionaire in history and while he's not been active in politics, Moskovitz and his wife are using part of their $10 billion fortune to support PACs backing Hillary Clinton.
They're now among the top donors of the 2016 campaign.
DAVID KIRKPATRICK, AUTHOR, THE FACEBOOK EFFECT: $20 million to them is not a huge amount of money, to be honest, but the way he did it is pure Dustin Moskovitz. They feel that the political environment requires action and they're taking action.
DUSTIN MOSKOVITZ, FACEBOOK CO-FOUNDER: I think he took it really well, and you know, said he was going to support me.
SIMON: That was Moskovitz a few years ago recounting his tough conversation with Zuckerberg, saying he was leaving the company which he did in 2008.
He lost the software company Asana that same year, severing official ties with the social network. But his donation may fuel the perception that Facebook is anticonservative. Without allegations that Facebook manipulated its news food to suppress conservative topic, the company fiercely denied those allegations.
The truth though is Silicon Valley leaders are widely backing Clinton, from Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who hosted a fund-raiser for the Democratic nominee.
GREG FERENSTEIN, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST, THE FERENSTEIN WIRE: It's hard to think of any candidate in history that Silicon Valley hates more than Donald Trump.
SIMON: Greg Ferenstein has written extensively about the intersection of politics and technology entrepreneurs.
FERENSTEIN: One of the core values in personality traits of tech folks is that they're extreme optimists in the future. They love globalization, bringing countries together and they want as much immigration as possible. Donald Trump and his supporters represent the mirror opposite.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: Well, of course, there is one high-profile tech person who is supporting Donald Trump and that is Peter Thiel who spoke out at the GOP convention.
As for Dustin Moskovitz, he realizes that he may be criticized, Erin, but he says he felt compelled to act and he feels like he did so in a transparent way.
Back to you.
BURNETT: All right.
Thank you very much, Dan. And don't miss the exclusive interview with Hillary Clinton. It's on "STATE OF THE UNION" Sunday morning at 9:00 and noon.
Next, Donald Trump about to take the stage at a rally in Florida. We'll count you down right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BURNETT: This Sunday marks 15 years since the 9/11 attacks. CNN looks back on that day in an iconic film "9/11: Fifteen Years Later" airs Sunday night at 8:00.
Thanks for joining us. Anderson's next.
