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New Day

Commander-in-Chief Forum. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 08, 2016 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:32:39] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton fielding questions from veterans in their first major military focused town hall last night. Here was one moment when U.S. Air Force veteran, Pam Campos-Palma, confronted Clinton over her war stance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM COMPOS-PALMA, U.S. AIR FORCE VETERAN: How do you respond to progressives like myself who worry and have concerns that your hawkish foreign policy will continue?

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I view force as a last resort, not a first choice. I will do everything in my power to make sure that our men and women in the military are fully prepared for any challenge that they may have to face on our behalf. But I will also be as careful as I can in making the most significant decisions any president and commander in chief can make about sending our men and women into harm's way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK, so let's discuss all of this. We want to bring in our panel of veterans. We have that Air Force veteran, Pam Campos-Palma. She is undecided on whom to vote for. We have U.S. Marine Corps veteran Alexander McCoy. He supports Hillary Clinton. And former U.S. Army Kiowa Warrior helicopter pilot Amber Smith. She supports Donald Trump. She's also the author the "Danger Close: My Epic Journey as a Combat Helicopter Pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Great to have all of you with us today. Thanks so much for being here.

Pam, let me start with you about that exchange that you had with Secretary Clinton. What did you think of her response to you?

PAM CAMPOS-PALMA, U.S. AIR FORCE VETERAN: In short, it was a little disappointing. I felt like it was important because there was an opportunity there for her to be intentional and specific. I thought it was very interesting that she immediately jumped to Iraq and - and Syria and Libya.

CAMEROTA: What were you looking for her to say?

CAMPOS-PALMA: There are other examples. I think it's easy to say, yes, I made a mistake on a vote to send troops to Iraq, but hindsight is 20/20. I thought that she could have spoken more about her plans. That was really my question is, what is your plan to end this 15-year war that we're now in and lost many people in.

CAMEROTA: So you're on the fence. At least you were yesterday.

CAMPOS-PALMA: Yes.

CAMEROTA: You were undecided. Did what you heard last night or that response sway you one way or the other?

CAMPOS-PALMA: I wished it had and it really didn't. I really have waited for Secretary Clinton to be much more intentional, much more specific really on what needs to be done really. And - and as I mentioned, I am a progressive. I think that I stand with a strong group of people that feel like we need a little bit more from Secretary Clinton in order to gain and earn our vote.

[08:35:12] CAMEROTA: Amber, you support Donald Trump. What did you hear him say last night that impressed you?

AMBER SMITH, FORMER U.S. ARMY KIOWA WARRIOR HELICOPTER PILOT: So I thought the forum last night was great. I thought the questions from the moderator were excellent or - as well as from the audience as well. And I thought that Donald Trump came across strong. I thought he was being the Donald Trump that we've seen for the past couple of weeks. That was, you know, more on point in terms of messaging and policy, which was I - I - on the opposite side, I thought Hillary Clinton was very off her game. She came across as very defensive and a little bit angry for still having to answer some of the questions for her past and her basically decision-making as secretary of state.

CAMEROTA: Alexander, you support Hillary Clinton. What did you hear last night?

ALEXANDER MCCOY, U.S. MARINE CORPS VETERAN: Well, I thought that it was pretty clear that Donald Trump doesn't seem to have a plan or actually be listening to the issues that matter to veterans. One thing that I heard from Clinton was specific anecdotes of things that actually affected me and affected my peers. She talked at length about the problems of transferring medical records from the Department of Defense to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is something that all of us have struggled with. So the fact that she had specific examples of actual policies that impact our lives, where all Donald Trump had to give were platitudes and, you know, claiming to have a plan, but not actually being able to deliver.

CAMEROTA: Well, Donald Trump did talk about the VA and how he wanted to make that work better and that the wait times for veterans, like yourselves, has been way too long. So he did have a suggestion about how he would fix that. Let's listen to that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: People are dying on line. They're dying, waiting, waiting to get to see a doctor. They're waiting five days and six days. Under a part of my plan, if they have that long wait, they walk outside, they go to the local doctor, they choose the doctor, they choose the hospital, whether it's public or private, they get themselves better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Privatize the health care for veterans. I mean whether or not you like it, that is a plan. What's the problem with what you heard?

MCCOY: Well, here's the thing, what he just described already exists. It's called The Choice Program. And the fact that he can't bring anything new to the table shows that he lacks any real ideas to help veterans like me. And so I - I really don't believe that he has any actual plan. When he talked about how he wants to deal with ISIS, he says he has this secret plan but he needs to get the generals to make one for him. He insults the military community by saying that our - our leaders all need to be replaced by his political lackeys. This is something that I really have a problem with and I think that it shows that he is not actually engaging on these issues. It's all just about his own personality.

CAMEROTA: Your response, Amber?

SMITH: Alisyn, back to the VA issue. That's continuing the false narrative out of the Clinton camp when we talk about privatization. Donald Trump is not for privatization of the Department of Veterans Affairs. What he is for is for choice. And there is a complete difference. So when people talk about privatization -

CAMEROTA: But what about the idea that Alex -

SMITH: That is different than choice.

CAMEROTA: That's good to know, but what about what Alexander's saying, that is already exists?

SMITH: The Choice Program doesn't necessarily exist. The choice cards have gone out, but if you take that card into a doctor and say, oh, I'm with the Department of Veterans - or I'm a veteran under the VA, I'm going to use this as my so-called healthcare card, they're going to laugh in your face because the VA pays late, if they even pay these doctors. So most - if you look at like under a Medicare program, most of them don't want to take those patients because they're not getting paid on time.

CAMEROTA: Pam, was there anything that you heard Donald Trump say last night that would sway your vote one way or the other?

CAMPOS-PALMA: If anything, it only pushed me further to believe that he is completely unfit to be commander-in-chief.

CAMEROTA: What was the moment that made you think he was unfit?

CAMPOS-PALMA: I mean his - his complete praise of Putin was really appalling. As someone that has just recently gotten out and has active duty members still serving, in my view, it completely disqualifies him on the spot as our commander-in-chief.

CAMEROTA: Amber, that has stuck in the craw of lots of military people and just regular Americans. How do you get past that?

SMITH: I don't think he's praising Putin. I think he'll be tough on Putin. I think he sees - in terms of diplomacy and being able to get along with some of our adversaries, I think he realizes that you have to sometimes have those relationships with our adversaries. Look at how Obama has negotiated with Iran. He is doing all sorts of deals with our enemy.

CAMEROTA: But do you share the feeling of Trump that Putin is stronger than Barack Obama?

SMITH: Well, no. Putin is not - Putin is not a stronger leader than President Obama. I don't agree with that at all. I think that was more of just a personal back and forth. But - but, no, come on, there's no comparison between Putin and President Obama.

[08:40:04] CAMEROTA: Alexander?

MCCOY: So I think that rhetoric matters. If you're going to lead the free world, you need to be able to call out people who have tremendous human rights problems, who suppress dissent in their countries, instead of citing -

SMITH: Like Iran.

MCCOY: Well, Donald Trump went and cited popularity polls for Vladimir Putin. Popularity polls that were produced by Russian state controlled media. This is like saying that, you know, the leader of North Korea has a 100 percent popularity rating. This is ridiculous. The fact that he's praising someone who is not only the enemy of the United States, but has an absolutely unacceptable record makes me very scared about what he would do if given access to the resources of the American military.

CAMEROTA: Panel, there - we have to leave it there. Thank you all for your opinions and thank you for your service. Great to have you.

MCCOY: Thank you.

SMITH: Thank you.

CAMPOS-PALMA: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Let's get to Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: What a great perspective to get. Alisyn, thank you for that.

The e-mail controversy was a big deal last night for Hillary Clinton. It has been from day one of her campaign. Now comes a big, new factor potentially, Colin Powell's email. This had been discussed. The GOP and attackers of Hillary Clinton had said it never happened. Now you know what Powell said to Clinton. We'll discuss with Carl Bernstein, ahead.

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[08:45:15] CAMEROTA: Time now for the five things to know for your new day.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton speaking at a commander-in-chief forum. Trump praised Vladimir Putin, while Clinton insisted she never endangered national security by using a personal e-mail server at the State Department.

An e-mail exchange between former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton reveals that he gave her tips on how to set up personal e-mail while secretary of state. This as the head of the FBI adamantly defends his decision not to charge Clinton.

President Obama firing at Donald Trump after meeting with southeast Asian leaders in Laos. He told reporters Trump is not qualified to be president and proves it every day.

Washington spirit stopping soccer star Megan Rapinoe's plan to kneel during the national anthem by playing it before the teams took to the field for the game. She had planned to continue taking a knee during the anthem in solidarity with 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

The iPhone 7 unveiled. It's loaded with tons of features, including longer battery life. That's a good one. As expected, no headphone jacks, but you can use Apple's new wireless air buds, if you pay for them. The new phone due out September 16th.

For more on the five things to know, you can go to newdaycnn.com for the latest.

Chris.

CUOMO: And that's how they get you.

CAMEROTA: It is.

CUOMO: You need the earbuds for the wireless and you've got to pay for them. And they ain't going to be cheap. I'll tell you that right now.

All right, so last night was a big deal. You got to see both candidates standing on the same stage, not at the same time, but taking on the big issue of national security, and before an audience that deserved respect and answers. There were some big moments. We judge their importance with Carl Bernstein, legendary journalist, next.

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[08:50:33] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She made a mistake on Libya. She made a terrible mistake on Libya.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He refuses to take responsibility for his support.

MATT LAUER, MODERATOR: Let me go to another question.

CLINTON: That - that is a judgment issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Well, at times, it sounded like a debate, even though the candidates did not appear on stage together. Last night, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump talked national security and foreign policy and they also slammed each other, as you heard.

So let's get some more perspective on this, as well as the e-mail situation, from CNN political commentator Carl Bernstein. He is the author of "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton."

Carl, great to see you this morning. Let's quickly start with the forum.

CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to be with you.

CAMEROTA: What - what jumped out at you from this candidates' forum last night?

BERNSTEIN: That Donald Trump lies pathologically, that he's not a serious thinker, and that the big question for the press now is, how do we stop projecting some kind of parody between these two candidates, because the great story here is disparity between the two in terms of seriousness, experience, and even truth telling. Trump lies pathologically. No question Hillary Clinton, as I say in my book, has had a difficult relationship to the truth. But it's much more situational lying. It's nothing admirable, but it's quite different than Trump's record lying about how he felt about the war and going to war. This goes on and on. He needs to be called on it.

CUOMO: There was a development that did not come up last night, but there was a lot of scrutiny last night about Clinton's e-mail situation. The Colin Powell e-mail is now released. We'll put it up on the screen. As you know, Carl, and as you've written about, this was something that was colored as untrue, as a Clinton lie, this never happened, Powell didn't advise her. Powell gave a mixed review of what he did with Clinton. And now we see this. And people read it for themselves. And it does seem that he's suggesting, hey, be careful, they're going to be these rules, you have to be careful about them, and I got around them by not saying much and not using - and using - not using systems that captured the data. Does this change people's reckoning of the e-mail controversy in your mind?

BERNSTEIN: No, but I think it helps her because she indeed has said I consulted with Powell. He gave me this advice. It doesn't make the use of a private server in her basement defensible. It's indefensible. It endangered national security. They're apples and oranges to some extent. And at the same time it shows that Powell looked for a run around the bureaucracy, but that's different than Hillary Clinton trying to avoid accountability under the Freedom of Information Act, to Congress, et cetera, by setting up an inaccessible server in her basement.

That said, she has to break this cycle about the server, about her truthfulness, and I would suggest that she open up, that she starts holding press conferences, release her medical records and spend an hour with the press talking about her health. That she also release those texts of the speeches before Goldman Sachs. Say, as she did about foreign policy in her vote on the war, I've learned from my mistakes. The American people want me to be more open. Here it is. And I'm starting right now in this campaign. I think there would be a tremendous turn around in terms of how she is perceived, particularly she wants to make an issue of the taxes of Donald Trump.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BERNSTEIN: Let her release her speeches.

CAMEROTA: Hey, Carl, this just in.

BERNSTEIN: Yes.

CAMEROTA: We've just gotten some breaking political news that Hillary Clinton is holding a press conference at 9:15 this morning. She's been listening to you just now and -

BERNSTEIN: That's it. I'm in here ear. I'm in her ear. See, she reads the book, now she's -

CAMEROTA: You're in her head, obviously. So she will be talking to reporters at 9:15 this morning. But in fairness, it is the third time this week that she has spoken to reporters. You know that they were on her plane, the press plane, for the first time, and she did field about a dozen questions there. So it sounds like she is opening up now.

BERNSTEIN: Well, let her do it constantly. Look, the best part of Hillary Clinton is when she shows her human side and when she is spontaneous. Let her try something new. Let her get past this guarded, private, secretive, sometimes disingenuous person and let's go and open up because there is no parody.

[08:55:02] CUOMO: Carl -

BERNSTEIN: And the job of the press here is to end this disparity, the idea that they're the same.

CUOMO: All right, let's talk about that for a second. I think that's a very important concept and I do think that it was put on display in a unique way last night.

BERNSTEIN: Absolutely, last night.

CUOMO: No matter what Hillary Clinton says about the e-mails, there are people who will not move off this reckoning of her as untrustworthy. And it does seem, that as you know, you know, you're a mentor to the show, no matter how much you go at Trump for things that are patently false, it does not change his basis of support. So when you talk about disparity, what do you mean?

BERNSTEIN: I mean that the job of the press is to show the records and lives of these two people. And that there is nothing comparable about, for instance, the disingenuousness and constant lying of Trump and Hillary's lack of transparency on things. They're apples and oranges.

But there is a life of both of these people that needs to be examined constantly in terms of their service to other people, service to the country, service to children. Let's look at the records. You cannot pretend. The job of reporters and anchors is to go for the best obtainable version of the truth. And that's about context. We need context about these two peoples' lives, what they're saying, their campaigns. And when you do that, you see, actually as Obama said today, this is not a serious man. This is not a thoughtful person. This is more of the vein of Sarah Palin versus Joe Biden, that we are in unchartered presidential territory here with a nominee of a major party who doesn't know what the hell he's talking about a good bit of the time. This is unprecedented. That's the story.

CAMEROTA: Carl Bernstein, thanks so much. We'll have you back again soon. Thanks for being here.

BERNSTEIN: Good to be with you.

CAMEROTA: And thanks all of you for watching. "Newsroom" with Carol Costello picks up after this very quick break.

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