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Clinton Foundation Defends Work; Clinton Addresses Hate in the Presidential Campaign. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired September 15, 2016 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:00] BORIS EPSHTEYN, SR. ADVISER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: If me and you own a property together, right?
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
EPSHTEYN: It's 50/50.
CUOMO: Yes.
EPSHTEYN: I could contribute money. You could contribute money.
CUOMO: Yes.
EPSHTEYN: But you could say I'm obligated for all the debt. That is - well, that's just good negotiating and that's standard business procedure. As a lawyer I know that too. Forget (ph) these deals. I know all of them.
MELISSA MARK-VIVERITO, NYC COUNCIL SPEAKER: There is lack of transparency in this campaign and the -
EPSHTEYN: OK, if I were the - if I were the Clinton -
MARK-VIVERITO: And fact that we have had -
CUOMO: Last - last word from - last word from you.
MARK-VIVERITO: We should be - we have no tax returns. We have no medical disclosure. We have pay to play clearly demonstrated.
EPSHTEYN: No, you don't.
MARK-VIVERITO: You - yes, we do.
EPSHTEYN: That was debunked by "The New York Times" today.
MARK-VIVERITO: Through the company (ph). The "Newsweek" investigation. A Trump University being investigated.
EPSHTEYN: Showed them (ph) all fine (ph).
MARK-VIVERITO: The charitable organization being investigated.
EPSHTEYN: Absolutely nothing. OK. MARK-VIVERITO: There are serious concerns. And - and -
EPSHTEYN: The councilwoman is incorrect.
MARK-VIVERITO: The security of this nation is potentially at risk with a Trump presidency and that should be of concern for the voters of America. Thank you.
EPSHTEYN: You should have - you - you should have told Hillary Clinton - you should have told Hillary Clinton that when she set up that e- mail server and lied to the Congress about it.
MARK-VIVERITO: OK. Thank you.
CUOMO: Boris - Boris, Melissa, spirited discussion.
MARK-VIVERITO: Thank you, sir.
EPSHTEYN: All right.
CUOMO: Good to have you both.
Alisyn.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Chris, up next, the Clinton Foundation responds to its critics. It's ready to make major changes if Hillary Clinton is elected president. So what are those changes? The president of the Clinton Foundation joins us live, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:35:02] CAMEROTA: The Clinton Foundation announcing a series of major changes that would go into effect if Hillary Clinton is elected president. The foundation, of course, has come under some scrutiny over its practices when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state.
Joining us now is the president of the Clinton Foundation, Donna Shalala. She's also served as secretary of health and human services under former President Bill Clinton.
Secretary Shala, great to have you here.
DONNA SHALALA, PRESIDENT, THE CLINTON FOUNDATION: And ran a bunch of universities in between.
CAMEROTA: That's right. You have quite the resume.
SHALALA: I just want to point that out.
CAMEROTA: Yes, we are familiar with your credentials.
Let's talk about these changes that have now been agreed to by the Clinton Foundation if she is elected president. Let me read them for our viewers. Only accept contributions from U.S. citizens, independent charities. Not accept contributions from foreign individuals, governments, corporations or charities. Former President Bill Clinton would resign from the board of directors. The foundation's international work would transition to other organizations.
So, I mean, I guess that begs the question, if this is important, if she's elected president, why weren't these changes necessary when she was secretary of state?
SHALALA: Well, it was a different situation. There was a process set up to approve foreign donations during that period. But when she's president, there's no process you could set up that would eliminate conflicts of interest. So we actually have to reduce the size of the foundation and what it does.
But here's the important point. The president has reinvented philanthropy. Next week we're going to have this huge, annual meeting, the Clinton Global Initiative. It's already had an impact on 400 million people around the world. It brings together corporation, international, many of them, with not for profits. There will be some heads of state there, too. But it does commitments. And each of these corporations steps forward with a not for profit distribute packets, for instance, to clean water, lots of different kinds of initiatives that improve education, and health, and opportunities for people around the world. And in doing that, the president has done a different kind of philanthropy than anyone else has done.
CAMEROTA: And I don't think that anybody is disputing that the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative has done great work.
SHALALA: Great work? Magnificent work.
CAMEROTA: Magnificent work around the world for all sorts of people in need. What the problem is, is that there does not seem to have been a real firewall between the Clinton Foundation or CGI and the State Department. And we have all sorts of examples now of the times that those line were crossed. So that's the problem.
SHALALA: Well, but there was a process set up to make sure those lines were not crossed. So I dispute the -
CAMEROTA: They failed.
SHALALA: I - I dispute the point because we have protected - and during that time we protected the initiatives of the foundation. There's no question about that. But you can't do that when she's president. What you have to do when she's president is we have to actually eliminate any aspect of conflict of interest, so all the international programs they've spun off.
What the president has said is, we have to spin them off in a way that doesn't hurt people. The programs have to be seamless in their transition. And what will be left is the centerpiece of the foundation, the library, the Clinton Center in Little Rock, and maybe a couple of domestic programs, ones that helped babies.
CAMEROTA: Sure. But, I mean, with all respect, how can you dispute that the lines were crossed. We have evidence of it from the e-mails?
SHALALA: No, there's no evidence that policy was impacted by anyone's requesting an appointment. So, let me dispute any indication that Mrs. Clinton's behavior on policy was changed in any way. The most important thing is, this is a magnificent foundation that has reinvented philanthropy. From Malawi to Haiti to Cartagena, we're doing spectacular work and we have to make sure that that work continues, but not under the Clinton Foundation's umbrella.
CAMEROTA: Let me show you an example of an e-mail that emerged that made people think that lines were crossed. Not policy perhaps but certainly access. This is an e-mail from Doug Band, who, of course, is one of the top executives at the Clinton Foundation, to Huma Abedin, who was at the State Department. Doug Band says, "We need Gilbert Chagoury," he, of course, the Lebanese Nigerian businessman who was looking for a land deal, "to speak to the substance person regarding Lebanon. As you know, he's a key guy there and to us and is loved in Lebanon. Very important." Huma Abedin at the State Department says, "It's Jeff Feltman. I'm sure he knows him. I'll talk to Jeff." Doug Band says, "better if you call him. Now preferable. This is very important."
SHALALA: And, guess what, that never happened. It never happened.
CAMEROTA: But he asked for a favor.
SHALALA: I don't care - I don't care who asked for what, it never happened. It just did not happen.
CAMEROTA: But were you comfortable with the Clinton Foundation executives asking State Department for favors and access?
SHALALA: You know, no one should - no one should cross any line. I - requesting a courtesy meeting when I was secretary of HHS for instance, by a Republican senator, was not unusual. And any cabinet officer knows that members of your committees will call up and say, hey, listen I've got this guy that's got a way of saving money in health, so will you see them as a favor to me? So -
[08:40:11] CAMEROTA: So business as usual is what you're saying?
SHALALA: No, and business as usual is not acceptable anymore in government because we have better disclosure that we've ever had before. The Clinton Foundation is totally transparent. You could see our tax returns. You can see who our donors are. We reveal our donors quarterly. You can't find a charity in this world that reveals their donors quarterly.
CAMEROTA: I know that you're on record, I think, as saying that Chelsea Clinton should continue on with her role at the Clinton Foundation, even if Hillary Clinton is elected president. Is that right?
SHALALA: Let's go back to what we've said is going to be the Clinton Foundation in the future, the library, and the Clinton Center in Little Rock, and maybe a couple of small domestic programs. Chelsea decides she wants to stay in the foundation board to keep an eye on her father's library, among other members of the board. I mean the centerpiece is going to be the presidential library. No one is going to tell us to get rid of the presidential library, or to eliminate any kind of formal governance for the presidential library.
CAMEROTA: So no conflict of interest in your mind if Chelsea is there and seeking donations or things like that, even if her mom is in the White House?
SHALALA: Well, but remember what we've said about donations. No foreign governments. No foreign contributors. No foreign foundations. We'll take money from independent foundations for - Gates, the people that have been giving it, Rockefeller, people who have been giving us foundations. And from individuals who have contributed to the library and the library has a number of contributors over the years.
CAMEROTA: There is a fundraiser coming up I believe tomorrow and it's in honor of President Clinton's birthday and there will be a fundraiser for the Clinton Foundation. But I think you've said that they will not disclose what amount is raised or from whom.
SHALALA: We will disclose the donors. There's no question about it. We will disclose the donors. We will, as we do on our tax return, disclose the money that we raise. The tax - the IRS tells you actually not to connect the donation with the person's name, but we certainly would disclose the donors. And, listen, for that party, I looked at the list, and other than two people, all of them are people who have been annual donors to the foundation and are longtime friends of the president. But two people are my guests who I paid for who are farmers in North Dakota, my twin sister and her husband.
CAMEROTA: Sounds fun.
Secretary Shalala, thanks so much for all the information and explaining it to us here on NEW DAY.
SHALALA: You're welcome.
CAMEROTA: Great to have you in the studio.
Let's get over to Chris.
CUOMO: A Busy morning. Busy morning here on NEW DAY, especially as the election is concerned. You've got Hillary Clinton's strong words about hate in the campaign. You've got new revelations about what will happen to the Trump organization if Trump is elected. We're going to discuss all that with David Gregory, next.
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[08:47:04] CUOMO: All right, the polls are tightening, no question about that. The debate is heated. That's always been true. This morning we heard from both candidates, and there are lots of headlines about them, the organization sharing their name especially. Let's talk about the impact with David Gregory, CNN's political analyst.
We have some sound from Hillary Clinton's interview with Don Lemon and the cast of the "Tom Joyner Radio Show." Let's play what seemed to be her punctuation mark.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE (voice-over): I am so concerned about all of this. And, you know, I have said Donald Trump has run a deplorable campaign. He has accepted support and been cheered on by the likes of David Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and other white supremacists. In fact it was amazing the other day, his running mate, Mike Pence -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
CLINTON: Wouldn't even call former KKK leader David Duke deplorable. And - and I do think we have to speak out against this hatred. You know, Trump attacked a federal judge for his Mexican heritage. He - he bullied a gold star family because of their Muslim faith. He promoted the lie, and he still is remoting the lie, that our first black president is not a true American.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hmm.
CLINTON: He calls women pigs and bimbos. So, I'm going to keep calling out the bigotry and hateful rhetoric that he's brought to this campaign because I don't think you can make our country great by tearing our people down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: Now, David, you can debate how much has been done on coverage of Trump. That's for people to decide. However, the polls are where they are. Does that tell you that people who know still don't care?
DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think there's an element of that. I mean I don't know that we can back that up by the data. But I do think just - look, anybody who looks at a politician and says, look, I don't agree with everything, but I still support them. I think there's people who willfully ignore certain things that Trump says and - and focus in what they like about him. I think that's true.
I think Hillary Clinton is in a posture, and you saw it in that answer, which I thought was revealing. First of all, she wants to sidestep the fact that she - she did impugn a lot of Trump voters in a way that was inartful. It may have been based - it may have been accurate in certain - based on some of the surveys that we've seen about attitudes of Trump supporters and other anecdotal information that we have. But, you know, her whole - her whole slogan rhetorically is that we're stronger together. And that was not an example of that when she was in that fundraiser. There she's saying, no, I'm going to speak out against hateful speech about the fact that he's a birther, that David Duke is behind him.
I mean I think this is her getting a little bit more aggressive. I think this is a preview of the kind of Hillary Clinton that we'll see during aspects of these presidential debates. And I think another thing, Chris and Alisyn, which is, I think that she also wants to show a little bit more fight as she wants to get that core group of supporters, millennial voters, African-American voters, and women and others to get behind her and get more enthusiastic so that everybody understands this is a tight race. Whether it should be or not, from their point of view, it has become a tight race.
[08:50:08] CAMEROTA: Hey, David, we just had Secretary Shalala on, who is now the head of the Clinton Foundation, and she said no problem. I mean she basically - she announced the changes that will be happening. President Clinton will be stepping down if Hillary Clinton is elected, but Chelsea Clinton will continue to be involved. Any problem or issue with that for voters?
GREGORY: Well, I mean, people may have an issue. We'll have to see. I mean, again, I think the foundation business and any conflicts of interest goes to the heart of what people don't trust about the Clintons, plural, not just Hillary Clinton, kind of self-dealing, insider business. I think it's always been a question, what role will Bill Clinton play in a Clinton White House. It's unusual. It's unprecedented. The foundation speaks to that. So I think a lot of people will look at this, if they have a concern, and will see satisfactory answers in terms of no more of the Clinton Global Initiative on an annual basis if she is the president. They probably - people who are concerned about this would have liked to have seen these changes put into effect earlier, and that line very clearly drawn. But, look, I think this just becomes an issue of people who aren't going to believe it are going to, you know, keep questions alive.
CUOMO: How big a deal should Trump's dealings with foreign actors be in this election? They're using it, the Clinton people, to set it up as a point of comparison with the foundation. How do you think it plays?
GREGORY: I think just - we should know more. We should know more on both sides about what those relationships were, financial and otherwise, to gauge potential influence. Those are fair questions for Clinton, for the Clinton Foundation as well, and certainly that would apply to Trump.
CUOMO: Now we're going to do tomorrow, the big point of defense from the Trump campaign is, it's in the FCC - FEC filings. It's in there. It's all in there. It is not all in there. We will tell you why it's not all in there and what else needs to be known. We'll get on that and you'll have it tomorrow.
CAMEROTA: David Gregory, thank you very much. Great to see you.
GREGORY: Thank you.
CAMEROTA: "The Good Stuff" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:55:30] CUOMO: "Good Stuff." It's time for "The Good Stuff" indeed.
An elderly man in Chicago selling popsicles in the summer, bringing sweet smiles to his customers for 20 years. His name is Videncio Sanchez (ph) and he hits the streets early every day doing all he can to earn a living for himself and his wife since his daughter suddenly passed away. So his customers see him suffering, OK? He's 89 years old. What do they do?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody in (INAUDIBLE) village has a lot of respect for him.
JOSE LOERA, STARTED GOFUNDME ACCOUNT: On the optimistic side I was thinking he might get $2,000. You know, I mean, like, oh, well, you know, maybe we get him a week of, you know. And we got him retired. It's pretty awesome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: He has been doing this kind of work since his teens, by the way.
CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh.
CUOMO: So they say, yes, let's get some money up for him. How much? $190,000.
CAMEROTA: Get out of here.
CUOMO: A Gofundme page was set up. You can go find it online. Mr. Sanchez says he is beyond grateful, but he's going to keep working.
CAMEROTA: That's so wonderful.
All right, "Newsroom" with Carol Costello picks up after this very quick break. We'll see you tomorrow.
CUOMO: Work.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
