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New Day Saturday
Trump Slams Accusers, Calls Himself "Victim"; Trump To Campaign In New Hampshire, Maine Today; Clinton Now Preparing For Final Debate; Swing State Voters on the Economy. Aired 6-7a ET
Aired October 15, 2016 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[06:00:11] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am a victim of one of the great political smear campaigns in the history of our country.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Two more women say Donald Trump made inappropriate sexual advances toward them.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Disturbing stories keep coming.
TRUMP: These allegations are 100 percent false. They're made up. They never happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first of eight accusers publicly came forward Wednesday night.
TRUMP: Believe me, she would not be my first choice, that, I can tell you.
CLINTON: This is who Donald Trump really is.
TRUMP: This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Clinton corruption. I like it better without the teleprompter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. And happy Saturday to you. So grateful to have you on board with us this morning. I'm Christi Paul.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Victor Blackwell. Always a pleasure to be with you.
New this morning, Donald Trump lashing out against his accusers after two more women came forward to now say he sexually assaulted them.
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TRUMP: I am a victim of one of the great politic smear campaigns in the history of our country. They are coming after me to try and destroy what is considered by even them the greatest movement in the history of our country.
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PAUL: Stunning new allegations come from these two women you see here. Summer Zervos, a former "Apprentice" contestant, there on the left, and Kristin Anderson, a photographer and former model on the right.
Trump called Anderson's accusation nonsense and false, and released this statement on Zervos, quote, "I vaguely remember Ms. Zervos as one of the many contestants on "The Apprentice" over the years. To be clear, I never met her at a hotel or greeted her inappropriately a decade ago.
That is not who I am as a person and it is not how I've contacted my life. In fact, Ms. Zervos continued to contact me for help, e-mailing my office on April 14th of this year asking that I visit her restaurant in California.
Beyond that, the media is now creating a theater of absurdity that threatens to tear our democratic process apart and poison the minds of the American public."
BLACKWELL: CNN's Jessica Schneider has been following the story of the two new accusers. Jessica, good morning.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christi and Victor, all of these women say these were uninvited (inaudible) of groping and kissing, and all of these women including the two latest to come forward they say they're doing it because of Donald Trump's own comments in that "Access Hollywood" tape followed by his denial in Sunday's debate.
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SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Summer Zervos was a contestant on "The Apprentice" season five in 2006, but after getting the boot from Donald Trump in the first episode --
TRUMP: You know what, Summer, you're fired.
SCHNEIDER: Zervos turned to Trump to guide her career.
SUMMER ZERVOS, TRUMP ACCUSER: Even after I was fired, I continued to see him as a possible mentor and a potential employer.
SCHNEIDER: She said she met with Trump twice in 2007, first in his office in New York.
ZERVOS: When I arrived, he kissed me on the lips. I was surprised that felt it was just a form of greeting.
SCHNEIDER: Trump asked for her number and they planned to meet up the next time he was in L.A. Zervos says the family members and friends she told about the kiss suggested she ignore it.
ZERVOS: I spoke with my loved ones and they came to the conclusion that this was undoubtedly some form of greeting and that I should not take it as anything other than that.
SCHNEIDER: So when Trump called her a few days later, she agreed to meet with him at the Beverly Hills Hotel. When she arrived she said the security guard led her inside Trump's room.
ZERVOS: I stood up and he came to me and started kissing me open mouthed as he was pulling me towards him. I walked away and I sat down in a chair. He was on a love seat across from me and I made an attempt at conversation.
He then asked me to sit next to him. I complied. He then grabbed my shoulder and began kissing again very aggressively and placed his hand on my breast. I pulled back and walked to other part of the room.
SCHNEIDER: Zervos said she resisted while the aggression continued.
ZERVOS: I pushed his chest and put space between us, and I said, come on, man, get real. He repeated my words back to me, get real as he began thrusting his genitals.
SCHNEIDER: Zervos says the sexual advances eventually stopped. She had dinner with him and then left the hotel. She said she was eventually offered a job at Trump's golf course near L.A, but she turned it down and the salary was half of what she expected.
She hasn't talked to Trump since though she said she reached out on April of this year to give him a chance to explain his behavior. She never heard back. With a flood of allegations, Zervos says she felt compelled to speak out.
[06:05:07]ZERVOS: You do not have the right to treat women as sexual objects just because you are a star.
SCHNEIDER: In a statement today, Trump said, "To be clear, I never met her at a hotel or greeted her inappropriately a decade ago." He continued, "That is not who I am as a person and it is not how I conducted my life. Kristin Anderson telling "The Washington Post" she, too, was groped by Trump at a nightclub in New York in the early 1990s.
KRISTIN ANDERSON, ACCUSES DONALD TRUMP OF GROPING HER: Person on my right to unbeknownst to me at that time was Donald Trump put their hands up my skirt. He did touch my vagina through my underwear, absolutely.
Pushed the hand away and I got up and I turned around and I see these eyebrows, very distinct eyebrows of Donald Trump and I got up and I moved. And I continued to talk with my friends. They said, oh, that's Donald Trump. I was like, eww, he's gross. He just put his hand up my skirt.
SCHNEIDER: CNN has not verified either of these claims. The Trump campaign responding to Kristin Anderson's allegations with this. "This is a total fabrication it did not happen. It is illogical and nonsensical to think Donald Trump was alone in a nightclub in Manhattan and that the alleged incident and recognition of Mr. Trump went unnoticed by both the women involved and anyone else in this crowded venue."
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SCHNEIDER: Both women claimed they told their friends in the hours and minutes after these alleged assaults. As for Summer Zervos, she said she also her parents. I reached out to her father tonight, but he tells me he cannot talk about this. As for Summer Zervos, she said she is a Republican and speaking out so she can sleep at night -- Victor and Christi.
BLACKWELL: All right, Jessica, thanks so much. Let's talk more about Summer Zervos because the Trump campaign released a statement reportedly from her cousin and here it is. I'm going to read it.
"I'm completely shocked and bewildered by my cousin. Summer Zervos and her press conference today. Ever since she was on "The Apprentice," she has had nothing but glowing things to say about Mr. Trump.
That was until Summer invited Mr. Trump to her restaurant during the primary and he said no. I think Summer wishes she could still be on reality TV and in an effort to get that back, she's saying all of these negative things about Mr. Trump."
CNN reached to Zervos' attorney, Gloria Allred, and she responded with this, "John Barry is a huge Trump supporter. He was employed at Summer's family restaurant until several months ago when his employment ended.
Since then, he's expressed hostility and ill will towards Summer. Given the rifts in the family relationships which existed even prior to Summer making her statements made today, and given his support for Mr. Trump, Summer does not intend to create further rifts by commenting further on Mr. Barry."
PAUL: CNN politics reporter, Eugene Scott with us. So Eugene, I want to point out again that CNN cannot independently confirm these women's claims. Obviously, as you heard, Trump is denying them vehemently. How consequential could these allegations be whether they are confirmed or not?
EUGENE SCOTT, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: We've seen with women voters the demographic there Donald Trump has already been struggling with decline over the past week and a half in support for Donald Trump after these allegations came out last Friday.
Since then, you know, as you just reported, we've had multiple allegations come out and more are expected or rumored to come out. And that could increasingly affect how he's doing with this demographic.
PAUL: We have some reaction here from Hillary Clinton, this is what she said last night in Seattle, at least part of what she said.
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CLINTON: The whole world has heard Donald Trump brags about mistreating women and the disturbing stories keep coming. This is who Donald Trump really is. We know that. Now, we have to demonstrate who we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: All right. The female electorate here as you mentioned I one of the place where is Trump is very vulnerable and really needs those votes. Hillary Clinton in a sense, some people would say, she has an opportunity here to further this conversation, but she's not on the trail today.
She is going to be, as we understand it, in Chappaqua. But I understand, she does have -- she's got Bill, she's got Chelsea, she's got President Obama out campaigning for her.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump, he's going to be all over the map today. He's in New Hampshire. He's in New Jersey. He's in Maine. He's got Mike Pence, who is going to be in Indiana and in Florida. They are on the campaign trail, she is not.
What does that say about the conversation that is being had out there? Is it hurting her that she has spent the last couple of days fundraising and not out there speaking necessarily to rallies?
[06:10:05]SCOTT: I think what it communicates to voters from the Clinton campaign, they said that they have been on the issue highlighted and also they're preparing for the final debate. Voters want to hear about these issues.
Something that the Trump campaign's own surrogate said they wish their candidate would address more. They're hoping that this Wednesday that much of the conversation is not focused on these allegations, but the topics that American voters say they want their leaders to address most.
So, I think everyone is hoping there will be a smooth pivot from both sides very soon and I think that's what the Clinton camp is focusing on.
PAUL: But what do you say to those people who say, Clinton is not on the campaign trail, also, because she's trying to avoid the latest Wikileaks stunt?
SCOTT: Well, that's a valid concern. There are a lot of questions that the Clinton camp needs to respond to according to voters who are on the bubble or remain independent.
And I imagine that Trump will bring these issues up at this next debate and continue to at rallies as you mentioned before they see each other face-to-face. There are a lot of questions that voters have on both sides that candidates only have a little amount of time left to address.
PAUL: Yes, 24 days and counting. Eugene Scott, good to have you with us this morning. Thank you.
SCOTT: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: Donald Trump on major defense trying to save his campaign amid a slew of accusations against him.
Coming up, we'll hear what one of Trump's most ardent supporters and one of his most dedicated critics says about how he's characterizing these accusers.
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[06:15:06]
BLACKWELL: The accusations now swirling around Donald Trump has his supporters and detractors really drawing a line here. Meanwhile, the embattled GOP nominee is vehemently defending himself and publicly attacking those accusers, watch.
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TRUMP: It is a phony deal. I have no idea who these women are. I have no idea. When you look at that horrible woman last night, you say, I don't think so. Believe me, she would not be my first choice that I can tell you.
Now suddenly after nine years, phony accusers come out less than a month before the most important elections in the history of our country. One came out recently where I was sitting alone in some club. I really don't sit alone that much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: All right, joining me now is CNN political commentator and Trump supporter, Scottie Nell Hughes, and A. Scott Bolden, a Clinton supporter and former chairman of the Washington, D.C. Democratic Party.
Scott, Scottie, good morning. Scottie, I want to start with you. What you heard there, do you support what Donald Trump said about these accusers?
SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think we have some issues. We live in the United States, Victor, we are innocent until proven guilty. And I find it funny that these women make these accusations and have no really evidence. No proof besides maybe a friend that they talked to or family member.
Yet, Mr. Trump is having to prove that he did not do it, which is exactly opposite of how he acts towards these things in our country. When you look at each of these women, let's take Summer Zervos, since we just ran the package of it. Not only do you have her cousin coming out and saying something, but you actually have an e-mail that the Trump campaign has put out from Summer to Mr. Trump April 14th of this year, talking about the restaurant inviting him and his supporters to the restaurant saying they can talk about it.
BLACKWELL: We read that.
HUGHES: We have the question, why does she now all of a sudden hate him when last spring, she was please, come to my restaurant. Bring your supporters, we can share all of our great stories about how much we love Mr. Trump.
BLACKWELL: Scottie, let me put this to you, because just a couple days ago when Donald Trump brought the four accusers, through accusers and one person who was involved in a lawsuit that Hillary Clinton was involved in, there were questions about why they were there.
And you defended Donald Trump bringing them to the debate and saying these women have to be heard. I want you to listen to yourself a couple days ago about those women, watch.
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HUGHES: And the reason why those women were present last night, it's was not about Bill Clinton, but more importantly how Hillary Clinton treated those women. All Donald Trump is doing was taking her advice. She said that those women, any woman, that's even been under sexual abuse or sexual harassment or any form of abuse need to heard, their stories need to be told. They need to be listened to. He gave those women that chance.
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BLACKWELL: It's important how Hillary Clinton treated those women. Their stories need to be told. They need to be listened to. He gave them a chance. Is the same standard that you're holding Donald Trump to the same standard?
HUGHES: Absolutely. Nice try there using my words against me because those women --
BLACKWELL: They're not against you, I'm asking you, is it consistent?
HUGHES: But those women were also represented by Gloria Allred. So I'll give Gloria a lot of credit, at least she represents all of the women that have been using the political case.
But you know, the different between those women -- a lot of them actually had evidence and have been proven, have gone through a court of law, had settlements, their stories were not told in the public eye.
The difference with these women now are all of a sudden coming out, here we are, 20 something odd days before the election. That's the question, the timing of it. But each one of these stories, I mean, let's look at last night, you had Anthony Gilberthorpe come out. He was the man that was brought out to be the person sitting across from Jessica Leeds. Guess what, he came out and said that's crazy, that's not true. That's not what happened. She's (inaudible) top of him.
BLACKWELL: Scottie, let me get to Scott. Let me get to Scott. Let me play you something that Donald Trump Jr. said in 2013, specifically, about sexual harassment in the workplace. I want you to get your response to that and what you heard from Scottie.
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DONALD TRUMP JR., DONALD TRUMP'S SON ((via telephone): You can't handle some of the basic stuff that's become a problem in the workforce today like you don't belong in the workforce, like you should go maybe teach kindergarten.
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BLACKWELL: If you can't handle sexual harassment, go and teach kindergarten. What we're hearing from Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. here in relation to sexual harassment and these women specifically, Scott?
A.SCOTT BOLDEN, FORMER CHAIRMAN WASHINGTON, D.C. DEMOCRATIC PARTY: It runs in the family. That's what I get from that. The whole family simply does not get it. Listen, I'm a former managing partner of a law firm. That type of conduct given those statements would not be tolerated.
But let me just say this about what Scottie said because you can't have it both ways. On one hand, Donald Trump wants to defend the women who accused Bill Clinton who is not running for president.
On the other hand, the women that have accused Donald Trump of groping them, they are not to be believed. You can't have it both ways.
[06:20:00]Let me say this as a former sex crimes prosecutor in New York, all right. We look for three things when we have people who claimed that they've been assaulted, right. Lies have no details. Each of these women have details.
Did they tell people contemporaneous with the bad act? Every one of them certainly did. Did they have a motive to lie? They're not looking for fame and fortune. Donald Trump drove this narrative and drove them out.
They simply wanted to be credible and wanted to attack him on his credibility when he denied ever groping anyone. Character in a presidential race and in a president is super important.
And then even in his defense, listen to this, Victor, even in his defense, he objectifies the very women who accuse him of groping them. He said, hey, they wouldn't be my first choice. Hillary Clinton walked in front of me and I wasn't impressed. He still objectify them quite frankly and we know this sexual assault is about power. It's not about looks, body or attractiveness. In the mind of a super narcissists, he gropes because he feels he's entitled to it. Not because of sexual attraction but a power. Donald Trump has a serious problem in the campaign and he's got a serious personal problem.
BLACKWELL: Scott and Scottie stay with us. We're going to come back with the two of you after the break and we'll talk about Hillary Clinton in just a moment -- Christi.
PAUL: Because of the focus remains on the accusations against Donald Trump, absolutely right, we have had a conversation about Hillary Clinton, what she's doing behind the scenes right now, Wikileaks, all of it. Stay close.
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[06:25:06]
PAUL: We may see a lot of Donald Trump today. He's going to hit the campaign trail in New Hampshire and Maine continuing to defend himself against the accusations that are swirling around him right now.
In the meantime, Hillary Clinton has been quietly fundraising for the last couple of days, and this weekend, we understand she's taking a break in the campaign trail. CNN senior Washington correspondent, Jeff Zeleny tells us why.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Christi, Hillary Clinton is hunkering down again this weekend with advisers preparing for her final debate with Donald Trump. That, of course, comes next Wednesday in Las Vegas.
But she's hitting the books doing the same types of preparation she was doing for the previous debates, but before leaving Seattle, Washington on Friday where she was raising money on a west coast fundraising swing, she also dropped by a campaign field office and talked to volunteers.
She talked about how she's taking no satisfaction from this election at all and she worries about these deep divisions.
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CLINTON: This election is incredibly painful. I take absolutely no satisfaction in what is happening on the other side with my opponent. I am -- I am not at all happy about that because it hurts our country.
It hurts our democracy. It sends terrible messages to so many people here at home and around the world. Damage is being done that we're going to have to repair. Divisions are being deepened that we're going to have to try to heal. So, our job doesn't end after this election.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ZELENY: By saying her job does not end after the election signifies that she is indeed looking ahead. But when you talk to her advisers, they tell me that she is in fact focusing on simply winning 270 electoral votes.
But the reality here is they are preparing for a transition. They are looking forward. They know something different is happening in this race, but that only happens if she has a successful debate next week. And she beats Donald Trump on November 8th -- Victor and Christi.
BLACKWELL: All right, Jeff, thanks so much. Back with us, A. Scott Bolden, a Hillary Clinton supporter, former chairman of the Washington, D.C. Democratic Party, and Scottie Nell Hughes, CNN political commentator, a Donald Trump supporter, and political editor of rightalerts.com.
I want to turn to the Wikileaks hacking of John Podesta, the Clinton campaign chairman's emails. And specifically this hour, one e-mail back on August 22nd of last year, from Brian Fallon, the spokesperson for the campaign to the communications director, Jennifer Palmieri.
And they were preparing remarks for Hillary Clinton to discuss the e- mail saga, the investigation of the server. There's one line that Brian Fallon among others highlights here. Let's put it up on the screen.
One line from the script that was being prepared for this video she is going to record. This process of looking backwards to see if something should have been classified at the time is fine.
Now Fallon writes, "That is problematic. We should not think it is fine to find something that should have been classified at the time. Our position is that no such material exist else. It could be said that she mishandled classified information."
Scott, to you, eventually it was found there was classified information and the director of the FBI said that indeed she was careless with that server and the information.
So what does this tell us about the campaign's difficulty on walking a line of how to frame this as they were trying to explain to the American people why she had this server and what could have been found there?
BOLDEN: Well, I think the Wikileaks and the exposure of these internal deliberations by the campaign ought to be condemned. We know that Russia has done that. But that being said, it shows the difficulty and the deliberation in the campaign internal discussions in the campaign about this very difficult issue as it was evolving, as it was researched and they it turning over documents.
And quite frankly, there's nothing new in that. It's consistent with what an internal team would go through in assessing how this all presented, what our defense should be, and what we ought to be saying about this. And at the time, really, not all of us, including the FBI knew exactly what we had with the thousands and thousands of e-mails. Now, if Wikileaks would get into the deliberations of the Trump campaign, it not only would have bombshells, but it would be far more entertaining than Brian Fallon's e-mail.
BLACKWELL: I see your attempt there to turn to the Trump campaign, but we're focused this half of the segment on Hillary Clinton. Scottie, your response to what we just heard from Scott.
HUGHES: Well, of course, Scott is going to throw out accusations and just like the last segment, there's no evidence to support is it. We're just going to throw everything at the mud because I guess --
BLACKWELL: Let her finish.
HUGHES: I agree with you, Victor, this just shows that they knew there was classified information. And the line was, it didn't exist.
[06:30:04] Let's not admit it. We are going to deny, deny, deny, regardless of whatever comes out.
But I also think if there were lots of things that were revealed this week that are very damaging to the Clinton campaign. I was actually very interested to find out that the Hillary campaign actually engaged back in 2009.
Voters added towards Barack Obama and his mother and father and how much, you know, him being raised in a Muslim country and his use of cocaine and the stance on gay marriage. All of these issues, I think there should be some questions about those of the supported President Obama to go, "Wait a minute, well, are you going to try to research, try to use these targets against him?" Those sorts of things were you're going to try to use the faith of his father and where he grew up.
I think those are some various issues that I think Democrats are going to need to look at this e-mails and go, maybe, you know, Hillary Clinton wasn't always on board of the Democratic Party as she says she was.
BLACKWELL: We will certainly be going through several of those e- mails every hour this morning.
Scott, let me come back to you, as we've had the conversation over the last several months. And we've been very clear about the birtherism issue and that being started by the -- Donald Trump before he had a campaign.
But we see here polling, asking questions about how President Obama, then Senator Obama, wrote about cocaine use, wrote about his father in his autobiography. And this could come back to bite some of the Democrats now who are on Obama's team and supporting Hillary Clinton.
BOLDEN: I don't think so. I think it's a pivot in trying to be divisive. Guys this is a campaign. BLACKWELL: What we saw what the heck did for Debbie Wasserman Schultz?
BOLDEN: Well, absolutely. Listen, we can't deny that. But let me -- this is a campaign. These are test issues. The political people supporting and the people working on Hillary Clinton's campaign, it would be inappropriate to be not to test these issues and to see what the public is and to deliberate about all of these issues.
All she should be -- all what Donald will do is what she has presented and what her campaign has presented. Again, these deliberations go on all the time. Let's look at Donald Trump's deliberations, far more informative and far more entertaining.
BLACKWELL: We got to wrap it there.
(CROSSTALK)
BLACKWELL: We got to wrap it there. Scott and Scottie ...
BOLDEN: I want to hear Kellyanne's advice from the ...
BLACKWELL: ... as always, I know you're going to continue the conversation on Twitter, so I'm going to find it there. Thank you both.
BOLDEN: And another thing.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, got it there. All right, so the Clinton versus Trump there's one more now, Wednesday, the final presidential debate showdown. Live coverage begins 4:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
PAUL: Donald Trump slamming the women who are accusing him of sexual assault calling their accounts of sexual misconduct, "nonsense." Does this open the door to legal trouble, though? We explore that, next.
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[06:36:22] PAUL: 36 minutes past the early hour of 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday. We're glad that you're awake. I'm Christi Paul.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Well, so good to be with you.
PAUL: Yeah, all right. Sexual assault accusations against Donald Trump seem to be piling up this morning. Another woman has come forward accusing the Republican nominee of reaching up her skirt.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, Kristin Anderson, a photographer and former model says, it happened at a crowded New York City nightclub. This was back in the early '90s she says. So she tells our Anderson Cooper what, according to her account, happened. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTIN ANDERSON, ACCUSES TRUMP OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AT NYC NIGHT CLUB IN THE '90s: I was sitting on the couch with my girlfriends. It was at a club. And I was talking to them. And next thing I know there's a hand up my skirt. And I basically just pushed the hand away, turned and looked, got up off the couch. And we all moved.
It was a very packed. There were people everywhere as it was then. And then, you know, I recognized the eyebrows right away and I turned to my girlfriends and I was like, "Who's this dude?? And they're like, "Oh that's Donald Trump." And they go, "Oh, yeah, that's Donald, the eyebrows."
And he was like, you know, he just stuck his hand up my skirt, ew. Could I have said something? Maybe, but, you know, whom I'm going to tell? So I go to the club manager and I say, "Donald Trump put his hand up my skirt," and they'll be like, "Yeah. And they'll go to him and say, "Did you do this? And he'll say, "No." And then where we go from there? It's kind of like where we are now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Well, Trump on Friday called Anderson's account "nonsense" arguing that he rarely sits alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: One came out recently where I was sitting alone at some club. I really don't sit alone that much. Honestly, folks, I don't like sit alone. I go in with (inaudible) -- I was sitting alone by myself like this.
And then I went, "Whoa," to somebody. I just heard this one, it's like unbelievable. Even a simple investigation would have shown these allegations against me in just about all cases, its nonsense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Anderson never claimed Trump was sitting alone at the time of the incident, important to say.
PAUL: Yeah, just to clarify that point. But Trump as you see there he's forcefully denied every allegation that's been thrown at him arguing that the claims are part of the conspiracy to sink his campaign.
Joey Jackson, CNN Legal Analyst and Criminal Defense Attorney with us now. So Joey, let's look ahead here. If something like this goes to court, would it be difficult for Donald Trump to disprove the credibility of these women?
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST AND CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good morning Christi. You know, interestingly enough, that's the big question. Does it or will it even make it into court?
And, you know, the issue is, there's really two fold. One is the court that you're talking about, which is the actual courtroom. The other is the court of public opinion. And I think that's where it hurts him most. Now, in terms of pursuing a case, it would be unlikely that that would happen because of the statute of limitations. There are statutes of limitations in every state, New York certainly included in that that prevent you from you getting into the courthouse door unless you make the allegations within a specified period of time.
What she described there, Christi is known in New York State as a forceable touching. You cannot for the purpose of sexual gratification or, otherwise, touch a person without their consent. And in light of that, if you do that it's a crime. But because of the statute of limitations, which here happens to be in New York two years, I don't know that it even makes it into the courthouse door.
PAUL: All right. Let's just hypothetically say that it does, how do you defend Donald Trump?
[06:40:02] JACKSON: Well, what generally what happen would be is that it's hard to disprove a negative, but what you do is let's start in reverse. First, you assess and analyze the claims. When did it happen? Where did it happen? We know that. What the allegations are? And now you get to, is it likely that it did happen? And that, in analyzing that, Christi, would be what we call recent outcry witnesses.
Oftentimes in sexual assault cases or abuse cases, you would tell someone. You would go to a friend with you at the club. "I can't believe what happened. Oh my goodness, this is what he did to me." And even if you don't go to the authorities, certainly you have those other people who are there who would say, "Yes, she did come to me and relate that story on that day, at that time, at that place." And then, of course, you know, what happens in terms of the defense is that it's a credibility attack.
If in the event that Donald Trump was there, let's start with that. Was he there on that night? Who if anyone was he with at that night? Did any of those people see anything out of the ordinary or unusual occur? And in the event that he was there, and these people did see something out of the ordinary occur, then it goes into assessing the credibility of those who accuse you. And that's how ultimately it would play out in the event that it did get into a courtroom.
PAUL: All right, Joey Jackson, thank you so much for breaking it down for us. Good to see you this morning.
JACKSON: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: Trump, Clinton, virtual tie in the state of Ohio. But can Trump win over more voters there in the last 24 days? Get some of those independents. Hear from some of them. That's coming up.
Plus, it's been nearly a week since Hurricane Matthew hit the East Coast, but towns in North Carolina still under water. And things could get even worse before they get any better.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [06:45:09] PAUL: Well, a judge has extended the voter registration deadline in 36 North Carolina counties and here's a look at why. Entire towns are still under water, days after Hurricane Matthew hit the East Coast. And it could be another two weeks before those water levels go down.
BLACKWELL: The flooding is also threatening more areas, leaving people who live there watching and waiting to see eventually what will happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DETHERINE HYMAN, DISPLACED BY FLOODING: We've evacuate like Tuesday and by now we're staying on our vehicle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're staying in your vehicle. What is that like?
HYMAN: It's very difficult because my mom she's elderly.
JIM COSLING, KINGSTON, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT: We're stuck, stuck for -- probably about 10 days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Well, for more information on how you can help the victims of the North Carolina flooding, and all of the victims of Hurricane Matthew. Log on to our web, cnn.com/impact.
PAUL: And thank you for thinking of them, certainly.
Well, CNN is touring the country talking to voters in some of the most competitive battleground states and they have a lot to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don't trust Donald, that's all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because he got money, that ain't everything.
SIERRA LESLEY, CLEVELAND VOTER: I'm willing to vote for a clown before Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: We'll bring you more of those stories later today.
But, car accidents, the leading cause of deaths among teens in the United States, more than cancer, homicide combined. This week's "CNN Hero" battling that shocking statistic, teaching kids how to properly handle themselves on the road in every day in emergency situations. Here's Jeff Payne.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF PAYNE, CNN HERO: A lot of parents would never toss their kid a loaded gun and tell them to have fun. But many of them just don't think twice about throwing them the car keys. We just throw the kids out on the road and expect them to be prepared to handle every situation. And that's just not the case. We're just doing our job so we can make a difference out there and make the road safer for all of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: You got to see more of the extreme driving situations to watch there that Jeff has put thousands of kids through, go to cnnheroes.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[06:50:46] PAUL: Well, this election will likely, analysts say, come down to voters in key swing states from Ohio, to Pennsylvania, to Florida. And we know for many of them, this race is about the economy, their jobs, their wallets. That's what would swing a lot of votes.
BLACKWELL: Yeah, and, of course, the candidates know this that's why Donald Trump has scheduled campaign events in New Hampshire and Maine today, but what do the voters there think?
Poppy Harlow has been traveling through these swing states hearing first hand from the voters for a special report this weekend called "Your Money, Your Vote."
PAUL: She takes to us Ohio, for instance, where early an absentee voting begins today. This is the state so critical. No one has won the White House without winning Ohio since 1960.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio was one of the strongest for President Obama in 2012. Mitt Romney did not get a single vote from people living in these homes, not one.
People living here have been struggling economically for a long time and they still are. So the question is, will they come out in droves for Hillary Clinton, the way they did for President Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hillary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well Hillary is the best candidate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a no-brainer.
HARLOW: There have been decades of economic despair and the dwindling faith that politicians will help.
JEFF CROSBY, CLEVELAND PEACEMAKERS ALLIANCE YOUTH MENTOR: I think the Democratic platform is saying the same thing we have heard for about the past 50 years.
HARLOW: Over and over? CROSBY: Over and over.
HARLOW: Since the war on poverty was declared?
CROSBY: Yes.
HARLOW: Jeff Crosby used to be in games (ph) that landed him in prison. Now, he's working to keep kids from the same life he lived.
CROSBY: It's one of the highest crime areas in Cleveland.
HARLOW: This is?
CROSBY: Yes. About 10 gangs over here. What's up? Good, yeah.
I think the Democratic Party has taken us for granted. The Republican Party literally ignores us except for Trump. Trump is starting to make inroads, but he is a polarizing figure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don't trust Donald, that's all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because he got money, that ain't everything.
LESLEY: I'm willing to vote for a clown before Donald Trump.
HARLOW: Really?
LESLEY: Yes, with a red nose. I do agree with Republicans sometimes, but I don't agree with, nothing that Donald Trump stands for.
HARLOW: And that brings us to this second part of this Ohio chapter, 200 miles south. We're in Pike County, Ohio and this place matters a lot. Not for the number of votes here, but because of what it represents. It used to be solidly blue. But it's been moving more and more red.
In 2012, this was the closest county in the country. Mitt Romney won here by a single vote, just one vote. It's 96 percent white, largely blue collar and unemployment here is high. These are exactly the voters Donald Trump has been speaking to. So if his message isn't resonating here, he's in trouble.
SCOTT HAMMOND, BUSINESS MANAGER, BOILERMAKERS UNION, LOCAL 105: I'd say right now, you're looking at a coin toss?
HARLOW: A coin toss among union workers who until now have been solidly blue? Have you ever seen anything like that before?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
HARLOW: So Donald Trump says he's the one to bring these jobs back. He's the one to build up your industry.
HAMMOND: Donald Trump is saying that, that's total propaganda. Where's his merchandise made? What does he had to offer to American industry? Nothing. HARLOW: Many here do believe Trump and see him as their best shot at getting ahead. Since 2000, Ohio has lost nearly a third of its manufacturing jobs.
BILL STANLEY, PIKE COUNTY, OHIO VOTER: He got lots of things that is amazing that he's telling us he can do for us.
HARLOW: Angie Shanks runs a real estate firm here.
ANGIE SHANKS, PIKE COUNTY, OHIO VOTER: It means more jobs, more better paying jobs.
HARLOW: You voted for President Obama in 2008?
SHANKS: Yes, I did.
HARLOW: But her faith in the Obama administration has faded.
SHANKS: I think Trump is a businessman and the country is a business. It needs to be run as a business.
HARLOW: When we met Angie, she was leaning towards Trump, now after the "Access Hollywood" tape surfaced, she's reconsidering.
You're a lifelong Democrat?
CHARLES SALTKIELD, PIKE COUNTY, OHIO VOTER: Yes.
HARLOW: So you're voting for Hillary this time around?
SALTKELD: No, I'm not.
HARLOW: No?
SALTKELD: My dad was a coal miner. They put the coal miners out of work.
[06:55:02] HARLOW: We left Ohio asking this question, why does economic pain from one town to the next push some people left and others right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: So as you can see, these voters are clearly divided on who they think would do more for their personal economy as president. We've heard so much from the candidates and the pundits. It was refreshing to get out there and hear directly from the voters.
I should note that this was filmed before the 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape of Donald Trump surfaced so we called back all of the Trump supporters we interviewed and nearly each one with the exception of just a few told us they are still supporting Donald Trump and planning to vote for him.
You can see much more of our swing state road trip in our special report, "Your Money, Your Vote" that airs tonight at 7:30 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Victor and Christi, back to you.
PAUL: All righty. Poppy, looking forward to that again tonight at 7:30 with Poppy and there's a lot of news to tell you about this morning.
BLACKWELL: The next hour of your NEW DAY starts after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I am a victim of one of the great political smear campaigns in the history of our country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two more women say Donald Trump made inappropriate sexual advances toward them.
CLINTON: Disturbing stories keep coming.
TRUMP: These allegations are 100 percent false. They're made up, they never happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first of eight accusers publicly came forward Wednesday night ...
TRUMP: Believe me, she would not be my first choice, that, I can tell you.
CLINTON: This is who Donald Trump really is.
TRUMP: This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Clinton corruption. I like it better without the teleprompter.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: 7:00 in a Saturday morning, I'm glad to see you're up. I'm Christi Paul.
