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Trump Tweet; Explosions Rock Saudi Arabia; Baghdad Blast. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired July 4, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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


[14:00:00] BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Continues next.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. Thank you so much for being with me on this Independence Day.

Let's begin with this explosive exchange that's now developing between the two main contenders for the presidency and it involves accusations of anti-Semitism. Hillary Clinton today is seizing upon this deleted tweet from Donald Trump. The tweet declares, quote, "crooked Hillary makes history," with you see it here, you know, the backdrop, $100 bills behind Secretary Clinton's face. Beside it the title "most corrupt candidate ever" inside the shape of the Star of David, a Jewish symbol.

Minutes ago, the Clinton camp sent out this statement. And let me just read that for you right now. Quote, "Donald Trump's use of a blatantly anti-Semitic image from racist websites to promote his campaign would be disturbing enough, but the fact that it's part of a pattern should give voters major cause for concern. Now not only won't he apologize for it, he's peddling lies and blaming others. Trump should be condemning hate, not offering more campaign behavior and rhetoric that engages extremists." Finally it goes on, "the president should be someone who brings Americans together, not someone who sends signals and offers policies of division."

I mentioned a moment ago, and let me reiterate that, that Trump has deleted this message, replacing it with an image that uses a circle there on the right side of your screen, instead of the Star of David. Sent out the initial tweet Saturday, the day Secretary Clinton interviewed with the FBI for three and a half hours over her use of that private e-mail server when she served as secretary of state.

So let's begin this conversation with CNN political reporter Sara Murray.

I know, Sara, you have more information as far as where that initial came from.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: That's right, the image initially appeared - we found it ten days ago. It was on a white supremacist website. And, of course, even before that realization, Donald Trump was already facing some blowback about the anti-Semitic imagery invoked in this tweet. And so that's why they - you know, they deleted it, they replaced it with this other tweet. That's what makes his explanation of that today even more confusing.

I want to take you to what he's tweeted today to explain this, saying "the dishonest media is trying their absolute best to depict a star in a tweet as the Star of David, rather than a sheriff's star or a plain star." Now, of course, Brooke, that is not a plain star. We know what a plain star looks like. And they still felt the need to delete it and to replace it with something else. And one of the senior advisors to the campaign, Ed Brookover, explained on "New Day" what was behind all of this controversy and the fact that they feel like it's been taken care of. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED BROOKOVER, SENIOR ADVISER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Not every six-sided star is a Star of David. There was no intent at all. And so, you know, it's a - we corrected this tweet and have moved on. There is no anti- Semitism in Mr. Trump's body, not one ounce, not one cell. And so we corrected this image and it's time for us to move on. There is nothing, nothing, nothing about Mr. Trump that suggests anti-Semitism.

MURRAY: So you hear one explanation from a senior campaign advisor there, but the reality is, Trump does have a history in the past. He's retweeted apparent neo-Nazi supporters. He's blasted out incorrect and racially charged crime statistics. And, of course, there was the interview he did with Jake Tapper where he failed to disavow white supremacist David Duke repeatedly, although he later did so, and that's what's causing a worrisome pattern for some people. And that's also the reason that we've gone back to Trump advisors repeatedly, a number of them today, to say, how did this image end up appearing on a white supremacist website and then appearing on Donald Trump's Twitter feed? Why did that happen? And is someone going to face consequences for that? And, Brooke, so far those questions have gone unresponded to.

BALDWIN: Well, it's a great question. I'll use it in just a second. Sara Murray, thank you so much for now in our nation's capital.

You know, it's not just, by the way, Secretary Clinton who's going after this tweet. Also anti-Trump conservatives. This message is from Katie Packer, who founded an anti-Trump super PAC. She tweets, "what's with the Star of David? Is the GOP nominee now sending some kind of dog whistle?"

So joining me now, Trump surrogate, Boris Epstein, and Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis, who is CEO of Park Street Strategies.

Gentlemen, welcome.

CHRIS KOFINIS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thank you. Happy Fourth.

BORIS EPSHTEYN, TRUMP SURROGATE: Thank you. Good morning. Good afternoon. Happy Fourth.

BALDWIN: Thank you. Same to you.

Boris, straight up, you know, to Sara's point, you know, how did an image from a white supremacist website land on a tweet from Mr. Trump?

EPSHTEYN: I'm not going to comment on that process. You're going to have to ask Mr. Trump. It's his Twitter account. What I will tell you is that as a -

BALDWIN: You're a surrogate.

EPSHTEYN: Advisor said earlier, it was corrected. Let's move on. Let's talk about real issues. Real issues such as, who is better for the actual Jews? Who's better for the state of Israel? And that's Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton supported the Iran deal, which is an existential threat to Jewish people all over the world and all people of all religions and backgrounds. And that's what we should be focusing on, not some tweet that's already gone and not on the Internet anymore.

[14:05:05] BALDWIN: We'll go - listen, we'll go big picture, but I think part of this, you know, I think from Secretary Clinton, as we've seen in her camp's, you know, statement, it goes to the point she's been making, not presidential, issues with his temperament and really the question, Boris, is, you know, why, if there was nothing the matter, then why delete it? Why did the Trump team delete the tweet?

EPSHTEYN: Secretary Clinton is using anything she can to take the attention away from her three hour interview with the FBI.

BALDWIN: Why did they delete the tweet?

EPSHTEYN: Excuse me, Brooke? Sorry.

BALDWIN: Why did they delete the tweet?

EPSHTEYN: That's, again, up to - that's up to Mr. Trump. It's his Twitter account.

BALDWIN: If it's not anti-Semitic.

EPSHTEYN: I'm not going to go on and comment about it. What I will tell you is that, again, Hillary Clinton is playing politics. She's the one that's lying to the American people and has been doing so for 40 years that she's been on the national stage, from her career at the Rose Law Firm, to first lady, to secretary of state, to now as a candidate she's been a habitual liar and been breaking laws, rules and regulations along the way. And the inspector general and the secretary of state already found it and now it's up to the DOJ.

BALDWIN: We'll get to Secretary Clinton in just a second and her three and a half hour, you know, questioning process, trust me, over the weekend with the FBI, but, Chris, on this tweet -

EPSHTEYN: it's a much bigger - it's a much bigger point, though, right?

BALDWIN: Hang on. On - depends on who you ask.

Chris, on the tweet issue and on the sort of lack of answers as far as why it was deleted if their - if the Trump team is saying not anti- Semitic? What do you think?

KOFINIS: Well, anyone - anyone who has ever worked on a presidential campaign know that this stuff doesn't just happen. You have to go through multiple chains in order to get something posted. Now the Trump campaign is clearly a little atypical. But the problem here - and this is why I think people are so offended - this is another example in a pattern of offending key groups across the country. Whether you're talking about Hispanics, whether you're talking about women, now you're talking about Jews, whether you're talking about Muslims. I mean this is the crux of his campaign, to try to divide and conquer.

And, listen, if you want that kind of a candidate, if you want someone who's going to divide this country and bring out the worst of people, Donald Trump is your guy. You should definitely vote for him. And so I think - and I think - and I think -

BALDWIN: Boris, I want to give you an opportunity to respond to that, the pattern, the notion of this pattern.

EPSHTEYN: Brooke, Mr. Trump has been a life-long friend to the Jewish people. He's got a great record of being a friend to the people in Israel. His daughter is Jewish. His grandkids are Jewish. His son-in- law, obviously, is Jewish. So let's not talk about a guy -

KOFINIS: That isn't - that's isn't - wait, see - but, see - wait a second, but the mistake -

EPSHTEYN: Let me finish, Chris. I let you finish. Let me finish.

KOFINIS: No, wait a second. No, you can -

BALDWIN: Hold on, hold on, one voice, one voice. Chris.

EPSHTEYN: It is absolutely unfair to talk about anti-Semitism here. It was a tweet. It was corrected. Let's move on. Please do not use it as just another way to take attention away from Hillary Clinton's awful week and her interview with the FBI.

KOFINIS: I hate -

BALDWIN: Chris, go ahead.

EPSHTEYN: You know that's what you're doing, Chris. Don't do it.

KOFINIS: Listen, I hate - I hate to burst you balloon, but the reality is, you guys tweeted it. It was the campaign that you support that tweeted it. And here is the right strategy when you make a mistake, you admit it and you move on. They don't. They make no note -

EPSHTEYN: Chris, we appreciate your help here and your advice -

KOFINIS: Wait a second. Wait a second. They did not.

EPSHTEYN But give it to the Democrats and why don't you give that - give that support to Hillary Clinton. KOFINIS: They did - they did not and this is Donald Trump's problem.

It has been from the very beginning of this primary. It's why Republicans across the board are not supporting him. He is a candidate that is incapable of admitting wrong, but worst he revels in it. That is not what the country wants.

EPSHTEYN: Chris, go ahead and concentrate on the Democrats and worry about Hillary Clinton. We'll worry about Donald Trump. ((INAUDIBLE) won - he got over 14 million votes in the primary.

BALDWIN: Listen, we're going to get there. Let's pivot. Let's pivot. Let's pivot. Let's pivot because - hold on. Let me jump in.

On the Dems, and specifically we know, you know, she was interviewed over the weekend, which timing wise is a Saturday before this holiday, right, when suddenly she's being interviewed, this three and a half hour inquisition over this e-mail probe.

And, Chris, my question to you is, you know, part of the criticism on the Hillary Clinton side is that she's sort of - is able to skirt the rules, you know, that pertain to her, the fact that the timing of this was, again, the Saturday before the Fourth of July, that she maybe has an insider's grip on the investigation. How would you respond to those criticisms?

KOFINIS: Well, I don't think anyone is going to - is going to suggest that the FBI somehow plays political favorites. I mean the director of the FBI is someone who supported Republicans. And the FBI's going to make the decision and that is the reality. I mean if the sources that are, you know, being reported by CNN, for example, are correct, there's not going to be any charges. And if there are no charges, I have no doubt that Republicans like Boris and other Trump supporters are going to come out here and admit they were wrong and apologize to Secretary Clinton for suggesting any wrongdoing. I will not hold my breath for that to happen.

EPSHTEYN The inspector general of the department (ph) has already stated that she broke the rules.

KOFINIS: There you go. I mean, you know -

EPSHTEYN: So there's already been wrongdoing. And you know it, Chris.

KOFINIS: I hate - you know -

BALDWIN: Hold on, let Boris respond. Boris, go ahead.

EPSHTEYN The inspector general of the Department of State already stated that Hillary Clinton broke the rules of the Department of State. That's already fact. Now it's about a criminal investigation. And if this was anyone else, anyone else, that person would be indicted right now because there's already evidence on its face (INAUDIBLE) having an outside server and she did expose - she did expose secret, classified information.

KOFINIS: Because clearly you're a lawyer and you know that. And you clearly work in the FBI and you know that.

[14:10:03] BALDWIN: We're waiting for the results. We know it must be imminent, as we know that this has happened. We're three weeks away. Final question to you, Chris, though. I mean three weeks away from her party's, you know, from the Democratic Convention. She's sat down. She's done what was asked of her as far as, you know, answering some of these questions, but what does that tell voters, maybe even those who haven't totally made up their minds, as this is just before everyone's getting together and be, you know, excited about, you know, this side of the political nomination process. And this is still mucking it up.

KOFINIS: Well, listen, you know, that is a challenge. I'm not going to admit it's not. I mean the reality is Secretary Clinton has said she - you know, she has to go out there and earn and re-earn the trust of the American people. That is what every candidate who's running for president has done. But I think the difference here and where voters are going to end up fixating on, we're already seeing this in the polls, is who has a positive, clear vision that's going to take the country forward.

Now, listen, I said - what I said before, if you want someone who's going to divide this country, who's going to revel in hate and who's going to send this country backwards, Donald Trump's your guy. You should definitely vote for him. If you want someone who's going to lead this country in a better, more positive direction, that - Secretary Clinton is your candidate. That is the choice that voters are going to make.

EPSHTEYN: But Trump has (INAUDIBLE) false accusations of anti-Semitism and racism. That's what Democrats - whereas Republicans want to move the country forward and we'll continue to do so.

KOFINIS: Yes, well, you know what, that's - that's - Donald - Donald Trump should actually - may watch what he says a little bit more.

BALDWIN: OK. OK.

EPSHTEYN: Hillary Clinton should be worried about going to jail, not about who her VP (INAUDIBLE).

BALDWIN: Gentlemen - gentlemen, gentlemen, thanks for that.

EPSHTEYN: Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Thank you very much.

KOFINIS: Happy Fourth.

BALDWIN: Happy Fourth, Boris and Chris, thanks so much. The conversation continues.

Coming up, though, we have to talk about what's happening breaking out of Saudi Arabia right now. There have been multiple suicide attacks, including one near a mosque. Keep in mind, Ramadan ends tomorrow. We'll have a live report with the very latest there next. Also ahead, heightened security on the home front this Fourth of July.

We'll take a closer look at the enormous security effort underway in New York City and all around the country ahead of tonight's big fireworks celebrations.

And, hello, golden ticket. One of the top players in the NBA announces he is switching teams, altering the landscape of the league in a major way. And have you heard what he will get paid? My goodness. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:15:42] BALDWIN: Back to our breaking news here. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Let's get straight to Saudi Arabia. We now are reporting about these multiple explosions across three different cities here. The most recent hitting near a Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia's eastern city of Qatif, while a third bomb has gone off close to a security headquarters at the Prophet's Mosque in the western city of Medina. All of this comes on the heels of an explosion near the U.S. consulate in the city of Jeddah.

Let's go to Nic Robertson, CNN's international diplomatic editor.

A lot of questions to you, first, just beginning with - talk to me about these three different attacks and do we have a death toll?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: We have a death toll. There are four Saudi security officers killed in that attack on their position in Medina. We can also add in another attack into that mix. There was a second attack. That makes a total of four. A second attack in the city of Qatif after those first two this evening. So that was targeting a shopping mall, the Center Point Shopping Mall, in the city of Qatif there.

What we understand in Qatif, both suicide attacks there failed because there were no civilian casualties. And in Medina, the target there was security service officers. At least four killed. The death toll may climb. And at least one injured that we're aware of so far.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Are they connected, do we know?

ROBERTSON: We know there's been no claim of responsibility. But, hey, you have four attacks like this in Saudi Arabia. It - almost sort of out of the blue. It's not quite out of the blue because ISIS is operating there. ISIS has a track record this year of targeting Saudi security officers, targeting government installations. They've also targeted in the past Shi'a mosques in Saudi Arabia. So, in all likelihood, this would appear to be ISIS, although they haven't claimed responsibility.

Look, in the last few years, Saudi officials have rounded up and arrested two and a half thousand ISIS operatives and wannabes inside Saudi Arabia. They know they have a problem. They're dealing with it. But when it raises its head like this in four different attacks, that you've got to take seriously, particularly when one of the targets potentially there the U.S. consulate.

BALDWIN: Nic Robertson there on Saudi Arabia.

Let's move along and talk Iraq. You know, ISIS, as Nic just pointed out, hasn't claimed responsibility in those different attacks there. It's important to note, we are coming off of three major ISIS attacks around the world. And just this past week, the terror group making good on their pledge to step up their terror tactics during Ramadan.

And as we report on these wave of attacks, just over the last week alone, you can see in this part of the world where they've happened. The latest, a suicide truck bomb that ripped through a Baghdad neighborhood. Listen to this. This is now being called the single- deadliest terror attack in Iraq since 2003.

All of this coming on the heels of attacks at the Istanbul airport and a popular cafe in Bangladesh. The death tolls in all three are absolutely devastating. Forty-four lives lost in Istanbul, 22 in Dhaka and more than 200 in Baghdad. Just to show you the scale of that suicide bombing in Baghdad, look at what remains, the charred remains here. CNN flew a drone over the devastation of the entire building. Just absolutely incinerated.

Let's take you now live to Baghdad to the scene of that latest attack. I have CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman standing by.

I know that they are still, Ben, pulling bodies from that rubble. Can you talk me through what happened?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, before we get to that, Brianna, let me tell you that within the last 45 minutes we heard large thuds coming from the west of Baghdad. It turns out that there has been a rocket barrage on what's known as Camp Liberty, which was an old U.S. camp now taken over by the Iraqi military, right next to Baghdad International Airport. We don't have any word of casualties or damage, but I do know having spoken with someone who just arrived there, that flights seem to be still coming in.

And when it comes to the explosion that took place late Saturday night in the Karada district, yes, they're still pulling bodies and body parts out of the ruins. We were there for about five and a half hours today and there was a constant stream of small groups of people coming to look for relatives who, as far as they could tell, disappeared off the face of the earth Saturday night.

[14:20:11] There are so many bodies that are charred beyond recognition. The last we heard was from the Iraqi place, 81 bodies, that they - they don't know who they are. They have to conduct DNA tests. So there are lots of bodies that nobody can identify and there are lots of people looking for missing relatives. I was there when one young man found prayer beads in the ashes. He recognized them as his brothers, along with a piece of cloth. He had the very difficult task of calling up his mother to tell her that his brother, her son, was dead.

Brianna.

BALDWIN: It's horrendous. It's Brooke. I'll take it. Ben Wedeman in Baghdad, thank you for that.

WEDEMAN: Brooke.

BALDWIN: No problem.

You know, let me just - let's have a broader conversation about this wave of terror with CNN military analyst, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling.

And, General Hertling, I mean I was just leaving Istanbul yesterday, winding through the passport line and I could still see some of the bullet holes as I was there. What's happening?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, it's a fight for the soul of Islam in my view, Brianna. And what we're seeing in Karada -

BALDWIN: It's Brooke.

HERTLING: A horrible attack there. That's an area that I know very well from my tour in Baghdad in 2003 and '04. And it's - it's an upscale neighborhood, a Shi'a neighborhood with some Christians there. So the attack by ISIS - and they have claimed this particular attack - is pointed toward attacking anyone who does not believe in their extreme view of Islam. What you're seeing also in Saudi Arabia in the three triangulated cities of Jeddah, Qatif and Medina is, again, it's either a fight against Shi'a, as it occurred in Qatif, or a fight against the security forces because they - ISIS or Islamic extremists don't believe the government is doing enough to go toward their brand of ideology.

So we're seeing this all over the world, especially in the Middle Eastern areas, and we are seeing ISIS growing not in territory or resources in Iraq and Syria, but certainly in popularity amongst a variety of extremist groups that want to cause these kind of damages at the end of Ramadan. We're two days away - Wednesday has been declared the beginning of the Eid-al-Adha holiday. That's the holiest day in Islam. And all of this is occurring while devout Muslims are preparing for breaking the fast of Ramadan. It just doesn't make sense.

BALDWIN: It also doesn't make sense when you think of, you know, covering the majority of those victims in Istanbul, Muslim. We know that the suicide bomb that went off in Medina, general, that it was the burial site of the Prophet Mohammed, one of Islam's holiest sites. I mean, you know, you talk to, as I was the last couple of days, you know, folks who are Muslim, who talk about, you know, what ISIS spouts is certainly not Islam. What are they trying to accomplish, though, as it pertains to this religion?

HERTLING: Well, certainly - yes, the locations are important, but more important are the targets. And in this case, the targets, in most cases, have been the Shia Muslims. And that is the extreme target for members of ISIS. They want to kill Shia because they consider them the apostate.

Right below them are the security forces of any government that they believe is either bending toward the Shia or leaning towards the apostates in the west. So you're seeing that combination of things that anyone who doesn't believe in this extreme view of Islam is going to be the target of this organization. And that's why I think the soul of Islam is what's got to rise up and continue to fight along with the west against these terrorists.

BALDWIN: General, what about the terrorists themselves because, you know, as I was reading about what happened in Dhaka and Bangladesh where the 22 people were killed, you know, I was reading about how terror experts are warning of this new trend of radicalization where apparently these attackers were, quote, "normal guys." This is Dhaka specifically. Normal guys, educated, well off, played sports, you know, defies the regular profile of the disenfranchised sort of introvert, yes?

HERTLING: Yes, I - Brooke, I tell you, I think we have to get away from attempting to put any kind of label on what would cause individuals to do these kinds of attacks.

BALDWIN: Yes.

HERTLING: Because we are seeing anyone from the uninformed criminal all the way up to those who believe they have a real feel for the religion, and yet they don't. So I think we have to be very careful about saying these are just - these attacks are just being conducted by the disenfranchised or the newly reborn. It can take a form in anyone who has - has - begins to believe this kind of extreme view of an ideology.

[14:25:04] BALDWIN: Yes. You're right. You're right. General Hertling, thank you so much for your voice as always.

Still to come here, at home, some of you are on edge given what's happened around the world. Security officials are on high alert here taking major precautions on this holiday. We'll talk about that next.

And ahead, big news in the NBA. Basketball star Kevin Durant saying he will sign with the Golden State Warriors. And a lot of people no so thrilled about that. We'll have that for you coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The series of deadly attacks overseas has pushed the United States to beef up its security plan this July 4th. Fireworks celebrations in the nation's capital and New York City will be surrounded by hundreds of anti-terror counterterror officers. This, of course, on the heels of an explosion in Central Park over this past weekend. Investigators believe the explosive material was left over from someone experimenting with homemade fireworks, not at all terror related, but one person's foot was actually severely mangled as a result of stepping on that.

So, CNN national correspondent Deborah Feyerick is on the banks of New York's East River, the site of tonight's big fireworks show.

First, just generally speaking, as far as threats are concerned, what is, you know, what is New York? What are the counterterrorism units telling you?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what they're telling us essentially is that there's no credible intelligence of any sort of specific threat, but the big concern really is that unknown threat. There have been so many warnings about this period of time. There have been attacks that are going on around the world. And so it's what police don't know that they're really trying to - that they're up against, essentially.

[14:30:06] So they're taking extra steps, extra precautions. They're layering the security, and not just here in New York City. I mean you've got 3 million people that are going to come to this area or expected