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The Situation Room
Interview With California Congressman Adam Schiff; Alabama Governor Under Fire; Immigration Verdict at Supreme Court; Not Guilty Verdict in Freddie Gray Case; Trump Makes Waves By Heading Overseas on Business; Police Van Driver Acquitted in Death of Freddie Gray; Awaiting Results of UK Vote on Leaving European Union. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired June 23, 2016 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:03]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: What does this mean for other officers awaiting trial?
And lurid new details in a sex scandal that could lead to the impeachment of Alabama's governor -- tonight, the texts, the phone calls and the alleged affair with an aide in this unfolding Southern soap opera.
We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. Wolf Blitzer is on assignment. I am Brianna Keilar. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
KEILAR: We are following breaking news, the U.S. Supreme Court striking a serious blow to President Obama's legacy and impacting the campaign for his job.
Tonight, the president's controversial executive action on immigration remained blocked from going into effect. That is because the high court deadlocked on the case without a ninth justice to break the 4-4 tie, that, of course, because of the late Antonin Scalia still not being replaced. Stand by for details on what happens next and the intensifying politics surrounding the court vacancy and immigration.
Also breaking, Democrats are vowing the fight over gun control isn't over after a dramatic sit-in on the House floor that lasted just over 24 hours. House Speaker Paul Ryan rejecting their demand for a vote. And in the Senate, new test vote of a gun compromise failed to gain enough votes to prove it could pass.
In Baltimore tonight, the police officer behind the wheel for Freddie Gray's so-called rough ride has been found not guilty on all charges in his death. That includes second-degree murder. Caesar Goodson faced the most serious charges of all six officers arrested in the case.
And I will be talking to one of the Democrats involved in that House sit-in over guns, Congressman Adam Schiff standing by for that.
And our correspondents, analysts and guests, they have full coverage of the day's stop stories.
First to our chief political correspondent, Dana Bash.
President Obama calling the Supreme Court's deadlock on immigration heartbreaking, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
Well, his executive order for the most part is dead. And whether it will be revived depends on what voters decide in November. And it is not just about who is the next president. It is about who that president picks to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court that made it impossible for the eight justices to make a real decision on whether the president's executive order was constitutional.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): Raw emotion outside the Supreme Court, as those gathered learned of the 4-4 deadlock that effectively ends President Obama's executive order allowing some five million undocumented immigrants to stay legally.
JUAN-CARLOS RAMOS, IMMIGRANT: At any moment, at any time, I could be deported.
BASH: At the White House, the president made no attempt to hide his disappointment.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to have to make a decision about whether we are a people who tolerate an hypocrisy of the system, where the workers who pick our fruit or make our beds never have the chance to get right with the law.
BASH: The GOP House speaker called it a victory for the Constitution.
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: It's a win in our fight to restore the separation of powers. Presidents don't write laws. Congress writes laws.
BASH: The fact that the president tried to use his executive authority to go around the gridlocked Congress to allow some undocumented immigrants to stay legally united Republicans in opposition, even those for immigration reform.
REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R), ILLINOIS: I agree with the idea of immigration reform. I think it's something we need. I have been very outspoken about it. But it's something that has to be sustainable coming through the House of Representatives.
BASH: All this makes the red-hot 2016 political issue of immigration even hotter. Donald Trump tweeting that: "The court kept us safe from executive amnesty for now, but Hillary Clinton has pledged to expand it, taking jobs from Hispanic and African-American workers."
And Hillary Clinton calling the decision "a stark reminder of the harm Donald Trump would do to our families, our communities, and our country."
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Build that wall. Build that wall.
BASH: Trump rode to victory in the GOP primaries using opposition to illegal immigration to rally his base.
TRUMP: Who is going to pay for the wall?
AUDIENCE: Mexico.
TRUMP: A hundred percent.
BASH: But now Clinton may get a political boost, thanks to angry Hispanic voters eager to help elect Democrats, especially in key swing states with large Hispanic populations like Florida, Nevada and Colorado.
A national poll last month showed Clinton at 62 and Trump at 23 percent with registered Latin voters nationwide, a political divide that is clearly even more eager now to make wider.
OBAMA: Pretending that we can deport 11 million people or build a wall without spending tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money is abetting what is really just factually incorrect. It's not going to work.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[18:05:03]
BASH: Now, the other reality is that this should put front and center for voters is how much power the next president is going to have in picking who will fill that empty ninth seat on the Supreme Court.
The GOP-led Senate shows no sign of giving President Obama's nominee a vote. And this immigration decision is just one example of extremely consequential -- consequential decisions, rather, that are hanging in the balance until then, Brianna.
KEILAR: Yes, such an issue on the campaign trail. It's only going to heat up.
BASH: Yes.
KEILAR: Dana Bash, thank you so much.
Another emotionally charged political issue was front and center on Capitol Hill today, and that would be gun control. A sit-in by House Democrats ended without getting the vote they demanded, perhaps no surprise. There was a vote in the Senate test support for a gun compromise. That fell short.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty is here now with the details.
A lot of talk, but ultimately nothing really coming of it, Sunlen. SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Brianna.
A very dramatic day here on Capitol Hill, but in the end, it just didn't lead to much all around in the House. House Democrats brought to an end that 25-hour protest sit-in and they are tonight already threatening to do another one when they return in two weeks after recess.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: For what purpose does the gentleman from Kentucky, Mr. Rogers, seek recognition?
SERFATY (voice-over): Twenty-five hours after seizing control of the House floor, the no bill, no break protest is taking a break.
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: We must never, ever give up or give in. We must keep the faith. And we must come back here on July the 5th...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
LEWIS: ... more determined than ever before.
SERFATY: Democrats who vowed not to take a break are doing just that, but promising to restart the push for new gun control measures in the wake of the Orlando attack.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
SERFATY: And threatening to restart the sit-in on the floor after a two-week recess.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: We cannot stop until we get a bill, until a law is passed. This isn't about politics. It's not about elections. It's not about campaigns. It's about the safety of the American people.
SERFATY: And in the Senate, another fight, Republican Senator Susan Collins failing to move forward her bill seen as a bipartisan compromise to prevent those on the no-fly list from buying guns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The House stands adjourned.
SERFATY: Early this morning, the Republican leadership in the House adjourned for recess, looking to draw for a close the act of defiance from Democrats in the House, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan clearly enraged.
RYAN: This is the people's House. This is Congress, the House of Representatives, oldest democracy in the world. And they are descending it into chaos.
SERFATY: Blasting the Democrats' tactics and questioning their intentions.
RYAN: We watched a publicity stunt, a fund-raising stunt descend an institution that many of us care a great deal about. So, yes, I think it sets a very dangerous precedent.
SERFATY: The sit-in on the floor live-streaming on the social media accounts of members, leading to dramatic and at times contentious moments.
REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D), ILLINOIS: Suspected and known to be a terrorist, why -- why can you get a gun, a machine gun?
SERFATY: Going throughout the night.
REP. TED DEUTCH (D), FLORIDA: I'm cold and I'm tired and I'm hungry. But these are feelings that I'm so privileged to have, because so many will never feel that again.
SERFATY: With protests outside and inside lasting into the late morning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY: And, today, Senator Susan Collins had some pretty pointed criticism for House Democrats. She said that the House sit-in, the Democratic sit-in really, she believes, served a setback to her own efforts to garner bipartisan support around her own bill, Brianna, all of this just underscoring how heated and how divisive this issue really is -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Sunlen Serfaty for us on the Hill.
And joining me now to talk about this, one of the House Democrats who took part in the sit-in over guns. That's Congressman Adam Schiff of California.
And you actually said you started about an hour in, this began spontaneously, and you were there for about 18 hours. But why did you all decide to end it?
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: We don't have a mechanism in the House for a filibuster. And this was really our equivalent.
In the House, the majority controls everything, so if they don't want to have a vote because they don't want to have their members held accountable, they can deny a vote, and have for years on these gun measures. It came to an end for now. We fully intend to resume where we left off, if necessary, to get that vote, and we're determined to plow forward until we do.
[18:10:03]
It is just, I think, indefensible for the speaker to somehow claim that this is antithetical to democracy, when he won't allow his own members to have a vote on this. KEILAR: But I was watching the response publicly. And it seemed that
certainly people in your corner, they were starting to take notice of what happened, and as they started to get behind you, they were even using the hashtag #nobillnobreak.
But it seems like there was a break. And it seems like it had been said by I think Nancy Pelosi this is going to keep going until hell freezes over, but it seems like it was hell freezes over or until vacation starts. Doesn't that send a bad message about the dedication to the issue?
SCHIFF: Well, it certainly sends a bad message about the majority's dedication of dealing with the problem of mass gun violence, because it's the majority that decided they were going to gavel this down, they were going to gavel leave town without doing any of the unfinished business of the country, including address this problem of gun violence.
So we are determined to take it up when we come back into session, so we are not talking merely among ourselves. And we intend to thwart the business of the House until we can compel a vote. And I think it really is a difficult thing for the speaker to say that this is the people's House, we respond to what the country wants, but, no, I am not going to allow members of my own party or the other party to vote on this because we are afraid of the vote.
KEILAR: But the optics of saying we are determined to take this up after our vacation?
SCHIFF: Well, that was a decision that the majority made essentially to recess without...
KEILAR: Should it have been different, do you think? Is that what you're saying? Should you have kept going?
SCHIFF: I absolutely think that the majority should have stayed in session. Whether it would be productive for House Democrats...
KEILAR: But, I mean, Democrats decided.
SCHIFF: Yes.
KEILAR: They could have -- there's nothing stopping Democrats from staying on the House floor. This was being broadcast on social media, even though the official cameras had been turned off. Why not stay?
Why not say we are going to stay through our vacation because this is our commitment?
SCHIFF: That was a debate we had, and a discussion we had with our leadership.
We made the decision it would be more effective, frankly, to resume this when we all return, when, frankly, there's much more pressure on the GOP to act, because there are measures they want to take up. They don't want to have to answer questions we have been raising, and we thought we would be effective when they return to session.
KEILAR: There are a lot of complaints that people have about Congress, where they feel that Congress isn't in session enough and that members of Congress are very dedicated to taking their time off, instead of being in Washington. Doesn't it play into that perception?
SCHIFF: You know, that's something, frankly, that's played up whenever Congress is out of session.
But, frankly, from my constituents' point of view, they want to have me in my district. They want to have meeting with me. And they want me to be accessible. They don't me spending all my time in Washington.
And there's, I think, a very popular misnomer that whenever we're not voting and in session in Washington that we're somehow on vacation. Most of us are spending that time working in our districts, going to community meetings, and being most visible to our constituents, which is something they value.
But, here, I completely agree that, when there are broad issues before the country, like gun violence, like the Zika crisis, for the majority that has a responsibility to govern, to recess with all of these things unaddressed, I think, is deeply irresponsible and I think it reflects very poorly on the Congress.
KEILAR: If you sort of throw up your hands, though, and say the majority isn't going to allow us to be on the floor in regular order, so we are going to take over, and then you leave -- and I hear you saying you do work at home. And certainly I understand that being home, talking to your constituents is very important.
But when it comes to this issue on guns, are you better off being at home as individuals or are you better off being in Washington, doing something that's getting a lot of attention maybe where you could actually bring awareness to the issue than dispersing and it goes away?
SCHIFF: It is a fair strategic question.
But I think the decision was made, and I think probably the right decision that over time, frankly, the attention on the press on what we were doing on the House floor would dissipate over the recess, because, frankly, the Republicans wouldn't be in town, we wouldn't be able to pressure them during the course of ordinary business.
So, I think it made more sense, frankly, to come back strong when we resume, rather than have a petering out of the protest during the next couple weeks. But we intend to take this up again and fight for that vote. And I think what's most distressing to the country is, if the Republicans think this is bad policy, as they say, they ought to have the guts to bring it and vote it down.
But they don't. They want to hide. And so literally, in the middle of the night, last night, they ran off to their districts and left all this unfinished business. KEILAR: What does it look like when you come back? Will we see this
again?
SCHIFF: We will see this again.
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: There will be another sit-in?
SCHIFF: Well, there will be, if necessary, another sit-in, yes, a continuation of this.
We are insisting on getting votes on this. And we think that the majority's position is really indefensible.
[18:15:00]
And what we have done is, we have raised the cost to them of inaction. Right now, and up until this point, they could fail to act, they could have the routine moments of silence after every mass nothing, and then do nothing.
They know that doing nothing now will not go unnoticed, that we will call the nation's attention to it, and they're going to have to deal with this.
KEILAR: This is a bill about keeping those who are on the no-fly list or the terrorist watch list from purchasing firearms, something that about nine in 10 Americans support, including the vast majority of Republicans.
We will be talking a lot more about that and why Congress isn't acting on this issue after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:02]
KEILAR: We are back now Congressman Adam Schiff of California, talking about the end of the Democrats' sit-in to protest inaction on gun violence legislation.
So, looking at that, talking about I guess where Congress is going to go on this, because the polls are staggering when you talk about almost nine out of 10 Americans, and that includes Republicans, who agree with keeping people who are on the no-fly list, on the terrorist watch list from purchasing weapons.
But you actually feel that there could be some movement on guns, which I find surprising. Why do you think that?
SCHIFF: Well, there's a broadly held sense within the Democratic Caucus that this time really feels different, in a way that even Newtown didn't, in a sense, we are hearing from our constituents and a lot of other people around the country who suddenly want to really engage on this issue They want something done. They're deeply fed up. They're deeply worried. And this just feels like one of those tipping points. And, as you say, there are you few issues that are contentious like this, where 90 percent of the public is on one side. That's almost an insurmountable level of public opinion for even the NRA.
But whenever you find a good gulf between what the public wants and what the public gets out of Congress, you can usually find a very powerful special interest at the heart of it, and here, this is the NRA. And I think there's a real conviction that if the NRA can be beaten on this issue, they can be beaten on other issues like universal background checks.
And there's a seminal significance to this issue of keeping people on the no-fly list from being able to buy weapons.
KEILAR: I want to talk to you now about some of other inaction that we have seen, which was the Supreme Court today splitting on whether to uphold President Obama's exactly action on immigration reform. It means a lower court now has the say, and they say that he shouldn't have gone as far as he did.
Today, I heard President Obama saying that people should be mobilized by this, they should be alarmed by it. But then he also seemed to say, don't worry too much, this isn't completely eviscerating my plans.
So, which is it?
SCHIFF: Well, it is a tremendous setback. I think, for millions of people around the country, it puts a big shadow over their continued livelihood, their ability to stay with their families.
So I think it is a tremendous setback, but it also shows the significance of leaving the Supreme Court seat vacant, which is among the most irresponsible acts of the Congress in recent memory. And this is a co-equal branch of government, and we're treating it like some judicial backwater that's a political plaything. It's really unthinkable.
And every day now, when the court issues an opinion, we see the deep consequences. But it will also raise the stakes again in the presidential election, because it will be determinative of issues, like this one, whether those kind of executive orders can go forward.
KEILAR: Congressman Schiff, thanks so much for being with us.
SCHIFF: Thanks, Brianna.
KEILAR: We appreciate your time.
And just ahead: As Donald Trump works to rebound from some campaign setbacks, he is heading overseas and he's making waves again.
And we will look at the not guilty verdict for the police van driver who faced the most serious charges in the death of Freddie Gray. What does it mean for the officers still awaiting trial?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:28:02]
KEILAR: Tonight, it's not payback time for Donald Trump.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee says he won't be reimbursed for the $46 million that he has loaned his campaign.
As Trump works to beef up his fund-raising for the general election, his continued work for his corporation is raising some eyebrows.
CNN's Phil Mattingly has more on this.
Trump headed overseas, Phil.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brianna.
And that, in and of itself, isn't exactly rare for the party's presumptive nominee, but it is why Donald Trump is going to Scotland that's raising new questions among top GOP leaders, a group that in many ways is still very wary of the man primary voters have chosen to lead their party.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: Hillary Clinton -- and, as you know, she -- most people know, she's a world-class liar.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Fresh off his most scathing attack of Hillary, the best fund-raising stretch of his campaign, and an internal shakeup well-received inside an increasingly uneasy party.
REP. KEVIN CRAMER (R), NORTH DAKOTA: Yesterday's speech went a long ways to reigniting the members, as well as the party faithful. Yesterday's speech was very important in making that pivot.
MATTINGLY: Donald Trump is leaving the country, heading to Scotland, not to meet with world leaders or burnish his foreign policy credentials.
Instead, it's for the reopening of a golf course, Trump's Turnberry Resort. Of course, Trump, in a 2014 interview with "Golf Digest," called it -- quote -- "super trophy and one of the great pieces of art," an unorthodox move again raising questions inside the GOP, yet another sign that this isn't a traditional campaign and Trump is far from a traditional candidate, Trump's trip coming as a new CNN/ORC poll finds that nearly 70 percent of voters surveyed stay Trump should step down from his role atop the Trump Organization as he runs for president.
And the reception in Scotland will be far from celebratory, residents, angered by Trump's bare-knuckle business strategy, protesting his visit, even flying Mexican flags to mock his arrival.
[18:30:14] The Clinton campaign also hitting Trump ahead of the trip with a new web video tonight.
But for Trump, the visit underscores an asset viewed by aides as central to the campaign, his business empire.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I built an amazing business I love.
MATTINGLY: And it comes as his campaign tries to turn a corner, leading a week plague by an anemic fundraising report by raising more than $11 million since Tuesday, according to campaign officials. Trump's top campaign aide, Paul Manafort, also mounting a detailed and organized delegate operation designed to undercut any efforts to oust Trump at the convention.
With Trump today floating the unorthodox possibility of naming his cabinet during the campaign.
TRUMP: I think I might be inclined to do that. I don't think that's that unusual, though. That's been done before, hasn't it, Hugh?
HUGH HEWITT, THE HUGH HEWITT SHOW: I don't think we ever had a cabinet member named. There was a hint that Colin Powell was going to be W's secretary of state. It was just a hint.
TRUMP: Well, did they wait until after the election?
HEWITT: Yes, yes.
MATTINGLY: All as Hillary Clinton continues to mount attacks on Trump's business resume.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You might think that because he has spent his life as a businessman, he'd be better prepared to handle the economy. Well, it turns out he's dangerous there, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: And, Brianna, you mention that Trump announced he is not reimbursing himself for the $46 million he has loaned to his campaign. That's not a small thing, and here's why -- top GOP donors, the very donors Trump desperately needs now made it clear to RNC officials I am told if Trump wanted their money, he had to make clear he would use none of it to pay himself back. That's exactly what he did today. Another important step as he tries to makeup that very, very steep cash deficit to Hillary Clinton -- Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Phil Mattingly, thank you so much.
I want to bring in now, CNN senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, we also have "Washington Post" assistant editor David Swerdlick, and CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger.
What do you think of -- Gloria, first, I want to ask you about Donald Trump talking about his cabinet, about saying, you know what, I'm actually going to rule this out long before the election. Obviously that would make his cabinet members targets months ahead of when they normally would be.
Do you think this is ignorance about the process or is this him trying to say, look, I have serious people to be part of my organization?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: I think he is trying to beef up his political resume, you know, if you will. We don't know whether he is definitely going to do it or not. He seems to think it sounded like a good idea, wasn't sure if anyone had done that previously.
But, you know, for him on one hand, he might say, OK, these are the really smart, talented experienced people who I want to put in top policy positions. When you haven't been in government service before and you don't have a government record, you know, that might be an advantage. But as you point out, there's a real flip side to this which is that these people, also become targets and their credentials are looked at and pored over by those of us in the media. And the critics can pounce on them.
So, you know, it's double edged for him and he'll have to make a decision about that, the same way he makes a decision about picking his vice president, and when he let's that out of the bag, right? Because anybody who is attached to any candidate, Donald Trump or anyone else, is going to be picked over. You know, in this case, it could be an asset, we don't know.
KEILAR: Do you think, David, there's enough to gain for Donald Trump to do this?
DAVID SWERDLICK, THE WASHINGTON POST: Well, yes and no. I agree with Gloria, he is inexperienced, the press picking over his selections, his potential selections. It sort of gives him a chance to change the conversation from the last few weeks where he has been criticized as not as serious a candidate as he needs to be, including by members of his own party. So, I think it is a way to pivot. But down the road now he is going to be judged based on some of these selections.
KEILAR: Do we get the sense this was trying to purposefully roll out or was this, do you think, David, just something -- I want you all to weigh in on this, or was this something that just sort of seemed to appear?
(CROSSTALK)
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Think about one specific example. Chris Christie is obviously a big supporter of his, former U.S. attorney, a candidate for attorney general. Suppose he said tomorrow, my attorney general is going to be Chris Christie. Chris Christie is currently under investigation by the U.S. attorney in New Jersey.
How can you say that your future attorney general is someone who may be the boss of the person --
KEILAR: Or any position, right?
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: That is the kind of complexity that would occur if he started to name people. And by the way, I'm not sure the people who he would want to name would be dying to have their names out there for eight months just being targets themselves.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Especially because everything Donald Trump says now going forward, every one of those people would have to comment every day if they agree with this statement or that statement. I think it was very spontaneous. Hugh Hewitt was giving a long interview and was kind of a back and forth on this. It seems like most things are not that planned out in advance by Donald Trump.
TOOBIN: What do you think, Jeff, about his trip to Scotland? It's interesting, the CNN/ORC poll, 7 in 10 say he should step down from his business interests if he is going to be president. That should be his business interest. Do you think there's enough pressure to do that or what does that look like going forward?
ZELENY: You hear him talk about so much polls. I would love to hear his reaction to this. We may hear it, you know? He likes to react to polls.
Look, I think that, you know, first of all, he has relinquished a lot of day to day activity of his businesses to his daughter and his sons in one respect. He's not as in control of the empire as before. But beyond that, I don't think he will. This is who he is, his brand, this is if he loves to appear at his places.
So, the real question, Republicans wonder why isn't he in battleground states more? He has seized the nomination, secured the nomination, and he has not traveled nearly as much as they hoped he would. Giving a speech this week in New York City, go to the battleground state.
So, that's why they wonder, can he sort of comfortably leave Trump Tower. You can't win a general election from Fifth Avenue in New York City, you just can't.
KEILAR: Some of the rules haven't applied to him, this one, you think it does?
SWERDLICK: Well, talking about battleground states, gave a speech last we, or the week before, in Virginia, small crowd, went to a state that's a solidly red state like Texas, big crowd. I think Trump partly likes to have that sense that he is generating big support on the campaign trail.
Republicans criticized him for going to Scotland in the middle of ramping up for the convention, but as you say, being a businessman is part of his brand, his image, who he is. I don't think he wants to relinquish that. I think he wants to remind people, hey, this is who I am, I'm not like all the rest.
KEILAR: But, you know --
TOOBIN: Can I make a trivial point that Donald Trump, whatever else you think of him is correct, that Turnberry is legendary golf course. His golf course is supposedly terrific as well. I -- we can return to regularly scheduled programming.
KEILAR: Thank you for weighing in on that.
BORGER: Can I just say something on the business thing? You know, he has criticized Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation and the business that that is, charging the Clintons profited from the Clinton Foundation. If he remains actively involved, imagine this, as president of the United States I think the questions of conflict even as a candidate but more so once you're elected obviously, the questions of conflict really become large, and particularly in terms of tax laws and all of the rest.
You know, when you're in real estate, when you're in branding, whatever it is, anything that portends to business is going to affect you. By the way, whether you run it or whether your children run it, you know, there are going to be questions raised about that constantly.
KEILAR: Final question to you, Jeff. The Trump campaign is trying to keep in good contact with delegates, clearly they want to stop any disgruntled delegate from maybe not having a person to talk to on the campaign, then going to the convention and sort of pursuing this stop Trump movement. Are they really worried about a coup?
ZELENY: They're not worried about a coup necessarily, but they don't want the optics of a coup. That would be almost as bad as an actual coup. So, he was good about calling people on the phone, these delegates, directly. So, Paul Manafort is keeping a good hand on that.
I think it's not -- you know, the chances are slim of something happening. They want to contain the optics of any type of incursion right before this convention.
KEILAR: We'll see if they can do that.
Jeff, Jeffrey, David, Gloria, thank you so much to all of you.
And just ahead, the driver of the police van in which Freddie Gray died is declared not guilty on all counts. Will any of the officers in this case be convicted?
Plus, sex, politics, and scandal in the Deep South. We have stunning new details on the problems facing Alabama's governor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:44:19] KEILAR: Breaking news today in Baltimore. Another policeman is acquitted of all charges in the death of Freddie Gray. This time, it's the driver of the police van in which gray was riding when he suffered a fatal spinal injury. CNN's Miguel Marquez is in Baltimore.
Tell us a little bit more about the verdict and what's the reaction there, Miguel?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the reaction is mixed as you might expect. Seven different charges, Officer Caesar Goodson the driver of the van was charged with, seven acquittals, seven not guilties read out in court today. While those not guilty charges were being read out, over about a half hour, Goodson stared stone straight on at the judge, didn't move all.
[18:45:00] His family in the courtroom was crying as each of those came down. At the end of it all, the last not guilty, Edward Nero, one of the other officers acquitted in this process, he stood up and said, yes, and they shook hands.
On the other side, Marilyn Mosby, the state's attorney, just -- you know, throughout the entire time simply shook her head, put her head down, couldn't believe what she was hearing from the judge at that time. And from the Gray family, we are now getting some sense from their attorney about how they are doing after this verdict.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILLY MURPHY JR., GRAY FAMILY ATTORNEY: Can you imagine how hard this has been for this family, particularly Freddie's mother? It has been very difficult. Can you imagine losing a son under circumstances shrouded basically in secrecy? Can you imagine the frustration that nobody yet has been found culpable or liable for something that somebody did?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: Now, the big question here is what next for the other officers. Four other officers still face trial here. They couldn't get any conviction, not only on the second degree murder but even in misconduct in office, the lowest charge today. If that's the case, many are questioning, can they get a conviction for any of the officers?
The next trial is due to start July 5th, that will be Lieutenant Brian Rice. We will see if the state's attorney continues with that case -- Brianna.
KEILAR: All right. Miguel, thanks so much.
We want more insight on the police trials in Baltimore. Let's talk to senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. He's a former federal prosecutor.
And, you heard Miguel there. He said Marilyn Mosby was surprised to what she was hearing. I know you're not.
TOOBIN: This was a -- these cases have been a fiasco. You know, prosecutors win about 90 percent of trials. They're now 0 for 2. No convictions at all.
And remember what happened here. Marilyn Mosby announced these charges, but within a few hours of Freddie Gray's death. There was no extensive investigation. These cases were weak, they were bad cases.
We know that Freddie Gray's death was a tragedy but whether it was a crime? So far, Marilyn Mosby's office has failed completely.
KEILAR: If her office has failed to prove that, with what you know of the evidence, should someone be held criminally responsible for this?
TOOBIN: I'm not here to convict or $ acquit anyone. All I know is that the two best cases she brought -- remember, there are six cases. These were the two strongest cases supposedly, especially the current one, there's been no conviction. It is very hard for me to imagine how these weaker cases will persuade a jury or judge at all.
KEILAR: Yes, three more left. We'll see. It sounds like the outlook is not good.
TOOBIN: The outlook is poor.
KEILAR: All right. Jeffrey Toobin, thank you so much.
Now, to a very different story. Tonight, there are salacious new details about a sex scandal that could lead to the impeachment of Alabama's governor.
Our Brian Todd is looking into this.
This is a scandal that just keeps getting worse.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly seems to, Brianna, at least it gets more sensational. Governor Robert Bentley has apologized to the people of Alabama for some of his actions but he has denied having a physical relationship with former aide Rebekah Mason, who is 30 years younger than him.
Tonight, there's new information on the stress this family, his family, went through during the scandal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Tonight, the besieged governor of Alabama is battling his political enemies, a broadening sex scandal and his own isolation. New details on Governor Robert Bentley's alleged affair with his former aide, Rebekah Mason, revealed in an article in "GQ Magazine".
According to "GQ," Bentley's wife Dianne started to take notes on his increasingly stand off-ish behavior toward her in 2013. That led to Dianne Bentley secretly recording a conversation, a call where Governor Bentley is heard apparently speaking to Mason.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) GOV. ROBERT BENTLEY (R), ALABAMA: When I stand behind you and I put my arms around you, and I put my hands on your breasts and I put my hands on (INAUDIBLE) and just pull you in close. I -- hey, I love that too.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
TODD: "GQ" reports Dianne Bentley confronted her husband about the conversation and he denied a relationship. But a few weeks later, according to the magazine, Governor Bentley accidentally sent his wife a text with the red rose emoji and the word Rebekah.
"GQ" says that prompted Dianne Bentley to tell her grown sons her suspicions about Rebekah Mason. The sons got nowhere when they confronted their father, according to "GQ", so they took it a step further.
JASON ZENGERLE, GQ POLITICAL REPORTER: They decided to confront Rebekah and they did that by going to her parents, and they showed up on her parents' doorstep one night, and confronted them, her parents were, of course, taken back, and they called Rebekah and Rebekah rushed over and there was a confrontation then.
[18:50:01] TODD: One former state law enforcement official says he then warned Bentley in vain to break off the alleged affair.
SPENCER COLLIER, FORMER SECRETARY, ALABAMA LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY: Governor Bentley called me on my cellphone and stated he could not go through with it and end the relationship with Ms. Mason.
TODD: Even the governor's staff tried hard to shield the alleged affair from the public, according to "GQ", but the governor wasn't as careful.
ZENGERLE: People told me he would rest his hand on Rebekah Mason's thigh during meetings and she would wipe through off his face.
TODD: "GQ" reports Bentley bought a pickup truck that he'd used to slip his security detail, that his security officers would sometimes catch up to him alone at a pond where it was assumed he'd been with Mason. Bentley is now accused a former state law enforcement officer of using state resources to cover up his relationship.
The governor has admitted to inappropriate conversations but he and Rebekah Mason have denied an affair.
BENTLEY: I have never had a physical affair with Mrs. Mason. I can assure the people of Alabama that as their governor, I have never done anything illegal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: But tonight, there are impeachment proceedings pending against Governor Bentley. His wife Dianne divorced him last year and "GQ" reports he is completely alone in his governor mansion. He doesn't speak to his family and he hasn't met his most recently born grandchild. Neither the governor's office, Mrs. Bentley nor Rebekah Mason have responded to CNN's inquiries.
We did reach one of the Bentley sons today on the phone and he hung up on us -- Brianna.
KEILAR: And, Brian, this former aide, Rebekah Mason, she is also married. She was married at the time of the scandal, in fact. Have she or her husband said anything publicly about this?
TODD: Well, today, Brianna, they did not respond to our inquiries, but about three months ago, when that lurid phone recording was made public, Rebekah Mason issued a statement saying that she loved her husband, quote, "dearly". Her husband John also posted a statement on social media at that time saying that he, quote, "long ago resolve the personal issue that was playing out."
Interestingly, professed his love and admiration for his wife and called for people to support the families involved and called for people to support Governor Bentley.
KEILAR: All right, Brian Todd, thank you so much.
We have much more news, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:58:10] KEILAR: Right now, we are standing by for results from a historic election that may have a huge financial impact around the world. British voters are deciding whether the United Kingdom should leave the European Union.
CNN international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, is joining us now from London.
And the polls have closed, the vote counting now underway, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: An absolutely historic vote here. People of Britain felt the weight of this decision making that's been divisive. The debate leading up to this -- both sides have accused each other of lying, the highest voter registration in British history, 46.5 million people registered to vote, 382 counting centers across the country.
The first one of those in Gibraltar has already released results. It is a tiny number to the rest of the 24,000 vote, 95 percent of them say to remain part of the European Union. However, the final result will look much, much closer. One of the leading campaigners for the leave campaign here has said he thinks that it is going to shade towards the remain camp led by David Cameron, the British prime minister in the house right behind me, Brianna.
KEILAR: And really quickly, Nic, this is something of consequence, of course, to people all over the world, especially here in the United States.
ROBERTSON: Huge. I mean, you have Barack Obama here, President Obama, just two months ago, side by side, David Cameron, putting the case why it's important for Britain to remain in the European Union. The markets have had the jitters this week. The pound potentially, British pound sterling could potentially crash, lose 20 percent of its value if there is a vote to leave. That would send shock waves around the rest of the world. JPMorgan employs 12 how people here in Britain. They say if there was a vote to leave, they would have to shed 4,000 potentially staff here. That's the sort of difference it could make, Brianna.
KEILAR: All right. Nic Robertson, thank you so much.
I'm Brianna Keilar. Thank you so much for watching.
"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.