>>LIKE BERNIE SANDERS, DONALD TRUMP HAS AT LEAST IN PART
INTENDED TO ESTABLISH HIS
CREDIBILITY AND JUDGMENT AS A POTENTIAL COMMANDER IN CHIEF BY
POINTING TO HIS SUPPOSEDLY OPPOSITION TO THE WAR IN IRAQ
BEFORE THE WAR ACTUALLY BEGAN, BUT UNLIKE BERNIE SANDERS, HE
CAN'T ACTUALLY POINT TO A SPEECH AND A VOTE AGAINST THE WAR,
WHICH BERNIE SANDERS DID DO, AGAIN, BEFORE THE WAR BEGAN.
HE
SAYS THERE IS EVIDENCE, BUT HE HAS NOT PRODUCED ANY.
AND
UNFORTUNATELY FOR HIM, SOME
EVIDENCE AS TO HIS POSITION ON THE WAR HAS COME ABOUT.
AN
INTERVIEW WITH HOWARD STERN.
IT WILL NOT REINFORCE HIS POSITION.
>>
A LOT OF TIMES THE POLITICIANS DON'T WANT TO TELL YOU THAT.
>>ARE YOU FOR INVADING IRAQ?
>>I GUESS SO.
I WISH THE FIRST TIME IT WAS DONE CORRECTLY.
>> WHAT YOU SAW THERE WAS HIM ON HOWARD STERN, WE KNOW IT WAS HIM
ON HOWARD STERN.
THIS CONTRADICTION WHAT HE HAS BEEN
SAYING TO DIFFERENTIATE HIMSELF
FROM OTHER REPUBLICANS.
SO ANDERSON COOPER DECIDED TO BRING UP THIS EVIDENCE IN
THE MOST COWARDLY WAY POSSIBLE.
>> INCLUDES AN AUDIO CLIP OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE YOU ON HOWARD
STERN TALKING ON THE RADIO ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2002.
HE ASK YOU,
ARE YOU FOR INVADING IRAQ?
YOU
SAID I GUESS SO.
I WISH THE FIRST TIME IT WAS DONE CORRECTLY.
IS THAT ACCURATE?
DO YOU REMEMBER SAYING THAT?
>>NO, BUT I COULD'VE SAID THAT.
I WASN'T A POLITICIAN, THAT WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME
ANYBODY ASKED ME THAT.
BUT BY THE TIME THE WAR STARTED -- THAT WAS QUITE A BIT BEFORE.
>>THIS WAS 2002.
>>BY THE TIME IT STARTED I WAS AGAINST THE WAR.
A LOT OF PEOPLE
SAID -- IT WAS SO EARLY, EVEN IF IT WAS AFTER THE WAR, I WAS
AGAINST IT.
THAT WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME I WAS EVER EVEN
ASKED ABOUT THE WAR.
THAT WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME.
I REMEMBER THAT, BUT IT WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME I
WAS ASKED.
>>YOU MAY HAVE SAID THIS?
>>I MAY HAVE.
BUT WHEN YOU ARE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR YOU GET ASKED
THINGS, YOU ARE NOT A POLITICIAN.
AND PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME I WAS ASKED.
BY THE TIME THE WAR STARTED I WAS AGAINST IT, AND SHORTLY
THEREAFTER.
>>A COUPLE THINGS WE HAVE TO POINT OUT.
THAT IS HIM ON HOWARD
STERN.
EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT IS HIM.
SO ANDERSON COOPER SAYS, IT
APPEARS TO BE -- I HAVEN'T LISTENED TO IT.
HE WOULDN'T EVEN
EXPOSE HIMSELF TO THE INFORMATION SO THAT HE WOULD
HAVE PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY TO SAY IT WAS NOT ACTUALLY HIM,
THEN HE READS IT AND SAYS, DO
YOU REMEMBER THAT?
NO, NOT THE REMEMBER THAT.
YOU SAID THAT, IT
CONTRADICTS WHAT YOU ARE SAYING NOW.
RESPOND.
GIVEN THE CHANCE
TO RESPOND.
THAT IS BEING A RESIZABLE JOURNALIST.
BUT NOT
IMPLYING IN FIVE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WHAT WE KNOW IS TRUE IS NOT
TRUE.
>>THAT IS BECAUSE TRUMP WILL COME OUT AND SAY -- HE MIGHT SAY
IT IS NOT ME.
AND HE DOESN'T WANT TO CONTRADICT HIM.
IT
APPEARS TO BE YOU.
>>TRUMP IS SUCH A SUCCESSFUL BULLY, IT IS INCREDIBLE.
BUT I
WANT TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER OR NOT THAT IS THE FIRST TIME TRUMP
WAS ASKED.
WHAT'S WHAT WOULD IT MATTER?
HE KEEPS SAYING THAT WAS
BEFORE THE WAR.
THAT IS WHAT YOU
HAVE BEEN SAYING.
YOU HAVE BEEN SAYING YOU WERE AGAINST IT
BEFORE IT HAPPENS.
SO YOU CAN'T SAY, THAT WAS WAY BEFORE IT
HAPPENED.
BUT ONCE IT HAPPENED, AND WAY AFTER, THEN I WAS
DEFINITELY AGAINST THE.
THEN YES, YOU JOINED THE 60 OR 70% OF
AMERICANS WHO WERE AGAINST IT BY THAT POINT.
WHAT I LIKE ANDERSON
COOPER, I LIKE HIM I THINK MORE THAN YOU GUYS.
I THINK HE IS A
GOOD BROADCASTER.
I THINK HE HAS
DONE A GOOD JOB, UNTIL THIS ONE.
>>BEFORE WEDNESDAY -- REMEMBER, I SAID I THINK HE WILL ASK
FOLLOW-UPS, AND HE DIDN'T.
>>IT IS A HARD JOB.
BUT THERE IS NO WAY ANY PART OF THAT QUESTION
IS OKAY.
BECAUSE FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU GUYS AREN'T SURE IT IS
DONALD TRUMP, THEN DON'T
BROADCAST THAT.
DON'T TALK LIKE -- YOU HAVE FACT CHECKERS, YOU
HAVE A HARDER SHIP WITH FACTCHECK.ORG.
BEFORE YOU HAD
THAT, I GUESS YOU PUT ANYTHING ON THE AIR WHENEVER YOU FELT
LIKE IT FOR 20 YEARS.
OF COURSE IT IS HIM, OR THEY WOULDN'T DO
IT.
JOHN, YOU HAVE THE BEST POINT -- THAT IS THE BIGGEST
COPOUT QUESTION EVER.
>>WAS THAT YOU?
>>DO YOU REMEMBER?
>>I DIDN'T HEAR IT.
WHERE AM I?
>> GUYS, LET'S BE FAIR -- HE WAS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
WHAT
DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?
>>PEOPLE ASK THINGS ALL THE TIME.
>>THAT IS THE POINT HE IS MAKING.
I DIDN'T HAVE TO BE A POLITICIAN, I KNEW IT WAS WRONG.
YOU CAN'T SAY I WAS WRONG TO SUPPORT IT, I WASN'T A
POLITICIAN.
>>TECHNICALLY NOW HE IS STILL IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
>>HE CAN BE WRONG ONLY LIKE.
>>WE KNOW THIS THOUGH, THE FIRST TIME YOU ARE ASKED THE QUESTION
YOU CAN SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT BECAUSE IT DOESN'T COUNT.
>>WHAT IS AMAZING TO ME IS WE DISPROVED THAT TRUMP SAID
ANYTHING ABOUT THE IRAQ WAR BEFORE THE WAR BEGAN.
IT TURNS
OUT BECAUSE OF THIS TAPE FROM HOWARD STERN, WE WERE WRONG.
WE
THOUGHT HE SAID NOTHING, IT
TURNS OUT HE WAS IN FAVOR OF IT.
BUT FOR ALL THE MEDIA TO COME
OUT AND BE LIKE, OH MY GOD, IT TURNS OUT HE WASN'T AGAINST THE
IRAQ WAR BEFORE -- WE KNOW.
WE LOOK AT ALL THE STUFF, AND THERE
IS NO RECORD OF DONALD TRUMP BEING AGAINST THE WAR BEFORE THE
WAR.
NO RECORD OF IT.
YOU LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THAT FOR WHAT,
SIX MONTHS, BEFORE YOU FINALLY TURN AROUND BECAUSE OF A LITTLE
TAPE ON HOWARD STERN?
AND BY THE WAY, TO BE FAIR TO THE MEDIA,
RIGHT BEFORE THE HOWARD STERN THING, THEY FINALLY WERE LIKE,
WAIT A MINUTE, WE COULDN'T CORROBORATE WHAT TRUMP WAS
SAYING.
OF COURSE, YOU CAN'T
CORROBORATE ANYTHING HE SAYS.
YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT FACT CHECKING SIX MONTHS AGO
LIKE WE DID.
>>WE DON'T HAVE THE GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS CLIP --
>>I DO, ACTUALLY.
>>GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS GETS AN A, HE DID IT EXACTLY RIGHT, BUT
EVEN AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW
YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ, YOU SEE THE BRILLIANCE OF TRUMP, BECAUSE
EVEN CRUSHED, HE COMES BACK TO
THE ORIGINAL POINT.
>>GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS -- THIS IS HOW YOU PRESENT THE
INFORMATION AND TIE IT INTO THE MESSAGE THAT TRUMP HAS BEEN
SPREADING OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS.
STEPHANOPOULOS PLAYS THE
VIDEO, NOW HE SAYS WILL YOU STOP CLAIMING YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE
AGAINST THE WAR BEFORE IT BEGAN?
TRUMP SAYS THAT WAS BEFORE THE
WAR BEGAN, AND BY THE TIME IT
BEGAN I'M ON THE RECORD AS SAYING WE SHOULDN'T GO IN.
WHICH
IS NOT TRUE.
SO STEPHANOPOULOS CUTS IN AND SAYS YOU ARE NOT ON
RECORD OPPOSING IT BEFORE IT
BEGAN.
TRUMP RESPONDS --
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE I'M MAKING FUN OF HIM I LITERALLY READING THE
THINGS HE SAID.
>>IT IS PALIN-ESQUE.
>> WHEN HE SAYS THERE IS EVIDENCE, AND I WILL FIND IT,
THAT BY DEFINITION MEANS YOU
DON'T HAVE IT.
THERE IS NO EVIDENCE.
>>YOU ARE DONALD TRUMP, YOU HAVE UNLIMITED RESOURCES.
YOU WOULD
HAVE FOUND IT.
DOES SOMEBODY HAVE A LEXIS-NEXIS ACCOUNT HERE?
DOES THAT STILL EXIST?
>>IT IS SIGNIFICANT WHETHER HE WAS ON THE RIGHT OR WRONG SIDE
OF IT, IF YOU WERE TO BELIEVE, FOR INSTANCE, THAT IT MAY HAVE
BEEN THE WORST DECISION EVER MADE BY A PRESIDENT IN HISTORY.
AND THE PERSON WHO SAID THAT WAS,
LAST NIGHT, DONALD TRUMP AT THE TOWN HALL.
SO IT IS THE WORST DECISION EVER, WHICH YOU ARE ON THE
RECORD AS SUPPORTING AT THE TIME.
>> HE MADE IT A CORNERSTONE OF HIS CAMPAIGN THAT HE WAS AGAINST
IT BEFORE HAND, WHICH GOES TO HIS BRILLIANCE, BECAUSE WE JUST
PRESUMED THAT WAS THE CASE.
NOBODY FOUND ANYTHING ELSE.
IT
TURNS OUT HE WAS ON THE MOST POPULAR RADIO SHOW IN THE
HISTORY OF MANKIND AND SAID THE EXACT OPPOSITE.
BUT SOMEHOW
PEOPLE WERE UNABLE TO FIND THAT.
BY THE WAY, GEORGE
STEPHANOPOULOS FOLLOWED UP HIS PALIN-ESQUE ANSWER BY SAYING,
YOU SAID YOU WERE FOR THE
INVASION.
BUT WHAT I LIKED IS TRUMPED BY ZEAL FINISHED, YOU
CAN SEE I WASN'T STRONGLY IN FAVOR.
THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I
WAS EVER ASKED.
BY THE TIME THE WAR STARTED, I WAS AGAINST THE.
AND IN 2003 YOU HAVE EVIDENCE I
WAS AGAINST IT, AND I HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS.
>> THERE IS A QUOTE OF HIM IN MARCH, 2013, OR 2003, IT WAS
AT AN OSCARS AFTER PARTY, AND HE SAID THAT THE WAR IS A MESS.
>>BUT IT HAD ALREADY STARTED.
>>THAT WAS THE SECOND TIME HE WAS ASKED ABOUT IT.
>>THAT IS TOTALLY FINE, THAT YOU WERE EVENTUALLY AGAINST THE.
THAT IS WONDERFUL.
>>BY THE WAY, WHAT HAS DONALD TRUMP NOT SAID WAS A MESS?
THAT
DIDN'T INVOLVE DONALD TRUMP?
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE ARE BEING
FAIR OR NOT, BUT THE REAL QUOTE
WAS IN 2004.
FAIRLY LATE IN 2004, HE DID COME OUT AND SAY
THIS IS GOING WRONG, I'M DEFINITELY AGAINST IT, ETC.
NOT
JUST A PASSING, IT IS A MESS.
IT WAS MORE SUBSTANTIVE IN 2004.
BUT BY THAT TIME EVERYBODY KNEW
IT WAS A MESS.
WE WERE HAVING A GIANT COLLECTION ABOUT WHAT A
MESS IT WAS.
>>EXACTLY.
>>AND
TO BE FAIR TO TRUMP, THE HOWARD STERN ANSWER WAS, I GUESS SO.
>>HE IS RIGHT ABOUT THAT, IT WAS A PRETTY SOFT, I'M IN FAVOR.
>>WHICH
IS STILL ON THE WRONG SIDE OF I WAS STRONGLY AGAINST THE.
>>HE DIDN'T HAVE STRONG THOUGHTS ON IT BECAUSE HE DOESN'T HAVE
STRONG THOUGHTS ON ANY TRUE POLITICAL ISSUE.
RIGHT NOW,
YEAH, HE SEEMS LIKE HE HAS STRONG BELIEFS OR IDEAS, BUT HE
DOESN'T.
EVERYTHING IS SHALLOW
AND FAKE.
HE HAS NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY.
HE
IS NOT A POLITICAL THINKER OR
FIGURE, HE IS A HACK AND CLOWN AND FRAUD.
AND PEOPLE KEEP TREATING HIM LIKE HE IS THIS INTELLIGENT
PERSON, LIKE, HE MIGHT HAVE CONSIDERED THE DOWNSIDES OF
INVADING A COUNTRY.
HE DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT, HE DIDN'T CARE.
>>I GUARANTEE IF YOU ASKED HIM NOT JUST IN 2003 OR 2002, BUT IN
2004, MAYBE NOW, IT MIGHT BE A MESS IN IRAQ BECAUSE OF THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SUNNIS
AND THE SHIA, GO AHEAD AND TELL ME WHAT THE SUNNIS AND THE SHIA
ARE.
GOOD LUCK.
>>BY THE WAY, ELIZABETH WARREN CAN ASK THAT AT THE NEXT
DEBATE ON FOX.
>> AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION.
PART OF THE REASON
HE IS SUCCESSFUL SO FAR IS THAT HE HAS SAID I'M NOT A
POLITICIAN.
PEOPLE HATE POLITICIANS, THAT IS WORKING.
BUT DON'T CONFUSE THE TWO THINKS.
POLITICIANS RUN FOR
OFFICE, THEY OFTEN LIE AND ARE
GREASY, ETC., THAT IS THE STUFF WE DON'T LIKE.
BUT THEN WHEN
THEY GET INTO OFFICE THEY ARE
SUPPOSED TO DO POLICY, AND IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO KNOW
POLICY.
SO YES, DONALD TRUMP IS NOT A POLITICIAN, HE HAS NEVER
RUN FOR OFFICE, I GUESS YOU GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR THAT, ALTHOUGH HE
LIES LIKE A POLITICIAN, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH CREDIT WE
SHOULD GIVE HIM.
BUT THE SECOND PART, THE POLICY STUFF, YOU
DON'T GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR NEVER DOING POLICY, THAT IS A BAD
THING.
YOU DON'T GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR NOT KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT
ANY POLICY, THAT IS THE BAD
PART.
THAT IS NOT A THING YOU SHOULD BE LIKE, YOU DON'T KNOW
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SUNNI
AND THE SHIA, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON IN IRAQ OR IRAN
OR THE FEDERAL RESERVE OR ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD?
WAY
TO GO, DONALD.
YOU ARE JUST AS DUMB AS I AM.
>>HE ALSO CAN'T MAKE UP HIS MIND ABOUT ANYTHING.
HE HAS SOME
STRONG STATEMENTS ABOUT THE BUSH AND MINISTRATION INVADING IRAQ
AND HOW TERRIBLE IT WAS, AND HOW
BUSH LIED TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT WEAPONS OF MASS
ATTRACTION.
HE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF CRITICISM, NOW ALL OF A
SUDDEN HE WON'T SAY IT.
HE IS A CLOWN.
>> THIS WHOLE THING OF BEING AGAINST THE IRAQ WAR FROM THE
BEGINNING, IT IS NOT LIKE THAT IS NOT POLITICAL.
THE REASON HE
IS DOING IT IS BECAUSE HE KNOWS
THAT AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE KNOW THE
IRAQ WAR WAS A MESS.
NOW ONLY ABOUT 20% THINK WE SHOULD HAVE
GONE IN THERE.