CNN Host: Why Did Trump Hire A Lobbyist As A Top Campaign Aide If He “Hates The System”

From the April 15 edition of CNN's New Day:

Video file

CHRIS CUOMO (HOST): Alright. Let's talk about the campaign now. This happening, this allegation created a little bit of drama in terms of are there going to be shake-ups. Probably coincidental -- before you make the case yourself -- that the changes came. It's really about what this campaign needs to do, but let me ask you. Who's the man? Who's the man?

COREY LEWANDOWSKI (GUEST): Donald Trump's the man.

CUOMO: And below him who's the man? Who's running this?

LEWANDOWSKI: Well, I work for Donald Trump, and everyone knows that. Look, a campaign is about growth, and we cannot be successful in this campaign if we don't grow. And Paul Manafort is a great, well-respected operative who has a proven record of going out and delegate-hunting and making sure we've got the best political operation in place. That's Paul's role, and we need that role. We've went out, and I've been working with Rick Wiley for weeks to bring him on board the campaign, and he is now on board the campaign. We're going to continue to make good, quality hires so that we are prepared not just for the rest of this primary season and looking for those 1,237 delegates but beyond because the administration of either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders would be a disaster for this country, and if we're not prepared to take them on head to head in the general election, we can't be successful. So, we need to grow our team and that team is being, continuing to be built out now. 

CUOMO: Rick Wiley, he worked for Mercury, you know, fairly respected place out of D.C. He was with Scott Walker, alright. Paul Manafort is a different story. I know he worked the 1976 convention, and on the outside that's the reason for having him on. But do you have any concern that there is a disconnect between you, Trump, the campaign, saying we hate this system -- in your op-ed, “the system's bad,” “the system's dirty,” “we won't defend it” -- and hiring somebody with a past like Paul Manafort? You know the investigation is on the federal level. You know the intrigue and the drama that he's caused representing people in Ukraine and elsewhere that are seen as bad people. How does that help make your campaign's point that you are going to be better than the status quo? 

LEWANDOWSKI: Look, what we need to do is first, unfortunately, you need to work within the system. And I hate the system. You know, what we saw in Colorado was the GOP establishment precluded a million people from voting on election day. That's not what the system's supposed to be.

CUOMO: So now you are going to bring in a guy who is seen by many as representing the worst of the system? 

LEWANDOWSKI: No, no, no that's not the case at all. We've brought in Paul, and he's going to help grow our team because the first and foremost thing that we need to do is we need to get 1,237 delegates. Paul has a proven record of getting that done. Whether you look at the '76 convention, the '80 convention, Paul is someone who helps bring people together, knows who those delegates are, can bring them together to make sure that first and foremost you're gonna be the nominee. Now, the way this nomination system works is completely broken, and I think Bernie Sanders sees it. I think we see it because you've got the establishment that are making rules that are good for the establishment candidates. And when you've got a front-runner like Donald Trump who's anti-establishment, the Republicans never expected this. And so now they're trying to find ways to prevent him from doing that. And so we have got to play within the rules of the system, and people know what the rules are. But the rules aren't fair. And they should make it so that people can go to the ballot box -- if you live in the state of New York, if you live in the state of Colorado -- you should be able to go to the ballot box, you should be able to vote for the person that you want, and that vote should count, and that person should ultimately -- whoever has the most votes, which Donald Trump has by millions and the most delegates-- should be the nominee.

Previously:

Longtime Roger Stone Ally Paul Manafort Gets Larger Role In Trump’s Campaign

NBC’s Chuck Todd Presses Trump Convention Manager On Roger Stone’s Threat To Disclose GOP Delegates’ Hotel Rooms