On CNN Newsroom, Trump Campaign Official Defends Roger Stone's Plan To Target Delegates At Their Hotel Rooms
Jeff DeWit: “That Is Not A Threat Of Violence At All To Say 'Hey, By The Way We'll Make Sure We Know How To Get Ahold Of These People And Everyone Can Go Talk To These People'”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
From the April 7 edition of CNN's CNN Newsroom with Carol Costello:
CAROL COSTELLO (HOST): So you're saying there is nothing wrong at all with the Trump campaign in the way it is being run and the staffing, et cetera et cetera?
JEFF DEWIT: No. We never expected to win Wisconsin. You know, the state GOP party there, itself, the governor, everyone else have thrown in with Ted Cruz. And Ted Cruz has become the establishment Trojan horse. They are using him in states like that where they can control the vote to try to knock Donald Trump out of race. So, we never expected to do well in Wisconsin. We had it as a zero on the spreadsheet that I track about delegates. This still shows that we can get over 1500 delegates if it plays out the way we want it to play out. And to get six there, that is a great win.
COSTELLO: Brent, do you say about that?
BRENT BOZELL: Jeff, I love you. But you don't believe it. You don't believe that Ted Cruz is a member of the establishment. Because to believe that is to say that you know nothing about politics. And you are very well learned about politics. Ted Cruz is the most anti-establishment figure in the United States Congress today. He came to Washington to fight the establishment. He's done nothing but fight the establishment, which is why the establishment despises him. But look, Carol, and Jeff, I'd like you respond to another issue that is far bigger than this issue. What about the issue of Donald Trump's hitman Roger Stone yesterday threatening violence in Cleveland if his delegates don't get their way? What about that issue?
DEWIT: Well Brett, I would tell you for someone that claims not to be establishment, first off his name is Senator. I think even his own supporters who were clapping as he gave his victory speech I think there was that sound of the record screeching to a halt as he thanked Jeb Bush and Lindsay Graham and Mitt Romney, these establishment folks for their support of his campaign.
COSTELLO: What about what Roger Stone said?
DEWIT: Look, all we're saying is Cleveland, if this gets stolen, and quite frankly I think the Ted Cruz people would be upset too, again, the Trojan horse thing they're using Ted Cruz right now, but there are a lot of establishment folks that say as soon as we get there, they're going to --
COSTELLO: I mean about, I mean about, he intimated violence in Cleveland --
BOZELL: Roger Stone said they would publish the room numbers of the delegates. That is a clear threat of violence.
DEWIT: This is not a threat of violence --
BOZELL: He said they would publish the room numbers where the delegates are. Ted Cruz isn't doing that kind of nonsense. You know that. That is a threat.
DEWIT: Ted Cruz is doing a whole ton of nonsense with delegates. I see it firsthand.
BOZELL: Nobody is threatening anybody. Jeff, that is a threat of violence. That is a threat of violence.
DEWIT: That is not a threat of violence.
BOZELL: Why isn't your campaign, why aren't you denouncing that?
DEWIT: No one threatened violence. That is not a threat of violence at all to say “hey, by the way we'll make sure we know how to get ahold of these people and everyone can go talk to these people.”
BOZELL: Nonsense.
COSTELLO: Jeff, let me ask you this way, do you embrace Roger Stone and what he says?
DEWIT: No. To be honest I haven't really kept up with what Roger Stone's been saying. So that's, that's not something I follow as closely. But I know that Cleveland is going to be a battle. When you look at what Ted Cruz is doing and trying to ignore the will of the voters in states like my own, Arizona and try to steal the delegates we have to get better, actually we have to get better at somehow blunting what Ted Cruz is doing because he's out there lying. Lying Ted is doing what he's doing on TV with the delegates.
BOZELL: You don't do it by threatening violence. You don't do it by threatening violence.
Previously:
MSNBC Confirms That Trump Ally Roger Stone Has Been Banned From The Network