Transcripts For CNNW Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer 20190702

Now filed a federal lawsuit against the irs and Treasury Department in a bid to obtain the president s tax returns. Im wolf blitzer and youre in the situation room. Announcer this is cnn breaking news. Breaking news. The Homeland Security department own watch dawg watch dog is reporting shocking photos of the grim conditions under which migrants are held. A manager at one facility calls it a ticking time bomb. That comes as our latest cnn poll shows a big jump in the number of americans who are deeply worried about the border situation. 74 now call it a crisis. At the same time, President Trumps Approval Rating is Holding Steady at 43 . But the president beset by lawsuits aimed at getting his tack returns is turning it into an extravaganza, deploying military tanks and aircraft while putting himself at center stage with an unprecedented speech on the national mall. Ill speak to congressman dan kildee of the ways and Means Committee and our correspondents and analysts will have full coverage of the days top stories. With july fourth fast approaching, President Trump is making some drastic lastminute changes to the traditional celebration here in the nations capitol. Lets begin with our white house constituent kaitlan collins. The president , hell be seizing the spotlight. Reporter yeah, wolf. The president s in the past have not typically attended the nations fourth of July Celebration. But President Trump seems intent on doing so and doing it his way. No matter what the financial, political or logistical cost are. President trumps grand vision for a military parade is finally coming true. At least partially. It will be like no other. It will be special and i hope a lot of people come. Reporter on thursday trump will turn washington annual fourth of July Celebration into a show of military might. Cnn learns new details about the lastminute event which will feature tanks at the Lincoln Memorial and a fly over from the blue angels sand air force one and the new marine one helicopter. Were going to have planes going overhead and the best fighter jets in the world and other planes, too. And were going to have some tanks stationed outside. Reporter defense officials have long been hesitant about using the armed forces to advantage a president s agenda and said there is no need for the u. S. To flout its military strength. But sources say trump has asked the chiefs of the armed forces to stand by his side. It is just not who we are as americans. Reporter the president is setting himself up for a clash with his critics who say hes turning the patriotic celebration into a partisan one. Asked monday if his speech will reach all americans, he turned to democrats. I think ive reached most americans. What the democrats plan is going to destroy the country and it is going to be horrible health care. Reporter today the white house went even further. Trump is expected to speak for 20 minutes thursday and will touch on several topics, including his administration. How wonderful this country is and our troops and military and our great democracy and great call to patriotism. The success of the administration in opening up jobs for individuals, what weve done for veterans. There is no final form yet. But america will hear the whole speech. Reporter local Officials Say they have logistical concerns about putting military equipment in crowded tourist hot spots. The d. C. City council tweeting today, tanks, but to tanks. But trump is charging ahead. The roads have a tendency not to like to carry heavy tanks so we have to put them in certain areas. Reporter while the public will get to watch from afar, the areas closest to trump will be reserved for vips who sources say will include his political allies. Trump has wanted a military parade of his own since seeing u. S. And french troops march through the streets of paris two years ago. One of the greatest parades ive seen. Reporter today Kellyanne Conway sparred with reporters about the details of the event. Do you know the fourth of july is a celebration of the countrys ly independence. Reporter breaking news, the Trump Administration has decided to drop its effort to add that Citizenship Question to the 2020 census. That is something that has been making its way through the courts. The president said he was going to talk to lawyers about delaying the census so they could add that question on there. Something hes made clear he feels belongs on the census but we have now learned they are going to print the 2020 sensous. Major setback for the president. And at the same time, kaitlan, there is confusion today. The Vice President mike pence canceling an event in New Hampshire. What was that all about . Reporter it was a strange morning where the president excuse me the Vice President was scheduled to travel to New Hampshire for this event on opioids. Before he even left washington and before air force two had taken off, they abruptly canceled it because the spokesperson said, quote, something came up back at the white house. Now, wolf, throughout the day officials have been tightlipped and still havent detailed what it is that came up at the white house that drew the Vice President away from the event. A cancelation like that is pretty rare. But they did say it was not related to the health of the Vice President or the president and it also wasnt related to national security. But, wolf, whatever it was, it was a big enough event to make them cancel that event. They still have not filled reporters in on. Lets see what happens on that front. Kaitlan, thank you. And also breaking, an urgent call for action to relieve the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at migrant detention centers. A new report by the department of Homeland Security Inspector General quotes a senior manager at one facility calling the conditions a ticking time bomb. Cnns nick valencia is in texas where members of congress visited several border centers this week. Tell us more. Reporter this new office of the Inspector General report is based off five visits to Border Patrol stations and what is evident in the images is how overcrowded the facilities are. Especially in mccown and others where they have trouble lying down on the concrete. It is that overcrowded. And here is what stands out. Half of the 8,000 detainees were held longer than the 72 hours which is required or the limit under law. And a third of the children suffered through the same thing. Now dhs stressed they are doing the best they can with the resources but according to democrat lawmakers like catherine clark, that is not enough. What is it going to take to comply with the law, have these Children Reunited with their family members, within the 20 days. That is the law. That is the standard. And it is not being met. Reporter mounting pressure on the Border Patrol stations and dhs to do something fast. Wolf. Through this report, nick, and the headline on the front page amendment alert, department of Homeland Security needs to address prolonged attention of children and adults in the rio grande valley. A shocking report indeed. Nick valencia on the scene. Thank you. Also tonight, democrats are raising the stakes in their effort to get the president s tax returns. After months of stonewalling by the Trump Administration, the powerful house ways an Means Committee is now filed a federal lawsuit against the irs, the Treasury Department and their leaders. Lets bring in cnn politician reporter lauren fox. What are the democrats demanding they get access to the president s returns. Reporter this is months in the making. Of course democrats long arguing that the fact that the president was the only modern president not to turn over his tax returns to the public made it essential that they get the president s tax returns. Theyre arguing a few things, republicans and the Trump Administration said this is a political move, they are arguing that they need the president s tax returns because they need to understand how the president ial Audit Program works. That is a program that is not enshrined in law but said that the irs takes a look at every incoming president s tax returns. They want to know how that program works. They also argue they need to see the president s taxes because they need to know if he personally benefited from the gop tax law. But, again, just to remind, this is months in the making. Richard neal told me in november, he expected this case would go to court and this is after he subpoenaed for the tax returns sand after he sent multiple letters. Ultimately the Treasury Department den yig his request so this is exactly where we are today and escalation, wolf. Lauren, even if the democrats do win in court, how long will it take to get the president s tax returns . Reporter well that is a good question. And something that a lot of liberals on the house ways and Means Committee are worried about. Theyve argued that richard neal seems to go slower than he wanted them to and concerned this could stretch well beyond the 2020 election. Of course there is no way to know precisely how long it will take. These Court Actions can take months or even years. Sometimes they move along quickly. So that has been a key concern for liberals on the committee who argued, richard neal should have filed this lawsuit months ago. Waiting until the early months of july is too late. Lauren fox up on capitol hill. Thank you. Joining us now, a member of the ways and Means Committee, democratic congressman darren kildee of michigan. Thank you so much for joining us. As you know, the lawsuit accuses the treasury secretary, the irs commissioner of what they call an extraordinary attack on the authority of congress. Explain your committees argument in this suit. Well, the argument is pretty simple. Section 6103 of the tax code said the chairman of the ways and Means Committee could ask for a tax return and it shall be delivered to the chairman. It doesnt say unless it is the president , it doesnt say unless the president is uncomfortable with delivering that particular tax return, the law is very clear. It is intended for a specific purpose, to allow the congress to play the necessary constitutionallymandated role to provide oversight and legislate on the best information we could get. They have not complied with the section 6103 and they denied a subpoena that they should have answered. They are trying to create new law and say the administration does not have to answer to anybody and obviously we think that is wrong and were not going to let it go. Chairman neal, your chairman filed this lawsuit almost exactly three months after making the initial request. Youve previously, congressman, expressed concerns over the pace of this request. Realistically, what are the chances that the courts resolve this before the 2020 election . Well, that is entirely up to the courts now. I think the chairman has been very deliberate about this because he wants to get it right. Hes been working directly with house counsel. This is unprecedented. Largely because the president s actions are unprecedented. As lauren said, nearly 50 years of precedent where president s and candidates for president have released the returns have been broken by President Trump and in his case, if anyone should be more transparent or the American People should know more about his private interests, it is this president who continues to maintain control over his what he considers the vast business interests. So, look, were not going to let this go. I think the chairman is handling it in the way he should. We are now in court. And it is going to be up to the court to determine how quickly they move. I hope they move with some haste. Because this is a serious question. Even if you do get access to the president s tax returns, there is no guarantee your committee will be able to share those tax returns publicly. Isnt that right . That is right. There is no guarantee that we would be able to or have a purpose to do so. If, in fact, there is information that is clearly of a public interest, then the committee would take action to share some or a portion of the returns. The most important thing for us is to get access to this information because we have some doubts as to whether or not the irs, which is directed by the Treasury Department, is properly enforcing the tax laws on the president of the United States. Or even if he is, as he said he is, under audit, were trying to determine whether or not we need to codify what has been a longstanding practice within the irs to audit president ial returns. The only way we can really make that decision is to have that information in front of us. If that leads to a public interest, that the committee is persuaded could only be served by having some of that information released, then well make that judgment at that time. Were also following the latest reporting on the awful conditions for so many migrants at the u. S. mexico border. You saw those pictures of very dangerous overcrowding, your colleagues have visited these facilities. They describe horrific conditions in recent days. What do you Want Congress to do to address this awful situation . Well, first of all, it is a daily human tragedy that is partly the creation of the president s own policy. One thing congress should do is press and insist that the president reinstate the aid to the northern triangle, to try to prevent the conditions that are driving people to leave, to leave homes. To flee violence. The president made a terrible decision to walk away from that terrible tragedy. And so that tragedy is coming to our border. But i think Congress Needs to go farther. I supported the most recent border supplemental, reluctantly, only because i know we have to get something done. I would have preferred the house version to have been implemented, that requires pretty significant transparency in terms of how this administration is using those dollars and much more accountability. So i think Congress Needs to continue to press for those provisions as we go forward as well. The northern triangle and el salvador and honduras and guatemala. This is after a disturbing report by propublica, discovering a private Facebook Group where Border Patrol agents made extremely disturbing and racist and sexist posts mocking migrants and members of congress, congressman joe kennedy one of the colleagues said when they visited detention facilities yesterday and im quo quoting him now, cbp was resistant to congressional over sight and tries to restrict what we saw and take our phones and block photos and the atmosphere was contentious and uncooperative. Is this a broader problem of the culture within the customs and Border Protection agency . I think it is an indication that they have a very serious problem of the culture within cpb. This is dangerous. How are we supposed to expect these people to post awful images and these awful comments on one day and then the next day take care of vulnerable children. But, look, no one can excuse the leadership at the very top. If those individuals are using that sort of language, racist, sexist, misogynistic images, one has to wonder whether it is the president of the United States and his own behavior, his own words that is encouraged and fermented that kind of ugliness. I think we have to point at the top. For those people to be able to get away with those things, i think they can point to the president of the United States and say, look, he seems to do the same thing, sometimes in softer terms certainly, but i think the president has created an environment in this country that allows this sort of behavior to go unchecked. It is ugly and needs to stop. Congressman dan kildee, thanks for joining us. Thank you, wolf. We also have some breaking news coming in. Breaking news involving the sports world. The u. S. National team just made a finals of the womens world cup tournament defeating england 21. Theyll face the winner of the upcoming semifinal match between the netherlands and sweden. That match now set for sunday. Congratulations to the u. S. Womens soccer team. Up next, our new cnn poll Shows Growing concern over the situation on the southern border. Well break down the numbers for you. Also, teammates are mourning the sudden death of a Los Angeles Angels pitcher and now theyre speaking out about their loss. We run right into these crises, and we do not leave until normalcy is restored. Wed been working for days on a site in a storm devastated area. A family pulled up. It was a mom and her kids. Everything they had had been washed away. 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Did you know that every single flush [toilet flush] flings odors onto your soft surfaces . Then they get released back into the air so you smell them later. Ew. Right . Thats why febreze created new small spaces. [clicking sound] press firmly and watch it get to work. [popping sounds] unlike the leading cone, small spaces continuously eliminates odors in the air and on surfaces [popping sounds] so they dont come back for 45 days. Now thats one flushin fresh bathroom. Breathe happy febreze. La la la la la. Thanks for the ridealong, captain ive never been in one of these before, even though geico has been ohhh. Ooh ohh here we go, here we go. You got cut off there, what were you saying . Oooo. Oh no no. Maybe that geico has been proudly serving the military for over 75 years . Is that what you wanted to say . Mhmmm. I have to say, you seemed a lot chattier on tv. Geico. Proudly serving the military for over 75 years. You ok back there, buddy . Were following breaking news as the Homeland Security internal watchdog issued a grim report on the southern border as a new cnn poll Show Division of what is happening along the border. Lets bring in our political director david chalian. A majority of americans believe there is a serious crisis underway along the border but split on just what that crisis is. They are, wolf. But you are right, three quarters of americans in this policy a crisis at the border. Take a look at this number. 74 of americans in this poll say, yes, the situation at the border is a crisis. We dont see them agree on anything by that margin. In january that number was only 45 . So it is jumped. And take a look across all of the parties. Democrat, republican, independent, every category, every party has moved up, but look at the numbers at the bottom. Democrats, back in january, 23 of democrats saw a crisis at the border and that is now 70 . 72 of the dependents. 82 of republicans. This is zbree this is agreeme across the board. But this is now where the disagreement comes into place. What do you see as the crisis . 34 say the crisis is because of the number of migrants coming across. 32 say the crisis is because of the way the migrants are being treated and 23 as we said before dont see a crisis. You know there is a lot of partisanship behind that split. Republicans overwhelmingly see the crisis as a number of migrants coming over, democrats overwhelmingly see the crisis about how those migrants are being treated. But despite the disagreement over the nature of the crisis, the president s approval number remains very steady. Yes. This is not impacting his overall Approval Rating and one of the great trueism of the trump era is how rock steady he is. Hes at 43 and that is upside down. No president wants to be there. Heading into the Reelection Campaign. But this is where hes been for the last many months. Take a look at the last six month this is year and you see Donald Trumps Approval Rating in january was at 37 and that is largely due to the shutdown which he didnt get good reviews for. Since then hes been in this low 40 to mid 40 range and for the last three months hes been 43 each month. On another matter, a significant set back and i want your thoughts to the president and to the republicans because now the census will go forward without any question about citizenship. This is a big blow to the president. As you know, he and his administration was very much looking forward to this census and inserting a question about citizenship status. A lot of experts and a lot of democrats said this has the chance to suppress the count in some way. If you put a Citizenship Question in there. It could scare some people off who are undocumented and not participating, this is a blow to the president. There is not a Citizenship Question in the census now. Democrats are going to be thrilled to see a more robust and complete count because they think that will help them in the drawing of congressional districts going forward. And the democrats could thank the Supreme Court for their decision the other day. To say that the Citizenship Question at least for the time being was inappropriate. David chalian, thank you very much. Coming up, more on President Trumps plans to show case his record on the u. S. Military at a fourth of July Celebration that traditionally is nonpolitical. vo the hamsters, run hopelessly in their cage. Content on their endless quest, to nowhere. But perhaps this year, a more exhilarating endeavor awaits. Defy the laws of human nature,at the summer of audi sales event. Get exceptional offers now. Walkabout wednesdays are back get a sirloin or chicken on the barbie, fries, and a draft beer or cocacola all for just 10. 99. Hurry in wednesdays are for outback. Outback steakhouse. Aussie rules. 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And consider joining their groundbreaking campaign to give every american the right to remove old, inaccurate search results by going to righttobeforgotten. Org. If you have search results that are wrong or unfair, call reputation defender at 18778668555. Announcer this is cnn breaking news. Breaking news, there is a verdict now in the trial of the navy s. E. A. L. Accused of murder in the stabbing of an isis detainee. I want to go to nick watt in san diego outside of the courthouse. So tell our viewers what the jury decided. Reporter well, wolf, after about six hours of deliberation the jury found chief Eddy Gallagher not guilty on six counts, guilty only on one of the charges that he faced and that was posing with the corpse of the young isis detainee who was dead and who gallagher had been accused of murdering. He was cleared of that charge. Now as the deliberation went on, it was beginning to look worse for Eddie Gallagher. We could see they were beginning to get tense on that side of the courtroom. But this morning the jury asked to hear the testimony of the first witness once again and that was all about that scene in which Eddie Gallagher was alleged to have stabbed that isis detainee. But not guilty of all of those six serious charges. Only guilty of posing with the corpse and that that comes with a maximum sentence of four months behind bars. And Eddie Gallagher has already served more than that during pretrial confinement. The official sentencing will begin in half an hour from now and both sides will argue over it. But it looks like Eddie Gallagher will face no more jail time. And also very importantly, that charge of posing with the body, the jury is not allowed to implement adishonorable discharge on that and that would have been the big problem for Eddie Gallagher because he could have lost his pension and benefits. That is not open to them. So all he can be sentenced with is up to four months in jail. And as i say, wolf, he has already served this. Listen, this case has captivated like few other Court Marshals because it gave us insight into the usually secretive world of the sal of the s. E. A. L. S and there was a bombshell dropped who had been called by the prosecution and he said, yeah, i saw Eddie Gallagher stab this young isis detainee, but i actually killed him. Cory scott said i actually killed him. I put my finger over his trach cube and asphyxiated him and he would die any way and i was scared woe be tortured. And the problem for the prosecution, there was no forensic evidence. This was an inaccessible crime scene away in iraq and no body or autopsy. Even one of the Forensic Pathologists called by the prosecution said i cant even determine a cause of death. So what this case rested on was those photos that Eddie Gallagher took with the corpse and also the testimony of the s. E. A. L. S. But that was contradictory. Some s. E. A. L. S said, yes, Eddie Gallagher did this and stabbed the detainee and fired his sniper rifle at innocent civilians and other s. E. A. L. S stood up and said he didnt. So it came down really to who the jury believed. And the jury believed Eddie Gallagher who did not testify himself, but they believe those s. E. A. L. S who said we didnt see anything. But also, as i say, wolf, it would have been very hard to convict beyond a reasonable doubt when there was zero forensic evidence. A lot of National Attention on this Court Marshal on this trial. Thanks very much nick watt for that report. There is other news were following including a new cnn poll that shows President Trumps Approval Rating at 43 with 52 disapproving the job hes doing at president. This comes only days before the president intends to tout his record during a fourth of july speech here in washington on the national mall. A celebration that traditionally has been nonpartisan. Lets bring in our political experts and analysts and discuss and chris cillizza, Kellyanne Conway reveals the president does plan to talk about the successes of his administration during the salute to america fourth of July Celebration. Is that an appropriate moment at this kind of event . Well, let me just frame it for people who dont live in washington or havent visited washington on july fourth, there is already a july fourth celebration with fireworks and this is in addition to what was already had been planned and which ive attended and many people have attended in the past. I think it is a very fine line between patriotism, which is how Kellyanne Conway is casting this, dont you love americas military, and nationalism, which is sort of this is our way or the highway and we if you dont love this, me, our military, rooting for us, thats bad. I dont think it depends on what donald trump says in truth in part. If he gives an overtly or kind of political speech then it is tough and our colleague Josh Campbell flagged me, department of defense ethics procedure, military folks are not allowed to engage in any sort of activity that is partisan in any way, shape or form and the presence of them having them there may get into tough waters. They couldnt be prosecuted for it but it is tough when the commander in cleave commanderinchief it do issing. This is not a Campaign Rally and that is the certain people are expressing. This president has been campaigning hes not stopped actually. But ever since hes come into the oval office hes continued to campaign and especially right now as his poll numbers are down and im looking at more of the fact that you have more people disapprovaling of him than approval, hes going to do this at the Lincoln Memorial. Hes the party of lincoln. And with the back drop of lincoln and having the military artillery around washington, d. C. And it is very interesting, i talked to julian castro, the democratic candidate, one of the Democratic Candidates for president and he said he doesnt like it. He said that money, that theyre using to put all of this artillery out on the streets of washington, d. C. , could be used to help Homeless Veterans and Homeless Veterans and veterans are some of the things the president will talk about but the money could be used in other ways. Bianna, this wouldnt be the first time the president has politicized an event that was supposed to be apolitical. No. It is not. You think about right after his election, when he was speaking at the cia and the Memorial Wall and brought up his election and the crowd sizes and weve seen what hes done at military establishments around the world where hes gone to either korea or germany and even japan on military bases and hes talked about his own election and what hes done for the country, we saw how even acting secretary of defense shanahan reprimanded some soldiers who were wearing maga hats going back to what chris was saying, this is not the protocol, they are not supposed to be political, those who serve in the military. So this is something he did it in front of the boy scouts as well so something hes done repetitively over the past two years. History suggests, quickly, whatever his plan is, if there is one, there is a speech written on the teleprompter, he gets up in front of a big crowd and what is the first thing look at this crowd. The biggest crowd. And all of the media. Academy awards. So even if the plan, and that is what is coming out of the white house, it is not a political speech, when you ask yourself if youve seen donald trump give a speech that didnt have if not politics in it, the celebration of self. It is interesting, brian lizza, that the Republican National committee have received vip tickets to attend this event, the president s Reelection Campaign has received special tickets. The democratic National Committee were told, they say theyve received no tickets. I doubt theyre going to receive any tickets. It is just the creeping pollicization of everything in american life. Christmas has been politicized so why not the fourth of july. And as chris was pointing out, trump doesnt have that mode where hes understanding the presiden presidency as previous president s had that the only office in the country that represents everyone. Not a house member or a senate. It represents the entire country and he doesnt see the office that way and never has. So classic trump where this will be a lot about him and he will push the envelope on sort of the nationalist view that he has. And it will have a political element. Part of what he likes to do in these scenarios is make the democrats defensive. Make the democrats say oh, why are you having tanks and make them seem watch what happens, the debate will eventually get to the place where democrats will be accused of not being patriotic. But weve never had tanks on the fourth of july. Kellyanne conway this morning said that, which is she was asked, is this political and the response was, the fourth of july celebrated independence. Do you like independence. That is not the but the fourth of july has never traditionally focused on the military. That is right. And that is why this seems so awkward. Because it is not something we as a nation are used to doing on the fourth of july. Clearly we celebrate our independence but military parade is not what we do in this country. For lack of a better word, it is very soviet. And clearly what the president saw in france last year has stuck with him. And this is something that they do in france on bastille day, not something we do on the fourth of july regardless of who is in office. And the piece were for getting, this is what something the president saw, about bolstering himself up, looking like a dictator from another nation. Or a time that is forgot. But here is another issue. On fourth of july weve seen this in washington, the president s prior have had military personnel come and sit on the south lawn and watch the fireworks and sooen military but this is taking it to another level. And another sensitive issue that came up, the house ways and Means Committee now has filed a formal lawsuit against the commerce department, the irs and they want the president s tax returns for the past six years. Chairman neal has put forward his lawsuit. How strong of a case do they have . Well, im not a lawyer but most of the lawyers that have looked at this have looked at the language of the law and it is pretty clear that the chairman of the committee or on the senate side may request anyones tax returns. Doesnt mean just to him or make it public but they dont really have to have a reason or anything. I do think in the complaint the law said if they request the tax returns, it shall be given to shall there is a negotiation. Not up to the administrations decision. And, look, they are a little bit sensitive to the fact that of what the reasoning behind this is. The Trump Administration has said, no, were not giving you that because you dont have a legitimate legislative purpose and the law doesnt suggest they need one but they do lay out one in the complaint and say, were congress, legislative purpose here is to study whether president s are abiding by the tax laws. This could be a long, drawn out process in the courts right now. Well, donald trump is banking on it. Honestly, hes banking on it being a long drawn out process. This started a long time ago. 2015, donald trump starts talking about his tax returns. Oh, ill definitely release them and then a change through the campaign and april 3rd richard neal requests them from Steve Mnuchin treasury secretary and that would never happen. So were in the beginning of the end stage. The problem is, and nonlawyers ryan lizza and i know, legal processes like this could take time. Donald trump has two options here, i think. Well three. One they win and maybe. But his other win is that a decision comes after the 2020 election and therefore it is like, well, maybe hes in the middle of the second term or hes lost and it doesnt matter. But the goal was to delay, delay, delay and that is what theyre getting here. Bianna, lets not forget, why is the president so sensitive about the American Public seeing his tax returns . All of his predecessors in modern times, theyve released their tax returns, he has fought it during the campaign, and he has fought it very bitterly since he was elected. Well, hes given multiple explanations, one that hes still under audit and another is that hes viewing this as an expedition, as president ial harassment as democrats trying to find an issue with the president and many of his supporters including his Vice President and including even those, his chief of staff would say that this is something that the American Public knew going into the election and they didnt have his tax returns and yet they elected this president , so those who supported him had no problem with it. So why are people politicizing it. Just okay, they do make that argument, bianna is right. But this is like saying, well, donald trump won therefore america is cool with ties that are too long. Yes, Donald Trumps ties are a little bit long. But there is nothing to do with why he won. Tax returns were not on the ballot. There is not one question in the exit poll about taxes and taxes, not one. In our most recent poll in the end of april, cnn poll, 66 of people want to see Donald Trumps tax returns. So this argument the excuses and the argument doesnt make sense. He doesnt want to give them because he thinks there will be something embarrassing. And it is not a pressing issue with many voters, right. It is not something weve seen come up in debates and what this administration and the president is banking on is this is a new normal and numb to situations like this. Here is the problem. By law you dont have to at this point you dont have to give your tax returns. But when you have the Mueller Report that still has tentacles, that is the issue. The Mueller Report is saying that congress and the courts can deal with this. And the white house is saying it is harassment, but the house is saying, who has the right, and is checks and balances that our Founding Fathers putz in place, theyre saying youre attacking us by not supplying this. This is something we were pushed on doing. They had to do this. The irs and Steve Mnuchin said no and well show you checks and balances are still in place. What this case shows is when you just have a system of norms, and a sort of gentlemans agreement about certain things like tax returns, someone like trump could come along and blow up the norms. He did come along. And what the democrats most likely because republicans dont seem to care as many about this, there needs to be a package of legislation that says, okay, all of these things that he blew past, these need to be law. And they could frame it as not as an attack on this particular president , but setting a precedent for future whoever down the road, whether it republican or democrat in office, they wont go through this process again. Very significant development, the Justice Department said the 2020 census will go forward without that question that republicans and the president wanted involving citizenship. Yeah, and i mean, the bigger, broader point here is it is every study that had been done, hypothetically done, but suggested that this would lead to an undercount of nonwhites. And there is always an undercount of nonwhites. And larger one because you put it in there. The other point, so that is the big political point. And the other point is donald trump, maybe it was 36 hours ago, or 24 hours ago, said, were looking very strongly at delaying the census. This is just goes to everything that he does is written on sand at the edge of the water. It just can be washed away and then the next he just changes his mind or convinced otherwise or oiz legal aides say otherwise. About the census with the immigration issues, there would be a problem with undercounting because people are afraid to come out and say, i live here. Im here. And in the midst of all of this question, if they could stay or not. So that is right. A big setback for the president with his decision by the Justice Department. Well see how he reacted and i assume well get a tweet pretty soon. Everybody stick around. Coming up, the latest on the shocking and mysterious death of the Los Angeles Angels pitcher tyler skaggs. His teammates are holding a News Conference right now. Has been excellent. They really appreciate the military family and it really shows. With all that usaa offers why go with anybody else . We know their rates are good, we know that theyre always going to take care of us. It was an instant savings and i should have changed a long time ago. 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Scott, his teammates have been holding a News Conference. What are you hearing . Reporter there will still a lot of questions about this death especially considering tyler skaggs was a 27yearold athlete at the top of his career who pitched more than four innings on saturday. He was found dead at the hilton hotel on the fourth floor about 25 minutes from the park here yesterday afternoon. Local police do not suspect foul play nor do they suspect suicide in this case. There is an autopsy that was scheduled for today but we wont know the full result offense that until october. The teams management held a press Conference Today where they were asked about tyler. They offered no answers about his death. Just kind words about the player. The general manager called the death incomprehensible. The manager was asked about what the team did after yesterdays game was cancelled. Listen. The team all got together a couple of times and some of the guys spoke but i think most importantly in the end we were able to talk about tyler and laugh about some of the stories and some of the goofy things he did. Listen to some of his music. It was good. Reporter there are really condolences come ing from acros the league. He was drafted in 2009. Hes been around the major league for a long time. Last nights game was cancelled. Tonights game will go ahead as scheduled beginning with a moment of silence for tyler skaggs. Thank you. Scott, thank you. Coming up, President Trump stealing the spotlight for the nations fourth of July Celebration deploying military aircraft and tanks. Taking center stake for an unprecedented speech on the national mall. Oh my, this heinz mayonnaise is so creamy, one day youll tell your grandkids about it. And theyll say, grandpa just tell us about humpty dumpty. And youll say, he broke his pelvis or whatever, now back to my creamy heinz mayonnaise. Heinz mayonnaise, unforgettably creamy. Here i go again on my own goin down the only road ive ever known like a drifter i was born to walk alone youre a drifter . I thought you were kevins dad. Little bit of both. If you ride, you get it. Geico motorcycle. 15 minutes could save you 15 or more. Most people think a button is just a button. That a speaker is just a speaker. Or that the journey cant be the destination. Most people havent driven a lincoln. Discover the lincoln approach to craftsmanship at the lincoln summer invitation. Right now, get 0 apr on all 2019 lincoln vehicles plus no payments for up to 90 days. Only at your lincoln dealer. The trump of july. As the president gets ready to roll out big military guns to celebrate americas independence, hes creating partisan fireworks. Is he turning the nations birthday into a Trump Campaign event. Ticking time bomb. Thats how one describes the conditions at the border as disturbing photos of overcrowded detention facilities. Were following the danger and o outrage as more americans are convinced theres a border crisis. By any ways and means. House democrats escalate their battle to obtain the tax returns by suing the irs and the Treasury Department. Will the house ways and means strategy work . Fallen angel. Teammates remember pitcher tyler skaggs as the death remains a mystery. Well have the latest on the investigation and mourning. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer. Youre in the situation room. Breaking news tonight, an you are jen urgent new warning of overcrowding. An independent watchdog just released truly stunning images of migran