a news conference on the cold-blooded killing in the pop singer of christina grimmie. she was a finalist on "the voice." she was shot and killed after signing autographs after a concert. let's go to the presser. >> more updates after the shooting. 10:30 last night, we received multiple calls about shots being fired from inside the plaza. our officer responded within two minutes secured the scene. inside, found two people that had been shot. so based on our investigation thus far, it appears that a white male, 21 years of age, approached christina grimmie. this was after the show. there were about 120 people inside the plaza. and she was doing like a meet and greet, signing autographs and selling merchandise. so this white male approached her and opened fire, striking her. at that, almost immediately, her brother marcus grimmie tackled the suspect to the ground. shortly after that, the suspect killed himself. and obviously, as we know, unfortunately, christina grimmie succumbed to those gunshot wounds. our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends and fans of christina. and our detectives are meeting with her parents today. the suspect in this case is not from orlando. the suspect traveled to orlando, apparently, to commit this crime. and then had plans to travel back to where he came from. so, what we're doing at this point, we're not identifying his name right now. but we will have that shortly for you near the end of the day. what our detectives are doing right now is they're going through the suspect's cell phone and computer to see if they can find a motive for this crime. the suspect had two handguns on his person. he had two additional loaded magazines for those handguns. and a large hunting knife. so, at this time, we will take a few questions, but bear in mind, that it is a very active investigation. and we may not be able to answer all of your questions. >> where did he come from? and what is going on and was there somebody filling in for security? >> right, as far as security, the plaza does have security guards who wear pole shirts and unarmed. in the back. >> it happened at the end of the -- at the end of the concert. it happened in the back of the hall, all the way in the back by the doors that exit. >> chief, is there any indication that he knew her? or that they knew each other? >> no, there's no indication that he knew her. we're looking into that and trying to find a motive for the crime. >> are people padded down, do they go through any sort of detectors? >> there are no metal detectors. people are not patted down. they open their bags and authorities look inside those bags for weapons. >> does this person have a retraining order or anything from stopping him? >> not that we know at this time. >> were the guns that he had legal, were they registered to him? >> we are taking a look at the guns right now to see where they came from. i will say that he traveled here from florida. from another city in florida to here. and had plans to travel back to that city. that's all i'm going to say about exactly where he's from right now. >> has he ever contacted her on social media or anything? >> not to my knowledge. that's why we're looking through his phone and also his computer. >> [ inaudible ]. >> no, we have never had an issue here that i'm aware of, especially anything of this magnitude. no issues like that. [ inaudible ]. >> none that we've located thus far. >> was that just an accident tall scuffle with the brother -- >> that's all part of the investigation. >> it sounds like this was a target. he came here to do this. you can explain a little bit more about that for us? >> it does appear that he came here to commit this crime, yes. >> and can you confirm that she was shot in the head? >> we're not going to confirm that right now because we haven't met with her family yet and we need to go over the details with them first. >> so, detectives are meeting with her family later on today. [ inaudible ]. >> i don't have the time now, it will be later today, our plans are to get you that information as quickly as possible. like i say, we want to go through the phone. go through the computer and search the residence, all that. as well. there's a travel challenge for our detectives but we're working on all of that. >> there's been a lot of discussion about club security. do you know if they changed things recently? >> i'm not aware of any changes. i think it's important to note the type of crowd that attends this. we're talking about young kids. this isn't a crowd that you would suspect would be carrying guns into a venue like this. >> you talk about the brother and preventing it from being more dangerous than it was? >> absolutely. the suspect was armed. two additional magazines. unknown for what his plans were for after killing christina. very heroic actions by marcus grimmie to jump in. definitely could have prevented future loss of life there. >> how old is her brother? >> i'm not sure. >> i know you said you're still searching for a motive, but is the hunch he's just a deranged man? >> that's what it would look like. we believe he came here to commit this crime. >> did this happen in front of fans and witnesses? >> yeah, there were multiple witnesses who saw this. >> about how many people? >> about 120 people were inside the club. they were doing a meet and greet. about 120 people inside the club. >> was it backstage? >> no. >> no, it was not backstage. >> do you believe he attended the concert and performance or he just showed up afterwards? >> i'm not sure. that's part of the investigation. >> are you working with other police departments -- you said he's from a different city in a different part of florida. law enforcement officers been in search of his house or property or any property he may own to provide more details? >> well, certainly, anytime we have a suspect that's not from our jurisdiction, we do get assistance from other jurisdictions. but we would be doing all that searching. >> did he drive here or did he fly here? >> i'm not going to say at this time. >> you just said you would be doing searches. do you have other officers in other cities doing the searches at this time? >> i'm not going to say at this time. [ inaudible ]. >> that all will come out later. but we can tell you that he came here to commit this crime. and had plans to travel back to where he came from. >> and just to be clear, am i understanding that the venue -- [ inaudible ]. >> right. there were no extra duty police officers. no off-duty police officers at this venue last night. >> did he have a note or anything in the car or anything like that that might explain anything? >> we're still looking through everything. i'm not aware of any note or anything like that. i think that we're hoping that once we are able to get into the phone and into the computer that it will shed some light on why he did this. >> the computer -- >> i talk about the computer maybe where he lives. >> do you think it will have information? >> well, anything, any contact on social media. our lives are always now on our phones. we're thinking that will hopefully lead us in the right direction to find the motive for this crime. >> do you have any trouble unlocking the phone or gaining access? >> not that i'm aware of. >> can you explain why you're not disclosing the suspect? i couldn't hear that. >> there was a travel challenge for us. we just want to give the detectives time to complete their preliminary investigation as far as the search of the suspect's homes, cars, everything involved in that. as well as all of the suspect's electronic material. >> was there video taken at the club? >> i'm not sure. >> when you say outside of florida, do you mean central florida, or outside of central florida, nine counties? >> outside of central florida. >> outside of central florida. >> right. just to answer that, there is no video that we're aware of. >> will you confiscate the computers of family members? >> yes. >> do you know what part of florida he might have traveled from? >> no, not at this time. like i say, we'll probably have that before the end of the day, we'll get that to you. we know people want some answers to these questions why this person may have done that and who this person is. we're going to get to that information as quickly as we can, without trying to interfere with the detectives' investigation. >> you said he was getting ready to travel back [ inaudible ]. >> that would only be speculation. maybe he wasn't planning on being tackled to the ground. i don't know. but he did have two handguns on him. additional magazines and a hunting knife. so, unknown why that happened. [ inaudible ]. >> that's unknown at this time. >> did you find his car or anything in the parking lot? have you taken that in for investigation? he got here somehow? >> yeah, there is no car that we're looking for. >> so, you have a car then. >> no, he didn't come here in his own car, if that's what you're asking. >> well, how did he get here? >> we're not going to release that. he did make travel arrangements to come here and get back to where he was going. as far as we know, he was alone. we're still trying to sift through all of the evidence and stuff. hopef hopefully, we'll have that four in the next few day. >> so then if he didn't have a car he didn't travel on a bus or plane, how would he get here? >> it's all part of the investigation. so, we'll let you know. >> did he have a bag? was it on his person, weapons? >> i'm not sure exactly how he got those guns into the venue. it's all part of the investigation. >> venue has signs that say no concealed weapons inside the building. those signs are very new. were they there prior to last night's events or since the event last night? >> you'd have to ask the plaza. >> do you know if they did pat count individuals after the concert let out? >> as far as i'm aware, there were no pat-downs down to people entering. [ inaudible ]. >> i'm ensure at this time. you'd have to ask the plaza about that. >> chief, is this shooting getting the same importance as other shootings in the city, or is this getting a higher importance given the victim? >> well, i will say our homicide detectives treat all of these shootings very, of course seriously. and we work very hard to bring people to justice to bring closure to the families in every single case. i think that was evident, you know, especially with the homicide that it they solved yesterday. >> so with the suspect dying, was it suicide intentionally, or was it a stray bullet that happened to dislodge? >> we believe at this time, that he killed himself. we believe at this time that he killed himself. >> can you tell us the type of handguns we're dealing with? >> small caliber handguns. >> all right. thank you. >> we have been listen to police chief john mina of the orlando police department giving us the details about the substantial tragedy the murder of "the voice" christina grimmie. one of "the voice" finalists. nick valente is following the story. also with us cnn analyst art roderick. nick, i want to start off with you because we're listening to this together. it sounds certainly like this 21-year-old targeted the singer. it did not seem like it was something random and also sounds like he was pretty well armed. >> it sounds like it was a motivated deliberate attack. we don't know the motive, that was not made clear at the press conference. but what we were told this was a targeted attack. a white male, 21 years old approaching the 22-year-old singer after signing autographs. the suspect was almost immediately tackled by grimmie's brother. there were reports coming out of orlando that the family may have been familiar with the suspect. after the press conference with the chief from orlando, he said there's no indication that the suspect knew the singer. of course, no motive. he was there with this intention, two small caliber handguns. two magazines for the handguns and also a hunting knife. they're going to be scouring his social media, cell phone and what led up to this motivation to kill his greatly talented singer. she was so young. >> that's a shame. art, there are a couple things that i heard that stood out. first of all, the police chief was saying that there was a plan, that they have some evidence that he wanted to return to wherever he came from outside of central florida. yet, they're calling this ruling a suicide in the suspect here. what do you make of that? >> well, there's a couple things. my thoughts and prayers go out to the grimmie family. this is a horrible, horrible tragedy. i've been in law enforcement 40 years and this just cuts me to my core. this is just one of these senseless killings that never makes sense. that was an excellent press conference by the police chief. he put out a lot of things. he did have plans to go back, to me, if he didn't have a vehicle there, he must have had a bus ticket or some type of indication that he was traveling back. i don't thing aircraft if he took the weapons with him that he would have chanced getting picked up with a weapon. to me, a bus ticket or some other travel on the road is probably how he's going to get back i think the chief had mentioned outside of central florida. so from that perspective, that's probably what they're looking at. and again, if somebody's willing to die, it's very difficult to stop anybody from committing a crime like this. >> when you listen to the venue here, when you see this venue, and you listen to it and you know is this is kind of a medium size venue. this was outside of the concert area. and yet inside the building where there is no video, is that typical that you would have no type of magnetometers that they would just open their bags, the level of security that was there. >> yeah, it sounds like this is standard operating procedure for this type of event at this type of venue. i think is this another indication of somebody picking a soft target knowing that that type of magnetometer or machine would be there. that there's just individuals looking in bags or backpacks. of course, the two fairly small firearms are fairly easy to conceal on your body. >> nick, i want to bring this back to you. this such a talented young person. she had so much followers. people loved the way she song. they loved the way she made them feel. he wasn't the winner of "the voice" but certainly a presence. >> she came in third during that contest, but she won over the judges of all of the judges. all four chairs flipped around. if you're familiar with "the voice," you know that's a big achievement for anybody getting up there on that stage. but she had 3 million fans on youtube. not only that, she had millions of fans and an incredible career performing at a small venue. one of these outstanding questions that kind of got answered how this individual was able to make it inside the venue with the handguns. where was the police there? we heard that they weren't armed and perhaps checking. we did reach out to that venue's owner and have yet to hear back. >> art, i want to ask you, if you're handling this case, what are you looking for? we know we have the weapon seized. we know they're looking at the computer as well as the cell phone. are you actually confident they don't have video of this? they say at this point they don't know but they don't think there's video of the shooting? >> well, the chief was pretty accurate on a couple things. the cell phone, the social enter feet, the social media aspect of this is going to be key. had he made threats before. is he a deranged fan. did he take on the persona that a lot of individuals do. oh, we know each other. we're familiar with each other. i think there was some social media that had that information out there. but i think with the fact that he did show up there with a couple handguns but had plans to go back, that's of interest also. and i think once they put all of this together, they'll have a pretty good picture of what was in this individual's head. and ma were his plans. and i think the brother very possibly could have saved a lot of other people when he tackled this individual and then the individual decided to commit suicide. >> that's absolutely right. thank you very much, art, as well as nick valencia with all of the details of this tragic story. recapping here, police say that christina grimmie had just finished her performance when this man armed with two guns shot and killed her. she was signing autographs just before last night's performance, grimmie recorded a video. she tweeted out to her fans, watch. ♪ ♪ i came in like a wrecking ball i never ♪ >> grimmie rose to fame on season 6 of the "the voice" and vowed the zwruch judges with h performance. "the voice" host carson daly tweeted his reaction, saying the real grimmie i'm still in shock. he was special, loving, talented, kind, courageous. donald trump expected to take the podium any minute in tampa. going there live. stay with us for a quick break. everything you're good at now, you were once... pretty bad at. it's the same for credit. even if you're not good at it now, that's okay. because credit isn't just a score. it's a skill. experian. be better at credit. came out today thousands of people to run the race for retirement. so we asked them... are you completely prepared for retirement? okay, mostly prepared? could you save 1% more of your income? it doesn't sound like much, but saving an additional 1% now, could make a big difference over time. i'm going to be even better about saving. you can do it, it helps in the long run. prudential bring your challenges but do you really know what it means?ound a lot these days. no. the answer is no. because it's complicated and science-y. but with my nutrition mixes, you don't have to worry about the science. you can just put it in your pie hole. mmm peanuts, pecans, cashews. i'll have another helping of science, please! so whether it's energy or heart health you're after, start optimizing your nutrition with my specially mixed nutrition. planters. nutrition starts with nut. wrely on the us postal service? 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what are they making of this kind of new tinkering of his message that he's including everyone? >> reporter: yeah, well, people here are fired up. there's no lines. the place is half full. people who are here, definitely energized. suzanne. coming up, mitt romney reiterates why he won't vote for trump. our exclusive interview next. >> i decided that a person of that nature should not be the one who, if you will, becomes the example for coming generations or example of america to the world. don't stare at me. see me. see me. see me to know that psoriasis is just something that i have. i'm not contagious. see me to know that... ...i won't stop until i find what works. discover cosentyx, a different kind of medicine for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. proven to help the majority of people find clear or almost clear skin. 8 out of 10 people saw 75% skin clearance at 3 months. while the majority saw 90% clearance. do not use if you are allergic to cosentyx. before starting, you should be tested for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur... ...tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms... ...such as fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease, tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. see me. see me. see me. on my way. find clear skin... and a clearer path forward. for a different kind of medicine, ask your dermatologist about cosentyx. ♪ ♪ world saleilton is on honors members save up to 25% on brands like hampton, doubletree, hilton garden inn, and waldorf astoria so stop clicking around. book direct at hilton.com now that's satisfaction. i'm terhe is.at golf. but i'd like to keep being terrible at golf for as long as i can. new patented ensure enlive has hmb plus 20 grams of protein to help rebuild muscle. for the strength and energy to do what you love. new ensure enlive. always be you. ♪ no, you're not ♪ yogonna watch it! ♪tch it! ♪ ♪ we can't let you download on the goooooo! ♪ ♪ you'll just have to miss it! ♪ yeah, you'll just have to miss it! ♪ ♪ we can't let you download... uh, no thanks. i have x1 from xfinity so... don't fall for directv. xfinity lets you download your shows from anywhere. i used to like that song. as we wait to hear what donald trump has to say he's coming off possibly his toughest week the republican party's fragile plans to unite behind trump especially breaking up with the gop convention just around the corner. many are speculating that mitt romney might make a third party run against trump. romney saying he's not doing that. he spoke to our wolf blitzer about all of that in his exclusive interview. watch. >> as an individual, i simply can't put my name down as someone who voted for principles that suggest racism, xenophobia, racism, bigotry. i can't be a part of that, i don't want to be associated with that in any way, shape or form. >> what do you say to your vice presidential running mate paul ryan who is very pretty cal of donald trump. does not any of the words he used for judge curiel. but still says he's going to support donald trump? >> i don't look at people who are come to different conclusions. they're looking at who is best to serve our country at this time. i'm sure there are some things they'd like to change. and whoever they're going to support, every candidate has a problem or two or maybe more than that. for me, mr. trump's problems are such a dramatic nature. such a departure from the values of our country and personal values that i can't sign up to be part of this campaign. >> are you disappointed that paul ryan has endorsed him? >> i wish everyone in the republican party has rejected mr. trump and chosen someone else. my choice is different than other people. i'm sure they're not going to argue with their choice. their view is that secretary clinton would so dramatically change the nature of the supreme court that that represents a threat to our future. i understand the perspective. i find that compelling but also the donald trump failures also compelling. >> he did tone down his rhetoric in that speech. >> without question. >> reince priebus the chairman of the republican committee called it the right speech. and it's time to move on. do you think it's a time to move on? >> well, i can imagine that mr. trump would like to have people move on and forget what was said during the primary process and what's been said over the years. but we actually take the measure of an individual over their entire career. and during the primary as well. and on that basis, we get a sense of the person's character, integrate. honesty, their values with regards to race and religion and gender. and will trump has made that pretty clear to the campaign to this point. i'm absolutely convinced that reince priebus is right when he says that mr. trump will be able to read from the text and present a different image going forward. but that is not something which is consistent with who he is as demonstrated by his past. >> you don't think he should get a pass if he stops talking about judge curiel? >> well, everyone can make that assessment. he indicated what he believes in his heart about mexicans and about race, by the comments he made about judge curiel. he may and try and distance himself from that today. by the way, he didn't just say it once. it wasn't a slip of the tongue which he went back and apologized for. first of all, he's repeated it time and time again. secondly, he's never apologized for it. so, he obviously sticks by what he believes. >> what would he have to do to win your support? >> well, i don't think there's anything i'm looking for from mr. trump to give him my support. he's demonstrated who he is. and i've decided that a person of that nature should not be the one, who, if you will, becomes the example of coming generations and example of america to the world. look, i don't want to see trickledown racism. i don't want to see a president of the united states saying things which changed the character of generations of nations following. presidents have an impact on the nation. trickle down racism, trickle down bigotry, trickle down misogyny. it's more a matter of character and integrity. >> do you think he's a racist? >> i think his comments time and again appeal to the racist tendency that exists in people and i think that's very dangerous. >> and up next, our panel reacted to that exclusive conversation. stay with us. fit kitchen.fer's prime cuts of meat. 25 grams of protein. and savory, mouth-watering sides. it's the perfect balance of delicious and nutritious. making it just the right fit for you. stouffer's fit kitchen meals. this is fit. be the you who doesn't cover your moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. be the you who shows up in that dress. who hugs a friend. who is done with treatments that don't give you clearer skin. be the you who controls your psoriasis with stelara® just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before starting stelara® tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. always tell your doctor if you have any signs of infection, have had cancer, if you develop any new skin growths or if anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to stelara® or any of its ingredients. most people using stelara® saw 75% clearer skin and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. be the you who talks to your dermatologist about stelara®. i like the bride more than the groom. turquois dresses... so excited. did all her exes get invited? no one's got moves like uncle joe. ♪ should i stay or should i go? ♪ when it's go, book with choice hotels and get a free $50 gift card for staying just two times. book direct at choicehotels.com. you always have a choice. you're looking at live pictures from tampa, florida, where donald trump is expected to speak any minute now. we'll take you there live. just minutes ago you heard mitt romney tell wolf blitzer that trump's presidency would trigger trickledown racism. first of all, trump responding to all of these remarks in a tweet this morning, as we would expect, quote, saying mitt romney had his chance to be a failed president, but he choked like a dog. now, he calls me racist. but i am the least racist person there is. so, lonny, first of all, the response, you know romney very well. >> well, you know, stay classy donald trump is the typical kind of response we hear from donald trump. i think governor romney has made clear what his concerns are with a trump presidency, he did so yesterday. i wouldn't expect too much different from donald trump. i think that's the kind of campaign he's going to run going into the fall. it's a personality-based campaign. sometimes, it's entertaining for republicans. but what are his plans, i don't know that he's laid any out as a result, many republicans remain conservative on him. >> what do you think of the charges of bigotry and misogyny, these are serious issues for trump. with the make america great campaign do you think that's going to work? >> well, looks like history is repeating itself. 1964, mitt romney's father george romney, from michigan, barry goldwater did everything he could do work against which ultimately gave the democrats the white house and looks like mitt is trying to fill his daddy's shoes. you can't sit there and tell me that the guy that made the 47% comment that made damage to his campaign, with the whole argument has any basis whatsoever to call donald trump racist. and the fact is, he just needs to go away. he had his chance. all his comments are doing are being used against donald trump just like his dad's comments were being used against barry goldwater in 1964. >> the 47 comment do you think that's a racist thing by mitt romney? >> well, basically, if it's not being a snob, it's top level. what it is the wealth inequality that existed between the different wealthy in this country. middle class, upper class. and how the upper class felt like they were so much more economically off than the middle and lower class. you could sit there and try to move it around. he has no criteria whatsoever to criticize donald trump in this area. >> lanhee, do you want to respond, saying it's just as bad for the elitism, i suppose? >> yeah, i mean, look, this is the kind of flailing response that we've come to expect from donald trump and his surrogateses. at the end of the day when he made comments about judge curiel the way he did, to try to compare those remarks the way other presidents past and present have made are simply not appropriate. what we want is a more inclusive party. i think that would be the stated goal of all republicans. the reality, though, donald trump has made it just that much harder to garner votes of people in the hispanic community, the asian community, you name it. what is donald trump going to do? republicans had hoped he would build a campaign try to become somebody who would realize the value of a broader republican party. so far, he has not built a campaign to ready himself to win and he hasn't changed himself because that's just who he is. at the end of the day, we have to be clear about who donald trump is. >> here's the question, how do you know what type of campaign it is, as long as guys like mitt romney are trying to get the spotlight -- you don't know what kind of campaign because as long as there's people like mitt romney trying to make these charges being used against our own party sitting there trying to garner attention because i guess he's bored. what good does it do? this is something that democrats don't do? they don't sit there and go after their own. they don't eat their own. republicans -- they do at press conference, if there's issues, let's handle this like mature adults. mitt, why don't you pick up the phone and call donald trump? instead, what does he do, he gathers 300 bitter leaders there in that conference to show how divided the republican party is. which i think it's the exact opposite when you're sitting there in front of thousands. >> let me just interject here, if mitt romney picked up the phone and called donald trump, would donald trump, first of all, answer the call and do you think it would be helpful? do you think an olive branch would bring these two together it doesn't not sound close to being on the same page? >> obviously worked with paul ryan. donald trump maxed out to mitt romney. he was on the speaker and stump trail for him as well. obviously at that point, mitt romney did not think donald trump was a racist. obviously thinks he was a good enough guy to speak on his behalf. he's doing everything he can to derail this idea of donald trump being president. i don't know if it's out of bitterness or jealousy. >> lanhee, please respond. your thoughts. >> first of all, this conference has been a gathering of republicans. we have people here to support donald trump and people who oppose donald trump. as for governor romney, i think he's made his views clear. he's not out there campaigning against donald trump if people give him his point of view. he's going to give them his point of view. that's what we have. that's what mitt romney has said, he's expressed his view about a trump candidacy or presidency. is this not a crusade against donald trump. mitt romney is the last nominee of the republican party, he's going to make his views heard. we'll have to see what happens going forward. i think governor romney has made his intentions clear. >> we'll have to leave it there. so, again, thank you. we're awaiting donald trump to take the stage. this out of tampa, florida. we're going to take you live to the rally when that starts. we'll be right back. when they thought they should westart saving for retirement.le then we asked some older people when they actually did start saving. this gap between when we should start saving and when we actually do is one of the reasons why too many of us aren't prepared for retirement. just start as early as you can. it's going to pay off in the future. if we all start saving a little more today, we'll all be better prepared tomorrow. prudential. bring your challenges. there goes my sensitive bladder. sound familiar? 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apparently, none. what he does have is big money ties to bill and hillary clinton. he has donated between $1 million and $5 million to the clinton foundation. he's donated to mrs. clinton's 2008 primary campaign and even served as a so-called bundler of large campaign donations for democrats. on the campaign trail today, donald trump called his appointment just another example of his crooked hillary campaign theme. >> she even appointed to the national security board someone with no national security experience. instead, he was a donor. a recent donor, to hillary clinton's campaign. >> reporter: it is clear raj fernando had no diplomatic experience and no background in international security affairs. which could explain why just one month after taking this photo during his very first meeting with the board, raj fernando was writing a letter to secretary clinton, resigning. and e-mails just released show behind the scene political panic was setting in, as a state department official struggled to explain what this big donor to the clinton foundation was doing with top security clearance inside the state department. on august 15th, 2011, an e-mail from an abc news producer asked for fernando's qualifications. the follow-up e-mail shows state department officials scrambling to come up with an explanation. they discussed how the appointment came directly from hillary clinton's longtime aide and state department chief of staff, sheryl mills. the true answer is simply that sheryl mills added him, the state department official writes in an e-mail. he was added at their insistence. someone else writes, can we dig up a short paragraph about his distinguished career and a sentence about our selection and approval process? the next day, a senior adviser e-mails, we must protect the secretary's name, as well as the integrity of the board. and through a colleague, cheryl mills chimes into the e-mail chain, asking the state department to stall in its response to abc news for 24 hours. no real qualifications for fernando were ever sent. instead, the next day, august 17th, rajiv fernando suddenly resigns. >> happy friday. >> at the state department today, answers on why were hard to come by. >> if he was at all qualified, why -- why did he resign so suddenly after abc news started asking questions? >> i mean, you would have to ask him. >> reporter: drew griffin, cnn, atlanta. >> the clinton camp has now responded to drew griffin's reporting saying, quote here, this was an unpaid volunteer advisory board, one of several foreign policy focused organizations that he was involved with. as the state department itself has said, the international security advisory board charter calls for a diverse set of experiences for its members. that's all there is to it. to talk about this donor controversy, let's bring in our panel, mark lamont hill, and professor of morehouse college. and also with us, larry sabato, professor of politics at the university of virginia. so, marc, does this look like it would impact her campaign in any way? does this play into this narrative we're hearing from trump, calling her crooked hillary? >> well, it certainly plays into the narrative. the evidence looks bad. the stalling, the delays, the clear evidence that this -- that raj was unqualified for the position, the stonewalling. all of it looks bad and plays into the narrative. it's compounded, of course, by the e-mail scandal. it's compounded by all the questionable clinton foundation questions that have been raised -- or issues, rather, that have been raised over the last few years. whether it will have an impact on her campaign remains to be seen. largely because, there are so many other issues of ethics overshadowing the campaign. one thing i'm going to add, though, is we don't -- we can't look at this in a vacuum. it's really important to recognize that all presidential campaigns, all presidential administrations, all state departments have things where people sort of pay to play, where people leverage relationships to get positions. so i don't want to make hillary clinton look as if she's standing outside of very common tradition. whether we like it or not is one thing. but hillary's not alone here. >> let's listen to how trump hit her on this one, and larry, i'll bring you in on the other end. >> they all look and say, where did this guy come from? he made a contribution of $250,000. and all of a sudden he's on this very important and vital board. this position dealt with tactical nuclear weapons and had top secret clearance. and he knew nothing about it. >> all right. larry, you and i know a little bit about the state department here. i mean, is that an overstatement there? what this advisory board does? i mean, does he make the point, or does it sound like a rather big exaggeration? >> well, he may be exaggerating it, but i also think it's legitimate. look, suzanne, the truth is, and mark hinted at this, our campaign finance system is rot ton to the core. and yes, it affects both democratic presidents and republican prsesidents and democratic secretaries of state and republican secretaries of state, but people need to focus on how this gentleman got on that board. he was completely unqualified for it. it certainly covered materials that were sensitive, for which he had no background. and that's inexcusable. remember, this isn't just about his contributions to hillary clinton's two presidential campaigns. it's about his giving $1 million or more to the clinton foundation. and let's just predict, flatly, right here that the clinton foundation is going to present problem after problem for hillary clinton between now and november 8th. >> and so, marc, let's talk about that a little bit. here you have hillary clinton coming off of a very good week. i mean, with the endorsements of the president, elizabeth warren, the vice president, this is something that she is going into the next week with the wind behind her sails there. and then this comes out, this piece of investigative reporting, very well-sourced. what do you think, ultimately, is this something she's going to have to address on the campaign trail? clearly, reporters are going to be asking her about this? can you just kind of push it aside with a statement? >> i think that the statement is insufficient. i think she'll have to actually publicly address it on the campaign trail, but then she moves on. she's had an incredible amount of momentum over the last week from elizabeth warren to joe biden and trump continues to double down on his own comments about the judge, judge curiel. so when those things are happening, she's in a place of strength. and i think the worse thing she could do is ignore this and allow it to build up, where it looks like a bigger deal than it is. i think the american voter can ultimately say, hey, we don't ri like this choice. it's clearly a pay to play situation. clearly this person got a job they weren't qualified for that. but i think they'll situate that saying, hey, all politicians do that. this isn't a good choice, but we can probably live with it. >> do you think that's the case with bernie sanders supporters? because ultimately she'll need them to come onboard to her side. and that sounds like an argument there that people who are very much in his camp and in his corner are going to reject. >> that's a very good point. and you know what would be refreshing? and also helpful to her? is if she actually came out, without prepared talking points and having memorized nothing and said, i don't care how this happened, it's wrong, it should not have happened. this gentleman should not have been appointed. our system is rotten is and here's how i'm going to change it. that would get her a lot of supporters from sanders. it would also get her support from other quarters. >> all right. we'll leave it there. larry sabato, marc lamont hill, appreciate your time. good to see you both and your perspectives. tomorrow, don't miss bernie sanders, that's right, on cnn, sitting down with our own jake tapper. that's going to happen at 9:00 a.m. eastern on "state of the union." and the next hour of "cnn newsroom" starts right now. and hello, thanks for joining me. i'm suzanne malveaux in for fredricka whitfield. any moment, we're expecting to hear from donald trump, trying to fire up the supporters out of tampa, florida. the presumptive republican nominee expected to take the podium soon, as he is pivoting now to the attention of the general election. the crowd is really not what wave seen in the past. not the big numbers here. only partially filling the convention center there. our cnn politics reporter, jeremy diamond, joining us live from the rally. jeremy, address that first. we saw out of richmond, virginia, that the venue was not filled, by far. we're seeing thousands and thous