Paul Manafort: Trump didn't encourage anybody to hack
Trump's campaign chairman says on 'The Kelly File' the Republican's comments about Russia were sarcastic
This is a rush transcript from "The Kelly File," June 27, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
MEGYN KELLY, HOST: Breaking tonight after Donald Trump suggested that Russian hackers ought to look for Hillary Clinton's missing e-mails, some of the biggest names in Intel blasted the GOP candidate.
And now his campaign manager is here to react. Welcome to "The Kelly File," everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. Here at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia where we are awaiting both Vice President Joe Biden and President Obama coming up in just a bit. But right in the middle of the Democratic National Convention, Republican nominee Donald Trump managed to dominate the headlines today after suggesting Russian hackers should try to find Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's missing e-mails. His critics call it beyond the pale. But his defenders are calling the moment tongue and cheek now suggesting he wasn't serious.
We have Donald Trump's campaign manager Paul Manafort here with us tonight to react to it all. But first, we go to campaign Carl Cameron who is live in Ohio where Mr. Trump just had a campaign event. Karl?
CARL CAMERON, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Megyn. Toledo, Ohio and Donald Trump is with a huge crowd here and going for it yet again tonight. Earlier today it started with an extraordinary news conference that took place in Miami, Florida where Trump was talking to the press for the first time in a little over a month and he started talking about the DNC hacking event that led to some of the controversy with Bernie Sanders and the Democratic Party's criticism of him when he was still in the race.
And now that Hillary Clinton is the nominee, Hillary Clinton, to accept that nomination tomorrow night, Trump this morning suggested that as you said that the Russians, he effectively welcomed them to go and try to find Hillary Clinton's e-mails, a highly controversial remark. Here is how he put it this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, R-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Russia, if you are listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 e-mails that are missing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMERON: That immediately kicked off a firestorm with State Department officials, White House officials, Politicos from across the spectrum, Republicans and Democrats suggesting that that was inappropriate. And the Clinton campaign actually put out a statement saying, this goes beyond politics, this goes beyond anything and actually this raises another National Security issue because it would appear that the Russian government was involved potentially and this is being investigated by the FBI and the hacking and that Trump was encouraging it.
Now, he had a rally earlier today in Pennsylvania and he didn't exactly mention it. He didn't talk about it again. We are told that Trump today has told Fox News that this was sarcasm, that he wasn't serious about it. But the Clinton campaign and Democrats, just a moment ago, Leon Panetta, the former CIA director there at the convention in Philadelphia suggested that Trump is cozying up to dictators and giving them license to break our laws and international laws.
Trump says, this is being completely blown out of proportion. But it's important, Megyn, because in past campaigns this would have been a measure of the temperament and reliability of a presidential candidate, and Trump says it was all a joke. But he said it publically is the kind of thing that certainly causes big-time controversy as yet not resolved.
KELLY: Carl, thank you. Well, one of the biggest names to attack the Trump remarks today, former CIA Chief and Clinton supporter Leon Panetta. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEON PANETTA, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: I find those kinds of statements to be totally outrageous. Because you have now a presidential candidate who is, in fact, asking the Russians to engage in American politics. And I just think that that is beyond the pale.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY: Paul Manafort joins me now. He is Donald Trump's campaign manager. Paul, thank you very much for being here. So, was this a joke?
PAUL MANAFORT, TRUMP 2016 CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Well, what I find outrageous is Mr. Panetta focusing on what Mr. Trump said in a sarcastic way and not focusing on what the real problem is. The real problem here is the fact that she had an unsecured server sitting in her closet at her home to be hacked by anybody in the world. That is what the issue is. The National Security outrage should be focused on that.
KELLY: Right. Well, that has gotten some attention. I mean, so you know, Trump created a firestorm today by saying something new which was the suggestion that he would hope that the Russians would come and hack and turn over -- I hope you are able to find the 33,000 e-mails that are missing, Russia if you're listening. I think you probably be rewarded mightily by the press.
MANAFORT: Well, first of all, he didn't encourage anybody to hack. Secondly what he said was that the 33 illegally deleted e-mails are still missing and he was making a sarcastic point about those 33,000 e-mails. But the bottom-line of the whole thing is that as far as what people should be outraged about is the fact that anybody could have hacked into the server of the secretary of state and gotten secrets that could compromise our national security.
KELLY: Let me just ask you this Paul because he, if it was sarcasm and many people thought that in the moment, of course, many others didn't, as we've just outlined, why did he double down on it in a tweet he followed up later tweeting up saying, if Russia or any other country, or person as Hillary, 33,000 illegally deleted emails, perhaps they should share them with the FBI. Then his rapid response director came out today and said what he intended was, yes, hand them over but inviting Russia to do so goes too far. He didn't say it with sarcasm. So many people believe Trump meant it.
MANAFORT: What we mean is that American people should be outraged by the server being in a compromised position.
KELLY: I got that.
MANAFORT: That is the point of this whole story. And the reason it is back in the news again is not because of something Mr. Trump said this morning, it is because of the rigged election that was apparent from the DNC --
KELLY: But that doesn't explain what I'm asking which is why did he followed up with a tweet? Why did the rapid response director not say, it was sarcasm. He actually tried to explain it.
MANAFORT: Well, the tweet actually was talking about turning over the e- mails to the FBI. Not getting involved in politics. The FBI is the one who seemed to prosecute the case against Mrs. Clinton. And then just came short of what has happened which was asking for an indictment. So, maybe with the 33,000 e-mails, they would come to a different conclusion.
KELLY: Okay. Let me ask about the tax returns. Because Mr. Trump also made some news today and you followed up as well suggesting he is not returning those tax returns prior to November. Just to clarify, because he says he is being audited by the IRS. If the IRS complete its audit before November, will he release the tax returns?
MANAFORT: If that is what he says, yes.
KELLY: Okay. And just the point that others raise which is the IRS has come out and explicitly said, there is nothing preventing a candidate, this is a quote, "Nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax information, all the tax experts has said even during an audit, President Nixon exposed his tax returns even while under audit." Why don't the American people deserve to see those tax returns?
MANAFORT: Well, first of all, the IRS and the Obama administration certainly is a credible source of independents. They've proven that with their illegal activities against conservative organizations. Secondly, you know, the fact that an audit is going on means that the IRS filings are not complete. And Mr. Trump has said very clearly once an audit is done, he will release the taxes.
KELLY: Let me ask you this. Will he release the list of charities to whom he has donated over the past seven years?
MANAFORT: That question hasn't been asked of him. But it is part of a tax return. And that would be an incomplete picture of what he's done. So, I mean, I can't speak for him on that matter. But he has been consistent which is when the audits are done, he will release all of the tax returns, not parts of it.
KELLY: Very good. Paul Manafort, appreciate you being with us here tonight.
MANAFORT: Thank you, Megyn.
KELLY: All the best to you.
And right here in the Wells Fargo Center, we await the arrival of Vice President Joe Biden. He will be speaking to the crowd tonight trying to fire them up, trying it particularly to fire up the white working-class voters with whom he does very well with his messages as does Mr. Trump. As he enters the arena here in Philadelphia, to the rocky theme song. Biden from Scranton, Pennsylvania just down the road which has a demographic, very favorable and said that the Hillary Clinton campaign is really looking to him to try to sure up for support and vouch for her if you will with that group. Let's take a listen to the Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden.
(VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SPEECH)
KELLY: Middle class Joe making an appeal to working class Americans and hitting Donald Trump saying, he doesn't have a clue about the middle class. In fact, he said he has no clue, period resulting in the audience chanting back to him "not a clue" in an impromptu moment. Being someone of the attack dog against Donald Trump, we haven't seen that too much in this convention. A little bit but this has been his job. Perhaps we will hear more of that from Tim Kaine, the vice presidential nominee saying, no major party nominee has even known less than Donald Trump. He exploits her fears. He embraces the tactics of our enemies. He seeks to sow division. He confuses bluster with strength.
That was his job tonight and then his boss, President Obama will come to the stage and do some of the same, go after Donald Trump and try to set his own legacy, we are told, making the case for another four years of a Democratic president. We will have that for you right after the break and we will also have a story largely overlooked today, quite a big one. A key legal case at the heart of the Black Lives Matter Movement just completely fell apart this afternoon as Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby drops all remaining charges in the death of Freddie Gray and blames almost everyone except herself and her own prosecution.
Andell Brown and Mark Eiglarsh join us on how this went south. Plus, 12 years after he movingly described his vision for one America, President Obama tonight speaks to a country more divided and disappointed than any time in recent history. Charles Krauthammer has next on that.
And then Nancy Pelosi tonight described a huge portion of the electorate as quote, "homophobic gun nuts with the streak of Christian bigotry (ph)." Hmm. You know where happened on a debate on that. Stay tune.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF.: They voted against their own economic interests because of guns, because of gays and because of God. The three Gs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KELLY: Also tonight, we are waiting to hear from President Obama some 12 years after he wowed the crowds at the Democratic National Convention with a vision of "One America." President Obama tonight speaks again. This time to a country more divided and more discouraged than any time in recent history according to the polls. Here is some of what he had to say when he first burst on to the national scene back in 2004.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: There is not a liberal America and a conservative America. There is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America. There is the United States of America.
The pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states, red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the blue states and we don't like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the red states.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY: Well, just over four years later he became president. Tonight, it is his turn to pass the torch. But he'll be speaking to a different America than he did 12 or even 8 years ago, an America that appears to be deeply divided politically and racially. A recent "New York Times" poll found 69 percent believe race relations are generally bad in America, levels we have not seen since the 1992 L.A. riots and a far cry from 2009 when this president took office and 66 percent of Americans thought race relations were generally good. Look at those numbers reversed.
Of course there's the electorate who are not exactly thrilled with their presidential choices right now. Pew Research says just 43 percent of Democrats and 40 percent of Republicans are satisfied with the candidates at the moment. Many want neither. And just about a week ago, a "Wall Street Journal" poll found Americans have been disheartened for so long about the nation's course that nearly three quarters of voters believe the nation has gone off on the wrong track.
Not the hopeful vision that Mr. Obama described in 2004. I want to bring in Charles Krauthammer now, a Fox News contributor and syndicated columnist. Charles, what a 12 years it's been for that then young man Barack Obama who went on to become our president and did not quite achieve the dream he spoke of in 2004.
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think there is a certain irony in his accusing the pundits of slicing and dicing America. I think he contributed quite a lot to that, not so much around ethnic or racial lines, although there was some of that, but mostly around social and class lines. He certainly indulged in that in his campaigns, setting class (ph) against -- class (ph) demonizing Republicans, demonizing conservatives. So, I fault him for that.
I fault him also for on the racial issue sort of raising the false expectations that could have been utterly sincere. He might have thought that his succession to the White House would change things in a fundamental way. I never did. I was proud to live in a country that would elect a black president. I would have chosen someone else. But nonetheless it was a great moment. But that was never going to heal the racial divide. We have history of 200 years of slavery, 100 years of Jim Crow, 50 years of what you might call civil rights emancipation.
But it takes a lot longer than that. And the fundamental of what is ailing in race relations particularly having to do with the social conditions in which many inner city blacks are living are not going to change under one man. That's the one thing where I give him something of a pass simply because it was never in his power to change the fundamentals of race relations.
KELLY: So, when he comes out here tonight this has got to be a sort of swan song for him. It's amazing when you see how young he looked in that videotape, right, and how much the presidency ages a man. But what do you think his goals ought to be?
KRAUTHAMMER: Well, what he's going to do tonight I think is number one, defend what he's done. He took a big hit from the Donald Trump convention speech which painted a dystopian America, wild in the street, crime in the streets, sort of out of control, and I think Obama has a reasonably good case that that's gross exaggeration. For example, crime -- violent crime is down 50 percent over the last quarter century.
Yes, there's been a minor uptick in the big cities over the last year or so, but fundamentally, the cities have been transformed. The crime rate has been radically reduced. So, they'll want to make the case that we are not exactly living in a "Blade Runner" universe. On the other hand, I think what he's going to want to do is to try to say, to try essentially to boost the candidacy of the least popular Democratic candidate in memory, because he knows she is the one who'd carry on his legacy.
And that I think he'll do in a way that's probably also sincere. She served him as his Secretary of State and I think there is a certain irony here. She is the one who made him wait eight years to reach the White House if she does and I think he wants to pay her back in some way and also to bolster his own legacy.
KELLY: He's the one who made her wait, right. Charles, great to see you. Thank you.
KRAUTHAMMER: My pleasure.
KELLY: Joining us now with more, Katrina Pierson, the Trump campaign national spokesperson and Bill Burton, former Obama White House deputy press secretary. Great to see you both.
BILL BURTON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: You too.
KELLY: So, let me just get firs your reaction Bill to, you know, the two interviews we've done tonight with Paul Manafort on Trump today and Charles on what we can expect from your former boss President Obama, your thoughts.
BURTN: Well first, Paul has a hard job to have to go out there and just say things that are frankly untrue or don't make sense. When he calls what Donald Trump said a joke, I'm sympathetic because a lot of what he says is taken that way, but this is a very serious issue. And the presidency is a very serious thing.
And you know, as the video earlier today showed Harry Truman talking about the importance of the presidency is that you are making hard decisions every time you make a decision. And for someone to go out and joke about something so serious that is so severe a breach of American diplomacy of our national security is not funny, like that's the problem.
KELLY: What do you make of it Katrina because Trump himself said told our own Brian Kilmeade today, it's going to air tomorrow on "Fox & Friends," that he was being sarcastic, that it was in essence a joke.
KATRINA PIERSON, TRUMP CAMPAIGN NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON: Well, that's exactly why he included the last line if the press will thank you for it. And this is not something Megyn, and you can check the tapes. There have been several rallies when we were talking about the e-mail scandal and Hillary Clinton.
Now, we know from the FBI that she was actually in foreign nations who were hostiles and known to hack with devices that were unsecure using an unsecure server and then magically 33,000 e-mails disappear to which the FBI says, "Well, now we can't prove it." That's exactly why...
KELLY: She said she deleted those because they were personal and they were not...
PIERSPON: That's what she said but you and I both know if either one of us, anyone in this room was to be investigated by the FBI for control releasing...
KELLY: Oh yeah. No, no, no, we'd all be in big trouble. And the...
PIERSON: It's not even -- it's not even the big trouble...
KELLY: But the question is...
PIERSON: They would have kicked your door down and confiscate it. They wouldn't have asked you for the e-mails.
KELLY: But respond to Bill's point about how he shouldn't be joking about something like that.
PIERSON: Well, it was it wasn't really a joke per se. It was more tongue in cheek that we've been saying simply because that is the issue. Democrats were hacked. Their e-mails were released and now today they've dumped voice mails. That is a very serious problem and we keep hearing here in this convention that, oh, everything is okay, nothing to see here, move along, the economy is great, and no one is hurting.
And at the same time everything is bad. You know, white people are racist. Cops are bad, we have to do something. The Democrats need to make up their mind what they can no longer do because of this week is continue to lie to the American public and tell them things that they know are no longer true.
KELLY: Bill, what do you make of it because this president has a big -- Joe Biden trying to appeal to the white working class in particular, but there's a reason for that. His numbers, Donald Trump's numbers are very strong with that group of people. He is killing her. The numbers -- do we have the poll in front of us to show how much he's beating her by?
It's I think a 37-point difference with white working class, and the non- college educated so, how on Earth -- here it is. Look at that, 61 percent over her 23 percent. How on Earth does President Obama or Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton for that matter turn that around?
BURTON: Well, a couple of things. For starters, there is an imbalance in both non-college educated and college educated Americans. And the reason that this race is so tight is that the gaps are as big on either side of that ledger. And if you look inside those numbers, white working class women are where the battlefield is going to be. I talked a little bit about this last night, I truly believe that.
As people learn more about this candidates, as they listen more about what Hillary Clinton is about versus what Donald Trump is about, they'll see that Donald Trump is about Donald Trump and they'll see that Hillary Clinton has been fighting for working class people her entire life. Now, is she going to win white working class women or men by huge margins in November? Probably not, but she probably is going to do a lot better than the polls suggest right now as Democrats consolidate and as we move into a new phase of this election.
KELLY: Quickly.
PIERSON: But we were told this election was going to be based upon the Latino vote. Hillary Clinton, instead of choosing a Latino, she choose an old white man who speaks Spanish. That is a slap in the face of Hispanic- American who've been told this whole time how important their own votes are.
KELLY: Donald Trump...
BURTON: But who Mike Pence is...
PIERSON: Donald Trump...
(CROSSTALK)
PIERSON: Republicans aren't running on race, that's the difference.
KELLY: All right, I have to leave it at that. Great to see you both.
BURTON: OK.
KELLY: Also tonight the Democrats have decided that they are going to win the White House with a big new push for gun control. And just FYI, Pelosi sound bite, it wasn't a quote. She didn't actually say it the way we said it earlier. She said it in a different and we're going to debate it. Stay tuned. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF.: ...and they hold it against their on economic interest because of guns, because of gays and because of God, the three G's.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY: God, guns and gays. Really? Tucker Carlson and Richard Fowler have some thoughts on that. Plus, a bombshell in Baltimore where the prosecutor Marilyn Mosby drops all remaining charges in the death of Freddie Gray. And wait until you see what she said at her news conference.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KELLY: Breaking tonight, Nancy Pelosi taking some heat for remarks she made just a couple of hours ago to journalist Judy Woodruff. When asked why Donald Trump is beating Hillary Clinton when it comes to working class males, the former house speaker offered a pretty harsh take on what is a key group of voters in this election. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: So many times non-college education -- educated white males have voted Republican. They voted against their own economic interest because of guns, because of gays and because of God. The three G's, God being one I tried to choose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY: Joining me now is Tucker Carlson, co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend" and Richard Fowler, a nationally syndicated radio talk show host. Great to see you both.
RICHARD FOWLER, SYNDICATED TALK SHOW HOST: Good to see you Megyn.
KELLY: Tucker, that's the way she put it. Earlier we misquoted her. Just want to make sure that was the actual quote so people understand. What do you make of it? She's taking some heat.
TUCKER CARLSON, "FOX & FRIENDS" CO-HOST: Hard to believe it's the actual quote. She's pulled the mask off and not pretending anymore. I mean, they have contempt for the core of the country, for the middle class, for rural America and they're now admitting it. The president oc course was caught saying something very much like this during the 2008 campaign and spent a lot of time explaining how he didn't mean what he...
KELLY: (Inaudible)
TUCKER: And Nancy Pelosi has basically told us everything we suspected, which is they don't like the core population of the country, which is why they are trying to replace it with immigrants, which is why they are constantly attacking the middle of the country as racist and (inaudible) medieval. I mean she's, I'm glad she said that because it's...
KELLY: What do you make it of ir Richard because you know the criticism is -- what she's saying is they are too stupid to understand that they should be voting Democrat?
FOWLER: Well, I think if you look at this convention, look at this hall, you'll see and you heard throughout the week, at the beginning of it. You heard all the labor unions come out, all the working people saying that we support a Democratic candidate that will raise the minimum wage, somebody that will stand up to working people, somebody that will fight for working families.
What we saw last week was a contrast to that so, I may not have used the same colorful words as Nancy Pelosi but there is some truth to it. That what the Democratic Party is standing for is making sure that everybody has a chance at the American dream. What we saw last week was denigration and hate.
KELLY: That's a proactive argument on behalf of the Democrat, but what is heard in that sound bite is that they don't understand that Democratic policies are better for them. Even the first half of the -- you know, they vote against their economic interest. Couldn't it be that they were (inaudible), they actually believe in the Republican philosophy.
CARLSON: Well, sure, maybe they are sincere Christians who believe that, you know, abortion is killing. I mean, look, this is 200 proof distilled contempt. It's pure contempt. And by the way, you hear similar strains of this from the Republican elite to be completely blunt with you. This is why we're going through political turmoil we're watching now, because the disconnect between the people in charge and the people they're supposed to govern is vast they hate the people they lead.
If you hate your own children you're not a good parent. If you hate your own troops, you're not a good general. If you hate (inaudible), you're a bad politician.
FOWLER: I mean, Tucker is right. I mean, just let me say, that's why Donald Trump is so popular with white Caucasians because he is taking on trade. The ideal of, you know, really bad trade deals which sold a lot of... KELLY: America First.
FOWLER:: Yeah, which showed a lot of blue collar jobs and white collar jobs to other countries so Tucker is right at that point, but the Democratic Party has always been the party minus NAFTA, which is a bad deal, right. We've always in the party which will see Hillary Clinton say is that we're against the Trans-Pacific Partnership. We want to bring jobs back to America.
KELLY: She will say but she was in favor of it before. All right, great to see you both.
FOWLER: Good to see you Megyn.
KELLY: Still ahead, the meltdown in Baltimore. Plus, remarks from President Obama. Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KELLY: A major blow today to the Black Lives Matter crowd as one of the group's most prominent cases completely falls apart less than 24 hours after the so-called mothers of the movement were featured right here at the DNC. Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby announcing she is dropping all of the remaining charges in the case of Freddie Gray, suggesting in a fiery speech near the scene of his arrest that convictions for the remaining officers were unlikely because of what she called the "obvious bias of investigators." This is how Ms. Mosby she addressed the issue today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARILYN MOSBY, BALTIMORE STATE'S ATTORNEY: We do not believe that Freddie Gray killed himself. We stand by the medical examiner's determination of Freddie Gray's death was a homicide. We could try this case a hundred times and cases just like it and we would still end up with the same results.
As a mother, as a mother, the decision not to proceed on these trials, on the remaining trials is agonizing. However, as a chief prosecutor elected by the citizen of Baltimore, I must consider the dismal likelihood of conviction at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY: Finally. Mike Eiglarsh, a defense attorney and a former prosecutor and Andell Brown is a defense and civil rights attorney. Mark, you know, you've been saying that since the beginning. She had no business bringing this and first let me start with this, is this an attorney, prosecuting attorney or just an activist?
MIKE EIGLARSH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Megyn, she frightens me more than hurricanes and clowns. What she showed me today should make it clear to everyone that she's motivated it appears, more by politics and emotion than by justice. And if I'm a cop in Baltimore, I am still very afraid of this woman.
KELLY: What do you make of it Andell? She sounded like an activist out there.
ANDELL BROWN, DEFENSE AND CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Someone had to step up and hold those accountable who wanted to avoid accountability. You can't go in a car...
KELLY: The police department has an internal investigation.
BROWN: ...without strapping in a seat belt. To leave someone unprotected in a metal box bound hand and feet and cause their death demands accountability.
EIGLARSH: Says you Andell.
BROWN: I'm glad she stepped up to the plate and felt (ph) their feet to the fire.
EIGLARSH: The evidence does not support what you just alleged.
BROWN: The evidence supplied the motion to dismiss and it supplied the motion...
EIGLARSH: This judge was a fair jurist. Did not find proof.
KELLY: Go ahead Mark. Wait, let Mark have the floor and then you Andell.
BROWN: Andell, saying it so don't make it so. This judge, who's a very fair jurist, said it wasn't even a close call. He acquitted the three, she kept going after each acquittal, because she was motivated by something other than justice.
BROWN: He didn't dismiss on a motion for dismissal. It's a tough call...
EIGLARSH: You know the burden is low to get past that.
KELLY: Let Andell speak. Go ahead Andell.
BROWN: We all know beyond a reasonable doubt as a high standard it didn't reach the burden. It happens in courts across the country every single day. In this case, the state attorney made the right call, they made the right decision. The judge saw it differently. Let's move on, it's over now.
KELLY: Right, right. Move on.
EIGLARSH: You know I'm moving on.
KELLY: Why does she leave -- why does she leave Mark with a parting shot at everyone in the system except for herself when many independent lawyers were saying she had no case, there was no crime here.
EIGLARSH: I'll tell you why, her ego is not her amigo. The lead detective in the case said they should bring civil, not criminal charges, and she said, no, I'm going to do what I want.
BROWN: When the police police themselves you're not getting much more than that.
KELLY: They have the vision (ph) though.
EIGLARSH: The lead medical examiner said this was not a death at the hands of others.
KELLY: Go ahead Mark.
EIGLARSH: The medical examiner, according to the lead detective, said this was not a death at the hands of others. Nevertheless, she changed her opinion because Mosby wanted these cops for personal and political reasons. It's clear to me.
KELLY: I'll give you the last word Andell. Go ahead.
BROWN: Freddie Gray's severed neck, the numerous lies and deception that the initial officers revealed, including the stops they didn't tell about until the cameras revealed them, including the fact this man begged for medical health...
EIGLARSH: Not guilty.
BROWN: ...that he never received means someone has to be held accountable. We had a fair and just process. They got due process, and now it's over.
KELLY: That's a good word to leave it on. Good to see you both. Thank you both so much.
EIGLARSH: Good to see you, Megyn.
KELLY: Joining us now as we turn our attention back to the DNC and await President Obama right here on the stage, Chris Stirewalt , our Fox News digital politics editor and Dana Perino, former White House press secretary under President Bush and co-host of "The Five."
OK, so things are getting exciting here in the arena because the president of the United States is about to be here. First of all, before we get to him, Vice President Joe Biden, let me start with you on that Stirewalt, you had some thoughts on him.
CHRIS STIREWALT, FOX NEWS DIGITAL POLITICS EDITOR: He crushed it. And you know what's amazing, Dana and I were talking about this, that just speaks (ph) if you substituted a Republican's name in for Hillary Clinton, he could have delivered at the RNC and crushed it.
Chants of USA, USA, American greatness, American strength, America's war on the world (ph), it was an uplifting, powerful, patriotic speech and this crowd went from at the beginning OK to absolutely eating out of the palm of his hands.
KELLY: What do you think?
DANA PERINO, "THE FIVE" CO-HOST: I think it was an excellent warm-up for President Obama who's going to give a speech that's so important, not just for his legacy, but Hillary Clinton. In addition, Joe Biden here in Pennsylvania, his home state. In Scranton, Pennsylvania today, Donald Trump held a rally, well, it was a town hall that was packed and they loved it.
But Joe Biden could be very helpful to Hillary Clinton in the swing state of Pennsylvania, because Scranton is in his blood, he understands those blue leaning, older white voters and he will be important for them. But overall, I think he probably gave the speech of his career tonight.
KELLY: Wow.
PERINO: That was well crafted and excellently delivered.
KELLY: So what can president Obama do for Hillary Clinton tonight, Chris?
STIREWALT: He can terrify the britches off of every Democrat in this country that if Donald Trump gets elected, that everything that he did and everything they stand for could be wiped away in four straight years. If he does that and puts a little knock in their throat, then she's got a fighting chance in this thing.
KELLY: Go ahead Dana.
PERINO: Well, she's going to need a bounce out of this. The thing is that she's had this nice warm-up. Even Bernie Sanders is helping her so much, but tomorrow night and then through the general election, even though Tim Kaine is going to be helping, he's going to give a speech tonight, she's the only one who can pull herself across the finish line. And so there's a lot of pressure on her tonight but I think they couldn't have given her a better setup.
KELLY: Absolutely. Great to see you both, a pleasure. I want to go down to Shannon Bream who is live on the convention floor to check in on what's happening there. Shannon?
SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Megyn, the excitement has been building all night. You can hear the crowd going crazy over musical performances, but I got to tell you, when Vice President Joe Biden took the stage, this place went crazy. They were jumping and raising signs and screaming. Some said it sounded like he was giving an acceptance speech and there was somebody who I talked to he sounded like they would have been fine with that.
Now, there was a mixed reaction when Michael Bloomberg took to the stage. There were some standing and this area of delegates actually turned their backs and refused to listen to him. Others called him a traitor, some yelled, "You ruined New York City." So, it's been interesting here tonight, a lot of excitement building of course, the vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine coming up, and then President Barack Obama, Megyn?
KELLY: Shannon Bream, thank you. Big, big night for the Democrats and big, big night for Hillary Clinton. She needs great speeches tonight from the president of the United States and from her vice presidential nominee, who a lot of Americans getting their first real look at Tim Kaine for the first time.
We'll hear whether he goes on the attack or whether he tries to build the case for Hillary Clinton. And tune in tomorrow night for a final night of "The Kelly File" live from the DNC. Chelsea and Hillary Clinton will take to the stage, but first, Bret is here. Stand by.
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