CNN's Cuomo: Trump “Keeps Making” Vince Foster Conspiracy Theories “Part Of The Campaign” Despite Claiming Ignorance

From the May 27 edition of CNN's New Day:

Video file

CHRIS CUOMO (CO-HOST): So when we look at what Trump did yesterday, he had this press conference and, to paraphrase Bruce Springsteen, it felt a little bit of one step up and two steps back. He came out and he talked about what we're going to do with energy. He actually outlined some plan proposals or some points, some talking points on it. Unusual for Trump. Unusual in this election. But then, he went back into his heavy artillery about Hillary Clinton specifically. We have the sound of him talking about Vince Foster, which he is trying to have both ways, right? He’s trying to say, “I don’t know about it, but --."

[...]

CUOMO: But he keeps making it part of the campaign. He could just short-circuit it. Is he trying to have it both ways here, or do you think this is Trump's attempt at being fair? 

ERROL ​LOUIS: Having it both ways is a nice way of putting it. I mean, h​e raised ​this absurd ​and sort of defamatory ​conspiracy theory​. He raised it, it's not like a lot of people are talking about it. 

CUOMO: He says he was asked about it. 

ALISYN CAMEROTA (CO-HOST): He was asked about it.

LOUIS:​ ​He was asked about it. He could have given the answer -- ​when asked about it, he could have given the answer he just gave. Which is to say, I don't know anything about it, let's move on. But he never does that, right?​ And so what you find is somebody who has consistently brought up these kind of conspiracy theories and it plays to his base, and he kind of throws it out there, and ​slowly but surely eats away at yet another news cycle. So instead of talking about anything relevent or anything about policy, he wants to sort of stir the pot, rile up the base, and stop the campaign from really talking about issues. 

CAMEROTA: There's also something interesting where Donald Trump, even though he doesn't know anything about it, either hasn't looked into it and researched it so he does know something about it, or it doesn't stop him from talking about it and mention​ing it that he doesn't know anything about it. I mean, people talk about this, that there seems to be a lack of intellectual curiosity of things that he doesn't know about. He can just dismiss it with I don't know anything about that, but ask away. 

MAGGIE ​HABERMAN: He has said repeatedly, he has said in many forms that he likes starting a conversation. He thinks it's exciting. He thinks this is interesting. What he's doing is raising character questions about Hillary Clinton. And so, to that extent, in the context of a of the presidential campaign, trying to hit your rival, that is the relevance. But yes, there are a lot of people look at it and say, if you don't know anything about it, then why are we even musing about it and why not just shut it down and move on? 

Previously:

Vince Foster’s Sister In Wash. Post: “Trump Should Be Ashamed” For Pushing Murder Conspiracy Theory

CNN's Jake Tapper Blasts Trump For Reviving “Bizarre” Conspiracy Theory That Clintons Killed Vince Foster