Ben Carson Lashes Out at Media; Carson on Defensive Over West Point Comments; Ben Carson Speaking in Florida.
LEMON: The breaking news tonight is an angry Ben Carson lashing out at the media for investigating his past even though his life story is a key part of the campaign for president. He is speaking at an event and is in Florida tonight and CNN National Correspondent Sunlen Serfaty is there for us again. This is -- I can tell you where that is. That is in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. It is the Black Republican Caucus of South Florida. It's a GOP scholarship gala that he is speaking and as soon as he takes the stage, we'll bring that to you. But Sunlen, Ben Carson is extremely angry with the media tonight. You saw that after spending the last couple of days building questions about some of his past statements. What do you know about this?</s>SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I think it's very clear that all of the scrutiny in this intense period of questioning he's getting about his past is really getting under his skin. We saw him just a short time ago at a press availability and he really brought a lot of anger to the podium. He was very combative, very aggressive, really pointing the finger at the media overall this scrutiny and he specifically really hammered down on the point about these past questions about his past incidents of violence. Here's what he said moments ago at that press event.</s>CARSON: Well, let me put it this way, if everyone here will sign an affidavit saying that if I reveal the name of the person involved in this stabbing incident that you will be singing my praises and none of this stuff will ever go on again, I'll think about it. Will you do that? Yes? Yes? Yes? Yes? Yes?</s>SERFATY: And at times during that press event, he really seemed a little bit exasperated that he even had to be standing there continuing to answer questions but he did reveal one important hint of something to come. He has not revealed the real names of any of these victims of that school violence but tonight he did say into me that that potentially would be coming soon saying he may put out someone to the media in his words to eat up shortly, Don.</s>LEMON: Yeah and listen, he may really have a point though when it comes to today's controversy over claiming that he got offered a scholarship for West Point, Sunlen. That was original media report of that was -- it wasn't necessarily true.</s>SERFATY: Well, the campaign, you're right, has been pushing back very forcefully on as the campaign and the candidate themselves to really not going as far as that political report that for sure hit this morning not making a direct connection acknowledging that just because he didn't apply to West Point was an acknowledgement that he did not get accepted. So Carson really pushing back tonight specifically saying that yes, he has in the past said that he was offered a scholarship. He said -- explained that saying that he was casually offered that in conversation with West Point officials and he said that does it -- it has not exclusively mean formally offered that so certainly a big push back on the part from the campaign (inaudible).</s>LEMON: Sunlen, thank you very much. We're going to keep an eye on that and again when Ben Carson speaks, we'll get to that. We'll bring it to you on this program. While we're waiting, let's bring in Hugh Hewitt here. He's the host of a radio "Hugh Hewitt Show", the author of "The Queen: The Epic Ambition of Hillary Clinton and the Coming of a Second Clinton Era ". So Hugh, we're keeping an eye on that event. If he, you know, if he starts to speak, we may have to interrupt our interview and then we'll come back and talk about it. So what is your take on this press event we saw tonight? Did he seem rattled by the scrutiny? I mean, usually he's a calm and cool guy.</s>HUGH HEWITT, HOST, "THE HUGH HEWITT SHOW": I don't think he's rattled. I think he won the day, Don. I think when the West Point story started out as being this big expose of Ben Carson following in there everybody hasn't been telling us the truth and at the end of the day, everyone is kind of telling me, I talked to Chuck Todd on my radio show tonight. Yeah, you know, I got offered a scholarship but it wasn't in writing. You're going to have Beckel on a little bit later. Beckel got offered scholarships they weren't in writing. People can't remember the precise details of 40 years ago but I have no doubt in my mind that army officers said to a young Ben Carson, hey, come to West Point. It's free. We pay for your education. You have to do service in the army. You'd make a great army officer and I have no doubt he said no thank you, I want to go be a doctor. Unfortunately, he went to the University of Michigan where they don't have football but he nevertheless, I believe the details of his story, the general outline and I'm very sympathetic to the idea he is being held to a different standard than the president was in 2008 and I would point at...</s>LEMON: I wanted to -- why do you think that because we talk -- let's listen to this. This is from -- which talks about what you're talking about. This is from this morning. We heard from Ben Carson with my colleague Alisyn Camerota on "New Day", listen.</s>HEWITT: Yeah.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, "NEW DAY" HOST: ...reveal that the president had to talk about that.</s>CARSON: ...you all did with the President Obama doesn't even come close, doesn't even come close to what you guys are trying to do in my case and you're going to just keep going back trying to find he said this 12 years ago. He said, you know, it is just garbage. We have too many things that are important to deal with.</s>CAMEROTA: Look, Dr. Carson, if this two -- obviously, it's an interesting story and it is the seminal story of your youth, which is why people are interested but mostly it is about vetting and it is trying to find out if candidates are fact-based and if they can be trusted and if...</s>CARSON: OK. So you've done your job. OK? Kudos, let's move on.</s>CAMEROTA: OK but last, does Bob exist? Is Bob a real person?</s>CARSON: That's not the real name but yes, it's a very real person. I talked to him yesterday.</s>LEMON: So you said he won the day. You also believe that the media didn't vet Barack Obama the same way but I remember tons of stories about Barack Obama where he was born, his college transcripts, his pastor, the things he wrote in his books, were they true or not. All of the press...</s>HEWITT: Don, I'll be very specific. You've never seen his college transcripts. You've never seen his Harvard law transcripts. You've never seen his Occidental College transcripts. You've never seen the video...</s>LEMON: But most presidents don't release their college transcripts, Hugh.</s>HEWITT: You've never seen the video of Rashid Khalidi that's been held by the "L.A. Times" since 2003. You never knew about Frank Marshall Davis until recent years. I don't care about that anymore. I'm not really interesting in rehashing it. I'm interested in pointing out that Ben Carson is exactly right.</s>LEMON: Hugh, but I agree with you. I agree with you. So what you're saying there is that you don't want to rehash it but he is rehashing it and instead of taking the opportunity to answer the questions, he sort of re-litigating history and he's not really answering the question. You don't think he's deflecting?</s>HEWITT: He is not really -- he is pointing out that there is a systemic anti-conservative bias in the media that subjects republicans to a much more pervasive and endless story. Look at the scandals this way. Marco Rubio's American Express Card, Ben Carson's West Point offers, over here on the other side we have Hillary Clinton's Foundation, it's an (inaudible) foundation refusing to answer questions of a senate committee that have to do with Huma Abedin over the last four years. That's a Mount Everest of a scandal combine Rubio and Ben Carson and you've got the Ben Hogan Bridge at Augusta. That's all that compares.</s>LEMON: OK.</s>HEWITT: So Mount Everest democrat, Ben Carson -- Ben Hogan Bridge at Augusta, republican and we're spending time talking about Ben Carson that's the media, Don.</s>LEMON: All right, so here's another example though of something. So I see what you're talking about and again it's from "New Day" this morning with Alisyn Camerota about Fox News, listen.</s>CARSON: Even if all the media tries to shut you down, which they have tried very much to do with me but they can't because the good Lord has provided me with mechanisms like my syndicated column and like Fox News we'd be -- it would be Cuba if there were no Fox News.</s>CAMEROTA: Now, as you point out, I did work at Fox for many years and I do have many friends there still who are excellent journalists, but I'm not sure that even they think that without their reporting that we would be Cuba, you mean that if Fox News didn't exist, we would be a communist country?</s>CARSON: No. Again, there you go with sensationalism. That's what you try to do and you hope that somehow that will resonate with people who don't think for themselves...</s>CAMEROTA: Dr. Carson, you said it. I'm actually quoting you.</s>CARSON: ...are much smarter than you think they are. They are a lot smart and they exactly what I'm talking about.</s>CAMEROTA: Dr. Carson, I'm actually quoting -- I'm not even quoting you. I'm playing your words. You are the person who said that there are a lot of people who are stupid and that without Fox News we would be...</s>CARSON: So are you on it...</s>LEMON: So Hugh, seriously, how is it sensational to play a clip of what someone said and then ask them what they meant by it?</s>HEWITT: Because it's -- if you can't reproduce irony. What Ben Carson was saying in the Cuba comment was an ironic comment. I understood it immediately as an ironic comment. He doesn't mean that we're going to be Cuba. He means that Cuba has a one-party system...</s>LEMON: And why are you answering and he's not? Why can't he answer that question the way you're answering it. It just perfectly makes sense.</s>HEWIT: He's running for office and he is exasperated -- he is very exasperated with the media because he would like to talk at length. I would love him to come on my radio show and talk at length. He's only been on a few times. He would like to talk at length about his issues. I'll tell you this Don, he was at Colorado Christian University last week, 1500 people came and listened to him give a speech. I think he believes that the media would be better serving the public if they would ask him substantive questions and give him five or seven minutes. Now, that's not how we do it and I think CNN is very, very fair in its coverage. I think they have...</s>LEMON: But I think CNN would have given him as much time as possible this morning on that program to get his point across but he simply didn't want to answer the questions.</s>HEWITT: But -- were have you asked him yet, Don, Dr. Carson, what's wrong with Obamacare? If I want to give you three minutes, tell me what's really wrong with medical care in America today? What's happening in the world of pediatric neurosurgery as a result of Obamacare? That's the question he wants. So that's not a guarantee of getting it, but I think he'd be less exasperated if it was one for one...</s>LEMON: OK.</s>HEWITT: ...and this West Point thing is just silly.</s>LEMON: But, you know, Hugh, you don't always get the questions you want and people have asked him about Obamacare and he has said that Obamacare is the worst thing since slavery. He has had plenty of time to explain Obamacare. You mentioned Hillary Clinton, he mentioned Hillary Clinton as well. Listen to this and then we'll talk about it.</s>CARSON: I want you to ask Hillary Clinton the same questions you ask me. Will you do that? Will you promise that you're going to do that?</s>CAMEROTA: Yes, of course. Of course we ask Hillary Clinton questions about...</s>CARSON: OK. Well, Alisyn, everybody heard it. We're waiting.</s>CAMEROTA: Dr. Carson, of course we ask Hillary Clinton questions about what she wants to do with foreign policy, what she wants to do with education about her books, of course we ask those questions and...</s>CARSON: Do you ask her questions about veracity of what she's done? I want you to go back and ask her some real questions about what happened at Benghazi. I want you to ask her does her philosophy include not knowing anything about what was going on in all the foreign territories over which she was responsible.</s>LEMON: We have asked Hillary Clinton so many questions. I even asked her if she was the original birther. We went through the transcripts and CNN has done hundreds of stories about Hillary Clinton and Benghazi, the Hillary Clinton e-mails. We took the entire hearing of her being grilled by the House Republicans gavel and that analyzed it to death and we still talk about it.</s>HUGH: Well, let me give you a parallel. In 1994, Hillary Clinton said she had tried -- attempted to enlist in the marines, she investigated it. I find that to be a completely absurd story. I don't believe it for a moment. It's never been vetted. She's also said she was named for Sir Edmund Hillary. How often you guys talk about that? That's a non-sense claim on her part. She's made so many non-sense claims but here's one question you haven't asked, Mrs. Clinton you sent an e-mail on the night of Benghazi to your daughter Chelsea saying it was an Al Qaeda-like terrorist attack. Did she have the clearance to receive that? Did you think twice about that and by the way, the Teneo Foundation has made these -- has refused to answer these questions, will you Mrs. Clinton direct with Teneo Foundation to answer these questions? So there are a lot of tough questions that Hillary Clinton doesn't get even though you and Jake Tapper have asked her a lot. I think Ben Carson and all the republican feel get far more just in a quantitative exponential number of difficult personal questions intended to destroy their candidacy.</s>LEMON: Hugh, but you know just because someone makes a claim and that doesn't mean that we're not digging behind the scenes to find out if it's true or not. They make bogus claims. You should ask this questions and we -- sometimes it's like you shouldn't even ask the question because it's so silly. We haven't talked about the whole sponge thing in the head but because we think some of those things are beyond the pail.</s>HEWITT: Well, what about the helicopter? How about when she said she was shot at?</s>LEMON: That was talked about at length last -- the last time.</s>HEWITT: But right now in the context of Ben Carson's veracity, you ought to be saying Hillary Clinton's veracity has often been challenged (inaudible). She's been proven to be a liar in many cases. Marco Rubio called her a liar last week. Well now, today, the Teneo Foundation is refusing to answer questions about her senior aide, Huma Abedin in a very shady, probably I believe illegal arrangement with the Department of State and by the way, Don, that server was illegal.</s>LEMON: Yeah.</s>HEWITT: That's the real important national security.</s>LEMON: Hugh, I know but we talked about that over and over...</s>HEWITT: Oh no, you don't talk about it enough.</s>LEMON: Oh my gosh, I'm tired of hearing about it.</s>HEWITT: Here's that quiz. Tell me the statute under which it's illegal. I've said on the show a number of times, 18 USC 1924. It is illegal...</s>LEMON: What do you want me to do? Do you want me to go over and arrest her? I can't do that.</s>HEWITT: No, I want you to ask her the questions...</s>HEWITT: I want you to raise it with Beckel after this (inaudible) did she break the low.</s>LEMON: I got to go and only because I want to listen to Ben Carson. If I don't do it now, I don't have the time.</s>HEWITT: All right, very well.</s>LEMON: But Hugh, thank you so much. We'll continue to talk. I appreciate it. Hugh Hewitt everyone. Ben Carson speaking now at this GOP Scholarship Gala, let's listen in.</s>CARSON: ...lots of benefit from government programs and now he wants to withdraw all the government programs for everybody. And nothing could be further from the truth. It's just a blatant lie. But, you know, you get used to that. That's all they do is sit around and tell lies but, you know, the fact of the matter is what I'm interested in is not with drawing safety nets. I'm interested in providing a ladder which allows people to climb out of the state of dependency and become part of the fabric of America. This is what we have to do and to think about. And that sometimes means doing things in a bit different way. You know, my mother did things in a bit different way. She prayed to God and she asked God to give her the wisdom to know what to do to get her young sons to be able to develop their minds and to be able to control their own minds. And, you know, you don't have to have a PhD to talk to God. You just have to have faith and she had faith. And you know what?</s>LEMON: That is Dr. Ben Carson, we're monitoring that. He's speaking tonight in Palm Beach, Gardens at a GOP Scholarship Gala of the Black Republican Caucus of South Florida. We'll continue to monitor and dip in if we need to. When we come back, will his battle against the media help or hurt his campaign?