Bill Kristol vs. Trump Staffer: Where Is The Evidence Cruz Is Coordinating With His Super PACs?

Bill Kristol takes on Trump advisor Ed Brookover over Donald Trump's statement that Ted Cruz routinely coordinates with Super PACs, a potentially serious crime. Kristol and Brookover debated on CNN's OutFront with host Erin Burnett last night.



Transcript, via CNN:





BURNETT: All right. Donald Trump at his rally out on Bethpage, Long Island. There are about 20,000 people there. And here with my panel, let me start with you Bill Kristol, I know you're no fan of Donald Trump, but there is absolutely no nod at all to his loss last night. Nothing. This is back to the same old Trump speech. You feel his performance tonight is, what, same as usual? Not?



BILL KRISTOL, EDITOR, "THE WEEKLY STANDARD": Seems a little more incoherent than usual and that's saying something for Donald Trump.



I think he's rattled. I mean, that statement they put out last night, you lose a primary. You go on to the next one. You graciously accept defeat. He didn't even show up in person to do that. You couldn't quite make yourself do that. Fine. You put out a paper statement.



He puts out a -- really a psychotic statement that accuses, Kellyanne here, people of breaking the law.



BURNETT: That Super PAC is coordinating with the Cruz campaign.



(CROSSTALK)



KRISTOL: That's a serious legal charge. Kevin knows more about this than I do, right? I mean, to say coordination, it's a criminal charge basically, could be. And there's no evidence -- they ever even bother to back it up. They throw it out in their non-concession statement after losing Wisconsin. What kind of campaign is that?



BURNETT: So, Ed, what kind of campaign is that, Ed? You're part of it. Senior adviser, he uses the word psychotic. What do you say?



ED BROOKOVER, SENIOR ADVISER, DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN: I say that I just thought that our Democratic friends thought part of that statement was genius as we move toward the New York primary.



KRISTOL: Ed, what evidence is there that super PAC has coordinated -- do you think Kellyanne has broken the law? Where is the evidence? Do you think it's appropriate to charge people for breaking the law without evidence?



BROOKOVER: I think there's plenty of places we can look to see what happened.



KRISTOL: Would you like to cite one piece of evidence?



BROOKOVER: I don't -- not right now.



KRISTOL: Oh, that's great. That's great. So, you accused Kellyanne of breaking the law.



BROOKOVER: Bill, I didn't accuse -- we didn't accuse Kellyanne's PAC of anything.



KRISTOL: Well, you -- what did you mean you didn't? Did you read your other statement?



BURNETT: You know, what was the statement about then when you said Mr. Trump -- sorry, Cruz super PAC was coordinating with the campaign?



BROOKOVER: There are multiple super PACs for Mr. Cruz, as all of you know.



BURNETT: So, saying it's not yours.



KELLYANNE CONWAY, PRESIDENT & CEO, THE POLLING COMPANY: Ours is the only pro-Cruz super PAC that's recognized by the Ted Cruz campaign as a super PAC. And I it's blatantly false and it's very hurtful. It's actually very disappointing because I think when you lose a primary, you say it is a bad day for the home team and you move on. You graciously say congratulation and you say, I'll see you on m home turf in New York.



But look, it's one thing to hurdle insults about someone's wife and that caused Mr. Trump dearly in Wisconsin and dearly among women voters all across this country. Read the polls. Mr. Trump loves the polls. You live by the polls, you die by the polls.



But it is quite another to accuse Ted Cruz himself and professionals who have been at this long as you have, Ed, practically of committing a felony and breaking a law. We could just brush it off, but it shows you the danger of just saying things that aren't true and getting people to believe it and getting 20,000 people at a rally today to just lap it up if it's true.