As the Republican National Committee's Sean Spicer appeared as a guest on Tuesday's New Day, co-host Chris Cuomo pressed him over Republican attacks against Democratic running mate Tim Kaine's record on crime, and his history of involvement as a missionary with a priest in Honduras with Marxist leanings.
Cuomo dismissively invoked the Willie Horton ads from the 1988 presidential candidate as supposedly being similar to new ads about Kaine's liberal record on crime in Virginia, and eventually the CNN host suggested that "all priests are Marxists" as he brought up the priest Kaine was known for being close to.
Cuomo began the segment by playing a clip of the anti-Kaine ad:
Percy Walton brutally murdered three people. As governor, Tim Kaine commuted his sentence citing concerns disproved (audio gap) stabbing them to death in their home. On his last day as governor, Tim Kaine tried to have Soering sent to Germany where parole would have been possible in just two years.
The CNN host then posed:
This ad is being likened to Willie Horton ads from back in the day, although you did have some white defendants who are at play as well. What's the point of this ad? What's the attack angle?
The two soon went back and forth over Kaine's record on crime:
CUOMO: That's what a lawyer does, is defend people's rights.
SPICER: No, no, no, but I think everybody makes choices in their career as to what they do and what they don't do. If he wants to talk about his record, he should be judged on the totality of his record.
CUOMO: But, no, Sean, I just want to understand the criticism. I just want to understand the criticism. We both agree, of course, you have the right to do whatever you want to do. You get judged for your choices. So are you saying that people who commit crimes and are facing the death penalty shouldn't have lawyers?
Cuomo seemed not to see a problem with Kaine injecting his liberal views on the death penalty into dealing with criminals as he responded:
Because he doesn't believe in the death penalty. Because he's a Catholic and has a moral opposition to the death penalty and as an advocate of the law he went out there and argued that. I don't understand how it's a criticism.
The CNN host then got to his suggestion that "all priests are Marxists" as he dismissed reports of Kaine being close to a priest with Marxist leanings:
And there's also this one that you guys are circulating around about him spending time with all this -- with this Marxist when he was down in South America. It was a priest. He was on mission, and he was spending time with his Catholic priest who you guys are defining as a Marxist. I guess all priests are marxists, in some way, I guess, if you wanted to say that. What's the point of that criticism?
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Tuesday, October 4, New Day on CNN:
CHRIS CUOMO: Let's try and get a taste of what will be the state of play tonight. There's a new ad out going at Tim Kaine specifically, well-timed to tonight's debate. Let's take a little look at it, and then we'll discuss its implication.
CLIP OF AD: Percy Walton brutally murdered three people. As governor, Tim Kaine commuted his sentence citing concerns disproved (audio gap) stabbing them to death in their home. On his last day as governor, Tim Kaine tried to have Soering sent to Germany where parole would have been possible in just two years.
CUOMO: This ad is being likened to Willie Horton ads from back in the day, although you did have some white defendants who are at play as well. What's the point of this ad? What's the attack angle?
SEAN SPICER, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: First of all, I think anyone who would compare this to Willie Horton either hasn't seen the ad or doesn't understand history. As you pointed out, the folks in the ad, three of the four are white. So this just goes back to Tim Kaine's record. I mean, there are rapists and murderers that he defended to keep out of prison that did horrible things. I think part of this is that Tim Kaine had previously said someone should be judged by the totality of their record. This is the Tim Kaine part of the record- (audio gap)
CUOMO: That's what a lawyer does, is defend people's rights.
SPICER: No, no, no, but I think everybody makes choices in their career as to what they do and what they don't do. If he wants to talk about his record, he should be judged on the totality of his record.
CUOMO: But, no, Sean, I just want to understand the criticism. I just want to understand the criticism. We both agree, of course, you have the right to do whatever you want to do. You get judged for your choices. So are you saying that people who commit crimes and are facing the death penalty shouldn't have lawyers?
SPICER: No, of course they do because there's a constitutional right. But there's a difference between advocating -- he went out and advocated and talked about and tried to get them off the hook for certain things. That's where there's a difference. He chose to go do-
CUOMO: Because he doesn't believe in the death penalty. Because he's a Catholic and has a moral opposition to the death penalty and as an advocate of the law he went out there and argued that. I don't understand how it's a criticism.
SPICER: He made a choice to go out and defend. It's not just about the death penalty, Chris. It's about making sure that they serve the least amount of time possible. That's a big difference. And I think, you know, it's amazing how quick everyone runs to Tim Kaine's defense. The fact of the matter is, is that his record should be looked at in its totality. He went out and defended people who committed heinous crimes, and he sought to get the lowest penalty for them. That's fine. He chose to do that. But he should be judged for it as well. That's part of his record.
CUOMO: All right, it's certainly fair play. It's certainly fair play. That's what politicians do. They play up what they think will be their positives, downplay their negatives. I'm just trying to get into your head on where this attack goes, this ad and there's also this one that you guys are circulating around about him spending time with all this -- with this marxist when he was down in South America. It was a priest. He was on mission, and he was spending time with his Catholic priest who you guys are defining as a Marxist. I guess all priests are Marxists, in some way, I guess, if you wanted to say that. What's the point of that criticism?
[SPICER]
CUOMO: Absolutely. That's your job, my friend, is that you want to expose what you see as avenues of opportunity. How do you feel tonight it goes between- (audio gap) -conservatism on a cultural level, his resistance to rights for the LGBTQ community, his desire to try to keep out Syrian refugees out of Indiana. A court just telling him he can't do that -- conservative judges, by the way. Do you think that that will find its way into the debate?
[SPICER]
CUOMO: Sean, I just asked you about LGBTQ and what he did with the Syrian refugees that was rebuffed by the court, and you ignored it. Well played. You're doing what you said Tim Kaine wants to do, which is ignore the weak parts and focus on the strong part.
[SPICER]
CUOMO: I know. I was looking for your take on those issues.
[SPICER]
CUOMO: Right. Except the court said he was fighting for the wrong things. It's worth reading that decision. One last thing, with taxes on Trump, 57 percent of people polled are now concerned that Trump is hiding something, and that's why he won't release his taxes. Do you believe he should now release his taxes, as every other candidate has?
[SPICER]
CUOMO: How about the audit letter? How about releasing the audit letter? Just one?
