Conservative Blogger
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Trump refers to terror attacks on '7/11' at pre-NY primary rally
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's final rally
before Tuesday's New York primary was marked by an unfortunate slip of
the tongue, as the real estate mogul mistakenly mentioned the name of a
popular convenience store chain in place of 9/11.
Trump was about to deliver prepared remarks lauding New York values at Buffalo's First Niagara Center Monday night when he referred to 7-Eleven.
"It's very close to my heart because I was down there, and I watched our police and our firemen down at 7/11, down at the World Trade Center right after it came down, and I saw the greatest people I've ever seen in action," Trump told the crowd.
Trump, who polls show holding a sizable lead over rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich in New York, has repeatedly invoked the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks as he campainged across his home state. He paid his first visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum earlier this month.
Trump billed the Buffalo event as a final push to rally supporters and make sure they vote.
"No New Yorker can vote for Cruz, no one can vote for Kasich", Trump told the estimated crowd of more than 11,000 people. "You know Cruz is way down in the polls, Kasich is not even showing up."
Cruz, who has made up considerable ground on Trump in
the Republican delegate race, tried to downplay his Empire State
expectations in an interview with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly Monday.
"New York is Donald’s home state," the Texas senator said. "Of course he will do well in his home state. When we were in Texas my home state well walloped him."
Trump countered later Monday by calling Cruz "a catastrophe. He didn’t even [garner] 50 percent [of the vote] in his own state."
The rally was briefly interrupted by about a dozen protesters, who sat locked arms and sat down on the floor of the arena shortly after Trump took the stage — forcing authorities to carry several out by their arms and their legs. Trump continued speaking as the demonstrators were removed.
Buffalo police said they arrested six people, mainly for disorderly conduct and trespassing. They added that 21 people were ejected from the event, but no arrests were made inside the arena.
Trump was about to deliver prepared remarks lauding New York values at Buffalo's First Niagara Center Monday night when he referred to 7-Eleven.
"It's very close to my heart because I was down there, and I watched our police and our firemen down at 7/11, down at the World Trade Center right after it came down, and I saw the greatest people I've ever seen in action," Trump told the crowd.
Trump, who polls show holding a sizable lead over rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich in New York, has repeatedly invoked the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks as he campainged across his home state. He paid his first visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum earlier this month.
Trump billed the Buffalo event as a final push to rally supporters and make sure they vote.
"No New Yorker can vote for Cruz, no one can vote for Kasich", Trump told the estimated crowd of more than 11,000 people. "You know Cruz is way down in the polls, Kasich is not even showing up."
The latest headlines on the 2016 elections from the biggest name in politics. See Latest Coverage →
"New York is Donald’s home state," the Texas senator said. "Of course he will do well in his home state. When we were in Texas my home state well walloped him."
Trump countered later Monday by calling Cruz "a catastrophe. He didn’t even [garner] 50 percent [of the vote] in his own state."
The rally was briefly interrupted by about a dozen protesters, who sat locked arms and sat down on the floor of the arena shortly after Trump took the stage — forcing authorities to carry several out by their arms and their legs. Trump continued speaking as the demonstrators were removed.
Buffalo police said they arrested six people, mainly for disorderly conduct and trespassing. They added that 21 people were ejected from the event, but no arrests were made inside the arena.
VA accused of shredding documents needed for veterans' claims
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been systematically
shredding documents related to veterans' claims -- possibly affecting
benefits for veterans, according to an investigation by the inspector
general.
Investigators with the Department of Veterans Affairs audited 10 vererans benefits offices around the country and found that staff were destroying mail related to claims, according to a report by Military.com, citing an OIG report released on Thursday.
The surprise audit, which was conducted at the offices on July 20, 2015, came after reports of such document shredding in Los Angeles, the website reported.
Investigators reportedly sifted through some 438,000
documents awaiting destruction at the regional offices. Of 155
claims-related documents, 69 were found to have been incorrectly placed
in shred bins at six of the regional offices, according to Military.com.
Those offices were in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Reno, Nev. At least two of the 69 documents headed to the shredder directly affected benefits and nine had the potential to, according to the website.
The OIG report concluded that, "The potential effect should not be minimized."
"Considering that there are 56 [VA regional offices], and if weekly shredding is conducted, it is highly likely that claims-related documents at other VAROs are being improperly scheduled for destruction that could result in loss of claims and evidence, incorrect decisions and delays in claims processing," the report s
Investigators with the Department of Veterans Affairs audited 10 vererans benefits offices around the country and found that staff were destroying mail related to claims, according to a report by Military.com, citing an OIG report released on Thursday.
The surprise audit, which was conducted at the offices on July 20, 2015, came after reports of such document shredding in Los Angeles, the website reported.
Those offices were in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Reno, Nev. At least two of the 69 documents headed to the shredder directly affected benefits and nine had the potential to, according to the website.
The OIG report concluded that, "The potential effect should not be minimized."
"Considering that there are 56 [VA regional offices], and if weekly shredding is conducted, it is highly likely that claims-related documents at other VAROs are being improperly scheduled for destruction that could result in loss of claims and evidence, incorrect decisions and delays in claims processing," the report s
Biden slams Netanyahu hours after Jerusalem attack
Vice President Joe Biden said Monday night that Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was leading the country "in the
wrong direction" hours after a bus bombing in Jerusalem wounded at
least 21 people.
In a speech to the Israel advocacy group J Street, Biden did single out Palestinian leaders, including Mahmoud Abbas, for declining to condemn specific acts of terrorism carried out against Israelis. The vice president said he didn't know whether Monday's explosion was a terrorist attack, but added that the U.S. condemns "misguided cowards" who resort to violence.
However, the bulk of the Biden's criticism was reserved for Netanyahu, reflecting diminishing patience within the White House as President Barack Obama's term nears an end, compounded by deep disagreements over Iran and a strained relationship between the two leaders.
Biden suggested that Netanyahu's approach raised "profound questions" about how Israel could remain both Jewish and democratic.
"I firmly believe that the actions that Israel's government has taken over the past several years -- the steady and systematic expansion of settlements, the legalization of outposts, land seizures -- they're moving us and more importantly they're moving Israel in the wrong direction," Biden said.
He said those policies were moving Israel toward a "one-state reality" -- meaning a single state for Palestinians and Israelis in which, eventually, Israeli Jews will no longer be the majority.
"That reality is dangerous," Biden added.
Biden, who met in March with both Netanyahu and Abbas, said he came away from that trip discouraged about prospects for peace anytime soon. Still, he said the U.S. is obliged to guarantee Israel's security and to "push them as hard as we can" toward a two-state solution despite "our sometimes overwhelming frustration with the Israeli government."
"There is at the moment no political will that I observed from either Israelis or Palestinians to go forward with serious negotiations," Biden said.
The vice president's remarks to J Street, a dovish group that frequently criticizes Netanyahu, came at the height of a campaign season in which candidates have been scrutinized over their adherence to traditionally stalwart U.S. support for Israel.
Ahead of Tuesday's primary in New York, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders has sparked controversy by saying the U.S. should be even-handed and mustn't always say that Netanyahu is right.
In another dig at Netanyahu and his Likud party, Biden singled out for praise Stav Shaffir, a young member of Israel's parliament and a Netanyahu critic from the left wing of Israeli politics.
"May your views begin to once again become the majority opinion in the Knesset," Biden said.
In a speech to the Israel advocacy group J Street, Biden did single out Palestinian leaders, including Mahmoud Abbas, for declining to condemn specific acts of terrorism carried out against Israelis. The vice president said he didn't know whether Monday's explosion was a terrorist attack, but added that the U.S. condemns "misguided cowards" who resort to violence.
However, the bulk of the Biden's criticism was reserved for Netanyahu, reflecting diminishing patience within the White House as President Barack Obama's term nears an end, compounded by deep disagreements over Iran and a strained relationship between the two leaders.
Biden suggested that Netanyahu's approach raised "profound questions" about how Israel could remain both Jewish and democratic.
"I firmly believe that the actions that Israel's government has taken over the past several years -- the steady and systematic expansion of settlements, the legalization of outposts, land seizures -- they're moving us and more importantly they're moving Israel in the wrong direction," Biden said.
He said those policies were moving Israel toward a "one-state reality" -- meaning a single state for Palestinians and Israelis in which, eventually, Israeli Jews will no longer be the majority.
"That reality is dangerous," Biden added.
Biden, who met in March with both Netanyahu and Abbas, said he came away from that trip discouraged about prospects for peace anytime soon. Still, he said the U.S. is obliged to guarantee Israel's security and to "push them as hard as we can" toward a two-state solution despite "our sometimes overwhelming frustration with the Israeli government."
"There is at the moment no political will that I observed from either Israelis or Palestinians to go forward with serious negotiations," Biden said.
The vice president's remarks to J Street, a dovish group that frequently criticizes Netanyahu, came at the height of a campaign season in which candidates have been scrutinized over their adherence to traditionally stalwart U.S. support for Israel.
Ahead of Tuesday's primary in New York, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders has sparked controversy by saying the U.S. should be even-handed and mustn't always say that Netanyahu is right.
In another dig at Netanyahu and his Likud party, Biden singled out for praise Stav Shaffir, a young member of Israel's parliament and a Netanyahu critic from the left wing of Israeli politics.
"May your views begin to once again become the majority opinion in the Knesset," Biden said.
Sanders camp touts growing Latino support; crucial in NY, Calif. races
Bernie Sanders, even as he struggles to win over black voters from
Hillary Clinton’s side, appears to be making gains among Hispanics --
including in key primary states like New York and California, where a
total of 722 delegates are at stake.
The Sanders campaign points to several recent polls, including those showing the Vermont senator essentially tied with Clinton nationally for the Hispanic vote and having largely closed a double-digit gap with Clinton among Hispanic voters in California.
Sanders pollster Ben Tulchin told FoxNews.com on Monday the campaign thinks it finally has caught up with Clinton in terms of message and name recognition, especially among Latinos who have supported Clinton as far back as 2008, when she ran for president against Barack Obama.
“Look at the national polls. The campaign is now doing better than ever, and Latinos are part of it,” said Tulchin, who touted Sanders’ popularity among young, working-class Hispanics. “Bernie has a very powerful message that includes health care for all and free college tuition. … New York has a huge Latino population, and California is the prize of the elections.”
Nationally among all voters, polls show Sanders has now pulled roughly even with the front-running Clinton at about 48 percent. He has won seven of the last eight contests.
After the New York Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, in which 247 delegates are at stake, Sanders and Clinton will eventually compete in California on June 7, for 475 delegates, the most of any state.
The Clinton campaign did not return a request Monday for comment.
An April 11 poll for the NY 1 news station showed Sanders leading Clinton in New York 55-38 percent among Hispanic voters.
A national poll released four days earlier, by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute, found Democratic-leaning Hispanic voters preferred Sanders over the front-running Clinton 48-47 percent.
The California poll was released April 8 by the nonpartisan Field Research Corp. It found Sanders now trails Clinton 42-49 percent among Hispanic likely Democratic primary voters, after trailing 35-53 percent in January.
Sanders’ gains with Hispanic voters stand in stark contrast to his ability to win over black supporters, something he failed to do in primary races across the South.
Despite big outreach efforts ahead of the Feb. 27 South Carolina Democratic primary, Clinton won roughly 80 percent of the black vote. Sanders was never able to break through the so-called “firewall” that black voters had created for Clinton across the region.
“Secretary Clinton cleaned our clock in the Deep South,” Sanders said in last week’s CNN debate. “We got murdered there.”
Still, Sanders nearly beat Clinton in the Feb. 20 Nevada Democratic caucuses with the help of the Latino vote.
The Clinton campaign continues to dispute entrance poll numbers, touted by the Sanders camp, showing Sanders won the Latino vote by 8 percentage points. However, the larger point, Tulchin argued Monday, is the Latino vote helped Sanders close on Clinton’s early, double-digit lead.
Sanders still faces a daunting task of catching Clinton in the race to get 2,383 delegates before the July convention. Clinton leads in the delegate count, 1,758-1,076, with New York, California and just 15 other contests remaining.
As the country’s fasting-growing minority, Hispanics have become an increasingly important voting bloc for Democrats and Republicans.
In the 2012 presidential race, President Obama won at least 70 percent of the Hispanic vote, out of an estimated 23.3 million eligible Hispanic voters. Hispanics account for roughly 9 percent of the total eligible vote, essentially unchanged from 2012.
However, a recent Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data shows an additional 4 million more Hispanics are eligible to vote this cycle, with those 35 or younger accounting for nearly half of the increase, good news for Sanders who is widely popular among millennials.
Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola University Law School in Los Angeles, on Monday acknowledged the value of the Hispanic vote in the state’s Democratic primary.
But she argued Sanders will need a strong voter turnout, as he does in other states, to do well, considering Hispanic residents are under-represented in terms of registered voters.
“Hispanics could be a big voting bloc, extremely powerful,” said Levinson, who specializes in election law. “But they have to do two things -- register and show up.”
Levinson says Clinton still appears to have the overall advantage considering “she has a better ground game and support from party elders.”
And the contest could in large part be determined by who has the money to compete in California’s expensive TV market.
“It’s about commercial advertising, not retail politics,” Levinson said.
The Sanders campaign points to several recent polls, including those showing the Vermont senator essentially tied with Clinton nationally for the Hispanic vote and having largely closed a double-digit gap with Clinton among Hispanic voters in California.
Sanders pollster Ben Tulchin told FoxNews.com on Monday the campaign thinks it finally has caught up with Clinton in terms of message and name recognition, especially among Latinos who have supported Clinton as far back as 2008, when she ran for president against Barack Obama.
“Look at the national polls. The campaign is now doing better than ever, and Latinos are part of it,” said Tulchin, who touted Sanders’ popularity among young, working-class Hispanics. “Bernie has a very powerful message that includes health care for all and free college tuition. … New York has a huge Latino population, and California is the prize of the elections.”
Nationally among all voters, polls show Sanders has now pulled roughly even with the front-running Clinton at about 48 percent. He has won seven of the last eight contests.
After the New York Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, in which 247 delegates are at stake, Sanders and Clinton will eventually compete in California on June 7, for 475 delegates, the most of any state.
The latest headlines on the 2016 elections from the biggest name in politics. See Latest Coverage →
An April 11 poll for the NY 1 news station showed Sanders leading Clinton in New York 55-38 percent among Hispanic voters.
A national poll released four days earlier, by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute, found Democratic-leaning Hispanic voters preferred Sanders over the front-running Clinton 48-47 percent.
The California poll was released April 8 by the nonpartisan Field Research Corp. It found Sanders now trails Clinton 42-49 percent among Hispanic likely Democratic primary voters, after trailing 35-53 percent in January.
Sanders’ gains with Hispanic voters stand in stark contrast to his ability to win over black supporters, something he failed to do in primary races across the South.
Despite big outreach efforts ahead of the Feb. 27 South Carolina Democratic primary, Clinton won roughly 80 percent of the black vote. Sanders was never able to break through the so-called “firewall” that black voters had created for Clinton across the region.
“Secretary Clinton cleaned our clock in the Deep South,” Sanders said in last week’s CNN debate. “We got murdered there.”
Still, Sanders nearly beat Clinton in the Feb. 20 Nevada Democratic caucuses with the help of the Latino vote.
The Clinton campaign continues to dispute entrance poll numbers, touted by the Sanders camp, showing Sanders won the Latino vote by 8 percentage points. However, the larger point, Tulchin argued Monday, is the Latino vote helped Sanders close on Clinton’s early, double-digit lead.
Sanders still faces a daunting task of catching Clinton in the race to get 2,383 delegates before the July convention. Clinton leads in the delegate count, 1,758-1,076, with New York, California and just 15 other contests remaining.
As the country’s fasting-growing minority, Hispanics have become an increasingly important voting bloc for Democrats and Republicans.
In the 2012 presidential race, President Obama won at least 70 percent of the Hispanic vote, out of an estimated 23.3 million eligible Hispanic voters. Hispanics account for roughly 9 percent of the total eligible vote, essentially unchanged from 2012.
However, a recent Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data shows an additional 4 million more Hispanics are eligible to vote this cycle, with those 35 or younger accounting for nearly half of the increase, good news for Sanders who is widely popular among millennials.
Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola University Law School in Los Angeles, on Monday acknowledged the value of the Hispanic vote in the state’s Democratic primary.
But she argued Sanders will need a strong voter turnout, as he does in other states, to do well, considering Hispanic residents are under-represented in terms of registered voters.
“Hispanics could be a big voting bloc, extremely powerful,” said Levinson, who specializes in election law. “But they have to do two things -- register and show up.”
Levinson says Clinton still appears to have the overall advantage considering “she has a better ground game and support from party elders.”
And the contest could in large part be determined by who has the money to compete in California’s expensive TV market.
“It’s about commercial advertising, not retail politics,” Levinson said.
Monday, April 18, 2016
Top Obama doc Fauci to Congress on Zika funding: 'Act now'
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top Obama administration doctor, urged Congress
on Sunday to promptly agree to appropriate an additional roughly $2
billion to fight against Zika -- the latest in the back and forth
between the White House and GOP-led House about funding against the
deadly virus.
“We have to act now,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told “Fox News Sunday.”
House Republican leaders have argued that the federal government has enough money now to fight the virus and that additional funding should come through the regular appropriations process this fall.
However, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers suggested last week that he would support immediate supplemental funding, with a White House request that includes a detailed spending plan.
“We can’t do it without the numbers,” the Kentucky Republican said Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
While Rogers also has tried to assure the public that Congress will not allow a public health crisis, he has suggested that the administration might not get all of the roughly $2 billion, which he has referred to as a “slush fund.”
“I disagree with that,” Fauci said, arguing the administration has presented Congress with a “project-by-project approach” and that it will also use money left from fighting the Ebola virus.
There has so far been no documented Zika infections in the United States from mosquitoes that carry the virus. But nearly 350 illnesses have been reported across all 50 states, each linked to travel to Zika outbreak regions, largely the Caribbean and Latin America. Thirty-two of the infected women were pregnant. The virus can also be spread through sex.
“The regular appropriations process takes too long,” Fauci said Sunday. “I don’t want to wait to have to develop a vaccine.”
The House agreed late last week on a bipartisan measure to speed up development of a treatment.
However, on Friday, Democratic Reps. Nita Lowey, N.Y.; Rosa DeLauro, Conn.; and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Fla., urged Rogers to hold a special meeting on the administration’s request for emergency supplemental funding.
Under the rules of the Appropriations Committee, three members may request the chairman convene a special meeting. If the chairman fails to schedule such a meeting within seven calendar days, a majority of the committee members may convene a special meeting on their own.
A Zika infection causes only a mild and brief illness in most people. But in the last year, infections in pregnant women have been strongly linked to fetal deaths and devastating birth defects, mostly in Brazil, where 1,113 cases of related microcephaly have been confirmed since October.
“We have to act now,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told “Fox News Sunday.”
House Republican leaders have argued that the federal government has enough money now to fight the virus and that additional funding should come through the regular appropriations process this fall.
However, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers suggested last week that he would support immediate supplemental funding, with a White House request that includes a detailed spending plan.
“We can’t do it without the numbers,” the Kentucky Republican said Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
While Rogers also has tried to assure the public that Congress will not allow a public health crisis, he has suggested that the administration might not get all of the roughly $2 billion, which he has referred to as a “slush fund.”
“I disagree with that,” Fauci said, arguing the administration has presented Congress with a “project-by-project approach” and that it will also use money left from fighting the Ebola virus.
There has so far been no documented Zika infections in the United States from mosquitoes that carry the virus. But nearly 350 illnesses have been reported across all 50 states, each linked to travel to Zika outbreak regions, largely the Caribbean and Latin America. Thirty-two of the infected women were pregnant. The virus can also be spread through sex.
“The regular appropriations process takes too long,” Fauci said Sunday. “I don’t want to wait to have to develop a vaccine.”
The House agreed late last week on a bipartisan measure to speed up development of a treatment.
However, on Friday, Democratic Reps. Nita Lowey, N.Y.; Rosa DeLauro, Conn.; and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Fla., urged Rogers to hold a special meeting on the administration’s request for emergency supplemental funding.
Under the rules of the Appropriations Committee, three members may request the chairman convene a special meeting. If the chairman fails to schedule such a meeting within seven calendar days, a majority of the committee members may convene a special meeting on their own.
A Zika infection causes only a mild and brief illness in most people. But in the last year, infections in pregnant women have been strongly linked to fetal deaths and devastating birth defects, mostly in Brazil, where 1,113 cases of related microcephaly have been confirmed since October.
Lewandowski says campaign understands delegate rules, calls Trump 'presumptive nominee'
Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski on Sunday dismissed
criticism about his team failing to understand GOP delegate rules and
declared his candidate the party’s “presumptive nominee."
Lewandowski told “Fox News Sunday” that the Trump campaign indeed comprehends the rules -- which vary among states and sometimes apply to conventions, not primaries or caucuses.
Nevertheless, he thinks the rules are not always fair.
“We understand what happens,” said Lewandowski, arguing primary challenger Texas Sen. Ted Cruz does better in state contests in which “party bosses pick the delegates,” not the voters.
He added: “There are people out there who don’t have the ability to write a check,” to become a convention-picked delegate.
Trump, Cruz or Ohio Gov. John Kasich will need 1,237 delegates to win the Republican Party nomination.
Trump leads with 744, followed by Cruz with 559 and Kasich with 144.
While Trump also has won roughly 20 state contests with larger delegate pools, Cruz has been able to win a dozen or so delegates by essentially campaigning at the smaller-scale state and county conventions -- like those in Colorado and Wyoming on Saturday in which Cruz won all 14 delegates.
Ken Cuccinelli, Cruz’s delegate operations director, said on ABC’s “This Week” that the Trump campaign must stop accusing Cruz of not following the rules and using “hyperbolic rhetoric” about the issue that it cannot support.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said last week on Twitter that the nomination process has been known to all for more than a year and that the campaigns have a responsibility to understand the process.
“Complaints now?” he tweeted. “Give us all a break."
Trump, during a campaign event Saturday in Syracuse, N.Y., suggested the Republican establishment and others are going to have a “rough week” at the party’s nominating convention in July if he arrives with a large delegate lead and officials try to take it from him.
“That’s not what we’re about,” Lewandowski said Sunday, attempting to clarify Trump's remarks. “We’re supposed to be bringing this party together. If the party wants a nominee (who can win the White House), it needs to pick Donald Trump.”
Lewandowski also said Trump, a billionaire businessman, will do “very well” in the New York primary Tuesday in which 95 delegates are at stake, but declined to predict a sweep amid strong polling numbers.
However, he predicted Trump also will do well in upcoming mid-Atlantic state contests, including those in Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
“He’s going to be the presumptive nominee going forward,” Lewandowski said.
Paul Manafort, Trump's newly hired convention manager, told The Washington Post in a story Sunday the campaign’s goal is for Trump to be the presumptive nominee by mid-May.
Lewandowski also on Sunday said that he was happy that Palm Beach County (Fla.) officials decided last week not to proceed with charges that he allegedly assaulted a reporter by grabbing her arm.
He declined to apologize for the incident and for calling her “delusional” for saying he grabbed her. However, Lewandowski said he would speak privately with the reporter in an attempt to put the issue behind them.
Lewandowski has said he tried to call the reporter, Michelle Fields. She says he did not. Lewandowski told “Fox News Sunday” that police have phone records showing he did.
Lewandowski told “Fox News Sunday” that the Trump campaign indeed comprehends the rules -- which vary among states and sometimes apply to conventions, not primaries or caucuses.
Nevertheless, he thinks the rules are not always fair.
“We understand what happens,” said Lewandowski, arguing primary challenger Texas Sen. Ted Cruz does better in state contests in which “party bosses pick the delegates,” not the voters.
He added: “There are people out there who don’t have the ability to write a check,” to become a convention-picked delegate.
Trump, Cruz or Ohio Gov. John Kasich will need 1,237 delegates to win the Republican Party nomination.
The latest headlines on the 2016 elections from the biggest name in politics. See Latest Coverage →
While Trump also has won roughly 20 state contests with larger delegate pools, Cruz has been able to win a dozen or so delegates by essentially campaigning at the smaller-scale state and county conventions -- like those in Colorado and Wyoming on Saturday in which Cruz won all 14 delegates.
Ken Cuccinelli, Cruz’s delegate operations director, said on ABC’s “This Week” that the Trump campaign must stop accusing Cruz of not following the rules and using “hyperbolic rhetoric” about the issue that it cannot support.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said last week on Twitter that the nomination process has been known to all for more than a year and that the campaigns have a responsibility to understand the process.
“Complaints now?” he tweeted. “Give us all a break."
Trump, during a campaign event Saturday in Syracuse, N.Y., suggested the Republican establishment and others are going to have a “rough week” at the party’s nominating convention in July if he arrives with a large delegate lead and officials try to take it from him.
“That’s not what we’re about,” Lewandowski said Sunday, attempting to clarify Trump's remarks. “We’re supposed to be bringing this party together. If the party wants a nominee (who can win the White House), it needs to pick Donald Trump.”
Lewandowski also said Trump, a billionaire businessman, will do “very well” in the New York primary Tuesday in which 95 delegates are at stake, but declined to predict a sweep amid strong polling numbers.
However, he predicted Trump also will do well in upcoming mid-Atlantic state contests, including those in Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
“He’s going to be the presumptive nominee going forward,” Lewandowski said.
Paul Manafort, Trump's newly hired convention manager, told The Washington Post in a story Sunday the campaign’s goal is for Trump to be the presumptive nominee by mid-May.
Lewandowski also on Sunday said that he was happy that Palm Beach County (Fla.) officials decided last week not to proceed with charges that he allegedly assaulted a reporter by grabbing her arm.
He declined to apologize for the incident and for calling her “delusional” for saying he grabbed her. However, Lewandowski said he would speak privately with the reporter in an attempt to put the issue behind them.
Lewandowski has said he tried to call the reporter, Michelle Fields. She says he did not. Lewandowski told “Fox News Sunday” that police have phone records showing he did.
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