[Paul:] Aren't you glad it's the weekend. Take a nice deep breath. Here we go. I am Christi Paul.
[Blackwell:] I am Victor Blackwell. Good morning to you. In about 90 minutes from now, Donald Trump, president of the United States will deliver his first commencement speech as president to Liberty University.
[Paul:] He may be bringing with him some of the remnants this week, the cloud of the FBI's investigation into Russia's meddling into the 2016 election. The sudden controversial decision to fire FBI Director James Comey. So all of that is lingering, but there's a live picture on the left side of the screen of those graduates as they're getting ready. And on the right side, Joint Base Andrews as the president gets ready to depart for Lynchburg, Virginia. Now as the president prepares for that speech, we should point out some of those who are waiting to hear from him say they're conflicted over their support of the president. Here's CNN correspondent, Polo Sandoval.
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] The White family tackles everything at the dinner table from their projects to the politics behind the controversial firing of the FBI Director James Comey.
[Larry White, Trump Voter:] Those who are which is probably the majority here, those who were pro-Trump, voted for Trump. I think something like this isn't going to shake them one bit.
[Sandoval:] Larry White and his wife, Kathy, are raising their family in Lynchburg, in the center of Virginia, but leaning right, more than 50 percent of the city voted for Donald Trump.
[White:] We all basically have the same world view, a Christian world view but when it gets into politics, there's certainly going to be some variation.
[Sandoval:] The Whites are highly conservative, but they are also conflicted when it comes to their views on President Trump.
[Unidentified Female:] I didn't actually vote for him.
[Sandoval:] The 23-year-old Anna White is one of a few in her family who did not cast a vote for president last November. Recent Trump tweets reassure have only reassured Anna of her decision. For Trump voting family members, however, still stand by their choice.
[Abigail White, Trump Voter:] I don't think there's one time where I'm like oh, OK, shouldn't have voted for him, he was not the hero I thought he was. He wasn't a hero to begin with.
[Sandoval:] You didn't vote for him because of thinking he was a hero.
[Kathy White, Trump Voter:] Yes. I would add I have trust issues with the former president and the president before that. So the idea of trusting this president or not trusting is not new.
[Sandoval:] This is the kind of dialogue you'll find at the Whites' dinner table.
[Unidentified Female:] Intense. We all get in tense and passionate. Don't get angry but we get very passionate when we're talking.
[Abigail White:] And there's a lot of us so it's hard to actually talk.
[Sandoval:] This weekend, it is Trump's turn to talk in Lynchburg, a place that welcomed him as a candidate and now as president. This part of Virginia is home to some of Trump's steadfast support says the city's Republican Party Vice Chair Tim Griffin.
[Tim Griffin, Vice Chair, Lynchburg Republican Party:] Jerry Fall Sr. was part of the Reagan revolution and the moral majority. That's why it is important for people to come to Lynchburg, meet voters, meet people and see what's it all about, Liberty is all about.
[Sandoval:] Over 100 days into Trump's presidency, Griffin and fellow Republicans seem unfazed by the cloud of controversy swirling over the White House.
[Kathy White:] I want to support the role that he plays, the job that he's doing. I want him to be a good representation of America. America. I love this country.
[Sandoval:] The Whites' faith in President Trump is being tested but their faith in the office is unshakeable. A feeling shared by many in this brass buckle of the Bible belt. Polo Sandoval, CNN, Lynchburg, Virginia.
[Blackwell:] Democratic attorneys general from 20 states and municipalities blasted the president's firing of James Comey and called on the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein to appoint an independent special counsel to continue the Russia investigation. Washington's attorney general who has joined the push says that they perceived no response to their call so far. OK, so there is this response that I just talked about that the Deputy AG, Rod Rosenstein, says he sees no need for an independent special investigation or probe right now at least not yet. What do you make of that?
[Karl Racine, District Of Columbia, Attorney General:] Well, I respectfully disagree as do my colleagues at the Democratic Attorney Generals' Association. It's clear that we're talking about a serious investigation. We're talking about the potential of meddling in a Democratic presidential election with the Russians. What we need is a thorough investigation that doesn't have anything to do with politics or partisanship. The only way we can do this is to do what Janet Reno did many times during President Clinton's tenure. And that is go outside of the Department of Justice, hire a special counsel, a special counsel who has not been hired by the president and cannot be fired by the president. It's only that type of special counsel who can restore the public confidence in the justice system.
[Blackwell:] So you say you want this investigation to happen without partisanship. What do you make of the relative silence from Republicans both in Washington and attorney generals like yourself across the country?
[Racine:] Well, the Democrats have spoken. There's no doubt about that and my colleague, Moore Helick from Massachusetts led the charge and got 19 of us to join in a letter. I think, the silence on the part of most republicans both on the hill and certainly from my colleagues in the state A.G. world speaks of a level of partisanship, the kind of partisanship that will not get down to the facts and will not reach a full some conclusion. That's why, again, Janet Reno, during President Clinton's tenure, appointed eight independent and special counsel in order to ensure that the public could be confident in the result of an investigation. And one more point, Victor, Jeff Sessions, when he was United States senator, he called for an independent counsel on several occasions and he's making he made the same argument that I'm making today. Namely, that an independent counsel is necessary when the president is being investigated. Why? Because you need to have a lawyer who is not subject to being replaced by the president of the United States.
[Victor Blackwell, Cnn Anchor:] Let me get your reaction to something. This is from Senator Dick Durbin, he said this on Friday and let's put it up on the screen, this is actually a statement from his office, "To preserve his reputation as a credible prosecutor, Deputy A.G. Rod Rosenstein must appoint an independent special prosecutor to pursue possible criminal charges or he must resign." Do you go that far and we know that Senator Dianne Feinstein agrees now that he cannot do the job if he does not appoint an independent special prosecutor?
[Racine:] You know, I frankly associate myself with Senator Durbin's remarks. I think, he's exactly right and if you think about it, just a few days ago, the White House would have all of us believe that the reason why former Director Comey was fired was because of an investigation that the Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein made. We now know that that wasn't the case. We now know that President Trump was going to fire in his words Comey no matter what and that the cause of it was the Russian investigation. Frankly, the deputy attorney general has a well-earned reputation for honesty and integrity, I think, that in order for him to retain that reputation, he must hire special counsel.
[Blackwell:] One more element here, the president scratched the plan to visit the FBI according to sources that was scheduled to happen on Friday possibly because of ill feelings surrounding Comey's firing. You remember the law enforcement community, how can the president mend this relationship with members of the FBI?
[Racine:] Well, it's clear that the only way to mend any kind of relationship in law enforcement is to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Stop obfuscating, stop lying and otherwise allow the FBI to conduct a full investigation under the jurisdiction of an independent counsel.
[Blackwell:] Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.
[Racine:] Thank you, Victor.
[Christi Paul, Cnn Anchor:] A