Ivanka And Jared Publicly Missing In Action Amid Trump's Claims That Jewish Dems Are "Disloyal To Israel"; Trump Faces Backlash After Calling Jewish Dems "Disloyal"
BOLDUAN: Tonight, missing in action. White House advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, the President's daughter and son-in- law, of course, who are also Jewish publicly silent after the President said this.</s>TRUMP: If you vote for a Democrat you're very, very disloyal to Israel and to the Jewish people.</s>BOLDUAN: Those comments widely criticized as playing into an anti- Semitic trope of accusing Jews of dual loyalty, something that has been used for long, long time to belittle Jews. Out front now Keith Boykin, former Clinton White House aide and Rob Astorino, a Member of President Trump's 2020 Re-Election Advisory Council. Guys, thanks for being here. Keith, Ivanka and Trump are known to be strategic in how they weigh in and how they give the advice to the President and we know that that definitely isn't always done publicly as no one should expect it to when they disagree or need to, of course, correct the President. But why do you think they're choosing to stay silent on this, because it often leaks out?</s>KEITH BOYKIN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE AIDE UNDER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: Yes. I mean I think I don't have any special insight into Ivanka Trump's brain or what she's thinking or her relationship with her dad. But I think it's all selective, she chooses to speak out when she feels that it's in her interest to do so and then she often does so privately or surreptitiously. She leaks the story to a friendly report that she actually didn't agree with something that Trump did. But only when it's incredibly unpopular and she realizes that it's not to her benefit for her brand to do so. But on most occasions she's not inclined to speak out against her father even as her father makes anti-Semitic statements to the public, even as he calls himself the second coming of God, even as he says he's a king of Israel, even as he looks to the skies and says, "I am the chosen one." Ivanka remains silent in the midst of all the chaos and stupidity of the Trump administration.</s>BOLDUAN: Rob, what do you think of it?</s>ROB ASTORINO, MEMBER OF THE PRESIDENT'S 2020 RE-ELECT ADVISORY COUNCIL: Well, they're on vacation, let's start with that. They're on a family vacation in Wyoming and she's putting that on Instagram. And I think if you go back in time on some of the, quote, controversial things ...</s>BOLDUAN: I think they are back though and regardless when you're working for the White House and talk to any administration, I don't think you're really ever on vacation.</s>ASTORINO: You're never on vacation. I know. But they are entitled to downtime and if you look at her Twitter account, she lists in her bio; mother, daughter, sister, wife and fifth is Adviser to the President.</s>BOYKIN: Because she's not qualified to be an adviser to the president. She understands that.</s>ASTORINO: No, that's not the reason. That's not the reason.</s>BOYKIN: Of course, it is.</s>ASTORINO: The reason is they have a life with kids and they're trying to raise their kids. And so she's not going to comment on everything publicly.</s>BOYKIN: Having kids is not an excuse for silencing in the face of anti-Semitism.</s>ASTORINO: No, no, no, if she has something to say to her dad she says it in private and I think that's the relationship that it should be.</s>BOLDUAN: But some folks inside the White House have conceded to CNN that they think when it comes to this disloyalty remark it went too far. I mean it has been widely criticized. I mean, you know that it's a long-time anti-Semitic trope, don't you agree?</s>ASTORINO: I think ...</s>BOLDUAN: Isn't that a crisis moment in the White House?</s>ASTORINO: Well, I don't think he should have said things like that. I think he's got to be really careful with how he chooses his words. But I think what he meant to say is and this is true, that traditional Democratic black voters, African-Americans, Hispanics, Jewish voters, you really need to start looking at an alternative and that alternative is the Republican Party and this president because of what has happened for groups across the spectrum. Everyone is doing better than they were three years ago and that's the argument he's going to make and that's --</s>BOYKIN: How are people doing better when anti-Semitic incidents have increased about 57 percent since Trump became president?</s>ASTORINO: I'm talking about economic and that's what he's talking about. You can't blame all on Donald Trump.</s>BOYKIN: How are people are doing better when people are chanting in Charlottesville chanting, "Jews will not replace us." And the President is morally ambiguous threatening that these people might be very fine people. How are things doing better when there's a shooting, a mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and the President blames the synagogue for not having guards there to protect themselves? How are people doing better when the President is tweeting out anti- Semitic tropes calling Hillary Clinton anti-Semitic and Kevin McCarthy and the GOP are also engaged in the same things attacking Tom Steyer, George Soros and Mike Bloomberg? How are people doing better under the circumstances when we consistently see anti-Semitism and racism and bigotry from the President of the United States and the Republican Party?</s>ASTORINO: This is where1920 you talk about Tlaib and Omar and those kind of things.</s>BOLDUAN: Go ahead, you can talk about whatever you want.</s>ASTORINO: No. And what I was talking about and what I meant, of course, and I think what he means by this is, look, you need to look at a different perspective. You need to look at a different party because you've been voting Democrat for a long, long time and you know what it's time you give a different look (inaudible) by the way.</s>BOLDUAN: I will say the President is very clear what the President is trying to do is to label the Democratic Party as anti-Semitic. He's trying to --</s>ASTORINO: Well, there's definitely a problem. There's no question about that.</s>BOYKIN: Well, time like this --</s>BOLDUAN: There are certain members who have been called out from within the party about anti-Semitic comments that they have made.</s>ASTORINO: Well, that's the problem. They really haven't been called that.</s>BOYKIN: Well, the problem is --</s>BOLDUAN: They absolutely have.</s>ASTORINO: The leadership --</s>BOLDUAN: Absolutely they have, but may I please pose the question? Right or wrong, what he's trying to do is to label the Democratic Party as anti-Semitic.</s>BOYKIN: Right.</s>BOLDUAN: This disloyal remark shows that in and of itself. Do you worry that it can actually have an impact on the party?</s>BOYKIN: Well, no, because I mean first of all if there's any fixed principle in our constitutional system, it is that the President of the United States does not get to determine religious litmus test for people. And you certainly can't set a litmus test that decides that if you don't agree with a particular government, a particular administration that means you're disloyal to your country or you're not being a good member of your faith. Secondly, the Democrats have won the Jewish vote in every presidential election since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Hillary Clinton got 71 percent of the vote, Barack Obama got 78 percent of vote. There's no indication that that trend is going to discontinue, especially when you have an anti-Semite in the White House who refuses to do anything when anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise in his own administration.</s>BOLDUAN: Rob.</s>ASTORINO: Well, that's projection. Right now you've got a cancer growing in the halls of Congress, members of the Democratic Party. Some Democratic Jewish leaders have certainly spoken out against what they've seen and unfortunately though when it really came to rubber meeting the road, they would not specifically condemn them in their congressional resolutions.</s>BOLDUAN: I will say though, it does not help - as we leave it here, it does not help though for the Republican Party hearing what you do hear from the President on the top. Really quick because I'm just curious, do you think Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, do you think they have the kind of weight that people try to say that they do with their --</s>ASTORINO: With the President?</s>BOLDUAN: Yes.</s>ASTORINO: I think as any son-in-law and daughter would, definitely. I think they talk in private. They should.</s>BOLDUAN: Again, then when there is a crisis and you're father/boss is being accused of anti-Semitism, like I wonder why - all right.</s>BOYKIN: It's all about grifting and branding. Whatever works for their brand is what they will put out.</s>ASTORINO: ... in public. That's just - it won't happen.</s>BOYKIN: It's not fair to expect him to speak out against anti- Semitism?</s>BOLDUAN: Out front for us next, New York's Attorney General filing lawsuit against the Trump administration one every two weeks. Why she says she's not about to back down? Plus, the CEO of Overstock resigns after revealing he had a relationship with an accused Russian spy. Why would he be a target?