Hillary's Road Trip to Iowa; Calls for Arrest of Second Cop in SC Shooting.
BERMAN: So what do you think is Hillary Clinton's favorite road game?</s>BOLDUAN: Hm, I mean, I love I Spy.</s>BERMAN: I Spy is a good one.</s>BOLDUAN: Is there another one?</s>BERMAN: I don't think so; I think it's the only one.</s>BOLDUAN: I can never think of any others.</s>BERMAN: She's in the middle of a thousand-mile van ride to Iowa for her first major campaign event. She's riding in a van she nicknamed Scooby because it reminds her of the Mystery Machine from the "Scobby Doo" cartoon. She stopped at this gas station along the way, maybe for some beef jerky, but definitely to take pictures with fellow travelers. The road trip comes after Mrs. Clinton officially launched her bid for president. She did it in a video.</s>HILLARY CLINTON, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: Everyday Americans need a champion and I want to be that champion. So you can do more than just get by: you can get ahead. And stay ahead. Because when families are strong, America is strong.</s>BOLDUAN: Clinton officials -- the Clinton's official announcement video plays up middle class families of all types. But what is the campaign message going forward? Joining us to discuss, Tracy Sefl, senior adviser to the Ready for Hillary Super PAC, as well as CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile. Let's get to the video and let's get to the road trip in just a second. But I got to ask you, Donna, we've been talking about this. What goes on with Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York? Yesterday he comes out, and you'd think it would be a shoo-in endorsement. Then he says this when asked about endorsing Hillary's candidacy. Remember, everybody, he was Hillary's first campaign manager. Listen to this, guys.</s>CHUCK TODD, NBC HOST: You're technically not yet endorsing her?</s>MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: No, not until I see -- and, again, I would say this about any candidate -- until I see an actual vision of where she wants to go. I think she's a tremendous public servant. I think she is one of the most qualified people to ever run for this office, and, by the way, thoroughly vetted. We can say that. But we need to see the substance.</s>BOLDUAN: He should know the substance, don't you think, Donna?</s>DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, that's -- if Al Gore decides to run tomorrow and someone says to me, oh Donna, you're probably with Al Gore. No, I think in politics Mayor de Blasio is doing what many politicians will do, including some Democrats, is they want to hear a message. They want to hear what she will do differently this time. They also want to hear where she will take the country. I respect Mayor de Blasio. I know he's a really good friend of the Clinton family and he knows Secretary Clinton very, very well. In fact, just last month, Secretary Clinton was with the First Lady of New York City in Brooklyn at an event. So I don't think there's a problem here. But like most Americans, he wants to hear that vision.</s>BERMAN: He knows her so well because, as you said, Donna, he ran her family. She sat up on the stage when Bill de Blasio took the oath of office here in New York City. So you would think she knows what she needs to know about whether to endorse him (sic). And Donna, you mentioned you ran Al Gore's campaign and if you were asked would you endorse him, you would wait and see. But it's not like there is a huge field of other people running right now, Tracy Sefl. So what do you think Bill de Blasio is choosing between if he's not ready for Hillary, as you are?</s>TRACY SEFL, SENIOR ADVISOR, READY FOR HILLARY: One thing I love that Hillary is going to do is take the next several weeks, month or so, and have this conversation around the country with Americans to ask questions, to listen to their questions, and have a discussion. So, I expect that by the time she gives this first big major campaign speech sometime in May, that she will be answering Mayor de Blasio's and lots more people's questions. I think it's great the way she's approaching this.</s>BOLDUAN: What is different this time around, donna? Is it just in the video? Is it just in the way it's presented? Or is there a real substantive difference do you see in Hillary Clinton this go-around?</s>BRAZILE: I feel the difference. You know, I was around back in 2007 and 2008. I see it not just in the message that she is conveying with the video release and talking directly to the American people putting the middle class and other aspiring Americans at the center stage of her campaign. I see it in mobilization. The retail politics. She's not flying into cedar rapids or Des Moines. She's driving there because she wants to meet people where they are and where they live, where they work, where they play and where they pray. I see it also even in the media content. The relationship that this campaign is having with the media. The fact that so many reporters know what's going on. They've been able to capture this. So, it's a different political season. I think you have in Secretary Clinton a candidate who wants to earn our support and not take it for granted. That's why I believe this is a different season.</s>BERMAN: We had a picture right there of Scooby, the van.</s>BOLDUAN: It clearly does look like the van.</s>BERMAN: It does look like the mystery machine.</s>BOLDUAN: We created that, just FYI guys.</s>BERMAN: So, Tracy, One of the things she has to convince people in Iowa and other states to do is trust her and, frankly, a recent master poll says they don't. Quinnipiac just polled some key swing states, Colorado, Iowa, Virginia, and in those states more people than not answered no to the question is Hillary Clinton honest and trustworthy. Look at that. Colorado, 38 percent yes, 56 percent no. Iowa, 43 percent yes and 49 percent no. So, how does she convince them, when I don't think there's anyone who doesn't know about Hillary Clinton. How does she convince them that she is trustworthy when they think she's not?</s>SEFL: Well, you hit it on the head there John. Because it's not that people don't know who she is, but they may not know what she's about. And this is an opportunity for her to talk about--</s>BOLDUAN: But, how can that be?</s>BERMAN: I mean, she's been in the public eye since before Kate was born. Like 1991.</s>BRAZILE: And that is the issue.</s>SEFL: And now is a good time for her to talk about the work she's done, the fights she's chosen, the way she's persevered on issues whether it's about children's healthcare, issues affecting the middle class. What's exciting about this new-- this period, this ramp up period that she's in, is she'll get to have those conversations and very one-on-one and very small formats and so sure, her name is recognizable. Her face is recognizable. But, now her record will be part of that story as well. And that's something that, I mean, we can all acknowledge. That's just not what people talk about when they talk about her. There's been an aura around her of things around her besides her record and her accomplishments. That's going to be a big part of the discussion and I hope that she gets lots of questions and I think she's going to have lots of great answers.</s>BOLDUAN: Well, that's going to be one of the interesting things when you look at a long primary with, right now, not a lot of talk about viable other Democratic options out there. A lot of folks say a good, strong rough primary is a good way to lead into a general election. What does that mean for her now? We will see because it's just starting. Donna and Tracy. It's great to see you. Thanks so much.</s>BRAZILE: Thank you.</s>SEFL: Thank you.</s>BOLDUAN: Ahead for us AT THIS HOUR, new charges should come in the South Carolina shooting case -- could come in the South Carolina shooting case. A second officer's account of what happened that day is now being called into question. What's not quite matching up? That's next.</s>BERMAN: There are new calls today for a second police officer to be charged following the fatal shooting of Walter Scott in North Charleston. That second officer arrived on the scene shortly after Officer Michael Slager shot Scott in the back. Officer Clarence Habersham wrote in a police report that he had attempted quote "attempted to render aid to the victim by applying pressure to the gunshot wounds".</s>BOLDUAN: But, many critics they say that the video evidence, that key video evidence from that eyewitness shows something very different. That he did very little to assist and to offer aid. They're accusing Habersham, now, of leaving out other key important information from a report, including, that Officer Slager appeared to drop something at the scene, right near Walter Scott's body. Melvin Tucker is a Former FBI Agent and Former Police Chief for four southern cities who often testifies in police misconduct cases. It's great to have you here. This is an interesting kind of direction and a new focus on where a lot of people are looking at in terms of this case. We know, obviously, Officer Slager, he's charged with murder. He's sitting behind bars. But, now calls for this other officer, Habersham, to face prosecution. I want to get your take, because they say it appears there are two versions of events as we laid out. What Habersham says happened in the report. It was a short report, with almost two, just like two lines in it and then when you see in the video. Do you think he was wrong?</s>MELVIN TUCKER, FORMER FBI AGENT AND POLICE CHIEF: Well, good morning, Kate. Good morning, John. Thank you for having me. The answer is, yes, I do think if he left out the report that he didn't see the taser being dropped at Walter Scott's feet and if he didn't -- if he lied in his report that he rendered aid and he didn't, then he showed loyalty to his fellow officer and put that above loyalty to ethics of his profession and he deserves to be held accountable for it.</s>BERMAN: And loyalty to his fellow officer, that's the implication that some are making here. What is your responsibility, when you are writing a report as that second officer on the scene. What do you have to say about the event and how far should you be going about your partner? I don't know if he saw Slager shoot the gun that killed Walter Scott. I don't know if he was a witness to that per se. How much does he need to include in that report?</s>TUCKER: He needs to include in that report exactly what he saw. That's why I say ethics to the profession as opposed to loyalty to his fellow officer. He needed to put in there that he saw the Officer Slager drop the taser there next to Mr. Scott's body. For sure. There's no question about it. I can see why there's pressure to look at him for possible charges.</s>BOLDUAN: The National Bar Association, many others as we've been discussing, they're accusing him of attempting to cover-up. Would you go as far to say that is an accurate accusation, if you will. Do you know what I mean? How different are the accounts -- how often do accounts differ from what an officer sees on the scene and what the events ended up bearing -- what events ended up happening actually? I'm mean, I guess I'm not saying that tell eloquently, obviously. But what I'm trying to get at is, does he deserve the benefit of the doubt in terms of being the second officer coming to the scene in, what he put in that report or do you think it's an attempted cover-up?</s>TUCKER: Well, Kate, this is all going to be up to the local prosecutor there. He's going to have to look at what the officer said in his reports and what the video shows. But, is it unusual? No. There is very often great conflict between what is said in a police report and what video shows. Had one just recently out in Ferguson, well, actually, three miles from where Michael Brown was shot and killed, and only three days later there was a shooting of Kajieme Powell, and what the Chief of Police came out and said happened was totally contradicted the next day when a video turned up just like this. So, I see it all the time and that's unfortunate and there needs to be some serious change and a reset button pushed by the police associations and sheriff's association and get us back to looking at our jobs as guardians of the public and not occupying forces.</s>BERMAN: This is why people do say there needs to be more video with police officers wearing cameras. Let me ask you about the requirements to administer first aid. Because this man, Walter Scott was shot five times. He was lying down on the ground. Both officers on the scene. The first thing they did was handcuff him. But after that, or even before that, what are you supposed to do to a man who has been shot?</s>TUCKER: Well, you hear all of this talk about lives matter. Well, lives do matter. So an officer has an ethical responsibility to render aid to try to save a life. Handcuffing immediately after is something like that is taught in the academy for officers to do in case the threat is not actually over with. But, this is a pretty obvious situation and rendering aid would have been his ethical responsibility as soon as he arrived on the scene before anything else.</s>BOLDUAN: It does seem the calls are growing louder for something to happen for this officer definitely facing a lot of questions as well as Michael Slager, the other officer now sits behind bars facing a murder charge. Melvin Tucker, thank you very much for bringing on your perspective. Very interesting. Ahead for us</s>AT THIS HOUR, TUCKER: Thank you.</s>BOLDUAN: Of course. Ahead for us AT THIS HOUR, a toddler rescued from inside the cheetah enclosure at the Cleveland Zoo. The shocking claims now from eyewitnesses about what happened just before he fell and why his mother is now charged.</s>BERMAN: There's no way that's her. That's what a college student thought when he ran into Hillary Clinton at a gas station. We'll tell you about their conversation perhaps near the slushy machine.