Return to Transcripts main page
Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Trump Campaigns with Paxton Amid Newest Leaked Audio; Trump Stumps in Red States as GOP Nominees Face Tight Races; N.Y. Times: Trump Advisers' Pro-Putin Consulting Ties; WSJ Reports Kimberly Guilfoyle Pushed Donor to Wire $100,000 to Her Amex Account; Cornell Students Stage Sit-In to Show Solidarity With Jane Doe; Attorney Says Jane Doe Family, Friend Targets of Swatting Incident; USS Lincoln Set to Return Back to San Diego on Thursday; Tropical Storm Isaias Expected to Become Hurricane by Thursday Morning. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired October 07, 2026 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: So, I did ask sailors here on board what they thought about his visit and what he has been saying and there's really been a mixed reaction.
I did talk to some sailors who said they would have wanted to hear more accountability from him. They said, we have the pictures and videos we were sending home and on social media. But others said that they were happy he came.
They really jazzed them up, got them excited, motivated them, and they said it meant a lot that they gave them the Presidential Unit Citation, which is one of the highest awards they can. They said it meant a lot to get that recognition -- Erin.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: All right, Pam, thank you so much, on board the USS Lincoln and thanks to all of you for being with us AC360 begins now.
[20:00:35]
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER: 360": Good evening, from the Newsroom.
Tonight, the President is back in Texas for the third time in a month, which says a lot about the worries that Republicans have about their chances there just 27 days from now.
It's yet another stop on what has been an exclusively red state campaign map for him recently, which also speaks loudly about the party's view of the broader battlefield.
And because control of the Senate could now depend on states like Texas of all places, the President is back there again tonight pushing for his candidate, Ken Paxton, whom he routinely demeans, and who's on newly leaked audio blaming his own campaign troubles on the President's decision to launch a war against Iran, listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) KEN PAXTON (R) TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: It's the war, it's gas prices. it's diesel. When it's over $6.00 per gallon for diesel, I mean, it's -- put money, they have a lot of trucks that are diesel. People are feeling the pinch. So, that's probably the biggest problem and that, of course, drives up food prices and everything else.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COOPER: That audio was obtained by AXIOS.
In it, he also calls affordability, "by far our biggest problem." Now, the Paxton campaign calls the leak a non-story and says he was just saying what every Texan already knows, adding, "President Trump is doing everything he can to bring prices down and Ken Paxton is going to Washington to help him."
What his campaign doesn't mention is that the President has called the affordability issue a hoax. Of course, he routinely dismisses affordability as a made-up word. And instead of openly acknowledging the real price of gas and diesel, he's lately been quoting numbers that sound out of touch with reality because they kind of are.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Once you become a politician, you tend to look how much is gasoline at this moment in time? A $1.95 and $1.85, right? So, I was riding in Iowa. I made a speech there, and I passed a gas station, $1.95 a gallon. I passed another station, $1.85 a gallon. We'll have it lower than that in a very short period of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: The reality is that today gas is $4.29 a gallon. In Iowa, diesel is at $6.03, and those prices are somewhat lower. In Texas, they are nowhere near $1.85. Voters obviously know this because they have eyes and are reminded of what they're seeing and paying whenever the President says things like that. So, you get the Republican candidates distancing themselves from the party leader.
Listen to what Texas Republican strategist, Rick Tyler told CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK TYLER, POLITICAL ANALYST FOR MSNBC: Trump is making it difficult because what he what he is doing is what the Republicans don't want it to be done. Look, every midterm election to a certain extent is a referendum, it just is. And if it's going to be a referendum on Trump, the Republicans are going to do poorly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: The President, as you might imagine, has a different assessment. He says the rallies he headlines are actually big hits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: Everyone is big, they're all sold out. They have a line that's a mile long or two miles long or something. Even long before I got there, even last night. I think we're helping the Republican party with the rallies.
Yeah, and we're doing almost one a day, which is a lot of work but I like doing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Not every Republican does, though. most notably tonight, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who is in a very tight race against his Democratic opponent, has skipped tonight's rally.
Ken Paxton, though, is running far enough behind Democrat James Talarico, six points that perhaps he's concluded he has more to gain and less to lose from a Presidential visit. Then again, when you listen to some of what the President has been saying about Paxton, even as he's endorsing him, you might wonder about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Ken Paxton, you might not like the way he dresses. And I say this, it's so insulting to him, but I might as well say it. You might not like the way he looks. You might not love his look. He may not dress right. He may not talk exactly perfectly. And he may not be the best-looking guy I've ever seen.
I don't like the way Ken dresses. I don't really like the way Ken talks. I don't really like the way he looks. I don't like it. Ken Paxton was at my side more than anybody, and I have to always remember that because he can be a pain in the ass sometimes, I'll be honest. Is he here, by the way?
We got to get this guy elected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: CNN's Betsy Klein is in San Antonio for us tonight. So, how confident is the White House that this rally will help not hurt the Paxton campaign?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, I think President Trump and his team would not be here in Texas tonight if they did not think that this visit could move the needle. But they are going to be watching this very closely.
One GOP strategist here in Texas said that they're going to be seeing whether the President's visit here is able to bolster Paxton, and that could determine future investment in this race.
Now, this is a state that President Trump won by 13 points in 2024. And this is all part of a midterm campaign blitz that has brought the President to traditional Republican strongholds, including Texas.
[20:05:35] The goal here is to boost turnout among the President's MAGA base and we saw him do that tonight. So far, he has placed a special emphasis on the border. He brought up an angel mom to talk about border security. And there are also some signs that there are organizing. There was information on the screens here as participants arrived telling them about mail-in ballot deadlines, as well as when they can start early voting here in Texas.
The President also encouraging this crowd to vote for Paxton, praising him and also taking aim at Talarico with this criticism that may resonate here in Texas, that he's a vegan. Of course, Talarico has said that that is not true. But I've talked to a number of Texas political operatives asking them, why is this race so close?
The reason consistently is both candidate quality as well as the President's unpopularity. And we have seen Paxton continue to privately undermine President Trump. You saw that leaked audio to "The New York Times" that the midterm convention was not helpful. As well as that audio to "Axios", where he told donors and lobbyists that the Iran War and high gas prices are hurting him.
But the President also continues to pick at Paxton, who he's publicly criticized his physical appearance. Tonight, however, he says that he does not regret that endorsement, Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Betsy Klein in Texas, thanks very much.
Let's bring in our panel, CNN political commentator, joining me here in the Newsroom, "New York Daily News" columnist and podcaster S.E. Cupp. Former Trump White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin, also with us, Republican strategist Brad Todd and former Biden White House communications director Kate Bedingfield.
Alyssa, the President, usually pretty effusive about Republican candidates. Paxton, it's interesting, I mean, he keeps harping on his physical appearance. Smart for Paxton to have this rally with the President?
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think at this point, Ken Paxton can't do anything other than wrap his arms completely around Trump. He's deeply unpopular in the state. This is somebody who was impeached by his own party. He's got his many ethical violations, his personal dealings. He's got like the charisma of a shoe. So, all he could even hope for is that--
COOPER: You're really someone--
GRIFFIN: Sorry, it's still more glowing than Donald Trump's endorsement, it sounds like. All he can hope is that there is some kind of a Trump boom, and that this gives him some good local coverage and earned media there. But it is remarkable that Texas is even in play. And this comes back to the fact that Donald Trump decided to endorse against John Cornyn, a beloved Republican Senator who was the number three in the Senate, and somebody who this race wouldn't be nearly as close if it was against him and Talarico. So, Trump knows he has to be there. This isn't, he doesn't want to be there, but he knows Republicans are having to deploy money there, that this race shouldn't even be on the map, frankly. And maybe it will help Paxton.
COOPER: I just want to play a little bit more of this, this Paxton video that "Axios" got. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAXTON: So many of the factors in this federal race are uncontrollable. I don't make the decisions, And I don't, you know, I don't know what's behind some of the decisions."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: How many other Republicans running for national office do you think would make that claim that some of this essentially out of their control?
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, all the things you said, Ken Paxton is a terrible candidate. He's an abysmal fundraiser. He is a walking liability for the whole of the GOP and on top of it, he's complaining. It's wild, He's only here as the nominee because Donald Trump decided he was really hurt, that John Cornyn wasn't more supportive of him and decided to give him his endorsement.
He owes Donald Trump all of this, and he's been a huge pain in the butt for Republicans. The fact that they are going to have to spend upwards of $300 million--
COOPER: Incredible.
CUPP: --to defend Texas, the spiritual home state of the Republican Party, is remarkable. And he's complaining on top of it.
I just can't imagine this all being worth it. That Ken Paxton will be worth it even if he wins. it's money that could have been spent in other states that Republicans need to hold. This cannot have been worth it.
COOPER: Brad, do you think it's been worth it?
BRAD TODD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, remember where a lot of Republican money comes from in the first place, is the state of Texas, it's the number one donor state for Republicans. And so, a lot of Republican donors are happy to see money spent in Texas. But let's be clear, Ken Paxton is a big lift. And only he's complaining about the race being decided in Washington because only 12 percent of the Republican share of voice of the messaging is coming from his campaign.
That's compared to 78 percent coming from of the Democratic campaign, coming from James Talarico's campaign. Why is that?
Because Ken Paxton is an abysmal fundraiser. And so, the money is having to come from outside groups, outside. Most of them are Texas affiliated, but they're not in Ken Paxton's control. So, if he's upset, he doesn't have enough control, then he should be dialing for more dollars at the $3,000.00 clip.
[20:10:28]
COOPER: Kate, as we've said, polls have shown close Senate races and some deep red states like Texas, Kansas, Iowa. Some polls are also tight for statewide races and some blue and purple states like Minnesota, Michigan, Maine. Are you worried that some Trump voters are being undercounted, that perhaps they're angry enough to not want to answer polls or just are not responding to polls?
KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think it would be I'd be unreasonable to look at what's happened over the last few cycles, essentially, any cycle where Trump has been on the ballot or even adjacent to the ballot in the last ten years and not be concerned that the polling is shading too heavily Democratic and we have seen that consistently.
So, yes, I think that is a perfectly reasonable fear. I think there are a couple of things cutting in the Democrat's favor, some of which has been discussed here already. I mean, one, Trumps approval rating is so abysmally low. And not just that, but people blame him for their concerns with the economy.
So, it's not just that they're frustrated with where the economy is, but they actively blame Trump for bombing Iran, for making gas prices go up, for focusing on his vanity projects in and around Washington, and not being focused on bringing down prices the way he said he would.
So, that's a real problem for him. And the enthusiasm gap between Republican voters and Democratic voters, when asked, is pretty significant. Democratic voters are basically feeling motivated to crawl across glass to go vote for people who they think are going to hold Trump in check.
So certainly, I think any democrat would be foolish to look at the polling a month out and say, we've got this in the bag, and every candidate across the board will, of course, work as hard as they possibly can through election day. I certainly hope they will, but there are a lot of factors moving in the Democrat's favor right now.
COOPER: Yes, I mean, do you look at polls? It just feels like every polling night, every election night, we're always like, oh, the polls actually were kind of wrong.
GRIFFIN: I think that the public has lost a lot of faith in polling. And I think that there's a lot of the ways in which we do them that just are not up to date with how people are. And the hardest thing to sample and to actually be able to measure is these low propensity voters, which has always been kind of a stronghold for Donald Trump. That's what put him over the edge in 2024 is people you didn't expect to show up. So, there was no way to measure if they were going to. But listen, the when the generic ballot is D plus 15, like democrats have a huge advantage right now. Republicans need to be running smart. They need to be running scared. I think the House is basically a foregone conclusion.
But the Senate map could still go a number of ways. I still think New Hampshire is a bit of a sleeper race. John Sununu is performing better than expected there. So, I don't I think the senate is very much still a tossup.
COOPER: Republicans have spent what, like 500 what is it, 500 million? I mean, it's a lot.
CUPP: Yes, it's a lot. And actually, I mean, usually, the polls tighten as you get closer and closer to a midterm election. I'm seeing a number of races where the margins are actually widening for Democrats. And that should be deeply concerning. I'm also talking to voters and hearing two words. I have not heard from Republicans before. One is betrayal, the other is embarrassment.
It's not just they feel like Republicans haven't done enough for them in this cycle. They feel betrayed by the republican agenda that has actively ignored all the things they promised they would do in 24, and they feel embarrassed by almost throwing this largesse and these distractions in their faces, right?
When you've got those, A.I. videos, partying and spending money and they're throwing it in voters faces, they feel embarrassed by that. So, listen, we should all distrust the polls until we get to the election. But we are, we've done this a long time. We are, I think, seeing things that look very bad for Republicans.
COOPER: We're going to take a short break. We'll have more with your team.
Coming up next, also, two of the Presidents top political advisors and new reporting on the money they reportedly made helping a far-right pro-Putin political party in Bosnia.
Also, another member of the administration asking for money. What "The Wall Street Journal" uncovered about Americas ambassador to Greece, former "Fox" personality and Donald Trump Jr. fiance, Kimberly Guilfoyle. According to "The Journal" she asked an American businessman for $100,000.00 to pay her AmEx bill and wanted it paid, according to "The Journal" in a way that would not leave a paper trail. More on that ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:18:49]
COOPER: The President is distancing himself from two top political advisers after a report in "The New York Times" on their work during the midterms for a small pro-Putin government in the Balkans. According to "The Times", quoting four sources, James Blair and Chris LaCivita, who are leading the President's congressional campaign operation. They traveled to the Republika Srpska to advise the far- right government there how to tighten its grip on power.
Again, according to "The Times" the two were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars each through a Washington-based law firm that was retained by that government, which did not respond to the papers request for comment.
The President, though, did weigh in, first online and then from the Oval Office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They are consultants and I assume they have a lot of clients. So, I don't know who their clients are. If I thought they had a conflict with here, I would terminate. But all they are is consultants, they're, you know, they don't work in the White House. They're not sitting around a cabinet table or anything like that. They're consultants and I'm sure they have other clients. I'm sure they have many clients.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: CNN's chief White House correspondent and anchor of "The Source" Kaitlan Collins, joins us for more.
It sounds like they're like the paper boys. I mean, they're actually not. They're pretty connected, aren't they?
[20:20:03]
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN'S CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND THE ANCHOR OF "THE SOURCE": Yes, I mean, for the President to talk about how they're not sitting around the cabinet room. I mean, it wasn't that long ago that James Blair, who was one of these aides, was very much inside the cabinet room and inside the West Wing. He's one of the most senior aides inside the White House, and he's now outside leading this campaign arm, this outside group of the President, along Chris LaCivita, who's a senior adviser.
Which is why the President's Truth Social post on this report today, Anderson, was so remarkable because it seemed a lot firmer than how he sounded inside the Oval Office there. It's not clear what conversations transpired between the Truth Social post and that moment in the Oval, when a reporter questioned him about this.
But the President said in his post online that he would essentially fire them if there were conflicts. When he asked for their client list, which a reporter followed up on. And the President said he would consider doing.
And so, it was remarkable to see that. And also, our reporting now is that the President actually didn't know about this outside work that they were doing for this pro-Russian government until Ken Vogel at "The New York Times" was reporting on this and submitted an inquiry to the White House for comment from the White House on this. Given how close both of these two political advisors are to the President and how they are leading MAGA Inc. right now, which is the President's outside group that is helping them with all the funding as they're trying to keep Republican control of Congress in Washington in less than a month from today.
And, Anderson, I think when you listen to the President as he was alternating today between downplaying this, considering firing them and defending them. One thing that everyone knows who has covered Trump, who has worked for Trump, who is any way associated with Trump, is he doesn't like when people make money off their connection to him.
He doesn't like when people profit off of their visibility or association with him. And so, obviously, hearing a report like this, you can see why that was the Presidents first reaction to this.
Now, I will say that they both still have a lot of allies in the Presidents orbit. Certainly, James Blair does as well and a lot of people who work in the West Wing, which may be why the President tempered his comments when he was later asked while leaving the White House by my colleague Alayna Treene about this.
But it is a pretty remarkable report coming out. You know, just shortly before the elections, as it's kind of something everyone in Trumps orbit weighs, the people who do work outside the White House, who do make money from these outside groups, what that looks like, and of course, what it means for their proximity to the President.
COOPER: Yes, I mean, does the White House seem concerned at all about how it could impact Republicans in the in the midterms, or at least just the perception of the President?
COLLINS: Well, I think part of the criticism that we heard today, you know, privately from people was why are you focused on this when the midterms are this close and they are this impactful? And the White House has been painting it in this do or die kind of terms. So as House Speaker Mike Johnson, in terms of what this means.
And also, the questions about what MAGA Inc. is spending its money on. I mean, that's the group that the President said this week would start paying for those personal ads that were being paid for by taxpayer dollars. The President faced some criticism over, faced a lot of criticism over, and that he said they'd stopped doing that and MAGA Inc. would start paying for it. It's that group that is making those decisions and what Republicans to help out with what spending and what races, because the President is sitting on a pretty large chest of money, war chest right now.
And so, I think that's why that question came up in terms of priorities and what they are focused on with, you know, just a few weeks to go before some incredibly critical midterm elections for the President.
COOPER: Kaitlan Collins, thanks very much. Well, see you at the top of the hour for the source. I'm back with our political panel.
Alyssa, I could understand, I guess, if you're working in this White House and you see the amount of money that the President, his family is making, I guess maybe there's a feeling of like, why couldn't we do this? I mean, if this report is in fact accurate?
GRIFFIN: Yes, Kaitlan nailed it. So, two things the President hates when people are profiting off of their access to him. I remember this which --
COOPER: Which is, I mean it's--
GRIFFIN: Which is kind of the whole, whole deal. kind of seems like the main reason to be there. But it reminds me of in late 2020, he found out there was reporting that David Bossie and Corey Lewandowski had made some big money effort on the outside, and it created a huge strain in those relationships for quite some time.
To frame either of these individuals as not senior and kind of core to Trump 2.0 is laughable. These are both very senior aides, very much in his ear. Loss of veto was instrumental on the campaign, but I think it's also the fact that this is just terrible optics.
When MAGA Inc was slow to start deploying money into races, they were begging for them to be putting money into this Texas race, which is a problem of Trump's own doing. And right now, you know, 27 days from the midterms, his top political advisers are somewhere abroad and not working on winning back or keeping the House.
COOPER: I mean, as noted in "The New York Times" it's not uncommon for political advisers connected to a President to have other clients, I guess.
GRIFFIN: Sure.
COOPER: This is a pro-Putin government.
CUPP: Yes, it's got all the things. It's got all the things, a month out from a midterm would likely turn off a voter, right? It's got the Russia thing. These are two people who should be squarely focused on losing the midterms, which they are, and doing everything they can. It's self-dealing, which has also been a cloud over the Trump, the whole Trump administration. This sort of like air of corruption is what Democrats are really zeroing in on now too.
So, it's just got everything that Republicans do not need to be dealing with and answering questions about this close to the bar.
[20:25:35]
COOPER: Brad, does it make sense to you why Blair and LaCivita would do this?
TODD: Well, first off, let's go back. You said it earlier. This is totally normal for people who have been close to a President to work for foreign governments. You know, Vernon Jordan was a partner at Akin Gump. He was a big Bill Clinton adviser, he did it, it's happened in inversely.
We could go through all administrations and find this and, you know, I think the bigger question is, are these -- COOPER: They are not actually recognized by the U.S. government I think, this republic but anyway go ahead.
TODD: So, but they can have foreign -- nothing's stopping them from having a foreign client. It's not unusual and let's go back to the other question, though, that S.E. just pointed out. Are they focused on the midterms?
I can attest to this personally. Chris LaCivita is someone I have known for over 30 years, and he does politics full time, all the time. If he was on the moon, he would be working on races here in the United States of America. That's just the way the guy operates.
You know, he's just a total marine. I'd call him a soldier, but he'd get mad at me if I did that. And he's just a fighter. And so, he is absolutely focused on these midterms and James Blair is perhaps the most respected person in the White House politically, or who has recently been in the White House politically. And I don't know that you'll find a single Republican operative who will say a bad thing about what he's doing, effort wise, on this.
COOPER: Kate, how much do you think the President's advisers reportedly profiting off of an association with him and working on behalf of a pro-Russian government would damage the President, his allies? Do you think this stands out as a problem?
BEDINGFIELD: Well, look, I think the real, my real talk analysis of this here is Chris LaCivita and James Blair are household names in Washington, D.C., absolutely. They're not household names in across the country; voters are not particularly concerned with them.
So, the idea that, you know, like a Democratic campaign is going to zero in on this, as you know, their closing message. I don't think that frankly, I wouldn't argue for that. I don't think that makes a ton of sense.
Now, what I will say, though, is it does reinforce the problem that voters have with Donald Trump that he is focused on self-dealing, that he is allowing his family to grift off of his tenure as President of the United States, that he's not focused on bringing down costs for American families.
And so, I think to the extent that it helps sort of fuel that narrative, it certainly doesn't paint a good picture for Donald Trump. I also think, I mean, you know, Brad is right that certainly a lot of people who advise presidents go on to have foreign clients. But it matters tremendously who those foreign clients are. And if you have people who are again, supposed to be tasked with helping the President hold the Congress in the midterms, and they are focused on advancing the agenda of a state that is aligned with an adversary of the United States. Well, that's not great either.
So, look, do I think this is a game changer? No, I'll be honest with you, I don't and I think it would be foolish for Democrats to take their eye off the ball. Does it paint a picture of a President who is focused on the American people and doing what's right and good for them, and bringing prices down?
No, and that is the big vulnerability that Donald Trump has going into these midterms.
COOPER: I also want to play -- I want to ask you about the President's comments after being asked about potential Democratic efforts to impeach him after if they take back the House and the Senate. Let's just listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I could have done very bad things to Hillary Clinton. I could have done very, very bad things to Joe Biden. I could have done very bad things to Barack Hussein Obama. I thought it was inappropriate to do so, because you have to treat the office of the presidency with respect. Then I found out that they impeached me twice, and I certainly, even to this moment, I have, I can do whatever I want, if I want.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Why would he be going down this road?
GRIFFIN: Not helpful musings as your closing message heading into the midterms. It's been a preoccupation of the presidents that he likes to remind people he didn't go after Hillary Clinton, but he could have. This is a common refrain that he goes back to. But this honestly feels like a bob in a weave as he's starting to process the fact that he's had total control of the White House and both chambers of Congress and that's about to change in that he is going to be subject to oversight.
He remembers impeachment one, he remembers impeachment two, I don't think he wants to deal with what comes with a potential impeachment three, which, by the way, I think is bad politics. I don't think Democrats should impeach.
COOPER: Alyssa Farah Griffin, S.E. Cupp, thanks so much, Brad Todd, appreciate it, Kate Bedingfield as well.
Coming up, "The Wall Street Journal" reporting that U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle pushed a donor to pay her $100,000 American Express bill in a way that wouldn't leave a paper trail. What the ambassador and former fiancee to Donald Trump Jr. said on an encrypted app, according to "The Journal". We'll be right back.
[20:30:32]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Kimberly Guilfoyle, the current U.S. Ambassador to Greece and former fiancee to Donald Trump Jr., is under fire tonight from new reporting from The Wall Street Journal. Reading from the article, "Kimberly Guilfoyle was preparing for her congressional hearing to become U.S. Ambassador to Greece when she reached out to a Trump donor with an urgent request. She needed $100,000 that she said she owed American Express in a way that wouldn't leave a paper trail." [20:35:00]
According to the journal, she sent the donor a message on Signal, an encrypted app that read, "Honey, please, I need you to get this done for me today." Adding a prayer hands emoji and a PDF with bill payment instructions.
This is a screenshot from the Wall Street Journal of part of the Signal chat where she added, "You could just send it here, it won't show up anywhere. If you wire money to American Express, that's all that will show, please."
According to The journal, she was messaging this man, Eric Deters, a businessman and former political candidate, who the paper says was asking her for help for months in getting the attention of the Trump administration on some tax and legal issues, and that he promised payments of upwards of $1 million if she was successful. He said to The journal that Guilfoyle told him if he paid her Amex bill, quote, "I will be your Trump ride or die forever and ever." Dieter said he didn't pay and the relationship eventually soured.
According to The journal, Guilfoyle began to express concerns about their dealings becoming public and sent him this message on Signal. "Eric, I really wish you would stop papering all these things. It's really dangerous and not helpful to you or me while you could simply just call me on Signal." After her confirmation in The Journal report, she sent this when Deters told a producer with Guilfoyle's podcast about their proposed deal, quote, "It's unbelievable when we have a private arrangement with you that you would now CC a producer talking about money."
She added, "What a nightmare? You'll literally cost me my ambassadorship, stop writing." The journal reached a lawyer for Guilfoyle who told them, quote, "The ambassador disputed the authenticity of the messages, but declined to provide specifics."
He said she had been paid to speak at events before her nomination and quote, "was owed a balance for traveling to and supporting these patriotic events." Deters said he didn't owe Guilfoyle any balance. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio happened to be in Greece earlier today delivering a speech in Athens. He had this to say before The Journal's reporting came out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: Suffice it to say, our embassy here is doing a great job. Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, for more on this, I want to bring in Norm Eisen, former Obama White House Ethics Czar and former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Eisen -- Ambassador Eisen, what is your reaction to this reporting? Is any of this -- does it sound legal to you? NORM EISEN, FORMER OBAMA WHITE HOUSE ETHICS CZAR AND FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC: Well, Anderson, it's one of the worst things that I have ever seen with respect to a U.S. ambassador. It stinks to high heaven. I think that it does raise serious questions about whether or not there was a quid pro quo of a nominee, and nominees are covered by 18 U.S.C. 201, which creates a criminal violation.
I'm not saying that there was bribery here. Bribery is tough to prove. Ambassador Guilfoyle denies it. But these texts are like nothing I've ever seen. It's not just that there seems to be an exchange of cash for access, but Anderson, text after text saying, it's private, it's a nightmare. Why are you writing this down? Send it to American Express, it won't show.
I mean, that's a consciousness apparent of wrongdoing. So certainly, it raises the most serious questions. The ambassador does deny it. If Congress changes hands, I would think that this would be part of a congressional investigation at the very least, and maybe more.
COOPER: Let me -- I mean, obviously she hasn't been accused of any crime. She is not being investigated. Does it matter that the $100,000 payment to Guilfoyle's credit card was apparently never made? Would that play a difference?
EISEN: Well, it -- if you have -- if in fact, it was to be determined that there was an agreement, a wrongful agreement, that would raise a very serious set of questions. You know, the laws have been tightened up considerably. I disagree with it, but that is the law of the land. The Supreme Court, when you're looking at these allegations, and at this point, it's just questions which the ambassador denies any wrongdoing.
But this isn't the first controversy involving her. There's been questions about whether she has been too close to an energy company and a lobbyist in Greece and the access there.
[20:40:00]
And often when you see these kinds of allegations and an investigation begins, questions arise about what else may have gone on. I have never seen anything like these Signal messages. But as you say, right now, it's just serious troubling questions, but they are some of the most serious questions that I've seen about a sitting United States ambassador. I can't believe my eyes.
COOPER: Norm Eisen, thanks very much. Appreciate it.
Up next, a tearful reunion happened today on the USS Lincoln between a father and a daughter. The ship returning to San Diego after a near record deployment fighting the war with Iran. We'll take you there live on board.
And later, Cornell students staging a sit-in on campus as pressure mounts for changes in the university's leadership. The latest from Cornell coming up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:45:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It ends here.
CROWD: It ends here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One in three.
CROWD: One in three.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It could be me.
CROWD: It could be me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's be clear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Cornell students are staging a seven-hour sit-in tonight on campus as a way to show, in their words, solidarity with Jane Doe, according to flyers for the event. Meanwhile, the City of Ithaca's Common Council is meeting right now to discuss student safety and a vote on potential moratorium for permits for some social events.
This all happening as Jane Doe, the alleged victim, who is at the center of this controversy, is now getting death threats, according to her attorney. That's where CNN's Gloria Pazmino begins her report tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I -- I can hear you. I can like, can hear you breathing, and instead of speaking up, you're just sitting there quiet.
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A chilling phone call, just one of the many threats sent to Jane Doe, and a swatting incident where Doe's attorney says police drew guns on her family and a friend. Doe's attorney tells CNN he is concerned for her and her family's safety.
THOMAS GIUFFRA, ATTORNEY FOR JANE DOE: Just before I got on with you, somebody called her, made a threat to shoot up her house, shoot her, her mother, her father. She's calling the police as we speak now.
PAZMINO (voice-over): This as calls grow for the Cornell University president to resign over the administration's response to sexual assault allegations by Doe in October 2024.
ARIANA KIM, FACULTY SENATE MEMBER, CORNELL UNIVERSITY: There are layers of concerns that need to be addressed, and I think the only way to begin that process is to see resignations and a turnover in our upper administration.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Faculty and Cornell administrators met during a Tuesday virtual staff meeting. In audio obtained by CNN, school officials acknowledge tensions are running high and emotions are raw.
MICHAEL KOTLIKOFF, PRESIDENT, CORNELL UNIVERSITY: This is just an enormously difficult time for our community. We all recognize it. A lot of serious questions and important questions that we need to answer.
PAZMINO (voice-over): For more than an hour, administrators read from prepared remarks and vetted questions. President Michael Kotlikoff addressing concerns about Greek life and party culture on campus.
KOTLIKOFF: This is obviously absolutely horrendous and inexcusable situation that occurred in a fraternity as part of a fraternity party. But I have to make the point that this doesn't only occur in fraternities. They worry about pushing this into the shadows into houses which we don't know, which are private houses which have parties in which things can occur beyond our purview.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Faculty members raised concerns about two accused students who remain on campus.
KAVITA BALA, PROVOST, CORNELL UNIVERSITY: We have our multiple vice provosts are working with the faculty who are running the classes that have two of the respondents in the classroom, and they're working on figuring out the dynamics.
PAZMINO (voice-over): As two separate investigations into the school get underway, video obtained by ABC News shows an interview between a Chi Phi member not involved in the alleged assault, but who was in the house that night, being interviewed by Cornell Police.
CHI PHI MEMBER: There is a consensual act that took place [redacted] and that's -- yeah, that's really what the general rumor that was going around was that it was a, yeah, it was a consensual thing.
CORNELL POLICE: In college, I wouldn't have been like, oh, that was a sick consensual act last night, right? Like, I guess, where -- how do they know it was consensual?
CHI PHI MEMBER: I mean, I can't recall exactly what was said but, yeah, I mean, they -- they said that they had sex with her, I guess.
PAZMINO (voice-over): Protests have cropped up all over campus with students airing frustrations over what they say is a lack of response by the administration, including a seven-hour sit-in this afternoon held in solidarity with Jane Doe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Gloria, I understand you just got new information from a lawyer representing one of the accused. What can you tell us?
PAZMINO (on camera): That's right, Anderson. I just got off the phone with one of the lawyers who's representing one of the seven accused Cornell University students. He told me that, so far, he has seen no evidence that his client engaged in a sexual activity with Jane Doe that was not consensual. In fact, his client has described her as an active participant during the sexual activity.
I also have to tell you, Anderson, that same attorney tonight filing an Article 78 motion with the court, asking a judge to review a motion to have the State Attorney General, Letitia James, removed from this case as Special Prosecutor. The reason for that, the fact that she made statements that appear to be in support of the victim a few days before she was appointed as Special Prosecutor.
We have reached out to James and Governor Kathy Hochul's office for comment. Anderson?
[20:50:00]
COOPER: Gloria Pazmino, thanks so much.
After a near-record 321 day deployment, the USS Abraham Lincoln is finally about to dock back home while spending months fighting the war with Iran. The ship's deployment was extended twice, with reports of poor living conditions on board and even some sailors attempting suicide across the fleet of warships in the Middle East. That's according to a letter from the acting secretary of navy.
Today, Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth announced the U.S. sailors in the USS Lincoln strike group received the Presidential Unit Citation, which is the U.S. military's highest unit award for collective heroism in action.
Joining me now is CNN's Pamela Brown, who spent time on the USS Abraham Lincoln back in July. She's back on the aircraft carrier now. So what have the sailors on board been telling you about coming home?
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT & ANCHOR: Wow, Anderson, they are just so relieved, so excited. They can't wait to hug their loved ones. There's around 60 dads on this ship who have never met their child.
COOPER: Wow.
BROWN: So you can imagine the anticipation and the hope and just the certainty they finally have after so much uncertainty over the course of this 10-and-a-half-month deployment. And talking to these sailors today, we really roamed the deck here, Anderson. You see the sailors having a cigar here, really letting loose.
And we've been talking to so many of them, and they all said there were some dark moments. Many of them struggled, but they also are really proud of themselves for being resilient and overcoming the obstacles. Some say that they're now a changed person after this deployment.
But as you know, Anderson, those dark moments included an attempted man overboard last March, an actual man overboard in August after I left in July, which just shows you the mental strain of this deployment.
Normally, the Navy is in more of a support role, but in the Iran War, this ship has really been in the center of the action with the port blockade as well as all of the different flight missions. And it took a toll here on some of these crew members. So I asked them today, how were they able to get through? This is what one sailor told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIANE WESTFALL, SAILOR, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN: The only thing that we all had in common, though, was we just wanted to go home, which, you know, wasn't possible for a very long time, but we had each other. And I think that was one of the most important things, that we all leaned on each other and that we all had each other's backs because we all were going through the same things at the same time. And we all were feeling the same things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And so, Anderson, we've already been seeing some of the reunions here today. In fact, Lieutenant Commander Jason Frost came on board to surprise his daughter, Hannah. This was her first deployment, and there was so much emotion, so many tears flowing.
Just a little preview of what you're going to see tomorrow, the big reunion. But also, it's important to remember, Anderson, reintegration can be tough, especially after a historically demanding deployment such as this. So the Navy says it will continue to check on these service members, and I'll be talking to leadership here on this ship soon and ask them some of those questions we're all asking in terms of the morale and the conditions here.
COOPER: Wow. It's so great to see that reunion and to imagine all the reunions that are going to be taking place, especially for all those dads who haven't seen their newborns. Pamela, thanks so much. Pamela Brown, appreciate it.
Up next, tropical storm. The Gulf of Mexico forecast to intensify overnight into a hurricane and hit the Gulf Coast by Friday. Details from CNN's Weather Center when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:57:29]
COOPER: Tropical Storm Isaias is currently churning in the Gulf of Mexico and expected to rapidly intensify into a hurricane overnight before hitting the Gulf Coast as early as Friday. Allison Chinchar is in the CNN Weather Center with the latest.
So how strong is the tropical storm right now?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's not very strong, but it has strengthened in the last few hours, and that's what we expect it to do over the next 24 additional hours. So right now, those sustained winds, 65 miles per hour, but the wind gusts are at 75. So those wind gusts are already at hurricane strength, and it's only expected to continue to strengthen from here on out.
In fact, the National Hurricane Center expects it to get to a high-end Category 2, meaning winds up around 110 miles per hour. I want to emphasize that a Category 3, though, is only one mile per hour higher than that. So it's going to be kind of right there on the cusp of a Category 2 or Category 3, which would be a major hurricane at some point as we go through the day on Friday.
So again, this is when we expect it to then start to make its full turn to the north before making landfall late Friday, really where you see a lot of the pink color here, and that's where you have those hurricane watches in effect already in anticipation of this storm making landfall.
Now, it's really going to start to get its act together here late in the day Thursday and continue that trek off to the north by Friday. I want to note though, even after it makes landfall, there is another threat, and that is going to be flooding for a lot of these inland communities stretching from Mississippi all the way over into Georgia and South Carolina, because that right front quadrant is where you tend to get a lot of moisture, and it's being pulled up from the Gulf, really enhancing a lot of those areas to get a lot of water from this system.
Now, the most likely arrival time for some of those tropical storm force winds is likely going to be Friday, really peaking late afternoon and into the early evening hours. Rainfall obviously going to be highest along the coast, where they could get maybe six to ten inches of rain. But even some areas well inland, places like Atlanta, Birmingham, Huntsville, these areas could still pick up four to six inches of rain from this, even though they are well, well north of the coast.
It's also why you have not just Friday, but Saturday, looking at the potential for flooding in all of the areas that you see here shaded in the green and the yellow area. Obviously, the target point is really going to be that red shaded area right there along the coast.
Storm surge, also going to be a factor. The peak is right here in the orange color, that includes Mobile, Pensacola, Panama City. Those types of areas could be looking at five to seven feet, but even some of the surrounding areas, Anderson, still looking at maybe four to even six feet of storm surge.
[21:00:00]
COOPER: All right. Allison Chinchar will be tracking it. Thank you. You can stream this show live, watch any CNN program on demand, in addition to getting original programming anytime, any screen or mobile device, all you need is the All Access subscription. Scan the QR code on your screen or go to cnn.com/watch to learn more. The news continues. "The Source with Kaitlan Collins" starts now. See you tomorrow.
