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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump DOJ Says It Will Abide By Court Ruling To Pause $1.776 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund; Tomorrow, Major Primary Election Night Across The U.S.; Protests Continue At Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center In New Jersey; Election Denier Tina Peters Released From Prison. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 01, 2026 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, what Republicans are saying tonight about the Trump administration standing down, for now, on its plans to create this $1.8 billion fund to compensate those who claim they were wrongly targeted by a previous Democratic administration.

Plus, election denier Tina Peters is out of prison, already back to making baseless claims about potential cheating in future elections by the Democrats, of course.

And is this the year a Democrat becomes a U.S. senator in Iowa? And in California, will a former MTV reality star become the next mayor of Los Angeles? The primaries we'll be watching tomorrow.

Welcome to The Lead. We begin with our Law and Justice Lead, this afternoon's announcement from the Justice Department that it will abide by a judge's ruling to pause the creation of that $1.776 billion fund meant to compensate those who say they were wrongly targeted by the government in the past. These include individuals who beat up cops as they tried to stop the election from happening.

A statement to CNN from the Justice Department says, quote, the Department of Justice disagrees strongly with the decision, but that same letter concludes by saying the department will abide by the court's ruling, which is, of course, the law.

Let's begin with our correspondents who cover both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. Kaitlan Collins, to you first. What are you hearing from the White House about why the Trump administration is backing down, at least for now?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, Jake, we've been talking with officials at the White House about this ever since the fund was first announced, and they were completely caught off guard by the level of blowback that they got from Republicans on Capitol Hill, not often a place of criticism for this White House. And that has only continued, Jake. And on Friday, we heard that the fund was all but stalled, basically, because of those court decisions, saying you can't disperse money, you can't do anything with this, you can't appoint people to the commission. Basically, no work on this fund could happen.

But, Jake, to be clear, as this is now hitting a point today where the administration is signaling that they plan to drop it, though, you know, we have not heard that directly from the president himself, so always take it with a grain of salt until it's confirmed from the president himself on this front. But they're signaling that they are going to drop it, Jake.

But this was never going anywhere anyway before these court decisions happened. They were struggling to get people to name as commissioners who were going to have to put their name on paying out these funds to people who were going to be applying for them. And as the administration made clear, people who were convicted around January 6th and for crimes related to that were certainly able to apply to that.

So, this was really facing severe pushback anyway from the White House -- or for the White House politically, before legally it was facing this pushback from the courts. And not one, but now two different judges who have intervened here, the one in Virginia and another one in Florida, that might kill this fund all together.

And so the White House had been understanding that was coming, that they were seeing those signals and the pushback. And so, yes, they are saying that they are abiding by the court decision on this. That's why it's not moving forward. But, Jake, I was hearing behind the scenes it wasn't really moving forward anyway, and that was because they are facing such severe pushback on Capitol Hill from senators who are saying, you're not going to get your immigration funding passed if this bill is not dropped.

And the question, of course, is whether or not that statement today saying that they will abide by the court decision is enough for the Republican senators who want to see it dropped altogether.

TAPPER: And, Manu, Congress is back from the memorial break. Opposition to the weaponization fund delayed this important immigration spending bill. The Senate just like went home because they were so frustrated. Where do things stand now?

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's still uncertain, Jake, about whether or not that this statement alone will be enough for President Trump to see that major immigration proposal go through. That was tens of billions of dollars in funding for ICE and for Customs and Border Protection, a central priority of the president, and really perhaps the last big legislative agenda that could pass before the November midterms.

But it has all come to a halt because of the president's decision to move ahead with this weaponization fund. A number of Republicans said that it needs to be dropped, killed all together before they could vote to proceed to this measure or threatening to try to kill it through the process, the actual bill, when it -- when and if this does come to the floor.

The big question is going to be whether or not there will be enough Republicans who will vote to begin debate. That is what the Senate GOP leader, John Thune, is now assessing behind the scenes, talking to his members about whether this statement that they will abide by this court ruling will be enough to ensure that there'll be no more than three Republican defections to begin debating this proposal.

[18:05:01]

But I can tell you, in talking to a lot of Republican senators in the aftermath of this Justice Department statement, a lot of them have more questions. A lot of them say that they need to investigate this more fully, and are not committing yet to voting yes. Some of them, like Senator Lisa Murkowski, a key swing vote, said that this needs to go all together.

So, we'll see ultimately how this comes down, Jake. But that's a big level of frustration for Republicans, who wanted this passed before they left town for the Memorial Day recess, but they left town because of this being dropped in their laps, and because of their demands for this to be dropped all together. But the question now is, will this statement go enough to ease those concerns? Jake?

TAPPER: I'm also joined here in studio, where I have the rare privilege and distinct honor of being joined by former deputy assistant attorney general in the George W. Bush administration, Tom Dupree.

Tom, the fund suffered two major defeats in court last week, as has been alluded to already. First, a ruling in Virginia, then a second judge in Florida who oversaw Trump's initial suit against the IRS $10 billion he sued for. In light of today's decision by the Justice Department to pause, do you think those challenges may succeed?

TOM DUPREE, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: I think these challenges will move forward, and I think there's a fairly good chance of success. And, look, the administration has a serious legal obstacle here in that you now have a universe in which two separate federal judges have basically sunk their teeth into this fund. They are looking at it, whether or not it complies with the law, whether it was an appropriate resolution to the settlement of the case that Trump himself had brought against the IRS.

So, you've got two federal judges hitting pause, which I think in many respects may actually be a bit of a favor to the administration because it gives them political cover to go, as they have now done, to the Hill and say, look, we're going to respect the court's rulings, you know, we'll take down the temperature a little bit. These rulings will be in place for at least a few weeks, meaning there can be no disbursements, nothing can happen with the fund for at least a few weeks.

But even after that two-week period expires, my strong sense here, Jake, is that these judges are not going to let this go, that they, in my judgment, are ultimately going to say there are serious legal problems with the fund, and they are not going to allow disbursements to be made from it.

TAPPER: No, they should put it before Congress. They should have the House and Senate vote on it if they think, if they're so confident it's a great idea. And we should also just note, Tom, part of the Justice Department's statement says this fund was open to anybody who was weaponized, targeted, persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, conservative, independent or otherwise.

First of all, I mean, I don't know how much I believe that. They were setting up a five-person team, and President Trump was going to -- you know, James Comey was not going to get any of this money, right? Michael Cohen was not going to get any of this money. But this certainly leaves open the possibility that people who beat up cops and were pleaded guilty and went to prison for it and then were pardoned by Trump could get some cash.

DUPREE: It sure does. And, look, that is one of the many aspects of this fund that really gave significant heartburn to conservatives, you know, those of us who cherish the rule of law, who don't think that people who beat up cops on January 6th should be getting taxpayer money. So, I think that the administration is frankly doing the right thing in, at least for now, taking this off the table.

Of course, the proof will be in the pudding whether or not they try to reinstall this later, but in my judgment, and I think a judgment that's shared by a lot of folks on the Hill, this is seriously ill- advised. This is not how taxpayer money should be spent. This is not appropriate use of United States dollars.

TAPPER: All right. Thanks so much, one and all, I appreciate it.

Kaitlan, of course, is working on new reporting for her show. That's The Source with Kaitlan Collins. Her guests tonight include Democratic Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern on CNN.

A live look in Newark, New Jersey tonight. For 11 straight days, we've seen protests outside the Delaney, rather, Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Center. We're monitoring the scene there tonight.

But, first, we're going to go Iowa and California. There are big primary races tomorrow.

Plus, in Maine, we're going to talk more about that big dilemma for Democrats after yet another scandal has been unearthed and reported about Senate Democratic candidate -- Senate's Democratic candidate Graham Platner. This one is sexting while married. Will voters look past it? Will they care?

We're back in a moment.

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TAPPER: It's still primary season in our Politics Lead. Let's have the music, please, the election music, the CNN election jam?

Yes. Primary election season is in full swing. Tomorrow, voters are going to head to the polls across six states in these here United States, then again next Tuesday in four other states.

Some of tomorrow's biggest races are happening in California. Voters there will narrow down candidates for governor and Los Angeles mayor. More on the tight races in L.A. in a sec.

But we're going to start with next week's Senate primary race in Maine, because over the weekend, there were new revelations about Democratic candidate Graham Platner and his extramarital sexting, allegedly, which is further complicating Democrats' hope of winning back the Senate, because they want to take out Republican Senator Susan Collins. And now Platner's wife is speaking out about this and how this is just gossip.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more. So, Jeff, there's been a lot a lot of drama coming from Platner's campaign. And this is a must-win race if Democrats want the Senate.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Jake, it definitely is. I mean, mathematically speaking, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for Democrats to win control of the Senate without winning Maine, and this is why.

Susan Collins is the only Republican member of the Senate who's up this year who's effectively from a blue state, a state that Kamala Harris won in 2024. That's why Democrats have placed so much hope in Maine. But at the same time, so much scrutiny is coming on Graham Platner.

He's an oyster farmer. He's never been in politics before. He's endured one sort of self-induced controversy after another. The latest, as you said, is a weekend of revelation about him sending sexual messages to a woman while he was married.

Well, his wife is pushing back on all of this, saying that those are not the issues that voters are concerned about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY GERTNER, GRAHAM PLATNER'S WIFE: I find it really shameful that there's a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip instead of talking about real issues that Graham is running on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:15:17]

ZELENY: So, look, Jake, it is very much an open question what matters anymore in today's politics, if something like this would actually cause voters to not consider him. But the majority of voters in Maine are women, and this has been a central issue sort of hanging over this. And you'll remember, just a bit of history here, the governor of Maine, Janet Mills, was recruited by Chuck Schumer to run against Graham Platner because they were concerned about things in his background. Well, she has suspended her campaign, but she told a Portland newspaper that, look, my name is still on the ballot next week. I haven't dropped out, so seemingly offering an alternative to any voters who may have an issue with Platner.

The bottom line, this gives Democrats some heartburn here because, again, Maine is central to their plan. But that is one of the reasons we're also here in Iowa, because if Maine becomes a problem, it is states like Iowa that could create a difference for Senate Democrats. Jake?

TAPPER: And, Jeff, you're in Iowa ahead of tomorrow's primary. Two Democratic candidates are looking to -- they're competing. They want to be the nominee to try to flip a U.S. Senate seat. This will be the first time since 2008, theoretically. Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican, is retiring. Why are Democrats optimistic about their chances in a state like Iowa, which you and I have seen go from purple to red in recent years?

ZELENY: It absolutely has. I mean, Barack Obama obviously won it in 2008 and 2012. But since then, Donald Trump has carried it three times. However, one thing that Democrats are pointing out, in the first midterm election of the Trump first term in office back in 2018, Democrats won three House seats here. And there is a confluence of issues, from the Trump tariffs, rising fertilizer prices, a true farm crisis going on here. That is giving Democrats an opening perhaps.

And not since 1968 has there been an open seat for governor and Senate at the same time, as well as those via competitive House races. So, that's why the Senate race tomorrow, a very interesting Democratic primary here between Zach Wahls, a state senator, and a state representative, Josh Turek.

The issues are largely the same, but it's really on the powers of their biography here. They've really captured the imagination of Iowa voters. But a question, can Democrats win in a state like Iowa? We'll find out in November. But there's no doubt Republicans are so concerned about this. They've already said they will invest $30 million to build up the Republican candidate in the fall.

But, again, all these states are interconnected here, but problems in Maine could mean the Iowa seat, and seats like it, are more important than ever. Jake?

TAPPER: Jeff Zeleny in Des Moines, Iowa, thanks so much.

Tomorrow's also a big primary day in California, as I mentioned. Voters are sorting through crowded races for both governor and Los Angeles mayor, among other races.

CNN's Elex Michaelson reports from L.A. now on this extremely tight three-way race for mayor where the candidates are polling nearly neck and neck. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The candidates making their last-minute pitches.

MAYOR KAREN BASS (D-LOS ANGELES, CA): No time for amateurs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, Sir Spencer, thank you so much for coming out here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a track record of delivering for renters.

MICHAELSON: The race to lead America's second largest city is tight, with an unlikely candidate that's propelled the race into the national spotlight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where I live.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!: Do you think this guy wants to sit through city council meetings all day?

MICHAELSON: Incumbent L.A. Mayor Karen Bass is facing challengers from her left and her right, including City Council Member Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican previously known as a reality T.V. villain.

The mayor's race is officially nonpartisan, meaning the candidate's party identification is not listed on the ballot. If no candidate gets over 50 percent in Tuesday's election, the top two vote getters will face off in November.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a wide open race.

MICHAELSON: A U.C. Berkeley/L.A. Times poll shows a close contest between Bass, Raman, and Pratt. I recently sat down with all three.

If you had to pick one word that separates you from your opponents in this race, what is that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Courage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Truth.

BASS: Experience, collaboration. I'm sorry, I had to throw in another.

MICHAELSON: The 2025 Palisades Fire still looms large, where 12 people died and nearly 7,000 structures burned, including Pratt's home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they didn't burn my house down, I wouldn't be running for mayor.

MICHAELSON: At the time of the fire, Mayor Bass was in Ghana.

BASS: It was a horrible, horrible moment in my life.

MICHAELSON: Despite days of high wind warnings forecast for L.A. BASS: The point is, I wasn't here when my city needed me, and that is a profound regret.

[18:20:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I was in Ghana, oopsie daisies. Like, no, you should have resigned.

MICHAELSON: Raman says she decided at the last moment to challenge Bass in part due to the city's response to homelessness.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I share the frustration that I see across the city, that so many Angelinos are feeling right now.

MICHAELSON: When you talked to Jake Tapper in 2023, you said that your goal was to end street homelessness in LA by 2026. How were you so off?

BASS: I didn't anticipate some of the bureaucratic barriers that I would experience.

MICHAELSON: For the last two years, the mayor's office reports L.A.'s homeless count has shown a decline. Last year's count reported a roughly 18 percent decrease in street homelessness since before she took office.

You promised that it would go away 100 percent.

BASS: Right.

MICHAELSON: So, why should people trust you that you're going to be able to get to the 100 percent?

BASS: Because let me just tell you, for the first time, we've had a decrease at all.

MICHAELSON: And what does the next four years look like?

BASS: An absolute overhaul and reconstruction of the system to deal with homelessness.

MICHAELSON: Pratt wants to build a facility outside of L.A. and require L.A.'s homeless to go there for drug treatment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be somewhere where people will go, and they go, thank God for Spencer. This is the greatest thing in the United States of America.

MICHAELSON: Pratt's direct to camera social media videos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we need change.

MICHAELSON: And A.I. clips created by his supporters are redefining L.A.'s political norms. In one A.I.-generated fan video, Pratt is Batman, Mayor Bass is the Joker, and residents are throwing tomatoes at her. BASS: His social media is now taking on a violent turn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming from the lady who allowed 12 people to burn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want this injected into my politics, and I hope Angelinos stand up on June 2nd and reject it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON (on camera): So, voting is underway at vote centers like this one behind me in Baldwin Hills, tomorrow, the last day to vote. But counting in L.A. can take a while, up to three weeks, and often the result can change. Remember, last time around there was a mayor's race, Bass and her opponent, Rick Caruso, were tied on election night. Three weeks later when they were done counting, Bass won by ten. So, just because we see a result tomorrow night does not necessarily mean that's going to be the person that advances. Jake?

TAPPER: All right. Elex Michaelson in Los Angeles, thanks so much.

In Newark, New Jersey, tonight, authorities have new barriers up as they try to keep the peace there outside of the Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Center. You're looking at the scene right now. The federal charges against a man who say -- they say showed up there last week.

Plus, the well wishes from President Trump to a Cuban-born immigrant recently released from the notorious Alligator Alcatraz Detention Center in Florida.

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[18:25:00]

TAPPER: In our National Lead, live pictures now outside an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey. Crowds are gathering for the 11th straight day to protest what's been described as inhumane conditions inside the facility. The Department of Homeland Security denies those allegations.

Last night, protesters and federal agents clashed despite a mandatory 9:00 P.M. curfew imposed by Newark's mayor. That led to several arrests. Today, we're learning a protester is facing federal charges related to his involvement in last week's protest.

According to the FBI, a 27-year-old Brooklyn man allegedly threatened to assault and murder the ICE officer and the officer's family. According to that complaint, the same ICE officer had hit the man twice in the leg with a baton during a physical altercation.

Sticking with the theme of immigration in our National Lead, an unusual welcome home post over the weekend from President Trump brought our attention to the story of a Cuban-born immigrant who recently was released from the notorious Florida detention center nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz. Justo Betancourt came to the U.S. from Cuba in 1990. According to court documents, he was granted lawful status several years later, but following numerous criminal convictions, including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, an immigration judge ordered his removal in 2020.

Ultimately, again, according to court documents, he was granted supervised release because he could not be sent back to Cuba, he was allowed to live his life and occasionally check in with authorities. But last October, during one of those routine check-ins, ICE arrested him, and they unsuccessfully tried to deport him to Mexico and then finally put him in Alligator Alcatraz.

To a large degree, Betancourt is free today, thanks to the efforts of his daughter, Arianne Betancourt, who joins us now, along with her father.

Justo, como esta? How are you doing now?

JUSTO BETANCOURT, FREED FROM ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ: I try to do it more better every day, you know?

TAPPER: Yes. And --

J. BETANCOURT: But I don't feel very well at the moment.

TAPPER: I heard that you had a mini stroke. Is that right, in custody?

J. BETANCOURT: Right. Yes. Yes.

TAPPER: How is the --

J. BETANCOURT: In November --

TAPPER: How is the recovery?

J. BETANCOURT: It take a time, you know? But I put it the best I can do it for feeling more better and coming with normal person, you know?

TAPPER: Arianne, tell us about how your father was detained and your fight to get him home.

ARIANNE BETANCOURT, JUSTO BETANCOURT'S DAUGHTER: He was detained during a routine immigration in October of last year. He was taken to Alligator Alcatraz immediately. He spent almost a month there before they took him to Krome. He spent another five, six weeks in Krome, was taken to Texas where they tried to deport him, brought him back, and then took him back to Alligator Alcatraz where he spent the additional four and a half months that he was detained.

[18:30:02]

TAPPER: And, Arianne, over the weekend, President Trump posted this, Welcome home to Justo Betancourt, whose daughter, Arianne, fought very hard to free her father from Alligator Alcatraz. Enjoy your freedom together, President Donald J. Trump. What was your reaction when you saw that? How did the president know about this case?

A. BETANCOURT: I've gone out of my way to bring attention to what's happening inside of Alligator Alcatraz, and as well as to inform myself of the similarities in other detention centers across the country. I mean, we're seeing civil unrest because of the policies in place, because of these detention centers, because of the detentions, because of just the whole immigration system currently.

And I kind of made it my life's mission to bring these injustices to light, and to make sure that the people who were in these detention centers weren't treated like less than, or were being forgotten or lost in a system.

TAPPER: Justo, tell us about the conditions in Alligator Alcatraz. What's it like in there?

J. BETANCOURT: The condition in Alcatraz, you know, whatever I say, there's nothing, you know. It's a bad condition.

TAPPER: Tough conditions?

J. BETANCOURT: That's a crazy place. Yes, a crazy place, you know? One place you have eight cage, 22, 23 for 23, 32 people each, and don't have a space to move, you know, go to the patio.

TAPPER: Yes.

J. BETANCOURT: It's crazy, you know? It's crazy. Whatever I say, you know, sometimes people believe it, sometimes not believe it, but I passed, and that's real, you know, what the people say.

TAPPER: Arianne, tell us --

J. BETANCOURT: But the animal you have in the house, you take care more better than what the people take care of.

TAPPER: Arianne, tell us what your father has told you about Alligator Alcatraz and the conditions in there.

A. BETANCOURT: I think at the beginning, he was trying to save me from what he was actually being subjected to. And once I started connecting with other families and I started hearing the horror stories, I kind of had to confront him and be like, hey, what's really going on in there? And, you know, little by little, he would tell me things, but he wouldn't really give me a full picture.

But through my work with the Workers Circle, I connected with more and more families, and within maybe a month and a half, I had a full picture of how people were made to walk from one tent to the other, the torture boxes, the isolation, the punishments, the lack of food, the lack of medical care.

I knew a small part of it based on what my dad was experiencing. And once I connected with other families, I realized this was a much bigger issue than was being addressed. And then I started traveling. I went to Broadview, I went to Minneapolis, I went to D.C., and anyone who I connected with who had a loved one detained was complaining of the same inhumane conditions. So, then I realized this is not just an Alligator Alcatraz issue. This is the standard throughout all of these privately ran detention centers in this country.

TAPPER: Justo and Arianne Betancourt, thank you so much for telling your story to us. We really appreciate it. Muchas gracias.

Ahead, the mysterious money that flowed into the campaign of Maureen Galindo, remember the anti-Semitic Texas House candidate? My next guest followed the money trail of this mysterious so-called progressive group that backed her. What he learned next.

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[18:35:00]

TAPPER: In our Money Lead, new details about how a powerful Republican operative inserted itself into a Democratic House primary in Texas by posing as a progressive super PAC.

Do you remember Maureen Galindo? She was the sex therapist who vowed to put Zionists in basically a concentration camp, an ICE detention facility, and also make it a castration processing center for, as she describes, pedophiles, which will probably be most of the Zionists, unquote. Her anti-Semitism quickly garnered national criticism, but also she and her candidacy got a windfall of money from a super PAC called Lead Left.

Now, Lead Left sounds like it would be a progressive PAC, but my next guest followed the money and found that it's anything but.

Joining us now, Judd Legum, he's the author of the Substack, Popular Information, which I recommend.

So, Judd, who is behind Lean Left?

JUDD LEGUM, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR, POPULAR INFORMATION: Well, it was a mystery for quite a while, but when you look at where they're registered, which is a Staples store in Tallahassee, I looked at all the other committees that had registered at that Staples in Tallahassee, there's only two, and both of them were connected to the treasurer of the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is the super PAC of the House Republicans. And it's a man named Caleb Crosby. He has a whole compliance firm that works with Republicans.

And one of the entities that shares an address with this Lead Left entity was the super PAC who supported Ron DeSantis during the 2024 presidential primary, and the treasurer of that PAC was an employee of Caleb Crosby.

And then the same thing goes with the other entity that was registered at the very same address, another operative who has worked with Caleb Crosby who's, you know, a major figure in the House Republican super PAC.

[18:40:00] TAPPER: So, CNN reached out to Crosby for comment today. We did not hear back from him. Obviously, if he reaches back, we will share his views.

Lead Left still out there, still presenting itself as a progressive entity. The website reads that it, quote, stands against MAGA extremists who will infect our country with Donald Trump's agenda, unquote.

Now, you discovered that Lead Left has intervened in other Democratic primaries. Tell us about that.

LEGUM: Well, it's really a whole network of super PACs. There's another one called Real Change PAC which is in New Jersey, which is in Maine attacking Democratic candidates, usually ones that are perceived as ones that would be strong in the general election. And that PAC is linked to a very prominent D.C. Republican communications firm, Cavalry. When you registered for their website, not anymore, but, initially, you got a confirmation email from a Cavalry email address.

And Cavalry is also a major vendor of the Congressional Leadership Fund. The Congressional Leadership Fund spent about $10 million with Cavalry in the 2024 cycle.

TAPPER: Now, Maureen Galindo ultimately lost the primary to her opponent, the runoff, Johnny Garcia. Democrats launched an aggressive push to oust her and also bring attention to the fact that they said she was backed by Republicans up to mischief. What did this primary teach us in any way about the upcoming midterms, and also just the issue of anti-Semitism and the issue of Israel and Zionism?

LEGUM: Well, I think it's being used clearly as a political tool. It seems that this money was being spent by Republican forces not because they supported her but because they wanted to use it as leverage.

I think it suggests, in my view, that perhaps we're all not taking the issue of anti-Semitism as seriously as we can. We're just using it to achieve political ends.

TAPPER: Well, it's great reporting and, Judd Legum, thanks so much for coming on. I really appreciate it. I always read your stuff, and it's good to have you on the show.

LEGUM: Well, thanks so much for having me.

TAPPER: Today in Colorado, election denier Tina Peters walked out of prison and right to the Steve Bannon War Room. Hear the baseless claims she made about possible cheating in future elections. That's next.

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[18:46:48]

TAPPER: In our law and justice lead, today, election denier Tina Peters walked out of a Colorado prison earlier today, thanks to Democratic Governor Jared Polis granting her a controversial commutation that made her eligible for parole.

A little background here. Peters, as you may recall, is a Republican, a former Mesa County, Colorado clerk. She was convicted in 2024 of state felonies for conspiring with fellow election deniers -- deniers to allow them to breach her county's voting systems.

This took place in 2021, long after the election was over, but presumably it was in hopes of, quote, unquote, proving Donald Trump's baseless 2020 voter fraud claims. The governor's decision is deeply unpopular with Colorado's Democrats. The state party censured him.

And Peters is, shall we say, unrepentant, judging by her appearance today on Steve Bannon's "War Room" show. Take a listen

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINA PETERS, FORMER MESA COUNTY CLERK: I know that the Democrats are going to cheat and no one's really addressing the problem that the Mesa -- that I -- that I spent my time in prison as retribution for and that was exposing the election machines that allow the votes to be flipped.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Wow a lot of -- a lot of untruthful statements there.

Joining us now is Colorado's Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold.

Please address the claims that Ms. Peters makes in that -- in that clip, what we just heard about Colorado's voting machines, flipping votes and the rest.

JENA GRISWOLD (D), COLORADO SECRETARY OF STATE: Absolutely false and I think that the fact of it is she gets out, immediately goes on Bannon's show and continues to push out the lies and falsehoods. She's been pushing for years.

And make no mistake. These lies have been used to fuel conspiracies, but also fuel the threat environment And Jake, I also think that her comments shows she has absolutely no remorse granting clemency to her was a grave injustice to Colorado, our democracy and election workers all across this country. It was a bad idea.

And I -- I am hoping for the best but Tina Peters shows herself time and time again, she has no remorse and if I would guess she would do her actions again.

TAPPER: So you're on the front lines of the election denial movement. And you believe that her release -- her commutation will embolden that movement So what now do you think.

GRISWOLD: Well, we keep on doing what -- what we're doing. Colorado is one of the strongest states for elections in the entire country. That will not change because Tina Peters has been released. We have multi- factor -- multi layers of election security. We led -- I've led bill after bill with our legislature increasing our

security posture, including by the way, having a bill put into law after Tina Peters breached her system to make it absolutely crystal clear it's a felony to breach systems.

But the threat environment continues to be very high. We've seen high turnover of county clerks in a large part because of the threat environment.

[18:50:02]

The people who are in these positions now, they know what is coming. They're true patriots and we're going to guarantee a great election for every Republican, Democrat and unaffiliated voter in the state of Colorado.

TAPPER: The Justice Department Says that they're now going to push the pause button on President Trump's $1.8 billion of so-called "anti- weaponization" fund. Vice President Vance over the weekend said he thought potentially Peters would be eligible for the fund. What's your take on that and also the fund's existence itself?

GRISWOLD: These guys are so corrupt. It's almost unimaginable. The fact that Tina Peters gets out in itself is a slap in the face to the justice system and I think really sends a message to Trump's followers that if they break the law, they may get off, just as long as they're doing Trump's bidding. So that's very dangerous.

But to layer on top of it the fact that Trump wanted to pay people who broke the law to further his mission, it's a level of corruption that I think we have never seen in this country. Americans need to continue to speak out, to fight back and just know we are winning this large fight against Trump's power grab. We just need to stay focused and get through this dark time in American history.

TAPPER: Colorado Secretary of State Jenna Griswold, the Democrat, thank you so much for joining us.

GRISWOLD: Thank you.

TAPPER: Coming up, the celebrity poker tournament that evolved into a star-studded weekend benefiting a very important cause that's become dear to me. We're talking about the Big Slick. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:56:04]

TAPPER: In our sports lead, the GOAT is back, according to the World Tennis Association. After four years of retirement, Serena Williams is returning to tennis, accepting a wildcard invite to play doubles next week at London's Queen's Club tournament.

The star teased her return in a new Nike ad. Watch.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS) TAPPER: That ad ending with the cut line there, good news travels fast. The Queen's tournament director told TNT sports that Serena will team up with Canadian tennis star Victoria Mboko. Serena's team has yet to confirm if she will also play at Wimbledon later this month.

In our pop culture lead, you may have heard me talk about "The Big Slick" before. It's a celebrity fundraiser benefiting pediatric cancer research. It's been taking place in Kansas City for the last 17 years. In that time, it has raised more than $34 million to support these kids. It's a terrific event. It brings joy and hope to those of us, who need it the most.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER (voice-over): It's an annual charity event unlike any other. It's called "The Big Slick", and it brings together Kansas City's most famous names and many of their friends for a very important cause.

TAPPER: The weekend is a fundraiser. There are hundreds of donors from the Kansas City area and beyond to be honest.

These lovely people are giving money to Children's Mercy Hospital and the excuse is that they're paying to mingle. But the truth is they just want to be part of this special place and this special charity.

TAPPER (voice-over): Now in its 17th year, the event was originally a poker tournament hosted by Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis. They're now joined by fellow hosts David Koechner, Heidi Gardner and the very funny Eric Stonestreet.

ERIC STONESTREET, ACTOR & "BIG SLICK" HOST: I came on as a host. So I've been coming for 15 of the 17 years.

TAPPER: You started in 2000 --

STONESTREET: Jake, I can't do -- I can't do math. I'm a dumb actor. Two years after it started, damn it.

TAPPER (voice-over): And what started as a modest poker tournament is now a weekend long fundraising extravaganza that's raised more than $34 million over the last 17 years.

TAPPER: It's so much bigger now. It's huge.

STONESTREET: It's huge, and it wouldn't be this without the support. I mean, Kansas City just shows up for us.

TAPPER (voice-over): The fundraiser typically includes softball at Kauffman Stadium on the same field where the Royals play.

A big highlight of the weekend is the Saturday night "Big Slick" concert and auction

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's hear it for your "Big Slick" hometown heroes for tonight. TAPPER (voice-over): This year featuring a slew of performers including Steel Panther and Stephen Wilson, Jr. Even some comedians or comic actors such as Richard Kind regaled us with their musical talent.

But as is the case every year, the most important part of the weekend for all of us is visiting with the patients of Children's Mercy Hospital and their parents.

This year, "The Big Slick" raised $4.2 million for Children's Mercy, giving new hope to families enduring cancer, a heartbreakingly underfunded area of medicine.

STONESTREET: I never know Jake when I'm going into one of those rooms what I'm going to say and I'm never at a loss because they inevitably make it easy for me and teach me something in the face of their mortality.

TAPPER (voice-over): And the support is making a difference.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.

TAPPER (voice-over): Children's Mercy is celebrating 125 years of putting children first, serving more than 230,000 kids regardless of need in a single year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, everybody, wave. It's a Big Slick.

CROWD: It's a Big Slick!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: It's a truly wonderful event and cause. Great people. Kansas City is amazing. Can't wait to go again next year.

You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and on TikTok @jaketapper. You can follow the show on X and Instagram @TheLeadCNN.

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Turn it over now to Erin Burnett. "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.