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The Lead with Jake Tapper

House GOP Anxiety Spikes as Scandals Pile Up Ahead of Midterms; U.N. Says, Iran Executed 50-Plus People on National Security Charges Since March; Blanche Can Lose Only One More GOP Vote and Win Confirmation. Abdul El-Sayed Narrowly Wins Michigan Senate Democratic Primary; Passenger Plane Got Too Close To Trump's Marine One Helicopter. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired August 05, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

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

This hour, a behind-the-scenes scramble for Republican leaders tonight as they try to deal with serious allegations against multiple lawmakers in the Republican Party.

[18:00:02]

Speaker Johnson dodging questions about Congressman Max Miller after his CNN interview, as another Republican accused of truly bizarre and inappropriate behavior, Congressman Chuck Edwards drops his reelection bid, but keeps his job. And then there's the embattled Congressman Cory Mills, also under an ethics investigation. We're breaking down all of the latest details.

Plus, a new chapter in the fight over the Epstein files. Today, New Mexico sued the Justice Department for not sharing the unredacted documents as it investigates a ranch that Epstein owned inside the state. New Mexico's attorney general joins me live ahead to discuss.

Also, the final votes are being tallied after a crucial election night, which saw the progressive pull out a narrow win in the Michigan Senate primary over the Democratic establishment. And now the general election's already heating up with new ads and some harsh words between the candidates.

The Lead tonight, serious allegations piling up against House Republican Congressmen, allegations that threaten to put the party's narrow majority at risk in November. Ohio Republican Congressman Max Miller told CNN in a phone call this afternoon he's not going anywhere as he faces even more pressure to drop his re-election bid after our extensive live interview last night.

Miller defending his decision to keep campaigning in his Cleveland area district amid ugly abuse allegations from his ex-wife, Emily Marino, the daughter of Republican Senator Bernie Marino, also of Ohio. Those allegations emerged amid the Millers' divorce and custody dispute over their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, and Congressman Miller says the allegations are false.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MAX MILLER (R-OH): I then played Lauren Fox three separate audio videos, three separate audio videos of my daughter saying, I do not want to go to Mommy's. I do not want Mommy's, and I do not feel safe.

TAPPER: Your ex-wife stated to police that your child told her in the days leading up to the discovery of the injury, quote, Daddy kill you.

MILLER: Jake, I wish you could talk to my beautiful baby girl. She can't string together sentences like that. She's two and a half years old. She doesn't have the ability to articulate any of what you just said. That is an entire fabrication of the truth. I have actual video, actual documentation.

TAPPER: But didn't you just tell me that -- you just told me that she had said that she was scared to go to Mommy's house, and that --

MILLER: She is, and I have video of it, and she's --

TAPPER: But now you're saying that she's not capable of saying, Daddy kill you? I mean, it seems like she's either able to say one but not the other. That doesn't make sense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: The reaction from Republicans last night was not overwhelmingly positive for Congressman Miller, to say the least. In texts to CNN, one GOP strategist said, I mean, what the absolute F was that? A GOP aide on Capitol Hill said, I had a feeling this wouldn't go well for him, but it's actually much worse than bad, epic disaster. Brian Poindexter, who is Miller's Democratic opponent in November's general election, told CNN in a statement, quote, if all the allegations against Congress Miller prove to be true, Max Miller should be in jail, not worried about retaining a seat in Congress.

Sources telling CNN that President Trump privately believes Miller cannot win re-election. But Miller says Trump only told him it would be a tough race, but did not explicitly say that he should drop out. Trump was asked about Miller again this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Can you comment on Representative Miller?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I hope he's able to work it out. I feel badly for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Miller told me yesterday that Speaker Johnson is standing by him. Johnson finally broke his silence about these dire allegations against one of his members in an interview released this morning by Politico, making mention of the House Ethics Committee investigation into Miller, launched yesterday at Miller's own request.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I think what Max is suggesting there is that I've been intellectually consistent, always have. Since before I became speaker, and certainly over the last almost three years. This applies equally to Republicans and Democrats. We don't take disciplinary action against members for allegations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will you tell him to drop out?

JOHNSON: No. I will tell Max what I tell everyone. These are serious allegations.

And we have to allow this process to play out. It's just begun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Next, there is North Carolina Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards, who, while you were sleeping, in the dead of night, at 3:32 A.M. Eastern, announced on social media, quote, after much prayer and reflection, I've decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign. I will complete my current term.

A Twitter post that made no mention of the House Ethics investigation into Edwards that concluded on Monday with a report that found Congressman Edwards created or fostered a, quote, hostile work environment by failing to adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers.

He did so, the report said, with, quote, persistent, unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers in his office. The current and former staff members in Edward's office who spoke to the committee say they felt these two women were treated differently while creating an environment where they and their colleagues were uncomfortable.

[18:05:07]

Edwards showered them with lavish gifts, designer purses, jewelry, guns, a robotic vacuum, a KitchenAid mixer. In interviews with the committee, the women named specific interactions with Edwards that in their view went beyond the pale, invites to private dinners, late night personal texts, and in one case, a conversation about strip joints in Washington, D.C.

The congressman had brought one woman on a trip to New York City for a political event where they stayed an extra day for his birthday, quote, for which he had planned a helicopter ride, dinner, and a Broadway show, unquote. The congressman brought the same woman to a White House holiday party and asked for what -- and asked her which flowers she preferred. She said she was, quote, okay without flowers, thank you. He proceeded to buy her flowers anyway.

The congressman was apparently having quite the holiday season. Just a few days later, he offered in a text message to a second female staffer to, quote, skip votes to help her decorate her Christmas tree, to give him, quote, the opportunity to spend a little more time with her. That staffer told the committee that the congressman arranged for a singer to serenade her at a birthday party with an Ed Sheeran song, leading her to tell a friend she didn't think the congressman saw her as just a daughter figure and that she was, quote, scared, low-key.

The Ethics Committee also points out that its investigation was not the first time the women's concerns had been brought to him. A senior staffer testified that she had spoken to the congressman about his behavior on behalf of both of the women back in May 2025, after which the committee received evidence the congressman began blaming other staffers for getting in the way of his relationships with the two women.

The congressman had also deleted many of the messages that the committee says were central to its investigation, although he had voluntarily produced others. For example, the congressman was unable to provide his version of this photograph of the thirty pints of ice cream he sent to one of the female staffers' homes one night. Quote, a little something that I once heard might help cheer one up, unquote.

The congressman denies his behavior was intended as sexual or romantic advances, according to the report, which also found no evidence that he'd actually engaged in sexual activity with either of the women. A spokesman for Edwards' campaign says the committee's finding, quote, completely exonerate Representative Edwards under the House Rules governing sexual misconduct or harassment, unquote, and that its conclusion showed the congressman, quote, did not violate federal sexual harassment law, unquote, as a result of his actions, which led to both of these women ultimately choosing to end their careers in the House. The committee is now recommending the congressman be censured.

Here with me now, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez from New Mexico. She's the chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus. Congresswoman, Congressman Edwards no longer running for re-election, his staff, you heard them say that he's now been exonerated. You believe that the censure idea doesn't go far enough. Why not?

REP. TERESA LEGER FERNANDEZ (D-NM): All a censure is you stand on the floor of the House and the censure is read aloud, and then that's it. These two women suffered years of sexual harassment. Yes, it came with gifts and blue and pink handguns, but they've lost their jobs.

And I think Representative Edwards needs to lose his job as well, and he should resign. And we should, if he doesn't resign, force a vote so that he will be expelled. And this is one of the issues that I have raised needs to be fixed in our ethics process because, as you know, I'm leading the effort to reform the sexual harassment and the culture of sexual harassment in Congress right now.

TAPPER: I want to turn to Republican Congressman Max Miller. Your statement called his and his team's behavior in the last few days bizarre and unnerving, and the accusations against him, textbook examples of abuse. This is against his ex-wife allegedly, not staffers. Congressman Miller denies the accusations. He says he's staying in his re-election race. Tell me what you think about all this.

FERNANDEZ: So, we have a pattern of abuse that Max Miller has clearly engaged in, and that kind of domestic abuse is often preceded by abuse. But there's a difference between whether you should be criminally charged, what's happening in your marriage, and whether you should continue to serve in Congress.

Serving in Congress is an incredible privilege, and somebody who has the accusations and allegations, not just by one, but three different women, your father-in-law calling you to step down, Republican senators calling for you to step down and resign, you should step down and resign, and he should.

Listen, I have called for Democrats to step down, to resign, or to be expelled, Graham Platner, Eric Swalwell, as well as Republicans.

[18:10:06]

I'm the one who brought the expulsion motion so that we could remove Tony Gonzales. I think that men like this don't deserve to serve in Congress. And we do not have the process right now to be able to force that. That's some of the reform I'm working on. But in the meantime, he should have the decency of resigning.

TAPPER: You heard earlier Politico ask Speaker Johnson if -- as he always says and Johnson is right when he's very consistent, he says he's going to let the process play out and with reference to the ethics investigation. And earlier this year, he and other House Republican leaders did call on Gonzales to drop his re-election bid the same week that a House Ethics Committee investigation was launched into an affair Gonzales had acknowledged he'd had with a staffer who later took her own life. So, even though he says he's been consistent on the Gonzales issue, it's not really true.

FERNANDEZ: Well, Speaker Johnson is just worried about his margins, and that's why we need to take politics out of this and say what is right and what is wrong. And in this instance, the American public, we are sick and tired of men of power abusing women and not believing the women, right? It is no longer the case like it was with Trump in 2016.

Since then, the Epstein files, those amazing survivors have woken up America to say we are sick and tired of powerful men abusing women, and we're going to call a stop to it. And we need -- you know, Johnson needs to recognize that this process isn't going to work in time because an ethics investigation sadly takes too long. And there will be a blackout period where after about September 4th, the Ethics Committee will not release any information or any findings.

So, that is clever by far on Max Miller saying, let's let the ethics process work out. Well, it won't work out before November, and it might not even work out before the end of the year. So, we need to act, and I'm hoping that the American public, by listening to what's happening here, to seeing Max Miller himself, Max Miller is pretty damning when he speaks, right, and that we say, no, enough. And I think public outrage goes a long way.

TAPPER: Yes.

FERNANDEZ: And I am outraged, and I think the American public is, too.

TAPPER: So, thinking about Congressman Edwards and how he seemed to think he was quite the Romeo, I was reminded of a similar incident that happened back in 2018 with a Congressman Murphy of Pennsylvania, who also like wrote a letter to a staffer suggesting that he thought she was his soul mate or something like that. And I want to play something for you that CNN's Kaitlan Collins, who was only 25 at the time, this was eight years ago, said to me on our show her message to members of Congress and similar ilk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Let this just be a message to all of the grown men out there that the younger women who work for you do not want to date you. They do not want to be your soul mate. They do not want to go to ice cream with you. They do not want to be your partner. And when they start dating someone else, you cannot get angry with them for that and try to pay them money to cover it up. That is just a lesson.

I should not have to say that to people. I'm a 25-year-old woman. I shouldn't have to say that to anyone, that when a woman goes to work, they don't want to date their boss.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: She shouldn't have had to say it then, and we shouldn't have had to replay it again today. But why is -- what's going on, on Capitol Hill, where all these deluded old men think these young women want to date them?

FERNANDEZ: It's ridiculous because these are brilliant young women. Whether you're a Republican or Democrat, you go there because you have a belief, right? You have a belief in whatever your values are, whether they're Democrat or Republican. You want to work on, you know, reform, tax reform, or the environment. They are there to do a job.

And men and women, there are a couple of instances, right, there was a woman who had to -- a woman, congresswoman, who was forced to resign, should do their job. It is not a dating pool, and we cannot let the smart young women and men who work on Capitol Hill be abused in this manner. And that's why we need to make sure that there are actual consequences.

I am proposing that if there is an ethics investigation that comes out, that you don't just have a censure, but that a vote is triggered. You should lose your committee assignments. There should be a vote if it's extreme, like it was for Gonzales and Swalwell, as to whether you should be expelled, and that is the due process. We do need due process and the Ethics Committee serves in that role, but this is not a place where you need to go and find your soul mate. This is a place where you're supposed to go and serve the public, and it is in the public good for you to behave.

TAPPER: New Mexico Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez, chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus, thank you so much. I appreciate your time. [18:15:00]

You heard the Democratic argument, but how will Republicans deal with this mess inside their own House? Are there ongoing talks about forcing any of these House Republicans to resign? I will ask a Republican congressman, not accused of anything, I should note. That's next.

Plus, there's a new investigation tonight into how a commercial plane full of passengers got too close to the military helicopter carrying President Trump. Those details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: And we're back in the Politics Lead. Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio is reacting to our interview yesterday with his former son-in-law, Congressman Max Miller, Republican of Ohio, about the accusation that he abused Moreno's daughter, Emily.

Miller denies the claims, which have become increasingly more public throughout their custody battle and divorce.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE MORENO (R-OH): I wish he cared about figuring out how to solve his family issues as much as he cares about his political career. This has obviously been atrocious. You know, someday we're all going to have to explain this to his little girl what happened. Hopefully, she understands it had nothing to do with her.

Why do you care so much about this job? I would give up everything in my life for that little girl, and I just wish that he felt the exact same way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:20:05]

TAPPER: Let's talk about this with House Republican -- Nebraska's Congressman Mike Flood joins me now. Congressman, let me start by saying that I know nothing about you that you know, disqualifies you in any way, and I'm sorry that I'm asking you about your colleagues who have all sorts of controversies. But you're always game to take a question, and we're always interested in your point of view. Your colleague, Congressman Miller, says he's not going anywhere in his re- election race or in his job. What do you think? Is that wise?

Now, we just lost Congressman Flood after I said all those nice things.

Oh, he's coming back.

REP. MIKE FLOOD (R-NE): It's heartbreaking to see a two-year-old being caught in the middle of this.

TAPPER: Sir, I'm sorry. We lost you and now you're back. FLOOD: I was a family law attorney for more years than I care to remember. I have been in courtrooms. I have represented clients that have been trying to get their custody. I have helped mothers that have been victims of domestic violence. I rewrote the law in Nebraska on divorce, pushing mediation over confrontation in court.

What I'm really sad about is it's heartbreaking to see a two-year-old being caught in the middle of such a public dispute. And I would imagine both parents in this situation can't stand that, because what's really important right now in the Miller family is that two- year-old daughter that is caught in the middle of this. And as Americans, we have to acknowledge that these confrontations happen in courtrooms and at, you know, apartments, at homes, and police deal with stuff like this all the time. But that's why we have a court system. That's why you can't get in front of a jury in Nebraska. This decision is made by a judge, and I'm sure it's the same in the State of Ohio.

So, I think this process has to play out. I think it's heartbreaking to watch. Max is a colleague. I met his wife that he's now divorced at the beginning of orientation. I enjoyed dinner with them. I enjoyed talking to them. But I can tell you this belongs in the Ethics Committee.

TAPPER: Do you hear me? Because I was having trouble talking to you a second ago, and I think I need to talk to your governor about broadband in Nebraska. Can you hear me, sir?

FLOOD: I can now hear you. Did something happen there?

TAPPER: No, it's, if you can hear me now, that's fine. You can hear me now?

I think we're going to --

FLOOD: I can hear you. I can hear you, yes.

TAPPER: All right, I'm just going to ask you one more. I don't know what's going on with the broadband, like I said.

Speaker Johnson says he wants the Ethics Committee to let the process play out. As you know, that can take a very long time. It can take months. We just saw Congressman Chuck Edwards that took months, even years. The investigation into Congressman Cory Mills is still ongoing. He's facing allegations of assault, and then he threatened to release sexually explicit images of an ex-girlfriend. There's a judge's order in that case. He denies wrongdoing.

Should there be more pressure put on your colleagues who are distracting from what you would rather talk about, like no tax on tips or whatever? I mean, I understand you want the state -- the process to play out in a court of law, but shouldn't there be a higher standard for the behavior of members of Congress? I mean, that's what the congresswoman that we were just talking to said, that whether or not you're guilty or innocent in a court of law, it should be a higher standard to be a member of Congress. FLOOD: Well, I think it is a higher standard as a member of Congress. I think the question that you're really posing is, does the system move fast enough to deal with allegations like this? And I know the members of the Republicans on this, on the Ethics Committee, and I know some of the Democrats that are on there as well, and it is a really hard committee to serve on.

Michael Guest from Mississippi -- the job, but you've got to go through the process. Can it be sped up? I'm not aware of the process enough to know if it can be sped up. But I do know that, you know, removing somebody from Congress or removing somebody from their committees is a pretty major action that can be -- voters in their district on both sides.

When I've been presented with these issues when it involves a Democrat, you need to know I was one of four members of the House that chose not to censure a Democrat because the Ethics Committee hadn't rendered a decision.

So, I'm -- that doesn't answer the public's question as to why it doesn't go faster. If there's a way to move this along a little bit faster and some due process rights so that members can present evidence and they can confront some of the evidence that's been raised against them, I think that's a good idea (ph).

TAPPER: All right. Nebraska Republican Congressman Mike Flood, thank you so much.

[18:25:02]

All those tens of billions of dollars that taxpayers spend on broadband, and what the hell's going on?

Iran says there are no negotiations happening with the U.S. right now, despite President Trump's claims that, quote, very good discussions are underway. Amid the back and forth, Iran reportedly also is executing dozens of people for protesting against the regime. It is a horrific tragedy. Is there any way to stop it? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: In our World Lead, executions and death sentences handed down by the Iranian regime. The United Nations says at least 56 people have been executed in Iran on what are called national security-related charges since March 19th. 27 of those cases, according to the U.N., were linked to the anti-regime civilian protests earlier this year.

[18:30:00]

Human rights groups believe that Tehran has ramped up the executions under the cover of conflict, and say the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding signed in June omitted any human rights protections, which has allowed Iran to intensify crackdowns and executions.

Here to discuss is a familiar face, Iranian American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad. Masih what's your reaction to this in general? We're going to get into some of the specific individuals in a second.

MASIH ALINEJAD, IRANIAN JOURNALIST AND ACTIVIST: To be honest, very heartbroken because I'm in touch with a lot of people inside Iran, the relative of those who have been executed. They cannot believe that the whole world stop talking about them because the execution machine is still working, never sleeps.

But as you see barely, media, leaders, international community talk about the mass executions. You remember yourself that President Trump said that the Islamic Republic promised him to stop executing protesters. That was a big lie, and now it's beyond sad that teenagers are being hanged in public. And there is no T.V. inside Iran, no media inside Iran talking about the concern of the family members who are actually waiting for their beloved one to be executed very soon.

TAPPER: Yes. Human rights officials say Iran publicly executed two men last week. The Iranian regime claims that the men were involved in the killing of four police officers during last year's anti-government riots. You say a third man was supposed to be executed that same day, but wasn't. Tell me about these three men.

ALINEJAD: Yes. Amirhossein, you just showed the picture, it's very heartbreaking. He had disability as well. He was a young protester who demanded freedom. But what happened to him, they arrested him. They forced him to confess to crime that he never committed, and he was not alone. He was with Abolfazl Sepahi.

Both of them, Jake, were hanged in public. Yes, in 21st century, they actually brought the crowd, people, to watch them being hanged. And what breaks my heart, they brought their family members. Instead of giving them privacy, they brought them in public. They forced them watching their beloved one being hanged.

While they kicked the chair and they killed them, the family members, the mothers, were standing right there. Yes, Alireza, the cousin of Abolfazl Sepahi, before walking him --

TAPPER: Yes, it's okay. I understand.

ALINEJAD: Before walking him to be executed, he got heart attack, and they rushed him to hospital, not because they wanted to save him, but to actually keep him alive to hang him. And his mother and his sister wrote on their Instagram that they wish they never get well, or they even wish that he was dead in January because they cannot see their beloved one being hanged.

I cannot believe, Jake, that I'm talking about public hanging in 21st century on your show, and this is happening. And forget about like, you know, the brutality and the barbarism in Iran. What actually breaks my heart that that became like a new normal, and the western leaders do not even talk about it.

I'm sure that President Trump, yes, he shared a picture of Irfan Esfandiar and Gol Mohammadi, Afghan citizen who was in Iran. His crime was literally keeping -- like opening a door for those protesters who were running away from security forces. For showing such compassion, they both were executed.

But President Trump shared their picture after when they were executed. I want him, and I want every single leaders who hear me share the stories of those who are waiting to be hanged, who are on the death row, and there are dozens of them, Jake. If I have time, I really want to name them. I want to tell their story because to me, this is not about politics. This is not about right-wing and left- wing. This is not about Republican and Democrat. This is about people, teenagers, who are literally begging the rest of the world to hear their voices, to save their lives because they don't want to be hanged.

TAPPER: Masih Alinejad, we will have you back, and you'll tell some more stories. Thank you.

ALINEJAD: But can I name at least one of them? Shervin is only 17- year-old.

TAPPER: Okay.

ALINEJAD: He is in prison. He received death sentence, and he was forced on T.V. When he asked the interrogator what is Moharebeh means, he didn't even know what Moharebeh means. The interrogator said, waging war against God, and you deserve to be killed.

[18:35:02]

Shervin is only 17-year-old, and he is asking for help. Everyone listening to this, share this story and help him, and demand the Islamic Republic to stop hanging innocent protesters. Thank you so much, Jake.

TAPPER: Masih, you post it again on your Twitter page, and I will re- tweet it and our people will, and everybody watching will re-tweet it as well. Thank you.

ALINEJAD: Thank you. You're always giving voice to voiceless people. I really appreciate that. Thank you.

TAPPER: Thank you, Masi. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Our Law and Justice Lead, Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general in jeopardy. Blanche can only afford to lose one additional Republican Senate vote. Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana remain undecided.

Here's Senator Cassidy earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): I've got to be convinced that he is an attorney general who just happens to have once been President Trump's personal attorney as opposed to -- as opposed to President Trump's personal attorney who is now the attorney general. [18:40:09]

I am very concerned about so-called lawfare, people being prosecuted not for a valid reason beyond somebody in high office being angry at them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill. And, Manu, Blanche has already lost the vote of Susan Collins of Maine. Cassidy and Murkowski just met with Blanche. What happened?

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's more than an hour long in the basement of the Capitol. As I was outside that meeting, I caught up with both Murkowski and Cassidy, right after they left that meeting with Todd Blanche, they both steadfastly refused to say how they would come down, what they were thinking, whether they were torn, whether they were undecided, simply saying that they had no comment.

They did -- Lisa Murkowski did indicate it was a, quote, good conversation. Cassidy called it a thorough discussion, but he would not express those same concerns that he expressed earlier or whether or not those concerns were alleviated.

Both of them, of course, are -- can be difficult votes for the president, particularly Senator Lisa Murkowski, who has broken with the president time and time again, someone who is often difficult to pin down. So, it's uncertain where she may come down.

Bill Cassidy, since he lost his primary earlier this year to a Trump- backed primary foe, he has been a thorn in the side of the president at times, Jake, but then he's often fallen in line. And the Republican leadership is betting that ultimately one of them will, and that Blanche will get the job by week's end.

TAPPER: Manu Raju, thanks so much.

Concerns about Blanche go way beyond Capitol Hill, of course. New Mexico's attorney general is now suing Blanche and the Trump Justice Department, accusing them of stonewalling the state's Epstein investigation by refusing to hand over the DOJ's unredacted files on Epstein. The lawsuit is backed by multiple Epstein survivors who are demanding accountability.

Now, New Mexico, as you may remember, they've been investigating allegations of illegal activity surrounding Epstein's property in New Mexico, known as the Zorro Ranch.

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez joins us now. General Torrez, the state's investigation was brought up during Blanche's Senate confirmation hearing last month. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MAZEI HIRONO (D-HI): Will you and your team continue to cooperate with the New Mexico Department of Justice and help it get the information it needs?

TODD BLANCHE, ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL: Yes, we're continuing to work with them, and,m yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Is Blanche lying?

RAUL TORREZ (D), NEW MEXICO ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, Jake, the question in, you know, implicated this idea that they're going to continue to cooperate with us, the truth is they've never cooperated with us. What we've heard from Todd Blanche, from Jay Clayton, and from others are these public representations to members of Congress and to the public that they're going to cooperate with our investigation.

The fact is it's been 173 days since we first sent in our request to then-Deputy Attorney General Blanche. We've requested at no less than ten separate times to be given access to the unredacted Epstein files, the complete universe of files, so that we can advance our criminal investigation. He hasn't kept his word to members of Congress. He hasn't kept his word to the State of New Mexico, and that's why we filed the suit today in district court in the District of Columbia.

TAPPER: But just to be precise about this, because lying to Congress is obviously illegal, he was asked, Blanche was asked, will you and your team continue to cooperate with the New Mexico Department of Justice and help the New Mexico Department of Justice get the information it needs? And he said, yes, we're continuing to work with them, and, yes. Is it true that they are continuing to work with you? It sounds like they've never worked with you.

TORREZ: That's right, Jake. They've never worked with us. The, what has happened is we went to them discreetly. We asked for this information. As a law enforcement agency, it's a very common practice for us to reach out to federal prosecutors and investigators and ask for the kinds of investigative files that are at issue here. They directed us to the District of New Mexico, which was odd. I will tell you, I'm a former federal prosecutor. I worked in that office, and I knew full well that they didn't have the whole range of files that we were looking for.

Nevertheless, we complied with their requests. We went through the Twoey process. We submitted a very particularized set of requests because Zorro Ranch comes up over 13,000 times in the Epstein Transparency Act files. The problem is that most of those files are redacted, and so our investigators can't make use of them.

And so, you know, the bottom line is they're not cooperating. They're stonewalling this investigation, and that's why we had to take legal action today.

TAPPER: Yes. I'm just stunned because you're suggesting that he lied to Congress when he said that, you know, under oath.

In a statement to CNN, the Justice Department said that they're not required to share the unredacted files and that victim's privacy outweighs the request.

[18:45:05]

The DOJ also said, quote, New Mexico has provided no lawful basis to justify such sweeping disclosures."

What's your response?

RAUL TORREZ (D), NEW MEXICO ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, first, we've given them ample, um, explanations for the status and the nature of our ongoing criminal investigation and how the information that they have will help us point in the direction of potentially coconspirators corroborating information, witnesses and other evidence. With respect to hiding behind the -- you know, the privacy rights and interests of Epstein survivors, those same survivors came out today and called that excuse laughable. I agree with them. It's really just a smokescreen.

At the end of the day, Todd Blanche has the authority to grant this access with the stroke of the pen, he was refusing to do it. And we are going to go to court and have our opportunity to argue to a judge to, to have them explain exactly why they continue to withhold this critical information.

TAPPER: We're out of time. I'm taking a risk, but I would love just a yes or no answer on this. Is Todd Blanche and the Justice Department, are they protecting pedophiles?

TORREZ: At this point, they're not supporting survivors and their obstruction is not helpful. And it's not enhancing the ongoing work that we have here in New Mexico.

TAPPER: New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, thanks for stopping by. We appreciate it.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed may have just won his party's Senate nomination in Michigan, but that does not mean that other Michigan Democrats are necessarily rushing to endorse him. Will the party unite behind this controversial candidate?

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:24]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I watch Abdul, he's full of shit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Wow. A little in-kind contribution for the El-Sayed campaign from President Trump. Colorful language from the president of the United States just moments ago, reacting to Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive in Michigan winning the Democratic primary in the U.S. Senate race.

Let's jump right in with the panel.

Let me just also take one moment to acknowledge that Mike Rogers versus Abdul El-Sayed is the first CNN commentator on CNN commentator Senate primary in the history of the United States, as far as I know, as far as I know, both of them former CNN.

XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I learn something new every day.

TAPPER: Isn't that interesting?

HINOJOSA: That's interesting.

TAPPER: I had my staff go and see, like, were they ever on my panel at the same time? And no, I don't think that's ever. Too much to -- too much to hope for.

JONAH GOLDBERG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Dismissed as coincidence.

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: Jonah, today, Vice President Vance raised the prospect of El- Sayed running for president in 2028.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The next administration, whoever you know, God forbid you're going to have President El-Sayed in three years. We don't want him to undo all the incredible work that we've been doing when we've been taking out the fraudsters and saving the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: They must be happy they have a replacement for AOC. That is not as loved as AOC, at least as of now -- as of now.

GOLDBERG: Yeah. No, I mean, I think he's -- they're going to make him a national figure. Stevens -- Haley Stevens, you know, his opponent in the primary accused him of this kind of ambition from the beginning. So, it's one of these things that was basically introduced by a Democratic primary opponent. And the Republicans are happy to pick it up and turn him into a boogeyman.

And the thing is, is that El-Sayed seems happy to cooperate with that. So, we're going to -- he's going to be the new sort of face of the Democratic Party for a lot of Republicans.

TAPPER: So, we should note that he is the primary victor, but he did not win more than 50 percent of the of the Democratic electorate in Michigan, because Haley Stevens was just a point or two behind him. And then there was like 4 percent that went to a different Democratic candidate who had already dropped out.

He has some work to do to unite the Democratic Party in Michigan, and then to reach out and get independents. Is that a tall order, do you think?

HINOJOSA: It is a tall order. There are about 800,000 voters that didn't vote for him that he is going to need to bring together, because, as you might remember, the last time that Mike Rogers ran, that was a very close race. Yes, Trump was on the ballot, and the environment is very different now for Democrats in terms of anti- incumbent sentiment and anti-establishment sentiment.

And Trump is establishment now. He has 33 percent approval rating in a place like Michigan, and it is not helpful for him to be campaigning. I wouldn't think, Mike, it wouldn't be helpful for him to campaign with Mike Rogers right now, but I do think he has to do work with the 800,000. How is he going to bring them over?

The other thing is independents. You'll notice that in his speech he talked about the auto workers. He is one thing that I think that the Democratic Party and El-Sayed are going to lean into are the fact that tariffs have really hurt Michigan and really hurt manufacturing jobs.

And so, I do think that in terms of his message moving forward and the economy, he's going to need to have that economic message that he sort of promise he has these taglines. Some of it is economic, but he's going to have to lean into the economy if he's going to want to gain those independents.

TAPPER: He seems more populist than Mike Rogers.

GOLDBERG: Uh-huh.

TAPPER: And populism in Michigan is a good play.

GOLDBERG: Yeah. Look, I definitely think he can win, right? Trump's unpopularity is a real headwind and all that.

Still, if you look at the demographics of Haley Stevens versus the demographics of Abdul El-Sayed, I would rather the general election candidate have some her demographics than his demographics.

TAPPER: African-Americans, et cetera.

GOLDBERG: She overperformed with African-Americans, she overperformed with non-college-educated working-class people. He overperformed with the barista socialists sort of, white, overeducated kids and with Arab and Muslim voters. But there's a ceiling on how many Arab and Muslim voters there are in Michigan. They're not that big a bloc.

And if he can't pull in the kinds of voters that Stevens attracted, that is going to be representative of a real headwind for him. And it's not a good sign that he didn't invite her to sort of participate in his victory rally or -- today, and -- as you unify the party kind of thing.

[18:55:01]

I think he's got real -- real problems.

TAPPER: So, President Trump had something to say about his -- El- Sayed's challenge with Jewish voters, given his campaigning with Hasan Piker and some of the other things he said. He's a harsh critic of Israel, et cetera.

Here's President Trump in Nevada

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And now. he's going around saying, no, I love everybody I love. He doesn't love everybody. Put him in office. You're going to find out what he loves. He doesn't love Israel. He doesn't love Jewish people. He hates them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: It's going to be -- you're going to hear that a thousand times from now until November.

HINOJOSA: Yeah. And he's going to need to regain trust with when it comes to Jewish voters, I will say he needs to stop campaigning with Hasan Piker, like that needs to happen. And I think --

TAPPER: I think Hasan Piker was one of his closers.

HINOJOSA: Yes.

TAPPER: It wasn't just that one time on the college campuses.

HINOJOSA: And I think he is a vulnerability, and I think he is. And if we're looking at moving 2020 moving forward, I think anyone who is campaigning with him, I think it's a massive vulnerability.

I do think there is a separate issue of money in the race, and I think that it is fair that maybe one organization should not be spending $30 million against a candidate. That part I understand. The Hasan Piker piece, I do not.

TAPPER: We were talking about this a second ago. Michelle Goldberg of "The New York Times" did an op-ed, did an interview with him in which she asked El-Sayed about the Congresswoman Scholten's legitimate concerns about him campaigning with Hasan Piker. And he really, honestly, he seemed to dismiss it.

GOLDBERG: Yeah. Look, I think he lives in a bubble. He's one of these guys. Fish don't know they're wet. He's very comfortable and very left-wing college campus audiences. And he thinks that's who the electorate is. And it's not.

TAPPER: All right. Xochitl and Jonah, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: In our national lead, investigations are underway into how a commercial jet full of passengers got too close to the military helicopter carrying President Trump yesterday. Planes at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are typically halted when the president lifts off from the White House in Marine One, but air traffic continued for a couple minutes afterward, according to a CNN review of air traffic control audio.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now. I'll see you tomorrow.