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Midterms Enter Final Week With Control of Congress at Stake; DOJ Charges Former FBI Director James Comey for Third Time; Hegseth's Faith Adviser Shared Racist and Homophobic Posts. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired October 27, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: We are just seven days out from Election Day. Already more than 30 million votes have been cast. President Trump showing more signs of worry, ramping up efforts to sow doubt about election results, offering a million-dollar reward for evidence of exceedingly rare voter fraud, and today, heading to an unusually reliable red state where Republicans are facing some tight races.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: In a CNN exclusive, a key figure behind Pete Hegseth's push to dramatically reshape the military, and that top adviser has now a long record of racist, homophobic posts.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Deer on the lam and on a rampage, breaking windows, upending an entire apartment. How this all ended.

I'm John Berman, with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: We're just one week from Election Day, the final day to vote, and the final sprint is on. Control of Congress is on the line, and with polls showing Republicans facing major headwinds, President Trump once again trying to sow doubt about the results. He made this offer on Truth Social. Anybody reporting voter fraud in the past elections or the upcoming 2026 midterm election will be paid $1 million upon the arrest and conviction of those that created the fraud.

But experts say that kind of voter fraud is exceedingly rare. A review in Georgia last month found 432 people who voted over the past 30 years may not have been citizens, and yet the Justice Department is planning to send about 1,000 monitors to polling places across all 50 states. They're all lawyers, and it's the biggest effort of its kind ever.

The department says they'll only observe, but Democrats and voting rights activists fear they could be used to undermine the results.

CNN's Betsy Klein is live this morning from the White House. Has the Trump administration said exactly how they would be able to sort of pay out this million-dollar reward, how this would work, and where the money would come from?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: All great questions, Sara, but we are one week, seven days out from these midterm elections, and already President Trump is sowing seeds of doubt in that election integrity.

Now, make no mistake about it, this is a challenging landscape for Republicans in this cycle. President Trump's approval rating is at just 34 percent, according to CNN's poll of polls, and privately Trump advisers are concerned that Republicans could lose control of the House. They are also increasingly concerned that they could lose control of the Senate as well.

So, the president has talked on the campaign trail about making these contests too big to rig, but there are already signs that the president could be laying the groundwork to claim fraud.

So, last week, the president and vice president, J.D. Vance, announced this fraud whistleblower protection program. It was aimed at incentivizing Americans who come forward with tips on fraud in the federal government, up to a $30,000 reward, but President Trump yesterday raising the stakes to $1 million.

Now, notably, he did not say how to report that fraud or where that money was coming from. And, of course, we should note there is no evidence of widespread election fraud. Of course, this is something the president has long attacked, election integrity in this country. He has baselessly claimed he won the 2020 presidential election.

And there are a few other specific places to watch here. Number one, Alaska, the president's Justice Department on Friday filing that lawsuit seeking to block certification of the results if the Republican senator, Dan Sullivan, loses his race.

Now, then he also said over the weekend that Michigan, quote, needs to watch it, suggesting without evidence that vote counters could alter the results. And then Minnesota, the president yesterday saying that the only way Republican Michele Tafoya loses is, quote, if they cheat by playing games with the ballots as they come in.

So, the president is expected to continue his midterm travel blitz with a Texas two-step today, Corpus Christi and Lubbock, aimed at shoring up support for the embattled Republican, Ken Paxton, who's in a closer than expected race against the Democrat, James Talarico. That travel blitz is going to continue on Wednesday in Ohio, Thursday, South Carolina, Friday in Florida, Sunday in Iowa, and more to come.

[07:05:02]

Sara?

SIDNER: Betsy Klein, thank you so much. And when I would vote for you versus that leaf blower that was going on behind you, we could hear you loud and clear. Very smooth, Betsy, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, this morning, former FBI director James Comey is speaking out again after the Justice Department charged him again, now charged for a third time in really the last year alone, this time accused of ordering his staff to leak classified information to a reporter. This related to actions a decade ago. This happened when Comey was FBI director in 2016.

The Justice Department, though, has yet to bring official formal charges against Comey, but the department is filing in the form of a criminal information, as it's called, to push back the ten-year statute of limitations that they were up against.

James Comey is now responding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: It would almost be funny if it weren't such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice, one that we cannot become numb to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Comey has been at the center of multiple investigations as we have tracked over the, well, just year alone, including by the Justice Department's inspector general and a special counsel who looked into what led to the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. That special counsel later found no evidence to support a criminal prosecution of Comey.

Comey still faces a separate criminal charge for this photo, allegedly threatening President Trump by posting it last year. This is the shells on a beach spelling out 86 47.

Let's get to the here and now, which also means ten years ago. Joining me right now is CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig. It's -- I'm confused. What exactly is this if this is not an indictment, which they say it is not? So, what are we talking about right now?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, you're rightly confused, Kate. This thing is basically a Frankenstein monster of criminal procedure. They cobbled it together out of spare parts, and I don't think it's going to work.

So, as you said, this is not an indictment. This has not gone to a grand jury. The Justice Department at this moment does not have a warrant or other basis to go out and even arrest Jim Comey. What this is, as you said, is a document called a criminal information, which is basically a one-sided, unilateral allegation by a prosecutor.

Now, these do get used sometimes, but the way you use them is the defense team agrees with you. So if you have a defendant who's ready to plead guilty and says, don't bother with the grand jury, you can sign these informations. But the thing is here, Jim Comey's team has not agreed to this information. They object to it.

So, prosecutors are trying to lodge this charge on their own. What they're trying to do, it appears, as you said, is extend the ten-year statute of limitations. The conduct that they're alleging Jim Comey committed a crime happened on October 5th, 2016. There's a ten-year statute. They filed this piece of paper on the last day, October 5th, 2026, as a placeholder, trying to build out and extend the statute of limitations.

But because I think the information is faulty in the first place, it's not going to work. And if they try to indict him now, today, tomorrow, we're beyond that ten-year statute of limitations.

So, I'm not sure how they came up with this creative device, but I think it's ultimately going to backfire.

BOLDUAN: Elie, so there's nothing new here, or what is new here? Like you talk about the conduct is from ten years ago. So, what are the chances, I assume very slim, because from the vibes you're giving, of that this actually turns into a conviction at some point?

HONIG: Well, even if they somehow had validly gone and indicted him a few weeks ago within the ten-year statute of limitations, the conduct that's laid out in this document is an allegation that Jim Comey, back in October 2016 when he was FBI director, took classified information, gave it to a third party outside of the Bureau, and had that person leak it to the media.

But a couple problems with that. Number one, as you said, there was already a prosecutor, a special counsel, a very aggressive special counsel, a guy named John Durham people may remember from years ago, who looked at all this and brought no criminal charges. And, second of all, DOJ's own in-house nonpartisan inspector general thoroughly investigated this incident in 2019 during the first Trump administration and concluded that, yes, Jim Comey violated DOJ and FBI employee policy by giving that information out, but it did not contain classified information, according to DOJ's own inspector general.

So, even if they didn't have the procedural problems, I don't see where there's a criminal case to be made here against Jim Comey.

BOLDUAN: So, real quick, as I mentioned, this is the third time in, what, 12, 13 months that he's been charged-ish, I'll say. DOJ has gone after him. I heard someone describing this as harassment at this point, but what do you see here, if this becomes a problem, and could -- does he have any recourse?

[07:10:06]

Like could he go after DOJ?

HONIG: Well, charged-ish is the perfect way to put this. Yes, if this becomes a full-blown charge, Jim Comey will have one of the strongest vindictive prosecution motions to dismiss that I've ever seen. Like you said, to be indicted three times in just over a year, the first one's already been thrown out by a federal judge. The second one, the seashell case, is on its way to being thrown out. This one, as I laid out before, is infirm.

So, yes, he can move to dismiss, and also, Kate, eventually down the line, if a person believes they've been wrongly charged or prosecuted, you can put in for civil damages against the government. So, Jim Comey will have recourse here.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, Els. Thank you. John?

BERMAN: All right. Quote, they act like barbarians, killing and raping our white women, just one of many statements uncovered from a key Pentagon adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, throws himself directly into the midterm campaign to really a nearly unprecedented extent, straight into a Cheesecake Factory.

And a cruise ship and two container ships in the same place at the same time, exactly the same place and same time. The dangerous collision at sea.

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[07:15:00]

BERMAN: All right. Breaking this morning, new CNN reporting that has uncovered a history of racist and homophobic social media posts from Pete Hegseth's senior faith adviser.

Want to get right to CNN Senior Investigative Reporter Allison Gordon, who helped break this story. So, who are we talking about, and what exactly has he said?

ALLISON GORDON, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yes, John. Ryan Higgins may not be a household name, but he has an important role at the Pentagon. He serves as one of Hegseth's senior advisers. Now, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Higgins has helped shape some of Hegseth's messaging and policy priorities.

My colleague, Abigail Hatting, and I reviewed hundreds of social media posts, live-streams from Higgins, and blog entries spanning years, including shocking examples from just the past few months.

So, let's take a look. Higgins repeatedly promoted a Christian nationalist agenda, including a post declaring that this is a Christian nation. He also posted in June that, quote, separation of church and state does not exist.

Now, Higgins has become a key aide to Hegseth, according to multiple sources who spoke with my colleague, Haley Britzky, particularly in shaping the defense secretary's embrace of Christian nationalist themes in speeches and his public appearances.

BERMAN: Yes, talk to us more about that. What role has this person played in Hegseth's effort to kind of reshape the culture in the Pentagon?

GORDON: Yes, multiple sources told Haley that Higgins contributed to Hegseth's focus on those culture war issues, though other sources say he's just one of many voices. But Higgins is very vocal about his views on abortion and gay marriage and other social issues.

Let's take a listen to some of what he said on this Instagram stream in 2021. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They need to know that abortion's murder. They need to know that marriage is between a man and a woman, and anything else is abominable. They need to know that transgender isn't something you choose, but it's actually a mental disorder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORDON: Yes. So, that's just one stream I reviewed. He also posted derogatory comments about women, including a post where he questioned how many abortions former Vice President Kamala Harris might have had, citing her age and claiming she has, quote, a long record of sleeping around.

Now, since joining the Pentagon, he has continued to promote traditional gender roles, writing in May, for example, that no career will ever give you the fulfillment you're looking for that can only be found from being a mother. And in August, he called Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's decision to delay motherhood, quote, a self-centered mindset.

He also has extreme views on abortion. Check out this post from August. He said, demonic human sacrifice packaged as women's healthcare would be like saying Nazi concentration camps were ethnic end-of-life care. Be wise and prudent. Don't fall victim to the ways of the devil, the prince of lies.

Higgins also had scores of homophobic posts, like when he referred to, quote, the Satanic cult of LGBTQ in March.

BERMAN: So, what does the Pentagon -- what did Hegseth have to say about this reporting?

GORDON: Yes. You can read the full piece at cnn.com. But in a statement, the Pentagon said, quote, Mr. Higgins is a valued member of the secretary's team and does an outstanding job serving as a senior adviser. He has been completely focused on the spiritual health of our troops and the historic establishment of the Office of Religious Affairs. John?

BERMAN: All right. Alison Gordon, thank you so much for sharing this exclusive new reporting. I appreciate your work on this. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Thank you, John. Former President Obama takes his star power on the trail to Georgia, hoping to boost Democrats there after his roast of President Trump over his ostentatious White House renovations struck a nerve.

And a manhunt underway now for a convicted murderer serving a life sentence who managed to escape through a prison fence.

Those stories and more ahead.

[07:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: All right. New for you this morning, we're getting a glimpse at what Democrats will do if they take power after next week's midterms. One priority that's become clear, investigating President Trump's deal to import Russian diesel to the United States. A number of top Senate Democrats have demanded that major banks and ports preserve any records they may have that are tied to potential imports or other deals involving Russian diesel.

The lawmakers wrote in a letter that the deal, quote, raises significant national security concerns given that it would finance Russia's brutal and illegal war against Ukraine.

CNN's Matt Egan is joining me now. What are you learning about this?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Sara, top lawmakers, they are warning corporate America that the president's Russian diesel deal, it's not just a bad idea, it's radioactive.

[07:25:04]

This letter is arguing that allowing Russia to freely sell its diesel is a, quote, betrayal against the Ukrainian people, and one that will help Moscow fund its war machine.

Now, this letter went out to a wide range of CEOs, including those of leading banks like JP Morgan, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Wells Fargo, went out to a variety of fuel distributors, as well as to port authorities, New York, New Jersey, Houston, Corpus Christi, and to Beaumont.

Now, let me read you another key line from this letter. It warns that any importation of Russian diesel into the U.S. raises significant legal questions and may be subject to legal action as well as Congressional investigations. And this letter went on to warn that criminal penalties may apply to any company that not only knowingly imports Russian diesel, but also any company that facilitates its importation, not simply the importer of record, which I think gets at why you're seeing so many banks on this list.

Now, as you mentioned, the letter does make a series of demands for documents, to preserve documents, including records linked to Russian diesel, such as contracts, orders, invoices, and, look at this, communications with U.S. officials since September 1. That's noteworthy. And they're saying they're doing this in anticipation of further Congressional oversight. That's hinting at what could happen if Democrats take control of one or both chambers of Congress.

And the letter also demands an answer from CEOs by tomorrow that they are in fact preserving these documents, and whether or not they're involved with or have any knowledge of any transactions related to Russian diesel imports.

Now, this letter came from a series of top lawmakers, top Democrats who are in possession to potentially lead leading committees if Democrats do well in the midterms, including Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Ron Wyden, Elizabeth Warren, Gregory Meeks, one of the top Democrats in the House, and also outgoing Republican Senator Thom Tillis.

Now, the Trump administration has argued that this deal- is legal, and the White House did put out a statement that they shared with Axios, where they're arguing that Democrats are already telegraphing that once again they had no agenda to improve the lives of Americans, and will instead continue their decade-long obsession with investigating President Trump. Now, I reached out to the banks. None of them were willing to provide a comment here.

It's also just worth noting that the firestorm over this Russian diesel deal may be bigger than the actual impact, right? I mean, the deal calls for the U.S. to import about 2.2 million barrels of Russian diesel initially. That sounds like a lot, except for when you account for the fact that the U.S. daily demand for diesel and heating oil is about 4 million.

So, as one executive put it to me, if we imported all of this Russian diesel in one day, we'd only make it until about lunchtime. And there's a lot of skepticism that Russia refineries can even provide all of this diesel.

So, you put it all together, bottom line here, this does look like a red line being drawn by top Democrats who are trying to basically stop this Russian diesel deal in its tracks.

SIDNER: Yes. The Democrats and at least one Republican and we'll see if it spreads. It will be curious to see how the banks respond as well to this after being given that information and asked from Democrats as well.

EGAN: And does it deter any of them from being involved in the first place?

SIDNER: That's right. Matt Egan --

EGAN: Thank you, Sara.

SIDNER: It is a pleasure. Thank you so much, great reporting from you. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Right now, polls are open in one of the most consequential elections in the history of the state of Israel. We're going to take you there, and what it means today and far beyond.

And a deer gets trapped inside an apartment and, well, I think you just saw what happened next.

Oh, and for more, take a look of the stories you need to get your day going, Five Things with Kate Bolduan is streaming now and every morning on the CNN app.

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