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The Situation Room

Soon, Harris Event in Wisconsin Caps Day of Barnstorming Blue Wall States; Soon, Trump Event With Faith Leaders, His Third Stop in North Carolina Today; Elon Musk Offers Potentially Illegal $1 Million Daily Giveaway to Voters. Blinken Heads To Middle East To Make New Ceasefire Push After Hamas Leader's Death; Allegations Against Other Celebrities Made In New Combs Lawsuits. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 21, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, Kamala Harris will soon hold her third event of the day as she barnstorms across blue wall battleground states that could make or break her presidential bid. Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney is with the vice president as the Harris camp's closing argument is increasingly all about Donald Trump.

Also breaking, Trump is capping a day of campaigning focused on North Carolina, heading to the last of three stops in that pivotal swing state, the former president lacing his closing argument to voters with inflammatory rhetoric, profanity and vulgarity.

Plus, billionaire Elon Musk is going to new and questionable lengths to use his wealth to help Donald Trump. We're taking a closer look at Musk's promised 1 million daily giveaway to some voters and whether it's illegal.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

We begin with breaking news on the frantic final sprint to Election Day. Both presidential candidates packing in multiple events in crucial swing states with just 15 days left to win over voters.

Our correspondents are standing by at the next stops for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. First, CNN's Priscilla Alvarez reports from Battleground, Wisconsin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris targeting a small but potentially decisive group of voters, Republicans turned off by former President Donald Trump. With 15 days left, Harris is focused on vote rich counties in the key swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, making an aggressive bid to win over independents and moderate Republicans, with Liz Cheney by her side.

Harris started her day in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester County, with a warning about the danger Trump poses.

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: There are things that he says that will be the subject of skits and laughter and jokes. But words have meaning coming from someone who aspires to stand behind the seal of the president of the United States.

ALVAREZ: The vice president's swing includes populous suburban areas, like Waukesha County outside of Milwaukee, a longtime GOP stronghold where the Harris team believes they can make inroads. Biden lost the county in 2020, but performed better than any Democrat in decades. Harris is trying to appeal to those undecided and persuadable voters in places like Oakland County, Michigan, outside of Detroit, including those who backed Nikki Haley in the Republican primary.

HARRIS: I hope and I pray that we the American people understand not only what is at stake for us in this election, but how much we mean to the rest of the world.

ALVAREZ: Monday's moderated conversations centered on a second Trump term, serving as a warning to voters. Harris has been sharpening her attacks on Trump, frequently casting him as, quote, unstable and unhinged, including taking aim at what she described as Trump's off script moments.

HARRIS: Generally, for the life of him, cannot finish a thought. And he has called it the weave. But I think we here would call it nonsense.

ALVAREZ: She's also resorted to near rapid response of her Republican rival, including his profane criticism of her time as vice president.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: So, you have to tell Kamala Harris that you've had enough, that you just can't take it anymore. We can't stand you. You're a shit vice president, the worst.

ALVAREZ: Harris responding on MSNBC.

HARRIS: It demeans the office. And, and I have said, and I'm very clear about this, Donald Trump should never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States. He has not earned the right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALVAREZ (on camera): Now, Wolf, these conversations over the course of the day have been less about policy proposals, more about warning of a potential second Trump term, the hope by campaign officials is that they can make inroads with white college educated voters, especially in these suburban areas.

[18:05:01]

But one issue has come up, and that is reproductive freedom. And sources close to the campaign tell me that's an issue that is expected to feature prominently in the campaign tell me that's an issue that is expected to feature prominently in these closing days of the election as, again, they try to peel off those GOP voters from former President Donald Trump. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Priscilla, stand by as we bring in CNN's Kristen Holmes awaiting Donald Trump's next event in North Carolina. Kristen, after Trump made a series of very offensive comments over the weekend, what's his message today?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll obviously see if he continues that kind of profane-laced rhetoric here. It seems unlikely given the fact that this is billed as a faith roundtable with questions about faith. But, obviously, it's Donald Trump and he can often tend to go off script and say whatever it is that he wants to say.

Now, the message has been here in North Carolina, get out and vote. Early voting has already begun in every single stop he has made. He has talked about trying to get people to the polls. They believe they need Republicans at the polls, particularly obviously those Trump supporters. Part of that is by warning them in various videos that they have to vote or else there might be problems. It also seems to be a tactic of using some sort of fear-based rhetoric, including claiming without evidence that Democrats are trying to rig the 2024 election. Take a listen to what he just said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They send millions and millions of ballots out, they don't know what the hell's happening.

Did you ever hear the expression that the vote counter is far more important than the candidate? And, unfortunately, we can't let that happen. We've got to take it back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, in addition to trying to reach North Carolina voters to get out and vote, we will see for the next several weeks, or the next two weeks now, as this countdown has begun, is this reach out to women voters. They understand, they being the Trump campaign and the former president himself, that they have a real issue with women voters. They are trying to appeal to moderate women, to women who are conservative but who have turned away from the former president.

But as you mentioned, he played some of that sound, that profane-laced rhetoric. He also spent the weekend at one point talking about Arnold Palmer's genitalia. These are crass remarks that might pay well with men voters, but it's not clear how this would bridge the gap overall with these women voters as Donald Trump's campaign and as his Republican allies are trying to soften his image. Donald Trump clearly is not getting the messaging on that. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Kristen Holmes and Priscilla Alvarez, thanks to you both. I want to bring in our political experts right now. I want to start with Alex Thompson of Axios. Alex, you just heard Kristen's report. Let me play some of the rather offensive remarks that Trump has been making over the past 24 hours or so. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We can't stand you, you're a shit vice president, the worst.

Arnold Palmer was all man.

He took showers with the other pros, they came out of there and they said, oh my God.

When you look at Shifty Schiff and some of the others, yes, they are, to me, the enemy from within. I think Nancy Pelosi is an enemy from within.

Your boy leaves the school, comes back a girl,

I have no cognitive. She may have a cognitive problem, but, there's no cognitive problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, Alex, you know, millions of Americans are already voting, voting early right now. Does Trump really believe this kind of stuff is going to work?

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I, for one, am shocked that Donald Trump would make crass statements right before an election. It doesn't sound like him at all. But I think the thing is like with Trump, for a lot of his supporters, these remarks are a feature, not a bug. The fact that he just says whatever is on his mind. You often hear when you talk to Trump supporters, you know, he talks like us, or he talks for me.

That being said, as they were also pointing out earlier, this is an election, a lot -- one of the key groups is white women, especially white suburban women. You've seen Kamala Harris way outperformed Joe Biden with that group. It is unclear that these remarks help with that key demographic.

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, Wolf, I, I wonder. How many persuadable voters are left out there? I think a lot of this is baked in and factored in. I think this is a turnout election at this point, and the sliver of individuals who are in the middle or undecided in places like Pennsylvania and elsewhere, I think when they look at Donald Trump and they're trying to decide if they're going to give him their vote or not, they factored in, some of his proclivities in terms of the language that he utilizes.

I think they're looking at other things trying to decide is this enough for me to vote for him because of his stance on the economy or immigration or foreign policy, and the same for the vice president. I don't think this is ultimately going to matter. BLITZER: But these profane remarks that he's delivering over these past several, couple days of very, very ugly remarks, is that what Republicans and voters, especially undecided voters, want to hear from someone who wants to be back in the White House?

SINGLETON: Look, as a strategist, you would always advise your candidate to stay with their message.

[18:10:01]

And the message for Donald Trump has consistently been, again, the economy and immigration. That's where he's strong, over and over again, by sometimes 15 points, depending on the poll that you're looking at.

In terms of those voters, maybe it turns some of them off, but does it turn them off enough not to vote for him? I'm just not convinced of that, Wolf, based on the data we've seen thus far. This race is so close for a reason, in spite of all of the things the former president has stated.

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think the extreme rhetoric is a turnoff to some of those voters who left, although I take your point that there's a dwindling number of truly undecided voters left in this election. I do think, you know, for Democrats, on the flip side, maybe it motivates his MAGA base, but it is also absolutely a turnoff for the Democratic base as the Harris campaign is trying to work to get their voters out.

So, it gives her an opportunity to do something that I do think matters, which is marry his extreme rhetoric with his extreme record and his extreme actions. And it gives her an opening to say, is this the kind of person you want to send back to the Oval Office? And, by the way, he also refuses to acknowledge that he lost in 2020. And he also put three justices on the Supreme Court who overturned Roe. He doesn't just use extreme rhetoric. He has an extreme record. And that does matter with independent voters.

SINGLETON: I agree with that and I take that point somewhat, Kate. But is it a compelling enough message to say this person is horrible vote for me, or let me give you reasons to vote for me? I'm not convinced that the vice president has done a great enough job at convincing those voters in the middle to vote for her because of X, Y, and Z reasons outside of saying, well, Trump is bad, therefore he shouldn't earn your vote. I don't know if that's enough.

THOMPSON: It may not be enough, but it is their current message. You look at all their advertising, you look at all their circuits on T.V., he is unchecked, unhinged. That's the way they are talking about Donald Trump. They basically have gone back to what Joe Biden's strategy was in May and June of this race, which is that we need to make this a referendum on Donald Trump.

BLITZER: And on that point, Alex, I want to play for you and for our viewers out there what former President Obama has been saying about Trump's extreme, very ugly rhetoric. Listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S PRESIDENT: You would be worried if your grandpa started acting like this. You would, I mean, right? Yes. You'd like call up your brother, your cousin or something and be like, hey, have you seen grandpa lately? What are we going to do?

We do not need to see what an older, loonier Donald Trump looks like with no guardrails.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What do you think?

THOMPSON: There is some irony to Democrats now focusing on Donald Trump's age after the last 18 months insisting that Joe Biden was fine to serve another four years. That being said, even before Joe Biden dropped out, there were significant concerns in every single poll about the fact that Donald Trump would be the oldest president ever inaugurated. He's basically released no health files at all. We have no idea how he would perform. And obviously, there are some concerns. You know, he's never exactly had the best diet either.

BEDINGFIELD: But there's also -- I will say, there's a strategic imperative here for the Harris campaign to -- they're also trying to battle a sense of apathy from voters across the board. And so reminding people that Trump is, you know, uniquely crass, is uniquely a threat to democracy, you know, reminding people that the stakes here are very, very high and that this isn't just sort of your average election, you know, Republicans debating Democrats on Social Security. I mean, this is -- you know, the stakes here are much higher.

And that's part of what I think President Obama's trying to do there. I think that's part of what Harris and the Harris operation are trying to do in this final push here is remind voters that this isn't your average election.

BLITZER: I just want to get your thoughts. All of a sudden, Trump shows up at a McDonald's serving French fries.

SINGLETON: Yes. I mean, I think it was smart, Wolf. I know some folks in the media have criticized, oh, that, you know, they set this thing up for him to do. That's sort of typical, any more than if the vice president were to go to a restaurant, you want to make sure that that place is secure, considering the fact that the vice or the former president has had to assassination attempts against him.

I cannot imagine the Secret Service approving him to go to a random McDonald's for an hour or two with random people driving up to the window. I mean, that's just a huge security threat. I think they managed this the right way and he appeared to have enjoyed himself. And that's important with 15 days left in this election. He appeared relatable and that's going to make a difference.

BLITZER: All right, everybody stand by. There's a lot more we're watching. We're digging into some new poll numbers just out from key swing states, including what's different about these new numbers from other recent polls.

Plus, whether a new scheme by Donald Trump's richest supporter might be illegal, why a million dollar contest is drawing scrutiny right now.

Stay with us. You're in the Situation Room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BLITZER: We're back with our political experts. We're following the breaking news in the presidential race as both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are campaigning tonight in critical battleground states.

Let's go back to Alex Thompson. Alex, as you know, Kamala Harris is traveling to all three of these so-called key blue wall states with former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney. I want to play a little bit of their conversation that's ongoing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Listen to this. I've seen a lot of Republicans, just I've seen it, and I know it happens, who thank her constantly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know it. I know it.

FMR. REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): They're going to vote the right way on November 5th. They might not be public about it, but they'll do. I know it. But what they know is right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: How confident, Alex, is the Harris campaign that they could peel off Republican votes?

THOMPSON: I'd say they're still anxious about it, but the fact is they don't think they have a base problem. You know, Joe Biden had a problem with the Democratic base. Kamala Harris does not believe she has a problem with members of her own party. She does think she has a middle of the electorate problem. And part of the reason is that Donald Trump has basically spent several hundred million dollars of ads on her. She's trying to combat by going out with Liz Cheney in this, in these events today.

BLITZER: Kate Bedingfield is still with us. What's the signal you think that the Harris team is trying to send by going out with Liz Cheney?

BEDINGFIELD: Well, they're sending a message of, well, as they would say, country over party.

[18:20:00]

They're essentially trying to create a permission structure for these Republican voters who have concerns about Donald Trump, don't think he's fit to return to the Oval Office. They're trying to give them a permission structure to vote for Kamala Harris. And if you look at the Republican primary, I mean, there were up to 20 percent of Republican voters in the primary process who cast a vote for Nikki Haley, or for another Republican who wasn't Donald Trump.

So, there is a significant chunk of the Republican electorate out there who has real concerns about Donald Trump. They're trying to peel those folks off, give them a permission structure to vote for Kamala Harris.

SINGLETON: Yes, I strategically get it, but it's one thing if you're one of those never Trumpers or moderate-leaning Republicans to vote for someone like a President Biden, who I think many of those individuals say, yes, he's more of a moderate, traditional, old school Democrat, I'm comfortable voting for him, versus someone like a Kamala Harris, to Alex's point, where the Trump campaign have spent hundreds of millions of dollars reminding those voters, this is someone who's uber progressive, she's uber liberal, look at many of her previous positions when she ran before. If some of those folks decide to just stay home, that's still a net gain to the former president.

So, I think it is important strategically for the Harris campaign to be out there with Congresswoman Cheney. But will it make a difference, Wolf? I'm not convinced of that. It's one thing to vote for Biden. It's a whole another thing to say, vote for Kamala Harris.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, The Washington Post, Alex, has a new poll out of key battleground states in this election. And in case you weren't aware of this, and I'm sure you were, this is an extremely close election. Every state is within what we call the margin of error.

THOMPSON: Yes. And I remember I was talking to someone that advises the Harris campaign just the other day, and their words were, it's just so tight. And it's giving it -- you know, there's anxiety in both campaigns because, literally, these next two week weeks could make or break either way.

I think a lot of strategists think, honestly, that all seven swing states could actually end up breaking all in one direction rather than just be split.

BLITZER: Kate, what do you think?

BEDINGFIELD: I think it is an incredibly close race. I think some of this polling, you know, contains information that should give the Harris comfort, things like she is improving on this question of who do you trust more on the economy. The question of who represents a new direction, Harris or Trump, you see some improvement on those numbers in some of these polls. But the head to head numbers in the battleground states, it is absolutely a tossup race.

BLITZER: You know, if the numbers that we see now in all of these battleground states, if they were the same numbers on Election Day, Trump would lose. SINGLETON: I mean, if, Wolf, but I don't know if we can necessarily rely on these numbers yet. I mean, I'm looking at the vice president's vulnerabilities, and I'm also looking at the former president's vulnerabilities. She still needs to make up ground with voters of color, specifically black voters. If I'm Donald Trump, you're looking at some of those low propensity voters.

The campaign has sort of outsourced a lot of that GOTV work with outside groups. Can those groups get some of those individuals to turn out and vote specifically younger men? If they can, that's going to be a net gain for him in places like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia.

So, I think there's still some work to be done on both sides in the 15 days remaining. But if I were a betting man and I don't like to lose money, I'd probably put my money behind Trump in terms of the Electoral College.

BLITZER: 270 Electoral College votes needed to be president. Go ahead.

BEDINGFIELD: No. I was just going to say the one counterpoint to that is we know that Donald Trump has a ceiling. He's run for president twice. He's basically gotten 46 percent of the vote twice. I'm not sure that anything he's done on the campaign trail has done anything to raise that ceiling, bring new people into his coalition. We'll find out. But, you know, I think that that's, that is another reason that the Harris campaign should see -- you know, should feel optimistic.

I agree they still have work to do, particularly with some of the key members of the Democratic coalition, but there is room for them to grow, whereas I'm not sure there's room for Donald Trump.

BLITZER: And more than 14 million Americans have already voted.

THOMPSON: Yes. And the one thing I can also tell you is that, internally, the message on the Harris campaign, from campaign manager on down, has been that this was always going to get tight at the very end, that they shouldn't have basically thought that the little like, you know, tulip craze of the summer was going to last.

Now, what has given some people inside the campaign some anxiety is that they seem to have shifted messaging to much more anti-Trump stuff, which suggests to some people in the campaign that maybe the numbers are not looking as good as they were before.

BLITZER: All right. Guys, thank you very, very much. I appreciate it.

Coming up, we're watching many new developments, including Kamala Harris in Michigan today for the fourth time in less than a week. We'll talk with someone who knows the state better than most, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00] BLITZER: We're standing by for a Kamala Harris event in Wisconsin tonight, the vice president fighting for blue wall swing states that have been key to Democratic presidential victories over the years.

Joining us now, a Democrat from another pivotal blue wall battleground state, Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan. Representative, thanks so much for joining us.

Is campaigning with Liz Cheney, do you think, the best use of Kamala Harris' time in your state of Michigan when there are warning signs with key parts of the Democratic base there like black men, union workers and Arab and Muslim American voters?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): So, Wolf, I do think it's a good use of her time. She was in Oakland County, which is an area that we need to turn out the votes on. We cannot afford to have complacency by any voters. And I think Liz Cheney was already going to be in town. I'm actually the presiding officer tomorrow at the Detroit Economic Club, and they are reminding people about what is at stake on our democracy and about how our Constitution is at stake. And there are people that are still worried about what is happening to our democracy. And it's an important conversation to be had.

BLITZER: Your colleague, Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, told me on Friday she's seeing strong momentum for Kamala Harris in your state.

[18:30:06]

I want you to listen to what she said to me. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DEBBIE STABENOW (D-MI): What I'm hearing and seeing now is a real burst of energy and volunteering. We have more people early voting than the Trump side. We have more people engaging.

And so it's going to be -- Michigan's never easy. That's for sure. But I feel confident she's going to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Do you share that optimism?

DINGELL: Look, Michigan's tight. Let me just say that. You know it. Everybody knows that the three blue states are tight. What I want everyone to know is that we've got our work to do. We got to roll up our sleeves and turn out the vote.

And you talked about three demographics that matter. I was in union halls all weekend. I went to the black trade unionist who I was with a couple of months ago, and they said to me, it's -- that they felt like it was pretty. I had six national presidents in here. We have union presidents, Liz Shuler, and communication workers, AFSCME, Education and SEIU, talking to their workers.

And in 2016, when I told you that Hillary Clinton was going to lose Michigan and nobody believed me, the union presidents knew it, but they didn't want to acknowledge it. This year, they're making sure their members get the contrast.

You know, Donald Trump says a lot of things that aren't true, and when you tell the story of how many jobs were lost in Michigan during the Trump administration, plants that were closed. He says he's not going to tax overtime, but what they don't realize is he doesn't want to pay overtime. So, if you're not paid overtime, you're not going to tax it. They're getting the facts out.

So, work has got to keep going from now until Election Day. Who votes is going to determine the outcome.

BLITZER: Congresswoman, Politico spoke with some Michigan college students in what's called the Uncommitted Movement in Michigan, who oppose Trump, but also say Kamala Harris' calls for a ceasefire in Gaza aren't enough. One student said, and I'm quoting now, Harris has to do something to win my vote. I need to see policy that something in Israel is going to change. Does Harris need to do more to earn these votes?

DINGELL: Look, I'm going to -- I can't lie to you. I've told you many a time that the Arab-American Muslim population is really hurting as is the Jewish community with the rawness the passion that's here and we have to keep telling people that and reminding them the first thing he did when he got elected, the first time was to try to do a ban of Muslims that he's talking about internment camps, et cetera. But that's one of the reasons I'm so focused on the next two weeks because we won't get everybody.

But those young people, I'm on the campus. I talk to them. I hear their everything, Wolf. I don't even know how to put in words. But young people are worried about the environment. They're worried about having jobs in the future. They're worried about global climate change is real. And I've had many young people over this weekend said, is everything that we're doing to address this? They're demanding we do something. What they want to see us do something. And Donald Trump wants to take this back in the polls (ph).

BLITZER: And to that point that you just made, Congresswoman, a new Washington Post poll of seven key swing states finds more than 40 percent of younger voters aren't locked into their choice yet. What can Kamala Harris do to reach them?

DINGELL: You know, I want to see her do, and it's my opinion, a little more retail politics. Just they need to get to know her. People forget she's only been a candidate for two months. Everybody's used to Donald Trump. Unfortunately, I think we have totally normalized his inappropriate behavior. And people don't even hear what he's saying anymore. It's so outrageous.

And as a woman, I am actually offended by vulgar locker room talk in public places, like you hear it, but we need to talk to them about the issues that they care about. And the environment is one of the number one issues. We've got to get that record. How are they going to have a job in the future? How are they going to be able to afford a house? This is a billionaire that really doesn't care whether they can afford to buy a house or pay their rent. That's what we got to do. We've got to talk to them about the issues that they care about and she needs to show them who she is.

BLITZER: Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan, thanks so much for joining us.

DINGELL: Thank you.

BLITZER: And just ahead, new scrutiny on the world's richest man as he campaigns for Donald Trump, why Elon Musk's latest effort to get out the vote might be illegal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:00]

BLITZER: Tonight, new questions about whether billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk has crossed the legal line by offering a daily million dollar cash giveaway to some voters.

Our Brian Todd is taking a closer look for us. Brian, Musk is taking his staunch support of Trump to another new level.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He really is, Wolf. You know, some critics are calling this a stunt, others are questioning its legality. But Elon Musk is defending the giveaway, saying he's only trying to recruit voters who are devoted to the Constitution.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice over): New concerns being raised tonight over how the world's richest person is throwing his money around on behalf of Donald Trump.

ELON MUSK, OWNER, X, TESLA AND SPACEX: The next thing we'd like to do is to announce today's winner of the million dollar prize.

TODD: Elon Musk has announced that he'll be giving away a million dollars a day, randomly, to registered voters. But it's only in seven battleground states, and only if they sign a petition from Musk's Super PAC, saying they support the First Amendment right to free speech, and the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

MUSK: And all you have to do is sign a petition in support of the Constitution. If you already believe in the Constitution, you're just signing something you already believe, and you can win a million dollars.

[18:40:03]

That's awesome.

TODD: But not so awesome to some election law experts, and to the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, one of those battleground states.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): I think it's something that law enforcement can take a look at, but it does raise some serious questions.

TODD: Why might it be illegal for Musk to pay people to register and sign that petition?

DAVID BECKER, CENTER FOR ELECTION INNOVATION AND RESEARCH: Vote buying in this country has been a problem in our long history. It is criminal to offer payment or accept payment, anything of value, in exchange for registering or voting. It's also been applied to when Ben and Jerry's wanted to offer free ice cream cones if you showed up with your I Voted sticker.

TODD: Musk has already given $1 million checks to at least two people in Pennsylvania, where he's been stumping for Trump.

MUSK: So, by the way, John, had no idea. So, anyway, you're welcome and --

TODD: On ABC's The View, Kamala Harris' running mate, Tim Walz slammed Musk's giveaway as a sign of desperation from their opponents.

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Well, I think that's what you do when you have no plan for the public, when you have no economic plan that's going to benefit the middle class.

TODD: Musk has already given more than $75 million to his own pro- Trump super PAC.

MUSK: Donald Trump has to be -- has to win this election. He really does.

TODD: Analysts say the Justice Department could pursue charges against the billionaire for this million dollar giveaway, but --

PROF. DEREK MULLER, ELECTION LAW EXPERT, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: You're putting the Department of Justice, injecting itself into a hotly contested, disputed case of interpretation of a criminal law just weeks ahead of the election, which I don't think where the Department of Justice wants to find itself.

TODD: Musk's side is saying the giveaway is legal, a job opportunity, because the winners have appeared in promotional videos and will serve as spokespeople.

BECKER: It certainly doesn't make it all better. There are laws around what constitutes work for hire, whether you're being paid fair market value for those kinds of things.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Now, if this giveaway is pursued further legally, would the recipients eventually have to give the money back? Analysts say that's not clear. One expert says there are rules saying that money that's been wrongfully taken does have to be given back. But he also says this situation with Elon Musk is uncharted territory. Wolf?

BLITZER: Brian Todd reporting for us. Brian, thank you very much. Let's get some analysis right now from our CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig. Elie, what do you think? Could this be a violation of federal election law?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's definitely close to the line, Wolf, and in my view, it's probably over the line. Here's why. It is a federal crime to pay somebody to vote or register. But there's a wrinkle here, which is that there's a contingency built in. What Musk is saying is, essentially, if you are registered, then you might win this prize.

However, if we look at the Justice Manual, which is DOJ's internal guidance to prosecutors, it says that where there's a lottery, where there's some contingency involved, that probably still qualifies under the law. Now, that's based on one case from a federal court of appeals back in 1983, so it's not entirely clear, Wolf. It's a thorny issue for sure.

BLITZER: Let me read to you and our viewers what the federal law on this specific issue states, and I'm now reading from the law. Whoever knowingly or willfully pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years or both. So, what does that say to you about what Musk is doing?

HONIG: Well, Wolf, this is yet another one of these wild hypotheticals that has come to life. We've never seen a situation exactly like this. And so DOJ is going to have a very difficult decision to make. But I do want to stress this. Nobody should expect to see an indictment drop or any specific action out of DOJ in the next 15 days between now and the election, because DOJ has a policy saying, we try to avoid bringing charges or bringing investigative steps too close to an election that could influence voters. Frankly, I don't think they'd know either way whether this might motivate Harris voters or Trump voters.

So, I think for that reason, we shouldn't expect anything soon, but DOJ is going to have to go back to its experts and come up with a solution to a question that's never quite been asked before.

BLITZER: Do you think a must could face other legal challenges?

HONIG: So, keep an eye on this. Even if there's no criminal prosecution, it could be that somebody brings a civil lawsuit, could be a campaign, could be a political committee, could be an individual, goes to a judge and says, I would like an injunction. Order Elon Musk to stop doing this.

But to do that, Wolf, first of all, a person has to have standing, meaning they have to be able to show they were legally injured in some way. And, second of all, the person who brings this type of lawsuit would have to show that they have some basis in the law for a remedy, that there's what we call a cause of action, that there's a law that says you can sue for this type of violation. The criminal law does not count there.

So, it could be that we see somebody sue here in the next few days. But, again, we're in uncharted territory.

BLITZER: Elie Honig, thanks very much for the analysis.

HONIG: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: coming up, the urgent overseas mission developing right now. America's top diplomat heads to the Middle East despite public pessimism by the White House on a ceasefire deal.

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WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the Middle East tonight with a goal of restarting talks on a ceasefire in Gaza in the aftermath of the killing of the Hamas leader by Israel.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv for us following the latest diplomatic push, even as Israel is launching new airstrikes.

Jeremy, give us the latest.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as Secretary of State, Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Israel tomorrow for meetings with the Israeli prime minister and other top Israeli officials. He will be pushing what the President Biden described last week as seeing kind of golden opportunity here in the wake of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to push for an end to the war in Gaza for humanitarian assistance to go in and for the hostages, 97 of whom were taken on October 7th, who still remain in Gaza to be able to return home.

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But Israeli officials don't seem to be seeing things quite that way as the Israeli prime minister over the weekend has been defiant about continuing this war until victory.

And certainly, we are seeing the Israeli military campaigns in both Lebanon and Gaza continuing unabated in particular, in the northern Gaza strip, doctors at hospitals, there have been describing round the clock bombardment as we are watching, not only hundreds of people being killed, hundreds more flowing into hospitals but also thousands who are trapped inside their homes amid the heavy fighting.

We are also witnessing the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza continuing to deteriorate as the United Nations human rights office is warning that Israel may be attempting to destroy the Palestinian population in northern Gaza through, quote, death and displacement, as we have seen, tens of thousands of people now fleeing northern Gaza and very little aid actually making its way into the northern part of the strip. BLITZER: At least as of now, there doesn't seem to be an end in sight

to Jeremy, were also learning now that sum far far-right Israelis, including some members of Netanyahu's cabinet are actually pushing to build Israeli settlements inside Gaza. What did they tell you?

DIAMOND: That's right, Wolf. And we have heard these calls from the far right in Israel for over a year now, to settle create settlements in Gaza for the first time since the 2005 disengagement from the Gaza strip.

What was so remarkable about this event today was seeing about a dozen members because of Netanyahu's governing coalition, including at least three ministers and multiple members of his very own Likud Party participating actively calling for these settlements to be created. And we were hearing these calls from these ministers alongside calls from some of these settler activists to effectively remove all Palestinian ends from the Gaza Strip.

I spoke with Maya Golan, one minister in Netanyahu's government, a member of his own party about the fact that Prime Minister Netanyahu has said that he does not ultimately see Israel creating settlements in Gaza, but she and other members of this party were still reiterating their calls, insisting that they view this as a security imperative. But of course, there were many others with more biblical reasons for pushing for these settlements -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Yeah, very disturbing indeed.

All right. Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much.

Coming up, a new round of disturbing lawsuits against Sean "Diddy" Combs. The musician now facing take a claim of drugging and assaulting a 13-year-old with an unnamed male celebrity.

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BLITZER: Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing a slew of new civil lawsuits tonight as the jailed music producer awaits criminal trial on sex trafficking charges.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister reports on the new accusations of sexual assault by Combs.

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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Disturbing details emerging in seven new lawsuits filed against Sean "Diddy" Combs, including allegations that the music mogul assaulted minors and that other unnamed celebrities took part.

One plaintiff identified only as Jane Doe, alleges she was drugged and raped by Combs at a party after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000, when she claims she was just 13-years-old. The accuser says that a limo driver, who allegedly worked for Combs

invited her to an after-party telling her Combs, like younger girls, and she fit what Diddy was looking for. She said she was asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement when she arrived at the party and after having one drink, she felt woozy and lightheaded. It needed to lie down in a bedroom.

It wasn't long until she claims Combs along with the male and female celebrity entered the room. Plaintiff was held down by celebrity A, who vaginally raped her while Combs and celebrity B, a female, watched, according to the lawsuit. Combs then vaginally raped plaintiff while celebrity A and celebrity B watched.

The mention of unnamed celebrities marks the first time since the indictment that claims against Combs have accused other stars of engaging in alleged assault. Combs's parties were known to attract world-famous celebrities.

Another suit filed by a John Doe says at 17-years-old, he was invited to a party in 2022 in Manhattan with Combs. After one drink, he says he felt dizzy, weak, and confused, and witnessed multiple people engaging in group sex, including Combs and another artist, he recognized. Doe alleges that Combs later sexually assaulted him on a bed while others laid next to them, engaging in sexual activities.

Attorneys for Combs did not respond to specific allegations in the new lawsuits, but referred CNN to a previous blanket denial, stating Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone, adult or minor, man or woman.

Over the weekend, Combs's team requested that the judge overseeing his criminal case block prospective witnesses and their lawyers from speaking out about their allegations outside of court, arguing that the public accusations will interfere with Mr. Combs's right to a fair trial.

The latest lawsuits add to a growing web of legal troubles surrounding the music mogul who now faces 25 civil suits. Combs remains in custody in New York as he awaits trial in May.

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WAGMEISTER (on camera): Now, Wolf, it's not sheer volume of these civil suits that is notable. Legal experts I've spoken to have told me that this continuum of lawsuits that keeps coming out can actually serve as a roadmap of sorts to prosecutors as they look into potential new charges or potential new defendants.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Wagmeister, thanks very much.

And thanks to our viewers for watching.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.