Return to Transcripts main page
The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Sources: Israel Warns U.S. Of Iranian Plot To Assassinate President Trump; Several Dems Vying To Replace Platner In Maine Senate Race; Questions Remain On McConnell's Health Amid Lengthy Hospital Stay. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired July 09, 2026 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: --I think that's such an important thing. Everybody is going through something, and we have no idea what somebody else is going through--
NICOLE AVANT, FORMER UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE BAHAMAS: No idea.
COOPER: --or has been through and--
AVANT: No.
COOPER: --and to give the person some grace.
AVANT: Some grace.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: You can listen to the full conversation with Nicole Avant wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the entire episode @ CNN.com/AllThereIs.
That's it for us. The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Tonight. What we're learning about a new Iranian plot to kill President Trump as that ceasefire with Iran has completely unraveled.
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
And tonight marks a third night of tit-for-tat strikes between the United States and Iran, raising new questions about whether or not the United States is fully back at war.
As new CNN reporting, this evening, reveals that U.S. officials are aware of a new plot by Iran, apparently, to try to kill President Trump.
Now, explosions have been heard in several Iranian cities today, with the United States saying that it hit 90 targets overnight. Iran retaliated by firing at American bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan. We're told that the United States has been deliberately striking and then pausing to avoid escalation and try to give diplomacy a chance to work.
Now, sources say that effort could be in jeopardy, after Israel shared intelligence with the United States, claiming that Iran recently devised a new plan to try to assassinate President Trump. One source says the warning came this week. Another said that the United States had picked up a steady drumbeat of intelligence, in recent weeks, about possible plans to assassinate President Trump. But the warning from Israel was new and concerned a specific plot, we are told.
Now, other American officials suggested to our CNN team that the Israeli report could be an effort to try to sway President Trump's decision-making here, as he's weighing whether or not to intensify military action against Iran.
And the details of what this plot would entail are still unclear at this hour. But here's something that it does put in context, in terms of what we heard from the President, something he kept bringing up when speaking with reporters just yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: They want to take out the U.S. leader, me, I'm on every list. I saw think -- this morning, I'm on every single one of their lists.
I may be gone too because I'm their number one target. It's out all over the place. I'm their number one -- because they are scum.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, behind the scenes, we're told, that diplomatic efforts are underway to try to salvage what's left of the ceasefire agreement that the President has declared is over.
Now, the competency of the people who are leading that effort is even facing criticism from one of the President's own allies on Fox News tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN KILMEADE, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And I also don't think that Witkoff and Kushner should be the ones doing this. They're business guys. They have not been effective in Ukraine, not been effective in Gaza. They have not been effective in this. They can't have three portfolios to begin with.
We have a State Department for a reason. Marco Rubio, even Democrats admit, has been looked at as a genius internationally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The host, referring to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, there.
The President himself has not commented on that matter, as he remained behind closed doors at the White House. He did speak with the Israeli Prime Minister on the phone today, but that was out of sight from the cameras.
The only major activity we really saw on the White House grounds was the President's next renovation project that is underway. This time, it's happening right on the front doors of the White House, the North Portico of the grounds there.
These are pictures I took of the large scaffolding that was up just yesterday. 24 hours later, when we were back at the White House today, that scaffolding was covered with a special tarp to make it look like there's no scaffolding at all, like it's just the columns of the front of the White House.
Of course, you can still hear the construction that's underway underneath that covering today, as the White House is now working to renovate, they say, the columns of the North Portico.
It's something we saw the President personally inspecting recently, and that his Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, says that it was Trump, indeed, who requested these updates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG BURGUM, INTERIOR SECRETARY: At the White House, you see the scaffolding on the North Portico right now. President Trump comes out to greet a world leader, he sees door dings in the pillars, and says, Look at all this stuff that needs to be repaired.
[21:05:00]
It'll go very quickly. I think they've been up maybe just about 10 days now, but these guys work very good. They did the stuff on the South Side of the White House without any fanfare. No one wrote any stories about that. They just did great work, got it done, and moved on. It never -- never broke through, like some of the other top stories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: We also just heard from the President tonight on a different project. He weighed in, on Truth Social, this evening, to celebrate the renaming of the Palm Beach International Airport, that is now gone from being known as PBI to DJT. The President, in part, wrote on Truth Social, quote, "The Area is HOT, the Location is GREAT, and the Renovation will be SPECTACULAR."
My lead source tonight is a top expert on Iran. CNN's Global Affairs Analyst, Karim Sadjadpour.
And Karim, it's great to have you here.
As we're trying to suss out this new reporting that Israel has informed the United States, apparently, about what they say is this new Iranian plot to try to kill President Trump. Obviously, that's not surprising in and of itself because the Iranians have been trying to kill President Trump for years. They hacked into his campaign staff's emails.
But in terms of in this moment, hearing about this, do you really think that's something Iran would be considering in this moment, in this war?
KARIM SADJADPOUR, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE, IRAN EXPERT: I suspect, Kaitlan, that it is more aspirational than operational.
You are right that Iran had long sought to assassinate President Trump to avenge the killing of their top military commander, whom President Trump assassinated, Qasem Soleimani, in January of 2020.
This time around, the United States and Israel have collectively killed dozens of Iran's top officials, including, of course, its Supreme Leader. So, this has been kind of in the Iranian bloodstream, the Iranian media writing about how they need to avenge the death of their Supreme Leader. It's tough to know how seriously we should take it.
COLLINS: Yes, and in terms of also how recent this happened. I mean, The Wall Street Journal first reported on this. Their reporter said that, that their understanding was this came about quite recently.
And obviously, just 24 hours ago, we were talking about how the President did something really unusual, which was not take his brand- new Air Force One, the Qatari jumbo jet, and instead took the old Air Force One, which seems to have -- to have done, in part, with concerns about security, and it's potentially tied to this new intelligence.
SADJADPOUR: That's absolutely right. With a target as important as the President of the United States, you never want to take risks when it comes to operational security. The government of Qatar has a good close relationship with the government of Iran. That said, this Iranian regime is one of the most isolated regimes in the world at the moment. They are under obviously enormous political, military, economic duress.
So, as I said, I have no doubt that it is aspirational for them. They fantasize about avenging the death of their top leaders. But I would say, President Trump, when he's on U.S. soil, or Western -- European soil, I would say that, the likelihood that Iran could actually carry out an operation like that is not high.
COLLINS: Does it affect talks, you think? I mean the talks weren't going well in the first place. Do you think this is something that would impact those negotiations?
SADJADPOUR: To some extent. Because these talks are so personally driven, it's so much of just the war itself, and then the last four and a half months have been the whims of the President. At the same time, I've spoken to U.S. negotiators as recently as today, and they say they remain committed to trying to get a deal, and they actually have hopes. They say that behind closed doors, Iranian negotiators say different things to them. There are folks in the Iranian system who do want to change the state of U.S.-Iran relations.
So, remember, President Trump, a couple of months ago, said Middle Eastern ceasefires are distinguished by moderate shooting back and forth. So, he seems comfortable with this status quo of both shooting and talking. The Iranians seem comfortable with it. But certainly, the neighboring countries in the region are not comfortable with it.
COLLINS: Yes, I mean, they're the ones getting fired at by the Iranians.
I think there's a question of where this goes from here. The back and forth, is that just the new status quo? Because I mean, the President doesn't seem to have an appetite to resume all-out war. He talked about responding to what Iran does. But I mean, is just -- Is this the new normal, some people might ask?
SADJADPOUR: Well, through process of elimination, Kaitlan, I can say that I don't think we're going to reach a deal anytime soon. Don't think the Iranians are going to capitulate anytime soon. It's doubtful to me, President Trump is going to capitulate anytime soon. So, I do think that for the foreseeable future, this may well be the new normal.
[21:10:00]
And the challenge we have with Iran is that it's a regime which usually can only compromise when it feels enormous pressure. And at the moment, it feels overconfident that it won this war, the wind is at its back, it feels like it's a new superpower. And so, they don't show any signs of meaningful compromise on the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, their regional proxies, or their missile program.
COLLINS: Yes.
Karim Sadjadpour, it is always great to have your expertise, especially to start the show. Thank you for joining us.
SADJADPOUR: Thank you.
COLLINS: My next source tonight is the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman Adam Smith of Washington.
And thank you, sir, for being here.
What's your sense about these new reports that Israel told the U.S. that there is a new Iranian plot to try to kill the President?
REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): Well, it's very hard to tell. I mean, certainly Iran has made the statement, as your guest said, since the killing of Soleimani -- gosh, over six years ago now. It's also easy to see that Israel would want to sort of buck up Trump, make him more willing to take on Iran more strongly. Netanyahu has been pushing for that tougher stance, a more hawkish approach, to Iran for quite some time. Now, crucially, without any clear plan for how that's going to turn into some sort of success, in terms of fundamentally breaking the Iranian regime. But Israel certainly has that interest.
So, it's hard to know, it's hard to know exactly what that intel is. I mean, the bigger problem, as you've pointed out, the ceasefire has broken down. We don't seem to have a plan, going forward, for how to achieve our objectives, or even to stop the conflict.
COLLINS: You know, three weeks ago, a little more than that, when the President signed that memorandum of understanding. Is it surprising to you that this is where the United States and Iran are tonight?
SMITH: Well, it's not surprising because, there just hasn't been, I think, a sufficient focus on diplomacy.
And I agree with Brian Kilmeade, the Fox News guy who you quoted. I mean, putting Witkoff and Kushner on this, as well as they're on a half dozen other things, where they don't have any experience, instead of using the State Department? I mean, the Trump administration hasn't really taken the diplomacy piece of this as seriously as they need to.
And these are incredibly complicated negotiations. I mean, before you even get to the nuclear stuff, Iran has a different vision of what opening up the Strait of Hormuz is than we do. Our vision is, exactly like it was before the war started. Their vision is, It's open, but we control it. That's a very different thing. You need very talented negotiators.
So, no, I don't think the Trump administration has done the work on diplomacy any more than they did the work to know that this war wasn't going to lead to the result that they wanted, even though that was something a lot of experts told them.
COLLINS: Do you think Trump should listen to Brian Kilmeade when he was basically suggesting that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff should not be leading these negotiations?
SMITH: Oh God, yes, OK? I think that's like blindingly obvious, it doesn't take Brian Kilmeade to figure that out. Let's have experienced diplomats.
We have experienced diplomats, Middle East experience, nuclear experience, Iran experience. The State Department is an incredibly capable operation. And Republicans, you know, use the people with the experience to really do the diplomacy. Not two guys who are cutting real estate deals in New York. So, yes, I don't -- think it's blindingly obvious that we should have different people leading this negotiation.
COLLINS: We didn't hear from the President today. He was behind closed doors. He just posted tonight only once. But on Iran, I mean, obviously he did have a call with the Prime Minister of Israel behind closed doors.
The major activity at the White House, at least in front of the cameras, seem to be the renovations that are now underway on those columns on the North Portico, and Doug Burgum said that it was personally instructed by President Trump to do that. What do you make of that?
SMITH: Yes, I'm not really focused on the renovation issues. Much more focused on the diplomacy, the war in Iran. Gosh, the high costs of living, what are you doing about--
COLLINS: Do you think the President is too focused on that?
SMITH: Yes, I think that. And that's an understatement. He seems obsessed with remaking everything, from the White House, to the Reflecting Pool, to his new arch, to the Kennedy Center. Look, this is not what a democratically-elected president in a representative democracy should be focused on. This is much more what an authoritarian dictator would be focused on, how to basically build up his own personal ego and put his stamp on everything.
President Trump and this administration needs to get back to the business of dealing with the issues that the American people care about, the cost of housing, the cost of food, the cost of gas, all of these things that are -- health care, energy, all of these things are where our focus should be.
[21:15:00]
The President has, sitting on his desk, a housing bill, that is bipartisan, bicameral, that could really help reduce the cost of housing. He's not signing it, he's not dealing with it. So, yes, he needs to get off of the renovation and focus on the very real problems that people in this country are facing, and that he was elected to deal with.
COLLINS: Congressman Adam Smith, thank you for your time tonight.
SMITH: Thanks, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: Up next. There is mayhem in Maine. Democrats, more of them are vying to take Graham Platner's place after he said he would drop out of that critical Senate race. One of the newest candidates, who announced they are in, will join me right after this.
And later, what our sources are telling us about Senator Mitch McConnell's status nearly a month after he was hospitalized with no clear explanation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM PLATNER, (D) FORMER MAINE SENATE NOMINEE: They would rather see Susan Collins win than have me be the next senator from Maine.
And I'm not asking for how this process is going to work. I'm not trying to dictate to anyone who it should be or how we get there, but I will say this: it needs to be open, transparent, and democratic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Tonight, sources say that that stunning statement from Graham Platner, announcing he will suspend his Senate campaign that was plagued by sexual assault allegations, which he denies, has set off a frantic scramble inside the Democratic Party.
CNN has learned that Graham Platner is planning to wait until Monday's deadline to officially withdraw from this race. That is the final time when he can do so. And now, as the clock is ticking, Maine Democrats have less than three weeks to try to find a new candidate to salvage one of the nation's most critical midterm races that could decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate.
The state's party committee says a nominating convention will be held to choose from a crowded field of contenders. But a lot of details about this process, including when the convention will be held, who exactly the roughly 600 delegates are going to be, and how candidates can get on the ballot, are still uncertain tonight.
My source this evening is one of the people on the growing list of names to replace Graham Platner on that ballot. Former Maine CDC Director, Nirav Shah.
And thank you for being here.
I want to talk about your campaign, what this is going to look like. But when you hear that Graham Platner is not officially going to drop out of the race until Monday, do you think he needs to officially do so sooner?
NIRAV SHAH, (D) U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE IN MAINE, (D) RUNNING TO REPLACE PLATNER ON BALLOT IN MAINE, FORMER MAINE CDC DIRECTOR: The answer is yes, unequivocally, Kaitlan.
The right time for Graham to have dropped out of this race was on Monday afternoon, when the allegations surfaced, when the article was published, and he put out his first video. That was the first best time when he should have dropped out. Any time, any minute thereafter would have been the second best time to do so. Waiting for Monday is too little, too late.
COLLINS: And the party has until July 27th to pick the replacement here.
I mean, in a sign of how quickly this is moving. You just ran for governor. Your volunteers were seen taking the signs from that run, last month, that say, Shah for Governor, and taping over the word, Governor, and writing Senate and Senator here.
I think some people may say that's resourceful. Some people may say, do you have enough time to put a campaign together here for this?
SHAH: The answer is yes.
First of all, a shout out to our volunteers. They are not just resourceful, they are resilient, and we can pivot.
And the answer is yes, we do have enough time, and that's because, at least in the case of my campaign, we already have the infrastructure, the enthusiasm, and the organizational ability to mount a statewide campaign and prosecute the case against Susan Collins.
We came in, on Election Night, first in the race. We secured the highest number of first-choice votes. We won both congressional districts on Election Night, and that is because of the resourcefulness of the volunteers you just saw. That same energy is what's going to be able to secure us the nomination and defeat Susan Collins in November. We've got more than enough time to do so, and we're ready to fight that fight.
COLLINS: Do you know anything about how this nominating convention is supposed to work?
SHAH: More details are coming out every single day.
And look, Kaitlan, I want to be clear: our state party is navigating literally uncharted waters, and I want to give them a lot of grace. They've got to sort this out and make sure the process is indeed open, transparent, and robust, and rather than feeling like something out of "Game of Thrones." So, I want to give them credit because, they are trying to figure this out as we go along, and they're doing a great job. Every single day, we are in contact with them, and more details are coming up.
What we know right now is that on or about the 25th of this month, so about 16 days from now, there will be a convention, somewhere in the state, comprising about 600 delegates, a 100 of whom are already active, 500 of whom have to be chosen. There are a lot of questions. Who are these new delegates going to be? How will they be chosen? And what will the voting look like?
But again, these details are being worked out, and I'm confident it will result in a process that lends us a nominee who's got the buy-in and legitimacy to make the case against Susan Collins. Right now, I am the one who's best-positioned to do so, coming off of the strong performance in the gubernatorial primary.
COLLINS: You know, I mean, Graham Platner had a strong performance in the primary. He got more votes than any Democratic nominee, I think, in Maine's history for Senate. Do you want his endorsement? Would you take it if he offered it to you?
SHAH: I have not sought Mr. Platner's endorsement, nor would I accept it if he offered it to me. What I do want, however, Kaitlan, is the support and the enthusiasm of his supporters.
[21:25:00] Earlier today, I had a press conference, announcing my run, and the first two -- in fact the only two speakers at that press conference, other than myself, were two women, who were strong organizers, volunteers, and participants in Graham Platner's campaign, and they talked about, at that press conference, how and why they are choosing to redirect their energies to my campaign.
And so, what I'm looking for is the support of Graham's supporters. I am not looking for his support.
COLLINS: Do you think you can get that support without his endorsement?
SHAH: The answer is yes. On matters of policy, Graham and I, there is very little light between us. What voters in Maine want is a clearly progressive candidate to make issues like Medicare for All an actual reality.
The other thing that voters in Maine are clearly looking for is someone who is an outsider. I come to this race, not having been part of the political establishment in Maine, or indeed even in the United States, and I still came in in first place on Election Night, a month ago. That's what Maine voters are looking for. They are looking for an outsider to make the strong progressive case, and I will be that candidate.
COLLINS: You said there's little daylight between you -- on the policy of issues. Part of Graham Platner's agenda called for ICE to be dismantled. Do you agree that ICE should be dismantled?
SHAH: ICE, in its current form, cannot continue to go on. Just yesterday, there was a violent shooting, a fatal shooting in Houston at the hands of ICE agents. We have experienced the horrors of ICE raids here in Maine firsthand. And as an immigrant, as a child of immigrants myself, this is deeply personal.
ICE, as it currently exists, cannot be allowed to continue. So, whether we reconstitute ICE from the ground up, or whether we severely amend how it operates, something must change, and that's what I'm setting -- that's what I'm setting about to do as a senator.
COLLINS: And do you agree with him on Israel, when he says that they committed a genocide in Gaza?
SHAH: I want to be crystal clear on this matter. I spent the earlier part of my career, living and working in Cambodia, very, very -- when I was very junior, and I saw firsthand, the scars of genocide and their after effects.
What is unfolding in Gaza right now is absolutely a genocide. And I have seen what will happen 20 years from now, the psychological and health and economic scars that this genocide will leave in Gaza. There is no question that what's unfolding in Gaza right now is a genocide, and I have called it as such during the gubernatorial campaign, and I affirm that judgment call tonight.
COLLINS: Nirav Shah, thank you for joining us on the day that you joined this race. We do really appreciate your time tonight.
SHAH: Thank you for having me, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: And still to come, speaking of the Senate, on the Republican side, Mitch McConnell has been in the hospital for quite some time. His aides still aren't providing information on his condition, the mysteries surrounding his health, as the Senate is expected to head back to Washington.
[21:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, with a slim Senate Republican majority set to return here to Capitol Hill, on Monday, the status, the health status of Senator Mitch McConnell is still a mystery tonight.
The 84-year-old senator, we know, has been in the hospital for three weeks now without any details from his staff as to why he was admitted or any specifics on his current condition, with officials only saying last week that he, quote, continues to improve.
One of McConnell's former staffers, Scott Jennings, says he spoke to the senator by phone this week, and told Jake Tapper this, earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT JENNINGS, FORMER SR. ADVISER TO SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL: My belief is I think the Senate goes back in on Monday. I'd be shocked if they didn't put out an update on him by Monday about whether he's going to be able to go back to the Senate next week. And I should say, I don't know whether he is or he isn't, and I'm not sure whether he's made that decision or not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I've got a full table of my top political sources here with me.
And obviously, I think this is a real question in terms of transparency, disclosure. I mean, Senate Republicans would probably like to know if he's going to be voting next week, and as they're doing the math here. Do you think that his office needs to be more transparent here?
BRAD TODD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, CO- FOUNDER, ONMESSAGE INC.: Well, we have a three-seat majority for -- in Republican terms, that's microscopic, you know?
COLLINS: Yes.
TODD: So, yes.
And the Senate's been long known as the world's best retirement home. Ed Markey is running for re-election, is -- he's going to turn 80 this Saturday, looking for six more years. Pat Leahy was 84. So, we have a lot of geriatric senators who have health problems.
I think that Senator McConnell's office should, next week, when the Senate comes back in session, give his Republican colleagues and his Democrat colleagues some idea of when he's coming back.
COLLINS: And what if they don't?
TODD: Well, I think then they should do it the next day.
(LAUGHTER)
COLLINS: I mean, it has been three weeks now. I mean, regardless of even being here in Washington, do you think his constituents back home, that they should know, you know, Here is at least what's going on, here's what we can tell you?
DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, FORMER RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, sure, and especially in the context of Tom Kean Jr., we've really seen a lot more of a microscopic look on this, when somebody's missing for a 100 days and doesn't tell you anything.
There's obviously politics that come into play here. I thought it was very shrewd and very smart of Andy Beshear to put out the letter he did. Let's also remember his father lost to Mitch McConnell in 1996. Politics is a long game.
But as Todd -- as Brad said, if we don't hear on Monday or Tuesday, that becomes a different situation.
COLLINS: I mean, it also just lets the conspiracy theories proliferate, when you don't say what's going on.
[21:35:00]
KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, SENIOR ADVISER TO HILLARY CLINTON'S 2016 CAMPAIGN, FORMER DNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, I think about, like, during COVID, I remember, when the Vice President Harris got COVID, they put out a picture of her sitting with her work, despite the fact that she had COVID. I mean, that's, you know, you usually send some kind of working picture to show the person is alive and kicking.
So, yes, it does add to the conspiracy theorists about, Where is he? Is he alive? Is he in a home? Is -- you know, all the crazy ideas.
PAUL BEGALA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: When he went into the hospital, the United States was still in the World Cup. President Trump was announcing, and I quote, a complete peace deal with Iran. Peace deal with Iran is now complete.
FINNEY: Peace--
BEGALA: And Taylor Swift was single.
FINNEY: Oh.
BEGALA: So, he's going to be very surprised when he wakes up.
There's a lot that's changed, Mitch. Come back to us.
COLLINS: Well, I mean, and in terms of the White House even having conversations with him.
President Trump was asked last night, does he have an update? Has he talked to Senator Mitch McConnell? And this is what he told reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Have you spoken to Senator Mitch McConnell since his hospitalization?
TRUMP: No, I haven't, no.
REPORTER: How's he doing?
TRUMP: I have no idea.
REPORTER: Any--
TRUMP: I have no idea what he's doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I mean, even the President says he doesn't know.
TODD: Well, they're not particularly close.
HEYE: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
TODD: You know, I do think if you--
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: He might tell Chuck Schumer, before he tells President Trump.
FINNEY: Yes.
TODD: Maybe they have a closer, more daily relationship, I think, perhaps.
If we have a Supreme Court vacancy, though, you can rest assured that Senator McConnell will find a way to get back to the chamber. Because, he has spent his entire career focused on judges and on free speech, and Republicans will need him in that, in case, and he will find a way to get back, I'm certain.
BEGALA: But there's a political angle to this too, and a policy angle. Mitch McConnell opposes paid medical leave for Americans. He's taking it for himself. This is the kind of double-standard hypocrisy that I think Democrats ought to run on. There's one set of rules for the ruling class, like Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump, and there's another set of rules for the rest of us.
FINNEY: Same with Tom Kean Jr.
BEGALA: Right.
FINNEY: He already voted against paid medical leave.
COLLINS: Well, and we talk about all of this, in the context of what's happening in Maine, and why a race like that is so important. It's because it could decide which party is in control of the Senate. You talked about that super-slim majority.
And when Graham Platner announced yesterday that he's suspending his campaign, part of what he said in his video stood out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PLATNER: A corporate media system and the political establishment got to act as judge, jury, and executioner. This was the last week to try to get me off of the ballot, and that's why this is occurring.
It is a system that is built structurally to make sure that movements like ours cannot flourish, that if they begin to succeed, they can be crushed.
They are going to take everything away from us.
Those in power who have the ability to do so are using these allegations, as an excuse, to take away all of the things that we need to run a campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Was that the tone that you were hoping to hear from Graham Platner?
FINNEY: No. What a pig. What a narcissist. Never once did he talk about the people of Maine. Never once did he say, Whoever replaces me, they're going to have my support, I hope you vote for him. I mean, you know that tone of that was so disgusting, and it was actually played into what we've heard about him, over these last months, in terms of the kind of jerk he really is. So, I was disgusted by it.
I know there's reporting that there had been some conversations. I mean, I love when he's talking about the corporate media, and Don't come from Washington. Actually, your guy, Morris Katz, grew up from New York City, and I don't think anybody sees Bernie Sanders as like the corporate influence of any campaigns.
I mean, no responsibility, no -- you know, he and his team owe the people of Maine an apology. They will never get it, but they sure deserve it.
BEGALA: Yes--
TODD: I think the voters of Maine actually owe the -- the Democratic primary voters owe the rest of the Mainers an apology.
Democrat primary voters knew Graham Platner was awful the whole time. They knew that he said society should be disrupted if they didn't agree with him. They knew that women had credibly accused him of physical abuse. They knew that, in fact, Graham Platner said that he had a very flexible moral compass.
The badness is why Democrat primary voters picked him, and they're the ones that foisted this problem on us. Don't just blame Graham Platner. Blame--
BEGALA: Well and--
TODD: Blame Maine Democrats.
BEGALA: He was -- before Ms. Racicot's allegations -- which he denies -- before that, he was the weakest candidate Democrats had in any major Senate race. I took a look, the Establishment -- by the way, Bernie's been in elected office for 45 years.
FINNEY: Yes.
BEGALA: Why isn't he establishment?
In Doug's home state of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, the Democrat running there is running 10 points ahead of where Kamala was. In Ohio, Sherrod Brown, a veteran experienced establishment, is running 19 points ahead of Kamala. And Graham Platner was running five points behind Kamala.
[21:40:00]
He was the weakest candidate the Democrats had. And so this all this talk -- is He had all this energy, had all those -- he was on a glide- path to defeat. Now, I don't know if a replacement can win. But he was a weak candidate, and he's a bad man, I'm glad he's going to get out.
FINNEY: Yes.
BEGALA: But he, by God, better get out.
COLLINS: Paul, we have you on--
HEYE: Well, we don't know yet that he's going to get out, right?
BEGALA: Right.
TODD: Yes.
HEYE: And that's part of the problem. He's holding the Democratic Party hostage here. And if he gets out, I would just give one piece of advice to Democrats as they go through this vetting process: start with, Raise your hand if you have any tattoos that we need to know about. And if they know that, then they're going to know they've got another problem on their hand.
FINNEY: Well--
HEYE: A Nazi tattoo should be disqualified.
COLLINS: Well, to what Brad was saying. In terms of the allegations made against him. We had you on when it was just Lyndsey Fifield who had come out and accused him. You talked about what her past politics were--
BEGALA: Right.
COLLINS: --were saying, you know, that may be why people are casting doubt on it.
Obviously, when another -- another ex-girlfriend had come out to the Politico interview that came out this weekend.
I mean, how do you feel about those comments in hindsight of learning more and hearing more from other past girlfriends?
BEGALA: I said voters are going to be suspicious because she had a Republican pedigree. And the other girlfriends they talked to did not allege any violence. So, I think that's an accurate reading of where voters were.
COLLINS: Which might be how the primary voters--
(CROSSTALK)
BEGALA: This latest--
TODD: And it's--
BEGALA: --this latest allegation is so horrible--
TODD: Same story--
(CROSSTALK)
BEGALA: --and so shocking, and I think very credible, that he needed to get out, he had to get out.
But you had me at the tattoo.
FINNEY: Yes.
BEGALA: Like, I wasn't for him. OK?
FINNEY: Yes.
BEGALA: I was for Janet Mills. Because I thought having a Nazi tattoo alone was disqualifying.
FINNEY: Yes.
COLLINS: What were you saying, Brad? TODD: Jenny Racicot, who was the woman who's accused him of rape, was in that same New York Times story that Lyndsey Fifield was in. She said that his conduct was so bad she'd cut off all communications with him, and she said she recognized that man. So, I think perhaps we should have paid a lot more attention to Lyndsey Fifield, at the time Jenny Racicot was validating her story.
FINNEY: So, that's great, Brad. Does that mean that the Republican Party is going to take those kinds of charges to heart? I mean, are you going to go talk to Donald Trump?
TODD: I'll tell you what. When I was in -- I was in--
BEGALA: E. Jean Carroll?
TODD: --I was advising--
FINNEY: E. Jean -- well, yes, are you going to E. Jean get her $5 million?
TODD: When I advised the Republican--
(CROSSTALK)
TODD: When I was--
HEYE: We can take this back to the 90s if we want to.
FINNEY: Is she not credible?
HEYE: Drag a $100 through a trailer. Remember those lines? I mean, if we want to play that game, we can do it on and on.
FINNEY: I'm talking about here -- the here and now.
HEYE: We can go back to Jefferson if we need to.
FINNEY: We're talking about the here and the now, and we're talking about you've got Ken Paxton on the ballot in Texas. So, if we're going to throw around like, the Who did what to whom.
HEYE: Hey--
FINNEY: Hey, I'm proud that at least my party said there is a line.
HEYE: Maine Democrats and Texas Republicans can both make really bad decisions with candidates who have more baggage, and they love both, and it's easy and fair to say that.
FINNEY: And our -- and our party--
HEYE: But if we just want to throw stones at each other, maybe both parties would do better by holding up a mirror to themselves. And the reality is, neither one really ever wants to do that.
FINNEY: Well we just did, brother. HEYE: You haven't yet.
COLLINS: Everyone--
HEYE: He's still your nominee.
BEGALA: Well, and in California's Eric Swalwell--
COLLINS: Well at least says he's dropping out.
BEGALA: --there's real accountability in the Democratic Party.
FINNEY: Yes.
TODD: Yes--
BEGALA: Eric Swalwell was a leading candidate for governor of California. Out, and out of the House.
Mr. Platner should get out.
TODD: I remember when Roy Moore was the nominee in Alabama, I was advising the Republican senatorial committee, and Cory Gardner and Mitch McConnell said, No, we're not going to do this anymore.
It took Democrats until Graham Platner was losing in the polls to do that.
COLLINS: And, of course, the other Alabama senator--
FINNEY: No--
COLLINS: --came out and said he would not be voting for him.
Don't worry, we have this entire panel coming up right after this. That's because right now there are allegations about personal travel on FBI jets, BMWs over Chevy Suburbans, and expensive trips and freebies. Questions are mounting so much over Kash Patel's spending that a top Republican lawmaker wants answers.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: After I posted these pictures of the large scaffolding in front of the North Portico of the White House yesterday. A lot of you were asking, what renovation is underway now?
Well, 24 hours later, that large scaffolding has now been covered with a tarp to make it look like there's actually no scaffolding there at all.
But we can hear the construction still underway, as the White House is now working to renovate the columns of the North Portico, a renovation that the Interior Secretary says President Trump personally requested.
BURGUM: At the White House, you see the scaffolding on the North Portico right now. President Trump comes out to greet a world leader, he sees door dings in the pillars, and says, Look at all this stuff that needs to be repaired.
COLLINS: Now the columns on the North Portico aren't the only thing that's still under renovation. There's other parts of the White House as well that we don't always have eyes on, including parts of the West Wing that the President posted a picture of yesterday that now have the words above the doors of the entrance declaring, The West Wing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And my panel is back with me.
Paul, what do you make of the latest renovation?
BEGALA: You know, he's a temp, he's a day trigger. All of us are, right? It's not his house. It's public housing. And by the way, if someone living in public housing, in Houston, had put all that kind of stuff up, I bet you they'd kick them out. So, I think it's appalling.
He needs to conduct himself like he's serving us. Not that and -- but he's turning our White House -- looks like Liberace's boudoir. I mean, it's offensive. And he -- it's hurting him. We did with -- one of the groups I advised did focus groups in Iowa with Trump voters, and they're raising the ballroom, as a sign of corruption.
FINNEY: Yes.
BEGALA: Because they can't afford groceries, gas, and rent, and this guy is spending their money fixing up a house he's living in for free.
[21:50:00]
COLLINS: Yes. I mean, Doug, what do you make of -- I mean, how do Republicans see this in terms of -- I think maybe it was just the columns and renovating them, is what Doug Burgum was talking about. It might be, you know -- it maybe would not attract as much scrutiny. But it is, all of the projects put together.
HEYE: Yes, I mean, I think -- I think two things can be true at once. Some of this work, especially around the 250 is good and proper. When Harry Truman built the Truman Portico, he did so without congressional authorization. In fact, they said no, and he did it anyways. So, and we admire Harry Truman -- you know, Harry Truman for -- you know, giving him hell. This is part of how he gave them hell.
And so, some of this is good and proper for Trump. The problem for him is he also seems obsessed with it. The amount of time that he spends with all of these. And the story from Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan's book, about him with super glue putting gold back up on the walls, is a problem--
FINNEY: Yes. HEYE: --especially for Republicans who are on the ballot who want to talk about things that aren't this, but about things that are about what voters--
FINNEY: Not to--
TODD: And--
HEYE: --are concerned about.
FINNEY: Not to mention just a pause point having. Because I worked in the first lady's office. The level of care that we put into making sure that we matched what was previously there because of the respect and the reverence for the White House, that's -- which is how you're supposed to treat it when you are there temporarily.
And again, 770,000 children have been kicked off of SNAP. Think about how much you could -- you could buy them food for two years with the cost of--
TODD: I think this--
FINNEY: --one of the columns.
TODD: This is him--
FINNEY: It's disgusting.
TODD: This is him showing his reference for it because he's trying to improve it. I mean, every president after Harry Truman has used--
FINNEY: Do you think it looks better?
TODD: --has used the South Portico gladly. It's been a part of every White House Easter egg hunt, and every president after him would be glad they had the ballroom. President Obama knew they needed a ballroom, but unlike President Trump, he didn't have the guts to go through with it.
And so, this is -- now, I might not agree with every change he's making. But we do need a new place for big events. We do need a secure place where the President might not get shot if he went to a big dinner. This is -- this is, I think, much ado about nothing.
I do think Doug's right that it doesn't need to seem like it's taking up as much of his time. I think he really likes the project, it's a historical project, but he probably should talk about it less.
COLLINS: Yes, I mean, the only thing he posted about so far today was the Palm Beach Airport renaming itself from PBI to DJT.
But on this note about spending and what this looks like in government accountability. I mean, there is scrutiny over Kash Patel's spending at the FBI. Democrats have sent a letter to him asking for information about what they say was VIP snorkeling experience in Hawaii, a helicopter tour across East Asia, other recreational activities like jet skiing, they called it out of control.
But Chuck Grassley is even pressing, a Republican, for information on his use of the FBI aircraft and purchasing BMWs for his fleet back in May, instead of the Chevy Suburbans that are typically used.
BEGALA: Again, when people are having a hard time making ends meet, it's particularly tone-deaf.
But there's a second piece of this that gets roped into all of it, and that is he alleged -- more like -- I think he admittedly went snorkeling at the USS Arizona. 900 men are entombed there, better men than Kash Patel, heroes for our country, the first victims of the Second World War, the first casualties. And that's not a place to go sports swimming, Mr. Patel. That's, for me, just morally, the most appalling.
Now, politically, spending all this money on BMWs and G5 jets, and going off, that's going to hurt politically the Republicans.
But there's something deeply immoral about a man who would go sports snorkeling at the gravesite of 900 heroes.
COLLINS: Well, and the FBI pushed back.
They said, DESPITE what the lying media wants you to believe. This FBI is more efficient and effective in every way.
I mean, do you think that's a fair response to Chuck Grassley's asking?
TODD: Well, we should -- we should note that -- and CNN's reporting has noted this, that the Attorney General and the FBI Director, by statute, must fly in private aircraft, so they can stay in security contact.
And Chuck Grassley is doing the same kind of oversight he's done with every FBI chairman and every -- every Attorney General. This is just what he does, and this one's good at it.
FINNEY: How is having 200 FBI agents investigate the 2020 Georgia election -- election in Georgia, a good use of anybody's money or time? That's my question.
COLLINS: We'll leave it at that.
FINNEY: All right.
COLLINS: Paul. Karen. Brad. Doug. Great to have all of you here.
Up next. It is time for Source Code. We give you the number at the center of a news story. Can you guess what that story is? Tonight's Code is 357. I'll be back in a moment with the answer.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Were you able to crack tonight's Source Code? It is .357. It's the rather unusual party gift that was given to NATO leaders this week, a .357 Magnum revolver and live ammunition that Turkish President Erdogan, who hosted this summit, handed out to the leaders of the NATO summit as the gathering ended.
[22:00:00]
The six-shooters were engraved with each leader's name in a wooden display box featuring Turkey's flag and the NATO logo. Sources say, the gun that was given to Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom came with a cleaning kit and 500 bullets.
And that these unique keepsakes are part of President Erdogan's way of showcasing his country's defense industry. Turkey was the world's third-largest exporter of small arms between 2019 and 2024.
Thanks so much for joining us here tonight on THE SOURCE.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
