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The Source with Kaitlan Collins
Trump Makes Third Trip To Texas In Less Than A Month; Trump Threatens To Fire Two Top Advisers After Report They Helped A Pro- Russian Government; Whistleblower: Trump Demanded FBI Probe Of Protesters In A TikTok. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired October 07, 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]
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: --those types of areas could be looking at five to seven feet. But even some of the surrounding areas, Anderson, still looking at maybe four to even six feet of storm surge.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: All right.
All right. Allison Chinchar, we'll be tracking it. Thank you.
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The news continues. "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now. I'll see you tomorrow.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN HOST, THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS: Tonight. President Trump is choosing Texas for the third time in less than a month. But will voters choose the candidate that he's trying to save?
I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.
With 27 days to go, President Trump's midterm campaign blitz is bringing him back to Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're having a great impact. We're going to Texas right now. We have a very big one, but they're all big, everyone is big. They're all sold out.
I think we're helping the Republican Party with the rallies, yes, and we're doing almost one a day, which is a lot of work, but I like doing it.
REPORTER: Mr. President, why are you going to Texas so much?
TRUMP: We want to make sure that Ken Paxton wins.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: And at that rally tonight in Texas, something we actually haven't seen all that often, where the President was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, actually over 12 times.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Repeat criminals and serial rapists to be immediately released.
(PRESIDENT TRUMP REPEATEDLY INTERRUPTED BY PROTESTERS AT TEXAS RALLY)
TRUMP: He says hello to everybody.
(PRESIDENT TRUMP REPEATEDLY INTERRUPTED BY PROTESTERS AT TEXAS RALLY)
TRUMP: You know, many of these protesters are paid. You know that, right?
Kill millions and millions of Texas jobs, and--
(BOOING)
TRUMP: You know, I never talk about looks of a person. But those are really bad-looking people, you have to say -- they are bad-looking people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, there are protests and interruptions at all political events, almost always. But it was notable that there were at least 12 of them by our count, this hour, while the President was in Texas.
Also, what was notable is not just the protesters who were there; it's who wasn't there as well, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who is right now in the middle of his own re-election campaign. He did not attend President Trump's rally tonight in Texas.
And even the candidate that Trump was there to help, the one you heard him talking about as he left the White House today, that's Republican Senate nominee, Ken Paxton. He was recently secretly recorded blaming his campaign struggles on the President's agenda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN PAXTON, (R) TEXAS SENATE NOMINEE: It's the war, it's gas prices, it's diesel. When it's over $6 per gallon for diesel, I mean, it's -- put money, they have a lot of trucks that are diesel. People are feeling the pinch.
So, that's a -- that's probably the biggest problem and that, of cooers, drives up food prices and everything else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, that recording comes after there were several others where Ken Paxton was complaining about how much his race is being dictated by events happening here in Washington. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAXTON: So many of the factors in this federal race are uncontrollable. I don't make the decisions, and I don't -- you know, I don't know what -- I don't know what's behind some of the decisions.
I've never been in a race where I felt less control over the, like, the campaign and, like, what issues are going to matter because it's all coming, you know, from D.C., and I don't control the message or what we're doing or -- and I can't, I have no, I don't have the ability to change anything, so I have to live with whatever I've got.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The fact is, of course, Ken Paxton needs President Trump.
And President Trump also needs Ken Paxton, if he wants to stop Democrats from getting control of the Senate, even if he might have some mixed feelings about the candidate that he endorsed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Ken Paxton, you might not like the way he dresses, and I say this, it's so insulting to him, but I might as well say it. You might not like the way he looks. You might not love his look. You might not love his television interviews.
He may not dress right. He may not talk exactly perfectly. And he may not be the best-looking guy I've ever seen.
I said, I don't really like the way he looks. I don't like it. I don't like any.
Ken Paxton was at my side more than anybody, and I have to always remember that. Because he could be a pain in the ass sometimes, I'll be honest with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:05:00]
COLLINS: Now, sources say the President, quote, Understands how important Texas is to keep efforts -- to their efforts to keep the Senate in Republican control. One Republican operative did also tell CNN, quote, I'm sure he enjoys making Paxton squirm.
At the White House, the President said, even all those leaked audio comments that you heard there from Ken Paxton, saying that he's not in charge of what's happening with his campaign and that the diesel price is not helping him, doesn't change Trump support for Ken Paxton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: After this week's leaked recordings from Ken Paxton, do you have any regrets about endorsing his-- TRUMP: No, no, no, not at all. He was a great attorney general. I think he'll be a great senator. Ken Paxton was a great -- he was considered the best, or certainly one of the few best, but the best attorney general of the whole country. And no, I would have no regrets at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, President Trump's presence in San Antonio tonight also demonstrates how much help he thinks that Ken Paxton needs here. After all, the President only made one campaign visit to Texas, eight years ago, and that was when Ted Cruz was facing his own tight race against Beto O'Rourke.
My political sources are here tonight, including:
Former Biden adviser, Neera Tanden.
And CNN's Senior Political Commentator, Scott Jennings, reportedly being considered for the role of the next White House press secretary.
Scott, when you look at what's going on with Texas, and how many times Trump is going there. What does it say to you about how they're viewing the race internally at the White House?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO MITCH MCCONNELL, FORMER SPECIAL ASST. TO PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, HOST, "THE SCOTT JENNINGS RADIO SHOW" ON SRN: Extremely close. And it's obviously one of the states where I think President Trump can be the most helpful, both as a public-facing matter, but also just as a technical matter.
Most of the money being spent on behalf of Ken Paxton is coming right out of the Trump political operation. That clip of Paxton saying he has no control over his message, he's actually literally telling the truth because -- and Neera knows this -- in these campaigns when Super PACs and independent groups are spending most of the money, you can't tell them what to do.
And so, I'm sure in his attorney general campaigns, he felt very much in control of what was going on.
COLLINS: Also, you can't really tell them what to do when you're not the one raising the money, right?
JENNINGS: Well, that's the point is, is when you raise money into your own campaign, you can dictate what happens to it. But when the vast majority of the money is coming from the outside, legally, literally, you cannot coordinate or tell them what to do with it. And so, I'm sure it is a bit of a helpless feeling. But he ought to be darn glad he's getting it because without Trump, and without this outside intervention, he'd be in far worse shape. I still think he's--
COLLINS: He also might not be the nominee without Trump.
JENNINGS: It could well be. So, if I were him, I'd be grateful for the President's intervention. I think the President will be helpful to him in Texas and remind Republicans down there what's at stake in November.
COLLINS: Yes, Neera, when you look at this, the President is in San Antonio tonight. The population there is 64.6 percent Hispanic or Latino. What do you make of that campaign stop and where they went?
NEERA TANDEN, PRESIDENT & CEO, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS, FORMER DOMESTIC POLICY ADVISER TO PRES. BIDEN: Well, I think the person you could look to, to say whether this is a good or bad idea is Greg Abbott, who chose not to attend the rallies.
Just a reminder. Donald Trump won the state by 14 points. Greg Abbott is the sitting governor, and he chose not to be at an event with the President of the United States. Perhaps he recognizes that having Donald Trump in San Antonio, in a majority Latino area, is counterproductive to his aspirations to keep his job.
Because, as we've seen, Latinos have really swung against the President. And the heightened irony of all of this is because Latinos have swung so much against the President and Republicans, the Republican effort to gerrymander the -- gerrymander Texas, which Donald Trump was the engineer of, may actually end up with a loss of several seats to Republicans, so.
COLLINS: Why do you think Greg Abbott's not there tonight?
JENNINGS: I have a slightly different view, which is A, he's running his own race, and B--
COLLINS: It's a tight race though.
JENNINGS: And B, it may not--
TANDEN: It's not helpful. When you're running a close race, you try to be with people who help you, right?
JENNINGS: You want to keep going, or should I go?
TANDEN: No.
JENNINGS: And B, I think it may just be he'd rather not be running with Paxton. I don't think it has anything to do with Trump. Look, there are going to be a lot of people who may end up not voting for Paxton, who wind up voting for the governor. That's not uncommon in gubernatorial campaigns, for governors to get some crossover votes. And so, I think the Senate campaign is more polarized.
I think Abbott has a chance to get a few people who maybe don't love Ken Paxton but do like what he's done as governor. And so, these gubernatorial campaigns often have to go their own way. So, I'm not terribly surprised about this.
COLLINS: Well, I'm glad you brought that up, actually. Because, this is what the President said last month about these races for governor and whether or not he'd be helping out. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'm really going to be in particular interested in Congress and the Senate. I love you, governors, but good luck, you know. If you happen to be in the audience, we'll give you a shout-out. But we have to put congressmen and women, and we have to put senators in office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:10:00]
COLLINS: Now, Scott, you might think that proves your point. Trump's going to Syracuse though on Friday to help Bruce Blakeman, who is running against Kathy Hochul for governor.
JENNINGS: Who is his--
COLLINS: I mean, so what does that say?
JENNINGS: Who is his close personal friend. And you might remember back in that situation, he helped engineer Blakeman getting the nomination for governor in New York. I think that's a special case because of their friendship.
But you heard him there, and I think it's true. What would be most important for the next two years of his presidency, to have Republican control in Washington? Governors are great. But if he's up here facing a fully unified Democratic Congress, it's going to be kind of miserable.
COLLINS: I mean, he's campaigning for Tuberville too.
TANDEN: I mean, the issue is not -- is really -- is Donald Trump so unpopular that Greg Abbott doesn't want to be seen with him. It's not really does Donald -- is Donald Trump saying no to Greg Abbott? No, of course not. He could just come to the same event that Paxton is at. And the idea that -- you know, the argument that this is all OK because Paxton is a big weight to Abbott. It's like who engineered this big weight?
JENNINGS: Look--
TANDEN: His name is Donald Trump.
JENNINGS: If the parties--
TANDEN: He could have supported -- he could have supported Cornyn, and he chose not to. And now, we have the possibility, in Texas, which would be kind of historic, to lose a -- have a Democratic senator and a Democratic governor.
JENNINGS: I think we're making too much of this behind the scenes. When you consider that on the Democratic side, all the scuttlebutt is that the Democratic Governors Association and the big players in Democratic Party are doing nothing, nothing at all to help the Democrat candidate for governor. TANDEN: That's interesting there's news this evening--
COLLINS: Well--
TANDEN: --that they're actually sending in million dollars.
COLLINS: Yes, but--
JENNINGS: $1 million in Texas?
COLLINS: But actually that is something--
JENNINGS: Oh my goodness. That's like a Dixie cup full of water--
TANDEN: Yes, you know--
JENNINGS: --and the whole house is on fire. That's not -- it's nothing in Texas.
TANDEN: The Republican--
COLLINS: That is actually something that JMart--
TANDEN: You actually say Democrats don't have as much money.
COLLINS: We had JMart on the show. He actually was saying that there are Democratic candidates who are running for governor that want more help that aren't getting it.
There's also a news story out today that is blowing up the group chats in Trump world tonight. I know this because I've been hearing from people who are talking about it.
The Wall Street Journal says that Trump's ambassador to Greece, that's Kimberly Guilfoyle, who of course used to be on Fox News, was also the former fiancee of Donald Trump Jr. They say that she reached out to a Trump donor ahead of her confirmation hearing, seeking $100,000 to pay off her Amex bill, Scott.
That came because she said she'd been helping him with taxes and legal issues with the IRS. There are screenshots of her sending instructions of how to wire the money to her account, so it won't show up anywhere. And her -- I should note, a lawyer first said they did not dispute the authenticity of the messages, but they declined to provide specifics. She said she had been paid to speak at events. The donor said he didn't owe her anything.
But Scott, you look at these messages. One of them said -- this is what Kimberly Guilfoyle texted to this person -- Every secretary of you know defense, transportation, treasury commerce IRS commissioner everyone gets right back to me. Oh yes, I'm forgetting Kash Patel -- referring to the FBI director.
And a spokesperson said she did not lobby for him, and other agencies didn't respond.
But Scott, do you think what you read in The Wall Street Journal is appropriate for an ambassador?
JENNINGS: Well, it's unseemly, and there's no doubt about that. Now, she wasn't an ambassador when these conversations were going on, but I think maybe she was the nominee for ambassador.
COLLINS: She was.
JENNINGS: And so, my expectation is that this is likely to come up in an investigatory setting at a minimum, if Democrats were to take control. But it certainly looks unseemly. There's no way to sugarcoat that. I don't know if any ethics rules or laws were broken, but that doesn't absolve you of having something like this look unseemly in a Wall Street Journal.
TANDEN: I mean, I think look unseemly might be a slight understatement to the fact that you have a person who's facing a confirmation and is asking someone to basically wire money so that they can avoid scrutiny. I mean, the whole point of this is she so recognizes how ridiculous this is that she tells the donor to stop saying it, what's actually happening in emails because she's worried it will become public--
COLLINS: Yes, she--
TANDEN: --which of course it has.
COLLINS: To what you're referencing there. She expressed concern, according to The Journal, about her dealings with this person, Eric Deters, is becoming public and the effect that it could have on her ambassador post. She warned him not to talk of money or payments in text. Said, Eric, I really wish you would stop papering all of these things.
TANDEN: I mean, I think the fundamental question should really be for Marco Rubio, which is ambassadors work for the Secretary of State, and why is he OK with her continuing in this role? He should launch his own investigation. It should be quick. He should determine whether these are true. And if he determines that they are true, he should fire her.
Corruption is a major issue in the elections today, precisely because of instances like this, where it seems like there's rules for people who work for Donald Trump, and then there are rules for everyone else.
COLLINS: Well, to that point--
TANDEN: Who else could just shake down a donor for $100,000 because she has overbilled her Amex card?
COLLINS: Well, and he said that she didn't -- he didn't give it to her because he said it would cost him his marriage.
But Rubio was actually asked about other allegations facing her today. I think this was before The Wall Street Journal broke this reporting. And this is what he said about her.
[21:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Amid increasing congressional scrutiny of Ambassador Guilfoyle's tenure here, I'm wondering, Mr. Secretary, if you've personally reviewed some of those allegations and are confident that all is in compliance with State Department ethics?
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is not the forum where we're going to address that, as simple as that. Suffice it to say our embassy here is doing a great job. Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here. The questions you're asking me, we're not addressing those at press conferences in Greece with the foreign minister and in another country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Why not?
JENNINGS: Well, my guess is they're still reviewing it, A.
B, I will tell you that people at the State Department tell me, they consider our relations with Greece right now to be very strong. We have strong security relations. They think the embassy is functioning properly. Rubio's trip to Greece and the speech that he gave today has been reverberating around conservative circles all day long, both for its message and for its staging. So, they're actually quite happy.
COLLINS: The backdrop was quite remarkable.
JENNINGS: It was -- it was stunning, and the message was stunning and sweeping as well. So, they're actually pretty happy with what we have going on with Greece.
I agree with you. I think maybe that was said before The Wall Street Journal article came out. I mean, obviously, this bears some sort of internal review or investigation. I don't know how you would do--
COLLINS: You think even before Democrat -- if Democrats take control, they'll investigate it.
JENNINGS: Sure.
COLLINS: But you think even without that, right now, that--
JENNINGS: Of course.
COLLINS: --there should be a review internally?
JENNINGS: Of course.
TANDEN: I mean, I think were your sources, Marco Rubio and his staff, saying how great our relationships are with Greece? Because, actually, the people of Greece and the rest of Europe can read the newspapers, can read these stories, about how it seems like our ambassador is entirely corrupt, and that usually doesn't do well, bode well for the United States' reputation.
So, I hope Marco Rubio takes Scott's advice and actually launches an investigation. I hope he does it, tomorrow.
COLLINS: We'll see if they do.
Neera Tanden. Scott Jennings. Great to have both of you here tonight. Thank you for joining us.
Up next. The attorney for that former Cornell student, now known nationwide and worldwide as Jane Doe, he's going to join me right after this, as he says she's facing new death threats. And we have the disturbing audio.
[21:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, Cornell University officials have confirmed that two students who were named in a lawsuit filed by Jane Doe, in that 2024 gangrape case, are still enrolled and attending classes. That's according to a recording of a virtual meeting that was held by the school today and obtained by CNN.
And some members of the Cornell faculty have said they're struggling to teach classes that the accused students are in, and they've raised questions about how to accommodate them and also other students.
It comes as CNN has learned of new threats against Jane Doe herself. Her attorney says that she was targeted in a swatting incident, where police drew their guns on her family and a friend.
She's also been getting phone calls, threatening her life, including this one that was obtained by CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can hear you. I can like, can hear you breathing, and instead of speaking up, you're just sitting there quiet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Jane Doe's attorney, Thomas Giuffra, is my source tonight.
And thank you for being here.
I mean, it's hard to listen to even that audio just briefly, in terms of the calls that your client is getting. In terms of this swatting incident, can you walk us through what happened here?
THOMAS GIUFFRA, ATTORNEY FOR JANE DOE: Well, I can tell you exactly what happened. It was one of the most shocking things that has occurred to me in recent memory.
I was just about to go on Anderson Cooper yesterday, and my client reached out to me with that message, which is much longer, and it indicated, the caller said they were going to murder Miss Doe's parents, her siblings, and made very violent and scary threats.
And frankly, I was jittery when I first got on Anderson Cooper, and I instructed her to call the police, we've got to deal with it right away. And by the time I completed the interview, I called up and I found out what had happened with the swatting.
And I didn't know what swatting is, frankly. It's not something that I was familiar with. But apparently, what had happened is this person had called the police, said there was a shooting in progress, people were being slaughtered, in Jane Doe's parents' house, the house she grew up in.
And a crew of SWAT team with automat -- well, with assault rifles, heavily-armed tactical gear, drew guns -- and they were doing what they were supposed to. They were responding to an appropriate threat that was given to them. And they drew on her friend, her brother, her father, who's an older man like me, all machine -- you know, automatic weapons. And my client was there screaming, Stop, Stop. And somebody could have been killed, and this has gone too far.
It's really gone too far because, imagine one of those cops had killed her father, her brother, her friend, and they have to live with it. And this is where safety of police, safety of innocent people, is being sacrificed for unnecessary rhetoric on something that has become so political, which is I just don't understand it.
COLLINS: And basically--
GIUFFRA: And then following that -- oh, sorry.
COLLINS: Well, and just -- I just want -- for people who don't know, we know -- it's swatting, it's people do it basically to cause harm to that person and to their family by making up that something horrific is happening at that location, so the police show up and scare everyone, with that major response. And then, obviously it's a fake call, there's no actual emergency or crime that is underway.
GIUFFRA: Well, that's right. And the hope is for some of these nutjobs is maybe somebody doesn't react in the appropriate fashion, maybe they don't stop, maybe they don't put their hands up, and that person ends up dead. And that's why this is so frightening. And this is a development that I was -- I don't even know what to say I was -- I was shocked. I was -- I was really fearful for my client and her family.
COLLINS: Was she home when this happened?
[21:25:00]
GIUFFRA: She was absolutely home when she -- when it happened, and she saw a multitude of heavily-armed police with guns in her father's face, her brother's face, her friend's face. It could have been a significant tragedy. People could have been dead. Police officers would have to live with the trauma of knowing they killed innocent people. This has gone too far. It's outrageous.
COLLINS: When you look at this and the public response that this case has generated. To what do you attribute that swatting incident, or the hateful phone calls that your client is receiving. Why do you think that's happening?
GIUFFRA: Well, let me interrupt you for a second. She's not the only one. Because right after this happened, she got a text message threatening to blow somebody's head off. And my wife received several calls from the same number. And today, I received a call at my office threatening to kill my family. I received more calls. And it's gotten to be really out of hand.
And what I attribute it to is this: I think there are people out there who are looking for attention. They're trying to get clicks. They're being completely irresponsible. Completely irresponsible. You know, the Bible says you reap what you sow. If you sow hatred, you're going to reap hatred, and that's what's happening.
And there's people who I'm just appalled by what they would do, and I -- and I don't know how somebody, and I don't even want to say their names, could look in the mirror because there's no decency anymore. This is an issue that should be on all fronts.
My client is from a deep red state. She's from the place where they haven't elected a Democrat as dogcatcher in 50 years, and this is what she gets? Instead of people standing behind it as Americans, united that sexual abuse on our college campuses is a problem, it becomes this? It's outrageous.
COLLINS: There's also news tonight about -- from an attorney who's representing one of the seven men that have been accused, the Cornell students. This attorney says his client engaged in consensual sex with your client, Jane Doe.
Andrew Miltenberg said -- told CNN he doesn't believe there's any evidence his client engaged in non-consensual sex. And in a statement, he said, To him her affect was such that she was coherent and capable of making a decision. She was an active and engaged participant in their sexual encounter.
I want to give you a chance to respond to what that attorney is saying tonight.
GIUFFRA: Well, it's what I'm hearing from that attorney is what I hear from every attorney in a sex abuse case. I either hear A, it never happened, or, B, it was consensual.
Now, in this case, the testimony from people who are not these frat boys, but people who saw Miss Doe before, and other people who testified before their Title IX hearing, said she was heavily intoxicated, heavily, heavily, heavily intoxicated, and that's from people who are not connected to Miss Doe, not connected to the frat boys. They all confirmed she was incapable of any kind of consent.
So, while the attorney might argue this because, they always argue it, and people should know that this is what they argue. And attacking the woman is the typical defense that I see. I saw it in the Harvey Weinstein case. And it also happens with men. I heard it -- saw it in the P. Diddy case. But this is what they do. It's nothing I haven't heard before. It's nothing that I didn't expect.
COLLINS: Did you know that two of these men are still enrolled in classes at Cornell?
GIUFFRA: Yes, I knew. And you know what? That's the whole thing of the sickening part of this. My client worked her tail off to get an Ivy League degree. She came to Cornell with high hopes. And these guys, they're going to be able to walk out of this institution with their Ivy League degrees, with all the benefits that are conferred in it. And my client has not been to college since the February after this incident, and that's a disgrace. And Cornell should be just ashamed of themselves.
COLLINS: There's CNN audio of what happened at a leadership meeting among faculty at Cornell that happened yesterday. Part of what the President said there was about this being a horrendous and inexcusable situation that occurred as part of a fraternity party.
He said, I have to make the point that this doesn't only occur in fraternities. One of the things that we have to be careful about is that we have a certain ability to control things that happen in Greek life.
And he said, I worry about pushing this into the shadows, into houses which we don't own, which are private houses, which have parties, in which things can occur beyond our purview.
What do you make of that line from the school president?
GIUFFRA: Well, it's jibber-jabber, for one thing.
[21:30:00]
And what happened at this frat house is different than something off campus. The frat house, unlike a lot of frat houses, is on Cornell property. It's owned by Cornell. Cornell had the ability. And we now know that there was a drug overdose and a drug arrest within two days of Miss Doe's assault. By Cornell's own rules, the frat should have been shut down. They should not have been able to have the party. Instead, they were permitted to have a sanctioned party.
So, what's going on out there? Are they protecting people, or are they not? Do they have rules, or did they not? It's ridiculous.
COLLINS: You mentioned how your client has, I mean, just beyond the swatting incident alone, what has been happening since this has become such a case of national prominence.
Has your client seen the campaign though that is online, where there are women who are supporting her, saying, I am Jane Doe, has become this slogan of other women saying, this could happen to so many women. Has she seen that, and what's her response been to that?
GIUFFRA: Well, one of the good things that have come out of this whole situation is the positivity that she's overwhelmingly received from both men and women. And she finally feels heard. She finally feels respected. And she finally feels like somebody has her back.
There are the cranks out there and the miserable people who, just to get attention, say crazy things to sow hatred and division. But the overwhelming number of people in this country are decent people who want to do the right thing.
People like me, who had kids, when they were born, started saving to send them off to college, and trusting at 18 years of age, you send them to college, they're going to be safe. And that's what's resonated with people here. We trust these institutions, and they're letting us down.
COLLINS: Thomas Giuffra, thank you for joining us here on THE SOURCE tonight.
GIUFFRA: Thank you.
COLLINS: Really appreciate your time.
And also, I do want to put a reminder out there for anyone who might be dealing with a similar crisis. There are resources that can help. The National Sexual Assault Hotline. You can reach them anytime at RAINN -- has two Ns -- .org, or you can just call the number on your screen.
Coming up here for us on THE SOURCE. We have the reporting tonight about the President. He's going back and forth between defending and maybe firing political advisers who helped a pro-Russian government, just 27 days before the midterms. How the President is responding. That's right after this.
[21:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, President Trump is alternating between distancing himself and defending two of his top political advisers, following a New York Times report that they were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars while advising a pro-Russian government.
The President first responded to this report in The New York Times by Ken Vogel, writing, Chris LaCivita and James Blair are outside consultants. They do not work for me... if there's a conflict, I will terminate them, immediately.
Now, he was responding to that reporting that said Blair and LaCivita, who are also leading Republican efforts to keep control of Congress, for the President's outside funding arm, traveled to the Balkans, last week, and were paid, quote, "Hundreds of thousands of dollars each... to provide counsel on voting issues."
Now, sources say the President was unaware of their travels until he was briefed about The New York Times story when they reached out for comment. And one source said that the quote was -- that he was pissed that this had happened in the home stretch of the midterms, and that they were profiting off their association with him. Inside the Oval Office today, the President said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They don't have a conflict because they're independent people. They don't work for me. They don't work in the White House. They're not sitting around a Cabinet table or anything like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Not long after that, he was asked again, and the President downplayed any issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Do you think that your advisers James Blair and Chris LaCivita should have been in the Balkans less than 30 days until the midterms?
TRUMP: Well, they're allowed to do that. They have a lot of clients, and it's OK. I'm a client of theirs. They have a consulting firm, I guess separately, as all people in Washington do. That's pretty common.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And my Democratic source tonight is Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland.
Congressman, what did you make of this report, and also the President's reaction to it?
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): Well, the conflict of interest is, of course, between Trump and his -- what is supposed to be is his constitutional and fiduciary duty to the American people and his relationship with Russia. After all, a Russian oligarch just paid for his son's wedding festivities.
But to me, it looks like really a convergence of interests between these lobbyists and Donald Trump because, they basically take the side that objectively helps Russia and Putin under any circumstances. I mean, Donald Trump has been systematically undermining the basic alliances of the United States with NATO countries, with our strongest democratic allies around the world, including Canada, which he has been vilifying, in which he slapped a 50 percent tariff on, and now Canada is boycotting the United States.
But essentially, Trump has aligned himself with Russia and with China, and constantly praises them the same way he praises Kim Jong Un, who he writes love letters to. And so, he's abandoned the democratic world. And so, he feigns surprise and some kind of anger for a few moments about the fact that his own congressional campaign consultants are representing for hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars, these pro-Putin government loyalists--
COLLINS: Yes. RASKIN: --and that they traveled over there a few days ago. But of course, they bring him right back -- he brought them right back in today, and they're all on the same side of this.
[21:40:00]
COLLINS: I don't think he had any issue -- I don't think the issue was the work that they were doing. I don't think that was his problem.
I think the problem was that they were making hundreds of thousands of dollars, when they were supposed to be leading MAGA Inc., and the midterms are in 27 days. That's what the President seems to be mad about. That, and the fact that they're just making money off their association with him.
I will say, Steve Bannon was basically making that point. He said, we need a forensic audit of where the money went, so the President has the information to hold people accountable.
This also comes, Congressman, as today, The Washington Post says the President wants to transform part of his West Palm Beach golf club into basically a Camp David-style potential retreat.
He was asked about this today. He confirmed it and said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This was suggested to me by the military and Secret Service. There are no high buildings looming over it, there are no houses on it, so you don't have houses -- we have to inspect rooms. Seems that all presidents play golf.
And they asked if I'd be willing to do it, and I said I would be. This wouldn't be for me. This would be for all future presidents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Do you believe that this idea came from the military and the Secret Service?
RASKIN: Well, sure, and the arch was the military's idea, and bulldozing the East Wing of the White House and the golden ballroom was the military's idea. I mean, this is the last refuge of a scoundrel who's just ripping off the taxpayers, for all of our resources, to invest in his private properties.
So, it doesn't surprise me that he wants to do this and that he wants to use the golf courses for international diplomatic gatherings. I mean, it's just a shakedown, every single day. It's remarkable that it wasn't enough for him that he made $2.2 billion on the side, in his first year in office. He's just got to keep going and keep extracting money from the taxpayers and plundering our government.
COLLINS: Well, you mentioned all the changes that he's made here in Washington and the ones that are still underway. You've actually introduced a new bill that would direct the Smithsonian to preserve what you describe as, quote, Trump propaganda, things like the banners that are bearing his face, that are on the Labor Department, the Department of Justice, all these buildings here in Washington.
Why do you want the Smithsonian to preserve that stuff?
RASKIN: Well, we're going to get through this nightmare, and we want to record it the way that historians and archivists do.
Trump and all of his loyal sycophants are busily trying to destroy the real history of the country. That's why the Smithsonian is under attack, and the Museum of American History is under attack. They don't like the fact that people learn about slavery and the role that it played in our Civil War. They don't like people learning about the Civil Rights movement, the great civilizing struggles of American history, and they're trying to suppress it.
And so, I want to reverse that and say, we're not going to suppress the history of Donald Trump and authoritarianism in America. We're going to teach it, and we're going to turn those things into exhibits.
Those Stalinist banners that he's draping over the Labor Department and the Justice Department, let's take those and let's turn them into a museum exhibit, along with other memorabilia of this wretched period of our history, where he tore down so much of what really unifies us as a country and tried to replace it with all of his narcissistic, self-loving presentations. So, let's show that to people and let's teach that to future generations, so we never forget about it.
COLLINS: Congressman Jamie Raskin, thank you for joining us here tonight. Thank you for your time.
RASKIN: You bet.
COLLINS: Up next. Speaking of what's going on here in Washington at the moment. An FBI whistleblower says that the President pushed the agency to investigate anti-ICE demonstrators in Los Angeles, after seeing a video on TikTok. That whistleblower's attorney is going to join me right after this break.
[21:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight, a new whistleblower complaint that was filed by a former FBI intelligence official alleges that the President demanded an FBI investigation into anti-ICE protesters, after he saw a TikTok video including them.
According to the complaint, the social media video from February of last year depicted protestors using bullhorns to alert people in California of ICE activities.
Now, Jill Fields, who was the top intelligence analyst in the FBI's L.A. office, their field office, she says that she was told, quote, that the President viewed the footage on social media and instructed FBI Director Kash Patel to have the L.A. field office open an investigation into the protestors. Patel informed agents in a meeting that the President was angry about the incident and he wanted those protesters investigated and arrested.
Now, when Fields objected to her supervisor, noting that such an investigation would violate their First Amendment rights. She was told, she says, quote, "She could be fired if she did not follow the order."
Now Fields says, she was then stripped of her team and lost support from FBI leadership, pushing her, ultimately, to resign. And her attorney Dana Gold is my source tonight.
And thank you so much for being here.
Your client told this story to The New York Times earlier this year. Why file the whistleblower complaint now?
DANA GOLD, ATTORNEY FOR WHISTLEBLOWER JILL FIELDS, DIR., GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT'S DEMOCRACY PROTECTION INITIATIVE: Well, I think she spoke in generalities to The New York Times about issues related to her decision to leave the FBI and problems that were going on.
She has a right, as a whistleblower, to make more fulsome disclosures in more detail, but needed to do that through protected channels with the support of lawyers who know what they're doing, like those of us who represent whistleblowers all the time because of the high risk around this environment of raising concerns about those who have abused power at the highest levels.
[21:50:00]
COLLINS: The White House responded and said, quote, These allegations are FALSE. The First Amendment does not protect violent rioting, obstructing law enforcement, and assaulting law enforcement. Assaulting and obstructing law enforcement is a crime. This administration has been clear: anyone who does so will be arrested and prosecuted.
What's your response to that statement?
GOLD: Well, I think that's right. I think that's exactly what law enforcement is supposed to do. That's not what was happening here. That's not what Jill Fields was alleging.
She was saying that in two instances there were directives from the highest levels, to investigate people engaging in peaceful protests with no predicate for national security threats, violence. There was no evidence of criminal activity, which are the conditions that allow investigations of people, into those threats.
There was no evidence of that in either of these situations, where she was basically, the FBI was directed at the highest levels to open these investigations. No evidence of violence. No evidence of national security threats. And that is illegal. It violates the FBI Bible of the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guidelines, and they're all trained that this is not -- this is just unconstitutional facially.
So, it's irrelevant to the facts that Ms. Fields has described here in the allegations that she submitted to Congress and the I.G.
COLLINS: Had she ever, I mean, gotten an instruction like this, from a TikTok video of people who were protesting, and clearly from what she believed not doing anything that was -- that warranted an investigation, but been told, you know, the President of the United States wants them not only investigated, I mean, according to the report, Kash Patel said, also arrested.
GOLD: Yes, no, this is highly -- this is so unusual. All of it. Not only just for anything to come down from the White House to the field offices, from either the higher levels of the A.G. at the Department of Justice or the White House. This was all highly unusual. And again, there wasn't evidence.
And she wasn't the only one expressing concerns. It wasn't just Jill. So, there was really no evidence there to go forward. And yet, despite the agents who are experts, identifying this violates the First Amendment, the investigations were ordered anyway.
COLLINS: Has your client heard back from Chuck Grassley, who's the Chairman, of course, of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where this complaint was sent?
GOLD: We have -- we have -- we're going to be having a meeting with them on Friday, actually, to -- who has asked for a briefing on this.
COLLINS: Oh, yes?
GOLD: Yes. So, we're really pleased that Congress seems to be very concerned about the abuse of FBI power, to investigate peaceful protesters.
And again, this should be a bipartisan issue. This isn't about -- this isn't partisan. This is about do we have the Constitution, we have the First Amendment, to curb the abuse of power? And I think it's really important for members of Congress, no matter what party they're with -- that's why we're really pleased that Chuck Grassley will be meeting with us to investigate. These are really disturbing allegations about abuse of power.
COLLINS: How quickly--
GOLD: I mean, we should look beyond what happened at the L.A. field office.
COLLINS: How quickly between when your client filed this whistleblower complaint and sent it to the Senate Judiciary Committee, did y'all hear back from Chuck Grassley?
GOLD: We heard -- well, two days. So, pretty -- pretty quickly. COLLINS: Wow. I mean, what does that say to you that -- I mean, he's the Republican, of course, who's running that committee.
GOLD: I think it--
COLLINS: What does that say to you?
GOLD: Yes, well, I think -- I think Chuck Grassley has a long record. We've worked with him for decades with whistleblowers across administrations. He understands the importance of FBI whistleblowers, of whistleblowers generally. He's been a champion around that. I think it would be very -- even though I think that sometimes, politically things have been challenging in the whistleblower world. We've represented other whistleblowers that perhaps have been--
COLLINS: Yes.
GOLD: --been provocative. But this isn't a -- this isn't a partisan issue. This is about whether or not the FBI is abusing its power, and whether or not a whistleblower suffered retaliation for trying to protect the rule of law.
COLLINS: Dana Gold. Please keep us updated on how that Friday meeting goes. And thank you for joining us here tonight.
GOLD: Absolutely. Yes, thank you.
COLLINS: Up next. It is time for Source Code. Tonight, the Source Code is 110. I'll be right back with the story.
[21:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tonight's Source Code is 110, as in 110 miles per hour because, that's how fast the wind speeds could actually reach, along parts of the Gulf Coast, by early Friday, as forecasters are warning that the tropical storm right now that is underway could rapidly intensify into a Category 2 hurricane.
Now the forecast track has narrowed down its landfall somewhere from the Mississippi coast to the western Florida Panhandle, leading several governors to issue states of emergency for counties in its path.
When asked about whether or not this is going to affect his plans to attend Saturday's football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs. President Trump actually said he hadn't heard that there was a hurricane brewing in the Gulf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Mr. President, a hurricane is forecast to hit the Gulf Coast this weekend. Are you still planning to visit Alabama and go to the football game on Saturday?
TRUMP: Well, hurricane and a football -- I love Alabama. I got to go to a game. I can't -- be awfully hard.
(LAUGHTER)
[22:00:00]
TRUMP: Look, I mean, if there's an emergency, if there's a hurricane, I don't want to do anything to take the focus of all of the great people that work on those things. You know, they have some tremendously great people. I don't want to take the focus off, but -- so, we'll have to see. I hadn't heard about a hurricane. A hurricane is going in the vicinity of Alabama? That's not good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: No, it's not.
Right now, the school says that the game is still set to kick off at 06:30 Central on Saturday.
We'll of course keep you updated on that tropical storm as it is strengthening.
Also, for live updates and alerts, you can always download the CNN Weather app. It's excellent. I use it every day.
Thank you so much for joining us here on THE SOURCE tonight.
"CNN NEWSNIGHT WITH ABBY PHILLIP" starts now.
