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House Ethics Committee Announces Investigation Into Rep. Max Miller; Blanche's AG Nomination Advances, Teeing Up Full Senate Vote; Soon: Suspect In Court Accused Of Setting Devastating WA Wildfire; Gov: Federal Emergency Declared For Eastern Washington Wildfires; El- Sayed & Stevens Face Off In Pivotal Michigan Senate Dem Primary; Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) Discusses About Michigan Primary; Outside Spending Floods Michigan's Airwaves Ahead Of Senate Primary. Aired 3- 3:30p ET

Aired August 04, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: The question is, was there anything that looked like what they call a rug pull. It's pretty common in these memecoins where you have someone say come and buy this and then they walk away with all of the proceeds leaving everyone else out.

That doesn't seem to be what happened here. It does seem to be all the money was made on -- on transaction fees, but I think that's what they want to investigate anyway.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN HOST: All right, David Goldman reporting for us. David, thank you.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Not Backing Down: Congressman Max Miller wants the House Ethics Committee to look into allegations of domestic violence made against him. Well, now that committee is moving forward with an investigation.

Arson arrest in Washington state as firefighters struggle to contain three fires that have reduced some Spokane neighborhoods to ashes. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced.

And last stop, the moon. A SpaceX rocket is on a collision course with the lunar surface. We'll explain why this was all part of the plan.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

ABEL: This just in to CNN. The House Ethics Committee just announcing it is opening an investigation into domestic abuse allegations against embattled Ohio Congressman Max Miller. He said he requested the investigation in an effort to clear his name. Miller denies the domestic abuse allegations and is under pressure to drop his reelection bid. If he exits the race by close of business today, Ohio will hold a special primary to replace him. And this is happening as Miller's attorney is apologizing for releasing a sensitive image of Miller's child in documents shared by the congressman. CNN Congressional Correspondent Lauren Fox is joining us from Capitol Hill now.

And Lauren, lots of moving parts today. What can you tell us about these latest developments here?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the House Ethics Committee did just announce that they are pursuing this investigation. I just want to read a little bit from their announcement.

They said that they are reviewing allegations that Representative Max Miller may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use in violation of the code of official conduct or any of -- other applicable standard of conduct.

Now, the committee notes that the mere fact that they are engaging in this investigation does not mean that there is any wrongdoing. And we should just point out that Representative Max Miller has denied any allegations of wrongdoing, including these allegations of abuse that have been leveled by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno.

We should also just point out that Miller, just a couple of hours ago, was the one who, in a statement on X, called for an investigation to transpire in order, he said, to clear his name. So, obviously this is moving really rapidly, given the fact that there is now escalating pressure for Representative Max Miller to get out of his congressional race in the state of Ohio, specifically because Republicans view this race is very winnable. And it is a district that Donald Trump won by 11 points in 2024. They want to ensure that if Max Miller is going to be in this race that he can win. And right now there are some concerns that obviously his campaign could be damaged by some of these allegations.

ABEL: And Lauren, we talked about the attorney releasing an apology here for sensitive imagery being released. What -- were you able to tell us what kind of context can you give us around that?

FOX: Yes, if you remember on Sunday, Representative Max Miller did a live video stream on X where he defended his reputation and he said that he was going to release a bunch of documents that he believed cleared him in all of these allegations that have been levied against him from his ex-wife. Well, among those images and audio recordings that were released was an image that was sensitive of his daughter.

And we should point out that Representative Max Miller said that he wanted to release this information because he wanted to protect his daughter. But a lawyer has since apologized for the fact that that image was included. And I want to read here for you the statement from this lawyer. His attorney, Aaron Minc said, quote, "Unfortunately, I missed the last three pages of a 40 plus page document with sensitive contact." Minc said in a statement, "It was completely unintentional and a mistake. The moment I discovered the issue on Monday morning, I corrected the file immediately."

Obviously, Senator Bernie Moreno, who is the grandfather of that child, he did respond on camera today saying that he was flummoxed by this, that he was upset by this. But obviously this is an ongoing and very messy custody battle between the Moreno family and the Miller family here.

[15:05:08]

ABEL: And Lauren Fox covering all of these rapid developments for us from Capitol Hill. Lauren, thank you.

Congressman Miller, we'll hear from him right after on "The Lead with Jake Tapper" at 5 P.M. Eastern right here on CNN. Brianna.

KEILAR: We turn now to Todd Blanche clearing a key hurdle in his fight to be attorney general. Today, Blanche's nomination advancing through the Senate Judiciary Committee. Democrats expressing outrage after two Republican holdouts praised Blanche's agreement to resend President Trump's anti-weaponization fund.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): He is about Trump and not truth. He is about corruption and not the Constitution. He's about being Donald Trump's lawyer and not the people's lawyer. This is so deeply wrong. We will rue the day that we let this man have this much power under such a corrupt president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Katelyn Polantz is with us now.

All right, Katelyn, tell us about this deal that ended up getting Blanche the Republican votes he needed to get out of committee.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes. He certainly did get the votes by rescinding an anti-weaponization fund that he himself had set up with Donald Trump just in May, putting in writing that he was rescinding it. He had said it publicly several times, including under oath and had also told courts it's not going forward. But these two senators specifically on the Senate Judiciary Committee, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, they needed him to walk it back in every way that he could that he -- he, Todd Blanche could -- Donald Trump, of course, has not walked it back, but Blanche has done what he could.

Here's a little bit more of what Cornyn and Tillis both were saying this morning about the anti-weaponization fund.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): Weaponization fund is dead, and of course, I expect them to live up to that. My vote to advance Mr. Blanche's nomination goes beyond this document. We need a stabilizing force at the Department of Justice, and Mr. Blanche deserves the opportunity.

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): I've never liked this 1.776 fund. It made no sense to me, and I thought it was an insult to the police officers of the people that defended us on January the 6th. It's done. It's been rescinded, and I am satisfied.

(END VIDEO CLIP) POLANTZ: They voted to -- to approve him as attorney general in this

committee. There will be a full Senate vote. That discussion was so much about the anti-weaponization fund and also an immunity deal that Blanche had struck between the U. S. Government and Trump to protect him from tax inquiries in the past. There are going to still be questions, though, is this heads to the full Senate? Are there loopholes in this deal that Trump himself could exploit, especially at a time in the future when Todd Blanche would no longer be running the Justice Department.

KEILAR: Yes. So, what are you looking for in that? Because Cornyn had said that he wasn't the only Republican, nor Tillis, that there were other Republicans who had some issues with some of these arrangements. Is this deal going to cut it for them? That remains to be seen.

And also, when you look at what Cornyn and Tillis are saying today, they're talking about the anti-weaponization fund and what Blanche was doing with that. But for a while, the big sticking point, and I believe it was Tillis said it straight up in his confirmation hearing. I'm not voting with you until you meet with Epstein victims and survivors. That took quite a bit of time to get Blanche in the same room. We've seen those victims be very public, saying that they do not want him to be the attorney general. Does that still hang over a confirmation? And then, of course, all the other issues that have arisen is as Blanche has been at the leadership of the Justice Department, loss of trust in court, massive turnover, expanding protections around Donald Trump himself. We'll see if that comes into the conversation as well.

KEILAR: All right, Katelyn, thank you so much for the reporting. Appreciate it.

Still to come, a man facing arson charges connected to one of the fires that have caused widespread devastation in Washington state.

Plus, jurors are shown graphic images in the trial. The triple murder trial of a Massachusetts mother who killed her three children. The latest testimony.

And then later, a SpaceX rocket is on a collision course with the moon. What scientists are hoping to learn from the crash? We have that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:13:56]

ABEL: In less than 90 minutes, the man accused of setting off the wildfire devastation that you see here in Eastern Washington will be in court. Aaron Farinacci, this is him, the suspect here. He's suspected of igniting the Old Trails wildfire, which has decimated neighborhoods in the Spokane area. Spokane County authorities arresting the 37-year-old suspect yesterday.

Old Trails, it's one of three monster wildfires torching more than 10,000 acres and forcing the evacuation of over 65,000 people. Now, in the last hour, Washington's governor told us that as of today,

all 14 of the people reported missing have been accounted for. Good news there. But teams must still check on many impacted areas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BOB FERGUSON (D) WASHINGTON: Those folks being now accounted for, that we've contacted them, is great news. So, at this point, there's no reported deaths, but I really want to emphasize, you know, the area where these fires have happened. And again, it's just in the city of Spokane. This is a city of about 230,000 folks. Neighborhoods have just been leveled. This is an area I know very well.

[15:15:03]

And so, obviously, folks have to go home by home to see what they find. And so, it's just way too soon to determine, you know, what there may be in terms of fatalities. Fingers crossed, we're so thankful right now there've been no reported deaths, which to me is a minor miracle when you look at ...

KEILAR: Yes.

FERGUSON: ... the incredible damage across so much -- so much real estate.

First, I'll say I'm deeply grateful that the administration, the federal administration granted our request so quickly. So, this is an emergency declaration. And what that means is, is it moves very short- term assistance. That could be temporary shelter. That includes medical supplies. That is search and rescue.

And one -- one thing I appreciate is we were hearing from FEMA that resources were already coming to our state even before it was granted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: All right, let's turn now to CNN's Julia Vargas Jones, outside court in Spokane, Washington -- Spokane, Washington.

And Julia, what should we expect from this hearing from this arson suspect?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it should be a short hearing. This is an initial appearance, Brian, but we are hoping to learn a little bit more about how authorities actually connected the dots to get to his arrest on Monday and learn more about who this man is, Aaron Farinacci, 37 years old. We are learning from documents obtained by CNN that he was previously convicted of -- of manslaughter in Arizona in 2012, relating to a 2010 incident.

Now, this case is an arson case very different from that. In the Old fire's case, investigators are saying that the case began with a tip, a witness who said that they saw Farinacci crouching on the ground near where the fire started and then later saw smoke coming out of that very same spot. Now, it's interesting that authorities actually contacted Farinacci,

interviewed him, and then released him on Saturday after that tip, but then came back to him after they had connected some other dots. They found him carrying waterproof matches and a butane lighter, and then they used body camera footage from that first encounter to obtain a warrant that then eventually led to his arrest yesterday on Monday.

He is now being held on a million-dollar bond, and we are expecting to hear more on that in this court in Spokane County, wherein the city should be in -- about 90 minutes, as you said, at 1:30 local time, 4:30 Eastern time, hearing more about who this man is and what could have been the motivation. Of course, many of these families, the 65,000 people who had to evacuate their homes, the people who lost their homes in this fire, looking for answers as he -- will be addressing this judge via video call this afternoon, hoping to see a little bit more of why someone would have started something like this, what would be a motivation to cause so much destruction to this community, Brian.

ABEL: Such a big question. We will check back with you later to find out what happens in court. Julia Vargas Jones for us in Spokane, Washington.

Julia, thank you.

Next, a key Democratic Senate primary is underway in Michigan. Why this election is a test for the party's future ahead of the midterms.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:22:56]

KEILAR: We're just hours away from the first results in the Michigan Senate primary, which is expected to offer a window into the direction of the Democratic Party. Moderate Congresswoman Haley Stevens facing off against progressive Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in one of the most watched races in the country. Stevens has the backing of much of the Democratic Party establishment, but El-Sayed's movement has a lot of momentum.

We're joined now by someone who knows a thing or two about winning campaigns in Michigan, Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell.

Congresswoman, you have not endorsed, but backers of each candidate across the country are really treating this race like it's an existential crisis. Do you think the future of the party is at stake in this race?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): I don't think it's an existential crisis. Good afternoon. It's good to see you. And I can't wait till the polls close and this election is done.

You know, as you've heard me say multiple times, I hate labels. I know both of these candidates. I have been neutral in this race. I agree with both of them on many issues and disagree with them both. But both of these candidates have very common values, which is to work hard to make sure we're working for an affordable America, that people have access to health care, that we have a Supreme Court that's going to protect everyday Americans and implement the Constitution. And we're going to work for affordable groceries for people, gasoline, housing, and not wars. We -- we have a president who said he was going to end forever wars, and we're back in a forever war.

KEILAR: But there certainly are some distinctions here, and -- and not least among them are the Democrats who are backing these candidates, right? Minority Leader Schumer and Senator Gillibrand, who's chair of the campaign arm for Senate Democrats, have made their unofficial backing of Haley Stevens clear for months. Does it, perhaps, hurt Stevens that the establishment has backed her?

DINGELL: You know, I think every candidate has to run on who they are and what they are, and energize the voters out there.

[15:25:08]

I think Haley -- look, I've been in Detroit churches. I've been in -- look, Abdul lives in my district. I've seen him energize voters, but I've also seen Haley energize voters. And I think a lot of times people use labels or say this or that that aren't fair either. So, I think we're going to come out of this primary tonight. There are a lot of intense, very raw feelings. People have been deeply -- engaged deeply and our job tomorrow is to try to bring people together. And I've talked to both candidates, and I know both candidates want to try to bring everybody together because they know what's at stake in November.

KEILAR: Right now, they're trying to garner as many votes for their campaign as they can, right? And we're seeing what voters want.

DINGELL: Right.

KEILAR: And they want something different. I mean, polling has found 51 percent of voters say Congress would be better off if their elected representatives are replaced. And when you dig into the Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters, 81 percent of those who identify as Democratic Socialists take that view. And that's actually a sizable chunk. It's a minority of the Democratic Party, but it's still a sizable chunk. Seventy-one percent of non-Democratic Socialists take that view. There's just this huge desire for new blood among the base.

I mean, I wonder how you are seeing that, because even as you avoid labels, people are really looking for something that feels different. I wonder if you think Democrats have felt the full effect of that sentiment in the primaries or if there's more to come.

DINGELL: Look, first of all, that's what voters feel, period, Republicans and Democrats, and they want to actually see us do something. They're tired of all the bickering. I always say to everyone, look, I've been fighting for Medicare for All so that I believe that if you're sick in this country, you should be able to go to the doctor when you need to go to the doctor and get the medicine you need, period. And I think that's what you're seeing people want to see us do, fix a broken health care system. Even when you have health care, you can't get in to see the doctor half the time. I think what they want to see is action. They're tired of rubber stamps. They want to know that we're actually going to do something.

Look, I said 10 years ago we had lost the union halls. I'm still in those union halls. I talk to those working men and women. They want to see trade deals that are going to protect their jobs, but they don't want to see chaotic tariffs that are increasing the cost of goods. I think a lot of elected officials need to listen to what those people you're talking about are feeling and thinking and what they want to see them deliver.

KEILAR: One of the big differences between these candidates was how the outside spending fell in this, right? It's -- it is wild, right? Thirty-to-one for Stevens. AIPAC was the biggest, with nearly $32 million in TV ads to defeat El-Sayed via a super PAC. El-Sayed has targeted AIPAC, has targeted outside interests that have opposed him. What do you think when you look at those kind of numbers?

DINGELL: You're probably talking to a member of Congress that hates fundraising more than any member of Congress. I hate it. I wish that there were ways that we could have -- level playing fields, that we didn't have to do it. Everybody now know that I'm not living on the phone raising more money. So, I -- I think we do need to get the money out of politics, but while it's in there and the laws are where they are and we've had the Supreme Court ruling that we've played that we've got to be very careful because we have to make sure we are playing on a level playing field and that people aren't outspending.

Now, this is -- we'll see where this election ends up tonight, but money doesn't -- it -- the energy of people on the ground also matters. So, it's both of those factors that matter. So, but I'm someone who thinks we need campaign finance reform probably more than anybody does in this country because I simply won't stay on the phone and raise the kind of dollars that people have to do in these kind of races. I just -- I hate it.

KEILAR: Yes, it's -- those numbers are pretty staggering. On the issue, as I mentioned, AIPAC, do you think that your party has demonstrated they can balance concerns about AIPAC? That's -- the AIPAC money has been a big issue this cycle. And Israeli policies as the U.S. supports Israel while still taking into account the very real concerns of Jewish progressives and others who are worried about a tilt into anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party?

DINGELL: So I want to -- I probably, again, have a unique background that many people don't have. I lived in Dearborn for 30 years, and I have -- I have worked with both communities my whole life.

[15:30:05]