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Erin Burnett Outfront
Washington Post: Intel Finds China Gaining Major Edge On U.S. Amid War; New Accusations Threaten Candidacy Of Trump Target Rep. Massie; Ex-Prison Employee Shares Ghislaine Maxwell's Emails. Aired 7- 8p ET
Aired May 13, 2026 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:20]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
Breaking news, China with a major edge tonight over the U.S. That is from a confidential U.S. intelligence report, according to "The Washington Post". Coming as Trump meets with Xi Jinping tonight, and the Chinese people are openly mocking the president of the United States.
Plus, a top Trump adviser revealing that Trump left a note for J.D. Vance and the Resolute Desk with instructions if he's ever killed in office. New details ahead.
And an OUTFRONT exclusive this hour, a former employee from Ghislaine Maxwell's prison is speaking out. She's sharing emails that Maxwell sent herself. And we're going to tell you what they say.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
(MUSIC)
TAPPER: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, China now has a major edge over the United States as Trump's war with Iran continues. Now, this is according to "The Washington Post". It's a significant report. And the source they are citing a confidential U.S. intelligence analysis.
So, it's a U.S. intelligence analysis concluding China is on top. It's incredible in that analysis details how Beijing is exploiting the war in order to undermine Trump. This new reporting coming as Trump is about to meet with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping tonight, a high stakes meeting which is being mocked across China and Beijing's strict censors are letting the ridicule go viral, which is a statement in and of itself.
Here's some of the comments that are viral. This -- they'll look up to us from now on. Here's another. Trump came to China. We won the tariff war.
And then this. Trump, you're welcome to visit China and learn from us. Then there's also this. The U.S. is no longer a country that we look
up to. We can now compete with them with confidence and strength. The U.S. economy is in bad shape.
And this Trump has been blustering Iran for so long, yet hasn't bought them a real victory. America has lost its swagger. They're nothing but a paper tiger.
Now in China, political content like this never goes viral, you know, especially when you have a head of state coming. The two most powerful heads of state in the world truly. So, this is because government censors want this to go viral.
And by the tone of the messages, the Chinese government feels they've got the upper hand. It's clear, and they are rolling out the red carpet for the president. But according to an editorial in "The Global Times", which is a Chinese state run newspaper, the quote is this, "The 21st century is more likely to belong to Beijing than to Washington."
And then they go on to mention a politico poll from the spring, just not long ago, a few weeks ago, where they cite, "The Global Times", says of this poll, citizens of U.S. big four staunch allies Canada, the U.K., France and Germany consider that, quote, "|it is better to depend on China than the U.S." That is what the poll asks. That is what the poll shows. It's a stunning statement.
But not surprising given what America has said about Americas staunch allies.
(INAUDIBLE)
BURNETT: Sorry, we're having a little trouble here this week. I don't know if anyone was watching last night. It happened, but here's what Trump said. He said most European nations, they're decaying. They're decaying. I think they're weak.
And then he says, if Canada, one of the nastiest countries to deal with is Canada. So, you know, with allies like that. So, is it any surprise that those very same countries are trying to forge a partnership with China?
British prime minister recently was the first prime minister from the U.K. to visit China in nearly a decade. A statement in and of itself.
And Mark Carney of Canada also met with Xi, the first time a Canadian prime minister has visited China in eight years.
And then there's this. Okay. All the way in Australia. Any hopes of a new Trump tower dashed because of Trump's war with Iran?
Okay, let me just show you this. This is what Eric Trump claimed would be the tallest building in Australia, a 91-story tower along Australia's gold coast. It was a $1.1 billion project.
And guess what? It is scrapped. And here's what the developer said as to why. Quote, "Let's just say that with the Iran war and everything else, the Trump brand was increasingly toxic in Australia." Well, it's not just Australia, but he said it. And Trump's team is responding, blaming what they call the developers defaults and failures.
But the truth is, is that Trump's war and that toxicity is not just in Australia, it's in the -- not just in the U.S., it is around the world after 75 days and $29 billion so far. And that's kind of low.
It's actually not anywhere near the real price although we don't know what that is. The war still has no end game.
Sources tell CNN that roughly half of Iran's missile launchers are still intact. U.S. intelligence assessment shows that 70 percent of Iran's missile launchers are still intact.
[19:05:04]
A U.S. intelligence assessment shows that 70 percent of Iran's missile capability is now intact. According to "The New York Times", Iran also restored access to 30 of the 33 missile sites it maintains along the currently closed Strait of Hormuz.
Kristen Holmes is traveling with the president tonight to begin our coverage OUTFRONT in Beijing.
And, Kristen, a high stakes meeting and one where Trump is coming in in a very different position than certainly he would have envisioned a year ago, right after he rolled out his first tariffs.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right, Erin, and also a different position than he was in even last October, the first time he sat down with Xi, who came in essentially early from his trip to meet with President Trump, which shows you that the difference in the position there.
Now, President Trump is going to get the whole red carpet, the whole pomp and circumstance. You're going to see that today. This is going to be the moment where he walks in. He'll be greeted by President Xi. You'll see all of the crowds. You'll see the dancers, likely musicians, the kind of same thing that we saw back in 2017.
But it's really obviously beneath the surface that we want to find out what is actually going to happen when the two of these men sit down. And one really interesting thing to watch here is whether or not President Trump takes any questions during the bilateral sit down.
President Trump has been deferential to President Xi in the past. He's one of the only world leaders that he's actually been deferential to. We know President Xi doesn't take questions from the press. And the last time the two sat down, the press were quickly ushered out after taking their photos and taking the video. And it's likely we're going to see that again today.
Now, we do believe that there are going to be some economic goals that are met, deals that come through, because that's good for both sides, but it cannot be understated. Just how much of the Iran war is looming over this trip. And there are still serious questions, even among U.S. officials, as to what President Xi is going to want in exchange for helping with the war in Iran. If he does agree to do so.
BURNETT: Yeah, and that's the crucial question.
All right. Thank you very much, Kristen. She's in Beijing. As she gets more obviously, we anticipate that meeting starting shortly. We're going to go to Kristen.
I want to go right now, though, to Robert Kagan. He's one of the key neoconservative voices in the United States. And he has now written a new piece in "The Atlantic", "Checkmate in Iran. Washington can't reverse or control the consequences of losing this war."
It is an article that everybody talking about this war is, is talking about. And I want to get to more specifically of what you wrote in a moment. I want to begin, though, Robert, if I can, with where Trump is right now. We anticipate this meeting between Trump and Xi to start. And then the context here is this new reporting from "The Washington Post", which is pretty stunning. Its stunning that they that it leaked to them at this moment, obviously. And then its stunning what it says, which is a new U.S. intelligence analysis, details how China is exploiting the war in Iran to maximize its advantage over the United States, and that they have the upper hand.
So, is Trump walking into China with a weakened hand of his own doing?
ROBERT KAGAN, CONTRIBUTING WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Definitely. And, you know, I'm impressed with the intelligence service, but I have to say they're just saying the obvious. I think everybody in the world knows that Trump is coming to China with a weak hand, and that China has the edge. The United States is now bogged down in a war in Iran that we do not have an end game for. And I don't think that we are going to be successful, given Trump's reluctance to actually use, you know, the kind of force that would be necessary, which I'm not advocating.
But if you want to really open the strait, I don't think there's any way to do it now without removing the regime. And that would require a land invasion and an occupation. Otherwise, I think we are headed toward defeat. And so, and I don't think there is a way out of it. And by the way, I don't hear from the administration any explanation about how they propose to solve this fundamental problem of a regime like Iran controlling one of the most important waterways and energy sources in the world.
BURNETT: Right. Which, you know, before it was always one of those things. As a former business reporter, we would always say, oh, there's the threat of that. I remember going and standing on the strait last summer because it was the threat of that with the first strikes, right. But it was always a threat. It had never happened.
And now the world's changed because it did happen. The new assessment, Robert, you know that "The Post" is citing also says that the war has drained American munitions to such an extent that China is selling weapons to U.S. gulf allies. So it's not just that they can see the incredible depletion of Tomahawks and defensive THAAD and Patriot missile systems. Right. Beijing can see all of that. Is it? The Gulf states have actually turned to Beijing to get supplies.
I mean, what does that do for Trump when it comes to the United States versus China, who's on top?
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KAGAN: Well, I think that, you know, one of the consequences of this war in general is that the gulf states are going to be looking both to China and to Iran to solve their problem. And most importantly, as you say, not to the United States.
The United States used to be the dominant power in this region. Even when we fought previous wars in the region, we never lost control of the strait. And now having lost control. And by the way, let's be clear, as you say, the strait was open before this war. And Iran would never have closed the strait precisely because they would have been afraid of exactly the attack that the United States launched.
But since the United States and Israel launched the attack first, Iran had no disincentive to close the strait. And now they've discovered that they have this enormous power. And I don't think they're going to give it up.
And by the way, I know you may be getting to this, but I don't think China either wants to or can open the strait or help us open the strait. So, I think that, you know, China is going to get its oil one way or the other. We're the ones who are going to have the problem.
BURNETT: Well, I guess they can, you know, they have their own relationship there as well for their own, you know, bilateral what they want. There was something.
KAGAN: And they'll get the oil. I'm sorry.
BURNETT: So -- no, no, I just wanted to I had shared a couple of those posts that were going viral in China. By the way, I do want to mention, I believe that we are airing in China right now, but in that introduction, I was reading, there was a certain part where they put us on bars and tone, which is what they do when they don't like something that were saying. So, I don't know exactly what it was that triggered that.
Is this right now? No, this is moments ago. So I'm just showing everyone what it looks like.
But, Robert, there was in those viral posts, one of them was America has lost its swagger. They're nothing but a paper tiger. And you actually use that same phrase in "The Atlantic" piece that I referenced. I hope everyone will read it. When you talked about paper tiger and to reference the United States, how do you see it?
KAGAN: Well, I just think that the United States started this war and, and is obviously unable to finish it successfully or and has led to the closing of this critical waterway, which we are now not capable of opening. So, what does that tell the world? I know a lot of supporters of the war were very boastful at the
beginning about look at look at the look at how brilliant we are. And our military is brilliant. And they accomplish enormous things. But I'm afraid the world and particularly countries like China, are going to look at this episode in Iran and see weakness.
After all, as these reports are mentioning, we have depleted significantly our weapons. And where are those weapons supposed to be used? They're supposed to be used to defend countries in East Asia, among other things. And we've clearly weakened our hand in that regard as well.
BURNETT: And certainly when it comes to the Taiwan situation.
One final thing, Robert, if I can, what happened in Australia, that project being scrapped and the developer actually putting out a statement. So, this was a developer that had done a deal with Trump. Okay? Spent all this time with Eric Trump was thrilled to do a Trump deal. Okay? So, it's not as if they have some political issue with him.
Let's just say that with the Iran war and everything else, the Trump brand was increasingly toxic in Australia. What's the significance of the fact that that's actually being said?
KAGAN: Well, I think that one of the things that I'm not sure the American people are quite aware of is the level of anti-Americanism around the world. Allies, non-allies everywhere, I don't think the United States has ever been a less popular, and more widely sort of regarded as not a reliable partner. I mean, a lot of those polls that you referenced were particularly on the question of who can you rely on?
And I think it makes perfect sense that nobody relies on the United States anymore, because Trump has been ditching our allies and insulting our allies and then goes into a war that he has -- you know, that he doesn't know a way out of and has caused enormous pain to the rest of the world, especially in Asia, because countries like Japan and Korea are so heavily dependent on this energy supply that we are now responsible for having, shut -- shut up by declaring this war.
So, I think you're going to see real spikes in anti-Americanism around the world, and people are going to talk about it, particularly politicians running in those countries.
BURNETT: Robert Kagan, thank you very much. And I hope anyone who hasn't seen your article will read it, because there's a lot in there to think about. Obviously, it's a sobering analysis, and I appreciate your taking the time talking to me about it. Retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton is OUTFRONT now.
Colonel, what do you what do you make of what Robert Kagan is saying there about the level of anti-Americanism around the world right now that he is making clear? Sure, it predates the war. Okay? There's Greenland, there's Venezuela, there's NATO, there's a lot of things. But this war is causing direct on a personal level, pain to people in so many countries that were allies of the U.S.
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CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah. And, Erin, that's, you know, I think Robert has is on to something here because every time you look at the way in which America is managing its relationships right now, there's always something negative that comes out.
For example, German Chancellor Merkel, he very specifically said that the U.S. has no strategy for Iran. And that then precipitated Trump reacting by 5,000 --
BURNETT: Moving all those troops out, which I believe didn't Merz find out when he saw it in the press.
LEIGHTON: That's correct.
BURNETT: Didn't even have the courtesy of telling him.
LEIGHTON: Exactly. And so, that kind of behavior obviously has repercussions. And what, you know, the administration seems to be forgetting is that, you know, people like Chancellor Merz have a history of being very pro-American, and to lose somebody like that, to have them go into the arms of China or the other European countries, that is a significant -- will have a significant impact on things like defense, sales, you know, weapons systems that were earmarked for European customers may no longer be sent to them, because what the Europeans will do is they'll find other sources or make their own.
BURNETT: So do you -- do you share Robert Kagan's view to summarize it, that obviously there were incredible military successes in Iran. I mean, that's clear. There was a list, and they hit every single target. I don't think you have to look any farther than Robert Pape to know that air wars don't win strategic outcomes.
LEIGHTON: Yeah.
BURNETT: But does China look at this and see the exposure of Americas weakness as opposed to its strength?
LEIGHTON: Absolutely. Because what the Chinese have been doing is they've been studying the U.S. for decades. They studied the First Gulf War. They studied the Second Gulf War. They have an incredible intelligence network. Plus, they, of course, they read our press and watch our TV.
But the thing that the Chinese are doing is they're realizing basically where the weak points are in the U.S. force posture and they're saying, okay, the U.S. is not prepared to, for example, fight a drone war, or they're not prepared to, you know, handle other asymmetric threats, such as cyber threats. You know, when you when you look at some of the things, for example, the Volt Typhoon cyberattacks is one example of what the Chinese have been doing. They go into our networks and basically what they call live off the land. In other words, they actually sit on the networks, in many cases undetected and take care, you know, basically siphon off our data and analyze it, manipulate it make it seem as if they're part of that.
So, when you have things like that happening, the Chinese are studying every single weakness that we have and they want to exploit it. Then plus their weapon systems are also designed to go after our aircraft carriers. They're designed to attack Guam or Okinawa, and those are really clear targets that the Chinese have. And that points to, you know, a possible intervention in the South China Sea or Taiwan.
BURNETT: Taiwan, right. All right. Thank you very much, Colonel Leighton.
And next, new accusations at the 11th hour now threatening to derail the campaign of a Republican congressman Trump wants to oust.
Plus, breaking news. Three people are now being monitored for hantavirus in Kansas, as the CDC is completely unclear. When they spoke today about how long those in quarantine will stay in strict quarantine.
And Trump's late night social media binges firing off those dozens of posts all the way through the night. The record is 160 posts in less than four hours. What is going on?
S.E. Cupp, Max Rose are next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:22:45]
BURNETT: Tonight, the CEO of Nvidia is in China right now with President Trump, along with others that you might expect. Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and the filmmaker behind the Amazon "Melania" film, Brett Ratner. Unclear why he's there fully.
But you know, Nvidia Jensen Huang did not appear to be on the original guest list. He joined Air Force One mid trip. He joined actually at the refuel in Alaska last night. So, who knows whether it was scheduling whatever it was, it was a last minute showing up with the group. It happened after Trump lashed out at CNBC for reporting that Huang was left out of the trip. So, he said, quote, Jensen is currently on air force one, and unless I ask him to leave, which is highly unlikely, CNBC is reporting is incorrect.
Well, I guess it was correct until he decided he wanted to say that it was incorrect. He invited Huang. I don't know exactly what happened here, but that post was one of nearly 20 in about 24 hours, which included touting his endorsement record last night and an Uncle Sam like "I want you" post, which is in the context of "The Wall Street Journal" tonight, which has some incredible new details and statistics about Trump's social media habits, right? Because you remember, we were talking about on Monday, he made 75 posts overnight.
And then after that, during the day, you know, he was -- he was yelling at people and he was calling people stupid. He used an expletive to describe a female reporter. His post included his own face on $100 bill, his own face on Mount Rushmore, and an A.I. generated image of top Democrat swimming in sewage.
So, "The Wall Street Journal" went and did the math. That's what they do really well. And they say that Trump has gone on a posting spree a dozen or more Truth Social posts between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., 44 times in his second term alone, 44 times he has done this, nights with 12 or more posts overnight.
The record was on December 1st, where he made 160 posts in less than four hours. Okay, that's actually terrifying. And as you can see from "The Wall Street Journal" how much Trump is posting overnight, month after month after month.
S.E. Cupp and Max Rose are both here with me.
Okay. S.E., the other night we were together when the Mount Rushmore and the dollar bill thing happened, because he also had behaved in a way -- I don't want to say even for him, but he had behaved in a very ugly and completely inappropriate way with reporters that day, calling people stupid and dumb and, and also saying, you know, he didn't think about the American people one little bit when it came to the economy.
[19:25:04]
And that was after it appeared maybe he'd stayed up all night posting.
So, you know, when you look at what's going on here, "The Wall Street Journal", putting these context of these numbers, what do you take away from the math?
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it's deeply alarming. There is the fact that Trump does this. He does this when he's against the wall.
And I feel like he knows he's lost the country. He's lost the country on the war that he never bothered to sell us on. He's lost the country on a terrible economy. He's been promising inflation is going to go down. He's been promising cost of goods is going to go down.
None of that has happened. He's lost the country. And when he gets in this position where the polling numbers are so bad and there's no good news to cherry pick from, he goes on these posting sprees to flood the zone. And it includes this like A.I. slop. It includes, you know, memes that are meant to make him look and feel better about, you know, the situation.
He has done this before as you -- as you pointed out. So this is his I'm up against the wall. I cannot change the narrative on my own. So I'm going to do this and have people like "The Wall Street Journal" and us waste our time talking about it.
BURNETT: Here's the thing about it, Max, okay? You know, there's a lot of things that are interesting about it. One is that I remember I'm old enough to remember in the first administration when here at CNN, I was working on several documentaries, and we couldn't get any of them on the air. Do you want to know why? Because Trump kept tweeting. And every time
Trump tweeted, people talked about it, and now he posts pictures of people swimming in sewage and himself on $100 bills. And nobody even notices.
MAX ROSE (D), FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Right.
BURNETT: Okay. That's another weird thing about this. Nobodys even watching all this. Even though when 'The Wall Street Journal" puts the numbers around it, you can take a step back and go. If you did not tell me who was doing this. So, you took all any kind of Trump derangement syndrome that defenders might say, or, or people who you would say, that's not okay. That's something to be concerned about.
ROSE: Yeah. Look, beyond being odd but lets also acknowledge the fact that this must be exhausting what he's doing, right? Hundreds of posts all throughout the night, and it's impossible not to connect that to the absolute inattention that he paid, laziness towards the run up to the war in Iran. Right?
This basic calculation that he made that, okay, Venezuela happened seemed to go pretty well. We could pull off the same in Iran. Let's ignore the -- all the other bases in the region. Let's ignore our counter drone defensive capabilities. Let's ignore the fact that we have munitions stockpile issues.
BURNETT: To ignore my own CIA director.
ROSE: Let's ignore the intelligence that that were given. Let's ignore the fact that we haven't won over the American people. And let's ignore the fact that we haven't even addressed the affordability crisis. And this will cause gas prices to skyrocket.
Could it be that he is spending all night tweeting and he's just too exhausted during the day to even do the bare minimum for his job? I mean, that I think is a rightful conclusion.
BURNETT: Right. And however these being posted, I mean, that's the thing. It is actually really important to know. I'd like to, to know how much the president, you know, within a general range is sleeping and that he's getting his rest. You know, he's not A.I.
S.E., you know, on this issue of affordability, the interior secretary, Doug Burgum, had an exchange today with Jared Huffman, who's a Democratic congressman. That really stood out to me. Let me just play it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JARED HUFFMAN (D), RANKING MEMBER, NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE: Would you agree that most Americans are struggling right now to afford basic necessities of life because of rising costs?
DOUG BURGUM, INTERIOR SECRETARY: Yeah. I would say again, we -- this administration --
HUFFMAN: Yes or no? Do you agree they're struggling --
BURGUM: I agree that -- I agree that this administration inherited the highest inflation in 40 years.
HUFFMAN: Mr. Secretary, do you agree that families are struggling across this country with rising costs? Yes or no?
BURGUM: I agree that during the first year of the office we did -- we did more, we did more -- this administration --
HUFFMAN: So this is good for American families that they're paying $1.40 a gallon for gas?
BURGUM: I'm not saying that, but I'm thrilled that they're paying. I'm thrilled that they're paying about a buck less than they were during the Biden administration. I mean, that's exciting. And these prices are going to drop quickly again, because now we actually have supply.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: There were things he said that were factually untrue, S.E.
But look, why is that a hard question to answer? Because it seems to me she ought to say, of course, this pain is a problem and we've done it for this reason, or whatever the case you're going to make. But he obviously didn't feel that he could acknowledge that without getting into trouble.
CUPP: We've seen these hostage videos before from his cabinet members, but also, you know, Republican judges who won't answer the question, did Joe Biden win in 2020?
[19:30:02]
Right? There are these litmus tests in MAGA, these purity tests that you have to -- as a cabinet member or administration member or judicial appointee, you have to perform these rituals. And it's so pathetic and embarrassing for a couple of reasons.
You should be able to acknowledge something that is true. This is math. Inflation is up. That is a fact.
That's not an opinion. Joe Biden won the 2020 election. That's a fact. You should be able to say that without risk -- risk to your job or your or your well-being or your standing. And that's the point here.
They're not doing this for the good of America. They're not lying to the public and refusing to say what we can all say for the good of America. They're doing it to save their jobs. That's it.
I can't think of anything smaller and more performative than these kinds of rituals that we see all the time. It's just the cost of being in Trump's orbit.
BURNETT: Max, one thing I also wanted to squeeze in here, which was Sebastian Gorka, a White House official, revealing that Trump has left a note in the Resolute Desk for J.D. Vance, should J.D. Vance have to take over. But specifically in the context of these terrible attacks on Trump's life, of which we have seen multiple attacks.
You know, what do you make of that, that they're putting that out there now?
ROSE: Well, I think it's also within the context of the fact that Trump's an 80-year-old man and 80-year-old men don't always live forever. So that, that I think -- it's also within the context of that.
They could be putting this out there to try to increase sympathy for Donald Trump. They could be putting this out there to try to change the story. I certainly would be trying to change the story amidst these rising costs and continuation of forever wars and their declining poll numbers.
No one can get in their heads. But I can tell you, it's not a first class political operation. Because they're going to lose every election ahead of them.
BURNETT: So by the way, can I -- as we wrap this up, I got to give you one addendum to the thing about how the docs couldn't get on the air.
CUPP: Oh, yeah.
BURNETT: There was actually a documentary. Sorry, everybody. I'm just going to air the dirty laundry here about Trump's twitter. And it kept getting delayed because it kept having to be updated and it couldn't get on the air. I'm just saying, right. This is the way the world is. And now most people watching don't even know what he posts every day.
ROSE: All right. Thank you for not covering any more.
BURNETT: Yeah. And so, the world has changed and not for the better in that sense.
All right. Thank you both very much.
And next, breaking news. It is one of the most expensive House races in U.S. history tonight. That race is in flux as there are new allegations against the Republican that Trump wants out.
Plus, Ghislaine Maxwell's emails. A former employee at maxwells prison is sharing her emails and calling out the special treatment she says Maxwell is getting. That is an OUTFRONT exclusive tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:36:54]
BURNETT: Breaking news, last minute accusations threatening to derail the candidacy of a congressman that Trump wants out. An ex-girlfriend of Republican Thomas Massie telling "Axios" that she broke up with Massie after he grew, in her words, emotionally abusive.
She also alleges he offered her $5,000 to drop a wrongful termination complaint against his close ally, Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, whom she once worked for. She told "Axios", quote, "It really bothered me watching him with the Epstein files because he's sitting there talking about transparency and victims' rights and having women be heard. And he literally tried to silence me."
Massie has responded, denying the allegations posting, and I quote him, "It's sad that a week before this election, people are making false and unsubstantiated allegations about me in an obvious attempt to influence the outcome of this election. All of the claims of inappropriate conduct are false. I've never offered anyone money in exchange for their silence."
Congresswoman Spartz also denied the claims from Massie's ex, saying she was let go from her office, quote, "due to concerning conduct," end quote.
Now, CNN has not independently confirmed "Axios's" reporting, but the accusations are surfacing just days before voters head to the polls. I mean, the timing is what it is. It is already one of the most expensive House races in U.S. history. And tonight, Massie is not just battling these last-minute allegations, but also directly Trump himself.
And Jeff Zeleny is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Can you escape this fight between Trump and Massie?
JONI PUGH, KENTUCKY REPUBLICAN VOTER: No. It's everywhere. It really is. And that's what really worries me.
ZELENY (voice-over): Joni Pugh feels like she's stuck in the middle of a family feud between President Trump and Congressman Thomas Massie.
PUGH: And I'm not putting Trump down at all because I'm very much a fan of his, but I'm still going to vote for Thomas. I think he's a great guy. He's very careful about he wants -- how he wants our taxpayer money to be spent.
ZELENY (voice-over): No Republican has infuriated Trump more than Massie.
TRUMP: We got to get rid of this loser.
ZELENY (voice-over): Who led the charge to release the Epstein files.
REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): I'm not going to give up.
ZELENY (voice-over): And voted against the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. MASSIE: It's going to add to the deficit. It's all -- everything else
is semantics.
ZELENY (voice-over): Two of many grievances the president won't forget.
TRUMP: He's disloyal to the Republican Party. He's disloyal to the people of Kentucky.
ZELENY (voice-over): That loyalty will be tested next Tuesday when Massie faces Ed Gallrein, a farmer and former Navy SEAL, in a district stretching from the Louisville suburbs up to Cincinnati, and along the Ohio river.
More than $29 million has been spent on TV ads in one of the most expensive House primaries ever.
STEVE FRANK, KENTUCKY REPUBLICAN VOTER: And the problem is, Thomas Massie has burned every bridge he could possibly have to be effective.
ZELENY (voice-over): Steve Frank is among the Republicans who believes northern Kentucky needs a member of Congress who's not a White House enemy.
FRANK: He will say in his own statistics, he agrees with Trump in the Republican leadership 91 percent of the time. Well, hey, you know, a monkey shares 91 percent of our DNA with us, but they ain't the same thing.
ZELENY (voice-over): Massie has long stood up to the establishment of both parties. After first winning 14 years ago in the tea party era as a deficit hawk, he defends his independent libertarian brand.
[19:40:06]
MASSIE: There's three branches of government, and we're supposed to keep each other accountable. And that's what we're doing here today in the people's house.
ZELENY (voice-over): In seven elections, Massie has never faced an onslaught like this, including an attack ad with A.I. images depicting a romantic relationship with two Democratic congresswomen.
AD NARRATOR: Thomas Massie caught in a throuple in Washington.
ZELENY (voice-over): Massie blasted the ad from a Trump aligned super PAC as disgusting and defamatory. Steve Doan, a Republican lawmaker and friend of Massies, said some voters are torn.
STEVE DOAN (R), KENTUCKY STATE HOUSE: How do I square this? You know, Trump doesn't like him, but I like him and I just don't know what to do. And I always compare it to mommy and daddy fighting. You know, we love both of those people. We love Trump. We love Thomas. And we just have kind of figured it out here.
ZELENY (voice-over): Inside the Short Stop Diner in Garrison, Nedra Jamison said she votes for the person, not party.
NEDRA JAMISON, KENTUCKY REPUBLICAN VOTER: I like Thomas, I like Trump.
ZELENY: So Trump came in here and said, don't vote for Massie. What would you say?
JAMISON: I'd say, well, if I want to vote for him, I'll vote for him. If I don't want to vote for him, I won't vote for him. It's my -- it's my choice, not yours.
ZELENY (voice-over): Ramona Bivens believes the attacks on Massie could backfire.
RAMONA BIVENS, KENTUCKY REPUBLICAN VOTER: Well, I'll go for Thomas. Just because Trump's giving him such a hard time.
ZELENY: That's why you're going to vote for him. Why is that?
BIVENS: Yeah, I just think it's silly. It's politics. And they're running for office. They're not running against each other.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZELENY: Now, President Trump has been fixated on this race unlike any other. I am told. Now, it is not going to determine control of Congress. A Republican is almost certain to win this seat in the fall. But, Erin, it's also a test of loyalty, yes, but also, can a Republican stand up to the president without consequences? Many Republicans believe the president and the White House and his allies are trying to send a message here. And they, of course, don't disagree. But as one local official told me, it is tough for Massie right now. It's time for people to pick sides. And the White House, of course, is watching, Erin.
BURNETT: Certainly are.
All right. Jeff Zeleny, thank you very much.
And next, we have breaking news, three people now being monitored for hantavirus in Kansas and Ghislaine Maxwell special treatment. I'm going to speak exclusively to a former prison employee who is sharing emails tonight with you that Maxwell is sending from prison, emails that she says show Maxwell getting special treatment. She's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:45:40]
BURNETT: Tonight, a former employee at Ghislaine Maxwell's prison is speaking out and sharing emails with OUTFRONT that she says show that Maxwell received special treatment at the facility.
Now, in one email, Maxwell is exuberant about the minimum security prison she was mysteriously transferred to just a week after her two- day interview with then deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. She writes, quote, "The food is legions better, the place is clean, the staff is responsive and polite. I feel like I have dropped through Alice in Wonderland looking glass. I am much, much happier here. And more importantly, safe."
Interesting to describe it as happy. It comes after our MJ Lee spoke exclusively with other inmates at the prison who gave examples about the special treatment Maxwell's received, including one inmate who spoke to MJ Lee anonymously because she's still serving time inside that prison.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
FORMER BRYAN PRISON CAMP INMATE: And should get bottled waters and clam shell meals delivered to her room.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNETT: All of this raising very serious questions about why a convicted child sex offender was not only serving time at a minimum security facility, but also allegedly receiving this kind of treatment.
OUTFRONT, Noella Tumage, former employee at federal Prison Camp Bryan, who was fired for sharing Maxwell's emails.
And, Noella, these emails are obviously so important to understanding what's happening here, and I want to read more specific emails that you've shared with us. But first, what we just heard there -- clamshell meals, bottled water delivered to Maxwell's room.
What more can you tell us about the special treatment that Maxwell is receiving?
NOELLA TUMAGE, FORMER PRISON EMPLOYEE: Well, Erin, what I think its important to understand is I never actually laid eyes on Maxwell. Everything I knew about what happened with her was from the content of those emails, which were what she was sending home to friends, to family, and so on and so forth.
What I can tell you is that the things that were being done for her were not common for any of the other inmates, not even the other high- profile inmates.
BURNETT: And what were some of the things that stood out to you from those emails, exchanges that you read?
TUMAGE: Well, the two main things for me were the visit that was arranged for her because what wasn't very highly publicized about that was the lengths they went to, to provide a private visit for Maxwell, actually caused visitation to be shut down for the rest of the inmates that weekend. They were not able to see their families that Saturday to make way for maxwell to see her visitors.
There was also the warden's personal handling of her mail, which may not sound like a big deal to some people, but the other inmates in those prisons -- in that prison, Erin, they have a hard time getting out their regular mail, much less anything needed for court filings and things such as that. So, for them to go out of the way to make sure that Maxwell had that that opportunity was pretty disgusting to me.
BURNETT: So let me talk about one of the visits that you're, I believe, referring to an email that you shared with us from Maxwell to her brother, which gave details about his upcoming visit to her, in which she writes, quote, "I believe they will provide some water, coffee and snacks. You will not go without anything. After flying all the way from the U.K. Also, you will arrive at the front like everyone else, but there will be a cordoned off area for you. Only you will go there. They will be waiting for you from 8:00 a.m.
Now, Noella, you worked at that prison for over six years. You were a nurse before you were moved to your role in the mail room, and you were monitoring phone calls and emails at that. But you've had many roles in the prison where other inmates, visitors provided, you know, areas like this, drinks, snacks, all of the things she describes here.
TUMAGE: Oh, absolutely not the only option. The other inmates are there. Visitors had were the overpriced vending machines and visitation. They weren't given anything.
BURNETT: So, now the warden's role, which is really hard to understand here. Other emails that you shared with us. Maxwell is talking to her lawyer and she says things like Noella, the warden proposes August 18th for your visit. So, she brings the warden up in that context.
[19:50:00]
In another, she tells her lawyer, I checked with the warden and she would rather that I send all the updates through her.
So, she keeps referencing the warden as if she's having conversations with the warden, and they are directly communicating about things. How unusual is that?
TUMAGE: That is highly unusual, Erin. Pretty much the only time you see the warden talk to inmates there is they can approach her at what we call main line, which is kind of when they're on their way back and forth from the chow hall. Other than that, they, for the most part, do not have direct access to the warden and certainly not at their convenience.
BURNETT: So in response to CNN's exclusive reporting from other Bryan prison inmates who have said they were punished for speaking out about what they say is special treatment, that Maxwell got, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson responded to us, Noella, and said, in part, the BOP is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, impartiality and professionalism in the operation of its facilities.
They went on to say that bop staff are prohibited from, quote, providing preferential treatment to any inmate. So, there it is in black and white. What do you say to that? TUMAGE: I say that they can claim to be committed to it as much as
they want. Their -- what they say and what they do are two very, very different things.
BURNETT: Your allegations are part of a report in the House Oversight Committee. The Democrats put together that alleges a cover up from the Trump administration, on Maxwell, how she's treated. And, you know, these questions that have not been answered, Noella, as to why she ended up in that facility. After that interview with the then deputy attorney general, a facility where someone who is convicted for her crimes would never, ordinarily ever end up.
But because it is a report by Democrats that your emails are a part of, I want to give you a chance to directly respond to some who might say you're motivated by politics. What do you say to that charge?
TUMAGE: Erin, up until all of this, I honestly could have cared less about politics. I registered to vote at 18. I have been a registered Republican since then. I have voted Democrat one time in my life. I voted for Obama to annoy my mother and it worked, as that would have it.
No, it wasn't political at all. The only reason I chose to go to the Democrats is because I had been reporting so many other things, along with some other employees there, one of the biggest of which was medical neglect.
I went to OIG, I went to a federal judge. I went to different politicians, both Democrat and Republican. Nobody would listen to what we were trying to tell them was going on there.
BURNETT: I appreciate it, Noella, because it is very important for people to understand what happened in this case and what still is happening. What you're doing can make a huge difference. And I thank you.
TUMAGE: Thank you, Erin.
BURNETT: And next, we have breaking news, a major update on Dr. Stephen Kornfeld. We spoke to him last night. He was in the biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska. He's the doctor who helped patients on the cruise ship and tested positive for the virus. That major update after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:56:31]
BURNETT: Breaking news just into OUTFRONT, Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, the doctor who helped patients on that hantavirus hit cruise ship. He got an update on him. So, he had tested positive for the virus. He was in isolation at the biocontainment unit in Nebraska. You saw him here last night. They were -- had tested him. He was awaiting further tests. And I can tell you he has just gotten the results from that PCR hantavirus test. And he says those results are negative. So, he just got a negative
result and he has been moved out of the biocontainment union. And he is now in quarantine with the other Americans who were on that ship. So that is the status tonight, obviously hugely significant because he had had that mild positive result that is now come back with a PCR negative.
And it comes as the CDC tonight is refusing to say how many total people are being monitored in the United States for the virus.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
REPORTER: I need to know how many people are being monitored.
DR. DAVID FITTER, CDC'S INCIDENT MANAGER FOR HANTAVIRUS RESPONSE: At this time, we're not putting out exact numbers. Again, we want to ensure that we are protecting and respecting the privacy of all the individuals.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNETT: Joseph Allen is professor at Harvard School of Public Health.
I want to ask you about that. But first, this breaking news from Dr. Kornfeld. He tells me he's got a negative test. Obviously, that's very significant. So, he's been moved into quarantine.
What does this tell us? Obviously, he had said it was on April, early April. Hed been very sick with night sweats and chills that he now thinks in retrospect, may have been the virus. Unclear. And tests taken after that is when he had a mild positive.
JOSEPH ALLEN, PROFESSOR, HARVARD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yeah. So good news for him that he's clear. But it tells us what you uncovered last night, that he probably was sick and had this virus early on in the ship. And what we saw with that mild positive was the tail end of his illness.
It also tells me something else that there were probably more people on that ship who had that virus early on, and we didn't know it, and they didn't really know it, or they certainly didn't attribute it to this virus.
BURNETT: Right, right. Because he said others were sick with the fatigue and the night sweats. He said they thought it was the, quote/unquote, "ships flu".
ALLEN: Right.
BURNETT: And maybe it was hantavirus, which obviously is hugely significant in terms of what it would mean for the spread, right? That that would mean it's much more easily spread than the CDC is saying.
ALLEN: Yeah, that's right. Weve been having this conversation for a week. And I think that means if more people had it and they didn't weren't aware, it means its spreading maybe under the radar. And it doesn't just take people who are really severely ill to be transmitting it, but maybe it was flying under the radar, under the ship, and it means more people on the ship were infected, probably likely or likely through not just that direct, intimate contact.
BURNETT: All right. So let me ask you what we just heard there from the CDC in this press conference. I did not understand why they would not answer that question. They said privacy of individuals. The reporter wasn't asking for names of individuals. The reporter was asking, how many people in the United States are being monitored?
Why won't the CDC answer that question?
ALLEN: Well, that makes two of us confused. I listened to it, doesn't make sense to me. There's no privacy issue with telling us how many people are being monitored. So, my guess is they're trying to do it to minimize concern, but it actually has the opposite effect. When you don't tell people this, it feels like you're hiding something and it makes people a little more alarmed, I think.
So, I think the right way to handle it, they should have been a matter of fact and just told us how many people are being monitored. There's no privacy issue.
BURNETT: One final point. Dr. Kornfeld had to wait days to get this other PCR test. It's been two days. He's been telling me, hopefully in a few hours, hopefully in a few hours.
Does the testing exist that's accurate and timely?
ALLEN: So we have the testing, but he's in the world's best containment facility and it's taking him days. I think that tells you how available it is just for everybody. I don't think the general public needs to have testing, but it tells you even in the world's best facility, its taking some time.
BURNETT: Right, right. That's facility where he was. And of course, as we said, negative test for the American who tested positive in that unit and hugely significant.
Thank you, Professor Allen.
And thanks to all of you.
"AC360" starts now.
