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Erin Burnett Outfront
Trump In Texas For Third Time, Doubles Down On Paxton For Senate; MAGA Mad; Live On USS Lincoln. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired October 07, 2026 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:16]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:
The breaking news, take three. Trump returning to Texas for a third time in less than one month as he tries to prop up his embattled pick for Senate, Ken Paxton. This as more Republican candidates are keeping their distance from the president tonight.
And MAGA outraged as Republicans struggle in races across the country. Two of Trump's top political advisors weren't even in the United States. Actually, they were reportedly making six figures helping a pro-Putin leader win in another country.
And, we are live on the USS Abraham Lincoln. We're going to take you on board the ship that was plagued with reports of multiple sailors going overboard, lack of food, basic necessities. It is about to dock for the first time in 10 months.
Let's go OUTFRONT.
(MUSIC)
BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
And OUTFRONT tonight, President Trump is in Texas tonight for the third time in a month as he doubles down on his embattled, handpicked candidate for Senate, Ken Paxton.
And even Trump is admitting tonight that Paxton is far from a slam dunk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Mr. President, why are you going to Texas so much?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We want to make sure that Ken Paxton wins.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Now, the latest poll out of the Lone Star State shows Paxton's opponent, James Talarico, leading it by six percentage points. And again, this is Texas, a state that hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 1988. So, the polls might be off, but these numbers are setting off five-alarm fires everywhere, and Trump is obviously worried.
And while Trump earlier today tripled down on his hand-picked candidate, saying he has no regrets about Paxton, it is worth pointing out that John Cornyn almost certainly wouldn't be in this position if he were the Senate candidate. Trump has cost Republicans therefore more than $130 million on this race that didn't have to be a race.
And ironically, Paxton is calling out Trump. "Axios" obtaining new audio from Paxton's closed-door meeting with donors, a meeting where Paxton, they report, said affordability is, quote, "by far, our biggest problem and why we're having a hard time with numbers." Numbers, of course, is the reference to the polls.
Now, affordability being a big problem is, you know, that's a factual thing, but it is a factual thing that Trump has a problem with. Again and again, he dismisses it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Affordability, that's a fake word that they use.
It's just another con job. They made up the word affordability.
They use the word affordability. It's a Democrat hoax.
Affordability is a con job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Well, that's a losing message, and Republicans know it. I mean, look at Michigan's Republic Senate nominee, Mike Rogers. He's clearly distancing himself from Trump yet again. You know, first, you may remember Rogers' split with Trump on the war with Iran. That was just last week.
But now, Rogers is calling on another war. He's using that word, talking about Trump's trade war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE ROGERS (R), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: Here in Michigan, we know that Canada is not our enemy. We need to end this tariff war now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: A Republican Senate candidate calling Trump's signature economic policy a failed tariff war. That is incredible. That is the moment we are in.
And to Trump, Canada is an enemy. He talks about making it a state, jokes about invading it, and says this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: We don't need Canada for anything. Canada has been very difficult to deal with. Canada has been ripping this off for many, many years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Well, comments like that are not just anathema to Mike Rogers. They are also not helping the Republican senator running in Maine in a neck-and-neck race, another state that happens to border Canada.
Senator Susan Collins refusing to say if she will even be seen campaigning with Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBATE MODERATOR: President Trump this week said that he might actually visit Maine. Will you stand with him if he does?
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): I don't think that President Trump is going to come to Maine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And Trump has yet to do it, yet to visit Maine, but J.D. Vance has been in the state. And guess what? Susan Collins was nowhere to be seen near J.D. Vance.
And a new analysis by Reuters, in fact, has found that 41 of 62 Republican candidates in competitive House and Senate races are trying to boost their chances by distancing themselves from Trump, which is, just to do the math, about two-thirds of those Republican candidates.
And Trump is not taking this well, repeatedly telling reporters and supporters that he is the one saving the GOP.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: By the way, I'm going around doing rallies. The Republican Party is starting to go right through the roof. Somebody said today, I wonder why. Well, I had to get out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And he posts on social media in all caps, my rallies are saving the Republican Party again, with three exclamation points. Only, of course, Republicans are in real danger of losing control of the House in November.
[19:05:00]
The Senate may also be in play for Democrats.
So, given that, what is Trump talking about today while his party is in crisis prevention mode?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: President Trump, we have heard, we have heard that you want to turn part of your golf club in West Palm into a retreat for future presidents similar to Camp David. Are you going to call it Camp Donald?
TRUMP: Well, it's already called Trump International. It's only about two minutes away from the airport, so they literally would be at that site, and they could spend the weekend there like a retreat, like sort of a Camp David retreat. This wouldn't be for me. This would be for all future presidents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Betsy Klein is OUTFRONT in San Antonio, where Trump is trying to rally the crowd tonight.
And Betsy, how closely are Republicans watching this rally tonight? And you know, sort of who comes, their mood, how full it is, all those questions?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Erin, President Trump won Texas by 13 points less than two years ago. So, it's kind of a surprise that he has made three stops in the Lone Star State within the last four weeks or so. He's here to bolster Ken Paxton, who is running in a very close race against James Talarico, that Democrat.
And he has privately undermined President Trump in those closed-door comments at the same time that President Trump has indicated that he's not all that happy with Paxton himself, aggressive midterm campaign strategy that is taking him to a lot of traditional Republican strongholds, traditionally red places. He's trying to bolster MAGA turnout among his base.
And there are some signs that they are trying to organize here. We are seeing that here on the screens behind me. They told voters that in person early voting starts on October 29th and that they have until October 23rd to request those mail in ballots.
But one Republican strategist telling me that they are closely watching this stuff to see if they can improve Paxton standing here in Texas and that could determine future investment in this state where they have already invested hundreds of millions of dollars into this race, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Betsy, thank you very much.
That rally in San Antonio, and interesting, as Betsy said, what says on the screen, that it's telling people to vote early and get your mail-in ballot in time. Trump, of course, calls those mail-in ballots fraudulent and a rigged election, except for when they are voting for him.
And everyone's here with me.
Paul Begala, you're a die-hard Texan. You see these images, and obviously what we're showing here shows a full room and an enthusiastic crowd. You know the state better than pretty much anyone, though. Does Trump showing up and doing what he's doing right now, does that help Paxton get over the finish line?
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, not unless he has a time machine. Betsy's report was exactly right. Two years ago, Donald Trump romped and stopped in Texas, and especially with Hispanics.
Okay, I took a look. I called the smartest person on Texas politics about this, my son, Billy Begala, who's in Austin. He works in this.
So, Billy says Trump got 55 percent of the Hispanic vote in Texas. That's huge. That's terrific. It's great for him.
He's only getting 33 now. His approval is only 33. And if you look at the polls, James Talarico is beating Paxton among Hispanics 63 to 30, and Gina Hinojosa, the Democrat running for governor, is beating the incumbent governor 60 to 33.
So, both the Republicans are polling exactly where Trump is polling. And so more Trump, after folks feel like he's betrayed them, is going to hurt, not help, because they think he's causing their pain.
So, I hope he goes -- as a Democrat, I hope he goes twice a week and three times on Sunday.
BURNETT: Okay, so all that may be true, but, Paul, what we're looking at here in the context of this very full rally, which it appears to be, is that Trump has been called out with pictures of empty seats, and he's gotten really mad about it, and he ranted at Fox News for not taking his rally, and he's ranted about that, OK? So that's happened over the past few days.
So, this one, this one is full. They know these images, and they can see this, and this is a full rally. So, does that signal anything at this point?
PAUL RIECKHOFF, HOST OF INDEPENDENT AMERICANS PODCAST: Yes. I think Texas is still very red, and Trump knows that, and he can activate the base in a way that will drive turnout, which I think will ultimately be the key here. wrong before, maybe this time more than ever before. We'll see how it shakes out.
But he knows he can drive people to come out, and that's what he's got to do, is energize them to come out. Now, the challenge in Texas, like so many other places, people don't like Trump. They also don't like the Democrats. So, Democrats have to try to square that circle, especially with independents.
About 16 percent of voters in Texas are independents, and there are a lot of veterans, 1.7 million veterans in Texas. They care about the war, they care about national security, and they care about the connection between the war and the economy.
So, I think whoever goes directly It's 1.7 million veterans in Texas. They care about the war. They care about national security, and they care about the connection between the war and the economy.
BURNETT: Yeah.
RIECKHOFF: So, I think whoever goes directly at the war is going to make headway with those people.
[19:10:01]
BURNETT: And Ken Paxton has indicated, as we said, Sara, that it is the war and prices that are hurting him, right? Those two policies of Trump's.
But Trump -- you know, this is his third time, I said, in what, a month? And he does not seem to like Ken Paxton very much. Who, by the way, just to say it 500,000th time, Ken Paxton's only standing there because Trump picked him. Otherwise, it would be John Cornyn.
So, here's some more of what Trump has actually said about his guy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: You might not like the way he looks. You might not love his look. He may not dress right, he may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I've ever seen.
He could be a pain in the ass sometimes, I'll be honest. Is he here, by the way? Oh, there he is, good. I didn't even know he was here. I don't care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Sarah, I mean, he's got a lot on the line, though, because, again, Paxton wouldn't be standing there if it weren't for Donald Trump. John and -- John Cornyn would be, and this may not even be a race we're talking about, right?
So how much does he feel, do you think, that he has personally -- you know, personally at stake in this? Because this is his race.
SARAH MATTHEWS, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: It is kind of hilarious that Trump seems so fixated on the way that Ken Paxton dresses or the way that Ken Paxton looks. Voters are disgusted with Ken Paxton, but I wouldn't say that those are the top concerns that they have with him. They're concerned about his corruption. They're concerned about his infidelity and him jet setting across the globe with his mistress.
And they're concerned about Trump's policies and the fact that this is the guy that Trump backed. Like you said, I think that we wouldn't be having this conversation if Trump had endorsed John This wouldn't be as tight of a race, but because this is this perfect storm where you have a strong candidate in someone like James Talarico and then you have a scandal-plagued candidate in someone like Ken Paxton and a perfect political environment where Trump is deeply unpopular.
Now, we're having that conversation of could Texas go blue for him? But I don't think that that is necessarily going to translate across the board of all of Texas. I think you're going to see a lot of split ticket voting where there are a lot of Republicans who vote for other Republicans on their ballots, but then when it comes to the Senate race, they think -- I don't know if I want to vote for this guy.
But Trump has to be out there in campaigning. Like we said, this is his third time going to Texas already because this would be a humiliating loss for him, not just in a state where he won by double digits, but it would be a humiliating loss in terms of his power of his endorsement.
BURNETT: Yeah.
MATTHEWS: And Trump hates nothing more than being a loser and being associated with the loser.
BURNETT: Yeah, and I mean this, he owns this one, right? If Paxton loses, that's -- that's Trump.
Paul, and in that, other Republicans, I just pointed out, you know, Susan Collins, you know, not appearing with Trump thus far, and Governor Abbott in Texas -- by the way, 30 years of being a public servant in Texas, governor for a long, long time. He's not at tonight's rally because he said he had a scheduling conflict, which, I mean, OK, you know, everybody knows that is what it is.
He also apparently had a conflict last week when Trump was there, too. So, we all know what that means.
But who's making the right move, Paul? Again, we look at it. They made sure that room was full, and it's full right now. But who's making the right move? Paxton or Abbott?
BEGALA: Who's making the wrong move is Trump. He shouldn't put his guys in that position, OK? Trump is the problem.
I think Paul and Sarah are right. Voters know that it's Trump's war that's caused the spike. They hate the war, and they hate the spike in gas prices. They hate the increase in diesel prices. They hate the increase in grocery prices. In Texas, they especially don't like the really vicious way a lot of these deportations have been handled and the violence committed by ICE agents.
So, Trump gives them more Trump, even though he's the problem. It's like this. Like, what if you own that lettuce company that had cyclospora lettuce that gave you exploding diarrhea? You said, here's my answer, two for one, all you can eat cyclospora lettuce.
That's kind of not going to solve your problem, and that's what Trump is doing, he's just force feeding them more cyclospora lettuce.
BURNETT: And, Paul, I was just, you know, when we played a moment ago, Trump talking about, you know, using Mar-a-Lago as a retreat, okay? And we know he enjoys talking about things like that, right? He's offered that or whether it's the arch or the Kennedy Center or the helicopter pad or whatever, okay? You know what I'm talking about. RIECKHOFF: Yeah.
BURNETT: And the Nobel Prize is going to be awarded on Friday, specifically the Peace Prize. If anybody's been watching, some of the earlier ones have been coming out. We got physics, I think we got chemistry. Peace is coming on Friday, so Trump got asked about it and, okay. I'm only going to play some because he went on. Here's some.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I did things that nobody else has ever done. I'm not bragging. I'm just telling you the facts.
No president probably has settled any wars. I settled eight wars and big ones, big ones, saved millions and millions of lives.
Whether I get it or not, I've done far more, and I think it would be a great discredit to them, and I'm not saying that out of scorn. I'm saying that when you settle eight wars and nobody's ever.
[19:15:03]
I'll bet you, if you look at the Nobel Prize, look, Obama got it and he didn't do anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Does anybody hear that anymore?
RIECKHOFF: Yes. And I think he finds new ways to make people dislike him every single day. And here's the latest example. It's also a really powerful reminder that he actually continues to start wars. So, the Democrats need to take advantage of that.
I mean, he's obviously now stuck in Iran. He still wants to hit Cuba and who knows wherever else. He's actually become the president of a new generation of forever wars.
And I think this is where both parties, Republicans and Democrats, aren't going aggressively on the issue that Americans understand are driving up gas prices. People want to hear, what are you going to do about the war, how are you going to end it, and how are you to make that impact me? And every time he gets out in front and does this thing, people are reminded that he's getting them in new wars all the time, especially Republicans in the base where
BURNETT: American soldiers have died in the war with Iran.
RIECKHOFF: Absolutely.
BURNETT: Talks about saving lives.
All right. Thank you very much, all of you.
And next week, don't miss our town hall with the Democratic candidate in the Texas Senate race, James Talarico. I'll be hosting in Texas. That is on Wednesday, October 14th.
And next, the WHO demanding answers from Russia on its suspected plague case. But Russia says everything's fine. I'll talk to former U.S. special envoy who negotiated with Russia. He says he has real concerns about the Russian lab at the center of the scare.
Plus, election deniers now on the ballot in a major swing state, running to oversee the very votes that they disputed. And it's setting off major alarms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The thought is so important to me, I can't hardly express it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: And the Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El Sayed is about to get a major campaign boost from Barack Obama. So, our KFILE went back to look at the relationship between the two and wait until you hear what El Sayed said back then about Obama when he said his list of failures goes on.
We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:21:08]
BURNETT: Tonight, MAGA furious after a bombshell New York Times report that two of Trump's top political advisors, Chris LaCivita and James Blair, went to the Balkans in recent days. to help a far-right pro-Putin government win its elections, reportedly receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece. Now, these two men are tasked with helping Republicans keep control of Congress.
And well, I mean, you can see the polls and all of you know what happens, but obviously the environment right now is that five alarm fire for Republicans. And yet the guys who are supposed to be running the whole thing aren't here. One GOP operative telling "Politico", quote, "We're out here fighting for our lives and these dudes are some in some random A-word country while telling all of us to chill out because they've got it. It's legitimately shocking."
Now, sources tell CNN that Trump was unaware that the two men had traveled to the Balkans. And so, he then decided to publicly respond to this reporting, posting, quote, "They do not work for me," but then also writing, "If there's a conflict, I will terminate them immediately."
So, I guess they do work for him. It's a confusing statement, obviously.
OUTFRONT now, Ken Vogel, "The New York Times" reporter who broke this story that is obviously causing great consternation in Republican ranks tonight. Ken, so what more can you tell us about this? Blair and LaCivita are out of the United States helping a pro-Putin government stay in power?
KEN VOGEL, REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Yeah, so they were paid by a U.S. law firm that was working for the government of this Republika Srpska. This is autonomous territory inside of Bosnia and Herzegovina and it is very pro-Russian and it is the party that controls the government is very pro-Russian nationalist, and they had this election upcoming to decide whether that party or another party would take control of both the government of Republika Srpska as well as a seat on this sort of coalition government that governs Bosnia and Herzegovina and they started raising concerns.
The ruling party did that they might lose this election and might be stolen from them because of new voting machines. And if that sounds familiar, it's because the leaders of this party have really tried to position themselves as sort of the Pro-Trump party inside of this region. And so, the bringing in of James Blair and Chris LaCivita to top Trump political advisors who were very involved in pushing the claims of -- or warnings about the 2024 election and voting machines was not an accident. They were looking for Trump folks who had experience sort of laying the groundwork with these types of elections.
BURNETT: I guess nobody learned anything from Paul Manafort. Sounds like that on steroids in some senses.
So, you write in your article that the party's leader thanked Putin, okay, you talk about them being pro-Putin, but also thanked Trump in the same breath as he declared victory, which is an incredible thing you point out.
Let me play it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILORAD DODIK, BOSNIAN SERB NATIONAL POLITICIAN: Had it not been for Donald Trump's magnificent victory and his dismantling of the widely hated Biden structure, we would in all likelihood be politically defunct today. Yet courtesy of this new political climate, we emerge as the political victors, and we fully intend to formalize that reality. I must also, of course, extend my gratitude to President Putin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Okay, what's amazing about that, I mean, there's obviously several layers of amazing here, Ken, but it's actually that Trump is the one that's getting all the thanks and all of the profuse praise, right? Putin's the afterthought. Oh, I must also, of course, extend my gratitude to Putin.
This is -- this is incredible. I mean, how intertwined are these Trump insiders with this government?
VOGEL: Very, and it's a very revealing comment. I mean, he -- the instant Trump was reelected, the leader of this party who at the time was the autocratic president of Republika Srpska, this guy we heard speaking Milorad Dodik.
[19:25:00]
He started bringing in Trump advisers and Trump allies, including Rudy Giuliani, who actually came to Srpska and did a podcast and a rally with Dodik. Mike Flynn also involved, Rod Blagojevich involved. These are people who were brought in to kind of build the case that he, Milorad Dodik, and his party had been unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, which had sanctioned him and actually increased sanctions on Dodik, but it's actually notable that the sanctions had been in place since Obama and remained in place during the first Trump term.
But this guy and his party wanted to overturned the sanctions, so they paid a bunch of money to a lot of Trump insiders. And sure enough, the sanctions were lifted late last year. So that's kind of what he's referring to there when he talks about the political climate that allowed for him and his party to triumph in these elections on Sunday.
BURNETT: Well, this is obviously such stunning reporting and so important as we all try to understand the extent of whatever self- dealing or corruption that there may be in this administration.
Ken Vogel, thank you very much. I appreciate your time. And thank you for sharing that amazing reporting.
Also tonight, President Trump admits Moscow is not answering questions about the death and subsequent quarantine and COVID-level protocols in Russia. But he also seemed to defend Putin and Russian officials calling them very sophisticated and very smart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Is the plague in Russia a bioweapon?
TRUMP: Well, we don't think so. We're going to find out soon enough, but we don't think so. And if you listen to them, it's under control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Of course, if you listen to them.
Well, the World Health Organization has been pressing Moscow for answers and getting none, trying to get urgent updates on reports of the, quote-unquote, "suspected plague case", as well as a reported second case. The CDC is also monitoring the situation. The State Department is now formally pressing Moscow to release details over fears that it's been hiding an outbreak.
And it comes as CNN has learned of lockdowns in the country, ambulance doctors wearing full COVID protective gear, maternity hospital being screened for a, quote-unquote, "new virus".
And that's where Marshall Billingslea comes in. He's OUTFRONT because he has sat across the negotiating table from Russia, a special presidential envoy for arms control, also former assistant treasury secretary.
Marshall, I'm really grateful for your time.
So you heard what Trump said. You know, if you listen to them, they have it under control. So, do you believe that Russia is telling the world the truth about what happened to that lab worker? Which I guess what they're basically saying is unknown virus and just don't worry about it.
MARSHALL BILLINGSLEA, FORMER U.S. ENVOY WHO HELD ARMS CONTROL TALKS WITH RUSSIA: No, I don't think they're telling the truth, but I also don't think President Trump said that. I do think it was not an off- the-cuff comment that he made that he doesn't think it's a bioweapon, and that is reassuring. But obviously, the nature of the outbreak, the location of the outbreak, the association of the lab worker with the Irkutsk facility that we know was previously involved in the biowarfare program of the Soviet Union and Russia, and we know that the Russians have not only expanded, but they're modernizing their biological weapons program.
So, Russia's got a lot of answering to do. And so far, they have provided no details. And that's worrying.
BURNETT: So, extremely worrisome, especially given that the actions that they have conducted thus far do not fit with -- there's nothing to worry about right it just doesn't fit in any way, which is why this has raised all the consternation.
So, you mentioned your -- what you did. You work directly with the number two in the Soviet biological weapons program in the 1990s, Ken Alibek. Now, he defected. And you worked with him and you say that he specifically talked to you, Marshall, about the Irkutsk Institute where this lab technician worked. Okay?
So that means you know more about the history here at this place, this facility than most anyone. What did he tell you?
BILLINGSLEA: Well, we talked quite a bit about the Soviet and then the Russian biological weapons program. Ken, as you point out, was the number two in the clandestine program and he did defect.
I -- after working with Ken when I was in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff, I then had to deal directly with the head of their biological defense program when I was the deputy assistant secretary of defense for negotiations during the Bush administration.
And what I can tell you is that if it's an organism that is able to kill human beings or even agricultural products, the Russians have looked at how to weaponize it. They have weaponized all types of things, but particularly concerning is the plague bacteria which this lab worker is alleged to have died from. That was one of their two main strategic weapons, the other one being smallpox.
So, any outbreak involving plague at a facility that was once associated and may still be associated with their warfare program deserves the international community to be demanding answers. Erin, I will tell you one last thing on that.
[19:30:00]
The team that the Trump administration has working this issue with the Russians is top-notch. They're first-rate. They know what they're doing. They've put all the right public health questions.
Many of the things we're talking about in public are exactly the questions that they're putting to the Russians. We have to hold the Russians' feet to the fire, and we need our allies to do the same.
BURNETT: Well, I guess that last point you make there is reassuring, but really incredible what you say. If there was anything that could be turned into a weapon to kill mass numbers of people or food, that they would have done that.
Thank you very much, Marshall. I appreciate your time.
BILLINGSLEA: Good to be with you. Thanks, Erin.
BURNETT: And next, he said the 2020 election was, quote, stolen, fair, and square. Now he's running to be secretary of state in a major swing state. He's not the only election denier on the ballot who would oversee election vote counting. Our Kyung Lah with a special investigation tonight.
And exclusive reporting from KFILE revealing Michigan's Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed once had a lot to say about former President Obama and his message of hope and change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: We are not better. Just say this. We are not as a country better off eight years after Obama was elected in 2008 than we were when he was elected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: So, what's El Sayed saying now as he's about to campaign with Obama?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:35:26]
BURNETT: Tonight, President Trump suggesting the upcoming elections may not be honest, but failing to provide any evidence to back up the claim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: There are certain things our country needs. One of them is honest elections. It's a big deal. We're going to be watching very, very closely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: It comes as early voting is now underway in Arizona, a state that was ground zero for election denialism in 2020, and where election deniers are once again running this year.
Kyung Lah is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: The people who helped build a conspiracy and a lie years ago, they're back, and they're back on the ballot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Cowboy Church. Let's hear it. Biggs, Biggs, Biggs, Biggs!
LAH (voice-over): At the Cowboy Church north of Tucson, we find Congressman Andy Biggs, the Republican nominee for Arizona governor, headlining a political revival.
REP. ANDY BIGGS (R-AZ): Are you ready to turn Arizona red again?
LAH (voice-over): Election denialism is still a part of the political gospel here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will rig that all day long.
LAH (voice-over): The faithful here receive it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to be fired up. We're going to be excited.
LAH (voice-over): And echo it.
MICKEY DAVIDSON, ARIZONA REPUBLICAN: I didn't believe the last election was proper.
LAH: What about 2020?
DONNA VALENTINE, ARIZONA REPUBLICAN: 2020, I think Trump won. Yeah.
BIGGS: I joined the objection to counting votes of electors from my home state of Arizona.
LAH (voice-over): Let's go back to January 6, 2021. That's Biggs on the House floor, speaking just as rioters broke into the U.S. Capitol.
In Arizona, the conspiracies were exploding.
LAH: Hi, Congressman. I'm Kyung La from CNN.
LAH (voice-over): Today, candidate Biggs claims he didn't deny election results, even when asked directly.
LAH: If you are elected governor and you politically disagree with what the voters of Arizona say in subsequent elections, will you certify the Arizona election results.
BIGGS: So, I'm not an election denier, but what I would tell you is I'm very comfortable that this election is going to be great, win, lose, or draw. I have a feeling I'm going to win, so it'll be easy to certify.
LAH (voice-over): Months after Biggs voted to block the certification of Arizona's 2020 electoral votes, the GOP-controlled Arizona State Senate subpoenaed and seized Maricopa County's ballots.
WARREN PETERSEN (R), CANDIDATE FOR ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL: We need to decertify. And so, we are absolutely certain that this election was not stolen.
LAH (voice-over): The movement was led in part by Warren Petersen, then chairman of the Arizona Senate Judiciary Committee. Now he wants to be the state's attorney general.
He helped hire a company with no election audit experience named the Cyber Ninjas to do a hand recount of more than two million ballots.
BILL GATES, FORMER CHAIR, MARICOPA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: There were so many surreal parts to it. These colored shirts sitting there with masks on looking up at ballots, the spinning tables.
LAH (voice-over): This is Bill Gates, a Republican and the former Maricopa County supervisor. The county board helps oversee elections.
GATES: The Cyber Ninjas were not experts in elections. They also were not ninjas. Just in case people were wondering.
LAH: Did they find anything?
GATES: After all of this, they didn't find anything.
LAH (voice-over): One of the people leading the hunt was Ken Bennett.
KEN BENNETT, FORMER ARIZONA SENATE LIAISON, CYBER NINJAS AUDIT: So, we'll just talk about all things elections.
LAH (voice-over): A former Arizona Secretary of State, Bennett was hired to help oversee the Cyber Ninjas audit.
LAH: You guys chased every conspiracy.
BENNETT: Oh, absolutely. Hey, we hand-counted the ballots. Trump lost Arizona. Sorry.
All of a sudden, I went from my hero to devil.
LAH: The devil?
BENNETT: Oh, yeah. The MAGA right part of the Republican Party turned on me like I was evil.
LAH: How much of an impact is that going to have this November? BENNETT: People now running for statewide office, top three statewide offices, they're still saying that the 2020 election was stolen, or they won't say that it wasn't stolen. I think it will affect their electability in this November's election.
LAH (voice-over): Bennett is especially blunt about Alexander Kolodin, the Republican nominee for Arizona's secretary of state. Bennett knows him as --
ALEXANDER KOLODIN (R), CANDIDATE FOR ARIZONA SECRETARY OF STATE: Alexander Kolodin here on behalf of Defendant Cyber Ninjas, Inc.
LAH (voice-over): Kolodin was a lawyer for the Cyber Ninjas. Now he's running to oversee Arizona's elections.
[19:40:02]
BENNETT: The thought is so abhorrent to me, I can't hardly express it. What he really is is a liar. And I cannot support liars. I don't want you anywhere near being in charge of the voter registration system for the entire state.
LAH (voice-over): We've been trying to talk to Kolodin and Petersen, asking their campaigns for interviews. Now they're here at this political event near Tucson.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you guys with CNN?
LAH: Oh, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to need to stay off the property. There's no media allowed.
LAH: Do you know if the candidates all left? Any dice? Any dice? Is he coming out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No dice.
LAH: No dice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No dice.
LAH (voice-over): On the Democratic side this November --
LAH: I think she's in the back.
LAH (voice-over): A different connection to the Cyber Ninjas audit. Governor Katie Hobbs, the incumbent, being challenged by Biggs.
LAH: You were secretary of state back in the Cyber Ninjas era. Is that something that is now pulling forward to this election today?
GOV. KATIE HOBBS (D), ARIZONA: We should be done talking about an election that happened six years ago. My opponent repeated false election claims, supported the Cyber Ninjas audit, and he still refuses to say that Donald Trump lost in 2020 or that I won in 2022, and that is really dangerous.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAH: And we did reach out to Alexander Kolodin's campaign about what Ken Bennett told us in the interview. The campaign calls it, quote, "Falsehoods and petulant gossip" -- Erin.
BURNETT: Wow.
All right, Kyung Lah, thank you very much. You have spent more time in the state of Arizona covering this than anyone.
And next, former President Obama about to campaign with Michigan's Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El Syed. But our KFILE found El Sayed spent years slamming Obama when it came to deportations, civil liberties, and even war. And we are going to take you live to the USS Lincoln. It's finally, it's finally there about to wrap up its record and troubled 10-month stint.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:46:28]
BURNETT: Breaking news just days before former President Obama is set to campaign with Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in one of the most closely watched races in the country, a KFILE investigation reveals that El Sayed spent years sharply criticizing Obama's presidency. At one point, this was back in 2012, he said a quote, "list of his failures goes on," end quote. And years later argued that America was not, quote, "better off after eight years of Obama in the White House".
Now, that criticism covered everything from health care and immigration to the economy, civil liberties, and America's wars abroad. It comes as El-Sayed prepares to face Republican Mike Rogers tomorrow night in their first head-to-head debate.
And OUTFRONT now is KFILE's Andrew Kaczynski.
And, Andrew, these were not, you know, isolated events and comments. You found other things.
ANDREW KACZYNSKI, CNN KFILE SENIOR EDITOR: That's right. This is a pattern we found with Abdul El-Sayed dating all the way back to 2012. He was harshly critical of Obama from the left.
Let's start in 2012. El-Sayed had voted for Obama in 2008 and would vote for him again that year. But shortly after Obama won reelection, El Sayed wrote an essay in "The Huffington Post" that accused him of failing to deliver on his hope and change that he had promised. He wrote, quote, "This leader has perpetuated war, violated our civil liberties, deported more people from our shores than any other president before him, and the list of his failures goes on."
And Erin, he looked back at the optimism he said he felt when Obama was first elected. And then he wrote this, "That memory will not serve as a reminder of the history made that night, but of the silly emotions of a naive young man who didn't understand that hope and change required more than flowery prose and a winning smile."
And let's take healthcare, El Sayed is himself a doctor. He has made healthcare and advocacy for Medicare for All central to his political career, and he criticized what would become Obama's defining domestic, the Affordable Care Act. He called it, quote, "a watered-down reform that kowtows to the interest of healthcare lobbies". And he added this, quote, "For progressives who care about peace, prosperity, civil liberties, and the future of our country, Obama's reelection last night was no victory. It was the rock we chose over the hard place.
BURNETT: Interesting that he left such a record of all of this, right? That they made all those comments. You also found some pretty harsh comments about six years ago when he talked about the totality of it, of Obama's two terms.
KACZYNSKI: Uh-huh, that's exactly right, six years later. He criticized that -- he said Obama had not accomplished enough. He argued that the failures of the Obama era actually helped create the conditions that allowed Trump to win. In a 2018 interview that we found, El Sayed criticized Democrats for, in his view, prioritizing corporations over ordinary Americans.
And then in January 2020, during a panel at the University of Chicago, he was even more explicit. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE: We are going to continue to make the same mistakes of the past eight years under Barack Obama. We are not better, just say this, we are not, as a country, better off eight years after Obama was elected in 2008 than we were when he was elected. And I say this to somebody who loves him deeply.
Look at where we are right now. We are debating how we be the most dangerous president --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God! It was --
(CROSSTALK)
EL-SAYED: I appreciate the fact that we don't give him credit for what he did for the economy in the short term, but the structure of the economy did not change under Barack Obama. The solutions to actually thinking about making sure that our health care system was equitable and sustainable, that did not change under Barack Obama.
[19:50:00]
And unless we're willing to admit that, then we're at risk of going right back to the edge of the cliff we fell off in 2016.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KACZYNSKI: Now, when it was announced this week that Obama would campaign with El-Sayed toward the end of the month, El Sayed called it, quote, his honor and privilege to welcome the former president to Michigan.
And Erin, we did put all this to the El Sayed campaign, and he provided us with a statement that said, "At 24, I watched President Obama win in 2008. He changed what was possible for someone like me with a name like mine. Despite being dealt one of the toughest hands of any American president, he handled it, and despite all he did, there remains so much left to do. That's for the next generation inspired by him and his leadership picks up. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and I can't wait to tell him myself later this month."
The campaign also pushed back on the idea that this past criticism reflected a broader hostility towards Obama. They provided examples over the year in which he praised him personally, including listing him earlier this year as one of his heroes after Obama called him when he won the Democratic primary. They also provided a 2020 exchange in a since deleted tweet where he said he could disagree with decisions and still believe the country was not better off after his presidency while still viewing Obama as competent, coherent, and committed to Americans, Erin.
So, it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out with that debate tomorrow and that rally coming up in a couple weeks.
BURNETT: Really important timing for something like this.
All right, thank you so much, Andrew Kaczynski of KFILE.
And next, the USS Abraham Lincoln finally set to dock hours from now after a long and troubled deployment. We'll take you there live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:56:17]
BURNETT: Breaking news, the USS Abraham Lincoln finally returning home, set to dock in just a few hours. Now, keep in mind, that is after more than 300 days at sea. record. And that's the aircraft carrier that was in the Middle East amid Trump's war with Iran that was at the center of many disturbing reports.
Eight sailors in the USS Lincoln fleet attempted suicide. That's according to the acting secretary of the Navy. There were reports of food shortages, lack of basic supplies, no hot water, plumbing and sanitation issues.
Some of that stemming from Iran's successful attack of US bases that left the ship needing to get supplies from way farther away.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went to greet the soldiers on board the USS Lincoln today, trying to do some damage control.
Pam Brown is OUTFRONT now on board the Lincoln. And, Pam, you know, you were in the Middle East, obviously, as well,
and did some of the groundbreaking reporting on what the reality was on board that ship. What are you hearing from the sailors on board now?
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: The morale is very different this time around. So much anticipation and excitement, Erin, to be home, coming home tomorrow. So much about their deployment that was hard was the uncertainty.
Their deployment changed after about a month or so in, and then they suddenly found themselves on the front lines in combat roles doing blockades of Iranian ports and round the clock combat missions. And as you noted, there were some poor conditions and supply chain issues and mental strain.
There was a man overboard here on the Abraham Lincoln just this past August, shortly after I left in another attempted suicide on board last March, according to the Navy secretary. And so, the fact that these crew members, so many of them young Erin, 25 years and younger, are going home and seeing their families for the first time after such a trying, historically difficult deployment, it means so much to them.
So, I asked them about the conditions that I wanted to hear in their own words what it was really like here on the ship over these last several months. Here's what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a rocky, rocky roads going up and down. I was in cargo for a while. The people that bring the food up and I was in there during the tough times. Not a lot of food was being brought up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The toughest part for me on this deployment, definitely being away from family and just the uncertainty of coming back home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And that was that's been sort of the theme coming out here, talking to the sailors to say it was the uncertainty and that's what made it so hard. But they also really made it clear here, Erin, that despite the challenges, they want to be known for their resilience, hard work and sacrifice. They don't want to be known for having to endure those challenges.
But the fact that they did, there is certainly a sense of pride here. And for perspective here, Erin, there are so many on this ship who've never even met their child because this deployment has been so long. There's around 60 dads, I'm told, never met their child. We got to see one reunion today.
One of the first, Lieutenant Commander Jason Tross, came on board with us and surprised his daughter Hannah. This was her first appointment. Hopefully, we have some video we can show you of that emotional moment. Just a little preview of what we're going to see once this ship pulls into port in San Diego tomorrow, Erin.
BURNETT: So, Pam, just, you know, the secretary of defense was on board and he, of course, has said that the reports of what you heard that one soldier talking about when there was food shortages, you know, he said that that's all fake news. What was the reaction to the defense secretary?
BROWN: Yeah, he initially said it was a complete misrepresentation. So, I did ask sailors here on board what they thought about his visit and what he has been saying. And there's really been a mixed reaction.
I did talk to some sailors who said they would have wanted to hear more accountability from him. They said we have the pictures and videos we were sending home and on social media, but others said that they were happy he came. They really jazzed them up, got them excited, motivated them, and they said it meant a lot that they gave them the presidential unit citation, which is one of the highest awards they can get. They said it meant a lot to get that recognition, Erin.
BURNETT: All right, Pam. Thank you so much on board the USS Lincoln.
And thanks to all of you for being with us.
"AC360" starts now.
