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Source: Acting Intel Chief Eyes Firing Hundreds Of Workers; Trump Endorses Both Candidates In South Carolina Gov. Runoff; NYC Cafe Bans Jewish Congressman Because Of His Israel Stance; DOJ Says It's Probing NYC Cafe That Banned Democrats Over Israel Stance. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired June 23, 2026 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: -- that it will just absolutely cease to function.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And, you know, this is sort of true for not just the DNI, but a lot of federal agencies, all of them, which is one person's deep state is another person's, you know, unknown worker who has intense and important experience in any given subject.

And on that note, Bill Pulte is not one of them. He doesn't have experience on national security and intel at all that we know about. And a source told CNN that one of his first questions on the first day was if he could bring the President's daily briefing to his house. You gave the President his daily briefing regularly. What does that question tell you?

SANNER: You know, I think it's just that and asking if he has access to a plane shows a lack of seriousness that the reason he is there is not about, you know, actually conducting this business, but it's all about perks that you get along with your retribution job. And, you know, if you don't understand the very basic idea that no, this isn't just like taking the New York Times home, then you don't understand the first thing.

And so as part of this job, you know, he's been given probably these temporary security clearances to allow him to attend the President's briefing and to read the daily briefing. In there are all sorts of our most sensitive secrets. And if you don't even understand what you're reading, you don't know how to sort those things out. You don't know if assets agents will actually maybe die because you accidentally, or on purpose, tell people about it.

You know, it is -- there is no men in black pen to erase what he has learned or what he will be learning. And for someone who's a neophyte, even if they are not -- if they don't have bad intentions, and I'm not saying he necessarily does, but if you don't understand the import of what you're dealing with, you have no idea what you need to protect.

BASH: Beth, it's always good to talk to you. Thank you so much for giving us really important perspective here in context. Thank you.

SANNER: Thank you.

BASH: And coming up, no matter who wins South Carolina's GOP runoff tonight, President Trump can claim credit. We'll explain why after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:37:07]

BASH: President Trump may have found the ultimate hedge in South Carolina. After a pair of endorsement setbacks in Iowa and Georgia, the President is now backing both Republican candidates in tonight's gubernatorial runoff. So this time, he can't lose.

In a Truth Social post, President Trump praised Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette, who, by the way, he endorsed before the runoff. The President wrote, "It's a wealth of riches. With either one, you can't go wrong. Vote for Pam or Alan. They won't let you down."

South Carolina native --

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.

BASH: -- Nia Malika Henderson, how is that going to go?

HENDERSON: You know, listen, Pam or Alan, we'll see. Listen, Pam won the runoff by about three points. And then Alan, in all of the polling that Donald Trump was aware of as well, Alan was going to win this thing. So that's why you have Donald Trump coming on at the last minute and wanting to sort of take credit or hedge his bets or whatever he's going to end up doing tonight when Alan probably wins.

So that's the -- it really is a window into his psyche and how he's played all of these endorsements. He hasn't necessarily been the sort of the driving force behind these candidates. They've had a head of steam, and then he sort of jumps on the bandwagon and takes credit. And that's exactly what's going down --

BASH: Except for the last couple, as I mentioned, that the last minute he weighed in and endorsed, and it didn't work. Now, obviously, in the big, big elections, they have worked, like the endorsement of Bill Cassidy's opponent and others in Congress (ph).

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Is it possible there's a difference between federal and state races? I realize we don't have a lot of cases, but the two disappointments have both been in governor's races.

HENDERSON: Yes.

BROWNSTEIN: He tried to beat Brian Kemp with David Perdue --

BASH: Yes, maybe.

BROWNSTEIN: -- and that didn't work. It may be that there's just more juice for him when he's weighing in on a federal race, on a state race.

BASH: I feel a Ron Brownstein column.

BROWNSTEIN: Possibly. Possibly.

HENDERSON: Me too.

BASH: And just, you know, his name isn't Eric. Their names aren't Eric. So that is a win for those candidates. And by that, I am talking, of course, about what you're seeing on the screen. This was in 2022, and the President endorsed Eric for his complete and total endorsement in the Missouri Senate primary. Guess what? Both candidates were called Eric.

SHELBY TALCOTT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, SEMAFOR: Yes. This is not the first time he's done this. But I do think win-loss record for the President in endorsements is important to him.

BASH: Yes.

TALCOTT: And you've seen, as you said, you know, he endorsed Ken Paxton really late, and that was partially because he started to see polling that Ken Paxton was pulling ahead. So I think it's no secret that this is a scenario in which he sees another candidate pulling ahead, and he says, you know what? Doesn't matter.

I'll just endorse them both. They're both Trump enough. They're both, you know, MAGA enough. And ultimately, you're going to come out, and he's going to be able to send a Truth Social post early in the morning saying, you know, I won.

[12:40:00]

BASH: Right. Let's talk about a primary that's right in our backyard. It's suburban Washington. It's in Maryland, Maryland 6. Democratic primary between two largely self-funding candidates.

One is now the sitting member of Congress, April McClain Delaney. So far, she has spent $7 million. Former Congressman David Trone, who wants the seat back and is very wealthy also, $25 million. And just to kind of give you a sense of how much David Trone wants to be in Congress, again, $25 million so far in 2026. That's this year. In 2024, he spent $62 million. 2016, $13 million.

Let's just start there. First of all, for those who don't know, Total Wine, that's David Trone.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, look, whoever wins this primary is going to win the seat. So in a lot of ways, this $30 million plus that they have poured into this race, and obviously a large amount of that is coming from Trone, is kind of a waste, right? I mean, you have a sitting Democrat in this seat right now, and they're just beating each other up potentially for absolutely no reason. And, you know, they both supported each other in the past. I mean, this is just a really interesting dynamic for Democrats. And it's so fascinating. I live in Maryland. I watch a lot of these ads, how they are trying to dissect each other's records. I mean, it's really hard in some ways to distinguish them from one another.

BASH: Let's play some examples of those ads that we're all seeing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hillary Clinton to Davin Trone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dear David --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for your steadfast leadership --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- in fighting on behalf of our shared values.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From funding women's clinics and voting to protect reproductive rights.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hillary Clinton has long supported April McClain Delaney. April is endorsed by Planned Parenthood. Reproductive freedom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And all these leaders because of her leadership in fighting to protect choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, as I was saying before, I mean, you're watching in blue districts, I mean, he's attacking her. I think he's attacking her mostly from the left on the Laken Riley Act. And otherwise, it's the flip side of what you're seeing in South Carolina, right?

But can I just make one point quick about South Carolina?

BASH: Yes.

BROWNSTEIN: There is a price for what's happening there. Not there. Either one of them is going to win the general election. But what you are seeing is that even in blue states, Republicans watching these thunderbolts from Trump, who is trying to intervene in primaries more than any residential -- president since FDR in '38, Republicans, even in blue states, are reluctant to cross him in any way.

And that is just insurmountable. You saw Jack Ciattarelli and Winsome Earle-Sears refused to criticize him in '25, even when he was doing things that demonstrably hurt their state. Steve Hilton and Bruce Blakeman in New York, same story. In this environment, if you can't display independence from Trump, you can't get off the ground in a blue state.

BASH: Right.

BROWNSTEIN: And he makes that very, very difficult for them.

BASH: Such a good point.

Up next, we're going to hear from a Jewish Democratic congressman who's on the ballot today who was banned from a New York coffee shop.

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[12:47:37]

BASH: A Jewish congressman banned from a New York coffee shop for supporting Israel. Congressman Dan Goldman stopped in Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn on Sunday with his seven-year-old daughter, who used the restroom. He said they were so kind that he bought a coffee.

Afterwards, Poetica's social media account posted a picture of Goldman at the cashier counter with this message. "Hey, Rep Goldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn't taste like genocide juice, or are you still having a hard time telling the difference? See, here at Poetica, we don't serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between. Too bad we didn't recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away. We issued you a refund. We don't need your money. It's probably coming from AIPAC anyways. Enjoy your loss on Tuesday. Don't ever come to Poetica."

Now, that post has since been taken down, but the congressman did respond on social media. He said, "I'm sorry to see this post. The barista could not have been nicer to my seven-year-old daughter and me, allowing her to use the bathroom, even though we had not purchased anything. I made sure to buy a coffee in return for her kindness. I hope you at least make sure she gets the tip that she deserved."

Last night, he spoke to CNN's Laura Coates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DAN GOLDMAN (D), NEW YORK: It's a reflection, I think, of a sad state of affairs, that without knowing me, we could have had such a nice interaction. Two people, obviously, from different backgrounds, different faiths, but that's what America is, and that's what New York City is. That is what I believe in.

I am a strong proponent of equal rights, of civil rights, of human rights. And what is going on in the Middle East is horrific. And the idea of accusing someone who you don't know of, you know, supporting a genocide, I mean, it's crazy. It's crazy.

Now, I may disagree as to whether or not there's a genocide, but come on, we're better than this, and we need to be better than this, and we have to stop dividing.

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR, LAURA COATES LIVE: What do you say to those who look at what's happening in Washington, D.C., and look at what's happening in the Middle East, who say that they have a vested interest in both, and equate the policies of Netanyahu with you?

[12:50:09]

GOLDMAN: Well, that's exactly the fundamental problem because, first of all, I've been very openly opposed to this Israeli government. But just like Donald Trump is not synonymous with the United States, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli government is not synonymous with the country and state of Israel.

I think it's really dangerous when people start conflating the actions of the Israeli government with American Jews, who have absolutely nothing to do with what is going on in Israel, and the rise in anti- Semitism because of what is happening in the Middle East. Here in the United States, is really dangerous, and it is escalating significantly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: CNN has reached out to Poetica for comment. Goldman's challenger Brad Lander, who has accused Israel of genocide, has condemned the coffee shop.

Laura Coates is here with me now. Laura, thank you so much for being here. What an important and excellent interview.

I thought that that last point that the congressman made about the fact that people who are American shouldn't be worried about being condemned or kicked out of a coffee shop because they live in a country where Donald Trump is President and they might not like Donald Trump.

COATES: The undercurrent of not only that election but in so many conversations around people's criticism of the policies of Israel and other nations seems to go back to this discussion of what is a sign and who is to be blamed, and some will look at this and see this as a clear indication of whistleblowing, identifying only certain groups as those whose conflation is very easy to do.

Others would look at this and say this is totally different from what we view in the United States and our leadership there, but for you it's different. And I think one of the things he was addressing and commenting on was the sad state of affairs, Dana, that one in a country who we hold dear, our First Amendment rights to view and redress grievances and criticize governments, are not always so keen to allow everyone to be able to speak their truth and their viewpoints without condemnation.

BASH: Yes. And, you know, you wonder whether or not if he were a non- Jewish member of Congress or customer who had the same beliefs in supporting the notion of a state of Israel, whether or not the reaction from this coffee shop would have been the same.

You, of course, are a former federal prosecutor. Dan Goldman is a lawyer as well, and you asked about the fact that DOJ says that they're going to investigate. I thought that exchange was really interesting. Let's watch. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: You believe the Department of Justice ought to investigate this coffee shop.

GOLDMAN: No, I would rather they spend their time and resources investigating anti-Semitism against people who do not have a platform that I do, who are not elected officials. I would rather that they be spending their time defending Jewish students on campus who are being blamed for Israel's actions or others who are being targeted completely unjustifiably because of what people believe that the Israeli government is doing. That's a much better use of their time than focusing on this incident.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: What do you think of that answer?

COATES: He was, but a year ago, the darling in the face of the resistance against Trump, somebody who was synonymous with pursuing this notion that no one is above the law. And now here he is, almost rubbing elbows with the very entity that he has been critical of for good reason.

But there is the fact here, there is a title to the Civil Rights Act, which says that in public accommodations to which restaurants, coffee shops are included, you cannot exclude somebody or not allow them to enjoy all the privileges of being served and everything else by the basis of race or religion, or I believe national origins are part of it as well, color as well.

The interesting thing here, though, is the why they have done so. Was it because of his religion or was it because of his viewpoint on a particular public policy? That's why the statement from the Civil Rights Division was about whether or not this was potentially illegal behavior and an investigation might ensue.

But if the two are to be conflated, as his, as some might view, his religion and his views on the stance of the Israeli government, then the investigation might in fact have some legs to it. Now, the ultimate -- usually the result of the investigations is that you have an injunction or the behavior is stopped.

[12:55:04]

But we have to live in a country that believes in civil rights, that you cannot turn somebody away based on any of those suspect classifications. To do that would be to go backwards. Now, the government can't discriminate against viewpoint discriminations for the First Amendment.

This is not a government facility. This is a private accommodation. But the laws about those suspect classifications remain the same.

BASH: Yes. And his -- thank you for explaining that, especially as a former member of the Civil Rights Division of DOJ. The fact that he said, look, I have a platform. He was on CNN with you and others do not. So please focus elsewhere.

COATES: Yes.

BASH: Thank you, Laura.

COATES: Appalling (ph).

BASH: Appreciate it.

COATES: Thank you.

BASH: Thank you for joining Inside Politics today. CNN News Central starts after a break.

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