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Laura Coates Live

Judge Rips Trump; DHS Releases Statement Of Fatal ICE Shooting In Maine; U.S. Back To War With Iran; Family And Friends Of Nolan Wells Speak Out On Investigation. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired July 13, 2026 - 23:00   ET

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

EMILY AUSTIN, PODCAST HOST: You're doing a great job speaking on Iran's behalf tonight. They probably love you.

ADAM MOCKLER, YOU TUBE HOST: Like he literally said, like the speaker of the parliament said --

HORACE COOPER, CHAIRMAN, PROJECT 21: We aren't charging. The President may have said it. We aren't actually charging.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right. We'll see about that.

All right. Thanks, guys, here in the studio.

Thank you for watching. And don't forget, you can stream my new show "Confessions & Obsessions" anytime on the CNN app. In the meantime, "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Tonight, a federal judge rips Trump and his allies for trying to manipulate the judicial process, including the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche. So, could it threaten his confirmation this week? Senator Cory Booker, we'll question him, and he is my guest tonight. Plus, DHS finally releases a statement on the fatal ICE shooting in Maine today.

Even the department's own officials, they're stunned by the explanation. And new questions over the mysterious death of Nolan Wells after a friend speaks out about what he saw. Nolan's mother joins me tonight on "Laura Coates Live."

My opening statement tonight, look, you know you're not on solid ground when a federal judge questions your bar license. So that Trump lawsuit against his own IRS, the one settled by his own DOJ that led to $1.8 billion fund for the president's allies, it got shredded in a 56-page opinion today. And yes, this administration is no stranger to scathing criticism from the bench.

But this, this is something else. Trump's own attorneys are getting sanctioned. And look at some of the lines from Judge Kathleen Williams: Manipulate the judicial process, acted in bad faith, accomplished by leveraging control, a branding effort.

It's the same kind of language Democrats have been using to criticize, frankly. They've been accusing Trump of self-dealing, of running a slush fund, even corruption. They say that money would have ended up in the hands of January 6th rioters even though Trump originally claimed that any financial damages would go to charity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We are thinking about doing something for charity. We can make it a substantial amount. Nobody would care because it's going to go to numerous very good charities.

Anything I win, I'm going to give a hundred percent to charity.

UNKNOWN: But that still takes it from the American people.

TRUMP: No, because they give money to charity. They give away $40 billion a year to charity, our government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Now, his argument came down to this: Trump, he was on both sides of the case. And in order to have a real lawsuit, you need two parties who are actually at odds over something real.

As Williams basically said, you can't try to manufacture a suit suing yourself, and then, of course, try to get out of it by getting exactly what you want in the end. It's a problem that Trump himself saw coming back when he was taking $230 million from his own DOJ over investigations into him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I have a lawsuit that was doing very well. When I became president, I said, I'm sort of suing myself. I don't know. What -- how do you settle a lawsuit? I'll say give me 'X' dollars, right? And I don't know what to do with the lawsuit. It's a great lawsuit. And now, I want it. It sorts of looks bad. I'm suing myself, right? So, I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Sounds like you did know. Now, before anyone says Obama appointee, remember who stated this fund is dead? It wasn't Judge Kathleen Williams. It was actually Todd Blanche, Trump's own acting attorney general. He claimed it was no more after Republicans on the Hill turned on it. Even though he has refused to put that statement in writing, he said it.

But even if the fund is gone, the order barring the IRS from ever auditing this president is still technically on the books. Today's ruling is going to undermine any attempt by Trump to use that order as a shield from investigations.

But the man who signed it, Todd Blanche? Judge Williams said that she is sending her ruling to the New York bar, which is already reviewing ethics complaints against Blanche. Now, he is set to go before Congress this very week for his confirmation hearing to become the official attorney general.

And to drive that point home, this federal judge just wrote that when Blanche explained this deal to Congress, his answer was -- quote -- "at best, misleading and, at worst, disingenuous."

[23:05:00]

And that was the last time he testified. And now, he's going back to make his case to become the next attorney general.

With me now, New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker who, of course, is in the judiciary and foreign relations committees as well. Senator, thank you so much for being here with me this evening. I mean, this ruling doesn't change much in practice. So, why do you think it was still important for the judge to weigh in on this particular settlement anyway and make it so public?

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D), NEW JERSEY: Because it's vital when a president wants to try to corrupt the system this much, when a president is attempting to do things that are far not only beyond constitutional bounds but are so against what the American public would want to see done in a situation like this. It's worthy of putting it down on the record because we do not know what an unconstrained, chaotic, corrupt, and even cruel president is going to try next.

COATES: What I think is so fascinating about this as well is that sometimes, people think of the law or, of course, Congress and beyond as very elite in the sense of trying to understand the sort of machinations of what's going on. And the way the judge described it, pulls back a curtain in many respects to show how they feel it was manipulated. That is important for people to know given they question really the credibility of our justice system even now.

BOOKER: Yes, I think it's really important that they use such blunt language and were so forthright with what they saw as improper behavior among Donald Trump and, obviously, his lawyers. So, again, I think it's really important for a strong democracy that you have checks and balances, that you had a president that was checked now.

My frustration is with Congress where a Republican-controlled Congress refuses to do their job, refuses to uphold the Constitution. Instead of checks and balances, all they get is bending the knee to Donald Trump and whatever he wants. So, the judiciary branch stood up to the executive branch, saying it is a good thing.

COATES: You know, the DOJ pulled the plug on the anti-weaponization fund, right? But they kept the immunity agreement for Trump and his children. And the judge, Judge Williams, called that out, saying -- quote -- "The nature of the suit itself and the conduct of the parties and counsel from its filing make plain that this was an attempt to use the court to provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the president."

In your eyes, given that old phrase, no one being above the law, does this suggest that the immunity portion of the deal is dead? BOOKER: I think it does. And I think what you said is so vital. This is a president that thinks he's above the law, thinks he can do whatever he wants, and thinks that anybody around him who are conducting themselves in a way that's in accordance with his whims and desires, that he's going to be able to protect and grant immunity to.

That is outrageous in our nation, this idea that if I'm loyal to the president, I'll get a pardon. If I'm loyal to the president, I'll get my merger approved. If I'm loyal to the president, I'll get out of jail. And that's not in any way in accordance with our nation's laws. And here, again, is a great judge that checked him on that.

COATES: When I was a prosecutor, getting someone immunity was a very big deal, trying to go up the channels to figure out whether it would impact future cases that had merit. So, to have this sort of blanket immunity was very shocking for many people.

And Senator, just to move on, the judge is referring the acting attorney general and former Trump lawyer, of course, Todd Blanche, to the New York, to the D.C. bar that are already reviewing ethics complaints against him. Now, we know that he is scheduled to be on the Hill on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing to be the official A.G. in front of your very committee. How do you see these claims by the judge impacting that hearing?

BOOKER: Well, again, the question is going to be, will any Republican listen to the chorus of people across the political spectrum that are coming out against him, from independent judges to literally 1,200 alumni of the DOJ? These are people on both sides of the political aisle, people that were appointed by Republican and Democratic presidents, calling out his corruption and unfit nature for this job.

In addition to that, you have the handling of the Epstein files where you have people like Bill Kristol coming out and calling out what he's doing as corruption and in violation of the law.

There's area after area after area in which Todd Blanche has been called out by people across the political spectrum for being unfit for this job, for violating his oath to the Constitution, and for acting like Trump's personal lawyer and not in any way like he is fit or qualified to be the highest law enforcement officer in the land.

COATES: But, as you know, Republicans control the Senate Judiciary Committee. So, it would take at least one Republican to vote against him to sink his nomination. In North Carolina, Senator Thom Tillis, who has expressed reservations, listen to what he said, senator.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R), NORTH CAROLINA: I've got a positive predisposition towards Blanche.

[23:10:00]

But if there's even a whiff of a -- of a lack of independence, then that could influence my vote. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Is there a chance the opinion of the judge would actually sway Tillis?

BOOKER: I mean, a whiff. This is straight up in the pig pen, submerged in the pig stuff. A whiff. Come on. Here's a guy that has weaponized the Justice Department to go after my mayor in Newark, New Jersey, who the judge laughed it out. He's got my congresswoman right now, LaMonica McIver, under charges. He's going after senators. They've gone after the head of the Fed. They're investigating independent agencies and people that don't go along Trump's way. Whiff. You've got to be kidding me. And, of course, there's the slush fund.

Of course, there are things that he has been willing to say publicly to Senator Tillis. But I'm hoping he understands that this is foul, it smells bad, and there is substance here to show that this person is not qualified for the office.

COATES: Privately, are you hearing a red line for Republicans that they could not overcome here?

BOOKER: No, I'm not. And that's my frustration, is that you have a lot of people who may privately say this is wrong, this is outrageous, what the president is doing is wrong. But their failure to vote in accordance with that is really problematic.

And so, this is a Republican Party that has stopped being the Republican Party, and they are the party of Donald Trump, and they're complicit to his will. You swear an oath. What we're going to be doing here is, in the Constitution, to provide advice and consent, not to submit to the will of a president and allow anybody in any position that he wants.

We are seeing a compromise right now with our national security because we're putting people from Pulte to Blanche in positions where they are not serving our national security interests, where they are not serving in a law enforcement role. Their main purpose is to subvert the rule of law and serve the will of a president who has shown himself to be reckless, out of control, and dangerous.

COATES: Well, on that note, I want to ask you about President Trump's decision to launch what he calls major strikes on Iran starting tonight, continuing tomorrow. He is expected to address the nation on Thursday, and this is one of the issues he'll likely address. What do you want to hear from him?

BOOKER: Look, he's a failed president when it comes to foreign policy. I would obviously say when you cut health care for millions of Americans and raise their prices, he's a failed president of domestic policy.

But look at this. Yet again, we are in a quagmire in the Middle East, costing taxpayers billions and billions of dollars a week, and upsetting the global economy because when the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, not only do our gas prices go up, but anything that needs to be in a truck or a plane. We are in a crisis that he doesn't know how to get out of. He has failed in his negotiations before this war. He signed an MOU that was stunningly incompetent in what they allowed to go on. And now, he is yet again in this war.

And I remind everybody who is watching, this war is unconstitutional. Nowhere did our founders ever imagine, who specifically placed war powers with Congress, to give the president permission to do this kind of military adventurism wherever they want, for however long they want, without Congress.

And so, we are paying the price for his abject failure. And, unfortunately, with his actions right now, that price tag for American taxpayers and for the costs we're paying at home continue to go up.

COATES: Well, the president did notify Congress about these strikes. He wrote -- quote -- "These strikes are limited, measured, planned, and executed in a manner designed to minimize civilian casualties." Does that change your mind in any way?

BOOKER: No. Again, read the plain text of the Constitution. It doesn't say that the president can go to war if he gives notice to Congress. It says war powers, the power to declare war, lies with Congress. He is not in line with the Constitution. This is a man not only violating his oath of office, but he is violating the law of Congress.

And it comes at a terrible cost. Fourteen soldiers are dead. Hundreds of American soldiers are injured. Unfortunately, our men and women are still at risk over there in these operations. We've already seen planes shot down by the Iranians. And so, I just cannot tell you the urgency we have now to stop a dangerous president abroad and at home.

COATES: Senator Cory Booker, I'd be remiss if I did not first ask you, obviously, you know there has been a loss of Senator Lindsey Graham. You have been outspoken in the past about policy differences, but also your respect for your colleague. Anything you want to share tonight?

BOOKER: Yes. I played football at Stanford. I don't think in my career in football I've smacked heads with somebody as hard as I have with Lindsey Graham. He was stubborn. He could be tough. I've had some fearsome fights with him. But he's somebody in the Senate that really showed that there are battlegrounds, and yet you still work to find common ground.

[23:15:01]

So, I might have disagreed with him on 99 out of 100 things, but he would still search for what that one thing was. And so, some big bills I've done, from criminal justice reform to even foreign aid to programs like the World Food Program that fed hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people, I was able to find some common ground with him. I forged a friendship with somebody despite our disagreements.

I hope that everybody in America, you know, again, we can have deep disagreements, we can have moral disagreements, but this is a time when somebody dies to recognize also that we should never ever let our partisanship drag us to the point where we hate each other. COATES: Senator Cory Booker, thank you.

BOOKER: Yes. Thank you.

COATES: Up next, it has happened again. This time, in Maine. ICE shoots and kills a man inside his car. And, once again, ICE says he wasn't even the target of their warrant. How does this keep happening? And excuse me, but why are agents still not wearing body cameras? We'll get into it, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: For the second time in less than a week, there has been a fatal ICE shooting. This time, it's outside Portland, Maine, in the tiny town of Biddeford. And a warning, the video you are about to see is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: You see several federal agents surrounding the victim on the ground. And tonight, a neighbor identified him as Joan Sebastian Guerrero. An immigrant rights group says he was 26 years old, from Colombia, and authorized to work in the United States.

DHS says ICE agents were surveilling a home to find someone with a final order of removal when someone left in a vehicle. Agents tried to stop the driver and quote -- "The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon."

Now, according to sources within DHS, many in the department are stunned. DHS policy makes it clear, officers cannot use deadly force to stop someone from fleeing. They can only use deadly force when someone poses a significant threat to officers or other people.

You can understand why current and former Homeland Security officials are puzzled as to what would have posed a threat to public safety. One even telling CNN -- quote -- "Every law enforcement officer in the United States is scratching their head trying to figure out what that means." According to Maine Senator Angus King, these officers were not wearing body cameras, and the man who was killed was not the target of ICE.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ANGUS KING (I), MAINE: There's also a point that sort of glossed over in that statement. The person that was killed was not the person that they were seeking. They sort of made it unclear. But the person they were after was not the guy they ended up shooting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: I want to bring in Kurt Bardella, author of the Substack column, "The Watchdog Report," and Shermichael Singleton, CNN political commentator and Republican strategist. Good to have both of you here. I mean, gentlemen, we have, sadly, as Americans, become very accustomed to evaluating an officer-involved shooting. Many people look at it, obviously, as the Fourth Amendment, whether it's reasonable to even stop them, let alone actually discharge a weapon.

And even current Homeland Security officials, Shermichael, they are baffled by that statement about public safety tonight. I mean, we were told, from Markwayne Mullin, transparency would be -- what would happen from here on out. Are we getting that with statements like that?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: No, I don't think so. And I think part of the call for body cameras is to, one, keep the officers safe, the individuals that they're interacting with. And if there is a use case for deadly force, it either proves that the officer was within their right to do so or we have seen instances where the body camera footage showed that the officer acted inappropriately, beyond the training that they typically go through, number one.

Number two, we do know that some of these guys have gone through expedited training as they're trying to increase the volume of ICE officers to fulfill the president's mandate. That's a little problematic to me, Kurt. You know I have a firearms company. I've done a lot of work with LEOs in a lot of different scenarios. And a lot of them will tell you just how important the training actually is. They want to go home at the end of the day, number one, but they also want to make sure that the people that they're interacting with, whether they're law-abiding citizens or those who are breaking the law, have their due date in court.

COATES: Right.

SINGLETON: And in the worst-case scenario, you want to have to draw your weapon and utilize it. In this particular case, you've got the wrong guy. The guy is now dead. I think this destroys trust among communities and federal officers. Federal officers usually work with local police. I think local police are now going to look at these instances and say, you know, I don't know if we're willing to put our own reputations and time and money that we've built in communities to help you guys when these cases have become so normal.

COATES: We saw that in Minnesota. I mean, the idea of the so-called liability of having the absence of credibility among ICE agents, people mistaking local law enforcement to be one and the same, which was not the case here.

KURT BARDELLA, AUTHOR, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER FOR REPUBLICANS AT HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: Yes.

COATES: Politically, I wonder how this is all going to play out because in addition to the loss of life, another one within seven days, frankly, in a different state, people were protesting outside of Senator Susan Collins's office. We already know Maine has been in the spotlight for quite some time now. I mean, she has been battling to keep her seat. How will this play?

[23:24:58]

BARDELLA: Well, she's the chairwoman of the committee that has discretion over DHS funding, over ICE funding. That's why this is politically, for her, this is the worst timing possible. And it's going to be a major liability because, all along, we have seen with all the incidents with ICE, people have been clamoring for accountability. That's why not having the body cams on is a little sus to everybody right now.

The penalty for mistaken identity in law enforcement shouldn't be you lose your life. The penalty for overstaying your visa or whatever your immigration status is, is deportation, not execution. And we are seeing this time and time again.

And if the answer is, well, some of these guys we've hired, we didn't really train adequately, that's not a great answer. That is an agency that is screaming out for oversight, congressional scrutiny.

And the person who has right now, today, authority for subpoenas, for depositions, for congressional investigations to get inside DHS and find out what's going on is Susan Collins. What is she going to do about this?

COATES: Noted in terms of the penalties in play, many will look at what has happened here and say the penalty for ICE is not to be funded. And we know, in many respects, this has become the new trigger point for many people. We're talking about defund police, defund ICE. It has been something that has been very problematic for some who have been running for office, who have that association. Others have used it as a way to suggest you should not be a politician if you believe that viewpoint.

Will this incident give more credibility to the arguments that suggest, look, unless there is the oversight, transparency, and accountability, this should not get the revolve in funding? (ph)

SINGLETON: I think the message runs hollow among most voters. There's a segment of Democratic voters that it mobilizes and excites. Are these instances material to further oversight, further scrutiny? Absolutely. I think most Republican voters would even say we want a tough immigration stance and policy, but we certainly don't want a stance where more and more people are dying as a result of mistaken identity. That just logically makes zero sense to any rational human being here.

COATES: But they will tell you -- they will tell you they've been -- what? Ten thousand arrests in the last five days or so alone.

SINGLETON: Sure.

COATES: They're obviously going to point and say, which is insensitive at best, the resulting loss of life compared to the many people who have been arrested should not overshadow their success. So, what would you say? SINGLETON: I agree with that. I would just quickly say human beings are visual people.

COATES: Yes.

SINGLETON: That's how we retain information. We look at things, and we determine if it's good or bad. And in these instances, I think a lot of people are looking at this curtain and saying this is terrible.

BARDELLA: Right. The video, I mean, it speaks for itself. This person did not look like they posed a threat to any officer or to the community at large, which is the standard that is set by DHS's own policy, which wasn't met here.

And, again, I've got to go back to, if the penalty for overstaying your visa or for being mistakenly identified by police is you lose your life, no one is going to be OK with that. And it is not an exceptional thing to say. If you want taxpayer dollars, there needs to be accountability, there needs to be oversight. And if you're going to come back and say we want a bigger budget, we want more manpower, we want more resources, well, how are you going to use it? Because if it's murdering people in broad daylight, it's not a great use of taxpayer dollars.

COATES: Kurt and Shermichael, thank you both so much. So tragic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're controlling the strait. We're putting the blockade back. And it's a blockade not for anybody but Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: The president tells Congress he's back at war with Iran. And this time, he is vowing to take control of the strait and run it,

fees and all. Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace has questioned the war before. She will join us for her reaction, next. And later, the sheriff in the Nolan Wells case vowing a -- quote -- "thorough and factual investigation." We'll get the very latest tonight from the mother of Nolan Wells and one of his friends.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We are just going forward. We're attacking them tonight. We're taking out all of their capability for anything having to do with the strait, with the Hormuz Strait. And I think, in the end, we will end up just controlling the whole thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COATES: The ceasefire, over, and the U.S. is officially back at war with Iran. On the third night of strikes on Iran, the administration quietly notified lawmakers military strikes have resumed. And that's not all. The naval blockade is back on, effective tomorrow.

The president declares the USA will be, from this point forward, known as the guardian of the Hormuz Strait. But it will come at a suggested cost, a 20 percent fee or, as the president calls it, a reimbursement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I want to be reimbursed because we're protecting a very rich portion of the world. We're spending money. And so, what we've done is we are going to be reimbursed for protection.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Well, tonight, Iran is showing no signs it will back down on the strait. Iran's foreign minister fired back on social media, writing, Iran has always been the guardian of the strait and will remain so forever. Twenty percent is, of course, too much. We will be fair.

With me now, Republican congresswoman from South Carolina, Nancy Mace, who is, of course, a member of the House Armed Services Committee as well. Congresswoman, thank you for being with me this evening.

You know, when we last spoke, and I think it was April, you told me that you were hopeful the president could end the war with a deal in maybe days or weeks. It has now been three months. There's no set deal. He told Congress he's now back to war. What is your impression of how he's handling this?

[23:35:00]

REP. NANCY MACE (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Well, certainly, I don't think anyone wants Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He's, you know, doing what he believes he needs to do to ensure that does not happen. And recent strikes, I believe, started this weekend were to degrade Iran's ability to go after commercial shipping lanes and ships, container ships in the Strait of Hormuz. He has done that. I think he'll have probably more to say this week on what they've done.

I've been following closely. I don't want troops on the ground. I never have. But also, at the same time, I want to make sure the president and the administration have the room they need to negotiate some kind of peace deal that allows commercial shipping to go on through the Strait of Hormuz.

COATES: Well, the war, people are looking at the cost as well, not only to human life but, obviously, the actual cost, and it has already cost an estimated, I think, $100 billion. It's going to keep going up if the U.S. is now engaged in trying to control the Strait indefinitely. Will you vote to keep funding it?

MACE: It's about a billion dollars a day if we continue to do -- to have strikes where we're launching that level of missiles at Iran. I think it's something that is -- that has to be debated in Congress. Only Congress has the authority to go to war.

There has always been, you know, a discussion and debate when it's gone beyond, you know, a 60- and 90-hundred-day sort of thing. And I think that in the days and weeks ahead, you'll see both the House and the Senate take this back up again. I mean, this is something that has to be discussed and voted upon, especially when it comes to military spending. We haven't been able to pass the National Defense Authorization Act yet, but I'm sure this is going to come up as we progress through the summer as well.

COATES: Should the president have come to Congress for authorization on this mission?

MACE: Well, if this ends up being a short-term mission, then I would say -- I would say no. I don't see this as a declaration of war if we're bombing things strategically, we're out, and then we do negotiations. I believe that this was just in response to Iran breaking its promise to the U.S. in some sort of a verbal agreement.

We've been trying to negotiate them, I know that Vice President J.D. Vance has for weeks now, and I hope that they get that to an end swiftly. We don't want to see any more of this overseas. And our bases have been bombed. We've had soldiers injured and killed. But also, we want to see peace in the Middle East, and that needs to happen.

COATES: People have heard the phrase short-term before from the president of the United States, and here we are again still months later. Do you have confidence that the timeline that you think is in line with the American public is in line with what the president says as well?

MACE: Well, I mean, I think that that's what I'm seeing right now. He does do these quick, rapid strikes, and then he pulls back. I do want to see the administration have the time that they need to negotiate with Iran and their proxies. That's very important.

And, at the same time, we do not want Iran to get a nuclear weapon. I'm deeply concerned about some of the rebuilding that's happening in Iran and what happens to Iran if they get $300 billion. What are they going to do with that? Are they going to use that money to build nuclear assets in Iran? I think these are all important questions as we debate what authorizations the Department of War receives and how much money we're going to spend.

COATES: You know, the president is pushing for a 20 percent reimbursement for safe passage through the strait. I mean, just last month, Marco Rubio, secretary of state, made it clear that tolls are illegal. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That's existing international law. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Do you see this as a toll? And if the U.S. starts demanding fees to pass through the strait, I mean, how could the U.S. stop countries like Iran from doing the same thing?

MACE: Right. I mean, Iran has been charging quite a hefty seven-figure fee for ships to pass through there. I certainly don't want to see any country paying Iran to do that. We should extend that courtesy to everyone. No one should be paying a fee to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

COATES: Let's talk about the passing of Senator Lindsey Graham, obviously, from your home state. Your state's governor has announced that Senator Graham's sister, Darline, will fill his seat in the short term, of course, until a primary election is held. And now, she'll become the state's first female senator in this interim. Are you supportive of that decision?

MACE: I am, a hundred percent. She knew Senator Graham better than anyone. And many people don't realize he was a family man, although he was never married. When his parents died, he's the one that adopted his sister. She has worked in government for a long time. She knows how important constituent services were to him. That is one of his lasting legacies.

Anyone could pick up the phone and call Lindsey Graham. It didn't matter how much money or how much power you had or didn't have. He always called you back, and he always brought everything home back to South Carolina and worked hard for his constituents.

[23:40:00] And she'll bring that same, I think, work ethic to his office for the remaining six months, we're not talking about a long time here, until his replacement is found. And I want to say the most important thing right now for me and I think for South Carolina is we're still just in shock. We are stunned that we lost someone who was a legend. He was a mentor to me. He was a mentor to many people in our delegation.

I was his neighbor for a while. I invited him over to my townhouse, and we shared a glass of Riesling wine. He loved white wine. And I asked for his advice, and he gave good advice. He had your back when you deserved it, and he didn't when you did not. He had such a great sense of humor. He will be sorely missed by our state, by our leadership, and certainly had a great relationship with the president.

COATES: I'm glad to hear your kind words about him in his passing, especially. I mean, it's my understanding, though, that you have not ruled out running for the permanent position. You posted online a clip from "The Godfather" part three with that iconic line, of course. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.

Congressman Mike Lawler is taking issue with that post, I should note, saying, literally no one is pulling you back in. This post is grotesque. Taking glee over the potential of becoming a senator because of a vacancy created by the sudden death of your colleague is vile. Completely unfit to serve.

Not missing words, obviously. What is your response?

MACE: Anyone who knew Senator Graham knew that he had a great sense of humor. He would have been the first one to laugh at that meme. He would have been the loudest one to laugh, too. That was not an announcement to run for anything. In fact, two people within hours of Senator Graham's passing announced they were going to run against him. I would like to see Mike Lawler take the same knife, trying to stab me, to stab two men, one of whom announced on Sunday and one of whom announced they were going to announce on Tuesday.

So, I did none of that. I think that it's disgusting, the way Lawler has selectively chosen his fake outrage. And self-deprecating humor was one of the beauties of Senator Lindsey Graham. He was the best at it, and he would have respected it.

COATES: Congresswoman Nancy Mace, thank you for joining.

Up next, what happened to Nolan Wells? His family awaiting autopsy results as confusion persists over what happened on that island. Why didn't he return on the boat? And why didn't he have his phone with him? Nolan's mother, Nolan's friend, and Attorney Benjamin Crump are live with me, next.

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[23:45:00]

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COATES: Tonight, a grieving mother is making an unfathomable plea. We just want to know what happened and why our baby didn't come home. Those words from Christine Wonsley came just days after her 18-year- old baby was mysteriously found dead. Nolan Wells was found in the water near an island where he had taken a boat trip with friends on the fourth of July. Tonight, new clues are emerging as to how he separated from the group. One of his friends says that he met a girl and decided to stay behind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): They met that day and it was kind of -- it's kind of one of those things. He did come off that day that he really did like her, but that was the only time they ever hung out was at Horn Island on July 4th.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Tonight, we're also learning more about a video that seemed to go viral purporting to show an altercation on the island involving Wells. We know police had been investigating an alleged altercation. But that same friend told ABC it was not Nolan in that video. His family demanding transparency in the investigation.

Tonight, the sheriff in Jackson County, Mississippi says, Nolan Wells's family deserves a thorough and factual investigation. That's exactly what they're going to get.

Joining me now is the attorney representing the family of Nolan Wells, Benjamin Crump. I'm also joined by Nolan's mother, Christine Wonsley, her friend, Tashema Hands, along with Tashema's son and Nolan's friend, Jayvon Williams. Thank you all so much for being here. This has just hung so heavy on all of our hearts. Ms. Christine, how are you and your family holding up?

CHRISTINE WONSLEY, MOTHER OF NOLAN WELLS: A lot of praying, a lot of just leaning on each other in this moment and just taking it day by day. That's really all we can do right now. It's just -- it has been hard.

You know, every day is different and really every second is different, which is something people need to understand. Grief is not one emotion, right? It's multiple emotions, and they're all happening at the same time. And so, it's just like one minute, I can be OK like this and I can talk about it, and then the next minute, I'm breaking down in tears because it's a constant reminder, because if I'm being honest, we really just have not had time to fully grieve with everything that's going on.

COATES: This is your baby, and everyone must understand that. And just day by day, have you been hearing anything from investigators?

WONSLEY: No. The last time I spoke with an investigator, it was Major Smith, and I had reached out to him via text message. That was last Tuesday. Other than that, I have not spoken with anyone, and no one has reached out.

COATES: That is shocking, first of all, but also agonizing to think that that has been -- that much time have been passed. I mean, Jayvon, I want to come to you because you're his friend. You were on the island on the fourth. You were on a different boat. Do you recall seeing him at all that day?

JAYVON WILLIAMS, NOLAN WELLS'S FRIEND: Yes, ma'am, I did see him when I was out there on the island.

COATES: Can you tell me what you saw? Does anything seem strange to you about the difference that people are saying of how he was separated from the group?

[23:50:00]

WILLIAMS: No, ma'am. I don't think that Nolan would say, hey, bro, I'm staying with this girl on the island, you all go ahead and go back without even bringing it, like not even asking to get his phone back. You know what I mean? I don't think that he had that.

COATES: What makes you so sure about that? Because, I mean, you've been with him. You've spent a lot of time with him. Did you know him to be someone to leave his phone or even say, you guys go without me?

WILLIAMS: Never. I've never known Nolan to stay back while his friends leave. He has always been a guy where if he (INAUDIBLE), he's going to come back with you. That's always how he has been every single time.

COATES: You know, this friend of his, Tristan, also told ABC that that video people have been talking about that was said to show some sort of altercation, it did not involve Nolan. He said it was actually him yelling in the video and that you and a family member were holding him back because he had been in a fight. Is that accurate?

WILLIAMS: Yes, ma'am. We were calming Tristan down in that video where he said, give me my effing phone back. It sounds like him. So, I'm pretty sure that he was right on that.

COATES: Jayvon, I'm so sorry to think about what you must be going through and thinking about what has happened to Nolan. I mean, you mentioned a phone. Tashema, a huge question so many people have is why he would have left his cell phone behind. And you say you were the person who actually went and retrieved that phone for the family. How did you get your hands on the phone? Where was it?

TASHEMA HANDS, RECOVERED NOLAN WELLS'S PHONE: That is correct. Christine called me and told me, hey, where are the boys? Nolan hasn't been heard from since such and such time. Where are your boys? I said, well, Jayvon is with his girlfriend. And I just spoke with Jalen (ph), and they are headed to downtown, which I was literally getting ready to get in the shower to go downtown as well.

She said, well, Nolan (INAUDIBLE). So, I instantly called, with Christine on the phone, Jayvon. Jayvon said, no, he hadn't seen Nolan since early on the island. She was like, what? Are you serious? He was like, yes. And so, Christine intervened in the conversation, said Nolan has not heard from since he left the island. So, Jayvon was like, well, that's -- you know, that's when I've seen him, I haven't seen him since then. You know, again, everybody goes on their separate ways. So, I didn't hang up from Jayvon because, obviously, there's nothing he can say to tell me anything.

So, then Jalen (ph), I called him. Jalen (ph) did not answer the phone. Christine, again, is on the phone. Jalen (ph) did not answer the phone. He didn't answer the phone. I called (INAUDIBLE), which is their other friend, (INAUDIBLE). He answered. He said Jalen (ph) is in the gas station, hold on. He said, hey, Jalen (ph), mom on the phone. So, he was like, Jalen, what's up, mom? What's going on? I was like, hey, have you all heard from Nolan? They said, no, we have not heard from Nolan.

COATES: But where was the phone?

HANDS: So, I said, well -- OK, so, that's when we started checking the phone. Well, for Christine, it's at one place. But for them, on Snapchat, it showed another place. So that's the place we went to. And it showed that everybody there was in the house. It was like a lot of people there, like it was -- I'm not familiar with all the kids. I only know like (INAUDIBLE) there. But it showed that the phone is at where a lot of people were. So that's how we knew where to go to. We went there. They were all there. They were sitting there, lights off, watching T.V.

COATES: Did they immediately give you the phone because knowing that phone was there --

HANDS: It took about 15 -- they did. They gave me the phone, but it took about 15 minutes to get the phone. I even asked. I'm like, did you all have to walk back to Horn Island to get the phone or like where's the phone? Because it took so long. When I said it was -- when Wyatt (ph) told me it was in his truck -- it took him so long to get the phone back to me. So, when they brought the phone back --

COATES: I'm sorry. Go ahead, Tashema. I want to hear that.

HANDS: When they brought the phone, after I said something about it, he was like, well, she's going to get it. I was like, who's going to get it? He's like, the girl is going to get the phone. So, I'm assuming -- I don't want to say the wrong name because I don't know these kids' names.

COATES: Sure.

HANDS: And I know how I feel about my child. But one of the girls at the house, I'm pretty sure it was Katie (ph). Her name was Katie Diaz (ph) or something like that. She brought me the phone.

COATES: Christine, when you're hearing this, I mean, and the phone and the 15-minute window, again, I know you just said, Tashema, you're not sure of all the names that are involved here, but just hearing about looking for this phone, did you have concerns about the phone when you got it back?

WONSLEY: Absolutely.

COATES: What were those concerns?

[23:54:58]

WONSLEY: Just because when me and my -- so, when my sister and I went through the phone, it was just too clean. And I'm sure Jayvon can attest to this. Nolan was always taking pictures, always making videos. So, I would expect something in the Snapchat, right? Both accounts were empty. There was no saved video. There was nothing there.

COATES: From the whole day?

WONSLEY: And I just find that very hard to believe. From the whole day. And so, that's why I was kind of like, wait, this doesn't feel right, this is really starting not to feel right, especially once we got that phone and kind of started going through it.

And like I said, you know, I just don't see that. Like, I know my child, right? You know, no parent is perfect. We don't know everything 100 percent about our kids. But I know more. I know my child well, especially with the way he moves, the things he does. And if he has a phone out all the time at home, he's definitely going to have a phone out whenever he's out and, you know, doing things with his friends. So, that was just really hard to believe, that there was nothing there. COATES: Ben Crump, I mean, listening to this, where does the investigation stand? The question, what happened to Nolan, is still there.

BENJAMIN CRUMP, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Yes, it is, Laura Coates. Me and my legal team and our team of investigators, we're filling so many phone calls, and we are thankful because people are calling our call center and talking to our investigators. I know we're trying to dot every I and cross every T.

And there is so much coming out. I mean, things that happened the night before, the things that happened that day, we're finding out. And it's really concerning, some of the things that they're telling us. And we understand there were multiple videos of altercations that they're telling us about, Laura. So, it's going to come out one way or the other. We will get the truth.

COATES: Ms. Christine, I want nothing more than the truth for you. And I'm just so sorry for the loss. I mean, Tashema, Christine, we are all mothers here. And Jayvon, I'm just so sorry that your friend has lost his life in this way. I don't know what happened, but we will stay with you all. Thank you. Elex Michaelson is next.

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