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Laura Coates Live

Democrats Optimistic with Abdul El-Sayed's Win; Rep. Wesley Bell Won the Second Time; Jeanine Pirro in Hot Waters; Rep. Max Miller Refuse to Step Down. Aired 11-12a ET

Aired August 05, 2026 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: Tonight, another body blow for the Democratic establishment, as Michigan Democrats bet on Abdul El-Sayed. Can he convince the party it was the right bet to make?

Plus, Todd Blanche enters reflecting Poolgate. Can he just give lawmakers a new reason not to confirm him?

And later, the moderate, pro-Israel Democratic congressman who fended off a DSA candidate is with me on how he did it, tonight on Laura Coates Live.

My opening statement tonight, Democrats in Michigan haven't just picked a nominee. They've picked a direction for their party. They have sent a message about where a powerful part of their party wants to go and about who should take up the most space in that big tent everyone talks about. But I've been thinking a lot about this, and I want to take a minute to understand and unpack what that really means.

Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary. A progressive who beat out the candidate backed by the party's leadership. And a win is a win. But look at how he won it.

Narrowly. A one-point margin over Congresswoman Haley Stevens. Now, there are all kinds of debates over what that might tell us. Is this part of a broader shift? Or is this just one candidate willing and winning one very close primary? Now, both questions are more than fair. But El-Sayed says Democrats worried about whether he will be able to beat his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. Well, they're focusing on the wrong thing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL EL-SAYED (D-MI), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: We don't need worry. We need work. You know, we took on $70 million of outside spending, an 11-to-1 funding gap, spending gap on the airwaves. And we took it on because we did the work.

And I can tell you on our campaign, we're going to be out there knocking doors, having those conversations that are what our democracy is about. But worrying, and Democrats worrying, is not going to solve the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: And that gets us back to the intent. Because Democrats keep saying there's room inside for everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): We do need to build a broad tent.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT): But I think we need a big tent.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: We are one big tent.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Look, we are a big tent party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: But with all the different opinions, are they at the same family reunion? Or looking for shelter from the political storm?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): Well, I can't come together with someone if you are willing to embrace people that loves Hamas or that thinks America deserved 9/11. So that's not a big tent situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: El-Sayed is dismissing Senator John Fetterman's comments. And you can wave that away as just one Democratic senator, especially one who frequently finds himself at odds with his own party. But given the margins in the Senate, Democrats need every corner of their tent to hold. Because any single Senate race in November, it could determine the balance of power.

President Trump and Republicans totally know that, which is why they don't want voters to see El-Sayed as just one candidate. They want to make him and other progressive candidates the face of the entire Democratic Party. And the strategy is simple.

Turn every competitive race into a referendum on them. Enforce every Democrat on the ballot to answer for them. That's what Trump is, well, already trying to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Abdul El- Sayed, lovely gentleman, is a man of hate. And now he's going around saying, no, I love everybody. I love. He doesn't love everybody. You put him in office you're going to find out what he loves.

He doesn't love Israel. He doesn't love Jewish people. He hates them. He hates them with a passion that burns in his heart and there's not a freaking thing he can do about it. When I watch Abdul, he's full of shit. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Well, El-Sayed is responding with words, accusing the president of playing into his own kind of hate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EL-SAYED: I've been very, very clear. Jewish people and Judaism are a light unto the world. I'm deeply grateful for them, and I will always stand with the Jewish people against any anti-Semitism in any type.

You heard what Donald Trump was saying about people like me. What do you think he was trying to highlight? He was trying to highlight aspects of my name and my faith in what is a play toward a kind of Islamophobia that I think none of us really want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: I want to begin with former Democratic congressman from New Jersey, Tom Malinowski, former Trump White House senior policy strategist, May Mailman, and our resident Michigander, the host of the LZ Granderson Show podcast, LZ Granderson, who is an Abdul El-Sayed supporter.

[23:05:05]

Congressman, I'll begin with you. El-Sayed, he ran unapologetically on a progressive platform. Even though he did have this razor-thin one- point margin, he told Kaitlan Collins tonight that he doesn't really think he needs to moderate his views for the general election. Is that going to work?

FMR. REP. TOM MALINOWSKI (D-NJ): I actually think it's good for the party that he won narrowly because I think there's going to be a little bit less of this man of destiny talk that he doesn't have to change his approach in any way for the general election. I think already --

(CROSSTALK)

COATES: Why would that be? Why does the narrow margin indicate that?

MALINOWSKI: Because I think there was a little bit of overconfidence. I don't know about him personally, but certainly people around him, progressive leaders around the country, flying in thinking they understood Michigan and actually I think at his heart, he's absolutely not a DSA radical socialist. He's not one of these crazy people like some of the people who did win in New York City recently.

He's somebody who believes in Medicare for all, who's running on affordability, who's been actually quite disciplined about that message. I think the narrow victory tells him he has to focus like a laser beam on the issues that are going to unite Michiganders, particularly affordability.

And the more the Donald Trump and Republicans play into this trap of making fun of his name, the better for him because that's not what most voters want to talk about when we have a losing war, rising prices, and a president who's failed to keep any of his promises.

COATES: May, let me ask you about that because Republicans are already starting to attack El-Sayed. His opponent, Mike Rogers, posted this video on social media and he captioned it, you are who your friends are and Abdul El-Sayed's are radical leftists who hate America. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EL-SAYED: I'm not here to disavow people's views.

UNKNOWN: America deserves 9-11, dude. (muted) it. I'm saying it.

UNKNOWN: When I was in college, I took a terrorism class.

UNKNOWN: You know, there needs to be unrest in the streets for as long as there's unrest in our lives.

UNKNOWN: Let the streets soak in their (muted) red capitalist blood.

UNKNOWN: The people who listen to Hassan are engaging with him because they want a way forward into our politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: May, is this the right attack and line of attack for El-Sayed in terms of his political strategy, not in terms of the truthfulness of it, but the political strategy, as opposed to going after his policy platforms that some find to be unpalatable?

MAY MAILMAN, FMR. TRUMP WHITE HOUSE SENIOR POLICY STRATEGIST: I think you're going to see it all. So, when you look at the first statement that Mike Rogers gave after El-Sayed won, the first sentence was Democrats have had both seats in the Senate for 25 years. And during those 25 years, we've lost 200,000 jobs in the state.

And when you look at actually the makeup of the state leadership, you know, Republicans now have the House, but it's been a Democrat state for a little while. And so, I think that, you know, yes, it's branding him as a Democrat and Democrat policies are bad, but at the same time, it's a Democrat state now.

And so, you do have to show that this candidate is more extreme than your average Democrat candidate. And so, I do think that it is showing who he's aligned himself with. He might be saying the right things now, now that we're in a general, but look at the coalition that's supporting him.

And AOC might be popular for the base. She might be popular when you're campaigning to the base during a primary, but she's not going to be popular to your average swing Michigan voter.

COATES: And yet, LZ, this ad, one of the things that El-Sayed pointed out, he used the word Islamophobia. He's talked about the idea of sort of the dog whistling that takes place in these different ads that are not about policies like Medicare for all, for example. He's talking about how they're trying to sound the alarms in ways that have nothing to do with politics.

You've been an El-Sayed supporter. What do you think of the tactics by Rogers at this juncture?

LZ GRANDERSON, HOST, THE LZ GRANDERSON SHOW: Well, I believe they're an extension of what we witnessed in the primary when it came to the gubernatorial race. Both GOP candidates used very racist, to be quite honest with you, TV ads to try to scare Michiganders to vote for them, characterizing immigrants as dangerous criminals.

Both of them relied heavily on that message. I believe Johnson won because President Trump endorsed him. That was the biggest difference between the two. But the second candidate got over 300,000 votes, relying explicitly on a racist message.

So, I'm not surprised at all to see Vice President Vance, to see the president, Mike Rogers, again, lean into the fears that Americans may have about brown people who happen to be Muslim. But it didn't work in Michigan.

And I don't think it's going to work nationally because the economics of reality are just too dominant. And maybe you can fool people once or twice, but this is thrice now with a Trump administration full of promises. And I think people are starting to pick up on the grift with the people that he surrounds himself with. And I don't think they're going to go for this fearful thing in Michigan.

[23:10:05]

I can't speak for other states, but in the state of Michigan, I don't think we're going to go for that.

COATES: Well, on that point, obviously the idea of attack ads attempting to weaponize his full name has been a playbook that Trump has used in other categories, notably President Barack Obama.

But Congressman El-Sayed, he also made a direct appeal to the Jewish community, which is a very important constituency in Michigan that he noted even today. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EL-SAYED: To all of my sisters and brothers of the Jewish faith, or any faith at all, or no faith at all, I want you to know that my commitment to your safety, my commitment to Jewish safety, is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters.

We can condemn anti-Semitism, and at the same time, we can be talking about how we bring people together. And we can be talking about everybody's pain.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COATES: We have seen that the conversations around anti-Semitism and Israel policies have been conflated and weaponized in a variety of ways.

Is he threading the appropriate needle here?

MALINOWSKI: Well, first of all, I'm a little bit jealous. He broke my record as the Democrat who had the most AIPAC money sliming him in an election in this cycle. I held that record for five months, even though we're very different.

I think he's making a good start. I think he's going to have to go a little bit further. I think, as much as I despise the role that dark money groups like AIPAC play in our elections, I think, I would like to hear less from him about, you know, AIPAC is the reason why we don't have money for schools. AIPAC is the reason why we don't have money for health care.

That does come very close to a trope that makes people in the Jewish community very uncomfortable. That said, as I said, he's actually in a different place from Mamdani. He's in a different place from the Democratic socialists and these truly radical Democrats. He's not against a Jewish state of Israel. He's not an anti-Zionist.

I think he's somebody who can become a candidate who brings people together. I think he'll be pragmatic enough to do what he needs to do to get there.

COATES: Well, May, the New York Times report that AIPAC, who spent, by the way, $32 million in the primary to try to defeat El-Sayed, is considering supporting Mike Rogers, the Republican in the race.

Is there a world, given really the minefield that people have spoken about in terms of that particular contribution, that where AIPAC backing Rogers might backfire on Republicans?

MAILMAN: You know, it's a lot of money. You hate to say no to money. And ads aren't going to produce themselves. So that's a tactical question and I'm not sure. And when you look at, I think the electorate in Michigan that's Jewish is a little over 1 percent. It's not a huge percentage.

And so, I am concerned that the word AIPAC, people don't even know what it is or what it stands for, but it's become emblematic of something that's bad. It doesn't actually have a huge recognition in Michigan.

But what I don't buy into with El-Sayed's apology, non-apology of saying I actually do like Jewish people, is that when it came to a radical extremist attempting to blow up a church that had 140 children in it and his response was hurt people, hurt people, what he was saying is that there are certain types of violence that are more excusable than others.

And a message coming from a U.S. senator that there are gradations of violence that are more or less acceptable is a dangerous notion for our country. And it's something that has no place in the U.S. Senate. And I think that that's where his record is.

COATES: Obviously, his words were confined to the phrase. The intimation that you have read into it is part of the context that people have criticized him about. He will address that in his own accord, but he would deny, I'm assuming, the idea that he believes that terrorism is appropriate.

But LZ, Republicans want Mike Rogers to win. President Trump is telling voters the Michigan election is already rigged from what you're seeing and hearing on the ground. Does the rigged playbook fire up voters there?

GRANDERSON: Why are we listening to him at this point about this topic? Like, seriously. Like, it's been through courts. Ever since he lost to Ted Cruz in the primary back in 2016, he's been yelling about rigged elections. Senator Ted Cruz knows this.

Ever since he lost to Ted Cruz, he's been yelling about rigged elections. And here we are, in 2026, still following his lies. I'm just really bothered that we as a nation continue to be dragged around by this silliness.

And, like, this notion that, you know, we have this doctor who was a, you know, health official in the largest county in the state of Michigan. And we have all these news reports about explosive diarrhea. We have all these news reports about measles outbreaks.

[23:15:04]

And no one asked the doctor about any of the health issues. Because we're consumed with the Israel question. I think we need to start being more mature in terms of how we talk about these topics going forward. And I don't mean that in an insulting way. But, like, AI is out there hacking other AI systems, and we're still being dragged around by the president's 2020 wish list.

Like, we have to elevate and level up to where we are right now as a nation. Because it's really frightening when you think about the fact that in six years, we know that Social Security is supposed to get a 20 percent cut in the payout. And we haven't discussed any of that in the primary. And the senators that we are electing this year are the senators who are going to decide what we do with Social Security. And we're not even having those conversations yet.

So I'm frustrated that we are still being dragged around by Donald Trump's silliness. He's president. We all get that. But we also know he's not a serious man. So we need to be a serious people.

COATES: Well, we will see if the frustrations you have voiced motivate voters to turn out and participate fully in the democracy.

Thank you so much for joining.

Up next, what message would it send if Trump fired Jeanine Pirro for dropping the Reflecting Pool case? Well, her boss, Todd Blanche, was asked that very question. Wait till you see how he answered it. Plus, is his confirmation actually in jeopardy? Or are Republican

senators just swinging the public along and pretending to be undecided to save face.

George Conway is here. Let's talk about it next.

[23:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: Tonight, U.S. Attorney for D.C., Jeanine Pirro, is still on thin ice with the White House over the Reflecting Pool legal fiasco. So how does Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, her boss, by the way, feel about her decision to drop the vandalism prosecutions?

Well, Blanche doesn't want to take sides. And instead, has nothing but praise for Pirro. She is doing a great job. That's a quote. But when it comes to whether Pirro keeps her role as the top prosecutor for the nation's capital, well, that's not his call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BLANCE, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Hypothetically, if the president chose to fire a United States attorney, it turns out he's allowed to do that because he's the president of the United States.

The D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office is body of work. They are doing a phenomenal job. Now, does that mean that every case goes exactly the way that President Trump or I want or U.S. Attorney Pirro wants? I mean, of course not. It doesn't.

So, I think that what you've seen play out in the press with respect to President Trump and U.S. Attorney Pirro is all out there already.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: With me now, former conservative lawyer turned Democrat, George Conway.

Good to see you, George. All Blanche really had to say was that it would send a bad message for a president based on what he just said to fire someone who didn't want to go forward with a fabricated case. I mean, this is a bit of a red flag waving.

GEORGE CONWAY, LAWYER: A little bit. It's kind of weak sauce. I mean, he doesn't defend Pirro for doing what was the right thing in the end. I mean, Pirro did the wrong thing at the beginning. The government did the wrong thing at the beginning bringing these charges against people for things that they didn't do.

But at the end of the day, he doesn't want to go down with Pirro. So, he's basically saying, I like Pirro, but the president can do whatever he wants. Please do whatever he wants. Just don't do it to me. That's essentially what he's saying.

COATES: And they do serve at the pleasure of the president. These are political appointees. And frankly, why would one expect for the person who's the acting attorney general to have the full and complete back of the U.S. attorney there when you didn't have the back of the prosecutors who were career prosecutors who got convictions on cases that he later wanted to do away with even though they were fully meritorious. I digress.

Also, critics have not been happy with Pirro for a number of issues, George. But we always talk about the need for people in the administration to stand up to the president and to have some backbone because they want to at least have the perception of autonomy if not the actuality of it.

Does she deserve credit for doing just that?

CONWAY: Well, she deserves some credit for what she did for, I don't know, an hour the other day when she brought a box of evidence into the president and added out with Doug Burgum, the secretary of the interior, about the condition of the Reflecting Pool.

The problem is she's pointing the finger at the Department of the Interior saying, oh, my goodness, we had no idea that there were problems with the installation until July 17th, a couple of weeks after they brought this frivolous indictment when in fact everybody watching the news knew, and reading the newspapers and watching video on TV knew there was something wrong with the installation, that there was something wrong with how the pool lining had been attached.

We didn't know all the details, but the government clearly knew that and it was out there and if you just read a newspaper, and I think that is the ultimate problem with what happened was they were looking for scapegoats to cover up the incompetence of the administration in engaging in this foolhardy effort to line the pool with this lining and do it on the rush and do it on the basis of a no-bid contract given to some friend of the president.

COATES: Well, former Olympian David Hearn who, as you know, was accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool was facing a decade in prison, mind you. He is not letting this end here. I mean, he is now asking a judge to order DOJ to turn over information about how exactly they built this case against him.

[23:24:59]

Of course, he was indicted by a grand jury and they had to present evidence to a grand jury.

If you were advising Hearn, would you tell him to pursue legal action against the DOJ? Do they need to be held accountable or is this one of those cases of let it go?

CONWAY: Well, I think it's absolutely a case where a potential malicious prosecution claim can be brought up under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Basically, what you have to show is that the case was terminated in the plain of being the man who was unfairly prosecuted. I think that's actually why Hearn's lawyers have now moved to have the judge make the dismissal, which the government wanted to be without prejudice, meaning the government could bring the case again.

They want to make it with prejudice so that they can say, we won this case. And the question is whether there was probable cause, or whether there were some basis that the government had to bring the case that were other than they were bringing it with motivation other than to bring justice.

And what they clearly were doing is they were looking for a scapegoat to cover up the faulty realigning of the pool. And the evidence basically shows that. And in fact, if Hearn would bring a case, I mean, exhibit A is going to be the admissions that the government made that Jeanine Pirro signed last week, saying that it was faulty construction that faulty application of the pool lining that was at issue here. And that he didn't cause any additional damage.

COATES: It is not just the act of the indictment. It is the entirety of press conferences, reputational damage, all the things he will try to look at in terms of trying to peel back the curtain of what was presented in this secret proceeding of the grand jury.

CONWAY: Yes.

COATES: Senators Lisa Murkowski and Bill Cassidy they met with Pirro's immediate boss, Todd Blanche today, and will not say, they will not say how they are going to vote on his nomination to become the attorney general. Cassidy says that his concern with Blanche is stopping so-called law fair.

But former Congressman Adam Kinzinger says, basically saying, he's talking about outgoing senators who just don't want to ruin their futures by bucking the party line. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FMR. REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): Most members of Congress and the Senate want to go lobby. The one thing you don't want to do to hurt your future prospects is to make people mad now. So, you can put up a fight but you're not actually going to take it to the very end because you will get kicked out of your tribe and your future job prospects will be harmed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: So do you think the skepticism is smoking mirrors, feigned?

CONWAY: Yes, I think there is something to do what Adam is saying. I think we saw that with Senators Tillis and Cornyn. They made a big show of a point of opposing this the January 6th slush fund. But at the end of the day, they did not insist on an actual binding document that will prevent that January 6 fund, that slush fund from ever coming into existence. And they didn't take a position. They didn't do anything to stop Trump and his companies from getting protection from IRS audits.

They basically took the word of like, a press release essentially from Blanche and they did not -- it does not invalidate the settlement agreement that this supposedly gives these defendants, this January sixers and Donald Trump all these rights.

COATES: It's almost that famous scene in The Office when Steve Carell stands up and shouts, I declare bankruptcy and that's supposed to be it. I don't know.

George Conway, thank you so much for joining.

CONWAY: Thank you.

COATES: Up next, a momentum stopper for the progressive left, DSA- backed Cori Bush losing her comeback bid against a moderate pro-Israel Democrat in Missouri. So how did Congressman Wesley Bell pull it off and what lessons can his party take away from his win? You know what? I'm going to ask him next.

[23:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: Democratic socialists did not win everywhere. In fact, voters in one district rejected a DSA candidate who used to be their representative. I'm talking about former Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush.

She lost her comeback bid to the same candidate who beat her two years ago, Congressman Wesley Bell. Now this time, it wasn't even close. Bell beat Bush by more than 20 points.

And despite both candidates claiming the progressive mantle, this race was still a litmus test for Democrats, especially over America's relationship with Israel. But Bell also made the case to focus on home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. WESLEY BELL (D-MO): We understand that there's issues happening and we'll take those issues seriously all over the country, all over the world.

And when we talk about the progress that we need to make, I think the folks in St. Louis know that I'm going to always wake up working for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Missouri Democratic Congressman Wesley Bell joins me now.

Congressman, good evening.

You know, obviously you expanded your margin of victory from 2024 when you beat Cori Bush by about six points.

[23:35:03]

Why do you think you succeeded while other Democrats did not? BELL: You know, I mean, a lot of Democrats have actually been

succeeding for the last 18 months. And that was prior to what we saw in New York. Democrats had been running at a plus 14-point clip.

And so just to be fair, our message about focusing on cost of living, health care costs, ending this corruption that we're seeing from the Trump administration has been resonating with Americans. And I think that that message is going to bring us the majority in November.

COATES: A lot has changed even in a two-year window. You know, the pace at which things are changing is a concern for many Americans. I do wonder if you believe that you have focused on the issues that matter, but that the DSA platform does not.

BELL: Well, I think that folks in my district, they believe that progressives should actually make progress and get things done. And so, I wake up every day thinking about how do I make my home, my district, the St. Louis region a better place.

COATES: We have seen a rejection of incumbents and anti-establishment viewpoint because there are so many who believe that what is needed is not being met by those who are in Washington, D.C. I'll be curious to see how you expand upon your platform from here.

And Congressman, you know, your district is a pretty safe Democratic seat, but it was still a very bruising primary. I need to tell you that. But during a concession speech, Cori Bush insinuated that you were a Republican. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FMR. REP. CORI BUSH (D-MO): Your current congressman was the campaign manager for a Republican, helping him to win this particular seat. Your current congressman is someone who donated multiple times to Republicans as they were devastating our rights here in Missouri and continues to be funded primarily by Republican Trump MAGA billionaires.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: What is your response to her statement?

BELL: Why would you make me listen to that, Laura? I thought we were cool.

COATES: We are, but indeed she said it. So now that we are cool, what's your response?

BELL: But you know, here's the thing. When you, you know, I was taught in law school, and you probably were taught this, too, when the facts are on your side, you pound the facts. When the law is on your side, you pound the law. When neither are on your side, you pound the table.

You know, I want to give my opponent, the former congresswoman, space and grace. It's tough after you ran a hard race to come up short. And so, we want to give her a little space. But at the same time, as adults, we all learn that we have to be accountable for our own actions.

COATES: You won. Full stop. The voters said that you were their choice. Full stop. But if you expand the conversation, Congressman, you see a larger criticism from many people, you know, really across different campaigns. And one of the biggest critiques from other progressives, from Bush, is that the support you have received from AIPAC, we know this has become a minefield and a hot button issue. And it spent about $3 million to help you get elected and even more, when you first ran in 2024.

Address the complaint or concern that many might have that those who have spent money to support you might make you beholden to them.

BELL: Now, let's just start with this. I think we all agree that there's too much money in politics. I think that Citizens United was one of the worst decisions that the

Supreme Court has ever made. And I publicly support campaign finance reform. But I think that every American should have the right to participate in our democratic process and to single out our Jewish friends.

I think that that's wrong. When we think about there's so many PACs that have interests, and there's PACs that have interests with respect to reproductive rights, which we all support. There are PACs that are clean energy and big oil, you name it. There are PACs that support those interests.

And there, in AIPAC's interest, is a strong U.S.-Israeli relationship. But what I'll say is, at the end of the day, that doesn't put food on the table of regular working families. And we're going to continue to focus on those main issues that matter to folks.

[23:40:00]

And that's why the voters of St. Louis put me in office, because they know I'm going to do just that.

COATES: Now, quickly, you did mention Hakeem Jeffries. There's a report from Axios that some members of the Congressional Black Caucus say that any new member must support Leader Jeffries for speaker. There have been several, for example, DSA candidates who are not supporting Jeffries, including Colorado congressional candidate Melat Kilos, who I interviewed about this very point.

Listen to what she told me back in June.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: If you're elected to Congress, would you support selecting him as the next House speaker if the Democrats do reclaim the House?

MELAT KIROS (D-CO), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I won't be supporting anybody for leadership that takes corporate PAC money. I look forward to getting into Congress and making that case for other Congress members so that they can see that they can run grassroots campaigns that can raise over a million dollars. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Congressman, look ahead for us. Should DSA members or others be allowed to join the CBC even if they don't support Jeffries?

BELL: Look, I'm going to tell you, as a freshman member, I don't make the rules. I am a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. But what I will say, that's a red line for me.

If any member, if any potential member, does not support Hakeem Jeffries, particularly with the tremendous job that he's done for the entire caucus in such a tumultuous time during the Trump administration, this Democratic caucus is more united than it's ever been. And sure, there's going to be disagreements, but it has been a united caucus. And that goes to the leadership of my colleague, Representative Jeffries.

But I'll say for me, it would be hard for me to see how someone should be a member of the Congressional Black Caucus if you're not going to support Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the House.

COATES: Congressman Wesley Bell, thank you for joining.

BELL: Thank you for having me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE MORENO (R-OH): I wish he cared about figuring out how to solve his family issues as much as he cares about his political career.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: The scandal surrounding Republican Congressman Max Miller getting uglier by the day. His father-in-law, a sitting U.S. Senator, wants him out over those abuse allegations, as the rest of the GOP seems willing to stick by him.

Why exactly is that? We'll get into it next.

[23:45:00]

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COATES: Republican Congressman Max Miller is refusing to back down amid allegations of abuse, which he denies, telling CNN's Manu Raju once again, quote, "I'm not going anywhere."

But as pressure grows for Miller to drop his bid for reelection, Republican leaders aren't calling for him to step aside, including the top Republican in the House, Speaker Mike Johnson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R), U.S. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I've been intellectually consistent, always have, since before I became speaker and certainly over the last almost three years. This applies equally to Republicans and Democrats. We don't take disciplinary action against members for allegations. He's vehemently denying this.

DASHA BURNS, CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: Will you tell him to drop out?

JOHNSON: No, I will tell Max what I tell everyone. These are serious allegations. We have to allow this process to play out. It's just begun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: As for President Trump and Vice President Vance, they're also staying out of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Can you comment about Representative Miller?

TRUMP: I hope he's able to work it out. I feel bad for him.

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: To the press, thank you for being here. See you soon.

UNKNOWN: Vice President, should Max Miller drop out? Should Max Miller drop out?

UNKNOWN: Should Max Miller resign?

UNKNOWN: Thank you, sir.

UNKNOWN: Should Max Miller resign?

UNKNOWN: Thank you, guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Now, the scandal involving Miller is starting to create some real anxiety among House Republicans. Miller came on CNN. He vehemently denied all the allegations from his ex-wife when pressed by Jake Tapper. But the reviews from Republicans? Not great.

After the interview, a GOP strategist texted CNN's Sarah Ferris, quote, "I mean, what the actual F was that?" Another GOP congressional aide texted, "I had a feeling this wouldn't go well for him, but it's actually much worse than bad. Epic disaster."

Joining me now is senior reporter for The Bulwark, Will Sommer. Thank you so much for being here, Will.

I mean, look, the reporting clearly indicates that Republicans are pretty concerned about this. We know the margin of error they have for the House. We know that Trump himself called Miller to tell him that things are not looking good.

You would think that would prompt other Republicans to essentially tell him the president is even calling you it's not looking good. Why is he not getting a chorus of people to tell him to back out?

WILL SOMMER, SENIOR REPORTER, THE BULWARK: You know, I think pretty much all Republicans would be happy if he dropped out. Even Mike Johnson, who says he's staying out of it, would prefer that he leave and they could get a safer candidate.

COATES: They're not saying that.

SOMMER: Well, they are. And this is the Trump era where, you know, Donald Trump has faced allegations of abuse against women himself. All these people, they've demonstrated maybe you can just ride out the scandal, you know, whether it's Trump or other Republicans.

And so, it seems like that's what Max Miller is trying to do. I think the challenge is his interviews are awful. The Jake Tapper one we just mentioned, he's constantly digging the hole deeper. Just tonight, he was posting text messages with his wife about allegedly taking his daughter's stuffed bunny. It's bizarre stuff and it's getting worse.

COATES: You know, Republicans jumped all over Graham Platner and not only for the nature of the allegations, but for the way he handled it and the defiance that they believed was unwarranted in it.

Has Max Miller's handling of this made any sense, given what we've just seen with Platner or even the fact, I think it is a fact, that the way in which Donald Trump has been able to navigate allegations against him stands in stark contrast to anyone else who believes they mirror him?

[23:50:03]

SOMMER: Yes, I mean, I think there's clearly a double standard between how Republicans and Democrats treat these issues. And as you said, I mean, Republicans are really eager to jump on Graham Platner. I think Max Miller clearly is trying to pull a Trump here and just sort of weather it. Maybe he wins, maybe he doesn't. But, you know, he certainly is not facing pressure from Republicans to drop out.

COATES: Can you compare how it's playing out in sort of the MAGA sphere online versus how elected Republicans are handling this?

SOMMER: Yes, I mean, the reality is it's a bad story for Republicans. And so, a lot of MAGA accounts are just going to ignore it. On the other hand, I think now that Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, who is also Max Miller's ex-father-in-law, now that he's weighed in, it's starting to look more like kind of like an intra-MAGA fight. And I think people are getting more comfortable saying, Max Miller, it's time to go.

I'm seeing more conservative writers, in particular after that bizarre video Max Miller put out on Sunday. He released all this weird evidence from the case. They're saying like, all right, it's clear this guy doesn't have a case.

COATES: I want to play for you what Senator Moreno actually said today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MORENO: I wish he cared about figuring out how to solve his family issues as much as he cares about his political career. This has obviously been atrocious. You know, someday we're all going to have to explain this to this little girl, what happened. And by having this all out in the public like this, she's reliving that emotional abuse on steroids. And so, to watch this media tour that he feels he needs to do for my daughter, it's gut-wrenching.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: He's a respected senator. He's not a man without friends on Capitol Hill, if you can really have friends on Capitol Hill, in essence. Why do you think him speaking out has not moved the needle more?

SOMMER: It's striking. I mean, I think he was quiet for a while. Apparently, his daughter asked him. I think, understandably, it's a custody fight to stay quiet.

We've seen Senator Katie Britt from Alabama come out and sort of echo his concerns and say Max Miller needs to drop out or resign. But really, otherwise, even Republican senators who sort of tend to look down on their colleagues in the House and say, you know, kind of keep your house in order here, they're not weighing in. And I think there's a lot of sense of like, maybe we don't want to challenge this candidate. This is a key seat for us. It's a situation that I think really demonstrates that double standard.

COATES: And yet Republicans have noted themselves as the party of the family, of a cohesive unit, and trying to protect the perception of the values that would then contrast the allegations.

I would note, this is supposed to be a safe seat for Republicans. I mean, Trump carried it by 11 points just two years ago. So, the idea that this might have larger stakes and consequences for Republicans can't be lost on them.

SOMMER: No, I mean, I think they're keeping in mind that, I mean, this House majority that they want to hang on to. And I think a candidate like that who's also just getting such bad headlines. It'd be one thing if this maybe wasn't an effective speaker, a candidate sort of bumbling around might lose the seat. But I think he hurts the whole ticket in Ohio.

COATES: We will see. Well, thank you so much for joining us as always.

Up next, the mysterious gathering of former Trump allies who feel betrayed and are now promising a new path forward for the MAGA crowd.

[23:55:00]

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COATES: So, what will the Republican Party look like after Trump? Some of his former allies turned serious critics recently gathered around to try to figure that out. Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie. They say they feel betrayed by Trump and they want to chart a new America First movement.

And one of the attendees says they even tried to convince Tucker Carlson to run for president. So, I got us wondering if this is just all talk or if they're actually tapping into anything real.

You know who we asked? Harry Enten to look into the numbers for all of us. Harry?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hey there, Laura. You know, when it comes to the question of whether or not there is this yearning for a post-MAGA movement within the GOP, I guess it's a little bit in the eye of the beholder, because what are we talking about here?

Well, when it comes to Tucker's dream, Republicans who want the next GOP presidential nominee to follow Trump's lead, well, it's the majority. This is bad news for Tucker Carlson, right? We're talking about 55 percent here. But you know what? Move in a new direction? Not an unsubstantial 37 percent.

But who is making up this 37 percent of Republicans? It is young Republicans. And they really do want the party to move in a new direction. Take a look here. OK, Republicans under the age of 45 who want a new direction, the new nominee. Get this. And the next nominee? 60 percent. 60 percent want a new direction, the next nominee.

Look at this. On Israel, when it comes to the next nominee and wanting a new direction, it is 70 percent of younger Republicans, those under the age of 45. Now, however, do they actually want Tucker Carlson to lead this movement? Is Tucker well-liked within the GOP at this point? Not really.

You could see it here. GOP views of Tucker Carlson positive 37 percent. That is a favorable rating and 29 percent negative. So, he's on the positive side of the ledger, Laura Coates, but just barely. So, if there's going to be someone who leads the Republican Party out of Trump, it's probably not going to be Tucker.

Laura, you're wonderful. Back to you.

COATES: I'm not wonderful. You're wonderful. Thank you, Harry. And thank you all for watching. The Story Is with Elex Michaelson, another wonderful person, is next.

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