Trump’s Red Card Phone Call Stirs Political Storm Around World Cup

24:44Nick, what went down in court today? Well, Jake, it is a pretty snug courtroom, as you mentioned, just a couple of miles away from where Charlie Kirk was shot. And inside, Erica Kirk, her family, Donald Trump Jr., his entourage, and of course, Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk. We are basically getting the prosecution putting forward evidence to persuade the judge that there's enough evidence to take this to a full trial. Looks a bit like a trial today. You've got witnesses, cross-examination. The first witness was a campus cop who was on duty that morning, heard the shot, saw Charlie Kirk slump, and then found what he described as a sniper's pad on the roof where Tyler Robinson is believed to have been.

25:30He described that there's gravel on the roof and he saw indents where an elbow would have been, where a knee would have been, where a foot would have been for a sniper in a prone position ready to fire. He also said he found a screwdriver nearby, which the prosecution says has some DNA on it that ties it to Tyler Robinson. Basically, you then have the defense at every turn playing defense. Every even photograph that the prosecution wants to put into evidence to bolster their case, the defense is saying we object because we don't know for sure who exactly took this photograph and when it was taken.

26:02So that's been the rhythm and will, I imagine, be the rhythm for much of the week. Now, remember, there's a lot of evidence here. There were 3 ,000 people who saw Charlie Kirk shot. A lot of video, a lot of witnesses, a lot to go through. Jake. And as we mentioned, this is a multi-day hearing. Give us a preview of what we can expect to hear over the next few days. Well, one of the things that we are all waiting for is a taped deposition of Tyler Robinson's roommate slash romantic partner. There were messages before, during, and after the incident that the prosecution basically say is tantamount to a confession.

26:38Just after the shooting, the roommate messaged Tyler Robinson and said, you weren't the one who did it, right? The reply came from Tyler Robinson. I am. I'm sorry. I had had enough of his hate. Tyler Robinson now facing death. The judge will decide end of this week or maybe he'll take a little bit more time to decide whether there's enough evidence to take this to a full trial and a jury. Jake. All right, Nick Watt in Utah for us. Joining us now, CNN anchor and CNN chief legal analyst, Laura Coates. And Laura, you've been diving into this case all day and you're going to be breaking it down for viewers on our all access platform all week.

27:17What were your biggest takeaways from day one of this hearing? The number one question I keep getting from everyone is why are we at this stage? Wasn't there a grand jury? Well, actually in Utah, they use this particular system as a way to try to figure out if there is probable cause. Normally you have a grand jury when a felony is involved and that grand jury will be convened and tell you if there's enough for the prosecution to go forward. In Utah, it's different. It's this preliminary hearing. So oddly enough, he hasn't even entered a plea of guilty or not guilty at this point in time. And that's why you've got this particular so-called mini trial.

27:54How it's different, however, is this is about probable cause, not beyond a reasonable doubt. They have to show sort of a 51 % as opposed to beyond a reasonable doubt. And it's enough for the judge to be able to go forward with a trial. But they are getting quite a preview, aren't they? As Nick Watt has explained, but they need not provide all the information, just enough to show that they believe that this particular defendant caused the death of Charlie Kirk. The evidence presented this week is expected to include a videotaped statement by Tyler Robinson's former roommate. Court documents describe the roommate as Robinson's romantic partner.

28:32and a biological male who was transitioning genders, unquote. Is part of this to show that Charlie Kirk's anti-trans rhetoric was part of the killer's motive? Remember, motive is why someone did something. A prosecutor has to prove that they did something. But motive can be helpful in trying to build one's prosecution, albeit unnecessary, to paint a bigger picture for the jurors, to try to figure out was there a plan? Was it intentional? The more you can show motive contextually, the more you can show this wasn't some sort of an accident. There was an intent. There was planned opportunities to do this.

29:12And that videotaped deposition from the former roommate is going to be so critical, not only of the probable cause, but if this were to go to a full-blown trial and they were to have that evidence come in, which expects to do so, It also shows the communication between the two, the equivalent of almost a confession by this defendant as he described the reasons why he had done so. But ultimately, remember, the prosecution need not prove the motive, but it will be very instructive for people who are trying to understand the why, not the least of which includes his family. And former Utah Valley officer Chris Bagley testified today about an empty gun holster he found on the ground just moments after the shooting.

29:56Robinson's defense pressed him on that. Take a listen. What happened to that holster? I have no idea. Did you ever take custody of it? No. Did you ever tell anyone else to take custody of it? No. You just left it on the grass? I did. Was it ever fingerprinted to your knowledge? I have no idea. What do you make of that and the defense's cross-examination as a whole? So they're likely trying to avoid the death penalty, of course. They're also trying to undermine and chip away at the investigation that led to their client as the defendant in this matter. This is a very seasoned defense team. The lead counsel, of course, having been the head of the public defenders in both San Diego as well as Salt Lake City.

30:42She's fresh off a very high profile case of Corey Richens, who is the mother who was accused and now convicted of having killed her husband and then writing a children's book. She is a very, very formidable defense attorney. But their whole defense is going to be about sloppy detective work, sloppy police work. They're going to try to make the case claim, excuse me, that this so-called sniper pad was not a true investigative lead and that what he found on the ground would be attached to a pistol. when that particular witness talked about having heard a rifle be used. They're going to have to present some DNA evidence throughout the duration of this preliminary hearing as well to connect the dots to this defendant.

31:21All right, Laura Coates, thanks. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. And as a former prosecutor, Laura, of course, has a unique perspective on the case. You can look for more coming up on her show, Laura Coates Live, tonight on CNN at 11 p.m. Eastern. Coming up next, exactly who are these masked cowards, cosplaying and marching through the streets of DC on the 4th of July pretending to be tough guys? We'll tell you coming up.

31:53You ever have somebody offer to come home with you from the hardware store? I am giving away a room makeover. Where's the catch? Three days to complete this renovation. You have no say in design and we start today. Oh wow. You're not just gonna steal everything. Surprise! Ready to get your house packed? For real. A little dated. It's time to turn this over to us. You guys gotta get out of here. Gotta get out of here. Crashers all new Monday at 10 on HGTV.

32:26And our politics lead a shocking 4th of July image from Washington DC this weekend. It's going viral. It's a black woman riding the metro alone, strong, amid a crowd of cowardly white masked men. That crowd was part of a group that calls itself the Patriot Front, though they're not patriots and they won't show their fronts. One of America's most active white nationalist groups, hundreds of them marching in the nation's capital Saturday, injecting their brand of racist, anti-Semitic, xenophobic extremism into Independence Day celebrations. Let's bring in my panel. Jamal, Saturday's march was a large demonstration, and Metropolitan Police say the group's presence did not result in any incidents.

33:05What's your reaction to all this? You know, Jake, it feels like the vibe right now makes this feel a little more expected. I mean, it's not as shocking as it may have been just a few years ago to have this happen. Obviously, we had January 6th. We had Charlottesville. But this feels like something in today's Washington where the government is not really out to stop this kind of thing in a way it was just a few years ago. So, Noah, I want to get your take on something that the Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, told Dana Bash yesterday when she asked about this. Take a listen. In America, free speech is allowed, and this is by the whole spectrum of things.

33:50There are protests on the mall that people say things that I think are irreprehensible about President Trump. And yet they're allowed to go on because of free speech in our country. Yes, we have free speech. But I think a lot of people were disappointed that Interior Secretary Burgum did not condemn the group and its anti-Semitic racist views. Doesn't seem especially hard. And you're still protecting free speech, even though you say that this is reprehensible speech that nevertheless needs to be protected. Nobody needs to protect speech that everybody appreciates. This group is anti-American explicitly.

34:21It says democracy has failed this great nation. It's also sort of anti-Republican, big R Republican. The masking, it seems like they had missed the debates on the right over the extent to which permissive masking is a license to engage in criminality. But these guys, they seem to revel in how apart they are from the mainstream conversation. I hope they enjoy how marginalized they've made themselves. You can't be pro-white supremacy and pro-democracy at the same time. Things are in direct conflict. They explicitly want a white ethno state. I mean, that's what they call for. So let's turn to politics.

34:53More specifically, the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan got a little bit more intense. On Sunday, Mallory McMorrow dropped out, narrowing the field to two. It's a must win seat for Democrats. Voters, Democratic voters will now decide between Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens, more of an establishment figure. and former state health official Dr. Abdul Al-Sayed. He's a candidate running from the Bernie Sanders wing of the party. Does Al-Sayed have a chance, a better chance, of beating the Republican, the likely Republican nominee, former Congressman Mike Rogers? What do you think, Jamal?

35:28Well, it's a two-stage process, right? I'm on the phone with some of my friends. I'm from Michigan, some of my friends who are working in the state right now in politics. Al-Sayed does have the momentum on the ground when it comes to activists. However, Haley Stevens does have the money and the attention and the ability to now garner support. McMorrow hasn't endorsed anybody, so her supporters are still out there. So we don't know exactly which way they go. As one person told me today, it's a jump ball to see what will happen. Against Mike Rogers, this could be the state, I will say this as a Democrat, this could be the state that surprises the country.

35:58You could end up having Mike Rogers win the Senate race in Michigan and Sherrod Brown win the Senate race in Ohio. Like, we could end up seeing something very different happen on Election Day than maybe many people suspected six months ago. How do you see the race? The Democratic Senate, specifically the primary. Yeah, so the New York Times alleged, not me, the New York Times alleged that when the bottom really fell out for McMorrow, who was a rising star in Democratic politics when resistance was the name of the game, fell out when she criticized El-Sayed for campaigning with Hassan Piker, influencer who has specialized in saying inflammatory things like accusing one anti-Hamas individual of being a pig dog, of saying that the United States deserved 9-11, of saying that he prefers Hamas over Israel, et cetera, et cetera.

36:43She tepidly criticized that. And that was where the bottom falls out, which is why it doesn't matter to me that McMorrow is out of this race. The problem is within the Democratic Party's primary electorate. This is what they want. This is what they're going to get. And coupled with the news that we're getting from Maine, it seems like the Democratic primary voters are subordinating what they understand to be good sense and character in order to elevate individuals who channel their passions. And that's a big mistake. Well, actually, that's going around, right? The Republicans have been doing that for about a decade.

37:12The question now is people don't trust the establishment. They don't trust the institutions. So for those Democrats who are more establishment Democrats, they need to listen to this. They need to figure out how they can become more vociferous argumenters for the outsider's view about changing the establishment and changing the institutions with policies that fit more inside of the kind of 40 or 35 yard lines of democratic politics, small d, democratic politics, where we can all agree. And we don't see, I think, the more establishment centrist Democrats having that kind of a voice where they put their chest in it a little bit about taking on the institutions.

37:47Do you think that Mike Rogers, assuming he becomes a Republican nominee, will have an easier time beating one of these Democrats more than the other? I think you'll have a marginally easier time against El Saeed's candidacy. That is not to say that this is a year that's going to favor Republicans, and it's definitely a swing seat that could go either way. But if Mike Rogers' campaign was choosing the candidate that they would go up against, it would not be the establishmentarian Democrat who's won competitive races in competitive districts before. It would be the outsider who's not really very well vetted, who has a tension for saying things that are inflammatory, that enliven a very narrow sliver of the electorate.

38:23passionately committed supporters, nevertheless turns off other elements of the electorate. So yes, Matt Rogers is going to have a better time against L.C.I.E. Do you disagree? I think it's a weird year. I think it's a weird year. And we don't know how any of these things sort out. The anti-Trump fervor that exists is very big. The price problems that people are having where they can't afford their day-to-day lives, that is very significant. We just don't know how this is going to turn out on Election Day. But I will tell you, Michigan is in play. And anybody who thinks that this is something Democrats are going to be able to win should pay more attention to what's happening on the ground.

38:55Do you think in any way, Noah, that President Trump, for instance, having dinner with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes has set precedents where Dr. Al-Sayed, I'm not comparing Hassan Piker to Nick Fuentes, but they're both controversial and polarizing, that it kind of has just changed the way that people look at these things? It's possible not to defend the president's misconduct, because I think he has a tendency to, again, subordinate that kind of discretion to anybody who flashes a smile at him or bats her eyes at him. That's not something that lends itself to steady leadership. However, I don't think Democrats are modeling themselves on anything the president has done or saying that the president has given us some kind of permission structure to be our worst selves.

39:39They wouldn't admit that to themselves, nor would they, I think, behave that way in public. What they're responding to is organic enthusiasm from their base voters that all of us can see, that all of us incense in the water. It's not something that, I don't know if they can thread the needle that you're describing. How is Chuck Schumer going to say, well, we need robust policies that channel progressive enthusiasm when what voters want is somebody who's going to attack Israeli supporters in anti-Semitic terms, who's going to say, this is what Hassan Piper did, this is what the New York Times said, the bottom fell out of Macron's campaign.

40:10I don't think that that's the issue in this particular race. I think the questions are about the cost questions taking on the establishment. And yes, it is a problem that they also have these anti-Israeli or in some interpret anti-Semitic views. That is a problem. But for the most part, Democrats just want somebody who's going to take on the establishment and mix things up in Washington. Yeah, I mean, I think you guys disagree. You see the same phenomenon. You say they're doing it despite it, and you're saying they're doing it because of it. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. Coming up next, an important TV exclusive.

40:38Earlier today in Maine, I spoke with a woman coming forward with brand new, incredibly disturbing claims. on the record against main Democratic Senate candidate Grant Plattner. She says that Glenn Plattner raped her in 2021. It's much more than this woman has said before. And Plattner is responding, releasing his own new statement. He vehemently denies the claim. Stay tuned.

41:05Our pop culture lead now new pictures coming in from the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey giving us a glimpse of the star-studded affair. Let's bring in CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister. Elizabeth, tell us more. What can you show us? All right. So as you know, Jake, this event was shrouded in secrecy. Only Taylor Swift can have an event at Madison Square Garden and keep all eyes out. But here are some new photos. As you see, this looks like a red carpet that was constructed. From everything we hear, you couldn't even imagine that this was Madison Square Garden when you walked in. This is where the guests arrived.

41:37Now, why were they able to get a photo? Because there was a strict no cell phone policy. Well, Jake, let's zoom in. Look at the top of this staircase and you will see this is actually where the guests and we're talking some of the biggest A-listers from Jennifer Lopez to Brad Pitt. They all had to check in their phones here and give them up, which is why we didn't see many pictures from the night. But we also have our first look at the flowers. One of the wedding guests who is a sister of one of the Chiefs players. There she is. She claims that she actually caught the bouquet. That's quite a moment to catch Taylor Swift bouquet.

42:10And you see their very understated, whimsical, white and pink flowers. We hear that Madison Square Garden was transformed into essentially a fairy tale garden party. And then guests were given a gift. They were given handkerchiefs. I believe we have a photo. And you see the handkerchiefs. There's actually one of her song lyrics. And it says the date. So obviously we're waiting for more to come from this, Jake. The big picture is when are Taylor and Travis going to share their first wedding photo? I am dying to see the dress. All right, Elizabeth Wagmeister, thanks so much. This is CNN Breaking News.

42:52Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. The Lead tonight, a woman who dated Maine's Democratic Senate nominee, Graham Plattner, told me today that he raped her in an encounter in 2021. Jenny Rassikot told me in an interview this morning in Bangor, Maine, that she first met Graham Plattner in 2019 on a dating app. She says they began seeing each other off and on for two years. She told me about an evening in 2021 when Plattner came to her house after she explicitly told him not to, and he initiated a sexual encounter, non-consensual, after she explicitly told him no. Now, in a statement to CNN, Plattner's campaign says, quote, these allegations are very serious and Graham vigorously denies them.

43:36They are also coached and coordinated by out-of-state establishment operatives. For a year, opponents of this campaign have thrown everything they can at Graham, calling him a Nazi, a war criminal, and a communist. None of it has been true. And this is no different. It is not a coincidence that this story comes a week before the ballot deadline, just as the previous false allegations came a week before the primary. Graham began this campaign to fight for a Maine where everyone is treated with dignity and where Mainers are put first and no amount of desperate smears will stop this movement from seeing that vision through, unquote.

44:09Plattner also released a video statement on social media this afternoon. Here's part of that. I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious, and false allegations against me. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false. Over the last 10 months, I've been deeply humbled by the faith Mainers have put in me. You have welcomed me into your homes, into your places of work, into your restaurants, into your houses of worship. You have shown that a different kind of politics, one that puts the interests of people over corporations, is not just possible, but is inevitable. This movement we have built, the largest volunteer base in the history of Maine politics, the hundreds of thousands of grassroots donors, and the supporters across the ideological spectrum, we were united in a love of Maine, a belief that our politics must change, and a focus on defeating Susan Collins.

45:09So, regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins. Those were the goals when we launched this campaign, and they remain my goals today. On June 9th, 154 ,058 Mainers, the most in primary history, voted to reject a broken politics beholden to Washington and the donor class. They voted for hope, for change, to take back our economy, to take back our power, and to take back our Senate seat.

45:55Throughout it all, you never turned your back on me, and I will not turn my back on you now. Every one of you deserves to see that vision come to fruition and see Susan Collins defeated, and we will use every tool at our disposal to do so. As man goes, so goes the nation. As always, thank you. Now, I just want to to clear up one thing because of what Plattner said, as Kenneth Payne said in that statement. I first got in touch with Jenny Rascott, not because of any out-of-state coordinators, as he alleged. Her name appeared in a New York Times story, and my bookers found her phone number, and I called her and began texting with her.

46:36And that is why this interview happened today. Earlier today, Jenny Rascott and I talked about what happened that night in 2021 and her relationship with Graham Plattner and his candidacy and why she's coming forward now. I'm going to play you some of our conversation now. I do want to warn you that this report includes some strong language and details of an alleged rape, which may be deeply disturbing, and it may also be triggering for any survivors of sexual assault. Here is part one of our interview. So you described your relationship with Graham Plattner as a very good example of what modern dating is like.

47:13What do you mean by that? What I mean by that is that, you know, I think there's a lot of situationships. I think people are dating multiple people at the same time, whether that's known or not known by the people involved. So it was just a very, very common practice is what I viewed it as. And kind of casual? Yeah, very casual. And when did you meet him and how did you meet him? I met him on Bumble actually in 2019 and I had known who he was. He grew up in the next town over. We had like a mutual family friend so I always knew of his existence but that was when we actually met. And what did you think of him?

47:50At first I thought he was great. You know he's he's very well spoken, he's intelligent, he's charming. You know I thought a lot of good things. We had a great first date. It went and flowed really well. He has described himself as self-medicating with alcohol. He has described himself that way. So I would think maybe that would have reared its head. Yeah. And unfortunately, that's something that I think a lot of people are desensitized to in general, heavy drinking, and especially out of the relationship that I had just come out of. So it wasn't anything abnormal to me. I remember we were out one night and he was drinking and that's when he told me that he has PTSD.

48:35When the New York Times story came out, you were in it, but you didn't go as far in that story as you are today. Yeah. Why not? I didn't want to. I didn't want to have to violate this huge level of privacy to my own life to be able to infer that this person is not honest and trustworthy. I felt really protective of my own privacy throughout this whole process. And it got to a point where my privacy was no longer going to happen. And that was when I kind of just made the decision that like, I'm going to say my piece and get it out there. I had tried to give the impression that something, you know, worse happened.

49:19And that's when it was like, I refused to comment further. You definitely alluded to a bad night. Yeah. So bad that you never saw him again afterwards. Yeah. But just to underline the point, you're not coming forward because you have any political motivation. No, not at all. That was actually one of the huge reasons that I didn't come forward and still struggled. That was a huge moral conflict to feel like. Because you'd like a Democrat to be in the Senate. Yeah. I like the things that he speaks about. They're important. They're important to people. I'm one of those people. But at the end of the day, you feel he's not being honest.

49:58He's not being honest. No. And we should note this is 2021 we're talking about. It's only five years ago. Tell me about that. When was it? It was at the end of 2021. I remember it being shortly after I moved back into my winter home. Because that is where it happened. And it was a night where him and I were texting back and forth. And he had taken something that I said as an invitation. And that's not how I meant it. And I quickly clarified. and he sent a message back indicating that he would come over and I said no don't come over like I'm not in the mood don't come over and I was more stern with that message and then I didn't hear back from him so I thought that that meant he got the message or gave up on it or whatnot and so um like half an hour later I heard a noise outside my door and um then he he came in he just came into my house.

50:55It was unlocked. I live in an area where you don't usually have to lock your doors. I do now. So he came in and I realized, okay, he didn't listen. He's in my home. And I was laying on the couch. It was probably pretty late at night and I was getting, I was already ready for bed. I just wasn't in bed. And so he had kind of like jumped on top of me and indicated that he had intentions that were sexual in nature. And I remember just at first being like, hey, I'm not into this. Like, don't, I'm not in the mood. Like, don't, whatever. And it got to the point where I was like, okay, I feel like I've said this enough times.

51:37Like, he's not listening to me or he's not hearing me. And I looked at him and I remember this very specific look in his eyes and I could smell alcohol and I was like this is different he is heavily intoxicated like and that blank stare was kind of like a photographic memory that that I still have of that night and his

52:05that was me recognizing what the situation was and this wasn't just like oh hey somebody showed up and I'm going to tell him to go home like he was heavily intoxicated, had intentions with me, and wasn't listening when I said no, no. And you were saying no, don't, no, don't over and over and over. I remember, you know, obviously I've had to recall a lot of this. This is something that I tried for many years to forget. And so small details, you know, might get past me. But yes, I remember very specifically saying I'm not into this. In my message previously, I had told him I had had an old back injury.

52:44And I remember saying, like, I'm not in this. I've had a long day. My back hurts. Like, I was in that kind of mood, like the leave me alone mood. And there was a little bit of, like, scuffle, like altercation. The house that I live in has, like, this antique sewing kit that I kept beside the couch. And that got knocked over. He backed into it or something was maybe pushed into it by me or something happened in that moment and that thing got spilled. Do you remember pushing him away? I remember potentially pushing away with my legs. And then as he backed into it, it spilt. And all of the sewing needles and tape and yarn and everything went everywhere.

53:34Everything had fallen onto the floor. And in that moment, I evaluated my safety. Like, a drunk person who's blackout drunk is in my home, has these intentions with me, you know, has already caused this amount of destruction and not listening to me. And so I basically felt safe as just complying. You normally use protection. Yeah. And this time he didn't. And you didn't want that. No. And he didn't care? No, I don't think. My words were falling on deaf ears or drunk ears. And you were still saying, don't do this, or I'm not into this? I remember specifically him grabbing at my chest, and I hit his hand, and I said, don't touch me.

54:24And I remember that during the altercation, specifically. And then he kept going. Yeah, and it was this weird mix of like coming in and out of, I don't think consciousness is the word, but like coming to and kind of falling back into that drunken, I don't know what I'm doing state.

54:45And yeah, and he just, he would apologize in those moments and then go back to doing what he was doing. So he was aware that he was doing something wrong and saying sorry. I feel like he was in moments. Is there any way that he thought this was consensual or no? Just because... I don't believe that you can think that that scenario is consensual. You have to understand that that wasn't when somebody is repeatedly... I mean, when somebody in the middle of it says, don't touch me, like, that's obviously not consensual. Especially if he's apologizing on occasion. Yeah, yeah. and that next morning so after everything ended I ran to the bathroom which is just beside my bedroom and I was in there for a while and just trying to like comprehend things like were you crying were you I honestly don't I don't think I was crying I was like more in shock and and yeah just trying to understand like what had just happened especially like this is a person I have known and have trusted and have had very consensual relationships with like um you know all along until it wasn't and so that was a really hard thing to understand that this was a person I trusted and so I spent a little bit time in the bathroom and when I came back out he was asleep in my bed and at that point I didn't know what my options were like obviously I don't want this person in my house and when I you know earlier had realized how drunk he was I knew that he'd driven over that way like I'm surprised he made it to my house and if I woke him up and sent him home like I'm now making the decision to put somebody that drunk on the road and I didn't want to live with the fact that like if he got into an accident or hurt somebody else and I remember thinking that I could, I could tell him to leave and I could call the police immediately and I could at least get him caught for drunk driving.

56:57So I was like, I'm going to let him sleep. And the second he wakes up, I'm going to tell him to leave. And so he slept. I lay there in like a state of panic all night. And I remember turning on, I have like one of those noise machines that you sleep in and I turn it on ocean waves and I'm like, I'll just try to meditate. And it didn't work. Um, so in the morning he woke up and he went to go put his arm around me and I was like, whoa. And, and realizing this person doesn't know that what happened wasn't okay. And so I remember taking his arm and throwing it back at him. And I said, are you fucking serious, Graham?

57:35And he's like, what? And I'm like, do you not remember what happened last night? He's like, no. And I'm like, okay I need you to get dressed and leave and never talk to me again like nothing that happened was okay and he did he just got up and got dressed and left and didn't seem concerned he didn't ask he didn't he didn't ask me he didn't ask me a single question and I mean in the moment I was like not wanting to talk about it anyway so maybe I felt fine about that in the moment but like I was still like, how can somebody that you've been in a, you know, some type of a relationship with for this long tells you to never speak to you again about something that you did and you didn't even ask what you did.

58:27So he left. He didn't, um, he didn't talk to me and I waited a couple weeks because I knew that with what had happened, I could have gotten pregnant and I wanted to wait and to make sure that that wasn't the case. And so I waited until that happened, and I sent him kind of like a final send-off message. What did it say? I remember a few pieces of it, and I remember saying that nothing that happened that night was okay or consensual. And I waited on Instagram, you see when it says seen. And so I gave it a couple days. it said that it was seen and I still didn't hear back out and at that point I blocked him on everything I deleted his number I blocked and deleted his like text phone number as well because text and Instagram are I think the two ways that we had communication and I've I've never heard from him since we're going to have much more of our conversation with Jenny Rassikot in moments, including her explanation as to why she has decided to come forward now.

59:38We'll be right back.

59:44Welcome back to The Lead. I want to bring you the second part of my interview with Jenny Rassacot, who dated Maine's Democratic Senate nominee, Graham Plattner, for two years and told me earlier today that he raped her in 2021 during the course of their relationship. Plattner today categorically denied what he is calling false accusations of any non-consensual behavior. Here's part two of our interview with Jenny Rassikot in a warning. As before, it includes strong language and a graphic description of an alleged rape, which could be disturbing and triggering to any survivors of sexual assault and rape.

1:00:21He posted a comment on Reddit about a video promoting underwear designed to prevent rape. And he wrote, quote, Rape is a real thing. If you're so worried about it to buy Kevlar underwear, you'd think you might not get blacked out, fucked up around people you aren't comfortable with. Right. What did you think when you saw that? I thought, here's a man who was drunk and who, by dictionary definition, raped me. And he's blaming drunk women. so I just felt like that was a very odd take to have on that and I also feel like with all of the comments that he made about women sexual assault rape even you know the comments that he had made that was in the New York Times article about you know threatening people with rape like why does this person have this issue like scattered throughout their life throughout their commentary like it's on their mind why do they have such a strong opinion about women coming forward with allegations like I just feel like this isn't the first time I know that you have been very reluctant to tell this story very reluctant why did you ultimately decide to do it Why come forward?

1:01:46A few reasons. One of the biggest ones is that I think that there are a lot of men in this world relying on the silence of women and to be where they are. And I don't want to contribute to that. I also want to just get my life back. There are going to be people, maybe even his campaign, certainly his supporters, who say this is politically motivated. What would you say to that? I couldn't disagree more. That was actually one of the reasons that I didn't come out. Because you agree with his politics. I do. I really agree with his politics. I think we need somebody with those political stances and who are willing to do the work.

1:02:30And, you know, I see his political videos. They get me fired up as well. I understand why people want someone like him in office. and I felt like me coming forward would essentially potentially take that away and I felt really uncomfortable with the responsibility and the weight of my story and what that might do. When people hear this from you, are you saying you should not vote for him because of what happened? I'm not going to go as far as to say that. I'm just here to tell my story, to give a clearer picture of who he is and the type of past that he has. And I just think it's fair to the democratic process to let people know who they're voting for.

1:03:23This has obviously been very difficult for you to talk about for five years. And even when you're telling the story, you don't use the word. Yeah. So let me just be, and I apologize, let me be as direct as I can. Did Graham Plattner rape you? By definition, yes. Absolutely. Because he had non-consensual sex with you. Yeah. Forced himself on you. Mm-hmm. after you had told him no and fought him off. Yeah. He violated multiple layers of consent that night by coming into my home when I asked him not to and by advancing on me when I told him not to and furthermore, another incident that I had told him not to do.

1:04:21With protection. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. By the way that my nervous system reacted to this experience, absolutely. There are going to be Democrats who say, I believe you, but I don't care. Yeah. I'm going to vote for him anyway because we need a progressive voice in the United States Senate. Are you going to be okay with that? Are you going to be able to handle that? I'm not saying it's the right answer or the right response. No, I have friends who feel that way. And that's been a hard pill to swallow. And I guess I need to not ask potentially. Maybe I need to not ask in order to not care what they do.

1:05:04I understand. I understand that the state of our political environment is so much so that we need a lot of change. And he's offering that change. And, you know, I'm not mad at anyone who has voted for him all along. if he wasn't who he was, I would be voting for him as well. And going forward, I don't know what's going to happen. There's something you said that I just want to find out more about. You said he was forcing himself on you. It was getting violent. You were pushing him off. You were kicking him off. Needles and sewing equipment was falling all over. and walk us through the process where you decided that the safest thing you could do was just let him rape you.

1:06:03Yeah. I had never been in that situation before. And I realized, I remember it being an instant where I had recognized that he wasn't listening to me. It wasn't just that he wasn't hearing me or whatnot. And then I recognized his level of intoxication, and I knew in that moment I wasn't safe. And I don't think I was safe to physically fight back. He's big. He's strong. And I just had to evaluate my safety and come up with the least worst outcome to this situation. And so I felt like complying for my safety was the least worst option. But that's not consenting. No, complying is not consenting. Complying is letting him rape you.

1:06:58Is getting it over with. So that he didn't hurt you even more? I don't know what this person is capable of. I don't think anybody does. Even people you know for years and trust, you don't know the depths of what they're capable of. You were afraid for your safety. Yeah, I was afraid for my safety. Beyond. Not that rape isn't a horrific thing, but beyond. Right. Right. I didn't want to find out how unsafe I could get that night or how harmed I could be that night. I know this is probably one of the toughest things you've had to do in your life, so I just want to thank you for trusting us and sitting down with us.

1:07:38Yeah, thank you. I appreciate you guys being here to do this and to help share these stories very kindly and delicately. Again, Graham Plattner categorically denies any allegations of sexual assault. His campaign says, quote, these allegations are very serious and Graham vigorously denies them. They are also coached and coordinated by out-of-state establishment operatives. for a year opponents of this campaign have thrown everything they can at Graham calling him a Nazi, a war criminal, and a communist. None of it has been true and this is no different. It is not a coincidence that this story comes a week before the ballot deadline just as the previous false allegations came a week before the primary.

1:08:21Graham began this campaign to fight for a Maine where everyone is treated with dignity and where Mainers are put first and no amount of desperate smears will stop this movement from seeing that vision through, unquote. Of course, you at home can ascertain Jenny Rossicott's credibility for yourself. And let me also just say, if you or anyone you know has experienced sexual assault or rape, you are not alone, and there is free confidential support available to you 24-7 through the National Sexual Assault Hotline, 1-800-656-4673, 1-800-656-4673, or online at rain.org, that's R-A-I-N-N, two Ns, dot org, there is someone there for you to help you through your pain.

1:09:08Amid these new allegations, Plattner says his campaign is, quote, taking the time to reflect on the best path forward. Already, some members of Congress are rescinding their endorsements of Grant Plattner. We're going to have much more on this breaking news next.

1:09:32I'm back with the breaking news, and there is reaction to the revelations from Jenny Rassicott. As you just heard her in our interview, Democrats already reacting to what she said Graham Plattner did to her in 2021 when they were dating. He showed up at her house uninvited, intoxicated, and according to her, raped her. Plattner categorically denied what he's calling false allegations of any non-consensual behavior in a video that he posted on social media today. Here's an excerpt of that. Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins.

1:10:21Those were the goals when we launched this campaign. And they remain my goals today. Our panel is here in studio. We have Julie Roginski and Alyssa Faragriffin. And in D.C., we have Lulu Garcia Navarro. So let me start with the fact that reacting to Jenny Rascott's interview today, two prominent Democrats have withdrawn their endorsements of Plattner, Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego and California Congressman Ro Khanna. both of the major backers of Plattner. And the main Democratic Party leadership is now calling for Plattner to withdraw, saying they, quote, stand with women and survivors and that principle does not bend based on party affiliation.

1:11:02Julie, obviously, this isn't the first scandal he's weathered. There is the Totengoff tattoo, which, by the way, we didn't include it in the interview because it was a big interview and she said a lot of important stuff. But she said she saw it, but she didn't know what it was. To her, it was just a skull and crossbones, if anybody was wondering. But he's had other scandals. What is it about this that makes it different, do you think, for people like Gallego and the main Democratic Party to be saying he should leave? That's a great question. I don't know, because it shouldn't be anything different.

1:11:33We are a party that claims to believe women. We are a party that claims to be the party of Me Too. And all of a sudden, what it means to be a Democrat these days, apparently, is a noun of verb. And AIPAC sucks, right? That's all it takes to get some people to fall behind somebody like the grand platner. These are not new allegations. Multiple women had come forward previously. I don't know why they weren't believed. And for Ro Khanna, who I think has done the Lord's work on the Epstein files, why he believes those women, but for some reason did not believe enough the previous women to withdraw his endorsement way before today, is puzzling to me.

1:12:05It doesn't make any sense to me as to why a man who went on blogs and criticized black people, criticized women, had a problematic tattoo that he claims either he did not know was a Nazi symbol or is lying that he didn't know was a Nazi symbol. Why, none of that was enough to withdraw their endorsement. So look, I look at these people today and now all of a sudden, you know, this is the straw that broke the camel's back. But why is this the straw that broke the camel's back? Why is it that when a Republican came forward with allegations that were similar, all of a sudden, well, she's a Republican, we don't believe her.

1:12:37Since when does anybody ask for your voter registration before they harass you. They don't. And so I'm glad that it looks like he's going to be out. I'm glad that he's not going to be the Democratic standard bearer, but I implore my party to do better than just to get on board with somebody who throws APAC, APAC, APAC as a talking point. And that apparently is enough to excuse every other problem that he's ever had in his life. And that's not just Grant Platt and it's a lot of other candidates do. To be clear, he has not withdrawn. Not yet. And, you know, it does just, you know, two endorsees withdrawing their support in the main Democratic Party saying no doesn't mean he will.

1:13:12But I understand where you're coming from. You're reading the tea leaves. What was your reaction to the interview, Alyssa? I thought that it was credible. It was heartbreaking to listen to. It's devastating to listen to a woman recount that. But I really appreciate you mentioning Lindsey Feifield, who also came forward to the New York Times and talked about different allegations, but allegations of what I would consider emotional abuse and physical abuse that she endured from Graham Plattner. He denied those allegations, but her claims were ignored by many prominent Democrats. Why? Because she's a Republican operative.

1:13:44I've known her for nearly 20 years. I believe her claims, those were credible. This woman, this is even more devastating, and regardless of how she voted, those are credible, but it should have been enough when he insulted Purple Heart recipients, when he made homophobic slurs, that he had a Nazi tattoo. When it becomes winning at all costs, and I've seen this in my own party, I call it out when it's Republicans too, you end up elevating some of the worst people. This should be a moment of reflection. And by the way, I do think he will drop out because there's a narrow window that Democrats can replace him with somebody who doesn't have all of this baggage.

1:14:15There's about a week that they can act and do that. And I think that's very much the direction the party should go. Lulu, in Plattner's campaign statement, it reads in part, quote, these allegations are very serious and Graham vigorously denies them. They were also coached and coordinated by out of state establishment operatives. Now, that's not accurate, but there is a group that Jenny Rascott describes as helping her. It's a group called Reckoning America. It's launched by a Democratic lawyer named Cheyenne Hunt, who we've had on the show before. She helped coordinate survivors who alleged various horrific acts by former Congressman Eric Swalwell over sexual abuse allegations.

1:14:59And what Jenny Rassacott says is that Cheyenne Hint reached out to her and to provide her help, to provide her with resources and counseling and that sort of thing. But she did reach out. What do you make of Graham Plattner's campaign basically attacking this group trying to help survivors of sexual abuse? It sounds like the desperate gasp of a dying campaign. I mean, this is not the first allegation. This is not the second allegation. This is a series now of allegations that are credible, that have been well reported in the mainstream media with reporters who have investigated them, who have corroborated the information.

1:15:42And now this woman is coming out publicly to you and to others to tell her story. And so at this point, I do not see a path forward for Graham Plattner and his campaign. And, you know, the question here is, what did they know and when did they know it? Because the campaign has seen these allegations scrolling for quite some time. I interviewed Graham Plattner before all of these allegations came out. I asked him point blank if anything else was coming his way and he denied it. But this clearly is not news to them that this was coming. You know, Alyssa, one of the other things I asked Jenny that didn't make this cut, because we were, you know, we taped it and we came here and it was trying to make the slot, trying to make air.

1:16:27But one of the things that I did ask her about is like, would things have been different if at any point Graham Plattner had come to you and taken any ownership of what happened? You heard her describe how the next morning she said, you know, you don't remember what you did last night and he didn't, according to her, he didn't ask her what it was. He just left. And then she texted him a few weeks later after she realized she wasn't pregnant with his child, given what happened in the alleged rape. And again, said a similar thing and he didn't ask her what happened. She was in the New York Times about a month ago.

1:17:06A vague description of a horrible night. Didn't go into detail, but a vague description of a horrible night after which they never talked again. And he could have reached out after that. And she said basically that she didn't know. She had thought about that too, but she didn't know. But one of the things that strikes me after talking to her is that the act was horrific and then the lack of accountability was also horrific. That stood out to me as well. Listen, this is an issue of character. There has been an effort by his campaign to try to pin this on his PTSD. I've worked with veterans who have PTSD.

1:17:44That does not excuse, nor would they hide behind excusing it to commit what are actually crimes. These allegations, it's a crime what she is accusing him of. And to hide behind that, I think, is incredibly wrong. I also want to underscore that rape and sexual assault are some of the most underreported crimes because victims come forward and they know that they're often not going to be believed. And so is domestic violence. And I think the fact that in that New York Times piece, which was carefully reported, I have some issues with how it was covered, that Lindsey Feifeld came forward with what she said there.

1:18:15And there were so many who were so quick to discredit what she said purely because of political reasons. I hope that that is not done now to this woman who put herself out there and is going to have to, for the rest of her life, have this story follow her, that people will believe her. And we will actually stand by it when we say we believe all women. It won't be partisan. It won't be based on how you vote in the voting booth. Yeah, and people can listen to her story and decide whether or not they want to believe it. I personally found her story very compelling and very credible. And I know from having been trying to get her to talk to me, even just, you know, on background or for a CNN.com digital piece, she's been very reluctant to do this, very reluctant to do this.

1:18:59And talk about that, if you would, Julie, just like how difficult it is for people to do this. I came forward against the former chairman and CEO of Fox News, Roger Ailes, about being sexually harassed by him, allegedly, I have to say that, about almost a decade ago. And I will tell you, it is incredibly difficult. Nobody does this for fun. This is an incredibly, especially when something is as high profile and the perpetrator, alleged perpetrator, is as high profile as Brian Plattner is, as high profile as Roger Ailes was. this is no fun and you don't do this unless you really feel compelled to do it and I am a Democrat when I came forward I heard a lot of the same thing that Lindsay Fiefeld heard which is oh she's a Democrat she's doing this to bring down you know this Republican right-leaning organization no no you do it because it's the last alternative that you have most people do everything possible not to come forward I now run a non-profit called Lift Our Voices that deals with these kinds of issues all the time.

1:19:57I have spoken to probably over a thousand women in the last decade. And let me tell you something. They don't ever talk to anybody about this because they're worried they're not going to be believed. They have documentation, they have recordings, and they still don't come forward because they're worried they're not going to be believed. So I implore my party, the party that is making a very big deal about Jeffrey Epstein right now, please believe women, irrespective of whether the person they're bringing down is your political hero, irrespective of whether you agree with him on Gaza or you agree with him on billionaires or you agree with him on marginal tax rates or universal health care.

1:20:30If you're Bernie Sanders, if you're Ro Khanna, surely whatever you saw in somebody like Graham Plattner could not be more important than the survivors who told you time and again what was happening. This is not new. This is the part that enrages me. This is the part that disappoints me. What happened today was the last straw, but it shouldn't have been the last straw. This is years of documented misbehavior, and yet because he wasn't a Chuck Schumer acolyte, because he wasn't somebody who AIPAC supported, all of a sudden this is somebody that had to get behind. You can't find somebody else in the entire state of Maine who's not a Chuck Schumer acolyte or somebody that AIPAC supports.

1:21:02It had to be this very flawed candidate. Why? And look, in this rush to turn the page on the current establishment in the Democratic Party, they're not doing the vetting they need to do and they're not taking seriously allegations that women are coming forward with, people of color are coming forward with, and so on and so forth. It's not just in Maine. It's here in New York City and other places as well. And Lulu, I can't help but think about Congressman Jake Ackenschloss from Massachusetts refused to endorse Plattner from the state just to his north. And he got a lot of heat from Democrats, a lot of heat from Democrats for that.

1:21:44There is definitely when it comes to partisan politics, and certainly the Republican Party is guilty of this as well. And we've been covering that for 10 years now. But he must not feel good today, but he must feel at least a bit like he doesn't have to rescind any endorsements today. No, he doesn't. And I think to the broader point of where does this leave the Democratic Party, I think it leaves them in a very, very difficult position. They have a week to determine who else might run for this race if indeed Graham Plattner drops out of this race, as seems likely from his own statement. And beyond that, I do think that there is some soul searching that needs to happen about exactly what kind of candidates the party is putting forward while it looks to retake political power.

1:22:30So, you know, this is a very, very serious and very important moment where I think a lot of people are going to be doing some soul searching. All right. Thanks to our panel. Not an easy conversation, but an important one. Tonight the sports lead meets the politics lead when the U.S. takes on Belgium in the World Cup. But there is a big twist involving who's going to take the field and it could have a bit to do with President Donald Trump. We break down the controversy next.

1:23:02I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul. We're going to have a full team and Belgium's going to have a full team. And you know what? If they beat us, then they can be really proud. The other way, if they beat us, we'll say it was I say it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020. But I will. In our sports lead, Donald Trump's own goal, his red card phone call with the head of FIFA looms over tonight's knockout match between Team USA and Belgium. FIFA is under intense scrutiny now after suddenly reversing its one-game suspension for USA's top scorer, Faux Balogon.

1:23:42He's officially back in the starting lineup. FIFA denied Belgium's appeal just hours before kickoff, arguing Belgium has no standing. It didn't participate in the game between the U.S. and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Seen as Elena Treen's at the White House for us now. And Elena, what else did Trump reveal in his phone call with the president of FIFA? Do you sense that he has any understanding that he's just cast a pall over the entire Team USA? It doesn't appear so. I mean, not only, Jake, did he confirm this morning that he had called Infantino and asked him to review that red card decision. He went on to call it horrible and unfair and also questioned the integrity of the referee.

1:24:19I want you to listen to what he said. I can't tell him what to do, but and I don't believe he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision. And they made the right decision because, number one, it wasn't a foul. And I think the referee's call was horrible. And nobody talks about that. They talk about the red card like it's fine. This referee who is a little bit suspect if you check his past. So really not parsing words there or trying to hide any sort of opinion, Jake. And I will say, in the conversations I've been having with people here at the White House today, It doesn't seem like the president believed that calling Infantino, his good friend, for many years now, crossed his mind as being anything out of the ordinary or unethical.

1:25:07And I do think that's part of what's garnering so much of this controversy. It's not just that he picked up the phone and called Infantino, but it's about the close relationship they've developed over recent years, the president inviting him to a series of events. He's been in the Oval Office with Trump many times. I actually was in the Oval Office once when Infantino and Trump were heaping praise on one another with the FIFA World Cup trophy sitting on the resolute desk. So that's adding to a lot of these concerns here. Now, the president has continued to argue that he did not ask Infantino to intervene on behalf of the U.S., that he didn't tell him what to do, other than that he should review it.

1:25:42But even if the president making that call was not a decisive part of FIFA's ultimate decision to allow Balgalin to play, it does really risk perceptions of this not being ethical on the global stage and, of course, leading to a lot of angst among a lot of fans, including those in Europe, about tonight. All right, Elena Trina at the White House, thank you so much. And this just breaking news just in a statement from Senate Majority Leader, I'm sorry, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York saying, quote, the allegations reported today about Graham Plattner are incredibly disturbing.

1:26:23Violence, abuse, and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable. Graham Plattner needs to immediately withdraw as a Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins. The DSCC, again, that's the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Plattner remains on the ballot. Turning to our law and justice lead, a fight over free speech is heading to federal court after a New York man, David Strever, says he was targeted by federal immigration officers over an email he sent criticizing the head of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

1:26:55According to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by CNN, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, is suing the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. The lawsuit alleges that agents crossed a constitutional line by appearing at Strever's home months after he sent a sharply worded email calling a top ICE official a, quote, monstrous human being, unquote, following the death of Alex Preddy. In a statement to CNN, a DHS spokesperson said, quote, any allegation DHS and its components are attempting to squash free speech is a categorically false. ICE investigates all credible threats towards its employees and officers, including threats to the ICE director, unquote.

1:27:31That's from DHS, which, of course, has never said anything that proved later to be false. Joining me now is an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Adam Steinbaugh. Adam, what happened when ICE showed up at Strieber's home? Well, he wasn't there. His wife was, and the agents approached her and said they were looking for her husband because he, quote unquote, may or may not have made a threat to the ICE director. And she's an Episcopal priest, and she said, that doesn't sound like the David I know. And they handed her a form that says warning notice at the top, and it alleges that his speech may be in violation of federal law against threats to federal officials.

1:28:11And it essentially tells him that he needs to discontinue his quote-unquote criminal activities, or they would take his receipt of this notice into further consideration. Well, agents didn't wait for him to come home because he was on a trip to Europe with his seven-year-old daughter at the time. And the agents that Thursday night somehow, and he's not sure how, but they managed to track him down to a hotel where he was staying in New York City en route back to Rochester. So they repeatedly tried to confront him. They've left a warning notice with his wife. They've confronted his wife about his speech.

1:28:46And they've put out statements since then, including today, alleging that they are continuing a five-month investigation into a three-paragraph email. So I read the email, and it's certainly not nice. What are they alleging the threat was? I didn't see any threat at all. I've tried looking at it every which way, and no matter what way the sun shines off it, I can't get it to figure out what the threat is here. He's telling a federal official, look, your conscience is going to bother you in the future. You should start paying attention to it now. You should back down from defending this shooting in Minneapolis.

1:29:25He was referring to the shooting of Alex Prady. And this is very clearly protected speech in the tradition of American politics. The director of ICE got pretty much the same reception from members of Congress when he appeared before a House committee not long after that. A member of Congress asked him if he thought he was going to hell. That's not far off from what David said. How do you respond to the claim from DHS that they investigate all credible threats against its officers and that's all this was? Well, I mean, if they were really investigating a threat, you'd think that they'd do it sooner than five months after he sent this email.

1:30:05That suggests that they're not investigating a threat at all. And when the agent showed up to talk to his wife, they said, he may or may not have sent a threat. So if they were skeptical about this being a threat, why isn't anyone else? The other thing that's so weird is, I mean, I guess it's no longer any strange, and it's no longer strange, but I mean, President Trump did campaign saying that he would be an advocate for free speech. He said it in his first address to Congress. And J.D. Vance has made a very big point of talking to European countries and very rightly pointing out that they are backsliding on free speech by sending similar letters to citizens there, warning their citizens that your speech may be against the law.

1:30:49I don't think we want that happening here. Adam Steinbaugh with FIRE, Thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Aaron Burnett out front starts now.

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