'This Week' Transcript 6-7-26: Sen. Mark Warner & Rep. Michael McCaul
This is a rush transcript of "This Week" airing Sunday, June 7.
A rush transcript of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" airing on Sunday, June 7, 2026 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors. For previous show transcripts, visit the "This Week" transcript archive.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC “THIS WEEK” CO-ANCHOR: Will a Maine Senate primary derail Democrats’ hope to take back the Senate? “THIS WEEK” starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RADDATZ: Democrat division.
NANCY JACOBSEN, MAINE VOTER: His political mission is sincere, and that’s what I’m voting for.
STATE REP. HOLLY EATON, (D) MAINE: I will never vote for Graham Platner.
RADDATZ: More controversy for Graham Platner, just days ahead of the primary.
GRAHAM PLATNER, (D) MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: As every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up, litigated, and weaponized, you have my back.
RADDATZ: This morning, we’re on the ground in Maine.
REP. RO KHANNA, (D) CALIFORNIA: He accepted accountability, but I believe in redemption.
RADDATZ: As Democrats now forced to answer uncomfortable questions. The powerhouse roundtable on how Platner and Democrats are responding, and a look at the Senate map and the impact this race could have this November.
Contentious appointment.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Bill Pulte is very good. He’s very talented.
RADDATZ: Backlash over Trump’s pick for acting Director of National Intelligence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This guy is unqualified. He should never have been nominated.
RADDATZ: As Trump considers gutting the agency. We speak with top intelligence Democrat Senator Mark Warner about his concerns.
And 100 days into the Iran War. Republican rebuke.
TRUMP: We’re at a point, we’re going to come out of Iran very quickly.
RADDATZ: And Ukraine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are we going to stand with good, or are we going to stand with evil? That’s what this is about tonight.
RADDATZ: Congressman Michael McCaul on what’s next for both wars. And our Ian Pannell, with rare reporting from inside of Russia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: From ABC News, it’s “THIS WEEK.” Here now, Martha Raddatz.
RADDATZ: Good morning and welcome to “THIS WEEK” where all eyes are on a Senate seat in Maine that ultimately could decide which party controls Congress after the midterms. Democrats, for months, have been bullish on flipping the seat Susan Collins has held for nearly thirty years with oyster farmer and veteran Graham Platner. But now a slew of late controversies is fueling major concern for Maine voters and Democrats here in Washington.
Late this week, “The New York Times” published new allegations about Platner’s treatment of former girlfriends and new claims about a tattoo Platner got nearly two decades ago. This morning, some Democrats are full speed ahead, campaigning with and fundraising for Platner. Others have been critical.
The race for Susan Collins’ seat sparking a new reckoning about how Democrats deal with scandal. Our Selina Wang traveled across Maine to get a sense of how voters are responding just days ahead of the primary.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELINA WANG, ABC NEWS SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An eleventh hour drama.
GRAHAM PLATNER, (D) MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE: The state of Maine raised me, and the state of Maine saved me.
WANG (voice over): In the primary critical to Democrats’ chances of retaking the Senate --
PLATNER: As every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up, litigated, and weaponized, you have my back.
WANG (voice over): Oyster farmer and combat veteran Graham Platner facing serious questions in the closing days of the primary campaign.
JANET MARSTEIN, MAINE VOTER: He has too many secrets, and we don’t even know the depth of them.
WANG (voice over): Allegations published in “The New York Times” about Platner’s treatment of his former girlfriends have rocked the race.
NANCY JACOBSEN, MAINE VOTER: These interviews with these women shake me a little bit.
WANG (voice over): We crisscrossed the state in the closing days.
WANG: Who do you plan to support?
CHRISTOPHER MEJO, MAINE VOTER: Platner.
WANG: Platner.
MEJO: Yes. Easy choice.
I’m not looking to be his friend. I’m looking for somebody who will represent my interests.
WANG (voice over): Hearing from voters.
WANG: Susan Collins versus Graham Platner. What do you think?
RAY DAVIS, MAINE VOTER: Oh, Susan Collins has got it down -- got it down pat.
WANG (voice over): Democrats, like progressive Congressman Ro Khanna, still staunchly supporting Graham Platner.
REP. RO KHANNA, (D) CALIFORNIA: The Democratic Party needs to unify behind Platner, who is going to be our nominee, and we’ve got to win this seat.
WANG: So, you’re asking the people of Maine to essentially look past the personal issues and focus on policy and look past them?
KHANNA: No. I think that they should look at those issues. And I fundamentally believe that we should not be in any way making excuses for what happened.
WANG (voice over): “The New York Times” reporting several ex-girlfriends describe unsettling behavior, one alleging Platner grabbed her hard enough to leave marks and, during one argument, twisted her arm behind her back and blocked her in a room.
PLATNER: There are some allegations in this piece that I just want to be kind of unequivocalabout and simply not true. Anything alleging physicality, anything alleging that I knew what my tattoo was, these are the statements of someone who is politically motivated.
WANG: And you’ve said that the allegations in the recent “New York Times” article were, quote, “wrong and toxic.” But you’re still saying that voters should look past that about Platner?
KHANNA: Well, I said that what he did was toxic and wrong. I talked to him about it. He agrees that it was misogynistic. He says it was a dark period of his life. He’s a veteran. He went to two tours of duty in Iraq. And he came back with a lot of trouble.
Now, I’m not saying that excuses what he did. He accepted accountability. But I believe in redemption.
WANG (voice over): “The Wall Street Journal” also reporting his wife, Amy, flagged to the campaign that Platner had sent sexually explicit text messages to other women shortly after they married in 2023.
AMY GERTNER, GRAHAM PLATNER'S WIFE: No, marriage is perfect, and I -- I don’t want a perfect marriage. I want my marriage.
WANG (voice over): Platner also facing renewed questions about a since covered tattoo on his chest, a skull and crossbones appearing to resemble a Nazi symbol. Platner denies knowing the connection when he got it 18 years ago, and says he was only made aware in October.
PLATNER: I think that racism and anti-Semitism are a long scourge on our society and a long scourge on our politics, and I think it has no place in our world. For that reason, I have gone and gotten it covered up.
WANG (voice over): Platner has spoken openly about his time in combat, his PTSD diagnosis and past behavior he says he’s not proud of, including controversial online posts.
PLATNER: I was absolutely self-medicating and drinking heavily. Really not wanting to engage with, like, feelings and emotions.
I was really, really isolated and alone. Very angry. And a lot of the worst comments definitely come from the years where I was in my, like, at my absolute worst.
WANG (voice over): To some Maine voters, Platner’s controversies are irrelevant.
TYLER STODDARD, MAINE VOTER: I think that we’re really zooming in on a lot of personal matters in Graham Platner’s life that doesn’t actually affect his policies.
WANG (voice over): Others, like Bangor resident Nancy Jacobsen, are troubled, but see no better option.
WANG: So, you’re still willing to look past even the latest allegations?
NANCY JACOBSEN, MAINE VOTER: Well, yes. What else are we going to do at this stage in the game? But I feel like his political mission is sincere, and that’s what I’m voting for.
WANG (voice over): About an hour away in Bar Harbor, nearby to where Platner grew up, Congressman Ro Khanna and a packed room of supporters are ready to send him to Congress.
KHANNA: The Democratic Party, from Schumer to Sanders, is united with a single goal. We will defeat Susan Collins in November.
WANG (voice over): This is more than just a test for Platner, but for Democrats who have long talked about listening to accusers.
SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN, (D) MICHIGAN: I look forward to the day where I am not answering every single week a question about bad behavior by another dude.
REP. MADELINE DEAN, (D) PENNSYLVANIA: I’m not a voter in Maine, but he has disqualified himself in my eyes.
WANG (voice over): Voters in Maine do have a choice. Governor Janet Mills has reminded supporters that while she suspended her campaign in April, she still remains on the ballot. Some are still planning to vote for her, but come November they’ll likely face a different choice.
WANG: If it is between Collins and Platner, who will you support?
STATE REP. ALLISON HEPLER, (D) MAINE: I told somebody this morning that I couldn’t imagine not supporting whoever the Democratic candidate is, and assuming that it’s Platner.
STATE REP. HOLLY EATON, (D) MAINE: I mean, I think that that is a situation that is still six months away.
HELPER: Yes.
EATON: And there’s a lot that can happen between now and November. And so, I would be, honestly, I’ll tell you, I will never vote for Graham Platner.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RADDATZ: It is the race to watch. Our thanks to Selina.
Let’s get straight to Rick Klein.
Rick, this Senate race is so critical for Democrats.
RICK KLEIN, ABC NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Martha, Maine is pretty much a must win for Democrats if they’re going to have any chance at all of taking the Senate. These are the most competitive seats on the ballot in November. It is an absolutely brutal map for Democrats. They have to not only hold on to the seats that they already hold, a sure thing, also pick up four additional seats that are now held by Republicans.
On paper at least, Maine should be the surest bet. Kamala Harris carried it by nearly seven points in 2024. But if you take that away, Democrats have to win battleground North Carolina, plus states like Ohio, Iowa, Texas, Alaska. Those are all states that Trump carried by double digits.
RADDATZ: And, Rick, as we move through these primaries, Democrats are nominating very different candidates state to state.
KLEIN: Yes, we’re seeing two different categories emerging, Martha. And Democrats,frankly, need both types to win.
You've got your familiar faces in places like Alaska and Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio. You have people that have won statewide before. They are known quantities -- people like former Senator Sherrod Brown, former Governor Roy Cooper in North Carolina.
Then you have this crop of younger Democrats who are looking for big jumps to the Senate. Candidates like James Talarico -- of course, he's a former teacher and a Presbyterian seminarian, just turned 37 years old. He's the Democratic nominee in Texas.
In Michigan, the primary is still two months away, but there's a three-way race that has a mixture of upstart and more establishment options.
And that all brings us back to Maine. The progressive outsider, Graham Platner, essentially forced Janet Mills to suspend her candidacy. But as those controversies have grown around Platner, Mills herself has reminded people she's actually still on the ballot on Tuesday. And Martha, she's being talked about as a potential backup candidate should Platner decide to drop out.
RADDATZ: Our thanks to Rick Klein.
I'm joined now in studio by Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee.
It's good to see you this morning, Senator.
SEN. MARK WARNER, (D) VIRGINIA & INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE VICE CHAIR: Thank you, Martha.
RADDATZ: You've heard the allegations against Graham Platner. It's hard to imagine the Democrats could win back control of the Senate without Maine. What's your reaction?
WARNER: Well, first of all, if the allegations are true, they are disturbing. End of the day, though, Maine voters are going to decide this.
I’ve -- I've got my own election this year. I'm trying to get rehired in Virginia. So I'm trying to make the case to people in Virginia why they ought to rehire me. And that's what I'm focused on.
RADDATZ: Platner has blamed the media, denied the most serious allegations of physical intimidation, and said his past is being politically weaponized.
He is a combat veteran. He did say he has suffered from PTSD. But is this the way to handle this, do you think?
WARNER: Listen, I think the whole -- this whole realm changed dramatically when Donald Trump ran his first time and was caught on tape saying extraordinarily disparaging things. That seemed not to stop Trump getting elected. And I do think at the end of the day, you know, American voters will make those decisions.
And I don't know Mr. Platner. I've never met him. I would just say this. The allegations are made. I think he ought to have at least some attempt to sort of prove whether they are -- disprove them if that's the case.
RADDATZ: Well, he has said that the most serious aren't something he did, but there are others out there, women saying it was a toxic relationship.
You've heard those allegations. Are those serious enough? If the other part is not true, are those serious enough to disqualify him?
WARNER: That'll be up to the folks in Maine.
RADDATZ: But how do you look at it?
WARNER: I look at it from the standpoint that I wish all candidates in both parties maybe held themselves to a different standard, but that's in a world where it seems like focus on flaws, flaws real or not, focus on this type of activity, although clearly if true inappropriate, it's going to be up to the voters. I mean, isn't that at the end of the day?
I know I'm making my case to my folks in Virginia why I get rehired. That's one of my focuses this year.
RADDATZ: When you say held to a different standard, both parties, what standard are you talking about? What standard should they be held to?
WARNER: Well -- again, anything, even allegations back in the late '90s of this kind of activity would end up probably gaining more traction. But again, I think President Trump set a new standard, whether that's low standard is what we ought to proceed with. I think it's going to be again in the hands of the voters.
RADDATZ: Let me turn to the Democrats in general. You've been critical of President Trump and Republicans. President Trump's poll numbers are now hitting record lows.
But take a look at this New York Times-Siena College poll. Only 55 percent of Democrats are satisfied with the party right now. And among independents, it's only 31 percent.
Why do you think the Democratic Party is so unpopular? And what do you think should happen to change it?
WARNER: Well, I think people are over Donald Trump at this point. He's taken us into a war of choice. We've got high gas prices. He seems erratic beyond belief.
There's not a day that goes by that we don't go, “Oh my gosh! I still got surprised.” It happened with me earlier this week with his nomination or putting in Bill Pulte as director of national intelligence.
I think the Democrats have not -- you know, need to articulate a fuller strategy, not just against Trump. I want the Democratic Party to be pro-growth, pro-innovation, and actually about getting stuff done. I think Democrats at times have been -- we have been too bureaucratic.
But Donald Trump drives the agenda and I think that's -- come this fall, that is going to bewhat will be the ultimate decision. Are you better off today than you were when Donald Trump came back in? Is your -- has inflation gone up? Are we more secure as a nation? Are we being governed in a way that inspires American values?
RADDATZ: So, running against Trump in a way?
WARNER: I think running against Trump, but I go back. I can remember, Martha, Barack Obama's first campaign, and I can remember Bill Clinton's first campaign. Every time Democrats are looking for that three-word slogan, I can't remember many cycles, 2006, when the Democrats won huge. But I don't remember other than frustration with President Bush and the Iraq War at that point what the other message was.
I do think -- and one of the areas I'm spending a lot of time in, artificial intelligence, is going to transform our world beyond what we can imagine. And there's positive, but there's also a deep underbelly here of national security risks, personal risks, job risks that we have to deal with. I'd love Democrats to lead on that.
RADDATZ: Let's talk about Bill Pulte. You brought that up. The current director of the Federal Housing Agency, he has -- President Trump has now picked him as acting director of the DNI.
You've been very critical, and so have Republicans.
WARNER: This is beyond outrageous. This guy has no national security experience. You remember when the law was set up, the Director of National Intelligence overseeing 18 agencies was supposed to have national security experience. This guy's got none. Matter of fact, I don't believe he has a security clearance.
What he has shown is a complete loyalty to do whatever Donald Trump wants, compromising private information about mortgages. That means he should get promoted to have the keys to the 18 intelligence agencies with our most classified information. And with an attempt by President Trump to interfere in the elections, my fear is this guy would completely go along with that.
And it's not just me. Look at the Republican pushback as well.
RADDATZ: The -- President Trump says the appointment is temporary, but told “The Wall Street Journal” that he wants Pulte to start the process of firing people who shouldn't be there.
What do you think he means by that? And that has got to be one of your concerns.
WARNER: Well, yes. Tulsi Gabbard at least had national security experience. She was the former DNI. She fired people that were long-term intelligence professionals, but had some constraints put --
RADDATZ: Is he trying to gut the agency?
WARNER: I fear that. I fear that he'd be trying to gut the intelligence community, or so intimidate them that they don't tell the truth. If we don't have intelligence professionals that speak truth to power, America ends up less safe and less secure.
RADDATZ: So, you fear that they would get rid of people who don't sing Donald Trump’s praises?
WARNER: If they don’t -- if they don't play the party line. You know, we got into the war in Iraq when we cooked the books on intelligence. We're already in a war of choice with Iran. What will he try to cook the books there?
And more importantly, we've seen this president say he wants to federalize or have Republicans take over elections. The idea that the Director of National Intelligence could come up with a fake piece of intelligence and then use that for an excuse to bring troops into the polls, I would never have believed I'd be saying that in 2026. But that's what I'm afraid of. That's what Democrats, and candidly, a lot of Republicans are afraid of as well.
RADDATZ: We just have about a minute here, but FISA, which is a critical government foreign surveillance authority, is set to expire next Friday. Last Friday, almost every Democrat voted against beginning debate to extend it after the president made his announcement of Pulte. So --
WARNER: And seven Republicans voted against it as well.
RADDATZ: Yes. So, if he does not change his mind, will Democrats -- will you deny the extension?
WARNER: I didn't -- I know how important this tool is. Why the president would throw this almost live hand grenade of Bill Pulte in 10 days before this is due to expire, I'm not sure Donald Trump wants this to expire. We were on the path, been working well with Tom Cotton, my chairman, to have a compromise bill come forward.
But the idea that you're going to have Democrats and I think responsible Republicans say, we want to turn a controversial program that 702 already is over to a guy with no national security experience, that's a rough row to hoe.
RADDATZ: OK. Thanks very much for joining us this morning, Senator.
WARNER: Thank you, Martha.
RADDATZ: Good to see you.
Up next, as Ukraine takes the fight to Russia, our next guest calls his vote this week for more aid to Ukraine a moral conscience issue. We'll have a report from Ian Pannell in Moscow, and I'll speak with Congressman Michael McCaul when we come back.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Sadly today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain and Italy and Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RADDATZ: That was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaking in Normandy, marking the commemoration of D-Day, making those unexpected comments about immigration in Europe.
That continent is now four and a half years into Russia's war on Ukraine. It may seem like nothing has changed, but in fact, it's gotten worse, with the two sides trading escalating attacks this week in one of the deadliest weeks since the war began.
ABC's Ian Pannell traveled to Russia, which launched the invasion in 2022, where he has the latest on the conflict from Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IAN PANNELL, ABC NEWS CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ukraine unleashing a massive attack across Russia this weekend. In Russia's southern Krasnodar region, this video circulating online showing an oil depot engulfed in flames. And in Russia's second largest city, St. Petersburg, the largest Ukrainian drone attack of the war.
These were the second wave of strikes designed to coincide with Russian President Vladimir Putin's flagship economic forum in his hometown. The day before Putin speaking at the conference rejecting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer of face-to-face talks.
Putin saying he sees no point in meeting and that Zelenskyy's letter contains elements of rudeness. Zelenskyy referred to Putin's age, suggesting without a deal his position could be under threat. But President Trump again expressing optimism about an end to the war despite the United States' wavering focus on the conflict since the war with Iran began.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm the one that got him to this position, and I think that's going to get worked out.
PANNELL (voice-over): Ukraine ramping up its drone capabilities, recent strikes hitting here in Russia's capital, Moscow, and stalling and in some cases reversing Russian fortunes on the battlefield. The daring attack, a symbol of Ukraine's innovative drone efforts reminiscent of that stunning operation last year in which Ukraine hid drones in shipping trucks, releasing them deep in Russia and striking military airfields.
Despite fewer resources and focus from the U.S., Ukraine has mounted its most successful strikes against Russia since the war began, with European allies working to replace the support previously offered by the U.S.. Putin, under pressure, lashing out with increasingly heavy attacks on Ukraine, many hitting civilian sites. This week massive strikes pummeling cities across Ukraine, killing at least 23 and injuring 150 more.
But the toll on both sides growing relentlessly with increasing questions about how much longer Russia can keep up the fight and sustain its losses.
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: The Russians are losing 15,000 to 20,000 soldiers amonth, dead, not injured, dead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PANNELL: Martha, as you well know, it would be premature to write Vladimir Putin's political obituary, but the pressures on the Kremlin are very real. Pressure on Russia's economy, pressure on Russian casualties rising, now estimated to be around 500,000 or more, but also pressure from Ukraine's increasing drone capabilities.
Remember Donald Trump once famously told Zelenskyy he doesn't have the cards. Well now, perhaps he does.
European leaders meeting today, following in the footsteps of the House to discuss increased aid to Ukraine, perhaps sensing that the tide in this war is turning -- Martha.
RADDATZ: Our thanks to Ian.
I'm joined now by Congressman Michael McCaul, chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
It’s good to see you, Congressman.
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL, (R) TEXAS & FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEMBER: Thank you.
RADDATZ: We heard Ian say that the Europeans are thinking the tide may be turning, but we are four and a half years into this war. On Friday, President Trump said he thinks it’s going to get worked out, but it’s been more than a year and a half since he was elected, promising he could end the war even before he took office. This strategy really doesn’t seem to be working so far.
MCCAUL: Well, that’s why I voted for the Ukraine bill on the House floor this week to provide additional assistance, but tougher sanctions on Russia. Anytime I can help Ukraine and punish Putin, I'm in on that fight. And the fact is that the Ukrainians are winning this fight. They’re taking back territory. There are 30,000 casualties by the Russians in the Donbas and the --
(CROSSTALK)
RADDATZ: And yet Russia is upping its attack on Ukraine. We had that devastating attack in Kyiv just this week.
MCCAUL: So, in response, Putin has sent three hypersonic missiles into Kyiv. So, this is escalating. But I think, you know, deterrence is always the key.
You know, I was a critic under the Biden administration, not putting enough weapons in. I think we need to put tougher sanctions on Putin. If you want a serious negotiation, Putin has to have pressure put on him if he is going to make any concessions at all. Zelenskyy has agreed to sit down, but Putin does not.
RADDATZ: He does not. And Zelenskyy certainly doesn’t want to go to Moscow, so that doesn’t look likely.
But do you seriously see any end in sight? I feel like we’ve talked about this for four and a half years now. And it’s put more pressure on Putin, sanction Russia, and yet here we are four and a half years later. So, really, is there an end in sight, do you believe?
MCCAUL: Well, they said it would be over in four days. Here we are, four years later. I think the Ukrainians have surprised everybody with their innovation, their drone technology, modernization of warfare. It’s like a laboratory in Ukraine. And the fact that they are pushing the Russians back now. The fact that there are 30,000 casualties a month on the Russian side speaks volumes.
And I think Putin is taking a hit now. He will not -- Putin will not agree to the negotiating table unless enough pressure is put on him. And that’s why I think sanctions, not just the bill we passed this week, but, you know, Lindsey Graham and I are working on a bill, Senator McCormick and I had a tougher sanctions bill. And that’s the stuff we need to start doing now to put pressure to negotiate out of strength, not out of weakness.
RADDATZ: I want to turn to D-Day and Pete Hegseth. We -- you heard there, us run that sound bite from Pete Hegseth in Normandy.
What did you think of those comments?
MCCAUL: Well, as the son of a D-Day veteran, look, there’s a time and a place for these issues of immigration. That was not the day. Not the anniversary of D-Day. I think out of respect to the veterans, and myself being the son of a D-Day veteran, those remarks were out of place. I think it should have been about their sacrifice, their service to their country, and what they did to protect the free world at a time of great peril against Nazi Germany.
That should have been the message. It always has been in the past. And, quite frankly, I thought it was just inappropriate.
RADDATZ: All right, let’s turn to another war that has not ended. The president said the war in Iran would be over in four to six weeks. We are now on day 100, and it was 78 days ago that he told Iran they had 48 hours to open the strait or they would bomb power plants.
Where do you see this going?
MCCAUL: Well, I -- right now, you have a ceasefire they’re trying to negotiate. I applaud --
RADDATZ: But do you really think it’s a ceasefire? They’re trading fire. Why is it still a ceasefire?
MCCAUL: That’s true. Defensive in nature.
I agree with General Jack Keane on this one. I think that -- that, honestly, the Iranians are dragging this out. They want to drag this out closer to the midterm elections. I don’t think they’re negotiating in good faith.
I mean, look, you’ve got to give peace -- peace a chance.
RADDATZ: Was the administration prepared for this, prepared for the Strait to be closed?
MCCAUL: It was obvious in the contingency plans that Iran had that capability, the capacity to close the strait. So, I -- I know that had to be in their calculation. I think they thought the regime would implode after taking out the top leadership and the Ayatollah, and that didn't happen.
And so, you know, now, this is the first president in 50 years to actually try to do something about the problem. A nuclear Iran is not acceptable. We've always said that, every president since 1979. I passed a resolution as Chairman of the last Congress, stating, by all means necessary, stop a nuclear Iran. So, he is taking action on the brink of that.
RADDATZ: But he has also said in recent weeks that he doesn't think about Americans' financial situation as the war continues. Also said, he doesn't care about the midterms. Do you think that is true?
MCCAUL: Well, I think he's putting national security first, that a nuclear Iran is not acceptable. I do think the American people, though, as they see high gas prices, affordability is going to be an issue in this midterm.
RADDATZ: He says he doesn't care about that.
MCCAUL: Well, it depends if you care about the elections. And I do think the Iranians are going to drag this out closer to the midterms and try to play that card.
RADDATZ: And we have about 30 seconds here. You've expressed concerns over Bill Pulte as well.
MCCAUL: I don't believe he's statutorily qualified. He doesn't have any national security intelligence background. I applied for FISA warrants prior to Congress. If we go dark next week, right before the World Cup FIFA games and the 250th anniversary, that would be the most grossly irresponsible thing I've seen Congress do in my 22 years in office.
RADDATZ: OK, thanks for joining us. Always good to see you. Thank you.
MCCAUL: Thanks for having me.
RADDATZ: Coming up, the Roundtable on the ripple effects from the Maine Senate race and why they're still counting votes in California.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
XAVIER BECERRA, (D) CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Tonight, the people of the great state of California in the greatest nation on earth have spoken loudly and proudly.
(CROWD CHEERING)
STEVE HILTON, (R) CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We've got everything we need to make California golden again, except for a good governor and very soon, we will have that as well.
(CROWD CHEERING)
TOM STEYER, (D) CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to wait till every ballot is counted. We're going to give democracy a time a work, and we know we finished really strong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RADDATZ: The top three candidates in the California governor’s race after Tuesday’s primary. The field is not set yet. The roundtable is here to discuss that and more when we come back.
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RADDATZ: The roundtable’s all here.
Former DNC Chair Donna Brazile, “New Yorker” staff writer Susan Glasser, “National Review” editor Ramesh Ponnuru, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Welcome to you all.
Ramesh, I want to start with you and go back to Graham Platner. Your “Washington Post” column from Friday is titled “Platner is a Strange Reason for Democrats to Dump Moral Standards.” You talked to Lyndsey Fifield and you saw, you say, the texts that were written.
RAMESH PONNURU, NATIONAL REVIEW EDITOR & ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: That’s right.
The texts that Fifield wrote to a group of friends in August of 2025 mentioned what she describes as Platner’s Nazi tattoo. Platner claims he didn’t know about the Nazi associations of that tattoo until two months later, in October.
RADDATZ: Eighteen years, right?
PONNURU: That’s right, that he had on his chest for eighteen years. And frankly, the story -- his story has always been unbelievable. And her explanation is better corroborated. And I think grants some credence to everything else she’s saying and subtracts it from what he’s been saying.
RADDATZ: And we should say, he denies those accusations from her.
Donna, what are you hearing from Democratic Party leaders?
DONNA BRAZILE, FORMER DNC CHAIR & ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, as you know, there’s a group of Democrats called bedwetters. I’ve never joined the club. But there are a bunch of bedwetters right now who are once again saying, what the -- what’s going on in Maine?
Chuck Schumer thought he had it right to run the governor, Janet Mills. She decided to drop out in April. Didn’t have the resources. Didn’t have the big momentum.
Mr. Platner has the momentum. I don’t know if he can continue to curry favor with traditional Maine Democrats. But right now he’s the unconventional candidate that has a lot of red flags. He wasn’t properly vetted. But there are many people in Maine who are saying to folks like me, back off. No outsiders should, you know, tell us what to do. They will make their own minds up on Tuesday. But there’s no question that we are dealing with a populist movement on the left, similar to what we saw on the right. And it doesn’t matter how many flaws, how many checks he has in his past, people want change.
RADDATZ: And, Chris Christie, what is your take on this? You've seen Congressman Ro Khanna, as you did as well, sticking to this, saying, “Look, I believe in forgiveness.”
CHRISTIE: Well, Ro's running for president, so everything's got to be seen within that context for him.
But I would say two things. One, the stuff we're hearing on Platner in any other lifetime would be disqualifying -- just one of them, let alone the whole accumulation of them. And worse yet, his story is inconsistent.
He talks about his dark past, yet the sexting is in 2025. How dark a past that is, it seems pretty recent to me.
But what I'd caution people is, John Fetterman is the United States senator from Pennsylvania. And at the time he was running, he couldn't speak. We had to run questions in writing at his debate.
So Donna is right. Voters are making decisions based on very unconventional thoughts. And in Maine, I still think it's a challenge for Susan Collins. But as I said here last week, people who have bet against Susan Collins have lost a lot of money over the years.
And I will just tell you, I think she's one of the most resilient politicians I've met. And I think Mr. Platner is going to be in for quite a rude awakening when he gets toe-to-toe with Susan Collins come this fall.
RADDATZ: And, Susan, I want to ask you again about the kind of the bigger picture here for Democrats and then those who are supporting stay with him, whatever.
You heard Mark Warner kind of say, if it's true, it's disturbing. We'll leave it to Maine voters. But are Democrats in some ways ceding a moral high ground? They have obviously criticized other candidates and Republicans and Donald Trump.Is it ceding a moral high ground now?
GLASSER: Well, look, I mean, it tells you something that we're spending so much time talking about a possible Maine Democratic Senate nominee when, you know, there's any number of politicians in either party that you can talk about.
This is a golden age, unfortunately, of politicians who are ridden with scandals that in the past any one of us would have, you know, taken great offense at. And for Democrats, the bottom line is they really need to win this Maine Senate race if they're going to win.
And I think their argument is the practical one, which is in the age of increased polarization and partisanship, senators are increasingly just voting down the party line. So it doesn't make a difference if a morally flawed senator from Texas, you know, Paxton is just voting down the line for Donald Trump or a morally flawed senator from Maine, Graham Platner, is voting down the line against Donald Trump.
Unfortunately, I think that's the terms of our politics right now.
RADDATZ: And, Donna, I just want to follow up with you on that, about ceding moral ground. You heard -- you heard Senator Warner very concerned about kind of lowering the bar.
BRAZILE: Character matters. I mean, I will say that until the cows come home. But at the same time, we're also -- both political parties, we're dealing with elements of voters who are frustrated with the status quo, frustrated with the establishment.
And they can look at this guy with the tattoo and all his other failures and say, you know what? He's not the establishment. He's going to speak up for me. And they want somebody to break the glass.
RAMESH PONNURU, NATIONAL REVIEW EDITOR & ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: But there's also a dynamic here where the partisans on each side justify themselves by looking at the bad examples on the other side.
GLASSER: Yeah, that's right.
PONNURU: So many people, when I criticize Platner, came back at me and like, “What about Trump? And Trump succeeding despite all of his scandals and all of his character flaws means we can back Platner.”
That is the logic of a moral race to the bottom that we're seeing in both parties.
CHRISTIE: I'd also say that I agree with your -- with your theory here, Martha. And I think it's going to make it hard for national Democrats to take off after Ken Paxton.
You know, Paxton's got a lot of these other personal moral issues that have been raised by John Cornyn in the primary and will certainly be raised by James Talarico in the fall.
But I think a lot of people are going to be saying, I don't want to hear it. You know, you're talking about Graham Platner up in Maine and you guys are -- you know, wait until Ro Khanna has taken off against, you know, against Ken Paxton, which I'm sure he will. But where's his standing when he's standing behind Platner?
And by the way, to the idea that it doesn't matter because of party line votes, ask the voters in Pennsylvania. John Fetterman is so erratic that he is making votes now that are not along the Democratic Party line.
Now, he has his own ability to make that judgment because he's an elected United States senator. But don't tell me it doesn't matter when someone has no character or is unqualified for the job or is walking around the United States Senate in shorts and hoodies.
You know, it does make a difference and character does matter. And we -- and Democrats can't argue that's the truth in the White House, but it doesn't apply to Maine.
RADDATZ: And Susan, I want to switch here to California. They're still counting millions of votes. There's a lot of mail-in ballots there.
But what the heck is going on there?
GLASSER: It is not a case study in a finely tuned small-D democratic operation, right? I think people, a lot of people, big questions about it, but the bigger question I think in California is, you know, this is the heartland of Democratic votes, right? Like this is a heavily, heavily Democratic state and I think it's very interesting how strongly a Republican candidate for governor ran in the state.
Democrats were divided and I think a lot of people are wondering how they ended up with essentially a pretty lackluster candidate, Xavier Becerra, as the main Democrat it looks like. But days later, we're still looking for an outcome there, Martha.
BRAZILE: Look, 23 million.
RADDATZ: It is a strongly Democratic state. What does it say?
BRAZILE: Absolutely. What it says is that they are methodical. They need more election administrators, more people who can help them count. But in order to provide 23 million Californians with an absentee ballot, you got to give them an opportunity to get them in, get them in early, get them in on Election Day, but you also have to count them and they do it in a very methodical way.
70 percent of the votes are in. I know people are frustrated with the vote count, but that's the process. That's what the voters want.
RADDATZ: And to Chris, is there a possibility that a Republican could win? We got about 20 seconds.
CHRISTIE: Look, I think there's a possibility because here's the problem. When Gavin Newsom is more concerned about running for president than establishing a bench in his state of someone to succeed him, that's how you wind up with Xavier Becerra, because the incumbent governor didn't say this is the right person because he was worried about presidential politics.
RADDATZ: OK. Don't go anywhere. We've got more Roundtable ahead, including whether Republicans are finally pushing back against some of the president's agenda. We're back in two minutes.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is the $1.8 billion DOJ fund dead or is it on hold?
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's - I'd have to ask the lawyers, I don't know. I know one thing, the weaponization. Are you talking about the weaponization fund? The weaponization fund, as far as I'm concerned, was a beautiful thing. It was something I was -- I didn't make it, but I was -- I heard that, I thought that was the greatest thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RADDATZ: OK, and we are back with the Roundtable. And Ramesh, I want to start with you on the blowback this week to president's nomination of Todd Blanche for Attorney General and Bill Pulte for Director of the DNI, a lot of blowback from both sides.
PONNURU: Yeah, I think more on Pulte because it's such a shocking departure from even Trump-era standards to have somebody with zero national security experience put up for this position.
Blanche is also getting a lot of pushback, but the problem there is that Blanche is already Acting and will continue to be --
RADDATZ: Certainly is, yes.
PONNURU: Will continue to be able to do that even if the Senate doesn't act on his nomination.
RADDATZ: Chris, I want to read you a statement from the Justice Connection, a group of former DOJ officials, in response to Blanche's nomination. They said, "Blanche has abandoned what he learned about blind justice and ethical law enforcement as a career federal prosecutor. His unwavering fealty to the president and destruction of institutional norms should disqualify him from leading the only agency with its foundation -- foundational virtue in its name."
CHRISTIE: Look, Todd Blanche was, by all accounts, an outstanding assistant U.S. attorney when he was in the Southern District of New York. And then he left and became Donald Trump's personal attorney. And when you do that, you make a fundamental decision about, as a lawyer, whether your loyalty is to the law or to Donald Trump, because it can't be to both.
And Todd Blanche has showed us, both as deputy attorney general and now as acting attorney general, the choice he's made and he's made loyalty to the president first and foremost, and only someone who makes that choice could have come up with this idea of the weaponization fund and actually put it out there as a legitimate idea. And I think when people in the United States Senate are considering this, they shouldn't consider the fact that he was willing to back off of the fund once he was threatened.
But the fact that he was willing to put it forward in the first place, and that's just one of probably a dozen examples we could talk about where Todd Blanche has betrayed the tradition of the Justice Department and betrayed the idea of rule of law. And as someone who served as a U.S. attorney for seven years, I do not recognize the department that I used to work for.
RADDATZ: Susan, let's talk about that Anti-Weaponization Fund. You saw him with Kaitlan Collins there. What happens now?
GLASSER: Yes. Well, that's a remarkable title, first of all, Martha, you know, let's be clear about what's happening here. And Todd Blanche has really transformed the mission of the Justice Department under Trump in his second term to going after, systematically going after personal and political opponents of the president using, launching criminal investigations against them on spurious grounds.
Not only is this $1.8 billion, Blanche refused to rule it out in writing. That's the reason why reporters like Kaitlan Collins, an excellent reporter from CNN, are going and asking the president directly. You didn't hear him disavow this. And more to the point, there are so many potentially disqualifying things that we've already seen from Blanche. It would be a remarkable statement if some of these Republican senators who claim constantly to be concerned about Donald Trump's actions, if they were to move ahead and to confirm him.
Not only is there the $1.8 billion fund, remember the other aspect of this settlement. Donald Trump sued his own government and came to an agreement, a, quote-unquote, "settlement" with the government he controls in which essentially the IRS agreed never to investigate Donald Trump and his family members, basically meaning that the president of the United States could never pay his taxes and never be accountable for not doing that.
You and I would not have that situation with the IRS. Todd Blanche should be held accountable by that, I would think many senators would believe. And I just think it's a test right now to see, can Donald stump -- can Donald Trump still proceed with things that would be unthinkable from any other president? Or is this Republican Senate actually going to follow through? If that's the case, then they don't have the votes to confirm him.
RADDATZ: Donna, how do Democrats capitalize on the pushback that he's getting?
BRAZILE: Everything, from the Epstein files, sitting down with a -- was she a convicted sex offender? I want to make sure I get it right. A convicted sex offender, and given her a pass to go to a country club prison in Texas. That's number one. The entire way he handled Epstein files, the redactions and everything else, he has ensured that Donald Trump is above the law.
I think he's disqualified. And the Senate Democrats should bring it all up. And he should not be a be confirmed.
PONNURU: Weaponization funds, triumphal arches, the reflecting pool. One of the problems I think Republicans have in this election is they are focusing on everything except affordability. And President Trump keeps saying things like, it's not a real issue. I don't care about it. I don't think about it. Well, American public -- people do because their paychecks are not keeping up with their bills.
RADDATZ: And are people really keeping track of that? I mean, that kind of stunned me. I thought, we haven't actually talked about affordability for a while either, because there is so many distractions and so many other things going on. Back to affordability. Right?
CHRISTIE: They're keeping track of it because they are the ones who have to pay the bills.
RADDATZ: Exactly.
CHRISTIE: Right? So they're keeping track of it. And look, that's what midterm elections are about. They are a report card on the president, and if he controls Congress, his party, on what they've done based upon what they promised in 2024.
And let's remember the core promises. He was going to make the economy bigger and better. He was going to lower prices immediately. He was going to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. And he was going to stop endless, useless wars.
He's zero for four. And all this other stuff is interesting, the arch and the other things that bother us. But let me tell you, when it comes down to it, he's zero for four. And the midterms look ugly, and Republicans know it.
GLASSER: Well, there is a connection --
RADDATZ: We've got to wrap it up here, Susan. But there is a connection to all of this, indeed. We'll be back in a week. Our thanks to everyone.
We'll be right back with a tribute to our former colleague, Jim Wooten.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM WOOTEN, FORMER ABC NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, David. Well, you know, we've had presidents in that old mansion, Democrats and Republicans, a little bit to the left, a little bit to the right. All of whom have come under attack at one time or another from either the extreme left or the extreme right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RADDATZ: That was our former colleague, Jim Wooten, reporting for "This Week" from a snowy White House back in 1982. Few people at ABC News had a way with words like Jim, who died last week at the age of 88.
For years, he was a cornerstone of this broadcast since its launch as "This Week with David Brinkley" in 1981, regularly leading the show with his reporting and insights on the week's most pressing news in the world of politics.
And he covered multiple presidential campaigns and conventions in his two decades here. Jim also reported from more than 40 countries and five continents for ABC News, bringing his gift for storytelling and reporting to corners of the world in desperate need of attention.
Our thoughts are with Jim's family this morning. He will be missed.
And that's all for us today. Thanks for sharing part of your Sunday with us. Check out "World News Tonight" and have a great day.
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