CNN’s Inside Politics Questions Need for Election Integrity Measures

Inside Politics anchor Dana Bash invited a number of CNN contributors on Friday to query efforts made by the Trump administration to make sure future election integrity. The section was primarily based on a CNN report that highlighted a number of notable (and, of their view, notorious) people aligned with President Trump’s targets.

A degree of concern was an semi-failed Government Order signed by Trump in March, which has brought on his allies to pursue different avenues to safe nationwide elections.

CNN nationwide political author Fredreka Schouten, one of many two story authors, requested her fellow panelists to: “simply suppose for a second of what that may imply for the midterms, if with a view to register to vote, you needed to discover a beginning certificates or your passport or naturalization papers. Assume how that will change the character of the citizens.”

Hmm. That wouldn’t be a lot of a problem for anybody who was a legit citizen. And there hadn’t been a lot of an uproar over the TSA’s current REAL ID necessities. It sounded like Schouten was involved those that didn’t have proof of id wouldn’t be capable to vote!

CNN political analyst Nia-Malika Henderson jumped in and claimed Trump needed to amass and maintain onto energy. However since she couldn’t provide you with any substantive examples herself, she requested the others on the desk to make use of the ability of creativeness to fill in her gaps:

And, so, I believe we’ve to be very imaginative when it comes to what Trump is as much as and […] what Trump may do in 2028, from does he attempt to maintain on to energy himself? Does he himself attempt to run once more? Or are there different mechanisms? This concept of placing, you already know, troops on the road to form of federalize an election.

Now, the place would she get an concept like that, The View? This makes it funnier that the on-screen graphic is concerning the election system being mired by “election conspiracy theorists.”

Schouten heightened the fearmongering by explaining how the federal authorities was ensuring state information matched up info that… they’d have already got:

SCHOUTEN: The DOJ may be very particular about what it desires. It desires, like, the complete voter rolls, together with private info reminiscent of partial Social Safety numbers. Now, they are saying they need to make it possible for the states are sustaining their rolls and eradicating people who find themselves ineligible, who died, who moved, who might not have been residents —

BASH: Which in concept, that is what all of us need.

SCHOUTEN: Sure, that’s what all of us need. However it’s attention-grabbing as a result of the federal authorities has to make it possible for their processes in place to maintain the rolls clear, however they do not, like, really scour them themselves, trying title by title. And that has raised lots of considerations about, what are they as much as? Why do they want this info?

Possibly as a result of state voter rolls had been notoriously suffering from names that ought to not be listed, which “in concept” everybody completely desires. Oh wait, one celebration in all probability didn’t.

The transcript is under. Click on “increase” to learn:

CNN’s Inside Politics with Dana Bash

October 24, 2025

12:36:30 p.m. EST

(…)

DANA BASH: Marshall, I am gonna begin with you. As you speak, I simply need to put up on the display the people that you just’re gonna be referencing.

MARSHALL COHEN: Yeah, they don’t seem to be family names, however they’re in some crucial roles, so I am going to simply tick by a number of of them right here. There’s Heather Honey, she is on the Division of Homeland Safety. She is definitely lately alleged to be working with election officers within the states on vital election infrastructure. However she simply so occurs to be the identical individual that was the supply of the lie in 2020 that there have been extra votes than voters in Pennsylvania.

Additionally, there’s Kurt Olsen. He was an lawyer who filed certainly one of Trump’s “Cease the Steal” lawsuits in 2020 that was rejected by the Supreme Courtroom. He is now been put in on the White Home to reinvestigate some 2020 claims.

There’s additionally Sigal Chattah. She’s presently the highest federal investigator, the highest U.S. lawyer for Nevada. She was a protection lawyer for an indicted pretend elector from Nevada.

After which on the skin of the administration, there’s Cleta Mitchell. She — you may acknowledge her from the notorious Trump name with these Georgia election officers the place he was attempting to twist their arm to overturn the outcomes. She was on that decision. She’s now working a nationwide Election Integrity Community that’s selling Trump’s election and voting agenda.

BASH: And let’s stick along with her, Cleta Mitchell. Take heed to what she stated final month about what you stated, election integrity. However particularly hear to those and hear for these two phrases, “emergency powers.”

[Cuts to video]

CLETA MITCHELL [on Washington Watch with Tony Perkins, 09/02/25]: As I believe that we are able to set up with the porous system that we’ve, then I believe perhaps the President is pondering that he’ll train some emergency powers to guard the federal elections going ahead.

[Cuts back to live]

BASH: I imply, if we had been in a cartoon, every part would go, “errrp” and cease, as a result of that’s one thing that there are lots of Democrats who’re involved about. However the truth that she is saying out loud what the advice could possibly be is so exceptional.

FREDREKA SCHOUTEN: It has actually raised some eyebrows. And it is not clear what dialog she’s having with the White Home about this. I imply, they did not reply to my inquiries. She did not reply to my inquiries. However it comes towards this backdrop of the President actually attempting to succeed in in and oversee how elections are being administered across the nation.

I imply, earlier this yr, he signed an Government Order that, as an illustration, amongst different issues, would require written proof of citizenship to vote. And that is one thing that the courts have blocked, however there’s nonetheless an effort proper now to, form of, make that occur by different means. And Cleta Mitchell may be very supportive of that.

And I — simply suppose for a second of what that may imply for the midterms, if with a view to register to vote, you needed to discover a beginning certificates or your passport or naturalization papers. Assume how that will change the character of the citizens. So, I believe that there’s a lot of concern about this proper now, and individuals are hoping to get extra details about what meaning.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON: Pay attention, I imply, I believe this White Home, Trump desires to search out methods to amass as a lot energy as he can, clearly train that and to carry on to energy. And we see a few of that with the January sixth of us being put in, the form of truthers round 2020 with the drive rejiggering of how states gerrymander in these purple states.

And, so, I believe we’ve to be very imaginative when it comes to what Trump is as much as and Trump — what Trump may do in 2028, from does he attempt to maintain on to energy himself? Does he himself attempt to run once more? Or are there different mechanisms? This concept of placing, you already know, troops on the road to form of federalize an election.

BASH: In order that’s 2028.

HENDERSON: Proper, 2028. Yup.

BASH: However we’re additionally speaking about 2026, and I believe you had been alluding to this, each of you had been, that only a reminder that the DOJ is attempting to get the voter registration rolls they needed from 40 plus states. They plan to request it from all 50 states, and there may be now a lawsuit suing six states for information as a result of these states, together with Pennsylvania, will not give it up.

SCHOUTEN: Proper. I imply, they are saying that there privateness considerations. The DOJ may be very particular about what it desires. It desires, like, the complete voter rolls, together with private info reminiscent of partial Social Safety numbers. Now, they are saying they need to make it possible for the states are sustaining their rolls and eradicating people who find themselves ineligible, who died, who moved, who might not have been residents —

BASH: Which in concept, that is what all of us need.

SCHOUTEN: Sure, that’s what all of us need. However it’s attention-grabbing as a result of the federal authorities has to make it possible for their processes in place to maintain the rolls clear, however they do not, like, really scour them themselves, trying title by title. And that has raised lots of considerations about, what are they as much as? Why do they want this info? We’re gonna have a giant authorized showdown right here, I believe, forward of the midterms.

BASH: We’re going to have to go away it there.

(…)