What to expect from this unpredictable president with former White House Communications director Anthony Scaramucci next. Plus, sister gate. An extraordinary secret recordings the president s sister harshly criticizes him as a liar without principles. More of mary ann trumps stunning revelations ahead. Hello, im jake tapper in washington where the state of our union is wondering if the president s sister has to register her contribution to the biden campaign. Let me explain. On the eve of the Republican National convention, were getting stunning new audio of President Trumps sister former federal judge disparaging her brothers character and record in office and secretly recorded by the president s niece. The president s sister criticizes the president for lying, lambasts his Job Performance and says hes out only for himself. Oh, my god. She also says the president had someone take his exams before he transferred to wharton. And according to the washington post, he is cruel. His sister is basically repeating the arguments we heard from democrat after democrat at their conventionless week where joe bidens central argument seem to be that he is empathetic and decent and the president is not. And as the president prepares to open convention tomorrow, the United States has over 176,000 deaths and as the president is continuing his attacks on mailin voting and now saying he might send police to monitor polling places, though its not clear he has the Legal Authority to do that. But police and law and order will be much discussed this week as the president tries to make his case for a second term. Joining me now to discuss the policy aspects here, acting homeland secretary of security. Were going to have sheriffs and were going to have Law Enforcement and were going to have hopefully u. S. Attorneys go to polling locations on election day in order to prevent fraud. Any conduct that intimidates voters is prohibited by federal law. Several states have laws expressly forbidding a Law Enforcement presence at the poll. Has the president discussed with you deploying any of your Law Enforcement agents to serve as poll watchers . No, absolutely he has not. Thats not what we do at the department of Homeland Security. We have Law Enforcement authorities and Law Enforcement officers at the department. We have express authorities given to us by congress. This is not one of them. We do a lot of protection across the country for a lot of different circumstances including portland and a number of other cities around the country. But this is not a mission for the department of the Homeland Security. So if the president told you to send dhs agents to polling stations, you would say, no, sir, thats not in our bailiwick . We dont have any authority to do that at the department. The president said that russia, china, north korea, and iran and other countries might forge ballots and mail them in. That was dismissed in a closed door house briefing. Do you have any intelligence suggesting that any foreign power is planning to forge mailin ballots in 2020 . No. The at the department what were focused on is obviously those disinformation campaigns and that foreign interference that we see from a number of nation state threats such as china, iran, russia, and others. Again, at the department were focused on addressing those Cyber Threats to elections, and election infrastructure specifically. So, we are focused on that. We know about the disinformation campaigns that they are doing every day to try to influence the election, along with the department of justice and the i. C. And other entities, we are pushing back and making sure that the secretaries of state that administer elections have the information and services they need to protect their elections. We know about the disinformation campaigns and weve heard about the attempts to break into election infrastructure. What more can you tell us about the attempts by foreign powers to get into voting systems . Are they really trying to lack into the systems to be able to change votes or cause mayhem . Well, as of right now what we are seeing is, again, that influence campaign. We dont have any intelligence that says they are attacking election infrastructure specifically, which, again, is what the department focuses on. But we do know about the disinformation campaigns. And china, russia, iran all go that a little differently. We want to make sure at the end of the day that voters, American Voters are deciding american elections. And well continue to do that to make sure that secretaries of state, again, states run elections that they have all the information that they have the intelligence and they have a number of nocost services the department provides to them to make sure their election systems are safe and secure. You know of no intelligence that suggests that any foreign power is looking to forge ballots in mailin voting . I havent seen anything specifically. But im a consumer of that intelligence that the i. C. And others pick up. What were focused on at the department are Cyber Threats to election systems. So the information and the threats that i see im looking at it from that perspective. I want you to take a listen to what your former colleague at the department of Homeland Security, the former chief of staff there, miles taylor, had to say about President Trumps view of russians interfering in the u. S. Election. Take a listen. We were quite literally told do not bring up issues related to russia with the president. In fact, he was infuriated at the suggestion that anything was being done on the subject. We couldnt get him to focus on that. Thats how severe this problem is. Hes not focused on the threat. Hes not focused on the reality. So what miles taylor says the there com ports with what weve heart other officials say. Does that make your job more difficult, sir . Well, its completely different than everything that i know about this president and how ive served in this administration and bringing up issues, whether its russia, has never been a problem for myself. What i would say is that while mr. Taylor was at the department, he was a fierce advocate for the policies that we perceive at dhs every day. Left there 14 months ago and decided 75, 80 days before an election to start thinking out. So i think most reasonable americans understand what that is. Its politics and nothing more. So President Trump does recognize that russia is trying to interfere in the election and you dont have any trouble introducing that subject to him when you talk about it and the president is engaged and wants to make sure that it doesnt happen . I dont have any issue with bring up any subject with President Trump on a wide variety of dhs issues. And we discuss a lot of those issues every week. So, no, theres never been any issue from my perspective or bringing up any issue to include russia, to include the Election Security and the Election Security efforts the departments doing every day to keep our elections safe and secure. And the president accepts that russia is trying to interfere in the election again . Well, again, to my knowledge, absolutely. Im going to let the president and the white house speak for themselves on that. But ive seen the intelligence. The intelligence assessment back in 2017. Recent statements as late as august of this year, earlier this month from the od i that continues to talk about china, russia and iran continuing to try to meddle in the 2020 elections. Have you brought up russia with the president . I have been in numerous conversations with the president about Election Security in a number of nation states have gotten discussed. Including russia . A number of nation states have gotten discussed, yes. Okay. Youre not really answering the question about russia, but let me move on. But, again, jake, im not going to get into specific conversations ive had with the president. Ive been clear on that and a number of different public appearances. But what i can tell you is that Election Security has been discussed with the president. Ive been there and others have been there as well. So, you were in the department when miles taylor was chief of staff, and he said, and i know you kind of disparaged him a little there. But he says that President Trump repeatedly tried to order the department of Homeland Security to separate children from their families at the border. This is after the controversy, after the policy was rescinded that he repeatedly wanted to do it, even if they showed up at ports of entry in a legal fashion, and he called for agents to, quote, this is according to miles, rip them apart, parents from their kids, to scare migrants from coming to the border. This is even after the president backtracked on the policy. Taylor says the president continued to express a desire to reinstate it, quote, almost every single month. Were you aware of this . No. So, the description that you outline there is nothing that i have specifically heard. Again, that ended in 2018, the zero tolerance. And we have not instituted any policies, any programs since i believe june when that ended back in 2018, the zero tolerance. And so this idea of somehow resurrecting this has never been on my radar. Its not what were focused on at the department of Homeland Security. Weve made a number of initiatives and policy changes on that southwest border to apply real consequences to individuals who cross illegally. And well continue to do our job every day. But this is not an issue that im focused on, hasnt been discussed in over two years. Miles that. Lore also told cnn that the president instructed top officials at dhs to listen to fox business host lou dobbs cable show every night saying, quote, what lou says is what i want to do. If he peddled a Conspiracy Theory on late night television, the president wanted us to be tuning in. Is it true that President Trump tells folks to listen to lou dobbs every night that thats how he wants to address safety and security at the border . Absolutely not. And, again, we can talk about miles and all the accusations all day. Im focused on what the departments doing. But, no, i have never been told to watch lou dobbs or even yours to get what we want to do at the department of Homeland Security. So, again, im focused on looking forward, protecting our elections and doing a number of things to continue to protect americans and communities across this country. I get that. Its just that miles taylor was the chief of staff, a longtime republican, and its not just him raising questions about the president s judgment and fitness for office. Youve served under former secretaries john kelly and elaine duke and Kirstjen Nielsen. All of them have since questioned President Trumps judgment. And im wondering what you make of that that you have three top secretaries or acting secretaries, plus of course miles taylor, all of them casting dispersions on President Trumps ability to lead this nation and his judgment. Well, what im not going to do is im not going to try to get into each individuals head to try to understand what theyre thinking. I know how i dealt with him when i was at the department. All of the individuals that you just discussed were strong proponents of what the departments doing and the president while in office. Have have left, some not on their own. Its politics particularly with miles 14 months ago he left the development. Hasnt said anything until about five days ago. So again i think people understand what this is about. This is about politics first and foremost, and its unfortunate. But, again, well continue to push forward in doing a number of initiatives at the department. I think he would say its not politics that President Trump is unfit to lead the country. Then i would have said where is that criticism or where are those comments 14 months ago . The Government Accountability office just reaffirmed its ruling on friday that your appointment to the position acting secretary of the department of Homeland Security was invalid. The bottom line is that dhs, according to this agency, used the wrong line of succession when secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned which meant that your predecessor Kevin Mcaleenan is invalid, and therefore your appointment is invalid. How can you serve as a official in the u. S. If according to gao your very appointment was illegal . Well, thanks for the question, jake, and i agree with you, it is complicated. What i will say is the Homeland Security act gives the Homeland Security discreet and broad discretion, exclusive authority to appoint his or her successor. She admitted the order of succession, she sent out an employee message to over 250,000 employees at the department of Homeland Security indicating that Kevin Mcaleenan would succeed her. Then she swore in Kevin Mcaleenan. If thats not clear about her picking her successor, i dont know what is. Gao only commented on one of those. And as you can tell we disagree with what the gao said. Again, they have no authority in this area. They have authority to look at the federal vacancy act. Thats not the authority that we use when we appoint our successors at the department. So, again, we disagree with what the gao had put out. So, its august 2020. Dhs has not had a Senate Confirmed secretary since april 2019 thats more than a year. One in four of your top positions are acting or vacant. Obviously this is not how the system was designed to work. Youre one of the top Law Enforcement officers in the u. S. Do you want to be confirmed by the senate . I think you likely would be. Its a republican senate. So ive been very clear about this in my confirmation as under secretary of the department. I strongly believe that the Department Needs a confirmed secretary. I dont make personnel decisions from the white house. The White House Personnel Office does. Ill continue to talk with them about filling key leadership vacancies. What i can tell you is whether we have individuals acting such as myself and we have several others. That does not impact the mission and the work that the men and women at the department do every day to protect the homeland. It just doesnt factor into our thinking. Former white house chief strategist steve bannon and three others were indicted this week for fraud after prosecutors say bannon and the others raised money for a private wall on the Mexican Border but spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on personal expenses instead of on that wall. Bannon pleaded not guilty. You reportedly made an unannounced visit to that private border wall last november. You even suggested you supported it. You said, quote, i welcome all that want to be part of the solution. You were lending your credibility and the credibility of the department of Homeland Security to what prosecutors say is a scam. Do you regret that . Are you embarrassed by it . No. Again, i think you hit it on the head, which is i said, and ill continue to say i welcome all that want to be part of the solution. I did not specifically endorse this particular organization or what they are doing. But you went there. My visit to el paso at the time was my first trip to the border as acting secretary. And i wanted to get a sense of everything that was going on in el paso. We made several trips to different portions of the border wall system to include that portion i wanted to understand how a private organization if they were going to build this on their own using their own funding, how it integrated with what cvp was doing on the border. I talked to an engineer on site. We talked about the cameras, the roads and the other systems that they built. And then i went on my way. I will continue to say we welcome all that want to be a part of the solution on that west border. But i did not endorse any particular one group or another. Well, you certainly dont welcome the support of scam artists who want to be part of the solution, do you . Absolutely not. And, again, when i said that in november, obviously none of this had come out, and they were hard at work trying to help us address some issues along that southwest border. So absolutely not. I dont have anything to do with the department of justice indictment or anything to do with that. So im going to let that play out in the courts. But, no, obviously i do not endorse any fraud. You know that subsequently that group put out a press release saying that you had endorsed their project, right . Yes. And we had asked them to take that down time and time again. I believe they did take that down because its not accurate. Do you regret going . Im sorry . Do you regret going to visit this part i mean, there were questions raised about this organization for months and months and months. I mean, shouldnt somebody at dhs have vetted this group before sending you there . Again, i think you have to understand what they are doing in el paso is in the el paso sector. Our Bo