>> our special coverage continues, i'm wolf blitzer in the situation room, erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. "outfront" next, is president trump dangling another pardon, praising roger stone, saying he's got guts for staying silent. gina haskill briefing lawmakers on the murder of jamal khashoggi. a final farewell, president george h.w. bush's staff and the public paying their respects at this hour. let's go out front. >> good evening, i'm erin burnett. dangling another pardon, is president trump doing it again? trump lavishing praise on roger

stone, the man who's ties to wikileaks are a focus of robert mueller's russia investigation. during a morning tirade, the president congratulating stone for his guts, tweeting, i will never testify against trump, this statement was recently made by roger stone, stating he will not be forced by a rogue and out of control prosecutor to make up lies and stories about president trump. somehow that's in quotes. nice to know some people still have guts. stone publicly insisted that he had nothing on trump. >> there's no circumstance under which i would testify against the president, i would have to bear false witness against him. i would have to make things up, and i'm not going to do that. >> stone already named in at least one mueller indictment. he's not been charged, he is important to mueller, and that is developing, he has known trump a long time many the president clearly thinks he has a lot to gain from stone

standing by him. dangling pardons, of course, has become par for the course for this president. >> one of the reasons i respect paul manafort so much, he went through that trial. they make up stories. people make up stories. >> i must tell you, paul manafort is a good man. he happens to be a very good person. i think it's very sad what they've done to paul manafort. trump going so far as to explicitly say paul manafort is on the table for a pardon many. kellyanne conway's husband responding to the tweets with a u.s. code number. if you look it up, it's a statute for witness tampering. mark warner which is investigating russia and trump, tweeting, this is serious, the president of the united states

should not be using his platform to influence federal witnesses in an investigation involving his campaign. why is the president so vocal in calling out witnesses in the mueller investigation if this is true. >> now, here's the good news, i did nothing wrong. look, i did nothing wrong. >> i did nothing wrong. i did nothing wrong. >> kaitlan collins is outfront live. why is the president so focused on this today the twitter tirade as i was sharing the tweet about mr. stone. >> he seems to have bottled up his anger while he was in aroundaround arounden -- argentina. and then saying all those things this morning it would seem to go against what the special council has done. they prosecuted so mr. people for lying to them. he believes he should get the maximum sentence for his crimes.

president trump says they weren't related to him, even though two of his most high profile guilty pleas have been for one, he's admitted he violated campaign finance laws, which he said he did at the direction of president trump. and two, lying to congress, which he did out of loyalty to president trump. now, it wasn't that long ago that president trump said he didn't believe michael cohen is someone that would cooperate with the prosecutors now we know he's spoken with them for at least 70 hours. that is unnerving the president, lashing out at robert mueller and his long time former attorney. >> laura coats and patrick healy joining me now. could roger stone see this as a pardon offer for your silence, for your guts, the reward is coming. >> i think he might take it that way, and i think he might

implicitly understand that by continuing to remain silent he's demonstrating loyalty to the president. i think the president intentionally or otherwise was careful in the way that he framed the tweet, it's not an express offer of a pardon, he didn't say it's on the table. i'm not even sure that it actually rises to the level of witness tampering, he framed it as, he's telling the truth, and it's not a crime to encourage someone to tell the truth. he endangers the rule of law by talking about this at all. but i think also implicitly sends a message that maybe a pardon is at the end of the rainbow. >> laura, one of the most interesting parts of the stone tweet is this one, he referring to roger stone will not be forced out by a rogue and out of control prosecutor to make up lies and stories about president trump. why is president trump put in quotes. rogue and out of control. trump has gone after mueller before, he is upping the ante of

character assassination. does this matter to mueller, does it influence mueller? >> i don't think mueller has thin skin. and it's part of a larger pattern what the president is saying, this is a witch hunt, he's justified in being able to pursue these errors. he has a mandate to look into matters like this, the mandate includes the type of action that roger stone is being investigated as a part of in terms of what trump has said, what michael cohen has done in the past, and plead guilty to. manafort. the list goes on and on. the president is trying to throw spaghetti at the wall at this point, to stick with the party line he has, this is a rogue investigator who is completely going above rank, that he has no business doing what he's doing. that is not actually true. the more the president seems to sweat about this matter, the more we wonder why he seems so concerned now, after he turned in written answers. >> it's a point we keep making

on this brahprogram, you have 2 russians indicted, charged by mueller. to say the whole thing is a hoax and rogue is patently absurd. you have the president encouraging people not to lie. that would be okay, but it's ironic, because papadopoulos has lied, manafort has lied, cohen is now publicly admitting to plate ant lies all to protect this president. >> the culture of lying has become clear around trump, it's something that trump himself has encouraged, the tweet also begins with the phrase, i will never testify against president trump. a pardon may not be on the table, president trump is literally telling the world, but especially these people around them, this is what i want you to say, loyalty matters so much to this president. he said it when he talked about eric holder as protecting president obama and how that was something that was a great thing, a good thing, this is

what an attorney general should do, should protect the president. even though that is it a completely irresponsible position for the attorney general to hold. the sense of what loyalty means, even if you have this cascade of people who have been caught lying basically to protect him. >> harriet, when it comes to michael cohen, michael cohen has admitted to lying about things, whether russia related or stormy daniels related. michael cohen doesn't mention those particular lies, it mentions this, he asked the judge for no prison time. he can do all the terrible things related to fraud, and not serve a long prison term? he makes up stories to get a great reduced deal himself. and get his wife and father-in-law, who has the mother off scott free. he lied for the outcome and should in my opinion serve a full and complete sentence, leaving off the lies relevant to him, mentioning those other

lies. scott free, is that possible for cohen? >> no, he has a criminal convicti conviction, the judge is going to pick a sentence he believes is fair given the circumstances, just like every other department in any given case, from the lowliest person who steals a piece of mail. >> depending -- obviously, even given you're saying that it will most certainly, or i suppose extremely likely be reduced for the cooperation as mueller is suggesting he wants to do against the president? >> it could be reduced, the government isn't going to tell the court to reduce it based on cooperation, based on substantial assistance, they're going to put all the facts before the court and say, this is the crime he's committed. this is what he's done, they're not going to file a 5k letter stating to the court financial

assistance by cohen. he'll serve the complete sentence when it's imposed. >> what do you make about the president's focus on this today? >> very few people know president trump's mind and the way it works, and how to get inside his mind like roger stone. roger stone going on television saying, i'm not going to testify, because it would mean lying about the president that i like so much. it plays so deeply into how president trump feels like the people around him should act that this is the roger stone who has been caught in so many mischief making situations, and lies, you know, still sort of the example for how one should behave if they want to stay in president trump's good graces. >> the president is presuming he

should get a lenient sentence should he cooperate. michael cohen was not cooperating at the time he made his first guilty plea a few months ago. there was no cooperation agreement. he had five to six penalties at that point in time. for him to have accountability without a cooperation agreement would be odd. the fact that the president is touting him being an exemplary person, perhaps the reason he has not testified against trump is because he hasn't been invited to. the special prosecutor never would try to interview the person who they see as an ultimate target or defendant. while the president may be trying to tout this as an example, perhaps he should be wary. he may himself become a defendant. >> i remember back to a lunch i had with michael cohen. yeah, they haven't called me. do you think it's strange they

haven't called me? a stunning turn around, cia director now set to brief members of congress on the murder of washington post columnist jamal khashoggi. rand paul is my guest next. major allegations of voter fraud, and tonight, drew griffin investigating, we have some of the absentee ballots in question. it's stunning when you look at how fraud could happen. could it change the outcome of this important race. president trump and first lady melania trump are going to be heading from the white house to the capitol soon, we'll show you that as they head over to pay their respects. much more on the touching drib unites tonight. aaaaaahhhhhhhh!

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the cia director will be briefing a small group of lawmakers tomorrow on the murder of jamal khashoggi after she was criticized for failing to appear at an earlier briefing. all of this is in this crucial context, the wall street journal reporting, the cia has evidence

that mohammed bin salman sent at least 11 messages to the man who oversaw the brutal murder of khashoggi. those messages were sent in the hours before and after that brutal killing and dismemberment. out front now, rand paul, who sits on the senate foreign relations committee. he has been briefed by mike pompeo. do you know anything about this briefing tomorrow, and who's going to be there? >> i haven't been invited to this briefing, i can tell you i was one of the loud voices in our hearing last week saying, how can you expect us to make decisions without briefing us from the cia. i was also a loud voice saying, if i can read in the newspaper what the cia's conclusions are, why aren't you letting me know what the cia's conclusions were. the cia concluded with high probability that the crown prince was involved.

they also -- there were media reports saying the crown prince's brother talked to khashoggi and said you're safe to go to the consulate in istanbul. this was not told to me in a briefing, it was told to me in a newspaper. i don't think that's how we should run the government. i was elected to somehow represent kentucky, i ought to be able to hear this intelligence information and try to make a decision on whether we should be sending arms to the regime. >> it would appear within the title this would be well within your per view. >> what we do know, bruce rydell, the former cia official, an extremely respected saudi arabia watcher, many top cia respect him over the years, says to the new york times, this is the smoking gun.

now, obviously you don't need a smoking gun per say, right? in order to know that somebody did something, you don't need it in a court of law in this country. what is your view when you hear that? >> the cia usually gives us reports and they'll say what amount of probability low or high from the press reports. the cia has reported with high probability they've made this conclusion. yes, there's a lot of evidence to indicate that he does. the text messages back and forth to the team that was there doing the killing, his brother talking to khashoggi and encouraging him to go to that consulate. there's a lot of evidence leading up, not to mention this is an authoritarian regime where nothing happens without the approval of the crown prince, he runs the country. i have no doubt at all that the crown prince directed this or knew about it, i think we could

change the outcome of what goes on in the war in yemen if we would withhold weapons from the saudi arabians. i think you would see a change in their behavior and a change in their leadership. >> let me ask you about where the administration is. that's not where the president is. he has said something very different. we're going to stay with saudi arabia, right? mike pompeo who testified in front of the full senate last week, came out and toed that party line, here he is. >> i have read every piece of intelligence that is in the possession of the united states governme government. when that is done, there's no direct evidence linking him to the murder of jamal khashoggi. >> why is he saying that? >> someone should ask him the next question, there's no direct evidence. he says this over and over again. well, what about your conclusions, do you agree with

the cia conclusions. they have all this indirect evidence that's overwhelmingly adding up. secretary pompeo should be, i guess you disagree with the conclusions, with this compilation of evidence that the crown prince was involved? i think what we're seeing here is parsing words, no smoking gun, no direct evidence. and yet dozens of pieces of evidence that all point to the crown prince knowing. no one with any common sense or any intellect believes that he didn't do it. we need to know decide whether we're going to turn a blind eye and look the other way. the reason it makes a difference to me is, the war in yemen has killed tens of thousands of civilians. the saudis won't do anything if we don't oppose their behavior.

there's about 3,000 in prison that have been held for less than a year. these people will likely die if we turn a blind eye and say -- we need to quit selling them weapons, they are not listening to what we're doing, we will only listen if we quit selling them weapons. >> and the explicit backing that they have received from president trump to that. the senate is going to vote to end american support for the saudi yemen campaign, right? as you say, you have been voting that way for a long time. last week this advances. eight months ago, you were still on the same side. a lot of your republican colleagues weren't. because of the way the president has handled this jamal khashoggi situation saying he's with saudi arabia, 14 republicans came over to where you are, are they going to stay where you are, or are they looking for an excuse to

switch? >> we'll see, i think this is an historic vote that happened last week. 63 people voted to say we should stop our involvement with the saudis and this war in yemen. this is probably the first time since world war ii the entire body has stood up and said, foreign policy is in the realm of the congress. declaration of war should come from us specifically, not from the president. this is a grabbing back of the traditional checks and balances. we have had a lot of discussion with that, why aren't we doing this? this is a perfect example of how we can in a constitutional way, try to grab back power that's somehow been devolving to the presidency, not just this president, but over time, i mean, the support for the yemen war started under president obama. it's not just this president, to me it's not about the party of the president, it's about the checks and balances that we were

intended to have with the constituti constitution. >> do you think the director's testimony tomorrow is going to be aimed at a small group of senators the administration hopes to flip on this vote? >> they have selected people who wanted to hear from her, but also people who they think they may be able to get to change their vote if they have heard from the cia on this. y, i think we all should hear from her. we all should be allowed to read the report. why is it classified with the cia's conclusion is. i could understand not naming names, who we heard on the phone, those are problems, those leaks really are a problem. but a conclusion should be at least told to us, if it's going to be done classified, i wasn't even given a classified briefing until i read about it in the newspaper. i'm only able to ask questions because of things i'm hearing that are revealed in the newspaper, and really in a representative democracy, intelligence should be shared with the representatives so we can make a level headed decision about whether we should be at war? >> thank you very much senator

paul as always. appreciate your time tonight. and outfront next, a final farewell, former president bush holding back tears as his father returns to the capitol for the last time. plus, ronald reagan's daughter patty davis is out front. her message about the stark differences between the former president bush and current president trump. not long ago, ronda started here.

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breaking news, president george h.w. bush's staff and the public about to enter the capitol to pay their respects to the former president. he will be lying in state at the capitol until wednesday morning. manu raju is there, he is lying in state for 41 hours. >> and we expect this to remain open all night long for the public to begin seeing the casket, starting in this hour. momentarily they will allow the public to come in, and the president of the united states expected to come in in the next

hour to pay his own respects. trump expected to meet with the bush family on tuesday attend the big event, the actual services at the national cathedral on wednesday. the president is not expected to speak at that event. george w. bush expected to eulogyize his father, now, a moment of pause here in the capitol, as the two sides were barreling toward a potential government shutdown by the end of this week. they put a pause on all this. perhaps december 21st, at the moment, everyone taking a pause, paying their respects to the former president, remembering him for his work that he's done. you're hearing a rare moment of day tant in the capitol, we'll see how long it lasts. >> thank you, as you're looking live, as we see people come in, we're going to be sharing this with you. these live moments. so somber, and yet such a special reminder of great -- how

great this country can be, that we can come together to honor a president like this and in such a special and hallowed place. president bush did make his final trip to washington today, a journey that began in houston this morning, ended as you see right there, with the casket in the capitol rotunda, here are some of the sights and sounds we saw. ♪ >> this day we honor our 41st president george h.w. bush. >> here lies a great man. to the bush family, we are profoundly sorry for your loss. and we are honored to celebrate this wonderful life with you. >> lord, we're grateful for the privilege you gave us to learn

and grow from his integrity, civility and spirituality. >> a principled leader who knew america guards for our future, but safeguards for democracy, for the world. >> present arms! ♪ >> we thank you for sharing this special man with the nation and the world. he never lost his love of adventure, and he never failed to answer the call to serve his country. >> today this hero has returned to the capitol a final time.

>> dear lord, thank you for inspiring such greatness in president george h.w. bush. and continue to bless the united states of america. >> and, of course, now lying in state as it just started moments ago. we anticipate the current president of the united states donald trump and his wife will be among the first to pay their respects among the public this evening. out front now, the former chief of staff for president bush, sam skinner. bill crystal who served as vice president quayles chief of staff. all of you know so much about what's happening now? the feelings and emotions. as we see the casket there, for the viewing for the public, the former staff knowing coming to pay their respects as well. the personal staff of bush 41. the rotunda will be open all night for people to come in,

president george w. bush was there today, watching his father's casket, a very emotional for the son. no matter how old you may be or your father, today he was a son. >> correct. and no matter what your politics are just watching this family. former president bush was 94 years old, he had been in poor health, they knew this day was coming, but as any family will tell you, they're never really prepared. i think today was emotional for two reasons, they were very happy to see their father, their grandfather recognized for his service to the country. and these tributes on the other hand it was very emotional for them. if you watched former president george w. bush's face at andrews air force for the arrival ceremony and at the rotunda

today, you could see he was stealing himself. he was holding back tears, and i think when we see him give the eulogy on wednesday at the national cathedral, it will -- there's not going to be a dry eye in the house, erin. >> it is going to be emotional. sam, you knew the president, you were with him every day as chief of staff, and as you see your colleagues and the bush family, including laura bush, jeb bush together today honoring the president and mourning, what goes through your mind? >> well, i am just glad we're celebrating this great plan in the way we're doing it. the media has been terrific. the public has been terrific. we do grieve but we also celebrate the life of a great great american and a great role model to all of us, i'm so happy that the younger people in america who didn't know him, weren't even born, can take a

moment out of their day to understand what this person was all about. and how wonderful he was, how accomplished he was, and how caring and giving he was. so i'm emotional, but i'm also very excited for america to see this person i love so much. >> the wonderful example for -- in so many different ways. bill, you knew him well, and, of course, obviously, you spent a lot of time with the vice president. today mike pence as he was speaking about the 41st president told the story of his son, he was talking about his son landing on the uss george herbert walker bush, and what a moment that was for him. here's mike pence. >> i asked him to sign a picture of the flight deck that i could give to my son. we were told by the staff that the president had long since ended the practice of signing autographs. and we understood that, but little to my surprise, just in time for my son's winging there

came not only a signed photograph, but, of course, a letter, hand signed as well. >> it was a moment. clearly bush 41 did not let his antipathy get in the way. >> he asked the current president be invited to the funeral, which i think was an appropriate gesture to show the continuity of the presidency and respect for all presidents. past and present. i guess i do find today especially sad for the family and those who knew him much better than i did. and for all of us, very uplifting, i agree with sam and jamie, to see that life, what an american life.

and when john mccain died, he was still a sitting senator, he still had a lot to contribute. this was a life george h.w. bush lived in full. it was time, i suppose. never is time for the family and friends. think of what he accomplished from his youth and volunteering, being the youngest fighter pilot in the navy shot down and rescued. heroism in war, going off to texas, and starting his own business, his family, politics, all kinds of positions carried through with dignity. a post presidency that exemplified personal character, there is a lot to learn from this. it sounds almost hokey to say it. i hope young people read his biography. two years i think presidential leadership and foreign policy is as good as any two years perhaps in american history. certainly is up there, in the top three, four, five examples,

there's a lot to learn from him in terms of his character, in terms of his performance in public life. >> sam? >> very top, at the very top. the gesture that vice president pence talked about is what i saw every day when i was especially at the white house, he would reach out to people and do things for people and think about people, it was never me, it was never i, it was always we and they, how are they doing? i hope that -- and we are, we're really getting a feel for that, when you saw it every day, you said to yourself, this is a special person and he's giving you a message. this is what you should do when you are serving in government or afterwards, serve others, pass it forward. and that's what he was doing. so -- and, of course, his accomplishments in four years, i agree with president george w. bush. he's the greatest four-year president. i think he's one of the greatest presidents ever. whether it's four years or eight

years. >> when you talk about the message sent to those in office now, obviously president trump and melania trump are expected to leave the white house shortly, we're awaiting that, to pay their respects. president bush wanted -- he choreographed how all of this would go down. there's a certain pomp and circumstance that goes with this, he had a lot of say over what will happen. he wanted president trump there, how important was that to him? >> anyone who knows george h.w. bush would know that respect for the office was one of the most important things to him. and there was no way that the sitting president wouldn't be invited and he wouldn't want them there. there's an expression, lead by example, and i think that's part of what we're going to see all this week. the way president bush 41 put together this funeral, he did not want to make these funeral plans, but they told him, you

have to do it, sir, it's a sense of duty. so he told me, that he really got in there and micro managed it, but when we see all these presidents together at the cathedral on wednesday, i can't help but think that bush 41 as i called him will hope that maybe a message gets through to today's white house, to president trump, that this is how it can be done. this is how it can feel? >> erin? >> thank you all so very much. next, former president ronald reagan's daughter patty davis speaking out on the difference between president george h.w. bush and president trump. plus, first lady michelle obama's take on the famous lean in philosophy, has the internet going wild.

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to full custom builds. 4-w-p has you covered. whether you want to order the best parts online or shop in-store. do the work yourself. or get it done by a pro. all roads lead to 4-w-p. do your rig right. shop online or find your store at 4-w-p.com. breaking news, president trump and first lady melania trump heading to the capitol tonight to pay their respects to the former president, george h.w. bush. they should be leaving the white house in moments. this comes as ronald reagan mourned the death of her father's vice president calling trump out in the process, in an op ed today. patty davis writing, america will lay to rest a man who served his country, we will pause and mourn and reflect.

we might also want to mourn the loss of dignity that we have long associatesed with the office of presidency and is no longer there. patty davis is now outfront. i appreciate your time. we're looking at pictures of the rotunda, where now members of the public can come see him, as well as members of his staff, i want to get to the op ed in a moment, as we see people morning, we saw president bush's children mourning today. all cameras on them, not easy. much like you had to go through in 2004 when your father died. what went through your mind today? >> it looked so familiar every time i would see the pictures online or turn on television and watch what was going on. you know, i was sort of back there again. and it's -- it's a strange thing

grieving in public, there's something fulfilling about it, you do have this feeling that the country is grieving with you. you feel like you're in this huge bubble and a lot of people are there with you, when it's over, you know that your time of private grieving has to begin. and that's harder, it's actually a little bit, in a strange way, it's easier to grieve in public because it's like, everybody's holding you above the waterline, if that makes any sense. >> it does, actually. when you say that, it actually does. you know, president bush delivered a eulogy at your father's funeral. you talk about this public versus private. bush himself fought back tears during a part of it, i want to highlight a part of it. >> i learned more from ronald

reagan than from anyone i encountered in all my years of public life. i learned kindness, we all did. i also learned courage. the nation did. >> you know, you talk about how when you move to the private grieving and your family flew home. you talk about that moment. you never had a chance to tell him how moved you were by those words. what do you wish you had had a chance to share with him? >> i wish we had told him that his eulogy -- and by the way, everybody's eulogy that day was wonderful, margaret thatcher sent a taped eulogy because she wasn't able to travel. everybody's was lovely. his did stand out, it was so raw and heartfelt. that moment you played almost brought me to tears again. thanks, erin. it just was -- it was just so

real and so raw and we did mention it a lot on that long plane flight back to california. and i wish we had told him that. i wish we had -- one of us had written a letter or something. i wish we had let him know that. >> you know, in the op ed today, you lament the loss of dignity associated with the presidency. you talk about the pillars of democracy. and your words are, they're being chipped away, crudely and casually. you feel it's important to point out the difference between trump and the president we just lost. >> well, i think that it would be tragic if we forget what the presidency is supposed to look like. the president is supposed to reveer democracy and all of the institutions that hold it up. the president is supposed to work with our allies with

diplomacy and respect, and at the same time, stand up to autocrats who murder people. the president is the constitution. the president is supposed to be a grownup. you know, 9-year-olds should be able to look up to the president of the united states, not feel that he's one of them. and if we forget that, i think we're doomed. >> the president, president trump of course is going to pay his respects. he's going to be at the funeral which is important. president bush wanted him there. there was a time with the 1,000 points of light that president trump said 1,000 points of light, i never quite got that one. what the hell is that, has anyone ever figured that one out? he mocked it. yet, president george h.w. bush wants president trump here and president trump is going to attend and going to pay his respects.

how important is that? >> i think what he's demonstr e demonstrating with his passing and with the wishes that he laid forth before his passing is the importance of forgiveness and we can all learn that lesson. i think it's probably going to be hard for his family. i have a feeling maybe they're not quite of the same -- i don't know, but it's possible they're not quite of the same forgiving mind-set that that president bush was. but what a gift to see that as an example when somebody knows that their time is short, they know they're going to be leaving this world, and to leave it by saying i'm going to extend myself with forgiveness to somebody else who treated me

very badly and mocked me publicly, that's a real -- that's huge. >> it is. of course, we shall see what these moments are like with all the living presidents who will be at this funeral. thank you so much, patti. i appreciate your time tonight. >> sure, thank you. another developing story this hour and this is pretty stunning. this has been happening under the radar. wait until you hear this. major allegations of voter fraud is rocking a congressional race in north carolina. the allegations in fact are so serious that the state election board is not certifying the results. there are questions about whether there will be a whole new election called all together. with all of this fear about hacking and voter fraud, this is what it could look like. we're talking about the ninth district in north carolina outside of charlotte. republican mark gar rhys leading democrat dan mccready by 900 votes. drew, you've been investigating this and obviously this could be ground zero for what so many

americans have feared. what are the allegations? >> reporter: this has everything to do with absentee ballots in this county and a small group of individuals all connected to each other, all of whom had petty criminal records who had this get out of vote campaign involved in these absentee ballots led by a man named mccrae dallas. the problem is there's a lot of problems with how those absentee ballots either came in or didn't come in. we're getting some affidavits from voters wondering about their ballots. one lady writing that she actually handed over her ballot unsealed. she said i gave her, one of these operatives, the ballot, and she said she would finish it herself. i signed it ballot and left. it was not sealed up at the time. there are several of those kind of affidavits emerging in this county. i talked to one man who had a

absentee ballot damn near filled out for himself. he was given a sandwich. as you said, the state board has agreed. >> you've gotten your hands on some of the suspicious ballots. this is the crucial question. can you tell us about them? >> reporter: i'll tell you what's odd, okay? there are now 161 of these ballots and they were submitted in batches. these are absentee ballots. you're supposed to have somebody witness them for you. some of these are witnessed -- the same person has witnessed 40 of them at a time. this happened over and over again. there are about 8 to 10 people involved with this who are submitting batches and batches -- excuse me while a big truck goes by -- of these ballots that now are being investigated by the state. there's also a big issue with the number -- a huge number of absentee ballots that have not come back yet. very much over the usual amount in this county and the neighboring county, so the investigation continues here.

>> all right, thank you very much. we're going to continue covering this crucial story. next, jeanne moos on michelle obama's use of a four-letter word that has everybody leaning in to hear. my dad works for chevy. we're all part of the chevy family. and right now, so are you. because our chevy employee discount is now available to everyone. even you. the chevy price you pay is what we pay. and not a cent more. all: welcome to the family! the chevy family. use your employee discount for everyone to get over $6,000 below msrp on this equinox when you finance with gm financial. get the chevy employee discount for everyone today.

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tonight it's not always possible to, quote, lean in. that's the sentiment among many, including the first lady, who used a four-letter word to challenge the lean in mantra. here's jeanne moos. >> reporter: remember when michelle obama made this motto famous. >> when they go low, we go high. always going high when they go low. >> reporter: what about going a bit low when it comes to language, using a word many of us use privately, oh, say a dozen or so times a day. before a soldout crowd at an arena in brooklyn, mrs. obama was talking about equality within a marriage and having a career. i tell women that whole you can have it all, nope, not at the same time. that's a lie. it's not always enough to lean in because that [bleep] doesn't work all the time. the lean in reference was to facebook coo chersheryl sandber

book entitled "lean in". >> do not lean back. lean in. >> reporter: meaning women should be more aggressive on their own behalf in the workplace. it was the lean in idea that mrs. obama dissed with the "s" word. the good news is we don't have to bleep the former first lady. the bad news is it's because we couldn't find video of the moment her swearing brought down the house. she said [bleep] and we all went crazy tweeted one audience member. the lie that you can have it all deserves an expletive. amen. but critics called it classless. mrs. obama immediately caught herself, saying i forgot where i was for a moment. i was getting real comfortable. but i'm back now. but sometimes that doesn't work. a cuss word a tad stronger than what her husband once called kanye west. >> he's a jack ass.

>> reporter: some say found your voice. when the [bleep] hit the fan, her fans didn't give a [bleep]. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. and thanks so much for joining us. ac 360 starts now. good evening from issue wasn where the ceremonial rhythms of a somber day faded into a picture of simple, quiet sadness. the 41st president of the united states lying in state in the capitol rotunda and being remembered tonight by so many in so many different places for embodying so much of what now seems spe seems missing in our public sphere. he's being appreciated as one of the most consequential one-term presidents this country has seen. president bush was neither