Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Signs Insurrection was More Carefully Planned Than Thought; House Vote Makes Trump First President to be Impeached Twice; 20,000 Members of National Guard Fortifying U.S. Capitol; Security Being Increased in State Capitals; Law Enforcement Officers Facing Charges in Capitol Insurrection; White House Task Force Warns COVID May Have Evolved into More Transmissible Virus; Global Reactions to Second Trump Impeachment. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired January 14, 2021 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Among the concerns, one of the top organizers of the movement to overturn the election claims he worked closely with Republican House members, including Paul Gosar, Mo Brooks and Andy Biggs. All of this as Congresswoman Ayanna Presley tells CNN she discovered the panic buttons in her office, the ones used to alert security, had been ripped out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. AYANNA PRESSLEY (D-MA): Learning that those panic alarms, or those panic buttons had been removed from my office was certainly unnerving.
REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): I have faith in the resiliency of our government. We will bring the rioters to justice. Their accomplices in this house will be held responsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Lawmakers are also calling for investigations into reconnaissance tours for people apparently wearing MAGA apparel in the days before the attack. Now tours have, of course, been prohibited since March because of the pandemic and were only supposed to be given by lawmakers or their staffers. We get more now from senior justice correspondent Evan Perez in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Investigators have uncovered evidence that suggests there was a lot more planning behind the U.S. Capitol attack than first thought. That evident includes weapons and tactics seen on surveillance video that increasingly portrays a level of planning that makes clear that the attack was not just a protest that spiraled out of control.
For instance, the FBI is looking at indications that some participants at the Trump rally at the ellipse outside of the White House left the event early, perhaps to retrieve items to be used on the assault on the Capitol. There's still a lot to uncover and there are no conclusions yet. But investigators and prosecutors are looking at travel and communication records to determine if they can build a case and is similar to a counterterrorism investigation. In the presence of corruption and counterterrorism prosecutors and agents is in part because of their expertise in financial investigations. One official tells CNN we are following the money.
Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right Evan, thank you so much for that.
President Trump impeached for an historic second time. Impeachment managers are starting to build their case. New information on what big decisions they still have to make.
[04:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JARRETT: Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is 35 minutes past the hour here in New York. And we begin this morning with President Trump now impeached for an historic second time. The country is on edge about new threats of violence and the big question this morning, what does the Senate do this time around?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): The ayes are 232, the nays are 197. The resolution is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: House impeachment managers are just starting to lay out their strategy for the case. A key issue remains whether to subpoena documents or witnesses. That could prolong the trial. Swift and bipartisan condemnation from shaken Senators here.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux live from Capitol Hill. Suzanne, when will the single article of impeachment be sent to the Senate? And what will the trial of the soon to be former president look like?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly it's going to be different than what we've seen before. I mean what it will do is send it over to the Senate side. And right now Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who's in charge, he says he's not going to bring forward the Senate before the January 19th -- the day before the inauguration -- for any kind of lightning quick speed type of trial.
But rather what will happen will go to the Democrats hands. And that's where you'll see Chuck Schumer and the House managers. They will lay out some of those rules and figure out whether or not they're going to call witnesses, whether or not they'll subpoena for documents. These types of things will take much, much longer, it'll drag along the process.
That is one of the concerns that Democrats have as well as those on team Biden because he wants to make sure that he does accomplish in the first 100 days trying to push forward as many of those confirmation of cabinet members and push forward his legislative agenda, COVID legislation as well. And so those -- the competing type of things that they're trying to iron out and work out even before this new session of Congress comes into play.
Right now what you have and what is most interesting is that the majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has said that behind the scenes he does approve of this impeachment process, that these were impeachable offenses. But he is putting out to his GOP colleagues in this letter saying while the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote, and I tend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate.
What makes this so consequential is it's very different from the last time, when he said that he could not be an impartial juror. So there are signs, indications here that potentially McConnell does not want to have President Trump as part of the future GOP and that this is a party that is definitely being split among those pro-Trumpers and those who want to move on.
ROMANS: Yes, that McConnell statement says so much by saying so little. And we should say that the President-elect Biden will be unveiling his rescue and recovery plan today. So he's trying to get out there and do the business of the nation even as the business of impeachment is consuming all of the oxygen right now.
MALVEAUX: That's right.
ROMANS: Susan Malveaux, thank you for that this morning.
MALVEAUX: Thank you.
JARRETT: Well Vice President Mike Pence will participate in a briefing on inauguration security today. The nation's capital has essentially turned into a fortress with concerns about safety at an all-time high. A fact that is not lost on Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton, a veteran of the Iraq war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. SETH MOULTON (D-MA): There are more troops right now in Washington, D.C., than in Afghanistan, and they are here to defend us against the commander in chief, the president of the United States and his mob.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: What he's talking about is this. National Guards men forced to sleep with guns at their side in the hallways of the U.S. Capitol. Pete Muntean has more on preparations to keep the inauguration safe. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, more and more protection than protestors here now outside the United States Capitol. This massive wall is going up almost as far as the eye can see. Blocks away from the Capitol complex, where we are now, it will be really hard for anybody to get close. This is very well fortified. It is also very tall. I'm 6 feet tall. This is 8 feet tall.
[04:40:00]
You know, even if somebody did make it over on the other side of this, they would be faced with a lot of people power and a lot of fire power.
The National Guard is coming here, 20,000 members of the National Guard. In fact some of them are already on the other side of this fence armed with M-16s. The Capitol Police is here armed with shotguns. Metropolitan Washington Police are here also, U.S. Marshalls come here by the thousands. You know, this is just the start of a massive security apparatus for what will be a very busy inauguration center point.
You know, thousands of people would be just on the other side of this fence normally. Now it is nearly completely empty. We also know that the TSA is stepping up patrols at the region's airports, BWI, Reagan National and Dulles, and they are checking for boarding passes and IDs at the gate. The hope is to discourage people from coming to Washington. Mayor Bowser says Americans should stay away for the inauguration -- Christine, Laura.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, Pete Muntean thank you so much for that.
You know, and another sign of just how much has changed in one short week, CNN has learned President Biden will no longer take Amtrak from Wilmington to Washington for his swearing in on Wednesday. Now part of the security concern was Biden's arrival of course at Union Station in D.C. That's just blocks from the heavily fortified Capitol. Biden has instructed his team to keep moving forward with inauguration plans.
"The New York Times" reports Biden's incoming national security adviser asked for a detail plan on what happens between 11:59 a.m. and 12:01 p.m. next Wednesday in case events unfold during the literal transition of power.
JARRETT: That seems like a really important question to find out the answer to right now amidst all of this.
Well it's not just Washington, D.C., on edge. Security is being ramped up in state capitals across the country. The FBI has warned of inauguration related armed protests in all 50 states. CNN reporters are covering it all for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ryan Young in Atlanta, Georgia. You can see the state capitol behind me. You can see the armored vehicles that's also been brought in by the Georgia State Patrol. That's to fortify the area here. We see troopers all around this area. National Guards men will also be brought in to supplement the security here just in case the protests get any larger than expected. Also the state of Georgia is sending 300 National Guards men to Washington, D.C., to help in the operation there.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Miguel Marquez in Lansing, Michigan, where authorities are preparing for a so-called "stand up for liberty" march. Organizers say it is armed but peaceful. Authorities are also preparing for the possibility of protests and/or violence through inauguration day. Michigan very sensitive to this as right-wing militias have taken over the capitol before with long guns and at one point even plotting to kidnap the governor here.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matt Rivers outside the state capitol in Austin, Texas, where the state's Department of Public Safety is on high alert after last week's events in Washington, D.C. DPS says it has deployed additional resources here to the capitol like the officers behind me to ensure security.
Now we know there were small protests here on Tuesday. And we also know state lawmakers have been told about at least two potential events that could take place on Sunday although questions remain about the potential sides and scope of those events. But the Department of Public Safety says it can quickly scale up its response here even further should any potential threat merit that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JARRETT: All of our correspondents for breaking all of that down. So there is all this preparation happening. At the same time there is growing scrutiny of law enforcement and military officers who are facing charges for their roles in the Capitol insurrection.
Take a look at this. Two off duty Virginia police officers, Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker taking selfies there. They were arrested on Wednesday. Larry Wendell Brock is a retired Airforce reserve officer from Texas, and a Houston, Texas officer is on leave now likely facing federal charges as well. At least seven police officers from New York, Philadelphia and Seattle are still being investigated for their roles. The FBI has received more than 126,000 digital tips. More than tripling that number from Monday.
People who swore an oath to protect other Americans now showing up alongside those who carried the Confederate flag and wore sweatshirts saying camp Auschwitz, chanting about killing the vice president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Some national veterans' organization have vowed to remove members who were charged in all of this. This happening at the same time this week the entire joint chiefs of staff had to publicly remind service members of their obligation to defend the Constitution and reject extremism. We'll be right back. [04:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: To the coronavirus pandemic this morning. Another 3,848 American lives reported lost Wednesday. The White House task force warns some coronavirus strains may have evolved into a more transmissible virus. The officials say this fall and winter case surge has been at nearly twice the rate of spring and summer. CNN's Erica Hill has the latest on the pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Laura, good morning. More than 10 million people in the United States have now received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. That's according to the CDC. Moderna's CEO speaking at a health conference on Wednesday says he doesn't believe the variants identified U.K., South Africa and Brazil will impact the efficacy of the company's vaccine.
Meantime, Yankee Stadium we're learning could soon be a mass vaccination site in New York City. Mayor de Blasio says plans are in motion, but no opening dates are announced. Citi Field, the home of the Mets, will open for vaccinations on January 25th.
California is expanding vaccine eligibility to all residents 65 and older. And that increased of Californians who can now get the vaccine to some 6.6 million people. The State Department of Health says the demand far out passes supply.
[04:50:00]
Meantime Dollar General said on Wednesday, it won't require the vaccine for its employees, but it will pay them the equivalent of four hours wages to get the vaccine. Noting he doesn't want them to have to choose between getting a shot or reporting for work.
And on the heels of the worst day for reported deaths since the start of the pandemic, the CDC's latest ensemble forecast now projects as many as 477,000 COVID deaths in the U.S. by February 6th. A sobering reminder that while this vaccine offers much hope, there is still a long road ahead -- Christine, Laura.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Thank you Erica. You know as Erica mentioned, 477,000 Americans dead. Just for perspective, that's like wiping out an entire mid-sized American city, like Omaha, Colorado Springs, or Raleigh. The human toll from coronavirus is devastating and getting worse every day.
JARRETT: Well the Trump impeachment trials will clearly dominate the early days of the new Biden administration. It's also a concern for world leaders focused on security cooperation. And of course there's the issue of confirming new ambassadors. International diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is live in London for us. Nic, nice to see you this morning. Talk about how world leaders would see this second impeachment, this incoming trial at the same time they're trying to work with a new administration.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, seem to be getting a lot of headline news around the world. And particularly the amount of security that's poured into the capital, you know, to provide the save background for the inauguration to happen. That's catching a lot of attention, too.
You know, we saw world leaders last week distancing themselves -- some of them were quite close to President Trump, like Boris Johnson, distancing themselves from the president. I think the reality is settling in now that Joe Biden when he becomes president, whatever the wishes and desires for, you know, allies to get closer to the United States under a new president and hopefully, a new era is the way they'll view it, the reality is that they're going to have to accept that Biden is going to have his hands full at home. The impeachment, the political divisions at home, coronavirus are just a couple of things.
But you know, I think perhaps it was a former British Prime Minister Tony Blair speaking to a DC think tank just in the past couple of days. He was asked about this. And he said, look, Joe Biden is the right man in the right place at the right time to pick up after Donald Trump. Why? Quite simply, because he has the experience, and the confidence of the United States allies that he can come in and try to put-back together some of the pieces of the world order that allies would like.
Meanwhile, the enemies of the United States are going to use this period and use this sort of inauguration time to kind of score points and we're seeing the Iranians and Chinese do that as well.
JARRETT: Yes, it's just so much on the plate for the incoming administration now with this just added to it. Nic, always great to get your analysis. Thank you.
ROMANS: All right, so pressure grows on President Trump's business empire by the day. Real estate giant Cushman and Wakefield will no longer do business with the Trump organization. The firm has handled several properties for Trump including Trump Plaza and the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago. The Trump organization now has to find someone else to handle those properties.
A New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday the city is severing all of its contracts with the Trump organization including the carrousel in Central Park, skating rinks and a golf course. De Blasio says the Trump organization profits about $17 million a year from four different sites across New York City.
This boardroom backlash has even extended to the president's banks. Deutsche Bank severing ties with the president. A move that will cut off his business from a major source of loans. Trump owes the German bank $340 million due in coming years. And Signature Bank said it is closing his personal accounts. The company Stripe said it canceled a deal to process donations for the Trump campaign's website severely damaging his ability to raise money.
The campaign, of course, raised more than $207 million between election day and early December.
And Laura, you know, some people call this cancel culture, right? It's derided on the right as cancel culture. But these companies frame it as reputational risk to their own business because of how the president's reputation has gone -- as you point out -- from king maker to radioactive because of his role in promoting the protests and the insurrection in Washington.
JARRETT: Look, the president has not been canceled. Let's be clear. He is still in office. He still has an enormous amount of power. But there has been a shift, no question about that. And as you laid out, Christine, much of the business world is pulling back from the president, but not everyone, including major partners overseas. CNN's John Defterios is live in Dubai for us. John, who still has Trump's back?
[04:55:00]
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, I tell you, Laura, it's not easy to find a counter narrative with all that we're talking about here in the United States with the banks and companies, trade associations breaking with Donald Trump.
But there's one that does stand out here in Dubai, and it's a major developer called DAMAC. The chairman Hussain Sajwani is a close friend and partner with the Trump organization, with Donald Trump. He was actually singled out during the 2017 inauguration.
I asked for an interview. They came back with a statement but a strong one in support saying that we look forward to doing more business with Donald Trump as ex-president without the restrictions put forward by the U.S. government on a president doing business.
You remember the travel ban that we had here against Muslims. The business community in the Middle East was really strongly against Donald Trump. Not Sajwani who said he was going to stand by his man. I don't think that's going to be the norm in the future overseas for the Trump brand. Which is going to be very tarnished especially with the lines of credit that Christine was talking about being pulled by the organization.
He has a presence in India, Indonesia and Turkey. Those developers have been quiet so far. There's been a lot of demands in the past. I don't think that's going to last. But it's such a stark contrast to what we see in the United States with all the noise and, as you said, the Trump organization and Donald Trump becoming very toxic quickly.
JARRETT: Yes, there's just a question of debt and what happens there also. Very, very interesting. John thank you so much, appreciate it.
ROMANS: Outside of, you know, the big impeachment news of course today, the big story is what will Joe Biden say for a rescue and recovery package. We're going to learn of those details. What he plans to do to rescue and recover this economy. That's coming later today. Thanks for joining us, everyone. I'm Christine Romans.
JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:00:00]
