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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Hunter Biden Announces Taxes Under Investigation; Two U.K. Health Workers Suffer Allergic Reaction to Pfizer Vaccine; U.S. Averaging 2,000 COVID-19 Deaths Every Day. Aired 4-4:30p ET

Aired December 09, 2020 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And presuming the majority votes in favor, the commissioner could then make a final determination either Thursday or Friday.

Meantime, the syringes, the needles, the wipes for that Pfizer vaccine are already being shipped out. And they will all be in place by Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (voice-over): A green light for Pfizer's vaccine in the U.S. could be just a day away.

LT. GEN. PAUL OSTROWSKI (RET.), OPERATION WARP SPEED: Within 24 hours of approval, we will begin moving the vaccines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we will start to have shots in arms within 96 hours of EUA.

WATT: But there is another issue, vaccine hesitancy.

OSTROWSKI: We want to make sure that the vaccines are actually administered. And we're afraid that that won't happen. We must build the trust in the American people. We must make them understand that the science that went into this, that the oversight they wanted this is gold standard.

WATT: The FDA now also analyzing allergic reactions to the vaccine in two British health workers who do have a history of allergic reaction.

DR. MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: The expectation would be that subjects with known severe reaction, allergic reactions, should not take the vaccine, until we understand exactly what happened here.

ALEX AZAR, U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: FDA is going to not cut any corners. They're looking at the data. They're looking under the hood at everything.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NIAID DIRECTOR: When they then say that the vaccine is safe and effective, I will tell you all that I myself will be perfectly comfortable in taking the vaccine, and I would recommend it to my family.

WATT: The White House Task Force warns it could be late spring before vaccines slow the spread. And this country is now averaging more than 200,000 new COVID-19 cases every day -- that's near doubled in just a month -- and averaging well over 2,000 deaths every day. That's more than doubled in just a month.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would say this is the start of the Thanksgiving bump.

WATT: ICUs in many places are filling, and fast.

DR. PAUL OFFIT, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: Well, I feel like we are at some level on a precipice. But, again, we're not helpless. Wear a mask. Social distance.

WATT: Many states are reintroducing restrictions. And?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will do more if our trends do not improve.

WATT: But some citizens just will not toe the line, in Idaho, forcing a health board to abandon a meeting.

DIANA LACHIONDO, ADA COUNTY, IDAHO COMMISSIONER: My 12-year-old son is home by himself right now, and there are protesters banging outside the door, OK? I'm going to go home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (on camera): And this just in. One more region of California is about to go back under a stay-at-home order because ICU capacity has just fallen too much.

So, from tomorrow, we're going to have four of five regions in this state, 36 million Californians, back told to stay home as much as possible -- Jake.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: All right, Nick, thank you so much.

A member of president-elect Biden's Coronavirus Advisory Board, Dr. Julie Morita, joins me now.

Dr. Maria, thanks for joining us.

So, as a member of the advisory board for president-elect Biden, what's the biggest challenge you foresee waiting for you when the Biden/Harris administration takes over?

DR. JULIE MORITA, BIDEN CORONAVIRUS ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER: I think the pandemic itself is a huge challenge. And there's a number of things that are in play right now that are concerning.

We know that vaccines themselves will not stop the pandemic. Vaccinations actually will. And so there is a fair amount of concern about people who are hesitant to receive the vaccine, who aren't trusting the vaccine is safe and effective. TAPPER: Are you confident that any American who wants a vaccine will

have had one by June, as Operation Warp Speed promised?

MORITA: I wish I had a crystal ball to really know exactly when we will have sufficient vaccine and we will have adequate uptake to ensure that 100 percent of the population has had a chance to get vaccinated. I think that that remains to be seen.

The Biden transition team is working very hard to really collect all the information regarding what plans are in place right now, what gaps are there, so that, when they hit the ground and day one, they're able to have a strong plan in place to address the public health issues that we're facing.

TAPPER: And you're going to be briefed tomorrow, right, by Moncef Slaoui and the Operation Warp Speed team? That briefing is going to be Thursday?

MORITA: I'm not -- I wasn't -- I'm not aware of that. The transition team itself maybe. As an advisory group, we don't necessarily meet with federal agencies. We actually meet with the transition team after they have met with the federal agencies.

TAPPER: OK, I see.

What do you think is a realistic timeline for somebody who's not high- risk to be vaccinated?

MORITA: Again, it makes a difference in terms of how many vaccines are approved for emergency use. Right now, we're looking at two vaccines potentially being available. We will have to see what happens with the other vaccines and when they are actually approved for emergency use.

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And that will then impact when the vaccine becomes available for the general public. Right now, with the vaccine supply that's anticipated to be available, we're looking at health care providers and long-term care facility residents. Those folks will be prioritized first.

But in terms of the general public, a lot of it will depend on how quickly the development occurs and when the approvals occur as well.

TAPPER: President Biden is obviously a high-risk group -- in a high- risk group. He's 78 years old. Next month, he's going to become leader of the free world.

Will you recommend that he be among the first to be vaccinated.

MORITA: So, that's not been a topic of conversation among the advisory group.

What we're really focusing on right now are the processes that are in place to assure that the vaccine is safe and effective. The first step in that right now, tomorrow, is that the FDA independent advisory group will review the data, make a decision whether or not to recommend approval for emergency use.

From then, the recommendation will go to the ACIP, who will -- is an independent body that will advise CDC, and we will see what the recommendations are for who the top priorities are.

As I said, what we have heard so far is that it's likely to be health care providers first, along with long-term care facility residents. So we will see how these things play out over the next couple days.

TAPPER: But, surely, you have an opinion. I won't hold you to it as being the opinion of the entire advisory group. But what do you think?

Should the 78-year-old new president of the United States or about to be president to the United States be one of the first people to get the vaccine?

MORITA: What the president-elect has said is that he will get the vaccine if Dr. Fauci recommends it.

And my personal opinion, not the opinion of the campaign, the transition team or the advisory group, is that, if the president-elect wants the vaccine, he should get the vaccine.

TAPPER: All right, Dr. Julie Morita, thank you so much. Appreciate your time today.

Breaking news on Joe Biden's son Hunter and Hunter Biden's taxes. That's next.

Plus: After health care workers, nursing home residents will also be among the first to get the vaccine. And that presents a different set of challenges. We're going to talk to the head of the largest chain of nursing homes in the United States.

That's ahead. Stay with us.

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

TAPPER: And we are back with breaking news in our 2020 lead.

Moments ago, president-elect Joe Biden's son Hunter announced that the U.S. attorney in Delaware has notified his lawyer that the U.S. attorney is investigated Hunter Biden's taxes, Hunter Biden saying in a statement -- quote -- "I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. attorney's office in Delaware advised my legal counsel also yesterday that they are investigating my tax affairs. I take this matter very seriously. But I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers" -- unquote.

The Biden transition team also released a statement, saying -- quote -- "President-elect Biden is deeply proud of his son, who has fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger" -- unquote.

CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez joins me now on the phone.

And, Evan, what more do we know about this U.S. attorney's investigation?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, we know that this is an investigation that began as far back as 2018.

In the recent months, it had been put on hold as a result of Justice Department rules that require politically sensitive investigations to sort of go at least on pause, so as not to interfere with the election.

We know that, right after the election, the U.S. attorney's office in Delaware informed the agents that have been working the case that they were no longer under that restriction, that they could now take overt steps, steps that could become public.

And so that's what Hunter Biden is now referring to. Just so you know, we have been talking to Hunter Biden's attorney for the last couple days because we were aware of some of these investigative steps that were being taken. We reached out to them. They told us that they were going to get back to us with whatever comment they had.

And they obviously decided to go public, instead of responding to us, just us. So what we know is that this is an investigation that goes back again to 2018 and has been looking at everything from taxes to potential violations of money laundering laws.

And it has to do, Jake, with Hunter Biden's business activities in China. Now, in particular, there is an episode that happened in 2017 where Hunter Biden had a meeting with a Chinese businessman by the name of Ye Jianming. And at the end of that meeting, Hunter Biden goes back to his hotel room, and he received a 2.8-carat diamond from Ye, from Mr. Ye.

Now, Hunter Biden gave an account of this entire episode to "The New Yorker" in a profile last year. And we're told, our sources tell us, Jake, that this is part of the investigation that the IRS criminal investigation agency, the FBI, the U.S. attorney's office in Delaware have been investigating.

TAPPER: All right, Evan Perez, thank you so much for that detailed explanation.

And, obviously, we will bring you more information as we learn it.

In the meantime, this afternoon, president-elect Joe Biden officially introduced a crucial and historic Cabinet pick, retired General Lloyd Austin, as his nominee for defense secretary. It's a man he says has extraordinary courage, character and experience.

The president-elect is also closing in on another round of major Cabinet announcements, including who will lead the Justice Department, as CNN's Jeff Zeleny now reports.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT (voice-over): He's the definition of duty, honor, country.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President-elect Joe Biden making one of his first commander in chief decisions, introducing retired Army General Lloyd Austin as the secretary of defense to help rebuild America's frayed alliances.

BIDEN: He's loved by the men and women of the armed forces, feared by our adversaries, known and respected by our allies, and he shares my deeply held belief in the values of America's alliances.

ZELENY: Austin would become the first African-American to lead the Pentagon, a barrier-breaking pick, considering 40 percent of the nation's active-duty troops, but few high -ranking leaders, are people of color.

They have known each other for years and worked together to end Operation Iraqi Freedom.

GEN. LLOYD AUSTIN (RET)., U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE NOMINEE: You can expect that, as secretary of defense, that I will give you the same direct and unvarnished counsel that I did back then.

ZELENY: After rising to the highest levels of the Army and serving 41 years, Austin retired in 2016.

AUSTIN: I come to this role, this new role, as a civilian leader, with military experience, to be sure, but also with a deep appreciation and reverence for the prevailing wisdom of civilian control of our military.

ZELENY: To be confirmed, Congress will need to waive federal law requiring a seven-year gap between military service and civilian leadership, which some members of Biden's own party have balked at.

BIDEN: I would not be asking for this exception if I had not -- if I did not believe this moment in our history didn't call for it.

ZELENY: Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a retired black four- star Army general himself, said Congress should confirm Austin, saying: "He has demonstrated his war fighting skills and his bureaucratic, diplomatic and political acumen."

Biden has now settled on nearly half of his Cabinet, with the latest picks of Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge going to housing and former Ag Secretary and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack heading back to USDA.

The attorney general remains the biggest post still unfilled. CNN has learned Alabama Senator Doug Jones, Judge Merrick Garland and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates are the leading contenders. Officials tell CNN that several more Cabinet picks are coming before

the holidays. And, six weeks from today, Biden will be sworn in as president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: Now, as for the defense secretary, we are learning that General Austin will be speaking with lawmakers next week.

But the highest-ranking African-American member of Congress, James Clyburn, he is urging Congress to support that waiver. He said the experience of General Austin is needed.

One other point he makes, he has an experience in logistics, so President Biden said he is key to helping distribute the vaccine next year -- Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Jeff Zeleny in Wilmington, Delaware, thanks so much.

Let's bring in our panel and go back to the breaking news, president- elect Joe Biden's son Hunter announcing this afternoon that he is under federal investigation for his taxes.

And let's discuss.

Abby, Hunter Biden's taxes under investigation by the U.S. attorney's office in Delaware. He says that he's handled his affairs legally and appropriately, Hunter Biden says.

Now, obviously, you heard Evan Perez talking about the investigation, about money laundering, money from China, a whole number of incidents taking place, including a very expensive gem that he received. What do you make of this all? And will this cast a shadow over the transition and the Biden presidency?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the first thing that really strikes out at me is one of the things that Evan said, which is that the Justice Department actually did follow its own guidance and put this on hold for several months during the election in order to not adversely interfere with a political -- with a political election.

I think that's pretty significant. It's going to -- I think, for a lot of Democrats, it's going to strike them as political that this investigation seemed to have had its origins around the time that Joe Biden was running for president or beginning his run for president or thinking about it, and is now starting back up at a time when Joe Biden is about to be inaugurated.

But, at the same time, as has always been the case with Hunter Biden, there are questions about what he was doing while his father was vice president that will need to be answered. And if he doesn't provide those answers, certainly, an investigation will suss them out, and we will find out in due time what the results are.

TAPPER: Phil Bump, what do you make of it?

PHILIP BUMP, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Yes, I think that's right.

I mean, one of the things we have known for a while is that Hunter Biden has something of a sketchy background, something which obviously President Trump and his allies tried to make hay out of over the course of the past -- the last several months of the campaign.

We will have to see where this goes. Obviously, the statement from Biden, from Hunter Biden, suggests that he did nothing wrong, which is what you would expect such a statement to say.

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But it's going to be really interesting. This is going to be one of those moments too when we're really going to see a sharp divergence between what people were saying when it was the Trump family and what people are saying when it's the Biden family. Obviously, there have been outstanding questions about Trump's family as well, which haven't quite gotten to this point.

But it's going to be sort of fascinating to see how this moves forward, given the way the dynamic is sort of playing out in the same way that it had for some of the allegations around Trump as well.

TAPPER: Yes. I mean, if laws were broken, there should be justice. There needs to be justice.

Abby, 17 Democrats voted against giving General James Mattis a waiver to be the secretary of defense four years ago when he was picked by President Trump.

But, ultimately, even though 17 voted against giving him the waiver, he was confirmed 98-1. So how big a deal is the waiver for somebody like General Austin?

PHILLIP: I think that, for a lot of Democrats in particular, the issue of the waiver is going to be one of principle, where you might find that they might -- if they feel like that they can do so safely, some might want to go ahead and vote against the waiver, but still vote for the nomination in order to make a statement about civilian control of the military.

One of the difficult things for Biden is actually the fact that James Mattis so recently got a waiver himself. It creates a sense of a pattern that I think is disturbing to some Democrats who are worried that this law actually is being sort of encroached upon a little by little, that more and more waivers are being asked for and granted very easily in the political process.

That being said, Lieutenant General Austin would be the first black defense secretary. That's a very significant thing for Democrats in particular. I think you will see many of them hard-pressed to vote against that kind of historic nomination in this environment.

TAPPER: Phil, there was a big push to nominate Congresswoman Marcia Fudge to be secretary of agriculture. That didn't happen. She is going to be nominated to be secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Will that be disappointing for her allies? Or is being in the Cabinet enough?

BUMP: It's a good question. I think it probably varies to some extent on who you talk to.

Obviously, a Cabinet position is an honor regardless. I think there's a broader discussion to be had about Vilsack, who served for eight years in both Obama terms in that position, and the relationship that he has with people of color through the Department of Agriculture. There's certainly been some questions that I have seen raised about the way in which he conducted himself in that role over those eight years, and that left a lot of people dissatisfied, who would be considered members of President Obama's base at the time.

I think that the Fudge nomination for HUD is interesting, and I think probably is the sort of thing which will not face much of a challenge in the Senate necessarily. But the dynamics there in terms of who's filling which of these positions, I'm really sort of fascinated by the fact that Vilsack is going back to this position again, and what it means in terms of the continuity between the Obama and Biden administrations.

TAPPER: And, Abby, I want you to take a look at the three leading contenders for attorney general right now.

We're told that Senator Doug Jones, who was just defeated representing Alabama, Judge Merrick Garland and Sally Yates are the three leading contenders. It's obvious, all three of them are white. And I wonder if you're surprised that, given all the talk about criminal justice reform, Black Lives Matter, George Floyd, all of this in the last year or two, the notion of civil rights and the notions of being black in America and the notion of justice, are you surprised that the three final contenders, according to our reporting, at least, are white?

PHILLIP: In some ways, I am a little surprised that among the finalists, according to our reporting, there aren't any people of color on that list.

I will say that one of the reasons that Doug Jones might be amenable to civil rights groups is because he has a long history of prosecuting civil rights cases in Alabama. It's one of the things that he's made his calling card. And, in fact, in the last months of his tenure in the Senate, because he knew that he was in such a tough race, it seemed that he was almost liberated in some ways to speak up forcefully for civil rights issues, even coming from an extremely red state.

That being said, I think that there are symbolism to the other names there, Sally Yates and both -- and Merrick Garland as well. But I also think that this kind of goes back to your conversation with Phil a little bit ago. There were some complaints that, typically, the black candidates are

put in positions like the Housing and Urban Development Department and the Labor Department, and not in positions like, for example, Agriculture. We have had a black attorney general.

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But, again, it's something that I think is part of the conversation around where the diversity is occurring in this administration. And is that itself speaking to what the Biden administration says are their values?

I think, though, most Democrats would be more or less satisfied with most of those candidates, although I think some Democrats believe Merrick Garland is perhaps too centrist or what have you. But I think they would be more or less satisfied with those three candidates. But, again, as you point out, the lack of diversity is striking, given the moment that we are in.

TAPPER: In that one job, but, of course, we should note, the vice president will be black.

PHILLIP: Yes.

TAPPER: And, if he's confirmed, so will the secretary of defense.

Abby Phillip and Philip Bump, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

Coolers, ice packs, minivans, it's not high-tech, but these items are going to be crucial for getting the coronavirus vaccine to several states, maybe even to you.

Stay with us.

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