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New Video Raises More Security Concerns In Russia; New Jersey Mayor Leveling Claims Against Chris Christie's Office; Controversial MLK Event Cancelled; SUV Driver Beaten By Swarm Of Bikers Plans To Sue NYC; Vatican Officials Grilled On Child Sex Abuse Scandals By U.N. Panel

Aired January 19, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, if you're just joining us, hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Two big stories topping our news this hour.

New terror threats for everyone heading to the Sochi Olympic games just weeks before the Olympics begin. CNN has obtained the threatening video made by terrorist. We're live in Russia with the latest.

Another allegation against Governor Chris Christie's office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't believe they were doing this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Militia of Hoboken telling CNN Christie's office withheld relief funds after superstorm Sandy. Details on both stories start now.

We begin with breaking news of an ominous threat aimed at thousands of tourists set to visit Olympic for the Olympic games. These men claim to be the suicide bombers who carried out the attack in Volgograd, Russia, just days from the drive from the Olympic host city of Sochi.

CNN's Phil Black is in Volgograd and joins me live now.

So Phil, tell us more about this chilling video and how this message was disseminated.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Fred. This video who was posted to a well-known Jihadi forum. In it these men claim responsibility for the acts that took place here in Volgograd just a few weeks ago in the final days of 2013, the 29th and 30th of December. There were bombings here at a train station, also a trolley bus in all killing 34 people. And ominously, these people promise there is more to come specifically making very direct threats against the Olympic games. They say they have protected what they described as or prepared what they describe as a present for Russians, who tourists who will be in Sochi.

During the games, they say, they have a long list of people who are willing to take part in the actions they have planned. That they say they have a task for each of them. And they say that all of this is revenge for the blood that they say has been spilled. The blood of innocent Muslims, they say, has been spent around the world -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And what about the Russians that you've spoken to. Do they feel convinced that security can be comprehensive enough for these games?

BLACK: Russian officials say that in Sochi, it is absolutely secure. They say those games will be safe. Anyone who visit the city will do so safely and does not have anything to worry about. But what the attacks here in Volgograd just about 500 miles away show that there are perhaps potential vulnerabilities in other parts of the country, that there are other targets that could very easily be attacked perhaps and where many people's lives could potentially be at risk. And that certainly has people in this country concerned, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And tomorrow, right there in Volgograd, the Olympic torch makes its way through. How concerned are people about that event?

BLACK: We expect a very, very strong security operation in this city tomorrow. Because the Olympic flames arriving here by train coming into the same station that was attacked by these terrorists a just few weeks ago. And then from there the torch relay will make its way through the city over the course of the entire day.

So, we certainly expect Russian police and security sources to be very visible in their efforts to ensure this torch really got off in this city without any sort of problems tomorrow. As I say, just a few weeks since the terrorist attack here claiming 34 lives, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Phil Black. Thanks so much in Volgograd. We'll keep a close watch on these developments in that story. Thanks so much.

We're also following a developing story in stateside New Jersey. A mayor has made stunning allegations against Governor Chris Christie. Hoboken mayor Dawn Zimmer standing next to Christie here told the state of the union today Christie's office played politics with Sandy relief money withholding funds unless she backed a redevelopment project. The governor's office has already denying that.

Sunlen Serfaty joining us live from Washington with more on this.

So Sunlen, what more do we know about the mayor's claims?

SERFATY: Well, Fred, the mayor for the first time here on CNN tied Governor Christie directly to these threats of retaliation. Now, first her claim that Sandy aide for Hoboken was held hostage until she pushed through a project by the Rockefeller group. Now, this is a real estate developer with ties to Chris Christie.

Now, in May, Zimmer says that Christie's lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno, came to her with a message that Zimmer was sent from Christie himself.

Let's take a listen to how she described it today on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR DAWN ZIMMER, HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY: She made a direct threat to me. The lieutenant governor pulled me aside and she said, you know, essentially, you've got to move forward with the Rockefeller project. This project is really important to the governor. And she said that she had been with him on Friday night and this was a direct message from the governor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And we contacted the government's office again today and they declined to respond to these new specifics today from the mayor. The governor's office has previously said that Zimmer's characterization of the conversation with Guadagno is categorically false saying it's very clear that partisan politics here are at play, a democratic mayor with a political axe to grind come out of the woodwork and try to get their faces on television.

Now, the mayor says she's willing to testify under oath about all this. And Fred, she says she wants a formal investigation to her claims?

WHITFIELD: And so, Sunlen, what is the response as to why the mayor didn't come forward earlier with this?

SERFATY: Well, it is a great question. You know, this alleged retaliation happened seven months ago in May. And Mayor Zimmer was asked repeatedly this morning by our owned Candy Crowley today. Let's take a listen to her explanation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZIMMER: And I was really concerned that if I came forward and no one believed me that we would really be cut out of the Sandy funding. But as I watch coverage with bridgegate, I do see parallels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And the mayor said repeatedly that she said no one would believe her so she didn't speak up. But she did now. And she feels that she does have an obligation to talk -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sunlen Serfaty, thanks so much in Washington.

All right, coming up, we will have more from CNN's Candy Crowley on that fascinating interview with the mayor of Hoboken.

All right, Governor Christie, meantime, has been a rising GOP star. But allegations of political retribution and the bridge scandal may now be taking a toll.

CNN's political editor, Paul Steinhauser, is here with the latest poll numbers.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Fred.

First off, do you believe Chris Christie when he said --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I have no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or execution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: A plurality of Americans say yes. They mostly believe the Republican governor from New Jersey according to an NBC Marist poll. With about third say they don't believe Christie and quarter unsure.

The poll was conducted earlier this week entirely after Christie apologized for the closing of access lanes of the George Washington bridge last September which caused massive traffic jams on the New Jersey side of the nation's busiest bridge. It entangled the governor in the biggest political controversy of his career.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIE: I am who I am. But I'm not a bully.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Said Christie in response to questions about his brash style of politics. It seems most of you agreed. Only a quarter described Christie as a bully, but nearly half call him a strong leader.

The Republican governor is seriously considering a run for the White House. The poll suggest Christie lost a round to Hillary Clinton in a possible 2016 presidential matchup. They were nearly tied by last month, now he trails her by 13 points in a hypothetical shutdown.

Remember, this is just one early poll. With multiple investigations under way, this story could changed over and over again over coming weeks and months and that could change your opinion as well -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Paul Steinhauser, CNN's political editor.

All right. So, will the winter Olympic games be too tempting a target for terrorists. A chilling threat in a new video and that has many asking can Russia keep the games safe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Russia's president says he is doing everything he can to keep the winter Olympic games safe. But after a new terror video came out today, we are all wondering if what he's done will be enough.

The video had this ominous statement from men claiming to be suicide bombers saying this, quote, "as for your Olympics, something that you really want, we've prepared a present for you. You do your business and we'll do ours. We've prepared a present for you and all tourists who come over," unquote.

Russia is flooding Sochi with police. But one U.S. lawmaker worries about what it's not sharing about security.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE ROGERS (R), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I am very concerned about the security status of the Olympics. I do believe that the Russian government needs to be more cooperative with the United States when it comes to the security of the games. We have found a departure of cooperation that is very concerning to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Mike Baker is a former CIA covert operations officer and president of Diligence LLC, a global intelligence and security firm. He join me via Skype from Boise, Idaho.

Good to see you, Mike.

All right, so, Representative Rogers complains the Russians aren't sharing enough Intel, particularly with U.S. authorities. But should the expectation be that they would reveal everything?

MIKE BAKER, FORMER CIA COVERT OPERATIONS OFFICER: It's their turf, right? And they are very nationalistic. They know what they are doing. But there is this tradition of cooperation between the host country and all the other Intel and law enforcement services because you've got even two issues here.

You want to ensure you're providing the host country, in this case Russia, with all this possible and additional resource if they need an additional Intel, if they need it. But you're also hoping to get a very thorough assessment to take back home with you so you can work with your own Olympic team to ensure that, you know, they are, the host country, they are doing the security that you want to see. And so, in the lack of cooperation (INAUDIBLE), if that's the real concern, I'd rather hear it from the security experts that are handling the liaison. But if my drive is talking about, then yes, it worrisome.

WHITFIELD: So, what if anything, can the U.S. do, for example, to protect its delegation? What kind of cooperation can U.S. intelligence give or provide or expect from Russian authorities?

BAKER: Well, part of the problem is that the Russians are in a difficult situation here. Just in their backyard, they have got a major threat. They have been engaged in a very brutal battle, most people know about it over the years, particularly Chechnya, Dagestan, with (INAUDIBLE).

I mean, there's a real problem here. It's not that far away. It has recent bombings the past month killed 34 people in Volgograd, which is really, maybe 500 miles north of Sochi. So this is a real issue.

What are we hoping for? We're hoping for almost an open, transparent ability to assess what security steps the Russians have been putting in place. And they have been putting some major resources into this because Putin's reputation is on the line. So, we're hoping to get that assessment. We're hoping to also share intelligence with them and feel as though we're working hand in hand.

Now, frankly, that's always been a problem. And there's no reason to expect just because it's the Olympics suddenly the Intel and law enforcement services are going to be holding hands.

WHITFIELD: And given this video from these alleged suicide bombers, do you expect now there will be an attempted attack at these winter games?

BAKER: Well, yes, I mean, frankly, what do you have? You have to look at the realities on the ground. You have a highly motivated group of people. Not that far away from where the Olympics are going to be taking place. There's a history of brutality, who maybe Russian forces and the folks that are engaged in this battle, particularly Chechnya. And so, they are highly motivated. They are working against the Russian force service, law enforcement military Intel service behind that is putting everything behind this. It is again, Putin's reputation. That counts for a lot in Russia.

So yes, I would expect to see more attempts. The Russians can stop every potential attack. It's counter-terrorism. You don't expect to stop everything. So, I'm not really liking the odds.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mike Baker, thanks so much coming to us from Boise, Idaho. Appreciate it.

BAKER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, did Chris Christie's office hold Sandy relief funds hostage? Hear what the mayor of Hoboken is claiming. What she told Candy Crowley.

Plus, why some members of Congress are saying don't go to Sochi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This week, New Jersey governor Chris Christie has sworn into his second term. He will be bombarded with more questions about his use of Sandy relief money. The latest allegation coming from Hoboken mayor, Dawn Zimmer, who said Christie's administration played politics with Sandy recovery fund and that her city's relief dollars were held hostage because she didn't back one of the government's redevelopment projects.

CNN's Candy Crowley is CNN's chief political correspondent and anchor of "STATE ON THE UNION."

Good to see you, Candy. So, you talked to the Hoboken mayor today. You also tackled Olympic security with two key members of Congress. We'll get to the Olympic topic in a moment, but first Hoboken.

Does this mayor believe she has proved of the allegations that her city would have received more help had she supported the governor more?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: She has contemporaneous diary entries that she shared about her disappointment. And the governor, she and the governor, actually, though she's a democratic mayor and he's a Republican governor have had a good relationship. In fact, the Christie office told me this morning that they were stunned to hear her allegations on Friday because it's been a cordial relationship. They, by the way, deny all this. but in the end what we heard from the Hoboken mayor is that she is telling the truth and is willing to tell it under oath or any place else.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZIMMER: I couldn't believe they were doing this. The bottom line is the Christie administration's response is deflection. I mean, the major question is did they connect Sandy funding, Hoboken Sandy funding to the Rockefeller project. The fact is that is what they did. I'm coming forward. I'm sharing my story directly. I'm here talking to you. You know, I'm sharing my journal. I'm offering to testify under oath. What are they doing? They are hiding behind spokespeople. And in fact, the lieutenant governor was reached directly by the Bergen Record and she declined to comment. And I believe if and when she is asked to testify under oath, the truth will come out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And why now?

CROWLEY: Well, she says that when this happened and it happened in May of last year, that she said if she went forward and said, hey, the governor of New Jersey is sort of black mailing me into agreeing to a project that is run by friends of his and that he won't give me my relief money from hurricane Sandy. She thought no one would believe that tale. And now, she says in the wake of all of this, she had to come forward.

There is also, a second round of Sandy relief money coming from the feds. She said she doesn't want to get shortchanged on that. So, she just basically believed last May, no one would believe her. but now she thinks in light of things going on, on both the bridge story and on the use of relief money that she wanted to tell her story.

WHITFIELD: And this week investigators may begin hearing some of the 17 -- from some of the 17 people they subpoenaed regarding closing of access lanes to the George Washington bridge. So, does this impact Christie's ability to govern his state especially on a week that he is being inaugurated? CROWLEY: We will see. We will be moving forward. Right now, he still has a very good approval ratings even after the first couple of weeks that pounding coverage of him. And if you got pretty good approval rate, you should get something done.

I think the biggest problem right this second is, it is hard to get some things done on the headlines and the sucked up by all of the investigations and the subpoenas and this and that, is I mean, part of what anyone who is in office tries to do is use the media to say we got to do this. We got to do that. And that whole front page who is about this person said this and this person said that. It's tough to get your message through.

WHITFIELD: You also talked with lawmakers today about security with the winter Olympic games next month. Did it believe it's just too dangerous to go to Sochi?

CROWLEY: Well, in fact, I talked to two members of the intelligence community who should know some of the intelligence coming in about the possibility of any kind of attack at the Russian Olympics. As you know the Chechnyians (ph) have particularly in December, there are almost a lot of terrorist attacks in Russia. And this has sort of raised up the level. Both Angus King, who is a member of the Senate intelligence committee and Mike Rogers, who is the chairman of the House intelligence committee expressed really big reservations about how the Russians are handling this so far. Certainly, it is not all that encouraging for folks who might want to go over there. In fact, Angus King said, actually, he wouldn't go to the Olympics knowing what he knows.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ANGUS KING (I), MAINE: I would not go. And I don't think I would send my family. I don't know how you put a percentage on it but it's just such a rich target in an area of the world. They have almost broadcast they are going to try to do something there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so a lot to watch on both these big stories.

Candy Crowley in Washington, thanks so much.

CROWLEY: Thank you, Fred. Have a good week.

WHITFIELD: President Obama has a few things to say about marijuana and football that just might surprised you. Find out what he said next in the NEWSROOM.

But first an Olympic veteran won't let a serious brain disorder slow her down. CNN's Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story in this week's the human factor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Julia Clukey jumped into the sled, she has one focus, getting down the track as fast as possible.

JULIA CLUKEY, 2010 OLYMPIAN: The speed is definitely a big adrenaline rush.

GUPTA: Clukey says her life experiences help give her perspective when she's on the track.

CLUKEY: I think any time something happens to you, you have to decide what you're going to do to get there and stick to a plan every day.

GUPTA: And Clukey has had plenty of life obstacles. Her father passed when she was 19. She's had training injuries, her knees, torn meniscus and ACL to torn meniscus in her neck. But she overcame them all to make her first Olympic team in 2010.

CLUKEY: It was a great honor, you know, for myself and for my family. you know, they had seen the good and bad days, highs and lows.

GUPTA: But her Olympic high was short-lived.

CLUKEY: I was diagnosed with Arnold Kiari shortly after the 2010 winter Olympic game.

GUPTA: She already has a disorder in which the fluid around her brain doesn't circulate properly.

CLUKEY: A lot of systems I was having, severe headaches and pressure, I mean, in the lower part of my skull and there are a lot of problems with the right side of my body.

GUPTA: For her, surgery was the only option.

CLUKEY: They go in and they removed a little under a centimeter of my skull bone to trade access for the final fluid to float freely.

GUPTA: She didn't let that stop her though. Just 14 months later she was back on the sled.

CLUKEY: I never lost sight of what I wanted to be after the surgery and that was back competing in the (INAUDIBLE).

GUPTA: While Clukey fell short of making her second Olympic by just a fraction of a second, she's staying sharp as the team's first alternate.

CLUKEY: I wake up every morning knowing that I'm going to try, knowing that I'm training for something I love. I think it's a big gift.

GUPTA: It's that gift that Clukey wants to make sure other young girls like her also get to experience.

CLUKEY: It's a ten-day camp that focuses on self-confidence, understanding stereotypes, you know, breaking down barriers, just being proud of who you are and going after your dreams.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New video reveals terrorists have put a big bull's eye on the Olympic games. The host city, in particular, of Sochi. In the video, two young men believed to be the suicide bomber that attacked Volgograd, Russia this month, rather in December, make an ominous threat. They promise a present for any tourist who goes to the games in revenge for, quote, "the Muslim blood that has been spilled."

Russia's president says he's determined to keep the games safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If we show our weakness and fear and let others notice it, it will help terrorists achieve their goals. I believe the international community in various fields such as humanity, politics, and economics should make joint efforts in fighting against terrorist acts and the killing of innocent people. Our task as organizers is to provide security for participants and guests of the Sochi Olympic games and we're going to do everything for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Russia has 40,000 security officers assigned to the games and surrounding areas.

And after facing intense criticism over his controversial trip to North Korea, Dennis Rodman checks into rehab for alcohol addiction. The ex-NBA star agent said during the trip to Pyongyang, quote, "Rodman's drinking escalated to a level none of us had seen before," end quote. Rodman is expected to be in a treatment center in New Jersey for a month.

President Obama says using marijuana is no worse than drinking alcohol. In an interview with New Yorker magazine, the president acknowledged he smoked pot as a kid but now tells his own daughters it's a bad idea.

And instead of supporting legalization of pot, Mr. Obama says he is focused on making current marijuana laws more fair so young people don't get locked up for long periods of time.

Also, in the interview the president said if he had a son, he would not let him play football because of the concussion risks.

A New Jersey mayor is leveling claims against governor Chris Christie's office that directly tie the governor to threats of retaliation. Hoboken mayor Dawn Zimmer says she was told superstorm Sandy relief fund might be in jeopardy if she didn't back a redevelopment project. And she said she was told it was a direct message from Christie.

Listen to her account on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZIMMER: I couldn't believe they were doing this. The bottom line is the Christie administration's response is one of deflection. I mean, the major question is did they connect Sandy funding, Hoboken Sandy funding to the Rockefeller project. The fact is that's what they did. I'm coming forward. I'm sharing my story directly. I'm here talking to you. You know, I'm sharing my journal. I'm offering to testify under oath. What are they doing? They are hiding behind spokespeople. And in fact, the lieutenant governor who was reached directly by the Bergen Record and she declined comment. And I believe if and when she is asked to testify under oath, the truth will come out.

You have the Christie administration using their authority to try and get something. I don't know what they were trying to do in bridgegate, but I do know if they are trying to get in Hoboken. They were holding our Sandy funds hostage in order to get to push through and expedite the Rockefeller project.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And so, as the scandal grew in New Jersey, the governor is in Florida on a fundraising trip.

Tory Dunnan is live for us now in North Palm beach, Florida.

So Tory, have these problems, the new allegation, have they followed the governor there?

TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Fred, the governor has been here fundraising. But I have to tell you what people are talking about now are these recent allegations. And actually behind me in this private community, there is going to be another event tonight.

This is a little bit of a different event. It is a donor outreach one. So basically, Governor Chris Christie will be meeting with donors who could potentially support him in the future and this is where it could be those have questions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DUNNAN (voice-over): Except for "drive" by glimpse or two, New Jersey Chris Christie spent day one of his fundraising trip to Florida behind closed doors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Governor Christie, do you have a few seconds, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor.

DUNNAN: It's unclear if the bridgegate scandal followed Christie into those fundraisers.

This woman who was inside (INAUDIBLE), Christie attended for the Governor Rick Scott, played a little bit-of- a guessing game.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Talked about Governor Scott and how good he is.

DUNNAN: Did anything about the scandal come up?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think?

DUNNAN: Elaborate?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think? Yes or no, what do you think?

DUNNAN: Yes, what did he say?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said no, nothing, zero.

DUNNAN: Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, in Florida to shadow Christie's every move have lots to say.

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL), CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I think that means either Chris Christie doesn't to answer any questions or Rick Scott doesn't want to be seen in public with Chris Christie. It is probably a little of both.

DUNNAN: The DMC even released this welcome to Florida ad. Florida's Republican party chairman accused Democrats of trying to turn Christie's visit into a circus.

LENNY CURRY, FLORIDA REPUBLICAN PARTY: Let's say Chris Christie apologized, Chris Christie took action. He's the head of the Republican Governors Association and he's down here doing his job. And that's raising money to make sure that Rick Scott gets reelected.

DUNNAN: The big question hanging over the weekend, how will the scandal affect Christie's chances should he run from the White House?

Any talk in there about this being an issue for Christie decides to run in 2016?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: None. Thank you.

DUNNAN: More likely on that front today, so-called donor outreach event in North Palm beach. The billionaire co-founder of home depot, Ken Lyn Don (ph), is introducing Christie to donors who could provide major backing for a Christie for president campaign.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DUNNAN: And Fred, we do believe the Governor Chris Christie has already made his way inside this event here. I can tell you that the host of the event has also told CNN that they have more people wanting to come than they can accommodate. He said those people have decided to have an interest after the scandal happened, mainly saying that they are competitive, they don't want to sit on the sidelines and that they like the way the governor had handled all this so far. Of course, that was all before these recent allegations came out. So basically after this event is over, we're going to try to hear from people inside if he was asked any tough questions.

WHITFIELD: All right, Tory Dunnan. Thanks so much. Appreciate that.

All right, so it appears that Governor Christie has found himself in quite the political crisis. How do you govern under clouds of suspicion like this? And what does it do to any political aspirations for a potential White House run 2016.

Crisis management expert David Johnson here with me right now in studio.

So, good to see you.

DAVID JOHNSON, CRISIS MANAGEMENT EXPERT: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Governor Christie as leader of the Republican Governors association has been behind closed doors at many of these fundraisers. You think that's a big mistake?

JOHNSON: I really do. It goes against the Chris Christie brand. Chris Christie is known for really addressing issues head on and he's not doing it in this incident. The other this is to the longer we don't hear about him, these allegations swirl, the more damaging it becomes for Chris Christie and the harder for him to recover.

And then what we're hearing, too, are snippets like we saw in this recent piece. And we are hearing that Governor Scott, even though he wants to raise money, doesn't want to be photographed with him and basically running to the other side of the room during these private fundraisers.

WHITFIELD: We don't know that for sure. And it is not just an issue of logistically, you know, they just weren't poised together in front of cameras.

JOHNSON: We're hearing it from people who have been at these fundraisers and said that there are numerous incidents when Governor Scott came up, had the photograph, had Chris Christie hug him and he is deliberately stayed at the back of the room.

And we also know too, Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, was going to have Chris Christie was going to come into campaign for him, raise money. And after all these allegations, Lindsey and Scott said no. He is too much of a distraction.

WHITFIELD: So, after bridgegate allegation first, you know, came to everyone's attention, he did have a two-hour press conference, and many people praised him that he handled himself well, that he allowed himself to be, you know, allowed himself to be asked anything and answered. But now, as a result of these latest allegations involving the Hoboken mayor, what do you think this governor needs to do? How does he address latest questions? What forum?

JOHNSON: He's dying the death of a thousand cuts with all these scandals coming out. Came back to the original press conference. Yes, he did answer just for the routine that was throwing out except paraphrasing from Watergate, what did he know and when did he know it?

What he has to do with the latest allegation is really get out in front of it. What I would recommend is canceling his appearances with Governor Scott. Go back to New Jersey, hammer it out with the mayor that work from Hoboken, address that issue, and have the two of them speak to the news media together.

WHITFIELD: Why would he want to do though, a couple of days before his inauguration? Perhaps those plans, those types of things might be appropriate in his view after the inauguration.

JOHNSON: So, it might be, but this is going to overshadow the inauguration. Remember, his inauguration is to introduce this bipartisan Chris Christie to the American people.

WHITFIELD: Do you think he should talk about things during this speech?

JOHNSON: I definitely think he needs to.

WHITFIELD: Really?

JOHNSON: He needs to address it. He's dead on arrival in 2016 if this continues to swirl around.

David Johnson, very fascinating. I mean, right now, he is dead on arrival as far as 2016 if this continue to scroll around.

WHITFIELD: All right, David Johnson. Thanks so much. Very fascinating. It's going to be an interesting next few days if not weeks.

JOHNSON: It will be weeks, I think.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

All right, here is a question for you. Have you seen this? The freedom to twerk event. Have you seen that image of Martin Luther King, Jr., with the gold chain around his neck? Well, this event has been canceled. But the family of Martin Luther King, Jr., says the disrespect here is simply appalling. Hear about it first-hand when Bernice King joins me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tomorrow marks the official observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. At least one controversial event has already been canceled. Organizers of Flint, Michigan, pulled the plug after their choir generated outrage. It promotes twerking and shows Dr. King's face on somebody else's body. This morning, I spoke about the image with Dr. King's daughter, Bernice.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. BERNICE KING, CEO, THE KING CENTER: I have mixed feelings. Certainly I'm appalled when you see it, it's kind of horrific, it is like that doesn't match Martin Luther King, Jr. But I also realized there's a lot of ignorance. And we have a lot of work to do in terms of educating particularly those that are under 30 about the sacrifices so many people made for them, what it all represented, how it connects with their life today.

And so, you know, part of my mission in life is to try to do just that. And it doesn't mean I'm going to reach everyone, but I'm going to reach everyone I can.

WHITFIELD: And how do you do that? Is there a significant challenge in the under 30 group as you put it? Because there does seem to be a real disconnect to understand the experience that came as prelude to the work that your dad did and the work that he did and what happened shortly thereafter?

KING: Well, I think we have to do a consistent campaign in social media. I think we have to have settings where you have smaller groups of them because they are going to affect the rest of their generation. So, if you get a few of them and you put them on a specific assignment, I think they can help their peers to better understand.

We have a camp called the now camp, nonviolence opportunity watch. One of the things we do as part of that camp is not just talk about Dr. King's nonviolent principles and steps, but we take them down to the places where the movement was led, down to Montgomery, down to Birmingham. And you'd be surprised, those are authentic places. And some people are still living. My daddy's barber, for instance, is still living and he tells a lot of stories.

It really connects with those young people and wakes them up to the fact that, wow, I didn't even realize and recognize, you know, how all of this stuff happened. And for me, I'm going to begin to live my life a different way. I mean, we had a few of them say we learned more in this one day about history than we learned in our entire year taking a history class.

WHITFIELD: Where is the void? Is it that your father's legacy isn't being taught to its fullest extent in school? Is it that generations, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents aren't passing down the lessons? Why is it that so many young people don't seem to really understand the gravity of, you know, the circumstances that brought your dad's legacy to fruition?

KING: Well, I think we take too much for granted. I think the holiday sometimes kind of makes people think that you automatically know. Wow, they don't know and we have a national holiday. But you can't do it in a day. It has to be a lifestyle. It has to be something we're doing in the schools. It has to be something we're doing in the churches. And it has to be something we're doing in the homes and in our community organizations. And I don't think we're doing enough of that holistically on a consistent basis.

An then every time I go to programs that all of us sponsor, I see very few young people present. And I try in everything that I do to be very intentional about their involvement not in a peripheral way, but in a very central way. WHITFIELD: Does it worry you that there aren't enough young people in the audience?

KING: It does when I see that. It does. We're going to choose nonviolence as a lifestyle. And so, for the next five years, we have called for -- excuse me, we've launched a choose nonviolence campaign. And on daddy's actual birthday as the beginning part of that on this past Wednesday, we launched our 100 days of nonviolence. People can go to choose nonviolence.org. And their tips there, their post there, their activities there people can engage in. And we'll be doing other seminars, workshops, dialogues, retreats. At our Now camp, in June, will be at the King center for young people 13 to 18 years of age.

WHITFIELD: Reverend Bernice King.

KING: Thank you. Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

And the man attacked by a swarm of bikers in New York is planning to file a lawsuit against the city. So, what are his chances of winning? Our legal ladies weigh in next.

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WHITFIELD: An SUV driver beaten by a swarm of bikers last year is now planning to sue New York City and the off duty officers allegedly involved in the attack. Part of the incident was captured on video. Police say the driver, Alexian Lien was chased by the bikers after his car bumped one of them during a rally. They surrounded the car, but then he drove off running over and critically injuring one of the bikers. The bikers followed the driven, eventually catching up with him. Police say that was when Lien was then pulled out of his car the bikers and assaulted.

Our legal ladies, Mo Ivory and Carrie Hackett are here with me today.

All right, let's begin with you, Mo. So, on what grounds can this biker say the city is responsible?

MO IVORY. HOST, THE MO IVORY SHOW: Sure. I'm sure if has ground to say the police is responsible. He has just -- we don't have the complaint to really understand the grave of the charges. It just noted that he is going to file a complaint. But I don't know that this is going to be response the acts of (INAUDIBLE) which is the idea that an employer was responsible when their employee act in a certain manner because they really were acting as private individual that knows did those officers identify themselves as officers or do they did they take out their badge or is it they say they were there in capacity, you know, as NYPD? So, I don't think that they have that much of a strong case against NYPD.

WHITFIELD: Buy Carrie, that will be the argument that he is going to make that they are off-duty officers, who are at least, they were working at the time. But as soon as an alleged crime took place the officers should have been on duty and that they failed to do so. That is what Lien is saying.

CARRIE HACKETT, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, that is what he is saying. But he is also saying that the police department was negligent and they are hiring these officers. That is one of the main contentions here. It is essentially that they did not exercise the reasonable duty of care that they had to investigate these people prior to hiring there. And I think that is the real basis here.

WHITFIELD: And so, where will that go?

HACKETT: Well, I think it is a very difficult think to prove. Because in most --

WHITFIELD: Because it seems like an unusual argument.

HACKETT: It is a very unusual argument.

WHITFIELD: So then, why even attempted in this case?

HACKETT: I have no idea why they are attempting it in this case. What we know at this point is that notice was given to the police department that Lien plan to file suit. We don't know exactly what that suit will entail and all that they will come to this point.

WHITFIELD: OK.

IVORY: And they have made reference to he is going after the deep pockets, you know, the NYPD. But not so much with the $75,000 claim. Right. Exactly. No, $75,000 against the police department. I mean, people would think well, it would be millions, 100 millions, 25 million, 75 millions. $75,000 for three people each is a very, very small amount and the realm in the lawsuit against a police department.

WHITFIELD: But I wonder if it is realistic in this case because are so many jurisdictions in which you really cannot sue a city even if there is an accident that was caused by a public worker or, you know, a police vehicle and a car chase, et cetera. New York City is not one of those cities?

IVORY: Well, he is not suing the city. He is suing the police department. And I mean, I guess, you can say that if that city, yes. But, no, it is not that, if there is an actual cause of action, if they can actually find that he was acting in capacity as a police officer, then you can sue the city government. It will settle. I mean, it will settle.

HACKETT: The question here is whether sovereign immunity applies and that is whether the city basically can have liability, can be sued. And in many cities and many counties actually can be sued. It is the state, it is the federal government that where sovereign immunity applies.

WHITFIELD: And the point of that is, is there is potential that the biker who was injured might be able to then sue this SUV driver for the serious injuries that he incurred? IVORY: Well, I'm sure that is coming. And I think what we will see with the city is suit is settlement. It is such a smaller amount, really, in the big picture. And I don't think that this man and his family are really going for a wind fall pay off. I think they are just trying to make the point that sure, send the message and make the point that they should have acted differently. And the police department should have trained them in a matter to act differently.

WHITFIELD: All right. Mo Ivory and Carrie Hackett, thanks so much ladies.

Good to see you both. Appreciate it.

All right, next, the Vatican has confirmed some shocking details about the child sex abuse scandal that is currently under investigation. We will tell you what they are next.

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WHITFIELD: This week at the U.N., grilled the Vatican officials on child sex abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church. And some shocking details were revealed during the process.

Our Alexandra Field joins me live from New York with more on this.

So, tell us what the Vatican acknowledge.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know Fred, I think the most stunning thing for people was just seeing these Vatican officials even come out to sit down and publicly answer questions. One official acknowledged to the U.N. committee holding the hearing that there is quote "no excuse for child sex abuse." The U.N. panel on the rights of the child convened in Geneva. Panel members pressed representatives of the Vatican of what kind of sanctions are imposed on abusive priests and whether those priests are turnover to justice systems in countries where crimes are committed. They were also asked about what is being done to prevent bishops from transferring priest to different parishes to cover up abuses.

Reactions from the American Catholic community to the hearing has been mixed. Some say it represents a step forward toward more transparency.

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ROBERT HOATSON, ROAD TO RECOVERY: The fact that the Vatican was going to have to appear before a committee was very interesting to me because as a church, as an entity, the catholic church has really never explained itself. And its whole approach toward the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: That is one take.

Now, meanwhile, the catholic league for religious and civil rights offers us a very different take to just in the U.N. committee has no real authority and offering that the hearing was only an opportunity for grand standing.

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BILL DONAHUE, CATHOLIC LEAGUE FOR RELIGIOUS AND CIVIL RIGHTS: I just did see this today it gives the impression that it is ongoing. It is not ongoing. Our problems are largely behind us. So, I'm concerned about feeding the stereotype out there which had truth in the past. It doesn't have legs today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Following the hearing, one Vatican official assured the U.N. panel that action on the issue of sex abuse is a priority -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Alexandra Field, thanks so much in New York.

All right, top of the hour.