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Heightened Security Preparations Underway For Biden Inaugural; Trump Blames Dems For Causing Tremendous Danger To The Country By Pursuing Impeachment Over U.S. Capitol Attack; Biden Hopes Senate Can Split Time Between Impeachment, His Agenda; Trump Admin Announces Major Changes To Vaccine Rollout Plan; Three House Dems Test Positive For COVID-19 After Capitol Riot. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired January 12, 2021 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: To be ready for the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of State, for example, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Treasury, usually the ones, they try to get done early, so you can get the top -- at least the top members of the team. And on day one, the President-elect is clearly concerned you'll have an impeachment trial in the Senate, perhaps, in his earliest days in office. And can other business get done the confirmation hearings, a new stimulus plan. What is your sense? Any hope of that at all? Are we going to be in partisan polarization?

REP. CEDRIC RICHMOND (D-LA), INCOMING SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT- ELECT BIDEN: Look, the President-elect and Vice President-elect have an ambitious agenda because one they know the multiple crisis that this country is facing, whether it's COVID-19, whether it's the economy, whether it's systematic racism, climate or immigration, and we want to do that. But let me just speak as a congressman right now who was in the building. There has to be consequences for those actions. I mean, they're people who go to jail for burglarizing a $1 store, these people marched into the Capitol. They destroy things, and they had nothing but bad intentions for the safety and welfare of members of Congress and the sanctity of U.S. government and there has to be consequences. And we have to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

And so when we impeach this President the first time, I remember my floor speech and speech in committee. I said, if you don't impeach him, his behavior is not going to improve, it's going to get worse, and we're going to find ourselves right back here again. And guess what? We find ourselves back here again because this President incited the intrusion into the United States Capitol.

KING: Just today, the President said his remarks last week were totally appropriate. That's what he says people are telling him. We've gone through the people are saying and people you're telling him for four years. I don't want to revisit the fantasy of that. But you are someone who, despite the polarization in the house, you have good relations with many of your Republican colleagues. Among them is Steve Scalise, fellow Congressman from Louisiana, who has a very compelling story survived, of course, that shooting, his life was at stake.

He is among the Republicans who supported the President's lies, even after the attack on the United States Capitol. I'm wondering if you had a conversation with your friend, not just as a Democrat versus Republican, but with your friend, Mr. Scalise since then is the number two House Republican. There's a lot of questions about accountability. You say the President, what about the members of the Republican leadership who even after the attacks supported the President's lies on the floor?

RICHMOND: I don't think I've talked to one member that has -- that supported that objection to President-elect Biden and Vice President- elect Harris's certification. I think it was irresponsible. I think it was dangerous. And I think it feeds that monster of hate, division, lies, conspiracy theories, all which are baseless. And it will keep this country from coming together to help people that are both Democrat, Republican, black, white, rural, urban. We're going to bring this country together and go forward. We have to do it in a responsible manner that is based on facts and not pandering to this President who is proven to be unfit to be President of United States. He's not a leader.

And the fact that Republican members in Congress and in the Senate cannot stand up to him. And like I've said before, until the emperor that he wears no clothes, or to tell him to grow up and face the facts that he lost, Biden won is just disappointing. And look, at some point and part even with me, you know, there's still a great sense of anger about what happened on that day, on January 6th. And, you know, it's not an easy thing to get past. And it is very frustrating that people still enable this guy who will never see the error of his ways, which in all of his ways, he's always wrong.

KING: We saw more examples today of him refusing to take any accountability or responsibility in saying it's totally appropriate when, again, we have the tape, it was totally reckless what the President said. Congressman, grateful for your time today. And let's keep in touch in the days ahead as we go through this very tense time in Washington and then your new job once you move down to the White House. Appreciate it, sir.

RICHMOND: Thank you.

KING: This quick programming note for us join CNN for all day live coverage, of course of the inauguration of President Joe Biden. It all starts Wednesday, January 20th right here on CNN.

When we come back, the impeachment debate is in the House right now but then it will move to the Senate. We talked to a key member of the Senate about the terrain in that chamber.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:39:14]

KING: All senators are invited today to a big inauguration security briefing from the Department of Defense and Homeland Security as well as the Secret Service. The inauguration worries of course are even higher now because of last week's Capitol insurrection. Things are tense here in Washington and some senators say it is critical to hold accountable Republicans who supported President Trump's lies about the election results.

Among those saying that, the Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester writing in USA Today. Senator Tester says this, "It is our duty to hold everyone involved accountable to our laws and history -- not just President Donald Trump and the violent rioters he incited, but also the members of Congress who enabled him. If traitors to our democracy aren't held accountable, we will fall under siege again. Let's declare war on unchecked power".

Senator Tester joins us now live.

[12:40:00]

Senator, strong words there and I would say necessary words at this moment but then let's lay out what exactly do you believe the moment demands? Do you mean an effort to expel Senators Cruz and Hawley, who stood with the President's lies about the election? Does that mean the Republican leader on the House side and his number two, Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise should be held accountable? And how so?

SEN. JON TESTER (D-MT): Well, I think everybody needs to be held accountable, but from a Senate point of view, I think the Senate needs to determine what they're going to do to have consequences to the actions of these 13 senators. I think that the President did what he did that's been well documented. But the bottom line, he was enabled by 13 more people that wanted to spread his lies.

Why they did it, I can only guess. But a lies are lies. And you need to stick to the truth. And so, we have a different level of accountability. We are leaders in this country, we're members of the United States Senate, members of the United States House of Representatives, and what we say and what we do matter. And so, those actions deserve consequences. And that's what I'm saying what those consequences are, I think should be determined by the United States Senate.

KING: Help me understand how you go through this back home, and I see you're back home today, President Trump got 57 percent of the vote again and winning re-election. So he's won Montana twice. You point out a lot of what the President says and you're absolutely right, are lies. Today, he said what he said last week was totally appropriate. That's what people were telling him. We know, it was totally reprehensible.

Fiona Hill, a Veteran National Security Aide who worked for this President, and there was a impeachment witness against him. She says this in a political op ed, "As in the case of other coup attempts, the President's actions have put us on the brink of civil war. Unless the big lie is thoroughly refuted, we can expect more attempts to subvert the constitutional order from Trump supporters".

Again, strong words from Fiona Hill, strong words in your essay as well. Important words right now, how do you do this back home when you encounter Trump supporters who believe what they believe because the President keeps telling them it's true?

TESTER: Well, we have to debunk the lies that have been told and talk about the truth. And I think we've been doing that, I think you've been doing that at CNN and talked about the election and how it wasn't stolen and how it was done fairly, accurately and safely. And look, the folks who attacked the Capitol, at the President's pushing, feel very empowered right now. So it doesn't surprise me that there are all sorts of other events that could be cropping up all over the country.

We need to stop that from happening because quite frankly, it's based on lies. And I'm all for people that are making their voices heard. But the line was crossed when they broke through the doors of the Capitol. We cannot allow that to continue. Folks need to be held accountable. Actions matter. And consequences of those actions also matter.

KING: The activism is great no matter what it is, you're active about in this country, but anarchy is unacceptable. I want you to listen to the President-elect Joe Biden's going to take office next week at a very difficult time. He's hoping the United States Senate where he served for nearly four decades, can maybe hold an impeachment trial in the afternoon and confirmation hearings and hearings on a new stimulus plan in the morning. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT: Can you go a half day on dealing with the impeachment and a half day getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate as well as moving on the package. So that's my hope and expectation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: You hear that hope and expectation from your former Senate colleague, the former vice president of United States, now the President-elect. As you know, sir, here in Washington, especially in the Congress, it's hard sometimes to get people to agree the Tuesday comes after Monday. Do you really think the Senate could have an impeachment trial at the same time of getting the Biden team confirmed and getting the Biden agenda at least to some hearings?

TESTER: We absolutely could. We've had so we could do both. I think what's really important right now is that our leadership is talking, I'm talking about Republican leadership. Senator McConnell used to be talking to Senator Schumer and the same thing in the House. And then the House, the Senate need to be talking together.

I'm going to tell you that the last impeachment was a very partisan event. This impeachment should not be a partisan event. It should be what's best for the country, not what's best for Republicans or Democrats, but what's best for this country. And I can tell you also getting those people confirm. Let's take DHS, for example, Secretary Wolf he's quit. That department is -- has no leadership. Alan Marcus (ph) needs to be taken up. We need to get Senators Peters and Portman to have some hearings on Alan Marcus (ph) to getting confirmed as soon as possible. And I think that we can do all the above. Look, I've never been overworked the United States Senate. I've worked very hard there but I've always had time to continue and do other things.

[12:45:03]

We need to maximize our ability to get things done in the Senate, whether it's hold people accountable or whether it's getting President-elect by this Cabinet in place.

KING: Well, I hope you're right that people maybe see this moment as horrific as the events of last week where it's an opportunity to prove things can get done in this town. Senator Tester grateful for your time, we'll keep in touch in the challenging days ahead.

And coming up for us, another big challenge. The Trump administration announcing major changes to try to speed up the coronavirus vaccine rollout. We'll tell you the new guidelines next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:08]

KING: Trump administration today touting an updated approach it says will boost the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. This new phase as the administration calls it includes immediately releasing doses that the administration has been holding back for second shots that allows for vaccinations for anyone older than 65 and those under 65 with comorbidity. States will get some help in setting up mass vaccination sites if they ask for it, and the administration says it will reallocate vaccines based on how efficiently states are distributing them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX AZAR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: This next phase reflects the urgency of the situation we face. Every vaccine dose that is sitting in a warehouse rather than going into an armed could mean one more life lost, or one more hospital bed occupied. Some states heavy-handed micromanagement of this process has stood in the way of vaccines reaching a broader swath of the vulnerable population more quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Joining me now to discuss, our CNN Medical Analysts, Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and the former Baltimore City Health Commissioner. Dr. Wen, grateful for your time on this day. You listen to Secretary Azar there, he's blaming the states. We know the Biden team was planning to do something that sounds like this anyway. Is this progress isn't an improvement in your view?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Very much so, John. So I was very pleasantly surprised to hear this announcement by Secretary Azar and Operation Warp Speed today because it recognizes that there is a major problem in vaccine rollout so far. It's a major problem that there are millions of doses sitting on shelves and freezers that there are doses actually being wasted and thrown out when there is such a misalignment of supply and demand. And so I think expanding eligibility and allowing for more flexibility by the states is really important.

Also expanding vaccination sites, Operation Warp Speed is now saying they want pharmacies and community health centers to be able to vaccinate patients and also to stand up these mass vaccination sites with the help of the federal government. That's something that's really needed. And I also think something else that they said is really important about reallocating the doses to the states based on which states are really efficient at delivering their doses. I think that's great. There should be incentives to reward states that are doing this work really well.

KING: Right. And what do we know. You heard Secretary Azar blaming the states, a lot of the states have complained that they don't have the help, that they would like more help from Washington on setting up these things, coordinating things. As you mentioned, we can show you the numbers, more than 25 million doses distributed, 25.4 million doses distributed, just shy of 9 million actually administered. So about 35 percent. So there's a lot of vials sitting on shelves that haven't been put in.

And if we show you the states, there are 40 states still partly or fully in what's called phase 1a of this meeting. They're just beginning. We could play the blame game but that's really not my point. The question is what needs to be done in your view to make this work more efficiently?

LEN: Well I think there needs to be two things. One is that the federal government has to recognize that its role doesn't just end at the time that it distributes the vaccines to the states. And that's why this briefing today was so important to hear that they're saying, OK, we know that there are problems so let's help to problem solve. And then I think state and local governments also need the resources to stand up these mass vaccination programs. And while they're getting these resources and doing their best with what they have, having the federal government's help to convert stadiums, and parks and schools and churches and other places into vaccination sites will be really important.

But also there are a lot of states that are ready to go, they can give out more doses. So let those jurisdictions that already have the capabilities to distribute the vaccines to those who actually want them. It's that mismatch, I think that's been a major problem. There are all these people who are able to give up vaccines, there are all these people who want vaccines. So let that happen and not have any doses go to waste.

KING: And when the new administration comes in just a week from now, essentially, do they keep this plan in place? You say the Trump administration made a big improvement today, or can it be improved even more quickly? WEN: I think a lot still needs to be done, but I also think that this new announcement today will make a big difference. So let's see how this goes. And in the meantime, continuing to give the resources to local and state health departments. They're already trying their best with doing testing, contact tracing, public education, all their other efforts, while also keeping their safety net going for the patients and communities that they serve.

So giving them additional resources and funding and really supporting their efforts, enhancing their efforts, trying to streamline as much as can be done on the federal level like liability and who can be actually giving vaccines, those types of things. Those regulations can be sorted out on the federal level. And I hope that the Biden team turns their attention to those pressing issues too.

KING: The new infections count, the hospitalizations count, the death count and you look at the daily numbers, they are still incredibly depressing. So it's great to hear you're optimistic about this change today. Let's hope that bears out. Dr. Wen, grateful for your time and insights, that's awful (ph).

Up next for us, somewhat related story. Three Democratic members of Congress say they have now tested positive for coronavirus and they blame Republican colleagues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:59:30]

KING: A third House Democrat now reporting a positive test for COVID- 19 since sheltering during the Capitol attack last week. Congressman Brad Schneider says he has not yet had any symptoms but is, "Worried that I have risked my wife's health and angry at the selfishness and arrogance of the anti-maskers who put their own contempt and disregard for decency ahead of the health and safety of their colleagues and our staff". He along with Representatives Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, blame their Republican colleagues who they say not only refused to wear a mask, but mocked those who offered them one when they were at the Capitol last week.

Thanks for joining us today on this big breaking news day. Hope to see you back here this time tomorrow. Brianna Keilar picks up our coverage right now. Have a good day.