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Donald Trump's Impeachment Trial Defense Team Quits; The Future And The Divide In The Republican Party; January Is The Deadliest Month Of The Pandemic; Trump Pardons Convicted Drug Smuggler; Chaos With Vaccine Shortages In The U.S. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired January 31, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Thanks for staying with me. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Donald Trump, the ex-president to his historic second Senate impeachment trial is set to start in just over a week is now without something one would argue was kind of important.

He is without a legal team. A source telling CNN Trump and his five impeachment defense lawyers couldn't agree on what to argue when the trial begins next week. Trump reportedly insists on sticking to his completely debunked mass election fraud narrative instead of focusing on whether a former president can even face a Senate trial. They apparently couldn't settle it so Trump's entire legal team is out.

CNN's legal analyst today points to three things Donald Trump could now do in the coming days. He can quickly assemble a new team of lawyers and start from scratch. He can choose to represent himself, which is unlikely but then again it is Donald Trump, or he can do nothing and just hope that enough Republican senators will make their case for him to vote to acquit.

I want to bring in CNN Washington correspondent Sunlen Serfaty. And Sunlen, is there enough Republican support for Donald Trump to acquit him in the Senate trial no matter what defense is presented?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Ana, that certainly is the key question here. And a lot of people of course pointing to that procedural vote that the Senate had last week as an early indication on where the final vote may end up.

And that was a vote on Senator Rand Paul's point of order to vote on the constitutionality of an impeachment trial. And it was then that only five Republicans broke ranks and voted with the Democrats on that question, so potentially a lot to read into there, although many senators are saying that they are keeping an open mind and notably that five is not enough.

They need 17 Republicans in the end to break ranks. The senators who of course will serve as jurors say that they are keeping an open mind, but specifically so much attention on each and every word that Republican senators are saying. Here's just two from this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. ROB PORTMAN (R-OH): We have to acknowledge this election was lost

and we have to move on and Joe Biden is now the duly elected president of the United States. So, if the argument is not going to be made on issues like constitutionality which are real issues and need to be addressed, I think it will not benefit the president.

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): The evidence as I understand, going to focus on whether the president contributed to an atmosphere to have people charge the capitol, break in, threatening if you will, both members of Congress and Vice President Pence. That's the charge. So, I would hope that whatever defense is put up refutes that charge. But again, I will wait to judge based upon the evidence, which is presented.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And that is certainly what we are hearing from a lot of Senate Republicans going forward pushing towards the trial that is set to begin next week. And again, worth reminding everyone that the senators, they need two-thirds majority in the Senate to convict the former president, Donald Trump, and that means 17 Republicans if all Democrats vote to convict will also need to vote to convict President Trump. So a long way to go, Ana.

CABRERA: Sunlen Serfaty, thank you. Joining us now, former assistant special Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman and White House correspondent for "TheGrio," April Ryan. Nick, the president's entire legal team has left because according to a source he wanted them to argue that the election was in fact stolen, in a way, justifying his comments that Democrats say incited this mob. What is your reaction?

NICK AKERMAN, FORMER ASSISTANT SPECIAL WATERGATE PROSECUTOR: Well, my reaction is this. I think that's probably right. I mean, any ethical lawyer, any lawyer who follows the ethics is not going to argue something that is a totally false statement, that is that Trump won the election.

I mean, no decent lawyer worth his salt who is willing to follow ethics is going to do that. So, I really think that's the reason why he fired those lawyers. I think that whoever his lawyers are, it really won't make any difference because at the end of the day the person who calls the shots is Donald Trump.

So, whether he gets new lawyers or doesn't, I don't really think it makes a difference because ultimately the only person that is going to be making the decisions here is Donald Trump.

CABRERA: And April, Republicans have sort of leaned into this idea that it's un-constitutional to impeach a former president. But if that's not the president's argument or defense at trial, does it make it harder for these Republican senators to vote for acquittal?

APRIL RYAN, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THEGRIO: Yes, indeed. It makes them -- it makes it harder for them to push for acquittal. At the end of the day, you have a president of the United States where he used words with the words matter, he incited a group of people to go to the legislative branch of government to essentially create an insurrection to hold people hostage and better yet try to hang the then vice president possibly.

[17:0501]

This is a moment in time where it is not about thoughts. It's about fact. It's about the fact that this president or the former president of the United States, Donald John Trump, said that he was going to walk with those.

I mean, it's not about constitutionality. It's about the fact that he incited and used his words to create a situation that could have been even more so deadly than what it was at that time.

CABRERA: Nick, we understand Democrats are considering a short trial, maybe lasting just a few days. What do you think of that strategy?

AKERMAN: I think that's absolutely spot on. I think it's got to be compelling. It's got to be succinct. And if I were in charge of this, the first witness I would call is Donald J. Trump. And I would make most of the case through him while he is on the witness stand. I'd question him about all of the lies, I'd put up the videos of his lies, I'd put up the tweets of his lies.

And then I'd juxtapose that with questioning him about whether or not he knows that various judges, particularly judges that he appointed himself, actually found that there was no fraud, that there was nothing wrong in the election. I would go through the evidence piece by piece.

What was he doing while this insurrection was going on? Why was he calling senator -- football coach from Alabama? Why was he -- who else was he calling? I think it's really important the Democrats put him up on the stand and go through the evidence with him because I don't think he can answer these questions.

And by the time he gets through this examination, he is going to look like the liar that he is. And I think what you need is really a compelling case, something that shakes up this trial immediately and gets those Republicans who might not vote for conviction to get on the other side.

And the only way to do that is to call the man himself. He has no reason not to testify. He can't claim the 5th amendment for not showing up. He can assert his 5th amendment privilege as to specific questions. But he certainly has to show up if he is subpoenaed.

So, I think that has got to be the strategy that's employed here that will shake this up. You can do it in a couple of days. You have a compelling video that sets the stage.

You might get an FBI agent who is an expert that will take the senators through what happened inside the capitol to show how organized this was, to get the statements that were made by the people that have already been indicted to show that the reason they say that they were all up there, that their defense in their prosecutions is we were following orders. It's the old following orders defense. And the person whose orders they were following was Donald Trump. So

there is a lot of evidence that can be compacted and put into a few days that would be extremely compelling. And it's got to be one of these situations where people are basically glued to their TV sets. And the way to do that is to put the star witness as Donald J. Trump.

CABRERA: Well, that is an interesting idea to call him as a witness, right? But there's also the possibility, I suppose, especially now that his legal team has left that he would just choose to represent himself in his own defense, April. And Maggie Haberman at the "New York Times" is reporting this is something Steve Bannon is encouraging him to do, saying he is the only one who can sell it. Any chance this happens?

RYAN: Well, you know, Ana, I wouldn't be surprised if he does it because, you know, he thought he was a doctor during COVID issuing a prescription for Lysol and a light and Clorox and injection. And now, he may think he is a lawyer.

But it would be asinine for the then president to go before those that he incited the insurrection to harm, take hostage, or what have you. It would be asinine for him to be his own defense. It would be the circus of Donald Trump. He would be the ring leader center stage yet again.

There's already trauma there. But at issue, going back to what was just said, there were 60 lawsuits, 60 lawsuits that were dismissed basically because there was no fraud. And he has no foundation for his claim of fraud.

So if he goes there, as his own attorney, it will be a three ring circus and the question is, will those Republicans that have been in support of him, will they still stand after he makes a fool of himself on Capitol Hill?

CABRERA: Nick, you mentioned how they could lay out the case. Some of the accused capitol rioters are blaming the former president for their actions. Should Democrats call witnesses who are willing to say, I acted based on the words of the president?

[17:09:55]

AKERMAN: I don't think they need to. They can do that simply by playing the tapes that exist of the insurrection itself where people are saying they are there for Donald Trump. They can also just take the court filings. The defenses that have been raised by these people are that they're there because of Donald Trump.

I mean, I think keep it simple. You don't need to put people on the stand who are criminals, crooks, and terrorists. I think you can get their statements in without having to do that. They're all admissible and they should be put into evidence.

But I think, again, it should be succinct, it should be compelling, and it should be very quick. And people have to be glued to their TV sets. And if Donald Trump represents himself and shows up representing himself, that's all the more reason to put him up on the witness stand, swear him in, and start examining him.

I mean, that examination, which could go on for about two hours, would absolutely rip him to shreds and destroy his credibility and make him look like the small man he is.

CABRERA: April, is there anything, though, that would sway Republicans or are their minds made up?

RYAN: You know what sways Republicans? It's 2020. They are not really necessarily paying attention to the fact that this insurrection was something we've never seen before. We had the executive branch commit war on the legislative branch, something the founding fathers did not want.

He had three co-equal branches of government that were supposed to do checks and balances not go and riot, loot, defecate in the halls and take people hostage, etcetera, etcetera. At the end of the day these Republicans are trying to figure out where they stand.

They want to take back the Senate and they want the House. And that is the piece that they're weighing. The pros and cons are not even in the equation. They are looking at Donald Trump as possibly a win for them in 2022.

CABRERA: April Ryan and Nick Akerman, I appreciate the discussion. Thank you.

AKERMAN: Thank you.

CABRERA: Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Majority Leader or speaker I should say, Nancy Pelosi, announcing the body of the capitol officer killed in the January 6th insurrection will lie in honor in the capitol rotunda. Officer Brian Sicknick died after being hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during the hour's long attack.

The ceremonial arrival will take place Tuesday evening. A viewing for U.S. Capitol Police will begin shortly after. Officer Sicknick joined the Capitol Police in 2008. He was also a proud military veteran.

Join Fareed Zakaria for an in depth look at American political hatred and how did it get so bad? This Fareed Zakaria special "The Divided States of America: What is Tearing Us Apart?" airs tonight at 9:00 here on CNN.

Up next in the newsroom, a Republican Congressman who voted to impeach Trump says he has been disowned by members of his own family for doing this. Where is the Republican Party headed as the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump is fast approaching? That's next, live in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:00]

CABRERA: The Republican Party must decide where it's moral compass points. Does it point toward conspiracy theories and dangerous tropes like those peddled by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene? If you're wondering why more Republicans aren't speaking up especially after Congresswoman Greene says she had a great call with Trump, then listen to what GOP Congressman Adam Kinzinger said happened after he voted to impeach Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): Imagine everybody that supported you or it seems that way, your friends, your family have turned against you. They think you're selling out. I mean, I've gotten a letter, a certified letter twice from the same people disowning me and claiming I'm possessed by the devil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: His own family disowning him. With us now, CNN senior political analyst John Avlon and CNN political commentator and host of "The Firing Line" on PBS, Margaret Hoover. Margaret, your reaction to the vitriol these lawmakers are up against if they do anything that opposes Trump?

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I mean, that's nothing new, but what you said about Adam Kinzinger and his family is actually something that feels very relatable. I think people who come from Republican families are feeling this all over this country.

I mean, this is a deeply divisive and very real problem that, you know, doesn't -- I think it probably leaves no Republican untouched. I mean, this is -- this idea and the prevalence of the emergence of these conspiracy theories within the Republican Party so much so that they now have a seat in the U.S. Congress is not something that -- it is a deep rooted rot that has touched everywhere.

And it is going to be very difficult to unwind or to excise or to treat, but it has to be treated. And, you know, William F. Buckley, Jr. famously at the launch of the conservative movement in the mid- 1950s made a very good point of kicking out conspiracy theorists, the kooks, anti-Semites, the KKK.

I mean, you need leaders within a party to be able to stand up to the ideas that are going to cause its demise and we don't have that right now at least in the Republican House of Representatives.

CABRERA: And anybody who does speak up, it seems like are quickly put in their place, John. I asked one of the Republicans who voted to impeach Trump to join us this weekend and I was told this person, they didn't want pile-on right now.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. And the thing is they got to have the courage of their convictions. In the long run, one person with courage can make a majority. But to confront this you need to call a lie a lie and a cult a cult. And that is what we're dealing with right now.

There is a problem in this country and the Republican Party in particular because for too long they played footsy with fanatics and believe you can't win without the crazies in your constituency. That is going to kill the Republican Party and it is already deeply damaging American politics and it needs to stop.

[17:20:00]

So for the Kinzinger's of the world and Liz Cheney's of the world, the fact they are coming under attack and not the conspiracy theorists, speaks to the Republican Party. In the long run they will lose some battles, but they will win the war. People need to have a courage to their convictions and we only just create in our civic backbones a bit and Republicans have a special responsibility to do this now.

CABRERA: And I do want to just make that point more stark when you look at how dramatic the reaction is on each side. The South Carolina Republican Party censured Congressman Tom Rice for his vote to impeach Trump. Congresswoman Liz Cheney who we've been discussing as, you know, a member of her own party traveling to her home state to campaign against her because she voted to impeach Trump.

And then you have Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who's repeatedly indicated support for execution of Democratic politicians, has agreed with people who say the 2018 school shooting in Parkland was a false flag operation, has made anti-Semitic and Islamophobic comments. And so far for her, zero consequences. Margaret --

HOOVER: It is. She got a committee assignment, Ana --

CABRERA: Yes. You're right. She has been elevated. She has been given the more power.

HOOVER: So, look. Yes, but here's what I'll say. Obviously, this is not a winning solution for a party. Georgia, Georgia, Georgia. They just lost two Republican seats in a red state. You know, this is not how you're going to build the party out moving forward. So what you see is two Republican parties. You have the Republican Party and the base of the Republican Party, right?

And these members of the House of Representatives who are terrified about being primaried. And then, as my husband shakes his head, the fact that most Republicans, 74 million Republicans who voted for Donald Trump, I mean, much of the reason why Republicans lost in Georgia is because Republicans and independent leaning Georgians voted for Raphael Warnock and voted against Kelly Loeffler.

Like they sent those Democrats -- former Republicans who helped send those Democrats to Washington. So this is not the future of the party and Mitch McConnell understands that. Many of these senators understand that.

CABRERA: But does he? Do they? I mean --

HOOVER: Oh, I think it is very clear.

CABRERA: What makes you think they understand that given Trump clearly has control over his party? HOOVER: I think it's very clear. It's not so clear who has control

over the party for one. I mean, I know that Kevin McCarthy believes that Trump has control over the House of Representatives and any primary that might be mounted against him, but even that I think is a bit of a stretch.

But I think it's quite clear from Mitch McConnell's statements especially this week. HI mean, he made a very good point even after that vote of 45 Republican senators. Let's just say he not -- I'm going to sit and listen to the evidence and I look forward to hearing. That speaks, that is a very meaningful statement from the former majority leader of the Senate.

AVLON: Yes. And I'll just say that those 45 votes have been misinterpreted as 45 people -- 45 Republicans voting against impeachment. No, it was a debate about whether there should be a debate about the constitutionality of impeaching someone no longer in office. That is a very different thing.

But folks have lied inside the Trump camp to try to make it seem like it's all the same thing. It's not. And the fact the pattern keeps getting worse for this president now especially that he's lit another set of lawyers on fire and seems to insist on the big lie in the face of all the facts.

CABRERA: But do you think, really, that any of those 45 Republican senators were planning to vote, you know, no on or vote with Senator Rand Paul on that one resolution and yet then vote to convict Trump later?

HOOVER: Well, look, I think it's entirely possible. And I don't think we should try to pretend like we know what the outcome is going to be. I mean, there is going to be a trial. There is going to be evidence. And Rob Portman was very clear in his vote that he was just voting, that he didn't want to have the debate.

He's like I don't want to debate the constitutionality of this right now and this has no bearing on whether I would vote to convict or not. He was clear about that.

AVLON: Yes. And look, you know, this is not a done deal. Its two- thirds, 17 votes a very high bar. Of course it is, and that's why, you know, Senator Tim Kaine and Susan Collins have been working together. Margaret interviewed Tim Kaine on her show and he made the point, look, they're going to try to push through a resolution that would invoke the 14th Amendment, which is not legally binding but could begin the process of (inaudible) from seeking office.

That is a ten-vote bar. Is that achievable? You're darn right, especially if more facts come in. And they are not going to be good for this president or his sycophantic supporters because the fact it's a lie and they incited an insurrection and attack on the capitol.

CABRERA: I've asked other guests on my show, but this is like my biggest question right now after everything that's happened this weekend, Margaret. You know, his defense team is gone. So do you think that Trump is going to represent himself?

HOOVER: I mean, you know, I am not in the former president's head -- it's kind of delightful to say that -- I am not in the former president's head. I can't begin to predict what is in his head or what he does. You know, it sure would make a great, you know, finale episode of "The Apprentice," but, you know, who knows what he is going to do?

I mean, he'll need to have some kind of representation. I can't begin to predict. Look, even senators can't even begin to -- nobody knows what is going to happen and how this is going to play out.

[17:24:59]

But we do know is there is going to be a trial, there is going to be evidence presented. And every single senator has a responsibility to sit through, consider the evidence, and then vote their conscience, vote what is right for the country.

AVLON: What a crazy concept. How about this? Ask yourself what you do for president of the opposite party would do the same thing and vote accordingly. I know that'll blow some people's minds out there but, you know, that's the way this should be done.

CABRERA: John Avlon and Margaret Hoover, thank you guys.

HOOVER: Ana, thanks.

AVLON: Take care.

CABRERA: January is officially the deadliest month of the pandemic. Nearly 100,000 Americans have lost their lives just this month in the last 31 days. My next guest says there is another major threat out there, though that's arguably greater than the pandemic. We'll discuss, live in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:00]

CABRERA: The race to vaccinate people is becoming more urgent every day with the influx of new highly contagious variants. Nearly 50 million vaccine doses have been distributed to the states and more than 31 million shots in arms so far. I want to bring in Dr. William Schaffner, professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Division of Infectious Diseases.

And doctor, I asked viewers for their questions and I got a huge response. I just want to focus the segment on some of the most common questions I have been getting. First, when might scientists know if the COVID vaccines prevent transmission of this virus?

WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, PROFESSOR, DIVISION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, VANDERBILT UNIVE MEDICAL CENTER: Yes, those studies are still under way, Ana. I would expect that we would know the answer to this within the next month to six weeks. CABRERA: That's not too far, but every day counts. How far is the U.S.

now from making vaccines available to anyone who wants one regardless of priority group?

SCHAFFNER: Well, we're not quite there yet. Everything has to do with how much vaccine is out there delivered. Now, we anticipate that yet another vaccine will very soon get its emergency use authorization and that would put more millions of doses out there so we can distribute vaccine even to more people more rapidly. So, hang in there. Vaccine is coming.

CABRERA: We know the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which released its data this week is going to ask for emergency use authorization from the FDA as soon as this coming week. Another question that I've been getting from people is if you've had COVID and you still have antibodies, do you still need two doses of the current vaccines that are on, you know, that have been authorized and require currently the double dose?

SCHAFFNER: Even if you've had COVID and you now get vaccines, please get those two doses from either the Moderna or the Pfizer vaccine. We want to make sure that you get full benefit of that 95 percent protection.

CABRERA: Experts have suggested, you know, vaccinated people still need to wear masks and practice social distancing. Explain why that is still so important.

SCHAFFNER: Well, there are three quick reasons for that. The first is that they're 95 percent protected at best. Remember that 5 percent, you want to protect yourself. Number two, this is harder to understand. We know the vaccines prevent you from becoming sick. We're not sure how much they prevent you from becoming infected.

So you could still get the virus and spread it to others. That is why you need to wear the mask. And the third reason is we want everybody to wear the mask now. We don't want some people wearing the mask and some others and raising questions. Let's all get with the program so that we all are doing the same thing for a while yet.

CABRERA: Are people who are vaccinated safe to travel?

SCHAFFNER: You know, I never use the word safe because it sounds completely safe. You will reduce the risk, that's for sure. But remember, you're going to get into contact traveling to and from the airport or the train or whatever with a lot of other people.

And what is it you're going to do when you get there? How many people will you have contact with? So there are still risks in the whole traveling process. Think it through carefully.

CABRERA: The highly contagious variants and the increase in those cases is setting off a fresh wave of concern. If somebody recovered from COVID months ago, how risky are these new variants? Will their antibodies help at all? SCHAFFNER: It may well be that the antibodies help protect against the

new variants at least to some degree. This is a sophisticated question for which we still do not have a complete answer and it may vary a little bit depending upon which variant you encounter. Stay tuned. We'll find out more of that going down the road.

CABRERA: The CDC is now mandating that everybody wears masks on public transportation starting tomorrow and it will become a mandate. We're hearing a lot about the idea of double masking as an extra safety precaution. Doctor, what is your advice on that? Should we be wearing two masks or wearing a mask and a face shield? What's best?

SCHAFFNER: Well, the first thing I would like everybody to do is wear the mask and wear it correctly over the nose. I still see people walking around like this. Now, the ultra-careful people, who wish to wear two masks, fine, do that.

Make sure that first mask fits very, very carefully. And you'll find the work of breathing is a little bit harder. Yes, you may get another layer of protection with that second mask.

[17:35:00

CABRERA: All right, Dr. William Schaffner, I appreciate all of your expertise. Thank you.

SCHAFFNER: Thanks, Ana.

CABRERA: We have this just in. A plan to vaccinate Guantanamo Bay detainees against COVID-19 has been put on pause. This is according to a Pentagon official. There are approximately 40 prisoners remaining at Gitmo, so it would only have been a small volume of vaccine allotted to the detention center.

But among the detainees is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the principal architects of the 9/11 attack. Also there, a man believed to have been one of Osama bin Laden's body guards. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: In his final hours in office, then President Trump issued scores of pardons and commutations to prisoners including one to a convicted drug smuggler who is still facing separate accusations of violence and threats. Here is CNN's Jason Carroll with details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[17:39:58]

UNKNOWN: I care about money more than you. You are a (BLEEP) liar, a cheater, and a thief.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This video captured how Jonathan Braun treated people who allegedly owed him money.

UNKNOWN: You're going to prison. You're (BLEEP) lowlife and a loser and a degenerate.

CARROLL (voice-over): In the end, it was Braun who ended up in prison after he pled guilty to drug conspiracy charges and the judge sentenced him in 2019 to 10 years for being the ring leader of a drug smuggling operation.

The video was not part of any case against him. Last week, Braun was released from prison after his sentence was commuted by former president Donald Trump, one of many commutations and pardons announced in his final hours as president.

MARC FERNICH, JONATHAN BRAUN'S ATTORNEY: Needless to say his family was ecstatic and very grateful about it.

CARROLL (voice-over): But the allegations against Braun go beyond drug smuggling. According to a suit filed against Braun and others by the New York state attorney general last June, while out on bail, Braun helped run a short-term lending operation charging small business owners interest rates of up to 400 percent and allegedly threatening violence when they didn't pay. The FTC filed a similar suit.

DANIEL ZELENKO, FORMER FEDERAL: It's clear that a lot of these pardons were 11th hour, last minute, but this one appears to be quite egregious.

CARROLL (voice-over): Lawyers claiming in court documents that Braun threatened to beat a synagogue president who had borrowed money alleging Braun said, "I am going to make you bleed." Also alleging he told another borrower, "be thankful you're not in New York because your family would find you floating in the Hudson."

New York's attorney general saying, "Jonathan Braun has threatened small business owners with violence, death, and even kidnapping. The federal commutation will not protect Mr. Braun from being held accountable. The New York A.G. is saying she is seeking upwards of $77 million in damages from Braun and others as part of a lawsuit.

The lawyer representing Braun in the civil cases did not return our request for comment, but Braun has denied the allegations in court filings. Marc Fernich, the attorney who defended Braun in the drug- related case questions those who say Braun used threats of violence, telling CNN, foul language may be impolite and unpleasant but it is not illegal.

FERNICH: These allegations were made by disgruntled borrowers. I'm confident in john's intellect and his character and his ability to follow the law and be a productive, law abiding citizen, father, and husband.

CARROLL (voice-over): Fernich says the sentence should have been commuted because it was excessive. There is no mention of the outstanding cases in the White House's statement regarding executive grants of clemency.

The section related to Braun reads in part, "Mr. Braun has served five years of a 10-year sentence for conspiracy to import marijuana and to commit money laundering." But Braun served only one year of his sentence at the federal correctional institution at Otisville, New York, ranked by "Forbes" magazine in 2009 as one of America's 10 cushiest prisons.

ZELENKO: This exactly the kind of thing that happens when the Justice Department vetting process is completely ignored. You have somebody who is pardoned for one crime but remains under investigation for another.

CARROLL (voice-over): Historians predicting Braun's name will be added to a long list of questionable last-minute pardons and commutations Trump granted during his final hours as president.

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: It's not that his predecessors didn't have the odd, controversial, or bad pardon. It's that for them it was the exception. However, for Donald Trump, it was the rule.

CARROLL (voice-over): Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:00]

CABRERA: President Biden this week called the fight against coronavirus a wartime undertaking, and he told states to expect millions more doses of the vaccine. The new goal is to fully vaccinate 300 million Americans by the end of summer, maybe early fall. Here's CNN's senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This mass vaccination center inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium could be vaccinating up to 2,000 people a day, but on Monday it had just 150 appointments.

(On camera): I am a bit surprised at the lack of business here.

UNKNOWN: Yes. Well, we're reserving the appointments for how many doses we have available.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): There's just not enough vaccine. Fulton County health director, Dr. Lynn Paxton says her team alone could handle 50,000 doses a week. She's lucky if they get 10,000.

LYNN PAXTON, FULTON COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH DIRECTOR: We have to be very judicious in how we schedule our appointments, and the important thing I want everyone to know is that we're in no way hoarding these vaccine doses.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Louisiana's governor decided not to have mass vaccination sites for now. There's just not enough vaccine. In Florida, hospitals have cancelled appointments because vaccines didn't show up. In parts of Texas, people lined up for hours.

UNKNOWN: I've been in line since 5:00 this morning.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): CNN interviewed more than a dozen health officials from across the country and the message is largely unanimous. For many states, local health departments, and hospitals, it's not just the lack of vaccine doses causing the chaos. For weeks, there was a lack of information from the federal government.

[17:49:55]

AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER, PROVIDENCE: I think having a federal plan would absolutely stop the kind of hunger games approach to every individual state, every individual county scrambling for their own set of rules.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Without knowing how much vaccine is going to be shipped to them and when, it's nearly impossible to plan, and that means crashing websites, appointments impossible to get and a vaccine rollout that is looking a heck of a lot like that botched rollout for coronavirus testing.

(On camera): This sounds almost like a repeat of where's the testing when COVID first happened.

COMPTON-PHILLIPS: It does feel a little too familiar. We're in that exact same position with vaccines right now. We're turning away people that we know are over 65 with heart disease and we're saying we're sorry but we can't, we don't have a vaccine for you today.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips who helps run 51 hospitals in seven states is dealing with another big problem, worrying about everyone getting the required second dose. A clinic in Seattle that was vaccinating more than 2,000 people a day is about to face a massive 90 percent cut.

COMPTON-PHILLIPS: So what about all of those people who got dose one? Now, our allocation is cut back by 90 percent. How are we going to get everybody dose two?

GRIFFIN (voice-over): That, too, is playing out across the U.S. each state gets first doses and earmarked second doses which are required for full immunity. Last week, Colorado's governor ordered those second doses be used as first doses immediately.

JARED POLIS, GOVERNOR OF COLORADO: I sent a letter to all of our partners that administer the vaccine, directing them to use all the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine they have, including the ones that were designated as second doses.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Most other states like New York are only using second doses on those who have already had a first shot.

ANDREW CUOMO, GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK: The last thing you want on top of this chaos is people get a first dose and then they come back for their second dose and you say we ran out.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): It could all be solved with more vaccine, a problem the Biden administration announced it will tackle with more than a million additional doses per week. It can't happen fast enough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Our thanks to Drew Griffin for his reporting there. From vaccine chaos to a mass vaccination site, which is where we find our Paul Vercammen live in Northridge, California for us. Paul, you just got some new data on L.A. County specifically, right? What are you learning?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we learned that for the first time in a while we are seeing what many might describe as a major glimmer of hope. These numbers are encouraging. Now, let us say that we don't know if there was some sort of lag in the testing or if some numbers were possibly not turned in. That hasn't been mentioned yet, but let's get right to it.

A dramatic drop in the number of new cases, more than 1,000. A big plunge in the number of people who have died from COVID in the last 24 hours, and then we're seeing a drop in the hospitalizations and it's more than 1,600. This will explain why county leaders were so optimistic and decided that they would ease many of the stay-at-home restrictions at the top of that list, what we've been seeing all weekend.

That is the reopening for outside dining at Los Angeles County's restaurants. As a component of this, to try to get down these numbers of cases and deaths and hospitalizations, this is the website behind me that you described, Ana. This is the Northridge website on a university campus, and it's moving swimmingly. They just whipped people through here.

We saw a much longer line earlier today. Now it's thinned out. They have appointments for 2,400 people. This is one of five so-called super sites in Los Angeles County. Dodger Stadium, for example, is part of L.A. City, but Los Angeles County, five super sites, 2,400 people a day, seven days a week.

And we saw people come through here, most of them 65 years old and older, and they were absolutely ecstatic to get the shot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: Never has anybody felt so happy to be stuck by a needle I would imagine.

UNKNOWN: I didn't even feel it. In fact, I'm not even sure she gave me the shot. I didn't feel a thing. So, I mean, it was smooth as could be and everybody knew their role, everybody is cheerful, pleasant. Boom, boom, boom.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VERCAMMEN: And as she said boom, boom, boom, what she was alluding to is the process seemed to be quick. Their setup with the tents, nobody leaves their car. And then when they finished up they would rest in their car for about 15 minutes and they would have onsite care workers making sure that they were not suffering any ill effects from the vaccines, but this was a much better scenario, Ana, than what we saw in Los Angeles County just a short time ago.

CABRERA: Good news. I like that. Thank you. Paul Vercammen.

The Los Angeles Police Department is mourning the deaths of two of its members due to COVID-19. The deaths occurred just a day apart.

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Sergeant Patricia Guillen died on Thursday. The LAPD says she had served the city of Los Angeles for nearly 23 years.

A day later, LAPD Security Officer Dexter De Los Santos died following his battle with the virus. Eight LAPD employees in all have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

And finally, some happier news to end our show today. The nation's capital has been blanketed in snow today and we have an update on the two four-legged members of the first family. President Biden's granddaughter, Naomi, tweeted out this photo of Champ and Major, and they are enjoying the snow, as you can see, on the White House lawn. Both dogs moved into the White House just last week. Major is the first shelter dog, by the way, to live in the White House.

And get ready because there's more snow coming to much of the nation. I hope you are all able to stay warm this evening in the days ahead. Thank you for joining me this weekend. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York and Pamela Brown takes over right after this.

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