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Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Says, Extreme Conspiracy Theorists inside House are a Threat; White House Holds Briefing as House Readies Vote on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-GA) Committee Roles; White House Holds Briefing Ahead of Biden's State Department Visit. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 04, 2021 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): I know that she will be saying, the struggle that it frequently is to have everything comply in a way that meets the standards of the Senate in terms of the bird rule.

We in the House think of it sort of a House of Lords attitude, why don't we just pass what we can pass without having it being determined by one person as to what can be contained in there. Just put it on there and vote it up or down. But in any event, we have -- we're very proud of the legislation and, again, it is not the last bill that we'll pass.

This is the recovery -- this is the rescue package. This is the rescue package. We must pass this bill to crush the virus to save the lives and livelihoods of American people, to put children back in schools and people back to work. That is its purpose. We want to do it in a way that is fair, that addresses the disparities that have existed.

Do you know in the Native American community, two times as many people, percentage-wise, have died than whites. The disparity in the -- in the African-American community and in the Hispanic community is sinful.

So as we do this bill, we want to do so in a way that is fair and equitable and continue to do testing, et cetera, distribution of the virus but keeping a record of how through this has been distributed. Then, hopefully, we can get to a place where this bill will be a force for fairness rather than the ossifying some of the unfairness that has gone before.

Then we have the other -- the next bill will be -- this is rescue, that is recovery. And we're already working with some of the provisions that we would have in the recovery act. We're legislators, that is why we're here, that's what we do. And so we're always getting ready for the next legislation.

Build Back Better for the people, these were some of what we talked about, Joe Biden said help is on the way. And the recovery package with lower health care costs and bigger paychecks for the people is what we need to do.

So just because something might not be in one bill, and we don't accept that yet, but if it isn't, we have other places to do it. In fact, I wish we were talking about a living wage, but $15 an hour is an important improvement over that.

I just had time for one more question.

REPORTER: Speaker Pelosi, I'm just curious, as far as the impeachment trial is concerned, Senator Graham said that if the Democrats call any witness, that they'll be prepared to -- the Republicans will be prepared to call in the FBI and, quote, tell us about people who pre- planned this attack and what happened with the security footprint at the Capitol. What is your response to that?

PELOSI: Your question is a waste of time.

REPORTER: Are you worried at all about the precedent that it would set --

PELOSI: Not at all. If any of our members threatened the safety of other members, we would be the first ones to take them off of the committee. That's it. Thank you.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And what you heard right there from the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, at the very end is the distinction that she is very ready to make between the House Democrats and the House Republicans right now.

Let me bring back in Jessica Dean and Dana Bash on that.

Don't you think, Dana, that last statement from her, she cut off the question, saying if a Democrat would threaten the life of another member, we would be the first to take them off the committee.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. That was our colleague, Manu Raju, who asked that very important question, because that is the argument that we're going to hear from so many Republicans, even those who think that Marjorie Taylor Greene is a cancer on their party. And that argument is likely to be and will be that they don't think she should be on the committee.

They wish that their own leadership dealt with it. But they can't vote for a situation where they're setting a precedent for a member or the other party deciding who was going to be on the committees.

Having said that, what you just saw from Nancy Pelosi, the way that she, as you said, Kate, kind of cut it off and said, no, she said that if any of our members threatened the safety of others, we would take them off of the committees, that was also -- it was not just her speaking as speaker of the House and about kind of protecting members, it is personal.

One of the many things that Marjorie Taylor Greene -- one of the many things that said that is so outrageous is threatening the life of Nancy Pelosi. [11:35:07]

BOLDUAN: Right.

BASH: We haven't heard anything about that in public, whether or not she really meant that or not. But regardless, it is something that she said. And so it is understandable that she, Nancy Pelosi, takes that personally. I mean, who wouldn't.

BOLDUAN: Exactly right. And, Jessica, Dana spoke to this earlier and I and I think this is important on another show, Dana, the thing that is understand and maybe impossible to understand is what needle Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the House, is trying to thread here, when what we are hearing is nothing of an apology or a rebuke of her past statements from Marjorie Taylor Greene. But we are hearing from Kevin McCarthy that he wants everyone inside of the big tent, really? And he doesn't know QAnon, really?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that was very surprising to hear that he doesn't know what QAnon is considering all of the information that is out there and also considering that QAnon is at the center why so much of this focus is on Marjorie Taylor Greene, because she had spoken and espoused QAnon conspiracy theories. And so it is remarkable to say that you don't know what that is if you're talking about expelling a member from the committees because of that very issue.

But putting that aside, yes, Kate, he is trying to thread quite a needle her. They want to keep the tent as big as possible. But the problem is, as Dana alluded to, you are now widening the spectrum even further. You have the Senate, now, minority leader, Mitch McConnell, coming out and calling these loony lies and a cancer on the party. But not just him, we have talked to a number of Senate Republicans here who have very similar views, who do not believe that she should stay on that committee. And that is a number of Senate Republicans who were saying that, we do not typically speak out in this way against their fellow Republicans, especially in another chamber.

But Kevin McCarthy is trying to keep the spectrum very broad and now what does that mean? It means that today, every one of his Republican members is going to have to go on the record and vote publicly on this one way or the other and that is going to have implications in 2022.

Now, Kevin McCarthy is betting that they can make it work. But it may not work. And that is what is going to happen. We're going to have a record of everybody on where they stand here because leadership didn't choose to act on this one way or another.

BOLDUAN: And to take it in a -- in a step more broadly, Dana, does what happened last night, and what is going to happen today with the vote, help solve at all the broader longer term problem of the civil war within the Republican Party? Because within that same meeting last night, Liz Cheney, who is the polar opposite of Marjorie Taylor Greene, got a huge victory and a huge vote of support from these very same members. BASH: Which is why if you pose that question to people who are in and around Liz Cheney, maybe even Liz Cheney herself, the answer would be yes, yes, that decisive vote of 145, even though this was a secret ballot, 145 of her members saying, we don't think it is appropriate to throw her out of the leadership for a vote of conscience, that that does set -- put a flag in the ground for that wing of the Republican Party.

The flip side of that is that you can't look at that in a vacuum. Because at the exact same time the Marjorie Taylor Greene situation is being left to fester, and it is not being addressed. So, it is the leadership above Liz Cheney trying to have it both ways, arguing to use the term that Jessica used, that that is what do you in a big tent. But I will just say this again, this is not about whether or not one side wants a smaller spending bill or the other side wants lower taxes.

BOLDUAN: Exactly right.

BASH: This is about whether or not they are espousing conspiracy theories and bigoted comments that haven't publicly been renounced or apologized for.

BOLDUAN: One person who would not feign ignorance on QAnon and the threat that it poses to the Republican Party, one person who would not feign ignorance there is definitely one Liz Cheney, because she stood up and voted for her conscience and she knows exactly what it looks like to lead.

Thanks, guys, I appreciate it.

All right, so, still ahead for us, we are still standing by now to hear from the White House. The president's press secretary, Jen Psaki, she is going to taken to the briefing room, going to be taking questions from reporters any second now.

There is a lot happening at the White House as well. We're going to bring you that when it gets underway.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:00]

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Since his inauguration, President Biden has put diplomacy at the center of the United States foreign policy, grounding our international engagement in American values, rebuilding our alliances and reengaging with international institutions to help strengthen them. Obviously, part of the visit to the State Department is an emphasis on that.

But to talk about the president's visit to the State Department toady, as well as the executive actions he will sign on reengaging the world with diplomacy, we're excited to welcome National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to the briefing room. And he is kind enough to take a few of questions. I'll be the bad cop, as per usual, over here.

My mask, sorry about that.

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Hi, everybody. It is great to have the opportunity to be here. As Jen just mentioned, President Biden is going be going over to State Department to give remarks on foreign policy and national security today. It is not an action that he's chosen, the State Department, as the venue for these first remarks that he will make on this subject. He wants to send a clear message that our national security strategy will lead with diplomacy.

And before he actually gives his speech, he'll meet with career professionals from the State Department's foreign service and civil service, who were the tip of the diplomatic spear. This is going to be the first in a series of visits he makes to the national security workforce at the Pentagon, at the intelligence community, and across the U.S. government.

His remarks are not going to be the totality of his foreign policy. They're going to be focused on his early decisions and actions and those early moves the core strategic thrust of them is to establish a position of strength for the United States to be able to deal with both great power competition and the transnational threats that the American people face.

So, establishing this position of strength involves five major lines of effort. One, investments at home to shore our country's foundations, and the American recovery plan in that regart is not just a matter of economic policy, it is a matter of national security strategy as well.

Two, revitalizing American alliances. The president has spoken with key allies in both Europe and Asia. Just last night, he had the opportunity to speak with both the president of the Republic of Korea and the prime minister of Australia. And the national security team is working now with those allies to build out an ambitious agenda.

Three, reengaging key institutions and agreements as part of a new commitment to multilateralism and service of America's national interests. We've rejoined the Paris climate accord and President Biden will hosting a climate leaders summit in April. We've reversed the decision to leave the World Health Organization. We've just, yesterday, extended the new START treaty to maintain strategic nuclear stability with Russia for the next five years.

Four, reasserting our values. The president in the first two weeks has reversed the Muslim ban, the ban on transgender service members serving in our military, and today, he will announce an end to American support for offensive operations in Yemen.

[11:45:00]

And five, getting our global force posture right, making sure that our global force posture is consistent with our national security and diplomatic priorities. Today, he will announce that Secretary Austin will lead a global force posture review, and during the pendency of that review, will freeze any troop redeployments from Germany.

Now, of course, establishing a position of strength also means building up national security team that is fit for purpose. And here is at the National Security Council, not only have we reinforced and reinvigorated every element of our regional and functional work, we've added a new deputy for cyber and emerging technology, we have elevated democracy as a key part of the National Security Council's work, we've added a coordinator for the Indo-Pacific and we've begun an intensive review of our strategies and resources towards the threat posed by domestic violent extremism.

Now, our view is that once we have established this position of strength, we will be able to compete more effectively with our competitors across the board and especially with China, in every domain, economic, diplomatic, technological, security, you name it. We'll be able to counter Russia for effectively and will be better equipped to address threats from climate change, to pandemics, to nuclear proliferation.

We will also be able to more effectively pursue a foreign policy for the middle class. This is not just a tag line. It is an organizing principle for the work that we will do. So what does that mean? What is a foreign policy for the middle class? Well, it starts with how we set priorities. Everything we do in our foreign policy and national security will be measured by a basic metric. Is it going to make life better, safer and easier for working families?

So, of course, that means a different approach to trade policy. We're not about trying to make the world safe for multinational investment, we're about creating jobs and raising wages here in the United States. So our priorities is not to get access for Goldman Sachs in China, our priority is to make sure that we are dealing with China's trade abuses that are harming American workers in the United States.

So whether it is dumping or subsidies or intellectual property theft or the countries across world who have engaged in problematic currency practices, our priorities in the trade space will be about the American worker.

But it is about much more than that. It is about thinking about national security as national competitiveness, making investments in our own industrial and innovation base so that the good-paying jobs and industries of the future are here in the United States. So Build Back Better isn't just about economics, it is about national security as well.

And then it is about the set of issues that working families in this country are facing every day that are challenging their lives and livelihoods, the pandemic, climate change, the threat of domestic violent extremism. And so from our perspective, putting the middle class and working people at the center of our foreign policy isn't just good from a strategic perspective, it is just good common sense and good decent values as well.

So, these are some of the things you'll hear from President Biden today. And we will also have the opportunity to put out a set of executive orders that establish regular order in our national security decision-making, that revitalize our workforce both in terms of the skills they have and to reflect the diversity, equity and inclusion priorities of this administration, and to build up a more robust capacity for the United States to accept refugees from around the world.

So, let me stop there and be happy to take a few questions before turning the podium back over to Jen.

Yes?

REPORTER: Jake, thanks for being in the room. We appreciate it. First, I would ask you to speak about the president's position of strength. As it relates to Russia, what does it say about President Biden's position of strength that after his conversation with President Putin on issues like the hack, Alexei Navalny and others days after that Vladimir Putin basically ignored it and sentenced Navalny to two and a half years in prison?

SULLIVAN: Well, first of all, unlike the previous administration, we will be taking steps to hold Russia accountable for the range of malign activities it has undertaken. That includes interfering in America's democracy. It includes the poisoning of citizens on European soil with chemical weapons. It includes the types of hacks and breaches that you just referred to and many other things as well. We will do that at a time and in a manner of our choosing. And we believe that imposing those cause and consequences will have an effect on Russia's behavior going forward.

Now, is it going to stop Vladimir Putin from doing everything we don't like? Of course not. But do we believe that we will be able to take a firmer, more effective line when it comes to Russian aggression and Russian bad behavior?

[11:50:00]

Yes, we do.

At the same time, I would just like to reiterate that that doesn't rule out being able to work with Russia where it's in our interests to do so. We can walk and chew gum at the same time, and the new START treaty and that extension, keeping a lid on nuclear proliferation, is, in fact, very much in America's national security interests.

REPORTER: I want to follow-up with another top line issue obviously on your plate right now as it relates to Kim Jong-un and North Korea. You said that the president spoke now to the president of Korea, of course, not to the head of the DPRK there. Does this White House, does President Biden have any intention to continue the diplomacy as it relates to Kim Jong-un? Will he meet with Kim Jong-un?

SULLIVAN: We are conducting a review of our policy towards North Korea, as we speak. President Biden told President Moon last night that that review is underway and that we consult closely with our allies, particularly the ROK in Japan in doing that. And I'm not going to get ahead of that review. Yes?

REPORTER: Thank you. A question on immigration, when the president signed his executive order directing DOJ not to contract with private federal prisons, he did not extend that to DHS and ICE, which houses many undocumented immigrants. So, is that something that he plans to do, and if so, why didn't he do it in that executive order?

SULLIVAN: I would refer you to DHS and Secretary Mayorkas for that.

Yes?

REPORTER: Mr. Sullivan the president campaigned on issuing a presidential memorandum making LGBTQ human rights a priority and U.S. foreign policy within one week of his administration. Do you expect that he (INAUDIBLE) the announcement today? And if so, how will that initiative compare to the initiative on the previous administration by former Ambassador Grenell?

SULLIVAN: I appreciate you raising the question. I didn't want to steal the president's thunder, but since you asked it directly, he will be announcing a presidential memorandum protecting the rights on LGBTQ individuals worldwide today. That will be part of his remarks at the State Department, and it reflects his deep commitment to these issues both here and in the United States and everywhere around the world. And the United States will speak out and act on behalf of these rights as we go.

Yes?

REPORTER: Thank you so much. Just picking up on Peter's question on speaking from a position of strength, and when I talk about sanctions on Myanmar. Does the fact that we have Republican lawmakers who support the claim that the election was stolen, some potentially having ties to extremist groups who stormed the Capitol, does it make the job of the administration's foreign policy team more difficult to punish countries, like Myanmar, on the grounds of violations of and democracy (INAUDIBLE)?

SULLIVAN: On the one hand, pulling our country together, revitalizing our own democratic foundation, building more unity, as President Biden has talked about, that will be an important part of us operating effectively in the world. But when it comes to Burma specifically, this is an area where there is genuine bipartisan agreement.

President Biden in his remarks today will talk about some of the outreach he has done to Republicans on the issue, and we believe we can work with the Congress on a package of sanctions to impose consequences in response to this coup. We will also be working with allies and partners around the world.

Yes?

REPORTER: I just wanted to follow-up quickly on Burma. The top generals there have already been sanctioned by the Magnitsky Act, and the State Department has said that the administration wants to avoid any action that could negatively impact the Burmese people. So what options specifically in terms of sanctions is the administration considering, and does it include declaring like a new national emergency via an executive order to impose sanctions on war generals or the military or government as a whole?

SULLIVAN: Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, we are reviewing the possibility of a new executive order and we are also looking at specific targeted sanctions both on individuals and on entities controlled by the military that enrich the military. So we believe we have plenty of space to be able to find the types of sanctions targets necessary to sharpen the choice for the Burmese military.

Yes?

REPORTER: On Monday, Iran proposed allowing the European Union to negotiate a simultaneous return to the Iran nuclear deal, the idea being the U.S. drops its sanctions in exchange for Iran coming into compliance. Is that proposal at all being considered?

SULLIVAN: We are actively engaged with the European Union right now, particularly the three members of the P5 plus 1, Germany, the U.K. and France. We are talking with them at various levels of our government. Those consultations, I think, will produce a unified front when it comes to our strategy towards Iran and towards dealing with diplomacy around the nuclear file, and I just don't want to get ahead of where that's going to end up.

PSAKI: We can take one or two more.

SULLIVAN: Yes.

REPORTER: All right. Will the president announce that he's making a new envoy for Yemen when he's at the State Department this afternoon?

[11:55:00]

SULLIVAN: Yes, he will. As I said in my remarks today, he is going to announce an end to American support for offensive operations in Yemen. That is a promise he made in the campaign that he will be following through on, but he will go further than that. He will talk about the United States playing a more active and engaged role in diplomacy to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen, and that will include the naming of a special envoy, which will happen today.

Last question, yes?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Jake, can you first -- just really quick on Yemen, a follow-up, can you just please explain a little bit more in detail what an end to American support for offensive operations entails, and does that extend to actions against AQAP in that region? And has the President Biden formed leaders of Saudi Arabia and the UAE already?

SULLIVAN: So it does not extend to actions against AQAP, which are actions that we undertake in service of protecting the homeland and protecting American interests in the region and our allies and our partners. It extends to the types of offensive operations that have perpetuated a civil war in Yemen that has led to a humanitarian crisis.

The types of examples of that include two arms sales, precision-guided ammunitions that the president has halted, that we're moving forward at the end of the last administration.

We have spoken with both senior officials in the UAE and senior officials in Saudi Arabia. We have consulted with them. We are pursuing a policy of no surprises when it comes to these types of actions so they understand that this is happening and they understand our reasoning and rationale for it.

DIAMOND: And just more broadly, one more final question, you guys have announced that you're reviewing a number of maligned actions carried out by other countries, whether it's Russia or China or other countries. Does President Biden feel a responsibility to impose consequences for actions undertaken by other countries in the last several years where President Trump gave those countries a pass? And if so, how far back does that extend?

SULLIVAN: I think the way that President Biden looks at this is it doesn't matter who the occupant of the Oval Office is if this country gets attacked, if our elections get attacked, if our critical infrastructure gets attacked, if our troops are threatened by foreign actors. He's going to respond to establish deterrents and to impose consequences. So he doesn't have a particular time or date from when that starts, and he certainly will look at actions undertaken during the Trump administration as attacks not on President Trump but as attacks on the United States of America.

Thank you, guys.

PSAKI: Okay. Just a couple of other things I just wanted to go through. President Biden delivered an address about faith and unity at the national prayer breakfast this morning. I should say it was via video. This event was entirely virtual this year because of COVID with all speakers delivering taped remarks.

Alongside President Biden, four living former presidents sent messages to the breakfast. President Biden is committed to the prayer breakfast tradition of reflection and fellowship, especially at this difficult time in our nation's history.

And a little piece of history for all of you, every president has attended the breakfast since Dwight D. Eisenhower made his appearance in 1954, a little trivia for your dinner table.

Okay, a couple of other updates. The president and his administration, all of us, are continuing their close engagement today on the American rescue plan, a top priority for him and all of us at this moment, including outreach to lawmakers and stakeholders as well as our continuing mark to make the case directly to the American people.

We're heartened that Congress is moving quickly. On this over the next several days, committees will have a chance to review the legislation. As you know, that's kind of the next step in the process next week after the voterama tonight.

That's a very Washington term, but that is literally what it's called. And Republicans will have additional opportunities to provide input and help improve the final product. That's how the process is supposed to work. And we're encouraged that there is agreement on the need to move swiftly and the goal of making this bipartisan bill and package.

There is a couple of questions that many of you have asked us and others have asked us over the course of our effort on the American rescue plan, so I just wanted to address some of those here.

First, why do we need a package of this size? Where we will find the (ph) status quo? Obviously, this is a good question that's asked as economic data comes out. So I just wanted to highlight a couple pieces for all of you.

A CBO report found that without any additional stimulus, our economy wouldn't reach pre-pandemic levels until 2025 and it would take just as long to get back to full employment. This week was the 46th consecutive week that jobless claims have exceeded the pre-pandemic record-high.

Kevin Hassett, President Trump's top economic adviser, said, quote, we need to be risk-averse, and that without a major stimulus, we could have a, quote, negative spiral for the economy. This is a grim picture, but analysis after analysis shows us that the rescue plan would make a huge difference.

Moody's Analytics found it would get us to full employment a year faster. Brookings predicts it would get us back to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year.