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China's Peng Shuai Announces Retirement, Denies Sex Assault Claim; USA Figure Skater Vincent Zhou Out After Positive COVID Test; USA Skier Mikaela Shiffrin Crashes Out of Giant Slalom; Republican Leaders and Officials Condemn RNC Censure of Cheney and Kinzinger; Pence: "Trump is Wrong" to Say Election Could be Overturned; Sources: Former NY Gov Cuomo Seriously Considering Political Comeback. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired February 07, 2021 - 14:30   ET

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

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[14:31:00]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Chinese tennis star, Peng Shuai, is announced she's retiring today, saying it would be, quote, "practically impossible" to return to her sport.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Just before the announcement, there was this rare, very controlled interview she did with French journalists in Beijing.

And you'll remember, last year, she accused a top Communist Party official of sexual assault and then disappeared from public view.

She has since denied making the allegations and now says the whole thing is a misunderstanding.

CNN's David Culver is joining us from Beijing.

What more did she tell these French journalists?

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESOPNDENT: Hey, there, Victor and Alisyn.

This is a highly anticipated meeting. It took place over the weekend in the so-called closed loop that is the Olympic COVID bubble.

Chinese tennis star, Peng Shuai, meeting over dinner first on Saturday with Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee.

But here's the thing. Censorship questions are still swirling. The IOC not willing to provide images of the Saturday meeting.

So that's where we look ahead to Sunday. And there was a degree of transparency that emerged when Peng sat down with journalists from the French sports paper you mentioned.

And there was in the room a Chinese Olympics official present as well. Now they talked for an hour, discussing Peng's emotional accusation

posted online back in early November in which she said a retired top party official -- we're talking about one of the most powerful men here in China -- pressured her into sex.

The post, and any discussion, those were quickly scrubbed from the Chinese Internet. And Peng disappeared for several weeks. It sparked global outcry among some of the biggest names in sport.

But in Sunday's sit-down with that French outlet, Peng said it is all just an enormous misunderstanding. She once again denied making the assault allegation.

And she told the French reporters that she deleted her own post. Why? Because she said she had too many messages to respond to.

And you mentioned her retirement. So I'll read a little bit more of what she had to say.

The 36-year-old, talking on it, she said, quote, "If you take my age, my multiple surgeries and the pandemic, which forced me to stop playing for so long, I think it will be very hard for me to get back to the level that I was, physically speaking."

The Chinese hoping that this will end the matter, that there will be no more, going forward. We'll see how this plays out though.

And I was curious, Victor and Alisyn, how the WTA, the Women's Tennis Association, which halted tournaments here in China because of this situation, was going to respond.

Well, I just got that response and essentially they say, "This does not alleviate any of our concerns about her initial post from November 2nd."

So this is not going to end it for them.

CAMEROTA: Understood. It is very hard to just take anything at face value.

But let's turn, David, to the Winter Olympics.

CULVER: Yes.

CAMEROTA: And so the American figure skater, Vincent Zhou, tested positive for COVID. So what now?

CULVER: This is unfortunate. Vincent Zhou in COVID isolation will not compete in Tuesday's men's single skating short program.

He posted this emotional Instagram video in which he said he's still just trying to process it all. Adding that he had been doing everything in his power to stay COVID-free since the start of the pandemic.

And he had a message to his future self. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VINCENT ZHOU, U.S. OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATER: You had no idea what you were getting into. But you had a dream and you followed it. You made sacrifices for it and you dedicated your life to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CULVER: Before testing positive, Zhou won the silver medal in Monday's figure skating team events. So good news for him there.

And there was more disappointment for Team USA here in Beijing with the American skiing icon, Mikaela Shiffrin, crashing out of the grand slalom. Saying, quote, "I won't ever get over this."

The three-time Olympic medalist failed to complete the course. That ended any hopes of a medal in that event, which was won by Sweden's Sara Hector.

More action kicking off in a few hours. And there will be an opportunity, Victor and Alisyn, for Shiffrin to bounce back. She'll have another event a short time from now.

CAMEROTA: OK, David Culver, thanks for the update.

[14:35:02]

OK, now to this. A new report says that Republican leaders and former officials condemn the RNC censure of these two Republican congressmen. We'll talk about that ahead.

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[14:40:02]

CAMEROTA: Just into CNN, more than 140 Republican and conservative leaders have just signed a statement condemning the Republican National Committee's censure of GOP Congress members Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.

The list includes several former members of Congress and government officials.

The RNC just censured Cheney and Kinzinger for their involvement with the investigation of the January 6th insurrection.

And as part of the statement, the RNC accuses the two GOP lawmakers of participating in a Democratic-led persecution of what they call ordinary citizens engaged in, quote, "legitimate political discourse."

BLACKWELL: Now, the same day as the censure, the Justice Department released disturbing new graphic video of what the RNC call this is legitimate political discourse.

These are people attacking police officers. They're calling for lawmakers and including then-Vice President Mike Pence to be dragged through the streets. There was a gallows erected outside of the capitol.

Legitimate political discourse.

Stephanie Grisham is a former White House press secretary and communication director. And she's the author of the book, "I'll Take Your Questions Now, What I Saw in the Trump White House."

Michael Fanone is a former D.C. Metropolitan Police officer who was attacked and injured during the capitol riot.

Stephanie, I'll start with you because we just got in the list of more than 140 Republicans, former officials, as Alisyn said, former elected officials.

What does this say about your party that the RNC now said what we watched was legitimate political discourse and that these two Republican House members should be punished for trying to get to the bottom of what led to that?

STEPHANIE GRISHAM, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I mean, it shows that right now the RNC is focused more on pleasing Trump rather than sticking to conservative principles.

They're focused on punishing two of their own members for speaking their truth and standing up for the Constitution.

I do believe that history will look back on the RNC and this choice and look at it poorly.

And I was proud to be on that list of people who signed the letter. I do believe there's power in numbers.

And I think we're starting to slowly chip away at this really big, ugly boulder that the RNC has become.

CAMEROTA: Michael, no one knows better than you that this wasn't political discourse and it was violence. You were subjected to grievous injuries.

And the Department of Justice just released new video from a new perspective of you actually being attacked.

And Victor and I and our producers debated whether to show this because we don't want to you relive this hideous moment again and again. But you told it was OK to show this. And so we're showing this.

And so your reaction as you hear that that is what the RNC was trying to pass off as legitimate discourse?

MICHAEL FANONE, FORMER D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICER: Well, first, I think the RNC has become the political wing of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and 3 Percenters.

They seem to be -- well let me say this. Again, I was there on January 6th. I didn't see any political discourse. What I saw was violent insurrectionists, threatening and assaulting

police officers, breaking through police lines and barricades, and causing destruction and physical injury in doing so.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BLACKWELL: And, Stephanie, as I said, those insurrectionists, some of them shouting, "Hang Mike Pence," because the former president lied to them and said that he had the -- under his purview, he could essentially overturn the election.

And the January 6th committee has spoken with Marc Short, his former chief of staff, and Greg Jacobs, one of his top aides.

And Marc Short was asked over the weekend about the potential for subpoenaing the former vice president.

And here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: I think it is very different to subpoena a former vice president to talk about private conversations he had with the president of the United States.

It has never happened before. And I think we have some significant concerns about the committee, Chuck. The committee truly is not really a bipartisan committee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And then after that, we heard from Zoe Lofgren, a member of the committee. She heard that interview and here is what she said.

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REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): I heard Mr. Short's comment that, you know, we wouldn't want to ask him about his conversations with the president. It is not clear that that would be off the table.

But clearly, the conversations that the vice president had with Professor Eastman and others are of interest. But we may find out everything that we need to know from other sources.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:45:08]

BLACKWELL: So what do you think? Is this the time to -- it is unprecedented, a lot of this is unprecedented -- to subpoena the former vice president to get answers about the pressure on the former vice president and the scheme to try to overturn the election?

GRISHAM: You know, I see where Marc is coming from. I worked with him extensively. And he was a very pragmatic voice of reason in the White House quite often.

I do see where he's coming from. But as you just said, this is all unprecedented.

I would hope that perhaps Vice President Pence would go and speak to them voluntarily.

And I believe that the January 6th committee would keep it targeted to that day and some of the orders that he was given or things that were asked of him.

I don't think they have to get into some of the more private conversations between a president and a vice president, which I do believe can be very sacred.

I hope that Mike Pence will speak to them. I think that he, of all people, has so much insight and so much to say.

So I'm just going to keep my finger crossed that that ends up happening.

CAMEROTA: Michael, speaking of former Vice President Pence, as you know, the violence that day, what precipitated it was that violent mob thought erroneously, and had been told that Mike Pence could, you know, overrule the voters of the United States.

And this past weekend, on Friday, we heard, for the first time, former Vice President Mike Pence say that Donald Trump was wrong.

And I just want to play it for anyone who missed it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election. Frankly, there's no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Michael, was that a significant moment to your ears?

FANONE: No. I give Mike Pence zero credit in making that statement.

Over a year out from the January 6th insurrection, and to be completely honest with you, if he was a person of integrity or courage, or any character whatsoever, he would be voluntarily testifying before the January 6th committee.

Not sending in his subordinates to do his dirty work for him.

I think he wants to save some type of political face. Maybe he thinks that, in the future, he could possibly run for president.

But I think his actions are disgraceful and -- yes, I give him no credit whatsoever. CAMEROTA: Michael Fanone, Stephanie Grisham, great to see both of you.

Thank you both.

GRISHAM: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Sources tell CNN that former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is seriously considering a comeback. We'll tell you when he might step back into the political scene.

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[14:52:40]

BLACKWELL: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is seriously considering a comeback. Sources close to his inner circle say he could run this election cycle.

CAMEROTA: In a new interview with "Bloomberg," he criticized the New York attorney general who investigated the sexual harassment claims against him and says that he feels vindicated.

Quote, "I never resigned because I said I did something wrong. I said I'm resigning because I don't want to be a distraction. But long term, they still created a circumstance that forced my resignation for no good reason."

CNN's Brynn Gingras is covering this today..

Brynn, interesting timing. What more are your sources saying?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is coming out. You talk to the people closest to Andrew Cuomo. They are publicly laughing about this, saying it's not true. We'll have to see.

But people close to him say they are getting calls and trying to gauge support if he runs again not only for another office.

But possibly even the attorney general's office, which is held right now by Letitia James who did that report, a scathing reporting that those 11 women were sexually harassed by Cuomo. Some of them his former aides.

We're also hearing, and coming from this "Bloomberg" news article, where he has said he might run again. Sorry, he didn't say he might run again. He's basically not denying necessarily he might run again.

I want to read another exert from it, saying, "I'm still focused on communicating what happened here. Because as a precedent, it has to be exposed. Vindication is not the reason to run for office."

And he's pointing to is the attorney general's office.

We haven't seen him publicly but we've seen his personal attorney come out so many times, over and over again, publicly citing the flaws, point by point, in what they believe is with that attorney general's report. The attorney general right now is firing back. She gave a statement to

CNN that I want to read.

She said, "No one, including Andrew Cuomo, can dispute the fact that multiple investigations found allegations of sexual harassment against him to be credible."

"Only he is to blame for inappropriately touching his own staff and then quitting so he didn't have to face impeachment."

"His baseless attack won't change the reality - Andrew Cuomo is a serial sexual harasser."

We're hearing this back and forth between the two sides, which we've been hearing for long.

What does that mean for him running again? Well, still remains to be seen.

[14:54:59]

However, a lot of people we're hearing from, sources, are telling CNN it's not out of the realm of possibility. It's likely he might try to get office.

This is man with a lot of money in the bank, more than $16 million. He feels vindicated in this "Bloomberg" report that district attorneys from four different counties in New York did not pursue charges in the aftermath of that report.

So there's a lot of reasons that are pointing to the fact that we might see him again. But, again, this is a wait and see.

BLACKWELL: Fascinating.

Brynn Gingras, thanks so much.

GINGRAS: Thanks.

CAMEROTA: President Biden is set to take questions from reporters alongside Germany's chancellor. The two leaders are meeting as the standoff between Russia and Ukraine enters a potentially critical and dangerous phase.

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