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Focus Turns To Midterms And Fate Of GOP After Trump's Acquittal; Interview With Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA); CDC Says 52-Million- Plus Vaccine Doses Administered In The U.S. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired February 14, 2021 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:42]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
All right, one day after Donald Trump's impeachment acquittal, the former President is making plans to have an impact on the midterm elections and on the fate of the G.O.P. overall. This, as key leaders in the Republican Party are eager to move forward without Trump's influence.
Fifty seven senators including seven Republicans voted to convict Trump of inciting the deadly mob that descended on Capitol Hill, January 6th, and despite being an unusually bipartisan impeachment vote, it fell 10 votes short of the two thirds needed for conviction, which would disqualify Trump from running for office again.
Today, Trump was seeing golfing with his son, Eric, at Mar-a-Lago in Florida; and one of his closest friends and allies in the U.S. Senate, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham says Trump is not ready to retire from politics just yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): He was grateful to his lawyers. He appreciated the help that all of us provided. You know, he is ready to move on and rebuild the Republican Party. He's excited about 2022.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, let's go first to CNN's Boris Sanchez near the former President's Mar-a-Lago estates, so Boris, how is President Trump feeling a day after his second acquittal?
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, publicly the President and his legal team are expressing relief at the result of the Senate impeachment trial. Sources close to the legal team have indicated they were surprised that seven Republican senators voted to convict Trump.
But you can bet as you heard there with Lindsey Graham that Trump is thinking about those Republicans and their futures. We got an indication from a statement last night that Trump is not going away anytime soon. He likely intends to campaign and fundraise against those Republicans.
As Lindsey Graham put it, he is still mad at a number of people. Listen to more from the Senator from South Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: Ninety percent of the Republican Party felt this impeachment was a partisan exercise. That's what I thought. He is out of office.
And so to the Republican Party, if you want to win and stop a socialist agenda, we need to work with President Trump. We can't do it without him and to you, President Trump, you need to build the Republican Party stronger.
I'm into winning, and if you want to get something off your chest, fine, but, I'm into winning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Lindsey Graham saying he is into winning. What is not lost on other Republicans like Liz Cheney, Ben Sasse, Adam Kinzinger and others is that the G.O.P. led by Trump lost the White House, lost the Senate and lost the House of Representatives in the last election.
So it's unclear exactly how much Lindsey Graham plans to win by attaching himself to an unpopular President.
That having been said, that's what Trump is saying publicly and privately. Sources close to the former President say that he is concerned about potential legal liability not only for his involvement in the insurrection on the Capitol on January 6th, but also for his attempts to overturn the election specifically in Georgia, where we know there is currently a criminal investigation, looking into his calls to the Secretary of State there and others -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And the list is long on those investigations. Boris Sanchez, thank you so much.
So despite Trump's acquittal, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and others warned that Trump's liability isn't necessarily over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): We have a Criminal Justice System in this country. We have civil litigation. And former Presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one.
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): I think there's grounds for further proceedings, both civil and criminal against former President Trump.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): There's a lot of other investigations going on about this man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The former President now facing multiple criminal investigations. CNN Kara Scannell has been reporting on Trump's legal troubles. So Kara, where do these cases stand right now?
KARA SCANNELL, CNN REPORTER: Well, Fred, the list is growing. Just this past week we learned that in Georgia, the Fulton County District Attorney's office had opened a criminal investigation into the former President and his efforts to overturn the election in that state, specifically they are looking at a phone call that the former President had with the Secretary of State in Georgia, in which he told him to find the votes and that would be just enough votes to swing the state in his favor.
[15:05:09]
SCANNELL: Now, that comes on top of a long running criminal investigation in New York where the Manhattan District Attorney's Office is looking into whether the former President or his company violated any state laws, if they misled lenders or committed possibly tax fraud.
And in addition, there is the sweeping investigation in Washington, D.C. by the Department of Justice, where they are bringing charges and investigating the people that were involved in the insurrection. So far, more than 200 individuals have been charged in that and our colleague, Kaitlan Collins is reporting that the President has privately voiced his concerns that he could face charges in connection with the riot -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And then Kara, you know, the President is also facing several civil legal matters, including defamation lawsuits from women who accuse him of sexual assault. These were delayed while he was in office. So now, what's expected?
SCANNELL: Well, Fred, right. I mean, these lawsuits, particularly those two defamation lawsuits were essentially put on hold because of the President's position.
Well, he no longer has that position. He can no longer use that as a shield for these lawsuits. So they are working their way through the court system and they are both up on appeals, but those cases are likely to move forward now that he is out of office.
You know, in addition to that, he has also been sued, his company has been sued by the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, alleging that his company had misused funds that were raised for his presidential inauguration.
And on top of that, there's a New York Attorney General investigation into the company and its finances very similar to the Manhattan District Attorney's investigation, and some of the President's -- former President's neighbors down in Palm Beach are also making some complaints. They are saying that he should no longer be allowed to live full time at Mar-a-Lago, challenging whether he can live there.
There was a town council hearing on that just this past week. No decision was made, but it's likely to be taken up again this spring -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: At the very least, it's going to be pretty costly lawyering up for the former President. Kara Scannell, thanks so much.
All right, Congressman Don Beyer is a Democratic Representative from Virginia and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. Congressman, it is so good to see you.
REP. DON BEYER (D-VA): Thanks, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, so let me start by getting your reaction to the President's acquittal. Seven Republican senators did join the Democrats and voting to convict, did you expect more?
BEYER: No, I was thrilled that there were seven. You know, that the acquittal is sort of preordained because, like 45 of them voted to say that the impeachment trial wasn't even constitutional.
But I think we clearly won in the court of public opinion. We clearly won in history. And this is the most bipartisan conviction vote that there's ever been. Never has that many members of the President's party voted to impeach to convict him.
WHITFIELD: That is true. That is true, and last year, just one Republican, this time around seven Republicans. So do you agree overall with the House Managers, the eventual decision to not call witnesses and instead just submit a statement from Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler's account of what Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said happened in a phone call with Trump.
BEYER: Now, I thought that Jamie Herrera Beutler's testimony was very powerful, but I was glad that was on the record. And you know, I wasn't part of the discussion, but I think they made the right call at the time.
This is what Senator Chris Coons was transmitting probably from the White House, and with the thought that this could drag the trial on for weeks and weeks, that's not what anyone wanted.
WHITFIELD: Is it your feeling that, yes, the Republicans were likely we heard it from the one attorney who said there may be 300 witnesses and by, you know, giving allowances for one witness meant that there had -- they had to entertain -- both sides would have to entertain possibly hundreds of witnesses.
BEYER: And that's possible. I like what Delegate Stacey Plaskett said, as, the Senate didn't need more witnesses, we just needed more senators with spines.
WHITFIELD: All right, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he voted to acquit, but said, you know, Trump could face criminal prosecution and that Trump is morally and practically responsible.
Do you see that Trump will be ultimately prosecuted for his role in the riot?
BEYER: I'm very much do. You know, we're a little frustrated -- more than a little frustrated with Senator McConnell who could have tried Trump while he was still President, but he got the Senate shut down so they couldn't receive the Articles of Impeachment.
But I certainly think that he made a powerful case for the New York Attorney General, the New York -- the Manhattan District Attorney, those folks in Georgia and elsewhere, to pursue Trump against these crimes of all matters, whether it's women who are going after him for the things that he said and done, to his financial crimes to, most importantly inciting the attack on the Capitol.
[09:10:04]
WHITFIELD: Let me shift now to COVID relief. President Joe Biden is pushing to pass his $1.9 trillion COVID Relief Bill by the end of the month, and hopes to have it signed by mid-March. But so far, the G.O.P. doesn't seem on board with the size of the President's ambitious plan.
Take a listen to Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. LARRY HOGAN (R-MD): So look, I was repeatedly giving my advice to the President on Friday, we had about an hour and a half meeting in the Oval Office. And I said to him, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should and I said that I thought that it was good for, you know, his agenda over the next four years if he started out by getting some Republicans on board in a bipartisan way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: What do you think ultimately the President will do? I mean, he has spent decades on the U.S. Senate. He knows all about compromising working, you know, across the aisle, do you see that ultimately, he will go it alone if Republicans are not on board? Or do you see that he will make compromises?
BEYER: I think he definitely will make compromises, but he is not going to compromise with himself. I think he said from the beginning, he would like us to be bipartisan. In the House, we're proceeding as if it will be reconciliation, as if it will bipartisan, but trying to leave the door open for Republicans to come back with some responsible middle ground.
You know, so far, the President is at $1.9 trillion, and they're at less than a third of that. That's not exactly a compromise. If he can get the Republicans to a place that meets the needs of the American people, not a political win for him, but making sure that those that are unemployed, that need vaccines, that we can open schools safely. Those needs can be met. I think there can be a good compromise.
WHITFIELD: All right, Congressman Don Beyer, so good to see you. Thank you so much. Happy Valentine's.
BEYER: Thanks, Fredricka. Thank you. Happy Valentine's Day.
WHITFIELD: Okay. All right, still ahead. The impeachment managers defend their 11th hour decision to forego witnesses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. STACEY PLASKETT (D-VI): We didn't need more witnesses. We need more senators with spines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Plus, when will all Americans who want a coronavirus vaccine be able to get one? The C.D.C. Director makes a major prediction.
And this breaking news involving the Royal Family: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle make a big announcement.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:16:30]
WHITFIELD: Nearly 53 million vaccine doses have now been administered here in the U.S. according to new numbers from the C.D.C.
The hopeful news comes as the C.D.C. Director gave this prediction about when every American who wants a shot can get one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, C.D.C. DIRECTOR: I'm proud to say that as of yesterday, we have put 50 million vaccines into people's arms.
We anticipate by the end of the summer we will have enough vaccine in order to vaccinate the entire U.S. population that is eligible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN correspondent, Alison Kosik joining me now. So Alison, what more are you learning?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, as you can imagine, this is complicated. We're getting these kinds of updates all the time. A few days ago, there was this roller coaster of research stoking concerns that a coronavirus variant first linked to the South African variant could be resistant to vaccines and raise the bar for herd immunity.
And even then, scientists and vaccine makers said the data have not yet had the final word and that there's still reason to be hopeful. However, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the data about the South African variant is what he calls sobering. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: In South Africa, there were people who got infected with the original virus, recovered and then got re-infected with this new variant, the South African variant, which tells us that prior infection does not protect you against reinfection, at least with this particular variant.
Somewhat good news is it looks like the vaccine is better than natural infection in preventing you from getting re-infected with the South African isolate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: The bottom line here, the vaccine is still more protective. It's better at protecting you. It's more comprehensive than the protection that a previous infection would give you -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And then there's this growing debate over you know, this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines for reopening schools, and they focus on five key COVID-19 mitigation strategies.
KOSIK: Right. Yes, yes, exactly. And they include wearing masks, wearing them correctly, physical distancing, washing hands, cleaning facilities and improving ventilation, contract tracing, isolation and quarantine.
These are the key strategies that the C.D.C. puts forth. But vaccines for teachers and testing are not among the key strategies that the agency is laying out. The thing is, not everyone agrees with that. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I don't really understand why we're even having a debate about this. Of course, teacher vaccinations are essential. If we want students to be in school for in person learning, the least that we can do is to protect the health and wellbeing of our teachers.
WALENSKY: I'm a strong advocate of teachers receiving their vaccinations, but we don't believe it's a prerequisite for schools to reopen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: So the C.D.C. is prioritizing the first two, it is prioritizing masks and physical distancing and calling vaccinations for staff and teachers an additional layer of protection. But the head of the C.D.C., Dr. Walensky is recommending that frontline essential workers, which includes educators, that they be prioritized to get vaccinations and these recommendations come, Fredricka, as there is this growing debate over when and how to reopen schools.
Just to be clear here, the C.D.C. is not mandating that schools reopen; instead, the agency is giving a roadmap for how to send our children to school safely or as safely as possible -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Because every community, every school district certainly is not the same.
KOSIK: Exactly. WHITFIELD: They are not dealing with the same obstacles. All right,
Alison Kosik, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
KOSIK: You've got it.
[15:20:10]
WHITFIELD: All right, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is under fire accused of undercounting thousands of COVID deaths in the state's nursing homes at the height of the pandemic. Here now is CNN's Athena Jones.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK LANGWORTHY, NEW YORK G.O.P. CHAIRMAN: The gravity of this cover up cannot be overstated.
ATHENA JONES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is under fire after his top aide admitted to withholding data for months that revealed thousands more confirmed and presumed COVID-19 deaths of long-term care facility residents than previously disclosed.
According to a transcript of a private video call, Melissa DeRosa, who often appeared at press conferences with the Governor told Democratic state lawmakers, "Basically we froze because then we were in a position where we weren't sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice or what we give to you guys, what we start saying was going to be used against us."
Cuomo arguing at the time the threat of an inquiry from the Trump administration was politically motivated.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): They had played politics on this from day one.
JONES (voice over): "The New York Post" first reported the story citing a recording of the call. State lawmakers from both parties slamming DeRosa's admission.
Fourteen Democratic State Senators saying in a statement, "Cuomo should be stripped of his emergency powers." Among them Senator Alessandra Biaggi who tweeted, "You're only sorry that you all got caught."
State Republicans echoing their call and going further --
LANGWORTHY: The Cuomo administration purposely lied and withheld evidence and information to avoid prosecution.
Andrew Cuomo must be prosecuted and Andrew Cuomo must be impeached if this evidence exists.
JONES (voice over): Residents of long-term care facilities have accounted for a significant percentage of COVID deaths in many states. In New York, some 15,000 residents of facilities like nursing homes
died according to the Department of Health, about a third of all COVID deaths statewide.
JERRY MALDONADO, MOTHER DIED IN NEW YORK NURSING HOME: The COVID crisis in New York's nursing homes was a preventable crisis.
JONES (voice over): The true death toll was revealed after New York Attorney General and Cuomo ally, Letitia James issued a scathing report last month, accusing the state of undercounting deaths in these facilities by some 50 percent, by only publicly reporting those who died on site, not residents who were admitted to hospitals and died there or elsewhere.
The deaths were counted in the state's overall death toll, but were not attributed to long-term care facilities.
CUOMO: Whether a person died in the hospital or died in a nursing home, it is -- the people died. I wish none of it happened. I wish there was no COVID. I wish no old people died.
JONES (voice over): The Associated Press reporting more than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients in New York were transferred to nursing homes from hospitals early in the pandemic, including more than 6,300 previously disclosed admissions directly from hospitals and more than 2,700 readmissions of patients sent back to nursing homes from hospitals.
Cuomo, who was among the governors meeting with President Joe Biden has faced criticism over a March 2020 State Health Department advisory that required nursing homes to admit and readmit patients with COVID, something critics say may have further fueled the outbreak in those facilities.
Cuomo has said the policy was in line with Federal guidance. Cuomo's administration has pushed back. State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker arguing 98 percent of New York nursing homes had COVID cases before admitting a positive patient from a hospital and that the major driver of infections appears to be from asymptomatic staff. The controversial directive was scrapped in May.
JONES (on camera): And this latest controversy comes after Governor Cuomo was praised initially for his handling of the pandemic, he even wrote a bestselling book about leadership in a pandemic.
His daily COVID briefings became appointment viewing during the worst of the outbreak here in New York, and he was even awarded an International Emmy Founder's Award for his use of television to inform and calm the public. Some people were even talking about how he should run for President.
Well, now he faces a real crisis.
Athena Jones, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: All right, coming up next, breaking news involving the
Royal Family: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle make a big announcement.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:28:56]
WHITFIELD: All right, breaking news. Exciting news for the Royal Family. CNN's royal correspondent, Max Foster joining me now from London.
So Max, is baby Archie going to have a little company?
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think so. Obviously, there was a story that came out earlier in the year. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex talked very openly about miscarriage that the Duchess had suffered, and she didn't give any details about that.
But she talked more widely about her public work in relation to that, but now they're able to confirm that they are expecting another baby so Archie will have a younger sibling. This is the extent of the statement that I've been given. They're not saying anything more beyond this, "We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child."
We're not being given details about the sex and a very lovely photo they actually sent to us accompanying this news. And I'm told the photo was taken remotely by longtime friend and photographer Misan Harriman.
So some wonderful new on a generally gloomy news scape.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's lovely. So do we know anything more? I know it's early, but anything more about the location, the place, the country that they will, you know, choose to allow that birth to happen?
[15:30:15]
FOSTER: Absolutely nothing. What's interesting about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is that they accept that the world needs to have updates on their family, they accept that they are public figures. They accept that despite being outside the Royal Family, that the world needs to have updates on their life. So they get these very specific moments. And they publicize them, but they don't give any more than they want to give.
And all they're giving at the moment is that they are expecting -- there have been rumors of course, because a lot of the photos recently of the Duchess have been sort of above here, so that fueled speculation, but they obviously don't feed that speculation, they chose today, Valentine's Day to deliver that news. So simply due.
WHITFIELD: That's sweet. That was sweet. Okay, well just a little tantalizing information in this business, we call that a tease. Right, Max? They are teasing us. More to come. All right. Thank you so much, Max Foster in London.
All right, President Trump acquitted again. So where does the Republican Party go from here and how will the verdict and insurrection affect the future of democracy?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: This MAGA movement needs to continue. We need to unite the party. Trump Plus is the way back in 2022.
I'm am going to go down to talk with him next week, play a little golf in Florida. And I said, Mr. President, this MAGA movement needs to continue. We need to unite the party. Trump Plus is the way back in 2022.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: More on that just ahead as our impeachment coverage continues.
And join us Tuesday night when President Joe Biden will join Anderson Cooper live from Milwaukee Wisconsin in an exclusive presidential Town Hall starting at nine Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:36:06]
WHITFIELD: All right, Congress is now moving forward with its business following the Senate's decision to acquit former President Trump in his second impeachment trial.
It was the most bipartisan impeachment vote in U.S. history, 57 senators including seven Republicans voting that Trump was guilty of inciting the Capitol riots, but that vote was short of the 67 needed to convict. House Impeachment Managers are speaking out today about the Senate's decision.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is on Capitol Hill with more on all this. Suzanne, the impeachment managers are holding their heads high, despite the trial's outcome.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are, Fred. They're quite pleased and they're proud of what they've done. They laid out the case.
We heard from House impeachment manager, the head Jamie Raskin who said, look, they didn't get the votes necessarily to convict, but they did win the court of public opinion and the court of history.
They also turned to the comments, the speech that was made by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell after acquitting the President that he turned and said that Trump was physically and morally -- practically and morally responsible for the riots that occurred on Capitol Hill, that it was a disgraceful dereliction of duty. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling those words disingenuous that it
was just an excuse, saying that it was not a constitutional process.
Nevertheless, this is a third presidential impeachment trial I've covered Fred and it was very different in tone and tenor. As you had mentioned before, it made history in the number of Republicans that sided with Democrats to convict this President.
Now a lot of questions coming from the progressive side of the Democratic Party could there have been done more, perhaps calling in witnesses to actually lay out and answer more questions in more of a forceful way.
One of the things that happened, it was a surprise, Raskin introducing the possibility of calling up Republican Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, she had a conversation with the Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who had talked to Trump and it revealed that Trump was on the side of the rioters as opposed to really trying to quell the situation as the violence was occurring.
Nevertheless, a deal was struck with those House Managers, Republicans, as well as Democrats on the Senate side, they decided they would not call witnesses, they thought it would be a circus atmosphere. And so they're defending that decision today saying they made the best case possible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): We could have had a thousand witnesses, but that could not have overcome the kinds of silly arguments that people like McConnell and Caputo were hanging their hats on. They're trying to have it both ways.
PLASKETT: I think we didn't back down. I think what we did was we got what we wanted, which was her statement. So I know that people are feeling a lot of angst and believe that maybe if we had this, the senators would have done what we wanted.
But listen, we didn't need more witnesses, we needed more senators with spines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And there are also some Democrats who are pointing to McConnell's speech saying that they thought it was the equivalent of a lock him up type of speech. And so I'm giving him credit, saying it was a deft political move here, essentially, to kick the can forward and to send it off to the Biden Justice Department to figure it all out, sort it all out, or perhaps the criminal and civil courts in New York and D.C.
Nevertheless, Democrats say, look, they're going to move on, they're not going to deal with censure, perhaps they'll try to come up with a 9/11 style commission investigation to get to the bottom of some of these questions that just have not been answered. But Fred, I talked to Democrats and they say, look, this is what we
want to do. We want to move forward with the President's agenda. That is COVID relief. That is an economic stimulus, as well as today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, marking the third anniversary of the Parkland Florida shooting, saying they're going to try to get gun legislation reform legislation passed something no previous administration has been able to do -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Right. That's right, sadly on Valentine's Day. Just heartbreaking day for so many Parkland families.
Suzanne Malveaux on Capitol Hill. Thank you so much.
MALVEAUX: Thank you.
[15:40:07]
WHITFIELD: So with former President Trump's Senate trial now over, the Republican Party is now looking at where its future lies. "Washington Post" columnist, Max Boot argues the party is off to a rough start after putting tribalism over patriotism and the impeachment proceeding saying this, "So the Senate cannot hold Trump to account for either criminal offenses or noncriminal offenses. Why don't the Republican senators just come out and say that Republican Presidents are above the law?"
Max Boot joining me right now. So Max, was there ever any doubt in your mind that this might be the outcome?
MAX BOOT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: There was a smidgen of doubt immediately after the horrible events of January 6th, Fred, because Mitch McConnell came out so strongly in condemnation of Donald Trump and flat out said that Trump was responsible for what happened.
So you know, if you're admitting that the President instigated this attack on the Capitol, shouldn't you hold him to account? So there was a little bit of hope I had at that point, that maybe McConnell would finally turn the page on four years of these Trump years. But clearly, that did not happen.
At the end of the day, McConnell himself voted to acquit, as did 43 out of 50 Senate Republicans, which I think highly is disappointing, and a dereliction of their duty, because the evidence was overwhelming that Trump was guilty as charged.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And you mentioned Mitch McConnell a few times there, because his role has been really interesting here and dissecting it is fascinating, too, because in addition to what he said, you know, following the insurrection, he also, you know, preemptively let everyone know how he would be voting yesterday before the vote were actually to happen, you know, just ahead of these closing arguments, and then he would talk out of both sides of his mouth, so to speak.
You know, according to many critics who say, you know, he would admonish and be critical of the President yet at the same time, you know, say he was -- vote to acquit, and then, you know, handed off to potentially D.O.J. or whomever else to prosecute the former President.
BOOT: No, you're right, Fred. He is talking out of both sides of his mouth or, you know, trying to have his cake and eat it, too. It's utterly Machiavellian, utterly cynical.
It's clever on some level, because on the one hand, he gets to keep his Trumpy caucus happy, and he doesn't risk a rebellion among his members, which might happen if he voted to convict, and at the same time, he gets to cover himself with the rest of the country and with the verdict of history to say, no, I recognize that Trump was actually responsible for this.
And then he gets the basically punt responsibility somewhere else by hinting that Trump should face criminal action. Well, maybe he should, or maybe he shouldn't. But you know, the Senate had a chance to hold him accountable right there and Mitch McConnell blew it.
And in fact, he set it up in such a way that Trump was guaranteed to get off because he refused to start the trial while Trump was still in office. And then he cited as an excuse for acquitting the fact that Trump was no longer in office.
I mean, that is really too clever and too cynical by half.
WHITFIELD: Right. He was the Majority Leader, he could have done it, and then as Minority Leader said what he said yesterday. So have a listen to what the now Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said following the verdict.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The instigating a mob against the government is considered permissible, it encouraging political violence becomes the norm. It will be open season, open season on our democracy.
And everything will be up for grabs by whoever has the biggest clubs, the sharpest spears, and the most powerful guns.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Do you agree with Schumer and as a historian who looks at global affairs, does that resonate with you?
BOOT: Yes, it absolutely resonates. I think there is a real danger to what's happened, which is that the Republican Party is becoming an increasingly authoritarian party in a similar way to right-wing parties in places like Hungary and Poland and Turkey and elsewhere. It's moving farther and farther away from the kind of center right parties that we're used to seeing in the United States or in Germany, France or other Western liberal democracies.
Clearly, there is a faction of the Republican Party that is willing to use force to gain power and they don't care about democratic norms. We have seen Donald Trump over the last four years running roughshod over our democracy and our Constitution, ultimately culminating in the shocking attack on the Capitol on January 6th.
And even after that happened, even after his responsibility was completely clear, almost all of the Republicans in Congress still refuse to impeach him. So this is basically a greenlight to future authoritarians within the Republican Party that whatever they do to gain power, the party will stand behind them.
And I think one of the most chilling commentaries on the vote that I've read on Twitter in recent days, Fred, was a progressive who suggested that what happens if Republicans control both chambers of Congress in 2024 and a Democrat wins the President, they may refuse to seat the Democratic President, because they know that if they seat him, they are going to be attacked by a mob.
[15:45:14]
WHITFIELD: Yes. It's difficult for somebody to try and look into the crystal ball to know what potentially could happen. But I do wonder what this message now of this acquittal, what kind of message is being sent right now, particularly to America's adversaries who are looking for ways in which to weaken democracy?
BOOT: I think it's a very bad message. I think the whole world especially our allies are looking at us, you know, and just kind of shaking their heads. They can't believe this is happening in America.
I mean, this is really Banana Republic stuff. This is the kind of stuff we've gotten used to in countries like Belarus or Ukraine or elsewhere, where a sitting President will ignore an election result and try to hold power by force.
Nobody could possibly imagine this happening in the United States and thank goodness, obviously, Trump's designs were thwarted and Joe Biden was seated.
But nevertheless, I think the world's faith in American democracy is seriously shaken right now, Fred. People are looking for a signal that we still are willing to uphold our ideals. And I think the message that they got from Congress is at best mixed.
I mean, I think it was a good sign that you at least that seven Republicans in the Senate and 57 senators overall willing to impeach Trump, but I think it was a bad sign that there still was not a two- thirds majority, even though there's such blatant and outrageous law breaking on the part of the President, the worst abuse of the office in our history, according to Liz Cheney and a few other courageous Republicans.
So the fact that even under those circumstances, Congress still is not willing to impeach I think sends a troubling signal that will undermine President Biden's efforts to reassert American leadership as a leader of democracies around the world.
WHITFIELD: So many still trying to read the tea leaves and so much that has happened in such a short amount of time. Max Boot, thanks to you. Appreciate it. BOOT: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, and we're following a massive winter storm sweeping the country. Nearly 170 million Americans are under winter weather alerts from coast to coast. I mean, take a look at the situation right now in Dallas. This is Dallas, Texas, parts of Texas could get hit with the biggest snowfall in a decade in fact.
And besides heavy snow and ice, more than 50 million people will be feeling the Deep Freeze with temperatures below zero. The wind chill temperatures in the plains and Midwest could feel like negative 30, negative 60 degrees. So hard to believe. We'll be right back.
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[15:52:06]
WHITFIELD: CNN exclusive reporting reveals new details surrounding the World Health Organization's investigation into the origins of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
W.H.O. investigators discovered signs that the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan was much wider in December of 2019 than previously thought.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice over): The leader of the W.H.O. mission to China investigating the origins of the coronavirus has told CNN the virus was likely much wider spread in China in December 2019 than was thought.
Peter Ben Embarek revealed the 174 positive cases found that first December, likely severe cases meant there could actually have been an estimated thousand plus total cases in and around the City of Wuhan that month.
PETER BEN EMBAREK, LEAD INVESTIGATOR, W.H.O. MISSION TO CHINA: The virus was circulating widely in Wuhan in December, which I think is a new finding. And 100 laboratory-confirmed and 74 clinically diagnosed --
PATON WALSH (on camera): About 174 would suggest a thousand or so plus even.
EMBAREK: Yes, probably very likely, yes, because that's again, that would fit with all the other parameters that we have looked at.
PATON WALSH (voice over): The team also established that in that first December, there were as many as 13 slight variations of the virus from samples of all bits of its genetic code circulating in and around Wuhan, where this seafood market is thought to have played a role.
EMBAREK: We have 13 strains covering individuals in December. Some of them are from the market or into the market, some of them are not in to the market. All of this is something we found as part of our mission.
PATON WALSH (voice over): That many variations so early on could suggest the virus had been circulating for some time some analysts told CNN although precise timing is still unclear.
Their work heavily scrutinized, tense and frustrating conditions.
EMBAREK: Here, remember, we had the entire planet on our shoulders 24 hours a day for a month, which doesn't make the work among scientists easier.
Once, you know, while, as always between passionate scientists you get heated discussion and argumentation about this and that.
PATON WALSH (voice over): They hope to return to access biological samples they say China has yet to share especially hundreds of thousands of blood bank samples from Wuhan dating back two years. China has pledged transparency with the investigation.
EMBAREK: There is about 200,000 samples available there that are now secured and could be used for new serum studies.
PATON WALSH (on camera): And you want to look at that urgently.
EMBAREK: Yes, that would be -- that would be fantastic if we could move with that.
PATON WALSH: Is it not amazing that they haven't already looked through those samples?
EMBAREK: You could say that, but we understand that these samples are extremely small samples and only used for indication purpose.
PATON WALSH (voice over): So many more questions still to answer, first, if China would let them back in.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[15:55:35]
WHITFIELD: Very sobering.
All right, thank you so much for being with me today. Happy Valentine's Day again. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
CNN NEWSROOM with Anna Cabrera starts in a moment.
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