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Trump Takes Veiled Shot at "Gutless" DeSantis Over Booster; Djokovic Admits He Didn't Isolate Immediately after Positive Test; Judge Says Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Prince Andrew Can Move Ahead; Boris Johnson Apologizes for Office Party During Lockdown; Trump Hangs Up on NPR Reporter After Challenged on Lies; Jan. 6th Panel Subpoenas Official Who Help Trump Draft Speech & Advisers to Donald Trump Jr; Ex-Girlfriend of Rep. Matt Gaetz Seen Entering Florida Courthouse. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired January 12, 2022 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:31:54]
ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Former President Trump, who revealed he got his booster last month, is now taking aim at politicians who are keeping their status secret.
In a new interview, Trump seemed to take a veiled shot at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for dodging a question on it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've taken it. I had the booster.
Many politicians -- I watched a couple politicians be interviewed. And one of the questions was, did you get the booster? Because they had the vaccine.
And they all -- they're answering it like -- in other words, the answer is yes, but they don't want to say this. Whether you had it or not, say it.
But the fact is I think the vaccine has saved tens of millions of people throughout the world.
I have had absolutely no side effects. I've had it like other people have had it. Nothing special. I've had it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: CNN reporter, Steve Contorno, is in Florida.
Steve, why do so many people think that comment was aimed at the governor?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: People think that because the governor has refused to say whether or not he's got the booster shot. He was asked during FOX last month, point blank, if he got the
booster. And he said, quote, "I've done whatever I did, the normal shot." And his office has refused to elaborate whether or not he got the booster shot.
We know for a fact that he had the Johnson & Johnson shot in April. But as to whether or not he has followed up with a booster or if he intends to get one in the future, we haven't gotten an answer on that.
CABRERA: Have they responded or his office responded to these new comments by Trump?
CONTORNO: Yes. I asked them today what they make of Trump's remarks, and they say they think it's a little presumptive to assume that Trump was talking about Governor DeSantis.
And that the governor has always maintained that anybody can get the shot. They should be able to get the shot if they wanted, and it's available to them.
But it's a personal medical decision and it shouldn't be public if a person is not willing to give that information.
CABRERA: The governor did have a State of the State address just yesterday. Did he say anything about COVID?
CONTORNO: Well, not directly. He didn't mention the word coronavirus, pandemic or vaccine once.
But he did talk a lot about how Florida is, quote, "the freest of the United States." And that it was a place that will never have mandates.
And he really drew some sharp contrasts between his state, which has been open since basically summer of 2020, schools here have been open since the fall of 2020, versus states that have taken more cautious approach to the pandemic.
You know, here, masks and vaccines are optional. And we're not having that debate in the legislature at all over whether or not people should be getting vaccines.
Instead, they are marching ahead with their legislative agenda without any sort of acknowledgment of the ongoing pandemic here.
[13:35:02]
In fact, as he was giving the speech, Florida was in the middle of breaking records of its COVID cases. And we've had new rounds of hospitalizations that are reaching highs again.
CABRERA: Steve Contorno, thank you very much for your reporting.
Tennis star, Novak Djokovic, is now admitting he broke COVID protocols and he knowingly did an in-person interview with two French journalist after learning he tested positive.
Djokovic called it an error of judgment. Critics have been using much harsher words.
More on that in a moment and what this all means for his stay in Australia.
But first, Paula Hancocks joins us with a clearer picture of the timeline here.
Lots of details being filled in here. When exactly did he take a test and when did he receive the results, Paula?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ana, this is the information we have directly from Novak Djokovic and the statements he posted on social media.
Saying, in December, he had gone to a basketball game in Serbia and many tested positive after that. So on the 6th of December, he took a rapid COVID antigen test, which was negative.
Then he took a PCR test. Then on the 17th, another rapid test, which was negative. And then went to public events where he was photographed maskless surrounded by a number of young people.
He said it was after that event that he had the positive result from that PCR test.
Yet, the next day, December 18th, he did that interview with the French sports magazine and he did not tell them that he was COVID positive.
He also did a photo shoot. He had the mask on for the interview. He took it off for the photo shoot.
He then tested negative, he says, on December 22nd, before coming on January 5th from Spain to Australia.
So this is something that many questions have been swirling around this. But this is what Novak Djokovic says is his timeline.
CABRERA: All of it is ethically questionable. But it could also spell some legal trouble for Djokovic.
Where does his future in Australia stand right now?
HANCOCKS: So there was a travel declaration, which he admits there was an error on as well.
When you say have you traveled or will you travel in the 14 days before coming to Australia, he ticked the "no" box. But he says it wasn't him. But the "no" box was ticked. And in fact, he was in Serbia at the time.
He said, "This was submitted by my support team on my behalf, as I told immigration officials on my arrival. And my agent sincerely apologizes for the administrative mistake in ticking off the incorrect box about my previous travel before coming to Australia. This was a human error and certainly not deliberate." Everybody, including Australian citizens, have to fill out one of
these travel declarations before coming into the country.
It does say, if you falsify or give false information, it is considered a serious offense -- Ana?
CABRERA: Paula Hancocks, I appreciate it. Thank you very much.
[13:38:11]
Up next, an explosive ruling that could see a royal standing trial here in the U.S. A judge says a lawsuit accusing Britain's Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl can move forward. The latest from London, right after this.
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[13:43:22]
CABRERA: A federal judge has just cleared the way for Britain's Prince Andrew to stand trial here in the U.S.
The judge ruling today that a sexual assault lawsuit filed against the queen's son can move forward.
The woman who filed this suit says she was trafficked by late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17 years old.
CNN's Max Foster is following this for us in London.
Max, it seems like the prince maybe has a couple of options here, go to court or settle. Any inclination as to what the palace may do?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Or a third option, which is to default where he would be looking to be found guilty in his absence. None of them are great.
I think the settlement out of court seems more likely at this point because there's no upside for Prince Andrew to go to trial, which could potentially happen in the autumn.
Very damaging as well for the royal family brand. He's inexplicably linked to that. And is meant to be focusing on the queen's 70-year anniversary of serving. There's loads organized around that.
And when it comes to a settlement, it would be a large sum, presumable, in which he could agree to that.
Prince Andrew, his main source of funding is the queen. Would she be willing to settle on his behalf, effectively, by providing the funds? There are so many questions here.
The ultimate point here, really, is that the judge feels there's a case for Prince Andrew to answer. So there's no upside for him whatsoever here. [13:44:59]
He denies all the charges, but the damage to his reputation is immense.
Giuffre, a statement from her team today saying:
"Today's decision by Judge Kaplan, denying Prince Andrew's efforts to dismiss the Giuffre case against him, is another important step in in Virginia's important and heroic pursuit of justice as a survivor of sex trafficking."
That doesn't sound like someone willing to settle out of court. So it looks like they could go to the discovery phase, then to depositions presumably by Prince Andrew, then to trial -- Ana?
CABRERA: Max Foster, thank you.
I want to stick to the U.K. Because British Prime Minister Boris Johnson now admits he attended a bring-your-own-booze garden party at 10 Downing Street back in May of 2020 at a time when he was telling the public they must stay home.
In fact, at the time, he was ordering police to enforce the country's strict lockdown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I want to apologize.
I know the rage they feel with me and with the government I lead, when they think that on Downing Street itself the rules are not being properly followed by the people who make the rules.
And although I cannot anticipate the conclusions of the current inquiry --
(SHOUTING)
JOHNSON: -- I have learned enough to know that there were things we simply did not get right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is in London for us with the latest on this.
He's trying to apologize, Selma. What is going on there?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Ana, this a huge about face for a prime minister that has denied, denied, denied. There have been plenty of allegations. Allegations of Christmas parties, allegations of summer parties, allegations of bring-your-own-booze parties.
But finally, the prime minister saying sorry, sort of.
Here's the catch. He did not admit to any wrongdoing. The prime minister, at no point, said, we are guilty of breaking COVID rules.
He simply said, I'm sorry this has hurt the public, I'm sorry for the perception it left, but the rest is up to an investigation.
That's why the opposition leader was very quick to call him out.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, LEADER, LABOUR PARTY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: There we have it. After months of deceit and deception, a pathetic spectacle of a man who has run out of rope.
(SHOUTING)
STARMER: His defense, his defense that he didn't realize he was at a party
(LAUGHTER)
STARMER: It's so ridiculous. But it's actually offensive to the British.
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Why apologize, Ana? That was the question the prime minister was being asked in parliament.
The question is being asked today on the streets of London. There's a sense that the prime minister was being cornered, that he had to admit to something.
What are the implications? Twofold. Watch politically how the prime minister survives this. Does his party continue to back him?
Remember, his biggest fear here is a no-confidence vote, the possibility that his party could turn against him, try to turn him out of office.
And then there's the court of public opinion. And I can tell you he's losing there.
A recent snap poll showed that two-thirds, two-thirds of adults in this country want to see the prime minister resign. That's an increase from just a couple of weeks ago.
You can see how the public is turning against him. Is this apology too little too late -- Ana?
CABRERA: Salma Abdelaziz, thank you for your report.
[13:48:31]
Up next, what made the former President Trump hang up, literally, on a reporter, abruptly ending an interview?
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[13:53:28]
CABRERA: An interview with former President Trump that NPR had been trying to get for six years ends with Trump hanging up after getting confronted with his non-stop lies about the election.
Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)
TRUMP: How come, when he went to speak in different locations, nobody came to watch but, all of a sudden, he got 80 million votes? Nobody believes that.
STEVE INSKEEP, NPR HOST, "MORNING EDITION": Maybe because the election was about you.
If I could just move on to ask, are you telling Republicans in 2022 that they must press your case on the past election in order to get your endorsement? Is that an absolute.
TRUMP: They're going to do whatever they want to do. Whatever they have to do, they're going to do.
But the ones that are smart, the ones that know -- you take a look at -- again, you take a look at how Kari Lake is doing running for governor. She's very big on this issue. She's leading by a lot.
People have no idea how big this issue is. They don't want it to happen again. It shouldn't be allowed to happen. And they don't want it to happen again.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: And the only way it's not going to happen again is you have to solve the problem of the presidential rigged election of 2020.
All right, thank you very much.
INSKEEP: Mr. President, Mr. President, one more question. I want to ask about a court hearing yesterday on January 6th.
Judge Meta (ph), he's gone. OK.
(END AUDIO FEED)
CABRERA: Let's bring in Norm Eisen, former White House ethics czar and former House special counsel in Trump's first impeachment trial.
Norm, just to recap here, Trump is challenged on his election lies. Then the conversation tries to turn to January 6th and a court hearing and, boom, he hangs up.
What's your reaction to what you just heard?
[13:55:02]
NORM EISEN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ETHICS CZAR & FORMER HOUSE SPECIAL COUNSEL IN TRUMP'S FIRST IMPEACHMENT TRIAL: Well, Ana I've been on that show with Steve Inskeep. He's a very persistent questioner.
Donald Trump doesn't want to answer those questions because he knows he's peddling a Big Lie. He's keeping it alive. It's having a devastating effect on our democracy. Driving these terrible voter suppression and election hijack laws around the country.
And when you try to pin him down, he runs and hides. That is the token of a big liar.
CABRERA: The January 6th committee just issued a new round of subpoenas, demanding records and testimony from three individuals.
A former White House official, who helped draft Trump's January 6th speech before the insurrection, and two advisers to Donald Trump Jr.
All people who the panel says were involved in planning and preparations for that rally at the Ellipse, which preceded the attack.
Why do you think the committee wants to speak to these people specifically?
EISEN: Ana, because the committee wants to establish the connections between the planners of the insurrection tailgate, the rally on January 6th, the violence that occurred and the president. So they're exploring.
And in the letters accompanying the demands for information, they explain there's evidence that the two advisers to Donald Jr May have some of that information, building the links.
Then the third person, the former speech writer, has information about Donald Trump's state of mind because he worked on Trump's January 6th speech.
So they're building the case. Nothing gets in their way. They move forward like a bulldozer for truth and accountability.
CABRERA: And let me also ask you about a separate case.
Just moments ago, we learned that the former girlfriend, the ex- girlfriend of Matt Gaetz entered the Florida courthouse where the grand jury there is investigating Gaetz for alleged sex trafficking and they're meeting presumably right now.
The source previously told CNN the girlfriend was expected to testify.
So what, if anything, does her appearance, assuming that's what happened, tell you about where this case is headed?
EISEN: Well, it can't be good news for Matt Gaetz that his ex- girlfriend has been seen entering the building. Of course, we don't know exactly what she said or did inside the building where the grand jury is meeting.
The reason it's not good news is because this is a token that this woman, who has information about that critical period where Gaetz is accused, or I should say under investigation.
And we don't yet have the outcome of the investigation of crimes, like having sex with a minor, transporting women across state lines, possible obstruction.
She was connected with Mr. Gates during the same period that those allegations are under investigation. So not a good sign as that investigation continues to close for him personally.
It is a good sign for accountability. It's not fast. But this terrible era needs to have accountability. And it's good that prosecutors are looking into serious allegations like these.
CABRERA: Norm Eisen, it's great to have you here. I really appreciate your expertise. Thanks so much for joining us.
EISEN: Thanks very having me again, Ana.
CABRERA: And just into CNN, late Comedian and TV Icon Bob Saget's widow, Kelly Rizzo, is speaking out about the loss of her husband.
Rizzo telling "People" magazine:
"My whole heart. Bob was my absolute everything. I'm so completely shattered and in disbelief."
"I am so deeply touched by the outpouring of love and tribute from our friends, family, his fans and his peers."
"When the time is right and when the news it's not as raw, I look forward to sharing more of Bob with the world. Sharing how much he meant to me, all those around him. And how much all of his fans and friends meant to him as well."
"Thank you for respecting my privacy at this time."
Our continued condolences to her, his family, and all who knew and loved him.
And before I go, I want to give this quick programming note. You know her face, but do you know her whole story? Discover the life and legacy of the true Marilyn. The new CNN series, "REFRAMED, MARILYN MONROE," premieres Sunday at 9:00 Eastern on CNN.
[13:59:57]
And that does it for us today. Thank you so much for being with us. We're back tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. In the meantime, you can always join me on Twitter, @AnaCabrera.
The news continues next with Victor Blackwell and Alisyn Camerota.
