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Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) is Interviewed about Ukraine; Former Officer Van Dyke Set to be Released Today; Navigating Covid at the Olympics. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired February 03, 2022 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:34:02]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Today, members of the Biden administration will brief Congress about the decision to deploy 3,000 U.S. troops to eastern Europe amid the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. A Kremlin spokesman told CNN that Russia is worried by the move. It accuses the U.S. of stirring up the tension.

Joining me now to discuss the situation there in New Jersey, Congressman Tom Malinowski. He's a Democrat. He visited Ukraine last week as part of a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers.

Congressman, thanks so much for taking the time this morning.

REP. TOM MALINOWSKI (D-NJ): Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Congressman, I know you've been watching the situation very closely, in addition to your visit there, briefed on the latest intelligence and watching the words coming from the Kremlin. Where do you stand today on the likelihood of further Russian military invasion of Ukraine? I always say further because they already invaded Ukraine, as you know, in 2014, but further military action, a fait accompli at this point or no?

MALINOWSKI: I don't think it is. We were in Ukraine last week.

[09:35:01]

We found a government and a population that is ready for anything, that is bracing for impact. But, at the same time, I think the Biden administration has done a thoroughly excellent job in mobilizing our allies to try to prevent Putin from going in through sanctions, through these deployments, which I totally support. And yesterday Putin actually came out and said some things publicly for the first time which made me more cautiously optimistic than I've been since the start of this crisis. He said that he thinks that the United States is somehow trying to goad him into invading Ukraine, so that we have an excuse to destroy his economy. That sounded to me like a leader who might be looking for a way out of this crisis. I hope that's the case.

SCIUTTO: You -- you know -- you know Putin's -- first of all, he has a history of invading countries. He's -- he's done this in Ukraine, he's done it in Georgia, slicing off pieces of countries with this broader goal of re-establishing a circle of influence, a sphere of influence around Russia here. He's got a lot of pride. He fancies himself a strong man. What do you envision then as the credible off ramp here?

MALINOWSKI: Well, we can't give Putin what he is publicly demanding. We're not going to pull our troops out of Europe. We're not going to say that countries like Ukraine, sovereign, independent countries, don't get to choose their alliances. That they have to be subjugated by Russia.

But I -- you know, my hope is that continuing diplomacy, being -- showing Russia that we ae willing to talk, that we are willing to negotiate arms control, threat reduction, greater transparency around military deployments, and exercises in that region might be enough for him to pull back from this.

Obviously, he could really do it because he is afraid of the devastating sanctions that we would impose here. He is -- he's seeing that, you know, that his threats are causing NATO to move exactly in the direction that he doesn't want. But I'm -- you know, we don't know what's going to happen. I'm a little more hopeful today than I was a few days ago.

SCIUTTO: On this broadcast yesterday, the news broke that the president had approved the deployment of new U.S. forces to eastern Europe, specifically an 82nd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. This is a combat unit, as you know, with all the capabilities. Now, this is not going to Ukraine. This is to shore up eastern European allies. Do you think that was the right move and do you think that was a deterrent move for Putin?

MALINOWSKI: Absolutely. So just to be clear, when we were in Ukraine, the first thing the president of Ukraine said to us was, we're not asking you guys to fight for us. We're not asking you to send troops to Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

MALINOWSKI: But we have a treaty obligation to defend our NATO allies, Poland and Lithuania, Hungary, Romania. We want to send a signal to Putin that our commitment to NATO is absolutely solid and we want to show him that if he continues these threats, he is going to see the opposite of what he wants.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

MALINOWSKI: He's going to see more U.S. military deployments in that region than before. So I do think it's a signal, it's a warning and a deterrent, and I hope that Putin is getting the message.

SCIUTTO: I want to ask you about another topic today, because this is in our breaking news, and that is this operation overnight, U.S. special forces operation which the U.S. says killed the current leader of ISIS, a difficult operation. Thankfully. We've learned all U.S. personnel returned safely.

What impact do you believe this has on ISIS? In the past, of course, for instance, when Baghdadi was killed in 2019, they named someone else the head and they continue on their way. But do you think this is a blow to the group?

MALINOWSKI: I think so. And, look, ISIS controls no territory now but they're still a threat. They've launched a number of deadly attacks in just the last few weeks in Iraq and Syria. They're, of course, very present in Afghanistan with our withdrawal. They have an opportunity there to reconstitute themselves. So, I'm glad the administration is staying on the offensive. I don't think we can solve this just with special forces raids, but I do think this is a blow.

SCIUTTO: As Bianna noted earlier in the hour, it was ISIS-K, as it's know, that carried out the deadly operation at the Baghdad airport during the evacuation.

Congressman Tom Malinowski, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

MALINOWSKI: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Well, he was convicted of murdering a Chicago teen. Now a former officer will soon be a free man. Up next, the decision behind Jason van Dyke's early prison -- release from prison.

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[09:44:28]

GOLODRYGA: Some new developments this morning.

The FBI says it has identified people suspected of making bomb threats this week against several historically black colleges and universities.

SCIUTTO: No arrests have been made, no identities have been released. The FBI is investigating the threats as hate crimes. Although no explosive devices were found, the FBI says they are taking the investigation very seriously and consider it, quote, of the highest priority for the bureau.

GOLODRYGA: In other news, in Chicago, former police officer Jason van Dyke is expected to walk out of prison early today after serving less than half of his original seven-year sentence for the murder of 17- year-old Laquan McDonald.

[09:45:06]

SCIUTTO: CNN's Omar Jimenez joins us now live from Chicago.

Omar, I know the McDonald family is not happy. How are they responding?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim and Bianna, the responses have been mixed. Some are calling for federal charges and further prosecution of former officer Jason van Dyke, while others say, well, this is now done, let's focus our energy elsewhere.

But what they can all agree on is they feel this state sentence was too short. If you remember, it was back in 2019, former Officer Jason van Dyke was sentenced to nearly seven years for murdering Laquan McDonald, shooting him 16 times. And based on Illinois' good behavior statutes, it was always largely expected that he would serve roughly half of that time. And bottom line, now that we are at this moment, this family is reminded that they feel the punishment doesn't fit the crime.

Take a listen.

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REV. MARVIN HUNTER, GREAT-UNCLE OF LAQUAN MCDONALD: They reduced this boy to a second class citizen by saying that no matter what happened to him and how he suffered, we're not going to take his suffering into consideration. That is not how the justice system in this country was designed to be. If you are wrong, you should pay for what you've done.

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JIMENEZ: Now, Mayor Lori Lightfoot released a statement this morning that reads in part, while I know this moment is disappointing, it should not prevent us from seeing the significant progress van Dyke's prosecution and conviction represent. He was the first officer in more than half a century to be convicted of a crime committed purportedly in the line of duty.

And that's something the lead prosecutor in this case told me as well.

Now, as for when he will actually be released today, that is being kept under wraps by the Illinois Department of Corrections. But, again, we do expect that to happen at some point today. If you remember, back in 2015, a lot of the protests centered on what was deemed a cover-up. Police initially said Laquan McDonald was lunging at them with a knife. Video showed something completely different. We expect protests today for pushes to instate federal charges against van Dyke to happen outside the federal courthouse here in downtown Chicago. The Justice Department has acknowledged they have seen some of these requests and heard them, but that they're reviewing information.

SCIUTTO: Yes, that video played such a decisive role in this case, you look at the George Floyd case, you look at the Ahmaud Arbery case as well.

Omar Jimenez, thanks so much. We are just a day away from the official start of the 2022 winter

games. The road to the Olympics includes navigating a pandemic. Up next, a look at Beijing's zero Covid policy. What it means if an athlete tests positive.

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[09:52:14]

SCIUTTO: Athletes from around the world are now in Beijing where tomorrow the opening ceremony will kick off the 2022 Winter Olympics. This is a live look at where the Olympic flame will soon light up the night there.

GOLODRYGA: But Covid concerns, of course, still surround these games. As of yesterday, the Beijing Olympic Committee says that it has identified 55 new cases related to the games. That includes 26 people in the close looped system.

CNN sports anchor Coy Wire documented his journey to Beijing and all the Covid rules that he and his team now have to follow.

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COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (voice over): Beijing 2022. Nearly 3,000 athletes from 90 nations going to China chasing dreams. Our journey from the United States started with an approval process that took weeks, be fully vaccinated, show two negative PCR tests, acquire a green health QR code, and so on. It's not like anything I've experienced in the U.S. where some places have hardly any Covid protocols. One

We're headed to one of the most locked down places on the planet. Team USA chartered flights for its athletes for the first time ever.

MAAME BINEY, TEAM USA SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATER: I know that I've done everything in my power to not get Covid and I've done everything right.

JAMIE ANDERSON, TEAM USA SNOWBOARDER: I have just been so strict lately. Definitely makes things like going to the Olympics not as enjoyable.

COY: Our plane ride via Paris was packed with Olympians from France, Brazil, Netherlands, Monaco. This is my neighbor, Clamon Pari (ph), bronze medal skier for France at the last winter games. He says these are crazy times. No family allowed. And one positive test could squash his dream of a second Olympic medal. Seeing a flight attendant doing random temperature checks on sleeping fellow Olympians made it even more real.

Deboarding a plane, being greeted by people in hazmat suits was a bit shocking, like a pandemic paradigm shift. Everyone here has been exceedingly kind. They take their jobs very seriously. The Covid test upon arrival, it's been called the brain scraper. And let's just say, it's thorough. China's zero Covid strategy is a harsh contrast to the packed arenas

of screaming maskless fans in other countries. No tickets being sold to fans here. Athletes are being asked to mask up and not even cheer for their teammates out loud. It's unsettling.

While here, you could get a knock on your door at any time with a hazmat messenger revealing you've tested positive. You'd have 15 minutes to gather your things before being taken away and put on lockdown at a designated isolation facility for an uncertain length of time, like Hong Kong's Audrey King, one of the Olympians who's already tested positive.

They're very serious about Covid protocols here. It's a process we have to respect. These Beijing games are a lot different than the Tokyo games just six months ago. Daily Covid testing. Being confined to a well-defined, closed loop system.

[09:55:01]

And instead of closed loop, you could say fenced in. If there's any doubt about how strict Chinese authorities are in regard to preventing the spread the virus, these heavily branded chain linked walls say it all.

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WIRE: Now, Jim, Bianna, the stress for these athletes does not stop when they arrive. Four-time Olympian bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor, selected as one of the flag bearers for Team USA in tomorrow's opening ceremony, she's one of the athletes who tested positive. She's been in an isolation facility for almost a week. But good news, she texted me just a little bit ago. She finally had her first negative test. If she has a second consecutive one, Jim and Bianna, after a 24 hour period she'll be released. Elana Meyers Taylor, first Olympics as a mom, one of the most inspiring athletes I've met, certainly one of those we'll be rooting for.

GOLODRYGA: Well, thank goodness for that negative test. And as you sad, Coy, they are very serious about their protocol. Though, Jim, it does raise but bigger questions about how sustainable the zero Covid policy is for the long-term in China.

SCIUTTO: No question. And do you trust all the numbers coming out of there, right?

GOLODRYGA: Yes, exactly.

SCIUTTO: China has fudged them before.

Coy Wire, in Beijing, thanks very much.

GOLODRYGA: And still ahead, President Biden saying U.S. military forces have killed the leader of ISIS in Syria. What we're learning about that overnight raid, up next.

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