Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Olympic Controversy; Kim Potter Receives 16-Month Sentence For Death of Daunte Wright; Russian Invasion Imminent?. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired February 18, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello on this Friday. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

Preparing to invade. A senior U.S. official calling the latest intel assessment of Russia -- quote -- "bleak." It indicates an attack could happen in the coming days. Now, just minutes ago, the State Department echoed accusation that this blown-up vehicle in the disputed areas of Eastern Ukraine is part of a Russian false flag operation, that is, a pretext for a possible attack.

Now, already today, there have been more than 50 cease-fire violations reported in that region. Air raid sirens blare, and people here on the streets appear remarkably call, despite today's escalation of shelling. And we have learned to Ukrainian service members have been injured by -- quote -- "enemy fire."

Russia and Ukraine are blaming each other for the cease-fire violations. Pro-Russian authorities in at least two self-declared republics of Eastern Ukraine have announced the evacuation of civilians to Russia.

Meanwhile, the U.S. says Russia has now assembled up to 190,000 personnel in and near Ukraine. And that's compared to an estimated 100,000 Russian and pro-Russian forces just less than three weeks ago. Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris are speaking with allies.

And a short time ago, we learned the president will speak to the American people this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Eastern on efforts to find a diplomatic resolution to this crisis.

We will have much more on that in just a moment. We have CNN senior White House correspondent Phil Mattingly standing by.

But, first, I want to turn to our national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, who remains in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

And, Jim, you have been working your sources. What are you hearing about this bleak intelligence report?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I'm told that the latest U.S. intelligence assessment on Ukraine and Russia's intentions in Ukraine is bleak because Russia continues, in the U.S. view, to make its preparations to invade the country, with the ability to carry out that invasion within the next several days.

And it is that bleak assessment that has contributed to a greater urgency, some of which we have heard in the public comments from everyone right up to President Biden, but a greater urgency within the Biden administration and within NATO as to how seriously they are taking the threat and how imminent they believe the threat to be today.

At this point, they're now looking for signs, indicators that Russia would be taking the final steps, entering the final phases of a preparation for invasion of this country. That would include things like loading amphibious ships, but also, as we're seeing down south, the possibility of carrying out some sort of false flag operation that is, as you were saying, Ana, something, an attack that one side stages, but then blames on the other side as a pretext for further military action.

They are also watching closely for more Russian forces and war materiel and armored personnel carriers and tanks and missiles, et cetera, being moved closer to the Ukrainian border. That's the assessment now. And that's why we're hearing such great concern in public from U.S. officials.

CABRERA: Phil, what can we expect then when the president addresses the country this afternoon?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, Ana, the expectation is, it'll be a continuation of what we have seen over the course of the last 24 hours, just an extraordinary use of being proactive, in terms of messaging, in terms of laying out explicitly what U.S. officials in U.S. intelligence, as Jim was alluding to, have picked up on so far about potential Russian intentions, from the secretary of state yesterday at the U.N., the secretary of defense, first at NATO, then in Poland, just landed in Lithuania.

The vice president now in Munich, at the Munich Security Conference, meeting with Baltic leaders, all being very detailed about what they have seen, very detailed about their concerns, but also trying to ensure that allies remain together.

And keep in mind, before the president makes his public remarks, he will be on the phone at 2:30 p.m. with transatlantic leaders. And there are a couple elements here, one, to update one another. They have been -- several of those leaders have been having conversations with one another, some with Russian officials and with their counterparts on the Russian side of things.

So there's an update piece of this with that phone call. But there's also the necessity of unity at this moment. If Russia decides to pull the trigger and move forward with an invasion, the president has been very clear that he wants a swift and severe sanctions package to be deployed, saying the U.S. is very ready to do that. It needs its allies along with it. That has been an intensive behind-the-scenes process over the course of the last several weeks. So, elements of that are likely to be discussed as well. But I think you will hear the president once again let the American people know where things stand, why his top deputies and diplomats have been so out front about what they're seeing and the stakes.

[13:05:12]

Once again, the stakes are critical here. The president has long told his team in private meetings that it needs to be explained to the American people, given kind of everything that's going on right now. And that will be a key component of things when we hear from the president in a couple of hours, Ana.

CABRERA: Some clarity is so crucial in this situation. Thank you so much, Phil Mattingly.

And, Jim Sciutto, thank you, Jim, for your continued hard work and great reporting there in Ukraine.

There's a lot to parse through here.

And CNN military analyst retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton is joining us now.

Colonel, what stands out most to you about what has transpired in the past 24 hours or so?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Ana, I think the biggest thing is the movement of troops that we see in and around Ukraine and the increase in numbers. That's the most important thing.

The most spectacular thing probably is the increase in the number of incidents, the number of cease-fire violations that are being reported in the Donetsk and Luhansk areas of Eastern Ukraine. So those are the two areas where I would say this tells me that there is more going on, that they're prepping for battle, basically.

CABRERA: A Western official says -- quote -- "We are in the most dangerous phase."

We have seen this troop increase, you mentioned, from around 100,000 on January 30 to as many as 190,000 now, so almost double. Is that enough for a full-scale invasion?

LEIGHTON: It is enough for an invasion. It is not enough to keep territory.

It's kind of like what we did in Iraq back in 2003 with Operation Iraqi Freedom, where we basically went lightning fast to Baghdad and were able to topple Saddam Hussein's regime. But what, of course, followed after that, the occupation of Iraq, was not as smooth as people would have liked.

And this is one of those areas where I think the lessons of Iraq can really be applied to what Russia may be planning to do.

CABRERA: Let's take a look at Russia's military might compared to Ukraine's.

Russia has more than 10 times the military budget of Ukraine. It has nearly four times the active personnel of Ukraine, and Russia has more than seven times the combat aircraft. So this really seems like a David-vs.-Goliath mismatch.

The U.S. continues to say it won't put boots on the ground in Ukraine. Instead, they have given the weapons and other equipment and resources for Ukraine to mount its own defense. But, Colonel, are Ukrainians any match for Russians militarily?

LEIGHTON: Non in a symmetric sense, Ana.

When you look at those figures, everything from the budget to the numbers of weapon systems that each country has, it's pretty clear that Russia has the really hard advantage in this case.

But what cannot be counted in those kinds of statistics is any possible asymmetric advantage that the Ukrainians would have. We'd be fighting -- or the Russians would be fighting on their own territory, on the Ukrainians' own territory. So that gives Ukrainian some advantage in that sense.

Plus, there's really this idea that the Ukrainians will want to fight for their freedom. And I think in this particular case, after they saw what happened in 2014, they know that the stakes are much higher now. And I think the results would be a bit different for the Russians. The Russians could still prevail, but there is historical precedent for a small force to actually become a larger force.

And you're right. A David-vs.-Goliath kind of scenario could definitely occur here.

CABRERA: We know the U.S. is sending more tanks to Poland, a regional ally. And one of the goals of Putin all along has been to weaken Europe, European nations in that area, to weaken NATO. Instead, is he doing the exact opposite?

LEIGHTON: It appears that he is, actually.

And for the North Atlantic Alliance, it's really a big boost, because what we're seeing is a degree of unity that we haven't seen in the past with -- in the recent past, at least, with NATO nations.

So when you look at the way in which this is evolving, I think President Putin thought that he could actually divide NATO very quickly. The only country that he seems to have peeled off a bit is Hungary.

But that is -- Hungary is not as big a player in NATO as, say, a Germany or a France or a Britain would be, and it's not even as big as Poland too when it comes to its own forces. So those countries have all been with the U.S., as have the Baltic states. And that's really the most important feature of this.

NATO stands basically united against the Russian threat here.

CABRERA: Colonel Leighton, always appreciate your expertise and perspective. Thanks so much for your insights.

There's the threat of a physical attack, of course, but then there's also the threat of a virtual attack which goes far beyond Ukraine's borders. We're learning U.S. officials are preparing big banks in this country for potential Russian cyberattacks, as the Ukraine crisis deepens.

[13:10:11]

The Justice Department is warning companies to shore up their cyber defenses now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA MONACO, U.S. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: Given the very high tensions that we are experiencing, companies of any size and of all sizes would be foolish not to be preparing right now, as we speak, to increase their defenses, to do things like patching, to heighten their alert, to be monitoring in real time their cybersecurity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: That was Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. And we will stay on top of that angle as well.

Daunte Wright's father says he feels cheated after the former officer who killed his son is sentenced to two years in prison. More on reaction to this decision.

And the head of the International Olympic Committee called it chilling, Russian coaches not comforting skater Kamila Valieva after her mistake-filled performance, berating her instead, more reaction ahead.

Plus: one full year on the job. Bet you didn't know it's been that long since NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars. And it has a lot to show for it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:44]

CABRERA: To Minnesota now, where a judge just ordered an ex-police officer to serve 16 months in prison for shooting and killing Daunte Wright during a traffic stop last April.

Kim Potter says she mistakenly grabbed her Taser -- or meant to grab her Taser. Instead, she grabbed her gun and shot Wright. In emotional testimony, Wright's family called for the maximum sentence. But the judge says this case of Potter, who is white, and Wright, who was black, is different from other recent high-profile cases. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE REGINA CHU, HENNEPIN COUNTY DISTRICT COURT: This case is highly unusual.

The other officer cases tried in this court are distinguishable. This is not a cop found guilty of murder for using his knee to pin down a person for nine-and-a-half minutes as he gasps for air.

This is not a cop found guilty of manslaughter for intentionally drawing his firearm and shooting across his partner and killing an unarmed woman who approached his squad.

This is a cop who made a tragic mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: CNN's Josh Campbell is following developments for us. And CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson is here with us as well.

Josh, it was an emotional day in the courtroom.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It was indeed, emotional.

We saw tears being shed by the family of Daunte Wright, as well as by this former officer Kim Potter, even the judge tearing up as she handed down this two-year sentence.

Of course, our viewers remember this all stemmed back from this incident last April during a traffic stop, as officers were trying to take Daunte Wright into custody. This former officer pulled what she thought was her Taser, instead pulling her service weapon, firing a fatal shot.

Now, during the course of this trial, the prosecution had said that this was an officer who violated her oath, saying that someone as senior as her should have known the difference between her Taser and her firearm. The defense had claimed that this entire episode was just a tragic mistake.

Now, today, prior to handing down this sentence, the judge, in what called victim impact statements, they heard from the family of Daunte Wright talking about this gaping hole that is now in their hearts with the loss of their son, their brother, a friend. The judge also hearing from Kimberly Potter herself. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM POTTER, DEFENDANT: I am so sorry that I brought the death of your son, father, brother, uncle, grandson, nephew, and the rest of your family.

Earlier, when you said that I didn't look at you during the trial, I don't believe I had a right to. I didn't even have a right to be in the same room with you. I'm so sorry that I hurt you so badly.

My heart is broken and devastated for all of you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, it's worth pointing out, Ana, that this two-year sentence is a significant what's called downward departure from the state sentencing guidelines. We'd expected someone in her situation, a convicted offender who had no prior criminal history, to receive somewhere in the range of six to 8.5 years, but the judge in this case saying that she thought a lesser sentence was in order for at least two reasons.

First, she said that Potter didn't intend to pull her gun. She thought that she was pulling your Taser. The judge also saying that this was a chaotic scene, that officers are often required to make split-second decisions, this one obviously ending very tragically.

Finally, we heard from the family of Daunte Wright just after this sentence was handed down. They are clearly upset, calling this a miscarriage of justice. Daunte Wright's mother said -- and I will quote -- that: "This is the problem with our justice system. A white woman's tears trumps justice" -- Ana.

CABRERA: Wow.

Joey, family members wanted the maximum sentence, roughly seven years behind bars, as Josh just laid out. Do you believe 16 months in prison is the right decision here?

[13:20:00]

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Ana, good to be with you and Josh.

I do not, for the following reasons. Number one, I think that what you have to examine and look at here is, when the judge talks about the issue of deterrence and how deterrence would not be served, I think that she's wrong.

I think, when you look to deter with respect to punishing, Ana, when you look at the issue of sentencing, you're looking to set the example for every officer who's on the job for 26 years, who has training over and over and over again, who has been trained in Tasers, to be more careful. You're dealing with life.

And so when the judge says, oh, you know what, when I sentence, it's not -- has anything to do with deterrence, I disagree with it. Number two, I think we have to move to a system that treats everyone equally and that's reasonable with everyone before the court. And that builds trust in a system of justice.

Otherwise, you get injustice, as could be argued here. And then, number three, when you look at the fact that it was not intentional, the law itself builds in for that. No one said, she wasn't on trial, even, for anything intentional. The issue was whether she was reckless. And based upon the recklessness, the statute itself calls for a 15-year sentence. But then there are these guidelines, which I will not get into, which

give you a range from six years to eight-plus years. If she would have gotten seven years, Ana, last point, which the prosecution would have wanted, she would have done two-thirds, which would have been four and change.

So I just think, at the end of the day, the mother asked -- Daunte Wright's mother, during the sentencing, during her very emotional impact statement, what is the value of my life -- son worth? What is the sentence worth? I think we have got our answer.

And I think 16 months, in my opinion -- many may differ -- is just far too little, based upon an officer who should have known better, was trained, was a field officer, and certainly who I think the community expected more from.

CABRERA: Well, let me just read again some of the reasoning behind this, because the judge argued that Potter did not intend to draw her firearm. It was particularly a chaotic scene and that Potter's actions were not driven by personal animosity toward Daunte Wright.

So that was her thinking.

It was interesting, Joey, because we heard that emotional testimony from Daunte Wright's family in court, but the judge also got emotional during the sentencing. How unusual is that?

JACKSON: So I think it is unusual, but, obviously, the judge being a person, a human being, it's not lost on her the tragedy that is here, right, with respect to the occurrence, the Wright family, the family of miss Potter.

But when you say and the judge says it wasn't intentional, again, the statute recognizes that and builds in for that with regard to its sentencing. With regard to it being a chaotic scene, every case I have defended in a court of law, every trial I have had deals with scenes that are very chaotic, deals with issues that could go either way.

And I just think that you have to hold everyone to an appropriate standard, and you have to determine whether someone should know better. You have to assess whether a gun is on one side and your Taser is on another. You just have to have a system that works for everyone.

And I think people will look at this and say it did not work in this instance for everyone before the court, and that's troubling indeed.

CABRERA: Joey Jackson and Josh Campbell, thank you both.

To Beijing now. The International Olympic Committee president is slamming a Russian skater's coaches for the way they treated her after her performance. Today, Russia is responding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:28:25]

CABRERA: The Winter Olympics are winding down, but the fallout from a doping scandal in figure skating is not likely to end anytime soon.

The international figure skating union just announced it will vote on raising the minimum age for competition to 17. The skater at the center of this firestorm, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva, fell twice in her performance in the women's figure skating final yesterday and many thought she shouldn't have been allowed to compete at all after testing positive, of course, for that banned substance in December.

Well, now the head of the International Olympic Committee says he was very disturbed by the pressure on Valieva and especially what happened after that performance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS BACH, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: When I afterward saw how she was received by her closest entourage, with such a -- what appeared to be a tremendous coldness, you -- it was chilling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: "CNN WORLD SPORT" host Don Riddell has been covering the Olympics for us.

Don, what did you make of that reaction from the IOC president?

DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Honestly, Ana, I wasn't sure what to expect from the International Olympic Committee. It was nice, though, to see some compassion, some humanity, some warmth, some understanding, bearing in mind what we witnessed yesterday morning or last night on tape delay on the broadcast was absolutely awful.

I mean, it was really terrible to see what happened to Kamila Valieva, a young woman with so much promise, so much talent. And we have seen in the last week or so just her entire life completely unravel.

She clearly crumbled under the pressure, given that she was the gold medal favorite in this.