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Kevin McCarthy Hands Over January 6 Footage to FOX News; Interview With Former U.S. Special Representative For Ukraine Kurt Volker; President Biden Delivers Address in Poland. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired February 21, 2023 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:02]

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Abby Phillip in Washington. Thank you for joining us on this Tuesday.

Today, an extraordinary moment. Just days from the one-year mark of Russia's brutal war on Ukraine, two world leaders, tow consequential speeches, President Biden in Poland reiterating America's support for Ukraine, and President Putin in Moscow blaming Western nations for the escalating war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not tire.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: President Putin's craven lust for land and power will fail. And the Ukrainian people's love for their country will prevail. Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, never.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The elite of the West do not conceal their ambition, which is to strategically defeat Russia, finish us off once and for all.

Let me just say, it is they who unleashed this war, and we use force to stop them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: Both messages happening as more Russian bombs continue to drop.

A warning to our viewers: These next images out of Ukraine are graphic. This was the scene in Kherson this morning, Russian shelling killing at least five people. And, this time, it was a market that was targeted, people killed in the middle of the street as they shopped.

CNN's Alex Marquardt is in Dnipro, Ukraine, for us.

But, first, let's get to Kaitlan Collins. She is traveling with President Biden in Poland. Kaitlan, this was very much a triumphant speech on the part of President Biden nearly a year to the day of the start of this war. And his message seemed to be very clearly Ukraine will prevail.

What more did he say today?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he said Ukraine will prevail that Putin has been wrong.

Basically, everything he said that the Russian leader believed was going to happen a year ago when he first invaded Ukraine has proven not to happen, talking about how united NATO is, and saying the United States will not falter in its support for Ukraine, also saying that, a year ago, Putin thought that autocracies would get stronger, and, instead, they have gotten weaker and that democracies have been the ones that have grown in that year, as you have seen this coalition come together and build to support Ukraine.

That was really a main part of his speech, saying, essentially, this support is not going to go away, and what Putin thought was going to happen just has not materialized. It was a very forceful speech.

But I think what is the most remarkable about what we have seen today is these dramatically two different world views from two very different world leaders, with Putin going first. Obviously, in his speech, he spent a considerable amount of time blaming the West, saying that they started the war in Ukraine, that they essentially want to destroy Russia.

And even though aid said President Biden wasn't going to go tit for tat and directly rebut Putin in his speech, he kind of did, saying that the Russian leader is wrong when he says the West is to blame for this, speaking directly to the Russian people at one point and saying, this is a war of choice, that it is not of necessity, it is a tragedy that Putin has chosen here, and saying Putin can really make it all go away with just one simple word, and noting, obviously, that he has not done that.

Also giving a shout-out to Poland, talking about what they have done since Russia invaded Ukraine, not only when it comes to serving as this logistics hub for so many of the weapons that are going into Ukraine, but also taking in over a million refugees, and praising President Duda and the Polish first lady there for that.

But, really, his main message was saying that autocrats and people like President Putin only understand one word, and that is no, Abby, saying that, no, they are not going to take away people's freedoms or redraw borders like they are trying to do with Ukraine.

And I think that's really the overarching message, is saying that everything that Putin was saying in his speech about who was responsible for this is wrong, and that U.S. support for it, NATO support for Ukraine is not going to change or go away.

PHILLIP: Yes, I mean, it was striking. He said that autocrats -- and the implication was clearly he was talking about Putin -- cannot ever be appeased.

And, Kaitlan, you have been in Poland a couple of days now. He also -- President Biden also met with the Polish president, Duda. Do you know anything more about that meeting? Poland is, of course, receiving all of these refugees from Ukraine and is the tip of the spear really for the eastern flank of NATO.

[13:05:08]

COLLINS: Yes, they have shielded an immense burden, especially when it comes to the refugee crisis that was caused by that invasion.

Nine million refugees came through Poland. Not all of them stayed, but a million-and-a-half stayed. A lot of them stay here in Warsaw. I spoke with the Warsaw mayor earlier, talking about what that's like, how people have welcomed them into their homes. But, obviously, it's not easy to absorb that many people and talking about when it comes to the health care system and teaching and what that has been like for Poland.

And to see President Biden and President Duda, as they were, across from the table at each other earlier, gushing, essentially, talking about their support, with Duda saying that America is so critical to keeping the world order and maintaining it as it is, is remarkable, in and of itself, because, remember, back on the campaign trail, before President Biden was President Biden, when he was candidate Biden, he was essentially warning that Poland was going down a road of potentially totalitarian regime.

And now this war in Ukraine has completely changed that dynamic. And now President Biden has visited here twice in Warsaw in just a year, given two forceful speeches, pushing back on Putin, all with the support of the Polish president behind him.

PHILLIP: Yes, absolutely. And Poland has been, I think, one of the loudest voices calling for NATO to stand strongly behind Ukraine in this conflict.

Kaitlan Collins, always great to have you with us. Thank you for that.

And for his part today, Vladimir Putin insisted that the situation in Ukraine is the West's fault. In a long speech, Putin also said that Russia is suspending its participation in the nuclear START Treaty with the United States. Here's that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PUTIN (through translator): They want to inflict a strategic defeat on us and climb all over our nuclear facilities. So I'd like to make the announcement today that Russia is suspending its participation in the START Treaty.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: Now, under that START Treaty, both the U.S. and Russia were permitted to inspect each other's weapons sites through the year 2026.

But U.S. officials say that Russia has continually refused to allow those inspections of its nuclear facilities.

Let's go live now to Ukraine, where CNN's Alex Marquardt is in Dnipro.

Alex, President Biden and Putin both with messages for Ukraine and for the world today. What is your sense of how the people of Ukraine are taking this all in at such a pivotal moment, when, by the way, I think that there's been the expectation that Russia could be trying to escalate things in these coming days to make a point about this one- year anniversary?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, of course, Abby, there will be a full-throated rejection of Putin's speech

And it is very likely that President Biden's speech will go over very well, that this was exactly what Ukrainians wanted to hear. There hasn't been much official reaction yet. That will trickle in. We did hear from the chief of staff in President Zelenskyy's office, who called this a powerful and inspiring speech and said, together, we will win.

But, Abby, this was a continuation of what Ukrainians heard from President Biden yesterday during his historic visit, to Kyiv, praising Ukrainians for their strength and resilience, talking about how the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine, how NATO will continue to support Ukraine, and taking direct aim at Vladimir Putin.

And President Biden is saying all this with all the credibility that comes with having just spent about 24 hours in an active war zone. This is a country that is attacked all across the country every single day. And President Biden was not just in the capital city for several hours, but traveling to and from on a train.

There were lots of parts of that speech that are really going to resonate with Ukrainians. He talked about Kyiv standing tall, standing free. He talked about Ukrainians' love for their country that will prevail.

And, Abby, you travel all across the country, particularly when you're speaking with troops, they recognize the fact that they are fighting against a bigger and better-equipped enemy. President Zelenskyy talks about this being a David and Goliath fight, but they say -- and they say that they will win because they're fighting for their country and they're fighting for their country's very existence.

This is an existential battle for them. And, Abby, President Biden also talking about what is happening here on the ground in a way that makes -- it makes it sound like he understands the atrocities that the Ukrainian people are facing. He talked about the crimes against humanity that are being committed here. That, of course, as you and I have discussed, Abby, is the recent escalation of the way that us is looking at what is going on here legally. Now, the only thing that President Biden could have done more was to

offer more in the way of material support. This was a strong speech rhetorically. It was forcefully delivered, but there wasn't much news in it. That news did come yesterday with a $500 million military aid package that was announced by President Biden.

[13:10:00]

So, these were words of support are certainly welcome, very welcome by the Ukrainian people. What they do want at the end of the day are the tools that they can use to push Russian forces out of their country -- Abby.

PHILLIP: Yes, it's a very good point. Those asks are still on the table. And, as of right now, the Biden administration doesn't seem to be moving forward on them.

Alex Marquardt, great to have you on the ground for us there.

And let's continue this conversation with former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker. He was also the U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations.

Ambassador Volker, what is your reaction to President Biden's speech today? What stood out to you?

KURT VOLKER, FORMER U.S. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR UKRAINE: Well, several things.

First off, I'm very pleased that he went to Ukraine and then went to Poland to deliver this speech, because what he's doing is laying out the case why Ukraine's fight for freedom is America's fight as well, that it is important to the United States that Ukraine be victorious in this war.

Now, the follow-on from this should be that we accelerate our support for Ukraine. We have been a bit slow in the way we have provided support over the past year. We need to help the Ukrainians actually win more quickly.

So it's too early for a victory lap, but it's great that he's out there saying that we are committed.

PHILLIP: Yes, and I want to talk to you a little bit more about that in a moment.

But President Putin also gave his speech this morning. And he made a pointed announcement about suspending participation in the START nuclear treaty. Do you think that there is really any significance to that at this moment?

VOLKER: Not really.

They weren't fully implementing the treaty anyway. And they had pulled out of other treaties already. The INF Treaty, they had violated and suspended it. CFE Treaty, they pulled out of a long time ago. So there's no surprise here. It doesn't mean that we're embarking on a new arms race, because Russia doesn't necessarily have the means and the desire to invest in more nuclear weapons anyway.

I think what they are trying to do is get the attention of the Biden administration and get people worried, so that maybe we won't support Ukraine so much. But that's certainly not going to work.

PHILLIP: And, in addition to, frankly, a lot of falsehoods that Putin expressed this morning in the speech about why the war started and who was responsible for it, when clearly, Russia was the one who amassed troops on the border of Ukraine and practically encircled that country, but he made it clear he already sees the United States as a player in this war.

Are you concerned that he could use pretty much any pretext at this point to expand this conflict? We have heard the Polish prime minister saying over the weekend they're worried about Moldova. The Moldovan leader was in Warsaw today for President Biden's speech.

VOLKER: Yes, I think Putin has to be bluffing here, because he's having a hard time just fighting in Ukraine.

He doesn't have the manpower, he doesn't have the equipment, he doesn't have the means to win there. The Russian forces are having massive casualties, and they are gradually getting pushed back. So, the last thing Russia wants to do is expand the war to go to other countries that would draw them in, especially not to go after NATO countries.

And even nuclear weapons, I think he knows that, if he did that, it would draw a direct response against the Russian military, something that they would not withstand.

So, I don't -- I think he's bluffing when he says that he would escalate elsewhere.

PHILLIP: And, look, you just mentioned the United States needs to do more -- do more.

You have said previously that the U.S. must send everything that Ukraine needs to end this, and end it quickly. A big part of that on the table is this issue of the F-16 planes and ATACMS as well.

The F-16s, people have said, have this one-year basically training lead time. Do you think that the United States should start that training now, even if they haven't made a decision about whether to provide the planes down the road?

VOLKER: Of course. Yes, we should.

And before Russia invaded Ukraine in February of last year, we were already working closely with the Ukrainian military. We had trained some of their pilots on a different aircraft, the A-10. And, if you remember, one year ago, in March of last year, when President Biden was in Warsaw, when he was in Poland, there was talk about providing MiG-29 aircraft, ones that Ukrainians already knew how to fly. And we didn't do that then. We didn't start the training on pilots then. We didn't get a decision forward on F-16s then, so we're a year late now. But we should still do it and get started now, so that, at some point, when it's possible, we will be able to give them aircraft that will help them protect their skies and protect their people.

PHILLIP: And, look, the elephant in the room for a lot of this week, the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, President Biden's speech today, his appearance yesterday in Kyiv, is, how does this conflict come to an end?

He -- the president said he will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes. But you have also said that there is no vision for how the fighting stops.

[13:15:00]

So, what do you think the vision ought to be for how the fighting ends?

VOLKER: Yes, thank you.

I think it is important. First off, Ukraine has to recover all of its territory. We have to get back to respecting international borders. That means Russia is going to be defeated here, because Putin is not going to stop fighting. You heard his speech today. He's making things up. He's claiming a false history. And he's justifying continued attacks against Ukraine.

So, he has to be defeated. And then, once Russia -- Russian forces are defeated -- no one's talking about attacking Russia or going into Moscow or into Russia at all -- but once the Russian forces are defeated trying to take Ukraine, we need two things from Russia. We need an acknowledgement of responsibility for the crimes that they committed, aggression and crimes against humanity, and we need Russia to agree in the future to live within its own borders.

Right now, they occupy not only parts of Ukraine, but parts of Georgia and even part of Moldova. So, Russia needs to stop trying to be an empire and be a normal country, like everybody else.

PHILLIP: And that seems like a basic thing that you're just describing. But if you heard Putin this morning, he does not believe that Russia should abandon its old imperial borders. And that's a huge sticking point as we go forward.

Ambassador Volker, thank you very much for all of that context.

VOLKER: Thank you.

PHILLIP: And coming up next for us: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is handing over every single security tape from the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill to one of the biggest spreaders of conspiracy theories about that day, Tucker Carlson. Why the Democrats say this is a massive security concern. Plus, the toxic train wreck in Ohio is still wreaking havoc for the

people in East Palestine. The EPA chief is there now. And his message, we have that ahead.

And police have said a man is now in custody in the shooting death of a Los Angeles bishop. We will have the latest on a possible motive there ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:21:07]

PHILLIP: Several sources are telling CNN that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is handing over access to all Capitol Hill security footage from the January 6 attack to, of all people, FOX News host Tucker Carlson, one of the most prominent promoters of conspiracy theories about the January 6 insurrection.

CNN's Alayna Treene is on Capitol Hill with more of her reporting.

And, Alayna, to be clear here, the concern is that he is handing over these sensitive tapes, security footage, to a friendly outlet, but not just any friendly outlet, an outlet, in Tucker Carlson, who has a history of spreading lies about January 6. What -- why is this happening?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Right, Abby.

That is a huge concern. I mean, Tucker Carlson has been one of the most prominent spreaders of some of these January 6 conspiracy theories, including the false claim that liberal partisans within the FBI were helping orchestrate the insurrection at the Capitol in order to help -- or undermine, I should say, former President Donald Trump.

But his producers were on Capitol Hill last week. They're digging through this trove of footage, more than 41,000 hours of footage from the Capitol grounds, multiple camera angles showing what happened that day on January 6, and some of that footage is expected to air in the coming weeks.

And former Democratic -- or former committee member of the January 6 Committee Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat, told CNN that they're really concerned about some of these security concerns. They had an agreement with the U.S. Capitol Police on what footage they could release when they had shown some of this footage during their hearings over the past year.

But much of that was really debated and agreed to upon what they thought was safe for members of the Capitol, including not showing them evacuating the U.S. Capitol or things like that that they think could really be damaging to future security concerns and future lawmakers here.

PHILLIP: Yes, I mean, it's a real concern, in part because we don't really know what the purpose is that these producers from Tucker Carlson's show are going to have these tapes for. But the other part of this is the U.S. Capitol Police. What are they

and law enforcement officials saying about all of this?

TREENE: Well, we just heard from U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, Abby, who told CNN that he had turned over this footage to Kevin McCarthy, but said that, when a congressional -- a member of congressional leadership or an Oversight Committee asks for this footage, they must turn it over.

And, again, the concerns here are about potentially bad actors having a blueprint to the Capitol or how this footage, whether it's edited or whether it shows parts of the Capitol that they really don't want much of the public seeing, and having it in the hands of what Zoe Lofgren had told us could be bad actors looking at this.

And so really a lot of concerns about how this footage will be used. And, again, 41,000 hours of this footage, there's a lot that FOX News has its hand on, and it's unclear how they're going to portray it on their show in the coming weeks.

PHILLIP: Yes, and I think, if the concern here is about transparency, why not release it publicly to everyone at the same time?

Alayna Treene on Capitol Hill, thank you so much for all of that reporting.

And still to come for us: Is it safe to drink the water? The Ohio governor and the EPA chief try to reassure anxious residents who have a lot of questions about that toxic train derailment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:29:18]

PHILLIP: It's a case that could reshape the Internet as we know it.

Moments ago, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit over extremist content on YouTube. It was brought by the family of the only American killed in the 2015 Paris terror attack. They sued Google, saying it promotes and profits from terrorist content.

So, for the first time, the justices are reviewing the controversial law known as Section 230 that shields platforms like Google from being held liable for the content that they recommend.

CNN's Jessica Schneider has been tracking this.

Jessica, these oral arguments this morning have been pretty fascinating. And it sounds like the plaintiffs, the individuals who brought this suit, are having a bit of a tough time in this court.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

You know, we heard, Abby, throughout these three hours of arguments the justices here on both sides.