Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

U.S. and NATO Scramble to Deter "Imminent" Invasion of Ukraine; Real DOJ Investigation into Fake Electors; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Speak Soon as Police Investigate Partygate; U.S. Navy Trying to Find Stealth Fighter Jet in South China Sea. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired January 26, 2022 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Good morning, everyone. It is Wednesday, January 26th. It's 5 am here in New York. Thanks so much for getting an EARLY START with us. I'm Laura Jarrett.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Good Wednesday morning, Laura.

I'm Christine Romans. Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and all around the world.

We begin with the big question.

Will Russia invade Ukraine?

If so, when?

The White House calls an invasion imminent. The reality less clear. President Biden says this is all Putin. But no one, not even Kremlin officials knows what the Russian president will do. The U.S. president is still planning to reposition U.S. forces to show commitment to Ukraine and to NATO.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I may be moving some of those troops in the nearer term. This would be the largest, if we were to move in with all of those forces, the largest invasion since World War II. It would change the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: Mr. Biden is willing to impose sanctions on Putin himself, a step previous presidents have shied away from. Bipartisan talks are also underway in Congress to develop a package of sanctions should Russia invade. More on that in a moment.

JARRETT: In less than an hour, top diplomats from Europe, Ukraine and Russia will sit down in Paris for talks about how to avoid war.

CNN has reporters around the world covering this story: Melissa Bell in Paris, Nic Robertson in Moscow. But let's start with Sam Kiley live in Ukraine.

Sam, good morning. The White House is calling an invasion, quote, "imminent." Officials in Kyiv is saying it's not imminent.

Why aren't they on the same page?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it's a very different approach in terms of national reassurance, from the perspective of Mr. Kuleba, the foreign minister, making statements that reinforce his own president's statement.

There isn't an imminent threat but there is an extant threat of invasion. They don't want their own population reacting as though they are hours from seeing Russian tanks approaching the border.

According to the foreign minister here, supported by intelligence assessments from Ukraine, the Russians are about two weeks from being poised for an invasion. They doesn't mean they're not capable of moving much more quickly; they have troops in Belarus in the north of the country.

According to Ukrainian officials, there's 127,000 Russian troops close to the Ukrainian border but not on it necessarily, poised for a possible invasion, all part of the ongoing pressure being maintained by Russia.

This is coming, of course, as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Germany have begun to remove what they're calling non-essential staff and diplomatic families from the Ukrainian capital here ahead of any invasion.

So they are slightly out of tune. But I think that's a question of how you interpret the intent of Vladimir Putin. As far as the Ukrainians are concerned, they've already been occupied by Russian forces. So this is an escalation, not a new invasion.

JARRETT: You can understand the desire to tamp down fears in that country. All right, Sam Kiley, thank you for that reporting.

ROMANS: Let's bring in Nic Robertson. He is live this morning for EARLY START in Moscow.

Nic, what is Russia's response to these latest developments?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: A couple of new ones coming out of here now. Sergey Lavrov has been speaking to the Duma, the parliament here.

He got a big round of applause when he said if the West does not respond constructively to us, these are the letters Russia is waiting to come back from the United States and NATO, if they do not respond constructively to us and continue with their aggressive lines, there will be a response, he said, to which there was a big round of applause.

He didn't say Russia was going to invade or attack; far from it. He said Russia will protect their citizens overseas. That seemed to be a gesture toward them, that Russia has their back. He rejected the idea that Russia is there already and has forces on the ground.

[05:05:00]

ROBERTSON: Lavrov said, when the responses from the West come back, he and other officials will take some plans and proposals to President Putin to think about the way forward and about President Putin, whose spokesman said he will be speaking with the French president on Friday.

And he has not heard, the Russian president is not hurt by President Biden's threats to sanction him directly. He said they would not be painful but politically destructive.

ROMANS: We know the readiness that the United States calls preparation of U.S. troops is something Russia calls a provocation. Nic Robertson, thank you so much for that -- Laura.

JARRETT: As all of this is happening, top diplomats from Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France are set to meet in Paris in less than an hour. That's where we find CNN's Melissa Bell.

What are you looking for coming out of this meeting today?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is very much the focus from the French and German leadership, that talks can still work, that there is room for diplomacy that can pull everyone back from the brink of war.

Just diplomat level for the time being, although the French president said speaking in Germany yesterday that he hoped that could translate into leader level talks. That is a long way off.

There is this phone call, as well as Nic was just saying, between the French and Russian presidents that is due to take place on Friday. Again, another push from Emmanuel Macron to seek dialogue with the Kremlin rather than outright confrontation.

That is because French and German leaders are very conscious of the costs of all-out war and sanctions would have on European natural gas supply that come from Russia and on their economies more generally.

JARRETT: Melissa, thank you.

ROMANS: In Washington negotiations, continue at the Capitol, as lawmakers continue to try to hammer out a bipartisan package of sanctions against Russia. We have Daniella Diaz live from Capitol Hill.

There was a confidential classified briefing about the situation.

What do we know?

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, Laura, the Senate is in recess technically this week. Senators are in their home states. But a bipartisan group are having active discussions on putting together a package of economic sanctions against Russia for the rising tensions with Ukraine.

What we know is, of course, the goal is they need 60 votes in the Senate at least to pass this legislation. That is why this group is actively working, trying to get Republicans and Democrats to sign onto this.

The problem is, of course, Republicans and Democrats disagree on how this should look. Republicans are calling for preemptive sanctions. Democrats are saying they should be imposed if Russia invades Ukraine.

So there's differences in timing. But if Russia does invade Ukraine, Democrats are agreeing there should be some form of sanctions passed through the Senate and the House against Russia.

But the bigger picture here is, of course, that they're negotiating right now. It's recess. The House actually does have a companion bill put together by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Gregory Meeks.

The problem is not getting Republicans on that bill; it will likely pass the House, but trying to get 60 votes in the Senate so that legislation could pass.

ROMANS: Thank you.

A top White House economic adviser Brian Deese says Russian sanctions should not have a significant impact on the U.S. economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN DEESE, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: We have the tools in place to put real pain on the Russian economy without that having significant impact in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Consumers could feel some pain at the pump if Russia invades Ukraine. Russia is the number two oil producer on the planet behind the U.S. The Department of Energy has released more than 13 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Struggling Americans are also now getting help with their heating bills. HHS is pumping $100 million into the low-income home energy assistance program.

JARRETT: I think it's so important to explain why this matters here at home.

ROMANS: Yes.

JARRETT: Obviously the situation, growing tension there for everybody in the Ukraine but explaining the context here and the real life implications for folks here in the U.S., really critical, Christine.

ROMANS: We know the White House has been working and talking with companies and countries to work around supply disruptions if they should happen and try to help Europe get natural gas.

[05:10:00]

JARRETT: Coming up for you, a very real investigation this morning into very fake electors, who tried to subvert the 2020 election. A CNN exclusive next.

ROMANS: Plus, Boris Johnson about to speak live, as British police investigate his party scandal.

JARRETT: And right now in the South China Sea, a race to find a fighter jet full of top secret technology.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

JARRETT: Now to a CNN exclusive on the 2020 election. The Justice Department has confirmed for the first time that federal prosecutors are reviewing fake slates of electors from seven states that falsely declared Donald Trump had been reelected president.

[05:15:00]

JARRETT: The deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco sat down and made it clear the Department of Justice will leave no stone unturned in this investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA MONACO, U.S. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: We are going to follow the facts and the law, wherever they lead, to address conduct of any kind and at any level that is part of an assault on our democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Let's bring in Jennifer Rodgers.

I know you have a different take on what Lisa Monaco said here.

Can we start with the actual language?

Because she's so careful, she's so measured; that's her reputation. She said she can't comment on ongoing investigations. Doesn't that naturally sort of assume that there is an ongoing

investigation?

JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, sort of, Laura. I think what she's doing here is there was public information about these referrals that were coming from state officials. That already was out there.

She's not afraid to say, yes, we got the referrals and, of course, we're looking at them, whatever that means. But she won't confirm the existence of an investigation. I do think though, not because she said what she said but because of the blockbuster nature of the fake elector certificates that they must be investigating this now.

JARRETT: I feel like she could have said I'm not going to talk about it at all. But she said we've received the referrals, taking a look at them and not going beyond that. They haven't pushed back on Evan's reporting. They've had time to if they wanted to.

Let's just stipulate that they are actually looking into this.

What do you think prosecutors are focused on at DOJ?

What potential charges could be on the table here?

RODGERS: I think they're looking at a couple of different things. I think they're looking at what charges might relate to the actual folks who signed those certificates, what happened in the states when they were signed and sent to the National Archives.

And then, of course, I think they're looking at the coordination. It can't be a coincidence that seven states did the exact same thing, at the time when everybody at the White House and campaign is talking about how to overturn this election.

So we have the Eastman memo laying it out. We have the states doing their part. We have the pressure on Mike Pence to do his part. They're going to want to get to the bottom of who was responsible for all of that, including the big guy himself, Donald Trump.

JARRETT: That's the thing. This was all laid out. We know John Eastman, a former Trump lawyer, actually laid all of this out in a seven-point memo, including this whole scenario of fake electors. There are issues of attorney-client privilege.

But couldn't this be part of what is the draw in getting those Eastman documents?

RODGERS: Absolutely. Apparently John Eastman took the Fifth over 100 times. He's now been ordered to turn over a privilege log. Hopefully we can sort out what is privileged and what isn't.

But it's all in the memo. You can see how it was executed by the states and by the pressure on Mike Pence and in other ways. So you do really get a roadmap. That will be very helpful to prosecutors as they go through the investigation. JARRETT: Jennifer Rodgers, thank you.

ROMANS: Up next this Wednesday morning, Navy sailors hunt for a hundred million dollar fighter jet. What they want to find before China does.

JARRETT: And could Florida turn off the sun?

The fight for solar energy in the Sunshine State.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:20:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ROMANS: To London now. British prime minister Boris Johnson appears before Parliament less than 90 minutes from now. London police investigating several gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall that may have broken the government's pandemic rules. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has the story.

How will the prime minister try to defend himself?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If he can defend himself because the next few hours are make or break for prime minister Boris Johnson.

Hold on; there is a flurry of activity happening at 10 Downing Street.

Now two investigations, two inquiries looking into allegations of multiple parties taking place at the prime minister's homes across multiple lockdowns over two years. The latest is that the police is going to look into it.

Some events potentially breached COVID-19 rules. Criminal offenses could have been committed just so the government could party it up.

Then there's that other probe, the Gray inquiry. That's been going on for weeks now, looking into all of these allegations. We expect that Gray report to be released any minute now.

As you said, prime minister Boris Johnson back in Parliament just in a couple hours' time. If that Gray report is released before the prime minister goes back into Parliament, hold on to your seats because it is going to be a fiery session.

What that Gray report is going to do is lay out a blow by blow timeline of what took place at those parties, who knew and how involved, if he was involved, was the prime minister.

This isn't just going to be critical for the public, this isn't just damaging to the prime minister; it's going to be critical for his own party, the Conservative Party. Right now they are making a crucial decision. Is Boris the man to lead the party or does the party need to push him

out?

ROMANS: All right, Salma, thank you. He begins that address in 90 minutes.

[05:25:00]

JARRETT: The U.S. Navy is trying to recover a $100 million stealth fighter jet from the South China Sea. The goal is to retrieve the F- 35C before China does. CNN's Ivan Watson is live in Hong Kong with this story.

Ivan, what's the plan here?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's just the beginning of a complicated recovery operation of this stealth fighter jet, which crashed essentially into an aircraft carrier on Monday, resulting in injuries to the pilot, who did successfully eject from the plane, and for at least six sailors aboard the aircraft carrier, who were hurt as well.

The plane, the jet, the F-35C, after impacting with the flight deck of the U.S.S. Cole Vincent, it then fell into the South China Sea and presumably sank to the bottom. Recovering the wreckage, as you pointed out, costs the tune of around $100 million to make this stealth finder jet, could take months, experts tell CNN, weeks, just to get a recovery ship to the area.

This is complicated further by the fact that the U.S. aircraft carrier and the jet and another U.S. aircraft carrier, they were operating in the South China Sea. It's a body of water that China claims virtually all for itself.

The U.S., of course, would not want sensitive technology to get into the hands of the Chinese so there is more of a effort to recover this aircraft. The U.S.S. Cole Vincent is operating alongside another aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.

As for the F-35, this isn't the first time one of these stealth fighter jets has sunk to the bottom of the sea. It happened with a Japanese F-35; it's happened with a British F-35 in the Mediterranean last year. In all of those cases, the allies of the U.S. have also scrambled to recover sensitive technology to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

JARRETT: Understandably. Ivan, thank you. Appreciate it.

ROMANS: Next, the notorious antivaxer just condemned in public by his own Hollywood wife.

JARRETT: And remember the first rule of "Fight Club"?

Well, it's different in China. We will break the rules and talk about it.