Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

CNN: Russian Attack on Ukraine This Week More Likely Than Not; Trump Org Accounting Firm: 10 Years of Financial Statements "Unreliable"; Skater Blames Positive Test on Mix-Up with Grandfather's Meds. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired February 15, 2022 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:27]

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. It is Tuesday, February 15th. It's 5 a.m. here in New York. Thanks so much for getting an early start with us. I'm Laura Jarrett.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans.

We begin this morning with Russian forces seen moving towards the border with Ukraine. Videos like these posted recently to social media and checked out by CNN show Russian military convoys on the move, this one in Western Russia just across the border from Kharkiv in Ukraine.

At the same time, Russia now says some troops on the border with Ukraine are returning to their bases. More on that angle from Moscow in just a moment.

JARRETT: So, here's the very latest. A source familiar with the matter tells CNN an attack this week is more likely than not. The U.S. shutting down its embassy in Kyiv and relocating its diplomats to western Ukraine all while the Kremlin suggests Vladimir Putin is still willing to negotiate.

CNN has reporters on the ground and in Russia covering every angle here.

We begin with Sam Kiley in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Sam, good morning.

The Pentagon bracing for an attack as it has really been for weeks now. But the feeling there on the ground is different. Tell us more.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. The Pentagon may be bracing but here in Kharkiv, 25 miles from the Russian border, 50 miles from Velegrad (ph) where that very large Russian forces reportedly building up within the last 48 hours, the addition of helicopter gunships.

Nobody is bracing. There is no sense whatsoever that there is going to be an invasion. I traveled out to that border crossing yesterday with a handful of border police running around with their hands in their pockets and making sure the foreign media didn't film too much of the border crossing itself for obvious security reasons, and no sense among the local population that they feared an invasion.

I think there was a very serious disconnect and a real sense among the Ukrainians that the Americans are running around with their hair on fire, whilst the Ukrainians are taking a much more mature look at it and it's reflected by the attitude struck by the president here.

Remember, this is a country that is already in a hot war with Russian- backed rebels in the east of the country. It has the Crimean peninsula where there was also now evidence of an increased in helicopter gunships being deployed there in the Russian held territory.

The Ukrainians are used to this. They are not freaking out. They are not panicking. They are very bemused as to why the international community is reacting this way. They may be wrong, but they -- one has to accept they have extremely good connections across the border into Russia. Everybody here has got a cousin over there.

JARRETT: All right. Sam Kiley, thank you for your reporting as always. Appreciate it.

So, all this as Russia's ministry of defense says some troops on the border of Ukraine are returning to their bases. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow on this angle.

Fred, is that a sign that Vladimir Putin is actually back here? What do you make of this?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's too early to see whether or not it's any sign of any sort of pull back but certainly, the messaging we've been getting from the Kremlin over the past 24 hours or so has been one where the Russians are saying they do want more diplomacy.

And as we're going to air you saw me looking down before I looked back up, the reason for that is I was just taking a look at the conference call that we had with the spokesman of the Kremlin. I want to bring you that, because it's literally something Dmitry Peskov is called all of this hysteria, you know, people talking about an imminent Russian invasion or one that could happen at anytime. He says the Russians want to speak about broader security concerns.

And actually, I was in contact with a Vladimir Putin spokesman just last night and he told me exactly the same thing. He says if the Russian president wanted diplomacy and also the Russians believe that Ukraine is only one of a broader range of issues they have.

It's a sort of security setting right now in Europe and they wanted broader discussions like, for instance, the one that took place between Vladimir Putin and the U.S. President Joe Biden over this past weekend. So, the Russians possibly signaling that they want more diplomacy, while at the same time, we've also heard that some of those troops maybe falling back. But, of course, we've also heard from the United States that they do believe that Russia is very much in a position to launch an attack at anytime and that certainly hasn't yet, Laura.

JARRETT: All right. Fred, thanks for so much for brining us the very latest on that call. Come back to us as you get more. Appreciate it.

ROMANS: All right. So, let's bring in CNN military analyst and retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

So good to see you this morning.

Colonel, what does Vladimir Putin want here?

[05:05:00]

He says he wants security guarantees for Russia, but he's the one holding the loaded gun pointed at Ukraine. Do you think war happens here?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Christine, it looks like it from a disposition of forces perspective. You know, in the intelligence business, you look at things and think of worst case scenario. And when somebody deploys their forces without any rationale or any other good reason, you have to think that they're going to use those forces.

And so, on the one hand you have the diplomatic efforts that Fred just talked about. You have all the different things that are going on when you look at everybody looking at everything and it's business as usual. You do question some of the other things that we're hearing.

However, one of the things that I've learned over the years is that often the people that are right in the center of the storm, it's like being in the center of the hurricane. You don't really know that there's a big storm all around you until it's too late and that's the fear that I have that the Russians are moving forward. They have -- still have all the forces arrayed around the border that need to be used in the case of an invasion. So, it does look back from that perspective.

JARRETT: So, Colonel, in the case of an invasion, even with help from the international community, which has promised a significant amount of help, there's this huge disparate between Russia's and Ukraine's military. If this goes forward, what does Ukraine do to defend itself effectively?

LEIGHTON: So this gets to the realm of asymmetric warfare. You're looking at if the Ukrainians are going to defend themselves effectively, they're not going to be able to do it in the way you would formally think of standard armies meeting each other on a battlefield somewhere. That's kind of World War II stuff.

This is going to be different. There will be elements of that. There will be, you know, cases of, you know, tank battles perhaps, you know, things like that. But there's going to be limited in scope.

What's really going to happen is that people will get into street brawls and there are going to be other things that the Ukrainians will have to do in order to keep their state, their country as viable as it possibly can. It's going to be a huge challenge because without some kind of asymmetric advantage, they're not going to be able to defeat the Russians very easily.

ROMANS: You know, we have these reports from the Kremlin that they are willing - Putin is willing to negotiate on the Ukraine situation but, you know, you can't overstate the Putin head games here, right? By all of this drama and threats and troops on the border, he is delaying reforms in Ukraine, investment in Ukraine, hurting the economy in Ukraine, in a way all of this he's -- his goal -- his goal to destabilize Ukraine has already happened.

LEIGHTON: Absolutely. And, you know, that may be the principle goal that he has, to destabilize Ukraine. I can tell you, Christine, for years, people have been reluctant to invest in Ukraine specifically because of Russian efforts against that country.

You know, Putin believes Ukraine should be a critical part of Russia. He will stop at nothing. He would compare himself to looking at a civil war and the American civil war, and that's something that while I don't buy that comparison, I think in his mind he's thinking of something like this.

He's creating, you know, not only a greater Russia but he's bringing Russia back to where it was before the end of the cold war in the form of the Soviet Union and that's the kind of thing that he's looking at and he's playing every head game he possibly can to get there.

JARRETT: Colonel Cedric Leighton, so helpful to have your analysis to sort of sort through all of this as we see where this goes.

ROMANS: Thank you.

JARRETT: I'm sure we'll have you back here soon.

LEIGHTON: You bet, my pleasure.

ROMANS: Concern about Russia invading Ukraine is spiking gas prices here in the U.S. Oil prices shooting up to $95 a barrel for the first time in about eight years. This after the State Department ordered the closing of the U.S. embassy in Kyiv.

That means prices at the pump likely go up, and that's likely to stifle economic growth and could make the global inflation problem worse. Demand for energy is soaring as pandemic era restrictions are lifted and travel picks back up. Oil inventories are stretched thin right now.

There's a lot. You know, an invasion in Ukraine, sanctions against the Russians if that happened, it is the second largest oil producer in the world. This is one of these stories that just resonates way beyond the region and right into your own pocketbook. JARRETT: And I think it's okay to provide that context and how does

this affect me today?

[05:10:02]

ROMANS: Yeah, this is a small world story.

JARRETT: Yeah.

Coming up next for you, Donald Trump's accountants breaking up with him saying it can't vouch for the financial statements of his namesake company.

ROMANS: Plus, a Russian skater's excuse for a positive drug test and what her grandfather has to do with it.

And two of three police officers on the scene when George Floyd was murdered now planning to testify in their own defense.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JARRETT: Welcome back.

Donald Trump's long-time accounting firm is now cutting ties with his namesake company. The firm Mazars informing company officials and telling them to warn others not to rely on nearly a decade's worth of financial statements.

[05:15:02]

This significant development was revealed in a court filing by the New York attorney general's office as it tries to depose Trump and his children, as part of its ongoing investigation to the company's financial practices.

So we need to break this down with former federal prosecutor, Michael Zeldin, EARLY START friend and former special assistant to Robert Mueller at DOJ.

Michael, good morning. What do you make of the timing here?

MICHAEL ZELDIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Good morning.

JARRETT: Good morning. I find it curious that Mazars is distancing itself from the Trump Organization. Why do you think now?

ZELDIN: Because I think they believe that they may be fraud in the financial documents that they received. Mazars is saying to the world, essentially, we can't be assured based on the totality of the circumstances the information we received was correct and, therefore, our opinion can be appropriately relied upon. So, it's a warning sign to the world, don't sue us if anything goes wrong because these financial statements may have been fraudulently provided to us.

ROMANS: So, the Trump Organization has responded with this statement, in part, Mazars work was performed in accordance with all applicable accounting standards and principles. This confirmation effectively renders the investigations by the D.A. and the A.G. moot.

What does this suggest where the defense is going?

ZELDIN: I'm not sure what that statement means exactly. What Mazars is saying is, this statement is incorrect, because we did what we were supposed to do with what was given us to, but what was given to us we believe maybe fraudulent. And so, what this tells the AG, too, and the court, there is good reason to depose the principles of this company and receive documents to make sure that there is, in fact, truth in the documents they relied upon, that Mazars relied upon.

JARRETT: Right. So, basically is not even close to moot is what you're saying. I want to switch lanes a little bit --

ZELDIN: Right, the opposite of moot.

JARRETT: The opposite of moot. I want to ask you what's going on in another part of Trump's legal woes. Rudy Giuliani signaling he may be willing to testify on issues not covered by attorney-client privilege. Now, the devil's always in the details on this stuff, but he would obviously be able to offer crucial insight.

How is this going to shake out? Where are they going to be able to delineate what's privileged and what's not?

ZELDIN: Well, one of the things they can delineate is what did Giuliani himself do? What was the trial by combat all about? What was the efforts to seize voting machines, that whole gambit? What was everything that was not a communication between him and Trump related to January 6th, the big lie, the Green Bay sweep?

All of these things which are acts that Giuliani participated in may not be tied to legal advice from Giuliani to the president. And so, there's a lot there that he's done that can be talked about without implicating attorney-client relations.

JARRETT: Interesting to see whether he actually does go forward with that testimony. Michael, thank you.

ROMANS: Nice to see you, Michael Zeldin. Appreciate it.

JARRETT: All right now to this, the International Olympic Committee says the 15-year-old star Russian figure skater ensnared in this doping scandal has an excuse for her positive drug test that she took back in December. It was a mix-up, her lawyers say, with her grandfather's medication.

CNN's Selina Wang is live in Beijing on this for us.

Selina, is she offering anymore explanation or proof for this?

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Laura, that's exactly what we learned from an IOC official today at the press conference. And the official did not offer anymore details about the excuse that you mentioned. These are the facts that we do know, thought, about the drug that Kamila Valieva tested positive for. It is used to treat a heart condition. It is known to boost efficiency, endurance and to increase blood flow. It is banned as a performance- enhancing drug.

The fact of that matter is that someone who tested positive for this banned substance is being allowed to continue to compete at the Olympics. That decision is sparking outrage and anger.

Team USA says it's denying the opportunity for clean athletes to know they are competing on a level playing field. The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says Russia is hijacking the competition from these clean athletes.

And, Laura, you can only imagine how the other figure skaters are getting ready to take the ice. If Valieva even makes the top three, which is expected to, those other athletes are not going to walk home with a medal from Beijing. They're going to have the chance to stand on the medal podium. This absolutely devastating for them.

And also for Valieva, she's only 15 years old. She's often seen clutching her favorite stuffed animal on the ice and experts see her as a victim of what they say is a system of state-sponsored doping in Russia.

[05:20:06]

In fact, I just spoke to Dick Pound, who is the founding member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, and he says that so far the punishment on Russia has been too lenient and maybe now it's a time-out for Russia in these Olympics, perhaps an outright ban -- Laura.

JARRETT: Yeah, so many answers still to come. Thank you, Selina. Appreciate your reporting.

ROMANS: All right. Twenty minutes past the hour. Just ahead, why it won't matter now what jurors decide in Sarah Palin's case against "The New York Times."

JARRETT: And what you won't see if you try to stream "Friends" in China.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:25:51]

JARRETT: We continue celebrating black history month here at CNN. And this year, we are honoring trail blazers with a special series we're calling "Inspiring Voices".

I chose journalist Gwen Ifill, the first Black woman to moderate a vice presidential debate. Gwen was a force and her legacy continues to inspire many and so many others.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GWEN IFILL, JOURNALIST: I'm Gwen Ifill of the "NewsHour" and "Washington Week" on PBS. JARRETT (voice-over): She was hungry and she was ambitious, but she

didn't let her success and her drive overwhelm her ability to be kind.

Part of what's so inspiring about Gwen Ifill's story are the times that she was told no. She was told by "The Washington Post" that she wasn't ready to cover Capitol Hill so she went somewhere else. She kept pushing for it. She didn't let it deter her.

MICHELE NORRIS, JOURNALIST AND FRIEND OF GWEN IFILL: She learned how to speak to authority without being sent to her role (ph) and that is a really valuable asset in journalism where you're yelling questions at presidents on tarmacs.

JARRETT: I found that so inspiring when I was ready to make a big change in my career and I had a lot of people tell me I was crazy to leave that law firm, but I knew that I had to make a change.

Three, two.

I came to journalism late in my career and I remember I was working on my senior thesis and it was about false confessions during police interrogation. And I knew I needed a human story to draw the viewer in.

So I focused on Central Park jogger case and the injustices I saw in that case and I approached it like an investigator. It was the first time I saw how story telling can be used for social change.

The other thing that was so inspiring about Gwen's story is the environment that she found herself in and how she was able to navigate it. She's a Black woman from a modest background who didn't go to Ivy League schools in predominantly white male spaces and thriving.

NORRIS: She had the confidence to speak to authority in a way that was not necessarily disrespectful but helped them understand their own blind spot.

IFILL: I want to talk to you about AIDS, not about aids in China and Africa, but aids right here in this country where black women between 25 to 44 are 13 more times likely to die of the disease than their counterparts. What should the government's role be in helping to end the growth of this epidemic?

JARRETT: Whether she was in a panel on "Meet the Press" or she was moderating a vice presidential debate, she had a certain confidence about her.

IFILL: I want to try to get you both to answer a question, neither of your principles answered this when my colleague Jim Lehrer asked it last week.

JARRETT: Ifill died in 2016 after complications from cancer. She was 61 years old.

IFILL: It's not enough to have walked this path and then to leave it unoccupied when you're done. JARRETT: She cared about the young people that were coming behind

her.

LYNN WOOTEN, PRESIDENT, SIMMONS UNIVERSITY: The College of Media, Arts and Humanity was named after Gwen in 2018. When I think about Gwen's legacy in this building here, it's creating a safe and brave space for young adults to be their best. She was iconic in the world.

NORRIS: She was herself. You know, she smiled. She laughed while she was covering things but she was still tough as nails.

JARRETT: She had the courage of her convictions and never let anyone see her sweat.

IFILL: I'm Gwen Ifill, thank you and good night.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: You know, you watch that and you get just a flavor of what made her so incredible and so special and there's a saying, what would Gwen do? Something journalists ask themselves trying to channel that energy and channel that confidence.

ROMANS: I miss her. Thank you for doing that. That was nice.

JARRETT: You should watch out. There's a couple more pieces coming here. All the Black anchors here at CNN chose someone that inspired them. So, a lot of good pieces coming.

ROMANS: Oh, good. All right. Thank you for that.

All right. Is college worth it? Maybe not for everyone. To answer that question, Georgetown University's Center on the Education and the Workforce looked at 4,500 colleges and universities. They focused on the percentage of students whose earnings 10 years after enrollment were higher than workers only with a high school diploma.