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New Day

Mother Of Fallen Capitol Police Officer Presses GOP on Commission; Trump Appointee Spreads Conspiracy Theory About Biden Administration; COVID Cases Surge In Japan With Two Percent Vaccinated Ahead Of Olympics. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired May 28, 2021 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:31:24]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The Senate back in session about 90 minutes from now after overnight debate on a different bill delayed the vote on the bipartisan insurrection commission, which we now expect to happen later today.

Now, ahead of this vote, the mother of fallen Capitol Hill police officer Brian Sicknick met with senators and demanded they uphold their oath to the Constitution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLADYS SICKNICK, MOTHER OF FALLEN CAPITOL HILL POLICE OFFICER BRIAN SICKNICK: They sit and listened very well -- they do -- but the bottom line is we don't know.

REPORTER: What are you hoping will be on their minds when they vote on this commission?

SICKNICK: The country. This was to uphold the Constitution and right now I don't think they're doing that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Joining us now is Barbara Comstock, former Republican congresswoman from Virginia. She accompanied Mrs. Sicknick yesterday in these meetings on Capitol Hill. Congresswoman, thanks so much for being with us.

Any minds changed?

BARBARA COMSTOCK (R), FORMER VIRGINIA CONGRESSWOMAN WHO ATTENDED MEETINGS WITH GLADYS SICKNICK: Good to be with you.

Well, we certainly hope so.

And it was an honor to accompany Gladys Sicknick, and Sandra Garza and Officer Fanone, and Officer Dunn, who accompanied her. And they very forcefully told their story of why they feel it's important not just for the officers and to back the blue and to honor them and how they protected their lives that day, but also for country and the history -- and for history. So it was -- it was a tough day for this family.

We were very pleased to meet with senators such as Mitt Romney, and Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski, who made it very clear that they are going to support this commission. And, Lisa Murkowski really apologized to Mrs. Sicknick that she even had to come and do this. But as Gladys said -- she said I'm usually in the background. I don't -- this is not the kind of thing she would do but she couldn't stay quiet anymore.

BERMAN: Well, you also met with Sens. Johnson, Scott, Graham. I mean, what reason, if any, do you have to believe that their minds were changed?

COMSTOCK: Well, we did meet with some others that we certainly hope -- and there are others who we certainly hope will be supportive.

This investigation is going to happen no matter what. Whether it's this commission or another type of commission we are going to get to the bottom of this.

But it is sad that these -- our officers are hurting. These Capitol Police -- I represented them when I was in Congress. I was on the committee that oversaw Capitol Police, so I keep in touch with them and they are just in a world of hurt.

And you could -- and they did their jobs so well on January sixth that members don't realize what danger they were in. Officer Fanone was showing the video that I know you've shown here on CNN about how he was tased 12 times in the back of his neck. How he was beaten brutally by people in MAGA hats -- the person arrested.

You know, many of the senators asked has that person been arrested -- and yes, he has. It was -- Daniel Rodriguez has been arrested for the tasing and this beating. There were four people arrested.

But, Daniel Rodriguez was a superfan of Donald Trump. He had a long history of going to rallies. He brought people with him that day.

This entire thing needs to be investigated because how did Daniel Rodriguez come to be there that day and put Officer Fanone in harm -- he had a heart attack also -- and all of these other officers?

But, Daniel Rodriguez also -- if he had broken through, what would he have done? We know the chance of if he had gotten further than he did -- the chance of kill Mike Pence. The gallows that were hanging out there.

All of this has to be investigated, not just why wasn't the Capitol better protected.

[07:35:02]

BERMAN: Right, not a fence.

COMSTOCK: How did all of this -- what happened down --

BERMAN: Right.

COMSTOCK: -- on the other end of Pennsylvania and all of the gathering and organizing of this.

And it is going to come out. These things can be subpoenaed. This material can be -- not just the criminal cases but the overall case of how this happened. And I am confident that it will be done one way or another.

But we strongly support a January 6 commission, as do many groups, former Homeland Security --

BERMAN: You brought up --

COMSTOCK: -- Democrat, Republican --

BERMAN: You brought up Officer Fanone. CNN is reporting that it got a little testy between Officer Fanone and Ron Johnson. Ron Johnson, who has called it a peaceful protest. Ron Johnson, who says it was not an insurrection.

We understand that there was some friction there in that meeting. What can you tell us about what happened?

COMSTOCK: Well, he was very frank in confronting them, as was Mrs. Sicknick. Those were hurtful words that were said and Officer Fanone showed that video of what happened to him. And I do know some of these senators have watched the video and we're very appreciative that they had seen that. They knew who these people were.

And one thing I will point out is even though Sen. Graham and Sen. Scott are not supportive of the commission, they did commit to having Officer Fanone and Officer Dunn and others be able to be publicly heard because all we've heard in committees so far are the brass -- the top guys.

We haven't heard from the front lines of those people who were -- who were attacked brutally that day and Sen. Graham said they need to be heard from. So we certainly would prefer they're heard from in a bipartisan outside independent commission, but we want their voices to be heard.

And I'll point out that Donald Trump never called the Sicknick family and not a single Republican defended that gross dereliction of duty.

BERMAN: Well, former Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, thank you so much for being with us today. We'll see what happens later but I don't think there's --

COMSTOCK: Thank you. And we still hope we will -- we -- well, we implore Republican --

BERMAN: Yes. COMSTOCK: -- senators whose lives were protected that day by these officers to, in their honor, for the country, for history to vote for this commission today.

BERMAN: Thanks so much for being with us.

Up next, the troubling truth about a Trump appointee who is also a decorated combat veteran. He's been spreading baseless conspiracy theories.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And the Bush family member now sucking up to Donald Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:41:54]

KEILAR: A Trump appointee who serves on the advisory board at West Point has repeatedly spread a conspiracy theory about the Biden administration. Retired Army Col. Douglas MacGregor keeps claiming that President Biden is bringing in non-white immigrants as part of a, quote, "grand plan" to have them outnumber white Americans in the United States.

CNN's Laura Jarrett is here with details. Laura, this is incredibly alarming, what he's saying.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR, "EARLY START": Brianna, by day, Douglas MacGregor sits on a board that is supposed to monitor West Point's morale, discipline, and academic methods. But in his free time, a CNN KFILE investigation found he's been going on local radio shows espousing a version of white replacement theory. Of course, that's the racist theory that claims white Americans are being overrun by immigrants in this country.

But don't take my word for it. Here's MacGregor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RETIRED ARMY COLONEL DOUGLAS MACGREGOR, ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER, WEST POINT: The idea is that they have to bring in as many non-Europeans as possible in order to outnumber the numbers of Americans of European ancestry who live in the United States. This is a deliberate policy to enact demographic change.

We're encouraging all these worst elements to come in and camp and effectively enjoy the fruits of citizenship without earning them and without ever having qualified for them.

And again, all of this is part of the grand plan. This is what Mr. Biden and his supporters want. They want another country. They don't want the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: And he didn't stop there. In another interview back in May, MacGregor lamented the idea of women in combat roles, suggesting, quote, "We're going to create this brave new world where everyone is the same."

MacGregor did not respond to CNN's request for comment on all of this.

But it's not the first time his comments on minorities have been exposed. The Trump administration pulled his nomination to serve as ambassador to Germany after more KFILE reporting showed he disparaged immigrants and dismissed German remembrance of the Holocaust, among other things.

As for what he's saying about Biden's, quote, "grand plan," a White House spokesperson said in a statement, quote, "These hateful and grotesque sentiments are antithetical to the values and character of our nation and armed forces. There is absolutely no place in public service for racism, for denigrating the contributions of women in the military, or for religious bigotry."

A White House official also told CNN that MacGregor's standing on the board is now being reviewed -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And so it should be. I mean, this is the future officer corps of the U.S. Army. It's really astounding.

Laura, thank you so much for bringing that to light for us.

JARRETT: Sure.

BERMAN: So, weighing a run for attorney general of Texas, Texas land commissioner and the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, George P. Bush tweeted this photo of himself talking on the phone with former President Donald Trump.

He said, quote, "Great to speak with President Trump to discuss the future of Texas and how we're keeping up the fight to put America first."

Now, this is the same Donald Trump who said this about George P. Bush's father.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, THEN-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Jeb Bush is a low-energy person. For him, to get things done is hard. He's very low-energy.

[07:45:02]

Jeb Bush, very weak on immigration. He wants to let people come in.

You know what's happening to Jeb's crowd, as you know, right down the street? They're sleeping.

He was supposed to do well in New Hampshire. He's gone down like a rock.

This guy can't negotiate his way out of a paper bag. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Joining me now is Robert Stein, professor of political science at Rice University in Texas. Professor, so much -- so great to see you this morning.

So, George P. Bush --

ROBERT STEIN, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, RICE UNIVERSITY: Hi.

BERMAN: -- the land commissioner, has made this calculation. What is driving his run to Mar-a-Lago, at least metaphorically speaking?

STEIN: I think the easiest way to explain it is age. He's 45. There are other Texas Republicans -- Chip Roy and Mr. Crenshaw -- congressmen -- who are young and they want a future, and they know where the future is. It's in the Republican Party on the immediacy and one must recognize that the Republican Party in Texas is firmly in the Trump camp. There's no center, there's no moderation, there's no variation.

But they also realize that, of course, the Republican Party in Texas is sort of under a demographic siege and with time it will change. The question is not whether, it's more like when.

And if you're a Republican in Texas and you want to be elected, you first have to get through a primary. And there's no question that Donald Trump controls the Republican primary in the form of endorsements.

And the current incumbent Mr. Paxton, who is our attorney general and who has been challenged in a variety of ways and is in a trial for SEC -- securities violations -- is very much a Trump supporter. He raised money for Trump and, of course, he was one of the attorney generals who led the fight against the count.

So it's just clear that George P. Bush practically has to kiss the ring of former President Trump. There's just no way to get through the primary.

Now, in the general election, that is an entirely different tone here. But I think when you're young and your ambitious and you want to move up -- most Republicans statewide -- Cornyn, of course -- and only Ted Cruz is under 60. Our governor, lieutenant governor -- of course, our attorney general -- these are older men and they're not looking at a 20-year horizon. They're looking over the next 10 years at the most.

BERMAN: It's even more stark though with George P. Bush, right? Because in order to kiss the ring of Donald Trump he's got to, in a way, forsake his father. He's got to forsake his uncle, George W. Bush, who was governor of Texas and then President of the United States, at least politically speaking.

STEIN: I think you have a short time horizon. This is the son of a former governor, and the nephew of a former president, and the grandson of a former president. I sat and watched him take his degree in front of his grandfather at Rice University.

How quickly we forget the compromises of every elected official. The grandfather, in his memoir, pointed out that he had did a lot of things in campaigns he didn't like -- Willie Horton.

We forget that to get elected, you make compromises. In office, you make compromises.

BERMAN: Yes.

STEIN: And I think George Bush -- I don't claim to know him well. I remember him as a student, vaguely. But I think the fact of the matter is if you're ambitious you make those choices and sometimes those choices are not necessarily the ones you would make in a perfect world.

BERMAN: Can I ask --

STEIN: I have no idea if he really likes Donald Trump.

BERMAN: Yes.

STEIN: But my sense is like Paxton, like our governor, you have to confront the reality that the base of the Republican Party in Texas is firmly in the camp of Donald Trump.

BERMAN: We've got about --

STEIN: There is no way, particularly with Mr. Paxton, that you're going to challenge him without Donald Trump's endorsement.

BERMAN: We've got about 20 seconds left.

What do you think Donald Trump gets out of this? Why do you think he likes having George P. Bush in the fold so much?

STEIN: I think what it shows is his power, his influence.

There are 35 members of the House of Representatives that voted for a special commission to examine what happened on January sixth. You can be certain that President Trump is looking to find opponents to every one of those.

He wants to maintain his control over the party and to some extent, I think history and recent events shows he has it.

BERMAN: Professor, thank you so much for joining us this morning. I really appreciate your insight.

STEIN: Happy to do it.

BERMAN: So, Tokyo under a COVID state of emergency -- a new one just two months before the Summer Olympics. CNN goes there, next.

KEILAR: Plus, he sounded a warning so that others could survive. The brave final moments of one of the San Jose shooting victims revealed. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:53:42]

KEILAR: Tokyo is gearing up for the impending arrival of more than 90,000 -- 90,000 Olympic participants from around the world as COVID cases are surging in Japan.

Today, the Japanese government is deciding whether to extend a state of emergency across the country as it battles a fourth wave of COVID- 19. With vaccination rates shockingly low in that country and the healthcare system just overloaded, residents say they're scared of what could happen when the Games begin.

Selina Wang has more from Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Over the next two months, some 90,000 Olympics participants from more than 200 countries will be flying into Tokyo, suddenly opening the floodgates for a country that's had its borders closed for most of the pandemic.

COVID-19 cases are surging in Japan. Tokyo and large parts of the country are under a state of emergency.

KENJI SHIBUYA, PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERT: The Olympics will add another burden on the health system which is already overstretched. As opposed to the symbol of unity and peace and hope, the Olympics could become a nightmare with a super-spreading event in Tokyo.

WANG (voice-over): Just around two percent of Japan's 126 million people have been fully vaccinated -- the rollout slowed down by bureaucracy and a lack of medical staff to administer them. At the current rate, the rest of the adult population won't even be eligible for the vaccine by the time the Olympics begin.

[07:55:00]

WANG (on camera): Organizers claim the Games will be held in a safe bubble. At this Olympic Village, athletes will be tested daily and monitored with a contact tracing app. Vaccines are not required but officials say more than 80 percent of the Olympic Village will be.

They're asked to practice social distancing, wear masks except for when training and competing, and to only use public transport when necessary.

Now, experts say, though, that it's impossible to keep the massive Games completely safe. Plus, they say there are plenty of ways for this bubble to be punctured as the Olympic participants come into contact with tens of thousands of unvaccinated volunteers who live outside the bubble.

Olympic venues are all over Tokyo but the marathon and some soccer matches are held 500 miles north in Sapporo. So whose responsibility is it to keep all these Olympic participants

safe? The Olympic playbook could see ultimate responsibility on the athletes rather than organizers or the Japanese government.

Japan is spending more than $15 billion on these Games, the most expensive Summer Olympics on record, including $900 million in COVID countermeasures. But poll after poll shows that the majority of Japan do not want these Games held.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I definitely don't think Japan should go ahead with the Olympics.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very scared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Everyone thinks we should hold the Olympics but the government isn't in a position to say that.

WANG (on camera): Ultimately, it's largely not up to Japan. Olympic contracts are written to favor the IOC, so public opposition and a medical system head for collapse, and cost overruns are all burdens Tokyo will have to bear. The IOC has the legal power to cancel the Olympics but they plan to plow ahead.

Selina Wang, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar alongside John Berman on this new day.

All talk, no action overnight in the Senate. Republicans stalling delays to vote on a commission to investigate the insurrection.

Plus, America under attack right now from hackers. The cyber trail, once again, leading back to Russia.

BERMAN: The Republican Party at a crossroads. This morning, a new call from the old guard to put Trump in the rearview mirror as two of his populist proteges look to take the wheel.

And bravery under fire. The selfless final moments of one of the San Jose shooting victims. His family shares his story, live.

KEILAR: Good morning to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. It is Friday, May 28th. TGIF to you.

A showdown looming in the Senate this morning with democracy on the line. Senators burned the midnight oil and then some overnight, never even getting to this debate over a commission to investigate the Capitol insurrection. It actually went until almost three this morning, debating a bill to counter China's influence after Republicans derailed it.

For senators who were hoping to escape Washington early this holiday weekend, they have Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson to blame for the big stall here. BERMAN: The Senate back in session in about an hour. Debate will pick up where it left off, meaning a vote on the insurrection commission is not expected until later today. Whenever it does happen, if it happens in the next 30 (ph) hours, Republicans are almost certain to block it.

Sources tell CNN that over the past 24 hours the Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell -- he's been asking wavering Republican senators to support a filibuster as a personal favor.

Let's go right to CNN's Manu Raju in Washington for us. Manu, first of all, I have to say I'm so glad to see you safe and well this morning, which we'll get to in a moment.

KEILAR: (Laughing).

BERMAN: But first, tell us exactly where we stand on the insurrection commission, which I think is the big vote that people are waiting on.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and it's still being delayed. And it's all being tied up because of another unrelated issue on the Senate floor, which is why it's uncertain when the vote will actually take place.

The vote is still expected sometime later today. There has to be some agreement in the United States Senate, which is a body where one senator -- if they want to drag things out they can. And we saw that happen overnight with an issue related to China -- not related to the January sixth bill.

But the January sixth commission bill is next on the calendar. So when that eventually comes up we know what the fate is going to be, and that fate is going to be the bill is not going to proceed.

Republicans tell me that they have the votes to block this from proceeding. They would need 60 votes in this 50-50 Senate to move forward, so 10 Republicans actually would have to break ranks to allow the January 6 Commission debate just to come to the floor for debate. But at the moment, the expectation is no more than probably seven will break ranks and it will be close to 60.

But one big reason why is the argument that Mitch McConnell has made behind the scenes, which is a political one. The argument that if they were to move forward with this, this would not be good politically for Republicans. They don't want this issue about January sixth -- what happened -- to be re-litigated.