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Officer Who Helped Defend Capitol Reacts to Revelations; U.K. Tightening Restrictions as Omicron Becomes Dominant; Italy Extends State of Emergency; Greece Taking Measures to Require Vaccinations; Pediatrics Group: Pandemic 'Devastating' for Children's Mental Health. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired December 15, 2021 - 06:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. It is Wednesday, December 15, and I'm Brianna Keilar along with John Berman.

[05:59:58]

Breaking overnight, an extraordinary moment in the insurrection probe. Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows held in criminal contempt of Congress from defying a subpoena from the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

The Democratic-controlled House voted 222-208, just two Republicans, Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney, joining Democrats there. And the vote now paves the way for prosecution. This will be up to the Department of Justice to decide whether to pursue criminal charges.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi highlighting this moment here, immediately tweeting a picture of herself signing the enrollment of Meadows' contempt resolution, adding, "We will find the truth of that dark day."

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The vote came after Meadows shared thousands of documents and texts with the committee, but then declined to testify, claiming courts needed to decide whether former President Trump's claims of executive privilege are valid.

The committee released even more of his revealing text messages that were sent and received as the violence unfolded on January 6.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): Here are a few others from Republican members. Quote, "It is really bad up here on the Hill." Another one: "The president needs to stop this, ASAP." Another one, "Fix this now."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: I want to bring in Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn. He defended the Capitol on January 6th. And he has been in the committee room. He was there earlier this week when they voted to advance criminal contempt charges against Mark Meadows.

Harry, thanks so much for being with us this morning.

What is your reaction to hearing these text messages, this information that was being received by Meadows?

HARRY DUNN, CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER: Good morning, Brianna. Thank you for having me on.

Initially, I was shocked, disappointed with what I was hearing in the committee. It was -- it kind of relived that day, as they were reading the messages, like, they were being tweeted out to Mark Meadows in real time. It was disappointing and a little hard to hear, because it brought back some of the memories of that day.

KEILAR: What did it bring back?

DUNN: You know, just when they were talking about how bad it was, the armed standoff at the -- the House door. Just -- just the memories of how bad it was that day. And going through our mind like when is this going to end and how is this going to end? Will we ever get some help up here?

KEILAR: You know, listening to some police officers who have been through what you've been through, the insult to injury is reading those texts, which were very real. That was what people were thinking at the time.

And then hearing some of those same people, for instance, FOX primetime hosts, who were talking to Mark Meadows, urging him to take action and then later, you know, acting like this wasn't such a big deal, or even trying to cover up what their texts were about. What's your reaction to that?

DUNN: You know, that's -- that's -- it's kind of mind blowing, but it's not really surprising what people do behind closed doors, and they didn't think that those messages would ever get exposed.

And now they're either remaining mum on them or now are just, you know, upset because their information was leaked out or whatever. The truth always comes out.

And I'm remaining patient with the committee doing their job, and just more and more truth about that day will come out. Just the truth. That's all I care about, is what really happened.

But it is infuriating, to say the least, to see that the people who are publicly downplaying it were behind the scenes panicking about how bad it was, because they knew how bad it was.

KEILAR: Some of them turned around and gave you and your colleagues awards, fake superlative awards for acting when you testified. What would you say to them now?

DUNN: I thought about it -- what my response to that was going to be. I can't believe myself. I'm actually going to take the high road here and whatever. The truth speaks for itself. And you can go -- you can double, triple

down, whatever -- whatever number they're on now. Just let them do what they do. The truth is coming out, and people are seeing them for exactly that they are, fearmongers and just say whatever they need to say to keep their audience entertained, I guess.

KEILAR: What surprised you, Harry, about what you heard?

DUNN: That's the thing, I really wasn't surprised. I mean, I guess I try to be, like, fact-based. I had my suspicions, but the texts just confirmed what I thought, you know, that you guys are lying and you knew how bad it really was. So --

[06:05:09]

KEILAR: What is your hope now? What is your hope moving forward with what this means for this investigation?

DUNN: Just the committee to do their job. I try to stay out of them doing their jobs. Like I said, I'm -- not only am I a police officer, I'm a person who has a vote, who has an opinion. And I try to keep that out of the public a little bit. You know, my bias.

However, I'm going to let them continue to do their job, and I'll respond to the facts. And the facts, those text messages exist just show how really bad it was that day and that the people there who publicly said it wasn't that bad, they knew privately how bad it really was.

I just am hopeful that the facts continue to come out and the entire truth about that day is made public.

KEILAR: There is a rioter who assaulted an officer is now pleading for mercy before a judge, because his sentencing is upon him. He says now that he is sorry that he believed Trump's lies, even though just weeks ago, he was defending what he did. What's your message to him?

DUNN: I don't have one. The people who committed those crimes and are found guilty in the justice system need to pay the price. That's -- that's all I've got. I don't -- at this moment, I'm not about offering mercy or leniency. I'm not in that position. Maybe I'll get there. But now I'm not. And the people responsible need to pay. So --

KEILAR: I wonder, Harry, as you look at the sentences that you're seeing being handed down to some of the people that you were squared off against that day, but then the realization that, you know, Trump may not face accountability for this. It's entirely possible that he runs for president again. What do you think about that disparity?

DUNN You know, one of the main things that I've really wanted to see, when I started talking and seeking justice and accountability, is that it be investigated.

There is no doubt that the criminal justice system has a lot of improvement that it needs. However, if they find that -- if they investigate it thoroughly, and they find out that they're -- the people at the top, not necessarily the former president but anybody else, may have said some things that they shouldn't have said but it wasn't criminally responsible, then I can accept that. I won't like it, but that's the law and the rule of the land.

However, I could not accept the fact that they didn't even investigate it. I just -- I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. But I'm just glad that they're taking a look at it and exploring the facts about what happened that day.

KEILAR: What's it like to defend lawmakers day in and day out after we learn about their involvement and their texts? Do you trust them?

DUNN: I -- the thing about being a police officer is it isn't necessarily about -- excuse me. You know, a Capitol Police officer, it isn't about the person. It is about the seat. And that's what's important. You defend that seat. You defend democracy.

And whoever is in that seat, it will change. It's been a different person. It will be a different person. That doesn't matter. That seat is important. So you do your job to defend that seat, and you keep your personal opinion out of it.

KEILAR: Harry, we really appreciate you joining us this morning. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, thank you.

DUNN: Thank -- thank you for having me on. Have a good day.

KEILAR: You, too.

BERMAN: All right. Joining me now, CNN political commentator and host of "Firing Line" on PBS, Margaret Hoover.

Margaret, great to have you here with us. I have to confess, I've been a little surprised by these text messages that were released over the last few days. The amount of stuff that Meadows handed over, the amount of stuff in the hands of the committee. So this week has been not what I expected.

Along those lines, what I truly did not expect was the reaction to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to all of these revelations yesterday. I want to play that for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): I do think we're all watching, as you are, what is unfolding on the House side. And it will be interesting to reveal all the participants who were involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: "It will be interesting to reveal all the participants who were involved"?

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That sounds like as close as you're going to felt to Mitch McConnell saying that he supports the January 6th Committee and giving his imprimatur of approval of what they're doing, as though this had bipartisan support from the beginning.

[06:10:07]

BERMAN: I just want to take another bite at that. Because Mitch McConnell, you and I know, is more than willing to say nothing at any time or dodge any question on earth. But he leans in there. He says, I'm interested to learn something here.

HOOVER: He -- you know, look, on one level it's not too little too late. Because when the minority leader of the United States Senate -- and by the way, he's majority [SIC] by not that many votes -- essentially is affirming the work.

I mean, what he is doing is he is affirming the work of the January 6th Committee. I mean, it wasn't that long ago that he did not support the January 6th Committee. Let's remember that there is a reason it didn't go anywhere in the United States Senate, and that is because of Mitch McConnell.

BERMAN: Yes.

HOOVER: That said, I think it's enormously important that he is -- he is gently saying what they're producing is very important for the country, because it does -- it will help, potentially, if he stays the course, mitigate the uproar on the right that will say this is an invalid committee and this is a partisan action.

BERMAN: I think it -- I think you're right. Look, Mitch McConnell, he voted against conviction for the second impeachment. Mitch McConnell stood in the way of the bipartisan commission to investigate January 6th.

But that same guy is saying right now it's not nothing. I'm watching this. There is stuff coming out. So for any people who say this is nothing, Mitch McConnell doesn't agree.

HOOVER: Even after his wife -- I mean, you say he did all those things to block the -- the ultimate accountability for Trump, even as his wife had resigned from Trump's cabinet because of January 6th. So Mitch McConnell has been on both sides of the argument here.

But I'll take it.

BERMAN: Right.

HOOVER: I'll take it. Because we do -- we do need a reliable accounting from the federal government of what happened on January 6th. And if Mitch McConnell is willing to say this is worthwhile, that helps.

BERMAN: So Mitch McConnell is a little surprised by what's being revealed this week, or is watching it closely. I am.

You know who else may be a little surprised? Is Donald J. Trump. CNN has got reporting that Trump is annoyed with Meadows and feels blind- sided by both his book and the material he's handed over. So Mark Meadows stiffing the committee, but at the same time, writes a

book where he makes all kinds of revelations, and also hands over all kinds of documents. And Trump is surprised.

HOOVER: Trump's surprised. Apparently, Mark Meadows is surprised that Trump was upset by it. I mean, this is -- this is a man who demands ultimate loyalty from everyone. Nobody knows that more than Mark Meadows, who sat by his side throughout January 6th.

And one of the things we don't know is whether Mark Meadows actually took to heart the pleas from the incoming text messages from Donald Trump's son, from Laura Ingraham, from Sean Hannity and actually tried to make the case to Trump, or if he just did nothing at all.

So there's still a lot we need to learn about Mark Meadows. But why would he be so surprised that the -- President Trump is displeased with the information he's shared?

BERMAN: I'm still trying to figure out what Meadows thought was going to happen? I don't see a clear strategy here. What did he think was going to happen when he wrote this stuff in the book? What did he think was going to happen and when he did turn over this stuff to the committee?

HOOVER: Look, what I -- I think in Mark Meadows, what we have seen throughout the course of his service to the president and then the country, is someone who has been kowtowed and cowed by where the power is and by who isn't deeply motivated by principles. So I think we're seeing the same flailing in the wind here.

BERMAN: All right. You see principle -- you say principle here. You bring up the word here, and that brings me to my next question here, which is that the former president, I guess, is doing this -- this paid audience tour with Bill O'Reilly, where they answer questions from the crowd. I guess not sold out, by the way, incidentally.

But was asked about Mike Pence, his former vice president. And this is what Trump had to say about Mike Pence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think -- I think Mike has been very badly hurt by what took place with respect to January 6th. I think he's been -- I think he's been mortally wounded, frankly. Because I see the reaction he's getting from people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Trump says Pence has been mortally wounded by following the Constitution.

HOOVER: After signs to hang Mike Pence were all over the Capitol, saying mortally wounded is -- is not a -- not a coincidence.

But I think is enormously important to just remind ourselves that, for as much as people on the left and on the right even may have been disappointed that Mike Pence went along and supported Donald Trump for so long, the reason we didn't have a constitutional crisis on January 6th was because Mike Pence upheld the precedent of the Electoral Count Act by proceeding forth with the counting of the electoral ballots.

Mike Pence is one of the heroes of January 6th, whether you like it or not. And not only was -- he may have been politically mortally wounded by Donald Trump's base, but he did the right thing by history and by the Constitution of the United States. And we need to reinforce the Electoral County Act so no vice president is ever put in that position again.

BERMAN: Also say that Mike Pence thinks he can get back in Trump's good graces over the next couple of years. I'm not so sure that there's a path.

[06:15:04]

HOOVER: He's one who doesn't seem to be kowtowing and trying, as much as the Mark Meadowses, and the others in the world. He, you know, was just in New Hampshire, as you know. He clearly thinks that there's a future for him. It's just not a future with Trump's base.

BERMAN: Margaret Hoover, great to see you.

HOOVER: Thanks.

BERMAN: Thanks for coming in.

So did Trump mislead his own accountants? That's what a New York grand jury is trying to figure out. What documents now reveal about Trump's loans and wealth.

Plus, JPMorgan tells unvaccinated staff, stay at home. Kroger ending its paid COVID leave for their unvaccinated workers. Why not getting the shot is costing folks even more.

KEILAR: And ahead, a Kentucky candle factory survivor says that he was threatened to be fired if he left before the devastating tornado demolished the building there. How his employer is responding to those claims.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:20:07]

KEILAR: A new CDC warning this morning that COVID is raging across the U.S., and it is possible that a new wave is imminent as soon as January.

This as the country crosses the tragic milestone of 800,000 from the virus. Listen to all of these new developments that we're seeing.

There's Cornell University, which is reporting more than 900 cases among students this week. It's now shutting down all in-person activities through the end of the semester. All finals will be taken online. Then with the NFL, 28 players tested positive for coronavirus on

Tuesday. And the NBA is also seeing a surge in positive tests, resulting in multiple canceled practices and postponed games.

BERMAN: In Manhattan, JPMorgan Chase is now instructing all unvaccinated staff to work from home. The bank is now urging them to get the vaccine and for eligible employees to get booster shots.

Grocery store chain Kroger says paid leave will no longer be available to unvaccinated employees who get the virus. The supermarket also says there will be a $50 monthly surcharge for unvaccinated salaried employees enrolled in the company healthcare plan.

Apple is reinstating a mask mandate for anyone inside its U.S. stores as concerns mount over the spread of the Omicron variant. And both New York and California are reinstating mask mandates in indoor public settings about a month -- for about a month starting this week.

In Europe, the number of cases nearly doubling every few days. In the United Kingdom, lawmakers have approved new restrictions to try to stem the tide.

We have news from our reporters from around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London, where Omicron has become the dominant variant of COVID-19.

Health officials highly concerned about Omicron say the number of cases is doubling every two to three days. That's why Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushed through tougher coronavirus restrictions through Parliament yesterday.

But he faced a big revolt over COVID health certificates. The requirements to show that you're either fully vaccinated or you've taken a recent negative test to enter large public venues, like nightclubs. Nearly 100 Conservative MPs voted against this.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ben Wedeman in Rome, where the government has announced an extension of the state of emergency that went into effect at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic almost two years ago. This at a time when the number of new cases here is rising steadily.

The government also announced that all unvaccinated travelers to Italy, including those from within the European Union, must undergo a five-day quarantine. Italy, like many European countries, is making life ever more uncomfortable for those who hesitate to take the vaccine.

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Eleni Giokos in Athens, where Greece has recorded its highest daily death toll of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, over 130 deaths. And this as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Five Omicron cases were recorded since November 29, but that was

linked to people who traveled into the country. It's not yet certain whether there's community transmission. But there's a clampdown on the unvaccinated, with vaccine mandates coming through for over-60s by mid-January.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: The pandemic is having a particularly devastating effect when it comes to children's mental health, which is just according to the numbers.

The CDC found that last year, emergency department visits for mental health issues increased by nearly 25 percent in children ages 5 to 11; increased more than 30 percent in kids ages 12 to 17.

And then, even more alarming, suspected suicide attempts of girls ages 12 to 17 increased more than 50 percent this year, as compared to the same period last year.

Let's talk now with Dr. Lee Savio Beers. She is the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is a professor of pediatrics and medical director for community health and advocacy at Children's National Hospital. Doctor, just give us an overview here of what kids are going through.

DR. LEE SAVIO BEERS, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: Yes. Well, first of all, thank you so much for bringing this important topic up today.

You know, I think what -- what pediatricians are seeing and also, you know, mental health professionals, teachers across the country, are that -- that children are really struggling. This is something we saw, actually, even before the pandemic that we were concerned about: increased rates of mental health concerns.

And over the past two years it -- it's really just gotten so much -- so much more challenging. Young people are struggling with -- with still some of the after effects of the social isolation from last year. They're struggling from grief and loss. Many have lost caregivers or people who are close to them. Loved ones. The impacts of social media and an increased use of social media has had an impact on our young people.

So really, just across the board, it's been a very, very challenging time and really important to make sure we're taking care of our young people.

[06:25:04]

BERMAN: So Dr. Beers, how do you balance this as the United States could be approaching what is yet a new COVID wave heading into December and January? How do you balance these clear mental health challenges that kids have faced, some of which have come from the reasonable restrictions that are in place but going into yet another wave. Is it possible that this time you back off some of those restrictions

because you've seen the mental health consequences?

BEERS: It's a really important question. Because you know, it is important for children and adolescents to have peer interactions and to be able to participate in their, you know, day-to-day structured activities.

And so I think one important thing is for us to think about when we are thinking about these public health precautions, how do we set them up in a way that prioritizes making sure that our young people get to do the things that they can do, even if it means that adults, we have to back off from some things.

And so I think that's one really important piece, is just really -- really prioritizing making sure our young people get to do the things they need to do.

I also think there's other things we can do for our kids and just really making sure that we're working to increase access to mental health services, making sure that we're working to increase access to, you know, adults who can help support them in school settings or in pediatricians' offices so that, if kids are struggling, we can get them the help they need.

KEILAR: What -- if you can speak a little bit more about access. Because what needs to be done there? You obviously cannot have a parent who's actually tuned in with what their kid is going through, calling up and being told, not just, OK, hey, we can't fit you in for three weeks, but we're not going to be able to fit you in for months and months?

BEERS: Yes, this is very difficult. And again, this is something that -- you know, that was a challenge and a real problem, even before the pandemic began. It was difficult to access mental health services. And that has gotten worse over time.

And so I think a couple of things here. One of the things is we just really encourage parents, if their -- if their kids are struggling, or if they just have questions, something they want to talk through, to reach out to their pediatrician, to reach out to someone trusted at their school, a mental health provider they may know to talk it through.

You know, we're all -- we're all in this together. We're all really, you know, approaching this challenging situation together. But we can all -- we can help you, and we can talk things through with you. We can help connect you to services in the community. Even if it takes longer than we want, we can help make sure that we're providing that support until we're able to do -- to get there.

KEILAR: All right. Dr. Lee Savio Beers, thank you so much for being with us this morning on such an important topic.

BEERS: Thank you so much. Appreciate you having us. KEILAR: Today President Biden will be visiting Kentucky to survey the

damage caused by those devastating tornados as the search-and-recovery efforts there continue.

BERMAN: The former NFL player who shot six people and killed himself suffered from an unusually severe disease. What the autopsy is now revealing.

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