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New Day

Trump Suggests New Insurrection if He's Ever Charged; Trump Floats Pardons for Insurrectionists if He Wins in 2024; COVID Cases Increase Within Beijing Olympics Bubble. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired January 31, 2022 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:02]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEW DAY: What say you, John Berman?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEW DAY: I say I don't know why we need to bring baby dogs anatomy into this. I feel like that's a step too far and I feel like baby dog has been violated at this whole process and I'm not comfortable with that.

KEILAR: Yes, don't. I mean, the dog might not have been harmed but humiliated perhaps. I don't know. I would say I didn't like that she went after West Virginians. She's a comedian and an artist. I don't really think that's a very creative joke she made. And then Jim Justice is actually someone who has been pretty good when it comes to COVID. And telling his folks there in West Virginia what they need to do to stay healthy, it seems unnecessary, especially for the dog.

Cute dog, though, right?

BERMAN: very cute dog, especially, well, from all angles. New Day continues right now.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world, it is Monday, January 31st. That went by fast. I'm John Berman with Brianna Keilar.

Prosecutors in Georgia are asking the FBI for protection this morning because of things that Donald Trump said. Speaking to supporters in Texas, Trump essentially called for people to take to the streets if charges are filed in the multiple investigations against him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: If these radical, vicious, racist prosecutors do anything wrong or illegal, I hope we are going to have in this country the biggest protest we have ever had in Washington, D.C., in New York, in Atlanta and elsewhere because our country and our elections are corrupt. They're corrupt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: As a result of that statement overnight, the Fulton County district attorney, one of the prosecutors, referred to by Trump there who was investigating his efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia, asked the FBI to provide security for buildings and staff.

Trump also put out a statement overnight that more or less admitted that he did want Pence to just overturn the election. And then moments ago, Republican Liz Cheney, who, of course, is on the January 6th, she's the co-chair, she responded, quote, Trump uses language he knows caused the January 6th violence, suggests he'd pardon the January 6th defendants, some of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy, threatens prosecutors and admits he was attempting to overturn the election. He would do it all again if given the chance.

BERMAN: Right. Joining me now, Early Start Anchor and Attorney at Law Laura Jarrett.

Laura, the former president opened up a whole new can of worms overnight.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. It's an extraordinary moment we found ourselves in. A local prosecutor now so worried about the safety of her staff because of something the former president of the United States said, that she is now calling on the FBI for help. In this new letter we obtained last night, she says to the Atlanta Field Office this, quote, I'm asking that you immediately conduct a risk assessment of the Fulton County Courthouse and Government Center and that you provide protective resources to include intelligence and federal agents.

She also reveals in this letter that she has actually received what she communications from people unhappy with her investigations, as we know that the special grand jury there in Georgia is set to be seated on May 2nd as they investigate Trump's efforts to subvert the election there in Georgia.

Also noteworthy here, John, she is drawing a direct link between what happened January 6th to today, essentially saying, Trump stoked the crowd then. He could do it again here. His words have consequences. The big question, of course, is what does the FBI do with this letter? If it was just some troll in their basement, you can expect a knock on your door from the FBI pretty soon, I think it's fair to expect. With this, do they sit down with the president of the United States and interrogate him?

BERMAN: We're going to talk much more about this coming up. Other news overnight, Laura, I want your take on, which is that two of the men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery reached a plea deal, or we're learning about this plea deal in the federal hate crimes charges against them.

JARRETT: Yes. So, this is an important development here and would potentially close the chapter on the federal piece of this case. As you mentioned, this father/son duo, Gregory and Travis McMichael, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the state case there in Georgia for their role in the killing of 25-year-old jogger Ahmaud Arbery. We now know, according to court filings, it appears that they are likely to have pled guilty and have reached plea agreements in the federal hate crimes case. Now, this does not include the third person, William Roddie Bryan, who's the person who actually filmed the killing. We don't know what will happen to him. They are not included. He is not included in these court filings. But interestingly here, the Ahmaud Arbery family does not appear to be on board. A lawyer for the mother of Ahmaud Arbery says this, calling it a backroom deal and it represents a betrayal to the Arbery family who is devastated. They are all set to appear e in court at 10:00 A.M. So, we'll see happens.

BERMAN: All right. We'll be watching that very closely. Laura Jarrett, thanks so much.

JARRETT: Sure.

KEILAR: Back now to one of Donald Trump's most dangerous rallies yet, Trump also suggested he might pardon the Capitol rioters.

[07:05:07]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from January 6th fairly. We will treat them fairly. And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So, who are these folks that Trump believes are being treated so unfairly and what are they accused of doing? Well, so far, federal prosecutors charged more than 700 people in more than 45 states with participating in the insurrection, with new arrests happening all the time.

Here's just a taste of the charges that they are facing, seditious conspiracy, assaulting, resisting or impeding officers using a deadly weapon, inflicting bodily injury, physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, violent entry and disorderly conduct, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds resulting in significant bodily harm, illegal possession of a firearm on Capitol grounds, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy prevent an officer from discharging any duties and obstructing, impeding and interfering with a law enforcement officer.

BERMAN: Joining me now, Tasha Adams. She is the estranged wife of Stewart Rhodes. He is one of the alleged rioters who is facing sedition charges among other charges. In 2009, she helped Rhodes found the Oath Keepers before it became sort of the group that it is today. Tasha, thank you so much for being with us this morning.

Now, to be clear, our estranged husband hasn't been convicted yet. But when you hear the former president, Donald Trump, dangle the notion of pardons for, I presume, your estranged husband and the other Capitol rioters, what's your reaction?

TASHA ADAMS, EX-WIFE OF STEWART RHODES, HELPED HIM START OATH KEEPERS: Absolute terror. It's already been a huge roller coaster of a couple of weeks since he's been arrested with the threat of maybe not getting bail or maybe getting bail. And it's just been back and forth so much. But it's not just terror for me. It's terror for a lot of these families, because as a lot of people know, there is a huge correlation between violence in the home and willingness to commit violence in the streets.

And a lot of the families took the opportunity of this sort of sanctuary when their family members were arrested to apply for protective orders and restraining orders. Some of the families themselves turned in their family member because they were being abused at home. And now, having done that, all of us have sort of, you know, we have gone for broke. And a lot of us are, I think, realistically facing a potential death sentence if these guys get out.

BERMAN: So, absolute terror, fear for your own safety. What concerns do you have for the safety perhaps of the nation?

ADAMS: Oh, I think it's mortifying. It's absolutely mortifying. And I think Donald Trump is -- he's trying to weaponize his supporters. And I think he is afraid. I don't know Donald Trump personally, obviously, but I lived under the Stewart Rhodes regime for a long time, so I certainly know the patterns and the behaviors of a grandiose narcissist who has a bit of messiah complex. So, I recognize an underlying threat immediately when I hear one. And the threat is that he's afraid he's going to be indicted, and he wants to weaponize his supporters. And it's an absolute threat.

BERMAN: So, help us understand, because, obviously, you know many of these people involved really well, and you how they think. So, when they hear Donald Trump say, yes, I might pardon you, what do they hear?

ADAMS: They hear it's their chance. I mean, they're afraid. He is speaking directly to the people who are afraid of being arrested now, I think. He's giving them an out. And now, if they see this as their out, they see this as their -- if they're -- you know, give their support to their president, they might get away with something. They might get away with not being arrested. Or if they are later arrested, they may be pardoned.

BERMAN: So, you think it may influence present and future behavior?

ADAMS: I think so. I think so, for sure. I think it's just going to stir up more violence. You know, the optimist in me hopes that the most likely people to commit violence are already, already in jail or already being supervised, I hope. But I think there are many more where they came from.

[07:10:00]

BERMAN: Well, along those lines, in addition to the pardon dangle that happened, the former president also called for, what, the biggest protest ever, if charges are filed against him in these various investigations, the biggest protest ever. So, once again, tell us what these people hear when he says that. ADAMS: I mean, they hear civil war. To them, this is the civil war they've been waiting for. A lot of these guys live for this. They have been waiting for this. They spent their lives preparing for it. They look forward to it. There's an air of disappointment when it doesn't turn violent with these guys, I think, a lot of them.

BERMAN: Tasha, I have to say you're not mincing words here. Why shouldn't people be really scared with what you're saying?

ADAMS: They should be afraid. They should be. I don't know the folks that were around Stewart Rhodes when he did these things on January 6th. I didn't know them personal lip because he burns through people so quickly. I had been separated for three years at that point. So, I didn't recognize them but I know the type. And their personality patterns are very similar. And i have seen it over and over again over the years. These guys want a civil war.

BERMAN: One more thing I hope you can help us understand, which is that the former defeated president, Donald Trump, in this statement where he called for the biggest protest ever, made a point of calling the prosecutors here racists.

Now, the prosecutors involved here in New York and Georgia, they're African-American. So, what message is Trump trying to send here?

ADAMS: Projection. No, but it's -- it's a common tactic on the right. They feel like they're being, you know, persecuted, that it is racist to -- you know, it's racist to them because they are marginalized because they're white males. It's a really common threat in that sort of culture where they view themselves as non-racists while at the same time basically only viewing America as, you know, white faces and baseball games. Yes.

BERMAN: Tasha, to what extent do you think the former president knows what he's doing here when he gives a speech like this? To what extent do you think this is some kind of a strategy?

ADAMS: Yes. I definitely believe it's intentional. He realizes that his supporters are easily manipulated. And he can use fear to control them. And he can -- I think he's -- just knowing the personality patterns from, again, living with Stewart Rhodes, I know the tendency to want to manipulate and snap fingers and say, you know, your fate is in my hands. I can set you free if you do this thing for me. And I think that's what he's doing.

BERMAN: Tasha Adams, I appreciate you being with us this morning. What you say is chilling, frankly. Please be well and stay safe.

ADAMS: Thank you very much.

KEILAR: That was so fascinating.

BERMAN: Well, you know, what she does there is provide something of a guidebook for how what Trump is saying is being heard and being heard by people who have committed acts of violence against the United States. This is no abstraction at all. This is not some hypothetical here. We have seen what has happened and she fears very much for what will happen.

KEILAR: Look, she said that Trump is trying to weaponize his supporters, something that I thought was really interesting to learn from her. She talks about what folks are hearing, followers, Oath Keepers, people who have previously associated themselves with Stewart Rhodes, they hear civil war. And then she also told you that they're disappointed if things don't turn violent. That's their expectation.

BERMAN: Yes. Look, I hope people listen to what she is saying here before they just brush off statements that happened at a rally that may not have been televised far and wide. But the people who heard that rally are the ones to be afraid of.

KEILAR: Yes, it was a great interview.

A tragic loss this morning after a former Miss USA jumps to her death from a Manhattan high-rise building. Cheslie Kryst, who was named Miss USA not too long ago, in 2019, was just 30 years old.

CNN's Jean Casarez is joining us now.

[07:15:00]

Just 30 and with so much promise and already so many accomplishments that she could tout, Jean.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And the New York Police Department is saying -- she's 30 years old -- that she actually jumped from a building yesterday morning right here in New York City, so highly educated. She got her undergraduate degree at the University of South Carolina in business.

Then she went on to Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and not only got a master's degree in business administration but she got her law degree. And, of course, she was Miss USA in 2019. She was actually practicing civil litigation at this point. But not only that, she would counsel and help prisoners who believed that they had been unjustly sentenced to excessive terms. And she was helping them with all of that.

Now, she actually did a social media post yesterday morning, and we want to show that to you. This was her final post, NYPD is saying. May this day bring you rest and peace. So, who was she talking to? We don't know. We may never know. But that was her final post.

Now, the Kryst family is releasing a statement, her family. And they say, quote, in devastation and great sorrow, we share the passing of our great Cheslie. Her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength. She cared, she loved, and she loved and she shined.

And, Brianna and John, the last thing, and they said that this was actually early yesterday morning, she posted an Insta Story and she congratulated Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.

So, it's very tragic, very non-explainable at this point, but there was so much going on. She was a correspondent for Extra.

KEILAR: Yes, I mean, so much, so many accomplishments, such a bright light. You can hear it from her family, and, obviously, someone in a lot of pain. Jean, thank you so much for that report.

And, look, we just want to be very clear, as we know people are looking at that story. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800- 273-8255.

Breaking news this morning, Vice President Kamala Harris, when she was vice president-elect, alarmingly close to the pipe bomb that was discovered at the DNC last January days before she was sworn in and exposed for a dangerously long period of time.

Plus, what you need to know about a highly contagious new coronavirus subvariant being monitored by health officials.

BERMAN: And just days before the Olympics begin, some possible cracks in China's COVID zero zone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BERMAN: This morning, health officials are downplaying concerns surrounding a new omicron variant. They say, while BA.2 appears to be somewhat contagious than the original omicron strain, it appears to be quite mild.

CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen live now with more on this. People are starting to hear about it, Elizabeth. What do they need to know?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: John, I think when you first hear about this, you think, oh, my goodness, a subvariant of a variant. When is this going to end? I think we should be very clear about this. This is very, very similar to the original omicron.

Let's take a look at some data that we're learning from U.K. scientists. So, what the U.K. scientists have found is that when you look at the omicron, original, the one we first heard about in November, and you look at people in households and how transmissible it is, there's a 10.3 percent household transmission rate. For this new subvariant, they're saying, there is a 13.4 percent household transmission rate, so slightly higher but really not all that much.

This new subvariant, from what we know at this point, appears just as mild as the original omicron that we have been talking about two months now and the vaccine has similar efficacy. So, the variants of the subvariants, John, that we really worry about are those where the transmission rate is way, way higher or where the disease is much more serious or where the vaccine isn't working as well. This one seems very, very similar to original omicron. So, we all need to do the same things we've been doing. First of all, get vaccinated, get boosted, wear masks indoors, all the steps we have been taking, continue to do it with this subvariant John, Brianna?

BERMAN: Keep going, stand down on panic if you're inclined for that. Elizabeth Cohen thank you very much.

COHEN: Right.

KEILAR: We're four days away now from the Beijing Olympics, but the steady increase of COVID cases could mar the opening ceremonies this Friday. China is reporting at least 37 new cases inside the Olympic bubble on Sunday, and that brings the tally to 176 people who have tested positive so far.

CNN's Selina Wang is live in Beijing. All right, that number seems small, but this is a relatively small community of people. And, of course, the question is what else do we not see when it comes to cases.

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna. Well, 51 of those cases, positive COVID cases, involved athletes or team officials. That's out of the thousands of Olympic arrivals so far. But we will see more Olympic dreams dashed because of positive cases. And for these games, Brianna, just getting into China is so hard, that merely stepping inside this bubble is a victory in and of itself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WANG (voice over): My team and I are traveling to Beijing for the Winter Olympic Games held under some of the strictest countermeasures in the world. Our journey starts weeks before.

I'm here in Tokyo. It's 14 days before the games but I've already got to download this Olympic health app, start tracking my health in here every day, and upload my vaccine certificate.

[07:25:07]

I'm getting some deja vu using this app since we had to use a similar one for the Tokyo Games.

But this time I'm using a burner phone because of cybersecurity concerns in China.

For the next two weeks, I'm limiting physical interactions with others as much as possible.

96 hours before departure, here I go in for my first test.

Back home, I upload my information to get this green Q.R. code.

Here we go. We're taking off.

Just landed in Beijing. It's totally surreal. I haven't been back here since I moved about a year-and-a-half ago.

First thing I saw walking off the airplane is a sea of hazmat suits. It feels a bit more like going into a medical facility than the Olympic buzz you'd expect getting off the airplane.

That was extremely painful. I just had a nose and a throat PCR test. I was tearing up a bit.

I clear customs, immigration and get my Olympic badge without seeing a single face. I'm officially in what organizers are calling the closed loop, multiple bubbles by dedicated transport. The goal, to keep Olympic participants separate from the rest of China.

I'm finally on my way to the hotel on this special bus that's just for transporting for Olympic participants.

Arrived at the hotel, they've got this giant wall all around the hotel, so you can't just walk in and out easily.

The local staff here are also part of this bubble. They'll have to quarantine for 21 days before leaving the bubble and returning to their homes in China. Beijing isn't taking any chances. Entire communities in China have gone into lockdown over even just one COVID case.

I've been waiting six hours, just got the call, my result came back negative. I am so relieved but it's not over yet. I will be tested daily and will be mostly confined this to room and Olympic venues during my entire stay here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WANG (on camera): Brianna, right now, I'm outside the media center. Way back behind me is the Olympic bird's nest. You can see that fence behind me over there. Beyond that fence is outside of the closed bubble. So, if I would just step out from where I am now to the other side of the fence, I would be detained and escorted back inside the closed loop. The pandemic means that Chinese authorities can carefully manage and control the entire Olympics and the journalists covering them. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right. Selina, thank you for that report from Beijing.

Boris Johnson has been waiting for a government report that could all but end his time as prime minister. We just found out that his office just received an update from that investigation. So, when are we going to learn about Johnson and his fate?

BERMAN: North Korea carrying out its boldest ballistic missile test in years, what the new pictures show and how the State Department is responding this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:00]