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Source: Indications of Contact Between Members of Congress and Rioters in Days Around January 6; Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is Interviewed about January 6 Insurrection and COVID Relief Bill; GOP Delay Tactics Under Way as Marathon Push to Pass COVID Relief Begins in Senate with Clock Ticking; U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 519,000 With 28.8M Cases As 15 States Without Mask Mandates Amid Variant Threats; Daily Average Of Administered Vaccine Doses Surpasses 2 Million; Gov. Cuomo Accuser Speaks Out In First TV Interview; What's Behind QAnon Theory Trump Would Return To Power Today. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired March 04, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room.

We're following breaking news. CNN has just learned that federal investigators are now looking at records of communications between U.S. members of Congress and the pro Trump mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6. That, according to a U.S. official briefed on the matter.

Meanwhile, the Capitol is still on high alert this hour after a warning of a possible attack flop linked to QAnon conspiracy theorists that former President Trump would inexplicably returned to the presidency today.

And there's more breaking news, a marathon push to pass the COVID relief bill has now begun in the U.S. Senate where Republicans are using delay tactics, including a move that requires the massive 600 page legislation be read aloud, a process expected to take perhaps 10 hours.

First, let's get to the breaking news. CNN Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez is working the story for us.

Evan, you've done some major reporting that some members of Congress to help the rioters in their attack on the Capitol.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, that is one of the things that investigators are trying to figure out. This is -- what they have now is devices that have been seized from some of the suspected rioters, the accused rioters, the insurrectionists. And there are indications that some of them were in touch with members of Congress in the days around January 6.

Now, what would they have is a communications between some of the rioters themselves talking about being in touch with members of Congress, as well as some of those communications or some of the data that indicates that they were in touch. Now, we don't know what those communications are, what was said, whether the members of Congress were in any way involved in the plotting or encouragement of the riot. But what we know is that this is something obviously, it's very interesting to investigators, and they're going to have to try to figure this out.

At this point, there's no indication that any members of Congress are actually under investigation. For that to happen, investigators would have to have some kind of probable cause, they'd have to be able to get a warrant to look at some of the content of the communications to try to figure that out, Wolf.

BLITZER: Is this a new phase in the entire investigation? It's now two months?

PEREZ: Yes, it is. And this is, frankly, one of the things that Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. Attorney in Washington outlined for us, just you know, over a month ago, in describing the phases of this investigation. There were more than 300 people have now been arrested, or rather charged with crimes related to January 6.

And one of the things they told us that they were going to do was, they're going to move to a more complicated, more delicate part of the investigation, which is to try to look at funding, to look at any coordination, to look at, frankly, any political figures and even President Trump and the people who spoke at the rally that preceded the insurrection, whether any of them have any criminal liability with regard to the incitement.

Again, this is a sprawling investigation, Wolf. You know this is going to take months for investigators to figure out. But right now, certainly the question of whether members of Congress in any of their communications, whether they crossed the line is going to be something the FBI and prosecutors are going to have to figure out.

BLITZER: Because I know that there was some suspicion that some of these rioters had been to Congress in the days leading up to the January 6 insurrection, actually getting tours of the complex, is that right?

PEREZ: Right. Exactly. And members -- Democratic members of Congress have made those accusations and the FBI has the video, surveillance video from the U.S. Capitol that shows what that could be.

Again, none of that has been established. We don't know of any public -- anything that -- any public information that indicates that actually occurred.

We also know, Wolf, that some of the communications that investigators have, you have some of these riders claiming that they acted as security for some of the lawmakers who attended rallies either the day before or the day of the insurrection.

Again, all of that is frankly, just smoke as one official talk to -- who I talked to said. This is something that they have to delve in deeper to figure out. BLITZER: All right. Very significant reporting, Evan. Thank you very much.

Let's go up to Capitol Hill right now. Our Senior National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt is joining us.

Alex, I know there's a lot of concern of a possible attack. It's been very high today that concern. What's going on right now, especially since the House of Representatives decided they were not going to be in session?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. These security forces on high alert today because there had been intelligence this week indicating a chatter of a possible attack against the Capitol today on March 4.

[17:05:09]

This massive security presence has been out here since after the insurrection on January 6, and they remained because the threat remains. This is the fencing that we've been showing you, eight foot high with razor wire on top. Behind that you have the National Guard that is on high alert, they are armed, many of them have rifles. I was just speaking to some of these gentlemen. They're from Michigan.

Then over here, Wolf. You can see these two armored trucks that are blocking the way. This is Constitution Avenue on the western side of the Capitol.

Now March 4, Wolf, was also the day that QAnon conspiracy theorists believe that President Trump would reemerge and get sworn back in. Of course, that has not happened.

But a major indication that this threat remains is that today we learned about a request that would keep the National Guard here for another two months.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Just shy of two months since the insurrection, Capitol is still a fortress and on high alert. Fears of attacks renewed today fueled by a QAnon conspiracy theory that on March 4, former President Donald Trump would reemerge and be sworn in again as president. Of course, that didn't happen, thankfully, nor did any violence. But the concern was enough to shut down activity in the House of Representatives.

REP. TIM RYAN (D-OH): It was that serious and then enough to cancel votes. So, I think there's some intelligence out there that said this could potentially be real. And look, I mean, this is going to be the new reality here for a little while.

MARQUARDT: Capitol Police said this week they "Obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group." And that "Significant security upgrades" were made. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security warned of growing chatter among extremists, including the Three Percenters who support Trump and whose members federal prosecutors say we're at the Capitol on January 6.

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): I think President Trump has a responsibility to tell him to stand down. This threat is credible, and it's real.

MARQUARDT: Instead, today Trump did the opposite, declaring in a statement that the Georgia election was rigged. Repeating a patently false assertion that likely helped fuel the insurrection.

Today, Capitol Police asked that the National Guard extend their duty at the Capitol by two months, it was supposed to end next week. The request comes as the former General Russel Honore, who was put in charge of the security review following the insurrection recommended adding 1,000 officers to the Capitol's force, as well as installing retractable fencing around the complex.

The draft recommendations include adding officers in regional offices to protect lawmakers in their home districts. The added cost, estimated to be around $100 million.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): We have to have what we need when we need it and in the numbers of that we need.

MARQUARDT: The fallout from January 6 is far from over. Around 300 people have been arrested and charged, including the so called Qanon shaman, Jacob Chansley, who broke into the Senate chamber and left a note for Mike Pence. He spoke with CBS.

JACOB CHANSLEY, ALLEGED INSURRECTIONIST: I remember entering that building with every fiber of my being.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you don't regret the loyalty to Donald Trump?

CHANSLEY: No.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

BLITZER: Alex, I want you to stand by. I also want to bring in our Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash, our former FBI Director, Andrew McCabe, he's our Senior Law Enforcement Analyst. He's also the author of the book, "The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump."

Andrew, let me get your reaction, first of all, to the disturbing reporting. We heard from Evan Perez, right at the top of the hour that federal investigators have some data showing contact between various lawmakers and the rioters around the January 6 attacks. So what kind of questions does that raise?

ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: So, Wolf, this is classic FBI enterprise investigation technique. So, what you saw on the first rounds of arrests, several 100 people being arrested for mere presence in the Capitol. That's a very logical place to start.

But as they get deeper and deeper into that crowd of rioters, what the FBI is looking for is evidence of association between rioters. So, they're looking at phone records. They're looking at the text records on rioters' cell phones and smartphones to see which folks may have been working with each other and planning.

And it sounds like during the course of that work, they came across indicators of contact between some of the rioters and some members of Congress. That's going to likely be phone contacts or potentially even text messages. And also contact between rioters talking about referring to members of Congress. So, this is very concerning.

The one thing we can be sure of is the FBI is not going to let this go. You heard Chris Wray pledge that in front of Congress just a few days ago.

BLITZER: We certainly did, the FBI Director.

[17:10:03]

You know Dana, we don't know if any members of Congress wittingly or unwittingly actually helped the mob, but at least politically there, there's been some alignment with the conspiracy theories that led to this attack, right?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And they continue to have alignment. I mean, you heard some -- Louie Gohmert, for example, still spreading the big lie. The former president of the United States, still, instead of heeding the call from one of the top Republicans in the House on Homeland Security and National Security, Michael McCaul, to our colleague Jake Tapper saying, please, former President Trump go out there and say, this day March 4 is not a day that I will be inaugurated. Please, you know, understand that you shouldn't even think about any kind of attack as law enforcement were warning about today.

Instead, he put out a statement, you know, angry at the "Wall Street Journal," because they wrote something about Georgia and the election results and blaming the former president for the two losses for the Republicans there is and double down on the big lie as part of that.

So yes, I mean, there is a, you know, there's -- you don't necessarily have to have the text messages that Andy was talking about, or the phone calls to understand that there is real communication in the eyes of so many of these insurrectionists.

BLITZER: Yes. And Danna, you're absolutely right in that statement, that Trump put out today of all days when they're so, so, so much heightened concern about a possible additional attack on the Capitol. He's once again speaking about a, "rigged election." He's reigniting that fear to his supporters out there. It's very, very dangerous.

Alex, you're there on the scene. I was driving around the U.S. Capitol Complex earlier in the day. And clearly, not only the police, but the military, they're out on forest, they're heavily armed. They've got protection, as you pointed out, they got those huge trucks to prevent any vehicles from trying to get through those fences. And what, there are still about 5000 National Guard troops on the scene?

MARQUARDT: Yes, Wolf, the National Guard presence had been extended until the middle of March, until March 12 because of the fears about today. And as we were just talking about, we have had this massive military and police presence out here since -- for four weeks now, since after that insurrection when the supporters of the president marched from the stage where they had heard him speak all the way down here to the Capitol. And then we had the horrific events of January 6.

And then -- and now we have -- we are starting to hear, as we were talking about in the piece, about what the very well respected General Russel Honore is recommending in terms of a more permanent solution, because they understand that this threat, to some extent, is going to be permanent. So, the key pillars of his recommendations that are still just proposals is that huge increase in police officers, as well as a retractable fence that would replace this fencing that has been out here for all these weeks.

And then perhaps most importantly, Wolf, a quick reaction force that is made up of military police, that the Capitol Police would able to deploy quickly as an immediately, in fact, as threats arise. Wolf.

BLITZER: You know, Andrew, I remember and I covered it after the Oklahoma City bombing, there were major changes on security around the White House and elsewhere in Washington. After 9/11 there were additional major changes, all of them remain in effect to this day. Are you sensing as I am there going to be major changes around Capitol Hill, not just for the next few weeks or months, but permanent changes?

MCCABE: Absolutely, Wolf, there will be. You know, it's very, very hard to be the person in charge who makes the decision to take the security measures away. And it's almost impossible for me to imagine that they'll do that around the Capitol at least until some of the permanent measures that have been proposed by General Honore have been put in place. And we all know that that could take a while to go through the financial contracting process and to bring in the equipment and the people that he is called for. So, I think we're probably looking at these temporary fences and razor wire for quite some time.

BLITZER: I think you're absolutely right.

All right guys, everybody standby. There's more breaking news we're following right now. The Senate has just opened debate on the COVID relief bill that President Biden has been working on to try to get through Congress. Let's go to our Senior White House Correspondent Phil Mattingly.

Phil, right now Senate Republicans they're working to try to delay, delay, delay the process, right?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no question about it, Wolf. Senate Democrats getting their first victory and the vote to proceed to consider this bill. But before they can even start debate or the amendment process, first, Republican Senator Ron Johnson wants them to read the entire bill, something that will likely take 10 hours as Democrats try and stick together to get President Biden's cornerstone legislative proposal across the finish line.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

[17:15:15]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Comfortable with having to limit the direct payments?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Tonight, President Biden trying to close the deal.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Hundreds of 1000s of Americans are continuing to struggle in this economy. We can't get numb to what this represents.

MATTINGLY: With the Senate and during the endgame on his cornerstone $1.9 trillion COVID relief package,

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Vice President votes in the affirmative, and the motion to proceed is agreed to

MATTINGLY: Biden attempting to thread the intra party needle, tightening eligibility for stimulus checks in a nod to his party's moderates, and attempting to mollify House progressives on Wednesday night.

BIDEN: I know, parts of this and everything else we seek to do are not easy. But people are going to remember how we showed up in this moment, how we listen to them, to them, especially to them, and how we took action.

MATTINGLY: And today.

(On camera): What exactly is the President asked moderates to compromise on in this process up to this point?

PSAKI: You know, the President has been clear that he is unmovable on the size of the package, $1.9 trillion. And as you know, from covering the Hill, that is not -- that was a size that some expressed concern about. He has been unmovable about his view that Americans who need help the most should get $1400 checks.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): All is the pain of the pandemic is still hitting the U.S. economy. Another 745,000 Americans filing for first time unemployment benefits last week according to the Labor Department and the U.S. still down more than 10 million jobs from this time one year ago.

The administration also facing more hurdles to the confirmation of Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland, with GOP Senator Tom Cotton pledging to block any move to quickly vote to confirm Biden's pick.

Garland on track for confirmation far later than most of his predecessors. Also now on track for confirmation, Deb Haaland, Biden's nominee for Interior Secretary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On this vote, the ayes are 11 and the nays are nine.

MATTINGLY: Holland who has faced fierce GOP opposition receiving bipartisan support with a yes vote in committee from crucial Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski clearing the way for the first Native American cabinet secretary in U.S. history.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

MATTINGLY: Wolf, I just checked in on the Senate floor, you can see right now, Senate clerks are about just shy of 100 pages into reading the 628 page bill. Going to take a number of hours to go knock changing the timeline, though. Democrats believe they can pass it through the Senate by the end of the weekend, all trying to meet President Biden's deadline of March 14, that's when crucial unemployment benefits expire, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, we'll see what happens. Phil Mattingly, thank you very much.

Coming up, as the daily vaccination rate hits a new high, more states are moving to lift mask mandates despite urgent warnings from top health officials.

Plus, new potential legal trouble for former President Trump details of a grand jury investigation into his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:22:02]

BLITZER: Our breaking news, the U.S. official briefed on the matter tell CNN that federal investigators are now looking at records of communications between members of Congress and the -- and members of the pro Trump mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

We're joined now by the Senate number two Democrat, the Majority Whip, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. He's also the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Senator, thanks so much for joining us. How concerned are you to hear that this investigation into potential contacts between lawmakers members of the pro Trump mob around the siege that investigations are pursuing this?

SEN. DICK DURBIN, (D-IL) MAJORITY WHIP: Wolf any member of Congress or congressional staff in any way aided and abetted these acts of violence, vandalism, murder and mayhem, they should be held responsible under the law, period. BLITZER: Have you heard about this before? Or is this new to you that they're looking at any contacts, whether by phone or text or whatever, between members of Congress. We're talking about members of the U.S. Congress and members of this mob.

DURBIN: Nothing specific. But of course, when the FBI Director Christopher Wray appeared before our Judiciary Committee, a couple days ago, he was asked about some of the techniques and some of the mechanisms that may be used, geo locating, phone data and such. And he spoke to that issue and said, of course, the FBI has used those means before, they are legal if the law is followed, and he said it would be.

BLITZER: Because there had been some concern, as you know, that maybe some of these members of the mob had gotten tours of the U.S. Capitol in the days leading up to the January 6 insurrection. Had you heard that?

DURBIN: Yes, I have. But it's only speculation as to whether or not that has a connection with the actual insurrection effort that was made on this Capitol Building.

But I want to make it clear the fact that you are a member of Congress should not absolve you from responsibility, criminal responsibility, when it comes to violence and vandalism, whatever your politics may be.

BLITZER: And I assume you believe that also goes for the staff members as well.

DURBIN: Yes, I do. I think they have the same responsibility.

BLITZER: They certainly do.

All right, let's talk about the top priority right now in the Senate, President Biden's COVID relief bill. Republican Senator Ron Johnson has forced the bill to be read aloud by the Senate clerk. It's happening right now. It could go on for hours and hours.

In fact, listen to this. I want to play a brief 10 second chunk, this is live.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Section 515D of such act 42 USC 290 BB-21D notwithstanding section 1952, the Public Health Service Act 42 USC 300X-62, any amount of words to a state --

BLITZER: We get the point, you can see what's going on right now. What do you make of these delay tactics? This could go on some have suggested it's a 600 page document for maybe 10 hours.

[17:25:00]

DURBIN: It's a waste of time, which is allowed under the Senate rules. Members rarely bring it up. Senator Johnson has said he's going to do everything he can to delay this bill. Just for the record, when there was a bill for COVID relief under the Trump administration negotiated by his Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and the congressional leaders, every Democrat voted for twice the major bill in March and again in December, at this moment, at this moment, we don't have a single Republican senator willing support President Joe Biden's efforts to put an end to this pandemic.

BLITZER: Yes, Senator Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska is thinking about if she hasn't made a commitment either way, at least not yet. We'll see what she does.

How confident, Senator, should the American people be, though, that this bill will pass before the unemployment benefits run out for so many Americans on March 14?

DURBIN: There's so much at stake in this bill, the vaccine, the distribution of it, the administering of the vaccination shots, the cash payments to families that will help them through this, the unemployment, as you mentioned, which is about to expire.

Listen, it's an important bill for all of America. And it should be a bipartisan bill. I hope ultimately, it will be. But in terms of whether or not we can hold it with 50 members, Democratic members staying loyal to the very end and the Vice President coming in to break the tie, that still remains to be seen.

BLITZER: Well, you don't think you can get all 58 Democrats on board? Is that what I'm hearing?

DURBIN: I never assume a thing as a whip. You don't assume anything until the roll call is made.

BLITZER: But are you having some doubts right now? I'm just -- because I assumed all 50 Democrats would be in favor.

DURBIN: Well, I assume they would be, but I can tell you there are active discussions underway. We shouldn't assume the ultimate outcome until it happens.

BLITZER: Yes. Which is smart, I'm sure.

All right. Well, Senator Durbin, thank you so much for joining us. Good luck.

DURBIN: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Coming up, the Texas Governor response to President Biden saying that lifting mask mandates now is quote -- Biden said it's "Neanderthal thinking."

Plus, former President Trump renewing baseless claims of a so-called rigged election on this day even as one state seats a grand jury to look at his attempts to overturn the results.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:31:37]

BLITZER: Tonight, the U.S. coronavirus death toll is now top 519,000 people and the country is facing more than 28.8 million confirmed cases. Health experts are fearing another deadly surge as more states are actually moving to lift restrictions, including the critically important mask mandates. CNN's Lucy Kafanov has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. KAY IVEY (R-AL): Let me be abundantly clear. After April the 9th, I will not keep the mask or in effect.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the pandemic continues to ravage America, more states are ignoring the advice of health experts by rolling back COVID-19 safety measures.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It really is quite risky to completely remove all of the public health measures and just act like there's no virus in the community when we know it is at an unacceptably high level. I thought and I said that yesterday and I'll say it again, I think that's ill advised.

KAFANOV (voice-over): Alabama announcing it will lift its statewide mass mandate after April 9th. Mississippi scrapping its mandate this week.

GOV. TATE REEVES (R-MS): The numbers no longer justify government action and executive orders. Mississippians can make their own decisions.

SHANNA PEGUES, FOUNDER, MOMMY GYRL CUSTOM CREATIONS: I really do think that we are as a state being too lacks, too quickly. I pray that I'm wrong.

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): Exactly when would be the right time? Would it be when everybody gets a vaccine? Will it be when COVID is completely over? And the answer to those of course is no.

KAFANOV (voice-over): Well, actually health experts, the doctors who follow the science, they disagree.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really just truly see this as sabotage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not the time to do it now with the U.K. variant starting to accelerate.

KAFANOV (voice-over): And that's the concern. Those new more contagious variants are spreading across the country. The seven-day moving average of new cases in Arkansas and Mississippi, up more than 50 percent compared to the previous week. Deaths also on the rise in 14 states. Across the nation, coronavirus claiming more than 518,000 lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you with all my heart. I love you so much.

KAFANOV (voice-over): The impact felt coast to coast.

MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D), HOUSTON: The reality is, is that people are still being impacted. People in this city I don't care who you are, literally suffering because of this virus.

KAFANOV (voice-over): America's vaccination effort is improving. The CDC reporting more than 109 million vaccine doses have been distributed and more than 82 million total doses administered. The question now, how to convince all to take it.

In an interview with a Chicago radio station, Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledging the reasons why some black Americans might be hesitant to get vaccinated and urging them to get the shot.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In this year of our Lord 2021, folks have got to take this vaccine when it is their turn. It is safe and it will save lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAFANOV: And we've been waiting for those new CDC guidelines for folks who've got the COVID-19 vaccine. They're supposed to be released today. It's not clear now when they're going to be made public, but a Biden administration official says there's nothing nefarious behind that delay. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, we're anxious to see that, those recommendations. Lucy, thank you very, very much.

Joining us now, Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA Vaccines Advisory Committee and the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Offit, thank you so much for joining us.

[17:35:10]

As the number of states with no mask mandate is growing, you've said masking appropriately and physically distancing are as powerful as the vaccine. You're an expert in that field. What do you say to the officials out there who are now defying the science and rolling back these public health measures?

DR. PAUL OFFIT, MEMBER, FDA VACCINES ADVISORY COMMITTEE: It is remarkable. I mean, we still have 40,000, 50,000, 60,000 cases a day, we have 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 deaths a day, we're still in the midst of this pandemic. We know that this virus is spread by the respiratory root. We know that masking and social distancing work. I feel sorry for the physicians, emergency department physicians, Intensive Care Unit physicians who work in places like Texas or Mississippi because they are about to get hammered. It just how many times do we have to learn this lesson that in the midst of a pandemic, when you take away the most powerful tool you have, which is masking and physical distancing, that that things are going to happen and that's what's about to happen in those days.

BLITZER: Yes, I just checked before our show, and yesterday there were 65,909 confirmed coronavirus cases here in the United States and 2,468 of our fellow Americans sadly died from this from this virus. So those numbers continue to be so, so scary. There are some questions right now, Dr. Offit, about whether the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should actually be given to younger adults who are lower risk for the virus but are contributing to a significant amount of the viral spread as it's caused, which would allow Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, for example, to be reserved for those who are at higher risk. What do you make of that?

OFFIT: I think the CDC may weigh in on this. They may ultimately decide that the J&J vaccine should be targeted to certain groups, but they haven't yet. I mean, right now, basically, we're in like a titanic situation. You know, we've all been dumped into freezing cold water, which is this disease and there are a limited number of lifeboats. I say, climb into whatever lifeboat you can get. I mean, we shouldn't -- whatever vaccine you can get, get. Don't try and choose among them. Because right now, the CDC hasn't distinguished among them in terms of various groups or ages.

BLITZER: Yes, we do have three safe and effective vaccines. They are being administered right now. Should states begin to broaden vaccine eligibility, Dr. Offit, so vaccines are available to anyone who's ready to take one?

OFFIT: You know, I think that's up to each state. When the CDC came up with its guidelines for 1a, 1b, 1c, that was really -- those were guidelines, it's not like you had to finish 1a before you go to 1b. I think they should make their own decisions about how to get vaccine out there. We need to get about 120 million more people vaccinated over the next few months. And we can do that that we can get to close to 80 percent population immunity if you also count people who've been naturally infected with this virus.

And with that, I think we can dramatically lower rates and then we can feel better about going back to work. And although I think we still need to be mask until those numbers are much lower, but then -- do it then, don't do it now. I mean, we're still right in the midst of this pandemic now. Just give it a few more months and let us vaccinate 80 percent of the population by the summer. We can do that.

BLITZER: Yes --

OFFIT: I'm sorry, let us vaccinate another 120 million people, get to 80 percent of the population total. And I think we're be in pretty good shape.

BLITZER: Yes, we've been wearing mask and socially distancing for a year, a few more months is certainly worth it. Right now, by our latest account, more than 27 million Americans are now fully vaccinated, both shots. They're waiting for the CDC to release this new guidance about what fully vaccinated people can safely do. A Biden official says, as we heard, there's nothing nefarious about the delay. What do you think they're waiting for? Because so many people they want to know if you're fully vaccinated, what can you do, what shouldn't you do? OFFIT: Right. No, I -- we are waiting for them. I'm sure there's nothing nefarious about it. We'll see what they say. I can tell you the most common question I get asked is from grandparents who say, look, we're all fully vaccinated. Can we go hug our grandchildren? And my answer to that question is yes. I think the CDC will be clear on that in the next hopefully couple days.

BLITZER: That's -- I'm anxious to see that as well, everybody is. All right, Dr. Offit, thank you so much for joining us.

OFFIT: Thank you.

BLITZER: We have more breaking news coming into The Situation Room right now. One of the women accusing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of inappropriate sexual advances is now speaking out on camera. Standby.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:43:35]

BLITZER: We have more breaking news. One of the women who accused New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of inappropriate sexual advances is now telling her story on camera. Let's go to our National Correspondent Brynn Gingras. Brynn, what are you seeing, what are you learning?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf. You'll see it, Charlotte Bennett is one of three women who have come forward with accusations of either sexual harassment or unwanted advances, like you said against the Governor. But she is the first person to come forward and actually tell her story in front of a camera, very vulnerable position. And she did that with CBS's Norah O'Donnell. I wanted you to hear some of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORAH O'DONNELL, ANCHOR, CBS EVENING NEWS: What were you thinking as he's asking you these questions.

CHARLOTTE BENNETT, FORMER CUOMO AIDE: I thought he's trying to sleep with me. The Governor is trying to sleep with me. And I'm deeply uncomfortable and I have to get out of this room as soon as possible.

O'DONNELL: What made you think that he was trying to sleep with you?

BENNETT: Without explicitly saying it, he implied to me that I was old enough for him and he was lonely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS: Now, of course, that part of the interview very much in line with the story that she gave to the New York Times which published last weekend where essentially she says she worked for the Governor. She was an executive assistant. And she had a one-on-one encounter with him a lot and she said she actually felt he was a mentor.

[17:45:00] But there was one particular incident which I think she's referring to right there where she says in June, she was with the Governor and they -- he started asking some very personal questions that made her feel uncomfortable, like had she ever been with an older man. And she also said that he said he was open to relationships, as you just heard, with someone in their 20s.

Now, let's keep in mind, she is very likely going to be a part of this New York Attorney General investigation, which is going to get started very soon. And we know that she also hired a high profiled attorney that they together had been asking for other women to come forward to tell their story and very much why she likely went before the cameras, Wolf.

BLITZER: How are they -- how's the Governor responding to these allegations?

GINGRAS: Well, he, of course, sent out a statement the first time those allegations were made in the New York Times saying that he felt he was a mentor to Charlotte Bennett. And then again, of course, he went in front of the cameras for the first time just yesterday and saying that he never meant to make people feel uncomfortable that he was embarrassed by his behavior. We haven't seen any reaction to these specific clips, but possibly we'll hear more, once more of this interview airs. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Brynn, thank you very much. Brynn Gingras reporting for us.

Coming up, why some conspiracy theorists are fixated on today, March 4th, and how it pertains to former President Trump. And we're watching developments in the U.S. Senate where Republicans are using a major delay tactic to slow debate on the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:50:54]

BLITZER: 10th day here in Washington up on Capitol Hill amid warnings of a possible attack plot tied specifically to today, March 4th. CNN's Brian Todd is joining us now. Brian, this date holds some special significance for these conspiracy theorists, right?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Wolf. This is a day that some hardline QAnon followers have been pointing to for months. The question is now that Donald Trump is not returning to power today as they believed, where do they go from here?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., do solemnly swear.

TODD (voice-over): They didn't get their wish for a so-called storm on inauguration day, when they believe Donald Trump would declare martial law that Joe Biden and prominent Democrats would be rounded up and jailed. So some QAnon conspiracy believers set their sights on today, March 4th.

LISA HARTMAN, QANON MARCH 4 THEORY BELIEVER: It is my hope that President Trump comes back as the 19th President of the United States and that he is inaugurated on March 4th. That is my hope for our future.

TODD (voice-over): Analysts who monitor extremism say QAnon followers belief that Trump would return to power on March 4th, goes back to a law passed in 1871, giving Washington, D.C. its first municipal government. QAnon followers, they say, have misinterpreted that law to believe that the United States ceased being a real country at that moment, that it became a gigantic Corporation like Walmart or Amazon. And that every American president since then, has been a fake president.

JULIAN FEELD, PRODUCER, HOST, QANON ANONYMOUS PODCAST: They essentially believe that Ulysses S. Grant was the last American -- valid American president. So essentially, people are still in this belief that Trump will come back and will become the president, again, obviously falsely.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So help me God.

TODD (voice-over): And they believe Trump would be sworn in as the 19th President of the United States since Grant was the 18th. How does the date of March 4th tie in? Analysts say QAnon followers believe that since Grant and most of the Presidents before him were inaugurated on or around March 4th, that's the only legitimate date for an inauguration.

BEN DECKER, ONLINE EXTREMISM RESEARCHER: They view March 4th, as this salvation moment when all of those deeply rooted beliefs come to fruition with the return of their Emperor God, King Trump, who also brings them economic prosperity.

ASHLEY VANDERBILT, FORMER QANON BELIEVER: Well, I was wrong.

TODD (voice-over): But one former QAnon supporter recently told CNN, it was after President Biden was inaugurated, and no so-called storm of arrest King. And when her discussions with other QAnon adherence turned to March 4th, that she was finally steered away from QAnon.

VANDERBILT: They started talking about March 4th, and it didn't make sense. I was like, I don't know that a president can get inaugurated or sworn in, and then not be the president anymore. And I said something's not right. And, I mean, that was the aha moment.

TODD (voice-over): One QAnon owner was recently asked a key question by CNN's Donie O'Sullivan.

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER: Are you going to feel foolish on March 5th when Biden still the President

HARTMAN: Then Trump has a different plan in play.

TODD (voice-over): But monitors of extremism say it's likely QAnon followers don't have much of a plan for after March 4th. One analyst is worried about what one lone follower of the March 4th theory might try to pull off.

DECKER: Ultimately, we are one unstable person away from another possible act of domestic terrorism.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Ben Decker and other monitors of extremism say that QAnon followers are so scattered over the March 4th issue that some QAnon influencers think that the March 4th theory itself is a false flag or a trap that the so-called Deep State through that theory out there to make QAnon followers look bad, or to make them all gather in one place so they could be arrested. Wolf?

BLITZER: Brian Todd, reporting for us. Thank you, Brian, very much.

There's more breaking news coming up here in The Situation Room. Federal investigators looking at records of communications between U.S. lawmakers and rioters who attack the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. We're getting new information. We'll share it with you when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:59:35]

BLITZER: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in The Situation Room with breaking news. CNN has learned that federal investigators are now examining records of communications between members of Congress and members of the pro- Trump mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6. The investigation moving closer to exploring if lawmakers actually helped the insurrectionists. This, as U.S. Capitol Police are again on high alert in response to a possible plot against Congress.