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AstraZeneca Vaccine Pause; New Report Finds Russia Favored Trump In 2020 Election; Biden Tours Country To Tout American Rescue Plan; Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) Restores Voting Rights To 69,000 Former Felons; Woman Who Accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) Of Sexual Harassment Speaks With Investigators For More Than Four Hours; New Video In Case Against QAnon Shaman Charged In Capitol Riot. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired March 16, 2021 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

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.

Tonight, we're breaking down a truly landmark U.S. intelligence community report revealing critical new evidence of Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election here in the United States. The intel community assessing that Russian operations were aimed at denigrating Joe Biden's candidacy and that Moscow hoped to help then-President Donald Trump win reelection, just as it tried to help him win the election in 2016.

The report also details extensive efforts by Iran to undermine confidence in the American democracy, while finding that China decided against meddling in the U.S. election last year.

Let's go to our chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, who's been watching all of this so closely.

Jim, so, how extensive, first of all, was Russia's election interference?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I spoke this evening to a former senior U.S. intelligence official who was involved in the 2016 assessment.

And he said to me that Russia is nothing if not consistent here. And when you look at this assessment, the headline figures in this assessment, it is almost verbatim from what we reported on 2016.

It begins -- and I'm quoting here -- with: "We assess that the Russian president," Vladimir Putin, he ordered this, directed this, much as the U.S. intelligence community assessed in 2016.

But let's then go onto what Russia did to interfere. It says that they conducted influence operations aimed at denigrating President Biden's candidacy. Reminds you of what they did in 2016 in terms of denigrating Hillary Clinton, but also denigrating the Democratic Party, supporting former President Trump, as the intel community assessed in 2016 and undermining more broadly public confidence in the electoral process, and exacerbating sociopolitical divisions here in the U.S.

What's notable and different about 2020 from Russia's perspective, Wolf, is that the intelligence community says that they essentially had help here, that they used proxies in the U.S., including people close to President Trump, for this disinformation campaign.

One of them, the president's former personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who they note -- and we knew this already, but they note met with Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian politician with known ties to Russian intelligence, with the intention, Derkach's intention, Russia's intention, of passing on information damaging to then-candidate Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

That's a notable change from 2016, that they had, in effect, help from inside of this country, whether witting or unwitting. One thing Russia did not do, according to the intelligence community, is interfere, though, Wolf, with actual election systems.

They did not change the vote count, that consistent with 2016 as well.

BLITZER: This report, you have gone through it, I have gone through it, the National Intelligence Council, foreign threats to the 2020 U.S. federal election, I recommend our viewers read it

Tell us more about the report's conclusions, Jim, about other U.S. adversaries.

SCIUTTO: So, it said that Iran, for instance, interfered as well, similarly via disinformation campaigns, with the intention of the opposite of Russia in this case, undercutting former President Trump, rather than aiding him.

It says that Iran did not take the step then of aiding Joe Biden's candidacy, focusing instead on undercutting confidence in Trump. But what is notable is China's absence from interference here. In fact, the report says very definitively that China decided the following, in effect.

It says that China sought stability in its relationship with the United States, did not view either election outcome as being advantageous enough for China to risk getting caught meddling.

Now, that's notable, because, of course, China has tremendous capabilities in this space, their choice not to, but it's also notable, Wolf, because it directly contradicts what we heard, including yourself in interviews, from senior Trump administration officials leading up to the election.

They deliberately said that China was on a par with Russia or a greater threat than Russia. Fact is, that wasn't the case. China sat this out. Russia interfered again and again to help Trump and damage his Democratic opponent.

BLITZER: Yes, that's an important point. Jim, stick around. We have got some more questions for you.

But, right now, I want to bring in our senior White House correspondent, Phil Mattingly. He is over at the White House.

Phil, the Biden administration, I understand, is planning to respond to this U.S. intelligence community report. Tell our viewers what you're learning.

[18:05:05]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.

Well, President Biden, since his first day in office made clear he will impose costs on Russia if he feels that the U.S. has been attacked. And the U.S. is planning to apply sanctions to Russia as soon as next week, according to U.S. officials.

Now, the details of those sanctions are still a little bit unclear, but it just underscores that the Biden administration, this will be the second time they have sanctioned entities or individuals in Russia, the first coming related to the poisoning and attempted murder of Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader that was targeted by the Russian government for assassination.

There's also an expectation that even more will be coming beyond just this election interference issue. Obviously, the SolarWinds hack is investigation that's still ongoing, U.S. officials saying they're still uncovering the details to the depth of that hack that led to the intrusion of several U.S. government agencies as well.

So, what you're seeing from the Biden administration, Wolf, is obviously a change in tone from the top compared to the last four years, but also intent on taking action. The way U.S. officials put it is, they are absolutely willing to work with Russia where they can, the New START treaty being kind of the prime example that President Biden, President Vladimir Putin were able to reach an agreement on.

But where they can't, they will attempt to impose costs. And certainly, when it comes to election interference, when it comes to the SolarWinds hack, when it comes to the poisoning of opposition officials, the U.S. right now making very clear they will act and they will impose those costs, Wolf.

BLITZER: Phil, stay with us.

I want to also bring back Jim Sciutto, along with our chief political analyst, Gloria Borger.

Gloria, the Russians who were unable to get Trump reelected or damage U.S. election infrastructure. But is it fair to say they succeeded in sowing more chaos, more political division, racial division here in the United States last year? That was clearly one of their goals.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, yes, they succeeded. But they had a huge ally that we haven't talked about yet. And that is Donald Trump himself.

They did mention the use of proxies linked to Russian intelligence. And Jim talked about that. But what about the fact that Donald Trump himself was running around the country before the election, talking about how the election was rigged? What did that do to confidence in the election?

We still have people, of course, who don't believe that Joe Biden is the duly elected president of the United States. We have people who stormed the Capitol who believed that Joe Biden was not the duly elected president of the United States.

So, in a way, the Russians, yes, they were out there doing this. They had their proxies, as Jim spoke about, but they also had the sitting president of the United States of America doing their work for them.

BLITZER: They certainly did.

Jim, as you just mentioned a few minutes ago, this intelligence community report seems to contradict something Attorney General William Barr told me during an interview last September. Let me play this exchange we had.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The intelligence community says Russia, China and Iran are seeking to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, for various reasons.

Of those three countries that the intelligence community has pointed to, Russia, China and Iran, which is the most assertive, the most aggressive in this area?

WILLIAM BARR, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I believe it's China.

BLITZER: Which one?

BARR: China.

BLITZER: China more than Russia right now?

BARR: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Well, that obviously is not what this report found, Jim, and I will read that one sentence: "We assess the China did not deploy interference efforts and considered, but did not deploy influence efforts intended to change the outcome of the U.S. presidential election."

Clearly, he was wrong.

SCIUTTO: Absolutely, as was the director of national intelligence under Trump, John Ratcliffe, when they deliberately, right, placed China on a level with Russia, or, as you heard Barr there, placed it above Russia.

So, the possibilities are, they missed it, they got it wrong, or they deliberately misled to fit the president's misleading narrative here, because he could just not stomach through all four years of his presidency directly calling out Russia for influence in 2016 and now again in 2020.

And to Gloria's point there as well, dividing the U.S. and undermining confidence in the U.S. political system is their abject goal here. They wanted to do that. And they had the president and, by the way, a lot of sitting U.S. lawmakers who are still in their positions, right, to help them.

You had two-thirds of the Republican caucus in the House vote after the election to turn down electoral results, adding to that confusion and lack of confidence in the election.

And I would imagine that, in the Kremlin, they could not have imagined that level of success with that interference.

[18:10:00]

BLITZER: Yes.

And in the 2016 intelligence community report, they said that Russia's -- one of Russia's goals was to sow political dissent here in the United States. They certainly succeeded in 2016. And now, once again, they say Russia wanted to create as much political chaos, dissent in the U.S. as possible to weaken the U.S. globally, internationally. And they succeeded as well.

Phil, one section of the report confirms what we heard from various national security officials in the immediate aftermath of the election. And let me read from the report: "We have no indications that any foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the voting process in the 2020 U.S. elections, including voter registration, casting ballots, vote tabulation, or reporting results."

This, Phil, despite Trump's repeated lies about the election. So how far does this go in debunking all those baseless claims?

MATTINGLY: However far complete debunking is, that's how far this goes.

(LAUGHTER)

MATTINGLY: Look, the reality is, add this to the list, right, Wolf?

In the wake of when you called the election on November 7, it seems like, whether it was court cases, whether it was recounts, whether it was audits, whether it's Intelligence Committee -- or intelligence community reports, whether it's reports from states, issue after issue after issue after issue has been completely debunked as baseless, has been completely cast aside.

And while I understand there are some who may still believe that President Biden is not the duly elected president of the United States, nobody who is looking at accurate information can hold that position right now.

And I think, to some degree, the use of this report is to maybe change a few more minds, if anybody was still believing randomly that some foreign dictator who's no longer alive played some role in swinging voting machines.

But I think the probably better purpose of this report -- and I think Jim knows quite well -- when you when you talk to U.S. officials, when you talk to congressional officials as well, is, one, making very clear that there were no significant intrusions in terms of tabulating votes, in terms of actual vote-counting, but also how it lays the groundwork for preparations for the next election cycles, and how election security can be enhanced based on taking deep dives like this into what occurred in 2020.

BLITZER: The report, Gloria, also reveals -- and this is very damaging -- that people close to former President Trump were specifically targeted by Russian individuals and others who had close links to the Russian intelligence community, targeted with a lot of disinformation, which these associates of Trump's then repeated on television and elsewhere and spread all these lies and propaganda.

It sort of reminded me of what we saw back in 2016. Right?

BORGER: Yes, there's a little bit of deja vu there.

And if you will recall, in the Mueller report and afterwards, what Mueller said was that there were these proxies, but he couldn't prove a criminal conspiracy. And collusion, of course, is not a legal term. But he couldn't prove collusion, which is why he did not say there was collusion.

But what you're seeing here is effectively an intelligence assessment which says, yes, there was, wittingly or unwittingly. And while Rudy Giuliani is not named specifically, it's very clear that is one person that is referred to in all of this.

So, there are similarities. For some reason -- and we don't know what -- the president of the United States surrounded himself with people that Russian intelligence felt they could deal with and use their proxies to deal with these people. We don't know the rest of the story yet. That's probably classified.

We don't know that. But this comes up time and time again.

BLITZER: And we do know, Jim -- you and I were well aware of this -- that there were deep, deep concerns during the Trump administration that intelligence was being politicized.

Does this report have any hint of political interference?

SCIUTTO: Well, this one does not, it seems, but the difference between this one and the public assessments and statements like Bill Barr in your interview and others prior now revealed, again, I mean, the two explanations are wrong or deliberately misleading, right?

Because, as senior intelligence officials have reminded me, this assessment did not begin on November 3, right? I mean, there was work being done in the weeks and days leading up to the election where they were watching for this stuff. And, by the way, we were all hearing it, right?

I mean, we were hearing Giuliani sharing this disinformation on the air, et cetera. So, again, the two explanations from Trump administration officials are that they were flat-out wrong or deliberately misleading, and neither one of those is good.

BLITZER: All right, guys, stand by. We're going to have much more on this coming up.

Another troubling study, meanwhile, of the AstraZeneca vaccine, as more and more countries are pausing its rollout due to safety concerns. That vaccine has not been authorized in the U.S.

[18:15:03]

And we're also learning more about Governor Andrew Cuomo's new strategy, as the investigation of alleged sexual harassment is intensifying in New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: President Biden just wrapped up the first top of his new COVID relief sales tour.

He traveled to Pennsylvania with a message for small business owners, that financial help is on the way.

We're also following the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

Our national correspondent, Nick Watt, has our nightly report on the pandemic.

And, Nick, there are growing concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine. It has not been authorized for use in this country. It has been authorized for use in various other countries. What is the latest?

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a small study in South Africa found that against that variant first found in South Africa, the AstraZeneca vaccine did not show any protection against mild or moderate illness.

Now, AstraZeneca says that it may still provide protection against severe disease. Now, as you mentioned, it's not yet authorized, not yet in use in this country.

[18:20:01]

But, so far, this been -- this has been a very bad week for one of the major global vaccine players.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMER COOKE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EUROPEAN MEDICINES AGENCY: Thousands of people are dying across the E.U. every day. We have authorized four highly effective COVID vaccines.

WATT (voice-over): But 16 European countries just temporarily suspended use of one of them, the AstraZeneca, after blood clot issues in just 37 people of the 17 million-plus who've had a shot in the E.U. and the U.K.

The company says zero evidence their vaccine increases the risk of clots.

MARC VAN RANST, VIROLOGIST: It's no more with the AstraZeneca vaccine than with the other vaccines. I don't think that they're making the right decision. And I hope that they will reverse the decision. But when they do, even when they do, the damage is done.

WATT: By damage, he means vaccine hesitancy. Here in the U.S., nearly half of Republicans say they won't even try to get a shot.

DAN GELBER (D), MAYOR OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA: We politicized mask usage, which was obviously absurd. Now we're politicizing vaccine -- taking a vaccine. It's crazy.

WATT: Meanwhile, in Mississippi, starting today, anyone 16 or older can get a COVID-19 vaccine.

"Get your shot, friends," tweeted the governor, "and let's get back to normal."

Moderna just injected the first children in a late-stage trial of its vaccine in the baby-to-11-year-old demo.

DR. PAUL OFFIT, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: I think if we're going to get to 80 percent population immunity, at some level, children are going to be need to be vaccinated.

WATT: This was one year ago today:

LONDON BREED (D), MAYOR OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Bars and gyms will close effective midnight tonight.

WATT: California's Bay Area announcing the first stay-home order in the land, this week, a new dawn in the Golden State.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're thrilled. We're thrilled to be back open.

WATT: Angelenos in limited numbers can now eat inside restaurants again, even go to the movies.

MOOREA ROCCO, MOVIEGOER: We're watching "Tom & Jerry." And, well, we know it's going to be really funny.

WATT: But average new COVID case counts are now rising in as many states as they are falling. A month ago, Nebraska was the one and only state where cases were climbing, the country now nearing 30 million confirmed cases, the real number of cases likely double that, according to a study published today in a leading medical journal.

Scenes like this raise a question: How many more?

GELBER: Every time we open up with without the mask mandate, we have had a surge that has caused more people to die.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT: Now, every time we hear a governor rolling back restrictions, they say they trust their citizens to continue to make smart choices.

Exhibit A, the Sweet Butter Kitchen here in Los Angeles is now allowed to open again for indoor dining. But they're not. They say they don't think it's quite safe yet. And they want to wait until every member of staff who wants a vaccine can get one -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Interesting.

All right, Nick, thanks very much, Nick Watt in L.A. for us.

Let's discuss with Dr. Ashish Jha. He's the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Dr. Jha, thank you so much for joining us.

Let me get your reaction, first of all, to this new Moderna vaccine trial in young children. How important will it be for us to eventually vaccinate millions of kids if we're going to end this pandemic through what's called herd immunity?

DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yes. So, good evening, Wolf. Thanks for having me on.

I think it's terrific. I think it's really important that we get kids vaccinated. I have three children .I want to get them vaccinated when we have data that it's safe. And what this study does is starts looking at the youngest kids, and asks, is it safe and effective to vaccinate these children?

I think we will have more data on this later in the summer or maybe in the fall. And that will give us all much more assurance about what to do next.

BLITZER: Yes, that's going to be really important.

Let me also get your analysis, Dr. Jha, on the decision by multiple European countries to now suspend the use of this AstraZeneca vaccine over worries about blood clots. Once again, this vaccine has not been authorized for use here in the United States.

Is there any reason to pause vaccinations while these concerns are being investigated over in Europe?

JHA: Yes, and so I think it is, first of all, important to emphasize this does not affect American vaccinations at all.

On the European side, I probably would not have done this. I have not seen any data to suggest that blood clot risk is higher. Look, blood clots are common in people, especially older people. We haven't seen any data that these vaccines increase the risk.

I would have investigated before pausing, especially right now. They're having such a bad outbreak of their -- of the U.K. variant in many of these countries. But, hopefully, they will be able to investigate quickly and make some decisions.

[18:25:03]

BLITZER: What worries me -- and I suspect it worries you as well, Dr. Jha -- that these decisions in Europe might actually contribute to what's called vaccine hesitancy among Americans, even though this AstraZeneca shot hasn't been authorized here in the United States.

People hear about these potential complications, they get nervous.

JHA: Absolutely, absolutely.

There is this sense that, oh, my gosh, maybe these vaccines are a problem. The three vaccines that have been authorized in the United States, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer, none of them -- and we have a vaccinated, what, 70-plus million Americans already. We have not seen any significant complications.

These vaccinations are going very well. These vaccines are obviously exceedingly safe. I worry a little bit about that spillover from Europe. But I hope most people can distinguish between the two.

BLITZER: I hope so too.

Dr. Jha, thank you so much for joining us.

Just ahead, I will speak to Georgia's lieutenant governor, Geoff Duncan, about Republican efforts to try to roll back voting rights in that state and how some major companies are now pushing back.

And we're also going to show you new video of the so-called QAnon Shaman during the Capitol riot. We're going to tell you why a judge decided to make it public.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

BLITZER: Tonight, as quite a few Republican-led states are trying to restrict voting rights for the American people, Virginia's Democratic governor has done the opposite, restoring voting privileges for tens of thousands of former felons.

Let's get some more from our Political Correspondent Sara Murray, who's joining us right now. Tell us, Sara, more about this move by Virginia's governor and how it figures into the broader battle over voting rights?

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I mean, you're absolutely right. We've talked a lot about states that are taking steps to try to make it harder for people to vote after the 2020 election. In Virginia, the governor is doing the opposite, making it easier specifically for one category of folks to be able to vote again, convicted felons.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. RALPH NORTHAM (D-VA): Virginia is taking another step forward.

MURRAY (voice over): Virginia's Democratic Governor Ralph Northam making it easier for convicted felons to regain their voting rights as soon as they complete their prison terms.

NORTHAM: If we want people to return to their communities and participate in society, we need to welcome them back fully. It's wrong to keep punishing people forever.

MURRAY: The governor announcing today he's taking an executive action that would restore voting and other civil rights to former felons even if they're currently on parole or probation. It will immediately apply to more than 69,000 formerly incarcerated Virginians. Northam's move an example of the steps Democrats are taking to expand voting rights at a time when GOP lawmakers across the country are taking measures that could make it harder to vote.

NORTHAM: The foundation of our democracy is to vote.

MURRAY: The left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice says this year there are at least 250 bills introduced in 43 states that would restrict voting access.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're unfortunately seeing a wave of attacks on voting rights.

MURRAY: On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott threw his support behind measures introduced by Texas Republicans that would place new limits on early voting hours and absentee voting. The state already has some of the most restrictive election laws in the nation.

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): There's really one thing that all of us can and should agree upon, and that is we must have trust and confidence in our elections.

MURRAY: Republican efforts to rein in early voting and vote by mail coming off an election cycle in which former President Donald Trump and other Republicans championed baseless allegations of fraud amid record voter turnout.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Make no mistake, this election was stolen from you, from me, and from the country.

MURRAY: At the center of the storm, Georgia where Trump pressured election officials to overturn the results. TRUMP: They defrauded us out of a win in Georgia.

MURRAY: Now, state Republicans are considering measures that would limit weekend voting, a threat to popular Souls to the Polls events and eliminate no excuse absentee ballots. Voting rights advocates say these efforts disproportionately hurt minority voters and are a sign Republicans won't let go of the big lie.

NSE UFOT, NEW GEORGIA PROJECT: There is one side that is continuing to perpetuate the big lie, that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia and other states in 2020. And then there is one side that is saying we want to continue to build upon the success of the 2020 election cycle when millions more of Americans showed up and participated in our elections.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY (on camera): Now, we've seen a lot of Republicans fall in lockstep. And a lot of these states, when it comes to this voting restriction, that has not been the case in Georgia. In the state of Georgia, there has been some division among some Republicans about some of these measures that have been introduced in the state legislature. And, remember, Georgia was one of those state where Republicans in the state stood up to former President Donald Trump and said there was no widespread fraud in spite of threats from the former president, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes. It's so important. Sara Murray, reporting for us, Sara, thanks very much.

Let's speak with one of those Georgia Republicans, the lieutenant governor, Geoff Duncan. Lieutenant Governor, thank you so much for joining us.

So a lot of your Republican colleague lawmakers, they're pushing for these sweeping rollback of voting rights in Georgia, limiting absentee voting, for example early voting, drop boxes, more. Why is any of this really necessary when all of Georgia's top election officials are all Republicans, the Republican governor, you're the Republican Lieutenant Governor, the Republican secretary of state, they all vouched for the integrity of Georgia's 2020 presidential election?

[18:35:01]

LT. GOV. GEOFF DUNCAN (R-GA): Well, Wolf, you know, there's over 80 bills that have been introduced in the General Assembly this section that are election reform-related. 21 of those are Democratic written and certainly some are bipartisanly supported.

But I really think it's a reflection of a lot of these folks districts. Just to be honest with you, I think a lot of the senators and representative that are on the Republican side, there's a lot of continued heartburn and angst in their districts. And, you know, I think that's a manifestation of ten weeks of constant pounding and barrage of misinformation. It's unfortunate and quite honestly, Wolf, I think it's going to take us every bit of four years to unwind it., But certainly, we've got our work cut out for us, but we've got to do it.

BLITZER: Yes. A lot of folks unfortunately still believe that. You have no doubt, and I just want to reiterate, you have no doubt that the election, the presidential election in Georgia was free and fair.

DUNCAN: Yes, absolutely. You know I spent the better part of ten weeks saying that to you and others around the country. And, you know, my focus was on trying to make sure that we didn't get caught off staring at the illusion of election fraud and look away from trying to elect two U.S. senators that were Republicans.

And, unfortunately, that's exactly what happened and we took our eye off the ball. And over -- nearly 400,000 rural Republicans didn't show back up in the runoff. That's our fault. There's no election reform needed. That was just simply a lack of leadership.

BLITZER: Yes, that's a good point as well. I want you to listen and watch what Stacey Abrams told our Jake Tapper Sunday here on CNN. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACEY ABRAMS, FOUNDER, FAIR FIGHT: The only connection that we can find is that more people of color voted and it changed outcome of elections in a direction that Republicans do not like.

There's a direct correlation between the usage of drop boxes, the usage of in-person early voting, especially on Sundays, and the use of vote by mail and the direct increase of people of color voting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Is she right, Lieutenant Governor? Do Republicans think they can win if they make it harder, for example, for people of color to vote?

DUNCAN: Well, I can assure you this Republican does not think that. I'm one of those Republicans that thinks that we need to get more folks to vote. I think our Republican ideas are big enough and bold enough to help everybody. You know, I certainly, at the end of the day, think an overwhelming number of Americans, think Republicans best to be in charge of the economy, best to be in charge of community safety, best to be in charge of our national security.

And so my goal is to message with a different tone, with an encouraging tone, to go to communities that instead of just running ads two weeks before an election, go dive into that single mom with three kids and two jobs and figure out how -- what are her real problems, what can we do to help? That to me is how Republicans win and that the strategy we've got in front of us over the next four years if we're going to win the White House back.

BLITZER: What bothers me is that some Republicans in various state, they want to eliminate or severely cut back opportunities for folks to vote on a Sunday, when they don't have to work. They can go to church, then they can go vote. What do you say about Sunday voting?

DUNCAN: Well, I certainly don't support repealing that. I think it's a great opportunity for folks to get out there in their communities and whatever their schedule is, or after church. You know, look, once again, I don't think we have an election reform issue. I think we have a leadership issue.

And the quicker we stop looking at this mirage that was a created around misinformation on election fraud, the conspiracy theories, the quicker we're going to get a gain plan together to start building a GOP 2.0, something that focuses on real people and real problems and allows us to position ourselves.

We should be talking about all of the things we don't like that a Democratically-controlled Senate and Congress and White House are acting on. But instead we're still talking about the past, we're still talking about conspiracy theories that just honestly didn't happen.

BLITZER: Yes. You make an important point. And we're always grateful to you, for joining us. You've got guts, and I'll repeat that. You're a courageous politician. We appreciate it very much. Georgia's Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, thanks so much for joining us.

DUNCAN: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Just ahead I'll get reaction to my interview with the lawyer for one of Governor Andrew Cuomo's accusers. The former U.S. attorney, Preet Bharara, he's standing by live. We'll discuss the legal peril facing Governor Cuomo.

And a judge releases new video of one of the most prominent Capitol rioters. Does it prove that the so-called QAnon shaman lied?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: We're learning new details of the investigation into the embattled New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as the lawyer for one of his accusers tells me she spoke with investigators for more than four hours.

Let's bring in CNN Senior Legal Analyst and former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. Preet, I spoke with the attorney, Debra Katz, last hour. She's representing the -- one of the Cuomo accuser's, Charlotte Bennett. And I asked her about the 120 pages of records she says her client turned over to the investigators. Listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBRA KATZ, ATTORNEY FOR CHARLOTTE BENNETT: As Governor Cuomo was sexually harassing my client, she was writing her parents, she was writing her friends, she was telling them exactly what was happening in live time, how scared she was and really confirming what you've heard from her in her interview on CBS and what you've seen in public reporting.

She did a very good job of detailing this, which is exactly why the governor has not denied the allegations. He stuck with the allegations. He said, I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable. But he can't deny it because he and everyone else knows this is exactly what he said and did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So, Preet, how were investigators able to use that type of information as they build their case?

PREET BHARARA, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, this information is incredibly important.

[18:45:00]

In most criminal cases if not all or even civil cases, the question of the credibility of the person making the accusation is front and center. And especially in these kind of sexual harassment cases and scenarios where there's no videotape, there's no audiotape, there are no live witnesses to the actual exchanges, the existence of contemporaneous statements or contemporaneous notes or e-mails or other kinds of documents that show in real-time what the person who later makes the accusation was feeling at the time is something that investigators, and not only investigators, but jurors and judges find very persuasive.

What was the reason to make this record falsely and hold onto it for a long period of time?

So, the things said in the moment to family members or friends or diaries or anything else, you have to make sure they're corroborated and hold up and they make sense, but they're very powerful corroborators generally of the things that this person is saying.

BLITZER: One of the bigger questions, Preet, is whether more women are going to come forward and accuse Governor Cuomo of sexual harassment. Listen to this exchange I just had with the Attorney Debra Katz. Listen to this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Have you been contacted by other women who have not yet come forward publicly with allegations against the governor, but say they experienced similar harassment?

DEBRA KATZ, ATTORNEY FOR CHARLOTTE BENNETT: Yes, I have.

BLITZER: So, what's happening with those other women?

KATZ: I think it's a very difficult and highly personal decision about whether to come forward. Most women don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What's your reaction to that?

BHARARA: Look, it's obviously a very significant thing if there are other people who come forward. It's not just the seriousness of any particular allegation, but the numerosity of allegations. I think we're up to seven women who have made some kind of allegation. And we'll see what the investigators find and see if those things can be proven and corroborated and supported.

But the more people who come forward, obviously, the more serious the challenge is for Governor Cuomo and the more seriously the legislature and other folks have to consider what kind of accountability there has to be.

BLITZER: Preet, as usual, thank you very much. We're going to stay on top of this story, obviously, very significant story.

Just ahead, the court released new video of the so-called QAnon shaman as he faces charges for his role in the Capitol riot.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:51:45]

BLITZER: Tonight, new video has been released in the case against the so-called QAnon shaman as he faces charges for his role in the Capitol insurrection.

CNN's Brian Todd is covering all the angles for us.

Brian, tell us more about these videos and why were they made public.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They were made public, Wolf, because the judge is frankly fed up. Tonight, one of most visible rioters on January 6th seems to have gotten on the bad side of the judge in his case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACOB CHANSLEY, QANON SHAMAN: We won the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) day.

TODD (voice-over): Tonight, Jacob Chansley, the so-called QAnon shaman who wore a head dress and face paint and carried the spear inside the Capitol has been called out by U.S. District Judge Royce Lambert.

The court today releasing two videos which the judge believes back his assertion and court papers that Chansley, quote, blatantly lied during an interview with "60 Minutes Plus".

This is what Judge Lambert believes was a lie.

CHANSLEY: Police were waving people into the building.

TODD: Judge Lambert believes this video showing rioters breaking windows then panning over to a shot of Chansley walking through a door shows Chansley was lying when he claims police waved him in. ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: And that shows you that this defendant,

Jacob Chansley, had really angry this church and has really compromised his own credibility in the mind of the judge.

TODD: Judge Lambert has already accused Chansley and his attorney of doing that "60 Minutes Plus" interview without the court's permission. Chansley's lawyer claimed they were not trying to be deceitful.

Chansley has pleaded not guilty to six charges, including violent entry and disorderly conduct in the Capitol attack. Judge Lambert recently ruled that Chansley is too dangerous to release and has to stay in jail pending his trial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's only a matter of time. Justice is coming.

TODD: One analyst says even though Chansley is not accused of violent behavior against others, his profile as a symbol of the riot puts added pressure on prosecutors.

HONIG: The prosecutors have to understand the public is watching every move they make in this case. And so, the notoriety of certain defendants is something they have to take into consideration and they better make darn sure that they have charged these people appropriately and that they come away with convictions, including on Jacob Chansley.

TODD: This comes as "The Washington Post" reports that the U.S. Army in the days just ahead of January 6th pushed to deny the D.C. government's request for a National Guard deployment on the 6th. "The Post" obtained an internal draft Army memo saying the U.S. military shouldn't be required to help law enforcement with traffic and crowd control unless more than 100,000 demonstrators were expected on the National Mall that day.

CHARLES RAMSEY. FORMER DC POLICE CHIEF: It's certainly not consistent with past practice. During my time as police chief in Washington, D.C., we utilize the National Guard quite frequently to handle crowd control, as well as traffic control. They are well-trained. We have used it for far less. So, I really don't understand what the rationale was for that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): It's important to note that the Army ultimately rejected the idea in that memo and approved the mission. An Army spokeswoman telling CNN that the Defense Department ended up agreeing to provide 340 members of the D.C. National Guards to help with crowd control and street closures. Pentagon officials have denied accusation that the deployment of additional National Guard troops on January 6th was delayed unnecessarily at their end.

[18:55:06]

Pentagon officials also denying that people in their building balked at the requests that day.

BLITZER: All right, Brian. Thank you very much.

And we'll have more news right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Finally tonight, we share more stories of people who die from the coronavirus.

John Poet of Michigan was 71 years old. The loving father of twin daughters who never miss an opportunity to be with family and friends. His grandchildren brought him the greatest joy. John was an avid sports fan, a golfer and was proud to have made two holes in one in his life.

Gaetana Deserto of New York was 63. She was an amazing mother and grandmother who meant the world to her family. Her daughter says she always greeted her children at the door with treats.

May they rest in peace and may their memories be a blessing.

Thanks very much for watching.

Thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. You can always follow me on Twitter and Instagram @WolfBlitzer. You can always tweet the show @CNNSitRoom.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.