Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Top Prosecutor Resigns Over Order To Drop Case Against Adams; Ukraine: Russia Drone Hits Chernobyl Nuclear Plant; Trump Blames War On Biden, Ukraine's NATO Ambitions. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired February 14, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:34]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: It's Friday, February 14th.

I think that's Valentines Day.

Right now on CNN THIS MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D), NEW YORK CITY: No American should have had to have gone through what I went through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: The domino effect. Back to back resignations at the DOJ after the order to drop charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe he wants peace. And I trust him on this subject.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Negotiating peace. President Trump talking about Vladimir Putin there. He trusts him. But now there's a new threat if Russia does not come to the table in good faith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excess federal employment and liberal ideology go hand in hand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Widespread layoffs, thousands of federal workers fired in the Trump administration's latest effort to shrink the government.

(MUSIC)

SCIUTTO: Five a.m. here on the East Coast. Here's a live look at my hometown, New York City. Always looking beautiful.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Jim Sciutto, in for Kasie Hunt this week. Great to have you with us.

We begin with a widening controversy at the Department of Justice and a slew of resignations, raising questions about the weaponization of President Trump's DOJ. The acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon resigning on Thursday to protest an order from a top Justice Department official to drop the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

In a letter to the new attorney general, Pam Bondi, Sassoon writes, Adams's attorneys repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the departments priorities only if the indictment were dismissed.

I remain baffled by the rushed and superficial process by which this decision was reached. Sassoon's eight page resignation letter started a chain reaction, leading to five others stepping down in solidarity. All of them interestingly, members of the DOJ's public integrity unit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: The U.S. attorney has resigned over the DOJ's request to drop the case into Eric Adams. Did you personally request the Justice Department to drop that case?

TRUMP: No, I didn't. I know nothing about it. That U.S. attorney was actually fired. I don't know if he or she resigned, but that U.S. attorney was fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: That's not true. Sassoon says she resigned, was not fired.

Following a meeting with President Trump's border czar, Tom Homan. Mayor Adams has agreed to allow ICE agents to conduct criminal investigations inside New York's Rikers Island jail complex. The mayor is insisting he says there is no quid pro quo and that he was unfairly targeted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAMS: I believe the president was clear and the incoming attorney general was clear. We're going to stop weaponizing our systems against Americans. No American should have had to have gone through what I went through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Joining me now, CNN legal analyst, criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson.

Joey, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Good to be here, Jim. SCIUTTO: In all your years as a criminal defense attorney, have you

ever seen an order such as this one to drop a case, given the evidence which Sassoon cited in her letter? No change to the evidence, just a change, it seemed to the leadership.

JACKSON: Yeah, Jim, we are in different times. I think you can have diverse opinions with respect to the 57 page indictment of the mayor of New York City, whether it's meritorious, whether it can be proven what the underlying facts are, whether they meet with the law. That's what trials are for.

But in terms of the Department of Justice, right, it's an independent entity. And as an independent entity, historically, it's operated. As we look at the mayor there, it's operated in a way that's disconnected from the president, disconnected from political considerations, disconnected from what's going to happen at Rikers Island with respect to immigration, disconnected with suggestions that it would interfere this indictment with his reelection efforts or his crime enforcement efforts.

So we're in different times. And so whenever, Jim, we're having a conversation that's not predicated upon the merits of the case, but is predicated upon political considerations.

[05:05:00]

I think we're in different times.

So, no, I have not seen this. I think this is going to be the new norm. I think there looks like there will be interference from Washington, D.C. and again, I'm not condemning the mayor in my statements. He's entitled to a trial. But with respect to how this went down, this is highly unusual.

SCIUTTO: Yeah. And we should note, the acting U.S. attorney in New York, a lifelong conservative here. I mean, you have these in variably in situations like this, you have allegations coming from the right, oh, liberal, et cetera, but that's not her background.

She alleged a quid pro quo here that in effect, the mayor was saying, hey, listen, I'll play ball with you on the immigration stuff, but you got to make this case go away.

Do you see the circumstances here of a quid pro quo?

JACKSON: Yeah. Well, you know, it depends, right? I think there are varying views with respect to the meeting that took place between the mayors lawyers and between the department of justice officials and the Southern District of New York. What was said, how things were, you know, really presented.

But ultimately, Jim, this is not about, hey, if you do this for us, right, we will allow you in and conducting immigration, you know, efforts and immigration enforcement, that's a different issue. It's a separate issue. It has nothing to do if the conversation is about, look, this was an

overzealous prosecution. This is a prosecution that wasn't predicated upon the facts. This is a prosecution that was based upon and motivated by Biden. If, again, that was the conversation, it was motivated by Biden saying that you criticize me for migrants. That's another story. If it's a politically motivated prosecution and the facts are really puffed or they don't really meet the law, you should. Any conversation should be about that.

There's one consideration, Jim, and that consideration is, can you prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt? Can the facts be sustained? Do the facts meet the element of the law concerning bribery, concerning illegal campaign contributions, concerning what would be, as they said, they would upgrade obstruction of justice? If it's about anything else. We're in different times. The Department of Justice runs without fear or favor, zero, period. End of story.

SCIUTTO: And we might want to remind people, the number of people around Eric Adams under investigation, who resigned under a cloud of investigation. It's not an isolated thing, right? At least the allegations of this.

Joey Jackson, thanks so much.

JACKSON: Thanks.

SCIUTTO: Coming up on CNN this morning, a tit for tat. President Trump wants his team to come up with a plan for reciprocal tariffs, one that could change the face of global trade.

Plus, heavy rain drenching southern California now. Boy, we wished that had happened a few weeks ago, triggering mudslides and evacuations.

And Vice President J.D. Vance reveals how the U.S. might pressure Russia into a deal for peace in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Will Ukraine have a seat at that table for those negotiations in your view?

TRUMP: Of course, they would. I mean, they're part of it. We would have Ukraine. We would have Russia, and well have other people involved, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:12:28]

SCIUTTO: New overnight, a Russian drone has hit the damaged Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This, according to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The video shows the very moment -- look at that flash -- the drone hit radiation background limits have remained normal. The Ukrainian military claims Russia fired 133 drones at Ukraine overnight.

This comes as President Trump says the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is ready for peace talks. Zelenskyy tweeted overnight that these attacks show, quote, Putin is definitely not preparing for negotiations. He's preparing to continue deceiving the world. Mixed messages from the white house over how to end Russia's war in Ukraine. In fact, what the U.S. position is, Vice President J.D. Vance told "The Wall Street Journal".

The U.S. could hit Russia with sanctions, even send U.S. forces to Ukraine if Putin fails to negotiate in good faith. Quote, there are economic tools of leverage. There are, of course, military tools of leverage.

Today, the vice president is meeting with Ukrainian President on the sidelines of the Munich security conference. This comes as president Trump is refusing to even acknowledge that Russia invaded Ukraine, and is to blame for this war. Instead, he has placed the blame squarely on former President Biden and Ukraine's ambitions to join NATO.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Now, Russia has taken over a pretty big chunk of territory, and they also have said from day one, long before President Putin, they've said they cannot have Ukraine be in NATO. They said that very strongly.

I actually think that that was the thing that caused the start of the war. And, Biden said it and Zelenskyy said it. And I think that was one of the reasons, one of the starts of the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Joining us now, Democratic Congressman Jason Crow, who is live from the Munich Security Conference.

Congressman, thanks so much for taking the time this morning.

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Thanks, Jim. Appreciate it.

SCIUTTO: What's your reaction when you see President Trump echo what are Kremlin talking points, Kremlin's false justification for invading Ukraine.

Is that something an American president should be doing? And does that, in your view, show weakness?

CROW: Well, clearly, it's not something that an American president should be doing, and it's not something that anybody who actually understands the threats that America and our allies face and the type of person that Vladimir Putin is, right? If President Trump thinks that he can tough talk his way or chest pound his way to some type of deal, he is clearly mistaken.

If we have learned anything about Vladimir Putin over the last couple of decades is that he understands only strength and one of our greatest strengths right now is our alliances and our partnership network. So the maligning of our partners, the bullying of our partners that we see in Europe and other places actually undermines our position and makes us less safe and less weak and makes us go into a bargaining position in a worse position than we would otherwise be.

SCIUTTO: Do you understand what the Trump administration's position actually is on negotiations? Because you get quite conflicting messages. You see there, J.D. Vance saying that perhaps military pressure could be involved. Pete Hegseth said there would be no U.S. forces here. And, of course, you have quite a difference between what Trump says about the causes of the war and what others in the administration do. But -- but what is the U.S. position heading into these negotiations? Is it clear at all?

CROW: No, it's not clear. And that's part of the problem. And when you have partners and allies, you know, I'm here at the Munich Security Conference with a bipartisan delegation of members of Congress, and we're meeting with other parliamentarians, with other military leaders. And they don't know, and we actually don't have the ability to tell them because we're getting mixed messages.

I mean, Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense will say one thing that will run contrary to what Donald Trump wants him to say. Then hell put out a tweet saying something else. Then, J.D. Vance will say something else. It does not portray a unified front. And what's worse is our allies who work with us, who serve with us, who fight with us when necessary. They also don't know.

So this shows, again, a signal of weakness, of inconsistency. And its exactly the type of thing that Vladimir Putin always takes advantage of. So we have to get our act together. Donald Trump has to work with us to portray a unified front, to establish a policy. And that has to start with showing that we support Ukraine, because that's in our economic and national security interest.

SCIUTTO: You know, Ukraine, of course, for a time was a unifying, bipartisan issue, it's not from President Trump's perspective. He has quite different public positions than many of your Republican colleagues in Congress have. Given you're traveling there in a in a bipartisan delegation, do your Republican colleagues quietly express to you concern that Trump's going to abandon Ukraine?

CROW: They do. They express concern about the inconsistencies. They express concern about the mixed messages coming out of this administration. There are certainly some folks within the administration that believe that we have to stand by Ukraine, although they are the minority voice, there's no doubt about that.

But what we really need is public expressions of that. You know, people telling me privately behind closed doors what they believe and what's in the best interest of our national security isn't going to get the job done anymore, right? They need to stand up, and they need to add their voice to the chorus of voices of national security professionals, combat veterans, and others who I'm traveling with and who I serve with in Congress who say, you know, enough is enough. We need to double down on our on our alliances, our partnerships. We

need to make sure that our economic ties and our trading partners are strong, and we need to make sure that Ukraine is in a position to win, because if they're in a position to win, then they're in a position to negotiate a settlement to this. I do believe that this will ultimately end at a negotiating table, but only when Ukraine is in a position to do that and forces Vladimir Putin to do so.

SCIUTTO: Before we go, can Ukraine, in your view, say no to President Trump if President Trump tries to force their hand into a deal that they do not believe is in their interests, can they say no? And would they get backing from Americas European allies to do so if NATO allies believe an agreement is not in Ukraine's interest or in Europe's interests?

CROW: Well, Ukraine is -- I've always said Ukraine is a sovereign and independent nation. That's the one thing that democracies do when they're dealing with other democracies is we don't tell them what they can and can't do with their own borders and their own country.

That's what we're fighting against with Vladimir Putin, with our -- with Iran, with our adversaries, people who are trying to force others to draw their boundaries and to do something with their sovereign, independent states.

We as a partner and ally, you know, have preferences. We will guide them a certain direction. Ukraine has to make a decision on its own about what's going to work for them and their people, and then we will support that decision if it's in our best interest.

SCIUTTO: Representative Jason Crow, we look forward to learning more. What you hear there in Munich. Thanks for joining this morning.

CROW: Thanks, Jim.

[05:20:01]

SCIUTTO: Next on CNN THIS MORNING, slashing the size of the federal workforce. We're now learning the scope of the impact of those firings that struck federal agencies this week.

Plus, a whale of a tale. A kayaker briefly swallowed. You heard that right? Whole by a humpback whale. See the terrifying encounter, next, in our "Morning Roundup".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Twenty-four minutes past the hour. Here is your "Morning Roundup".

Heavy storms slam the West Coast, causing mudslides and debris flows. It was so powerful it swept this car into the ocean in Malibu.

[05:25:05]

Other cars getting stuck in the mud, this one in Altadena, California, so hard hit by the fires. Further north in Oregon, a pileup of dozens of vehicles on the interstate right in the middle of near whiteout conditions from the snow.

Pope Francis now set to be hospitalized for bronchitis. The Vatican announced this morning that he will also undergo further medical exams. The 88-year-old pontiff has faced numerous health challenges, undergoing abdominal surgery in 2023 and now beginning to use a wheelchair in recent years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): A hundred years-plus, there has been a dispute about the federal designation of North America's tallest mountain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Disputes say the least. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced a bill to bring back the name Denali, its native American name, after president Trump's executive order renaming the mountain back to Mount McKinley. In 2015, it was officially changed from Mount McKinley to Denali under former President Obama.

And a story straight, it seems, out of the Old Testament caught on camera. Watch this moment. Wow. A man swallowed by a humpback whale while -- while kayaking with his father in Chile. His father caught the video. Thankfully, there he comes, spit out just seconds later. The 24 year old recounted his terrifying moments inside, that's right, inside a whale to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADRIAN SIMANCAS, SWALLOWED BY WHALE: When I turned around, I felt a slimy texture on my face. I could see colors like dark blue and white approaching me from behind, closing around me and pulling me under. In that moment, I thought, there's nothing I can do and I'm about to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: I want to know how the dad kept filming that while his son was swallowed by a whale. When asked if he would go back out kayaking, he said, of course.

Still to come on CNN THIS MORNING, the idea of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine is, quote, on the table. Vice President J.D. Vance taking a tougher stance than President Trump regarding negotiations with Russia.

Plus, Trump and his tariffs and why more could be on the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Whatever they charge us, we're charging them. So it works out very well. It's very -- it's a beautiful, simple system.

(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)