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Erin Burnett Outfront
Texas Crisis Deepens: 2.6-Plus Million Still Without Power; Twenty-One Million Under Winter Weather Alert; Interview With State Rep. Eddie Morales (D-TX); WH: Teacher Vaccinations "Not a Requirement To Reopen" Schools; McConnell Is Done With Trump And Is Moving On?; NY Assemblyman: Governor Cuomo Threatened To "Destroy Me" Over COVID Scandal, Cuomo Adviser Denies It. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired February 17, 2021 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. You can always follow me on Twitter and Instagram @WOLFBLITZER. You could tweet the show @CNNSITROOM.
"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next breaking news, millions in Texas without power and temperatures tonight plunging below freezing. Hundreds of National Guard troops deployed to help those struggling to survive.
Plus, CNN learning the rollout of a highly anticipated Johnson & Johnson vaccine is not going as planned. Why the setback?
And Mitch McConnell strategy on how to respond to Trump's scathing attack on him. We have new reporting tonight on his plan. Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.
OUTFRONT tonight, a 'cascading catastrophic blackout'. That's a quote. That's what the man overseeing Texas power grid is warning right now as a deadly deep freeze grips the Lone Star State. The sun setting in Texas right now and close to 7 million Texans are being told to boil water in the United States of America, in Texas they've been told to boil water.
The State's Governor, Greg Abbott says expect rolling blackouts to continue. After three days, there is still no estimate as to when power will fully be restored. And for the millions who are freezing, we have seen drastic measures. Again, I remind you we are in the United States, Texas is in the United States.
Look at this video, it's a child safety gate being burned by a family to heat their home. And then this picture, this man says he's having to resort to using closet rods to burn those in order to keep from freezing. OK. And then look at this picture, this is incredible. Just keep this up for a second, we got to show you this.
This shows the Texas-Arkansas border. It actually cuts right through the middle of this road. The side that is cleared is the State of Arkansas. The side that is not cleared is Texas. This is road clearing, road clearing.
There's no question about road clearing. Arkansas did it just fine. Texas didn't. This is on Texas leadership. Because yes, while these power outages highlight, frankly, how fragile all of America's infrastructure is, all of it is, something could happen anywhere else in the country and this could be you.
The fact that it's happening in Texas, the state that produces more power than any other state is the result of failed energy policies by a Republican governor. The Washington Post reports that according to his own Energy Department for Gov. Greg Abbott, most of power losses have come from failures to winterize the power generating systems.
I mean, after all, wind power works just fine in Canada. They just put the winter package on it. Abbott though is now trying to pass the buck and say, no, no, no, none of this should be on him. He's trying to blame progressive Democrats for their plan to tackle climate change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R) TEXAS: This shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America. Our wind and our solar got shut down, and they were collectively more than 10 percent of our power grid, and that thrust Texas into a situation where it was lacking power on a statewide basis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: Again, the wind turbines aren't working because Texas' Governor didn't buy the package for cold weather and there's no explanation as to why Arkansas can pave that road and Texas can't. Camila Bernal is OUTFRONT live in Dallas, Texas. And Camila, this is, right now, Gov. Greg Abbott really scrambling for answers while people where you are our cold, burning child gates in some case just to stay warm.
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. A lot of political finger pointing here in the State of Texas and everyone trying to figure out exactly who is to blame and why this is happening. But Erin, as you mentioned, people are literally freezing in this state. This has been going on for days and still about 2.3 million people we last checked about five minutes ago, those millions of people are still without power as we speak.
They want answers as to when the power is going to come back. And at the moment, they're simply not getting those answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERNAL (voice over): Unlivable conditions in Texas. Frozen pipes bursting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're running (inaudible) here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERNAL (voice over): Flooding homes in bitter temperatures.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact is every source of power in the State of Texas has access to has been compromised because of the ultra-cold temperature or because of equipment failures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERNAL (voice over): Substantial relief is still days away as more than 3 million remain without power. Utility companies are shutdown, unable to generate electricity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We knew for a week that this was coming. So if we knew for a week that this was coming, why weren't we ready? Our house is 32 degrees inside. We're worried about the pipes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERNAL (voice over): Linda Shoemaker (ph) was forced to take her 101- year-old mother to this warming shelter overnight.
[19:05:05]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible) you could freeze in the middle of the night, so we had to find some place to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERNAL (voice over): The mayor of hart-hit Austin says Texas should have been better prepared.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR STEVE ADLER (D) AUSTIN, TEXAS: I know the community right now, they're scared and frustrated, confused, angry and I am too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERNAL (voice over): Gov. Greg Abbott says the dangerous lack of power is not the state government's fault, but a failure by ERCOT, the state's largest power grid management organization.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBOTT: ERCOT stands for Electric Reliability Council of Texas and they showed that they were not reliable.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BERNAL (voice over): Some 90 percent of the Lone Star State's power is
managed by ERCOT, a lone electric council operates mostly independent of other federal power grids and thus mostly alone in its efforts to restore power quickly and safely.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The operators acted with judgment based on their training to prevent an event that would have been even more catastrophic than the terrible things we've seen this week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERNAL (voice over): ERCOT says the bulk of the blackouts are due to oil and gas plants shutting down in the cold.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBOTT: About 19,800 megawatts of gas-powered generation is still offline because of either mechanical issues or the lack of the supply of gas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERNAL (voice over): But Abbott isn't letting his state's lucrative fossil fuel industry take all the blame and now facing backlash for attempting to blame green energy utilities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBOTT: Our wind and our solar got shut down, and they were collectively more than 10 percent of our power grid. It just shows that fossil fuel is necessary for the State of Texas as well as other states.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERNAL (on camera): And as time goes by, the situation here in Texas becomes more and more dangerous. And just to give you the big picture, 70 percent of the population here in the State of Texas is under a winter weather alert.
That means that Texans are cold. They are upset. They are, of course, wanting answers. And the reality is that no one is able to tell them when they're going to get their power back. FEMA and the White House is looking at this. They say they're monitoring the situation and they're bringing generators. They say they're bringing blankets and diesel to essentially keep the infrastructure here in the state running and supporting that infrastructure.
They say that they're going to help with things like hospitals and the water supply. But for Texans, that is not enough. They want their power back and they want it as soon as possible, Erin.
BURNETT: Right. Camila, thank you very much.
And I want to go now to Democratic Representative of the Texas State House, Eddie Morales. Tens of thousands of households, I know, in your district are still without power. It's been that way for many of your residents now for four days.
So Representative, have you been able to get any answers as to when the power comes back on even if I began our program by saying that they're worrying about cascading catastrophic blackouts at this moment?
STATE REP. EDDIE MORALES (D-TX): Correct, Erin. Thank you for having me on. And yes, we have not received an actual timeline of when my major metropolitan area is in House District 74 will get back power. We were informed by one of the service provider's AP that sometime this afternoon. They could not give us an exact timeline. They were going to try to get Del Rio and Eagle Pass, which are the more urban areas and the 12 counties that I represent that form House District 74.
It's important to note that House District 74 is the largest house district in the State of Texas and in the United States. It's actually bigger than 17 states. So the demands and the needs of the constituents in my district are many and we're not receiving the answers that we should expect.
BURNETT: So as you're speaking, Representative, we just saw icicles hanging from a fan, that's just one thing, we saw empty grocery store shelves. A few moments ago, I showed people burning a baby gate. That's something I saw on Yashar Ali's Twitter feed today.
I mean, these are stunning images to be seeing in the United States. I think when anyone sees this, wherever you are in this country, you kind of say, what. What are you hearing from your residents? How people are doing? What they're doing to get through this?
MORALES: It's exactly what you just pointed out. It's that drastic. And unfortunately, Jeff Davis is one of the counties that I represent also. A family there, the family of Robert Rubio Jr. (ph), he had recently passed away from COVID two weeks ago and his wife Stephanie (ph), and the two kids were trying to stay warm and they lost their home last night.
I mean, that's the level of emergency that we find ourselves in and also the dire situation that many of the constituents find themselves in.
[19:10:00]
Thank God, we were able to just receive word from the county judge and one of the commissioners there in Jeff Davis that now they've restored power to a large portion of the unincorporated town of Fort Davis.
BURNETT: So let me ask you Gov. Greg Abbott, he's calling for the resignation of the leaders of the ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. They oversee the power grid. I mean, is that where the blame lies here? I mean, he also blame Democrats saying - or said, look, this is what you're going to get if you have a Green New Deal. Obviously, only 10 percent of Texas' power even comes from green power and it's used everywhere, so that doesn't add up but who's to blame here?
MORALES: Yes, exactly. Look, this is not my point and time to start pointing fingers. There's going to be a hearing or a meeting of the Board of Directors from ERCOT and this is on February the 24th. But I'm not worried about February 24th. I'm worried about providing electricity and water to my constituents now.
I've heard that there's a lot of misinformation on social media. I've had to go on my social media also and actually clear up that wind turbines did not cause this. Only 7 percent of ERCOT's forecasted winter capacity was expected to come from various sources, wind sources. So that myth and that misinformation is not accurate. And then you end up politicizing the issue rather than addressing the needs of the constituents.
I have people in Eagle Pass, I have people in Del Rio that have not been able to receive even water because the water treatment plants don't have the electricity and they are now going on 72 hours in some areas that have not had power. This idea also of these rolling blackouts that are taking place, I'm sorry to say, but they're not taking place in House District 74 for a large part and so you have certain subdivisions, certain areas of the community that have gone all 72 hours without electricity.
BURNETT: All right. Representative, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much. I hope people hear you loud and clear here.
MORALES: Thank you.
BURNETT: I want to go down to Matthew Dowd. You all know him. He's the Chief Strategist for the Bush-Cheney '04 presidential campaign. You know his face from television, but he also lives in Wimberley, Texas. He has lost power. He has lost water.
Matthew, I know you've had to leave, try to go to a hotel where you have still the these rolling power problems. So first, Matthew, right now three days in and the cold snap there, who is to blame from your understanding for what's happened?
MATTHEW DOWD, CHIEF STRATEGIST, BUSH-CHENEY 2004: Well, thanks, Erin for having me on. First of all, I'm more blessed than most because I grew up in Michigan, so I had always bought a four wheel drive truck so I can actually help people which I've done over the last few days who've been stuck in the ice and snow. I was able to find a hotel 30 miles from my house to check into.
And 15 minutes after I got into the hotel, the power went out, which we're dealing with these rolling blackouts. I'll have to go back home in the next few days to try to figure out frozen pipes and all of that in the midst of that. I'm totally willing to point fingers and you have to point a finger at the Governor of the State of Texas in this. It's a series of decisions that have been made over the last 10 or 20
years, including by this governor who put the interests of others over the head of the community of Texas. He for some reason thinks that anytime you have community action, it's a bad thing. He attributed to socialism at time when communities come together or you ask government to do something involved.
And the other thing, Erin, I'll say is we have dealt with leaders and the aftermath of not telling the truth and have not being transparent with citizens and actually lying to them. We saw it in the Flint water crisis where citizens were lied to, people died. We saw it in the midst of COVID where the President and other leaders didn't tell the truth and people died because of that. We saw it in the assault on democracy where conspiracies were started and insurrection happened at the Capitol on January 6th and people died.
And now we're seeing it in the State of Texas where the Governor is somehow dreamed up this idea of renewables or the Green New Deal is somehow responsible when every single fact points to his own lack of leadership in the midst of this crisis.
BURNETT: Well, and of course we should point out the Green New Deal is an idea. I mean it hasn't been enacted in any way, shape or form. And as you point out or the Representative just said, wind is 7 percent of the power and it's used very well in cold climates. You just have the winter package, which Texas failed to procure.
I want to show you one other thing, Matt. I don't know if you could see, but this was Texarkana. So one side of the - it's a four lane highway, but going through the town, stoplights and stuff. And on one side it's paved and that's the Arkansas sign, state line road. And on the other side, it's not paved at all. Charles Peek from the Weather Channel tweeted this out.
I mean, this to me just says it all.
[19:15:01]
This is plowing. Arkansas could do it. They're not used to this either. Texas failed to do it right. I mean, this is very clear. This isn't some kind of amorphous discussion about a grid. This is plowing a road.
DOWD: Well, it's a perfect example. And keep in mind, Erin, Arkansas is part of the Eastern grid. It's not part of the Texas grid. So not only are they providing services better, but their power didn't go out like we did here, because they had capacity to go to other places to get it which Texas doesn't, because we've done this independent power grid that wasn't facilitated in a way to handle something like this.
Again, this goes, Erin, this goes completely to the point in Texas and we've done it nationally. The Texas is a perfect example where we've kept taxes low when we tried to attract businesses and we've tried to attract people here. But what we've done is completely underfunded infrastructure and completely underfunded services to constituents. And one thing, as I said, I'm blessed, I'm in a more privileged
position. The people that are receiving the worst of the effects are the most vulnerable just as you know happened in COVID. The people that suffered the most were the most vulnerable and the people here that are suffering the most because of the lack of leadership and the lack of telling the truth are the most vulnerable and most of them are people of color.
BURNETT: All right. I appreciate your time, Matthew. Thank you very much. And, of course, I know you know you are lucky in many ways, but we do hope that you get that power on and can get back home.
And next, news on the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and just how effective they are against some of the more contagious strains of coronavirus.
Plus, Trump, remember he called Mitch McConnell last night a dour, sullen and unsmiling political hack. McConnell now, well, we know how he plans to respond, we've got that reporting this hour.
And why were federal prosecutors investigating Trump confidant Roger Stone's ties to members of the Proud Boys even before the deadly siege on the Capitol?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:20:31]
BURNETT: Tonight, CNN learning the rollout of the highly anticipated one-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is facing hurdles. A Biden administration official telling CNN they initially planned to receive as many as 30 million doses by April if it's approved, but now they're expecting 20 million, pushes back the timeline for vaccinations by about a month.
Phil Mattingly is OUTFRONT from the White House. So Phil, how significant is this setback?
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, look in a moment where every day every dose is a matter of life and death, it's certainly not ideal for the administration. But it also underscores the caution. Now, you've heard from many administration officials over the course of their first four weeks in office in terms of predictions about when things will get better, when vaccines will ramp up in a major manner.
They understand that every element of the production, every element of the distribution is subject to change and subject to something going wrong. And that certainly seems to be, at least to some degree, the case here. They do expect as many as 20 million doses by the end of April.
The company, Johnson & Johnson, still saying they expect to deliver a hundred million doses by somewhere between June and July. But it just underscores kind of the volatility in this entire process. Now, the administration over the course of the last four weeks has ramped up their weekly dose distribution, almost 57 percent more than when they took office, 1.7 million vaccinations going out over the course of the last seven days.
So the ramp up is happening, but the reality is without the major influx of doses from Moderna, from Pfizer and then from Johnson & Johnson when they get their emergency use authorization approval, which is expected in the next two weeks, they can't provide the type of mass vaccinations needed to get the country near some type of herd immunity level.
So every piece of this matters right now, Erin. And certainly this is an element of frustration for an administration that is still trying to ramp up the entire infrastructure.
BURNETT: All right. Phil, thank you.
So I want to go now to Professor William Haseltine, Groundbreaking HIV AIDS Researcher and our own Abby Phillip, our Senior Political Correspondent and Anchor of "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY." OK. Thanks to both.
Professor, let me start with you. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout going to be slower than initially thought, presuming it gets that approval, 10 million doses short of what they expected. And this comes as Dr. Fauci has pushed back Biden's timeline for all Americans now to the end of July.
Now, Fauci had said he wanted that to be April, anyone who wants a vaccine can get it, now it's July. Do you think the administration is being aggressive enough here?
DR. WILLIAM HASELTINE, GROUNDBREAKING HIV/AIDS RESEARCHER: I think they're doing what they can. One of the things is clear from the beginning is when you're manufacturing new drugs, new vaccines which is quite complicated, you can't be sure what you're going to get at the beginning. Over time, you get confidence in what you're doing.
But these are complicated vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson is a virus that in itself is complicated. And you can't predict how many doses you're going to get from each batch. To me, it's amazing that Moderna, that Pfizer, BioNTech has done as well as they have, but we surely would like them to do better.
BURNETT: So Abby, today Vice President Kamala Harris refused to say whether it should be mandatory for teachers to be vaccinated before going back to school. Obviously, the CDC has been clear on this that they do not think that vaccination should be a predicate for teachers going back to school, but the Vice President did not go that far.
And shortly after she didn't do so, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Neither the President nor the Vice President believe that it is a requirement. It's not a requirement to reopen schools, but they believe that teachers should be prioritized.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: OK. So Abby, she's trying to go with - she knows what the CDC said, so she's trying to stick with that. But look, they're having trouble. They're struggling on this issue and perhaps because the CDC was pretty clear that you don't need teachers vaccinated to open schools. Why can't they get this straight?
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It seems pretty easy actually, to say what Jen Psaki said and what another White House advisor earlier today, Jeff Zients, said exactly the same thing, which is the CDC's recommendation is one thing, that it is not a requirement for teachers to be vaccinated in order for schools to reopen.
But yes, we would also like for teachers to be prioritized. It's not clear why they won't take that extra step. I think one hint is the obvious one, which is that this involves an issue of teachers unions who are a major Democratic constituency. They want vaccinations to be a pillar of the reopening plan.
[19:25:00]
They also want a lot of other things. They want class sizes to be smaller. They want the metrics to be tied to community spread.
But the Biden administration is clearly trying to walk this line and it seems almost as if there is a distinction between what they are willing to say, through surrogates, through the White House Press Secretary, for example, and what Biden and Harris themselves are willing to say. And at the end of the day, Biden and Harris were the ones who campaigned on the science. Their unwillingness to even reiterate what the science says seems to undermine that pledge.
BURNETT: Right. Right. I mean, that's the thing, when that was your entire message and the science is now saying you don't need this predicate. It's a pretty hard position to be in as Abby points out. Professor, we know of a lot of variants now around the world as some of them here in the United States. The ones we seem to know the most about are both more transmissible and likely more deadly.
Now, we found a new study that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are still effective against the variant first identified in South Africa, less so than the others, antibody activity dropped. But how far ahead of things are we when you look around the world and you see so many variants coming up and this thing mutating as quickly as it does?
HASELTINE: Well, it's a rapidly evolving situation. First thing I would say is the news that it's partially effective against these variants is very good news. We've seen some indications that that is going to be true. The higher the immunity you get from these vaccines, the broader of their activity, but it's also a matter of time.
Over time, the strength of the immunity drops somewhat and the difference between the first strain that you're vaccinating against and the other strains gets wider. BURNETT: Yes.
HASELTINE: Gets wider. That means it doesn't necessarily protect for going for months. So I think there's some real questions on that score. There's also questions about how many variants are out there. Right now I count five major variants spreading in the United States. There are likely to be more and we have to know the answer for all of those variants.
So it's a rapidly evolving situation. We're not going to know much more. We actually learned almost every day goes by we're learning more about these variants, how they're spreading. I'll just say one thing, people should be, first of all, get vaccinated and be even more careful. These variants can get through the standard mass and infect other people.
They can begin to infect children. (Inaudible) ...
BURNETT: Well, I think it's important for people to understand this too. A lot of people seem to think a vaccine is going to be, OK, now I can go back to seeing friends and family and people are starting to hear that that's not yet the case and it's hard to hear, but significant. I know it's been consistent from you and others.
Abby, I want to ask you one thing before we go, this is about the pushback that Biden is getting from the left flank of his party. They wanted this massive student loan cancellation, $50,000. He was asked about it, stood firm, not going to do it.
Today, AOC, Elizabeth Warren were actually joined by Chuck Schumer, a moderate, vowing to keep fighting on this issue. Can Biden hold back the progressive wing on this?
PHILLIP: Biden ran on not signing on to a lot of these things, but particularly on the student loan issue and that's was reflected in how quickly and clearly he answered that question. I think for both sides, it's important for them to make their positions clear on this issue. It doesn't hurt Biden to say I'm not for $50,000 in student loan forgiveness, because he's trying to be somewhere to the center left. And progressives also themselves really need to basically say we are pushing for our priorities.
So I think on both sides, it's really important for them to do that. But we also have heard even before the election from some progressives who suggested that a narrow majority in the Senate and the House will almost forced their hand. They know that they don't want to lose out on some big wins in the interest of just pushing back on Biden.
I think at the end of the day, they will sign on to COVID relief bills and other things if it means getting something instead of absolutely nothing.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you so much, Abby, Professor Haseltine. I appreciate both of you.
And next, Trump warning that he will take down any Republicans who did not have his back during the impeachment trial. It's a direct blob (ph), of course, at McConnell who is about to respond. We've got new reporting on what he's going to do in response.
Plus, a New York assemblyman claimed the State's Governor, Andrew Cuomo threatened him, saying that he could 'destroy him'. Why? He's my guest.
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[19:33:38]
BURNETT: Tonight, moving on. That is how Senate Minority Leader McConnell plans to respond to former President Donald Trump's scathing attack on him from a day ago. This according to our own Manu Raju, an attack where Trump called him, quote, dour, sullen and unsmiling political hack, and threatened to primary anyone not on Team Trump.
Manu is now OUFRONT.
So, Manu, what are you learning tonight about McConnell's thinking on dealing with Trump, who, of course, went after McConnell in the traditional toddler style.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And when McConnell first saw that statement, I am told he laughed at it. And I'm also told from multiple sources that he is not planning to engage in Trump at all. In fact, he wants to ignore Donald Trump and he wants to move on as he tries to navigate the Republican Party in the aftermath of Donald Trump.
His focus going forward is going to be on those Senate primaries, trying to get Republican candidates whom he believes could wind key races, to win back the Senate majority. Also to unify the Republican Party against Joe Biden's agenda.
But there is a problem. Donald Trump himself has said he plans to interject in those same Republican primaries and push candidates who are in his mold so that could lead to clash between McConnell forces and Trump forces as the party struggles to retake the Senate majority next year.
This is also a different approach but models taking to the republic leader in the House. Kevin McCarthy who went down to Mar-a-Lago, tried to get back in Donald Trump's good graces and he is contended that the party needs Donald Trump and will unify with Donald Trump in trying to get back into the House majority.
[19:35:05]
But the difference between the two leaders on this court is the deep divide in the aftermath of the impeachment trial in which Mitch McConnell voted to acquit Donald Trump, but later blasted him and called him, said he was responsible for the riot that happened here in the Capitol, all of which led to that scathing rebuke from Donald Trump just last night. But, Erin, this party is still trying to figure out a way forward. But McConnell is saying, let's just move on -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Manu, thank you.
I want to go now to John Kasich, who he is a two term Republican governor of Ohio.
Governor, obviously, it's -- Mitch McConnell laughed, I wondered what he did when he heard the Trump left out part that he had more chins than brains. But in all seriousness, McConnell wants to ignore Trump. Ignore him, move on, consolidate the party.
Trump is doing a whole bunch of interviews today with niche outlets, right, to talk to his base, which has scared Lindsey Graham and everyone else and they're all running around getting back behind him.
Will McConnell's plan to ignore Trump work or just wishful thinking?
JOHN KASICH, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think he's absolutely doing the right thing in this case. Ignore this bully. His time is coming and going, believe me, Erin.
And, you know, these threats that Donald Trump makes, I want to take you out, reminds me of that fable, remember the fable of the three little paid pigs? I'm going to huff -- the wolf says, I'm going to huff and puff and blow your house down.
Well, you know what? When you are somebody stands up against a bully, you've got to build a strong foundation. That means you've got to be on the district, you've got to let people know what you're made of. You've got to show leadership qualities.
And if you do that you will win. In most cases these primaries. I don't want these people shrinking into the corner saying, oh my goodness, they may primary me. So what? Standup. Be somebody.
And if you are somebody, you are likely to be rewarded because this Trump coalition is beginning to crack. I'm beginning to sense it.
BURNETT: So, Governor, okay, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, he is the sycophant in chief, right, for his blind loyalty to Trump, and his efforts to somehow think that he's confusing any of us when he occasionally tries to call him out, that's what I think makes him the most offensive person.
He wants McConnell to bow down, cave in, and he is going out and saying. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): President Trump is the most consequential Republican in the party. If Mitch McConnell doesn't understand that, he's missing a lot.
What I would say to Senator McConnell, I know Trump can be a handful, but he is the most dominant figure in the Republican Party. We don't have a snowball's chance in hell of taking back the majority without Donald Trump. If you don't get that, you're just not looking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: You're just not looking, Governor?
KASICH: You know, Erin, the problem with that argument is, the Republican Party is shrinking. They're losing so many people that are leaving the party and registering as independents. So, you know, the fact of the matter is, you can't be afraid of somebody.
Think about -- think about this, Erin. If they told you at your job that you can be an anchor but we're going to tell you exactly what to say and exactly what to think, I think you'd be on the set for like 5 seconds and then you would leave.
So if you are congressman and your running for Congress and you're running for the Senate, what, are you supposed to take orders from somebody else? Some Wizard of Oz, you know, that's living in another reality? And that that's how you're going to run your life? I mean, shame on. You can't do that.
And that applies to everybody. That applies to Democrats as well as Republicans.
BURNETT: Yeah.
KASICH: If you go into public surface, do it for a reason. You don't do it just so you can have power, because power without principle is empty.
BURNETT: It is. And it's corruption.
Thank you so much, Governor. I appreciate it. I always like talking to. Thanks.
KASICH: Always good, Erin.
BURNETT: All right.
KASICH: Thank you. Bye.
BURNETT: And next breaking news. We're learning federal prosecutors were investigating Roger Stone's ties to members of the Proud Boys long before they were part of the Capitol siege. Why?
And the senior adviser to the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo calling a Democratic state assemblyman a liar after he claimed Cuomo called him and threatened that he could destroy him. The assemblyman responds.
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[19:42:51]
BURNETT: Breaking news: federal prosecutors investigated longtime Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone's ties to members of the Proud Boys. The investigation is about whether they intended to threaten a federal judge. We have learned this today here at CNN, a 2019 probe, all the way back then, right, looking at links between him and the Proud Boys.
But its existence shows how prosecutors examined the far-right organization's ties to someone close to Trump, right? This was an investigation well before the siege of the capitol, right, which, of course, the Proud Boys were a core part of.
Shimon Prokupecz is OUTFRONT.
Shimon, tell us about what you're learning about this investigation.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's because of this renewed focus now on the Proud Boys that this new reporting from my colleague Kaitlan Collins has come to light.
And what she learned, back in 2019 while Roger Stone was facing charges here in Washington, D.C. for lying to Congress over the investigation involving the former president, there was an Instagram posting that was made against a judge, and that some viewed it as a threat, a possible threat against the judge, and the FBI and federal prosecutors were investigating that threat and its connection to the Proud Boys, because Roger Stone at the time said that the leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio was doing some Instagram posting for him, social media posting.
And as a result that, the FBI started looking into the connection between the Proud Boys and Roger Stone, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. So, Shimon, members of Proud Boys obviously are central to investigation around the Capitol Hill siege, right? So, you're establishing, you know, there's an investigation to a connection with Roger Stone close to Trump a year ago. Then we see them, you know central to the siege on January 6th.
Has Roger Stone kept in contact with them since this investigation?
PROKUPECZ: Well, that's a really good question, Erin. That is certainly something that investigators probably are trying to figure out.
There's also this intersection that another part of what investigators are looking at is the Proud Boys, and a lot of what we heard about, the Oath Keepers, because the Oath Keepers, as we have seen in video recently that came to light, showing them with Roger Stone, who was here in Washington, D.C. on the day of the insurrection.
[19:45:08]
There's video of the Oath Keepers here. They say they were doing VIP protection standing with Roger Stone. But certainly, Roger Stone has been known to have this affiliation with this group, and that is certainly something that has concerned people close to him. I know that people that I have talked to have been concerned about this.
So, that is certainly something that investigators will probably be keeping an eye on.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Shimon.
And next, a Democratic New York assemblyman claims the state's governor, Andrew Cuomo, threatened to destroy him. Cuomo's team calling him a liar. This is all about the governor's handling of nursing homes during the virus.
And an attorney representing the family of an officer who took his life after the deadly riot says he believes he knows what may have led to the officer's suicide.
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BURNETT: Tonight, a New York state lawmakers says Governor Andrew Cuomo threatened to destroy him. The assemblyman said Cuomo called him and leveled the threat after Assemblyman Kim criticized Governor Cuomo administration for failing to share the full scope of the coronavirus death toll in nursing homes. An adviser for Governor Cuomo denying that this threat was made. But, obviously, anyone in this country is aware of the discussion over the nursing home situation in New York.
OUTFRONT, Democratic Assemblyman Ron Kim back with me.
Assemblyman, I know -- look, this has been an issue you've cared a lot about for a long time, and I'll get to that. You and I talked about it back last summer.
But please tell me about this call with the governor.
RON KIM (D), NEW YORK ASSEMBLYMAN: You know, good to see you, Erin. This happened last Thursday evening around 8:00 after news broke that his top aide, his top aide had lied about hiding data information from the federal government for political reasons. She admitted to that in a private meeting, it was exposed.
And the governor called for about ten minutes, it seemed like one hour, berating, yelling and threatening, that I have to issue a statement that invalidated what I heard. He asked me to lie to cover up for his staff, and this was done in front of my family.
[19:50:01]
He called me. My wife was next -- right next to me. I was right about to bathe my kids.
And it really just put, you know, my family and my wife into shock and trauma for many hours, and she couldn't get any sleep that night.
And it's highly inappropriate, Erin, for the governor to have done that, and, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
BURNETT: So, he said, he said -- he said he can destroy you? I mean, he literally said that? And what else? KIM: He said that I haven't seen his anger, I've been seen his wrath,
and he will -- you know, just tell me, he will go out, and he's been biting his tongue, but he will go out tomorrow and destroy my political career, my -- you know, everything. He would say how bad of a person I am to everyone in public.
But it was just the yelling. At one, point he said, and he asked me if I was a lawyer, and I said, no, and he said we don't understand what you heard, and this is what you heard, this is what you're going to say. This is what you are going to write tonight and issue a statement, not tomorrow, tonight.
That's how we will move forward.
BURNETT: Wow.
KIM: And those were his words.
BURNETT: OK.
KIM: And -- yeah.
BURNETT: No, I mean, it's stunning. It's stunning. So, let me just give everyone a chance to understand.
As you know, they're pushing back on this. Cuomo's senior adviser just put out a statement tonight, Assemblyman Kim, and it says in part, Mr. Kim is lying about this conversation with Governor Cuomo Thursday night. I know because I was one of the three other people in the room when the phone call occurred. Obviously, in the governor side.
At no time did anyone threaten to destroy anyone with their, quote, wrath, nor engage in a cover-up. That's beyond the pale, and is unfortunately part of a years-long pattern of lies by Mr. Kim against this administration.
Then they put out a rush transcript of comments you made during the same Zoom call with Cuomo's aide. They say they don't align with what you are saying now.
What's your response to them? They're calling you a liar.
KIM: Well, I think Governor Cuomo is very good at implicating his aides, and he's been trying to implicate me. They did implicate us in that private meeting when his secretary, Melissa DeRosa, admitted to obstruction about justice, of hiding information in fear that it would be weaponized against the administration, in fear that we would go back and legislate and repeal legal immunity, the stuff that you and I have been talking about for months now.
BURNETT: Yeah.
KIM: In fear that we would undo all the policies. That's why they covered up the data, and she admitted it. She said, you want to the truth? This is the truth. And she said that she hid that information. That was what the governor did. And because I called out and because I refused to lie for them, now,
they'll get to threaten my career, my wife, and made my wife, you know, in tears all night.
My wife, you know -- you know, that night was very troubling because you couldn't sleep, and she's telling me, what did you do to us? Stop what you're doing, please? She was -- she feared for my future, for my life.
That's the kind of shock that this governor gave to my family, and his administration should be apologizing to me right away, not spinning and distracting us from getting to the truth.
BURNETT: Assemblyman Kim, I appreciate your time.
And I want everyone to know it is true, you have cared about on these issues of nursing homes. You are on a show in May. In May, he was on the show talking about this very issue.
Thanks very much to you, and I want everyone to know we did invite Governor Cuomo and his advisor to discuss this tonight. They declined.
OUTFRONT next, two officers who fought the rioters at the U.S. Capitol died by suicide. And tonight, an attorney for one of them says he believes he knows why the officer took his life.
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[19:56:39]
BURNETT: Tonight, the lawyer for one of the Capitol police officers who died by suicide after the riot is seeking line of duty recognition for the officer's death. This recognition is normally reserved for officers that they technically decide were killed in duty. But the family says there is no way that the officer would have died if not for the riot.
Jessica Schneider is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLICE OFFICER: We've lost the line. We've lost the line. All MPD pull back.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Newly released audio is protesters confronting the police officers confronting the violent mob at the Capitol.
POLICE OFFICER: We're still talking rock, bottles and pieces of flag and metal pole.
SCHNEIDER: But days later after the violence died down, two officers who responded on January 6th killed themselves. One was Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith. He was 35 and leaves behind his wife Erin whom he married in 2019. DAVID P. WEBER, SMITH FAMILY ATTORNEY: It's been extremely difficult.
You know, she was in Atlanta with her parents and she had to come back here to receive the contents of Jeff's locker, you know, and that -- and that's what she's contending with.
SCHNEIDER: David Weber is the family's attorney. He believes Smith suffered brain trauma from a blow to the head on January 6th and that may have led to his suicide.
WEBER: I don't think there is any dispute that he was, that he was subjected to some pretty extreme trauma.
SCHNEIDER: Now, Officer Smith's wife Erin is pushing for city officials to recognize her husband's passing as a line of duty death. A source tells CNN an officer suicide has never been considered a line of duty death in D.C.
JEFF MCGILL, FOUNDER, BLUE HELP: Officers are twice as likely to take their own life as be killed by the bad guys. This is something law enforcement needs to come to terms with and we need to start addressing this openly to change the culture and change the narrative.
SCHNEIDER: Jeff McGill is the founder of the nonprofit Blue Help, an outreach group for people affected by officer suicides. He says 150 officers lost their lives to suicide last year nationwide. And their families often receive no financial help.
MCGILL: They're not getting support. They're not getting benefits. We get horrendous stories from widows and widowers about how they were treated, how they were immediately removed from the law enforcement family.
WEBER: The significance of the line of duty death is that Ms. Smith is now left where Officer Smith was the primary breadwinner, was the primary income earner, was the person who had the health insurance. If it is not a line of duty death, she'll receive a lump sum payment of a very small amount of money, which is not sufficient as a savings mechanism but it's also not appropriate under the facts and circumstances.
SCHNEIDER: Capitol Police Officer Howard Livengood killed himself days after January 6th, too, and officials say about 140 officers were injured as a result of the riot.
On the Senate floor last week, House Impeachment Manager David Cicilline warned other officers could still be at risk.
REP. DAVID CICILLINE (D-RI): Several police officers reported self- harm in the days following the riot and in one case an officer voluntarily turned in her gun because she was afraid of what might happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (on camera): Now, D.C. officials have not responded to our request for comment on this. But, of course, we know that an officer suicide has never been declared a line of duty death in D.C. So it is unlikely that this one will be and Erin, it is a question that will ultimately be determined on the D.C. Police and Fire Retirement Board -- Erin.
BURNETT: Oh, gosh. Well, it is clear it wouldn't have happened if he weren't there that day. So, hope they will do the right thing. Thank you so much, Jessica.
And thanks to all of you.
Anderson starts now.
