Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Interview with Former CIA Director John Brennan; Senator David Perdue in COVID-19 Quarantine Days Ahead of Election; California's COVID Death Toll Tops 25,000 as Hospitalizations Soar, New Virus Strain Detected; CNN: "At Least A Handful" of GOP Senators and At Least 140 House Republicans Expected to Object to Election Results; Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is Interviewed About GOP's Plan to Challenge Biden Win; Pentagon Prepares for Possible Iranian Attack Linked to Anniversary of Top General's Killing. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired December 31, 2020 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:44]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Wolf Blitzer is off today. I'm Jim Acosta. And this is a THE SITUATION ROOM special report.

Tonight, the United States is ending this very painful year with a soaring COVID-19 death toll and case count and an alarming delay in getting desperately needed vaccines into the arms of Americans, Dr. Anthony Fauci calling the administration's failure to reach its goal of 20 million vaccinations by today disappointing.

Also breaking, I'm learning more than one Republican senator is now likely to object to the Electoral College vote when Congress meets to certify the results next week, a GOP congressional aide telling CNN to expect at least a handful of senators to join the protest and that it will be -- quote -- "a spectacle."

On the House side, two Republicans tell CNN they expect at least 140 GOP lawmakers to object, joining what is sure to be a futile last- ditch bid by the president's allies to overturn president-elect Joe Biden's win.

Let's go right to CNN national correspondent Athena Jones.

Athena, we're heading into a new year with the pandemic raging and concerns about when we will get relief.

ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jim. That's exactly right.

The U.S. has added more than 100,000 new coronavirus infections for 58 days in a row; 17 of those days, that number has been over 200,000, like, Wednesday, the U.S. tallied nearly 230,000 new infections. These are astronomical figures, and yet another sign that things are still getting worse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JONES (voice-over): As 2020 draws to a close, fresh signs of a deepening crisis, America setting records for COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations nationwide again.

The latest surge could make January particularly deadly, as experts acknowledge the distribution of lifesaving vaccines is so far falling short, just 2.8 million doses administered, a tiny fraction of the 20- million dose goal government officials set.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We would have liked to have seen it run smoothly and have 20 million doses into people today, by the end of the -- 2020, which was the projection. Obviously, it didn't happen. And that's disappointing.

JONES: Giving more people a first dose of vaccine to provide some protection is under consideration.

FAUCI: You can make an argument -- and some people are -- about stretching out the doses by giving a single dose across the board and hoping you're going to get the second dose in time to give to individuals.

JONES: Still, several states face problems getting shots into arms.

GOV. TOM WOLF (D-PA): Maybe my expectations were to either that the vaccine would have been rolled out faster in a much more efficient manner than it has been.

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): If we had more doses, we would get those into arms as well. The demand at this point far exceeds the supply.

JONES: Meanwhile, some states are expanding access to the vaccine, like Florida, where it is available not just to health care workers and nursing home residents, but to anyone over 65, leading to long lines in some places, this as the tragic toll of the virus mounts, hard-hit Los Angeles county surpassing 10,000 COVID deaths since the start of the pandemic, officials there tweeting at regular intervals to drive home the message that someone, a mother, a grandpa, a friend, a barber, dies of COVID in the county every 10 minutes.

MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI (D-CA), LOS ANGELES: This has been the toughest year of our city's history, the most difficult that Los Angeles has ever faced. Our public health officials tell us that, still, the worst numbers are yet to come.

JONES: Arizona nurse Carolina Garcia, who treated her own father until he died of coronavirus, sharing the pain so many are feeling.

CAROLINA GARCIA, DAUGHTER OF CORONAVIRUS VICTIM: I was very happy that I could be there, but, at the same time, seeing my father lay there was very heartbreaking.

JONES: And while the nation prepares to put 2020 in the rear view, New York's Times Square will see a much smaller celebration than usual, just a few dozen invited guests. MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NY), NEW YORK CITY: Those invited guests are

our health care heroes, our essential workers, who did amazing things in the year 2020 to see the city through. So, that's going to be part of the magic.

In a country, in a city that sometimes could use some more unity, one thing unifies all of us as Americans. We want to get the hell rid of 2020.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: And now a potentially concerning new variant of the virus is spreading quickly in South Africa.

[18:05:03]

The new variant has been found in 90 percent of samples taken from 400 COVID patients treated across the country since mid-November. The new variant has been found in seven other countries, including the U.K., France, Japan, and Australia.

And researchers don't yet know if it poses a challenge to the vaccines developed so far -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Athena Jones, sobering news. Thanks so much.

Let's get more on the growing number of Republicans in Congress willing to support President Trump's election denial. I'm told at least a handful of senators now are expected to protest the Electoral College vote next week.

Let's bring in White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.

There are even more Republicans buying into this stunt in the House.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, two House Republicans believe 140 of their colleagues could sign on to this eventually.

And, of course, that's going to shape up to be a showdown next week, depending on how many senators we do see come forward and join Josh Hawley in these efforts.

But one person who does not appear to be on board with this is the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, who had a conference call with Senate Republicans today. And he asked Josh Hawley to explain his reasoning, given he's the first senator to say he's going to object to the results, which means you're going to see the debate happen, even though we know, in the end, it will be inevitable what the result is going to be.

Biden will be certified as the winner. And so, Hawley was not on that call with McConnell, as he called on him several times and realized he was not there. But it's pretty clear what the reasoning is behind that move. And it's President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUESTION: Mr. President, will you take our questions?

COLLINS (voice-over): Without answering a single question from reporters, President Trump cut his Florida vacation short today and left behind a ballroom of disappointed guests at Mar-a-Lago for tonight's New Year's Eve party.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, everybody. Happy new year.

COLLINS: Instead of walking the red carpet like last year, Trump will ring in the new year in Washington, after spending most of his time in Florida in an irritable mood, fuming about everything from his election loss to first lady Melania Trump's renovations.

Sources say Trump is almost singularly focused on a plot by his Republican allies to disrupt Congress' certification of Joe Biden's win next week, which Democrats are dismissing as absurd.

SEN. BOB CASEY (D-PA): They have got to choose here. It's really simple. There are only two choices. You choose democracy and the Constitution, or you choose the big lie and Trump. It's as simple as that.

It's hard to comprehend that he wants to attach his name to one of the biggest lies in American history.

COLLINS: Josh Hawley is the first Republican senator to answer Trump's call to challenge the election results, which will force the Senate to debate his claim before affirming Biden's win. But he may not be the last.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): This is the one opportunity that I have as a United States senator, this process right here, my one opportunity to stand up and say something. And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

COLLINS: Senator Ben Sasse said he won't participate in the stunt by his fellow Republicans and urged others to reject this dangerous ploy, adding: "Let's be clear about what's happening here. We have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think there's a quick way to tap into the president's populist base without doing any real long-term damage. But they're wrong. And this issue is bigger than anyone's personal ambitions."

Sasse also said: "When we talk in private, I haven't heard a single congressional Republican allege that the election results were fraudulent, not one."

Although the vice president only has a limited ceremonial role in this process, sources say Trump is demanding that Mike Pence fight harder for him.

"The Wall Street Journal" editorial board, which has often been friendly has often been friendly to Trump during his presidency, says he's putting his loyal V.P. in a terrible spot. "Mr. Pence is too much of a patriot to go along, but the scramble to overturn the will of the voters, tarnishes Mr. Trump's legacy and undermines any designs he has on running in 2024."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And, Jim, we have just learned that, on behalf of the vice president, the Justice Department has asked a federal court to reject that lawsuit that was filed by Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert basically trying to overturn the election in what was definitely seen as a desperate attempt, given Mike Pence does not have the power to decide who has won the election.

And what the Justice Department is saying in this filing is basically that Louie Gohmert sued the wrong person, and he should have sued the House in the Senate, since it's up to them to certify the votes, not the vice president, so even acknowledging that he does not have an outsized role in this as the president is asking people whether or not he does and can make a difference next week.

And it is just another notable development in -- as we have seen this ongoing saga of what's going to happen when Congress does meet next week.

ACOSTA: Yes, Kaitlan, I feel like I'm in a hall of mirrors.

So, the vice president is seeking to throw out a lawsuit brought by Louie Gohmert to overturn the election. It's hard to keep up at times.

All right, Kaitlan, stay with us, as we bring in CNN political correspondent MJ Lee, CNN congressional reporter Lauren Fox, and CNN senior political analyst David Gergen.

[18:10:03]

David, I want to begin with you.

We were talking to former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen, former Republican Senator Bill Cohen in the last hour. And he was talking about this Republican effort led by Senator Josh Hawley to challenge the election results next week.

Mitch McConnell now giving his members room to vote their conscience in all of this but let me ask you. Bill Cohen was saying that perhaps we need a new political party in this country for all of these disaffected Republicans who just can't stand the sight of what's happening and what is going to happen next week, when these GOP congressional leaders try to overturn the will of the people.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's absolutely right, Jim.

There are so many Republicans now who are more centrist, they're more moderate. They have been unhappy increasingly with what's been going on with the Trump administration, these last couple years especially.

And now they find this -- the irony is, the one person who really understands the magnitude of what is happening on -- this coming week is Mitch McConnell himself. In that conference call today, he basically said, you're being forced to choose between the most popular politician in your party or democracy.

And he said -- he went on to say, he's been in the Senate now for some 36 years. He's called -- he has voted on wars. He's voted on impeachments. He's voted on a number of other things. He says, this is the most consequential vote he will have taken in those 36 years.

ACOSTA: And, Lauren Fox, you're learning more about an e-mail that Senator Hawley sent to his colleagues earlier today in an attempt to explain his position.

It's not his fund-raising e-mail, where he's trying to raise money on all of this. There's a glimpse of that right there. But he sent this other e-mail to his colleagues trying to explain his position, because he was not on the phone call, I guess. What was the message?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, that's exactly right.

McConnell tried to call on him multiple times, so he could hear his rationale, and basically explain, Senator Hawley, to your colleagues why you are going to force them to make this tough decision on the floor of the Senate in just a couple days.

Multiple times, he was called on. Multiple times, he didn't answer. So, when he realized, when it became public he was not on a call when McConnell was asking for information from him, he sent out this e-mail to colleagues, basically saying: Look, I know what you're thinking, but at the end of the day, we have been hearing from constituents -- I know you have, too -- that they're concerned about the results of this election, and I feel like we have an obligation to investigate.

Now, I think one important thing to remember about Hawley's e-mail is that it does not mention any of his 2024 ambitions, if he has those. And a lot of his colleagues are looking at him, thinking that this is him trying to fast-track himself into the 2024 presidential race and getting in Trump's good graces just a couple years before he's going to need his support.

I mean, remember that the president is extremely popular. He's somebody that the base is going to follow wherever he goes. And, you know, if Hawley wants to get into the president's good graces, this might be what he has to do, is basically what a lot of colleagues are starting to point fingers at.

ACOSTA: Yes. It's a reminder that, even as Trump goes, Trumpism stays.

MJ Lee, a Republican congressional aide tells me next week's joint session of Congress, where the Electoral College votes will be counted and finalized for Joe Biden, will definitely be a spectacle.

You're there in Rehoboth Beach, where president-elect Joe Biden is spending New Year's Eve. How is the Biden team viewing this effort? I know that president-elect Joe Biden has been trying to keep this all at arm's length. How much longer can he do that? MJ LEE, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, I think we

almost want to be careful not to suggest that the Biden team has some elaborate plan to deal with what we might see in Congress next week, because that might give off the impression that the Biden team thinks there is any chance that the results of the election will be overturned.

The Biden team does not think that. They haven't thought that since this election was called. We heard just earlier this week the incoming White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, saying, look, this is what's going to happen. On January 20, president-elect Joe Biden is going to be sworn in as the next president. That is just the reality.

And this has been their message for so long.

I will say, though, Jim, Joe Biden is somebody who is a creature of Washington. He obviously spent many years in the Senate. He spent eight years as vice president.

He understands how politics works in Washington. And he has friends who are Senate Republicans. And he has actually publicly said recently, look, I have received congratulatory phone calls from some of my friends who are Republicans in Congress, but I understand why, publicly, they're unable to sort of congratulate me, accept the results of the election, because they are afraid of President Trump.

So, I think, the political dynamics, he certainly understands. I don't know if he necessarily expected these kinds of tactics to go on until the very last minute, like we're seeing right now.

[18:15:02]

ACOSTA: Absolutely.

And, Kaitlan Collins, President Trump returned to Washington ahead of schedule today. He's not going to be at the New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago tonight at his own resort.

And we're now learning that Mr. Trump appeared unsettled during this trip. You have heard similar things, as he continues to talk about this election challenge effort that we're going to see in Congress next week.

What is happening on your end? And where do you think the president's head is right now?

COLLINS: Well, if you have watched the president's behavior closely over the last few years, it's really unusual for him to do something like this, to leave a party at his own Mar-a-Lago club, where, of course, the guests go so they can see the president.

And he left hours before it took place. And that caught a lot of them off-guard. And that doesn't seem like a significant event, of course, given everything that is going on with the vaccines, with what's going on with this effort to try to contest the election. But it is really unusual for the president's behavior. And so, he came

back here to the White House. He only had a few staffers in tow. He spent has most of the afternoon in the Oval Office, though it's not really clear what he's doing.

But it does speak to the mind-set that we're seeing the president in right now, because we're basically told by sources, he is more unpredictable than he has ever been at any other point in his presidency right now. He is basically completely consumed by this election loss, focusing on what's going to happen next week.

But, as we have noted, we know what's going to be the end result of next week. We may not know how big of a spectacle it's going to be, but we know Joe Biden will be the winner at the end of the day.

So, the question after that is, what does the president move on to next, because he's taken steps every time, he's faced defeat since November, and the question is, what could be next for him?

ACOSTA: And, David Gergen, you heard Kaitlan talk about how unpredictable the president is. He's never been this unpredictable, according to what Kaitlan is hearing from her sources.

What does that say about the country and the position that the country is in right now, to have an unpredictable president in this fashion in the remaining days he has in office?

GERGEN: I think it's extremely dangerous for the country. It's extremely dangerous for Joe Biden when he comes in. Can he govern in this kind of an environment, where people are so split apart?

And it's dangerous for the Republican Party. To go back to the question of Bill Cohen you raised initially, Jim, there's a reason that Bill Cohen is saying that. There are a lot of Republicans, believe it or not, who actually want to make government work. They do want to work across the aisle.

And when they see this kind of charade, which is all about creating chaos and about delegitimizing Joe Biden and smearing the Democratic Party, there are naturally people in the Republican Party who don't want to be part of that. They are repelled by it. But they don't have a vehicle yet.

The Lincoln Project has given some people, but there are lot of Republicans who don't want to be part of that. But they do want to find a way to make democracy work again.

ACOSTA: All right, and we will see if that happens, if that is one of the byproducts of what we see next week, a Republican Party that ends up being split in two.

All right, thanks, all of you, for those great insights.

We will also have breaking news here now with this crucial Georgia run-off that will decide control of the Senate. Republican incumbent David Perdue is going into quarantine after exposing himself and being exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Let's go to CNN senior national correspondent Kyung Lah, who is in Georgia tonight.

Kyung, what could this mean for the election that is now just five days away? This is not a good time for a candidate to be in quarantine.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, off the trail, right? If you're going to quarantine, that means that he is not going to be out on the trail.

He did not go to this large New Year's Eve get-out-the-vote rally. It was only Kelly Loeffler. What the Republicans hoped they would accomplish here is to have this unified front, to encourage Republicans. Despite the president tweeting, despite the infighting among the GOP, they wanted to present this united front.

Now Senator David Perdue is going into quarantine with his wife. There was an announcement from the campaign at the time that he was supposed to go on the stage here in Gainesville, Georgia, saying that he is not going to show up, that he had contact with someone on the campaign who had tested positive, and, due to CDC guidelines, the recommendations of his doctor, he and his wife were going to quarantine.

We should point out that the senator and his wife both tested negative so far. We do hope that they stay in good health.

And, as far as your other question, Jim, what it means politically, I actually talked to people here who didn't know what was happening, even though the campaign sent it out via Twitter. They didn't know. There was no announcement here. It was almost as if he just disappeared.

And they said, it wouldn't make any difference to them. They're still going to vote the way they're going to vote.

ACOSTA: And it's going to be a very close race, I'm sure.

All right, Kyung Lah, thanks so much for that. We will stay on top of this race, of course, and we know you will, too.

All right, just ahead, I will get new reaction to the growing ranks of Republicans prepared to create a spectacle, yes, a spectacle, and protest the presidential election results next week.

[18:20:06]

Former CIA Director John Brennan is standing by. He will have some comments on that.

And, as you get ready to ring in the new year, a top doctor has one last warning about the risk of making the COVID crisis even worse, depending on what you do tonight.

This is a SITUATION ROOM special report. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: We're learning about more and more Republicans who appear ready to do President Trump's bidding when Congress meets next week to certify the election results.

At least a handful of GOP senators and at least 140 House Republicans are now expected to object to the electoral vote count that confirms president-elect Joe Biden's victory.

And joining me is the former CIA Director John Brennan, author of "Undaunted: My Fight Against America's Enemies, At Home and Abroad."

Director Brennan, thanks for joining us.

You tweeted that you're awarding Senator Josh Hawley the clear winner of the most craven unprincipled and corrupt senator award. You write that he had some tough competition.

Why does that effort specifically earn him that number one spot, do you think?

JOHN BRENNAN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: Well, Jim, I find what Josh Hawley has done particularly odious, because he is a well-educated individual, trained in the law. He knows better.

But he is pandering to this base of Donald Trump for very selfish, politically expedient reasons. And he's now fueling, I think, this widespread perception among Trump's base that Trump won the election, when that is just a specious claim on the part of Donald Trump.

So, again, Josh Hawley, who knows better, is just doing this in order to advance his own personal interests. And, unfortunately, I think too many members of the Republican Party are just pursuing the same type of approach that Donald Trump has taken, which is to play this game of deceit in order to advance their own personal agendas.

[18:25:11]

ACOSTA: And what do you make of the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, making it clear to his members earlier today that they should vote their conscience on these objections?

What does that mean?

BRENNAN: I think Mitch McConnell has his hands full.

It reminds me of the Warren Zevon song "Disorder in the House."

There is great disorder in the Republican house right now. He cannot exert the discipline I think he wants to exert, because Donald Trump still has quite a bit of influence on these individual members, who recognize that some of their campaign financing is going to depend on how much they pander to Donald Trump and people of his ilk.

And so I think Mitch McConnell didn't have any choice but to basically tell them to vote their conscience, because I think, otherwise, he would -- it would be demonstrated that people are going to go against his direction, which I think clearly is what the trend is right now on the Republican side of that Senate chamber.

ACOSTA: And Senator Hawley, as you just were hinting at, is fund- raising off of this effort to overturn the election.

We have an image of that fund-raising e-mail from Josh Hawley. And he makes it very plain. Support what I'm doing and donate here, it says in that red bar at the bottom of the screen.

What do you think about that?

BRENNAN: Well, it's so totally crass and so unethical and unprincipled.

And it's not just sending such a bad signal to the American public. It's sending a very bad signal to the international community. Here we are, again, the world's greatest democracy, who -- we cannot yet acknowledge, at least one principal party cannot acknowledge the winner of a presidential election.

And so it undermines our credibility when we talk to foreign leaders, foreign government officials about the importance of the rule of law. Josh Hawley and others are trashing the rule of law. And that is what I find, again, so, so disgraceful.

These are individuals that are violating, I think, their oath to the Constitution that they took to uphold, again, pandering to those individuals who they believe are going to allow them to continue in office, which, again, I just find exceptionally disgraceful.

ACOSTA: And, Director Brennan, I know from my travels covering the White House, all around the world, you talk to foreign leaders, people who work for those foreign leaders. They're greatly worried about what is going on in the United States, what Donald Trump has done to this country and this democracy, and the example it sets for the rest of the world.

Does this effort to challenge the election -- and you also had those travels, of course, over many, many years. Does this effort to challenge the election cause more of those concerns, do you think, in the international community? And does it raise national security concerns?

BRENNAN: Well, absolutely, it does, because the United States has been the leader of the democratic countries of the world.

And it's our example that we need to set for others. And so, any time we're going to push back against efforts to undermine democratic foundations in other countries, those arguments are going to ring hollow.

And so, president-elect Biden and his national security team are going to have even more of a challenge to try to reinforce the principles of democracy in countries around the world. And so, Donald Trump, Josh Hawley and others are doing tremendous damage to the United States' prestige around the world and our influence. And they have to be thinking about the longer-term implications of what they're doing, not just what it means for their own political fortunes, but what does it mean for this country and our future?

And I just find it unconscionable what they're doing.

ACOSTA: And I suspect Joe Biden will be dealing with this as he travels the world once this coronavirus crisis is over, because some of these foreign leaders around the country will say, OK, Joe Biden, you are the president now, but look what just happened over the last four years.

We could talk about this further, but some important comments from the director, former director of the CIA, John Brennan.

Thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it. And happy new year.

BRENNAN: Thank you, Jim. Same to you.

ACOSTA: All right, thank you.

Just ahead: He was praised for his early handling of the pandemic, but now California is a global hot spot, and a move to recall Governor Gavin Newsom, that's gaining steam tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: We're tracking the deadly surge in coronavirus cases across the U.S., including in hard-hit California. Its death toll is now climbing above 25,000. Hospitalizations are soaring and the state has detected one of the first U.S. cases of that very infectious new strain of COVID-19.

The crisis is also taking a political toll on California's governor, as CNN's Nick Watt reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): We will be California for all.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's long been a golden boy, governing the golden state.

SHERRY BEBITCH JEFFE, INSIDE GOLDEN STATE POLITICS PODCAST: Central casting probably would ask for Gavin Newsom to play a new school political governor, and maybe even a new school political president.

WATT: But now, Newsom could be facing a fight for his political future, a recall campaign fueled by COVID-19.

RANDY ECONOMY, SENIOR ADVISER, RECALLGAVIN2020.COM: This is about citizens who are tired of being dictated to every single day and being told you cannot go outside. You cannot do this, you cannot do that. And it's government overreach.

JEFFE: It is another iteration of Trumpism.

WATT: A Newsom spokesman told CNN, in part, Trump supporters want California taxpayers to waste $100 million on a special election.

[18:35:02]

We would rather focus on getting through the homestretch of this pandemic.

JEFFE: It's so 2020. There have been five other attempts to recall Gavin Newsom. Only this one seems to have some oomph.

WATT: A COVID weary population, a recent $500,000 corporation donation and another $100,000 from a Trump donor, reports Politico, plus a P.R. jackpot. Newsom was widely praised for implementing the nation's first statewide stay-home order back in March.

NEWSOM: We are confident that the people of the state of California will abide by it.

WATT: Then, he was caught bending rules last month, dining at the fancy French Laundry Restaurant.

NEWSOM: You can quibble about the guidelines, et cetera, et cetera, but the spirit of what I'm preaching all the time was contradicted.

JEFFE: All of a sudden, the signature totals skyrocketed.

WATT: Recall campaigners need 1.5 million signatures. Claim they have now bagged over 900,000. And these days, most Californians are again being told to stay home. Yet, somehow, California still has the highest per capita confirmed coronavirus infection rate in the country.

JEFFE: If the pandemic proceeds as it is, it's very dangerous for him.

WATT: And should this recall campaign even come close, other governors might rest a little uneasy in their mansions.

ECONOMY: You know what they say, if it happens in California, it's probably going to happen anyplace in America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT (on camera): Now, it has happened before in California. Back in 2003, Governor Gray Davis was booted out. But recalling Gavin Newsom is going to be a tough task. This is a deep blue state that President Trump just lost by nearly 30 points. But, Jim, if there's one thing 2020 has taught us, it's never say never. Jim?

ACOSTA: Absolutely. All right, Nick Watt, Happy New Year, thank you so much. We appreciate that report.

And joining me now, Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA vaccine's advisory committee and Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, wonderful facility there in Philadelphia.

Dr. Offit, Dr. Fauci says he is disappointed that the country is not reaching the goal of vaccinating 20 million Americans by today, the end of 2020. As we see these record-breaking daily deaths and hospitalization numbers from this virus, how problematic is it, do you think, that the slowness that we're seeing in vaccine distribution, it's just unacceptable, it seems?

DR. PAUL OFFIT, DIRECTOR, VACCINE EDUCATION CENTER, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: No, it's awful. I mean, we have this lifeboat, these vaccines, and, unfortunately, we don't have enough life boats. So, as a consequence, there are people who are going to die over the past few months who, had they had a vaccine, wouldn't have to die. I mean, that's the hardest part in all of this.

We need to figure out a better way to mass produce this. When you have 12 million doses currently that's been distributed, it's a two-dose vaccine, that's 6 million people, that's 2 percent of the population. That's still pretty woeful. And, plus, we need a much better way of distributing this vaccine, as well. So we're behind, yes.

ACOSTA: And I want to get your take on Dr. Fauci saying that there is some consideration being given to spreading out the first doses of the vaccine so more people can get vaccinated. You're an expert in this field. What do you make of that approach? Could that, I guess, create some confusion about all of this, because people were expecting these doses to follow one another fairly quickly?

OFFIT: I'm not crazy about that. I mean, when these studies were done by Pfizer and Moderna, the so-called phase one studies, what they did was they looked at giving one dose and looked at the immune response that was induced by one response, then they found that that was inadequate. So, they then gave a second dose and found that they got a much better boost response, and that's the way they did those studies.

So, I think to do less than that, I think, is to enter into an area of the unknown. I don't think that's a good idea. I think we should do it the way the studies showed us to do it.

ACOSTA: I want it turn to a subject you wanted to discuss, and that is this new coronavirus variant that has been found in South Africa. It comes on the heels of that other variant being found in the U.K. Are you concerned these variants that we're discovering, especially this one in South Africa since it's so new, might be resistant to the vaccines that have already been developed? Should that be a concern?

OFFIT: Yes. So, this is an RNA virus. Like all RNA viruses, SARS-Cov-2 will mutate and create variants. Influenza is an RNA virus. In influenza, you take so much from one year to the next, the natural infection or immunization the previous year doesn't protect you, hence the need for a yearly vaccine.

Measles is also an RNA virus. We have had a measles virus since 1963, and that virus has never mutated away from the vaccine. So that's the question, which of these two viruses is SARS-Cov-2 going to be like? Is it going to be like flu or is it going to be like measles? Right now, it looks like it's like measles.

But I think this was a warning shot.

[18:40:00]

We have to be much better at sequencing these viruses and identifying these variants. And when we have identified these variants, we need to within a week, and we can do that, quickly determine whether or not the virus has drifted away from recognition by the vaccine, because that would be a problem.

And if that's true, we need to do everything we can to isolate those cases so that they don't spread because if they do, imagine having a vaccine that we're getting out there that no longer works. I mean, the contagiousness issue is obviously worrisome, but it's contagious in the same manner that the non-variant strain is, which is to say it's spread by small droplets, so masking and social distancing still works.

But were this to mutate away from the vaccine, that would be a problem. We need to really pay attention to this. This U.K. variant and the South African variants are warning shots.

ACOSTA: All right. And we'll take as that. All right, Dr. Paul Offit, excellent information, great analysis. I appreciate that so much.

Just ahead, we'll get an update from the Pentagon on whether an attack by Iran may be imminent. Stay tuned for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:45:36]

ACOSTA: Breaking news. Sources tell CNN at least a handful of Republican senators and at least 140 House Republicans are expected to object to the results of the presidential election next week during a joint session of Congress.

Let's bring in Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, a member of the Armed Services and Oversight Committees.

Congressman, thanks for joining us.

Our Jake Tapper is learning at least 140 House Republicans are expected to join this effort to challenge the election during next week's joint session of Congress. I'm hearing about perhaps a half dozen, a handful of Republican senators over in the Senate.

What's your response to hearing that so many of your fellow members of Congress may be getting onboard with this effort?

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Well, Jim, I'm unfortunately hearing the same thing. My response is to listen to Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican, who says this is playing with fire. I don't understand how you can be a conservative who believes in preserving American institutions, preserving our constitutional system, and vote to override a democratic result.

It's really hurting our institutions. And the irony here is, Jim, the very people who are voting to say the election is illegitimate are there in the House or Senate by the same election process. So how can you say the president is illegitimate but say your own election is legitimate?

ACOSTA: And have you spoken to any of your Republican colleagues about this attempt to overturn the will of the American people?

KHANNA: You know, I haven't on this topic. I have good relations with a lot of Republican colleagues. I have worked with them on bills, but when it comes to this topic, they're reticent.

And here's the unfortunate thing, Jim. I thought some thought that when Trump lost, maybe we would move on in this country and have a new political era. What this is showing is Trump's shadow is still very large on the Republican Party. I have not seen any independence when it comes to Donald Trump, and it's a topic that is fairly taboo in the halls of Congress. Republicans just don't want to talk about issues that involve Trump for fear that he would tweet something out.

ACOSTA: And you know, there's this just sad unfortunate underbelly of politics here in Washington, and Senator Hawley is reflecting some of this fund-raising off this effort to overturn the election. We can put the email up on screen again. It is shameful to look at. I don't know how else you can describe it.

You're talking about overturning the election one day and then raising money off of it the next day. You know, it's just -- it's just a stunt, obviously, it seems at this point to make money.

How do you view this? And is there an unfortunate commentary in the reason he's doing it is because it works? Because it makes money, it raises money?

KHANNA: It's sad, and Senator Hawley knows better. I mean, he's a highly educated lawyer. He's studied the Constitution. So, this is pure opportunism.

I mean, he's making a calculated bet that if he wants to run for president, he needs the Trump base, and he's basically pandering to try to secure the votes of that base. I don't think it's going to work. Because I think at some point, this country is going to say, we want Republicans or Democrats who are straight shooters who are going to help bring the country together, who are not just going to say things to get viral tweets or fund-raising.

But we have a divisive conversation. The country is polarized, as polarized as it's ever been in my lifetime, and it's going to be a huge challenge for President Biden in how he tries to stitch us back together.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. And we'll all be watching that play out very soon.

All right. Representative Ro Khanna, thanks so much for joining us. Happy New Year. Great to have you on. We appreciate it.

KHANNA: Happy New Year to you, Jim, and to your viewers.

ACOSTA: Thank you.

All right. Just ahead, an update from the Pentagon where there is some concern Iran may stage some sort of attack to mark the anniversary of the U.S. killing of one of its top generals.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: On this New Year's Eve, there's concern in the Pentagon about a possible retaliatory attack by Iran or its proxies linked to the upcoming anniversary of the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general.

CNN's Oren Lieberman is at the Pentagon monitoring the situation.

Oren, is an Iranian attack on U.S. forces imminent? Should people be concerned about this?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Jim, there are certainly some who believe so. One senior defense official saying the current threat level from Iran and its proxies is the highest they've seen in a year since the killing of General Qassem Soleimani almost exactly a year ago. But then it's crucially not a universally held opinion.

Another senior defense official told CNN there's no corroborating intelligence than an attack from Iran or its proxies is imminent. Defense officials here have said they' have seen intelligence that Iran is moving short range ballistic missiles into Iran and that militias there are coordinating with the Quds Force, that's the elite wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Corps.

[18:55:02]

And they're playing at the level that requires Iranian support, but they caution, it doesn't mean an attack is imminent. It could signal be perhaps more routine and less threatening.

At this point, the position of the U.S. military is one of projecting a force of deterrence. B-52s have been to the region or flown to the region over the course of the last couple of days as they did earlier this month, and a fairly rare statement, the U.S. Navy acknowledged that it sent the nuclear sub, along two guided missile cruisers through the Persian Gulf. An act of deterrence, not to try anything because of the show of force the U.S. has.

Jim, it's worth noting the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, is keeping a very close eye on this situation.

ACOSTA: All right. And we know you will as well.

And, Oren, welcome to Washington. We know you did great reporting over there in Israel. Welcome to Pentagon beat and thanks so much for being with us tonight. We appreciate it.

One more bit of breaking news. As of the top of this hour, Brexit is a done deal over in the U.K. The transition period ended. The United Kingdom officially has withdrawn from the European Union. Both sides made a last-minute trade and cooperation deal which should make post- Brexit life easier for consumers, businesses and tourists, at least that's what they tell us tonight.

And we'll have more news just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Finally, as we close 2020, we remember more than 345,000 Americans who died from COVID-19 this year. Harold Arthur Harris of Virginia was 99. He was a World War II veteran and a retired hook and ladder driver for the New York Fire Department.

Josephine "Josie" Kolar of Wisconsin was 94. Her daughter Patty describes her as a beautiful soul whose dedication to family was the main focus of her life.

And may they rest in peace.

I'm Jim Acosta. Have a happy and healthy New York and have a healthier 2021.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.