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U.S. Capitol Police Obtain Intelligence About "Possible Plot" To Breach Intelligence U.S. Capitol Tomorrow; National Guard CMDR: Pentagon Took Three Hours To Approve Troop Deployment After "Frantic" Plea To Assist At The Capitol; Interview With Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT); U.S. Death Toll Tops 518,000 With 28.7 Million Case, As TX & MS Lift Restrictions Including Mask Mandates; Gov. Cuomo: "Not Going To Resign" Amid Harassment Allegations, Apologizes For Actions "That Made People Feel Uncomfortable". Aired 5-6p ET

Aired March 03, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @JAKETAPPER. You can tweet the show @THELEADCNN. We actually read them.

Our coverage on CNN continues right now. I'll see you tomorrow.

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

We're following new security concerns centered around what Capitol Police are now calling a possible plot to breach the building tomorrow, that would be March 4. That's the day at QAnon conspiracy theorists believe former President Trump will be inaugurated once again and will return to the presidency. All this comes less than two months after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

And at a hearing today, the commanding general of the Washington D.C. National Guard testified that after what he described as a frantic call for help, the Pentagon actually took three hours to approve sending troops.

Also this hour President Biden is blaming his slamming moves by both Texas and Mississippi to lift coronavirus restrictions, including mask mandates. Calling the decisions by the states governors and I'm quoting now "Neanderthal thinking."

Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he's not going to resign amid harassment allegations from multiple women, but he is apologizing for actions that, "Made people feel uncomfortable."

Let's begin with the new details we're getting right now about the Capitol siege and threats coming up as early as tomorrow. Our Pentagon Correspondent Oren Liebermann is working the story for us.

Oren, the D.C. National Guard commander told lawmakers he was frustrated and stunned by the Pentagon slow response as rioter's storm the U.S. Capitol.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Major General William Walker says he could have gotten available guardsmen much quicker within 20 minutes to help Capitol Police clear the Capitol and secure the Capitol building as the January 6 riot unfolding. The problem is, there are two competing narratives of how that day unfolded between the Pentagon and the D.C. National Guard. The issue, those competing narratives are coming from the Pentagon and the D.C. National Guard as we heard today.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): From this moment that you see here, it took three hours and 19 minutes to deploy the D.C. National Guard to help secure the Capitol. At 1:49 p.m. a frantic phone calls from the Capitol Police to the D.C. guard pleading for help.

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM WALKER, COMMANDING GENERAL, D.C. NATIONAL GUARD: Chief Sund, his voice cracking with emotion indicated that there was a dire emergency at the Capitol.

LIEBERMANN: But Major General William Walker, commander of the D.C. guard says his hands were tied. Walker had guardsmen at the armory, but to move them, he needed approval for his superiors, Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy that included 440 person quick reaction force that had been tasked to help with traffic control.

WALKER: And just to be clear, the Secretary of Defense said I could use it as a last resort last resort.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last resort, right.

WALKER: But the Secretary of the Army says that I could only use it after he gave me permission.

LIEBERMANN: Some 30 minutes later, as this was unfolding on Capitol Hill, D.C. officials got on the phone with the Pentagon. Walker was on that call. And he heard hesitation and the concern about the optics of deploying troops to the streets of the capital.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR, (D-MN) RULES COMMITTEE CHAIR: Everyone has seen this on T.V., and they're not immediately approving your request. And in your recent testimony, you just said, hey, I could have gotten them on those buses and ready to go. Is that correct?

WALKER: That is correct, Senator.

LIEBERMANN: Walker says he could have had 154 troops to the Capitol within 20 minutes. But it wasn't his call.

WALKER: The word that I was -- I kept hearing was the optics of it. And it was concerned that it could inflame the protesters.

LIEBERMANN: Robert Salesses, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Security, said the Acting Secretary of Defense wanted final authority because of the sensitivity of deploying U.S. troops against a civil disturbance involving American citizens.

ROBERT SALESSES, ACTING ASST. DEFENSE SECY FOR HOMELAND SECURITY: There is no ability for the military to respond without the Secretary's approval for civil disturbance operations.

LIEBERMANN: The Pentagon offered more guardsmen multiple times before January 6, the Capitol Police in D.C. officials repeatedly said no.

Without a formal request for help, military officials couldn't plan for a specific mission until the riot was already unfolding.

At 3 p.m., about 90 minutes after the evacuation of the Capitol, Acting Defense Secretary Miller approved the call up of the full National Guard. Within an hour of the call with Walker and city officials, he moved available guardsmen from the armory to the Capitol later.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley insisted the Pentagon responded with "sprint speed" to the request for help according to "The Washington Post." "They're reacted faster than our most elite forces from a cold start," Milley said. It's an argument senators weren't buying.

KLOBUCHAR: And so you could have had them there are earlier, hours earlier, if it had been approved.

[17:05:04]

LIEBERMANN: As security at the Capitol broke down, so too did communication. Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller approved the D.C. National Guard to help clear and secure the Capitol at 4:32. General Walker said he didn't find out about that approval for more than 30 minutes.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIEBERMANN: All of this takes on an added urgency because there is a potential threat against the Capitol building, another potential attack coming tomorrow with more than 5,000 guardsmen still in the area.

On top of that, Senator Rob Portman has said that he wants to hear from the Acting Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Army that were in charge at the time of the riot. He wants to get their account of what happened.

One of the big questions here, why was there a concern about optics in the middle of the Capitol riot as all of that unfolded, Wolf, on January 6.

BLITZER: Yes. They shouldn't have worried about optics. They had other more pressing things to worry about.

All right, Oren, thank you very much.

Let's get some more in all of this. Our Chief National Security Correspondent, Jim Sciutto is with us. CNN Law Enforcement Analyst Charles Ramsey, the former Washington D.C. Police Chief and former Philadelphia Police Commissioner is with us and CNN National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem.

You know, Jim, the Department of Homeland Security, Acting Intelligence, he confirmed your reporting on possible plots against the U.S. Capitol Complex tomorrow. We're talking about March 4.

Clearly, lawmakers are deeply worried about that. What more can you tell us about this threat?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it's escalated. It started as chatter discussions on social media targeting the Capitol tomorrow, on this date, March 4, which as you've discussed, some conspiracy theorists believe, for some reason, President Trump will -- former President Trump will become president again. But overnight, this developed in something more serious. Intelligence, they said, DHS and others of a possible plot as well connected to that chatter.

They're not taking this lightly. They're taking it very seriously. As a result of it, the posture of the National Guard force here in D.C., raised from today through March 6, so even a couple of days after that March 4 date.

And it shows, Wolf, one, that the threat is still out there, that these groups, including the Three Percenters and other militia groups still pose a threat to this Capitol and elsewhere. But also to, and I think this is important, that they are taking these more seriously, that they're not going to look the other way.

They're not going to assume the best right that they're going to look at chatter very seriously. And particularly when they have enough evidence of a plot. You know, a lesson learned, you might say, from what happened on January 6,

BLITZER: The House of Representatives is clearly taking this threat very, very seriously. They're wrapping up all their voting tonight. They're not going to be in session tomorrow out of concern about a possible attack on the U.S. Capitol.

All right, Juliette, this threat stems from this totally crazy, very bizarre QAnon conspiracy theory. Tell our viewers about that. But what lessons should the police and various government agencies be applying from January 6 to deal with these new threats tomorrow and indeed, beyond?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL ANALYST: So, the theory itself and to warn audiences, there will be more. I mean, in other words, the idea that this stops tomorrow, is I guess is wishful thinking. But the theory about tomorrow is, of course, that that used to be Inauguration Day, and that somehow in their minds, it's like Trump rises from the constitution to, to take over, you know, President Biden will be president tomorrow, but there will be other days.

And the reason why there will be other days and why it's so dangerous, is because the GOP refuses to condemn and isolate the big lie that's animating this violence, which is essentially that, you know, President Biden's not the legitimate president, and that voters illegitimately voted in predominantly African American and Hispanic American communities.

So, until the GOP takes this seriously, you're going to keep having these threats. That is what Wray was essentially saying. And so the only thing to learn and this is what he was telling about the testimony was that we can't begin with a cold start. This is what the Pentagon keeps saying, we had a cold start, we did really well, given the cold start.

Why were they on a cold start? January 6, everyone knew that Trump was talking about fighting, was talking about, you know, marching up to the Hill, everyone knew that the Hill -- the Congress was meeting to certify the votes. So, I think we're going to be -- we're going to have to lean in and not being cold start until the GOP realizes which they probably already do, that the big lie is not a political issue, it's a violence issue. That's what's happening now.

BLITZER: Yes, they're continuing to spread that big lie. You know, Chief Ramsey, we got some new details today on the January 6, attack from the head of the D.C. National Guard, you heard that. He said it took more than three hours to get permission to send National Guard troops to the U.S. Capitol. You previously led the Washington D.C. police. How convoluted Do you see this response.?

[17:10:08]

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Oh, it's very convoluted. And I think until there's a commission of some kind established that can really take a serious look into what took place on January -- on and before January 6, we aren't going to get at the truth. I mean, the Senate hearings by themselves is not going to get us to where we need to be so that we can avoid this sort of thing in the future.

Obviously, there were a lot of miscommunications and breakdowns, whether it's intelligence, deployment, or what have you. But the only way you're going to find out what truly took place is if you put together this commission hasn't time and subpoena power to be able to get all the records, all the information, depose witnesses, all those kinds of things to put together a 9/11 type of report.

BLITZER: Yes. As I keep saying they got to learn the lessons to make sure it doesn't happen again.

You know, Jim, General Walker said National Guard troops could have made a real difference if they had showed up earlier. He got this unusual restriction that he needed to reauthorize all this through the Pentagon. Do lawmakers need to hear more do you believe from top DOD officials who were there on the scene at the time?

SCIUTTO: Listen, the story told from the Pentagon has not been consistent, right? Because early on, we heard of a swift response. I mean, those were Milley's words, right? "Sprint speed." Three hours and 19 minutes is not sprint speed, right? Where was that delay in there and who's responsible? I mean, that's another thing that, frankly, no one has copped to, right? And all these hearings, no one's raised their hands, that I didn't move quickly enough on this.

But I think another bigger point is this one, and that is that, that every agency, the Defense Department, the city government here in D.C. law enforcement, to some degree over learned lessons from the Black Lives Matter protest last June that all of them seemed hesitant to put uniformed forces, uniformed military on the streets in response to these protests, and kind of set up a lot of obstacles to that lot of hoops to jump through. And they paid for that, right, on January 6.

I will tell you now, Wolf, not the same attitude, right? I mean, the recommendations coming through are very, very quick reaction forces to get the National Guard in place quickly in the event of threats like this.

BLITZER: Yes. They don't care about optics anymore. And they're really worried about tomorrow, March 4, potentially, there could be another attack on the U.S. Capitol. We'll stand by and see.

Everybody, thank you very much.

I want to go to the White House right now where President Biden is holding a virtual meeting with House Democrats this hour. It comes after the President signed off on a compromise that tightens eligibility for the relief checks in the COVID relief bill with the Senate is considering.

Let's go to our Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny over at the White House for us today. So, what's the latest, Jeff?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the Senate is just hours away from beginning debate on that COVID relief bill. And the White House is focusing intensely on trying to keep the Democratic coalition together, making some adjustments today to who will receive those stimulus checks if this has passed.

Now, all of this comes as President Biden had some strong words for states that are opening back up.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thanks for coming in.

ZELENY: President Biden striking a compromise tonight with moderate Democrats to limit the Americans eligible for a stimulus check in hopes of pushing the COVID relief bill across the finish line.

As the Senate begins debating the measure, the White House agreeing to more narrowly target the spending on those most impacted by the economic fallout. Under the plan, people earning more than $80,000, or household incomes over 160,000 would no longer get a $1400 check.

BIDEN: These masks make a difference. ZELENY: In the Oval Office today, the President blasting officials in Texas, Mississippi and other states that are lifting all COVID-19 restrictions.

BIDEN: The last, the last thing you need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everything's fine. Take off your mask. Forget it. It still matters.

ZELENY: But the White House's focusing considerable attention on Capitol Hill, trying to carefully thread a political needle of addressing the concerns of moderate Democrats without alienating progressives.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: What he has been firm on is that the package needs to be large enough to meet the scope of the twin crises we're facing, COVID and the economic downturn.

ZELENY: But the bottom line is that some Americans who received the assistance under President Trump may not in the Biden administration.

PSAKI: He has been firm on the importance of the $1400 checks going out to Americans. And that -- and he has fought for that tooth and nail and is -- that is a bar for him. And he has also been firm on the thresholds at which Americans should receive those checks.

ZELENY: Tonight, the President speaking virtually the House Democrats trying to impress upon them the importance of keeping their coalition united to pass the legislation. But not a single Republican is expected to support.

[17:15:03]

A day after pledging to have enough vaccine for all Americans by the end of May, the President urged caution in the weeks ahead. He warned other states against dialing back restrictions too quickly.

BIDEN: Is critical, critical, critical, critical that they follow the science, wash your hands, hot water, do it frequently, wear a mask and stay socially distance. And I know you all know that. I wish the heck some of our elected officials knew it.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ZELENY: So, even as President Biden is delivering some strong words there for Republican officials in some states, he is at this hour at this moment, in fact, has just started addressing House Democrats.

Wolf, the reason this is significant, of course, the House last weekend passed their version of this bill. The question now is, will they find these changes acceptable? So, that is what the President is doing right now trying to keep the House on board. All this is happening as the Senate is gearing up for a long debate on this. Republicans are already vowing to make Democrats read every word of this some 600 page bill to draw it out, as well as having amendments throughout this debate. So, Wolf, this could still take several days. The key point at the White House here though, trying to keep Democrats together and get this bill passed.

BLITZER: All right. Thanks very much Jeff Zeleny at the White House for us.

Coming up, the CDC is preparing new Guidelines for Americans fortunate enough to have already received their COVID vaccines.

Plus, the embattled New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaking out a bit harassment allegations and growing calls for him to resign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:29]

BLITZER: There's breaking news up on Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives now plans a late night of voting to finish up its work all because of very, very disturbing talk about a possible plot by extremists to attack the U.S. Capitol once again tomorrow.

Joining us now our Democratic Congressman Jim Himes of Connecticut. He's a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

So, what are you and your colleagues hearing about these plots to target the Capitol tomorrow?

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): Well, there have been talk about this for some time, Wolf. March the fourth is, I guess, as the historical date when the President was inaugurated generations ago. There's been talk for a long time about militia groups wanting and telling their own people that that would be the day that Donald Trump became president, in fact.

So, you know, we've been a little jumpy about that. But, and evidently, we were told today that a particular group, we weren't given details, but a particular group may have been contemplating trying to do something.

I will tell you, Wolf, though, the Capitol Hill, and it makes me sad to report this, it is still an armed camp. There are very heavily armed, body armored, National Guardsmen all over the place, there are still fences. You can't get near the Capitol without an ID. And so, you know, you always take a warning seriously, but unless there's a very substantial, well trained force on their way to Washington, D.C., they are going to meet security like they never imagined before.

Now, we do all need to, you know, we'll be done late tonight, right? So the Congress will be here tonight and tomorrow. And so, you know, it's incumbent, obviously, on all of us to be thoughtful as we move through the city train stations, airports, that sort of thing.

We're told because of this threat tomorrow, Congressman, that you guys are going to wrap everything up tonight. I won't be in session tomorrow out of security concerns. I assume you you've been told that?

HIMES: Yes, that's correct. That's correct.

Now, again, it's not like we will be leaving Washington tonight, because we're not likely to get done until late -- fairly late tonight. But obviously, from a security standpoint it's better to have us, you know, scattering to the four winds, as opposed to all concentrated in one building.

But honestly, Wolf, I'd go back to what I just said, which is that unfortunately, the capital of the United States remains very much an armed camp. So, you always take these sorts of bits of intelligence seriously, you always worry about what might happen when a group of people get frustrated because they can't get near to the Capitol. And do they decide to do something, you know, just over the bridge in Virginia. But the situation here in the Capitol, no militia group is getting close to the place.

BLITZER: Yes. I walked around the Capitol Complex as I often do, but today in those seven foot fences, the razor wire on top, they're all over the place. You can't get close to it.

We learned more, Congressman, today about the timeline of the January 6, the Capitol attack with the head of the D.C. National Guard testifying took more than three hours to deploy the National Guard. How disturbed are you by these details?

HIMES: It's very disturbing, Wolf. Very disturbing.

Look, there's two huge questions about January 6. One is, how was the Capitol so incredibly unprepared. I mean, I will just never forget the images of officers dressed mostly in their street clothes, you know, no body armor, no helmets, no nothing standing behind those little bicycle stand fences, completely unprepared. So that's question number one.

Question number two, of course, is by about 1:30, when it was really clear that the Capitol was going to be overrun, how in the world did it take three hours?

Wolf, I think to myself, because I was in the chamber that day, thank God, it was a disorganized mob. And yes, there were people there who were probably armed, there were people who were intent on doing very violent things, but this was not a trained group of assailants.

I mean, if this had been 50 terrorists, let's just say that somehow ISIS managed to get, you know, 50 trained, hardened terrorists who understood tactical formations and were heavily armed. Under those circumstances, we would have had hundreds of people dead, and it would take three hours to move significant security into the Capitol. That's obviously just not acceptable. And we need to really understand why that's true and make sure that it never happens again.

BLITZER: It's hard to believe this could have happened right here in the nation's capital of the States of America.

[17:25:01]

Representative Himes, thanks so much for joining us. Good luck to you and all your colleagues tomorrow. We'll watch all of this obviously, very closely. Thanks for joining us. Good luck to you and all your colleagues tomorrow. We'll watch all of this obviously, very closely. Thanks for joining us.

HIMES: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Coming up, a sharp warning from the head of the CDC as some states are moving to completely reopen even as up to 46,000 more COVID deaths are forecast by the end of this month.

Plus, the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaking out about the multiple harassment allegations, the accusations against him and the calls for him to resign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Tonight, the U.S. coronavirus death toll has top 518,000 people.

[17:30:02]

And the country has confirmed more than 28.7 million cases. But despite the chilling numbers and the strong warnings from health experts, some states are actually lifting their COVID restrictions almost completely. CNN National Correspondent Nick Watt has the latest from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. RICHINA BICETTE, ASSOCIATE MEDICAL DIRECTOR & ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: To say that I'm petrified doesn't even really explain the gravity and the depth of my feelings.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One week from today, no more mask mandate across Texas and businesses can fully reopen without any state restrictions.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: Now is not the time to release all restrictions. Every individual has -- is empowered to do the right thing here regardless of what's the states decide.

WATT (voice-over): In Mississippi, a similarly seismic rollback kicks in less than an hour from now.

GOV. TATE REEVES (R), MISSISSIPPI: We are not going to continue to use the heavy hand of government when it is no longer justified.

WATT (voice-over): Here's what the Governor of Texas said he learned from last summer's COVID-19 surge.

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: If I could go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the opening of bars. WATT (voice-over): That was June 26. Fewer than 6,000 new cases reported in Texas that day. Yesterday, there were 7,300 new cases in his state yet he said this.

ABBOTT: It is now time to open Texas 100 percent.

WATT (voice-over): Texas has fully vaccinated less than 10 percent of its adult population, that should accelerate.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This country will have enough vaccine supply, I say again, for every adult in America by the end of May.

WATT (voice-over): Johnson & Johnson production will need to pick up a little, we're told, it will.

ANDY SLAVITT, SENIOR ADVISER, WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM: We are not in a habit of over promising.

WATT (voice-over): Today in Florida, another famous supported site open to the public where some folks get a choice, Pfizer or J&J.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the Johnson & Johnson, so just one and done.

WATT (voice-over): Dolly Parton who helped finance the Moderna vaccine just got her shot.

DOLLY PARTON, SINGER AND SONGWRITER: Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine. I'm begging of you please don't hesitate.

WATT (voice-over): Because they help slow spread. New nursing home cases reportedly down more than 80 percent from the peak in December, suggesting that the vaccines are working.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATT: And meantime, we're told that the CDC is finalizing guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated. That guidance apparently will include keeping social gatherings small at home and limited to others who have also been vaccinated. And when you're out and about, keep the mask, keep the distance. Wolf?

BLITZER: Very important advice. Nick Watt reporting from L.A., thank you very much.

Let's get some more in all of these, the former CDC Acting Director Dr. Richard Besser is joining us. Dr. Besser, thanks so much for joining us. You just heard the current CDC Director warned against lifting these restrictions right now. You're the former CDC Acting Director, what is your message to the governors of Texas, Mississippi and to officials indeed, all across the country who are beginning to lift mask mandates, who are easing restrictions?

DR. RICHARD BESSER, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, CDC: You know, what I would say, Wolf, is we really need to follow the science, we need to follow CDC. And Dr. Walensky is worried and so I'm worried. We're seeing these highly contagious variants spreading around the world. And we don't want to see a fourth wave here in the United States. We can hang in there a little bit longer to more people are vaccinated. We can open up in a much safer way.

BLITZER: Yes, we've gone this long. We got a year basically, another month or two or three. As you know, obviously, you got to err on the side of caution. A new CDC forecast shows the U.S. could see 564,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths by the end of this month, by the end of March. Even as we're seeing encouraging new vaccine developments, that projection still a sobering, isn't it?

BESSER: It is. We're still losing a couple thousand people in this country every single day. And each one is an important person to someone. So I worry that people are so exuberant. They're so excited about the vaccines rolling. They're excited about data showing a decline in the rate of hospitalizations and deaths. But we're not out of this yet. We've got a ways to go and we have to hang in there.

BLITZER: We expect that tomorrow as you heard, the CDC will finally publish guidance about what people who are fully vaccinated can safely do. What do you expect these guidelines might include?

BESSER: Well, I think people may be a little disappointed. If you're expecting the CDC to say take off your mask and go have a party, it's not going to happen. We're not there yet.

[17:35:03]

But I do think they're going to say that if you're around other people who are vaccinated, small groups inside, you can take off your masks and you can give each other a hug and be together. But it's not the time to let down our guard.

You know, we're just at the point of getting more kids back into school. We're seeing teachers moving towards the front of the line for vaccinations. Let's focus on that. That'll help get people back to work in a very safe way.

BLITZER: Yes, good advice. The CDC is also studying how coronavirus variants spread through travel even when travelers take major precautions. What does the agency learn? What steps do we all need to be taking to give -- to stop giving these variants the opportunity to spread?

BESSER: Well, my big takeaway is that nothing we do will be 100 percent in terms of keeping variants out and vaccinated -- ensuring people are vaccinated around the globe is in our national self- interest. Right now, vaccines are pretty much monopolized by wealthy nations and that puts us at risk.

The other big takeaway, Wolf, is that even with pre-testing before someone gets on a plane, that can be three days before someone's flying. And so, if you're in that situation and you develop symptoms that are consistent with COVID, don't get on the plane, go back and get retested. It'll help keep everyone else safe. BLITZER: Yes. That's so, so important. Dr. Besser, thanks as usual for joining us.

BESSER: Thanks so much, Wolf.

BLITZER: Coming up, the aftermath of today's long and emotional apology from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. He says he won't resign. But is anyone satisfied, are people satisfied by today's apology?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:46]

BLITZER: The battle of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is apologizing to women accusing him of harassment saying he didn't know he was making them uncomfortable. CNN National Correspondent Jason Carroll is in New York. He's working in this story for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: I'm not going to resign, I'm going to do the job the people of the state elected me to do.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he's not going anywhere.

CUOMO: I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable.

CARROLL (voice-over): And apologizing directly amid allegations of sexual harassment in his first public appearance since allegations surface.

CUOMO: I feel awful about it. And frankly, I am embarrassed by it, but that's the truth.

CARROLL (voice-over): But the Governor maintaining he never inappropriately touched anyone.

CUOMO: And I want you to know this from me directly, I never touched anyone inappropriately. I never knew at the time that I was making anyone feel uncomfortable.

CARROLL (voice-over): Two former aides, Lindsay Boylan and Charlotte Bennett have accused him of sexual harassment. Bennett who says the Governor asked her personal questions about her sex life issued a statement through her lawyer saying the Governor's press conference was, full of falsehoods and inaccurate information.

The Governor repeatedly said he had no idea he made anyone uncomfortable. "My client, Charlotte Bennett reported his sexually harassing behavior immediately to his Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel. We are confident that they made him aware of her complaint."

Boylan tweeting today, "How can New Yorkers trust you to lead our state if you don't know when you've been inappropriate with your own staff". A third woman has accused him of unwanted advances. Anna Ruch told The New York Times, Cuomo asked if he could kiss her at a wedding. The Governor pictured here in 2019 with his hands cupped around her face. Cuomo addressing that picture directly for the first time.

CUOMO: It is my usual and customary way of greeting. However, what I also understand is it doesn't my intent. What it matters is, if anybody was offended by it, then it was wrong.

CARROLL (voice-over): Well, some calls for his resignation are increasing in New York.

MAYA WILEY (D), NEW YORK MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I call on Governor Cuomo to resign because this is about an abuse of power.

CARROLL (voice-over): National Democratic leaders have largely stopped short of that and pressed for an independent investigation without political interference.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MAJORITY LEADER: Look, the allegations that have been made by Ms. Ruch and Ms. Boylan and Ms. Bennett are serious, very troubling. These women have to be listened to.

ANDREA STEWART COUSINS (D-NY), N.Y. STATE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: He's saying that that nothing inappropriate happen. If the investigation shows that something inappropriate did happen, I think he would have to resign.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: And Wolf, during the briefing, the Governor was asked if there might be any other accusers that might be out there that might end up coming forward. The Governor didn't directly answer that question but -- and that's something simply that a number of -- that his supporters are concerned about that there's going to be this drip, drip, drip of accusers coming forward.

The Governor for his part would only say listen to the facts, the facts will come out with that attorney general's investigation and investigation, he says, he will be cooperating with. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Jason Carroll reporting from New York. Thanks very much.

Let's discuss with CNN Senior Legal Analyst Preet Bharara, he's a former U.S. attorney in New York. Preet, what did you make of Governor Cuomo's first public appearance today since we learned of these allegations? What he said and what he didn't say for that matter? What was your reaction?

PREET BHARARA, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, he said one thing that was the bare minimum of what he had to say, he said it sorry. He said sorry, again and again and again. So, at a minimum, he was well coached, to appear contrite, whether he is contrite or not is a separate matter and we don't know that. He also pledged to be cooperative. With the investigation, I hope he follows through on that commitment and is cooperative. He also said as has been described that he's not intending to resign at this moment.

[17:45:11]

Remember, Andrew Cuomo is not in the position that he wanted to be. This is not the posture that he wanted to be in. He tried a few days ago, first, to try to have some measure of control over an investigation, thereby, rendering not fully independent. He tried to pick the investigator, then he tried to pick the people who were going to pick the investigator. And one of those people was someone who owes her job to him at the top of the New York State Court of Appeals.

And so, now, he's in a position where he doesn't have any choice, but to see what happens in the unfolding of an investigation. That's going to be led by someone that the Attorney General, Letitia James, will appoint.

BLITZER: You've led high profile investigation throughout your career, including probes into state officials with ties to Governor Cuomo. What are the challenges of investigating someone in a position of this kind of power?

BHARARA: And just to be clear, not just people who have ties to Andrew Cuomo, our office investigated Andrew Cuomo himself. No charges were recommended, no charges were brought. You know, generally speaking, if the investigators and prosecutors have an independent approach, and a tough spine, there should be no differences between investigating powerful people versus non-powerful people.

But one fact is always true, that if the person who is powerful who's being investigated has used their power or wants to use their power to intimidate witnesses, or cause people to believe that there will be retribution and retaliation, if they cross the person, in this case, Andrew Cuomo, then that can cause people not to want to come forward, that can cause people not to want to speak to investigators, that can cause contemporaneous witnesses, who may have information that some of these women have provided and their credibility, to be afraid, particularly if they're state employees.

I have some personal experience with this. I'm not saying he's doing any of this now, but Andrew Cuomo has led a political career in which he has made it clear to adversaries or people who challenge him or question him, including investigators in the past, that there'll be a price to pay if you cross him or you question or you hurt him. That's a challenge in these kinds of investigations, if the person in power chooses to use as he has historically, and I have some experience with this, is chosen to use his authority in a way that causes people to be fearful of retribution.

BLITZER: Three women have come forward and made these accusations. Preet, if more women come forward, can he survive this?

BHARARA: I don't know, I leave that to other people. But whether he can survive or not survive, what I will say is, there are certain things that he doesn't object to. He apologized, he drew a line whether or not he ever touched anyone inappropriately, but he seems to have conceded, saying some things that had been alleged. So other people can judge whether that crosses a line or not.

I do think it's important to wait for the results of the investigation. We're going to get a full public report, according to Attorney General James at the end of the investigation. It will take some time, but it won't take that much time because it's not that complicated. There are people to interview.

There's some documents, some records, probably contemporaneous with the allegations and the conduct to review and look at and corroborate. And in due time, we will have an investigation from the Attorney General's office and then we can, I guess, address that question at that time.

BLITZER: All right, Preet, thank you very, very much. Preet Bharara helping us appreciate what's going on.

Coming up, a study watchdog investigation finds that the former White House Physician and current Congressman Ronny Jackson, made sexual comments, drank alcohol, took Ambien while working for the President.

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[17:53:04]

BLITZER: We're learning new details of a rocket attack on an Iraqi airbase that hosts U.S. troops during which an American civilian contractor died. Our Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman is in Baghdad for us. Ben, first of all, what are you learning about who was behind this attack?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's been no indication from, for instance, the Pentagon or the Iraqi authorities who may have been behind this attack. The attackers apparently used 122 millimeter grog rockets, which are a rocket often used by Kata'ib Hezbollah, which is one of those groups that was targeted last Friday, early last Friday, by that U.S. airstrike just on the other side of the border, in Syria.

We have, however, just in the last hour or so seen a message from Abu Ali al-Askari, who is the head of Kata'ib Hezbollah, who said that he -- basically he congratulated what he called the brave resistance for targeting what he called the evil base. And he said that the so-called resistance will -- should continue its fight to expel, in his words, the riffraff and the murders from the holy -- our holy land, referring, of course, to Iraq.

Now, the Pentagon seems to be hesitant to name who may behind it, but I don't think -- maybe behind it, but it's pretty clear from sort of the circumstantial evidence that this is probably a response to that U.S. airstrike in Syria last week. And it does appear that the United States and the Iranian backed militias here in Iraq are slipping into a tit for tat attack pattern as a result of these growing tensions. Wolf? [17:55:08]

BLITZER: It certainly seems like Iran and their backers over there, the people they support are trying to send a message to the new Biden administration in the aftermath of that U.S. attack. And let's see what happens next, because tensions clearly are very, very high. The stakes are enormous.

Ben Wedeman in Baghdad. Stay safe over there. We'll be in touch.

Coming up, lawmakers here in Washington are changing their schedules dramatically right now, as U.S. Capitol Police learn about possible plot to attack the U.S. Capitol Complex tomorrow.

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