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White House Reacts to Shooting; Eyewitness Shares Account; Reaction to Shooting on The Hill; Investigation into Shooing; Brat talks about Shooting; Fleischmann talks about Shooting. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired June 14, 2017 - 09:30   ET

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


[09:30:00] DAVID WOODRUFF (ph): This is - this is really remarkable. This is - this is really a terrible day for Alexandria now. This is - this is definitely out of the ordinary for - for folks here in Delray (ph) and in Alexandria.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, David Woodruff, thank you very much for your eyewitness accounts.

Are you OK, by the way?

WOODRUFF: Oh, you bet. You bet. I just need a shirt at this point.

BLITZER: Yes, all right, well, just be careful. Thanks so much for that.

WOODRUFF: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: I want to go to the White House right now. Our correspondent, Jason Carroll, is there. We're getting reaction from the president, the vice president and others.

What else are you hearing over there? What's been the reaction, Jason?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's first start with, Wolf, with what we're seeing. We've seen an extended security perimeter around the White House here. That's standard procedure whenever there is some sort of a security threat even elsewhere. So that's what we're seeing here.

In terms of what we're hearing, the president and the vice president have been briefed about the shooting there in Alexandria. Both of them weighing in. Let's start with the president first. The president tweeting out. Also releasing a statement. The president saying, "the vice president and I are aware of the shooting incident in Virginia and are monitoring developments closely. We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the members of Congress, their staffs, Capitol Police, first responders and all others affected." And Trump also tweeted about this incident as well, Wolf. I want to bring that up for you. "Representative Steve Scalise, a true friend and patriot, was badly injured, but will fully recover. Our thoughts and prayers are with him." The vice president was scheduled to give a speech at about 9:00 this morning. That speech, obviously, canceled. He, too, has weighed in on this incident as well. He tweeted the following saying, "Karen and I are praying for Steve Scalise, Capitol Police, and all hurt for a speedy recovery. Our hearts are with them and out their loved ones."

Wolf, obviously, this is an act that has hit very, very close to home here at the White House.

Wolf.

BLITZER: Any indication, Jason, we're going to be hearing from the president about this? Any word yet from White House officials?

CARROLL: Well, it's a good question. The president, as you know, Wolf, today, had a very light schedule. It is his birthday. The only schedule that he initially had on the books was for an event at 3:00 with the Labor Department. All indications expect that we are expected to hear something more from the president later today.

BLITZER: Yes. All right, we'll stand by for that. All right, Jason Carroll, thanks very much.

Another eye witness to the shooting is joining us. Noah Mathon is joining us.

Noah, tell us where you were and what you saw.

NOAH MATHON, EYEWITNESS: I was just at the dog park right next to the baseball field. I come here every morning. So I was just going into the dog park and there's sort of like a double gate so the dogs can't get out and so I was in one and then I heard the first shot, but I just thought it was fireworks. And then when I heard the second shot, I realized it's not fireworks and people were starting to scatter.

So I just dropped right to the ground. I didn't get a chance to lock the gate, so I just kept holding my dogs to make sure they wouldn't run off. And there was a lot of shots. You could hear them going by. You could hear them skimming off the gravel, hitting some of the fence.

And then after a couple of shots, I realized that there's a little - some trash cans right there. Let me try and get behind them. And so I was just lying on the ground. I was like let me do something. It's sort of very frustrating where you're just being - there's shots and there's nothing you can do. So it's like, well, let me get my phone and, you know, you see all the movies where they have this phone footage trying as evidence. So let me get my phone out. So then I was just recording. So I got about five and a half minutes of video. The police have that. They're still downloading it. So hopefully that's something worthwhile.

But it looked like it was about 100 yards away. And after -

BLITZER: Well, I was going to interrupt for a second, though.

MATHON: Yes.

BLITZER: You actually did see the shooter, is that right?

MATHON: I didn't. I saw where the shooter was shooting from. So it looked like they were shooting from - it was like a little snack shop or it's a dugout, in that area. So - and then I saw where the officers, or the security, were shooting back at. And then it took a couple of minutes and then the police were able to get there and then more people were shooting. But it seemed to go on for a good five or ten minutes and it was just - sort of laying on the ground and pretty helpless. You couldn't really do anything.

We saw people running, trying to get away. As soon as they realized where the shooter was - was at, they were able to run and get behind a building. But I was sort of just sprawled out on the ground just trying to record video. Hopefully it will be worthwhile.

And then after it was done, all the shots stopped and we were able to get up and try and realize what just happened.

BLITZER: And you have given your video over to police. I assume they're collecting evidence from as many people as they possibly can at this stage. And we're going to be hearing from Alexandria Police, as well as the Capitol Hill Police, within about an hour or so for more details.

You go to this dog park, I take it, fairly often, right?

MATHON: Yes. I live right in the area. Yes. And the Republicans, they practice here every morning. So, you know, I guess if you live in the area, it's a regular thing. You know they're here practicing for the game. I don't know how obvious that is to people who don't live in the area. But, yes, usually it's not people coming around and like watching. It's not like a big spectator sport. They're just here practicing. They usually get here after 6:00 and they're here until about 7:30 and then I guess they go to work.

[09:35:18] But, you know, it's a nice - it's a nice community. You know, a nice family community. It's not - you know, there's mom and pop shops everywhere. This isn't a franchised area.

BLITZER: Yes. Well -

MATHON: And it's really close to D.C. Yes, so whoever came it wasn't - I don't think he was from the area. I think he came just for that purpose. So, I mean, Delray's a really nice, safe area.

BLITZER: We know the shooter was shot himself by Capitol Hill Police who were on the scene and is now in a D.C. hospital.

Thanks so much, Noah, for that eyewitness account and good luck to you.

MATHON: Sure. Thanks.

BLITZER: I want to go to our senior Washington correspondent, Brianna Keilar, she's up on Capitol Hill.

Brianna, there must be a strong sense of shock up there right now. What, about 30 members, Republican members of the House and Senate, were at this baseball practice early this morning.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: And then you also have Republican and also Democratic members, Wolf, were just very connected to this game because, as you're - as you're hearing there, you have members who practice regularly and then this game, as well as the congressional women's softball game, which is actually a bipartisan group of lawmakers, there aren't as many women, obviously, to field a team. They play journalists. I've played on that team for years in that game. These are games that are really rights of summer. And these are practices that have been going on for months on a regular schedule. As soon as the weather starts to warm up, the softball seasons get going for both teams. And it's this source of comradery and certainly even a little trash talk around The Hill. Something that people really enjoy as they look toward these games, the men's game tomorrow, the women's game next week.

But we have just heard from or spoken with a couple of Republican members of Congress. They were getting information developing as it was coming in. So we spoke with Dave Brat of Virginia. He was certainly shocked and, you know, he had concerns where he was thinking about a number of these members who - they ride their bikes to the practice. He was well aware that they were practicing and obviously very shocked that this had happened.

The same with Congressman Sean Duffy, who you know, Wolf. You've interviewed many times. He was hearing developments while he was doing a cable television hit and he was hearing those developments coming in live and you could just see just how shocked he is.

So they're up here on The Hill. They are waiting to figure out exactly what is going on.

We do know that things are starting to be affected. This was going to be a rather busy day of hearings and mark-ups of bills. We already know that some of those are starting to be canceled. There was a House Natural Resources Committee hearing that was actually on gun legislation. That has been canceled until further notice. You can see that tour groups are still going on behind me. Certainly everyone is cognizant when it comes to Capitol Police of what's going on.

I do want to add a little context, Wolf, just because I lived for years a short distance from that park. That dog park that that man you were just talking to, that's where I would take my dog. It's right adjacent to those fields. The YMCA, where the bullets came through the windows, that is someplace that I have been. In fact, there are a whole - there's a whole series of windows where people, at least they used to be, on treadmills and they would look out toward the park. So you can imagine at that time, that is peak workout time. Just how many people were around and sort of at risk as this was happening.

But this is, you know, as you think about it, you think about the security risk of repeated practices at the same time during the same time of the year for years on end. You can see how this might be a concern. But I think especially in a community like the Delray neighborhood of Alexandria, which is so idyllic, you just wouldn't think that this would happen. This is a community that prides itself on its main street. As you heard that man say, this isn't a franchise area. That's on purpose. That is an area that is families. It is - you know, you go there on a weekend, which I just was - I actually went there in the last week or two - and it's stroller central. I mean this is a very idyllic family neighborhood that we're talking about there in Alexandria.

BLITZER: Yes, it's right outside of Washington, D.C.

Shimon Prokupecz, our justice producer, is telling us, Brianna, that law enforcement does now have a tentative identification of the shooter. They're seeking to confirm it. They're not releasing a name yet. A law enforcement source says that they clearly will be releasing the name once they get final confirmation. But this is described as - by Shimon as a tentative identification of the shooter.

[09:39:57] And, very quickly, Brianna, this baseball game, the Republican House and Senate members versus the Democratic House and Senates members, the men's baseball game, it was scheduled for tomorrow at Washington National's Park. As you correctly point out, for those of us here in the nation's capital, this is a big deal. And as Congressman Mo Brooks says, they raise about $600,000 for wonderful causes. I don't know if the game is going to go forward tomorrow at this point at Washington National's Park, but just like the women's baseball game, the men's baseball game is - these members of Congress are 34 Republicans on the roster of the Republican team and I assume similar number on the Democratic team. They take this very seriously.

KEILAR: They do take it very seriously. It becomes very competitive. You can certainly imagine as you have the Republicans versus the Democrats there. And the men's team is this very big production because it is there at Nationals Park.

But like you said, Wolf, you're familiar with this event. This is an event that not only is it this, you know, dozens members of Congress who are playing. There are so many people who attend, staffers, members of Congress, other Washington officials. And it is a gathering that a lot of people look forward to in the summer.

BLITZER: Yes, I was at the Washington Nationals game Monday night and throughout the game they were promoting Thursday, this big game between House and Senate members, Republicans and Democrats, and they were looking forward to it.

KEILAR: And, Wolf, I would say, having spoken to one Republican member of Congress, they're finding it difficult, obviously, to believe that this game is going to continue tomorrow night. They expect that this is going to be canceled. We don't have that word yet. But then also how the schedule is just going to be affected here in the House of Representatives today. We're already starting to see that. But, you know, obviously there are going to be some changes going forward we would expect. BLITZER: Yes. We certainly - and you can just hear how shaken some of

these members are. We spoke for a length with Congressman Mo Brooks of Alabama, clearly shaken. Rand Paul, who himself is a physician, shaken, understandably so. Individuals, Jeff Flake, the senator from Arizona. This is an awful, awful situation.

As you can tell, Representative Brad Wenstrup, I should point out, he told an aide - he's an Iraq War veteran, by the way - that the shooting, quote, "was like being in Iraq again only without his weapon." He's OK. He's unhurt. But clearly these members, these Republican lawmakers who were there, were clearly taken by what they saw.

And it didn't just go on for a minute or two, Brianna, it went on, we're told, for about ten minutes and maybe 50 shots were fired by the shooter with this rifle. And, fortunately, Capitol Hill Police were on the scene. They were armed. And they could respond and take him down. He's now injured at a local D.C. hospital.

Anything else you're getting, Brianna? I assume the speaker and others will speak out at some point. They've already issued statements. They've tweeted. But I assume they're going to go before the cameras at some point and talk about this.

KEILAR: Yes, I expect so. And we're still waiting. I think things are in flux here, Wolf. But I think we're going to get news very soon about how things are going to be changing. The House floor was supposed to gavel in at 10:00 a.m. We're going to see here if that happens.

But, yes, we're expecting that this day is going to be very much different. And I think we are going to be hearing from the speaker very soon, although we don't have that officially at this point.

You heard there, Wolf, even talking to members of Congress, and we've heard this from the ones that we have spoken with here in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill, there is a detail, obviously, during this practice because you have leadership there. But there also are a lot of members - I think you heard from one who had biked to this practice. And when you're talking about the type of weapons that we're hearing, just sort of what a match that is for what that detail may have been up against. This isn't something that they're used to encountering, obviously. They are prepared for this. But this is a situation where you can see it appears that it was just at odds, really, what the - what the - this - obviously, the element of surprise, the resources that the detail had at their disposal. And whatever they may have been dealing with coming from this suspect who now, as you mentioned, the identity has been determined, but we don't know what it is.

BLITZER: And one final question, Brianna, the condition of Representative Steve Scalise, the majority whip, any update?

KEILAR: We do not have any updates. We are checking on that. I do believe that we are checking with the hospital as well. But certainly here from Capitol Hill we do not have those updates. BLITZER: All right, standby. We're going to get back to you. Brianna

Keilar's up on Capitol Hill.

I want to bring in Joe Giacalone. He's a law enforcement trainer, a former NYPD sergeant, also our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

[09:45:00] Joe, first to you. Walk us through what is happening right now based on all the information you're getting.

JOE GIACALONE, LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINER: Hi, Wolf.

Well, first of all, you're going to have to worry about the search warrant. That's why they're not going to release the identity of the victim - or, excuse me, of the perpetrator. So what they're going to do is they're going to find his car, they're going to find his house, where he lives. They're going to be executing search warrants. And they don't want the media or anybody else to find out ahead of time because they want to make sure that the - you know, they don't know they're coming because the police want to make sure that they go into these locations and that there might not, you know, be booby-trapped or what have you. So that's the first thing.

The second thing that one of you - the witnesses, the jogger said, that kind of - that I was a little upset about was that he was talking to other witnesses. The police out there have to make sure that they separate these witnesses, that they don't talk because witness contamination becomes a huge problem in these cases. So, you know, they don't deal with a lot of shootings in this area. It's like everyone's saying, it's a nice, quiet, bucolic neighborhood. While the police might not be used to these kinds of things and they have to make sure that they're separated. It's extremely important.

The second thing that they have to do is make sure that there aren't any cars that this individual drove in at the location. Make sure that is - if it is, make sure that's been rendered safe. You know, all through emergency exceptions right now, they can do these things. But eventually they're going to have to get search warrants.

So when we release the information finally of who this individual was, we want to make sure we have his Internet records, we have his cell phone records and probably there's a lot of residential surveillance cameras in this location. So those investigators should be going door to door in the neighborhood, asking family members if they have surveillance cameras because they might have had this on tape. And that's something that they can't obviously look at, you know, overlook. It's extremely important. I mean these are the three things right now, the cell phone records, Internet records, and surveillance videos that's going to help the police put this together.

BLITZER: Sanjay Gupta, we're told that Representative Steve Scalise was shot apparently in the hip. That doesn't sound like a life threatening injury, right?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Not typically, no. I mean, you know, the good news here is that the central nervous system, spinal cord, obviously not in that area and also no vital organs. That's clearly what you worry about the most.

BLITZER: Sanjay, hold on - hold on for one moment, Sanjay, because we're just getting a statement from the office of the majority whip, Steve Scalise. Let me read the entire statement to you and then we'll assess and our - and to our viewers.

Quote, "this morning at a practice for the congressional baseball game, Whip Scalise was shot in the hip. He was transported to Medstar Washington Hospital Center where he is currently undergoing surgery. He is in stable condition. Prior to entering surgery, the whip was in good spirits and spoke to his wife by phone. He is grateful for the brave actions of U.S. Capitol Police, first responders and colleagues. We ask that you keep the whip and others harmed in this incident in your thoughts and prayers." Finally the statement adds, "this office will release additional information regarding the whip's condition as appropriate."

All right, Sanjay, so let's assess what we heard. He's in stable condition, shot in the hip.

GUPTA: Stable condition, in good spirits, spoke to his wife, obviously, awake, conscious, to be able to do that. That's not surprising, as you point out, in part because their - you know, these injuries to the - to the hip, there's good news in all that, you don't have vital organs in that area. It doesn't sound like he has blood loss that was significant enough to, you know, impair his consciousness. It sounds like he received fluids immediately and certainly I'm sure en route to the hospital.

It all - but, you know, the other part of this, it sounds like what was being described was a rifle, a long barrel. Those are going to be higher velocity wounds. So it can still be a very significant wound. You do worry about the amount of injury to that part of the body, but also some blood vessels in that area which may be part of the reason he's getting the operation now is to either stop any bleeding or prevent any of that bleeding from occurring from this injury.

That's typically what happens. That's part of that whole stabilization process. But, you know, these types of rifle injuries obviously much more significant than a handgun injury, for example. Mainly again because of the velocity of the bullet and the doctors, the teams, the medical teams are having to sort of figure out exactly what occurred as a result of this injury and work on fixing that.

BLITZER: And when they say he's in stable condition, describe what that means precisely because we've heard all sorts of descriptions of conditions, good condition, critical condition.

GUPTA: Yes.

BLITZER: But stable, what does that generally mean?

[09:49:47] GUPTA: Well, stable is actually a - sort of a vague term in that regard because someone could be completely unconscious and still be stable. We know that's not the case here, obviously. It typically is referring to their blood pressure and their heart rate. And for - in a trauma setting it's most sort of reflective of blood loss. That's what you're most concerned about. Is there - has there been significant blood loss? Is there ongoing blood loss? Has that blood loss affected the patient's, the congressman in this case, his ability to maintain his blood pressure. And it sounds like it has not. He's been able to maintain his blood pressure, his heart rate, breathing on his own. As you heard again, you know, was able to talk to his wife on the phone. So that's typically what they're referring to.

And, you know, as you might guess, it bodes well. It doesn't mean he doesn't need an operation. It doesn't mean the injury wasn't significant. It doesn't mean he may not need future operations as a result of this. But right now the indicators are certainly pretty good in terms of his recovery from this sort of injury.

BLITZER: Yes, and he's not undergoing surgery at the Medstar Washington Hospital Center, which, by the way, is not that far away from Capitol Hill right now.

Once again, Congressman Steve Scalise, the majority whip, the number three Republican, the number three leader in the House of Representatives, was shot in the hip earlier this morning, 6:30, 7:00 a.m. when they were all doing some baseball practice in advance of the big game with the Democratic members tomorrow. We don't know if that game is actually going to go forward in Washington Nationals Park.

Sanjay, stand by.

Representative Dave Brat of Virginia is joining us right now.

Congressman, you were supposed to be joining us to talk about a whole host of other issues. You're not here as a result - to talk about those other issues. But I just wanted to - while we have you, I just want to get your reaction. You know this area. You know Alexandria. You know these Republican members of this baseball team, the roster of about 34 members. Give us your reaction.

REP. DAVE BRAT (R), VIRGINIA: Yes, well, we all know the risks, and I think, you know, it brings back our youth to go play ball, but we had members riding bikes over there, 50 of us in public, and we - I think we need to do a better job thinking through the security risks. We're all thankful that Scalise had his crew there, otherwise Rand Paul said, it would have been just a slaughter. And so it's too bad. You know, you get into politics, but I learned about it in the weight room sitting next to one of my Democrat friends and we're riding the bikes and 20 other guys and yesterday, you know, it was all partisan with the Sessions thing and everyone's, you know, yelling and screaming.

But we all do get along well and the Democrats where our brothers today and everybody was shocked and concerned. And we were just watching it unfold together and just as pieces come in. I - we just heard votes got canceled for today so we're not sure about the game tomorrow night. And we'll see - we'll see what we do. But we've got to do a little bit better planning. And then, immediately, it brings town halls to mind too. You've got a thousand folks, people that want to, you know, give you their views as constituents, et cetera, but we have to - the security thing now is going to be ramped up to a new level if it takes just one person that's just, you know, off the rails on a certain day, it's not good.

BLITZER: Our law enforcement producer, Shimon Prokupecz, says that law Enform cent, congressmen, they do have a tentative identification of the shooter. They're trying to finalize that. Have you heard anything at all from your colleagues who this shooter is, any motivation anything along those lines?

BRAT: No. I mean we heard - one of my colleagues, Ron DeSantis from Florida, said he was on the team, and he - he said someone did show up prior to the shooting, he said, are you guys Republicans or Democrats? And he reported that on the news earlier today. And so that, you know, that's not good. And, you know, we don't have knowledge of that connection, but that, you know, it's - it's in the air, right? There's some folks out there who just ratchet it up too high.

BLITZER: But you don't know if that individual who asked if the team players, the members were Republicans or Democrats, you don't know if that actually turned out to be the shotter, right?

BRAT: That's right. That's right.

BLITZER: It just could have been someone saying, are you Democrats or Republicans?

BRAT: Yes. Right.

BLITZER: Could have just been an innocent question of these members of Congress practicing for a big game tomorrow, right?

BRAT: Yes. No, that's right. And that's right.

BLITZER: Yes. So I just want to be precise before law enforcement -

BRAT: Yes.

BLITZER: They're going to have a news conference, we're told, fairly soon. Capitol Hill Police, as well as Alexandria, Virginia, police, where this incident occurred.

BRAT: Yes.

BLITZER: What's the mood generally among your colleagues right now? You say you were at the gym up on Capitol Hill working out this morning when you heard the bad news.

BRAT: Well, it's just terrible. I mean everybody was focused on Scalise, because he's our buddy, and then Roger, there's some - a couple other colleagues that came into play. But I heard there's more serious health concerns with some of the staff that were shot. We heard one in the chest maybe. And so that - you know, our heart goes out there. That's the big deal. Hopefully Scalise is good, and we all love him. You know, I mean he's just a great guy. And so we're thinking there. But then your brain just races ahead to those with more serious conditions and that's - so that's where we all are right now. We're just waiting to - hoping everyone is doing OK. [09:55:05] And then - you know, I'm getting - I got 50 texts, you know, within ten minutes from all the people back home, are you OK? Were you there? So I can't imagine these families, what they have to go through.

And then I do want to thank all the officers that do put their lives on the line every day. We take it for granted. They're all super people. They help us in every way. And so we want to thank them. And a couple of the guys, you know, raced out in the middle of the field today. Mo Brooks was out there, a member of Congress from Alabama, putting his belt on Scalise or one of the guys as a tourniquet right away, so he's got guts. So it brings out the finer angels, as well.

BLITZER: It certainly does. We spoke to Congressman Mo Brooks of Alabama. He told us he did take off his belt.

BRAT: Yes.

BLITZER: He thinks it was a staffer. We do know that a staffer working for Congressman Roger Williams of Texas, a man I assume you know -

BRAT: Right.

BLITZER: That one of his staffers was injured.

BRAT: Yes.

BLITZER: And we don't know if the - if Mo Brooks put his belt on that staffer. But - and we don't know the extent of all the injuries, but you're right, presumably some of them are serious.

We did get a - I don't know if you heard Steve Scalise's office put out a statement saying he was shot in the hip. He's now undergoing surgery at the Medstar Washington Hospital Center. That's very close to Capitol Hill. He's described as being in stable condition.

But prior to entering surgery, congressman, he was described as being in good spirits, spoke to his wife by phone.

BRAT: Yes. Right. Right.

BLITZER: So that's encouraging.

BRAT: Yes. Yes.

BLITZER: And you know Steve Scalise well.

BRAT: Yes.

BLITZER: I've interviewed him on many occasions.

BRAT: Yes.

BLITZER: He's very highly regarded among his colleagues, right?

BRAT: Yes. Yes. No, he's a jovial guy. I mean he's like Reagan, right? I'm sure he probably almost cracked a joke about it. And it's not funny, right? But he's the kind of guy that will make you feel at ease, even if he's going through pain. And he's just that way. He's always - you know, everyone - he goes up to the podium at our conference meetings and lighten, cracks the ice, lightens the mood no matter what tough bill we're dealing with. And he's that kind of guy.

BLITZER: We're told he's the first member of Congress, sitting member of Congress, to be shot since Arizona Representative Gabby Giffords was shot back in January of 2011. And she put out a statement expressing her deepest sympathies and support for Steve Scalise.

So it's - it doesn't happen all that often, but it -

BRAT: Yes.

BLITZER: Even once or twice, and I'm sure you agree, that's way too many times.

BRAT: Right. Right. No, it - and it goes straight to us and then your family's e-mailing you and making you - you know, the wife back at home, the kids, they're immediately, hey, are you taking care of yourself? Are you being safe? So we're going to have to make sure our - you know, our trips and our big events where you have multiple members together, we're thinking through things a little bit more thoroughly going forward. It's unfortunate, but that's the world right now.

BLITZER: So what I hear you saying, out of an abundance of caution, when you have a town hall or any of your colleagues, Democrat or Republican, when they have a town hall, they're going to have to have some significant security there. I don't know if you need metal detectors. But a lot of folks just walk in and they want to participate, but you've got to be -

BRAT: Yes.

BLITZER: You've got to have some security, I assume.

BRAT: Yes, well that - I think after this event, that's going to change the calculation. And we always look back - in retrospect you can see it more clearly. But, you know, when someone sneaks over the White House fence and flies planes on the White House lawn or whatever, then all of a sudden, ok, hey, we did - we, you know, we should be thinking it through ahead of time, but now our sergeant at arms, we've got great professionals, and so they'll ratchet it up and give us good guidance and counsel back home and then we have our, you know, the state sheriffs and police back in my counties, they do - they show up for the town halls and do a great job. But if you get someone of this caliber this morning and the intent is that, you know, vicious, it's hard to - it's hard to be prepared for - to handle that kind of a contingency.

BLITZER: It certainly is, especially when you're out there just practicing, playing baseball -

BRAT: Right. BLITZER: And all of a sudden a horrendous thing like this occurs.

BRAT: Right.

BLITZER: Congressman Dave Brat of Virginia.

I'm going to speak to Congressman Chuck Fleischmann right now of Tennessee. He's a Republican. He was there on the scene. He's joining us on the phone.

Congressman, first of all, tell us how you're doing.

REP. CHUCK FLEISCHMANN (R), TENNESSEE (via telephone): Wolf, I'm shook up. Thank God. I'm a little bit bloodied from jumping in the dugout when we were under fire, but there were several other people shot, hurt a lot worse. Just a horrible, horrible morning for us all and a sad day for America.

BLITZER: Are you still there at the baseball field or are you back home, on The Hill?

FLEISCHMANN: No, sir. No, sir. They finally -

BLITZER: Yes.

FLEISCHMANN: They kept us in an area that was blocked off until everybody was interviewed and then the Capitol Police came and got us in a bus and brought us back to Capitol Hill. So all of us who were able are now back on Capitol Hill in our offices.

BLITZER: So walk us through what happened. Where were you when the first shot - you heard that first shot?

[10:00:06] FLEISCHMANN: Yes, sir. Well, we had actually - were close to the conclusion of our practice. We practice every day. The Republicans and Democrats both have a baseball team.