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Congress Certifies Biden Victory after Deadly Insurrection at U.S. Capitol; Trump: 'There Will Be an Orderly Transition' on January 20; Four Dead after Trump Incites Attempted Coup at U.S. Capitol. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired January 07, 2021 - 06:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

[05:59:40]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Thursday, January 7, 6 a.m. here in New York.

We are happy to report this morning that the insurrection failed. The weaponized attempt to block the election of Joe Biden failed. But it was ugly, and it was deadly.

Outgoing President Donald Trump sent rioters to overrun the Capitol to stop the moment that you are about to see. This is Vice President Mike Pence reading and formalizing Joe Biden's win just a couple of hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Within that whole number, the majority is 270. The votes for president of the United States are as follows. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of the state of Delaware has received 306 votes. The announcement of the state of the vote, by the president of the Senate, shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected president and vice president of the United States, each for the term beginning on the 20th day of January, 2021.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Even Vice President Mike Pence seemed relieved to read those words.

Even after the chaos at the Capitol, seven Republican senators joined with more than 100 House Republicans to try to overturn the election results and the -- that count.

Can America endure 13 more days of a Donald Trump presidency, and will it have to? This morning, sources tell CNN that some cabinet members have begun preliminary discussions about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office.

Trump did release a statement this morning, committing to an orderly transition, but at the same time, he continued his deranged lies about the election.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Can I just say, when you said, we're happy to report this morning the insurrection has failed, my heart skipped a beat. I -- to hear you, a friend and a journalist, saying that to me, and think, oh, my God, that's exactly dead-on right.

CAMEROTA: Because it wasn't certain yesterday.

BERMAN: No.

CAMEROTA: It wasn't certain as we watched what was unfolding at the Capitol that the good guys were going to win.

BERMAN: And look, and that's why I'm so glad that we played for you the first bit of sound we played, was evidence that it failed. Mike Pence reading the results of counting the electoral votes out loud.

Now, sources say during this insurrection, which did turn deadly, the president, who ordered it, by the way, was borderline enthusiastic. He did not want to condemn his supporters, the ones he sent to the Capitol. And that the president this morning is so furious with Vice President Mike Pence that he banned the vice president's chief of staff, Marc Short, from the West Wing. A former White House official tells CNN the president is out of his mind.

This morning, four people are dead, including one woman who was shot inside the Capitol. Of course, these are the images that played out all day long. Stunning to see in the United States of America, including this, the standoff on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Lawmakers -- we just heard from one who had very real fear for their lives. They thought there would be a mass shooting. They had a reasonable fear, frankly, of there being a mass shooting. We saw this, the insurrectionists inside the hall of the U.S. Senate. That is the dias for the Senate president, the vice president, where the Senate pro tem sits. They're sitting right there.

So throughout the morning, we'll speak with lawmakers who were there. We're going to ask them what they think needs to happen now.

We're also going to ask how did this breach happen? Why wasn't Capitol security more prepared for this? Did they do enough to stop it?

CNN's Lauren Fox is live for us this morning on Capitol hill with the very latest of where we are, Lauren.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you know, after a siege yesterday, after hours of debate throughout the night, what is important this morning is Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States, and Kamala Harris will be his vice president.

We cannot underscore enough that what happened yesterday was not successful in changing the outcome of a fair and free election.

Look, lawmakers were exasperated, and it wasn't just Democrats. It was Republicans, frustrated with where the president has taken their party. Here's what many Republicans and one Democrat were saying last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): The best way we can show respect for the voters who were upset is by telling them the truth!

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Trump and I, we've had a hell of a journey. I hate it to end this way. Oh, my God, I hate it. All I can say is, count me out. Enough is enough.

SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Look at the damage that was wrought in this House today, to this country today. Is that not enough?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: And of course, what we are watching for is the fact that there were seven Republican senators, more than a hundred House Republicans, who voted to change the outcome of the election.

On the state of Pennsylvania, on that objection, specifically, Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Josh Hawley, Senator Cynthia Lummis, Senator Roger Marshall, Senator Rick Scott, Senator Tommy Tuberville, and Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith all voted to support that objection against the state of Pennsylvania.

[06:05:09]

You know, at the end of the whole entire day, Senator John Thune, who's the majority whip in the U.S. Senate, said it was time for the party to move on from Trump. He said, quote, "You've got to get back to where the party is built around a set of ideals, principles, and policies" -- John and Alisyn.

BERMAN: And not lies.

FOX: That's right.

BERMAN: Lauren Fox, thanks so much for being there for us. I know you went through it all yesterday, too. So we are glad you are safe with us this morning.

FOX: Thank you.

BERMAN: So the president did put out a statement this morning, pledging to an orderly transition, but his statement also included the lunatic, dangerous, deadly lie about the election.

CNN's Joe John -- Johns is live for us this morning at the White House. There have been resignations overnight, Joe. And there are questions about whether the president is fit to serve the next 13 days.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We've had three different people resign from the White House staff, and in the midst of this, as you said, we got this statement. It came out almost momentarily after the president saw that the Electoral College votes had been certified and that Joe Biden was going to become the next president of the United States.

The statement was the closest thing we've seen to a concession speech from Donald Trump, and it wasn't even a concession. It wasn't even a speech. It was three paragraphs, or two paragraphs on Twitter, on the social media director for the White House's Twitter account, because the president had been locked out.

Here is that statement. It says, "Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the elections, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless, there will be an orderly transition on January 20. I've always said we would fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again."

And this can -- came at a time that you can only describe as a low point in the history of the American presidency, because the president had essentially incited an insurrection at the United States Capitol, which has led some here in Washington to ask the question whether the 25th Amendment ought to be invoked. That's the amendment that allows for the president to be essentially removed and the vice president to assume his powers.

Even though there are only two weeks to go, there are concerns about what the president could do with the vast powers of the American presidency in just those last two weeks.

However, there are many concerns that it wouldn't work, simply because it's a very bureaucratic amendment, if you will, and the amendment has never been tried.

Back to you, John and Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Joe, thank you very much.

Four Americans are dead after the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol incited by President Trump. This morning, we're learning new details about what happened and the massive breach.

CNN's Boris Sanchez is live outside of the U.S. Capitol with more. So put it all together for us, Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

Just shocking scenes yesterday here at the U.S. Capitol. There had not been this level of violence here in more than 200 years, since 1814, when the British stormed inside of the doors of the U.S. Capitol.

Yesterday, it was a large group of Trump supporters, egged on by the president's rhetoric. And an explosive scene, a disgraceful moment in American history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SANCHEZ (voice-over): Chaos unfolding on Capitol hill, as a pro-Trump mob launched a deadly assault, right at the heart of American democracy, while lawmakers prepared to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

The rioters storming into the halls of Congress, even breaking into legislative chambers. Police evacuating the House floor and Vice President Mike Pence, who was there for counting electoral votes. Armed authorities blocking the doors while lawmakers and their staff went into lockdown.

REP. DAN KILDEE (D-MI): I was there, on the floor in the gallery, literally laying on the floor behind a wall, as these people were storming into our chamber. And it was frightening.

SANCHEZ: This attempted coup after thousands of President Trump's supporters rallied near the White House Wednesday morning, denying his election loss.

DONALD TRUMP JR., SON OF DONALD TRUMP: Stand up and fight! Stand up and hold your representatives accountable!

RUDY GIULIANI, ATTORNEY FOR DONALD TRUMP: If we're wrong, we will be made fools of. But if we're right, a lot of them will go to jail!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

[06:10:05]

GIULIANI: So let's have trial by combat!

SANCHEZ: The president demanding Republican lawmakers and even Pence overturn his loss before giving this charge to supporters.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to the Capitol, and we're going to try and give -- the Democrats are hopeless. They never voted for anything. Not even one vote. But we're going to try and give our Republicans, the weak ones, because the strong ones don't need any of our help.

SANCHEZ: The mob, following Trump's lead, climbing the walls of the Capitol, breaking down doors, shattering glass, and charging into the halls of Congress, barreling past Capitol police, one rioter even carrying a Confederate flag.

Another going into the empty Senate chamber and declaring Trump won.

This man posing for a photo after breaking into House Speaker Pelosi's office, along with an ominous message. Others, vandalizing her office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's got a gun! SANCHEZ: The insurrection leaving four people dead this morning,

including one woman seen here carried on a stretcher, shot and killed inside the Capitol by police. Authorities arresting at least 52 people Wednesday and finding several weapons.

CHIEF ROBERT CONTEE, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Additionally, two pipe bombs have been recovered. One pipe bomb from the DNC, another pipe bomb from the RNC. A cooler from a vehicle with a long gun in it that also included Molotov cocktails. This also was on the grounds of the United States Capitol.

SANCHEZ: Biden calling on Trump to tell his supporters to back down.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is not dissent. It's disorder. It's chaos. It borders on sedition. And it must end, now.

I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy to go forward.

SANCHEZ: Trump later posting this to Twitter, starting with lies about his election loss to Biden and ending with this message to his supporters.

TRUMP: So go home. We love you. You're very special.

SANCHEZ: Lawmakers returning to their debate, expressing defiance before ultimately voting to certify Biden's election.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): We will not bow to lawlessness or intimidation. We are back at our posts. We will discharge our duty under the Constitution.

SANCHEZ: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer linking the attempted coup to Trump's actions.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): These were rioters and insurrections, goons and thugs, domestic terrorists. Today's events did not happen spontaneously. This mob was in good part President Trump's doing, incited by his words, his lies. This violence in good part his responsibility, his ever-lasting shame.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And Alisyn, as we take a live look out here this morning, there is a large perimeter around the U.S. Capitol. We're seeing a large presence of National Guard on hand, as well as local law enforcement. There are several road closures around here.

There really is the outstanding question of how exactly this could have happened. As shocking as those scenes were, it was not entirely unpredictable, because for weeks, the president had been brewing this kind of anger among his supporters with false claims about the election. And obviously, it spilled over yesterday. And the question has to be, what happens next? Especially when you

consider, to put it in context, after learning about bombs being found around Washington, D.C., after the nastiness that we saw yesterday, the president telling those same people that he loves them and that they're special, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Boris, thank you for putting all of that together for us and for posing the question that is the burning question at this hour. What does happen next?

Joining us now, CNN political commentator, Errol Louis; CNN national security commentator, Mike Rogers. He's the former House Intelligence Committee chairman. Also with us, Elizabeth Neumann. She's a former homeland security assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention.

And Elizabeth, that's why I'm going to start with you. Threat prevention. Just because things are quiet at this hour doesn't mean that they're over. And so I can only imagine what went through your head as you watched this insurrection yesterday. What happens next?

ELIZABETH NEUMANN, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COUNTERTERRORISM AND THREAT PREVENTION: Alisyn, I remain concerned that the actors that we saw yesterday are increasingly emboldened. The online chatter, even during the event and certainly after the event has picked up.

The -- I recognize that it is very hard to sum up the people that were in that crowd with one broad brushstroke. There's a lot of different actors there, but already, you have people that study extremism identifying we had very well-known QAnon adherents that were in the crowd. We had neo-Nazis in the crowd. We had other white supremacist groups in the crowd. And of course, the Proud Boys were there. That was kind of very well-advertised that they had planned to be there.

[06:15:21]

And then, intermixed with that you had any number of individuals who probably just thought they were going to a political rally to support Trump.

But those violent extremists, mixed in with a large group of people, created that volatile mob-like environment. And I'm honestly kind of shocked that we didn't see more violence. I think they didn't realize how easy it would to get into the Capitol, and if they had known that they could breach it, they probably would have planned to -- to wreak more havoc.

But we should look at what happened yesterday as a warning. They will do things like this again. If you are in law enforcement today, I would imagine that you are pulling up all of your reserve officers and hardening your soft targets, hardening -- you should be, hardening any -- any officials that have spoken out against Trump. They are calling out online for people to target anybody that is speaking out against Trump, retaliation for the woman that was killed yesterday. It is a very volatile environment. This is not over, and we as a

country need to recognize we have a very dangerous problem inside our homeland. It has been too long that we have ignored this domestic terrorism problem, and it is time for us to -- to reckon with it and -- and figure out how we move forward as a country.

BERMAN: Here's the thing, the leader of the insurrection has the nuclear codes. The leader of this insurrection is in the White House this morning.

Chairman, I want to ask you, Chairman Rogers, look, there are serious discussions this morning about invoking the 25th Amendment. It would take the vice president signing on with a majority of the cabinet to remove the president from power. Vice President Pence would take over.

We are told, CNN is reporting, that a few cabinet members are talking about this.

Why on earth shouldn't they be? Why shouldn't they be concerned about what would happen for the next 13 days if Donald Trump still holds the title of president of the United States?

MIKE ROGERS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY COMMENTATOR: Well, they should have a conversation -- you have to check what the mindset is of the president in the last few days. And clearly, I mean, the small and petty things take on even bigger meaning in these last few days, given his mindset, including firing -- or not allowing Mike Pence's chief of staff to even come into the West Wing.

I mean, that says -- that is disturbing decision-making by the president of the United States.

And I have to tell you, as a young FBI agent, my first case -- my first big case was an anarchy case, where they were making pipe bombs, and they were going to blow up federal judges; and they wanted to blow up the federal building. We were able to intercede and remove those bombs from the street.

Think about someone in that group yesterday took pipe bombs -- these are highly dangerous explosive devices -- and placed them at the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National -- or their -- not the convention, their headquarters. And that, in and of itself, is an act of terrorism. In and of itself.

And so for folks who stormed this building. And by the way, this -- I think, listen, these were not Republicans acting under Republican values.

I think -- I think a reckoning is happening. There's going to be a little shaking on the ground here inside the Republican Party about who we are and the direction we're going. And certainly, Trump has lost that representation.

So I think it would be inappropriate for them not to have the discussion. And the president needs to understand that they're having that discussion. I think that's going to be critical for them to at least -- boy, at least try to get back in the -- in the same box for the last few days of his presidency.

CAMEROTA: Errol, what more do we need to see, owner the deadly insurrection yesterday? Game over. Game over, senators. The deadly game of chicken has exploded in their face.

Rudy Giuliani, who the president has stuck with and who has stuck by the president's side throughout all of this, called for "trial by combat." What more do we need to know than watching these scenes of domestic terrorism, Errol?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think what we all need to know is that there's a real serious danger in our democracy, if you put people who are unprincipled and unprepared and unworthy, into positions of power. That's really what yesterday was all about.

The fact that you could have a riot that was manufactured and instigated and an attack on the Capitol that was essentially directed by the president of the United States.

This wasn't just some kind of spontaneous crowd that got out of control. These people were invited to the Capitol by the president. They held that -- that rally at which all of those crazy statements were made. There were signs that were made. You know, they knew exactly what they were doing. And they sicced them on our democracy.

[06:20:19]

And the people came, and as we've just heard, we're lucky that it wasn't worse.

What I tend to think, Alisyn, is that, with the $32 billion budget of the Department of Justice, they should be pursuing all of those people, who were unmasked and were streaming all of their activities, who were proudly indicating who they were, what they were doing and what they were stealing, what they were breaking. The people that they were intimidating.

The fact that four people died clearly makes it a very, very serious set of crimes that they committed yesterday. And there has to be people who answer for this.

You know, the fact that they just kind of waltzed out of there. They come in, they attacked the Congress, four people died. They plant pipe bombs. And then they just kind of waltz out of there and go home. Everybody was unmasked. People told you who they were. Some of them were actually bloggers, right-wing media figures. There's got to be consequences.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely! And we have to figure out -- I mean, this was a deadly fire drill, OK. It could have been a mass casualty event. It was a deadly fire drill instead. And we have to figure out how they were able to so easily breach the Capitol. We have a lot more questions for all of you.

Errol, Mike, Elizabeth, please stick around. NEW DAY will be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:25:10]

BERMAN: All right. Errol Louis, Elizabeth Neumann back with us.

I'm not done with the 25th Amendment, friends. I happen to think it's a poorly written amendment, poorly conceived in many ways, but it exists. There is a way to remove the president when he or she is unfit to serve.

President Trump sent a mob to prevent Joe Biden from being declared the winner of the presidential election. He sent a mob to overturn the will of the election yesterday, and he still has the nuclear codes, Elizabeth.

So I've been dismissive of the last two years' discussion about the 25th Amendment. There needs to be a serious talk about it. It needs to be discussed this morning, because a lot can happen in 13 days. We see what happened in a few hours yesterday.

What's your take on this? We understand that there are cabinet officials now discussing it. How real of a discussion do you think it is? What's the possibility here?

NEUMANN: I'm glad they're taking it seriously and talking about it. I -- I've been so disappointed in so many of the leaders in this administration, so I tend to think that they will look for the slightest deference, maybe even the -- Trump's statement after the election was certified this -- this morning, maybe they look at that and say, Well, he's -- he's basically conceded.

I just -- if any of those individuals or their staff are listening, this man is volatile, he is dangerous. He needs to be removed. There's too much at stake. You know the things that he has talked about doing. Many of those things are classified, and we can't go into. He has to be stopped. You need to exercise the 25th Amendment, or Congress needs to very quickly act on impeachment and remove him from office.

CAMEROTA: Elizabeth, I want to stick with you for one second, because that is so powerful, and you know more than we do about this. What more evidence would we ever need to see than what happened yesterday?

I mean, we just talked to a congresswoman who was cowering under a chair with a gas mask on, because they thought, when they were inside the House chamber and it was surrounded by a marauding mob, that there was going to be a mass casualty event. And so I'm just not sure what other trigger there could ever be for having these conversations and for doing it.

NEUMANN: I mean, he has -- from my vantage point, and I'm not a lawyer, but he has triggered every single requirement that you would need. He's committed sedition. He's committed treason. He's violated his oath of office, dereliction of duty. We have 350,000 people dead in this country, because he was more concerned about his election than doing his job. And my concern, though, is that your -- the cabinet members or the

Republican leaders in Congress may look at him and say, You know, it's only -- it's a little less than two weeks. We're probably fine. We don't want to further upset the -- the supporters.

No, the way that you stop the extremist spread that is occurring in a strong part of our country on the right is you send a signal that we are a nation that governs by laws, and we will hold people accountable when they violate those laws.

And he needs to be removed. He is not safe. He is dangerous. And he needs to be held accountable on January 21 through our justice system for his actions.

BERMAN: Errol, what questions do you have about the Capitol police this morning, including some who --

LOUIS: I have a lot of questions. Right.

BERMAN: -- move -- they moved barricades. They opened doors. They took selfies in some cases.

LOUIS: Yes, absolutely. Listen, Washington, D.C., like New York, which I know best, are places where there are demonstrations all the time. Some of them are angry. Some of them are shocking. Some of them have to be contained. Some of them result in arrest.

What I saw yesterday, I simply couldn't believe. That they allowed these people to storm the building.

You know, I guess the folks on the inside, that gripping photo, John, where you have officers training their guns on the door, the door through which normally the president of the United States walks to deliver the State of the Union address, it had gotten that serious. When it had reached that point, you have to wonder, how did it ever get to that level?

Everyone knew that they'd been invited. Everyone knew that they were being incited by the president, and Rudy Giuliani, and other irresponsible people, who then directed them to attack the Capitol.

By the time they got there, to see barriers being removed, to see them escorted in, like you said, selfies, they're streaming the whole thing. They're treating it like it's all a big joke. And the Capitol police, they were undermanned. They were overwhelmed. They were unclear about what they were doing. You didn't see any lines that were clearly formed.

And frankly, it went on for hours, John. That's the thing I had the biggest question about. Because if you start to simply arrest people. You bring up some buses. You get the D.C. Police mobilized. You take out the hats and bats. You come in riot gear. And you start letting people know there are going to be some consequences.