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New Day

America on High Alert as FBI Warns of 'Armed Protests'; D.C. Police Officers Describe the Violent Mob that Attacked Them; Biden Unveils $1.9 Trillion Economic and Healthcare Plan. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired January 15, 2021 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The nation's capital on high alert and on edge.

[05:59:51]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fears over renewed attacks in Washington, D.C., have turned the Capitol building into a fortress.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a major security threat, and we are working to mitigate those threats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is crazy. This is the most extreme I've seen in 16 years.

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: From January 6 alone, we've already identified over 200 suspects. If you're out there, FBI agents are coming to find you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just, you know, trying to fight as best I could. You know, how do I survive this situation?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Come Wednesday, we'll begin a new chapter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

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 Friday, January 15, 6 a.m. here in New York.

Washington, D.C., locked down ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration. More than 20,000 National Guard troops are being deployed to the nation's capital to protect our future president, lawmakers, and landmarks.

In some strange poetic bookend, President Trump got a big, beautiful fence built, but this one is around the U.S. Capitol to protect it from Trump supporters.

The FBI director is warning that authorities are tracking extensive amounts of online chatter calling for more violence next week. Five people died in the Capitol insurrection, and it is becoming

increasingly clear that it could have been much worse. We get new video like this every single day. Here's what one extremist said after beating a police officer with an American flag.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER FRANCIS STAGER, CHARGED IN U.S. CAPITOL INSURRECTION: That it's our building filled with treasonous traitors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir!

STAGER: Death is the only remedy for what's in that building!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Well, this morning, you're going to hear from the police officers and what they have to say. That man has since been arrested and charged, along with more than 100 others, including a man who hurled a fire extinguisher at police officers, as you see here. And another who brought a Confederate flag into the Capitol.

BERMAN: So this morning, for the first time, we are hearing from the D.C. Police officers who were beaten by that mob, including this officer seen on video, getting crushed in the doorway by the insurrectionists. And another seen here being attacked, Tased, and surrounded by the extremists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FANONE, METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: And then some guy started getting ahold of my gun, and they were screaming out, you know, Kill him with his own gun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: We're going to bring you all of the new interviews throughout the morning.

So this is the country that Joe Biden will inherit when he takes office in five days, as he also confronts the worst public health crisis in modern history.

Last night, the president-elect unveiled his $1.9 trillion rescue package to fight the economic downturn and the sickness.

CNN's Jessica Schneider live in Washington with these massive security preparations, Jessica.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely massive, John. And there are just days to go before the inauguration. Law enforcement officials are continuing to sound the alarm of potential violence.

Right now in Washington, D.C., 21,000 National Guard troops are monitoring and spanned out all over the city. That's more than the number of troops we have in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq combined.

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SCHNEIDER: The nation's capital on edge as it braces for potential violence before the inauguration. Precautions being taken as thousands of National Guard troops flood the streets. The National Mall will be closed on inauguration day, and a source tells CNN officials are considering raising the terrorism threat level.

FBI Director Christopher Wray speaking publicly for the first time since the attack on January 6, voicing fears that domestic extremists may have been emboldened by the attack to carry out more.

WRAY: We are seeing an extensive amount of concerning online chatter, is the best way I would describe it, about a number of events surrounding the inauguration.

SCHNEIDER: At a briefing with Vice President Mike Pence, Wray says that investigators have made more than 100 arrests and received more than 100,000 digital tips.

WRAY: We've already identified over 200 suspects. So we know who you are, if you're out there. And FBI agents are coming to find you.

SCHNEIDER: One alleged rioter, Peter Francis Stager, gave his reasoning for the violence that day.

PETER FRANCIS STAGER, ALLEGEDLY BEAT OFFICER WITH FLAGPOLE: Everybody in there is a disgrace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a disgrace.

STAGER: That entire building is filled with treasonous traitors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

STAGER: Death is the only remedy for what's in that building.

SCHNEIDER: Federal prosecutors allege he is the man in this video, beating a D.C. Metro Police officer with a flagpole.

New video has also emerged, showing what appears to be people in tactical gear climbing the steps of the Capitol as rioters chant the national anthem.

KARL RACINE (D), ATTORNEY GENERAL, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Yes, there was no doubt that they were prepared, planned, and quite intentional. So all this has to be reviewed thoroughly and publicly and transparently, because we cannot let this happen again.

SCHNEIDER: Prosecutors say former Air Force reservist Larry Rendell Brock, photographed carrying a flex cuff on the Senate floor, was arrested on January 10. Prosecutors say he may have intended to restrain lawmakers he viewed as enemies.

[06:05:02] Brock subsequently told "The New Yorker" magazine he picked the restraint off the ground.

Kevin Seefried, who investigators say waved a Confederate flag inside the Capitol, was arrested in Delaware, along with his son, and charged with entering or remaining on restricted grounds and violent entry or disorderly conduct inside the Capitol.

Robert Sanford, identified by prosecutors appearing to throw a fire extinguisher that hit a Capitol Police officer on the head, was arrested in Pennsylvania and charged with four counts related to the riot.

And Jacob Chansley, who is seen in photos at the Capitol and is also known as the QAnon Shaman, faces six federal charges. His attorney says Chansley wants President Donald Trump to pardon him, because his client was only following the president's invitation, something echoed by some of the rioters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were invited by the president of the United States!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: And all of these national security concerns, they seem to be influencing the president-elect. Joe Biden has tapped Lisa Monaco to be his deputy attorney general nominee. Lisa Monaco was a homeland security adviser to President Obama and has very -- became a very close aide to President-elect Biden -- John.

BERMAN: Yes, now Lisa Monaco, the big news is, will coordinate inauguration security for the Biden transition. She's actually going to pause the transition to deputy A.G., and instead, focus on homeland security in these next few days. Just extraordinary.

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

BERMAN: Jessica, thanks so much for being with us.

Developing overnight, chilling details from Washington, D.C., police officers, speaking out for the first time, about the violent mob that attacked them during the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, including the officer seen in this video being crushed in a doorway.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz live in Washington. So important to hear from the people who put their lives on the line to protect our leaders, Shimon.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, absolutely. It's compelling stuff when you think about it. You know, we've seen these pictures. We've seen the video of these officers being viciously attacked by this violent mob.

And now for the first time, we get to hear from these officers. And the story they tell is quite terrifying. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): In last week's deadly coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol, a pro-Trump mob swarmed the building, outnumbering and battling police officers fighting to defend it.

OFFICER MICHAEL FANONE, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: It was difficult to offer any resistance when you're only about 30 guys going up against 15,000.

PROKUPECZ: D.C. Metro Police Officer Michael Fanon was in the group of officers at the west front entrance of the Capitol as rioters forced their way in. They eventually pushed them outside into the crowd, where Fanon says he was Tasered several times.

FANONE: I remember, like, guys were stripping me of my gear, and then some guy started getting ahold of my gun, and they were screaming out, you know, Kill him with his own gun. At that point, you know, it was just like, self-preservation. You know, how do I survive this situation?

PROKUPECZ: While trapped, the 40-year-old says he thought about using his gun to fight back.

FANONE: That would definitely give them the justification that they were looking for to kill me, if they already didn't have made that up in their minds.

So, the other option I thought of was, you know, try to appeal to somebody's humanity. And I -- I just remember yelling out that I have kids, and it seemed to work. Some people in the crowd started to encircle me and try to offer me some level of protection.

A lot of people have asked me, you know, my thoughts on the individuals in the crowd, you know, that helped me or tried to offer some assistance. And I think kind of the conclusion I've come to is like you know, thank you, but (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you for being there.

PROKUPECZ: This horrifying video shows the moment the violent mob storms into a tunnel of the building, trapping and crushing D.C. Metro Police Officer Daniel Hodges by a door.

OFFICER DANIEL HODGES, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: There's a guy ripping my mask off, and he -- he was able to rip away my baton and beat me with it. And you know, he was practically foaming at the mouth. So just, these people were true believers in the worst way.

When things were looking bad, you know, I was calling out for all I was worth, and an officer behind me was able to get -- get me enough room to pull me out of there. And they brought me to the rear, so I was able to extricate myself. PROKUPECZ: Hodges miraculous leaving the attack without any major

injuries, saying he was shocked some rioters thought authorities would be on their side.

HODGES: The cognitive dissonance and the -- the zealotry of these people is unreal. You know, they were waving the "thin blue line" flag and telling us, you know, We're not your enemies, while they were attacking us. And, you know, killed one of us.

[06:10:07]

PROKUPECZ: The insurrectionists even using unusual means in their efforts to break into the most secure areas of the U.S. Capitol building.

OFFICER CHRISTINA LAURY, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: The individuals were pushing, shoving officers, hitting officers. They were spraying us with what we were -- are calling bear -- it's essentially bear mace.

PROKUPECZ: With President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration just days away, Washington, D.C., is on high alert, and Hodges says he hopes any pro-Trump extremists stay out of the city to avoid another situation like last week's insurrection.

HODGES: Stay home, stop this. But, you know, on the other hand, I kind of hope -- well, I hope they're caught. Let's leave it at that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PROKUPECZ: Alisyn, John, these officers truly, truly heroes. Stories that we're hearing from law enforcement officials here is that it's the D.C. Metro Police who came in and essentially saved everyone inside that Capitol.

The Capitol police overwhelmed. They called for the D.C. Police to come in, and then within minutes, they arrived. And one of the key things that they were able to do was they were able to give time to the Capitol Police to move many of the lawmakers out of harm's way.

It's very clear that many of them were targeting the lawmakers. Evidence is starting to emerge that indicates as much. But so many law enforcement officials that we've talked to say that it is the work of the D.C. Metro Police that saved many of the lawmakers' lives, saved the building.

And the other thing I want to bring up is that video, law enforcement officials who have seen video from inside the Capitol say what they have seen is shocking. The battle, the hand-to-hand combat between these officers and the vicious mob, is just really shocking and unreal to see. Hopefully, that will become public at some point. But that story is yet to be told.

But certainly, hearing from these officers is key in all of this, and it's just remarkable. And it's just brave of them to even come out and talk as they did to us. CAMEROTA: Yes, I can't imagine, John, anything more shocking than

everything that we've already seen, but I guess we should brace ourselves for that.

Shimon, thank you very much for bringing that to us.

Can you imagine, John, any more articulate messengers than those officers, who explained that this was the crowd who claims to be Blue Lives Matter, who claimed -- who were waving the thin blue line flag at them. And as that one officer said, thank you, but "F" you.

BERMAN: You heard from Officer Hodges talk about the people who were attacking him, saying they were true believers. True believers in what?

They were true believers in the lie that the president of the United States has still not disavowed about the election. He talked about the zealotry. Zealotry about what? About the lie that the president of the United States continues to spread. And right there, you saw the impact of the violence, the direct impact of the violence caused by that.

CAMEROTA: Well, it's not over. I mean, by the way, this is why intelligence officers were saying and preparing for whatever's going to happen next week. And if the president were able to somehow summon the character to come out and explain that that was a lie and that he lost the election, how much it would diffuse the situation.

BERMAN: Yes. They say his speech about no violence doesn't do enough unless and until he says, "I lost the election." And that he's been lying all along.

CAMEROTA: We have so much more of that to play for you throughout the program.

Also, developing overnight, President-elect Joe Biden unveiling a $1.9 trillion economic and healthcare plan to try to get the country out of the coronavirus pandemic.

CNN's Jessica Dean is live in Wilmington, Delaware, with more. So tell us about this, Jessica.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Alisyn.

So many Americans are watching to see what would be in this plan, and as it affects millions of people in need, all across the country. So I'll walk you through some of the highlights.

Beginning with $1,400 direct payments to Americans who qualify. Biden also wants to increase unemployment benefits to $400 a week and run that through September.

There is also money in here for rental assistance, and it will extend the eviction moratorium through September, as well.

Now, when it comes to small businesses. There's millions of dollars of relief in here, including millions of dollars outside the existing PPP programs for a host of businesses that have been affected by this.

There's also money in there that is a direct payment to state and local governments, as well as schools. A big piece of this is getting as many schools open as possible.

And for those local and state governments, it's also about keeping essential services running. Do they need money for opening schools? Do they need money for testing and contact tracing, things like that?

There's also money in here specifically for vaccine distribution and coordination and testing.

Here's what the president-elect said last night. Take a listen.

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BIDEN: The crisis of deep human suffering is in plain sight. And there's no time to waste. We have to act, and we have to act now.

And unity is not some pie-in-the-sky dream. It's a practical step to getting the things we have to get done as a country get done together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:15:12]

DEAN: Now, the president-elect did call the vaccine rollout a dismal failure. We're going to hear more from him later today, Alisyn. He's going to unveil his specific plan for vaccine distribution. They know they've got to amp it up. They know they need more shots in the arm. They want 100 million shots in the first hundred days, Alisyn.

And back to this plan, they also have to go now pitch it to Congress and go get Senate support and let the negotiations begin -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: It was interesting to hear President-elect Biden use such strong language of a dismal failure. Thank you very much, Jessica, for all of that.

So coming up, we have more of the interview with those three D.C. Police officers who explain what it was like to see that mob of terrorists coming to get them.

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WRAY: From January 6 alone, we've already identified over 200 suspects. So we know who you are, if you're out there. And FBI agents are coming to find you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:20:00]

CAMEROTA: That's the FBI director, delivering a warning to the domestic terrorists who participated in the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Chris Wray says that authorities are tracking extensive online chatter that's calling for more violence this coming week.

Joining us now is CNN senior law enforcement analyst Andrew McCabe. He's the former deputy director of the FBI.

Andy, there's something so satisfying about hearing Director Wray saying, "We're coming to get you." I mean, that's what Americans have been waiting to hear. We've been waiting to see what's happening.

And now these arrests are pouring in. You know, we've watched all of this hideous video.

And just to update our viewers, here's one of the guys. This is Peter Frances Stager. He was charged yesterday. He's the one who was beating a law enforcement officer with the American flag. And so that guy who we've all seen on our screens has now been charged with obstructing law enforcement.

So, look, I'm comforted by the words that he's finally saying, but it seems like they have such a tall task ahead of them.

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: They do. They do. And you know, you're right. It is incredibly comforting to hear from the FBI director, to tell us what we know, which is that there is no organization in the world that is more capable of unwinding a big problem and finding these people and holding them accountable. And I am sure that's what the FBI will do.

But the work is about to get a lot harder. This -- this constellation of domestic terrorist groups that assaulted our Capitol is clearly getting the message that D.C. is going to be a very hard target on January 20 and has already begun to change their messaging online, telling their followers and their adherents to do things in their own cities, in their own states.

So diffusing this threat across the country is essentially metastasizing it and it is going to be a problem, a significant threat that we're going to be working on for quite some time. This is not going away on inauguration day.

BERMAN: Andy, CNN is reporting that they are considering raising the threat level for the national terrorism advisory system. What are the considerations there and what does that tell you?

MCCABE: You know, the advisory system is really a way of communicating the threat level to the public. So it doesn't particularly change the way that our professionals or law enforcement and intelligence folks work the issues day-to-day, but it's a way of communicating to the public how serious we think this threat is.

I think it's appropriate that they elevate the level in light of what we've all seen.

The problem is going to be how we think about domestic terrorism. Many of us, myself included, have been calling for a change in the way that we approach the domestic terrorist problem. I think the assault on the Capitol is the catalyst we need to bring in a -- a considered and thoughtful approach to completely peeling back everything that happened that day, much along the lines of the 9/11 Commission, and producing a report that will, essentially, be the road map for our way forward on domestic terrorism.

CAMEROTA: Andy, talk about thoughtful. Listening to these officers who were on the receiving end of this mob's bloodthirsty violence. I mean, they thought they were going to be killed. They -- they thought that their own guns were going to be used against them, because that's what the terrorists were telling them was about to happen.

And I just want to play again Daniel Hodges talking about -- he was the one who was -- who was slammed over and over in the door, and just his thoughts after experiencing that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HODGES: There's a guy ripping my mask off, and he -- he was able to rip away my baton and beat me with it. And, you know, he was practically foaming at the mouth. So just -- these people were true believers in the worst way. Just the absolute zealotry of these people, how they would -- they 100 percent believed that they -- what they were doing was right and that they were the patriots and that no one would get in their way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: It's like hearing our soldiers talk about ISIS.

MCCABE: It really is, Alisyn. If you've ever carried a badge and a gun and carried the responsibility that comes along with that, this is like the ultimate nightmare. To have to engage in hand-to-hand combat, fighting for your life, trying desperately not to make the situation worse, and then to have to do that in a mob of thousands, who are attacking you relentlessly, no end in sight, your colleagues under the same sort of pressure. I can only imagine the terror that that -- that those men must have gone through.

And I should also point out, the incredible presence of mind not to draw their weapons, not to start firing blindly at the people who were attacking them, was just brilliant and incredible cool-headedness under relentless pressure and attack. Those -- those men are heroes, and they -- they deserve our unflagging respect.

[06:25:08]

BERMAN: What Officer Hodges said about them being true believers, believers in what? Believers in the lie that the president told and continues to tell about the election.

He was on Air Force one this week, telling people, "I won, I won." Andy, there's an intelligence bulletin that went out this week, two days ago, that says this. "Amplify perceptions of fraud surrounding the outcome of the general election and the change in control of the presidency and Senate very likely will lead to an increase in violence."

Basically, the intelligence community is saying the president continues to lie about the election. This isn't going to get better.

MCCABE: That's absolutely right, John. And look, this is the core of any extremist movement, right? They are all predicated on some lie, on some perceived grievance, on some, you know, self-aggrandized glorification of, you know, I'm going to go in and right the wrong and fight on the side of good. Which is, of course, a complete lie.

And that's what's happened to this movement now. They have united under the banner of this president. They have embraced his cause, the lie that the election was stolen, and that is not going to go away. It is fueling them. It is -- it's adding logs to that fire of grievance and hate. He has sown the seeds of a problem that will grow in this country for years. And we will be cleaning up this mess in really dangerous ways for the foreseeable future.

CAMEROTA: You know the guy who calls himself the QAnon Shaman, the moronic minotaur as we refer to him --

MCCABE: Yes.

CAMEROTA: -- his lawyer was on CNN last night and explained where he got his motivation and who his spiritual leader is. So here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERT WATKINS, ATTORNEY FOR CAPITOL RIOT SUSPECT JACOB CHANSLEY (via phone): Over the course of the period from the election until January 6th, it was a driving force by a man he hung his hat on, he hitched his wagon to, he loved, Trump. Every word, he listened to him. He felt like he was answering the call of our president. He was there at the invitation of our president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: I mean, I know this guy is now trying to avoid prison time, so he's trying to blame it on President Trump, but investigators are already saying that President Trump is who called this mob. They have the tweets. They have the statements. It's -- it's demonstrably true.

And now that guy, the shaman, is looking for a pardon from President Trump today.

MCCABE: Alisyn, it's self-evident, right? It's the proof that you referred to. It's right there for all of us to see.

And it's no different than the people who traveled to Afghanistan to train under bin Laden. They were listening to bin Laden's lies. It's no different than all the ISIS fighters who moved to Syria to follow the commands and the goals of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. This is the same idea.

People are rallying around this exalted leader, following his words, believing the lies, incited to violence. It is an extremist movement that we now have here in our own country, perpetrated by our fellow citizens. It's -- it's extraordinary. And you know, the president is at the center of it.

BERMAN: Chilling. It's just chilling, Andy.

CAMEROTA: Andy, thank you.

MCCABE: Absolutely.

CAMEROTA: Thank you very much for all of your expertise with this.

So what will President Trump's lawyers use as his defense for inciting that insurrection? All of this will come up, of course, at his impeachment trial. And we have new details about what to expect, next.

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