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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Two National Guardsmen In Critical Condition After D.C. Shooting; Hegseth: Trump Requests 500 More Troops To D.C. After Shooting; Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), Is Interviewed About D.C. Shooter's Motive; Trump Admin Files Emergency Motion To Keep Natl Guard In D.C. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired November 26, 2025 - 17:00   ET

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

KATHERINE SCHWEIT, FORMER SENIOR FBI OFFICIAL: Quick news conference with only so many questions because they knew they had to be out in front of the press and give some answers if they had them. But there's just a lot of information they just don't know yet.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's a lot. We do know that there is a lone gunman. They said one suspect who is now in custody. That's what the police just said in this news conference. And there's a lot more to learn, including the motive and who the suspect is.

Stay with CNN. There is a lot more in this breaking news. Thanks for joining us this hour on CNN. I'm Manu Raju. "The Lead" starts right now.

[17:00:35]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN BREAKING NEWS.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Erica Hill in for Jake Tapper.

And we do begin this hours. We continue our coverage of the major breaking news out of Washington, D.C. where two National Guard members were shot this afternoon. It happened in a busy section of downtown D.C. this is actually just blocks from the White House. President Trump, of course, is not at the White House. He is in Florida for the holiday.

FBI Director Kash Patel says both victims are in critical condition. Earlier this afternoon, West Virginia's governor said the two guard members are from his state. The governor also retracted an earlier announcement that the Guard members had died. We also just heard from the mayor of Washington, D.C. at a quick press conference, we just heard as she offered more detail about the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER, WASHINGTON, D.C.: What we know, Andrea, is that this is a targeted shooting. One individual who appeared to target these guardsmen, that individual has been taken into custody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Three law enforcement sources telling CNN the suspect approached the guardsman appearing to target them. One source says the suspect is not cooperating with investigators at this moment. And also the suspect did not have any identification on him at the time of his arrest. CNN's Brian Todd is near the scene.

So, Brian, what more do we know about this shooting?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, just a few moments ago we did get a little bit of detail from Jeff Carroll. He's the executive assistant chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. He said this incident occurred at about 2:15 p.m. Eastern time this afternoon at the intersection of 17th and I Streets northwest. That is not far away from where we're standing right here, that an individual quote, "came around the corner, raised his firearm at the two National Guardsmen and then discharged his firearm."

Now, earlier today, the joint task force D.C. which oversees the National Guard told us that this incident occurred heard near the Farragut West Metro station, which is just about a block over to -- over my right shoulder that way in downtown D.C. Again, according to Jeff Carroll, the assistant executive chief of the D.C. Metro Police, the individual, quote, "came around a corner, raised his firearm and then discharged it at the two National Guardsmen." They were both hit. According to FBI Director Kash Patel, they are now in critical condition. You mentioned earlier that the Governor of West Virginia had said earlier that the two had died as a result of the shooting. He later had to go back on that statement. So right now we're told they're in critical condition.

After the shooting, just in the moment after the shooting, according to Jeff Carroll, the two other members of the National Guard subdued the suspect. We were told by law enforcement sources that he was carried away on a stretcher from the scene. His condition is not known. I yelled a question at the chief and at Kash Patel as they left, saying, is there anything you can tell us about a possible motive for the shooting? They did not answer that question as they walked away.

So we'll be digging on that, of course, in the hours ahead. Erica.

HILL: Yes. Absolutely. A lot of questions about that. Brian, appreciate the reporting. Thank you.

We'll continue to check in with you, of course, as you learn more.

Also with us is West Virginia's Attorney General, J.B. McCuskey.

Mr. Attorney General, we appreciate you taking the time this afternoon. First of all, the fact that this is being called a targeted shooting and we know there are, I believe, about 160 members of the West Virginia National Guard still in Washington, D.C. how are you sitting with that information in this moment? JOHN MCCUSKEY, (R) WEST VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: I am enraged, if I'm being completely honest. And I think one of the things that should be noted here is that all 160 of those Guards member who were in D.C. today had volunteered their time over the Thanksgiving holiday to help complete this mission. And something about West Virginia that most people don't know is that we have the highest per capita military involvement of any state in the country. And we have a long history of men and women willing to stand up for our country and serve our country. And so what this perpetrator needs to understand is that he has attacked two of the bravest people in this country that come from the bravest state in this country.

And I can assure you that the governor and I will leave no stone unturned to ensure that justice is served swiftly to the person who perpetrated this attack.

HILL: Do you have any sense of where these Guardsmen may be from?

MCCUSKEY: I don't have a sense of where these Guardsmen are from, but we do know that, you know, the West Virginia border is right there next to D.C. and so there would be a fairly significant likelihood that these Guardsmen would have been deployed from the Eastern Panhandle and potentially not very far from their home.

[17:05:09]

HILL: As I know from, frankly, covering far too many events from our experts, the initial information can often turn out to be wrong. We saw the governor actually walking back his initial post that the two Guardsmen had died. A sigh of relief for many people as they learned that they were, in fact, not dead. We do know that they are in critical condition. Can you just give us a sense of how this information is unfolding for you and for other folks in your state in terms of how you're able to be getting updates and what is clearly a very fluid situation?

MCCUSKEY: Yes. So as the lawyer for the people of West Virginia and the lawyer for our state's government, I'm very leery of new information. So I'm trying to absorb as much as I can, process that, and ensure that all the actions that we're taking are based on real, actionable intel. The governor is doing the exact same thing. I'm certain that the information that he acted upon was as good as it could have been at the time.

We have -- we're blessed to have a wonderful governor here in West Virginia. And, you know, this is a real hard time, and it's a time, I think, that every American should be praying for our country and praying for these families.

HILL: As we just learned, the two Guardsmen, as far as we know, are in critical condition, do you have any more information on their state, potentially even on their injuries?

MCCUSKEY: I do not have any further information that I can share with you, but what I can tell you is that there's an army of people here in West Virginia that are praying for their recovery, and we're hoping for a Thanksgiving miracle.

HILL: And have you been able to be in contact with their families at all?

MCCUSKEY: I have not been able to be in contact with their families. I spend a lot of time with Guards members here in Charleston, and I've been in contact with a myriad of my Guard friends, and I've reached out to the tag here in West Virginia, and I can assure you the resolve is steely. HILL: Defense Secretary Pete Higgs has just a short time ago said that

the president is requesting an additional 500 National Guard troops be deployed to Washington, D.C. do you believe that's the right response in this moment?

MCCUSKEY: Yes. It's not my job to judge the response from the president. He is the Commander in chief. If he believes that is the best way to keep our nation's capital and our service members that are serving their safe, then we will defend his actions.

HILL: If an additional 500 were deployed, do you know what the chances would be in terms of how many could potentially be from West Virginia?

MCCUSKEY: I don't know how many would be from West Virginia, but I do know that there are Guards men and women here in West Virginia that would jump at the chance to try to secure a city where one -- two of their own have been brazenly ambushed and attacked in broad daylight, merely blocks from the White House in a city where every American is supposed to be able to feel safe to come to and to do the business of the government. And that is a crucial, incredibly crucial mission. And the folks here in West Virginia, when asked to serve, will serve, and they'll serve in the way that their commander in chief asked them to.

HILL: As we just learned in the press conference, the mayor said that she had briefed Attorney General Pam Bondi. She said that when she spoke with the attorney General, she was actually on the phone with the president. And also this would be given their complete attention. We, of course, heard very strong words from the director of the FBI there. How can, if at all, how could your state help?

Kash Patel, of course, noting this is, you know, all hands on deck that all agencies are working together?

MCCUSKEY: Yes, I think we will respond in whatever way it is that we are asked. But I think crucially and most importantly right now, what needs to happen is that every West Virginian, all 1.8 million of us in every single American needs to be praying for these two families. And we need to really be taking a long look at where we are in a country where somebody would ambush two service members in our nation's capital in broad daylight in what appears to be a targeted attack. And these two service members lives will not be forgotten. Hopefully they will get to be with us for a long time longer.

But this attack is something that will be remembered for a very long time.

HILL: It is an important message, certainly on this eve of Thanksgiving as well. Attorney General J.B. McCuskey, thank you for your time, sir. We appreciate it.

MCCUSKEY: Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. And to everybody out there, thank you.

HILL: I do want to bring in now CNN's Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence analyst, John Miller, along with Donell Harvin, former chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence for the government for the District of Columbia.

So, John, I want to start with you. First of all, what are you hearing from your sources about how this happened, about how this attack unfolded?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, events have crystallized to the point that we've got a richer picture. It was described to us in the press conference very much the way Evan Peres described the video that was captured by security cameras. The individual comes walking around the corner, walks straight up to the two National Guardsmen, raises his arm with a handgun, opens fire on them.

[17:10:24]

Other National Guards, people who are in the area hear the -- hear that gunfire and respond to that place. There is a struggle with the gunman and possibly an exchange of gunfire prior to that, where the glass from the bus shelter is shot out. They struggle to get the gunman down on the ground and handcuffed. Secret Service uniform division personnel who patrol that area are also there almost immediately rendering medical aid as they wait for the ambulance to the National Guard officers who are down. And what we now know is that this was a targeted shooting, as Kash Patel called it an ambush, as the Executive Assistant Police Chief, Jeff Carroll described it, a deliberate attack on uniformed members of the federal government who, although they are from the National Guard, were assigned to a law enforcement mission as part of the D.C. Safe Task Force.

So now, what was the motive behind that? That hinges on what's the identity of the gunman, which I am told authorities were still trying to determine for certain.

HILL: As they try to determine that, there are also questions, given that -- given where things stand and where does this, the fact that this was targeted, that as John -- as John was noting was called an ambush, how does that change, if at all, the investigation in this moment?

MILLER: Well, from -- DONELL HARVIN, FORMER CHIEF OF HOMELAND SECURITY & INTELLIGENCE, D.C.

GOVT.: Well, the reason why they call it ambush --

MILLER: I'm sorry. Daniele, go ahead.

HARVIN: The reason why they call it ambush is because it's pretty clear that there was no dispute beforehand. There were no words exchanged. This individual walked up, brandished a firearm and used that firearm and essentially, you know, shot these individuals that were patrolling our nation's capital. That helps in terms of understanding and being able directly kind of link the motives of the individual to their actions. So what law enforcement is going to be doing right now is, you know, there's two different ways this can go.

One, this is these individuals, these National Guardsmen were targets of opportunity, which means that this individual just kind of walked up and found the first targets that he saw that were wearing a uniform. The other option or possibility is that this individual had this location kind of staked out what we call pre operational surveillance, and was looking over the course of a day or multiple days for a target. In either case, they'll be able to track this individual's movement. If he was on foot, there's no place you can go in D.C. without being caught on CCTV. And so they'll track back the direction he was going.

If he was on the train on the Metro, they can track back through the cameras. And if he was driving, we have license plate readers. So they'll be able to kind of get an idea of where he was coming to doing that right now. And then the motive obviously everyone wants to know about and they'll probably come sooner than later.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. John Miller, Donell Harvin, stay with me. We are going to try to fit in a quick break here, but of course, much more to come on the other side as we continue to follow the breaking news. Two National Guard members shot according to officials, they were targeted just blocks from the White House. We are learning new information by the minute.

Stay with us. Much more ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:17:47]

HILL: We are back now with the coverage of the breaking news out of Washington, D.C. We want to show you this new video just coming into us here. So what you're looking at was captured moments after two National Guardsmen were shot in what is being called a targeted attack. So you see in this video here, you could see the very beginning, you can just make out above what is being blurred, the movement of an officer appearing to render aid to someone there. There are Guard members on the ground.

That is a shattered bus stop that you see other officers standing around right there. Authorities say the two National Guard members who were shot are in critical condition. Again, this shooting just happening blocks from the White House this afternoon.

I want to bring in CNN's Senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes, who is monitoring these developments. She's traveling with the president, joining us from West Palm Beach, Florida. The president obviously following this very closely. What more are we hearing from the administration, Kristen?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and there was actually a moment that we thought President Trump might speak to reporters. He had been at his golf club most of the day. We saw that he had posted this Truth Social and in true Trump fashion, actually inform the public and the reporters covering this of some of the critical information that we didn't yet know, noting that again, it was two National Guardsmen who had been critically injured and also saying that the suspect had been critically injured as well and promising retribution against the suspect.

One of the things we are now hearing from the administration is this is a full administration response. You heard Kash Patel there, the director of the FBI. There are multiple federal agencies working on this, all of them invested in this. And they are watching closely to see what happens. There are still a lot of unanswered questions.

And one of those questions that the White House has really been focusing and trying to get to the bottom of is what was the motive here. Now in terms of President Trump's next steps, we have now heard from the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, who says that President Trump has ordered 500 more troops to come to the ground in Washington, D.C. saying that this will ensure that they keep the city beautiful and safe.

And I had spoken to a number of sources that work for D.C. government, who work for D.C. law enforcement, who noted that they thought this could be the next step here, that President Trump would ramp up the presence of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.

[17:20:08]

And of course, I know, I heard you speaking with John Miller earlier, I know this is something that we've been following carefully. And Brian Todd has talked to a number of these National Guardsmen, he's observed that this deployment of National Guard in Washington, D.C. has become in some ways a political flashpoint. So right now, there are a lot of eyes on the situation. And particularly in the White House, they are talking about what the motive was and thinking about the location here. This happened in Washington, D.C. but just steps away from the White House.

Was that part of this plan? Did that play into the motive? Was there a presidential component of any of this?

And right now, all officials are telling us that the motive is still unclear. Obviously, we've heard from sources that say that this looks as though these two National Guardsmen were targeted, but anything beyond that, they are still trying to get answers on when it comes to this horrific tragedy. So beyond the ordering of 500 more troops into Washington, D.C. there hasn't been an action taken by the White House. And we know we're not going to see President Trump again tonight. They called what -- they call a travel photo lid, which means the president's not going to be making any more public appearances.

But of course, that doesn't mean he's not going to be posting on Truth Social. So we're keeping an eye on that as he has in many of these tragic situations become almost one of the informers passing on information as he gets it from these various briefings. And he's getting a lot of them right now.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. All right, Kristen, appreciate it. We'll continue to check in with you, of course.

Also with us, CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Andrew McCabe. So when we look at all of this, based on what we do know in this moment, the fact that this was a targeted shooting and in an area that is just blocked from the White House by a Metro station, this is an area that is full of law enforcement where there would be a number of National Guard troops. It's not clear while it was targeted. It's not -- there's targeting and then there's very specific targeting and there are still a lot of questions. What are your main questions based on a little bit of new information that we got out of that press conference?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes. So, Erica, we're getting like bits and pieces of what might lead to motive. But the big question hanging over this is exactly why this person chose to target those military members. Was that a target of opportunity? Was he looking for a chance to strike out at some sort of politically significant target and the National Guardsman happened to may, you know, present what he considered to be the best opportunity, or was it specifically a statement or an act of violence against the presence of national guard in D.C. which, as you know, has been controversial and has provoked all sorts of reactions from many people, the residents of D.C. things like that.

So that's really what we need to get to the bottom of. I heard John Miller gave us in his update in the last block that they struggled, at least initially and maybe still to this point, they were struggling to identify the shooter. That's the key moment when we'll be able to do some investigative work that will actually could actually shed light on this person's motive. Because once you have them identified, you can go through the process of identifying their vehicle, their home, their maybe phone numbers, their, you know, e-mail --

HILL: Social media.

MCCABE: -- addresses, social media addresses. So you're going to, that kind of opens the door into analyzing things like -- the most important things are writings, what this person has said in any of those venues. But even more important than that at this point is associations. Who is in contact with this person? Is it possible that this person represents one of several people who harbor these same thoughts, these same plans?

That's what's in the mind of counterterrorism investigators right now. Is this a lone gunman or is this some -- one person who's part of a group or a movement? And that'll really define for investigators the scope of this -- of this crisis, as it were.

HILL: I mean, as you lay out, it is so important to have the identity of this suspect, right? If that suspect is not cooperating, if we don't know the identity, how does law enforcement go about figuring that out? Can they take -- I mean, this is part of my ignorance on this, can they take fingerprints without permission? If the suspect doesn't want to allow them to do that? Is it taking a picture and uploading it to a database to see if there can be some facial image mapping?

MCCABE: I mean, short answer, Erica, is all that, right?

HILL: Yes.

MCCABE: You can certainly use photographs to try to identify folks off of like biometric data sets. That's like the vanguard of how this is done to unknown -- unknowns. We saw this used a lot in the Capitol insurrection cases. People were -- the video capture of people inside the Capitol was used through kind of Internet based resources and analytical tools that can -- that can tie you to other photographs that are out there in the social media sphere or what have you. But fingerprints are also an option.

[17:25:11]

We have portable fingerprint machines used to be called quick capture. It's probably called something else now where you can take fingerprints from someone who is lying in a hospital bed or is otherwise detained and run those prints against known identified prints in law enforcement data sets. If this person has never been arrested before, never been officially fingerprinted, that check could come up negative, which would then lead you back to other means.

Another thing you could do is they'll certainly use video capture around this incident to see if they can place him in a vehicle. If he parked a car and walked up to this place where the attack occurred, you would then have theoretically a vehicle that might be registered to him or registered to someone else who knows him, someone who loaned him a car. So there are many ways to get to that identification. Hopefully they can do it as quick as possible.

HILL: Yes. And it gets quicker all the time, thankfully as well.

Andrew McCabe, appreciate it as always. We'll continue to check in with you as well.

I do want to show our viewers, these are some live pictures out of Washington, D.C. where authorities understandably still on the scene. There were two National Guard members were shot earlier this afternoon. This is -- this was in the neighborhood of 17th and I near the Farragut West Metro stop. For those of you who are familiar with Washington, of course, just blocks from the White House. CNN is continuing to work sources to learn a little bit more about what happened, what may have led to the shooting.

Much more information ahead on the other side of this quick break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:31:07]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: We have a live look for you here. Investigators in Washington, D.C. on the scene of this afternoon's shooting that left two members of the National Guard in critical condition. Police say the suspect, who was also wounded and is in custody, appeared to intentionally target the Guard members.

Sources say the motive for the shooting, though, is still not clear. Joining me this hour, Republican Congressman Don Bacon from Nebraska. He is an Air Force veteran and also serves on the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, we appreciate you joining us tonight. This is obviously --

REP. DON BACON (R-NE): Thank you.

HILL: -- horrific on any day. Of course, the eve of Thanksgiving does add an extra -- an extra bit of -- of gravity, in fact, in many ways. Just what is your reaction at this hour to -- to what we know and to what happened?

BACON: Well, all America is saddened to see that these two Guardsmen were sense -- sensely -- sensessly murdered. It's our sympathy to their families and their co-workers that they serve -- served with and their friends. It's a heartbreaking day for family and friends and their -- their fellow Guardsmen. And I appreciate they were serving their country and doing what their country asked. We admire them, but our hearts go out to the families.

HILL: Yes, and they are at this hour in critical condition, and we are hoping for another update, obviously, as soon as we can get one. We heard from officials earlier, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said that this was a targeted attack. What is your message, if any, to the other troops currently in Washington, D.C. right now?

BACON: Well, we should always be on guard. You know, I -- I live about four blocks from the Capitol when I'm there. I always have my head on a swivel. When I walk out of the Eastern Market, I'm always alert. We -- we have to be alert.

But we know that this is very random, very rare, but it happens, so we've got to be alert. And unfortunately, in this political environment we're in, where everybody's escalating and angry at each other, the fringes get antagonized. They get -- you know, they -- so I mean, you and I, when we heard this stuff on T.V., we -- you know, we -- we could sift through it, but there's a few people in our society, on the left and the right, that get so antagonized that take violent action.

And I -- so I think it's very incumbent upon all of us, Democrats and Republicans, in the news, that we treat each other decently. We can disagree without being over-the-top angry and throwing gas, what I think is a fire right now in our society, in this hyper-partisanship that we have.

HILL: That is certainly an important message. I do want to reiterate, too, that while we are told this was a targeted attack, we do not know the motive. So it is important to remember in that -- in this moment.

BACON: Yes. HILL: But certainly -- and we don't know that there was anything behind it that was political, but to say that the political rhetoric in this country is high at this moment is an understatement. You are absolutely correct in that. You know, having served for a number of years, I'm curious, what are the resources, as we see these troops, right, who have been, in some ways, to your point, in a difficult situation since they were initially deployed?

And of course, you know, we had just last week this ruling from a judge that actually found the deployment was likely illegal, although we know that was paused for three weeks. But the fact that these, you know, we know from the state of West Virginia, I was just speaking with the attorney general, the 160 members of the West Virginia National Guard, he said all volunteered to be there in this moment to continue to carry out that mission.

This must be difficult for them to process. What are the resources that are available to National Guard troops, to those who are serving, when they see what is happening to their -- their fellow guardsmen?

BACON: You know, I served in the active duty, but I think in these situations, the Guard also has some of the -- a lot of the same resources. There are, you know, whether it's chaplains, a lot of different resources there to help folks with us.

[17:35:09]

But I would like to point out something that you raised. I mean, I deployed four times in the Middle East, and I knew five people killed in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. It's a shame that we had two soldiers shot at me. And we don't know their status right now, like you say, but the fact that this happened in our own country, is wrong, it's -- it's tragic. I just want to point that out.

I appreciate that these two, but also all of the West Virginia guardsmen, they're volunteers. And even if some folks disagree with the deployment of the Guard in our cities, or Washington, D.C. in particular, it's not the Guard's fault. It's not these soldiers' fault. Well, let's have these debates in Congress, let's have these debate in the courts, and let's follow the dictates of the courts. But it's surely not the fault of these guardsmen and women who just want to serve their country.

HILL: Yes. Secretary Hegseth said a short time ago that the -- the President wants an additional 500 National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. Do you believe that that would help the situation?

BACON: Yes. I think it's a temporary solution, but it's not the long- term solution. You know, the long-term solution is you have to have district attorneys, prosecutors, and judges that are willing to keep violent people behind bars. And you got to have enough prison space to put them.

And I'll give you a stat. I heard this from the chief of police of -- of Washington, D.C. He said about a year ago that the average murderer had conducted 11 violent crimes before they did that murder, and they were charged, or they were arrested for them, and then released back into the streets.

And we just saw that murder in Chicago, where this person, I think, had 17 arrests, and he murdered that young lady. That -- that's the real problem. We need more police. We need prosecutors and judges that deal with this, and don't put these people right back on the streets. I think the guard, it may be a temporary solution, but it's not the long-term one.

HILL: Congressman Don Bacon, we appreciate your time. Thank you.

BACON: Thank you.

HILL: If you are just joining us, two National Guard members shot in Washington, D.C. They are in critical condition at this hour. A suspect is in custody. The shooting happening just about three hours or so ago. A live look here at the scene. Investigators, understandably, still on the scene. A heavy presence of D.C. City and federal authorities there. So where does this investigation move at this hour? We'll take a closer look at what we know. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:42:06]

HILL: So this is the scene now just blocks from the White House in downtown Washington, D.C. after two members of the National Guard were shot and critically wounded this afternoon. The guardsmen were near a bus stop outside a commuter train station when, according to police, a gunman came around the corner and intentionally targeted them. The suspect was captured by other guard members who were nearby. Sources say the motive is unclear at this hour.

Also, this just in to us here at CNN. The Trump administration has just filed an emergency motion to keep the National Guard in Washington, D.C. CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez is joining us now. So, Evan, what does this -- what does this mean?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, what the Trump administration is doing is appealing this order that came from a judge just a few days ago, ruling, siding with the D.C. attorney general's office, which had sued the administration over the deployment of those National Guard here in Washington, D.C. Now, what the city attorney general had -- had -- had filed was arguing that the administration, that the President, had exceeded his authority to use and to deploy National Guard on the street of D.C. to essentially do crime fighting, to not -- to not for -- for other purposes, including perhaps putting down an insurrection, right, which is the purpose of the National Guard in the city.

And so a judge had agreed with the D.C. attorney general's office, but had stayed the ruling for a few days to give the administration time to appeal, and that is what now has happened. The administration is saying that essentially this ruling really does interfere with the President's authority to -- to deploy the National Guard, and it is his sole authority to be able to decide how to do that, Erica. HILL: OK, so as we -- we have this new piece of the puzzle coming in here, I do also want to ask you about what unfolded this afternoon and what we know at this hour. So authorities confirming the two guardsmen were in fact targeted. Are we learning anything more about the suspect and a potential motive, though?

PEREZ: At this point, they have not identified the suspect, and we don't know a motive. Certainly the authorities have not said a motive, but the way it played out, it appears that this was an ambush. The -- the -- the assailant comes around and comes at a -- at a pretty high rate walking, and these guardsmen never saw him coming.

He manages to fire off at least three shots. One of them is struck immediately. The other one struck and -- and both of them fall. The third guardsman who was right there appears eventually to have returned fire, and that's where, according to the authorities, he was struck. But look, the FBI is now very much involved in this because what you're raising, obviously the motive, is going to be very important.

Here's what the FBI director, Kash Patel, said at a press conference in the last hour. Listen. Oh, well, we don't have his -- his sound ready, but what he was describing is simply the fact that having -- the fact that these were federal officers that were targeted makes this an FBI investigation.

[17:45:10]

Now, I can tell you this, Erica. Behind the scenes, FBI is putting all of their resources into this. They are -- are counterterrorism agents. They are people who obviously have a lot of experience in these types of environments in urban -- in urban settings, shoot -- shootings in urban settings. So that -- those are the resources that are being brought to bear because they are right now trying to figure out, again, what motive could be behind this.

And obviously, they're going to be looking at some of the video. We know that this happened right next to the Farragut Square, which is right near the White House, just a couple blocks north of the White House. And there's a couple of metro stations there. So there's very good video of everything that happened from the Washington metro system. That's what they're studying.

And again, they're using all of that to try to determine what possible motive. Apparently, in his initial interaction with law enforcement, he wasn't cooperating -- cooperating. But obviously, that --it may change in the -- in the near future. In the meantime, they're trying to work to identify him and figure out whether there's anything else that this person was trying to -- to carry out here at that scene, Erica.

HILL: All right. Evan Perez, appreciate it. Thank you.

PEREZ: Sure.

HILL: Such an unsettling situation, understandably, amplified, of course, by the fact that it is the night before Thanksgiving. Two National Guard members again are in critical condition at this hour. Authorities say the shooting itself was targeted, also being referred to as an ambush. This happening just steps from the White House. Stay with us. You're watching CNN. Much more to come on the other side of this break.

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[17:51:07]

HILL: As we continue to follow developments in this afternoon's breaking news out of Washington, D.C., I want to bring you up to speed with what we know at this hour. Two members of the National Guard are in critical condition after being shot this afternoon in what authorities are calling a targeted attack.

In a social media post shortly after that attack, President Trump said the suspect was seriously wounded, that the administration has filed an emergency motion a short time ago to keep the National Guard in Washington, D.C. The President also, according to the secretary of defense, ordering an additional 500 National Guard troops be posted in Washington.

Back with us, Donell Harvin, former chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence for the government of the District of Columbia. Good to have you back here. So looking at what we know at this hour, we're told this was an ambush, that it was targeted, but we do not know a motive exactly. And the suspect, we're told, is not cooperating.

Given those parameters, what is happening at this moment in the -- in the investigation as -- as law enforcement tries to get a better sense of who this person is and why this happened?

HARVIN: Yes, this is not unique to investigations. When there's no suspect, or when the suspect has been killed or deceased, law enforcement's still able to backtrack their communications, their movements, and understand what their motive is.

So I think motive is very important here, that individual, while he's not cooperating, they can get fingerprint from him, they can get DNA from them. And I'm sure they're running those through national and international, quite possibly, databases right now.

The important thing is to understand, while we do have a suspect in custody, that there aren't other individuals that he either were planning this attack with or that may have known that this attack was happening and may be complicit in reporting this. And so that's what they're backtracking now, along with the motive, which everyone wants to know, to make sure that this is truly a lone actor.

HILL: And there is what will be incredibly helpful, and I'm sure is already helpful in this moment, even though we don't yet have the details, the sheer number of cameras that there are in Washington, D.C., the angles and what -- what would be available to investigators in that location. HARVIN: Absolutely. And Washington, D.C. is one of the most heavily surveilled cities in the world. You can't go a block or two without being caught on some private or public building CCTV. And so whether he came in through the metro, there's cameras on the metro. If he was walking on foot, there's cameras all around, especially in that downtown area.

If he drove and parked some -- somewhere nearby, there's what we call license plate readers, the LPRs, and cameras throughout the district on traffic lights. So they're going to be able to rapidly know. In fact, they probably already know who this individual is, and they're probably drawing up warrants to execute searches as we speak.

HILL: So we're looking at live pictures here. That, of course, is the White House at the top of -- of everybody's screen there who's watching now. So for people, Donell, who are not familiar with this area, this is in the -- in the neighborhood of 17th and I streets. This is near the Farragut West Metro. Just give us a sense of how busy this area is at 2:15 in the afternoon on a Wednesday, how much law enforcement present there would be given that we are just blocks from the White House. I mean, what would that look like? Who would -- who would traditionally be in that area?

HARVIN: That's a very busy area for law enforcement. That's what we would call the expanded patrol area for the U.S. Secret Service Uniform Division. So you'll see Uniform Secret Service officers, they patrol that area, as well as D.C. MPD, as well as the D.C. Metro, the Metro Police that ride the Metro stations.

Layer on top of that, the National Guard, you're not going to be able to commit a crime in that location and not have someone on top of you within 15 or 20 seconds, literally. And that's what we saw. Even though these individuals were shot, other National Guards people responded so quickly and were able to subdue this individual because that area is really dense with law enforcement.

[17:55:14]

HILL: Yes, it is so important. Donell Harvin, really appreciate the insight. As always, thank you.

HARVIN: Thank you.

HILL: So again, just to bring you up to speed here, we do know the suspect is in custody, but not cooperating with authorities at this hour. After today's shooting of two National Guard members, my colleagues are at the scene there. CNN does have a team there and also working sources, of course, from behind the scenes as well. We're going to get you up to speed on everything right here at the top of the hour. Stay with us.

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[18:00:08]

HILL: Thanks for joining me on The Lead.