Return to Transcripts main page
Don Lemon Tonight
President Biden Holds Bipartisan Meeting At White House With House And Senate Leaders; CNN Obtained Video Of The Attack On Officer Michael Fanone At The Capitol On January 6; Will The Big Lie Destroy The GOP?; Colonial Pipeline Restarts Operations, Warns It Will Take Several Days For Service To Return To Normal; Bengal Tiger Spotted Sunday In Houston Still Missing. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired May 12, 2021 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER PENNSYLVANIA REPRESENTATIVE: And the president is at two trillion. I bet they can lend closer to a trillion dollars on an infrastructure plan. I remain optimistic that they can do something, maybe something on police reform. Qualified immunity is going to have to go though in order to get a deal. I do think there are some -- some -- some opportunities here.
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Charlie and David, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER OBAMA SENIOR ADVISER: All right, Don.
LEMON: Thank you.
AXELROD: Good to see you.
DENT: Thanks.
LEMON (on camera): CNN has obtained video of the attack on Officer Michael Fanone as he was assaulted and badly injured by the pro-Trump mob insurrectionists that stormed the Capitol on January 6. It's difficult to watch, but it's the truth of what happened that day, while some in the GOP are trying to whitewash it. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): I got one.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): I got one.
(SCREAMING)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Don't hurt him.
MICHAEL FANONE, D.C. POLICE OFFICER (voice-over): I got kids.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Let him through, let him through, let him through.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Bring him up, bring him up.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Don't hurt him.
FANONE (voice-over): I want to go back inside.
JIMMY ALBRIGHT, D.C. POLICE OFFICER (voice-over): I got it, it's my partner. To the right, to the right, this way.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Where we going?
ALBRIGHT (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE).
ALBRIGHT (voice-over): Mike, stay in there, buddy. Mike, it's Jimmy, I'm here. Take his vest off. He's having trouble breathing. Take his vest off. Mike, I'm here for you, buddy.
[23:05:00]
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Watch out, watch out. Watch out, brother. Come on, Mike. Come on, Mike. We're going duck hunting soon. You're all right, brother.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LEMON (on camera): Hmm. And we've got a second piece of video that we're going to show you just ahead, so make sure you stay tuned. I want to bring in now CNN senior justice correspondent Evan Perez, former FBI special agent Asha Rangappa. Evan, welcome back. Asha, good to see you.
It's this video, it's -- it's saddening and it's infuriating at the same time. Evan, these rioters are anything but peaceful patriots, the way that they're being portrayed by some Republicans now.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right. No, this is not a video of -- of -- of a regular tourist visit to the U.S. Capitol, which is the way that Representative Andrew Clyde today described what he says happened on January 6th.
I mean, what you see in that video, Don, is from the beginning, you hear the words saying we got one, we got one. And according to the court documents and through charges against four men who are charged with assaulting Officer Fanone, what you -- it matches up with what you see in that video, including one man who is seen grabbing him.
There is also another man who you see -- again, the FBI has grabbed parts of this video to present in court, to show that there's one of them who robbed him of his badge, of his radio, another one who was trying to get to his gun and said words to the effect of, you know, let's grab -- grab his gun and kill him with it. There's another man who, according to the prosecutors, used Fanone's own taser to tase him.
And towards the end, you can see -- again, this part of -- one of the more difficult parts of the video is you know that he has essentially passed out. He has lost consciousness. And he is being dragged in by his buddies, by his partner, who is telling him let's go duck hunting, trying to figure out how to like keep him with him while they try to get some medical attention for him.
According to the court documents, he was injured with a likely concussion. He had injuries from the taser as well as had to be monitored for damage to his heart.
LEMON (on camera): Asha, there's another exclusive video obtained by CNN. Here it is. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
FANONE: Let's get some fresh guys up front! Let's get some fresh guys up front! Come on, who needs a break? Let's get some fresh guys up front! Let's get some fresh guys up front! Fresh faces up front!
Back it up! Back it up!
We just need to close the door.
Let me out!
Come on!
Let me out of here!
Come on MPD dig in! Push them back! Dig in. Come on MPD! Push! Push!
Let me out!
Where are you?
Let me out!
Let me out!
[23:10:00]
FANONE: That's it MPD! Push them the fuck out.
I got to get out.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): You all right? You all right?
FANONE: Push them back!
(SCREAMING)
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LEMON (on camera): So it's after that that Officer Fanone gets pushed out on to the steps of the Capitol and then eventually makes his way back in and passes out. This really shows, Asha, that these officers were in a full-fledged battle. It's so sickening to watch and this is just one incident that happened on that day.
ASHA RANGAPPA, CNN LEGAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Yes, I mean, the video is very clear. And, you know, Don, when looking -- when hearing some of the comments today from members of Congress trying to rewrite history, basically, it made me think that we underestimated the power of the impeachment trial in January when all this was still fresh, and how important it was to get those facts into the historical record of what happened.
And if you remember, Don, even Trump's lawyers did not contest the fact that this was a violent insurrection. They were debating whether Trump was responsible for it. But that was not a fact that was at issue. And so, I think it's really important that we have that historical record as well as this documentary video evidence in light of the fact that we do have people who are trying to reframe this as some kind of peaceful tourist visit.
LEMON (on camera): Which it is not. Asha, appreciate your expertise. Evan, thank you as well. Thanks so much.
I want to bring in now White House correspondent John Harwood. John, good evening. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said this outside the White House after a leadership meeting with President Biden. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): I don't think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election. I think that is all over with. We are sitting here with the president today. So, from that point of view, I don't think that's a problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): I mean, that guy -- it's remarkable, isn't it? How -- how is President Biden going to work with these people who are denying that they ever denied the truth?
JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's very unlikely that he can. Joe Biden has a lot of patience. Joe Biden is trying. But it shouldn't surprise anybody, Don, that a party that is now defining itself by the big lie is led in the House of Representatives by a man whose word means nothing.
Let's just remember, Kevin McCarthy is the guy, who behind closed doors, told fellow Republicans he thinks Putin pays Donald Trump, swear to God.
LEMON: Hmm.
HARWOOD: Then when the comment was recorded, he said he was joking. He's the guy who went on television and bragged that the Benghazi hearings had dragged down Hillary Clinton's poll numbers. Then, after there was a backlash, he said, oh, well, no, I had nothing to do with politics.
This is someone, who after the insurrection, in the heat of the moment, said Donald Trump bears responsibility for inciting the insurrection and not stopping it. Then he contradicted himself.
This is a man who said he stand -- stood by Liz Cheney to remain in leadership, then turned tail and supported her ouster from the leadership because she wouldn't go along with the big lie.
[23:15:00]
HARWOOD: Now, he succeeded in ousting Liz Cheney. He goes down to hold a meeting at the White House with President Biden, and he wants to play the role of a serious political leader who is talking to a president. So he says nobody is questioning the election. It just doesn't -- the words that come out of his mouth don't mean anything more than, you know, carving something in the sand and a wave then comes by and washes it away at the ocean.
This is somebody who wants to become speaker of the House and he's acting in ways that he thinks will make him speaker of the House, but you can't take the words that he says seriously.
LEMON: John Harwood, thank you.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Very succinct and plain-spoken. I appreciate it.
Congressman Liz Cheney booted from her post in the House republican -- House republican leadership, but she hasn't been silent, saying that she intends to be a leader in the battle for the soul of the GOP and to fight to stop the spread of what she calls Trump's destructive lies and his efforts to unravel our democracy.
So joining me now to discuss, veteran journalist, Dan Rather, the author of the newsletter "Steady" and it is on substack.com. Thank you very much, sir. I appreciate you joining us. Good evening to you.
DAN RATHER, AUTHOR: It is always good to be with you, Don. You know that.
LEMON: What is it like, Mr. Rather, for you -- you know, for you to watch what's go on in our country right now with Republicans in denial and the lies?
RATHER: Well, first of all, to see the video that you just finished playing for what? I don't know, six, seven, eight, 10 minutes, it's deeply sickening, but also, it makes you so angry. I said it before, but I think it needs to be repeated.
Number one, I never thought I'd see the day when this happened in our country. Number two, those of us in the press actually have to keep driving home the point that the big lie is a big deal.
The context of what was happening there -- by the way, let me say that, you know, ringing in my ears, when somebody said about the police officer, you know, after they did what they did to him, they said, we got one, and then the police officer also, I think, just before that said, you know, I got kids. You know, that phrase, I got kids, from a police officer who is being absolutely savaged by these people.
And the context, let's not forget, Don, why were these people charging? Why were they assaulting the Capitol? They were trying to disrupt what was going on inside, which was the final certification of the election. You bet, the big lie is a big deal. It is one of the biggest things happening in this country right now.
And somehow, some way, those of us in the press have to continue drawing people's attention to it is a lie. What Donald Trump and those who are among his most fervent supporters and enablers want us to do is just kind of go back to things -- sort of normal, forget about what happened.
It brings to mind one of the most famous quotes out of a movie, "Few Good Men," to paraphrase from out of that, the Republicans can't handle the truth. They go each night to the Disneyland that is Fox News. They then bathe in the conspiracy swamp that is so often Facebook. They (INAUDIBLE) strong men like Dr. Seuss. Come on, it's unreal.
The important thing is this is eating at the very vitals of what the country is about, the integrity of our elections, and the peaceful transfer of power at the top. We can't forget it. You bet the big lie is a very big deal.
LEMON: And it's interesting to -- you know, when you hear them say that, Dan, these were peaceful, they call them -- one representative called it peaceful patriots, and then saying, you know, that it was like tourists on Capitol Hill. You know, I've never been anywhere where tourists built a gallows with a hangman's noose to visit and pay tribute -- to go see the Capitol or any other site in the country.
It just -- it defies logic and reality. You know, Dan, today we had the vote to oust Liz Cheney. All of it is connected. She wouldn't go along with supporting that big lie. What does it say about the health of our democracy? Are we in trouble as the republic in trouble?
RATHER: I think the answer to that is clearly yes. At the very least we can say this is a perilous time for the country. It is a perilous time for the Republican Party. That, in and of itself, makes this a perilous time for the country. We need a strong two-party system.
[23:20:00]
RATHER: We need two strong parties led in principle, integrity-filled ways. If the Republican Party collapses over this, which eventually seems to be inevitable that it will do, the question is how soon will it do, then where do we go from there?
I think it's a very perilous time for the country as a whole because so many people appear to have bought into the big lie and we know what history teaches us. Autocrats take power. Autocracies develop and burn with a big lie, whether it was Germany in the 1930s, Venezuela more recently. History is filled with these things.
You say it's a country in trouble. You know, I'm an optimist by nature and by experience. I certainly believe in the resilience of our beloved United States of America. But we have to consider that this is an especially dangerous time because the big lie has taken root and seems to be going.
When elected congressmen could say, well, this thing on January 6th was just sort of patriots and ordinary tourists at the Capitol, we know it isn't. We have to depend on second-hand information. We have the videotape. So let's go to the videotape and put the lie to the big lie.
LEMON: Dan Rather, it is always a pleasure. I can't wait to see you in person.
RATHER: Look forward to it, Don. Thank you for the opportunity to be with you tonight.
LEMON (on camera): Absolutely. Thank you very much.
You know, on the day we saw the truth of what happened at the Capitol in the video obtained by CNN, Republicans are trying to whitewash the insurrection as they threw Liz Cheney under the bus. All of it fueled by the big lie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:25:00]
LEMON: Republicans ousting Liz Cheney from leadership for refusing to accept the big lie, trying to tell Americans that what happened on January 6th wasn't all bad, even as CNN has obtained new video showing just how brutal the rioters were. As the GOP runs farther away from the truth, where exactly are they going?
Joining me now to discuss are CNN political commentator Ana Navarro and Brendan Buck, the former top aide to Paul Ryan and John Boehner. I hate to ask the question where they are going. Boy, I don't want to know. Maybe I don't want to know the answer to that question. Good evening to both of you.
Brendan, you saw Officer Fanone's body camera footage. The video doesn't lie. Are these Republicans going to have to come clean about the horror of that day?
BRENDAN BUCK, FORMER ADVISER TO PAUL RYAN AND JOHN BOEHNER: No. I think they're running away from it not just because it's uncomfortable to watch or because it is uncomfortable for Donald Trump, it's uncomfortable because so many of them were saying things leading up to January 6th that enabled that day, so many of them were the ones questioning the outcome of the election. So, yeah, they all want to move on from it.
Obviously, it's not so simple. You know, one of the things that I find so maddening about the whole "let's move on" phrase is that Donald Trump isn't moving on either. Donald Trump continues to talk almost every day now about how the election was stolen.
And that's why it's so important, I think, that Liz Cheney has decided -- she is not giving up on this. Whenever he speaks out, she's going to keep fighting back. I think that's what so great. It makes House Republicans really uncomfortable.
But hey, I'm sorry, you know, you're an elected member of Congress, like, you have some obligations. And being able to be honest to people about what happened, when people's lives were lost, such an ugly scene, you can still walk through the Capitol and see damage to the building from that day, it's really hard to deny.
But the politics are such that, you know, anything goes. They're so used to telling people exactly what they want to hear, that there's seemingly no end to it.
LEMON: Ana, in that body camera footage, we can hear Officer Fanone telling the rioters that he has kids. Here are some of his beautiful children. And there were hundreds of officers who were attacked that day. Many are suffering after protecting the House and all of the lawmakers. And what do they get in return from some Republicans? Denial and disrespect. What the hell is wrong with these people?
ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with them. Listen, what's wrong with them is that they have given in all of their principles, all their convictions, all of the main stream republican values. They've given all of that up in order to worship at the altar of the orange demi-God, That's just the bottom line.
So that means that the party that used to call itself the law and order party has become the party that embraces insurrectionists, that tries to whitewash history, that instead of honoring the sacrifice of these Capitol police and these law enforcement officers by telling the truth, just ousted the woman who is willing to call out the truth and say that the emperor has no clothes, the hypocrisy of these Republicans, the cowardice.
Do you understand -- do you understand that they were in a room with Liz Cheney and they are such chicken manure? They don't even have the guts to vote. They don't even have the guts to vote. They do it by voice vote because they know that what they're doing is betraying a real conservative Republican.
How many -- and Brendan knows this. How many of those Republicans in that room do you think Liz Cheney has campaigned for and fundraised for? How many of them have, you know, kissed her ring and kissed her father's ring and sucked up to her and asked for help on a project?
[23:30:05]
NAVARRO: And today, they didn't even have the guts, the guts to vote by ballot. They did it by voice vote. I mean, it's just -- the cowardice is unspeakable. Then hypocrite Kevin McCarthy goes in to the White House and says, nobody questions the legitimacy of Joe Biden as president. Look at the polls. Buddy, because of what you and so many Republicans have said, because of spreading a big lie, because of ousting Liz Cheney, because of that, the majority of Republicans question his legitimacy.
LEMON: Yeah.
NAVARRO: It's just an embarrassment.
LEMON: Yeah. Brendan, I want you to respond to what Ana said about, you know, Liz Cheney and her father have probably fundraised and supported and went to rally for these members. And also, let's just put up that poll again. CNN poll shows 70 percent of Republicans don't think the election is legitimate. So. what is McCarthy talking about, Brendan?
BUCK: Well, I don't know what he's talking about. And look, this is -- I -- one of the lessons that should be learned for Republicans is that people are listening to you. I feel like that there was -- for a long time, people thought it was sort of a cost-free exercise. To tell people what they want to hear, you know, it makes everything easy for you, and there's no consequence to it.
We saw on January 6th what the consequence of lying to people and telling them what they want to hear is. And now we have a country that doesn't necessarily believe in democracy, you know. The most grounding thing about this country, who we are, they're questioning it. That should be really troubling to a lot of them. But I guess it's not.
As to Liz Cheney, yeah, maybe she fundraises and her dad has a name. The Cheneys also represent an entire wing of the Republican Party that is cleaving (ph) off right now. You know, that is -- that may make you more comfortable in House republican conference meetings, to not have someone like that standing in front of you in the leadership, but it makes you a much smaller party.
I don't know how we expect to come back to become a majority party when people who are willing to tell the truth get thrown overboard. That's really what is troubling to me. We're just sacrificing anybody who wants to speak the truth. Look, it is a long-term loser. We're going to end up being a minority party for a long time if we don't figure that out.
LEMON: I love the candor of this conversation. I love having both of you on. Thank you so much. Be well.
Panic buying and hoarding at the pump as parts of the county face major gas shortages and it could be days before the service returns to normal. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON (on camera): Colonial Pipeline says it is restarting operations after a ransomware attack, but it could take days for service to return to normal. And tonight, a growing number of gas stations along the Eeast Coast are out of fuel with panic at the pump. CNN's Boris Sanchez has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of Americans awaiting relief tonight amid a panic at the pump. Colonial Pipeline is restarting operations after a six-day freeze. Despite warning of logistical lags ahead, the company is promising to boost fuel supplies until markets return to normal following a ransomware attack and a frenzy that dried gas stations from Alabama to Virginia.
GREGORY HARRIS, ATLANTA DRIVER: It hits us all of a sudden like the pandemic did. So, everybody is in frenzy.
SHIRLEY APLEY, FLORIDA DRIVER: I've went to, like, six different stations and nobody has got any gas. Even since I started pumping mine, there are three more cars back.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Fuel running out in more than 65 percent of gas stations in North Carolina, according to Gas Buddy. Outages are also hitting nearly half the gas stations in South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia, with Florida, D.C., Maryland and Tennessee also in the double digits, and at least four governors declaring states of emergency.
UNKNOWN: We have cleared the way for more fuel to be delivered and we're standing by to do whatever we can, but we really do need the federal government to step up.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): With a shortage of truck drivers compounding logistical problems, the Biden administration waving some trucking requirements and eyeing granting temporary waivers to allow foreign ships to send fuel to the East Coast.
The crunch is sending demand soaring across the country, with gas prices climbing to a six-year high, the average price surpassing $3 a gallon. Fueling the panic is social media posts, leading to fears of a shortage.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): We're seeing the same sort of crowd behavior, the empty shelves of toilet paper and paper towel about a year or so ago.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Oil industry experts, like Tom Kloza, say the crunch was largely caused not by a strain on inventory, but by a rush to the pump. TOM KLOZA, OIL INDUSTRY EXPERT, PRICE INFORMATION SERVICE: It is full-
fledged hysteria right now. I think the behavior and the way it spread, that quote, unquote "they say we're not going to have enough gasoline," is largely a social media phenomenon and, you know, something that we've seen a lot of in the last few years.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Posts like this 2017 video of someone apparently pumping gas into a plastic bag, getting more than 20,000 re-tweets, as the Consumer Product Safety Commission is forced to put out a warning about using appropriate containers.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
[23:40:00]
LEMON (on camera): Wow! Boris Sanchez joins me now. Boris, great reporting. I mean, it's a little nuts. How long do you expect these lags to last?
SANCHEZ: Well, Don, as we heard from Colonial Pipeline, these problems are not going to get fixed overnight. In fact, experts anticipate that we may actually see those outage numbers tick up early tomorrow. Really what we are looking at is for these logistical issues to get ironed out specifically over the next 48 hours. Of course, the reality is in these states, if people keep rushing out to buy gas, it is likely going to take longer. That is why the message from experts and officials is don't panic.
LEMON: Good advice. Boris Sanchez, thank you, sir. Appreciate it.
Police are searching for a tiger in Houston, still missing after three days. What did Chris call it, a bolo? Did he bring in Carole Baskin? He did. But anyways, I digress. No one seems to know where this tiger is.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A big question in Houston tonight. Where is the Bengal tiger that was spotted on the front lawn of a home on Sunday? That's right, a nine-month-old male named India in a Houston yard, thousands of miles from its native habit.
Police say a man named Victor Hugo Cuevas put the tiger in his SUV and drove off. When they finally caught up with him, no sign of the big cat! Let's bring in Rosa Flores to try to help us out.
Listen, Rosa, I mean, it's very serious. Good evening to you. It is very serious because if you come in contact with a tiger, that's a very scary prospect. But the tiger was last seen on Sunday night. What are you hearing? What's the latest?
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): You know, Don, good evening, the latest on this case is that the man that's linked to this tiger posted bond earlier today, but nothing in relation to the tiger other than for evading police.
According to the Houston Police Department, he was the man that was last seen loading the tiger on to this SUV and then taking off, and after a very short pursuit, getting away with this tiger. And I've spoken to his attorney multiple times and he is adamant that his client is not the owner of the tiger. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL ELLIOT, ATTORNEY FOR VICTOR HUGO CUEVAS: They saw my client go out in the yard and retrieve a tiger. And from there, they were certain that he has done a whole lot of different things that he necessarily has not done. And he's not guilty of (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES (on camera): Now, that attorney is also asking for the public's help in finding this tiger. The investigating agency is a Houston Police Department. They say that this is police doing police work. And Don, I should mention that they have not made any indication. I should probably say it twice. There's no indication here that police believe that this animal is roaming or loose in the streets of Houston. They are trying to find it, of course.
LEMON: OK. So, he didn't have the tiger on him or with him. It's not his tiger. Do they have any idea whose tiger it is?
FLORES: You know, police is not saying. Investigators have not identified the owner of the tiger. But it's very interesting because HPD Commander Ron Borza did say during a press conference that the circle of people, the individuals that deal with exotic animals in the city of Houston is very small, and so they're following leads, they're investigating. But as of now, they have not identified the individual who owns it. Don?
LEMON: OK.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: What do we know -- what do we know about -- this is a bizarre story. I'm not quite sure I understand it myself. What do we know about the man who is out on bond?
FLORES: So, Victor Hugo Cuevas is 26 years old. According to court documents, he was already out on bond on at least two other cases that we know of. One is from 2017 out of Fort Bend County, a murder charge, and another one from earlier this year out of Austin County for evading police. And now, Don, that he is linked to this missing tiger, there was a motion filed to revoke his bond on the murder charge.
So, this story keeps on getting more interesting. As you say, it is a little complicated, it is so difficult to understand. But the hearing for that motion is on Friday, so we're going to be keeping a close eye.
LEMON: Yeah. Usually, in this story, it's a Florida man, but tonight, it's a Texas man.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: OK.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Thank you, Rosa. Appreciate it. Good luck. Be safe. I know they say that the tiger is not out there, all right, but just be careful, everyone. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON (on camera): So, we told you CNN had obtained video of the attack on one of the officers fighting to defend the Capitol on January 6th, true American hero, Officer Michael Fanone.
It's really difficult to watch. But it is the truth of what happened. And with all the lies some Republicans are throwing around, trying to whitewash the insurrection, it's important to see what really happened.
You see Officer Fanone tased and with his own -- he was tased with his own weapon. You hear his screams. You hear him yelling, I got kids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): I got one!
UNKNOWN (voice-over): I got one!
[23:55:00]
(SCREAMING)
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Don't hurt him. Don't hurt him. Don't hurt him.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): I got you. I got you.
FANONE: I got kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (on camera): That's the brutal truth of what happened that day at the Capitol. Don't let it be forgotten. Good night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
