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Don Lemon Tonight

Hours Away From First January 6 Select Committee Hearing; New Vaccine Mandates Due To Surge Of Coronavirus Cases In The U.S.; Savannah Becomes First Major Georgia City To Reimpose Mask Mandate Amid Surge; Man Confronts Tucker Carlson, Calls Him The 'Worst Human Being Known To Man'; Flynn Gifted With Assault-Style Rifle, Says 'Maybe I'll Find Somebody In Washington, D.C.'; Trump Ally Pleads Not Guilty In Federal Court. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired July 26, 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]

DON LEMON, CNN HOST (on camera): The VA is now mandating vaccines for frontline health workers.

And we're just hours away from the first hearing of the January 6 Select Committee. Four hero officers who defended the Capitol will testify.

And listen to this. This is from Michael Flynn, the Trump ally who riled up a crowd less than 24 hours before the deadly insurrection and even called for martial law. Now, Flynn, in a church no less, is given a semiautomatic rifle and jokes about taking it to Washington, D.C.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: This is, uh, one of our top quality guns --

MICHAEL FLYNN, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR OF THE UNITED STATES: Maybe I'll find somebody in Washington, D.C.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): I mean -- and people laughed and cheered. You know what? Tell that to the brave police officers who are testifying tomorrow, those American heroes who risked their lives to defend lawmakers and the vice president on January 6. Tell them your funny joke about taking a gun to Washington and see if they laugh at it.

I want to bring in now CNN White House correspondent John Harwood and political commentator Charlie Dent. Charlie Dent is a former Republican congressman. Thank you both. I appreciate you joining us.

I mean -- whatever. Hi. We're just hours away from the four officers who risked their lives defending the Capitol on January 6, testifying under oath for the first time. What else can we expect tomorrow during the Select Committee's first hearing, John?

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Don, I think we're going to see something that we haven't seen from hearings of this kind in a while, which is a serious-minded, thoughtful probe, because Nancy Pelosi has managed to make a bipartisan committee by picking a couple of honest Republicans who are serious about what happened on January 6, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.

And, you know, we're going to see something we didn't see, say, in the Trump impeachment hearings. When you looked at what House Republicans did then, they didn't care about getting to the truth. It was all air horns and fog machines trying to protect Donald Trump. And that is not going to be in the Select Committee hearing room.

The Republicans will be displaying their pathologies just like the one that you just played in that clip of Michael Flynn. They're going to be displaying their pathologies outside of the hearing room.

You've got the lunatic wing, Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz. They're going to be talking about people who have been prosecuted for committing acts of violence and lawlessness on January 6 as political prisoners.

And then you get the lying wing of the Republican Party, which is most of the rest of it, trying to somehow blame this on Nancy Pelosi. You saw Kevin McCarthy today labelling Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger as "Pelosi Republicans."

When you're the leader of the Republicans in the House and you say, oh, you see that honest Republican over there, that is a "Pelosi Republican," you're insulting yourself rather than insulting Kinzinger, Cheney or Nancy Pelosi.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Very good point. Charlie, Congressman -- Congresswoman, John just mentioned Liz Cheney, expected to give an opening statement tomorrow. You say that Pelosi should give Cheney and Kinzinger the time of five members -- the five members so it looks more bipartisan. Do you think there are enough people out there with open minds -- you know, that this hearing is going to make a difference?

CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER PENNSYLVANIA REPRESENTATIVE: Look, Don, I certainly hope so, because what Pelosi has done, she has turned this into a bipartisan proceeding. I thought initially that she made a mistake by removing the two, Banks and Jordan, and then McCarthy made a mistake by removing the other three.

But by appointing Kinzinger in addition to Cheney, I think there is an opportunity for the American people to hear from serious, thoughtful Republicans.

And if I were Pelosi, I would defer to them as much as possible, because they will make solid, rational arguments about what happened on January 6, they will try to find facts and get answers to the big question, the big question being, why did thousands of our fellow citizens think it was a good idea to violently assault the U.S. Capitol and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power?

So the more time Kinzinger and Cheney are out there speaking, I think that just adds to the credibility of the whole proceeding.

LEMON: Well, let's hope she's watching or someone is going to tell her about it. So listen, John, when I spoke to -- actually I think that's not a bad idea. John, when I spoke to the president last week at CNN's town hall, he told me that the infrastructure deal could be -- could get done today. Clearly, that did not happen. And you say this is about will, not terms. Why is that?

[23:04:51]

HARWOOD: This is about whether those 11 Republicans have the stomach to stand up and cut a deal with Joe Biden when they know that much of the Republican Party wants Biden to fail, believes that if they pass this bipartisan infrastructure deal, it will lead to the passage of a larger spending bill, the reconciliation deal, $3.5 trillion, that they really don't want.

And so, you know, they struck this deal five weeks ago. They're haggling over small details. But when you get that close to a deal, it's about do you really want to do it. And that's what we're testing right now. There have been a variety of twists and turns.

You've got Laura Ingraham, the Fox anchor, saying last week, oh, these are useful idiots for the left. And that stings for a lot of those members. We're going to find out.

You know, they said they want this physical infrastructure deal. It's very popular with their constituents, roads, bridges, broadband, all of that. We're going to see whether they have the willingness to stand up to the political heat and do it. They haven't done it yet, but they haven't walked away either.

LEMON: I have one more question for you, John. President Biden is also confirming today that the U.S. is going to end the combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year. But the White House is not making it out, like, you know, a mission accomplished moment. We all remember that. What's going on?

HARWOOD: Well, this is largely in reaction to Iraqi politics because the Iraqi government does not want to be seen as close to the United States. Relations were inflamed when the Trump administration took out General Soleimani, the Iranian general, and also an Iraqi security official at the same time in a drone strike.

And so the presence of those 2,500 American troops as combat forces in Iraq became untenable. The question is, are they really leaving? U.S. officials, when they're briefing reporters at the end of last week, wouldn't say how many of the 2,500 are actually going to leave as opposed to being re-labeled as advisers rather than combat troops.

So, we -- this seems to be a significant amount of P.R. and -- but it's a fraught because it comes at a time, as you know, Don, when President Biden has committed to removing troops from Afghanistan. Conditions are getting worse with the Taliban making headway. And so there are certainly downsides to withdrawal. This is a less stark case.

We, of course, saw President Obama pulled out troops in 2011, had to send them back --

LEMON: Yeah.

HARWOOD: -- because of the rise of ISIS. So, this is President Biden responding to Iraqi politics in a way that's consistent with his own politics.

LEMON: Charlie, I need to talk to you about the pandemic, the unvaccinated putting this whole country at risk. How can the White House convince these people to get vaccinated with so many on the right still pushing dangerous misinformation?

DENT: I think the most important thing they can do right now is take the unvaccinated people who have come out of the hospital with these near death experiences, who have had a conversion, a deathbed conversion. Let them speak to the unvaccinated about why it's important that we all get vaccinated, you know, to protect not just ourselves but our friends, and in this case, our unvaccinated friends and family.

I keep pounding the point home. All these people in the hospital, nearly 100 percent of them are unvaccinated. I mean, this is just insane. But I think take these powerful voices of people who have come out of the hospital, near death, let them speak to the unvaccinated. If the unvaccinated don't listen to them, I don't know who they'll listen to.

LEMON: Yeah. We just had one at the top of the 10:00 hour, a couple. Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate it.

I want to turn now -- talk about more. Not turn, really, but just talk more about the surge in the coronavirus cases among the unvaccinated. Tom Bollyky joins me now. He is the director of the global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of the book "Plagues and the Paradox of Progress: Why the World is Getting Healthier in Worrisome Ways." Thank you so much. I appreciate you joining us, Tom.

Listen. Here is the big news today. The VA will now mandate vaccines for its health care workers. New York City is now ordering all city workers to be vaccinated or face weekly testing. California says all state employees and health care workers must get their shot. Is this what the rest of the country should be doing?

THOMAS BOLLYKY, DIRECTOR OF THE GLOBAL HEALTH AT THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, AUTHOR: I think why I'm in favor of more vaccine -- vaccination mandates, particularly in settings where you are -- have -- health care settings where people are patient-facing, I think the VA policy was sensibly done, it does offer due process, it does take you into account for that due process, medical reasons.

As you mentioned, number of other hospital and health care systems have done the same. I think it's favorable. I think we need to look at other settings like increasing what we see at universities or among federal and state employees. I do think it will be helpful when the FDA finally approves this vaccine for it to occur among more private employers as well.

[23:10:06]

LEMON: It is July 26 and the White House still hasn't reached its July 4 goal of getting 70 percent of Americans with at least one shot. Do you think we'll remain stuck and this turns into another major crisis or are we already there?

BOLLYKY: We're already there. I'm going to be honest with you, Don. I think we're looking at a hard few weeks or months ahead of us. The dominant strain now, this delta variant, is at least twice as infectious as the original strain. It's finding pockets of the under- vaccinated. We are seeing substantial increases nationwide. Of course, we're at more than 50,000 per day. That's up 50 percent from last week.

But the hotspots are really in these, again, pockets of under- vaccinated populations. Florida now has the highest weekly death rates among all 50 states. It has under the average of vaccinated individuals. Arkansas and Louisiana now have the highest rate per 100,000 of infections. They are in the bottom ten of vaccinated states in this country.

As long as these pockets of under-vaccinated people exist, we're going to see these surges. I'm afraid that's what we're looking at in the next few weeks.

LEMON: My family is in Louisiana. Every day on our family text chain, I send them a story from Louisiana because I want them to be safe. It's unbelievable.

It seems like we're hearing about more vaccinated people contracting the virus, although the majority have few symptoms. Does this mean vaccinated people need to bring back some of their old routines like skipping crowds, masking up inside?

BOLLYKY: I think if you're in a setting where you are not uncertain, the populations around you are unvaccinated, I think it can be sensible, particularly if you're going to be compromised or an older individual, it is sensible to wear a mask in those settings.

In terms of more formal mask mandates, I think they're important tools for preventing infection. We do need to be very careful on how they are applied. They can discourage the unvaccinated from getting vaccinated if they don't see the benefits.

My worry is that we're no longer producing the data that can help local public health officials make these decisions. Florida, as we mentioned before, has one-fifth of the COVID cases nationally, and they've stopped reporting their testing data. They've stopped breaking down data by county for deaths and infection. And that's really preventing our ability to have target applications of these mask mandates that we had before to protect populations. We need to have that data for that to occur.

LEMON: Let me just restate some of what you said and reiterate it and ask you a question at the end. You talked about the cases being up across the map. We will put it up here. But in Florida and Arkansas, every single county is now listed as having high levels of community transmission. That is according to the CDC data.

Now, some Florida hospitals are reporting more COVID patients now than at any other point during the pandemic. How risky is it right now to be in or travel to these states, particularly if you're unvaccinated or have unvaccinated people in your household?

BOLLYKY: It's risky. We're really expecting, you know, the forecasts out to 12 weeks forward, states like Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas --

LEMON: Twelve weeks?

BOLLYKY: Out to 12 weeks, yes.

LEMON: Wow. Okay.

BOLLYKY: And we need to take this seriously. You know, your guests before had some sensible ideas for promoting vaccination among these populations. To anyone watching, this really -- if you haven't gotten vaccinated yet, it's really time to be more serious about moving forward with that decision.

LEMON: Tom Bollyky, thank you.

BOLLYKY: My pleasure.

LEMON: So, as I mentioned, more cities are now reinstating mask mandates for everyone, whether you're vaccinated or not. Savannah, Georgia made that change just today. Joining me is Savannah's mayor, Van Johnson. Mayor, thank you. I appreciate it. This is an important conversation that we're going to have.

MAYOR VAN JOHNSON, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA: Absolutely. Thank you.

LEMON: You're requiring masks in all government facilities as well as Savannah City schools and early childhood centers. Was this a tough choice for you?

JOHNSON: It was a tough choice, but it was a necessary choice. Don, our community transmission index has tripled. On July 12th, we were at 84. Today, we're at 289. Our percentages of positive tests have gone up from 5.7 on July 2nd to 12.2 on July 23rd.

[23:15:03]

JOHNSON: Our seven-day rolling average has increased from 8.3 on June 8th to 80 now. Our vaccination rates are still very low, 42 percent. We have 40 folks in our hospitals here where a couple of weeks ago we had no one. We obviously have to do something.

LEMON: Yeah. We see how controversial mask mandates have become. How you -- the thing is that, you know, police officers or people say, how do you enforce that? So my thing is how do you plan to enforce this? To say that you have a mandate and then don't do anything about it really means nothing.

JOHNSON: Absolutely. In every way we can. It's unfortunate that the minority has to suffer because of the inactions of the majority. There are some people and certainly Savannah is known for its tourism, we have been exploding lately from people coming visiting our beautiful city.

But if we have a mask mandate, we believe that a lot of people will follow because we have a mask mandate. Other people will do it because they recognize it's necessary. And then for those who choose not to comply, then obviously, we have to have penalties associated with that.

LEMON: This mandate, it does not apply to private businesses or institutions, but, I mean, you're strongly encouraging owners to require everyone to mask up. Have you got any pushback from local businesses or citizens?

JOHNSON: Well, you get some. I mean, the fact is this is not a political issue. It should not be a political issue.

LEMON: Yeah.

JOHNSON: This is an issue of public health and public safety. Today, I had some of Savannah's finest medical and epidemiologists with me talking about the necessity of this moment. That we are quickly spiking up.

And if we don't want to go back to where we were, times when our businesses were closed and we were socially distant and we could not be around each other, then it's necessary for us to do the necessary thing, although uncomfortable or although maybe inconvenient, to simply wear a mask and get vaccinated.

We have prayed for this wave to get past us and we have been blessed with a way to get past it, named Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson --

(LAUGHTER)

JOHNSON: -- and folks need to take advantage of that opportunity.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: And your name is Van Johnson. No relation, though. Listen, mayor. Just to restate some of the numbers again, because you gave us a lot of stats. Cases are spiking in your state likely because the vaccination rate is just under 40 percent. You mentioned that earlier. Do you feel anything more can be done to talk unvaccinated Georgians into getting their shots?

JOHNSON: I think it has to come from the top. Obviously, we have to make it a priority. Southern states have not done as well. Savannah is at 41 percent.

LEMON: What's going on with y'all?

(LAUGHTER)

JOHNSON: We have to prioritize the right thing. We have to prioritize the health and safety of our folks. As far as I'm concerned, if I have to knock on every Savannian's door and personally ask them to get the vaccine, I'm willing to do it. We cannot, we will not allow COVID to win here in Savannah, Georgia.

LEMON: Listen. The thing is, too, obviously, we want everyone to be healthy and to be safe. But you said your economy was just starting to recover. People are coming, they're visiting. And then now you have to revert back to the mask-wearing and we'll see what happens with your businesses. But you want to get things back open, get the shot. Mayor?

JOHNSON: Simple.

LEMON: Yeah. Thank you, sir.

JOHNSON: Simple as that.

LEMON: Keep us updated. Thank you very much. We wish you luck.

JOHNSON: Thank you, sir.

LEMON: Thank you very much.

JOHNSON: Appreciate you.

LEMON (on camera): So, we got the story tonight on what happened when Fox host Tucker Carlson was confronted in a Montana fishing shop by a man who said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN BAILEY, CONFRONTED TUCKER CARLSON: You are one the worst human being known to man.

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: What am I?

BAILEY: I want you to know that.

CARLSON: I appreciate that. I appreciate that.

BAILEY: I want you to know that.

CARLSON: Don't make me -- I'm not gonna debate.

BAILEY: What you have done to this state, to the United States, to everything else in this world. I don't care that your daughter is here. What you've done to people's families, what you've done to everybody else is this --

CARLSON: Settle down, son.

BAILEY: Don't (bleep) call me son, one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): So Fox News is calling it totally inexcusable for Carlson to be accosted while in a store with his family. So did this confrontation go too far? We'll discuss, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON (on camera): Okay, everyone, sit down and watch this, because I never thought I would be in this position to maybe somehow have to defend Tucker Carlson, but we'll see where this goes. I have mixed emotions about this one.

Fox propaganda host Tucker Carlson confronted in a Montana fishing shop, called the worst human being known to man. Dan Bailey is the guy's name. He is posting his confrontation with the TV host to his Instagram and accusing Carlson of killing people with vaccine misinformation and supporting extreme racism. Now, watch what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAILEY: The vaccine (INAUDIBLE).

CARLSON: My daughter is here.

BAILEY: I don't care, man. Dude, you are --

CARLSON: What am I?

BAILEY: -- the worst human being known to man.

CARLSON: I appreciate that. I appreciate that.

BAILEY: I want you to know that. What you have done to the state, the United States, to everything else in this world. I don't care that your daughter is here. What you've done to people's families, what you've done to everybody else in this --

CARLSON: Settle down, son.

BAILEY: Son, don't call me (bleep) son, one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (on camera): Okay. So, Fox News reacting in a statement, saying, ambushing Tucker Carlson while he is in a store with his family is totally inexcusable.

[23:24:58]

LEMON: No public figure should be accosted regardless of their political persuasion or beliefs simply due to the intolerance of another point of view.

The store where it happened is called Dan Bailey's Outdoor Company. It issued a public statement, saying, even though that they have the same name, they share no affiliation with Dan Bailey in the video. Again, it was just a coincidence it's the same name and that they treat every customer equally and respectfully.

Let us discuss now. CNN political commentators Ana Navarro and Scott Jennings are both here. Good evening to both of you. Thank you so much.

Let me tell you this. I don't like it. I don't like it when people are -- when people do that because I would not want it to happen to me. But I have mixed emotions because Tucker has done this to people before. Tucker said some really nasty and silly things about me. The next day, there were paparazzi in front of my house, hiding, taking pictures.

So, I don't want it to happen to anyone. I don't want it to happen to Tucker. But when you do things like that, I don't know. I'm just saying that's the real deal. That's how I feel about it.

Ana, listen, you know, all of us, we're all on TV. We've been approached. We hear good things. We hear bad things from people. We don't even know who they are. It's part of the gig. Don't you think this went a little too far, though?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, I actually thought the guy who confronted him was quite polite, was not shouting, was not violent, and was not aggressive in any way. He expressed his opinion in the same way that Tucker Carlson expresses his opinion on a nightly basis, on a much larger platform.

Listen, Don, I've seen videos like this about Chris Cuomo, when his kids are in tow. This has happened to me. It happened to me at a market in Miami. There was this lady stalking me. I thought she wanted a selfie. No. She wanted to insult me for not -- for loathing Trump.

LEMON: But I don't think that should happen to you, Ana. I don't think that should happen to Chris. I don't think that should happen to me or Scott.

NAVARRO: Okay. Well, Don, I also don't think there should be hurricanes or there should be COVID. But crap happens, okay? We get remunerated for giving our opinion and that comes with good and that comes with bad. So put on your big boy pants or your big girl pants and get on with life.

And look, when it comes to Tucker Carlson, it's not just about infrastructure or immigration or you name it. It's about COVID and it's about life and death. I think people are very raw and emotional and angry about that in particular.

So I think that with the platform we all have, Scott, you, all of us, Tucker, I have, comes the benefit of some people liking what we say and some people not liking what we say. In the same way I have a First Amendment right and they have a First Amendment right. Deal with it.

LEMON: Yeah but your First Amendment right doesn't mean invading my personal space. I'm sorry, Ana. I understand what you're saying and I get it. I think what Tucker says much of the time is completely reprehensible and divorced from reality. But he has a right to be in a space and not be accosted and not be ambushed by anyone.

People yell all the time at me. I was in Cincinnati, there were Trump supporters out there yelling across, whatever. They weren't in my face. So if you want to stand across the street, fine.

NAVARRO: There was one person who made contact there. It was Tucker Carlson with the guy.

LEMON: Yeah.

NAVARRO: The guy never touched Tucker Carlson. The guy never accosted Tucker Carlson.

LEMON: I hear you.

NAVARRO: He gave Tucker Carlson his opinion about what he said. And it is what we have to endure and what we have to deal with for giving our opinion every night.

LEMON: I hear you. And Tucker has told people, if you see someone that makes a kid wear a mask, you should go and call the cops and do for abuse or whatever. I get it.

NAVARRO: (INAUDIBLE) other people.

LEMON: Okay. Scott --

NAVARRO: If you're going to dish it, you better be able to take it.

LEMON: Scott, Fox News called it an ambush. What is your take on this? What do you think?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, I agree it was an ambush. I thought Tucker handled it fine. He's been approached before and he usually finds a way to defuse it and laugh it off.

I thought the guy actually looked pretty aggressive. He got right in his face. He was right up chest to chest with him. He looked like he was trying to move with Tucker as Tucker was trying to get away.

I had a similar reaction to you, Don. I don't want this to happen to Tucker Carlson because I don't want it to happen to you.

I mean, look, let us be honest. You, by the president of the United States, have been personally singled out. People at CNN have been personally singled out.

You know there is a whole group of folks out there who would love to get into face or worse of someone here and there is a whole group of folks out there obviously who would love to get in the face or worse of someone at Fox News or MSNBC or anywhere else.

[23:30:00]

JENNINGS: And so I was really uncomfortable with this. And candidly, I think, to even try to rationalize it, to laugh it off or to say, hey, put on your big boy pants, to me is to condone it. And if you want to condone a confrontation like this, I think basically you're inviting the next one and the next person may not have the same physical restraint.

I really think sometimes in this confrontation -- Don, you've met people I'm sure out there who look like they would love to commit violence. And so I just -- I think when you encourage these kinds of confrontations or condone it, you know, the next one may not be so friendly and people may lay hands on each other, and that makes me extremely uncomfortable.

I don't mind this guy's views. He's welcome to have them. But in a space like that, Tucker's daughter was there, in a small store, it just made me uncomfortable.

LEMON: My response is always, thank you, thank you for watching. I'm so glad. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you, thank you, even if they say the worst things about me, because really, I just want to defuse it and I want them to go away.

And listen, again, I know people have the right. I'm on TV. I give my point of view and I say my take all the time. And so I understand it's going to happen. But do I like it? No. Ana, go on, respond. What do you want to say?

NAVARRO: There are a lot of things in life I don't like, Don. But they happen and that come with the territory. I'm not condoning it. I'm not encouraging it. I'm saying that in the same way that Tucker Carlson spews out hatred every night and racism every night and anti-COVID rhetoric every night, which puts lives at risk, this guy in this fish store, whatever the hell it was, has a right to his opinion.

And so I can't say that one's right is greater than the other. And again, I have actually seen video of this exact same thing happen to Chris Cuomo while one of his daughters was in tow. And is it uncomfortable? Is it awkward? Is it unpleasant? Is it horrible? All of those things, yes.

But when we take on the job of going on TV and spewing our opinions, we should know that that comes with the consequence of other people approaching us and spewing their opinions. And as long as there is no violence, and this man was not violent, as long as there is no violence, I think they had exactly their right to their opinion.

LEMON: Ana, there is a difference between -- NAVARRO: The only thing is I think this guy was wrong. I think this guy was wrong. But let me tell you, Don --

LEMON: Hang on, Ana. There is a difference between saying your opinion --

NAVARRO: No, wait. This guy has said that Tucker Carlson is the worst person known to man. I think Tucker Carlson is one of the worst people known to man and women.

LEMON: Okay.

NAVARRO: So I think he was a little less than what I would have said.

LEMON: Ana, listen, I'm not saying what the guy said was right or wrong. There's a difference between stating your opinion and standing and intimidating someone and blocking them. People stop me all the time and give me their opinions and sometimes I don't like it. But you know when someone is being aggressive. You know when they are in your personal space.

Of course, that comes with the territory. I was in the whole foods the other way. This guy talked to me. He said, look, I watch you all the time, I don't agree with you. Let me tell you what I don't agree with you about. We stood there and had a conversation. That is not what happened in that video.

Look, I know it comes with a territory, but you know the difference between someone being aggressive and blocking you from walking or moving or not letting you get your point across. There is a difference in someone respectfully saying, I don't agree with you and let me tell you why, do you have a second? If I say no, I don't have a second, move on. If I say, sure, you engage them and you want to.

That's a different thing. But I don't think that we should be encouraging this. This should not happen to Chris.

NAVARRO: Who the hell is encouraging it, Don?

LEMON: It should not happen to Anderson. It should not happen to Tucker Carlson as well.

NAVARRO: Okay. Where was Tucker Carlson when Donald Trump was saying you were the enemy of the people?

LEMON: But it is not --

NAVARRO: Who the hell is encouraging this? It's not you, not me encouraging this.

LEMON: I think you're mixing two different things.

NAVARRO: They have been -- they encouraged Trump, saying the media and the press was the enemy of the people, and shouting horrible things about CNN and other outlets.

LEMON: And we call them out for that. But you don't want to become -- Ana, you don't want to become them.

NAVARRO: Forgive me if I don't shed tears over Tucker Carlson.

LEMON: But you don't want to become them. You don't want to become that.

NAVARRO: No, I don't.

LEMON: Yeah.

NAVARRO: But I also don't want to forgive them or forget the stuff they've done for four years. And I also want to acknowledge why people are angry. Listen, they've been spewing out crap about COVID and anti- Fauci stuff and anti-vaccine stuff, and people are dying.

LEMON: That doesn't mean that you have to intimidate people in public.

NAVARRO: And people have every right to be furious.

LEMON: That doesn't mean that you have to get in people's face in public.

NAVARRO: Okay. Then --

LEMON: Don't watch Tucker Carlson. Don't watch him. Oh, our signal broke up.

[23:35:00]

LEMON: Okay. I got to run, guys. Scott --

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Our signal broke up. Thank you, Scott.

JENNINGS: Hey, quiet. It's a rare night, Don, when you get to speak for me. This is amazing.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Okay, listen, I need to say this. We tried to reach Dan Bailey to come on and comment, but we didn't hear back from him. Again, it doesn't mean I agree or disagree with anything that he said, but no one should have that treatment in public, even Tucker Carlson. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:40:00]

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LEMON (on camera): Only weeks after he appeared to endorse a Myanmar- style coup in the U.S., Trump's disgraced former national security adviser, sparking more outrage. Michael Flynn is apparently joking about using a semiautomatic against somebody in Washington, D.C. The comments have been viewed over a million times and they're just the latest inflammatory chapter in Flynn's history.

CNN's Alex Marquardt has more on the story.

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UNKNOWN: That's awesome.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was in a church that the latest disturbing turn in the Michael Flynn story came.

UNKNOWN: We were trying to come up with a rifle that we thought was appropriate for a general. So we went with an old-school Woodland camouflage.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): In Yuba City, California, after Flynn was gifted a semiautomatic rifle, he said this.

FLYNN: Maybe I'll find somebody in Washington, D.C.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Laughs on stage and in the crowd in this clip of the event that surfaced after the retired general jokes about using the gun against someone in the nation's capital. That same capital earlier this year saw the violent insurrection by supporters of Donald Trump, who Flynn spoke to the night before the riots, spouting lies about a stolen election.

FLYNN: And the entire world knows, everybody in this country knows, who won the election on the third. Who won the election on the third? Donald Trump.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Flynn riling up the crowd less than 24 hours before the historic assault on the Capitol building.

FLYNN: Tomorrow, we the people are going to be here, and we want you to know that we will not stand for a lie.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Flynn was Trump's first national security adviser and pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI before being pardoned by Trump. Weeks before January 6, he called for martial law, to use the military to overturn legitimate election results.

FLYNN: He could order the -- within the swing states, if he wanted to, he could take military capabilities and he can place them in those states and basically rerun an election in each of those states.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): He has embraced the farthest fringe of the MAGA movement, including the QAnon conspiracy theory, appearing on QAnon podcasts, selling QAnon merchandise, and taping himself with a group reciting the movement's catch phrase.

FLYNN: Where we go one, we go all.

GROUP: Where we go one, we go all. MARQUARDT (voice-over): A few months ago, he attended a QAnon conference and said there was no reason a military coup couldn't happen in the U.S. like the violent and deadly one unfolding in Myanmar.

UNKNOWN: I want to know why what happened in Myanmar can't happen here.

FLYNN: No reason. I mean, it should happen. No reason.

MARQUARDT: A furious backlash followed and Flynn claimed he wasn't calling for a coup.

UNKNOWN: Michael Flynn!

MARQUARDT (voice-over): But it was clear he believed the big lie.

FLYNN: Trump won.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

FLYNN: He won.

MARQUARDT (on camera): And tried to reach Flynn about these latest troubling comments, but were unable to. After what he had said about the Myanmar-style coup happening here in the United States, the Pentagon said they would not be investigating him, but they are reviewing whether he had approval for money that he's received after retiring from Turkish and Russian entities with ties to those governments. If not, financial penalties could be imposed.

Remember, this is a guy who, as a retired three-star general, is still getting taxpayer-funded retirement benefits, Don.

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LEMON (on camera): Alex, thank you so much. I appreciate that.

The chair of Donald Trump's inaugural committee heckled, called a traitor before pleading not guilty in federal court today. More, next.

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[23:45:00]

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LEMON: Longtime ally of former President Trump and chairman of the Trump 2016 inaugural committee, Tom Barrack, pleading not guilty to a legal foreign lobbying charges unveiled by the DOJ last week. Barrack putting up a massive $250 million bail package.

Here is CNN's analyst Jennifer Rodgers. Jennifer, good evening to you. So, thank you for joining us. Tom Barrack entered a plea of not guilty. He says that he is 100 percent innocent. How strong is the case against him? JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It looks pretty strong, Don, reviewing the indictment. It's not just the fair violations, of course, when authorities uncovered this case. They spoke to Tom Barrack and he lied to them. So we have false statements and obstruction of justice, too. So, it looks quite solid.

LEMON: He is out on a $250 million bond deal. That's a lot of money. I mean no chump change here. Prosecutors are calling him a flight risk. He can only fly commercial to approved locations. Were you surprised by that $250 million price tag?

RODGERS: I have never heard of a bail package that high. So, I was. On the other hand, you have to have a very high package. That is something that will keep him in place and make him not want to flee the country. So, apparently, that's what they agreed upon. And, you know, he put it up, so we'll see. Presumably, he'll come back to court with this kind of package in the system.

LEMON: Wow. So sources are telling CNN that there is no indication that he is going to cooperate. But if he wanted to cut some sort of a deal, what do you think that would look like?

RODGERS: That's a good question.

[23:49:58]

RODGERS: So, the district that's charged him, the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office, has the inaugural committee investigations, so certainly he could cooperate in that investigation. He could cooperate in his own case against one or both of the other co-defendants.

The question is what else does he know? There's no indication that he could cooperate, for example, in other potential criminal matters involving President Trump. But, you know, who knows? Certainly prosecutors know a lot more about that. If he comes in, it could get interesting.

LEMON: Jennifer Rodgers, thank you so much. I appreciate your time.

RODGERS: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: So big day tomorrow. The House Committee investigating the insurrection, calling their first witnesses, the officers who protected the Capitol. We are going to tell you what to watch for. That's next.

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[23:55:00]

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LEMON: We are just hours away from the January 6th Select Committee in the House holding its first hearing. A source telling CNN the hearing will include new-video footage from the perspective of police officers, who defended the Capitol from the violent mob. There will be testimony from four officers about what they experienced that day. Special coverage of the hearing starts tomorrow on CNN at 9:00 a.m. Make sure you tune in.

And thanks for watching, everyone. Our coverage continues.

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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening.