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Investigations Reveal Capitol Attack Increasingly Dangerous; D.C. Metropolitan Police Describe Warlike Conditions; Mike Pence Congratulates Kamala Harris. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired January 15, 2021 - 14:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: They have arrested and charged more than 40 defendants.

An FBI official added that some involved in the mob on January 6th have been smart enough to just turn themselves in.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

STEVEN D'ANTUONO, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE, FBI'S WASHINGTON FIELD OFFICE (via telephone): To those of you who took part in the violence, here's something you should know. Every FBI field officer in the country is looking for you. As a matter of fact, even your friends and family are tipping us off. So you might want to consider turning yourself in instead of wondering when we're going to come knocking at your door because we will.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, we are learning from federal documents that some rioters were planning to murder lawmakers. These Trump supporters plotted to, quote, "capture and assassinate elected officials" according to the Trump justice department.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: You can see right there, you can hear that. Some of these folks on camera, chanting, "Hang Mike Pence." This came in the middle of the insurrection while the president was actually tweeting criticism of Mike Pence.

And we have some breaking details from the "Washington Post" that reveals just how dangerously the violent mob came to reaching the vice president. The "Post" is reporting that had the rioters arrived just seconds earlier to a location by the Senate floor, they would have been in sight of the vice president.

Federal authorities are continuing to investigate, they are continuing with arrests of suspects in last week's insurrection. The nation's Capitol has been largely shut down in advance of the inauguration next week; the National Mall is now closed until the day after Joe Biden becomes president.

And there are more than 20,000 National Guard troops that are manning the streets, that are blocking off roads with military vehicles. And for some perspective on that, that is a bigger U.S. military presence here, in this small city -- Washington, D.C. -- than in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq combined.

The final days of Trump's presidency have turned downtown Washington into something out of a war zone, and it has robbed the country of one of its most important rituals, the peaceful transfer of power, the dignified transfer of power, with one president handing off to the next.

With me now is CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell, and also Charles Marino, he served as a Secret Service supervisory agent under three presidents, he also served as senior law enforcement adviser to the Department of Homeland Security.

And, Charles, we just heard from DOJ officials, who say they have no direct evidence of efforts to capture or assassinate lawmakers during the attack. Knowing what you have seen in the video, what do you make of that?

CHARLES MARINO, FORMER SECRET SERVICE SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: Make no mistake about this, Brianna, this was a national security failure. And then the reason why we refer to it as a national security failure is because this was the biggest threat to the continuity of our government since September 11th. I would even argue a bigger threat to our continuity of government.

If we go back and look at who was present in the Capitol on January 6th, we were just short of the attendance of a State of the Union. If this was a more coordinated attack and expanded beyond the Capitol and included the White House, we would have had either -- even bigger problems here.

KEILAR: They would have been huge. And you know, Josh, I want to ask you that question. When you hear the DOJ saying there was no direct evidence, what do you make of that?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's interesting to hear officials say that -- you know, they describe this as a puzzle, they're still trying to piece things together. And, you know, as we learn, in the immediate moments after the attack, investigators said that once we get enough information about what transpired, we would be shocked. We are certainly doing that.

I think that it's still yet to be determined how premeditated this was, so to speak, but it is alarming to hear those reports that there were people that were there not just to protest. And that raises this question about whether this was just a spontaneous movement that got out of control, or whether people were actually there to cause harm, plotting and planning to begin with. We're starting to get some details on that as we sort that out.

I will say, though, you know, the problem for law enforcement right now is not only having to look back at what transpired, but there's also this gathering storm that's sitting ahead of us.

Look at your screen right there on the right side, you'll see Washington, D.C., as you mentioned, in this fortress-like atmosphere because officials are so concerned of not only a repeat but, as we've been reporting, based on our -- talking to our intelligence sources, officials are concerned that extremists are now emboldened based on what they saw at the Capitol, a very dangerous situation right now in Washington, D.C.

KEILAR: Charles, there are federal documents for one of the suspects, Jacob Chansley, who was wearing the hat there with the horns -- I think most folks will recognize him from the siege at the Capitol. And they said that there's strong evidence -- including Chansley's own words and actions at the Capitol -- that supports the intent of the Capitol and rioters. The intent was to capture and assassinate elected officials in the United States government.

[14:05:09]

So, you know we're getting some mixed messages here. What do you make of this?

MARINO: Yes. I think what would happen was, first of all, let's be thankful to the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Secret Service for doing their jobs exceptionally well regarding the safety and security of the vice president and the members of Congress, no matter how close it came. They still ultimately did their job.

What I would say is the way we would have seen this play out at the Capitol, I absolutely agree with the fact -- and think the evidence will support -- that there was a determination here by some of these rioters that attacked the Capitol, to murder and-or kidnap some of these members of Congress and the vice president, we have their words on videotape in some instances to act against and contrary to what they're trying to say.

What I think ultimately would have happened, though, Brianna, is I think even some of the people that did not have that on their mind, that did penetrate the Capitol, we would have had a mob rules mentality. Just as some people are claiming, I didn't intend to go in but I got carried away.

I think we would have potentially saw that defense carry over: I didn't intend to murder or kidnap any member of Congress, but I got carried away. And this is what made this situation so dangerous.

KEILAR: Yes, indeed, that mob mentality, very real, and we saw it playing out before our eyes. Charles Marino, Josh Campbell, thank you to both of you. And we're also learning some more about the selfless men and women who

fought back during the insurrection. Some officers are now sharing their heroic stories. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is nearby the Capitol at this point, and he has more on this.

I mean, Shimon, they survived, right? That is the way to describe some of this. And there was individual acts of heroism for sure, even as the entire force itself was not prepared for this.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: They were not. And certainly you're right, these words from these officers, speaking out for the first time -- so brave, so heroic -- it's (ph) the words and their actions that tell us what a terrifying picture and what a terrifying event that was on that day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: USA! USA! USA! USA!

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

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

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): D.C. Metro Police officer Michael Fanone was in this group of officers, at the West Front entrance of the Capitol, as rioters forced their way in. They eventually push them out, into the crowd, where Fanone says he was tasered several times. While trapped, the 40-year-old says he thought about using his gun to fight back.

FANONE: Some guy started getting ahold of my gun, and they were screaming out, you know, kill him with his own gun. At that point, you know, it was just like self-preservation. You know, how do I survive this situation. And I thought about, you know, using deadly force, I thought about shooting people.

And then I just came to the conclusion that, you know, if I was to do that, I might get a few but I'm not going to take everybody and they'll probably take my gun away from me. And that would definitely give them the justification that they were looking for, to kill me if they already didn't have -- made that up in their minds.

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

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

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

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

When things were looking back, you know, obviously I was calling out for all I was worth, and an officer behind me was able to get me enough room to pull me out of there, and they brought me to the rear so I was able to extricate myself.

[14:10:06]

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Hodges miraculously, leaving the attack without any major injuries, saying he was shocked some rioters thought authorities would be on their side.

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

Some of them felt like we would quick -- some of them felt like we would be fast friends because they then -- so many of them have been vocal or at least virtue signaling their support for the police over the past year.

They say things like, you know, we've been supporting you through all this Black Lives Matter stuff, you should have our back. And they felt, like, entitled. They felt like they would just walk up there and tell us that they're here to take back Congress, and we would agree with them and we'd walk in, hand in hand, and just take over the nation.

But obviously that did not -- that was not the case, and it will never be the case.

PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The insurrectionists, even using unusual means in their efforts to break into the most secure areas of the U.S. Capitol Building.

CHRISTINA LAURY, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: The individuals were pushing, shoving officers, hitting officers. They were spraying us with what we were -- are calling essentially bear mace, it was two to three hours of, you know, heroism and bravery from these officers. I mean, the violence that they, you know, were -- I mean, they were getting hit with metal objects, metal poles. I remember seeing pitchforks. You know, they're getting sprayed, knocked down.

And I remember, you know, just reinforcements just officers pulling officers back to heal up and you know, them stepping in to get to the frontline. And then they go down, and then, you know, more officers step in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PROKUPECZ: And it is those stories, from what we are hearing from law enforcement officials -- helped save -- perhaps save the Capitol, perhaps save a lot of the lawmakers from harm.

The fact that the Metro P.D., the D.C. police department was able to fight this vicious mob, allowed the Capitol Police to move many of the lawmakers out of harm's way, and officials say -- tell us that that was the key here, that it was the work by the MPD that wound up probably saving many people.

KEILAR: Yes, very commendable. And those accounts, thank you so much for bringing those to us, Shimon.

Next, the real fears for many lawmakers that their lives are in danger in the wake of the riot on Capitol Hill, details on what they are doing to protect themselves.

Plus, what Speaker Nancy Pelosi says will happen if investigators find that members of Congress have helped the rioters.

[14:12:49]

And a member of President-elect Biden's COVID advisory board will join me live, we will get his take on new reports that there are no reserved second doses of the vaccine left.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Lawmakers are afraid for their lives, and they're taking new security measures to protect themselves. Sources tell CNN, as they're facing new threats to their personal safety, they actually have brought these concerns to party leadership before it was revealed today by federal prosecutors that some of the rioters planned to capture and assassinate lawmakers during the Capitol insurrection.

CNN's special correspondent Jamie Gangel has been reporting this out for us. What more can you tell us, Jamie, about these threats and the steps that these lawmakers are taking to protect themselves and their family members?

Because I suspect as they got news, this news today, this sort of official news, that there was a desire on the part of some of the perpetrators to capture and kill lawmakers, I don't know that that's news to them. I think they felt that very strongly.

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: I think that's true, and I think that that news just probably added to a growing concern. It would be chilling for anybody to hear that. What members are telling me is that they have gone to party leadership -- these are both Democrats and Republicans -- and told them, flat-out, they fear for their lives, they fear for their families' lives.

And as we've seen, I think this has grown. So at the beginning, they hadn't seen all of the videos. They had experienced it, but they had not seen it. And one member said to me that they were just traumatized, as they saw videos of a paramilitary, sort of a militia group, very professionally snaking up into the Hill, when they see members being attacked in airports.

And now, what we're seeing is magnetometers, as we've reported, on the House floor. What does that say to members, and what does it say to the public, that Democrats and Republicans -- I've spoken to members on both sides -- don't trust their fellow members of Congress.

And finally, I would just say I spoke to one member who told me that they were looking into private security, paying for it themselves. And I found out from a former law enforcement official that several members have actually looked into hiring private security.

I just will end with this. One member said to me, this is the new reality, and it's not over after the inauguration.

[14:20:03]

KEILAR: Yes, I mean, that's understandable that they would do that.

GANGEL: Right.

KEILAR: We've learned, Jamie, that Vice President Pence has actually spoken with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, that he congratulated her and he also offered his help with her transition, something the president obviously has not done for Biden. And certainly, this is pretty late, right? We're talking about just days before the transition. They could have had two months to help each other out. What do you make of this?

GANGEL: So I think there are two things. This is the first time the two of them have spoken since they debated each other. And that's pretty extraordinary.

The other thing is, obviously, this is the first time that anyone from Trump-Pence world has reached out to Biden-Harris world. I think it goes without saying that it also says that Vice President Pence is further distancing himself from President Trump.

KEILAR: Indeed. Jamie, great reporting, thank you for sharing it with us.

GANGEL: Thank you.

KEILAR: In about an hour, Joe Biden will outline his COVID-19 vaccine plan, but some medical experts are skeptical about his rollout. We'll speak to a member of the president-elect's coronavirus advisory board next.

And we'll share some of the heartbreaking final messages from coronavirus victims, as the nation closes out the deadliest two-week period since the pandemic began.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [14:25:54]

KEILAR: Roughly an hour from now, President-elect Biden is going to outline his plan to administer COVID-19 vaccine doses to Americans who have yet to be vaccinated. He has pledged to get 100 million shots in arms during his first 100 days in office, but many experts actually say that the new administration needs to aim higher.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLOS DEL RIO, EXEC. ASSOCIATE DEAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: I would say that even a million a day -- which is what he's proposing -- is low. We need to shoot for higher goals, we need to shoot for 2.5 to 3 million people a day. And I know it's going to be hard, but with resources and with ingenuity we'll be able to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: I want to bring in Rick Bright to talk about this, he is a member of President-elect Biden's coronavirus advisory board and he is the former federal vaccine-chief-turned-whistleblower, who criticized the Trump administration, was reassigned and then later resigned.

Rick, you hear what some medical experts are saying here, 1 million shots a day, not enough, 2.5 or north of that. Specifically, can you tell us if that's something that you understand, do you agree with that?

RICK BRIGHT, MEMBER, BIDEN'S CORONAVIRUS ADVISORY BOARD: Well, Brianna, you know we're in a crisis right now. America, as what President-elect Biden described last night, we're in a twin crisis, the pandemic and the public health crisis along with our economic crisis. And we need to take bold action now to get in front of this virus and stop the spread so we can get our economy back on track.

President-elect Biden, with the information we have on hand, laid out a goal to deliver 100 million shots by his first 100 days in office. I believe we can achieve that. But you're exactly right, we need to push harder, we need to vaccinate more people if we're going to get in front of this virus. We need to get the information from the manufacturers and from the scientists to make sure we can achieve that timeline and set out a reasonable goal to administer more doses once we get inside in five days.

KEILAR: So at this point in time, is it -- you know, that's -- you're committing to -- the incoming Biden administration is committing to what it knows it can achieve and there is no promises of more than that? I mean, is there any possibility that 2.5 million a day is possible?

BRIGHT: We're certainly going to look into every factor. As you know, we need to vaccinate more people in more places faster, so part of the plan -- the American rescue plan that President-elect Biden has already mentioned -- is about partnering. We're going to partner with states and partner with locals to open up more vaccination sites in more places. We need to make sure those vaccination sites are in the hard-to-reach

communities so we can vaccinate everyone in an equitable way. We want to open the floodgates on vaccination to make sure everyone who wants to get vaccinated can do so as quickly as possible. It's going to take a lot of effort, a lot of hard work. And we're going to do as much as we can, as fast as we can.

But we have to get inside in five days, we have to look at the data, we have to talk to the companies to get the real facts so we can lay out a timeline that we're comfortable with and not overpromise and underdeliver, as we've seen the Trump administration do.

KEILAR: It sounds like what you're saying is that the incoming administration does not, at this point in time, maybe have a full understanding of the problem. Is that what you're saying? It sounds like you're saying, once we get in there.

BRIGHT: Well, the Trump administration has not been known for transparency, that's for sure. So we have a little bit of information from conversations with the companies, and a little bit of information from a few meetings with the Operation Warp Speed team.

We want to make sure we see all of the information, and we see it in a very transparent way so we will know exactly where the doses are, how many doses are coming off and when, so we can lay out our projections, we can be more transparent and communicate with the states in a more transparent way so they can plan and schedule for their vaccination campaigns.

[14:29:58]

It's been very chaotic, very disruptive and certainly not transparent and not in a coordinated fashion from the federal to the state level.