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Police: Groups Involved in Insurrection Want to "Blow Up Capitol"; Retired NYPD Cop Charged with Beating Office with Metal Pole; U.S. Airstrike in Syria Targeted Iranian-Backed Militant Site; Conservative Conference Set to Indulge Lies about 2020 Election. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired February 26, 2021 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:30:21]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Extremist groups involved in the January 6 insurrection are eyeing the capitol again.
When President Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, the speech that is given in lieu of the State of the Union at the beginning of a new presidency, militia groups who participated in the capitol siege say they want to target the building.
This is according to the acting Capitol Police chief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YOGANANDA PITTMAN, ACTING CHIEF, CAPITOL HILL POLICE DEPARTMENT: We know that members of the militia groups that were present on January 6 have stated their desires that they want to blow up the capitol and kill as many members as possible, with a direct nexus to the State of the Union, which we know that date has not been identified.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: That address to a joint session should be scheduled for a date here in the coming weeks.
CNN's Whitney Wild is following this story for us.
Whitney, this is a pretty explicit and alarming warning that is coming from the head of Capitol Police.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is really the first time we're hearing any details about why that fencing is still there. A lot of lawmakers have said, what is the purpose of this?
We learned yesterday that it's costing up to $2 million a week to have this fencing. So many lawmakers have said, what is the purpose of this? Now it seems there are these threats out there that are meant to not
only cause harm to them but to send a message.
Here is additional detail that acting chief, Yogananda Pittman, supplied yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PITTMAN: We know that the insurrectionists that attacked the capitol weren't only interested in attacking members of Congress and officers. They wanted to send a symbolic message to the nation as of who was in charge of that legislative process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILD: It's so frightening.
The other thing is that there are similarities here.
So when you're looking back at the intelligence that led to January 6, some of the people who have said that intelligence should have been taken more seriously, point to things like, there was a date, a time and a place.
There will be a date, a time and a place for this new threat. So they are now taking this intelligence very, very seriously.
I, point blank, asked Representative Tim Ryan if he feels safe on the Hill, based on what he heard during the hearing yesterday, based on some of these new revelations, based on what he heard about the leadership at USCP.
And he maintains he does feel safe, in part, because that fence is still there, because the National Guard is still there -- Brianna?
KEILAR: For people who aren't driving by, we do on our way to work, Whitney, and to look at it, it's this eyesore. It's not how you're used to seeing the capitol. It's a very different scene here in Washington right now.
But the police chief saying this, it's an indication of something that I think a lot of experts were raising as a question, that January 6 may have been just the beginning of a surge in anti-government extremism.
WILD: Absolutely. I think there was a hope that we had reached the summit and we were on the downswing, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
All the intelligence we're hearing from, the acting chief, as well as other sources in the Intelligence Community, indicates we're just as this really high plateau and we're staying there until who knows how long.
That's what all the intelligence bulletins after January 6 have indicated. And additionally, they indicated that January 6 was a rallying cry, that people will say, hey, that went really well, let's keep trying it.
That's what's so frightening and that's why there's this overwhelming security presence here in D.C. She is advocating to keep that, Brianna, at least until September.
Although, she also admits they're making a lot of changes to their information flow, their communication flow.
For example, they're having daily calls with their other intelligence partners to get a handle on what's out there, because clearly something was missed leading up to January 6.
KEILAR: Yes, indeed.
Whitney, thank you so much for that. Whitney Wild, I appreciate it.
CNN is also learning new details about the rioters who were arrested after the insurrection. Federal prosecutors have charged a former Marine and retired New York police officer with attacking another police officer on January 6. He is accused of beating the officer with a metal pole.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS WEBSTER, CHARGED IN CAPITOL INSURRECTION: Come on, take your (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Take your (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[13:35:07]
KEILAR: I want to bring in Shimon Prokupecz, who is our CNN crime justice correspondent.
First, looking at that video, Shimon, it is so distressing to see the point of view of the police officers. You can feel your blood pressure rise just watching it.
What more are you learning about this specific incident?
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's certainly sickening. When you think about also the fact that this man, 54-year-old Thomas Webster, he's from here in New York City, the fact that he was a former police officer, protected city hall here in New York City where the mayor obviously works and other government officials, and also a former Marine.
It just makes you wonder how much hate and how much buildup of this rage did these individuals have who came out for this, really, pro- Trump riot in the end? That really depicts it. There are thousands of hours of this kind of
video that authorities have been sorting through, trying to identify some of these individuals.
And in this video, as you see, he was beating this officer with this metal pole, this flagpole that contained a Marine Corps flag on it.
He then, also, according to prosecutors, on the video, you can see him on the ground, straddling this officer to the point where he was trying to pull the officer's gas mask off his face, choking the officer. The officer said he couldn't breathe at one point.
It took some time for officials to identify Mr. Webster, and they arrested him, the FBI arresting him.
The prosecutor in court played this video for the judge in a bail hearing. The judge saying he was too violent, that Webster was too violent, so he's keeping him jailed.
The prosecutor said that this attack by Mr. Webster, he attacked this officer like a junkyard dog, and so the judge saying that he was too dangerous has decided to keep Webster in jail as he awaits trial -- Brianna?
KEILAR: Shimon, there are so many cases like this, so many stories you're following.
We appreciate it, Shimon Prokupecz.
Still ahead, more details about the airstrike President Biden ordered in Syria, his first major military action since taking office.
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[13:42:12]
KEILAR: Breaking overnight, the U.S. military carrying out airstrikes in Syria on facilities used by Iranian-backed militia. It is Biden's first-known military action as commander-in-chief.
The strikes are in retaliation to this, a rocket attack in northern Iraq more than a week ago that killed a civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. servicemember.
A U.S. official telling CNN, quote, "Up to a handful of militants were killed in this strike."
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says the strike was on his recommendation and he is confident that they went after the right target.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We're confident that that target was being used by the same Shia militia that conducted the strikes. We encouraged the Iraqis to investigate and develop intelligence and that was very helpful to us in refining the targets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: CNN is learned this morning that the original plan was to strike two sites but the second location was scratched because of concerns about possibility of civilians who might be endangered in the area.
I'm joined now by retired U.S. Air Force colonel, Cedric Leighton, who is a CNN military analyst, and also Michael Knights, who is a Bernstein fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He's worked on Iraq since the 1990s, embedding with Iraqi security forces and studying Iraq's militia.
I want to start with you Dr. Knights.
You predicted something like this would happen. Explain that and tell us what the response from Iran might be.
MICHAEL KNIGHTS, BERNSTEIN FELLOW, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: It was very likely that the first military test of the Biden administration would be in Iraq.
The Iran-backed militias there are trying to test what is possible now that the Trump administration has left. They knew Trump would hit them back very hard. They weren't sure whether the Biden administration would.
The message of this strike is the Biden administration is also capable of holding the line when it comes to deterring Iranian militia attacks even as the U.S. engages with Iran in nuclear negotiations.
KEILAR: Colonel, can you talk a little bit about that? What is the ramification here for the -- I mean, I guess you could say the Iranian U.S. relationship as they are going to be seeking to come to agreement on a nuclear deal?
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Brianna, I think the big issue here for the Iranians is they've been put on notice.
And there's a very huge possibility that the Iranians will look at this in a way where they've tested the resolve of the U.S. administration as far as the next moves are concerned in the U.S.- Iranian relationship.
[13:45:01]
But this basically puts the Iranians on notice, telling them that the United States is going to respond to provocations. Exactly how the United States will respond will probably depend on the nature of the provocation itself.
But in cases like this, where a proxy is being used, it is going to be a type of proportional response that is going to, in essence, serve to stop or at least attempt to stop these kinds of attacks. KEILAR: Dr. Knights, it's interesting to see how the U.S. in this case
communicated with partners in the region to let them know this was going to be happening.
What is this telling you about the way forward with how the Biden administration is going to be approaching the region?
KNIGHTS: So multilateralism is the cornerstone of everything this administration is probably going to do.
The cooperation with the Iraqi government was excellent in this case. The briefing of other coalition partners is something that I'm sure will get better and better in the future.
It was a very unilateral U.S. operation, brief to partners at a late stage. We even saw additional partners, like Israel, kept in the loop about the fact the attack would happen.
KEILAR: It's an interesting different approach here.
Retired Colonel Cedric Leighton, Michael Knights, thanks so much to both of you.
Next we'll take you inside CPAC where there's a golden statue of former President Donald Trump and crowds booing when asked to wear masks. Oh, and Senator Cruz going full "Braveheart."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): In the immortal words of William Wallace, freedom!
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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[13:51:44]
KEILAR: This weekend, former President Trump is back and so is the big lie. He will make his first speech since leaving Washington in disgrace.
A source confirms to CNN that Trump will repeat the big lie in this CPAC speech that the election was stolen from him.
CPAC is usually a cattle call for Republican hopefuls considering a presidential run. Trump may be in the group but he is also likely to overshadow all of the other members of it.
CPAC isn't so much a Republican gathering this year as a Trumplican gathering. Look at this gold statue that is being rolled out at the conference.
And look at the names on the forums that are on the agenda. A number of them discussed protecting elections even though there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the election.
One is called "Other Culprits, How Judges and Media Refused to Look at the Evidence and Then the Left Pulled the Strings, Covered It Up, and Even Admits It."
And the CPAC attendees at one of those, there's always this session, "Failed States, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Oh, My."
Those states, of course, are ones that Trump lost fair and square, mind you, to Joe Biden in 2020.
Alice Stewart is with us now. She's a CNN political commentator and Republican strategist.
Alice, you look at CPAC, it's gone all-in on Trump. What does that mean for the Republican Party?
ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right now, Brianna, it means that former President Trump is the de facto head of GOP, as well as CPAC.
Look, traditionally, as you know, Republicans have been the three- legged stool of the social conservatives, fiscal conservatives and national security conservatives. Add the Trump conservatives to that list.
We're expecting, Trump speaks on Sunday and some people have said for people to buckle up, he's back better than ever. I think we can always expect a big speech out of him.
Look, I don't think anyone was under the mistaken notion he left anywhere, just because he was out of the White House and off Twitter. It's almost like an electronic dog fence where you can still hear the dog barking.
I think we need to focus on the policies of conservatives, limited government, fiscal responsibility, individual liberty, and constitutionalism, like CPAC.
But we also need to focus on making sure we have the right person to deliver that message. Whether or not Donald Trump is that person remains to be seen.
I know they'll talk a lot about election integrity at this event.
I think we need to, more than anything, reassure people that our elections are free and fair and don't do anything to question the integrity of them.
KEILAR: There's a big chasm right now in the Republican Party. And to that end I want to play something that really demonstrates it, which is some recent comments by Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell.
Let's listen, first, though, to what he said after Trump's impeachment acquittal and then to what he just said about a possible Trump 2020 run. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. No question about it.
Former President Trump's actions preceded the riot for a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty.
[13:55:01]
BRETT BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: If the president was the party's nominee, would you support him?
MCCONNELL: The nominee of the party? Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Alice, how do Republicans manage to walk this line between these two factions without more, I would say, you know, conventional Republicans falling into a set of values that are not the ones that they have held so dear for decades?
STEWART: That's the great question, right, Brianna? It's hard to square this circle.
The goal here is, more than anything, it's to recognize the fact that while I don't like the tone and tenure and former demeanor of the president, he has solidified 74 million votes. He has energized the Republican Party. He has given a voice to people who felt as though they are voiceless.
But the reality is his tone and tenor has not been a winning formula. Since he was in office, we lost the House, Senate and White House.
And we need to go about finding a way to galvanize the voters that support him but do so in a way that is not only going to have a phenomenal primary winning candidate that supports the president but also can win a general election.
KEILAR: Alice, thank you so much. It is going to be a big weekend. I know you'll be watching. We appreciate you being with us.
STEWART: Thanks, Brianna.
KEILAR: Several stories are breaking right now. President Biden just landed in Houston to tour the damage from deadly winter storms there.
Plus, a new U.S. intel report finds the Saudi crown prince responsible for approving the murder of "Washington Post" columnist, Jamal Khashoggi.
And we're hours away from a critical vote by FDA officials to green light a third COVID vaccine to be available in the U.S.
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