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CNN Live Event/Special
Riot Police Moving Trump Mob Away From Capitol; Trump Tells Rioters To Go Home While Repeating Election Lies. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired January 06, 2021 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:00]
CHARLES RAMSEY, FORMER WASHINGTON, D.C. POLICE CHIEF: You've got a very weak guy sitting down there at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I won't call him president because in my opinion he's not a president. I don't know what the hell he is. But he sure ain't my lead. And he's inciting all this.
And then you got other people who are really egging it on by doing what they're doing. I mean, this is crazy. It's absolutely insane. And someone's got to take control. It's not going to be the guy sitting in 1600, Pennsylvania, but somebody's got to take control and deal with this situation, because it's going to get worse. It will not get better on its own.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Yes, it's really worrisome, indeed. John King is with us. Chief Ramsey, I'll get back to you.
But John, the President earlier in the day was basically telling these individuals walked down Pennsylvania Avenue, head to Capitol Hill. We got to get tough, basically, that was his message. And we heard even stronger words from his so called lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Right. And other allies of the President have talked about holding the Republicans who will not stand up and help the President push his baseless reckless, just false claims of election fraud. And so this environment was created by the President and his allies.
Now, they will say they didn't tell anyone to climb through the Capitol windows, they didn't tell anyone to break into the Speaker's office. They didn't tell him what to break into the chambers. They will say that, but they encourage this climate. And they incited it.
The President of one point today even saying he wanted to walk with them. Of course, he did not. That's what he does. He says things and then leaves it to others to do it. But so now you're in the leadership test challenge.
And, Wolf, to follow on your conversation with Chief Ramsey, I've been texting with a member of the Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill. And to the Chiefs point, there's a lot of anger, a lot of frustration, a lot of questions about how this happened, about how the building was breached, about how they got to sit in the President's seat in the Senate, the Presiding Officer seat in the Senate, about how somebody got into Speaker Pelosi office and left a note.
And what I was told was that the Capitol Police right now say yes, they understand a lot of questions to answer, that in the moment they were overwhelmed. And they made a decision to put a priority on the safety of the lawmakers and the staff to get them to safe locations. Understanding that that would mean that you're leaving offices unprotected, you're leaving entrances unprotected in some cases, and that they would deal with that after the fact.
And now you see in these pictures, you know, the cavalry, if you will, has arrived. But there will be a lot of questions here, especially with the inauguration two weeks away.
BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, John, the Republican National Committee offices, the headquarters right near Capitol Hill, just like the Democratic National Committee, there are other offices right near Capitol Hill, we're just now being told by our Dan Merica and Mike Warren that the headquarters of the RNC was cleared after a suspicious device was found nearby. And the Democratic National Committee building was also evacuated after another suspicious package was being investigated. So this is really an expanding and very worrisome development that's unfolding.
KING: Right. And without a doubt, not everybody there had any intention of anything like this, but they were there and part of it. And we're clearly here, you see and again, these are supporters of the President leaving alleged pipe bombs outside the offices of the Republican National Committee.
So not a lot of thought, going into this. And I'm being very polite, I could use much stronger words. So you have thugs here, knuckleheads, terrorists, criminals, doing things.
And again, there will be a lot of questions how did this happen? Who was involved? I think it's a very fair question.
And we'll know I'm sure some people have been arrested. And we haven't seen it yet, people on the inside. But what has been done to send a statement from law enforcement will be a very big question after this. And then there'll be longer term questions about, forgive my language, Wolf, but how the hell did this happen?
This protest was not a secret, it was publicly announced. And the Capitol police clearly did not believe that there was a threat to the building. And we have watched it played out, there was a very serious and significant threat to the building at a time. The entire United States Congress was in there, again, including the Vice President of the United States, and the vice president-elect of the United States, the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader, and so on and so forth.
So there are going to be giant questions about how this happened. The challenge now, and as you see, as Brian Todd noted, they have come down to the bottom of the steps now, they're slowly starting to move them away. Hopefully that happens without violence. But there'll be a lot of questions. We have a ton of questions now. And there will be more and more as we learn more.
BLITZER: You know I'm just anxious to get your reaction. The President tweeted a little video that he -- that he filmed just outside the Oval Office over there, and among other things, once again, he repeated a lie. He said the election was stolen. He said he won a landslide election, which was, of course another lie.
But then he told these rioters he said, so go home. We love you. You're very special. Very special. What was your reaction when you heard that?
KING: Again, this is this is a consistent failure of leadership from this president to step up at moments of crisis and at moments when he needs to challenge his own supporters and tell them to behave and pay attention.
So what does he say? Again, there were good people on both sides in Charlottesville. No, there were not. The QAnon conspiracy theorists are crackpots. The President refuses to criticize them because they support him.
Here in that video, yes, yes, he said please go home. That is a good thing, that was necessary. But all around it, before it, after it sprinkled in with it was continuing to say the election was stolen. We were defrauded. I know why you're mad, I'm supporting you.
[17:05:12]
You cannot take one log off the fire and then pour a barrel of gasoline on the fire, that does not solve the problem. It may have given temporary respite to any of these protesters who maybe saw on their phone the President tweeted to go home, maybe it was part of some of the people starting to go home. Maybe it's just the hour of the day. We don't know that. But that is not the answer.
And again, we've watched this from the President consistently. He will say when he's questioned about this, I did tell them to go home. And when he's challenged on the fraud part, he'll shrug and find some reason to distract or cause some other thing.
But he lost the election. He lost the election, that is not in dispute. He had several opportunities more than 60 to make his case the way we do it here in the United States in a court of law, where you're challenged to present evidence.
And it's not just the Democrats saying this today. So to the Trump supporters out there, this is not repeating what the Democrats said. Judge after judge after judge after judge after judge, many of them Republicans, several of them, Donald Trump appointees said, sorry, ladies and gentlemen, you have brought me zero credible evidence. Go away. This is over.
The president needs to tell these people right there it's over. Go home. Organize for the next election. Don't do this. BLITZER: Yes. That's so, so incredibly important.
It looks Brian Todd, like they're beginning to clear these individuals. They're beginning to tell them you better get out of here, you better -- you better leave now, otherwise, you're going to be arrested.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. We can kind of take you in a little bit here. I'll walk toward it a little bit.
Riot police just kind of came to the foot of the steps and moved more rioters off the steps. So the writers are pretty much completely cleared off the steps. These police that are in the green jackets kind of came in started lining the steps and they're starting to push, excuse me, step to walk around some people here. Apologize for that.
They're starting to push some of the perimeter here a little bit back toward First Street Northeast. So, this is an area that was packed a short time ago, people lining the steps on the balcony, on top of the cars. I got to say most of them left on their own, Wolf. They were not pushed off in any forceful way by the police.
The remnants of them that were there were walked down the stairs by about maybe 12, 13, 14 riot police that just kind of gently walk them down the stairs.
Now you do have, and Eddie (ph), let's go over here to your right, you do have a little bit of a larger crowd over there by the north side of the Senate side of the Capitol, where we saw smoke grenades going off in the crowd kind of pushed back that way a short time ago. But it looks like that has calmed down as well.
So you know, we could see a calming of the situation here on the east side of the Capitol. We're also monitoring the situation on the west side of the Capitol where it was very, very tense earlier today, as it was here.
You know, we're standing in an area right now that was when we got here this morning it was barricaded off completely. It couldn't, I mean, there were police all over the place. They were Bike Rack barricades, there were several other barricades. And you got the sense that you just couldn't penetrate it.
But you know, clearly, the rioters took control, the police were overwhelmed, the police pushed back. And you saw the chaos inside the building and all of that. So, right now, they seem to have things under control. But I do have to tell you that most of that is due to the protests, or excuse me, the rioters leaving most of them on their own. Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes. Let's see what happens these next few hours are going to be critically important only about 15 minutes until the D.C. curfew goes into effect, the 12 hour curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., nobody's supposed to be out on the streets unless they have the complete authorization from the mayor herself.
Pete Muntean, you're still up there as well in different location. Tell us what you're seeing.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this is not a protest as others have mentioned, this is a mob. You know, we heard from President Trump earlier for this group to disperse peacefully, not many people who really got that message. In fact, only a few minutes ago, there was a group of media equipment set over just east of the Capitol. And we saw a group of this mob, essentially destroy it, using their fists trying to dismantle the First Amendment coverage of what is happening here.
It's ironic because the First Amendment protects us, but it also protects what the protesters here are doing. Not a protest anymore. And times this is turning relatively violent. We've seen the movement of police not too long ago here.
This is the Metropolitan Police Department of D.C. But we have yet to see the National Guard here.
We have heard from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, that the National Guard is on its way and that state police from Maryland and Virginia will also be coming here to help. But I have to tell you that police are way outnumbered here by this pro Trump group that essentially has taken over the Capitol.
[17:10:06]
There is more police presence ramping up here as night falls on Washington, but this group seems to be in it for the long haul. And it seems like this will last well after sunset. Wolf.
BLITZER: Do we know, Pete, if there are still any of these writers roaming around inside the house or the Senate, the U.S. Capitol as we saw these ugly pictures emerge over the past couple hours?
MUNTEAN: I cannot speak to that, Wolf. There are plenty of people still outside here tonight. And I'm sure plenty of people would like to be inside, especially considering the fact that it's going to be 30 degrees in Washington tonight. This is not going to be easy for the folks who are out here. But frankly, they shouldn't be here.
This is a spot where you can't be as an everyday person as a civilian. This is a spot that's very closed down just above the Capitol Visitor Center. The east side of the Capitol and the steps here is a spot that the public would never be on. Not even for special events.
This this is a spot that is very, very, very locked down. And folks are still here after nightfall in Washington.
BLITZER: Yes. And there's still a coronavirus going on. Nobody's supposed to be inside the U.S. Capitol. But they broke windows and they entered into that building.
Donie O'Sullivan, CNN's Donie O'Sullivan is also on the scene for us. Where are you Donie and tell us what's going on?
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER: We're at the west side here of the U.S. Capitol. And people are streaming out of the grounds of the Capitol.
And we've been asking them if they're proud of what's happened today. And most of them say they are. They view themselves as patriots, these Trump supporters.
When I asked him why -- what they thought they were achieving by being here, by doing all of this, this violence, they said that they wanted to win back the election. And some of them are still living in this alternate reality, this alternate universe where they believe that Joe Biden is not going to be inaugurated up on the rising in just two weeks time.
And, Wolf, there is a sense here on the ground that it isn't over in terms of both trying to overturn the election, which is obviously a fantasy, but also that there could be more trouble to come here in Washington tonight.
My producer overheard somebody saying as we were walking in here, it's going to get real tonight. Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, I suspect Donie, it's going to get even more intense in the next few days as we get closer and closer to the January 20 inauguration of the next president of the United States, Joe Biden.
Alex Marquardt, you're getting some more information. Update our viewers.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we've moved back a little bit because since we spoke to last, a large crowd of these rioters, a mob of them descended on the press area where we were. I believe that was the area that our colleague Pete Muntean was talking about. Clearly not fans of the way that we were have been depicting them, which is a mob of violent rioters.
And so now the question becomes, when does law enforcement go in and clear this area? It has just been a surreal afternoon watching this crowd go in and get into the Capitol building.
So what we've seen over the course of the past couple hours is different kinds of law enforcement gathering around the Capitol. What you're seeing right here is Metropolitan Police Department, so Washington police.
As you've been noting, Wolf, we are under an hour now from the curfew. It is not clear whether they plan on going in and helping clear out those rioters before the curfew. But that is certainly what we have seen in the past when there has been a curfew in this city.
Now there has been a steady stream of rioters coming from this northern side of the Capitol building where they have been gathering for most of the afternoon. But there is still a significant contingent of them. And as you've heard from our other colleagues, many have said that they plan to stay here.
And as you -- as someone was just mentioning that it may get real overnight. I want to point out some of these rioters who are coming out from here, these are, I believe, oath keepers. We have seen members of that far right extremist group that supports the President out here this afternoon shouting insults at us, at members of the press, shouting insults at members of law enforcement of the police.
Things have been relatively quiet for a little while now. But as I was saying to you in our last time we spoke, this is still very much a standoff. We have not seen law enforcement go in and clear them out. Rioters are still in there. Law enforcement on the outskirts on the perimeter of the Capitol building. And we will see what happens as we get closer to this curfew at 6 p.m. in just under an hour's time.
[17:15:00]
Look at this scene wolf here. This is more, what I believe is a Metropolitan police. These guys are very much in riot gear. As you can see, head to toe with protection, helmets on batons at the ready. They are going down Delaware Avenue.
And we understand that there is all sorts of coordination going on between local law enforcement, federal law enforcement, the Capitol law enforcement to clear out these rioters from the Capitol Building, Wolf.
BLITZER: And I assume it's going to -- Alex, it's only going to get more intense. We just got a statement from the Acting Defense Secretary Miller saying he's had separate conversations with Vice President Pence, Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Senator Schumer, Representative Hoyer in the House of Representatives and says this, let me read it. "We have fully activated the D.C. National Guard to assist federal and local law enforcement as they work to peacefully addressed the situation. We are prepared to provide additional support as necessary and appropriate as requested by local authorities."
And then he adds with this, "Our people are sworn to defend the constitution and our democratic form of government, and they will act accordingly."
So we see Capitol police we see local police from D.C., police are coming in from Maryland and Virginia and military personnel, national, National Guard troops are coming in as well. We're going to see a whole lot more troops coming in, not just today, but in the next 14 days, as we all get ready for the presidential inauguration.
Pamela, what else are you learning?
PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'm going to tell you what we can't see inside the Capitol building right now. And that is law enforcement still clearing out the Capitol building as we speak, rioters who trespassed went inside. Police are in there right now. Still trying to make sure it is safe, secure, so that legislators can go back and finish their work under the constitution.
As we heard Alex Marquardt there say he's not seeing a lot of activity on the outside in terms of clearing out folks. We're still seeing a lot of protesters there. But I am told from law enforcement that in addition to clearing out rioters inside of the Capitol Building, they are also clearing them out at the inauguration stage and bleachers. So that is another area where the rioters took over. And I can tell you, law enforcement sources I'm speaking with they are gearing up, Wolf, for a very long night.
BLITZER: Yes. And I'm sure they're gearing up for a very, very long, two weeks until the inauguration as well.
Kaitlan Collins is over at the White House for us.
Kaitlan, what else are you learning?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, of course, we saw the President after hours of his own supporters breaching the halls of the Capitol for the first time in over 200 years in this manner. Finally put out that video earlier after he was urged by several staffers to put out a more forceful statement, something he declined to do, and instead for hours complained about the vice president defying him earlier today.
We're now seeing even former members of his administration criticize this and say that it actually is the responsibility of President Trump. And that includes his first Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert. Someone who has often offered analysis on what's been going on inside the White House, sometimes advice, sometimes criticism but also sometimes praise.
Listen to what he says now, Wolf. He says this is beyond wrong and illegal. It's un-American. The President undermine American democracy baselessly for months, and as a result he is culpable for this siege and an utter disgrace. Despite of him not because of him police will regain control and prosecute those involved.
Of course, let's also look at what his first Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said earlier today. He tweeted calling many of these people domestic terrorists. Saying many are criminals and troublemakers all acting in a manner opposite of patriotism.
Wolf, those are much stronger words that you're hearing from the President's former senior staff than you heard from the President himself tonight, who in that video that he finally released, it was his third try commenting on what we've seen unfold in the Capitol today say that people should go home peacefully, go home.
But the President also said we love you and said that he understood where they were coming from. And of course, baselessly alleged what is at the root of a lot of this, which are these claims that this election was stolen from him, which of course, it is not.
That is the only time we've seen the -- seen the President since that rally earlier today where he was encouraging people to go to Capitol Hill. And so far we have not heard any other comment from the White House tonight. Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, in that same video, the President insisted as he has now for weeks that the election was stolen. He insists he won in a landslide election. He is still continuing to lie in an effect egg on these rioters to continue what they're doing.
Phil Mattingly is up on Capitol Hill.
Phil, what are you seeing?
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, right now you're seeing really the crowds in front of certain stream out at a pretty steady clip. But I think the biggest thing that I'm hearing right now from lawmakers, is they want to finish what they started today. Administers for both parties, lawmakers have been texting back and forth with lawmakers. But it's been an undisclosed location surrounded by law enforcement officials and tactical within automatic rifles.
[17:20:12]
They are making clear they want to finish today. Now the big question that they have, and I think what everybody's waiting for right now is a couple things. One, they need to ensure that not just the Capitol is completely clear but we've also seen and heard that law enforcement sweeping through office buildings, as well.
Talked about the alleged pipe bombs in places and just outside the Capitol Complex. Law enforcement has a bigger job here than just trying to figure out where things stand inside the Capitol building itself. So that's one of this.
The other thing as well, and I think this is what a lot of (INAUDIBLE) are focused on right now is how quickly can they get back into the chambers and what state are the chambers. You obviously saw that some of the rioters or trespassers got into the chambers, what they did in those chambers. So that needs to be kind of figured out as well.
But I think there's one thing that has been consistent. And again, I say this is from a bipartisan manner. Lawmakers I've been talking to over the last hour and a half, they have gone from very rattled, very unsettled about what occurred and how quickly they were moved off the House floor, moved off the senate floor and into undisclosed location surrounded by law enforcement into very firmly believing that they want to finish this process and finish this process tonight.
Wolf, one other point that a couple of Democratic senators tweet this out. Staffers actually grabbed the documents needed to complete the process of tallying the electors for certification on their way while they were rushing out of the United States Senate. So they still have those.
I think one of the concerns in the madness or the rush when this was all happening is what happens if those were left there while these trespassers or rioters were on the Senate floor. Multiple senators say staff has those, they're safe, they're ready to go. It's just a matter of when they can actually get inside the chambers and go, as one senator texted me just a short while ago, we're ready to rock and roll. We just need to greenlight, Wolf.
BLITZER: Well, when they reconvene, assuming they reconvene, I don't know if they'll reconvene tonight or tomorrow, whenever, are they simply going to go through and certify what the electoral college did, the 50 states and the District of Columbia and approve the electoral vote naming Joe Biden the next president of the United States, or will they continue with these objections and try to continue this debate which is futile?
MATTINGLY: Wolf, this has been, I think the big question we've all been trying to get answers to over the course of the last several hours. This actually came from a Republican lawmakers that I don't know how we can continue to pursue these objections after what just occurred.
However, those who were putting up the objections (INAUDIBLE) was supporting the objections. Made very clear their purpose wasn't to overturn the election, despite the fact that they were aligning with the President who made very clear he was trying to overturn the election and align intentionally or not with those who rushed the Capitol made very clear they were trying to overturn the election.
So, I don't have the answer to that right now. I don't know that the lawmakers were proposing the objections have the answer to that right now. But I can tell you there is a critical and growing mass of lawmakers, including some of those who may have been on the fence about whether or not to support these some of these objections, and just want to get this done, get this over with and move on.
This has been kind of splash of cold water. And everybody states that these aren't just words. These aren't just people making things up. This isn't just the media, this is reality. Things got very, very real, in very, very close proximity to a lot of lawmakers, particularly in the middle of the pandemic, necessarily been able to have town halls, haven't necessarily been able to meet face to face with a lot of people, you only hear from your most dedicated constituents. And on the Republican side, they are all very dedicated to President Trump.
This got very real very fast. And so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out when they reconvene, when they get things back together again. Because to be completely frank, Wolf, I haven't talked to a lawmaker including several, a couple on air, several who were deployed downrange in Iraq or Afghanistan, who were coming away from this experience, pretty shaken by what they saw.
BLITZER: Yes, I don't know what they're going to do, either. I just see a tweet from Senator Josh Hawley, who has been one of the architects of this futile challenge to what the Electoral College did. And in that statement that he tweeted, he ended by saying Congress must get back to work and finish its job, finish its job. I don't know what that means. But we'll try to figure that out.
Jim Acosta is over at the White House getting more information as well. What are you learning, Jim?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, just an update on the state of mind of the President right now in the state of mind of staffers inside the White House who are shell shocked by some of these events up on Capitol Hill. I talked to a White House official just a short time ago, who said you know, before the President released that video, before the President made the decision to call on the National Guard, aides to the President had to go to the President in the Oval Office and almost beg him to make these decisions, to beg him to make that video, to record that video. And also to make this decision to call in the National Guard.
Why is that important? Because this President is going to be in charge presumably for the next 14 days.
[17:25:07]
And if the President can only throw gasoline on the fire, it is going to be up to this skeletal staff that he has left over here at the White House to go to the President and get him to try to do the right thing from time to time. I think that is a worrying development.
The other thing I heard from a source familiar with some of the discussions over here is that White House staffers are just horrified by what is going on up on Capitol Hill. But Wolf, that begs another question, it begs the question, I think we're at a critical stage now given what we've seen up on the Hill.
Do we see resignations from White House staffers? Aren't we at a point now, Wolf, where we should see resignations from White House staffers?
This scene that we saw up on the Hill today, the siege on the Capitol should be enough, one would think in a normal world to prompt the resignation of staffers inside a White House, inside administration. Obviously, we haven't seen that at this point.
But Wolf, you know, talking to another Trump advisor about this, do not expect the President to try to, you know, cool things down over the next 14 days. In the words of this advisor, the President is a, "provocateur." He is a, "entertainer." He is not a leader. He is not a president. And he's not going to behave like one for the next 14 days.
So, a lot of concerns over here at the White House among White House staffers that this President is just not up to the job. He is up to the job when it comes to fanning the flames and causing this awful scene that we saw up on Capitol Hill today that's still unfolding. But he is not -- he is not equipped to take things down a notch unless these staffers go in there and essentially beg him to do it, which is what happened earlier today, Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, it is so, so awful.
John King is still with us.
John, you know, it's -- so many people are e-mailing me, texting me, they're accusing the President of actually being an accomplice to what these -- to what these rioters and these mobsters were doing up on Capitol Hill.
KING: Well, again, he will say he did not encourage them to break into the building or to break glass or to violate security rules and go into the chamber or to go into the speaker's office, that's what the President will say, but the President also encouraged those people to march on the Capitol. The President also keep saying, even in his third statement today, that video he released, that the election was stolen when it was not.
So, the President can say or believe what he believes. He can try to rewrite the truth as he has done almost every day, the last four years. But he incited this, encourage this and supported this because he wants to continue this fantasy that the election can be overturned.
So, now, Wolf, here we are two weeks from the end of the Trump term and the drama continues and what you could call domestic terrorism, certainly disruption. Illegal conduct continues here. We're going to watch as the police push this out.
So there's a number of interesting political things happening. You have groups like the Lincoln project along the president -- a critic of the President, saying he should be impeached in his final two weeks. That's not going to happen. But it's -- you have this political debate again in the final two weeks.
If the National Association of Manufacturers, it's one of the business groups in town that represents manufacturers, saying the vice president should consider invoking the 25th amendment and removing the president from office in his final two weeks all because of this scene, and more importantly, the much more dangerous scene we saw earlier in the daylight hours at the United States Capitol.
And to echo what Phil Mattingly just said, I've been in communications with some leadership aides on both sides, both in the Senate, the Republican leadership still in the Senate, and the Democratic leadership in the House about how important both leaders Speaker Pelosi and Leader McConnell believe it is to get back in that building tonight. And to at least get back whether they finished tonight, I think is an open question, that depends on whether you have more objections.
But they both believe it is absolutely critical to send the signal that you may have disrupted us, you may have knocked us out of the building, but you will not stop us from doing what we were came to do today, which is supposed to be a cherished constitutional tradition in the United States, embracing and affirming and accepting the election of Joe Biden as president of United States.
BLITZER: A peaceful transfer of power. That's what we've always seen.
Alex Marquardt, what's going on where you are, Alex?
MARQUARDT: Well, Wolf, we are back on the western side of the Capitol. What you can hear there is a flashbang presumably from this police force that has just moved in.
Wolf, what you're looking at now is what a Metropolitan police from Washington D.C., who just before this 6 p.m. curfew have moved in here to push out the rioters. They have been shouting move back at this crowd of hundreds if not more Trump supporters on the western side of the Capitol building.
This, Wolf, is where and exactly 14 days' time President-elect Biden will be inaugurated. In the background you can see the Washington Monument. The police have now decided after several hours of this huge mass gathering on the western side of the Capitol to flush them out.
[17:30:05]
We have heard reports of tear gas. I have not seen that in the last few moments. But there's no question that the Metropolitan Police Department, as well as the other law enforcement agencies, will not hesitate. Here, we're being asked to move back. Yes, Officer, we will.
You can see this officer, for example, fully equipped with riot control gear. And as I was saying, Wolf, we do not get the impression that they will hesitate to use those riot control measures to get these masses of rioters away from the Capitol, which they attacked and have been, which they got into over the course of the afternoon, Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, they shouldn't use all means necessary to get this under control. This is a disgrace what's going on up on Capitol Hill right now. Just be careful over there. You know, we'll stay in very close touch with you, Alex.
And we can see crowds are still there, John King, we can see them they're beginning to leave. But it's a really dangerous situation. Donie O'Sullivan is still there. Donie, tell us -- Donie, tell us what's going on?
O'SULLIVAN: Hey. Hey, Wolf, we had some tear gas was deployed here in the past few minutes. That's why you're seeing these people coming down to sort of last stragglers really who are here left at the Capitol. We've seen thousands of people move off the lawn in the past few hours. And they've all been telling us how proud they are, how proud they are to be a part of this mob.
They're repeating all the conspiracy theories that President Trump has been spewing for months and that he spewed outside the White House today. And it's really just quite a surreal scene here. And I think we better move beyond this police line as they're really now moving all of us out of here, Wolf.
BLITZER: I just want you to be careful, Donie. Be careful over there. Go ahead, Donie.
O'SULLIVAN: We're just hearing some really, you know, vile language being directed as members of the media. People just, again, repeating these lies, people who are totally in denial that in just a few weeks, only a few hundred feet from here Joe Biden is going to be inaugurated President of the United States.
And you could see we're stepping over the fences and barriers that were broken by these members of this mob earlier today. We were here, we walk, we marched from the White House after Trump's address. We marched with Trump supporters. And when they breach this barrier, it's happened all of a sudden, shortly after he concluded speaking. And people just started pushing and moving up.
And we've seen destruction all around this area, Wolf. And we keep hearing over and over again, I just heard somebody else saying, this is just the beginning, Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, I assume they're saying, Donie, what the President himself just said in this videotape that he posted on Twitter that he said the election was stolen. It was a landslide election that he claims he won. He says everyone knows that, especially the other side. These are total lies, but the comments from the President of the United States, and it's encouraging these rioters to do what they're doing, right?
O'SULLIVAN: Yes, that's right, Wolf. And I mean, you and I have discussed how conspiracy theories have really just are now playing such a prominent role in American life, that you're seeing this all play out here.
You know, we've spoken for years about Facebook and Twitter, and their failure to act on conspiracy theories and hateful speech online. And we're seeing the results of that play out here on the streets of our Nation's Capital today. I mean, we're beyond the fact in 2016, we heard about Russia trolls and people tried to write off anything about social media saying, oh, it's only a few Facebook posts, what harm?
Here's the harm, the harm, of conspiracy theories, the harm of lies, the harm of people living in these online and Trump media echo chambers where they are so diluted.
BLITZER: And you hear this.
O'SULLIVAN: They can't get to grips with reality and understand that Joe Biden will soon be president, Wolf?
BLITZER: In 14 days he will become the president of the United States. Donie, just be careful over there. I know that we're less than a half an hour from the curfew that will be imposed here in the Nation's Capital, hard to believe that this is going on at this sensitive moment right now.
Brian Todd, you're getting more information as well. What are you learning?
TODD: Well, Wolf, several law enforcement vehicles have just moved into the plaza, on the east side of the Capitol, also a large fire truck. And as you can see over here, there's an ambulance. Eddie Gross, our photojournalist will pan over there where they just put someone inside the ambulance. I believe they took that person out from inside the Capitol and put them in the ambulance.
[17:35:06]
You see the riot police over here forming a line around the center steps of the east side of the Capitol. Short time ago, they move the remaining rioters that were on the steps off slowly and peacefully. But, you know, look, as I heard Donie and some of our colleagues saying earlier, a lot of these rioters are basically crowing that they, you know, they believe that they kind of won the day here.
I heard one liner yell at the police. You didn't take it back. We gave it back. So they have some swagger here tonight. Most of them have left the plaza at this point. But I think a big question now is, what's security going to be like overnight and into tomorrow morning? I just heard Alex reporting that they're moving people off the west side. And we're expecting more police to come in shortly on the east side here, some stragglers remain.
But, you know, the question is, are they going to clear everyone out of this plaza as they did in the morning, because again, I can't emphasize enough how quickly this all unraveled. You know, in the place where I'm standing right now, this was completely clear of people, the protesters were behind a barricade of, you know, just kind of behind us over here. And it just unraveled in an instant, both here on the east side and on the west side of the Capitol.
Eddie, let's move over this way, a little bit. And, you know, we can tell you that, you know, we did see some flash bangs and some smoke grenades going off over here on the north side of the Capitol a short time ago, as they pushed rioters back. So the question is going to be, what is security going to be like here in the overnight hours and later tonight, Wolf?
BLITZER: Do these rioters, these mobsters, do they understand that there was a curfew that's going to go into effect in less than a half an hour that if they're in the streets of Washington, D.C., they could be arrested?
TODD: Well, Wolf, you know, we broadcast that, but we don't know how much -- excuse me, excuse me. We're being harassed a little bit here, Wolf. So we have --
BLITZER: All right, go ahead. Just be careful over there. Be careful there. I want you to be safe. John King, you know, it's hard to believe john, people all over the world are watching what's going on in Washington D.C. right now, including world leaders. I'm getting statements, John, from world leaders who are shocked. Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General says shocking scenes in Washington D.C., the outcome of this Democratic election must be respected. And there's more and more world leaders, John, people all over the world can't believe what's going on here in Washington D.C., there's a threat to a peaceful transfer of power.
KING: No. And these foot soldiers of a movement they say, we'll make America great again or making America an embarrassment to the world today, Wolf. Boris Johnson, the president's ally, the prime minister of the U.K. issuing a very similar statement.
I'm getting messages as you are from friends, from sources, from government officials, ambassadors around the world, some here in Washington representing overseas, countries, they just simply don't understand what is going on. They can't believe what they are seeing in the United States of America, which is supposed to be the beacon of the global democracies. It's supposed to be, you know, that shining city on a hill. It's supposed to be as many of the conservative Republicans helping the President with his fantasy challenge to an election that is over. They always say America is an exceptional, therefore an exceptional America. Well, this does not make America exceptional, respecting our norms and our democracy doesn't.
To that point, Wolf, I want to come back to something you reported to our viewers earlier today about what we're seeing, the deployment of the National Guard. You read the statement from the acting defense secretary where he said the acting defense secretary and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke with the Vice President, Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Senator Schumer, Representative Hoyer, What's missing? The President spoke, they spoke to the Vice President, not the President of the United States, where is he? Does he not want any part of this?
He's the he's the President of the United States who doesn't attend coronavirus taskforce meetings, who refuses to meet with the experts on the pandemic that is sweeping across the country. And now the Vice President has to coordinate with the Pentagon on the response. He's President for two more weeks, at least that's what the Constitution and the calendar says.
But when you read that statement, it just jumped out at me that this is his job. Thankful that the Vice President is helping coordinate the security response here whether you agree or disagree with the Trump administration's politics, you should be grateful the Vice President is helping with that.
But where is the President at this time of national crisis that he won't get on that phone call and try to protect the Capitol, protect the lawmakers, and protect this country?
BLITZER: If the President of the United States, John, the commander in chief isn't doing his job, even though there's only 14 days left should the 25th amendment that the U.S. Constitution be invoked, which namely suggests that members of the Cabinet can come forward and say this President's trade is unfit to be President, to be commander in chief?
KING: As I noted earlier, there have been some Democrats who have said that today there are even some Democrats who said let's impeach him. In the final two weeks, a Republican manufacturing group, Republican leaning manufacturing group, the National Associate of Manufacturers has raised the 25th amendment question today. There are two weeks left. It is impossible to see that happening. But what is the -- just the stirring of this debate again, what does it tell you?
[17:40:12]
That this administration, which has been toxic from the beginning, is even more toxic at the end, when you would think that even in a Trump administration, even for all the outrage and the disregard of norms and truths and institutions and facts and election math, you would think, after all that the President, normally we think the President is about himself that he would think if I want to run again, if I want to have a legacy, I would least exit with some dignity.
But that's not happening, Wolf, which is why these questions will continue about impeachment, about the 25th amendment, about his willingness, his ability, his capability to do his job to the very end.
BLITZER: We see a standoff unfolding between the police and these are rioters. Donie O'Sullivan is watching it. You're right there, Donie. Tell us what you're seeing.
O'SULLIVAN: Yes, Wolf, we are here at the police line. The police have pushed the members of this mob, these Trump supporters away off the Capitol grounds and we are here at the West front of the U.S. Capitol. We're actually at the spot where the barriers were originally broken earlier today when we were here.
And it's quite surreal, Wolf, because we're seeing these Trump supporters shouting at these police, accusing these police of being traitors. Of course, we always hear from the Trump White House and Trump supporters how much they love the place but seemingly not tonight.
As we mentioned, tear gas was deployed a few minutes ago. That's how they were able to at least we're able to move these people down off the lawn outside the U.S. Capitol. And you could still taste remnants of that tear gas in the air. But, Wolf, if our photo journalist, Jeremy, could just pan to left here, I mean, you see these Trump supporters, people wearing the MAGA hats, just shouting abuse, these members of the police in Washington who are doing their jobs. Wolf?
BLITZER: Yes, all right, stand by Donie. I want to go back to Jake. Jake, I understand you have a special guest.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: That's right, Wolf, thanks so much. Joining us now on the phone, the mayor of Washington D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser. Mayor Bowser, thanks so much for joining us. You put in place a 6:00 p.m. curfew. How worried are you about what might come tonight in D.C. We're already hearing from these whatever you want to call them, rioters, terrorists, anarchists, insurrectionists, we're already hearing from them that they're planning to get even rougher when it gets darker.
MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER (D), WASHINGTON D.C.: Well, thanks, Jake, for having me on. We have a curfew in place and we're advising everyone to leave the area, to vacate the Capitol grounds, and to go to their place of residence or wherever they're saying thing and preferably go back to their state.
What we've seen at the Capitol today is certainly unpatriotic, it's wrong and it's illegal. I have a fully deployed the Metropolitan Police Department, the D.C. Police Department to assist the U.S. Capitol Police. Our police have entered the building and will establish a perimeter and enforce our curfew.
TAPPER: I have to say, I'm surprised that these insurrectioners -- insurrectionist, rioters were able to get into the Capitol to begin with. They were breaking windows. There was blood spilled. I know that the Capitol security is the responsibility of U.S. Capitol Police and they don't report to you, they report to Congress. But what's your best understanding about why this was able to happen?
BOWSER: Well, certainly we are there to assist the U.S. Capitol Police with any and all requests, I think, you know, the very significant perimeters. We established around D.C. streets in, we're right there to support them and now to enter the building to make sure we have control and maintain control in order in the district overnight and over the next day.
TAPPER: Do you think if this was a Black Lives Matter protests they would have been able to get into the Capitol and wreak the havoc that that these pro-Trump people were able to cause? I mean it -- I think there are a lot of people watching this and saying it seems like there's a real double standard that these MAGA protesters were able to commit acts of violence that they can't imagine any other group being able to cause in Congress.
BOWSER: Well, I can certainly talk about our response to all of the protests and our assistance to our federal partners and vice versa. And what we've seen here is a breach of our very democracy. And so we will continue to work with our partners to get it under control.
[17:45:16]
TAPPER: In 15 minutes, the curfew drops and anybody who's still out will be in violation of the curfew, will they be arrested?
BOWSER: Our police are moving and will work with not just the D.C. police we have called in to support D.C. streets and the U.S. Capitol response. Our neighbors as well as the D.C. National Guard, I request that the guard from Maryland and Virginia to also come in. So people will be held accountable. We want everybody to move out and to move out quickly. But the curfew will be enforced.
TAPPER: So is that a, yes, they will be arrested. I mean, the Metropolitan Police Department has been told that if these protesters are still there after the curfew, they will be arrested.
BOWSER: They are going to deploy and deploy in a safe way and enforce the D.C. curfew.
TAPPER: So that's a yes?
BOWSER: Well, I can't tell you every single strategy that the police are going to use, but they have the curfew as a tool to move people out.
TAPPER: Has anybody been arrested today? Do you know?
BOWSER: There have been many arrests today and yesterday. I don't have the full readout of the number of arrests. We expect to provide that by this evening.
TAPPER: The entire D.C. National Guard has been activated. Do you have the resources you need, Mayor Bowser, to keep Washington D.C. safe, to get control of the Capitol?
BOWSER: We have been in touch with -- we're working with many of federal resources, including the guards from a number of states that I just mentioned. And we will continue to get the resources that we need throughout the night.
TAPPER: President Trump released a video. He told his supporters to go home but he also expressed sympathy for them. He said he loved them. He also continued his blatant lies about the election. Do you think that video was helpful or did it end up throwing more fuel on the fire?
BOWSER: Well, the fuel has been thrown on this fire for four straight years. And certainly in the last week, we heard this President, the outgoing President, other current elected officials, incite violence. And we see the results of that violence. So I didn't get a chance to see the video. But we continue to urge the President to tell his supporters that they are putting police officers innocent people in harm's way and they need to go home.
TAPPER: Do you know anything about the shooting today on Capitol Hill, a woman was shot? Is she OK? Do you know was she one of the rioters or was she someone else?
BOWSER: I know, Jake, that matters under investigation and we can't confirm the details at this time.
TAPPER: Is there anything you can tell us about the pipe bombs that have been reported having been found outside the Republican National Committee, the DNC, and the U.S. Capitol?
BOWSER: We know that we responded to credible reports of at least two incendiary devices? I can't give you any specifics about them right now.
TAPPER: Is there anything more you want to tell anybody watching this, who might be in Washington D.C. right now?
BOWSER: We're telling and our residents have heeded our guidance to stay at home. We want everybody protesting and rioting on the Capitol grounds and anywhere else to go home. And they need to start moving out right now.
TAPPER: All right, we see some people moving. I don't know if they're moving out right now. I certainly hope that they are. Mayor Bowser, best of luck battling this.
BOWSER: Thank you.
TAPPER: I know, in addition to this, you have the COVID crisis you're dealing with you, this is -- you need this, like you need another hole in your head. Thank you so much for your time today. Appreciate it.
BOWSER: Thank you. Bye.
TAPPER: I mean, you know, one of the things that I think you're looking at these images you have to ask yourself, just as an American is, Donald Trump is going to be President for two more weeks and can the United States last that that two weeks with him as President of the United States? This is somebody who has not only turned a blind eye to a deadly pandemic that is killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Yesterday was the deadliest day in the U.S. for the coronavirus pandemic since it began.
But we have a President now inciting violence and praising those who commit acts of violence. And I think it has to be asked, does the Vice President, does the Cabinet need to step in invoke the 25th amendment and remove him from office before he wreaks even more damage? Abby, you and I were talking, Jay Timmons, former Republican operative now the head of the National Association of Manufacturing put out a statement today saying that Pence think about invoking the 25th amendment.
[17:50:02]
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, we've already heard that the Acting Secretary of Defense, spoke not with President Trump, but with Vice President Pence, about deploying the National Guard to the streets of D.C. to protect the Capitol. Why would that be the case?
We have a sitting United States President who is supposed to be on the job, and apparently is not. And I think that this is a real concern, it should be a concern for Congress, it should be a concern for Pence, for the people who are still working in that building at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. This is a President who is absent in a moment of crisis and beyond absent has instigated this moment of crisis.
You know, I live in Washington D.C., watching what is going on in the Capitol is really unbelievable. I have seen all kinds of things happen at this Capitol building, at this Capitol compound. I've never seen what seems to be such a lack of control over the situation. It seems almost that even in your conversation, Jake, with Mayor Bowser, that she's very carefully threading this line between what she can control which are the forces under her command, and what the federal government is responsible for.
TAPPER: But she wouldn't criticize so.
PHILLIP: And she would not criticize.
TAPPER: Yes.
PHILLIP: She would not criticize the federal government. But it -- she's in such a tenuous position, who is going to establish order, or to quote President Trump law and order on the streets of Washington D.C.? This is really important because they have stormed the Capitol. They have put people in danger. People today have been seriously injured, or potentially worse. And we have not gotten a sense that there's really anybody in charge.
DANA BASH, CNN HOST: And as you were interviewing Mayor Bowser, we got word that the Virginia Governor issued a curfew for the D.C. suburbs in Virginia, Alexandria and Arlington, also 6:00 p.m. So we're talking, you know, about eight minutes from now, there's supposed to be a curfew in place there as well.
Another thing that we've got some reporting on, of course, all of this is happening. And what is on hold, is the very big, very important constitutional duty that the United States Congress has, that they were in the middle of doing when all of this happened, which is to certify the Electoral College and to make it even more official that Joe Biden will be president and will be inaugurated on January 20th.
Behind the scenes, because the senators and House members are in undisclosed locations, a lot of them are together. And there are conversations going on. And I am told and Manu Raju was told similar that particularly in the Senate, because as we talked about earlier, you need a, if a House member is going to raise an objection, they need a companion to Senate or to stop the proceedings and have two hours of debate that Democrats and some Republicans are trying to convince the Republicans who had planned to object to the next states after Arizona.
We knew that it was Georgia, we knew that it was Pennsylvania trying to convince them OK, enough, back down. Clearly the point was made and we need to move on and we need to wrap this up. The plan is still to try to get back into the Senate tonight, to get back onto the House floor tonight. But those conversations are happening as we speak.
TAPPER: Yes. It means the point is made meaning the lie has been given credence by you protesting House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senator Ted Cruz, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, you have given credibility. And that's why these people are so mad and they're rioting. Congratulations.
I want to go to Manu Raju right now, who last we heard from him he was being escorted through the bowels of the U.S. Senate taken to an undisclosed location. Manu, where are you? Are you safe?
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we are safe. We are in a secure location. We are -- there are lots of law enforcement officers here. And a bit of good news after a chaotic day, law enforcement is now telling the Capitol, saying people, telling people in the Capitol, the Capitol building is now secured. So they feel that the building is now secure. This message coming from the Senate and House Sergeant at Arms, they are the key officials who ensure that the security of this building.
So after some -- after rioters storm this the building, damaged the property and created havoc and been engaged in violent confrontations with police. Now, law enforcement believes that the Capitol building is now secure. So what does that mean going forward? Going forward, it means that they will -- are pushing to get back to their business, to do what they were supposed to do at the onset of the day which is of course, the Electoral vote certification.
[17:55:01]
I'm told various House and Senate sources that there is a major push to get this done tonight, to get -- to go through the proceedings on both sides in the House and Senate, to go through all the -- there are still objections to go through those objections. And as Dana just noted, there is pressure bill building on these House members and some senators who want to object and drag the proceedings out.
Republicans are leaning on some of these members to say property objections. We've just been through this chaotic situation. Let's show the country we're united and get through this quickly. I just had a chance to talk to Senator Roger Wicker who spent a long portion of the day in an undisclosed location with other senators, as they were been in a secure spot.
I asked him, are you urging your fellow Republicans to drop this effort? Wicker said, we are trying to expedite things. Other senators have made that very clear, as well. So Jake, a bit of good news, Capitol building is now secure. And they can hopefully go on, go forward with the business, and we'll see how quickly they're able to do it. No word yet how those individual senators who want to object whether they'll continue to do so but clearly pressures building after this chaotic day to show some unity here on Capitol Hill. Jake?
TAPPER: Yes, it's a surreal. I feel like I'm talking to a correspondent reporting from the, you know, Bogota, the capital has been secured. Wolf?
BLITZER: Yes. It's a dramatic moment, the D.C. curfew is about to take effect three and a half minutes or so from now. But I see a lot of people still walking around Capitol Hill. You know, local police, the National Guard personnel, they're going to be focusing primarily around Capitol Hill trying to get these people off the streets. But it's a really, really dangerous situation that's unfolding right now.
We heard the Mayor, Jake, and her interview with you, Mayor Bowser, making it clear that everyone, almost everyone except that they have authorization from the Mayor herself, they have to be off the streets of Washington D.C. from 6:00 p.m. that's in four minutes or so until 6:00 a.m. But it looks like a whole bunch of people are ignoring that order for this curfew.
Donie O'Sullivan, you're there. I suspect you're seeing a lot of folks ignoring this curfew order as well.
O'SULLIVAN: Hey, Wolf, yes, there are a whole lot of people who still here in front of the police line at the Capitol, perhaps ironically, listening to a Beatle song, "All You Need is Love". We've seen very little of that today.
These folks clearly will not get back to their homes or hotels by the 6:00 p.m. curfew this evening. And we have seen some more police movement in the past few minutes, please, gently trying to push people a little bit further. We've seen some additional police come here to the line.
And we're not quite sure what is going to play out here at 6:00 p.m. But certainly as far as I could see here, there are dozens perhaps over hundred -- I can see at least probably a hundred people in my line of sight here. But there may be many more and they have looked like they have no intention of going anywhere, Wolf, by this curfew.
BLITZER: Donie, have you seen the police actually arresting individuals who may have broken the law, trespass, broken windows, entered secure areas, or are the police based on what you've seen simply trying to disperse these individuals and telling them to get out of there?
O'SULLIVAN: Yes. It looks for the most part that they are just trying to disperse these people peacefully. We did see a little scuffle with police a few minutes ago on the far side of the please line here and somebody who seemed not to be cooperating. They were actually still coming off the lawn of the Capitol. And they seem to be the final few people at least from what we can see on our side, the trespassers to be evicted from the lawn.
But, you know, as you can see here, Wolf, a whole lot of people, a whole lot of MAGA hats. All these people who supposedly love the police do not want to comply with the police orders tonight. And things as we approach this curfew, we may see some movement in the next few minutes. Wolf?
BLITZER: Yes, this curfew is going to affect it a few seconds from now. Let's see what happens. Let's see if the police actually move in Alex Marquardt, you're in a different location. Are folks ignoring the curfew where you are as well?
MARQUARDT: They are ignoring the curfew, Wolf. I just want to piggyback on what Donie was saying that there are a huge, a large number of Trump supporters here. I will say they are entirely peaceful at the moment.
[18:00:02]
There is this long line of Metropolitan Police.
