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The Situation Room
Democrats In Congress Planning To Impeach Donald Trump On Wednesday; FBI Warns Of More Violence Ahead Of Joe Biden's Inauguration; Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf Resigns; No Remorse From Trump; Several Capitol Police Officers Suspended Over Pro-Trump Riot; Interview With Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO); Interview With Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA); Analysis Finds States Abandoning CDC Guidance On Vaccinating Residents. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired January 11, 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]
JAKE TAPER, CNN HOST: She places direct blame for catching the virus on her Republican colleagues who refuse to follow health protocols. Incredibly selfish.
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WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. We're following breaking news.
President Trump now likely just 48 hours away from going down in American history as the first U.S. president to be impeached twice. House Democrats have set a Wednesday vote on an article of impeachment, charging the president with inciting insurrection by goading the mob of his supporters who laid siege to the U.S. capital last week.
And there could be even more trouble for the president. The District of Columbia attorney general now says his office is looking at potentially charging President Trump along with others for inciting violence at the rally that preceded the capitol attack.
And there's more breaking news. CNN has now obtained an internal FBI bulletin that says the bureau has received information indicating armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitals and the U.S. capital in the days leading up to President-elect Biden's inauguration next week.
Lots of news unfolding right now. Let's go straight to Capitol Hill. Our senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju is joining us right now. Manu, walk us through the next few days. They will be very historic and potentially very dangerous.
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No question about it. The House Democrats are moving quickly to impeach Donald Trump, giving him that distinction of being the only president in American history to be impeached twice. This, on the charge of inciting an insurrection after in 2019, he was charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
This charge coming in the aftermath of his actions following the November 3rd elections, his efforts to subvert the will of his voters, all culminating in his efforts and his push to bring that rally to Washington last week and his comments to that violent mob that later led them to come to the capitol and the death of five individuals, including one U.S. Capitol police officer.
Now, the Democrats plan to move in the next 48 hours to bring something to the floor to impeach the president on that one charge. Then, afterwards, we do expect them to have the votes. Democrats are telling me they are there right now. They have a majority support and they expect some Republicans to back it as well.
But after that, Wolf, the question is, what will happen in the United States Senate? The Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, I'm told, is considering using a rarely used move to try to bring the Senate back into session early.
They're out of session right now. He's trying to begin the trial before Donald Trump leaves office, but there's one big catch. He needs the support of the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has indicated that any trial would likely begin when the new Biden administration comes to power.
So the question is, when would that trial take place, if there would be two-thirds majority to convict Donald Trump and if it were to happen after he would leave office, they could prevent him from running for office ever again.
So several consequential days ahead here, Wolf, with the most significant in the next couple of days here, the impeachment of Donald Trump bound to happen by Wednesday, Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes. We know the Democrats are almost completely united on this, but what are you hearing from House Republicans, Manu? What are they proposing?
RAJU: Well, behind the scenes, they're talking about various moves that would stop short of impeachment. They're backing something to show their concern about what is happening. Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican Leader just circulated a letter to his members outlining several different options about what they should do.
One of the main ones that a number of Republicans are talking about is censuring, censuring the president because they believe that there needs to be some response from Congress but stopping short of impeachment. Now censuring wouldn't prevent the president from running for office again, but it would allow the House Republicans who are concerned to voice their displeasure.
McCarthy also suggest other measures including investigating what went wrong, creating a commission to look into that, but he's not going as far as impeachment. He's already raised concerns about going to that, but just the fact that Republicans who have been in lockstep for the most part, behind Donald Trump, are talking about ways to show their concerns, show how much Donald Trump's actions have caused even his closest allies to revolt here, Wolf.
The question though is, will they even get a chance to vote on a censure resolution? At the moment, no, because the Democrats are moving to impeach and that's about it right now, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Manu, stand by. We're getting some very, very disturbing breaking news. I want to alert our viewers that an internal FBI bulletin obtained by CNN now says the bureau has received information indicating planning is now under way for armed, repeat, armed protests at all 50 state capitals and the U.S. capital leading up to President-elect Biden's inauguration a week from Wednesday.
[17:05:05]
Our senior national security correspondent Alex Marquardt is working this disturbing story for us. Alex, there is also a very disturbing video and other information you're getting. Update our viewers on all these late-breaking developments.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, Wolf, the big question after the riots last Wednesday would be what comes next? And we know that local and state and federal officials were all coordinating and monitoring calls online for any other protests, armed or otherwise.
And now we are hearing through this bulletin that we have obtained from the FBI that they have identified a group that has called on others in the case that President Trump was removed from office before January 20th, calling on these groups to carry out more insurrections at local, state, and federal office buildings in all 50 states, 50 state capitals, as well as Washington, D.C.
This bulletin goes on to say that they have also identified and are tracking threats against President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President- elect Kamala Harris and the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUARDT (voice-over): The nation and its capital bracing for more violence in the coming days, including around the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
MURIEL BOWSER, MAYOR OF WASHINGTON, D.C.: Our goals right now are to encourage Americans to participate virtually.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): An internal FBI bulletin obtained by CNN says that armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitals and the U.S. capital in Washington, D.C. in the days leading up to and the day of the inauguration. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser asked that the president declare a pre-emergency disaster citing unprecedented challenges.
BOWSER: Further, I am requested the secretary of the Department of Interior cancel any and all public gathering permits in the District of Columbia.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): The Pentagon announcing today it is more than doubling the number of National Guard troops already mobilized to 15,000 for the inauguration. Five days after the historic violent insurrection at the capitol, new chilling video continues to emerge.
Here, a police officer is being brutally assaulted by the insurrectionist mob. Stomped on and hit with a flagpole as the crowd sings the national anthem and chants "USA."
As the mob tried to force their way into the capitol, another officer was caught in the crush of people, bloodied as he cries for help. The head of the Capitol Police, who has stepped down, told "The Washington Post" before the riot his bosses didn't want him to request to have the National Guard on standby. The Pentagon confirmed that the Capitol Police made no request before Wednesday's events.
JONATHAN RATH HOFFMAN, SPOKESPERSON, PENTAGON (via telephone): Based on that assessment that they had, they believed they had sufficient personnel and did not make a request.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): When the insurrection was under way, former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund told "The Washington Post" that he pleaded five more times for help amid the chaos. The Pentagon responded, according to Sund, that they didn't like the idea of the National Guard in a police line.
The general who was on the phone now denies that, but the decision was made to send the guard shortly after by Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller.
Now the hunt is on for many of the rioters. The FBI and D.C. Police asking the public for help identifying them, like this man carrying the confederate flag through halls of Congress. Others have been named. The bearded man wearing the Camp Auschwitz shirt is Robert Keith Packer from Virginia.
The man in all black with a holster seen carrying plastic restraints is Eric Munchel from Nashville. He was charged with two federal crimes. Also charged with federal offenses was a retired reservist Air Force lieutenant colonel whose name was Larry Brock, who also had flexible handcuffs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARQUARDT (on camera): And, Wolf, so far, there have been 20 people who have been arrested on federal charges. The acting U.S. attorney for D.C. says that hundreds could eventually get arrested, including some for murder.
We should also note that we've just heard from the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, who has said that he has directed the Secret Service to move up its security operations around the inauguration from the day before the inauguration on the 19th, now starting instead, he says, Wednesday, Wolf. BLITZER: Yes. The FBI notes these direct threats now aimed at the
president-elect, vice president-elect and the speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Very, very disturbing. All right, Alex, thanks very much. Let's go to the White House right now. Our chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta is standing by. Jim, you're also getting some new information from your sources about President Trump's thinking right now. What is he thinking?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): That's right, Wolf. President Trump remains in hiding. He's behind closed doors with his twitter account frozen. He has been silent about the insurrection he incited last week, but a source close to the White House says Trump has shown, "no remorse for the storming of the capitol."
[17:10:00
As this source put it, Trump is, "still bitter about losing the election, fueling fears that he could lash out again and put the nation in even more danger." And as for Vice President Mike Pence, a source close to him says the vice president at this point just wants to send a message to the world that the U.S. still has a fully functioning government.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): Nearly one week after he incited an insurrection on Capitol Hill, President Trump is offering no apologies. A source close to the White House says Trump feels "no remorse. He is still bitter that he is losing his grip on power."
Even after the confirmed deaths of Capitol Police officers and his own supporters that followed his incendiary remarks last Wednesday.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength. And you have to be strong.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Vice President Mike Pence arrived at the White House for a coronavirus task force meeting. Sources close to Pence say he's not taking 25th amendment off the table, but there are worries an attempt to remove the president from power would be a risk and might provoke Trump.
One source said the U.S. needs to telegraph to our allies and adversaries that we have a fully functioning government. That's not what some House Democrats were hoping as they're pressuring Pence to force Trump out of office.
REP. DAN KILDEE (D-MI): You know, it's hard to say. Mike Pence, like many of us, were targets of this mob and I have to hold out the hope that he understands that he was left out in the cold by Donald Trump in a dangerous situation.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Republicans are hopeful Democrats don't rush through a second impeachment of the president with some in the GOP claiming Trump has learned his lesson, despite such predictions being wrong in the past.
SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-MO): The president should be very careful over the next 10 days that his behavior is what you'd expect from the leader of the greatest country in the world. Now, my personal view is that the president touched the hot stove on Wednesday and is unlikely to touch it again.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Members of Congress fear Trump extremists will mount another assault on the capitol after some of the president's supporters harassed both Democrats.
UNKNOWN: Who are you?
UNKNOWN: You are looking at me to bend over like (BLEEP).
UNKNOWN: And I'm me too.
UNKNOWN: Yeah!
UNKNOWN: Yeah. (BLEEP)
UNKNOWN: Nobody here voted for you.
UNKNOWN: That's okay.
UNKNOWN: We don't want you.
UNKNOWN: That's okay.
UNKNOWN: We don't want you.
ACOSTA (voice-over): And Republicans after the siege on January 6th.
UNKNOWN: Lindsey Graham, you are a traitor to the country. You know it was rigged. It's going to be like this forever wherever you go for the rest of your life.
ACOSTA (voice-over): With the president isolated and cut off from his twitter account, aides fear what Trump will do next. White House counsel Pat Cippolone and former Attorney General Bill Barr are warning Trump not to pardon himself. Federal prosecutors are not ruling the president as a target in their insurrection probe.
MICHAEL SHERWIN, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Hundreds fled without being stopped. So, of course, it makes our job difficult. That's why we have to re-engineer what happened through cell site data, social media postings, witness statements, cameras, video camera footage. So, this is a process that's going to take a while.
ACOSTA (voice-over): That investigation could also mean even more legal troubles for Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who was inciting the president's supporters as well.
RUDY GIULIANI, PERSONAL ATTORNEY FOR TRUMP: If we're wrong, we will be made fools of. But if we're right, a lot of them will go to jail. So, let's have trial by combat. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (on camera): And, Wolf, we have some breaking news coming into CNN right now. Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of Homeland Security has resigned. Our colleagues who cover that department are telling us that Wolf sent a letter to employees at the department informing them that he is stepping down from that role.
Wolf, one of the things that we should point out about this, is that obviously, this is a complication when it comes to the vice president invoking or attempting to invoke the 25th amendment to force the president from office.
He would need members of that cabinet, obviously, to vote on whether or not to remove the president from office. But if you keep having these cabinet secretaries leaving their roles at their respective departments that makes things more difficult, if the vice president were to choose to go down that road.
We don't have a sense that that is actively going to happen or potentially could happen in the next couple of days. From what we're hearing from the vice president's team, he is leaning against that, because they are worried about that kind of action provoking the president.
And we should also note, aides to the president say that Trump wants to spend part of this week touting what he sees as his accomplishments, including a trip to the border tomorrow to talk about the wall that he put up down there. This is the same wall, of course, that taxpayers funded instead of Mexico as he promised.
But it's unclear whether the president will be put in a position at this point where he will take questions from reporters. Typically, during a trip down to the border, he would be in a position to take questions from reporters, but he has been in hiding from the press for weeks now. So, we'll be watching to see if that happens, Wolf.
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BLITZER: Another cabinet secretary. This one, acting cabinet secretary quits in these final days, nine days to go until there's a new president of the United States. Jim Acosta, thanks very much. Let's get some more on the breaking news right now.
Our chief political correspondent Dana Bash is with us. Our CNN political correspondent Abby Philip is with us. Our legal analyst, former federal prosecutor Shan Wu is with us. And our chief political analyst Gloria Borger, as always, is here as well.
You know, Gloria, let me get your quick reaction to the news that the acting Homeland Security secretary, Chad Wolf, stepping down at this very, very dangerous moment. Betsy Devos, the education secretary, quit the other day, Elaine Chao, the Transportation Secretary, quit the other day. They seem to be running away as quickly as they can.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: They are running away. And I'm just recalling that Chad Wolf called the violence tragic and sickening the other day. And I'm sure that didn't sit well with the president.
So, you know, their relationship was probably frayed. But I think it is quite remarkable when you take a step back and you say, wait a minute. This is the head of the Department of Homeland Security. If ever there were a time to have someone forceful running that department when there are threats all over the country right now, before the inauguration, this is the time.
But instead, he is stepping away and there has to be a reason for it. And I would guess that one of those reasons is that he can no longer tolerate what has occurred and that he doesn't feel he has the support of the president anymore.
BLITZER: You're absolutely right. You know, Dana, let's just get in the secretary of -- the acting secretary of Homeland Security quitting nine days before the end of the Trump presidency, but at a time when just a little while ago, and we have obtained, CNN has obtained this internal FBI bulletin that says, and this is a direct quote from the FBI, "Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitals from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the U.S. capital from 17 January through 20 January."
And they're threatening -- this bulletin also says there are direct threats against the President-elect Biden, the Vice President-elect Harris and the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. And he's quitting right now. It's extraordinary what's going on in our country.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is extraordinary. And the fact that there is crickets from the president of the United States, yes, he doesn't have a twitter account but he's president. He could walk into the briefing room. He could call the cameras in and say I condemn this. I urge people who are considering these assaults not to do it, but he's not.
And the sound of silence isn't just deafening, it is continuing to be very, very dangerous from the president. People around him are trying to kind of get him out the door as safely as possible. But with this kind of threat, he has a responsibility. And the fact that he hasn't shown any remorse, according to our reporting -- I know people I talked to and others as well behind closed doors, it probably isn't a surprise.
One other thing. Yes, it is extraordinary for now three cabinet secretaries or cabinet level positions to leave, but quitting is actually the easy way out right now. What they could do is stay there and help to galvanize the rest of the cabinet for the 25th amendment.
If they think the president is so bad and they think things are so dangerous, they have a constitutional avenue to deal with that. And instead they're leaving.
BLITZER: Yes. You know, Abby, Dana makes a really important point. This is a moment where we're all watching what's going on. It's a very dangerous moment, this internal FBI bulletin is warning of potential violence, very, very aggressive violence at all 50 state capitals, including here in Washington, D.C., and direct threats against the incoming Democratic team. And this is going on right now, which is so, so incredibly disturbing.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And it raises a really important question about whether the country is, in fact, in a steady or good or safe hands for the next eight days. I mean, one of the arguments Republicans on Capitol Hill are making about opposing a fast impeachment is that there's not much that President Trump can do in such a short period of time, but I do think that seems to be increasingly untrue.
There is a huge role for the federal government in protecting the government officials, protecting the United States capitol between now and inauguration and in the days afterwards. And that does require President Trump and his senior level officials to be on board.
And so with the departure of Chad Wolf, I think it really raises the question, who is going to be there to make sure that those protections are in place and that the resources that are needed are there when they are needed.
[17:20:02]
That becomes an increasingly urgent question as we move forward in these final days.
BLITZER: And if all this were not enough, yet there's more breaking news coming in right now. Ryan Nobles is watching what's going on. Ryan, you're up on Capitol Hill. Update our viewers on what you have just learned.
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Wolf. Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, who is a part of a subcommittee that oversees the budget for the United States Capitol Police just told reporters in a press call that is ongoing that at least two Capitol Police officers have been suspended for their role during the riots here last Wednesday.
He talked about one of the Capitol Police officers that was seen taking selfies with some of the rioters and also another Capitol Police officer who was seen wearing a MAGA hat and actually directing some of the rioters through the capitol during the insurrection.
Ryan went on to say that he also believes that there is a third individual who has actually been arrested for their role as it relates to this riot. He wasn't 100 percent sure whether or not that person was a Capitol Police officer or a member of the National Guard.
He said that he was going to find that out definitively and let reporters know about it. But the reason that Ryan brought this to our attention as reporters is because he said that he has been frustrated by the lack of transparency by the members of the Capitol Police Force in the wake of what happened here.
He said that he was talking to the new acting police chief of the Capitol Police, who was just recently installed and she was the one that informed him of these suspensions and arrests and he told her that she needed to get this information out because people just did not know about it and it would show that the Capitol Police was taking steps to rectify the things that went wrong here on Wednesday.
Ryan went on to say in this press call, Wolf, at least 10 to 15 different members of the Capitol Police Force are now under some level of investigation for their role in the riots, whether or not that they were participating or not necessarily doing what they were supposed to be doing to quell the violence.
But this is a significant development, Wolf, that, you know, the people whose responsibility and duty that they had on this day, on the capitol to protect the capitol, the members, the staff people that were, you know, here on Capitol Hill, just trying to do their job, are now being accused of playing a significant role, doing the exact opposite, Wolf.
So we're still trying to learn more information about this, but at least two capitol police officers suspended, another person arrested and 10 to 15 Capitol Police officers under investigation. Wolf?
BLITZER: All right. Good reporting. Ryan, stand by. You know, Dana, it's hard to believe these pro-Trump rioters were storming Capitol Hill and according to what we just learned and we've seen the video, one of these police officers supposedly took a selfie with these really angry, very, very awful rioters who broke through barriers, were illegally occupying various parts of Capitol Hill and another was wearing a Maga hat, Make America Great Again hat that really underscored what's going on here.
It's hard to believe. You worked -- you covered Capitol Hill for a long time. I did as well. These police officers cooperating with these insurgents who came in.
BASH: It's just reprehensible. And it is surprising. You're right. As somebody who walked those halls every day for many, many years, I and others -- I know Gloria feels the same way. I mean, we came to rely on these Capitol Police officers who, you know, were good and are good people for the most part, but rely on them to keep us safe and put the country first.
And by the country, that means not the will and the whim and the lies of the president, but the constitutional duties that everybody has. And it really is disturbing. And, look, we heard Jim Clyburn, the House Majority Whip, say publicly what he said on a conference call. He said it to Jake Tapper on Sunday that he thought that there was some form of an inside job here because his office is not one of those that's got the big name plate on the front like the House Speaker.
That's kind of obvious where that is. His was up on another floor without any kind of indicator, and people knew where it was. And, you know, it's hard enough for those of us who walk those halls to know where all these offices are because it's kind of a little bit of a maze. And so for them to know is an indicator that there's a reason why people were suspended, as Ryan was just reporting. BLITZER: Let me get Shan Wu, our legal analyst into this conversation
as well. A lot of breaking news we're following. Let me get your thoughts also, Shan, on this FBI internal bulletin that CNN has obtained in addition to warning about armed protesters or insurgents trying to storm all 50 capitals, state capitals as well as here in Washington, D.C.
[17:24:57]
It also says that these individuals, the FBI is tracking reports reports, and I'm reading now, Shan, various threats to harm President- elect Biden ahead of the presidential inauguration. And then the bulletin adds additional reports indicate threats against Vice President-elect Harris and Speaker Pelosi.
Just give me your reaction, Shan, because this is sort of incredible that the FBI is now warning that there are these direct threats at these three Democratic leaders.
SHAN WU, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, this is a kind of excellent work by the bureau that we've come to expect. I mean, they are out there all the time, watching, monitoring this. But Wolf, it really underscores the danger that's going on right now.
I mean, the head of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, just resigned. This is a leaderless administration. And, frankly, I think there should be some serious thought given to how they're securing the inauguration and not have it be such a public event.
This investigation looking at whether Capitol Hill police may have been helping some of the protesters, the lack of a head of homeland security, those really raise a lot of (inaudible).
BLITZER: Yes. Everybody, stand by. I want to bring in Colorado Democratic representative, Jason Crow. He's a member of the Arms Services Committee, and let me get your reaction to all these dramatic developments, congressman. Thanks so much for joining us.
First of all, this sudden resignation with nine days left in this administration, nine days left in the presidency, the Acting Homeland Security Secretary, Chad Wolf, resigns -- resigns from his cabinet position, at a time when there are so many threats, not only here in Washington but in all 50 state capitals and direct threats against the president-elect, the vice president-elect, and the speaker of the house.
REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Yes. Well, you know, Chad Wolf's shirking of his duties and responsibilities to the nation and to his oath have been going on for many years now so it's no surprise that when the country needs him to fulfill that duty the most and participate in invoking the 25th amendment, he is stepping down to avoid that responsibility.
But the larger question here, and the immediate question is, how do we deal with this widespread domestic terrorist movement that we saw birthed last week? This was the kind of coming out of this domestic terrorist movement that we're going to have to deal with.
So I'm extremely concerned with making sure that we get President- elect Biden into office on the 20th, but also get the political appointees, get the agency heads and get his cabinet in place as quickly as possible to deal with the domestic terror threat but also the foreign threat that has not abated in that time because we have a lot of adversaries that are looking to take advantage of us during this period of extreme vulnerability.
BLITZER: Yes, get the president-elect safely in office and the vice president-elect safely in office amidst all these threats. So disturbing. Your colleague, Representative Tim Ryan, he has said, and it's very disturbing. He note that two police officers, Capitol Police officers were suspended.
He also has heard that maybe 10 others are now under investigation. Give us your reaction to that. You work there up on Capitol Hill. You deal with these Capitol Police officers on a daily basis. I covered Capitol Hill for a long time. I relied on them for our security, but now there are these serious questions.
CROW: Yes. Well, I also look at this as one of the members of Congress who was trapped in the House gallery for over half an hour as we were surrounded by the mob and we had to escape which was (inaudible).
BLITZER: That would be you. That would be you.
CROW: That's right. So, you know, I very narrowly averted disaster myself and my experience is one of overwhelming courage and bravery by these officers. I think the story that will unfold is that most of these officers did their job. They did it honorably. They did it with courage.
And they were put into a position that they never should have been in. And I'm angry for them. There are, undoubtedly, a few bad apples. We will find them. We will get them out of the uniform, out of the force, and we'll prosecute them if necessary.
But, you know, there's a larger realization that there was a disproportionate number of folks who hold positions of public trust that were a member of that mob. You know, law enforcement officers, current and former military in that riot. That's one of the reasons why I'm going to start a process to ensure the integrity of our law enforcement and our military in the months and years ahead.
And I started it with a letter yesterday to all the chief law enforcement officers in my district, asking them to conduct personnel reviews to ensure that none of the members of their forces were involved in the insurrection on January 6th.
BLITZER: Yes. It was an insurrection.
[17:29:54]
CNN has also, congressman, obtained this internal FBI bulletin on threats to the U.S. capitol and around the country in the days leading up to Inauguration Day. We have a graphic. Let me put it up on the and tell you some of the things that are in this internal FBI bulletin, armed protest plan at all 50 state capitols starting on January 16th through the 20th.
Armed protests planned at the U.S. Capitol from January 17th through the 20th, group calling for storming of government buildings, threats of uprising, if President Trump is removed before inauguration, threats against President-elect Biden, threats against Vice President- elect Harris and the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. This is awful, what's going on and this is an internal FBI bulletin that has been sent out around the country. What's your reaction to that?
CROW: We can't underestimate the level and the severity of this domestic terror movement that is now sweeping the country. We have to address it. And we have to address it head on. But we are now in day five. After an insurrection that took over the United States Capitol, there hasn't been a single federal law enforcement or military briefing about what happened.
And let's just think about that for a minute. And you look at all the crises our country has encountered before. And we, with this one haven't had a single briefing. So that, of course has made me very angry. I personally reached out to the Secretary of the Army over the weekend, and had a 40-minute phone call with him yesterday.
And I told him after that phone call that I was going to release the notes of our conversation, because I thought it was important for the country and for the Congress and for our democracy for that information to be out in the public, which I did. I released that information yesterday.
But it is far past time for our national security officials and our law enforcement to start communicating with the American people about the nature of this threat and what we need to do to overcome it.
BLITZER: Yes. I totally agree. I've covered a lot of threats here in the United States over the years. And whenever it is, we hear not only from the President, but from all the top officials, sometimes not just on a daily basis, but almost hourly on what's going on because the American people have a right to know how serious the situation is.
I know you plan to vote to impeach President Trump when the House votes on this resolution. And it will almost certainly happen on Wednesday. It will almost certainly get more than 218 votes in the House of Representatives. This president will be the first President in American history to be impeached twice. So what message are you sending with this historic second impeachment?
CROW: What we're sending a message to the world to all of dictators and autocrats and desk bots that we will not tolerate this type of action in the United States of America. We're also sending an action or a message to the American people that the United States Congress is working, and we're working for them that we are here, we will not be intimidated, we will not be bullied and that these actions have consequences. And third, we are doing our duty stepping up to fulfill our ought in leading in the absence of leadership in the executive branch to ensure our domestic security and our national security and get the job done. Now the larger question is the referral to the Senate and a Senate file. And I just talked about earlier, the need to make sure that we get a Cabinet in place and get political appointees in place for President Biden. That has to be the first priority. And I want to see that done first, before a trial has commenced in the Senate.
BLITZER: And I've read the resolution, the impeachment resolution. And let me just read the conclusion of this resolution because these words are so strong. The resolution says that President Trump quote, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law.
Those are your incredibly strong words. Some are suggesting that a Senate impeachment trial could potentially derail the Biden presidency. He's almost certainly going to be impeached in the House. But then there has to be a trial in the Senate for him to be removed. He'll be removed in days anyhow. So what's the point of actually having a trial in the Senate?
CROW: I just couldn't disagree more with that idea that somehow defending our democracy and responding to an insurrection in upholding a rule of law and good government is somehow unethical to getting work done. That's just not the case. We have an obligation to do that. And we will also govern.
We will address the pandemic. We will address, second, the economic crisis, the disparities, our national security issues, the ongoing Russian breach, because let's not forget that we actually have an ongoing cyberattack on our country that has not closely been resolved yet.
We will address all of those because we have to and that's our responsibility. So we will find a way to do it. And, you know, I always will reject this kind of false choices between doing one thing or doing another when we have the capacity, when we have the obligation to do both.
[17:35:04]
BLITZER: We've just learned, by the way, Congressman, that the Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not completely rejected this idea that was floated by the Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy that perhaps instead of an impeachment resolution, you guys in the House of Representatives simply consider a censure resolution. She says that is no longer under any consideration. I assume you agree with your Speaker.
CROW: I do agree with that. I mean, this President is clearly a clear and present danger. And, you know, less than a year ago, I was getting ready to prosecute the trial in the United States Senate is one of the impeachment mentors. I knew then, I knew before then that this President was a danger, not just to our democracy, but an actual danger to the American people into our national security and that he wasn't fit to hold office. That trend has continued. It has gotten worse. He is not a stable man. He is a violent man.
And every hour that he sits in the White House is an hour where the American people in the world is less safe. So I will not rest until we ensure that he is removed from office as quickly as you possibly can, using whatever tools are rather disposal. And that Vice President or President-elect Biden is safely in place. And we have an administration that can ensure the domestic security.
BLITZER: And I know there's enormous, enormous concern among you and your colleagues of what this President might do in the next nine days while he's still President of the United States. So Representative Jason Crow, thank you so much for joining us. Are you OK? I know you went through hell during that storming of Capitol Hill, are you all right now, any post-traumatic stress?
CROW: Yes. I'm doing OK. You know, I'm somebody who I lead over 100 combat missions as a ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan. And what I learned during that period that, you know, trauma affects everybody, nobody is immune. It affects me and everybody. It affects everybody differently.
So I'm working with my colleagues and journalists and staff and others who were trapped with us in the chamber for that time to work through that. We will be fine. We will work through it together. And we'll lead. And we're going to take that experience. We're going to channel it into positive energy and action to be the leaders that our country needs right now.
BLITZER: Yes. It's one thing to have to deal with that in Baghdad or Kabul. It's another thing to have to deal with that in Washington, D.C. Congressman, good luck. Thanks so much for joining us.
CROW: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: The breaking news continues here in THE SITUATION ROOM, President-elect Biden weighs in on threats of armed protests in his inauguration next week. Plus, more on the FBI bulletin about armed protest at the U.S. Capitol and 50 state capitols. We have new information. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:41:36]
BLITZER: There's more breaking news we're following. President-elect Biden has just weighed in on President Trump's looming second impeachment and how it could impact his agenda. Our senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny is in Wilmington, Delaware covering the transition for us. Jeff, is the Biden team concerned that an impeachment trial in the Senate that would interfere with his ability to get things done in the immediate period after he takes office.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, they absolutely are. But they also realize that impeaching or punishing the President in their view is the right thing to do. And they can't stop anything that is going on right now in the Congress. But of course, President-elect Joe Biden wanted to focus on the vaccination rollout. He wanted to talk about his economic plan. He was hoping to pass in the opening days of his term.
So they're looking for a variety of options, including one where the Senate could perhaps work on COVID and impeachment at the same time. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: We go half day on dealing with the impeachment and then half day getting my people nominated and confirm in the Senate as well as moving on effectively. So that's my hope and expectation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible).
BIDEN: I don't know. I haven't gotten an answer from the attorney yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: So Mr. Biden talking to reporters there here today at a hospital just outside of Wilmington after he got his second COVID-19 vaccination. But he was talking about the possibility of the Senate doing double duty of, you know, going forward with the impeachment proceedings if the House passes the article this week which they are certainly expected to do, as well as passing some type of a COVID release bill. But that's an open question if they can do these two things at once. But the reality here is this is still going to hang over the opening days of the Biden presidency, regardless, Wolf.
BLITZER: Certainly is. All right, Jeff Zeleny in Wilmington, thank you very much.
We're joined now by Democratic Representative Cedric Richmond of Louisiana. He's the co-chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Congressman, thank you so much for joining us. I know you've just revealed the theme of the inauguration. And I want to discuss that. But let's begin with the security concerns that we're now learning about.
We're learning that armed protests according to an internal FBI bulletin that CNN has obtained our plan for next week at all 50 state capitols, including here in the U.S. Capitol and there are direct threats in this bulletin that have been received, threats against the President-elect Joe Biden, the Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Do you share the President-elect's confidence in inauguration security, first of all, because a lot of us are worried?
REP. CEDRIC RICHMOND (D-LA): I do. Secret Service has been working on this for over a year. There are a bunch of partners now, the National Guard, homeland security, Mayor Bowser in D.C. along with others will all join forces together to make sure that this event is safe, not only for the President and Vice President-elect and the dignitaries but for everyone associated with it. So yes, I share confidence that we can hold a safe inauguration.
BLITZER: I hope so. The Inaugural Committee, the Presidential Inaugural Committee also just revealed the theme of President-elect Biden's inauguration is America united, America united. Why did you decide on that particular theme, right at this very sensitive moment?
[17:45:01]
RICHMOND: Well, remember it's why Joe Biden ran for President. It was Charlottesville. It was him watching them come out of the woods with torches and yelling all kinds of anti-Semitic vile and racist chants. And so he got into race because he wanted to unite the country, restore the soul of America, build back better, and bring forth a bigger and better middle class and help everyone.
And so America united symbolizes that, everything from just unity of spirit and cause but unity in terms of economic empowerment and reducing disparities and the wealth gap and all of those things. So I think it's a very fitting theme for what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris stand for.
BLITZER: Yes, we all remember those Neo-Nazis at Charlottesville, when they were marching and chanting Jews will not replace us. And now here over the past few days, we've seen some of these Neo-Nazis show up on Capitol Hill wearing sweatshirts with Camp Auschwitz on discussing with hard to believe this is going on in our country right now.
The President-elect is calling for unity and making that a central part of his -- he certainly made that, as you correctly pointed out a central part of his campaign. But given what's going on, Congressman, the incredible division we're witnessing right now, how real realistic is that unity, at least in the short term?
RICHMOND: Well, look, it's going to be hard. And as a person, I was in the Capitol that day who's still upset and angry about the actions. However, I think that if you're looking for one person who could unite the country, that's Joe Biden, especially with Senator Harris as his running mate. I think that they can lead by example, but it's going to be hard. We're going to have to heal this nation. And I think that he can do it. But you -- they will do it by leading by example. And I think that that is the key.
But to the extent that there are people who don't want to come along, we will unify those who want to be unified, and we're going to move this country forward. We will not stay in paralysis based on a small number of people who can't get hate out of their system and just can't move past it. And no matter what this current President does, to incite it, to create division and all of those things, we will come together as a country.
BLITZER: Yes. The sad thing, though, Congressman, is that I'm not so sure it's a small number of people. It looks like it's a lot more than just a small number of people. One quick question before I let you go, in addition to being in charge of the Inaugural Committee, you're the incoming Senior Advisor to the President, you're the Director of the Office of Public Engagement, you're going to be giving up your House seat. What specifically is your number one goal when you go and make the transition from the legislative branch to the executive branch?
RICHMOND: One is to engage with the public, as in to engage with our constituencies, be transparent, seek their input, and make sure that they understand that they are a part of this government. We want to make sure that we listen to everyone and everyone has a meaningful way to participate.
Another thing is to accomplish the President's goal, and that is to get this health pandemic under control, to deal with the crisis of the economic disaster that we're in right now, break down systematic racism and deal with climate change. And so we have an unlimited list of tasks ahead. But those are the four that we highlight. And you also -- we have to deal with immigration and other issues. So it's to hit the ground running, but one to lead by example, and be purposeful.
BLITZER: And you got the coronavirus pandemic, which is a disaster right now as well. Congressman, good luck to you, thanks so much for joining us.
RICHMOND: Thank you for having me, Wolf.
BLITZER: And stay safe out there. These are really, really delicate moments in our country's history.
[17:48:56]
Coming up, more than 25 million coronavirus vaccine doses have been distributed throughout the United States. But only 9 million Americans have been vaccinated. What is going on? We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're following multiple breaking stories including the U.S. coronavirus death toll now topping 375,000 people with more than 22.5 million confirmed cases. And tonight, the country is struggling with vaccine distribution. Joining us now Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and a member of the FDA Vaccines Advisory Committee. Dr. Offit, thanks so much for joining us.
As the U.S. continues to struggle with vaccine distribution, a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation, five states are actually abandoning CDC guidance on vaccinating residents is that more, is that a sign of more dysfunction that's likely to come?
DR. PAUL OFFIT, DIRECTOR, VACCINE EDUCATION CENTER, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: I think where people are right now is they have vaccine and they just want to get it out there. So instead of doing what they're being asked to do, which goes through 1A tier, 1B tier, 1C tier, they're just trying to get it out there. At some level, it's understandable, at some level, the more people that are getting vaccine, especially two doses of vaccine, that's more people who then aren't going to transmit this virus and we get a greater and greater level of herd immunity. So at some level, I understand it.
BLITZER: There's a lot of variation, as you know, from state to state. Why have some states been relatively successful administering these vaccines but others are so struggling?
OFFIT: You know, we don't have a public health infrastructure for mass vaccination. And what you're seeing I think is we're learning to do that. Some states are learning to do it more quickly than others. But I am really optimistic that we're going to be able to do it. We're already at about 500,000 doses a day. I think we're going to be able to meet the sort of President Biden, the President Biden's, you know, roughly a million doses a day. And I think we can do better than that and can do better than that soon.
[17:55:16]
BLITZER: Do we need to radically simplify the criteria for who's eligible for a vaccine in order to speed things up? What's so heartbreaking is some of these vaccines they're sort of dying on the shelf, they're getting stale.
OFFIT: I think that's what's happening on the ground. I think just as you said earlier, people are basically making the decision, just get as many people vaccinated as they can.
BLITZER: As they should, because this is life savings, maybe 4,000 Americans a day are dying right now. We got to get the vaccine out there. Dr. Offit, thanks for everything you're doing. Thanks so much for joining us.
OFFIT: Thank you.
BLITZER: There's more breaking news. We're following very disturbing information in the internal FBI bulletin that CNN has obtained that says armed protests are now being planned at the U.S. Capitol, as well as in all 50 state capitols in the coming days.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. We're following breaking news.
[17:59:55]
A new warning that the deadly Capitol riot could potentially be repeated at multiple locations around the United States, the FBI now says it has information indicating armed protests are being planned at the U.S. Capitol.
