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Virginia Man Arrested In D.C. With Handgun, 500-Plus Round Of Ammo At Checkpoint For Area He Was Not Authorized To Enter; Biden Plans To Sign Dozens Of Executive Orders In First Few Days; Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) To Send Article Of Impeachment To Senate Next Week; Governors Lash Out At Feds After "Reserve" Doses Disappointment; Capitol Hill, All 50 State Capitols Tighten Security Amid Warnings Of Armed Protests; Life After White House For Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired January 16, 2021 - 17:00   ET

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

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[17:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. This is a special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM.

The breaking news we're following right now here in Washington, D.C., a Virginia man arrested with a gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in an area of downtown Washington that he was not authorized to enter according to a police report and law enforcement sources.

This as the nation's Capitol right now is under the highest alert. Police and federal agents bracing for potential violence in the short time remaining until Joe Biden is sworn in as the next president of the United States on Wednesday.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is up on Capitol Hill for us. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is over at the White House. Shimon, we're getting more information now about the arrest of this Virginia man, what it says about the scope of the potential threat here in the nation's Capitol. Update our viewers.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly, Wolf, it does do that. This man was trying to enter a zone. And according to our CNN reporters, is that when he tried to enter the zone, he was not authorized. Secret Service, law enforcement police checked against a list and when they looked at the list, his name wasn't on the list, and so he wasn't authorized to enter.

What then happened was they found that he had a weapon in his car, a gun, a 9 millimeter glock, and as you said, over 500 rounds of ammunition. And so he was arrested and does not appear right now, at least, that it's unclear what kind of threat he potentially posed. We don't really have much more information on what he was doing in the area and what made police so concerned about him initially. There were some indications that he may have had a gun in his car based on their conversation with him and based on some other things that they had seen and so they arrested him. But that's just highlights the intense security around Washington, D.C. As you can see behind me, there are National Guard troops and these military trucks all over D.C. at various checkpoints and intersections.

And, essentially, one of the things that we've been told by law enforcement is that they are concerned about vehicles, people bringing cars into areas to possibly store weapons and even explosive devices. That is something that has law enforcement very concerned and that's why we're seeing so many intersections across Washington, D.C., close down by heavily armed National Guard troops and military vehicles.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, I'm just looking at the police report, the public incident report as it's called, Shimon, 509 rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition, 509 rounds, 21 12-gauge shotgun shells as well. In a magazine is the glock. It's very disturbing. Someone is driving coming into Washington trying to get through a secure area and is arrested and charged with these kinds of potential crimes.

What else are we learning about -- if anything, about this individual, background political perspective? Do we know anything at all about this individual?

PROKUPECZ: Yes, we don't know much more, Wolf, about this individual. We know his name, it's Wesley Allen Beeler, he's from Virginia. But we don't know much more.

There are indications that he liked guns and weapons and that may be was one of the things that they're either decals or something that police noticed on this man's vehicle and so they asked him questions about whether or not he had any weapons in the vehicle and he did tell law enforcement that.

But that's really it. We don't know much more about his background or anything about him and if anything about politics or anything else. In fact, really, Wolf, we don't even know what he was doing in the area. Did he get lost somehow? Was he trying to go somewhere?

There has been this traffic around D.C. because of all the closures, things have really changed a lot and so perhaps, it just -- what doesn't make sense is that someone would try to go through checkpoints such as this with a gun inside. It's kind of mind-boggling, given all the security that we have around us, the extra security everywhere.

So, certainly concerning because he had this weapon on him, this gun, he had all this ammunition on him, but we just don't know enough to say, okay, well, was he up to no good?

[17:05:06]

Was there something more to all of this?

BLITZER: Yes. The police report says the suspect was found to be in possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition. The suspect was subsequently placed under arrest.

Stand by, Shimon. I want to go to Jeremy over at the White House. What, if anything, are you hearing about this from the White House? Anything from the president, as security clearly is tightening to the maximum level here in Washington?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, on the president's daily schedule for today and for tomorrow, all it says is that the president has no public events and then it has that note that we know comes from the president himself claiming that he is having many calls and many meetings from morning until night.

One of those meetings, it appears today, could be with his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who just a half hour ago was spotted arriving at the White House by our photojournalist, Khalil Abdallah. So we know Rudy Giuliani, who has been spewing many of the president's false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, falsely claiming that this election was stolen from President Trump, he is now at the White House meeting with the president with less than four days left in President Trump's term in office.

But otherwise, the president has been silent. He has been silences on social media, of course, and he is not saying anything in public. Instead, it appears, that the void of presidential leadership is being filled at the moment by Vice President Mike Pence.

It is Pence and not President Trump who we saw days ago meeting with National Guardsmen who are protecting the Capitol. It was Pence who was at FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Administration to be briefed on inauguration security. And it was also Pence who called his incoming successor, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, to congratulate her on her victory in the 2020 election and to offer his assistance going forward.

That is something that, traditionally, vice presidents and presidents, outgoing vice presidents and presidents do to show their supporters, to show the American public that the peaceful transition of power is under way and that the incoming administration is legitimate. But that is something President Trump has refused to do thus far.

But one thing we are hearing, Wolf, is that President Trump is certainly looking to have a grand sendoff as he leaves the trappings of the presidency behind. The president expected to leave for Florida on Wednesday morning. That is inauguration day. And we're told that he's asked aides to prepare for some kind of military sendoff, whether that happens at the White House or at Joint Base Andrews remains to be seen.

BLITZER: All right. Jeremy, thank you very much. Shimon, thanks to you as well.

Let's discuss all of these dramatic and critically important developments with the former attorney general under President George W. Bush, Alberto Gonzales. Attorney General, thank you so much for joining us. As you've heard, we've just learned very disturbing details about the arrest of this Virginia man in Washington, D.C. First of all, what do you make of this and what does it indicate to you about potential threats leading up to the inauguration?

ALBERTO GONZALES, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL UNDER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, I think in and of itself, it's obviously very concerning. But combined with the events that we saw on January 6th, I think it's a reminder that law enforcement and military, we need to have our A game coming into next week because there are obviously -- this particular individual, the fact that he had fake credentials and unregistered weapons and ammunition tells me that he was up to no good and perhaps he was part of a plot sent in to test how difficult it would be to actually breach the perimeter.

I'm sure that, currently, this person has been questioned. I'm sure his home is being searched, his neighbors and friends are being contacted. Social media communications are being vetted. And so, you know, obviously, we still have a lot of unknown information but it's something that we should all be very concerned about.

BLITZER: Yes. I'm sure we'll be learning a lot about this individual in the coming few hours.

Yesterday, Attorney General, the federal prosecutor here in Washington, D.C., said that they will not be offering pre-deals to anyone charged with crimes related to the Capitol Hill insurrection. What do you think of that approach?

GONZALES: I think -- really, I have to defer the prosecutor in terms of they have obviously a much better idea of the evidence that exists and they know much better the leverage points to put upon individuals and, of course, you want to go from the lowest of person in importance to people up the chain. And so the strategy is always going to be dependent on the facts, upon the evidence that individuals have.

Obviously, it appears that there's quite a bit of visual evidence, evidence that's been captured by video, but, again, I would have to be very deferential to the local prosecutor because they know certainly better than I the current picture.

[17:10:00]

BLITZER: Yes, that's a good point.

A U.S. intelligence bulletin obtained by CNN says that far-right extremists view what happened in Washington, the Capitol insurrection, as we're calling it, as a success and a motivator. Is this show of force we're seeing in D.C. right now, 25,000 National Guard troops, thousands and thousands of law enforcement, Secret Service and others deployed, do you think that's enough of a deterrent?

GONZALES: Again, Wolf, I would think that it would be sufficient. I don't know how determined, how imaginative, although people can be very imaginative. But I think it is a very strong deterrent. I think we can take some comfort in the fact that this individual from Virginia was stopped. I'm actually more worried about what might happen in other state capitols, quite frankly, because I know there will not be the same level of deterrence, of visible deterrence available in most of the state capitols. And so I have more concern about that.

And I'm hopeful and confident that the FBI and our federal law enforcement are commuting with state counterparts all across the country to make sure we prevent anything similar to what we saw on January 6th happening at the state level.

BLITZER: If President Trump, Attorney General, were watching us right now, watching you specifically, what would you say to him? How could he ease these awful tensions that have erupted here in the United States before he leaves office?

GONZELS: You know, the only thing he would need to do, as far as I'm concerned, he would either have to say that he lied about the election being stolen, that there was not massive fraud or that he was mistaken. And I think he's more likely to blame someone else and say, I received bad information.

I think that is critical, Wolf. I personally believe there has to be accountability, what happened with respect to what happened on January 6th, but I also believe that the president needs to acknowledge reality. And I think until that happens, it presents a serious challenge for President Biden to be successful.

And President Biden has got to confront the issue of COVID, he's got to confront a sagging economy, people out of work with little economic hope and, plus, having to deal with this group that believes the election is stolen, causing loss of confidence in our government, in our system of government. To me, again, I think the number one thing that President Trump could do is to acknowledge that the election was not stolen.

You know, one thing I'm very curious about, as you know, Wolf, traditionally, the outgoing president leaves a letter for the incoming letter in the desk and I'm very curious whether or not President Trump will follow that tradition and leave a letter for President Biden and I'm also very curious what that letter might say.

BLITZER: Yes. And, normally, under almost all circumstances, the outgoing president is there at the inauguration to show that there's a peaceful transfer of power. It happens all the time, and this president has decided he's going to leave the White House earlier Wednesday morning and not show up at the inauguration. The vice president, Mike Pence, will be there but this president, unless he changes his mind, won't be there. That's significant in and of itself.

Alberto Gonzales, I appreciate it very much. Thank you so much for joining us. Stay safe out there.

GONZALES: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: And this important note to our viewers, join Anderson Cooper for a look at the people who helped pull off the Capitol insurrection. Who are they? And the amid ongoing threats, where are they now? The new CNN special report, the Faces of the Trump Insurrection, it airs later tonight, 10:00 P.M. Eastern.

You're here, you're watching a special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM. President-elect Biden ready to sign executive orders on first day in office, rolling back some of President Trump's policies.

Also ahead, the House could send President Trump's articles of impeachment to the Senate next week, making for a juggling act to confirm Biden's cabinet nominees. I'll speak to Congresswoman and impeachment manager Madeleine Dean. She is standing by live. We'll discuss when we come back.

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[17:15:00]

BLITZER: CNN is learning that President-elect Joe Biden is set to hit the ground running as he plans to sign dozens of executive orders within his first few days in office.

Let's go to CNN's Arlette Saenz in Wilmington, Delaware. She's covering the Biden transition for us. So, Arlette, what exactly will these executive orders do?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Biden team is unveiling a host of executive actions that he is preparing to sign a very busy few days and weeks expected in the early days of the Biden presidency. And President-elect Biden's incoming White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, released a note today outlining some of those executive actions, many building on promises that Biden made during the campaign.

And on that first day, right after his inauguration, the president- elect will be signing roughly a dozen executive actions and I want to run through some of those items that he will be addressing in those first hours he's in office. Some of these executive actions will be undoing some of the policies from the Trump administration.

One thing that Biden will do right away is rejoin the Paris climate accord. That is something that President Trump withdrew from while he was in office. The president-elect is also planning to rescind that ban on travelers from predominantly Muslim countries. You'll remember that that was rolled out in the early days of the Trump administration.

[17:20:04]

Now, the president-elect is also going to be issuing what they are calling a 100-day masking challenge. And while the president-elect wants to promote mask wearing, he can't exactly require it across the country. But where he can require it is in federal buildings and interstate travel. So he will be signing an executive action related to that.

And then there are two other items addressing some issues that really hit American families hard during the pandemic. He wants to extend the restrictions on evictions and foreclosures and also extend that pause on student loan payments and interest.

And this is just really the start. That's just day one. Ron Klain talked about how there will be a number of other executive actions coming in the days and the weeks to follow, in addition to some of those legislative priorities that the president-elect is hoping to push through Congress.

He is planning to send an immigration bill to Congress within his first 100 days in office and you'll remember earlier this week, he unveiled that $1.9 trillion COVID stimulus relief deal that he's hoping that Congress can get to work on very quickly.

But what you're seeing from the president-elect and his team is really making it clear that they are ready to hit the ground running on January 20th after he's sworn in as president. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Arlette, thanks for that update, Arlette Saenz In Wilmington, Delaware.

Also looming over Biden's first days in office, the impeachment trial of President Trump. Let's discuss with Congresswoman Madeleine Dean. She represents the fourth district in Pennsylvania. She's also an impeachment manager.

Congresswoman, thanks so much for joining us.

As you know, Democrats so far have been pretty tight-lipped about the strategy for this upcoming Senate trial. When will we know, as far as you can tell us, when this will actually get under way?

REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): Well, that is entirely up to the speaker of the House to present the article of impeachment. The Senate is not in session, as you know. They returned this coming week, so the timeframe, I believe, will be soon, but that will be triggered by the decision of the speaker of the House.

BLITZER: As a House impeachment manager, you're going to be working on this, obviously. Have you already decided whether you will call witnesses?

DEAN: Well, you know what, I won't preview our strategy. We have been working, I'm really honored, Wolf, to be a part of this team, so ably honorably led by Jamie Raskin. We're a team of nine and we're friends and colleagues and we respect one another. So we're working hard. Not one of us will preview our strategy.

In terms of witnesses, what I think is so obvious is that you were a witness, I was a witness. The world witnessed what took place here. So there are an unaccountable number of witnesses. I was actually in the gallery, in the Capitol at the time of the attack and went through that series of chilling warnings with the banging on the doors of the ground floor of the House and then the breaking of those doors. We were witness to this as were the senators.

BLITZER: How scared were you?

DEAN: I was terrified. I really was. In the beginning, I don't know if it's a defense mechanism, but I thought, surely, they won't be able to come here. I had no idea the numbers. But I will tell you, when they finally -- the first instruction was to sit down, then it was to get down on the ground, either kneel or lie down, I find myself going to the front row of the gallery to be behind that front wall and then they told us to take out our gas masks and then they told them to put them on.

I was terrified. I had a chance to talk to a couple of family members and sadly, I scared them, but it was absolutely terrifying.

And let's remember what happened here. The president incited an attack by Americans on Americans in a desperate grab to hold on to power. He threatened the constitutional stability of our democracy. And he didn't do it on just any day of the week. He invited the mob to the White House on the 6th of January, the day he knew we would be in a joint session of Congress performing our constitutional duty to certify the election which he was so desperate to undo, that he would unleash an insurrection.

It's so shameful. I can't believe this is where we are but it is where we are and I take my solemn duty with great responsibility and a heavy heart.

BLITZER: I know you're back home in Pennsylvania right now, but I assume you'll be coming back to Washington for the inauguration. Is that right?

DEAN: I am coming back to Washington. I am not sure when I'm coming back. I understand travel within the city is difficult but I'll be coming back to Washington very early this week.

BLITZER: Because I've spoken to some of your colleagues. You know, they went through what you went through and they were terrified as well. Some of them continued to suffer from a little post-traumatic stress. Are you suffering right now?

[17:25:00]

Are you okay?

DEAN: I think I'm okay. I will tell you, I slipped into about four or five days of utter anger. I think that's probably a natural part of the process. But then when the speaker called me and asked if I would serve as an impeachment manager, I have to tell you, that has galvanized me.

But I will be aware and pay attention to signs of PTSD, as every one of us should be. I have to tell you on our caucus calls, we have a couple of doctors among our ranks and they have said that very, very kindly. Pay attention to yourself and pay attention to your surroundings and how you're feeling.

But for right now, I am pouring myself into the important job at hand, which is to try this president for the high crimes and misdemeanors that he is guilty of and make sure that he is convicted, prohibited from ever running for office again and send a message to the world that this insurrection was just an aberration and this week with the new president and President Biden and Kamala Harris, brighter days will be ahead.

BLITZER: Are you at all concerned that some expressing concern the Senate trial potentially could step on President-elect Biden's first days in office, what do you think about that? Should it be delayed in order to give him a chance to get all of his cabinet nominees confirmed to start dealing aggressively with new legislation on coronavirus, infrastructure, the economy? There's so much work that needs to be done.

DEAN: There's so much work that needs to be done. The Senate is capable of doing both, walking and chewing gum at the same time. And in President Biden and Kamala Harris, I see a team so prepared, if anybody was, to have to deal with the number of crises at hand. So it is not as though we have the luxury of just dealing with one thing or another. We have a pandemic with nearly 400,000 people dead, thousands of people dying a day, we have an insurrection incited by the outgoing president and we have the promise of a new administration.

So I believe we must and we can do all of it and President Biden will be capable of sharing that work product and making sure that he gets his cabinet under way, he gets his initiatives under way as he's rolled out but also that we live up to our constitutional duty.

He's a former senator. He knows exactly the role that they must play. If there were ever a president capable of handling this calamitous time, it's Joe Biden.

BLITZER: Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, good luck to you. I'm glad you're feeling OK. Thank you so much for joining us.

DEAN: Thank you, Wolf. Take care.

BLITZER: Thank you. Stay safe out there.

States are clearly scrambling right now to find more coronavirus vaccine doses after the Trump administration revealed it doesn't, repeat, doesn't have a stockpile anymore for that second dose. So what happened?

Stay with us. Information you need to know when we come back.

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[17:32:28]

BLITZER: Let's get the latest now in the coronavirus pandemic, and it's not good.

Despite the promise by the Trump administration to release extra vaccine doses to states, the fact is that the government sadly has no more reserved second vaccine doses. They've already been distributed. The news blindsided so many state governors who were creating plans to

administer their vaccines.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): It is not debatable that the United States did this more poorly than any nation on earth. They were lying. They don't have any doses held back.

GOV. KATE BROWN (D-OR): Let me very clear. This is deception on a national scale.

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): What we really need is a new administration. We need President Biden, and the secretary to restore some confidence and sanity to this to figure out what the hell is going on, and if they have extra doses, to get them out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: In the meantime, vaccine maker, Pfizer, says it does have second doses of coronavirus vaccines ready to ship as needed. So what is going on?

Joining us now, the epidemiologist, Dr. Abdulrahman El-Sayed. He's an expert in this area. He's also the former Detroit health commissioner. He's the co-author of a new book entitled, "Medicare For All, A Citizen's Guide Moving Forward."

Dr. El-Sayed. Thank you so much for joining us.

Some news we just receive in THE SITUATION ROOM, and listen to this. This is from New York State.

Seven million residents of New York State are right now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but only 250,000 doses are expected next week. That's a stunning shortage.

What is going on? How do we fix this vaccination rollout?

DR. ABDUL EL-SAYED, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, FORMER DETROIT HEALTH COMMISSIONER & AUTHOR: I'll tell you what, we need leadership. And, gratefully, we've got a change in administration next week.

But here's the thing. The incoming Biden administration is undoubtedly inheriting a mess. It's clear this current administration doesn't really quite understand what the pipeline is.

And because their approach to this was to leave it to states, to drop off the vaccine at the doorstep and let them do what they did, there was no real coordination.

So the clear thing we need from the next administration is to get the pipeline and take hold of the pipeline. Clearly, we need to take out all the stops. We need to use all the

federal government's resources to get vaccinations done, to get vaccine into arms.

There's a clear plan that the Biden administration has or President- Elect Biden has pushed forward, putting $400 billion toward this effort. Really activating FEMA and activating the National Guard.

[17:35:03]

And all of these things make sense because this is a national emergency.

And the most important thing we can do is get vaccines into arms right now, on top of the basic things we need to do as individuals to protect ourselves.

BLITZER: Yes, I mean, so many lives are at stake right now. And 3,500 Americans died yesterday. Almost 400,000 Americans over the past nearly year have died from COVID, 400,000 Americans.

President-Elect Biden has announced what he's describing as a very ambitious plan to vaccinate 100 million Americans in his first 100 days.

Dr. El-Sayed, do you think that's possible?

EL-SAYED I think it's possible but it will take a huge amount of work.

This is one of the scenarios where it's not that you get to build the plane and then fly it. They've got to inherit a plane that's been flown poorly, falling apart, and then rebuild it while it's in the air and take it to a new level. That's what's in front of the situation right now.

Fortunately, they've got some of the best in the business. People like Bechara Choucair, who is a former health commissioner in Chicago, one of the brightest people in public health, leading the vaccine charge.

So it's possible but this is going to be a huge lift.

And what's critical here is it's not just about the supply. It's also about the demand.

At this point, as you mentioned, a lot of folks waiting in line to get a vaccine. But there are a lot of folks who said they're questioning the vaccine, and largely because of disinformation.

So we've not only got to address the supply chain but take on that disinformation that's leaving people, who are truly eligible to get this vaccine and should get it, wondering whether or not they should.

So we're going to have to take this thing on at multiple levels. And I think the administration is up to it, but it is going to be a big lift. BLITZER: Also true, last August, the President Trump started saying

we're rounding the turn, everything is going to be good, rounding the corner. That was clearly false.

It's worse than ever. The numbers of cases and hospitalizations, deaths, they are climbing steadily.

And guess what, Dr. Abdulrahman El-Sayed? A new model predicts the pandemic peaking in February, next month. It also predicts -- listen to this - 567,000 U.S. deaths by May 1st.

When you hear that, Dr. El-Sayed, what's your reaction?

EL-SAYED: It's astounding, Wolf.

I remember being a junior in high school when the planes hit the Twin Towers on 9/11 and remember thinking, wow, 3,000 people lost their lives on U.S. soil.

We're losing more than 3,000 people a day right now. Think about 567,000 casualties in a little bit more than a year. Those are unconscionable numbers.

So we've got to be serious about that the fact that sometimes big numbers can undercut the tragedy of every single individual who's lives we're talking about.

So we have to step and realize that every one of those people, every single one had people they love. They had things they enjoyed. Their lives were cut short.

We have to start taking this serious as individuals. Even as this new administration is coming on, doing the things they need to do to bring this pandemic, God willing, to an end.

BLITZER: As I often say, these are not just numbers. These are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. People we love. And they have died because of this COVID pandemic.

Dr. Abdulrahman El-Sayed, always important to hear your perspective. Thank you for joining us. Stay safe out there.

EL-SAYED: Wolf, Thank you.

BLITZER: When we come back, it's not just D.C. locking down. Several state capitols are shutting their doors leading up to the inauguration on Wednesday. They have deep fears of violence.

Stay with us. We'll be right back.

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[17:42:51]

BLITZER: Right now, from the capitol to all 50 state capitols, law enforcement is on high alert as new threats of violent protests emerge.

In fact, more than a dozen states have already activated their National Guard in the coming days, including Michigan.

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, the capitol is closing tomorrow out of an abundance of caution.

We have our CNN correspondents on the ground in both of those states. Miguel Marquez is in Pennsylvania. Sara Sidner is in Michigan for us.

Sara, I understand the mayor of Lansing, Michigan's capitol, the telling residents to completely steer clear of the capitol area. Tell us what's going on there.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, it's really quiet right now. They're preparing for what they believe will be a militia march tomorrow that may end up here.

But I'm give you an idea. It's a beautiful capitol here in Lansing. But it's one that will be closed now from Monday to Thursday because the capitol police have said, or the police said here in Lansing that, actually, there has been a credible threat made against the capitol.

Which meant that the legislators, in an abundance of caution, have decided that they are not going to be doing the people's business this next week.

They will be in a safe place for themselves because of this threat. Especially after what we, as Americans, all experienced on January 6th there in D.C.

You also are well aware that there's already an alleged plot to kidnap the governor and storm this very capitol and take it over.

This fall, several people charged and arrested in that plot, both federally and charged by the state with terrorism charges.

So there are a lot of reasons to be worried here in Michigan.

We have also seen a lot of security. We're seeing the state police constantly circle the building all day long. And we know that the National Guard has also been called up.

I want to make clear of one thing. I've talked to a lot of experts who track extremism in this country.

One of them with the Anti-Defamation League made clear, this is just the beginning. What you saw in D.C. isn't going to end, no matter what happens this weekend or doesn't happen this weekend.

Their mentality of the folks and the mass radicalization of folks has happened and we're going to have to be prepared for these kinds of events more and more here in this country -- Wolf?

[17:45:04]

BLITZER: That's so, so disturbing.

Sara, stand by.

Miguel Marquez is in Pennsylvania's capitol city of Harrisburg for us.

What about over there, Miguel? How are officials preparing for potential threats?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They've called in a lot of security forces from the federal government to the state government and 450 National Guard members across the entire commonwealth is what they have on tap.

Part of it to protect this building here. Because while there's lots of threats, there's nothing specific.

They are not blocking off. All they have are the orange barriers, no access beyond that point. It will be closed tomorrow through the inauguration.

One thing they will do is close these streets down right in front of the building to cars so that protesters can come out here.

Pennsylvania, an open-carry state like Michigan. They are very accustomed to having protests here over the last year.

There's been tons of protests over COVID-19 restrictions and then over the election and the outcome there. Many people do carry long guns and other guns to these protests.

One thing that officials are concerned about is a counter-protest coming along and mixing it up with the Trump supporters. That's one thing they'll try to keep those two groups apart if it happens -- Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Miguel, thank you.

Sara, thanks to you as well.

We stay in close touch with you on what's happening in those two state capitals, and so many others as well.

When we come back, while Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump may be clearing out their offices at the White House, their own political careers may just be starting. We're getting some information you may want to know. We'll share it with you when we come back.

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[17:51:14]

BLITZER: Since the horrific events of January 6th here in Washington, President Trump has watched his approval ratings plummet. When he leaves office on Wednesday, he will do so with what is expected to be the worst first-term approval rating in U.S. history.

And some of his family members are also dealing with the fallout.

After four years as prominent White House advisors, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, are leaving Washington under a tornado of negative press.

So what kind of future awaits them?

CNN's Kate Bennett is following the story for us and doing excellent reporting on all of this.

You've recorded, Kate, Jared and Ivanka were already being shunned by their former friends in New York City. How much worse potentially has it gotten?

KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I think at this point, Wolf, beyond the sort of social pariahs that they may be when they return to New York, certainly not what they were when they left four years ago, they're worried about the bigger picture, the Trump brand.

This is something that has kept the family afloat, as we all know, for several decades.

At this point, it's sort of irretrievably tied to the events of last week and the end of this administration.

Even the achievements of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. But to be fair, Ivanka Trump has had success with the child credit. Jared Kushner has had success in the Middle East.

It's hard to talk those things up when the image the world has of the end of this administration is something really horrific.

BLITZER: Do we know that they're going back to New York City right away? Because there have been reports that they bought a lot down in Miami, right?

BENNETT: Right. So CNN has confirmed that they bought a 30-million plot land. They intend to build a home, sources tell me, a protected estate. That will take some time.

Meantime, there's talk of them perhaps returning to New York where they still have their apartment, or Bedminster, where they keep a home there, as well or perhaps going abroad, perhaps going to Israel. These are all question marks.

And Florida, though, looks like it could be the headquarters for the Trump family moving forward.

Ivanka Trump has made it no secret that she would explore perhaps running for something herself.

Marco Rubio's seat is up in 2022. This is a hot rumor that she could challenge Marco Rubio. And the Trump name still carriers weight in Florida.

That could potentially where she's headed, Wolf. BLITZER: If she wants a run against Marco Rubio in 2022 and challenge

him in a Republican primary, she would have to, presumably, be living in Florida.

I assume they could move to Mar-a-Lago, the president's resort there in Palm Beach, right?

BENNETT: Right. So there's also space at Mar-a-Lago. However, you know, that's going to be the future home of President Trump and first lady, Melania Trump. So it could feel kind of tight and cozy.

If she wants to run for governor of Florida, she has to live in the state for seven years, per the state's constitution. She could have a little more wiggle room.

We've seen people all of the time move to states where they don't necessarily live permanently and run for office. And some have done so successfully.

So certainly having established Mar-a-Lago, buying land in Miami, building there, I think the opportunity for her to run against Rubio, if that's what she chooses to do, will be a very interesting race.

A very high-dollar, a very contentious race perhaps, and something that political forecasters are looking at. And I know she is, too.

BLITZER: Very quickly, what are you hearing about the first lady, Melania?

BENNETT: Melania Trump has essentially abdicated her role as first lady. We didn't hear from her during the riots. We didn't hear from her for five days after the insurrection, when she put out that statement that expressed condolences for some of the rioters who died.

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She sort of complained about how she was being treated.

It wasn't exactly the statement, the consoler-in-chief kind of role that the first lady sometimes has. Very like her.

This, for Melania Trump, will be unfortunately part of her legacy as this administration is ending -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Excellent reporting from Kate Bennett, as usual.

Kate, thank you so much for joining us. We'll continue to follow these developments.

There's more breaking news that's unfolding now. The U.S. Postal Service says they're planning to remove several of its blue mailboxes ahead of the inauguration. There are concerns out there.

Much more after this.

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