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The Situation Room

Trump Focuses On Pardons And His Sendoff; Looming Trump Impeachment, Economic And Pandemic Challenges When Biden Begins His Presidency; Interview With Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC); Shocking New Video Shows Mob Incited By Trump, Offering Fresh Evidence Of His Culpability; FBI Vetting National Guard As Pentagon Chief Says "We Are Leaving No Stone Unturned In Securing Capital"; Biden Begins Inauguration Week As Volunteer At Philadelphia Food Bank For MLK Day Of Service; U.S. Surpasses 24 Million Coronavirus Cases, Nearing 400,000 Deaths. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired January 18, 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]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. This is THE SITUATION ROOM special report and we're following breaking news.

The nation's fortress capital and the country at-large bracing for an unprecedented transfer of power. Historic precautions are being taken ahead of president-elect Joe Biden's inauguration less than 48 hours from now.

Among the truly extraordinary measures, the FBI is now vetting the 25,000 National Guard troops assigned to secure the event even as the acting defense secretary says there's no intelligence indicating an insider threat, adding, and I'm quoting now, we are leaving no stone unturned in securing the capitol.

We're also following new developments in the capitol siege. More than 80 people are now facing federal charges and some 300 cases have now been opened.

And tonight, a disturbing new glimpse inside the siege, shocking video released by "The New Yorker," shows previously unseen images of the mob incited by President Trump and offers fresh evidence of his culpability in the attack.

We begin this hour with the latest on the investigation. CNN's Brian Todd is working the story for us. Brian, the scope of this huge probe is growing by the day.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It keeps getting wider and wider, Wolf. And the security posture keeps getting tighter by the hour. Here you've got armored personnel carriers National Guardsmen at a key intersection not far from the capitol building as we approach Inauguration Day.

Tonight we have new information on the investigation on suspects being pursued and on the threat matrix. We do have to warn viewers that this piece contains language which some viewers may find offensive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): The nation's capital is a fenced-in fortress tonight as security concerns continue to grip the city. Barricades and fencing, checkpoints and road closures, armored personnel carriers on several corners. Four bridges from Virginia into D.C. Will be completely shut down and some 25,000 National Guard forces taking positions around Washington.

Those who will guard the U.S. Capitol during president-elect Biden's inauguration are now being vetted repeatedly in an attempt to head off any insider threats.

DANIEL HOKANSON, CHIEF OF THE NATIONAL BUREAU: In coordination with the Secret Service and the FBI they're screening all the personnel that are coming in.

TODD (voice-over): Though tonight, the acting defense secretary says they have no intelligence indicating an insider threat among the National Guard, but there are new concerns over the number of riot suspects with law enforcement and military ties, including one army reservist who federal investigators say has secret level security clearance and a long record of posting his extremist views online.

GREG EHRIE, FORMER FBI DOMESTIC TERRORISM OFFICIAL: This is a serious threat and this could branch out because more than likely he was not involved in this alone, in this belief system, and could potentially involve other members of the military as the investigation continues.

TODD (voice-over): Disturbing newly released video from "The New Yorker" magazine shows insurrectionists storming the capitol, pushing through the halls, threatening police officers.

UNKNOWN: You are outnumbered. There's a (BLEEP) million of us out there and we're listening to Trump, your boss.

TODD (voice-over): The video shows rioters moving through hallways, pounding on doors.

TODD (voice-over): Where the (BLEEP) are they?

TODD (voice-over): Seemingly on the hunt for members of Congress.

UNKNOWN: Where the (BLEEP) is Nancy?

TODD (voice-over): At one point, rioters are seen rifling through congressional documents inside a chamber, even seen taking pictures of documents with their phones.

UNKNOWN: There's got to be something in here we could (BLEEP) use against these scumbags.

TODD (voice-over): One of them seems to be inspired by Republican Senator Ted Cruz.

UNKNOWN: I think Cruz would want us to do this so, I think we're good.

TODD (voice-over): Then a Capitol Hill police officer comes into the chamber and pleasantly asks the mob to leave.

UNKNOWN: Is there any chance I could get you guys to leave the Senate wing?

UNKNOWN: We will. I've been making sure they ain't disrespecting the place.

UNKNOWN: Okay. I just want to let you guys know, this is like the sacredest (ph) place.

UNKNOWN: I know.

CHARLES RAMSEY, FORMER WASHINGTON, D.C. POLICE CHIEF: He's doing the best they can under the circumstances. I mean, they are terribly outnumbered. He's trying to kind of persuade them to leave. He did mention, you know, just how sacred that chamber really is. Not that it mattered to most of them.

TODD (voice-over): A court case against one of the alleged rioters' raises the possibility that a laptop was stolen from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office to potentially sell to Russia. It's not clear if a laptop was actually taken.

[17:05:00]

Also facing charges tonight, a woman photographed holding Pelosi's name plate. A man said to have captioned a selfie, "outside Pelosi's office." And an alleged member of the far-right group, Three Percenters, carrying a bat.

The Capitol Police chief who resigned after the insurrection says an organized attack was not anticipated.

STEVEN SUND, FORMER CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF: We expected demonstrators with some potential for violence, not a directed, coordinated violent attack for the nation's capital. I mean, I consider those two different things.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Now, while investigators continue to make arrests in connection with the capitol attack, one former FBI official we spoke to, Greg Ehrie, says he is concerned about far-right extremist groups like the Oath Keepers, the Three Percenters and other groups combining forces to possibly coordinate attacks in the future. "The Washington Post" reporting today the FBI is focusing particular attention on those groups. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Brian, thank you. Brian Rodd on the scene for us. Thanks very much. Let's go to the White House right now. Our chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta is joining us. Jim, this city clearly on edge. The country, in fact, is on edge. The coronavirus pandemic is at its worse right now. Its worse that it's been, yet, there's absolutely no sign of the president of the United States.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): That's right, Wolf. Donald Trump remains in hiding, less than two days before he leaves office in disgrace as a twice impeached president. Trump has not appeared in front of the press in six days as he meets with advisers behind closed doors, plotting his last-minute pardons and a departure ceremony that polls shows many Americans are hoping will be a one-way ticket out of Washington with no return.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): Less than 48 hours left in office, this is President Trump's view from the White House. Signs for the Biden/Harris inauguration are now visible on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Refusing to attend his successor's inaugural, Trump is expected to exit the scene early Wednesday morning with a departure ceremony at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.

According to the invite to the event, the ceremony's attendees are allowed to bring up to five guests each. As one White House adviser put it, he wants a big turnout. Though the crowd won't be anywhere near the size of the gathering the White House lied about four years ago.

SEAN SPICER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Trump has avoided the cameras for six days. Instead he's meeting with attorneys behind closed doors, as he is expected to issue more than 100 pardons before stepping aside. At the moment, pardons for himself and his adult children are not expected.

Though, as one adviser quipped, he could write it on a napkin before leaving the OVAL OFFICE. One lawyer who may no longer serve on Trump's legal team, Rudy Giuliani, as he still faces questions for his role in inciting the crowd that stormed the capitol on January 6th.

RUDY GIULIANI, PRESIDENT TRUMP's PERSONAL ATTORNEY: 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!

ACOSTA (voice-over): Trump allies are urging the president to steer clear of pardoning any rioters.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): You interrupted a joint session of Congress. You tried to intimidate us all. You should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and to seek a pardon of these people would be wrong. I think it would destroy President Trump and I hope we don't go down that road.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Those Trump loyalists are warning a post- presidential impeachment trial would only further divide the country, but Democrats aren't buying it. REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): This was the most serious presidential crime

in the history of the United States of America. The most dangerous crime by a president ever committed against the United States. And there are Republicans who are recognizing it as well as Democrats.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Other members of Congress wants to cut off Trump's access to intelligence information after he's gone.

SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): There's a grave danger of him inadvertently or willfully revealing classified information that would compromise sources and methods and there's no upside. There's no reason that he needs to have this information.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Some Republicans would like to see an investigation into GOP lawmakers who are accused of egging on the insurrectionists, including Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley.

REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): I do and I think that any person of any party, in any chamber should be held accountable. They should be investigated to the fullest extent of the law.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Trump will leave office with the lowest approval rating of his presidency at just 34 percent, which explains why the outgoing vice president called for national healing.

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have faith that the day will come when we put these challenging times in the past and emerge stronger and better than ever. We will heal our land. We will renew our strength, and the best days for the greatest nation on earth are yet to come.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (on camera): And even after the events of the last two weeks, Trump is leaving office, still lying to himself and others that the election was stolen from him.

[17:10:03]

A White House adviser said aides to the president have explained to him on numerous occasions that there was no evidence that he was cheated out of a second term. As this adviser puts it, he still thinks it was stolen and he won. Wolf, what a disgraceful way to go out. The president still suffering from these delusions when the fact of the matter is, if you look at the polls, the American people just want him to go. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes. He will be the first president in 152 years who will not attend his successor's inauguration -- 152 years with three presidents before him. All right, Jim Acosta, thank you very much.

We're also following the historic second impeachment of President Trump and the fallout for his successor. Let's go to our senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju. Manu, walk us through the latest timing of this impeachment and how that might actually impact the start of the new Biden administration. MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, once

this trial starts in the United States Senate to determine whether or not Donald Trump should be convicted on a charge of inciting and insurrection.

That will dominate the chamber's agenda, which is why the timing is so critical and why Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, has not said precisely yet when she will formally transmit that article of impeachment that was approved by the House, by a bipartisan majority including the support of 10 Republicans.

When they will be transmitted from the House over to the Senate, which would kick start the process the next afternoon is when the formal process would begin.

But at the same time, the Biden administration has got other things on the agenda, namely trying to fill out the president-elect's cabinet. Several nominees are going through confirmation hearings tomorrow, but they need to get votes in committee, and also votes in the full Senate.

In order to get a vote in the full Senate, they need full cooperation of all 100 members in order to schedule votes on the nominations, but all afternoon, the afternoons, once the trial will begin, will be dominated by that trial.

The impeachment managers will make their case followed by the president's defense team. There will be questions about whether they will bring in witnesses which could prolong the trial even further. So, a lot is riding on the timing of this trial.

And of course, the big question still remains whether Republicans will break ranks, convict Donald Trump, prevent him from ever running for office again, but the trial needs to start first and it's still uncertain when that would happen just yet.

BLITZER: All right. We'll find out fairly soon, I suspect, Manu. Thank you very, very much. Let's get some more on the breaking news. Joining us now, our chief political analyst Gloria Borger and our chief national correspondent, the anchor of "Inside Politics" John King.

John, you and I have covered a lot of these presidential inaugurations over the years. Did you ever expect you would cover one quite like this?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely not. Wolf, this is number nine for me. It will be the fifth in which you have a transfer of power from one president of one party to a president of different party.

Remember back in 1992, Bill Clinton came in after winning that three- way race with Ross Perot just 43 percent of the vote. It was a giant question. Could he unify the country?

In 2001, it was George W. Bush. He lost the popular vote. He was president only because of the Supreme Court. A giant question, could he unify the country? But nothing like this. Nothing like this.

Joe Biden will take office after a convincing win, let's make that clear. But in the middle of a pandemic, with an economy bleeding jobs, two weeks to the day after the insurrection in the capitol building that will be right behind him.

One week to the day to the second impeachment of Donald Trump in that capitol building that will be right behind him and with the continuing denial of the president who is leaving town. Donald Trump won't be there. He continues to deny the results. He continues to be rude to Joe Biden. He won't even talk to him about the transfer of power. No, nothing like this.

BLITZER: Yes. And Biden won by more than 7 million votes in the popular national vote. You know, Gloria, President Trump remains in seclusion now for the sixth straight day. We know he is ignoring the responsibilities of his role. You've been doing a lot of reporting on this. What is he doing?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: He's cordoning himself off from most people, except for apparently the MyPillow guy, whom he met with, and perhaps his chief of staff and his White House counsel.

He is sulking. He is still telling people that he believes he won the election, Wolf. And he's keeping an enemies list. He believes that those people who voted to certify this election, those Republicans are now his enemy.

They are not defenders of the Constitution. They are his enemy. So, when he boards that plane, he will take his list, he will take his grievances all the way with him to Mar-a-Lago.

BLITZER: You know, John, we could soon cross the threshold, this is so sad, 400,000 Americans dead from the coronavirus over this past year. There are some 25,000 National Guard troops arriving already -- either already here or on their way to the nation's capital.

But the number the president appears to care about most is the size of the crowd the White House is trying to gather to see him off Wednesday morning at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington. What does that tell you?

KING: Well, one thing it tells you, Wolf, sadly, is that this president is consistent. This has been from day one to the end, the man in the mirror presidency. That's all he cares about, the man in the mirror.

[17:15:02]

Think about what you just said. This is a fortress capitol right now. That is because of that insurrection. That is an indelible stain on Donald Trump - 400,000 Americans dead from COVID. This is the president who ignored the science repeatedly, ignored the experts repeatedly. He ignored his own people repeatedly.

He said back this was going to disappear back in April, right? Think about this, since the election, just in the 76 days since the election, 60 percent of the COVID cases, the new cases here in the United States, 3,000 people, more than that dying every day.

How many times have you heard President Trump talk about COVID since the election? You can't find it. You can't find it. This is a president who has ignored the pain of his people, ignored the deaths of his people and focused on himself. Period.

BLITZER: Period, indeed. You know, Gloria, come Wednesday at noon, less than 48 hours from now, President-elect Biden will inherit the many, many challenges his predecessor is leaving behind. Is the Biden administration prepared for this truly historic moment? What do we know about where the priorities lie?

BORGER: Well, we certainly know, to John's point that the priority lies squarely with getting vaccines into people's arms and defeating COVID, because as Biden has said time and time again, you know, you can't fix the economy unless you fix COVID. So that is clearly what they're going to do.

Obviously, they've got a bunch of executive orders they're going to sign on day one. They're going to rescind the Muslim ban. They're going to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, and they've got a $1.9 trillion stimulus package that they're going to present to the Congress.

And that, of course, includes an extra $1,400 for people above the $600 that they've already gotten as part of stimulus. Part of that is reopening schools, spending more money on getting people vaccinated. These are the things Biden knows he's got to do and most important what he has to do.

And they know it. And I was talking to a Biden adviser about this last week. What they have to do is show stability and show competence and show a different temperament from the one we have been used to for the last four years.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, John. If you look at this latest poll is, he leaves office, his approval rating at only 34 percent -- only 34 percent of the American public approve of the job he's doing, which is pretty pitiful. But among Republicans, you know, he's still doing well. And among his supporters, a huge chunk of them believe the election was a fraud.

KING: And so that's the competing tension in the Republican Party. His standing among Republicans is down some from 94 to about 80, his approval rating. If you are Mitch McConnell, if you are Ben Sasse, if you are Mitt Romney, if you are Liz Cheney, you're hoping that number continues to drop and the spell that Donald Trump has had on the Republican Party for four-plus years now begins to evaporate.

But you're absolutely right. The insurgents who stormed that building, they were carrying Trump flags. They wearing MAGA hats. They say they were doing it because the president invited them to Washington. He did get 74 million votes. So this is the new chapter that's just opening, Wolf. We're closing

the chapter on the tumultuous, many would say toxic Trump term, but we're opening a new chapter where we don't know the answers. How influential can he be?

He is banned from twitter, but he has several hundred million dollars he raised lying to his supporters, again, saying that was going to be used to contest the election. Instead, he put that money in a pot he can take with him when he leaves.

But we don't know the answer to that question. We know he is diminished. We know he is wounded. We know his legacy is stained by two impeachments, a pandemic and that insurrection. But we don't know the next chapter and that's something we're going to have to watch.

BORGER: You know, and Wolf, the Republican Party is a party that has been owned and operated by Donald Trump for the last four years. Now they're heading back to Capitol Hill and it's a whole new world out there.

They're untethered from him and they have to figure out how they operate in a post-Trump presidency and how they're going to behave without Donald Trump at the helm because they have been his, and now they have to figure out who they are without him.

BLITZER: Yes. And as Ron Klain, the incoming White House chief of staff said yesterday, the president-elect is inheriting a real mess. We'll watch all of this together with you guys. Thank you very much Gloria and John.

Up next, Washington, D.C. tonight, a fortress city, less than 48 hours ahead of the inauguration. We'll talk about that with the number three Democrat in the House and a chairman of the Biden inaugural committee, Congressman Jim Clyburn. There you see him. He is standing by live. This is THE SITUATION ROOM special report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:00]

BLITZER: We're now less than two days away from President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, but Washington, D.C., this city where I am resembles an armed fortress and Congress is preparing for President Trump's second impeachment trial in the Senate. We'll have to deal with that.

Let's discuss all that's going on with South Carolina Democratic congressman, Jim Clyburn. He is the House Majority Whip as well as the chairman, a chairman I should say, of Joe Biden's inaugural committee. Congressman, thank you so much for joining us.

As the chairman of this inaugural committee, have you been briefed on security threats to Wednesday's events? What's the latest you can share with us?

REP. JIM CLYBURN (D-SC): Well, thank you very much for having me, Wolf. I have not been in the briefings. As you know, the position I hold is mostly honorary. We have a great staff. They are present in Delaware state and HBCU. There's a CEO of all of this and Mr. Allen is doing a great job. He has been doing all the briefings. I really have asked not to be brought into all of that.

BLITZER: Let's turn to the impeachment. As you know, Democrats, they're going to need all 50 Democratic senators to agree to -- they're going to need at least 50 senators to agree to split the day between the impeachment trial on the senate floor and the Biden legislative agenda, including confirming cabinet nominees.

[17:24:51]

If that doesn't happen, do you think the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, should hold back the article of impeachment indefinitely until all of these other pressing issues cabinet nominations confirmed, all the issues involving coronavirus, the economy, they can deal with that immediately and then worry about the trial down the road?

CLYBURN: Well, you know, that was my initial thought until I looked back on the first impeachment. The spent the day. All of the impeachment stuff took place after 1:00 in the afternoon. I don't know what they were doing in the morning, but they'll be able to fill the mornings with regular business and get both of these things done simultaneously. And I suspect Nancy Pelosi will be working very closely with the new administration in order to make sure that nothing gets hampered.

BLITZER: Yes. I totally don't see why they can't do a lot of real business in the morning, do the impeachment trial in the Senate floor in the afternoon and do some more business after the trial at night. It's so, so critically important, these senators and I'm sure you agree with me. They should be working hard to get the people's business done.

You played, congressman, a very pivotal role in helping Joe Biden win the Democratic nomination. You urged Biden to pick a black woman as a running mate. You've influenced Biden's decision making on a diverse cabinet. What advice are you giving him now, if you can share with us, as he looks ahead to his first 100 days in office?

CLYBURN: In spite of what a lot of the reading has been to the contrary, Wolf, I believe very strongly in bipartisanship. I want to see Joe Biden do what is necessary, try to get legislation done in a bipartisan way. Try to find common ground. Help bring this country back together.

If you look at almost every bill that I have ever proposed, it's been with Republican co-sponsorship. I believe in that very strongly. However, I have said to Joe Biden that I do feel that when he lay out his agenda, invite participation from the other side.

If they're going to be recalcitrant, if they're going to throw up roadblocks, go on without them. Use your executive authority if they refuse to cooperate. That is what Abraham Lincoln did to start dismantling slavery. That is

what Harry Truman did to stop the integration of the armed services. All these things were done by executive order. So you can do great things and you can do great things and you do things that are lasting.

Nothing has been more lasting than the emancipation proclamation. Same thing with integrating the armed services. So I think that Joe Biden should lay out his proposal, invite cooperation. If they give it, work with them. If they don't give it, work through them.

BLITZER: Yes. Someone who has covered Biden for many years, not only when he was vice president, but earlier when he was a U.S. Senator. I know that's exactly what he wants to do. He wants to try to find some bipartisan cooperation to get important issues resolved. Representative Clyburn, good luck to you. Stay safe out there. We'll stay in touch. Thanks for joining us.

CLYBURN: Thank you very much for having me.

BLITZER: Coming up, a closer look at the very disturbing new video of the pro-Trump mob raging through the U.S. capitol. Did it have help from insiders?

Plus, there are new worries about what problems the faster spreading variant of the coronavirus will cause right here in the United States. New information coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:33:08]

BLITZER: Tonight, we're getting a very disturbing new glimpse inside the Capitol siege (ph). Shocking video released by the New Yorker shows previously unseen images of the mob incited by President Trump and offers fresh evidence of his culpability in the attack. Our Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez is working the story for us. Evan, these writers felt they had the backing of the President and some Republican senators. Tell us what we're learning.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf. This is emerging from some of the court documents as well. For the 80 cases that we've seen so far, you see repeatedly, the FBI makes clear that what these people at least say they're doing is they're following the instructions of the President who said go down to the Capitol, and from some of his allies. You'll see in this video, a reference made by Larry Brock, who's a retired Air Force Colonel who was in there with some zip ties. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) you're the fucking (INAUDIBLE) that's out there.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, it's a P.R. war, OK? You have to understand it's I.O. war. We can't lose the I.O. war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're better than that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's got to be something in here we can fucking use against these scumbags.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America's republic -- no, this is good stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, we have been fooled.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hawley, Cruz.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Cruz would want to do this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I think we're good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: And you hear Larry Brock there talking about that this is some kind of intelligence operation, Wolf, that's, again, sort of -- the picture that's emerging from some of the court documents we've seen so far in these cases.

BLITZER: Yes, those images are so, so disturbing.

[17:35:02]

They also capture how the Capitol Police were completely outnumbered and overwhelmed, don't they?

PEREZ: Absolutely. You can -- you almost -- you can see the faces of these officers who are, in some cases, fearing for their lives. Take a look at this other clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let the people in.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It ain't safe or you guys.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love you guys. Take it easy.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any chance I can get you guys to leave the Senate wing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will. I'm just making sure they ain't disrespecting the place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. I just want to let you guys know this is like the sacredest place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now that you've done that, can I get you guys to walk out of this room, please?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would greatly appreciate it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like you're pushing the line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: And, Wolf, if you can hear one of the officers there say there are five of you and there's one of me. He's begging them to leave. And, again, some of this is coming out in some of the court documents, as prosecutors make clear that these people knew that they were not supposed to be there, that they forced their way in and they broke the law.

BLITZER: I can only imagine the reaction from people around the world looking at what happened here in the nation's Capitol in Washington, D.C., wondering, is this really the United States of America? Evan Perez, thank you very, very much.

Let's get some analysis on all of these. Joining us now, the former FBI Acting Director, CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst, Andrew McCabe. Andrew, so what's your reaction to these incredibly disturbing scenes?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Wolf, it's revulsion and surprise in the same way it is for everybody else. But for me, having seen and worked on a number of terrorist events and having, you know, dealt with extremists for the majority of my career in the FBI, you know, watching these videos really reminds me of the assault on our compound in Benghazi. It's very similar, you have a mob of extremists who are completely taken over by this mob mentality and a rampage through the structure, you know, taking things that they think are of value.

And, you know, you can see that the -- in the Capitol, you see the absolute glee and almost ecstasy on their faces as they march through like, you know, victorious warriors or something. It's really shocking.

BLITZER: It's so shocking and revolting, especially those of us who love Capitol Hill, who love the Congress and have covered it for so many years. As, you know, by now, the Acting Defense Secretary said there's no intelligence on insider threats to the inauguration. But still he says the FBI is vetting National Guard troops involved in guarding the capitals of 25,000 have been deployed here to Washington. What specifically do you think they're looking for?

MCCABE: Wolf, I would expect that they're looking for any individuals who might have had a connection to terrorist investigations or cases on right-wing extremists, or any of the many right-leaning extremist groups that we saw take part in the assault on the Capitol.

And that can be done fairly quickly by looking at readily available online resources for the FBI. So they can look at criminal records, checks, things of that nature, they can look to see if the names and dates of birth of the people who've been assigned to the security detail already exist in FBI holdings. That's probably one of the things they're looking at.

It's really -- it's the responsible thing to do I think under the circumstances. And I'm not surprised they're taking that step.

BLITZER: The Biden administration isn't ruling out the prospect of cutting off President Trump from receiving highly classified intelligence briefings when he leaves office. The tradition is, former presidents do continue to receive those kinds of briefings from time to time. From your perspective, former Acting Director of the FBI, what are the potential risks they need to weigh?

MCCABE: Well, I think they need to weigh that quite obvious risk of what would the president or then former president do with that sort of sensitive information. I think he has a fairly well-established track record of not handling intelligence with the sort of care and consideration that we asked for from people who have top secret clearances.

And he shared confidential intelligence, Israeli intelligence with the Russians in the Oval Office. He has numerous occasions indicated, he doesn't have much respect for the process. He's threatened to reveal and declassify all sorts of sensitive and important government intelligence.

[17:40:06]

So, I think that that's a valid inquiry to understand. Does will he have a need to know, and will he handle that stuff responsibly?

BLITZER: Yes, that's one reason why some, some foreign intelligence agencies, services refused to hand over to the U.S. very sensitive intelligence information, because they were afraid it would reach the hands of the President. And they were nervous about what he might do with that kind of sensitive information, especially if involved, what they call sources and methods, how the U.S. or other countries --

MCCABE: That's right.

BLITZER: -- collect that kind of information. Andrew McCabe, thank you so much for joining us.

Coming up, a preview of Joe Biden's first day on the job, including some very dramatic reversals of major Trump era policies. We'll update you on that when we come back.

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BLITZER: On this Martin Luther King holiday, President-elect Joe Biden volunteered to help with community service at a food bank in Philadelphia. His job will get significantly harder on Wednesday. CNN's Arlette Saenz is joining us from Delaware right now. She's covering the Biden transition.

Arlette, Biden is what, just two days, less than two days away from his inauguration noon on Wednesday. What's his agenda for day one?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, President-elected Biden plans to get right to work after his inauguration on January 20th. And that starts with signing roughly a dozen executive actions.

[17:45:03]

Some of these executive orders will undo policies of the Trump administration including rescinding the ban on travelers from Muslim majority countries, along with rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement. Biden will also sign executive actions that continues that pause on evictions and foreclosures and also federal student loan payments during the pandemic, and the President-elect will also sign a mask mandate for federal buildings and interstate travel, and that is just the start. Over the course of the first 10 days of Biden's presidency, he plans to sign and unveil more executive actions.

And one thing that's interesting is that Biden is about to take office without any of his Cabinet nominees in place. Some of those hearings, the very first ones are slated to start tomorrow. But one thing that is going to complicate possibly confirmation is that Senate looming -- that looming Senate impeachment trial, as the President-elect is hoping that the Senate will also be able to push through his nominees during that period.

BLITZER: You know, he arrives here in Washington, I think tomorrow afternoon at some point. Walk us through what's going to happen in the next two days?

SAENZ: Well, there will be about two days of festivities, but tomorrow night, it starts with a COVID-19 memorial. There will be a lighting around the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial as the President- elect and Vice President-elect and their spouses want to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives due to COVID-19 over the past year. And then Wednesday, that inaugural celebration really begins and the President-elect has been insistent that he will be taking the oath of office on the west front of the Capitol, even amid concerns over security threats. But there will be a host of activities over the course of that day. The Inaugural Committee today announcing that singer -- country singer Garth Brooks will be performing. And so that's just one of the things to look forward to as the inauguration approaches.

BLITZER: We'll watch it every step of the way. Arlette, thank you very, very much.

There's more breaking news coming up next. The United States right now on the verge of 400,000 coronavirus deaths, as the number of cases explodes over the past 24 hours. Number of cases now exploding past 24 million, in fact.

Plus, more and more developments verging on President Trump in disgrace and in seclusion for a sixth straight day amid anxiety about the transfer of power.

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[17:52:00]

BLITZER: We're also following breaking pandemic news tonight. The United States has now surpassed 24 million confirmed coronavirus cases and the country is now rapidly nearing 400,000 confirmed deaths over the past nearly one year. Our National Correspondent Erica Hill is joining us. Erica, California I understand is being especially hard- hit right now in this terrible surge.

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and we've really been following this progression over the last couple of weeks, Wolf. And today California became the first state to surpass 3 million confirmed cases. Now, more than a million of those are in Los Angeles County. Were one in 10 have been infected with the virus although health officials say that that could actually be as high as one in three. All a reminder that the virus is still surging.

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HILL (voice-over): First, the good news, testing is up. The daily average of new cases is down in 35 states over the past week, hospitalizations also on the decline.

DR. JONATHAN REINER, PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: All of those metrics pointed to the conclusion that we may have past the peak.

HILL (voice-over): But could more transmissible variants of the virus soon fuel a new peak?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In about five weeks, this is going to start to take over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to take a while to turn this around.

HILL (voice-over): The pace is already increasing. 60 percent of all COVID cases in the U.S. have been added since Election Day, 40 percent of the nation's COVID deaths reported in that same period.

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR-DESIGNATE: By the middle of February, we expect half a million deaths in this country. I think we still have some dark weeks ahead.

HILL (voice-over): In Los Angeles County, air pollution rules temporarily suspended to allow for more cremations to, quote, assist with the backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. On the vaccine front continued frustration.

GOV. TIM WALZ (D), MINNESOTA: They were lying. They don't have any doses held back,

HILL (voice-over): Pfizer telling CNN it has those critical second doses, noting the government only recently asked the company to send them. Dr. Fauci batting cleanup over the weekend.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: And I think there was just a misunderstanding.

HILL (voice-over): The governors of Minnesota and New York among several, now calling on the federal government to allow states to buy the vaccine directly.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: Public confidence is very important now. And they created public chaos.

DR. LEANA WEN, FORMER BALTIMORE CITY HEALTH COMMISSIONER: I just don't understand how no one is able to give a straight answer to the question of how many doses are out there that are ready to be distributed, and at what point.

HILL (voice-over): What we do know of the more than 31 million doses distributed, just 39 percent have been administered.

WALENSKY: Our job is to make sure that with the entire support of the federal government that we get, we address all of those bottlenecks wherever we are so we can get vaccine into people's arms.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: As we continue to track the progress of these vaccines, Florida is now highlighting those were overdue for their second dose, is about 40,000 people according to the state. That's about 5 percent of the total number of people who've been vaccinated in Florida.

[17:55:04]

Meantime, as they highlight that number, Dr. Fauci again today reiterating the importance, Wolf, of getting that second dose.

BLITZER: Critically important, indeed. Erica Hill with the latest, thank you very much.

There's more breaking news we're following, the FBI vetting National Guard troops, as the Acting Defense Secretary says, and I'm quoting him now, we are leaving no stone unturned in securing the capital. Plus, President Trump focused on his exit plan Wednesday morning when he'll become the first President in 152 years to skip his successor's inauguration.

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