i made it clear from the moment i enter this race that what i believe was at stake i said there is nothing less at stake than who we are as a nation what we stand for what we believe what we will be at the center of that belief is one of the oldest principle this nation has long held where our government of laws not of men not of the people of laws i said it many times in the campaign our demick and our democratic institutions not relics of another age they're what sets this nation apart they're the guardrails of our democracy there's no president and that's why there is no president who is a king no congress it's a house of lords

a judiciary doesn't serve the will of the president or exist to protect him or her we have 3 coat equal branches of government co equal our president is not above the law and justice serves the people it doesn't protect the powerful justice is blind but we saw yesterday in plain view is another violation of the fundamental tenet of this nation not only do we see the failure to protect one of the 3 branches of our government we also saw a clear failure to carry out equal justice should be released to say in the senate excuse a point of personal privilege well over an hour and a half after the chaos started i got a text from my granddaughter finnegan biden senior you know

last semester universe of pennsylvania she sent me a photo of military people in full military gear. scores of them lining the steps of the lincoln memorial because of protests by black lives matter she said pop this is unfair no one can tell me that it had been a group of black lives matter protesting yesterday it wouldn't have been they would have been treated very very differently in the mob of thugs that storm the capitol we don't well know that's church and it is unacceptable totally unacceptable america people saw it plain view i hope it sensitize in the what we have to do

not many people know it and just as carl and i were talking we talked about i think he raised the reason for the just part was formed in the 1st place it was back in 1970 we didn't have a justice department for that matter it was for an 870 to enforce the civil rights amendment the grew out of the civil war the 13th 14th and 15th amendments to stand up to the klan to stand up to racism to take on domestic terrorism this original spirit my must again guide it animate its work so as we stand here today we do so in the wake of yesterday's events vans that could not have vividly demonstrated some of the most important work we have to do in this nation

committing ourselves to the rule of law in this nation invigorated our domestic and democratic institutions carrying out equal justice under the law in america there is no war important place for us to do this work and the department of justice has been so politicized there's no more important people to carry out this work. in the people i'm announcing today more than anything we need to restore the honor the integrity the independence of the department of justice in this nation's been so badly damaged and so many former leaders in that department and both parties have so testified and stated. i want to be clear to those who lead this department who you will serve you

won't work for me you are not the president or the vice president's lawyer your loyalty is not to me is to the law the constitution the people of this nation to guarantee justice for attorney general of the united states i nominate a man of whom pickable integrity judge merrick garland on the most respected jurist of our time brilliant yet humble distinguished at modest full of character and decency a supreme court clerk served in the justice farmer during the carter bush $41.00 and clinton administrations or embrace the department's core values of independence

and integrity the federal prosecutor who took on terrorism and corruption and violent crime ours in the upmost professionalism and the duty to the oath he swore nominated by president clinton to be a judge on the d.c. circuit court of appeals considered the 2nd most powerful court in america throw out such a longer distinguished career as the guardian has earned the praise and admiration of members of the bench and bar and politicians of both parties and despite his busy schedule and prestigious positions he still makes time to volunteer regularly tutoring students in northeast d.c. . as he's done for 20 years it's about character it's about character it was no surprise why president obama nominated him judge garland to the supreme court and i said he embodies honor and decency

integrity fidelity to the rule of law and judicial independence to those same traits he will now bring as attorney general of the united states not as a personal attorney of the president and as the people's lawyer and restore trust in the rule of law and equal justice under the law and i fully expect the sketches i've have he were receiving a fair hairiness with confirmation and once he is confirmed i will move promptly to nominate his replacement in the d.c. circuit court of appeals and i expect that the distinguished nominee receive a prompt and fair hearing as well for deputy attorney general i nominate one of those selfless people i work with one of the brightest i've worked with i work with her during the last administration

a 15 year veteran of the justice department lisa monaco lisa knows the department inside and out she is the definition of what a public servant should be decent trusted honorable and i might add i embarrassed her a moment ago with that other colleagues and selfless i offered her other positions . of greater consequence quote unquote more prestige but she wanted to work with you judge she wanted to go back to the just a top flight prosecutor who took on public corruption corporate fraud and violent crime chief of staff to director of the f.b.i. the 1st woman ever confirmed as assistant attorney general for national security rashid elevated cybersecurity a top priority and worse even more consequential today than it was then. at the

white house she was the top homeland security and counterterrorism advisor to president obama and me and every one of the national security meetings she coordinated our fight against al qaeda and i saw she helped lead our response to the ebola crisis when the bombs went off at the finish line i'm paid to stay in boston her hometown she coordinated the federal government's response with local and state law enforcement to get to the bottom of this horrible tragedy and he said i know i know you i hope restore integrity and independence of the department of justice that you so revere as associate attorney general the number 3 job in the department i nominate the need a group to a woman i've known for some time one of the most respected civil rights lawyers in

america started her career at the n.a.c. being legal defense fund then on to the a.c.l.u. both organizations there which i belong and then to the justice department during the obama biden ministration where she led the civil rights division at every step with every case she fought for greater equity and the right to right the wrongs of a justice system where they existed and she's done so by bringing people together earning praise from across the logical spectrum for approach to solving some of the thorny is probably face during the obama biden ministration benita was put in charge of investigating the abuse of power and police departments in ferguson missouri and other communities torn apart by acts of violence and racial

injustice shall pensa to common sense police reforms to build greater equity safety and trust. she was commended for her work by both law enforcement and those advocating for changes in the criminal justice system that's a rare cheatin and speaks volumes about her capacity to unite people in common purpose which is what this is all about you 19 american morning in philadelphia a proud daughter of immigrants from india that sound from other. if confirmed the native will be the 1st woman of color to serve as associated turn in general and i'm grateful i'm grateful if an 8 is leaving her current job leading one of the premier civil rights organizations in the world as she

answers the call to serve once again to ensure that our justice system is even more fair and more equitable thank you for assistant attorney general for civil rights i'm nate i nominate kristin clarke who has spent her career advocating for greater equality in equity in our justice system the daughter of jamaican immigrants i don't think this is ben designed it but. i'm still looking for an irishman all kidding aside the daughter of jamaican immigrants kristen is also one of the most distinguishable rights tourney's in america a proud native of brooklyn new york she began her career her legal career in the very same office she's now nominated to lead. her previous tenure with the just apartments our take on some of the most complex civil rights cases from voting

rights to redistricting challenges to prosecuting hate crimes and human trafficking . she's earned accolades throughout her career including as the head of the civil rights bureau for her home state of new york where she's led the charge and the school to prison pipeline and root out discrimination in housing and law enforcement she currently is one of the nation's top civil rights organizations where she promotes greater equity in voting rights and our education system and our housing system and our justice system and so much more now she'll return full circle to pursue the vital work her career began the civil rights division represents the moral center of the department of justice and the heart of that fundamental american ideal that we're all created equal and all deserve to be

treated equally i'm honored you accept the call to return to make real the promise for all americans to each of you thank you for your service and your families and to the american people this is a team that will restore your trust and faith in our institutions democracy i chaired the dish a committee for many years one of my goals in running in the 1st place you may recall i said when i saw those people coming out of the fields in charlottesville shouting hate young woman killed and when asked the president said there are good people on both sides that's literally why i ran and there's no more important

and heartfelt effort on my part and restoring restoring the independence and integrity of what you are just. so may god bless you all may god protect. troops those who were sworn to protect the american people. will turn it over to the story with the next attorney the united states. and you've been listening to president elect joe biden they are speaking from

wilmington delaware the president elect announced some of the names that will form his administration but he unsurprisingly began by talking about the events on the u.s. capitol on wednesday saying it was one of the darkest days in the history of the country in saying that the trump supporters who forced their way into the building were domestic terrorists the terrorists mentioning that the attack on the capital was a result of trump's unrelenting attack on democracy that tramples trying to use a mob to silence the voices of american voters he also mentioned that there was a clear failure to carry out equal justice when compared to the response to various black lives matter protests those the words of vice president and now president elect joe biden let's go to kristen salumi who is in wilmington where joe biden was

speaking what did you make of what he said and also he took this opportunity to talk about the various announcements announced a little bit earlier about new new people that will form part of his administration . absolutely the president elect began by describing what happened in the nation's capital with the assault on congress as a culmination of 4 years of disregard for the constitution and law in order by president and while he praised the judiciary one of the 3 branches of government here in the united states for its impartiality and independence particularly. in light of the pressure that the president was putting on many

including his own attorney general william barr to investigate voter fraud and alleged election interference he praised the judiciary for not succumbing to that pressure course bill barr stepped down after declaring that there was no evidence of election fraud all of that to segue into his choice for attorney general the person who would lead the department of justice the law enforcement the highest law enforcement agency in the country merrick garland garland himself is perhaps best known as someone who was nominated for the supreme court by barack obama but failed to win that nomination because republicans led by mitch mcconnell in the senate refused to give him a hearing choosing instead to wait for obama's term to run out so that they could appoint a more conservative judge but the president elect seems here to be sending a message that one that fits with his promises on the campaign trail to reach

across the aisle and appoint a centrist someone that can do this job with impartiality and garland has been praised in that regard by people from both sides of the aisle in fact. he is someone. republicans have already said that they are likely to confirm. this of course as the department may in fact be charged with investigations of what happened in the capital of president trump's role in pressuring georgia officials to find votes in the election there and also investigations possibly into joe biden's own son hunter who has been. investigated for tax fraud as wow. lewis said the vice president or the president elect was under

some pressure from parts of the democratic party who wanted to see someone who would be a real go getter on issues of police reform member during the campaign the black lives matter movement called attention to issues of police violence and racism in police that was a big priority for the campaign and big reason for his support among black voters many were hoping that he would nominate a person of color to that position or perhaps a woman instead he did. nominate several women to serve under merrick garland with a strong history of working in civil rights so using yesterday's events to make a case for his nominees for the attorney general is what we heard here today chris a salumi with the latest from wilmington delaware kristen thank you. let's go to alan fischer who joins us live now from the white house allan 1st of all in the

past few minutes we know that nancy pelosi has been speaking as well the u.s. house speaker she says the crimes committed seditious acts she's been calling from trump's immediate removal through the 25th amendment and also saying that democrats are pressing for impeachment so for many people really the events of wednesday where the tipping point been some resignations from the white house what else can you tell us. well the 25th amendment is a big step but we've had no from chuck schumer who's the leader of the democrats in the senate and also nancy pelosi the speaker of the house and they have said it's time for the republicans to act all pressure goes on to my parents it's really up to the vice president to take that action and to call together the cabinet and one some of george 3 of the cabinet agrees go to the president and say he's being removed under the 25th amendment nancy pelosi suggesting if that isn't going to happen then they will have another impeachment hearing how would that work

particularly as congress is about essentially to go away till after the inauguration well they would have to call them back they would have to be a hearing in the house of vote there it would have to go to the senate very quickly when it comes to the 25th amendment there could be a complication as well we've just lost elaine chao from the cabinet she's the transport secretary she's been there since the very beginning she's also married to mitch mcconnell who's a leader of the republicans in the senate was very critical of donald trump when he spoke on whedon's state the fact that she is going to resign on monday how does that work legally what's the position with people who are about to resign from the cabinet or as is the case with donald trump many of them out in acting positions we've been acting head of homeland security and that to head the pentagon as well it becomes a very complicated issue but certainly the voices on the republican side asking for donald trump's removal are growing louder as well we've had a couple of congressmen say it's time for him to go we've even had lotty hogan who's the governor of maryland

a very popular man indeed and expected to be one of those who will run for the republican nomination in 2024 saying that donald trump has to go what is interesting about lottie hogan here's an interesting parallel when richard nixon was in trouble back in the seventy's he was doing ok but when he lost the support of a congressman he knew that at that point he really had to resign because he said he was going to vote for the impeachment of richard nixon who was that congressman it was lot of organs for. other. it remarkable i mean all of this is remarkable when you consider that president trump just has what 2 weeks just about left in his term so even while all of this is going on he is actually continuing with the shuttle today is any well interestingly enough the only comment we've had from the white house today was the fact that donald trump carried out a medal of freedom ceremony to 2 golf course gary player and a sort of them legends of the game we know donald trump likes his golf and he's god

given them medals of freedom you also gave one to be it was a car i asked who is also a golfing legend but that is posthumously she died in the 1950 s. but have we heard anything about the actions of yesterday new privately we're hearing that donald trump is raging against the vice president he believes he's been stabbed in the back by mike pence someone he says he saved his political career my parents was running for governor of indiana expected to lose that race 4 years ago when donald trump picked him out of the chorus line and decided he was going to be a star and make him the vice president so there are those who are suggesting that given that there are only 13 days left of the donald trump presidency perhaps it wouldn't be the right thing to do to try and remove him from office to take him away from such an important position where he wills a lot of power but the critics say that's exactly why they should take that action because the star team days left of the donald trump presidency alan fischer with the latest from the white house allan thank you. well we've mentioned what she

said let's hear from the lady herself the u.s. house speaker nancy pelosi has called on vice president mike pence to invoke the 25th amendment and remove the president trying from us office let's listen if gleeful definite creation of the u.s. capitol which is the temple of america about american democracy and a bilateral targeting congress are harsh that will forever stain our nation's history. instigated by the president of the united states that's why it's such a sting in calling for this edition act president has committed an unspeakable assault on our nation and our people i join the senate democratic leader and calling on the banks president to remove this president by immediately invoking the 25th amendment if the vice president or cabinet do not act the congress may be

prepared to move forward with impeachment. nancy pelosi speaking they will pass it will hang joins us live now from capitol hill patty there's real chorus of voices growing of people who think the president should be removed from office now when we spoke 24 hours ago just about things were just kicking off how does it feel now after 24 hours and i guess the dust is settled. well they're still cleaning up the capitol going through offices figuring out what was looted one congressman said they stole a laptop there were signs written will be back and media murder the media so it's going to take a little bit to clean that up but really it's a much calmer situation here right above about 24 hours ago as the evacuated because there was a bomb threat suspicious package but there are more questions than answers right now about how woefully unprepared capitol police were to deal with this the situation right now very different 2 blocks from every street around the perimeter

of these buildings this complex they have dump trucks and police cars on the dump trucks are there because if you wanted to try and ram it exploded explosive laden vehicle into a building you're not going to get through a dump truck so they're really upping their security we expect as many as 6200 national guardsmen are going to be here for the inauguration they said they're going to be 850 new guardsmen brought in today very strong police presence really when i 1st got here in the morning it was kind of odd there was no national guard anywhere but there are the david seeing them increase their presence and they've also started to put up what they call a 7 foot unscalable fence around the capitol building because they say that they are going to keep that there for 30 days possibly longer but overall there's a lot of questions about how capitol police responded we heard joe biden there say if these are black lives matter protesters they would have been dealt with very differently lots of questions lots of calls for investigations and lots of calls

for the top bosses here and security to go. i mean certainly those questions will continue in the coming weeks until some answers are got to in the meantime of course the very session that the rioters wanted to stop the deed to go ahead and biden's a win was certified what kind of reactions have there been since then especially i'm thinking from key republicans because we know a lot of democrats are asking for the president either to be impeached or the 25th amendment to be invoked what about senior republicans. well you know in this is going to be a key question do the republicans stick with him remember this is a president who said he could shoot some of the middle of the avenue and not lose any support and that is seem to hold held true for 4 years but we're starting to see for the 1st time republicans start to go no this is just a bridge too far. what they're going to be looking for is polling they're going to see if what happened in the capital really does hurt his base political support and

that will determine whether donald trump remains the figurative head of the republican party now politically just to take a step back now i'm not going to be cynical and say democrats don't actually think that he's a danger needs to be removed but from a political calculation if you're a democrat and you think that in 2 years time donald trump is going to be considered a toxic personality that history will have turned on him you want these republicans to have to vote out a 2nd impeachment both in the house and possibly in the senate if chuck schumer is in fact in charge he should make that happen you want them on the record as saying supporter not hoping that in 2 years time when it's time for every member of the house for to run for reelection you can say look now we think donald trump was bad you supported him so that's could be part of the political calculation. and has he it's not great i guess when the media talks about itself the whole time but

you were just mentioning that on the door there was a sign saying murder of the media so for journalists like you that cover politics especially i'm thinking of the reporters that were possibly inside the building i mean how worrying was it and how worrying is it still now that those writers managed to get in when we know what they think about the media. it's actually very very terrified and it's not just the media i've spoken with members of people who work in this building and in these office buildings and they just feel like their entire belief system has been shattered up until this point they thought and what i was telling my friends and family yesterday that this is the most secure building in the country and it was proven that in just a matter of minutes they could overtake it and another thing i think that's going to be investigated on the other side of the capitol from where i was the associated press was set up with all of their equipment and the trump supporters absolutely trash.