continuous source of unconditional love. may they rest in peace and may their memories be a blessing. thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." you can always follow me on twitter and inst instagram @wolfblitzer. you can always treat the show @cnnsitroom. "erin burnett out front" starts right now. >> "outfront" next, trump appears to be preparing another video in his final hours in office. this, as he continues to tell his cronies he won the election. an even bigger disaster on the day of the capitol ri ot. the ushers, not the trumps, will greet the bidens on inauguration day. melania trump gives a message you must hear to believe.

let's go " outfront." the final hours of president donald j. trump as washington braces for what should be a peaceful transfer of power in less than 48 hours, the first of the biden inaugural events is just kicking off. you are looking at the field of lights right now on the national mall. the nearly 200,000 flags representing americans who were unable to travel to washington because of the pandemic and the threat of violence that is the result of trump's election lie, a lie that we know trump is still telling. he is still telling allies he won the election. it comes as trump is also plotting what will likely be his last presidential act, preparing for a final video message to the nation. coming to you live at any time. and about to issue 100 pardons and commutations tomorrow. the big question is whether the president will try to pardon himself or his children. aides don't think he will, but they caution only trump actually knows. we learned trump is isolated in these final hours, alone. outside the white house, some of

his defenders are still trying to come to his rescue. qanon promoter and republican congressman marjorie taylor said he could not incite protesters who then walked to and attacked the capitol. then, of course, there's lindsey graham. >> president trump never said go into the capitol and try to interrupt a joint session of congress. that was their choice. where was nancy pelosi? it's her job to provide capitol security. >> so how can lindsey graham top his own record of sycophancy. this blame absolving and shifting is a new level of pathetic. just as a reminder, here is what trump actually said at that rally. >> so, we're going to -- we're going to walk down pennsylvania avenue.

i love pennsylvania avenue. and we're going to the capitol. we're going to try and give our republicans, the weak ones, because the strong ones don't need any of our help. we're going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country. so, let's walk down pennsylvania avenue. >> kind of pride and boldness you need to take back your country, so walk down pennsylvania to the capitol. of course, to allow greene and graham to make this about just one particular speech trump said would be wrong, because we all know what he said to his followers for months. a new video released by "the new yorker and propublica." the language you are about to hear is explicit. >> protect our constitution. >> protect the constitution of the united states. >> that's treason. that's treason.

[ crowd chanting "treason" ] >> antifa. antifa. >> guess what, america showed up! >> looking out at all the amazing patriots here today. >> you guys are fucking patriots. >> we've got to get nancy pelosi the hell out of there. >> speaker pelosi, we're coming, bitch. >> mike pence, i will tell you right now, i'm not hearing good story. >> mike pence is a fucking traitor. >> america first agenda. make no mistake, this election was stolen from you. >> the election is being stolen. what is it going to take? >> these people didn't just echo what president trump had been saying from his bully pulpit for months. they also admitted on camera that they were there at trump's request. the crowd telling officers inside the capitol that they were listening to trump. texas realtor, you can see her there inside the capitol, now charged with disorderly conduct.

her defense? >> we were going in solidarity with president trump. president trump requested that we be in d.c. on the 6th. so this was our way of going and stopping the stealing. >> his request. and "the washington post" reporting a kentucky man told the fbi that he and his cousin stormed the u.s. capitol because, quote, president trump said to do so. president trump did say to go there. hundreds of his supporters there on the mall did what they were asked, storming the capitol. here we are, tonight, with a fortified capitol, washington, d.c. a military zone, ahead of an inauguration. there is only one person ultimately responsible for this. we all know who it is. kaitlan collins is out front of the white house. what is trump's mind-set in these final hours of his presidency? >> erin, people we've spoken with says the president has been in a pretty foul mood and has been for several days. we haven't seen him since last tuesday when he went to texas to

visit the border wall. other than that, he has stayed behind closed doors. privately, he has been having several meetings on pardons. that's expected to be one of the president's final acts. other than that, he hasn't said anything publicly. we've not gotten a farewell video from the president talking about his accomplishments. aside from what the first lady put on twitter today. we will expect to hear from the president on wednesday before joe biden is actually sworn in, so he can take that final flight on air force one. and that's supposed to be a major military send-off at joint base andrews, erin. we've been told they are expecting several -- invited guests, the white house hasn't specified how many. there is a new concern that there won't be that many people there, or certainly not to the president's expectation, because, of course, not only are there these travel restrictions in washington where it's pretty hard to get around the nation's capitol right now, but also the president is still dealing with the fallout from his response to that attack on the u.s. capitol.

so we've heard from several people who say they do not want to go, even though they got an invitation from the white house. and then, of course, people that would not expect to get an invitation, which you would have expected to have gotten one, anthony scaramucci. he has now become a major trump critic. he was included on that list. it remains to be seen what that will look like on wednesday. we are expecting that list of pardons to come out tomorrow, according to the white house. it should include 100 people on it, including some of the president's political allies. >> thank you very much. mucc is a wedding crasher there, i guess. says a lot that he would make the list. i'm sure he finds that humorous on some level. one of the preconstitutional law experts, advising house democrats on impeachment and the author of "to end a presidency:the power of impeachment." to hear graham's excuse to the

president, he never said go to the capitol and interrupt a joint session of congress. any logical person knows the instigator of this, the person who said the election was rigged and fraudulent and that people needed to take the country back and stop the steal. i'm sorry. in the senate trial, will graham's argument hold any weight, professor? >> i don't think so. i think that all the senators and indeed all americans watched the president incite an angry mob, basically aimed them straight to the capitol, lit the fuse and watched in glee while people died and while an angry mob threatened to hang the vice president, came within seconds of doing it. this was insurrection on steroids. this was not just some kind of

speech. lindsey graham is not going to persuade anyone. i think the only question is is going to be, will they convince people that the senate just shouldn't hold a trial because trump managed to commit his most impeachable offense very close to the end of his presidency? i don't think that will wash either. >> trump did not go to the capitol, as you mentioned, right? even though he said he was going to do it. the reality of it is, of course, he wasn't physically there. does his first amendment right to freedom of speech, which i would imagine is -- we're talking about the president of the united states here, right, with the bully pulpit. but the free speech right, does it protect him at all here? >> not at all. i don't know many people who are stronger first amendment advocates than i am. but even if my life depended on it, i couldn't persuade myself

that he was exercising the freedom of speech. it's ludicrous. there is no free speech defense to someone who doesn't just yell fire in a crowded theater, to use the old metaphor, but sets fire to a crowded theater and watches while it burns. that's what this guy did. this wasn't just speech. anyway, the freedom of speech belongs to citizens. it doesn't belong to the person that is at the head of government. >> so can trump be prosecuted criminally for what happened at the capitol, separate from a senate trial? >> i think so. i mean, there are various statutes. i found four or five, that he almost certainly violated. i'm not going to jump ahead of merrick garland and the justice department will investigate systematically. and if he has committed sedition, if he has conspired to commit insurrection, i think he

certainly should be prosecuted. but the issue now is not what happens after he is out there as a private citizen at mar-a-lago or wherever he is. the issue is protecting the nation from him, by disqualifying him from ever again running for office. that is the fundamental power the senate needs to exercise if it can convict him. i think they should be able to. >> they need two-thirds to convict and a simple mantle to bar from future office. i mentioned pardons, professor, at the top of the show. the president is expected to issue 100 of them tomorrow, and commutations. it's not as many as some of his predecessors. president obama had 330 individuals on the day before he left office. most commutations low-level drug offenders. that was very different. clinton, though, issued many controversial pardons, including one to his half brother, roger, and the terribly unforgivable

pardon to mark rich. are these different? >> we've never had a pardon palooza like this. it's a marketplace for pardons. looks like giuliani, who can't collect his legal fees from trump, is going to try to earn them by charging people for pardons. there's bribery that might well be going on. and pardoning your co-con co-conspirators, the people who work with you in violating all kinds of laws and committing crimes, that's something that's quite unique. the use of the pardon power to cover up crimes. some of the pardons he has issued and may well yet issue are almost certainly part of the conspiracy to obstruct justice. he pardons himself, that will not have any legal effect, but it will also reinforce the kind of conspiracy he engaged in. let's just watch and see what kind of absurd pardons he issues tomorrow. i think it's a disgrace, whatever we learn. >> we will see them and be

talking to you about them tomorrow. professor, thank you very much. >> thank you. i want to go straight to gloria borger now, along with michael smerconish host of "smerconish." wednesday morning trump will depart washington but is sending out invitations to the send-off, including to anthony scaramucci, which shows the disorganization to which this is happening. what else can you tell us? >> he has always liked the pomp of the office and likes to hears ruffles and flourishes. maybe he will get to hear it one last time. i just got off the phone with somebody who has been a friend of trump's in the past and is close to people at the white house this person said to me that everybody has disowned trump and he's sitting there like a wounded bear, cordoned off. nobody is talking to him. they're planning their next gig, this source said, while he's making his enemies list. that is what he's doing.

he's trying to figure out, keeping his list of people who voted to certify joe biden as president of the united states, and he is intending to get back at them with his 74 million voters and then trying to figure out how he's going to make some money as this ex-president. >> so, michael, then the question is, of course, you know, presuming this mass pardon of individuals and some of them have already expressed, wait a minute, you're not there for us. when he no longer has the power of the presidency behind him, how much power does he really have, even with those die-hard supporters, do you think? >> i have a question as to how much, erin, he will be covered moving forward. he has never had difficult throughout the course of his life in attracting media attention but things have really changed recently. and the combination of the absence from the nation's capitol as well as the social media platforms having been removed from being at his disposal, he will continue to

get coverage when he wants it in select areas, but i don't think he will get the mainstream coverage he's accustomed to. one of the things that most perplexes me, he has completely abdicated his responsibilities in the last two months, full two months of his administration, surrendering an opportunity that he had to walk into the white house press room, to approach any podium anywhere. >> right. >> and reach the people. but he hasn't done it. and i think everything significantly changes come wednesday morning. >> and it's amazing, gloria. we know he loves to do it. >> loves. >> he was criticized all the time for not doing press kvenss, but the guy would always stop to have questions, right? he craved that interaction. >> but he can't. >> now it's only videos. >> he can't now, because what would he have to say if he were in front of a podium? what would be his people in congress be waiting to say? that this election was not rigged. and he won't say it.

i've talked to people inside the white house who say to me, you know what? he is still saying it to them. so, if he were to speak publicly and were to answer a question, and he were to come out and say the election is rigged, what happens when the senate votes whether to convict? he's got a lot of problems now with what he says. and everybody is going to be parsing every single word, with good reason. >> so michael, what power he maintains with his supporters, many of their grievances are deep and would be looking for a replacement figurehead, right? we don't know the answer to these questions. one thing we do know is joe biden will be president. what can he do to break through to some of these people right away? >> with regard to about half of the republicans, nothing at all. i mean, it's really distressing. i don't trust the numbers yet, because the dust hasn't settled and it's all too raw.

but i'm taking note, erin, of the polling data, the nbc data, cbs data, cnn reporting. about half the republican party are lockstep. they don't regard joe biden as being a legitimate president. he hasn't even begun. and, believe it or not, they're ready to renominate donald trump if given the opportunity. if that number should hold, putting aside any health issues or the risk of criminal indictment, that's more than sufficient for him to be renominated in 2024. think about that. >> it is pretty stunning. as you say, the dust hasn't settled. even in the midst of this fog, that that is even a possibility is so significant for us all to understand. thank you both very much. >> sure. >> the white house releasing a 45-page report knocking what's become of the civil rights movement on martin luther king jr. day. and speaking to cnn about the riot and how close it came to being a bigger disaster.

>> it came far too close. something like this should never happen. remember this moment, when the obamas greeted the trumps at the white house on inauguration day, with the tiffany's box and all of that? you're not going to see it this time. you're not going to see it for the bidens. that is not the only snub from the trumps.

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trial in the senate. this, according to a person close to the president, telling "the new york times." giuliani says he can't be part of the president's legal team because he spoke at the january 6th rally that preceded the riot at the capitol and therefore is a witness. perhaps also someone at risk of being charged himself. manu raju is out front. what more can you tell us about how this trial is shaping up? >> right now, erin, the question is the exact timing. this is dictated in part by the speaker of the house, nancy pelosi, to formally transmit the article of impeachment, approved by a bipartisan majority of the house, with the charge that president donald trump incited an insurrection and if 17 republican senators join with 50 democrats in the senate, they could convict donald trump and prevent him from ever holding office again. but it still needs to begin. once the article is transmitted, that would actually force the

senate to act the next day and it comes just as joe biden is coming into office on wednesday and trying to get his cabinet nominees confirmed by the senate and move on legislation, including a major covid relief package. you're seeing a collision course of sorts with the senate trying to move forward on the trial but also biden pushing to get his agenda through and will require cooperation from republicans in the senate to do both. questions on the timing, how long this trial will last, whether democrats will bring in witnesses and the like or whether they'll try to wrap this up quickly. but also the question, will republicans break ranks and convict donald trump? >> as you say, the length of the trial. i know some like senator van hallensays look, we could pass the bill in the morning and do the trial in the afternoon and we can walk and chew gum at the same time. i guess we'll have to see. we still don't know when the articles are going over.

to that, i want to bring in one of the house managers in the upcoming senate impeachment trial and delegate from the u.s. virgin islands. congresswoman, this is the big question here, of course. with all of these factors. has speaker pelosi told you or any of your colleagues, the impeachment managers, when she'll send that article of impeachment to the senate? >> first, happy martin luther king day to you and to all of your viewers. i don't think it would be appropriate for me to divulge what the conversations are within the impeachment managers with the speaker. i think that when the speaker is ready to let people know when she believes it's necessary to walk over the papers that everyone will be well aware of that. right now, we're focused on preparing for the trial when that takes place. >> so, to that front, let me ask you, congresswoman, about the timing. the first trial for president trump was nearly three weeks

long. i know this wouldn't be anything like that. you have one article. you could go on that. you might not even need any witnesses other than the video. so, how quickly do you think you could do this trial? >> i think that we're deliberating that right now. we're working through the strategy of how best to present the case to the senators. but let's remember in this instance, the entire world, all of us have seen the actual alleged crime take place. we know the conspiracy that has been going on for several months. all of us were witnesses to the crime, to the insurgence and the attempted overthrow. and the people who are going to be the jurors, those 100 senators, are not only witnesses but also victims of the crime. >> so, obviously, you're doing something that's never been done before for a president, to try the president for impeachment after leaving office.

there's a precedent but not at the presidential level. it would be required in order for him not to serve in office again. that would be a practical reason for going ahead with what you're going ahead with, separate from any moral reasons you have. you're senior counsel to the department of justice. when president trump's defenders say it's unconstitutional to do this after the president leaves office, are you confident you're on solid legal ground? >> i think it's laughable they're saying it's unconstitutional. this is exactly what the framers anticipated. a president is not going to stage a coup, an insurgency at the beginning of his presidency. he's going to do it at the end. and this is what they have seen in other places, britain and others. the anticipation was -- they were so mindful of not only to remove him from office but to also strip him of the vestiges we often give our former

presidents. not just the ability to run for office. can you imagine after what he has done the infractions and seeing how power hungry he is, allowing this president to continue to get national security information on a regular basis? that would be catastrophic to the staafety of our country. >> on this martin luther king day, the report of how racism and slavery is taught in schools, criticizes what racism has become in which they assert, and i quote, identity politics makes it less likely that racial reconciliation and healing can be attained by pursuing martin luther king jr.'s dream for america and upholding the highest ideals of our constitution and declaration of independence. they released this on martin luther king jr. day. what do you say to that? >> you're better than me, erin. i wouldn't waste my time reading

anything that this administration puts out about racial reconciliation or race relations. they have done more to fracture this country than they have to uplift it. listen, what makes america great is our diversity. and why would we not celebrate that diversity? i think that we've seen this past summer during the protests all americans coming together to recognize that, one, this country does have a problem with systemic racism and that us all working together, recognizing that are what's going to move us forward. of course he would put out something like that on martin luther king's day because he has been so disrespectful not only to the legacy of mr. king. an insurgency. a man of peace martin luther king was. he brings insurgents to the capitol on the day that members of congress were supposed to be certifying the election, upholding our constitutional duty. and he has the most dreadful act

of violence occur in our nation's capitol, and our most sacred place. >> first thing that a child learns to martin luther king is his commitment to nonviolence in order to effect change. appreciate your time, congresswoman. >> thank you. you take care. stunning video of the mob as it storms the chamber and the rioters excuse for rifling through senators' desks. >> i think we're good. >> all for you, ted. plus, hear melania trump's farewell message. o help you remt liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's one that'll really take you back. wow! what'd you get, ryan? it's customized home insurance from liberty mutual! what does it do bud? it customizes our home insurance so we only pay for what we need! and what did you get, mike? i got a bike.

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breaking news, the u.s. capitol is a fortress tonight as security concerns intensify, less than two days out from president-elect joe biden's inauguration. it comes as we're hearing the secretary of the army, ryan mccarthy, open up just how close the riot at the u.s. capitol came to, quote, a disaster. >> it came far too close. something like this should never happen. this country has the talent and the resources to do anything. but the preplanning and coordination, and the intelligence were not really managed well. we were not in a position to be successful that day as a country. >> barbara starr is out front. barbara, what did secretary mccarthy tell you about his experience that day at the riot? this is very sobering. >> it is, indeed. good evening, erin. you know, the army likes to have everything orderly and well planned out. that is exactly what did not happen that day. the army secretary, in charge of

getting the national guard up to capitol hill talked about just what happened and how little anybody knew. >> no one really understood the situation. no specifics or clarity, what the size of the crowd with, they were. did they actually breach the building? there was great confusion. we were start itrying to get clarity and understanding. the mayor called with the police chief after that. i ran down the hall to get the authority to launch because i knew something was happening that didn't have great understanding. >> running down the hall of the pentagon. of course, they were all watching it on television. but to get the guard up there, they had to figure out exactly what the threat was. what tools, what equipment did the guard need? where would they go? what would their mission be? all of this took some time. the secretary also told us that what he thinks now is after two of these episodes in some seven months -- of course, lafayette

square back in the summer -- that the whole system needs to be looked at it. that it's archaic and dated. there's so many government agencies involved, he says, it's difficult to see who has the real authority and who can actually make a fast decision, which is what was needed that day, of course. erin? >> didn't happen, obviously, for too long. thank you so much, barbara. we also break in tonight, have new video, which give us a better, shocking picture of who took part in the capitol hill riot and their motivations. a warning that the language they use is explicit. tom foreman is "out front." >> reporter: the videos are violent and triumphant. >> walk past the police. look at that. they can't do nothing. >> can i speak with pelosi? yeah. we're coming, bitch. mike pence, we're coming for you, too, fucking traitor.

>> reporter: profane and pioous. >> oh, my gosh, we just got tear gassed in the middle of a prayer. are you kidding me? we were kneeling down and praying. >> reporter: hours of images and latest gps signals are enormously powerful to police for tracking and perhaps prosecuting hundreds of people. >> it's very easy, one, to identify people. very easy to dictate in court where somebody was at a particular time. it's going to be very hard for somebody who is on video at that time, with a time stamp and a gps stamp to deny that they were there. >> reporter: potential trespassing and property damage may be just the start. the videos also include evidence of what appears to be attacks and threats aimed at police, journalists and others. >> stand down. >> reporter: remember that video of officer eugene goodman holding back the mob by himself?

this is what it looked like from their side as he was chased up the stairs. there is video of rioters digging through the papers of republican senator ted cruz. >> i think cruz would want us to do this so i think we're good. >> reporter: certainly some in the crowd seem aware of their legal jeopardy. >> hey, cover your face. >> reporter: and some suggest there are limits even during an insurrection. >> don't break anything. >> don't break stuff. >> shut the door. >> don't break stuff. >> reporter: despite that, treason, sedition, murder, could all be on the table. thanks to the rioters themselves, investigators may have video to back those charges up. erin? >> tom, thank you. out front to the reporter from propublica, who viewed hundreds of videos posted to parler on the day of the riot.

let me start with you, alec. the videos you obtained from parler, incredible work you were able to do this and tell this narrative, never before seen, of what happened. you see the crowd pushing against a wall of police officers. you see the chaos in the capitol, people going from room to room, going through the notes, throwing things, attacking officers. when you went through all of this, alec, what did you take away? >> i found it just overwhelming and i really urge people to have a look at it for themselves at our website, propublica.org. it gives you an immersive experience into this extraordinary, awful day. all these different angles you haven't seen before. you feel like you're there and get a better understanding of what happened. my big -- the thing that really hit me is how familiar it all felt. i've been through a lot of trump rallies, sarah palin rallies the

last dozen years, republican campaign events. i've had such a familiar feeling. so many of the same mixes of people at those events as you saw here. there's been so much talk about a lot of the sort of organized white supremacist type of organizations in this rally. but what i saw was a lot of, quote, unquote, regular people. you saw men who just looked like they had come from the country club or office, women who were there in nice shawls. young women. one young women said i wish i brought my better shoes so i could climb the wall, too. looked like she had come straight from college. a lot of older men bashing windows. this was not just angry, young, ruthless men. this was an incredible cross section of people. >> i think that's incredibly powerful and important that you've been covering this for a dozen years, right? it started as something. it has grown. it has snowballed into something much bigger and brought more people in. sara, as you have covered these

far-right groups, you spoke to a man who said he is a member of the bugaloo movement in michigan. you asked him about these growing tensions and i want to play for everyone what he told you. >> we do not want a civil war or anything. we want to exercise every possible way before that comes an option. >> reporter: is that an option, in your mind, a civil war? >> i will not fire the first shot. but if it comes to that, i will fight. >> it's pretty stunning. you reported that, you know, people feel that the capitol attack was the beginning, right? not a culmination, but the beginning. where do these movements go from here when trump leaves washington? >> reporter: yeah. it's a really good question, and one that authorities and we as americans need to be paying attention to. and that is that every single expert who tracks extremism and who is constantly researching this far more than i or anyone else i know tells us that this

is not the end. what you saw on january 6th is another beginning. we saw something happen in charlottesville. guess what happened after that? you had even more extremist attacks. we saw what happened in some of these other attacks. you saw it happened in walmart, el paso, someone hated immigrants and went in and started shooting people. a lot of these people are being radicalize d online. it's important, what you heard there from the pro publica reporter. the radicalization happening in america is extremely disturbing because it's going farther and wider than it ever has before partly because of social media. in talking to the anti-defamation league, he said, look, what we're seeing is quite extraordinary. and the fuel for that fire is social media. social media gives it the oxygen. that's where people have been gathering. everywhere from the ones you know really, really well, like

facebook and instagram to those that are relatively new like parler or f orchan. people are becoming radicalized here in the united states. we're talking about regular people. your neighbors. people you see at the grocery store. that is the difference now. that is what makes this so much more disturbing, because it's not just following those people that they know are white supremacists or they know are extremists with violent tendencies. it's a much wider breadth of people. >> we have all traveled to places in the world, covering al qaeda and stories like that, right? we've all seen that. we've seen the role that the u.s. place in that. what's fascinating in some of the videos you found was the role of religion here. you hear people praying in the mido midst of this. i want to play one of the videos you found. >> i'm fine, man. i'm great.

i'm great. i'm great, man. >> alec, when you looked through all these videos -- these were videos that rioters were posting on parler themselves. how did you see religion play a role in this? >> you saw it quite a bit, actually. several moments mini prayer sessions, including one led by a man in a cowboy hat leading a prayer from sort of one of the inaugural stands after they seized that high ground. the clip that we showed, i believe, was a woman praying for -- she said praying for the police. what that also showed to me was something i picked up in the video was an incredible a.m. ambivalence, stunned to see the police fighting back as much as they did against them, the sense of betray al, that they assumed

the police were on their side because they had been sticking up for the police all summer during the black lives matter protests and couldn't believe that the police were now being so resisting so forcefully against them. real back and forth. some people saying, take it easy on the cops. don't be too violent with them. but then other people, of course, being very violent with them. and just this real confusion in the whole part of it really came through to me. >> go to propublica. watch it all. it is incredible with the time stamps and that these are videos people took themselves, the power of seeing it. thank you both very much. next, senator lindsey graham. he's telling joe biden to stand down on impeaching trump. it's an incredible answer, it's incredible lindsey graham could give this answer when he looks in the mirror every day. forget the tea and tour. how first lady melania trump is breaking with tradition and

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tonight, out of bounds. republican senator lindsey graham, warning president-elect joe biden that he needs to come

out against donald trump's second impeachment with the reason that you must hear yourself to believe. >> you talk about unifying the country. if you do not stand up against the impeachment of president trump after he leaves office, you are an incredibly weak figure in american history. president trump is trying to heal the nation, pursuing impeachment after he leaves the office will further divide the country. >> okay, let's just start with president trump is trying to heal the nation. he hasn't even spoken live once. never mind, have you looked at our nation's capitol, senator? it look like a war zone ahead of the inauguration because president trump forced baseless lies that the election was a fraud. senator might want to look in the mirror because definition of a weak figure in american history is this.

>> you know how you make america great again? tell donald trump to go to hell. in 100 days plus, he has done more to reset the world than obama did in eight years. the bottom line is that i believe donald trump would be an absolute utter disaster for the republican party. i am all in. keep it up, donald. his campaign is opportunistic, race baiting, xenophobia. other than that, he would be a good nominee. i don't believe president trump is a racist person. senator graham became the then there were times he would try to maintain his crediblity when trying to take a stand. senator graham said to trump your words are dividing americans not healing them. he took a step backward arguing there was moral supremacy between the white supremacists,

neo-nazis and kkk members who attend the the charlottesville rally and people like mrs. heyer. then tweeting really enjoyed a round of golf with president trump today. great fun. great host. what about the supreme court? he tried again to dabble in credibility. in 2016, senator graham vowed he would refuse to do so if an opening happened four years later. >> i want you to use my words against me. if there's a republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say lindsey graham said let's let the next president, whoever it might be, >> but then it was his president, his dear donald. >> there is nothing unkon

unconstitutional about this process. this is a va san scancy that oc from the tragic loss of a great woman. we'll fill that vacancy. >> that from the same man that said this hours after a violent protrump mob stormed the capitol. graham's last stand. >> trump and i had a hell of a journey. i hate it being this way. oh my god, i hate it. from my point of view he's been a consequential president but today first thing you'll see. all i can say is count me out, enough is enough. >> that was it, right? that was it. no, no, no, no. once again, time healed all wounds for senator graham. time was less than a week. graham counted himself back in and flew with trump on air force one asand praise after finally admitting there would be a new administration.

president trump's statement hit the mark and his speech helps move the country forward. "out "outfront" now, senator gunrahai believe deserves all of this being played. what in the world happened to senator lindsey graham? >> i'll tell you one thing. what didn't happen is donald trump didn't change, lindsay graham lindsey graham laid into him in 2015 he told the truth and then donald trump came into power and lindsey graham started realizing he enjoyed sort of sniffing the thrown and getting whatever power he could out of that. some folks said maybe it's about partisan politics. but since that primary is over, the tune hasn't changed. he can't resist sucking up to the strong man and it is a real

disservice to the memory and independence of john mccain he was an advocate for for so long. >> it's amazing. enough is enough. it wasn't even a week later on air force one congratulating him on tone. it stunning lindsey graham could look at himself in the mirror and act in such a way. president obama said senator graham could be in a hoeist movie, he writes lindsey is the guy that double crosses everyone to save his own skin. that's what he thinks. does he have a point? has this changed the way that republicans in washington respect or don't respect lindsey graham? >> well, i think you can't say he's someone that will speak his mind and tell it like it is. the obama quote brings to mind ga casa blanc and your word is your

bond. not that long ago lindsey graham said joe biden is as good a man as god put on this green earth and told donald trump not to concede the race and doubling down on the big lie and that's not something you do if you actually believe your word is your bond and what it is a profiling situation and that's the opposite of a profile in pr >> there have been timing senator gru graham will say something. we always have trepidation in mentioning it because it was clear he would completely go back on what he said and go back to being sick of it. i want to focus in on the view of impeachment, though, because, you know, back when president clinton was in the impeachment cross hairs, here is what lindsey graham said. >> impeachment is not about punishment. impeachment is about cleansing

the office. impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office. >> okay. so now he's got one more vote to cast on this. >> yeah, and obviously, if your principles change when partisan and politics come into play, they were never principles in the first place. full stop. >> that's the bottom line. john, appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you, erin. >> we have breaking news on president trump and what he's doing tonight. i want to go back to kaitlan collins, what have you just learned? >> reporter: the president taped a farewell address. he did so today and jeff zeleny is told on the state floor of the resident side of the white house and he ticked through things he believes should define hissed a minute station. there are several events of controversy like the president's say to attack the capitol and aides have been trying for two weeks to get the president to do

a video listing his accomplishments. he now has finally agreed to do so. my colleague jeff is told they are going to release this likely tomorrow. timing is unclear. in this video, we are learning that the president did reference the new administration. he did not necessarily concede. we'll be waiting to see that. of course, we know there is no contact between joe biden and donald trump at this point but he's recorded a farewell message as he's getting in the last few hours of his time in the white house. >> amazing just the bizarreness of those videos. he can still come out and talk whenever he wants to talk. he's the president of the united states. he's just not doing it. >> reporter: yeah. >> thank you very much. with that new reporting from near the white house and i want to go to the trump historic snub of the bidens. in 2017 we saw the obamas greet the trumps on inauguration day. it was awkward and not full of love but there was respect and, you know, it was all appropriate and professional and the way it

should be. that will not happen on wednesday. instead, the white house chief usher will have that honor and it's not just the president with this handover responsibility. melania trump will not provide the first lady jill biden, the incoming first lady with a white house tour prior to departure. kate bennett is out front. we've never seen a snub like this but there have been a couple presidents that huffed and puffed and not wanted to be there on inauguration day. we've never seen anything like this. >> it's so true. you know, there have been very contentious battles. i mean, you know, george h.w. bush and bill clinton and, you know, weaver seen these moments go through history but there is always been that iconic moment where the new president and his family meets the old president coming out and his family. that wouldn't happen this time. in fact, as you said, the chief usher will be one of the people that will be sticking around to greet the bidens as they come

in. so there are a lot of norms being broken. people said this is bad and they should do it and it more about doing the right thing. that's the point we need to make here. the trumps have decided, both of them, to just leave town, and that is truly a first in history. >> right. there are some traditions you do just because you do them because people want the imagery and they want the feeling of safety and goodness knows more than ever people want that. the first lady today released a farewell message video again. this is about her be best campaign which is what she called it. here she is. >> i ask every american to be an am ambassador of the best, to focus on what unites us and rise above what divides us and choose love over hatred, peace over violence and others before

yourself. >> okay. so -- go ahead. >> well, i was going to say, as just mentioned, this is a video from the first lady toting her establishments but be best was a conas convoluted platform. i don't think you can name the three pillars of be best. this is a first lady leaving office with the lowest favorable ratings of anybody, any first lady of modern history in most of her most recent predecessors. melania trump now according to a cnn poll has a 42% favorable rating among people that cnn polled. that's 52% is the next favorable rating higher and that was hillary clinton when she was first lady, rose lynn carter was 59% and the two most recent first ladies, michelle obama and laura bush, michelle obama was at 69% when she left and laura bush 67% favorable.

clearly, the american people are going to remember her tenure as first lady as one that, you know, was just as challenging as her husband in terms of popularity. >> yeah. thank you verypreciate your tim >> thank you. and thanks to all of you. anderson starts now. good evening:. with thless than two days until joe biden takes office, a celebration of democracy is locked down tight. there was a brief light show in the mall rep ceresenting 50 sta which tonight feels like a reminder how far from normality we are. the acting defense secretary said there is quote no intelligence indicating an insider threat to the president elect which in itself would be jarring with fbi agents screening thousands of national guard troops to prevent a threat

from coming to pass and that i