we were taken to the top floor of the capitol police building which is very near the capitol campus anden to the fourth floor, and they pulled the shades down which i all always thought was an odd thing to do. and then, of course, our first and most immediate concern was to try to connect with our family. the cell phones weren't working. so we all stood in this rather lengthy line, all the leaders were taken there, house and senate, republican and democratic, and we were -- i can recall feeling now almost like a refugee, standing in life waiting to get my turn to use the landline to call my wife. >> host: when you're in that room, who else was with you? >> guest: well, it was just leadership. so i believe -- i know that senator locke was there, senator nichols, senator reid on the senate side. and then i don't recall specifically each of the house members, speaker hastert was there, dick gephardt and some of the other house leaders were there as well. >> host: do you remember at that point what you were thinking? >> guest: well, we were, again, there was a tremendous amount of confusion

capitol police will be handling that. the metropolitan police department will be here to support our community, as we have with every demonstration that happens in the city. we will not abandon the residents of the district of columbia. we will make sure communities are equally safe. >> one of the discussions after january 6 has been about the capitol police board and the ability to call up the national guard when needed. the washington post has reported that you formerly -- formally, at one point, requested armed national guardsmen, 100 of them, then later, changed the request. they have a source saying it was not done properly. i wondering if that is accurate and if you feel the system works for you in this situation, for getting the national guard resources you need? chief manger: the story is not accurate. first of all, the capitol board has been nothing but helpful. they have been nothing but supportive. the only questions they have for me is, what you need? what can we do to help? when we talk about the issue of put

capitol are political prisoners? guest: i think that they are misinformed, but i get that everybody can have their own opinion, but they are not entitled to their own facts. anyone watching on january 6 or all the tape and video that has been shared and the investigative journalism that has been going on and what c-span has been done -- what c-span has done, the facts belie the fact that people who were using bear spray, clubs, and beat officers and 1000 aggravated batteries against police officers. 500 people have been charged. i do not think that is fake news. everybody could at -- can have disagreements about policies and procedures, but not necessarily about the facts. i think they are misinformed and they open their minds and hearts to see both sides of the issue. host: one of the things that we have seen over the last couple of days is security fencing going up around the u.s. capitol and supreme court. do you think this type of fencing should be permanent? and what type of advantage and disadvantage that havin

anthrax change the capitol? >> it did in many ways. it's no longer open in the capitol. i had a wonderful intern whose become quite a successful young woman in her own right was a college intern at the time who opened up the anthrax and was exposed along with 20 other people in the room, for who were not my staff, 24 who were. their lives immediately were in danger but i'm proud and grateful to be able to say they are healthy americans today. the way mail is opened up in the capitol today is vastly different today than it was at the time. >> how will you commemorate the events of september 11? >> we haven't yet made that final decision. it is a personal moment for us, we've given thought to a number of different options and haven't quite made up our minds yet. >> in a quiet moment, did you have a chance to talk to president bush about what they experienced and what you experienced? >> not as much as the vice president, we talked about on a few occasions and he shared his own personal observations, what he was th

capitol police are calling on all officers to be prepared for an upcoming right wing rally on the capitol grounds as cnn obtains an internal memo warning of an alarming uptick on violent rhetoric, the rally that will be september 18th. a rally that is in support specifically of the january 6th insurrectionists and the violent rhetoric includes images used by white supremacist and details that one leader of the extremist proud boys group is encouraging followers to attend the rally. speaker nancy pelosi tonight for one is sounding the alarm and demanding security briefings. >> we intend to have the integrity of the capitol be in tact. these people are coming back to praise the people who were out to kill. out to kill members of congress. >> america, of course, watched in horror. we all did together on january 6th as trump supporters stormed the capitol threatening to hang people, threatening to overturn what trump's own homeland security called the most secure election in history and a second rally with the same people. trump's allies are in this and the convicted january 6th rioters are a

jes jessica dean is on capitol hill.nd the current political environment? >> a lot. we actually heard directly from the congressman in a statement he released. he said while my desire to build a fuller family life is at the heart of my decision, it is also true that the current state of our politics, especially many of the toxic dynamics inside our own party is a significant factor in my decision. he also told "the new york times" in an interview that he is concerned about the security, that when he was coming home, he had to be concerned about security, his family. he had young children. that all of this as he said in this statement, is going into his decision not to seek reelection. again, of course, he voted for impeaching former president donald trump. and it's worth noting that someone like anthony gonzalez would be quite a rising star. in fact, was a big rising star in the republican party when they recruited him in to run. he had been a former nfl football player. gotten his mba from stanford. instead, we're seein

capitol security. jessica mendoza and samantha laine will then discuss the pandemic impact on women. ♪ host: good morning and welcome to washington journal. americans are not feeling good about the future of our democracy. claims of disputed elections and restrictions being put on the ballot box polls are showing concern about our election and government workings in the protests like the ones scheduled today at the capital mall. how do you feel about the state of the country? that is our question to you. are you like the people in this poll who feel u.s. democracy is under attack? we open regular lines which means democrats, we want to hear from you at (202)-748-8000. republicans, your line is (202)-748-8001. independents, you can call (202)-748-8002. keep in mind you can always text us at (202)-748-8003 and we are always reading on social media on facebook at facebook.com/c-span on twitter @c-spanwj and always on instagram @c-spanwj. let's set the scene with the poll that came from cnn this week where

i met my wife, lisa, on the capitol. and i just -- i was angry and sad to watch them destroy this building. >> congressman, were you scared at that point 230r your own life? rep. mcgovern: you know what? i'm not a particularly brave guy. the emotion i had wasn't one of being scared. it was one of just being sad and angry. i mean, i came very close to giving these people the middle finger. because i feltang -- how angry i was and in retrospect i'm glad i didn't. because i don't think i probed all the different cameras that were on at the time. and i'm sure the right wing would be accusing me of inciting the riot if i did that. but that's how angry was. i couldn't believe it. >> were you there when the law enforcement officer shot the woman through those doors? rep. mcgovern: so -- i had just left when that had happened. we had just cleared the speaker's lobby at the time when that had happened. people asked me, did you hear the gunshot? i may have. but i was hearing yelling and go this way, go that way. and the commotion

capitol police department. our plan, and the whole purpose behind that was to instill confidence that the department has prepared. >> reporter: while the capitol is the focus, law enforcement leaders are also concerned about the city at large. a number of festivals and sporting events are scheduled throughout washington d.c. and the metropolitan d.c. police chief promises his officers are prepared. >> we expect it to go on, and people who attend are going to enjoy themselves, we are prepared, we have contingency plans for any possible disruptions. >> reporter: chief manger couldn't provide an estimate of how much this massive and quick security scale-up would cost. but said more than anything it was designed to practice for threats bigger than the one they anticipate this weekend. he also predicted this won't be a regular occurrence. >> i think that we're going to use it when it needs to be used. but 99% of the demonstrations we handle are handled without this kind of planning. >> reporter: and let's give you a

i saw capitol police officers in the capitol basically panicking -- not panicking, but it being a very high, somewhat panicked mode. that is when i ran back to my office and ate one of the sandwiches really quick while i'm waiting to get some answers. my team called me because they were on the floor, my house administration team. my deputy staff director, nick crocker, my director of member services and my general counsel. jen called me and said, i think you better get back here, they are talking about closing the floor down. i hurried up and ate my sandwich as i was walking out my office door, and i was walking onto the floor as leadership was being evacuated. i saw steve scalise and his team going out as i was going in. >> did you have a conversation with them? >> let's just say my comment can now be summed up via text as "wtf.” >> did anybody from leadership tell you what was going on as they were coming out, or did they have any comment? >> now we already knew what was , going on. i had seen the outer perimeter being breached so i was going , onto the floor while they were leaving,

to barrel into the capitol chamber. greta: what have you learned, and obviously you can't share everything with us, but what have you learned about what comes next? rep. raskin: i don't know, but i will tell you this, that every single member that i've spoken to is absolutely determined to have us completing the electoral college votes, as is demanded of us by the 12th amendment of the constitution, and everyone is absolutely determined that we will continue with the normal proceedings of the u.s. congress and that any violent insurrection against the government of the united states will be put down, and american constitutional democracy will prevail. we have no choice. we are not going to allow this insurrection and violence, this mob scene, to prevent us from doing our constitutional duty. they clearly interfered with the work of congress. they had interrupted the electoral count. so there was already damage done, but it could've been irreparable had we not gone forward with it. and so, that was very much everybody's

capitol january sixth.ater, christian science monitor's jessica mendoza and jessica lane perfas look at the impact of the pandemic on women. stick with us. ♪ >> weekends bring you the best in american history and nonfiction books on lectures in history, a discussion on a new african-american history museum being built in charleston, south carolina with joseph riley. smithsonian secretary, monty fudge and kerry taylor from the citadel military college. "the presidency", we will take a look at camp david with a man who served as the commander under bill clinton and george w. bush and is the author of " inside camp david." and then we share a book "three days in camp david," which looks at president nixon's decision to end the value of the u.s. dollar based on the gold standard. watch every weekend and find a full schedule or watch online any tam -- any time at c-span.org/history. ♪ >> "washington journal" continues. sen. we are back with -- host: we are back with former u.s. capitol police chief who is with u

the capitol police showed great restraint. there's a lot of situations that in those circumstances, shots would have started being fired in opposite directions and people would have lost their lives. so the capitol police did a great job by showing restraint. when i realized it wasn't shots fired, i started hollering, this is a matter of three seconds. i started yelling, no shots, don't fire, don't shoot. and then i went to the glass and they were there, the rioters were there and they were being very belligerent, to some degree. i started yelling, is it worth it? you almost got killed, is it worth it? one of the guys said, what? and i said, you almost died, is it worth it? and the guys stopped, this time they were really shaking and beating on the door, and they stopped. they didn't respond for a second. anytime you have those crowds like that and people have ill intentions, there are professional agitators that can get people start up. you can take five agitators and they can get a crowd of 1000 fired up really quick, especi

capitol police.is person had tipple knives in his truck near the dna, midnight one officer was on patrol, saw the pickup truck with swastika and other white supremacist symbols. it didn't have a license plate, instead an american flag basically. i'll bring in leigh ann caldwell. the chief of the capitol police calls this good police work. can i show you the map one more time, my control room, so give people perspective. the dnc and rnc headquarters are not far from the capitol. the rnc is closer but to the south of the house office buildings, that's what you see in between the capitol and rnc headquarters, buildings where members of the house of representatives have their offices. leigh ann, tell us more about what we know about this arrest and about what happened here. >> reporter: hallie, this just came in moments ago. 44-year-old donald craighead of ocean side, california, was arrested for possession of prohibited weapons as you mentioned. he had a bayonet in his car, in his truck, i should say an

capitol was about to be overrun. returned to the chamber, the debate was ongoing, and that it was interrupted again. after seeing speaker pelosi immediately removed from her seat at the speaker's chair, at the front of the chamber, and that as i mentioned, i was in close proximity to the majority leader and majority whip, their personal security detail came over to them and i think it was mr. clyburn who they said, sir, we have to leave right now. and whip clyburn and leader hoyer were expeditiously removed from the chamber at the same time someone from the sergeant at arm staff said that the u.s. capitol had been breached, the protesters are in statutory hall" -- in close proximity to the chamber. secure the gas mass that are underneath your seats and be prepared to hit the ground. i have been in congress at that point for about eight years, i had noise dear that there were gas masks underneath everyone's seats. and it was really at that point that it became clear this was a serious situation. representative already

but capitol police defended most of capitol police officers' actions that day.heir statement last night that the capitol police is committed to accountability when officers fail to meet standard governs by the u.s. capitol police policies and the congressional community's expectations and said the violations should not diminish the heroic efforts of the officers that day. we got some insight into what the capitol police is doing to remedies plinary actions against these officers who did not aid in defending the capitol that day. boris, christi. >> still a lot of questions to answer regarding these investigations and still a lot of footage out there, daniella, that has not reviewed by investigators. daniella diaz live from capitol hill. thank you. >>> so yesterday former president george w. bush alluded to the capitol hill riots in fact when he was condemning violent extremism. >> president bush was speaking from shanksville, pennsylvania, the crash site of flight 93. he called on americans to confront domestic extremists, comparing them to violent extremists in

, breached the capitol are back again. in a statement the organizers say the rally is call out the quote, teernicle and inhumane treatment of the political prisoners that's how they describe the people describing people vitamin violently assaulted the capitol. tom manager to a who taq took the position of police chief in july. says there has been chatter. the security fencing erected outside the capitol after the attack and taken down in late july is back again today. and 100 unarmed national guard members are right now stationed at the d.c. armory ready to deploy if necessary. the insurrectionist's former president who has taken to calling the rally a setup couldn't help himself from releasing a statement in support of the suspects. the suspects that many would argue he incited to go to the capital back in january, quote our hearts and minds are the people being persecuted unfairly. that's what trump said. adding in addition to everything else it's proven conclusively that we are a two-tiered system of justice. whatever t

. >>> critical day on capitol hill. democrats expected to lay out the blueprint for their $3.5 trillion economic plan. some moderates in their own party say they won't vote for anything at that price tag. >> is it an impasse? >>> also capitol police recommending six officers be disciplined for their actions on january 6th. what behavior in particular is behind that? >>> and what we're learning as the fbi releases its first documents from its 9/11 investigation involving saudi arabia. hange? we can make emergency medicine possible at 40,000 feet. instead of burning our past for power, we can harness the energy of the tiny electron. we can create new ways to connect. rethinking how we communicate to be more inclusive than ever. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change. faster. vmware. welcome change. [humming] ♪ hands to the sky, all mine ♪ ♪ pardon when i shine ♪ ♪ hands to the sky, all mine ♪ ♪ woah, woah no ceiling woah ♪ ♪ woah good feeling woah woah ♪ ♪ i might send it

the capitol hill police department is immune to that. with any other group, could file a freedom of information act. we deserve to see that footage. in many cases, that evidence is useful to the defense of people who have been charged, yet the federal government is still not releasing that. people who depend on that to be able to defend themselves in court. i think just journalistic curiosity, or a demand for transparency, should cause you and all other journalist to insist it to be released. host: what time is the rally tomorrow? guest: it is at noon. we urge you to get there early. host: matt braynard is the executive director of lookahead america, the rally organizer fos coming november. his marks are about 10 minutes. -- remarks are about 10 minutes. >> good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today.

capitol police chief looks at capitol security ahead of the justice for j6 rally in support of the january writers and a christian science monitor talk about their recent podcast series, stronger, looking at the impact of the pandemic on women. watch washington journal live at 7:00 eastern saturday morning and be sure to join the discussion with your phone calls , facebook comments, text messages, and tweets. host: the conversation now with matt braynard. the conversationh matt braynard. he is the organizer of justice for j6 rally taking place tomorrow. matt braynard, who are the people you don't believe have gotten justice related to january 6. guest: before that, i want to clarify something. there has been a lot of misinformation about this rally. when we begin this advocacy, we condemn all violence. we believe those that destroyed property at the capitol building or hurt police officers should be given a speedy trial, if guilty, convicted. the vast majority of people arrested in that event not charged with committing crime -- not charged with committing violence or destruction of proper

that was a briefing from capitol police, as well as the architect of the capitol. house sergeant at arms. and also, the house speaker, nancy pelosi, our team has learned, has invited chuck schumer and the top republicans, kevin mccarthy and mitch mcconnell, to her office on monday morning. that's when we're hearing there will be a briefing from the capitol police chief, tom manger, about all the security preps for this upcoming rally. so they are really taking this very seriously, anderson. >> jessica, stay with us. i want to bring in cnn security correspondent, josh campbell. former-fbi special agent. so, josh, what does it tell you the capitol police has formally requested the fence be -- or a smaller fence be put up back around the capitol ahead of this rally? are they just being -- i mean, is that an abundance of caution that no one wants to be the person who said, oh, no, you don't need the fence? >> anderson, i interviewed tom manger, the new capitol police chief after he took the job and he wasn't there on the day of the january-6th attack. but one thing he

when you look up toward the capitol, you can see some officer, capitol police, gathered, meeting, arriving on-site now and you can see the bigger taller barricades that were constructed after january 6th. those came down in july. they're temporarily back up in preparation for today's events. those are connected there. they're very sturdy, very hard to push over, when you're up near them, you can typically see these big flat kind of basins if you will which makes it very difficult for someone to turn those over if they were to try. all of this very different than what we saw on january 6th. when you look across the street, you can see more physical structures set up to separate the area where protesters are expected to start gathering, at noon, in the united states capitol, we don't know exactly what today will bring, that we know that capitol police want to be prepared because they were not prepared on january 6th. the capitol police say they have made a lot of changes after january 6th. and that they will be in effect today, a change that the capitol police say they've made, as they say t

not just the capitol. we know how to secure the capitol. it only takes one person. i was glad to see the reporting on the garbage trucks. those are intended to stop vehicular homicide. so what you want is to be able to move trucksard so if you're concerned about vehicles around the area you can stop them from touching or getting to passengers as we saw in virginia a couple years ago. you see a sort of as ryan was saying some of it is a test? just working out the systems. but some of it is we weren't born yesterday and we know exactly what this group intends. >> right. real quickly yesterday the former president donald trump came out and defended the january 6 rioters. this is at the crux of the rally today. these people today are there to support the rioters from january 6. how potent is former president trump do you think and his support of the january 6 rioters to what we might see today? does it validate? do you feel like it's a validation to be there? >> yes, absolutely. this is a sort of a flirtation, his come hither he uses to say these people are just good pe

capitol complex. even though the defendants come from all across the country, california, idaho, texas, florida, they're all being moved here for their corporate meetings where they are attending them virtually. they are all coming here which means the u.s. department -- the u.s. justice department is leading the prosecutions, centered around the united states district attorney's office. we have seen their bringing in extra help. this courthouse is accustomed to having 300 to 400 criminal cases total in a year, and they are already navigating 600 capital insurrection cases. was see public defenders being brought in. federal prosecutors being brought in to supplement the forces they had. this is a tonnage of cases happening all at once. host: back to the highest tier of cases, what has the fbi found about the extent of planning and coordination? guest: some of the planning begin november 4, the day after the election. the alleged 3% or group alleged there was communication they would disrupt the counti

." >>> capitol hill is ominous. an urgent new warning from homeland security about the increasing possibility of violence, the so-called justice for 6 rally, which let's remember is in defense of the bloodthirsty insurrectionists who on january 6th tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power. this is where we are tonight. newly installed fencing around the capitol, just like after january 6th. fencing expected to go up outside the supreme court as well. online chatter threatening violence. homeland security says social media users have discussed storming the capitol tomorrow, the night before the rally, and one commented on kidnapping a member of congress. it's not just the capitol. there has been online chatter about using the rally to target local jewish institutions. and so-called liberal churches. with very real threats to the capitol eight months after one of the darkest days in american history, the former president is weighing in exactly the way that you would expect him to do it, right, with a disgraceful s

capitol police tasked with the bulk of the responsibility.the officers on the front line on january 6th. major tom anderson said they took time to meet with each individual officer to make sure they were ready. >> we're trying to get in front of every single police officer in the u.s. capitol police department and the reason was to brief them on our plan and the whole purpose behind that was to instill confidence that the department has prepared. >> reporter: while the capitol is the focus, law enforcement leaders are also concerned about the city at large. a number of festivals and sporting events are scheduled throughout washington, dc, and the metropolitan police chief wants to ensure that their members are prepared. >> we're prepared. we have contingency plans for any possible disruptions. >> reporter: chief major couldn't provide an estimate of how much this massive and quick security scaleup would cost but said more than anything it was designed to practice for threats bigger than the one they anticipate this weekend. he also predicted

and take over the capitol. a government didn't work that day. st i think we see government at work now. and when we see it at work sometimes it looks like we overdue it. but they don't have an option. they don't have an option because this group can immediately turn and become violent. and they have to be ready. there is no more excuse. like we said, hole the damn line never again. that's what capitol police is preparing for. they don't know what the group is going to do. they're domestic terrorists. they do what they want when they want. the fact they say they may do something is going to call this level of preparedness each time they come to town. what that has done and what has not been done is increasing the number of capitol police officers. we still don't have the capitol open to the public. some of that has to do with covid-19. some of it has to do with the current security environment we have. but both congress and senate were clear to us the plan you give to us must be what people can walk back up to t

capitol. again, this is new footage. the fbi says this was shot quite near the dnc headquarters where the first bomb is placed. not much happens in the footage, except you get a long look of the person in question. they wander in, sits down on that bench, appears to look at their phone for a while maybe and eventually they move on again. this new footage released by the fbi today is, of course, in addition to the other footage of the same suspect bomber that has previously been released by the fbi. it has been eight months since these bombs were placed. there has still been no arrests in this case. the fbi and the atf are offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspected bomber. in their statement about the new footage they released today and also a new map they released showing what they think was the walking path of the bomber that night between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. on january 5th, the fbi is getting newly specific about what they know about the suspected bo

protest at the capitol on saturday.vernight, temporary fencing around the capitol square was reinstalled. capitol police also say they have been in touch with the military. the justice rally is being thrown in support for insurrectionists charged. >> you heard that right. this demonstration is in support of the january 6th insurrectionists. both chambers of congress will be on recess this weekend, meaning far fewer lawmakers and staff will be in the area. house speaker nancy pelosi sent a letter to democrats saying, quote, there's a wish for some to continue the assault on the u.s. capitol with misinformation and malice. the leadership in congress has been briefed by the capitol police board on the nature of the threat and the unprecedented preparations to address another attempt to defile our national purpose. let's go right to cnn shimon prokupecz live outside the capitol with the latest where new security measures are going into place. what are you seeing there this morning? >> reporter: yeah, john. many people who l

capitol where hundreds have gathered in support of the pro trump mob that stormed the capitol building on january 6th. nbc's elson barber on the ground with the latest for us. it seems at this point, right, the rally is now over. we were out there together a little while ago. how have things transpired since then? >> reporter: yeah, let me just let you look with me to show the kind of little bit that is left of the police presence over here. you can see it's very much whittled down. when you look out in the crowd you see little groups of pockets of people here. but it's still unclear whether or not they were part of this protest, this rally or whatever you want to call it or if they stopped by to see things afterwards. capitol police say 400 to 500 people were inside the protest area that's excluding law enforcement. i would say about half of those were members of the media. it seemed like there were couple hundred people here specifically for this protest. the organizer of this rally says that this was specifically meant to be supporting nonviolent individuals who have been arrested,

you have capitol police in a very big show of force, obviously. remember, this is not something that we saw on january 6th. capitol police have said that they feel like they're well prepared for this. the big point is that they did not want to take any sort of chance or risk because they were not prepared on january 6th. you can see even more down here, just how far and how strong the police presence here is. this stage right here, this is where the rally itself is taking place. at times it is hard to get a good count because there are so many members of the media here. but this is nowhere near the number, at least, that the permit was for. according to the permit that was filed by this group, they said they expected about 700 people to be here. that number, they're well short of that. but, again, you look at this and this is all such a dramatic change from what we saw on january 6th. you have layers of fencing, heavy police presence, police in riot gear and additional fencing on the other side of the water surrounding the united states capitol. o

the capitol hill police department is immune to that. with any other group, could file a freedom of information act. we deserve to see that footage. in many cases, that evidence is useful to the defense of people who have been charged, yet the federal government is still not releasing that. people who depend on that to be able to defend themselves in court. i think just journalistic curiosity, or a demand for transparency, should cause you and all other journalist to insist it to be released. host: what time is the rally tomorrow? guest: it is at noon. we urge you to get there early. host: matt braynard is the executive director of lookahead america, the rally organizer for >> mass incarcerations -- hosted by the cato institute. ins -- listen for free on the radio app. >> watch january 60's from the house, where 14 members of congress share stories of what they saw, heard, and experienced that day. quick's representative gosar from arizona was objecting to the arizona slate of electors. at that moment, i think we shouted out at the top o

capitol insurrection. this latest rally is planned at the capitol september 18th. the intelligence report references amped up online chatter after the officer who shot ashley boweden went public defending his actions after the justice department and the capitol police cleared him of any wrongdoing. >> i know that day i saved countless lives. i did my job. and there was imminent threats and danger to the members of congress. >> reporter: the capitol police memo notes a recent uptick centered on babbitt's shooting and the document warns many might view september 18th as a justice for ashley babbitt rally. the former trump campaign staffer matt brainerd acknowledges this will address babbitt's death. it addresses the hundreds involved who are now facing federal charges. >> we're calling for charges to be dropped against all non-violent offenders who in many cases were walking through capitol doors into a public building held open by capitol police officers. this was a peaceful protest for people's civil rights that have been denied. >> the internal memo says 500 peopl

capitol police outnumbered and targeted. now the scene quite different. barriers and fencing around the capitol and hundreds of officers in position should demonstrations grow violent. we have a team of correspondents covering every angle of this. let's begin with shimon prokupecz and security on the ground. >> reporter: fred, i wanted to come inside the rally area and show you what's going on here. these are the people gathered. i would say there's more media here at this point than some of the rally goers and then i want to show you other situations. what's going on, a lot of people are gathering, going towards cameras and spouting whatever it is that they're saying. then you have the security. that's the big thing here, right, the security. the police behind us here, something may be going on, i see police moving. what's happening is some of the protesters, rally goers are out here, and there are counter protesters here as well. that's causing some of the problems. but i have to tell you, most of this is peaceful. i just spoke to the police chief about

and it's not just the capitol.here has been online chatter about using the rally to target local jewish institutions. elected officials and so-called liberal churches. and with all that, with very real threats to the capitol just eight months after one of the darkest days in american history, the former president is weighing in exactly the way that you would expect him to do it, right? with a disgraceful statement saying hearts and minds are with the rioters. that's not a dog whistle. that is, like, a full bullhorn. sympathetic with them? we all saw what happened at the capitol on january 6th. we all saw those rioters mercilessly beating brave police officers. we saw them put up a gallows. we heard them chanting hang mike pence. >> hang mike pence! hang mike pence! >> that's who the former president of the united states is defending. what do you expect from the man who, while they were still cleaning up the destruction at the capitol, told rioters we love you? >> go home. we love you. you're very special. you've se

capitol with misinformation and malice.gress on a bipartisan and bicameral basis has breeched breached by the capitol police board on the nature of the threat. keep in mind pelosi hosted a briefing world war kevin mccarthy, and mitch mcconnell on monday to go over all of these plans which in addition to the fencing, the national guard help also includes the entire capitol police force being prepared and on call and ready to go on saturday just in case. and a part of what we've learned about some of the law enforcement concerns leading up to saturday is the possibility that some of these protesters may arrive to washington on saturday armed. well, cnn spoke with the organizer of this rally, and he contends that's just not the case. take a listen. >> we've got a largely peaceful crowd. we've had two events in washington, d.c. so far, at the department of justice and at the prison. there have been no incidents so far. no one is going to be bringing a weapon that's part of our crowd. i can assure the police that. >> reporter: o

if they come to the capitol with the intent to do harm to the capitol building itself and break the lawquences of that in the same way ashli babbitt and those other individuals faced the consequences of their actions. i agree that the police officer who was protecting not only the building of the capitol and the floor of house but many members of congress and staff acted in a justifiable manner and ashli babbitt who was breaking the law and attempting to climb over individuals to come onto the capitol floor was in the wrong. so we will, you know, i'm grateful that capitol police have met with the speaker, with the majority leader and the speaker has invited, invited both the minority leader of the senate as well as the minority leader of the house to be a part of those briefings to ensure that the capitol is in fak ct safe, i'm grateful members of congress won't be there on that saturday to the best of my knowledge along with staff. >> that's very significant i realize. the reporting we have tonight is law enforcement is preparing for the possibility of armed protesters at this rally. y

imagine then, fast-forward if you will or the insurrectionist mob overran this capitol.hile i was in this capitol on the morning of 911, we haven't seen or heard going to turn on the television to see if there's any further news and saw in real time the second plane crash into the other tower. then a third plane flown into the pentagon taking his life. we only knew from the black billowing smoke across the mall that something terrible had happened and we did not know what was next. someone came running in the room and set evacuate the building, leave this building it is not safe. everybody went pouring out on the east side of the capitol in front of the supreme court building. tourists came up to me and said you work here? i said sure. >> where are we supposed go where is it safe? i did not know what to tell and there's no capitol visitors center, i directed him to the train station, the metro 9 station was blocks away. and the days that followed 911 we learned about the heroes of flight 93 while we were standing on that lawn thank goodness those passengers stood up and