RAISING
RAISING CONCERN ABOUT NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE TRANSITION OF POWER AT
THE WHITE HOUSE. JOINING US NOW
IS DR. WILLIAM
INBODEN, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
AND WILLIAM
POWERS JR., CHAIR AT THE WILLIAM
P. CLEMENTS JR.
CENTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF
TEXAS AT AUSTIN. THANKS FOR
JOINING US TODAY. GREAT
TO BE WITH YOU. WELL, THERE WAS
A CLEAR FAILURE OF
SECURITY AT THE US CAPITOL IN
THE BUILDING YESTERDAY.
YOUR CAREER, YOU'VE WORKED ON
CAPITOL HILL BEFORE. WHO'S
RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENED
YESTERDAY?
WELL, BRIAN, THE PRIMARY
RESPONSIBILITY IS WITH THE
CAPITOL POLICE. THEY'RE THE
FRONT LINE OF DEFENSE AND
SECURITY AT THE CAPITOL. I WAS
WORKING AS A CONGRESSIONA
L LEADERSHIP STAFFER BACK IN
NINETEEN NINETY EIGHT
WHEN WE HAD A DERANGED GUNMAN
BREAK INTO OUR
OFFICE AND HE ACTUALLY KILLED
THE TWO CAPITOL POLICE
OFFICERS, INCLUDING ONE WHO
SAVES LIVES OF MANY
OF OUR STAFF. AND SO IT WAS A
TERRIFYING MOMENT. BUT I
SAW FIRSTHAND THEN THE HEROISM
OF THE CAPITOL POLICE.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S CLEAR
YESTERDAY
THERE WAS A REAL BREAKDOWN. AND
I THINK THE
CAPITOL POLICE LEADERSHIP DID
NOT DO ENOUGH TO PREPARE
THEIR OFFICERS, BUT ALSO THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY AND THE FBI, WHO ARE
SUPPOSED TO BE
MONITORING DOMESTIC TERRORISM
AND EXTREMIST
THREATS AND POTENTIAL VIOLENCE,
PROBABLY
DIDN'T DO ENOUGH TO NOTIFY THE
CAPITOL POLICE
AHEAD OF TIME AS WELL. SO THERE
SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN A
BREAKDOWN ALL UP AND DOWN THE
CHAIN OF COMMAND.
THERE IS AN INAUGURATION AND
LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AT
THAT SAME CAPITOL BUILDING WHO
WILL CALL THE
SHOTS AS IT COMES TO SECURITY
FOR THE
INAUGURATION?
THE SECRET SERVICE WILL BE IN
THE LEAD THERE BECAUSE
THEY HANDLE ANYTHING INVOLVING
THE UNITED STATES
NO MATTER WHERE IT TAKES. BUT
THE CAPITOL POLICE
WILL PLAY A SUPPLEMENTAR Y ROLE
AND THEY'LL BE
INVOLVED AS WELL. BUT THE SECRET
SERVICE WILL BE
THE LEAD IN DIRECTING
EVERYTHING. AND YOU CAN
BET THAT THEY'RE WORKING VERY
HARD AND VERY
CAREFULLY RIGHT NOW TO TO
MITIGATE ANY THREATS THEY
CAN, ESPECIALLY AFTER
YESTERDAY'S
HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE EVENTS. NO
DOUBT A HUGE JOB THERE. LET'S
LET'S MOVE TO
THE POLITICAL SIDE OF THIS
ENTIRE STORY. THERE ARE
SOME NOW CALLING FOR THE
PRESIDENT TO BE REMOVED
FROM OFFICE, INVOKING THE 25TH
AMENDMENT, AN
ACTUAL OPTION. IS THAT AN ACTUAL
OPTION? AND IF SO, HOW
LONG WOULD THAT TAKE?
WELL, IT IS AN OPTION AND IT CAN
BE DONE ALMOST ALMOST
IMMEDIATELY. IT'S BEEN INVOKED A
FEW TIMES IN
RECENT HISTORY WHEN PRESIDENTS
HAVE GONE IN
FOR SURGERY. SO I WORKED AT THE
WHITE HOUSE FOR
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH. HE
INVOKED THE
25TH AMENDMENT HIMSELF WHEN HE
HAD TO GO IN
FOR BRIEF SURGERY AND SENT THE
LETTERS TO
CONGRESS SAYING THAT VICE
PRESIDENT CHENEY IS THE
ACTING PRESIDENT. SO IN THAT
SENSE, IT CAN HAPPEN
VERY QUICKLY. THE PROCEDURE THAT
PEOPLE ARE
CONSIDERING NOW WOULD INVOLVE
VICE PRESIDENT
PENCE AND A MAJORITY OF THE
CABINET SECRETARIES
VOTING TO INVOKE THE 25TH
AMENDMENT. IF
THEY WERE TO DO THAT, ALL THEY
DO IS TAKE THAT VOTE AND
THEN IMMEDIATELY SEND A LETTER
TO THE SENATE
AND TO THE HOUSE AND IT'S BEEN
INVOKED. AND THEN
PENCE BECOMES PRESIDENT, WHETHER
THE
VICE PRESIDENT PENCE AND A
MAJORITY OF THE CABINET
WOULD BE WILLING TO DO THAT.
THAT REMAINS TO BE
SEEN. WE ARE IN VERY UNCHARTED
TERRITORY
RIGHT NOW.
THAT IS FOR SURE, WITH JUST 13
DAYS LEFT IN THIS
ADMINISTRATION. A FINAL
QUESTION. ON JANUARY THE
20TH, THERE WILL BE A TRANSITION
OF POWER. WE
KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT MORE TO
THIS, THOUGH, THAN
JUST HANDING OVER THE KEYS TO
THE WHITE HOUSE. WHAT
ARE THE IMPORTANT STEPS THAT
HAPPEN ON
INAUGURATION DAY?
WELL, YEAH, THERE'S REALLY THIS
VERY IMPORTANT TWO
MONTH LEAD UP TO INAUGURATION
DAY WHERE THE
INCOMING TEAM IS DOING BRIEFINGS
WITH THE OUTGOING
TEAM ON THINGS LIKE SENSITIVE
MILITARY OPERATIONS,
SPECIAL FORCES MISSIONS GOING ON
AROUND THE WORLD, CIA
COVERT ACTIONS. THOSE THINGS ARE
TAKING PLACE
AS WE SPEAK, AND THEY NEED TO BE
UNDER THE DIRECTION
OF A COMMANDER IN CHIEF. AND SO
WHEN VICE
PRESIDENT BIDEN WILL RAISE HIS
HAND AND TAKE THE
OATH OF OFFICE AT NOON ON
JANUARY 20TH, HE WILL
INSTANTLY TAKE COMMAND OF ALL OF
THOSE OPERATIONS.
AND SO HIS TEAM NEEDS TO HAVE
BEEN BRIEFED AND
VERY FAMILIAR WITH THOSE IN THE
RUN UP TO IT, BECAUSE IT'S,
YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS OF PAGES AND
HOURS AND
COUNTLESS HOURS OF SENSITIVE
BRIEFINGS TO
TAKE PLACE. AND WE NEED TO MAKE
SURE THAT AMERICA'S
ADVERSARIES, THOSE WHO WOULD DO
US HARM, DO NOT
SEE A WINDOW OF VULNERABILITY
THERE DURING
THAT TRANSITION OF POWER SO THAT
IT CAN TAKE
PLACE SEAMLESSLY ON INAUGURATION
DAY.
DR. WILLIAM INBODEN WITH THE LBJ
SCHOOL AT UT AUSTIN,
THANKS SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE
TIME WITH US HERE
ON CUE THIS AFTERNOON. THANKS.
IT'S GREAT TO BE
WITH YOU.
WITH YOU.