IS NOT ENOUGH AND IS A CYNICAL
APPROACH.
NEIL.
NEIL: CHAD PERGRAM.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MY FRIEND.
WANT TO GO TO STEVE FORBES RIGHT
NOW.
STEVE ON THAT DAY A YEAR AGO,
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?
>> I THOUGHT IT WAS A DISGRACE.
IT WAS A SHOCK.
ONE OF THE SHOCKING THINGS THAT
THIS COMMISSION NEIL IS NOT
GOING TO EXAMINE IS WHY WASN’T
THERE THAT FENCE THAT NORMALLY
GOES UP BEFORE AN INAUGURATION,
THAT CREATES A PERIMETER AROUND
THE CAPITOL.
WHY WASN’T THAT UP THERE?
THESE DEMONSTRATORS, THESE
RIOTERS SHOULDN’T HAVE GOTTEN
NEAR THE CAPITOL.
PART OF THAT SOME DEMOCRATS
DIDN’T LIKE THEY WERE
MILITARIZING THE CAPITOL.
SO IF THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE A
EXAMINATION, EXAMINATION OF
EVERYTHING.
IT WAS OBSCENE.
IT WAS A BAD THING.
THE PRESIDENT REACTED TOO
SLOWLY.
THEY SHOULD HAVE A THOROUGH
INVESTIGATION.
WHY ISN’T THAT THE FENCE UP
THERE THAT IS ALWAYS UP THERE
BEFORE AN INAUGURATION.
NEIL: IS IT UP THERE AS EARLY AS
JANUARY 6th.
>> OH, YES, BECAUSE THE
INAUGURATION IS
JANUARY 20th.
USUALLY SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE
THEY START DOING THOSE KIND OF
PREPARATIONS.
IT WAS NOT DONE THIS TIME.
NEIL: IN RETROSPECT DO YOU THINK
PRESIDENT TRUMP AT THE TIME
THOUGHT THIS WOULD UNFOLD THE
WAY IT DID?
>> THAT WHAT?
THAT IT WOULD UNFOLD THE WAY IT
DID?
I DON’T THINK ANYONE EXPECTED TO
HAVE HAPPEN WHAT HAPPENED.
BUT AS ONE OF THOSE MOB THINGS.
PEOPLE STARTED REALIZING THEY
COULD GET IN.
THEY DID.
AND AGAIN WHY WASN’T THAT
SECURITY THERE?
YOU WOULD THINK AFTER ESPECIALLY
9/11 THAT THERE WOULD ALWAYS BE
HIGH SECURITY, WHETHER YOU HAD
THE FENCE OR NOT TO MAKE SURE
NOBODY GETS NEAR THAT CAPITOL OR
IN THAT CAPITOL WHO ISN’T
SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, WHO HAS
NOT BEEN VETTED, GONE THROUGH
THE USUAL PROTECTION PROCEDURES,
SECURITY PROCEDURES.
AND THAT WASN’T DONE.
SO THIS THING TOOK ON A DEADLY
LIFE OF ITS OWN AND WE’RE PAYING
THE PRICE FOR IT OBVIOUSLY TO
THIS DAY.
BAD STUFF.
NEIL: STEVE, KARL ROVE WROTE ON
THIS IN
"THE WALL STREET JOURNAL" TODAY
THAT REPUBLICANS SHOULD HAVE AND
HAVE NOT SPOKEN OUT MORE AGAINST
WHAT HAPPENED A YEAR AGO,
WHATEVER YOUR THOUGHTS ON
WHETHER THE CAPITOL SHOULD HAVE
BEEN BETTER PROTECTED AT THAT
TIME -- GO AHEAD.
>> NO I THINK A LOT OF
REPUBLICANS DID.
MITCH McCONNELL WAS VERY, VERY
FORTHRIGHT ABOUT IT.
MANY REPUBLICANS WERE SHAKEN BY
THE IDEA THAT A LOOSE MOB WAS
INSIDE OF THE CAPITOL,
ESPECIALLY ON A DAY LIKE THAT.
NEIL: AFTER THAT, AFTER THAT
THEY FORGOT ABOUT IT, RIGHT?
I’M ADDRESSING SQUARELY THOSE
REPUBLICANS FOR A YEAR EXCUSED
THE ACTIONS OF RIOTERS WHO
STORMED CAPITOL, DISRUPTED
CONGRESS AS IT RECEIVED
ELECTORAL COLLEGE RESULTS AND
VIOLENTLY ATTEMPTED TO OVERTURN
THE ELECTION.
HE SAYS WE’RE TOLD THAT THESE
HARMLESS, ORDINARY AMERICANS ARE
BEING PERSECUTED AS POLITICAL
PRISONERS.
THAT IS SIMPLY NOT THE CASE OF
WHAT HE WAS WAKING.
HAD NOT USED THAT AS A BADGE OF
HONOR?
>> NO.
IT SHOULD BE DENOUNCED.
THOSE WHO DON’T DENOUNCE IT ARE
DOING A HUGE DISSERVICE.
YOU DON’T STORM THE CAPITOL.
YOU DON’T HAVE A MOB ROAMING
THROUGH THE CAPITOL.
AGAIN, HOW THAT HAPPENED, IT
SHOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED.
THE PEOPLE WHO WERE
DEMONSTRATING WHO TURNED INTO A
RIOTOUS MOB WHERE DEATH RESULTED
SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.
THOSE WHO PERPETRATED IT SHOULD
BE OPINION ISSUE ABOUT THE
PUNISHMENT.
TALK ABOUT INDIVIDUAL CASES YOU
DID WRONG.
YOU DO SOMETHING EGREGIOUS LIKE
THAT YOU PAY A PRICE FOR IT.
THAT KIND OF THING WILL NOT
HAPPY AGAIN.
SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN IN THE FIRST
PLACE.
SO YES, DENOUNCE IT.
IT IS A BAD THING, STAIN, AND A
HOPEFULLY IT WILL NEVER HAVE
SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPEN AGAIN
NEIL: PROBABLY AWARE IN
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" TODAY JIMMY
CARTER IS WORRIED IT COULD
HAPPEN AGAIN AND THAT YOU KNOW,
WITH MAYBE THE EXTREMISM AND
VOLATILITY AND EVERYTHING ELSE
THAT WE’RE IN THE BRINK OF
SOMETHING.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT?
>> NO.
I THINK THE VERY FACT THAT
SOMETHING LIKE THIS DID HAPPEN
IS AN INNOCULATION SO TO SPEAK
THAT IT WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN.
THAT THERE WILL BE PROPER
PROCEDURES THERE, ESPECIALLY IF
YOU WANT A DEMONSTRATION
ESPECIALLY BEFORE AN
INAUGURATION.
THAT KIND OF STORMING OF THE THE
CAPITOL WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.
OTHER THINGS CAN HURT THE
COUNTRY IN RECENT YEARS ON
VARIOUS FRONTS BUT THAT KIND OF
THING, NO.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WON’T STAND
FOR IT.
I DON’T THINK THE CAPITOL POLICE
OR OTHERS LET THAT SITUATION
ARISE WHERE YOU HAVE A POTENTIAL
MOB THAT COULD STORM SOMETHING,
NOT GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO
HAPPEN.
THEY WILL BREAK IT UP BEFORE
ANYTHING HAPPENS, PERIOD.
NEIL: GOT IT.
STEVE, GREAT CATCHING UP WITH
YOU, STEVE FORBES, THE FORBES
MEDIA CHAIRMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF,